Good Country People Essay

In Flannery O’Connor’s short story â€Å"Good Country People,† Hulga’s arrogance, bitterness, and rebelliousness contribute to her inability to get along with others. Her superior attitude and atheist bent combine to make Hulga a person with few redeeming qualities but an easy target for deception disguised behind a simple mind. It is Hulga’s arrogance towards other less educated than she, in the end, which prevents her from seeing through the fraud of a dishonest man. Hulga’s arrogance is displayed from the beginning of â€Å"Good Country People†. Her mother’s tenant family, the Freemans, have a pair of daughters. Although Glynese and Carramae are â€Å"two of the nicest girls she knew† (page 165) according to Mrs. Hopewell, Hulga refers them to by the derogatory nicknames of Glycerin and Caramel since she clearly thinks herself intellectually superior. Hulga has a doctorate degree from a university and often reminds her mother that were it not been for her heart problems â€Å"she would be far from these red hills and good country people† (page 168) which she considers far beneath her. In fact, Hulga wants nothing to do with her humble surroundings, declaring that she doesn’t like animals or things in nature or even young men, who blatantly display their general stupidity. O’Connor sets up this description of Hulga to foreshadow the character’s reaction when she meets Manley Pointer and â€Å"thinks of it as a great joke† (page 173) upon agreeing to meet him for a picnic. Mrs. Hopewell’s physical description of her daughter as â€Å"constant outrage†¦obliterated every expression from her face† (page 166) clearly demonstrates the effect of Hulga’s bitter attitude and she constantly reminds the girl her face would be much more attractive with a smile. While her mother feels obligated to care for the girl after the unfortunate accident which took her leg, Hulga has rescinded her belief in God and does not allow Mrs. Hopewell to keep a bible in the parlor. She is unrepentant and unrelenting in her bitterness. Hulga has lost so much of her life to this quality and the threat of her medical condition that she feels compelled to lie to Manley Pointer about her age, telling him she is 17 instead of the 32 years she’s actually lived. Hulga is rebellious against the society of which she disapproves as well as her own mother. She looks down on Mrs. Hopewell and her desire to find â€Å"good country people† (page 166) with which to associate. Impressed to walk the fields with her mother, Hulga manages to make it as uncomfortable as possible with â€Å"remarks†¦so ugly and her face so glum†. Hulga smugly responds that that she is merely being herself and this is what her mother gets for asking her to come along. Hulga feels triumphant in legally changing her name into one so ugly that â€Å"her mother had not been able to turn her dust into Joy† (page 167). She continues to rebel against convention, eagerly accompanying Manley Pointer for a rare opportunity to speak with him regarding what she feels are philosophical subjects. Of course it is this rebelliousness that allows him to take advantage of her. Hulga and her mean spirit, arrogance, bitterness and rebelliousness are the perfect combination to be brought down by a simple con man who need do nothing more than show a bit of interest in the reclusive girl. Through O’Connor’s characterization the author retells the moral of the fabled tortoise and hare and reminds the reader of the pitfalls of arrogance.

The Colonial Experience in West Africa

The Twentieth Century brought with it vast changes for the peoples of West Africa. The yoke of colonialism bound them together into a new political, economic, and social order. It was as if hundreds of years of history had suddenly ended, and begun again anew. In the wake of the Berlin West Africa Conference, in 1885, the great powers of Europe – Britain, France, Germany, and even Portugal and Belgium – had carved up West Africa among themselves. European overlords either completely replaced, or else adopted a â€Å"supervisory† position over the native African authorities. Proud kingdoms, like those of the Asante, Benin, and Dahomey, found themselves forced to adapt or disappear, as West Africans struggled to make sense of a world that had been turned completely upside down and inside out. For â€Å"inside out,† could easily describe the reversal of economic roles that came along with European conquest. Formerly, European traders had stayed close to the coast, allowing the African rulers and merchants to supply Europe and her New World colonies with slaves and other â€Å"merchandise. The British had finally succeeded in ending the slave trade some years before, and many of the coastal kingdoms of West Africa had languished as a result. Some had been almost wholly dependent upon the trade in human beings – now there would have to be new sources of revenue. For the most part, these new sources of income would be developed by Europeans who would exploit West Africa's people and resources for the benefit of their home countries. However, the Africans would also learn from their new masters. Some of them would obtain a Western education, or work to introduce the ideas of the modern industrial world to Africa. European science, technology, education, political, economic, cultural, and religious ideas would all have a profound impact on West Africa. The pre-colonial relationship between Europeans and West Africans was one of mutual trade. In the first half of the Nineteenth Century, Europeans vastly increased their purchases of palm oil, and also continued to buy tropical hardwoods, while Africans received the products of Europe's industrial revolution: cotton and woolen textiles and iron. 1 It was only as direct European influence began to increase that economic conditions were gradually modified. The introduction of cocoa by European missionaries in the 1860s, led to its becoming a major cash crop and primary export by the earliest period of European colonial domination, around 1900. Gold and coca were the mainstays of the economy in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). To keep up with their seemingly insatiable demands for these and other products, the British, French, and other others, introduced more modern techniques of production. In particular, they employed industrial methods of mining, and built railroads and port facilities to enable a vastly increased flow of goods. Yet it would be wrong to think that was no African response to changed economic conditions. Already, in the late 1800s, African merchant families, such as the Sarbahs, began to encourage rubber production: In contrast to the palm oil trade, the rubber trade, because of a greater monetary return per unit of labour input and weight, drew into its orbit thousands of producers from the deep interior, including Sefwi, Kwahu, Asante and the distant states of Brong-Ahafo, all more than 100 miles from the coast. The rubber trade also gave rise to a new group of middle-men or broken from the Fanti states, Asin, Denkyera, and Akim, who carried the trade to the further limits of the forest zone and in so doing accelerated the extension of the cash economy. Rubber became a major export with shipments totalling well over one million pounds volume in 1886; and by 1893, the Gold Coast ranked first among the rubber exporting countries of the British Empire and third in the world. 3 Africans were, therefore, fully able to adapt themselves to European conditions in order to increase the size and extent of their markets, even if this necessitated adopting new techniques, and even entirely new crops, like rubber. On the down side, an economy based on growing and harvesting rubber latex caused significant social upheavals. The influence of the coastal mercantile families and kingdoms waned in favor of inland economic interests. 4 Families like the Sarbahs expanded their trading networks deep into the Interior, opening up branch story, cajoling purchasers, and further turning economic focus toward the one paramount crop. They also became increasingly dependent on fluctuations in the European market. 5 Furthermore, the conflict between European sponsored economic development, and meddlesome European control can be seen in the 1920's Gold Coast, where British Governor Guggisberg pursued a policy that was in many ways detrimental to the future of the African peoples under his control: Anti-modernisation, anti-urban, and anti-development. Regulations and barriers against innovation proliferated†¦. Official policy did nothing to encourage the emergence of a commercial middle class. Its effect instead was to establish a highly formidable machinery of bureaucratic control†¦. The most damaging effect of colonial policy on the ground was the way in which it hindered the emergence of a ‘native modernizing cadre', one result of which ‘was to divert into long and bitter anti-colonial struggles much brilliant talent which could have been used creatively in development sectors'. 6 The subordination of African interests to European profits condemned West Africans to economic backwards through lack of skills and genuine opportunities. The lack of skill and opportunity open to native West Africans leads naturally to a discussion of European education and the new horizons it presented. Prior to the era of colonial domination, West Africa's peoples had had little contact with Western ideas, except for he occasional interactions with Christian missionaries. The states, large and small, of West Africa had been universally pre-industrial, and had possessed nothing in the way of modern communications, transportation, or even the kind of complex educational and political institutions that existed in the Christian and Muslim worlds. Missionaries were the first to introduce Western educational methods into West Africa: For them education took place in schools, where obedient pupils listened to teachers, took examinations, and received diplomas certifying knowledge. Discipline was important, not only to make the children study, but also to mold desirable habits and (that was usually considered to be even more important than learning itself). 7 On the whole, Western education extended only to teaching subjects that Europeans thought would be useful to their â€Å"charges. Vocational training was sufficient for people who would never have to govern themselves. 8 Nevertheless, an exposure to the Western academic tradition inspired many African families to push for a higher level of education for their children. â€Å"Few pupils wanted to undergo the cost and the hardship of study, only to be prepared for a rural life and a low living standard. † 9 In the 1930's, in French West Africa, Colonial Government officials began to formulate a new approach that appeared to look forward to a synthesis of the European and Native traditions. France's redefined mission civilisatrice [civilizing mission] was to be fulfilled†¦ by teaching the subject populations how to live according to â€Å"authentic African traditions,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ This vision of France's role overseas as the protector of indigenous cultures in the colonies challenged earlier presentations of the colonial mission that had presented France as the bearer of â€Å"European civilization† and â€Å"French culture† destined to bring Africa out of the â€Å"darkness† in which many late-nineteenth-century colonizers claimed its people lived. 10 The French administrators went so far as to strongly encourage African arts and crafts, sponsor African festivals – even to teach Africans â€Å"how to be African†(! ). In order to avoid contamination by native teachers already trained in the earlier European methods, the French actually brought in teachers from France to lead the Africans in the study of their native West African culture; these teachers being observed leading Natives in local folk dances, etc. 11 Such plans represented an interesting attempt to keep Native elites loyal to France, while at the same time, well-rooted in their Native lands and cultures. Ostensibly, such practices would avoid the â€Å"stateless† quality of Africans educated under the earlier system. Nonetheless, exposure to European educational and economic ideas – even when those ideas were fused with African traditions – could not forestall an African thirst for greater freedom and opportunity along European lines. Colonial rulers often imposed a dual system of justice – a European one for major offenses, and a Native one for those offenses deemed minor by the Colonial Authorities. The French, early on, abolished the Native courts and legal system, except in rare cases, while even under the British, it was quite clear that Native justice was distinctly secondary to the â€Å"real† justice of the Europeans. 12 Dichotomies such as these further entrenched notions of West African inferiority. The French instituted a policy of not interfering in African customs and culture, as long as those customs did not conflict with the French aim of achieving some sort of â€Å"evolution† among Africans. 13 It was taken utterly for granted that African culture was inherently inferior to French civilization. By contrast, the British authorities endeavored to maintain equilibrium by combining traditional African smallholder society with the demands of the British Cocoa Board. Rural West African society was to be maintained at all costs to prevent a breakdown of the social order, such as occurred when jobs were scarce and peasants left for the cities in the hope of finding work. There, oddly enough, the British actually encouraged the growth of an urban petit bourgeoisie in the dream of preventing rebellion. With the collapse of world markets during the Great Depression, urban and peasant unrest increased – with the noticeable difference that now a radicalized bourgeoisie was available to lead that unrest. 14 In short, the European colonial administrations of West Africa both helped and exploited Africans. With their thirst for profits, and a belief in the superiority of their own institutions, technology, and culture, they dreamed of â€Å"advancing† the native population while at the same time keeping that population economically productive, and under firm European control. Yet in so doing, they introduced many attributes of the modern world to the peoples of West Africa. European notions of development, education, and justice split traditional African life into separate public and private spheres – especially for those who embraced European learning and techniques. 15 The divide that grew up between Europeanized Africans, and those who have remained closer to their traditional ways of life remains a problem even today. One of the lasting legacies of European Colonization in West Africa was this impartial transformation; this creation of a society existing in two worlds, trained properly for neither. Once opened to the full force of the industrial (and later post-industrial) economy, the traditional African economy could not compete. At the same time, not enough West Africans were educated, in the European sense, to provide the skills and leadership to easily lead their people into a new era. European rule has left West Africa with many choices, not all of them good.

Case Study of the Company Called CASPER Free Sample for Students

The use of the social media and the internet to conduct business activities is growing at an alarming rate. Most companies have websites to help them reach the target audience by connecting them to their social sites which include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Competition has increased globally. But how do firms withstand this challenge? Casper is a privately owned company which is located in the United States, New York City.   The Company conducts most of its business activities online. Casper was launched in 2014 by Philip Krim, Jeff Chapin, Luke Sherwin, Gabriel Flateman and Neil Parikh (Casper, 2017).The firm’s objective was to increase the distribution of mattresses in the US (Weinberg, 2014). To make people aware of the company, it uses a website to carry on its activities. Most of the manufacturing operations take place in Pennsylvania and Georgia. The online business strategy has made Casper be among the companies with high returns inwards in the US. But how is this possible yet several companies run such kind of business online? Through ventures from several firms and people, Casper was able to expand its business activities from the US to include Canada in November 2014. Some of the great individuals who have invested with Casper include celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Levine (Allen, Yaeckel & Allen, 2011).The venture companies include Pritzker Group Venture Capital and Crosslink Partners. Funding from these sources has impacted the company’s gross profits. Currently, Casper is among the most successful companies competing with companies like Norwegian Cruise Ship (NCL) making it in the list of enterprises’ able to make more than one hundred million US dollars ($100 million) in less than two years. The future of the company seems to be great especially with the growing technology. Casper specializes in mattresses. The mattresses consist of hybridized blend of two materials across four single layers. The layers are: Casper makes good use of its business models which entails clients buying mattresses online. Customers make orders, and the mattresses are delivered to them. Casper also has provided its consumers with one type of mattress, therefore, giving the user an easy time to choose. Other companies provide the consumer with several choices which leave them with the difficulty of determining which the best type of mattress to buy is (Watson, 2015). Being objective in the kind of mattress to provide is a very helpful strategy for the company in its operational model. Most people will go for mattresses from Casper simply because they are sure of what type and quality to expect. Nevertheless, the elimination of the middlemen in the distribution channels makes the company’s products affordable to many.   The application of Middlemen in the supply chain increases the cost of the final product in the retail shops. What if we do away with retail stores? Then we will have to buy the mattresse s from the manufacturers who are of course cheaper as compared to buying from retailers (Muehlhausen, 2013). Another strategy employed by the company is through investing in advertising. Most people living in New York City know about the existence of Casper through their adverts which can be located in taxis, posters, and billboards.   Above all, the buying of mattresses online has promoted the organization’s activities. Casper has good strategies which have enabled it to shine in the market. The market competition is very stiff, and there is the need for a company to bring up the best strategy possible. We can evaluate the significance of these strategies through the SWOT and PEST analysis of the company (Pahl, 2013).  ·Casper has a well-developed website which is easily accessible to many clients willing and able to trade with them.  ·Casper is located in New York City which is economically and politically stable.  ·The organization has a well-established administration hierarchy.  ·The company has several able financial investors who make it possible to operate even during financial crisis   Ã‚ ·The company deals with only one line of product. It does not entail diversity.  ·Use of social media platforms to advertise and create awareness of Casper Company.  ·With more funding from the investors, Casper can expand its activities as well as structures.  ·Several competitors are diverse hence providing people with alternatives to choose from. Casper is located in the US which is a politically stable nation. The politically stable environment has provided the firm with a conducive environment to work in. The US government has set laws which help to protect the environment, as well as the consumers. This has made the organization to operate under a defined ethical framework. Operating under moral framework has assisted in building the organization’s trust and reputation hence attracting more clients (Marmol & Probert, 2015). Casper Company is located in the United States which economically stable. This means that the consumer income is high hence making it possible for them to pay for the company’s products. With globalization, so many people are moving into the US. This increasing population provides labor and market for the firm (Weaver, 2013). The US population growth rate is increasing rapidly due to globalization and the immigrants. This has lead to the rise in the number of people who rely on the company for mattresses. Sleep is among the basic needs of people which must be fulfilled. Visitors do not know which the best choices is in a foreign nation are. Therefore, having one single choice provides Casper an advantage to trade over competitors. The Casper firm has employed modern technologies in advertising and getting access to its clients. Due to multimediality which is supported by the new technologies, Casper is able to upload pictures, Videos or audio materials which will make them promote their products. Nevertheless, most people in the US have access to devices which can support internet services. These people can access the organization’s website from any place and make their orders. The financial ratios of the company are well balanced.   For instance, the liquidity ratio which is derived from the current business ratio is well off. The firm has enough liquid cash to help in running the business activities and respond to emergencies. Casper also makes huge profits. For instance, within its two years of operation, the firm had made more than one hundred US dollars. Having a balanced financial ratio is the key to the success of any business. Nevertheless, good financial statements are useful in determining the future of the company. Strategy evaluation of the Casper industry can be done through the analysis of the different financial ratios. Currently, their strategies are working well. The company has made lots of profits from the sale of mattresses (Tirole, 2012). Casper mattresses firm is well performing in the US. Its strategies are significant in achieving its objectives. There are several companies which operate online but never get to make profits like Casper (Orsburn, 2011). What might be the reason behind this? Through analyzing the Casper case study, we find out that Casper has employed more than one strategy to acquire its potential stability. For instance, providing consumers with one kind of product, therefore, making their choices easy, investing in online advertisements through their well-established website and investing in other forms of advertising in the streets like for instance in cars and billboards. From the SWOT and PEST analysis, we find out that Casper has more potential of growth. The politically and economically stable environment, the emerging new technologies and the social media all play a major role in the continuity of the company. I think the best business model employed by the firm is the elimination of the middlemen in the distribution channel. Middlemen entail the inclusion of retailers. When retailers buy goods from the manufacturers, they incur several types of costs which include transportation, purchasing, labor, the cost of hiring their premises, packaging costs and so many others. For them to compensate these expenses, they will have to sell their products at high costs. For instance, a commodity bought by a retailer from a manufacturer can reach the final consumer at a price which is almost as twice as the price the retailer bought it from the manufacturer. This scares away the consumers who will in most cases prefer to buy from the manufacturer. In fact, I can say that this is a competitive advantage Casper uses to withstand the market competition (Vance, 2015). Despite the application of the single product serving well for the company, there is a need for diversity so that in future Casper can make more profits. Casper. (2017, March 28). LIVE THE DREAM. Retrieved from Casper: https://casper.com/ Marmol, T, Feys, B., & Probert, C. (2015). PESTLE analysis. Place of publication not Pahl, N., Richter, A., & University of Applied Science Berlin. (2013). SWOT analysis: Idea, Methodology and a practical approach. Munchen: GRIN Verlag Allen, C., Kania, D., Yaeckel, B., & Allen, C. (2011). One-to-one web marketing: Build a Relationship marketing strategy one customer at a time. New York: John Wiley. Weinberg, T. (2014). The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web. Sebastopol: Vance, D. E. (2015). Raising Capital. Boston, MA: Springer Science Business Media, Inc Watson, D., & Serious Investor Groups. (2015). Business models: Investing in companies and Sectors with strong competitive advantage. Petersfield [England: Harriman House Pub. Muehlhausen, J. (2013). Business Models for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Price, Waterhouse & Co., Price Waterhouse (Firm), Price Waterhouse (Firm)., & Price Waterhouse World Firm Services BV, Inc. (1980). Doing business in the United States. New York: Price, Waterhouse Weaver, F. S. (2013). The United States and the global economy: From Bretton Woods to the current crisis. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Orsburn, E. M. (2012). The social media business equation: Using online connections to grow your bottom line. Australia: Course Technology PTR. Campbell, D. (20116). Business Strategy. Palgrave Macmillan Tirole, J. (2012). Financial crises, liquidity, and the international monetary system. Princeton, NJ [u.a.: Princeton Univ. Press

Adam Aircraft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Adam Aircraft - Essay Example The strategies of the company were typically customer oriented that were endeavored towards producing light, comfortable, affordable and fast aircrafts. Findings The company faced many severe challenges. One of the prime challenges faced by the company was the availability of limited fund. The aspects of inadequate time and lack of skilled workforce were the other vital challenges for the company. At the same time, the company realized that in order to succeed in aircraft industry, it must develop new and innovative products. Recommendations Addressing the challenges faced by the company, certain recommendation have been given. In this regard, the company must cautiously utilize the available time and funds. Any kind of wastage within the company should be quickly curtailed. Further, it should seriously consider the rules and regulation prescribed by FAA in order to prevent any delays during the work process. Table of Contents Memo 2 Table of Contents 4 Introduction 5 Thesis Statemen t 5 Identification and Evaluation of the Company’s Existing Mission, Objectives and Strategies 5 Identification of the Key Strategic Issues (Problem Statement) 7 The Causes of the Problem 8 Identification of the Key Inferences and Assumptions 9 Alternative Solutions 10 Recommendations 12 Conclusion 15 Works Cited 16 Introduction Rick Adam, a successful entrepreneur who had a passion for flying, founded Adam Aircraft Company in the year 1998. Adam identified the market needs and conducted an efficient market research as well as analysis; as the result of his efforts, Adam Aircraft was founded. Rick Adam’s passion for flying has developed since his childhood - he got inspiration from his father, George Adam Sr who had served as an Air Force Officer during the World War II (Hedberg and Hamilton, â€Å"Adam Aircraft†). Thesis Statement This paper is all about making a thorough analysis of the case study relating to Adam Aircraft Company by concerning certain signifi cant aspects. In this regard, the aspects include the identification as well as the evaluation of the company’s existing mission, objectives and recognition of chief strategic issues along with the reasons for the problems. Various aspects such as the identification of the key facts and the assumptions drawn from the aforementioned aspects, proposition of alternative solutions and specific recommendations for action will also be portrayed in the paper. Identification and Evaluation of the Company’s Existing Mission, Objectives and Strategies During the period of the establishment of Adam Aircraft, it has been viewed that the airplane market possessed high entry barriers and required to invest huge capital in order to formulate as well as to implement effective business strategies. In this similar context, Rick identified the pitfalls associated with aircraft manufacturers that included the problems relating to aircraft designing, building and certifying new aircraft. F urthermore, he also identified the prime reasons behind the success and the failure of those companies who had entered the aircraft manufacturing industry with high enthusiasm. The detailed analysis of these significant factors ultimately led him towards recognizing new as well as innovative ways for entering into the aircraft industry. Rick founded the company with the purposeful mission of delivering quality and efficient products or services to its potential customers and ensuring greater customer satisfaction by meting their respective expectations and needs. At the same time, the objectives of the company were to manufacture and deliver advanced aircraft support structure sin the finest way to its valuable

Summary 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary 1 - Essay Example -up owners can do so by purchasing competitor’s products, posing as an interested customer with the aim of analyzing customer care and sales strategies of the competitor, and speaking to managers/leaders at an on-site visit, who are likely to brag about the company’s past and successes (Martin 1). Outshine the competition-use knowledge gained from analyzing the industry to implement effective and efficient products and services that limit competitors’ market appeal; for example, secure lucrative contracts, and create easy to use websites. The fundamental goal is to take competitors out of the picture (Martin 1). Focus on customer service- the effectiveness of this hinges on assembling a resourceful, motivated team, which comprises of people who share the owner’s passion and vision for the company. Start-ups must aim to create pleasant customer service experience, as this will help attract and retain new customers (Martin 1-2). Create quiet opportunities- it is crucial for start-ups to stay under their competitor’s radar, as overexposure might make trigger a fight for market shares by competitors; for example, competitors might offer lower prices (Martin 2). Maintain your lead- in order to do so, owners of start-ups must consistently provide quality services and products while simultaneously remaining proactive in the execution of the company’s strategies. They should preempt future technological innovations, customer’s expectations among other things (Martin

Bizzell (1986) argues that in order to succeed in university it is Essay

Bizzell (1986) argues that in order to succeed in university it is necessary to become 'bicultural'. Critically discuss this idea drawing on relevant SSK12 mate - Essay Example argument, Bizzell presents the three main approaches taken in attempting to understand these issues and the problems inherent in focusing on just one approach at a time, proving that a bicultural approach is the only equitable and serviceable approach possible. This idea of a bicultural approach is supported throughout Bizzell’s arguments by Brigid Ballard and John Clanchy in their article â€Å"Literacy in the University: An Anthropological Approach† as well as through my own college experience. The first approach to educating basic writers â€Å"says that basic writers entering college precipitate a clash among dialects† (Bizzell, 1986, p. 294) because their home dialect differs significantly from the diction and grammar of Standardized English widely used throughout the world of higher education. Arguments against the use of standard English indicate that students with differing dialects lose a great deal of their ability to communicate, suffer a reduction in the depth of their education because of the necessity of learning and adopting the academic system and represents a lack of recognition of the validity and unique expressive nature of the home dialects. Presenting a strong argument to the contrary, advocates of the Standard English approach merely need to point out the necessity of preparing students for success in an increasingly globalized world that depends on Standard English for a good deal of its communication needs. However, even identifying the appropr iate language to use in a given academic paper can be difficult. â€Å"Gradually, the students learn that, when asked to write an essay on, say, language acquisition, the method of analysis they employ, the evidence they bring to bear, the language they use will be very different depending on whether they are enrolled in linguistics, prehistory, sociology, education or psychology† (Ballard & Clanchy, 1988, p. 172). This has led some educators to advocate a bicultural approach to education that

Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow Assignment

Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the term revolution of growth has been used to describe substantial turmoil in the trading periods of the organization. Established companies have been able to distinguish the clues that will define their future. On the other hand, those that fail to establish these clues are not lucky to realize their main goal of doing business. Many organizations are in apposition to overcome the external force but do face challenges dealing with their own history of management. This can be termed as direction phase where the company needs the directions. The third phase is the delegation phase. The main aim to start any form of business is not only to make profits but also grow and develop. These developments can be subdivided into phases. There are key forces of developments in this paper will discuss. This paper highlights the main dimensions used to determine the model of any organization development. To start with, the age of the business, the si ze of the business, the various stages of evolution, the stages of the revolution and the general growth in the industry. All this needs good management team in place as well illustrated in BPW Australia. The fourth phase is the coordination phase. Each stage of evolution gives birth to a new revolution. The managerial team is busy looking for solutions and this revolution dictates the next evolution in the business sector. Another important model is the age of the organization, the experience that the company gains over time helps a lot in its growth and development. Every procedure is extensively reviewed. The top executives are there to maintain high business standards. The fifth phase is the collaboration phase. The Size of the business has now fully grown sales volumes of the company have increased, its employees and the like. The level of the hierarchy is established, creating more opportunities within the organization internally and externally. This has the effects that evolu tion can be prolonged whereas revolution can delay when the profits of the business are achieved in a faster way. Again at this phase regular top management meeting are done regularly, to spot any issues arising.

Fire Safety Legislations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fire Safety Legislations - Essay Example Many fire safety legislations have come into practice in recent decades and have reduced injury, death and calamity. Fire Precautions Act 1971 was the first exclusively fire devoted act and this was the result of the Report of the Holroyd Committee in 1970 which recommended that the law pertaining to fire safety should come under two branches: one that would apply to new and altered premises and other, to apply exclusively to premises that were already occupied. Committee found it so important that fire safety regulations should branch out to become more effective and understood by people, and this was necessary looking at the risk involved. In july 2002, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister issued a Consolidation paper for further reforms on fire fighting legislation and amending wherever necessary, with a view to make it more understandable and less intimidating. New legislations are proposed to be introduced, dropping the certification which was made compulsory under the Fire P recautions Act 1971. Next major piece of regulation was The Fire Precautions (Workplace) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 to be followed by The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and this Report tries to map the differences and similarities between them. "Houses occupied as single private dwellings are exempt, but the fire authority has powers to make it compulsory for some dwellings to be covered by a fire certificate" http://www.healthandsafety.co.uk/firep.htm Premises that require a fire certificate were many and for those premises, obtaining a certificate became mandatory. "The use of certain types of premises has been designated by the Secretary of State as requiring a fire certificate under the Fire Precautions Act 1971 (in Northern Ireland under the Fire Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1984 as amended). There are two designating orders in force in Great Britain - one relates to larger hotels and boarding houses; the other to those factories, offices, shops and railway premises in which people are employed to work" http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.aspid=1124874 Mainly these applied to non-domestic premises and the intention was reducing death and injury and damage. Provisions for reasonable means of escape, inspection were made and officers are entitled to take action to enforce the act. This was further fortified by Building Regulation Act of 1991 that limited internal fire spread including furniture and fittings by more regulations while considerable facilities for fire service was given including rules on fire warning and emergency lighting. Offices, shops, factories were covered according to number of workers. Guidance about storage of flammable materials, means for fighting fire, warning, training of employees, licensed premises, standards of fire precautions, inspection procedures, methods and types of inspection, escape related precautions, notifications of proposed changes were meticulously guided with extensive provisions. Some premises were exempted from fire certificate requirement and standards of exempted premises like factorie s and offices with only ground floor/basement/first floor power, not using explosive materials etc. had to be

A Capstone Experience(Factors and Trends that Influence Strategy Assignment

A Capstone Experience(Factors and Trends that Influence Strategy Development)1 - Assignment Example The businesses will save a lot of money in the long run. However, there will be reductions in employment, cuts on expenditure, and closure of establishments (Glynn, 2010). Investment strategies involve the business spending on innovation and market diversification. Though it is a risky strategy, many businesses have begun successfully using investment strategies. Businesses will allocate a large portion of their capital towards short-term survival and innovation. Businesses will then exploit all its resources (Glynn, 2010). Ambidextrous strategies are a combination of retrenchment and investment strategies. Businesses that adopt these strategies survive the recession period by cost and asset cutting. The businesses also invest a lot in product innovation and market development. Business managers have a task in choosing the right investment for the business and which cost to cut (Glynn, 2010). In the new post-recession consumer behavior, there are certain factors useful to achieve product differentiation. The factors include good business location to create convenience for the customers, and price differentiation so as to give the customers value for their money. Luxury goods are products which are not necessary; however, they make life more pleasant. Marketers of luxury goods should abandon their efforts to abandon premium pricing because their marketing focuses more on affluent mass markets. It would confuse market players because plenty of goods would not know whether to represent luxury or premium pricing (Silverstein, 2008). It is advantageous to create customer value and satisfaction. Companies should formulate their marketing strategies while sticking to the societal attitudes. For example, Wal-Mart delivers its promises always charging low prices on

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Project Management - Essay Example Eurotunnel could not afford to delay the work as it had to incur huge loses of it. But the work got delayed due to the design problems of the Shuttle Wagons. The safety norms were very important as the channel tunnel was a 20 Km long enclosed tunnel under the sea. Fire accidents were very common in such situations. The IGC was responsible to evaluate the safety, security and environmental standards of the project. They found flaws in the design of the Shuttle wagon. Due to this fact, the project was getting delayed. The company had to again redesign its Shuttle by installing fire doors to secure the shuttle in times of fire accidents. The other changes in design led to modifications in other parts of the shuttle wagon. Eurotunnel, the owner of the channel tunnel had to incur extra cost and pay high interest due to such delays (Kirkland, n. d.). Project Background The Channel Tunnel was prepared keeping in mind the fire and the life safety issues. The designs of the channel tunnel and the shuttle wagon travelling through it were approved by the IGC. The channel tunnel comprised of two tunnels for shuttle wagons and in between these two tunnels there is a path or road mainly used for surveillance. These tunnels and the path are interconnected at three intervals and proper ventilation system was also there within the channel tunnel (Whitaker, n. d.).The shuttle wagon is the largest vehicle in the railway systems of the world. These shuttle wagons cover almost half of the tunnel space. The shuttle trains were about 776 m long and had 28 wagons and 2 locomotives. The shuttle wagons were manufactured by the Euroshuttle Wagons Consortium. These shuttle

Race by the Numbers Essay Example for Free

Race by the Numbers Essay In his article, â€Å"Race by the Numbers†, Orlando Patterson argued about the misinterpretation of the census results and that this misinformation is having negative effects on the perspective of the people. The misinterpreted part of the census, according to Patterson, was the idea that the population of the Whites is becoming the minority in many areas of the country. Thus, Patterson offered arguments and ideas to disprove the validity of the interpretation. However, the question is whether or not Patterson was able to persuade the readers, the citizens, that the interpretation of the census report was indeed incorrect. Patterson’s article is full of information especially statistical and quantitative information that helped him in establishing ground for his arguments. Patterson statement that â€Å"48 percent of Hispanics classified themselves as solely white† (p. 83) adds to his persuasive argument that is also supported by the next sentence in the article, â€Å"Hispanics can be of any race† (p. 83). These statements clearly supported the fact that the total percentage of Whites in was decreased as interpreted by the census report. Patterson also included studies that affirm his claim including recent census result. Patterson stated that, â€Å"whites will constitute 74. 8 percent of the total population in 2050, and that non-Hispanics will still be 52. 8 percent of the total† (p. 83) as indicated by the recent census. With such facts indicated in the article, it can be said that Patterson was able to build a strong evidence and supporting detains and information regarding his assertions. Thus, his argument, regarding the population of white Americans in the country, is a â€Å"gross distortion† (Patterson p. 83) is not a mere point of view but is supported by facts and relevant information. By establishing the facts and the arguments, it can be said that Patterson’s main purpose of writing the article was to show that the population of whites in America is still and will continue to be the majority; disproving the assumption that â€Å"non-Hispanic whites will cease to be the majority† (Patterson, p. 82). By doing so, Patterson aims to encourage the whites that they still are the majority and will continue to be. In this case, Patterson was able to do great job through his article. However, Patterson also indicated in his article the idea that â€Å"each group in the new minority-majority country has longstanding grievances against whites†, thus, Patterson may also want to claim the invalidity of this assertion through his article. But in this case, was Patterson effective? Basing from the article, Patterson was really able to encourage the whites and take away the doubt that they will cease to be the majority. However, Patterson was not able to take away the idea that minority groups in America have grievances on whites. On the contrary, it even points out another idea, that whites does not see minority groups as to be equal to them. Thus, instead of disproving the issue of minorities having grievances on whites, the article may even fuel the said issue. The article can trigger grievances against whites since the article establishes the idea that whites are and will continue to be the superior race in the country. Therefore, this may cause insecurity and rebellion against the white race since others may wish to see the downfall of a superior race. Patterson also included historical developments in regarding some issues such as the classification of races. Patterson stated that, â€Å"In 1930 Mexicans were classified as a separate race by the Census Bureau – which reclassified them as white in 1940, after protests† (p. 84). Patterson also mentioned 2 other related issues in history. In this case, Patterson was able to convince the readers regarding the misclassification done that lead to the misinterpretation of the census result. Thus, Patterson once again established a ground for his ideas and arguments by nullifying the classification made by the census bureau on the issue of which races are to be included as whites. As mentioned earlier, the author was able to establish the supporting facts about his claims. However, there are some instances that the author failed to mention relative and important information. Patterson adapted a study stating that, â€Å"Recent studies indicate that the second-generation Hispanic whites are intermarrying † (p. 83). However, Patterson did not mention what particular study reaches that conclusion. Therefore, readers in doubt of that particular argument have no means of verifying the claim. Patterson should have indicated all the necessary information about the research to enable the readers to locate the particular study, otherwise doubts will remain doubts in the minds of the readers. Although the article has its strengths, i. e. the use of statistical information, the weakness of the article is readily available to the readers. The main weakness of the article was that the author, Mr. Patterson, was obviously one sided in writing the article. The bias can be seen from the very beginning of the article. Thus, this limits the trust of the readers and the integrity of the writer. Showing personal biases is will really lead to doubts and disbeliefs of the author’s claim since the readers are aware that he or she is arguing for or against one side. Thus, in persuading the readers about a certain action or issue, one must show personal biases for this will weaken the arguments and the ideas presented by the author. In order to establish a ground proof about an argument, a writer must not show biases as much as possible. It would be better to show the different arguments of both side and show relative information, facts and evidences and let the readers decide which arguments weigh more basing from the given evidences. All in all, Patterson did a great job in laying the arguments and he was able to fulfil his main objective, to encourage the whites. However, as mentioned earlier, the article has its own weaknesses as well. Thus, the article would only be effective if the reader is taking the same side as Patterson’s, otherwise, the article would seem very racist of which whites are considered incomparable to others. The validity of the claims is thus, very subjective on the personality and side that the readers will take.

Animals Shouldnt Be Kept in Zoos Essay Example for Free

Animals Shouldnt Be Kept in Zoos Essay The social network, Facebook is unnecessary worldwide for people under the age of 18 because there many people who are being exposed to atrocities through Facebook. If you are under the age of 18 you also have high risk of becoming prevalent to cyber bulling and many people under this age are not taking action when they are being bullied or when they view it; and a large percentage of people that use Facebook are under the legal age. Facebook is the worst social networking site for internet trolling, and bullying is now more prevalent online than anywhere else. Research has stated (daily mail. com, Damien Gayle, 2013) that 87 per cent of teenagers who reported cyber abuse said they were targeted on Facebook. Facebook is the worst social networking site for internet trolling, and bullying is now more online than anywhere else. Bullying on-line continues to be a serious problem for a huge number of teenagers and we cannot ignore its often devastating and tragic effects. When teenagers are bullied many of them try to hide it and decide not to tell anyone. Research states that this is mainly because they scared, nervous, don’t want to be teased or don’t want to act as if it is a problem. Emma-Jane Cross, CEO and founder of the charity BeatBullying, said many young people were suffering because of cyber bulling in silence. However, hundreds of young people are being cyber-bullied or trolled so badly that it can lead to depression, truancy, self-harm, or even force them to contemplate or attempt suicide. This is a real problem Around 7. 5 million (out of the 20 million on Facebook) are under the legal age of 13. Even more troubling, more than five million Facebook users were 10 years old or younger, and they were allowed to use Facebook largely without parental supervision leaving them vulnerable to threats ranging from malware to sexual predators. It is absolutely inconceivable that a pre-teen would have the ability or patience to go through the existing maze of settings to be able to make their Facebook account private enough to ensure protection from unwanted approaches, spam and exploitation of their personal pictures and content. In saying this, so many people are using Facebook and are posting private picture, addresses and birth date. A study shows Schools, teachers and cyber safety experts, are trying very hard to educate teens about their longer term digital identity and online behaviour. But again, as my previous post suggests, it appears that many parents are simply not taking responsibility for their childrens online behaviour. Some seem unaware of the potential online dangers that their children can face daily. This can be partly due to schools not publicizing the constant stream of incidents. Or maybe its because their own children are keeping quiet even when harassed for fear of being banned and ostracised by their peers.

Monsanto Attempts To Balances Stakeholder Interests Environmental Sciences Essay

Monsanto Attempts To Balances Stakeholder Interests Environmental Sciences Essay The Monsanto Company is the worlds largest seed, with sales of over 10.5 billion. It specializes in biotechnology, or the genetic manipulation of organisms. T he worlds 90 percent of the seeds today are sold by Monsanto or by companies that use Monsanto genes. Monsanto also holds 70-100 percent market share on certain crops. Yet Monsanto has to meet its share of criticism from sources as diverse as government, farmers, activists, and advocacy groups.  There have been allegations of intimidating farmers, using hostile tactics to monopolize the market, false advertising, and producing large-scale international pollution.   In addition, they manufactured Agent Orange for the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. Farmers who buy seeds from Monsanto could not save for future plant. Otherwise, Farmers will have to pay for Monsanto when they find out. Furthermore, Monsanto produced products that involved in the risk of animals and human health. Some of Monsantos actions should considered moral temptation. The moral and safety implications of GM food are of great concern to many stakeholders. Many sceptics see biotech crops as unnatural, with the Monsanto scientist essentially playing God by controlling what goes into the seed. The other concern is toxicity, particularly considering that many Monsanto seed are equipped with a gene to allow them to produce their own Roundup Ready herbicides. Some stakeholders are concerned about the detrimental effects on the consumers by ingesting such herbicides, even in small amount. In addition to concerns over the safety of GM seeds and environmental issues, Monsanto has had to deal with concerns about organizational conduct. Organisations face significant risks from strategies and also from employees and also from employees striving for high performance standards. Such pressure sometimes encourages employees to engage in illegal or unethical conduct. All firms have these concerns, and in the case of Monsanto bribes and patents have resulted in leg al, ethical and reputational consequences. When Hugh Grant took over the CEO of the Monsanto Company in 2003, scandals and stakeholders uncertainty over Monsantos GM product had marked the companys reputation. The price of Monsantos stock had fallen by almost 50 percent, down to $8 a share. There was a loss of $1.7 billion the previous year. Grant knew the company was delicate; yet through a strategic focus on GM foods, the company has recovered and is now prospering. Monsanto is trying to expose itself as a socially responsible company dedicated to improving agriculture. The insights from Monsanto critics about biotech food have not yet come true, but that has not eradicated fears of stakeholder. The company used the concept of Social Responsibility and Business Ethics to create a reputation value to various stakeholders. For instance, in 1974 the Monsanto Company established the Monsanto Fund. This fund contributed $30.2 million to projects across the world between 2008 and 2009. One receipts of the Monsanto Fund was Africare, which received a $400,000 grant from Monsanto to fund a two-year food security project to study the availability of food and the access people have the food. Monsanto also supported the youth programs. Monsanto gave fifteen million dollars to Donald Dan forth Plant Science Centre to do crop research in Africa. Also, the fund helped Brazilian children to maintain good health and basic hygiene. Additionally, Monsanto support ed students who want to study agriculture. However, Monsanto Companys regulation had become financial burden to many farmers. In fact, Corporate Responsibility Magazine ranked Monsanto number 31 on its 100 Best Corporate Citizens list of 2010, a jump from number 88 the previous year. Compare the benefits of growing GM seeds for crops with the potential negative Consequences of using them. Monsanto has a sale equivalent to $10.5 billion in sales to biotechnology, specifically to its sales of genetically modified (GM) plant seeds. These seeds have revolutionized the agriculture industry. The GM seeds introduced to the United States and across the globe since 1990, many farmers stopped complaining disappointment of crops. This had helped farmers spent little expenses, but gain as triple profits. Farmers using GM seeds highly praised the existence of Monsanto Company, because with the same acre of land, they are able to double the crops. Thus, as far as the farmers are making profits, they will continue buying the GM Seeds. For this reason, there is a major concerned for consumer that the GM seeds could affect human and animals health for using it. Genetically modified (GM) crops are not without their critics. Opponents believe that influencing the gene pools of the plants could result in negative health consequences. Whereas others are worried about the health effects on beneficial insects and plants, fearing that pollinating GM plants could affect nearby insects and non-GM plants. Huge Grant was able to reduce some of the opposition by deciding to curtail the tide of criticism by focusing biotechnology on products that would not be directly placed on the dinner plate, but instead on seeds that produce goods like animal feed and corn syrup. Farmers who purchase GM seeds can now grow more crops on less land and with less left chance. GM seeds have saved farmers billions by preventing loss and increasing crop yield. Monsanto predicts higher yields in the future, possibly up to 300 bushels an acre by 2030. As agricultural productivity increases, farmers are able to produce more food feed fuel and fibre on the same amount of land, helping to ensure that agriculture can meet humanitys needs in the future, said Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant about the benefits of Monsanto technology. The revenues of the farmers in the developing countries have increased as a result of higher yield. According to statistics, the cotton yield of Indian farmers rose by 50 percent, doubling their income in one year. The income level in the Philippines has raised above the poverty line because of the insect-protected corn. At the mean time critics argue that these numbers are inflated; they say the cost of GM seed is dramatically higher than that of tradi tional seeds, and therefore they actually reduce farmers net profit. As well as GM crops being relatively new, critics maintain that the health implication of biotech food may not be known in near future. They also contend that the effective standards have not been created to determine the safety of biotech crops. Even the FDA clarified that biotech crops are safe to use, but critics doubt about the short-term period of GM seeds which unable to determine the long-term effects.   According to some studies, the Roundup herbicide, which is used in conjunction with the GM seeds Called Roundup Ready, can be harmful to animals, insects and particularly amphibians. Such studies have revealed that small concentrations of Roundup may be deadly to tadpoles, which is a major concern, as frog and toad species are rapidly disappearing around the globe. Other studies suggest that Roundup might have a detrimental effect on human cells, especially embryonic, umbilical and placental cells.The other potential negative consequences of GM seeds in general is the threat of environmental contamination. Sometimes the crops seeds are carried away to fields containing non-GM crops by wind, bees and other insects to other areas. These seeds and pollens might then mix in with the farmers crops. Organic farmers are complaining that genetically modified seeds from nearby farms have contaminated their crops. Monsanto Crops are resistance to pesticides and herbicide. That is another envir onmental problems which gives fear to the critics that continual use of the chemicals could result in super weed and super bugs, much as overuse of antibiotics in humans has resulted in drug resistance bacteria. AS early as 2003, significant numbers of Roundup resistant weeds had been found in the United States and Australia. . How should Monsanto manage the potential harm to plant and animal life from using products such as Roundup? Monsanto Co. Should change its advertising for glyphosate- based products, including Roundup, that are misleading. The advertising inaccurately portrayed Monsantos glyphosate-containing products as safe and as not causing any harmful effects to people or the environment. According to the state, the ads also implied that the risks of products such as Roundup are the same as those of the active ingredient, glyphosate, and do not take into account the possible risks associated with the products inert ingredients. According to an ecology center fact sheet, glyphosate exposure is the third most common only reported illness among California agriculture workers, and glyphosate residues can last for a year. In the first nine months of 1996, Monsantos worldwide agrochemical sales increased by 21% to US$2.48 billion, due largely to increased sales of Roundup There is a great deal of controversy surrounding Monsanto and their Roundup Ready products. Many environmentalists are concerned that Monsanto is not being responsible enough about their products. The United States Government and Monsanto are both viewed as being too careless in their regulation of genetically engineered crops. The government should Many farmers have begun to use Roundup Ready crops. A recent study suggests that farmers have becoming so reliant on Roundup as a herbicide that they may be weakening Roundups ability to control weeds. Monsanto, manufacturer of Roundup, funded the study. Few farmers consider resistance an issue until it affects them directly. Farmers are now being encouraged to use multiple herbicides. It is unclear how this will impact the use of Roundup Ready crops, as these crops are only resistant to Roundup. A recent study has found that genetically modified food is linked to organ damage in rats.   The  study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences found that genetically modified corn produced by Monsanto induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity. The company manufactured an alfalfa resistant to the Monsanto produced  Roundup  herbicide.   Bees will pollinate the genetically modified alfalfa and then cross pollinate it with organic crops adding the genetic modification to the organic alfalfa.   Organic farmers will then lose their USDA organic certifications.   Since Monsanto also has a patent on the genetic modification, the company can sue any farmer for stealing their property, and they do. Although the study only indicated that genetically modified corn was linked to organ damage, this is the first study to link genetically modified food to toxic reactions.   Further studies may indicate other genetic modified food may have an impact on human healt h.   Considering alfalfa is a main source of cattle feed and the genetic modification has a potential to spread quickly and dominate the alfalfa market, if the genetically modified alfalfa is hazardous to human health, the Supreme Court decision may be fundamental to public health.

Sound Vs. Silence :: essays research papers

The most apparent difference between Dracula and Nosferatu is that one was made while film was still without sound-at least dialogue-and the other was not. This difference, though not a revelation in itself, leads to a great number of much more in-depth contrasts that deserve discussion. In making a silent film, a director must rely on sight-and a certain amount of text-to portray to the audience his intended emotional, and intellectual reaction. As a result of this, the director is not able to go into in-depth character development with the same kind of resources as a director of film that is not silent. In the case of Nosferatu, this leads to a very limited number of characters have any kind of depth whatsoever. This is not to say that every character does not have about him or herself a certain image, or that every character does not extract a certain emotion from the audience. It is simply to say that a great number of characters in Nosferatu use only image to achieve their desired effect. For example, in Dracula, if one were to see Dracula walking down the street, an adverse reaction would be somewhat illfounded. Outside of his clothes, Dracula is a normal looking person. In Nosferatu, however, Dracula is more or less a freak. The end result of this is the audience having the same image of Dracula in both movies, one achieved this through extensive dialogue, and one simply through the appearance of a character. Another example, in Dracula, the first character that is given any kind of development whatsoever is Renfield, and throughout the movie, Renfield is transformed first to a blood sucking savage, and then slowly returned to a character with a heart, and a little bit of compassion. However, in Nosferatu, Renfield is already the blood sucking savage, cooped up in the loony bin, eating bugs when the movie starts, and the extent of his role seems to be nothing more than to provide more insight into the nature of Dracula.Perhaps the most interesting contrast between the two movies is that although they are based on the same novel, their story lines do not coincide. This is apparent in the beginning when in Dracula, Renfield is the one who travels to Transylvania, whereas in Nosferatu, John Harker is the one who travels to Transylvania. It is not explicitly clear in Dracula who the owner of the property that Dracula purchases is; however, in Nosferatu, it is clear that John Harker is the own er, and his trip to Transylvainia is for the purpose of selling the property to Dracula.

Motivation, Organizational Behavior and Performance :: organizations, business, motivation,

Motivation is an important concept which is critical for understanding of and improvement in organizational behaviour and performance. It is therefore important for the managers to understand motivation. It is an important tool which they can use to get more out of their employees and increase organizational performance. Motivation can be defined as the factors, both internal as well as external which arouse in individuals the desire and commitment for a job (Mele, 2005, p. 15). Organizational performance on the other hand refers to the degree to which the organizational objectives have been achieved. Research has shown that motivation in an employee is an important factor which determines his performance. Motivation is the â€Å"driving force within individuals† (Mullins, 2007, p. 285). It is the concerned with finding out the reasons which shape and direct the behaviour of the individuals. The people act to achieve something so that they can satisfy some needs (Gitman and Daniel, 2008). It is important for the manager to understand this motivation of individual employees in order to inspire them and devise an appropriate set of incentives and rewards which would satisfy the needs that they have individually (Kerr, 2003). Once these needs are expected to be met in return for some specific behaviour or action, they would work more diligently to have that behaviour in them and to achieve that objective (Meyer and Hersovitch, 2001). Since it would lead to early and fuller achievement of the company objectives as the individual would work more diligently, it would lead to bett er organizational performance (Wiley, 1997). It is important for manager to understand that what motivates the individuals. There are different kinds of motivation theories which reveal that individuals are motivated by different factors. For example there is extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation (Amabile, 1993). Extrinsic motivation refers to the motivation that one has for the extrinsic rewards such as pay, status, power, etc. Then there are intrinsic motivating factors such as the chance to exercise one’s skills, the opportunity to learn and personal development. Research suggests that various factors motivate employees in a different degree depending on their nature. It would therefore be important for the manager to understand that what are the motivating factors for individual employees and then provide them incentives accordingly so that they can work in a more productive fashion. Once the individuals work with greater excitement and vigour it would automatically lead to better performance.

A Career as a Public Health Specialist Essay -- Occupational Issues

There is no doubt with the advances in technology that, as a population, we are continuing to live longer; yet with the cost of medical care constantly on the raise, is it any wonder an industry would develop out of the concept of â€Å"preventative† maintenance? We are after all, all too aware of this concept; from large corporations who strive to maintain their expensive equipment in an attempt to secure the bottom line, to the local neighbor who would rather afford the costs of preventative maintenance over the expense of replacing a broken down vehicle. To that effect, automobile manufacturers have even begun to include major necessary â€Å"preventative maintenance† items in their â€Å"owner’s manuals.† For instance, I have to replace my timing belt and water pump every 75k miles in my Nissan. Interestingly enough, while we were focused on maintaining everything else around us, somehow we forgot to consider our most valuable complex asset, our bo dies. How is it that the maintenance of a human health and its performance somehow got left over looked and left to fall through the cracks? The need for public health specialists†¦ Until till recent years the thought of humans not only living well in to their 80’s and 90’s, but living vibrant lives was concept that did not appear to go hand-n-hand. However, today the thought is not only real but, the concept and relevance of â€Å"quality of life,† both before and well into the twilight years, is more important than ever before thus making the demand for, and need, of educators and health advocacy even greater. So, what is public health†¦? The concept of public health is not a foreign one; it ultimately emerged from the practice of heroic medicine. Yet today it has evolved into something ... ... us, knowingly or unknowingly, at greater risk that can and possibly will lead us to a dark place. If this trend is allowed to continue or, perhaps revelation through education suffices and people start making their health a priority, one thing is for sure, either way, the future of the public health professional is not only bright but it will only continue to get brighter. Sources: 1. www.whatispublichealth.org/what/index.html; Title: What is Public Health 2. www.healthstate.mn.us/pathways/specialtyareas.html ; Title: Public Health Career Specialty Areas; Sub-Specialties of Public Health 3. www.whatispublichealth.org/faqs/index; Title: What is Public Health? – Frequently Asked Questions 4. www.pzfizerpublichealth.com/publichealthbooks.aspx 5. www.whatispublichealth.org/impact/achievement.html; Title: What is Public Health? – Impact of Public Health

Isyu Sa Wikang Filipino Essay

In this current situation of portentous upheaval in the Philippines, any discussion of the â€Å"language question,† like the â€Å"woman question,† is bound to be imcendiary and contentious. The issue of language is always explosive, a crux of symptoms afflicting the body politic. It is like a fuse or trigger that ignites a whole bundle of inflammable issues, scandalously questioning the existence of God in front of an audience of believers. Or the immortality of souls among the faithful. Perhaps my saying outright that I am a partisan for a national language, Filipino, may outrage the postmodernists and cosmopolites among you—how can you say such a thing when you are speaking in English? Or, as Senator Diokno once said, â€Å"English of a sort. † How dare I infuriate the loyal speakers of Cebuano, Ilocano, Pampagueno, Ilonggo, Taglish, Filipino English, and a hundred or more languages used in these seven thousand islands. One gives up: it can’t be helped. Or we can help lift the ideological smog and draw more lucidly the lines of demarcation in the battleground of ideas and social practices. One suspects that this is almost unavoidable, in a society where to raise the need for one national language, say â€Å"Filipino† (as mandated by the Constitution) is certain to arouse immediate opposition. Or, if not immediately, it is deferred and sublimated into other pretexts for debate and argumentation. Fortunately, we have not reached the point of armed skirmishes and violent confrontations for the sake of our mother/father tongue, as in India and other countries. My partisanship for Filipino (not Tagalog) is bound to inflame Cebuanos, Bicolanos, Ilocanos, and so on, including Filipino speakers-writers of English, or Filipino English. We probably try to defuse any brewing conflict quickly by using the colonizer’s tongue, or compromise babel-wise. My view is that only a continuing historical analysis can help explain the present contradictory conjuncture, and disclose the options it offers us. Only engagement in the current political struggles can resolve the linguistic aporia/antinomy and clarify the import and consequence of the controversy over the national language, over the fate of Filipino and English in our society. _______________ Sa kasalukuyang matinding sigalot sa bansa, anumang talakayan hinggil sa wika ay tiyak na magbubunsod sa isang away o maingay na pagtatalo. Kahawig nito ang usapin ng kababaihan. Laging matinik ang isyu ng pambansang wika, isang sintomas ng pinaglikom na mga sakit ng body politic. Tila ito isang mitsang magpapasabog sa pinakabuod na mga kontradiksiyong bumubuo sa istruktura ng lipunang siyang nakatanghal na larangan ng digmaan ng mga uri at iba’t ibang sektor. Lalong masahol siguro kung sabihin kong nasa panig ako ng mga nagsususog sa isang pambansang wikang tinaguriang â€Å"Filipino. † Tiyak na tututol ang mga Sebuano, Ilokano, Ilonggo, mga alagad ng Taglish, o Ingles, o Filipino-Ingles. Ngunit hindi ito maiiwasan, kaya tuloy na tayong makipagbuno sa usaping ito upang mailinaw ang linya ng paghahati’t pamumukod, at sa gayo’y makarating sa antas ng pagtutuos at pagpapasiya. _______________ One would expect that this issue would have been resolved a long time ago. But, given the dire condition of the Philippine political economy in this epoch of globalized terrorism of the U. S. hegemon, a plight that is the product of more than a century of colonial/neocolonial domination, all the controversies surrounding this proposal of a national language since the time of the Philippine Commonwealth when Quezon convened the Institute of National Language under Jaime de Veyra, have risen again like ravenous ghouls. I believe this specter can never be properly laid to rest until we have acquired genuine sovereignty, until national self-determination has been fully exercised, and the Filipino people—three thousand everyday, more than a million every year–will no longer be leaving in droves as Overseas Contract Workers, the whole nation becoming a global subaltern to the transnational corporations, to the World Bank-World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the predatory finance capital of the global North. If we cannot help but be interpellated by the sirens of the global market and transformed into exchangeable warm bodies, we can at least interrogate the conditions of our subordination—if only as a gesture of resistance by a nascent, irrepressible agency. _________________ Saan mang lugar, ang usapin ng pambansang wika ay kumakatawan sa pagtatalo tungkol sa mga mahalagang usapin sa pulitika at ekonomya. Buti naman, hindi pa tayo nagpapatayan sa ngalan ng wika, tulad ng nangyayari sa India at iba pang bansa. Marahil, napapahinahon ang bawat isa kung Ingles, ang wika ng dating kolonisador, ang wika ng globalisasyon ngayon, ang ating gagamitin. Di ko lang tiyak kung maiging magkakaunawaan ang lahat sapagkat ang pagsasalin o translation, kalimitan, ang siyang nagbubunga ng karagdagang basag-gulo. Ngunit ang pagbaling sa Ingles ay pagsuko lamang sa dominasyon ng kapangyarihang global sa ilalim ng kasalukuyang hegemon, ang Estados Unidos. Ang makalulutas ng krisis, sa tingin ko, ay isang pakikisangkot sa nangyayaring labanang pampulitika at pang-ideolohya, laluna ang pakikibaka tungo sa tunay na kasarinlan at demokrasyang popular, sa gitna ng dominasyon ng mga mayayama’t makapangyarihang bansa sa Europa, Norte Amerika, Hapon, at iba pa. Bagamat mula pa noong panahon ni Quezon hanggang sa ngayon, ang isyu ng â€Å"pambansang wika† ay naipaloob na sa Konstitusyon, bumangon ito muli na tila mga kaluluwang uhaw sa dugo. Maireresolba lang ang isyung ito kung may tunay na soberanya na tayo, at namamayani ang kapangyarihan ng nakararami, mga pesante’t manggagawa, at nabuwag na ang poder ng mga may-aring kakutsaba ng imperyalismo. Sa ngayon, walang kalutasan ito, sintomas ng bayang naghihirap, hanggang ang relasyong sosyal ay kontrolado ng naghaharing uri, laluna ng mga komprador at maylupang pabor sa Ingles, wikang may prestihiyo at kinagawiang wika sa pakikipag-ugnay sa kanilang mga patrong Amerikano, Hapon, Intsik at iba pa. _____________________ In the hope of avoiding such a situation, which is almost ineluctable, I would like to offer the following seven theses that may initiate a new approach to the question, if not offer heuristic points of departure for reflection. In contrast to the dominant neoliberal philosophically idealist-metaphysical approach, I apply a historical materialist one whose method is not only historicizing and dialectical—not merely deploying the â€Å"Aufhebung† of Hegel within an eclectic, neoWeberian framework (as Fernando Zialcita does in his provocative book–Authentic Though Not Exotic: Essays on Filipino Identity (2005)—but also, as Marx said, standing it on its head in the complex and changing social relations of production within concrete historical settings. The materialist dialectic offers a method of analysis and elucidation of the context in which questions about a national language can be clarified and the nuances of its practical implications elaborated. Thesis 1: Language is not a self-sufficient entity or phenomenon in itself but a component of the social forms of consciousness of any given social formation. Marx considered language a productive force, conceived as â€Å"practical consciousness,† as he elaborates in the Grundrisse: â€Å"Language itself is just as much the product of a community, as in another aspect it is the existence of the community–it is, as it were, the communal being speaking for itself† (quoted in Rossi-Landi 1983, 170). As such, it can only be properly addressed within the historical specificity of a given mode of production and attendant social-political formation. It has no history of its own but is a constituent part and constitutive of the ideological terrain on which the struggle of classes and historic blocs are fought, always in an uneven and combined mode of development. It forms part of the conflicted evolution of the integral state, as Gramsci conceived it as the combination of political society and civil society. The issue of language is located right at the heart of the construction of this integral state. Hence not only its synchronic but also diachronic dimensions should be dialectically comprehended in grasping its worth and contribution to the liberation and fulfillment of the human potential. Thesis 2: The function and nature of language then cannot be adequately discussed in a neutral and positivistic-empiricist way, given its insertion into conflicted relations of production, at least since the emergence of class-divided societies in history. Ferruccio Rossi-Landi explains the imbrication of language in social-historical praxis: â€Å"The typically social operation of speaking can only be performed by a historically determined individual or group; it must be performed in a given language, that is, within a determined structure which is always itself, to some extent, both an ideological product and an ideological instrument already; lastly, the audience is determined as well† by the historical-social situation (1983, 169). Language use, in short, the process of communication, cannot escape the necessity of sociopolitical overdetermination. In the Philippines, the status and function of various languages—Spanish, English, and the numerous vernaculars or regional languages—cannot be assayed without inscribing them in the history of colonial and neocolonial domination of the peoples in these islands. In this regard, the terms â€Å"national-popular† and â€Å"nation-people†Ã¢â‚¬â€as Gramsci (1971) employed them in a historical-materialist discourse–should be used in referring to Filipinos in the process of expressing themselves (albeit in a contradiction-filled way) as diverse communities, interpellating other nationalities, and conducting dialogue with themselves and other conversers. It is necessary to assert the fundamental premise of the â€Å"national-popular,† the nation as constituted by the working masses (in our country, workers and peasants), not the patricians. Otherwise, the nation (in the archive of Western-oriented or Eurocentric history) is usually identified with the elite, the propertied classes, the national bourgeoisie, or the comprador bourgeoisie and its allies, the bureaucrats and feudal landlords and their retinue of gangsters, private armies, paramilitary thugs, etc. Actually, today, we inhabit a neocolony dominated by a comprador-bureaucratic bloc of the propertied classes allied with and supported in manifold ways by the U. S. hegemon and its regional accomplices. The recent unilateral policy pronouncement of the de facto Philippine president Arroyo that English should be re-instated as the official medium of instruction in all schools can only be read as a total subservience to the ideology of English as a global language free from all imperialist intent. Obviously this is propagated by free-market ideologues inside and outside government, even though a bill has recently been proposed in the Congress to institute the mother tongue as the medium of instruction up to grade six of the elementary school. (One needs to interject here that this idea of using the mother tongue in the first years of education is not new; it was first planned and tested in the Sta. Barbara, Panay, experiment conducted by Dr. Jose V. Aguilar in the late forties and fifties. But this finding has been buried and forgotten by the neocolonialist policies of all administrations since 1946. ) As Peter Ives pointed out in his Language and Hegemony in Gramsci, issues of language policy in organizing schools and testing curriculum need to be connected to â€Å"political questions of democracy, growing inequalities in wealth and neo-imperialism† (2004, 164), since the daily acts of speaking and writing–in effect, the dynamic field of social communication– involves the struggle for hegemony in the realm of civil society, state institutions, and practices of everyday life. ____________________ Sa halip na sipatin ang isyung ito sa kinagawiang empirical na lapit, tulad ng ginagamit ng mga postmodernistang iskolar, dapat ipataw ang isang materyalismo- istorikal na pananaw at ang diyalektikong paraan upang makalikha ng praktikang agenda na tutugon sa tanong kung ano ba ang wikang pambansang magsisilbing mabisang sandata sa mapagpalayang pakikipagsapalaran ng sambayanan. Ang wika ay hindi isang bagay na may sariling halaga kundi bahagi ito ng kategorya ng kamalayang sosyal, isang kamalayang praktika—â€Å"practical consciousness,† ayon kay Marx—na gumaganap sa buhay bilang lakas ng produksiyon. Matutukoy lamang ito sa gitna ng isang partikular na mode of production sa isang determinadong pormasyonag sosyal. Hindi ito bukod sa pagtatagisang pang-ideolohiya. Kalahok ito sa pagbubuo ng integral state (konseptong galing kay Gramsci), tambalan ng lipunang sibil at lipunang pampulitika. Ang usapin ng wika ay di maihihiwalay sa yugto ng kasaysayan ng bayan, na laging komplikado at di-pantay ang pagsulong ng iba’t ibang bahagi—uneven and combined development. Samakatwid, sa ating sitwasyon, ang suliraning pang-wika ay di maihihiwalay sa programa tungo sa tunay na kasarinlan at kasaganaan, mula sa kasalukuyang neocolonial at naghihikahos na bayan. ____________________ Thesis 3: The Filipino nation is an unfinished and continuing project, an unfinished work, constantly being re-invented but not under conditions of its own making. Becoming Filipinos is a process of decolonization and radical democratization of the social formation, a sequence of collective choices. This is almost a cliche among the progressive forces with a nationalist orientation. It bears repeating that Filipino sovereignty is a dynamic totality whose premises are political independence and economic self-sufficiency. We have not yet achieved those premises. Given the current alignment of nation-states in the world-system under U. S. hegemony, whose hegemony is unstable, precarious, sustained by manifold antagonisms, and perpetually challenged by other regional blocs, becoming Filipino is an ever-renewing trajectory of creation and re-creation, a process overdetermined by legacies of the past and unpredictable incidences of the present and the future. Within this configuration, an evolving, emergent Filipino language may be conceived as both a medium and substantive element in fashioning this sequence of becoming-Filipino, a sequence grasped not as a cultural essence but a network of dynamic political affiliations and commitments. It is also an aesthetic modality of counterhegemonic, anti-imperialist expression. Thesis 4: Only within the project of achieving genuine, substantive national independence and egalitarian democracy can we argue for the need for one national language as an effective means of unifying the masses of peasants, workers and middle strata and allowing them integral participation in a hegemonic process. Note that this is not just a question of cultural identity within the larger agenda of a reformist-individualist politics of identity/recognition. Without changing the unequal and unjust property/power relations, a distinctive Filipino culture incorporating all the diverse elements that have entered everyday lives of the masses can not be defined and allowed to flourish. Without the prosperous development of the material resources and political instrumentalities, a Filipino cultural identity can only be an artificial, hybrid fabrication of the elite—an excrescence of global consumerism, a symptom of the power of transnationalized commodity-fetishism that, right now, dominates the popular consciousness via the mass media, in particular television, films, music, food and fashion styles, packaged life-styles that permeate the everyday practices of ordinary Filipinos across class, ethnicities, age and localities. The consumerist habitus (to use Pierre Bourdieu’s [1998] concept) acquired  from decades of colonial education and indoctrination has almost entirely conquered and occupied the psyche of every Filipino, except for those consciously aware of it and collectively resisting it. With the rise of globalization, it has been a fashionable if tendentious practice among the floating litterateurs, mostly resident in colleges and universities, to advocate the maintenance of the status quo; that is, English as the prestigious language, Taglish as the media lingua franca, and Filipino and the other languages as utilitarian devices for specific tasks. But soon we find that this imitated pluralistic/multiculturalist stand only functions as the effective ploy of neoliberal finance capital. This seemingly pragmatist, accomodationist stance ultimately serves neocolonial goals: the Filipino as presumptive world-citizen functioning as compensation for the lack of effective national sovereignty. Its obverse is regional/ethnic separatism. The culturalist or civilizationalist program, often linked to NGOs and deceptive philanthropic schemes, skips the required dialectical mediation and posits an abstract universality, though disguised in a self-satisfied particularism now in vogue among postcolonial deconstructionists eulogizing the importance of place, locality, indigeneity, organic roots, etc. We discover in time that this trend serves as a useful adjunct for enhancing the festishistic magic, aura and seductive lure of commodities—from brand-name luxury goods to the whole world of images, sounds, theoretical discourses, and multimedia confections manufactured by the transnational culture industry and marketed as symbolic capital for the pettybourgeoisie of the periphery and other subalternized sectors within the metropole. __________________ Sa Pilipinas, ang lagay at papel na ginagampanan ng wika ay maipapaliwanag lamang sa pagsingit nito sa ugnayang panlipunan, sa kontradiksyon ng sumusulong na puwersa ng produksyon at namamayaning balangkas na pumipigil sa pagsulong ng buong lipunan. Ang katayuan ng wika ay nakabatay sa kasaysayan ng bansa, sa kolonyal at neokolonyal na dominasyon ng Kastila, Amerika at Hapon, at sa himagsik ng sambayanan laban sa pang-aapi. Ang mga katagang â€Å"nasyonal-popular† o pambansa-makamasa—na iminungkahi ni Gramsci—ang dapat ilapat sa nakararami na nag-aadhikang makapagpahayag ng kanilang pagkatao sa iba’t ibang paraan, tigib ng kontradiksiyon na bunga ng di-pantay at pinagtambal na pagsulong ng iba’t ibang sangkap ng kabuuang istruktura ng lipunan. Ang wika ay nakalubog sa daloy ng mga kontradiksiyon sa lipunan. Kailangang idiin ang prinsipyo ng nasyonal-popular, pambansa-makamasa, ang bansa na binubuo’t pinapatnubayan ng masang walang pag-aari—mga manggagawa, magsasaka, at gitnang sangay (mga propesyonal, petiburgesyang uri, mga minorya). Kung hindi, ang bansa ay mabibigyan-kahulugan ng mga naghaharing uri, ang iilan na nag-mamay-ari, ang oligarkong tuta ng imperyalismo, mga ahente ng global finance-capital. Thesis 5: Spanish and English are global languages needed for communication and participation in world affairs. They are recognized as richly developed languages of aesthetic and intellectual power useful for certain purposes—English particularly in the scientific and technical fields. But they have a political history and resonance for â€Å"third world peoples† who have suffered from their uses. Its sedimented patterns of thought and action cannot so easily be ignored or elided. The discursive genres of law, business, liturgy, pedagogy, and so on, in English and their institutionalized instrumentalities cannot be judged on their own terms without understanding the political role they played, and continue to play, as effective instruments in the colonial domination of the various peoples in the Philippines and their total subordination to the political-cultural hegemony of the Spanish empire, and then of the American empire from 1899 to 1946, and of U. S. neocolonial control after formal independence in 1946. Everyone knows that while Rizal used Spanish to reach an enlightened Spanish public and an ilustrado-influenced audience, the masses who participated in the Malolos Republic and the war against the Americans used Tagalog, and other vernaculars, in fighting for cultural autonomy and national independence. Historically the national and democratic project of the Philippine revolution—still unfinished and continuing—provides the only viable perspective within which we can explore the need for a national language as a means of uniting and mobilizing the people for this project. Thesis 6: The use and promotion of a national language does not imply the neglect, elimination, or inferiorization of other regional languages spoken and used by diverse communities involved in the national-democratic struggle. In fact, it implies their preservation and cultivation. But that is contingent on the attainment of genuine national sovereignty and the emancipation of the masses, their integration into active participation in governance. Their inferiorization is tied to the oppression of their users/speakers by virtue of class, nationality, religion, ethinicity, locality, and so on. (My friends in Panay who use Kinaray-a, Ilonggo or Akenaon should not fear being dominated by a Manila-centric hegemony as long as they address crucial political questions of social justice and sovereignty in a manner that commands directive force, displacing the question of form with the substantive totality of communication across ethnic and local differences to forge a flexible but principled united front for national democracy and socialist liberation. ) Meanwhile, in the course of the national-liberation struggle, all languages should and are being used for mobilization, political education, and cultural self-affirmation. Simultaneously, the dissemination and development of one national language becomes a political and economic-cultural necessity for unifying the diverse communities under a common political program—which does not imply a monolithic ideological unity– in front of the monstrous power of finance-capital using English as an instrument of subordination and neocolonial aggression. In this regard, I would argue that the unity and collective pride attendant on the use of one national language provides the groundwork and fundamental requisite for the promotion and development of other ethnic/regional languages within the national polity. This is a psychological-ideological imperative that cannot be deferred. A dialectical approach should be applied to the historically contentious relations between a dominant vernaculat (Tagalog) and its subalternized counterparts (Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, etc. ) in order to transcend historically sedimented prejudices and promote creative dialogue and intertextuality among all the languages spoken in the Philippines. ____________________ Ang bansang Pilipinas na may kasarinlan at matipunong industriya ay isang proyektong di pa tapos, nagpapatuloy, laging iniimbento ngunit hindi sa anumang kondisyon. Ang pagiging Filipino ay isang proseso ng dekolonisasyon at demokratisasyong radikal, isang kaganapan na likha ng kolektibong pagpapasya, hindi indibidwal na kagustuhan. Ang proyektong ito ay hinuhubog at niyayari ng maraming lakas, ng minanang ugali at sari-saring idea at institusyon katutubo o hiram. Hindi ito nakatutok sa pagtatamo ng isang esensiya, kundi makikilatis ito bilang isang masalimuot na pagbubuklod ng dinamikong pakikisamang pampulitika at mga komitment. Ito’y isa ring estetikong kalakaran sa kontra-gahum na paglikhang makasining. Sa loob lamang ng pangitaing ito, sa proyekto ng pagsisikap makamit ang tunay na pambansang kasarinlan at demokrasyang radikal makatuturang mahihimay ang problema ng pangangailangan ng wikang pambansa, isang wikang mabisang makapag-iisa sa masa at mga komunidad sa teritoryo ng Pilipinas, at makapagdudulot ng mabisang partisipasyon sa pagbuo ng isang gahum o lideratong moral-intelektwal ng masang manggagawa. Paano mayayari ang mapagpalayang gahum kung walang pagkakaisang kinakatawan ng/kumakatawan sa sariling wika ng komunikasyon at pag-iisip? ______________________ Thesis 7: Hegemony, the moral and intellectual leadership of the Filipino working masses, the scaffold within which an authentic Filipino identity can grow, assumes the rise of organic Filipino intellectuals who will use and develop Filipino as the evolving national language. Again, this does not mean suppressing other regional languages. Nor does it mean prohibiting the use and teaching of English or other international languages (Spanish, French, Chinese, etc. ). It simply means the establishment of a required platform, basis or foundation, without which the productive forces of the people within this particular geopolitical boundary can be harnessed, refined, and released in order to, first, benefit the physical and spritual health of Filipinos, repair and recover the damage inflicted by centuries of colonial oppression and exploitation, and thus be able to contribute to the cultural heritage of humankind. That is why mandating the continued teaching of English equally with Filipino, with the mother language as auxiliary, at the secondary level, betokens a schizophrenic if not treacherous and treasonous policy of the ruling class beholden to U. S. and transnational corporate interests. Without an independent national physiognomy, Filipinos have nothing distinctive to share with other nations and peoples. Without national self-determination and a historically defined identity, there is no way Filipinos can contribute their distinctive share in global culture. In fact, it is impossible to be a global citizen unless you have fully grown and matured as an effective democratic participant in the making of a prosperous, egalitarian nation-people in a historically specific territory defined by a concretely differentiated sequence of events not replicated elsewhere. _________________ Ang layon natin ay hindi lamang kultural na identidad, o kasiyaang pang-kalinangan. Sa gitna ng komodipikasyon ng lahat, sa gitna ng laganap na konsumerismo at paghahari ng halagang-pamalit (exchange-value), ang reipikasyon at alyenasyon ng ugnayan ng mga tao ay siyang nagpapalabo sa usapin ng wika. Hindi malulutas ang mga tanong tungkol sa wika hanggang hindi nahaharap ang mistipikasyon ng pakikipagkapwa, na ngayo’y natatabingan at nalalambungan ng mga komoditi, bilihin, salapi, na tila siyang umuugit, nagpapagalaw, namamahala’t gumagabay sa lahat ng bagay. Ang mistipikasyong ito ay mawawala lamang kung mapapanaw ang paghahari ng global na kapital, ang patakaran na tubo/yaman muna bago kapakanan ng tao—na, sa ngayon, ay nagsasalita sa Ingles, ang wika ng kongkistador na pumalit sa mga Kastila. Ang pagbuo’t pagpapayaman ng isang pambansang wika, Filipino, ay hindi nangangahulugan ng pagsasaisantabi o pagbabalewala sa ibang mga wikang ginagamit ng maraming komunidad. Ang pagpapalawig at pagsuporta sa mga wikang ito ay matutupad kung may basehan lamang: ang kasarinlan ng bansa batay sa pagpapalaya sa masa. Sa harap ng higanteng lakas ng kapitalismong global, maisusulong lamang ang proyektong nabanggit ko kung makikibaka tayo sa programa ng pagbabago tungo sa pamamayani, gahum, ng masang gumagawa. Ang wika ay maaaring maging mapagpalayang sandata kung ito’y binubuhay ng masa sa pang-araw-araw na kilos at gawa. __________________ Historical examples are often misleading, but sometimes elucidatory. It may be irrelevant and even Eurocentric to invoke the examples of Italy and Germany as nations that experienced unified mobilization through the affirmation of national-popular languages, Italy vis-a-vis the Papal ascendancy, and Germany vis-a-vis Latin/Roman Catholic hegemony. In any case, again, the social and historical function and character of language cannot be adequately grasped without situating them in the complex dynamics of the conflict of social classes in history since the break-up of the communal tribes in the hunting-gathering stage, since the rise of private property in the means of production, and the intricate dialectics of culture and collective psyche in the political economy of any social formation. In short, language is not just a permanently undecidable chain of signifiers, always deconstructing itself and falling into abysmal meaninglessness, a vertigo of nonsense and silly absurdities quite appropriate, of course, for pettybourgeois careerists, dilettantes, and hirelings of the oligarchs. Rather, language is a social convention and a site of struggle, the signifier conceived as â€Å"an arena of class struggle† (1986, 23) to use Mikhail Bakhtin’s synthesizing phrase. To conclude these reflections with an open-ended marker: I believe that only from this historical materialist perspective, and within the parameters of the political project of attaining genuine autonomy as a nation-people, can the discussion of a Filipino national language be intelligible and productive. But, again, such a discussion finds its value and validity as part of the total engagement of the people for justice, authentic national independence, and all-sided emancipation from the nightmares of the past and the terrorist fascism of the present. _____________________ Ang wika ay isang larangan o arena ng tunggalian ng mga uri, ayon kay Mikhail Bakhtin. Naniniwala ako na ang usaping ito, kung ano talaga ang wikang pambansa, ay masasagot lamang sa loob ng proyektong pampulitika, tinimbang at sinipat sa isang materyalistiko-istorikal na pananaw. Ang wika ay praktipang panlipunan, isang produktibong lakas ng sambayanan. Nakapanahon ngang maintindihan natin ito ngayon kung matagumpay na madalumat at mapahalagahann ang kolektibong saloobin ng sambayanan, na ngayon ay naisasatinig sa anagramatikong islogan: ZOBRA NA, TAMA NA, EXIT NA! Samantala, panahon na ngayon at pagkakataong mapakinggan ang iba pang tinig ng madla rito sa makasaysayang hapong ito, una muna ang kasamang Bien Lumbera. – REFERENCES Bakhtin, Mikhail/V/ N. Voloshinov. 1986. Marxism and the Philosophy of Language, translated by Ladislav Matejka and I. R. Titunik. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. Bourdieu, Pierre. 1998. Practical Reason. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Gramsci, Antonio. 1971. Selections from the Prison Notebooks, edited by Quintin Hoare and Geoffrey Nowell Smith. New York: International Publishers. Ives, Peter. 2004. Language and Hegemony in Gramsci. London: Pluto Press. Rossi-Landi, Ferruccio. 1983. Language as Work and Trade. South Hadley, Mass: Bergin & Garvey Publishers, Inc. Zialcita, Fernando. 2005. Authentic Though Not Exotic: Essays on Filipino Identity. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.