Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions Essay - 1

Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions - Essay Example Sometimes, a person is not even aware that a decision has been made as he goes through his day. However, when it comes to moral decisions that entail more intensive consideration of all factors involved, a person may be stunned enough to scratch, or even dig beyond the shallow surface and summon reason and emotion to help him come up with the right decision. History has produced deep thinking men who debated on the competing roles of reason and emotion in moral judgment. A man named Kohlberg (1984) even came up with a theory of moral development based on a hypothetical moral situation calling on children’s decision-making skills, and his theories attracted much attention from moral philosophers. His proposed dilemma was about a husband named Heinz who needed to decide whether to steal an overpriced drug to save his dying wife. It was theorized that young children conceptualize morality in terms of obedience to adults’ rules and regulations. They know that it makes them good children. This is so because they think in concrete, physical, egocentric ways and their social worlds are dominated by adults. On the other hand, older children think of morality in terms of cooperation with peers because they are cognitively able to comprehend the views of others and already understand concepts such as reciprocity and cooperation beca use their social worlds consist mainly of interactions with peers. Kohlberg based his work on this theory of cognitive development and emphasized reasoning as the key to moral development. He did not pursue any direction towards the role of emotion in the moral decision-making process. Basing on a vast amount of evidence gathered from structured interviews, Kohlberg’s rationalist model views moral judgments as primarily caused by complex reasoning. In considering dilemmas, defined as â€Å"scenarios constructed to highlight a

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 5

Research Paper Example Third, one consistent finding on effects of video games on young children and teenagers suggests that young children, as opposed to adults tend to exhibit aggressive and violent behavior after playing or watching violent video games (Gimplel 26). Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University argues that controversy surrounds studies and researches on effects of violent video games (TSO 19). Concerning whether exposure to violent video games is a significant risk factor for children and adults, this paper examines four types of converging evidence concerning the games impact. They are laboratory experiments, cross-sectional correlation studies, longitudinal studies and field experiments. These four converging evidences continue to renew interests on this field from public policy makers, general public and researchers. Furthermore, they categorically indicate the variables which are present in video games which lead to violent behavior. This paper acknowledges that the role played by these games is like a double edged sword, with one edge bringing educational benefits, for instance video games with excellent teaching tools for motivation and learning steps, and the other edge hazardous, especially with the arrival of 3D games promoted by advancement in technology (Mahood 38). These effects are attributed to the fact that thoughts influence an individual behavior. Consequently, violent video games brings about aggressive thoughts, arousing physiological need for aggressive behavior, and directing leading to decreased social behavior such as caring and helping. Schroeder 2006, Suggests that studies have yieldedno significant results on effects of violent video games, supporting his arguments by the fact that studies of smoking and it cause on lung cancer have yielded no results. However, taking into account various empirical studies of smoking and it causes

Organizational Structure Essay Example for Free

Organizational Structure Essay This research focuses on the job satisfaction level of employees at Emirates Technical Thermal Systems (ETTS), a construction company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The data collected was examined in relation to the existing organizational structure within the business, which is primarily a hierarchal one. The study includes information collected from three employee levels at ETTS, which include management, employees, and laborers. The relationship between position in the work organization and job satisfaction for every level of the hierarchal distribution has been studied carefully; both primary and secondary research has been conducted in order to best indicate where the problems lie, and the best ways of improving the current situations. The outcome and findings from this research have indicated a clear imbalance across the current structure of the company. Job satisfaction is high amongst management, and consistently decreases at the lower levels of the employee ladder. Job satisfaction plays an important role in the overall productivity of any given industry. Given the growing concern within ETTS regarding the aspect of performance, quality of work, and workforce issues, little attention has been paid to workers at the lower levels of the organization hierarchy. Introduction: There are many aspects of an organization and job role which come into play when analyzing the contributing factors to job satisfaction. In this research paper, a focus was placed on company structure, and the contribution of hierarchal distribution in an organization to job satisfaction. Research Aims and Objectives: The aim of the research was measuring job satisfaction, in all its aspects, across the various segments within the organizational structure, in order to gain better understanding of where the gaps lie, the factors contributing to dissatisfaction, and the best ways of reconciling the issues. The reason why ETTS was selected is due to perceived issues in the organization in regards to communication and harmony across the various levels within its hierarchy, and perceived job dissatisfaction in lower levels. In conducting the research, job satisfaction at ETTS was examined, and primary research was segmented to include sample groups from every level of the organizational structures hierarchy. Key Variables The research paper will analyze the issue by discussing the dependent variable (Job Satisfaction) in relation to the contributing independent variable (Organizational Structure). Job satisfaction will be measured by discussing contributory aspects, including employee engagement, job involvement, organizational commitment and perceived organizational support. The levels which were examined in relation to the organizational structure are: management, employees and laborers. Company Background: ETTS is a company specialized in electro-mechanical contracting. The company offers a full range of services related to all types of heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, electrical and plumbing systems. The company was established in 1995, and has a definitive hierarchal structure. As detailed in the company’s profile and stated hereunder: Management: The board of directors of the company, general manager, operations manager and managers of all departments, branches and projects form the core management group. Employees: Personnel who conduct various tasks in different disciplines and report to the above-mentioned managers. Labor force: Consists of the manpower that carries out physically demanding work at construction sites. Hence, a definitive hierarchal structure is in place. At the top of the pyramid are those holding management positions, followed by employees, and finally laborers. Report Structure This report will primarily delve into the literature review, which will detail the findings from secondary research on the topic of structure in relation to job satisfaction. A thorough description of the primary research findings will follow, in order to give an insight on issues that exist at ETTS, and a comparison of these, and previous findings from secondary sources, on the issue will be made. Next, a detailed conclusion based on the findings of the research will be discussed. Recommendations will be given in order to map the best ways of dealing with the existing issues within the organization. Methodology: The research methodology required gathering relevant data from both primary and secondary sources in order to analyze the material and arrive at a more complete understanding of the effect of organizational hierarchy at ETTS on overall employee job satisfaction as illustrated below. Secondary Data The bulk of the secondary data used to conduct this research was collected from the UOW online database. A Total of nine scholarly research articles were derived from the university library database, adding to three which were obtained from the internet. One example of the articles used was published in the African Journal of Business Management in 2009 and is titled â€Å"Job satisfaction: Does rank make a difference?† by S. Z. Eyupoglu and T. Saner. This study was used to relate job satisfaction to employee ranking. Another example is research which was published in the Career development international journal in 2010 titled â€Å"Impact of career plateau and supervisory support on career satisfaction† by V. Wickramasinghe and M. Jayaweera. This research was examined to reflect the effect of supervisory support on the overall job satisfaction. Besides the scholarly research articles listed in the reference section, the textbook â€Å"Organizational Behavior† 15 th edition by S. Robbins and T. Judge was utilized as a general guide.

The Concept of Entrepreneurship

The Concept of Entrepreneurship INTRODUCTION CONCEPT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP The importance of the development of entrepreneurial skills by every graduate cannot be over-emphasized because gone are the days when jobs were available everywhere both in the private and public sector of the economy and employers go about looking for potential employees to employ. Indeed, in the past, it is the employers that go round universities in this country to hunt for potential employees. Then there were fewer universities and low university enrolment. But today, things have changed and very drastically too such that many graduates are now sellers of recharge cards and some work as bus conductors. What an economic tragedy and waste! The question of choice of job or employer is gradually being eroded each year. Many graduates are desperate to get any job to keep body and soul going. Indeed there is a paradigm shift in the labour market now. Even the professional disciplines are now fast getting into that problem of unemployment. Employment prospects for the youths are changing with a lot of increasing competition; the openings are equally limited. Also, employment in the public sector is also decreasing and job prospects are diminishing by the day. Added to this ugly situation are the increasing trend of job outsourcing, casualization of labour in the oil and gas industry and the increasing phenomenon of rightsizing of labour among big firms and corporations in the country. As a side effect, the figure of tertiary graduates who have not been able to secure the first employment since graduation for upward of five years is on the increase and even those with professional qualifications like MBA, ICAN, COREN, Medicine and Pharmacy are not spared from the ugly phenomenon. Others are paid peanuts if they are lucky to secure paid job. Some now fall back on their lower qualifications like WASC and OND to secure menial jobs. The recent economic meltdown also has made matters worse. Some companies are as a result operating below expected capacity. The current troubles in the financial sector, particularly the money and the capital markets and their subsequent effects on the economy, particularly on the real sector as well as the remedial efforts of the CBN are very visibly glaring, instructive and challenging. Nevertheless, entrepreneurship and indeed the need for developing the requisite entrepreneurial skills have been suggested to help redress the aforementioned problems by making people not only to be job creators but wealth creators (Midea, 2004 ; Izedonmi, 2009). According to Small Business Service (2005), the possession of entrepreneurial skills to create new knowledge based social enterprises is vital to addressing social and environmental issues effectively. Our nation cannot afford to toy with it. Our tertiary institutions must respond fast and positively towards entrepreneurship education. However, general business skills and general knowledge are considered insufficient to turn graduates into entrepreneurs (Kisby, 2004). Hence, the need to develop specific entrepreneurship skills cannot be overemphasized .This is because entrepreneurship has been vital to creating employment and therefore a special form of employability (Moreland, 2004). Both the government and the academia hav e been attracted to it. In particular, universities are re-designing their curricula and the ways they operate to create opportunities for the training of their students in practical entrepreneurial skills. Due to the way entrepreneurial programmes have assumed a global proliferation and dimension, it was suggested by Volkmann (2004) that it has become the major academic discipline for business education in the 21st century. I totally agree with him. Economic Growth And Entrepreneurship Recent Survey Report in 2008 by the Kauffman Foundation in connection with the relationship between economic growth and entrepreneurship found that all nations with high level of employment activities had above average rate of economic growth. What this translates into is that entrepreneurial deficient economy will have low growth while entrepreneurially good economy tends to enjoy good growth. Hence, Government has come to recognize the importance of entrepreneurship in economic development that entrepreneurial ventures have in-built capacity to promote employment and economic growth. Literature Review One of the first courses specifically addressing entrepreneurship was established at the Harvard Business School in 1947.In the U.K, the first courses in entrepreneurship were launched in the 1980s together with the UKs first initiative for enterprise in higher education (Elton, 1991, Kirby, 1989 2005, Volkmann, 2004). Along this line, Fry (1992) remarks that entrepreneurship has been one of the fastest growing disciplines in the U.S.A in the 1990s.By the turn of the 21st century, as many as 1600 universities in the North-America were offering courses in entrepreneurship compared to merely two dozens in the 1970s (Inegbenebor, 2005). The growth of entrepreneurship education and the subsequent inclusion into the curricula of universities in the United Kingdom has been attributed to the sheer need to serve the innovation need of businesses and to produce graduates with transferable skills for businesses.  [i]   ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NIGERIA According to Ekanem (2005), the history and development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria started in the 1960s as supported also by some of the earlier studies such as Schatz and Edokpayi (1962), Harris (1969), Olakanpo (1968) and Akeredolu-Ale (1972). Therefore, the concept of entrepreneurship development in Nigeria is not new. Since the 1970s, several government agencies and institutions in the country have been engaged in different aspects of fostering entrepreneurship in Nigeria, though with short-lived and varied successes. For instance, the Centre for Management Development (CMD), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), former Nigeria Industrial Development Bank (NIDB), Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI), Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among others had programmes for entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. Other entrepreneurial development agencies include government sponsored Entrepreneurial Development Programme (EDP). NGOs, Nigerian Employers Consultative As sociation (NECA).The vigor with which it was pursued then is a different issue for our assessment. If the proofs are available even the blind and deaf can feel it. Only fools dont proof. What Does Entrepreneurship Really Entail? Basically, what entrepreneurship entails includes: The building of skills in negotiation Building leadership skill New product development Creative and innovative thinking and Exposure to technological innovation, (Kuratko, 2003). It shows students and graduates how to believe and behave entrepreneurially. It encourages them to get involved in networking, create and manage businesses of their own and facilitate progress and success in entrepreneurial career. Entrepreneurship could satisfy status and social needs and leads to self-satisfaction and actualization. It can also meet the financial needs for the entrepreneurs and their families. In fact, entrepreneurship is a satisfying process even though it can be risky and may even lead to loss of wealth at times (Fry, 1992). Society-wise, entrepreneurship has made substantial impacts throughout history because of numerous inventions, massive job creations made through small and medium scale enterprises (SMES) in both developed and developing countries. DEFINITIONS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Various definitions have been given for entrepreneurship. For instance Inegbenebor and Igbinomwanhia (2008) say that: Entrepreneurship is the process of performing the roles of an entrepreneur. It has been defined as the process of planning, operating and assuming the risk of a business venture. It may also be defined as the process of creating a clique value of pulling together a unique package of resources to exploit an opportunity. Entrepreneurship encompasses various activities which are carried out to ensure the survival and growth of the business Inegbenebor (2006) defines it as: it is about bearing the skills needed to assume the risk of establishing a business. It is about developing the winning strategies and executing them with all vigour, persistence and passion needed to win any game Ekanem (2005): Entrepreneurship is the process of or capacity for organizing, operating and assuming risk for a business venture. It is dynamic risk-taking, creative and growth oriented behavior which involves the use of various resources to create wealth Ekwe (1992): observes that, Entrepreneurship involves the: 1. ability to perceive profitable business opportunities. 2. willingness to act on what is perceived and 3. necessary organizing skills associated with a projects Fry (1992) says that Entrepreneurship involves action rather than static events. It involves taking action necessary to analyze opportunities to launch and/or grow business, to finance the venture and possibly even to invest the venture. Izedonmi (2009) placed entrepreneurship in a continuum form with economic entrepreneurship at the end of the continuum and social entrepreneurship at the other end. In between these you will find some varying characteristics of combinations. The process is also dynamic. In summary, the central issues in entrepreneurship involve uncertainty and risk-taking, innovation, perception and change. For instance, Drucker (1985) posits that innovation is the specification instrument of entrepreneurship. He argued further that the entrepreneurs must always change to respond to it, and exploit it as an opportunity. CHARACTERISTICS OF A DWINDLING ECONOMY The characteristics include: High unemployment rate High inflation rate Low average real income Low saving ratio or high consumption ratio Low levels of technology Low levels of productivity Low per capita income and downward trend of living High poverty rate of a large proportion of the population Low economic growth rate Poorly developed financial and stock markets High level corruption and instability and insecurity of lives and property Although the above factors and many others can be observed in a dwindling economy, they also provide good basis for entrepreneurial development. In fact, of these factors listed above, some can act as either pull or push entrepreneurial factors. Very often they provide good windows of opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded individuals. ROLES OF ENTRENEURSHIP IN REVIVING A DWINDLING SOCIETY Some of the roles include: Generating employment Increases productivity through innovation Facilitates the transfer/ adoption of technology Ensures increase resource utilization Stimulates growth in the supply market Renovates large scale enterprises and public enterprises Encourages and sustains economic dynamism that enables an economy to adjust successfully in a rapidly changing global economy. Linkage effects of various sections of the economy is facilitated Generate income and wealth occur faster Encourages training and development Ensures rapid development Develops indigenous entrepreneurship Provides a training ground for indigenous managers and semi-skilled workers Reduces rural-urban migration Constitutes a vital engine for economic growth development of a nation- increase GDP Skyrocketing of the emergence of SMES and Promotion of self-reliance and economic sustainability ELEMENTS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Entrepreneurship may involve the following elements IDEA GENERATION AND SCREENING This is actually the starting point of many new entrepreneurial ventures. Sources of ideas are many and varied. The sources notwithstanding, the would-be entrepreneur must cultivate the habit of documenting those ideas. It should be packaged in form of feasibility report, no matter what. STARTING A BUSINESS This could involve: a. Buying an existing business b. Starting from the scratch or start-up business c. Through Franchise d. By Inheritance CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Innovation is the development and introduction of a new product, a new process, or a new service to a market. Creativity is the link between pure imagination and the introduction of an innovative product, process or service. Both are necessary ingredients for entrepreneurship. However, creativity is behind innovation. Creativity alone, does not define entrepreneurship. Creativity without innovation does not produce results. And innovation without effective management does not produce marketable products, processes or services. Although creativity and innovation are necessary ingredients, they are not sufficient of themselves to establish successful entrepreneurship (Fry, 1992, Izedonmi, 2009). There must be effective and efficient administrative structure on the ground and a healthy dose of management as well. 3. SEEKING FINANCING Financing could either be debt or equity financing, traditional or venture, internal or external capital. The would-be venture must consider financing the venture. Availability, cost and timeliness must be balanced. Starting small attracts small capital input. However, not all entrepreneurial ventures require start-up capital or equal amount either Creative financing is a basic tenet of entrepreneurship. A growth-oriented venture uses multiple sources of financing. You must be prepared to make your personal sacrifice in this respect. Too often, the banks will request to see your personal inputs in terms of financial commitment. Finance institutions only lend to ventures that have proven records, and history, and those ventures that are also promising economically. 4. ASSUMING RISK Every entrepreneur must assume one risk or the other. However, entrepreneurship is not necessarily risk-taking but risk-assuming. Corporate management deals in risk minimization, entrepreneurship deals in risk management. Corporate management too often generally tends to be risk-averse. They want to reduce risk to a minimum during production so as to be profitable. Entrepreneurship manages risk since it cannot be reduced significantly in entrepreneurial situations whether new or existing ventures. However, entrepreneurs are calculated risk-takers. Risk management involves the acknowledgement that risk exists and the actions that are taken to shift as much risk as possible to others and then control the remainder. Some risk Management ventures include Renting rather than owning equipment and facilities Using multiple sources of financing. Building an entrepreneurial team with distinctive skills. Undertaking multiple ventures simultaneously with varied degrees of risk. Committing a portion of the total resources to any one project. Assigning a team member the responsibility of monitoring short-term performance with the anticipation of cutting losses of early performance indicates unfavorable results. THE PULL AND PUSH ENTREPRENEURSHIP FACTORS There are various factors (negative or positive) which tend to provide the needed motivation in getting into entrepreneurship or becoming an entrepreneur. While the negative factors are called push factors; the positive factors are pull factors. Both factors provide the fundamental attraction either by necessity or by desire and opportunity into the entrepreneurial world. The push factors are: Unemployment / loss of job. Dissatisfaction with pay and job situation. Discrimination and victimization by boss in work place. Middle-age crises. Divorce / widowhood. Relocation. The positive pull factors are: Desire for independence. Desire for increase in wealth. Increased social status and prestige. Spouse support and motivation. Provision of market opportunity. Franchise. Provision of licenses by parent company. Favorable government policies etc. THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP DECISION The entrepreneurial motivation to launch a venture has been grouped into three variables (Fry, 1992) as: Antecedent variables. Triggering variables. Enabling variables. The antecedent factors They cause the individual to begin to consider the possibilities of entrepreneurship either consciously or unconsciously. This could take into consideration the variables listed below Creativity. Background. Personality. Past experience. Education. Current job. Triggering factors: These are the events or situations that specifically trigger the entrepreneurial act. They are salient life events may be quite personal , professional or for instance, financial changes in an entrepreneurs life that are perceived as very important to entrepreneurial decision may set off the alarm to take step. They involve: Loss of Job Invention or Idea Offer from partner Entrepreneurial motivation or willingness to start a venture (M) = Antecedent Variables (A) X Triggering Variables (T). The enabling factors These factors make the actual launching of the venture possible. They include opportunity and resources which are very critical to the successful launch of the venture. The likelihood of a venture launch is made up of these three factors combined. Our youths look outside instead of looking inward. Those who look inward first tend to travel faster on the outside. Several entrepreneurial opportunities exist in the environment. They need to look well to discover some opportunities. Our youths must be ready to start small, learn the ropes and grow up. Hard work, patience and deep commitment are necessary. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Entrepreneurship tends to be opportunity-driven rather than resource-driven. This is because that once opportunities are identified and properly evaluated resources are deployed to capture them. Opportunity creates or generates its kind of resources. There are thousands of opportunities available to would-be entrepreneurs who present high potential for wealth, growth, self-employment, independence, social status, and prestige. The would-be entrepreneur must conduct a thorough scanning and survey of the environment strategically. But if you do not have any readily available opportunity, you can creatively and innovatively come up with one. However, some of the sources of these opportunities could include: Self-discovery Improvement in the quality of existing product/ service. Use of an existing product/service in an untapped market Invention Consultancy Trade magazines, Journal and Business Newspapers Societal needs Survey of natural resources Government Agencies Research Institutes, Universities, e.t.c Spin-off Work experience Hobby and Vocation ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS REQUIRED TO TRANSFORM CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES GENERAL BUSINESS SKILLS Entrepreneurial skills of successful entrepreneurs include: Sales and Marketing skills Financial Know-how skills Self-motivation skill Time management skill Administrative skill Sales and marketing skills To get the right customers and subsequently make target revenues and profits Include communication skills Financial know-how skills To know how to handle money well. After all, not everybody can effectively manage money. Source and manage funds and cash flows Self-motivation skills Internal locus of control Self-starter with a clear desired goal in mind Confidence in yourself and in your ideas Diligent and hardworking Extra drive and commitment to set goals Time management skills Time is money Time is life Entrepreneurship opportunity has time-limit Time management is very important for business success Self-management is very critical for effective time management TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES Have a time table, schedule of activities to be done Employ delegation freely without fear Determine priorities into urgent and important activities as: Urgent activities demand immediate attention Urgent but not important activities Not urgent but important activities Not urgent; not important Give priority to (i) and (iii) because by performing them, time is reduced for activities (ii) and (iii) Manage meetings and relationship with others Administrative skills Organizing, coordinating, directing, planning and general management, etc. B). TECHNICAL, ANALYTICAL AND HUMAN RELATION SKILLS Entrepreneurs are expected ordinarily to be sound by training normally technically skilled. They must also develop and possess conceptual, analytical and human relation skills to be successful. Others are business planning, idea creation, negotiation, risk analysis and management skills etc. C). ICT SKILLS They must also have computer and information Technology (CIT) skills because of the era we are and the environment they will have to operate. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY AND SKILLS S/N ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY SKILLS AND ATTITUDES 1. Business/consultancy in area of professional specialization or working as a contractor General Business skills such as marketing, time management e.t.c Confidence enthusiasm, hardworking 2. Sonet Entrepreneurship Idea development, leadership, negotiation, planning, organizing, self belief, confidence General business skill 3. Intrapreneurship Idea development recognizing opportunities for improvements Alliance building, confidence, leadership 4. Non-traditional specialist business General Business Idea development, creativity, confidence Willingness to work hard 5. General Business Ventures Ideas development, creativity, confidence, willingness to work hard General Business skill Source: Andrea: Developing Entrepreneurship skills in the context of higher education. http://cfiweb.cf.uk/news/past.events/bee/files/Andea. on 16/3/2010 DEVELOPMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS These could be through: Attending Entrepreneurial training classes, development programme, seminars, workshops, etc. Universities Job rotation Special (intensive) training Article ship or apprenticeship Organizational learning R D Institution Consultants National and international agencies and bodies NGOs Professional bodies ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS FACTORS Successful entrepreneuring depends on four (4) major factors namely: Knowledge Hard work Skills Attitude(character/ integrity) Lifematics Question Created by (Izedonmi, 2010) Now let us work out this lifematics question together. There are basically four (4) attributes or factors that can enhance our success in life viz: Skills, Knowledge, Hard work and character (Attitude). They are all essential to ingredients of entrepreneurial success. How much does each contribute? Which of these is superior and why? For easy understanding, let us replace character with attitude. Solution Our current roman alphabets are made up of A B C D E F G H I J K L M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 The alphabets together with their numerical values are stated above. Let us take each attribute one after the other and link up the corresponding numerical value. Start with skill, then knowledge follow this with hard work and finally character but remember to substitute attitude for character. Let us replace numeric value to each alphabet and see their results as indicated below: (i) S K I L L S 19 + 11 + 9 + 12 + 12 + 19 = 82% (ii) K N O W L E D G E 11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96 % (iii) H A R D W O R K 8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98 % (iv) A T T I T U D E 1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100 % Solution Skills secure only 82 %, Knowledge 96 %, hard work 98 % and Attitude 100 % in that order. Only Attitude which I equate to character for this purpose secures 100 % success in the race of high profile entrepreneurship. Conclusion I must admit that professional certification is good but character is a lot better. Character is the true collateral security of our values, learning and entrepreneurial success. It keeps the society and system going. It prevents a nation from decaying and checkmates unnecessary crisis and even civil war. Therefore in all our entrepreneurial pursuit, character development should be given a prominent place. When character breaks down everything breaks down. True certification in life is only evidenced by character and not papers called certificates or entrepreneurial success alone or quantity of wealth.

Exploration of the Economics of Poverty

Exploration of the Economics of Poverty 3.1. Introduction A significant body of the literature has been dedicated to examining wide spreading of poverty  and its gradual explosion issues together with pioneering steps in research and practice towards poverty  eradication have created an unprecedented outburst of studies about business literature for poverty  eradication. The following section is a review of literature about how multinationals attend low-income markets where poverty  occurs on a large scale. The review is carried out with a concern about poverty alleviation and some implications and appropriate frameworks for MNCs executives to help to alleviate poverty while selling to the poor. From this viewpoint, the literature review is divided into three main sections: BOP inititiative, buyer behavior and marketing strategies. It examines some key elements of the BOP initiative companies motivation; the BOP business model; the role of micro finance. With a number of successful stories acknowledged in the literature, the sectio n also reviews how to adopt MNCs marketing mix to attend the BOP profitably. 3.2. Part 1: Poverty in Business Perspectives Billions of people living in the extreme poverty, who are in many cases denied access to proper services, energy, water, health, and above all the opportunities to improve their economic and social outlook, is a significant societal problem. Even though the high economic growth of large-population countries, such as China and India, has brought about many job opportunities and brought down the overall poverty  level, it is still not sufficient to reach other targets in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (World Bank, 2004). Along with the increasing concern of NGOs and other non profit organization towards poverty alleviation, business perspectives have been gradually positioned as a useful tool in contributing to poverty reduction. Such interest has appeared to become much more worldwide through being catalyzed by pioneer approaches, both in practice and theory, which have awakened business attention to the problem of poverty. Indeed, there is an abundance of academic literature on the. It appear to have been dissected from all imaginable angles Poverty in business perspectives has a diverse appearance, such as the vast majority of 4 billion people living on less than $1 or $2 a day (Prahalad and Hammond, 2002), poor producers (Karnani, 2007), gender (Thierry, 2007), self-employed poor people, micro entrepreneurs, micro franchisees (Gibson, 2007), employees, business owners, etc. Within these much attention is lately placed not on poverty as a whole but on its attributed and its causes. 3.2.1. Companies Motivation to Attend Low-Income Markets Much of the debate about poverty alleviation has been provoked by suggestions that multinational corporations (MNC) with extensive financial resources are in the best position to lead the process of selling to the poor. The construction of a new image of poverty in business perspectives, for example, is much contributed by the pioneering idea of Prahalad and Hammond (2002) who focus on the large buying power of 4 billion people earning less than $ 2000 each per year at the lowest tier of the economic pyramid â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Bottom of the pyramid. Prahalad and Hammond (2002) advise private companies to view poverty as a potential of serving an unexploited, multitrillion-dollar market and alleviating the level of global poverty while still earning a profit. By infusing the profit motive into value creation, the hope is that private companies will take the leading role in serving the BOP and, thus, the purpose of alleviating poverty will more likely succeed. From this follows/Keeping thi s in mind, the main two motivations for profit seeking companies to attend this market is: The opportunity to covert BOP segments purchasing power into profits; and The ability to bring prosperity to the poor, and thus alleviate poverty. This was supported by 3.2.1.1. Purchasing Power and Profitability A key component surrounding literature is that even poor people could be profitable customers. a) Creating New Business Opportunities Such strong view rests on the idea that the potential growth for many multinational (MNC) and medium sized companies does not rest on the low-income market in the developing countries. Instead, its source is the immense size of potential market of $13 trillion at purchasing power parity (PPP) that the two-thirds of the world population with unmet needs are supposed to represent. Projections and demographic trends also indicate that by 2050, more than 85% of the worlds population will fall within this category. This portends an abysmal decline in effective demand. By empowering the poor, businesses naturally create new business opportunities by raising effective demand and consumption levels. b) Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) since it will help to reduce poverty and more importanlty for the company, it will be crucial to their long-term competitiveness and success. One of the most interesting implications of BOP is the radical impact it can have on a companys core business model. .. for instance, claims that organizations which set out to empower poor communities by providing basic education and skills acquisition, improving local human capital, protecting the environment, and developing the culture of accountability and transparency, are practicing some components of CSR which is essential for the long-term sustainability of any company. Indeed, many large corporations have announced CSR benefits that impacts on their profitability and claim it to be a key element of development. Besides, adds that a comprehensive set of CSR policies, practices and programmes incorporated in companys business strategy can increase productivity, contribute to competitiveness, improve staff recruitment and retention rates and create a more positive corporate image. All in all, concludes that d) Government support Political Capital It is obvious that businesses that empower the poor strike a compelling partnership with the government. Most of the time, politicians take undeserved credit for attracting such private investments etc. 3.2.1.2. Poverty Alleviation and Prosperity to the Poor a) Job Creation Businesses whose products and services address basic and common needs can enter the bottom of the pyramid market segments more effectively, and with a deeper social impact through partnerships with highly innovative community groups. They can scale their impact significantly by leveraging their expertise and experience in developing skills and engaging such community groups actively in delivering their products and services. This way, communities are better served, if an increasing number of people engaged in the business are people from their immediate neighborhoods, giving it a local flavor and a compelling sense of stake in the business. adds that expansion by multinationals into emerging markets creates new jobsproduct-distribution networks and shops, for exampleand income earned from those jobs ripples through local economies, creating more new jobs, a phenomenon that economists call the multiplier effect. b) Training, Education and Skills enhancement â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Profit-seeking companies can also play an important role in educating BOP consumers. Banerjee and Duflo (2007) point out, that BOP consumers can be entrepreneurial and do several different types of jobs. However, due to their lack the skills they can not get higher paying jobs. The provision of funding and training is a way multinationals can support the poor. Education is also necessary not just for getting a job, but to make more informed decisions in other areas, e.g. health education can improve food choices. Besides, education and information can also help BOP negotiate better rates and recognizing counterfeit goods. c) Community Development: Through basic empowerment in terms of education and job creation, the community systematically grows out of the crutches of poverty. Beyond the occasional CSR embarked upon by businesses, empowered indigenes gradually but steadily develop their communities by training other relatives of theirs and embarking on micro projects that eventually add up to improving the lot of their communities. Not only, the company makes more profit, and the peoples lifestyle changes. The poor also benefit because they have access to services such as banking and insurance that once were denied them, he says. 3.2.2. Challenges of Attending Low-income Markets Nevertheless, there is a great branch of the literature about the nature, scope, and value of serving low-income segments (Karnani, 2007a; Martinez and Carbonell, 2007; Aiyar, 2006; Jaswal, 2007) that questions the ease with wich multinationals may enter the BOP and whether profits exist there at all. They argue that it is very unlikely that companies will be able to attend the BOP market profitably. Landrum (2007) points out that the costs of serving this segment can be very high. BOP customers are usually much dispersed geographically; they are very heterogeneous, which reduces the opportunities for obtaining significant economies of scale; and their individual transactions usually represent a low amount of money. In addition, consumers at the BOP are very price sensitive, which, again, makes profitability a difficult goal to achieve. For example, Karnani (2007a) posits that the poor may want the same products as the rich do but by virtue of being poor, they cannot afford them. The differences between business realities and development imperatives are not easy to reconcile, states () Some recent case studies also suggests that unlimited business opportunities and poverty eradication through profits may set unrealistic expectations for business executives (McFalls,2007). Second, the traditional timelines for achieving social goods versus profits differ (Harjula, 2005). Businesses may use a five-year horizon as their benchmark for returns. In contrast, social goals like reducing smoking and other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors may take generations. Thus, rather than viewing the poor primarily as consumers, this group suggest a focus on this segment as producers, i.e.potential entrepreneurs that can improve their economic situation by increasing their income level. Karnani suggests that raising income will alleviate their poverty, provide cost effective products to other consumers, and allow the formerly poor to consume more. Raising their incomes may require that they become producers with stable jobs and wages. Focusing on poor people as self-employed poor people, micro entrepreneurs, Gibson (2007) also suggested that constructing and running micro franchising models that pair franchisors (MNCs or non-governmental organizations), micro franchisors (independent business people) with other poor people to expand the business and get other poor people involved in a self-employment venture can help empower poor people to raise their standard of living and gain a greater degree of financial stability. CONCLUSION It postulates that if companies take the correct steps and devote sufficient resources to satisfying the needs of the BOP, they can overcome barriers to consumption. However, companies must be willing to invest time, resources and training to insure that the producers create products with some barriers to entry and are asonable level of productivity. BOP projects must be integrated into key areas in operations where decisions on new products and markets are made and executed. For most companies, BOP therefore requires comprehensive organizational change and heavy involvement of key business areas responsible for new market creation- something that far exceeds what is required to implement most other sustainability activities. Therefore, while there are potentially compelling reasons for widening the definition of market opportunities beyond consumer goods for low-income segments, the following part of literature review focuses on the BOP concept in its original form, i.e., as a business strategy aimed at selling profit-seeking products to low-income segments while simultaneously contributing to the resolution of significant societal problems in these regions.

Botticelli Essay example -- Biography

He used his paintbrush like a pen or a pencil to outline. He was more interested in making his paintings beautiful in a fantasy type of way. He died a lonely man having done little or no more painting in the last ten years. Who was this famous artist? Botticelli. Thoughtful and clever, Botticelli painted many famous masterpieces. Botticelli’s real name was: Alessandro Filipepi. He was born in 1445 in Florence, Italy. This was the time of the Renaissance. Botticelli was the youngest of five children. He got his nickname when working with a goldsmith. The goldsmith named him Botticelli, meaning, â€Å"Little barrel†. Many other people of the Renaissance said he had a deep-set of eyes and flowing locks. But they also said he was a jokester and a prankster to his friends (â€Å"WebMuseum† par 2). By the time he was 15, he had his own workshop to show off his work. (â€Å"Historylink† par 2). In addition, when he was 15 years old he already was training with a very popular painter from the Renaissance. His name was Fra Filippo Lippi (Historylink). Fra Filippo Lippi taught him how to mix colors and how to paint pictures. In 1465 Botticelli made his own studio (â€Å"WebMuseum† par 3). In comparison Botticelli and Fra Filippo Lippi are very similar. They both painted a picture beginning with: The Adoration of the†¦ Botticelli’s picture: The Adoration of the Maji is a painting of the birth of Christ. Lippi’s picture: The Adoration of the Kings is a picture of the Kings. (â€Å"FactMonster† par 1). Botticelli spent most of his life in Florence. He painted many pictures of mythology. His most famous masterpiece was the Birth of Venus (â€Å"Artchive† par 2.). He was devoted to only paint pictures of mythological beings instead of religious subjects. That’s what he was... ...elli made a big difference in Florence, Italy. He worked for the famous Medici family. The Medici family was very important in the Renaissance. They controlled the Florence city and they were very wealthy. They valued him very much. Since Botticelli’s paintings were known for their poetic feeling, they either told a story or showed a famous scene from a mythological or religious subject. The masterpieces never had anything to do with science or nature. Not all of the characters were real they just had to stand for a purpose in the painting. Botticelli’s master Fra Filippo Lippi impacted his life by getting him to start to paint pictures. Without his assistance he would have never learned to paint any of the famous masterpieces in the Renaissance. He learned about mythological subjects and how to use decorative details. Lippi got him to be the gifted artist he was.

Life of a Slave Girl Essay -- Papers

Life of a Slave Girl Harriet Jacobs constantly refers to friends that help her through her plight for freedom. Relying on the kindness of others seems to be a trend through out her life. Harriet was always helped out when she was a slave and when she escaped from slavery. When ever she got into trouble someone always came to her rescue. Everyone that came to her rescue was risking themselves when they would aid her. Be it a good old friend from the past, someone who knew her mother or a random stranger in the last expected place, there was always someone to save her. She thankfully accepted every bit of aid that came her way. Countless times Harriet speaks of getting help from someone whom she knew when she was little, be it an old friend or someone who is helping her because they knew her mother. People always wanted to help her, and this makes me wonder what she was like. Not once in her story does Harriet describe herself or do we get to know much about her other then how troubled she always is. Harriet was someone of a very strong moral character. Her second master Dr. Flint was relentless in his desires to have her as his lover yet she never gave in. In the situation of a slave this was very unusual. There was nothing to stop Dr. Flint from sticking Harriet in jail or whipping her until she couldn't stand anymore for no other reason then he felt like it. Yet she would not do anything she chose not to. She eventually ran away from him after spending years in his service and spent seven years hiding in an atic that summed up to be a large coffin then serve him and his family any more. She would rather torchure herself then submit to the Flints and do something she felt was wrong. At the age of six Harri... ... to smuggle Harriet north. After much time, he found way by a sympathetic caption of a ship to bring her north. He gave seven years trying to help her with information and a way to get north instead of helping himself. To simply save a friend. After Harriet arived in New York she met Mr. Bruce. His second wife was the greatest help to Harriet through out all of her years. Though she was white, she treated Harriet as an equal and always tryed to do the best for her. At one point Harriet had to flee from New York for fear of being cought and Mrs. Bruce tells her to bring her baby with her so that if she happened to be cought they would have to bring Harriet back to her and that there might be some way to help her then. Eventually Mrs. Bruce enables someone to purchase Harriet for three hundred dollars from Mr. Flint's daughter so that Harriet could be free.