Monday, September 30, 2019
Functional Area Plan: Production and Operations Essay
Part 1: Production and Operations Manager Composition The ultimate goal for the company is to foster growth and expansion by becoming the foremost provider in quality products and customer service. In order to reach this goal and experience 100% growth over the next five years, the Production and Operations department (â€Å"Productions†) must streamline its manufacturing and restructure inventory processes. At present, the current facility operates at maximum capacity. Adding second and third shifts will enable the company to meet consumer demand and to provide the right product for the right price. Duties and Responsibilities Operations management generally entails the maintenance and control of activities within an organization in producing its goods and services, (Foster & Ogden, 2008). As plastic is both versatile and economical, Productions recommend its continued use in the manufacturing of the special ball-bearing sliding mechanism. Another concern is the reduction of downtime. Productions will work hard to cultivate the talent within so there is necessary support for completion of all projects. Over the past few years, great strides have been made to optimize the efficiency of the units while continuing safe operation of all equipment. This includes having only highly skilled technicians to oversee product development in areas of plastic injection molding, thermoforming and paper conversion. Such expertise is imperative because these three functions are commonly selected for flexibility in the process of manufacturing plastic products, (â€Å"R&d engineering plastic,†2009). Further, as Productions is responsible for the manufacturing of its signature coffee cup, it should remain abreast of any industrial changes to the raw materials or equipment used in making the product. Training and New Equipment In addition to the purchase of raw materials needed to manufacture the cup, there is sufficient capital to invest in new state-of-the-art equipment. The new software and technologies will enable greater efficiency and inventory control. Training of the new technologies and/or software tools and equipment will be mandatory. As permissible, there will be on-the-job training for qualifying workers to perform the heavier tasks to avoid delays in production due to absenteeism. Productions will recommend that potential managers attend webinars and related workshops sponsored by the Productions and Operations Management Society (POMS), to remain alert of new trends and innovations in this specific area of interest. Collaboration With Other Departments Besides the traditional overseeing of day-to-day operations, improving manufacturing activities through customer service falls within this scope as well (operations management, 2009). The Marketing Department (â€Å"Marketing†) has presented its strategies to draw new customers and double production figures. Through its core values of continuous improvement and accountability, Productions will accommodate Marketing by insisting on quality, but not at the expense of safety. This will require changes to its inspection procedure so that shoddy merchandise is not released. Based on data from Marketing’s research, there is strong reason to believe profits will continue. However, an independent report from Accounting and Finance (â€Å"Accounting†) indicates a new facility is not cost-efficient at this time. This notion has been shelved in favor of adding second and third shifts. Warehouse space will be acquired to house and inventory the raw materials. This will lead to several job openings in shipping and receiving. Other positions include quality assurance inspectors to examine the finished products as well as equipment maintenance. Productions will work closely with Human Resources (â€Å"HR†) to ascertain whether it will be apropos to hire a department liaison to handle internal customer-related issues. Code of Ethics All employees are expected to engage lawfully and professionally as they perform their duties at all times. Employees are not given authorization to engage fellow employees or customers in any illegal or unethical acts or behaviors. Any violations or suspicious activity must be reported promptly. A failure to comply may result in suspension or termination, (U.S. Bank code, 2011). Part 2: Production and Operations Manager Executive Summary Through high quality customer service and innovative products, the Productions and Operations Functional area is committed to superior product development. By hiring experienced technicians and providing on-the-job training of qualified workers, it will accommodate the company’s goals for excellence. A second and third shift will eliminate the need for unnecessary overtime. Webinar training and coaching sessions will likewise keep all workers abreast of current trends and changes in the industry.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
In Defense of the Kalam Cosmological Argument Essay
Kalam Cosmological Argument Introduction            Kalam cosmological argument refers to an exercise the positive apologetics which is aimed at proving that truly God exists. Kalam cosmological argument has become an argument which is extremely popular both in philosophy of religion as well as in apologetics. It was developed in the middle ages by the Muslim philosophers and it was brought back into the spotlight by William Lane Craig, a Christian philosopher. This argument has been extremely significant in defending philosophical position of the theistic worldviews. Although this argument has roots in medieval and ancient philosophy, proposition of argument and modern interpretation has deemed craig’s work to be formative. Kalam cosmological argument is criticized for various reasons.            Although craig is able to demonstrate all this, his argument does not succeed because it is unable to show or prove that God exists. His argument has nothing to say concerning the moral character of God and especially regarding particular Gods. This kind of objection is exemplified through â€Å"Evil God†hypothesis by Stephen Law, where there exists a personal creator of universe who is uncaused and who sans the world is changeless, beginningless, spaceless, timeless, immaterial and extremely powerful. The mere disparity is that this God is extremely malevolent. According to Kalam argument, Stephen law argues that this Evil God is as probable as the good God, thus the kalam argument doesn’t demonstrate that the good God actually exists, and even does not form a component of a cumulative case of such a God (Djuric, 2011).            Craig’s reply to the criticism by Mackie of the first sub-argument is quite perplexing. He admits that the countless set theory is a system which is logically consistent. As a result, it seems that he admits that there exist logically possible worlds where various infinites obtain. Though, he then maintained that the question which is significant is whether such an unlimited can be obtained or instantiated in the actual world. This question can be understood well using the following suggestions. The first proposition is that the problem is if in the actual world there are any infinites. The second proposition is that the issue is if in the real world there is a possibility of having any infinites. The third suggestion involves the question if in any world there is a possibility of having any infinites (Craig, 2014).            The third suggestion can be immediately dismissed since dismissed by the fact that craig admitted that there exists some world with infinites. The first suggestion can be dismissed also because craig is unable to give defence of this particular claim. He claimed that the kalam argument’s proponent focuses on the claim that in the real world there exist no infinites. However, craig does not provide any further evidence to prove the claim there is no infinites in the real earth beyond the notion that supposing otherwise would be absurd. Because Mackie does not agree with this intuition, this thought cannot be decisive (Nowacki, 2007).            Craig’s key reply to the criticisms by Mackie is very weak. Mackie’s argument was that there was a possibility that something can begin to exist despite it being uncaused. In order for the Kalam cosmological argument to successfully claim that there is no possibility of something to being existing although uncaused it is supposed to come up with arguments which portrays that this claim has a logical inconsistency. Therefore this argument cannot succeed since Craig was unable to validate his claim through providing convincing arguments which would assist in establishing this claim. Mackie proposes that neither of the arguments is true. He added that there is no superior reason to claim that either of the arguments is true. Finally, Mackie argues that, eve if the objections were to fail, there were reasons for assumption that the theist cannot constantly maintain that God can subsist uncaused and also the universe cannot subsis t uncaused. Kalam also failed to provide supportive details to back up his argument. Mackie proposes that it is truly plausible things can subsist uncaused (Rasmussen, 2009).            Mackie also propose that the presumptions that are necessary to make the argument inconsistent with theists’ assumptions. The infinite set theory fails to apply the ontological commitment regarding the real world. In the actual world the illogicality in question do not come about since actual infinite does not exist. The ontological commitment holds that only finite collection that exists. Proponents of Kalam argument totally infer that any ‘real’ earthly order must have a preliminary point. Mackie argues that from any instant, there is only a predetermined extent to the present is appropriate if those sequences maintain this property. Mackie’s argument is that for each position in the series of successive accumulation, there is a former one which it develops from addition. To presume that there is any possibility that the cycle is not derived by successive addition is basically to express a discrimination agains t the assertion that there is likelihood for such sequences (Nowacki, 2007).            In addition proponents of Kalam fail to provide arguments that are logically consistent with the claim that something can exist uncaused. Proponents of Kalam can suppose that things can exist uncaused, but there are adequate reasons in the universe to believe that the world is controlled by some conservation laws that make sure there is no occurrence of such things. Kalam proponents’ argument is deeply devoted to the stipulation of God as an uncaused and eternal being. This might be understood to mean that perhaps the universe is an uncaused and eternal being. There is no righteous approach of believing that neither God has this possessions or the universe. Kalam criticizers provide appropriate points that reveal that, even though the argument can be sound, but they failed to prove that God exist. Oppy criticizes Kalam by saying that it is not conditionally rationally persuasive for its projected audience. He supported his notion by adding that the argument depend on metaphysical and physical theory which stakeholders of the intended audience rebuff. The argument is that Kalam argument does not propose that God exists, yet the universe exists (Oppy, 1991).            Kalam is greatly criticized due to the fact that they do not elaborate whey God does not need a cause if the universe needs a course. The argument is clear that God does not need a cause since it is only things that exist have a cause, but they fail to explain how the universe started to exist. There are inadequate reasons to support that the universe existed due to the causal principles in the Kalam argument. Protestations that things at a first instant of time need no explanation is very unpersuasive, because they do not give supportive reasons whey there is a pertinent difference in the underlying question between first instances and embedded time moments. The kalam case that â€Å"The universe began to exist†is limited since it fails to explain how it started to exist and when. It is also an assumption that the world had existed eternally in the ancient times. Alexander criticized kalam argument by saying, â€Å"any universe w hich is, on average, in a state of cosmic expansion throughout its history, cannot be infinite in the past, but must have a past space-time boundary†(Pitts, 2008).            Kalam argument fails to explain how the universe started to exist and thus the second premise of this premise is also limited due to this beginning less model. Kalam third premise is that everything that exists has a cause which is a controversial conclusion. There are no reasons provided to prove that God exist. It is unsatisfactory to conclude that simply because the world exists the cause is God. Kalam third premise has brought up a lot of debate regarding the possibility of the universe being in existence due to a cause. According to Ockham’s Razor, Kalam third premise violate the principle of parsimony. There is no legal basis for hypothesizing causes beyond necessity. This can be argued since the fundamental cause of the universe would not begin to exist, it could also not require a cause on the basis of these arguments, and therefore it can be simply proposed that the universe is uncaused. This can be applicable if the opinio ns from infinity exertion, and are employed to a countless number of underlying entities.            Kalam argument also fails to explain the beginning of the earth. If the first Kalam principle is factual, that anything that begins to subsist has a cause, it is right to say that nothing that can start to exist if it is uncaused (â€Å"Introduction to the Kalam Cosmological Argument†, 2014). If, then, we admit the prudence of the cause of the world being uncaused, it would follow that, along with the first premise of the innovative argument, that this grounds does not start to subsist. The argument succeeds in demonstrating the three premises, but it is considered worthless. It does not prove that God exist and His moral nature. Kalam argument is inadequate since it does not show any possibility of good God. Consequently, kalam argument fails to demonstrate existence of good God, and does not comprise a collective case for such a God.            Kalam assertion of universe having a cause eliminates the prospect of an uncaused world; it seems practical that it should bring about the probability of theism as an illustrative supposition consequently, though it concurrently raises the likelihood of other descriptive hypotheses. Kalam premises are not convincing because it seems to be applying collective force especially the last kalam premise, hence it is more than logical to make a conclusion that the world has a cause. The argument also brings the probability of a God-like cause, though not as irrational as many people would assume, and not yet wholly convincing. Kalam argument also leaves a lot of gaps since it bring about the probability that the cause must be very powerful. This is because the universe came into physical reality without any material cause. The third premise also relies on the characteristics associated to cause. Kalam argument does not specify any time before the universe. Therefore, it is not easy to explain the existence of the earth based on laws operating on primary conditions, and hence it can only be explained by personal explanation.            In conclusion, Kalam cosmological argument succeeded to explain the three premises, but they failed to provide adequate reasons to support their argument. Kalam first premise was that everything that exists has a source. The second premise was that the earth began to exist. The third kalam premise was that the universe has a source. Kalam cosmological argument violates the principle of parsimony. They fail to explain the relationship of the causal relationship to support their concept. Kalam argument fails to explain the source of the earth, it also fails to provide the cause of the universe or how it came to being. Kalam did not indicate that there was time before the beginning of the earth. The argument also fails to explain how the universe came to being because there is a cause. The third premise ends with unconvincing argument that the universe has an origin. This brings further discussion of the potential qualities that the cause of the universe must possess. It can be argued that the universe is uncaused because the cause cannot be based on kalam argument. Kalam cosmological argument faces a lot of criticism because the arguments are not supported by logic and hence people are left with gaps. The major argument is that if the universe came to being because it was caused, it follows that nothing can exist if it is uncaused. References Djuric, D. (2011). Kalam cosmological argument. Filozofija i DruÃ…Â ¡tvo, 22(1), 29-51. In Defense of the Kalam Cosmological Argument | Reasonable Faith. (n.d.). ReasonableFaith.org. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from http://www.reasonablefaith.org/in-defense-of-the-kalam-cosmological-argument Introduction to the Kalam Cosmological Argument. (n.d.). Calum Millers blog. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from http://calumsblog.com/apologetics/arguments-for-gods-existence/kalam/ Nowacki, M. R. (2007). The Kalam cosmological argument for God. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. Oppy, G. (1991). Craig, Mackie, and the Kalam Cosmological Argument. Religious Studies, 27(02), 189.Pitts, J. B. (2008). Why the Big Bang Singularity Does Not Help the Kalam Cosmological Argument for Theism. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 59(4), 675-708. Rasmussen, M. (2009). On The â€Å"Kalam†Cosmological Argument: As proposed by William Lane Craig. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. The Kalam Cosmological Argument. (n.d.). JW Wartick Always Have a Reason. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from http://jwwartick.com/category/apologetics/arguments-for-god/cosmological-arguments/the-kalam-cosmological-argument/ Source document
Friday, September 27, 2019
International Finance & Financial Management Essay
International Finance & Financial Management - Essay Example Part 1 Shareholders’ and stakeholders’ value: Freeman, Harrison, Wicks, Parmar, & Colle (2010) observe that the primary objective for any business is to maximize its shareholders’ value as well as stakeholders’ value. The increase in shareholders’ value primarily results from the growth in the business with growth in top-line (sales revenue) and also increase in the bottom-line (profit). The shareholders of the organization contribute equity capital to the organization, which is required by the organization to grow and develop its business. So it is highly important that the organization provides maximum possible return to its equity shareholders. A company takes part in growth strategy by taking the path of acquisition, by venturing into completely new areas and also in new business basically to help the business grow thereby contributing to the growth in its profit. This helps in generating effective returns for its shareholders who are considered the owner of the organization. The company should basically look at value maximization of its shareholders and provide for the risk being taken by the shareholders’ in proving capital to the organization. The stakeholders of a company comprise all the participants who take effective part in the operation of the company. The stakeholders primarily include the customers who are the most important part of any organization, the suppliers of raw materials, the creditors, the employees, the community, the Government, the environment and even the shareholders’ who are directly affected by the business activities. (Freeman, Harrison, Wicks, Parmar, Colle, 2010, pp.128-131) Potential value of Synergies due to Acquisition: In recent times there has been a rapid increase in Mergers and acquisition activities. Companies are taking part in these activities effectively to enhance the business growing opportunities contributing to increase in shareholders’ wealth. Bosecke (20 09) and Hunt (2009) observe that there is a set of complex reasons, which drive a firm to promote M&A activities. The Efficiency Theory clearly elucidates the main goal of M&A activities is to exploit synergies where synergy is basically the increased operational performance as a result of combined entity than that of single isolated firms. There may be positive synergies when the net combined effect of synergy produces more value than individual firms and if the synergy is not effective it causes negative synergy. There may be other synergies like Financial, operational and managerial synergies. The financial synergy basically results from lower cost, which calls for investment in unrelated business, which effectively reduces the systematic risk for the organization. Moreover capital costs can be reduced when the company grows in size and have access to cheaper capital. Sometimes larger companies basically venture outside to raise cheaper capital, as the cost of raising capital in countries like USA, Japan etc is very low. The companies, which are involved in mergers and acquisition internationally, can access the stock markets of those countries and in that case they have to comply with the specifications and regulations binding the process of accessing the international markets. This promotes international acquisition. The managerial synergy basically results when one less technically and functionally developed company derive benefit after getting merged with one technically and f
International management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
International management - Assignment Example Global strategy and entry modes have thus been number one priority for these large firms in emerging economies trying to make it in the global scene. This has been due to success in the global scene hence acquisition of competitive advantages. It has also been important for these firms to handle international market entry modes as the initial step in attaining their global mission. The decision and the mode of how a firm from emerging economy enters foreign market has had a significant effect on its overall productivity (John & Allen, 1998). This is because; the business environment that these new multinationals operate in is very competitive and dynamic. As such expansion into these new foreign markets is achievable through various strategies. The focus of this report is to give an account of the market entry strategy used by Bharti Airtel (formerly â€Å"Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited - BTVL†) while penetrating the foreign market. The report uses relevant theories and internat ional business literature concepts to evaluate and discuss the Bharti Airtel choice of entry mode(s) into the foreign market. Bharti Airtel(formerly â€Å"Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited - BTVL†is a multinational company founded in 1995. It is an Indian multinational in telecommunication industry. The company is primarily headquartered in New Delhi. Bharti Airtel got into the foreign market operations years ago and to date the company is actively operational in more than 20 countries cross Africa, South Asia and the Channel Islands among other global markets. The company is known for pioneering foreign business strategy of outsourcing most of its company’s operations apart from sales, marketing and finance and developing the minutes factory system of high cost and low volumes. The Bharti Airtel owes much of its accomplishment to its obliged to offering cutting-edge mobile services, while keeping low pricing strategies, an significant component in India. The
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Teaching practice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Teaching practice - Research Paper Example The students are told that they would be given extra marks if there is positive reinforcement and the same holds true when they fall short of the expected counts (Stewart, 2011). This is in line with the comprehension that the positive reinforcement acts as a morale booster and a sign of encouragement for the student while the negative reinforcement is also a support system which partially scolds the students but makes sure that they remain on track and in line with the changing needs of their schooling requirements, as are manifested by the teaching practices time and again. The example is all the more significant because it creates a sense of fear within the students that they need to give in their best and there is no room for lagging way behind within their educational curricula. It would enable them the teachers to realize where the students are standing at a particular juncture in time and find out their strengths and related weaknesses. References Stewart, D., 2011. Promoting connectedness through whole-school approaches: Key elements and pathways of influence. Health Education, 111(1)
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Total Compensation Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Total Compensation Methods - Essay Example Compensation and benefits, like we all know are rewards that an organization gives to its employees in return of their efforts and services that they have given. These rewards may vary from direct to indirect forms. There are various methods to compensate employees and each method and benefits may have its own impact on the employees and on overall the organization, and this is what we are going to discuss below. This is one method of compensating those employees who have certain needed skills, whether job related or not. This is a creative way of paying for the internal skills and gives a flexible job design, where employees could move from one assignment to another on periodic basis. This is another method of compensating employees. Here those employees are compensated who are the key performers. They are though paid within a certain pay range. The organization here does not need to promote its employees, as they would already be paying them more comparatively. Broadbanding normally provides flexibility, entrepreneurial management style and performance orientation. Provides flexibility to the employees, promotes lateral development of employees, helps in developing employees skills and encourages a team focus and directs employees attention away from vertical promotional activities. Impact on organization It make compensation system more simpler that de-emphasizes structure and control and places greater importance on judgment and flexible decision making. Group Incentives, Gain Sharing, Success Sharing These are other methods of compensating employees. Here the compensation, which is the certain amount of profit of the organization, is given not to one but a group those employees who are identified directly with the improvement. The key here is to share the success of the organization with the employees. Impact on employee When the employees see that gain sharing supports a true pay for performance culture, hence they see their progress linked directly to the organization. The commitment to the organization is thus increased. Impact on organization Many organizations already having gain sharing as their means of compensating employees and have found an improved organizational communication, especially between labor and management and between different functional units. Benefit Programs Workers Compensation This is one kind of legally required benefit, which like others is meant for benefiting the employees. This benefit provides a degree of financial protection to those employees who have incurred expenses resulting from job related accident or illness. The organization pays for the workers compensation insurance, and the expense is tied to their past experience and job related accidents and illness. Impact on emplo
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
On Spirituality and Feminist Liberation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
On Spirituality and Feminist Liberation - Essay Example Christianity is considered as one of the world’s oldest agents of transformation as a factor in progress and development of humanity. The reasons, evidences and principles involved in understanding the issue of spirituality and its patriarchal nature had been extensively documented and debated upon since time immemorial. Since the predominant structure from early Christian era is patriarchal in nature, this paper will try to explore and analyze the historical role of women in religion by looking into the belief systems, myths, ad archetypes from ancient civilizations to the advent of religious feminism. The analysis would be thorough in depth discussion and reasoning on its philosophical and psychological implication with emphasis on female metaphysical structure. The predominantly patriarchal structure of church, though not inclusive, significantly shaped the role of women in religion and spiritualty. During the early Christian era, it is evident that women’s lives and spiritualties are constantly challenged as they are continually restricted in all aspect of life, considered inferior in essence compared to men and have very little access to knowledge. Accordingly, women is shaped and affected by their conditioned role and to conform and be dependent to the patriarchal structure of society (Melanchthon 303)... In essence, there should be emphasis on the various kinds of religion in looking into the role of women in terms to spirituality and relationship with the divine. However, as suggested by Howell, religions basically presets common purpose such that the primary is to stabilize the immediate society from any possible conflict and destruction through implementation of best practices and the secondary purpose is to control women in such a way that they will continue to reproduce and satisfy the male biological and physiological demands for sex. Though some women are worshiped for their beauty and beyond their domesticated propose, men remained in charge as predetermined by the patriarchal society. According to Melanchthon, feminism is the major ideology that liberates women from several decades of oppression and injustice brought about by the patriarchal nature of society through transformation. Looking at several historical data, it can be noted that women really experiences oppression and injustice and the advent of spiritual feminism liberated them from such (308). Women as Spiritually and Religiously Oppressed For most women, spirituality and religious undertakings became their source of inspiration and from part of in their personal relationship with the divine they worship and to achieve spiritual holiness women strive to continually achieve it through religious works and deeds. However, until 1920’s or before the advent of feminist spirituality, women cannot express their affection and relationship with the divine and were constantly being the subject of injustices and oppression. Among the injustices and oppressions women experienced in the past include; undervalued essence and other oppressions brought about by the patriarchal system, unrecognized
Monday, September 23, 2019
SLP 5 Medicaid_Health Care Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
SLP 5 Medicaid_Health Care Finance - Essay Example For a family of five, the maximum allowable family income in Florida can not exceed 23.2 percent of the FPL (Family-related Medicaid programs fact sheet, 2007). Any family with 5 members must make less than $5,112 per year to qualify for Medicaid. A single adult would have to make less than $2,160 per year to be eligible for the program (Family-related Medicaid programs fact sheet, 2007). California's state administered Medicaid program is known as Medi-Cal. To qualify for Medi-Cal, the recipient must be 65 years or older, blind, are younger than 65 and have a disability (Medicare information for Californians, 2008). The person's eligibility is based on income, and whether or not you qualify for certain federal disability programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). To be eligible, a single person must make less than approximately $12,000 per year, and a married couple must make less than $18,000 per year (Medicare information for Californians, 2008). A key difference between California's and Florida's program is that California's program is designed to cover the elderly and disabled, while Florida's program is meant to cover the cost of children's health care. In fact, the eligibility requirements for children in Florida are much more liberal than for adults.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Academic Performance of College Students Essay Example for Free
Academic Performance of College Students Essay The lack of adequate background and/or preparation, among other things, causes many students to withdraw from college or to graduate with low grades, which often makes it difficult for them to obtain suitable jobs. This paper examines the academic performance and efforts to seek assistance for academic and related problems of undergraduate students at North Carolina AT State University. To that effect, the grade reports of business and economics majors and responses to a survey of students enrolled in business and economics courses were qualitatively analyzed. See more: Foot Binding In China essay The results of the analyses indicated that many students experienced academic deficiency and did not seek assistance when faced with problems. The results also revealed that many of the students who sought assistance rated the services they received as ineffective and indicated their preference for school-level advisement services. The development of a school-specific academic monitoring and advisement center would alleviate these problems. Such a center, with a comprehensive and extended advisement and counseling program, will be more effective than university-wide services in improving student academic performance and marketability upon graduation. ********** Teaching, research and service are usually used as a yardstick to measure faculty contributions to higher education institutions. Major universities have long stressed the importance of research activities relative to teaching. Over the last two decades, many of smaller teaching institutions, including the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) where research activities were recognized only to the extent that they would keep educators and the knowledge they transmit to students current, have been under pressure to acquire external funds for scholarships, faculty development, and meeting accreditation standards (Fielding 1985). As these institutions, particularly the HBCUs, placed more emphasis on faculty research productivity, they are faced with the challenge of striking a balance between teaching and research activities. Nevertheless, most colleges and universities recognize that teaching is the ultimate goal of their institutions (Wiley 1993). The main factors considered for improving teaching effectiveness among other things, include teaching approaches and techniques and faculty availability for student assistance and advisement. However, students in higher education institutions must be motivated and committed to make reasonable efforts toward handling various activities, such as reading, written assignments, class discussion, presentation and examinations, effectively. Accordingly, the students commitment to attain a good education, their study habits and cooperation, their motivation and efforts to seek assistance, when needed, are equally critical for learning. Thus, since the provision and consumption of education service occur simultaneously, the students active participation in the process is a necessary condition to transform teaching to effective learning (Norales and Addus 2003). This paper assesses the academic performance and efforts of undergraduate students to seek assistance for academic and related problems at North Carolina AT State. The paper (1) examines the academic performance and deficiencies of the students in terms of their overall grade point averages; (2) identifies the relative magnitude of student academic and related problems from freshman to senior classifications; (3) presents student evaluation of the effectiveness of advisement and counseling services available to students; and (4) recommends the development of a school-specific academic monitoring and advisement center to improve student academic performance and marketability upon graduation. Methods and Instrumentation The 1998 grade point averages (GPAs) of undergraduate business and economics majors were used to determine the levels of student academic performance and deficiencies, with the application of chi-square statistic test to the relevant data. The student grade reports (the most recent data available) were obtained from the North Carolina AT State Universitys School of Business and Economics. In addition, data from students were collected through a student survey of 2002. The sample for the student advisement and counseling effectiveness questionnaire consisted of students enrolled in business and economics courses at North Carolina AT State University. The questionnaire items were designed to elicit responses from students to determine the magnitude of student academic and related problems, efforts to seek assistance to solve their problems, evaluation of effectiveness assistance they received, and preference for the location of advising and monitoring services within the University. The results of this study can be used as a source of data that can provide information on the curriculum effectiveness at North Carolina AT State and other universities. Such data can assist educators in curriculum planning and development so that they can better meet the needs of students. Student Academic Performance and Survey Results The results of this study are based on the examination of the School of Business and Economics student GPAs and the student advisement and counseling survey of students enrolled in business and economics courses at North Carolina AT State University. The results are centered around (1) the student academic performance levels and deficiencies; (2) the magnitude of student academic and related problems; (3) the students efforts to seek assistance to solve problems; (4) the student evaluation of effectiveness assistance received; and (5) the student preference for the location of advising and monitoring services. The following are the findings of the study based on student grade point averages and student advisement and counseling services questionnaire responses. Student Academic performance. The school of Business and Economics at North Carolina AT State University consists of accounting, business administration, business education and economics and transportation/logistics departments. The distributions of grade point average of students enrolled in the School during the 1998 fall semester are presented in Table 1. For the data in the Table, the chi-square test statistic is significant. This indicates that grade distributions by classification are statistically different. Generally, the number of students with low grade point averages decreased from freshman to senior classifications. In other words, more freshmen maintained lower grades relative to seniors, and more seniors maintained higher grade point averages than freshmen. More specifically, the data indicates that, in the School of Business and Economics, 55% of freshman, 14% of sophomore, 16% of junior, and 6% of senior students maintained below 2. 00 grade point averages. The decline in the proportion of students with lower grades from the freshman to senior levels is an indication of either grade improvements, transfer from one program to another or withdrawal and/or suspension/dismissal from the university. In their senior year, 41% of students maintained a GPA of below 2. 50, 23% below 2. 25, and 6% below 2. 00. For all classifications, 53% of students maintained a GPA of below 2. 50, 39% below 2. 25, and 26% below 2. 00. The School of Business and Economics cannot afford to ignore 23% students who may graduate with a GPA of lower than 2. 25 and 41% below 2. 50, only to find it difficult to find professional jobs of their choice in their respective fields. Apparently, students need to be monitored, encouraged and assisted to play an active role in their pursuit to achieve their education and career objectives. Student Survey Results Of some 206 students who responded to the survey, 52% were female and 48% were male students. By classification, 10% were freshmen, 30% sophomore, 37% junior and 23% senior students. In terms of general fields of study, 68% majored in business and economics and 32% in other areas, including arts and sciences, education and engineering (Table 2). These figures suggest that the survey represents a balanced coverage on gender, student classification, and various fields of study. Magnitude of Student Academic and Related Problems: Of 154 who sought assistance, 52% were female and 48% were male students. By classification, 9% were freshmen, 30% sophomore, 37% junior and 25% were senior students (Table 3). The data in the Table is indicative of the fact that the number of problems faced by students generally declined from freshman to senior year of their study. Of 52 students who did not seek assistance, 52% were female and 48% were male students. By classification, 17% were freshmen, 30% junior, 37% sophomore and 19% senior students. A total of 56% who did not seek help were junior and senior students. The reasons indicated for not seeking assistance are that 19% did not have any problems, 17% did not have time to seek assistance, 19% did not know the availability of assistance, 14% did not believe such assistance would be useful, and 15% indicated a combination of the above factors (Table 4). Student Efforts to Seek Assistance: Out of 206 students who sought assistance, 60% consulted with their academic advisors and 30% with course instructors or respective departments. Only 4% indicated to have sought assistance with the University Center for Success (Table 5). Student Evaluation of Assistance Effectiveness: Of 154 students who sought help, 72% indicated that the assistance they were offered was effective resulting in grade improvements, enhanced self-confidence, remaining in major for the better, and changing major for the better. However, 28% indicated that the assistance they received was not effective at all (Table 6). Student Preference for Advising and Monitoring Services: Of 206 survey respondents, 147 (71%) indicated their preference for student monitoring and counseling services at school/college level (as opposed to counseling at the university level); and 92% indicated that they would seek assistance more often if such services were available at school/college level (Table 7). The Case for Academic Monitoring and Advising Center The findings of this study reveal that relatively low grades and high failure rates were maintained by upper level undergraduate students with the possibility of marketability problems. The findings further show that 28% of survey respondents said the assistance services they received were not effective. Another 28% of the respondents, of which 56% were juniors and seniors, did not seek help to resolve their academic and related problems. In addition, 71% of respondents indicated their preference for a school-level assistance services, and the overwhelming majority (92%) said they would seek help more often if such services were available at the school level. It follows that a school-specific academic monitoring and advisement center (AMAC), with a comprehensive agenda for student advisement and counseling, will be effective in improving student academic performance and marketability. The need for the AMAC is underscored by other studies. The main problems affecting student academic performance include inadequate background, working long hours, lack of time to study and seek advice, lack of time management skills, bad study habits and skills, and lack of self-confidence. Many students are also faced with various impediments in their pursuit of higher education and career objectives, including financial problems, family responsibilities, and social and extracurricular activities. Some of these activities do not only take away from the time needed for sleeping, attending class and studying, but they also cause considerable stress resulting in negative effects on academic performance as measured in terms of GPA (Womble 2001). The results of a survey of 239 university students enrolled in business and economics courses at North Carolina AT State University indicated that most students did not have sufficient time to read the textbook and study, and that their absence from class was work related. The majority (56 %) of the students stated that they could not take lecture notes while listening, and 29 % said they could not understand the lecture (Norales and Addus 2003). Kelly et al (2001) classified college students into short sleepers (individuals who slept six or fewer hours a day), average sleepers (individuals with seven or hours of sleep a day), and long sleepers (individuals sleeping nine or more hours a day). They found that the individuals who represented long sleepers reported higher GPAs than the first two groups. Many students are admitted to a university as a result of their performance in examinations that do not demand the same preparation levels required to succeed in higher education. Thus, one of the main factors affecting the academic performance of college and university students is the lack of adequate preparation skills (Beswick and Ramsden 1987). Entwistle et al (1989) studied the academic performance of electrical engineering students and found that low course grades were associated with inadequate study skills, and that many students had not established adequate independent study strategies required to succeed in higher education. Eikeland Manger (1992) looked into factors affecting student achievement, especially those factors related to high failure and dropout rates. The findings showed that organized study habits had a positive impact on self confidence during the students first semester, but such study habits did not have a direct effect on grades until as late as their fourth semester in college. In a survey of close to 350,000 students attending four-year public and private colleges, over 70 items related to the students educational experiences on the survey instrument were grouped into 12 factors. (1) The survey results indicated that out of these factors, public college/university students rated academic advising as the most important aspect of their educational experiences. Private college/university students rated academic advising second to only instructional effectiveness in importance. When students were asked to rate five items (2) comprised academic advising, both public and private college/university students rated the academic advisors approachability and the academic advisors knowledge about major requirements as strengthsmeaning most important and most satisfying (Noel-Levitz 2003). In general, the success or failure in higher education are not explained by the student attributes or faculty teaching efficiency in isolation, but by the complex interactions between students and the learning environments they experience (Entwistle 1990). Thus, students are in need of comprehensive advisement, counseling and support services including time management, stress management, efficient study style, habits and skills, reading, writing, and lecture note taking skills, and other support services. These must help students enhance their capacity to master the relevant subject, self confidence, verbal and written communication, academic performance, and to be competitive and productive members of the community. Academic Monitoring and Advising Center The findings of this study, along with the discussion of relevant literature, suggest that a school-specific AMAC, with a comprehensive agenda for student advisement and counseling, will be effective in improving student academic performance and marketability. The primary purpose of the AMAC is to enhance student academic performance and produce marketable graduates by providing extended assistance and guidance to students in academic activities and related areas. At North Carolina AT State University there are university-wide student support services, including the Center for Student Success (which is focused on student retention) and school-level academic assistant services. In addition, there are programs which are designed to mentor students with high academic standing, in collaboration with potential employers, to prepare them for the real world work environment upon graduation. However, many students who for various reasons fail to perform to their potential levels deserve to be uplifted through a similar program provided by the AMAC. Compared with university-wide academic counseling services available for students, the AMAC will be more effective for needy students can be given individual and unique attention suited to their specific needs by their respective schools. In addition to regular advisement provided by academic advisors, the AMAC will provide counseling services for students who fail to reach a minimum GPA of 2. 50 during each semester. To start with, such students will be able to discuss issues regarding specific courses and their course loads with an advisor from the AMAC, and receive advice on how to successfully manage their time and handle their course loads. Also, the AMAC if necessary, can suggest changes in course, course loads and schedule to help the students balance their time between school and work. As mentioned above, one of the biggest problems that many students have is lack of time and time management skills. If this problem is solved early, students will be able to maintain a more marketable GPA. The AMAC will continuously monitor students and evaluate their grades throughout each semester to insure that these students continue to do well in the school, and graduate within a reasonable period of time. Students who need assistance must be identified at the appropriate time and be given intensive advice and counseling. It will maintain a data base for all students in the School of Business and Economics with an overall GPA of 2. 50 or less. The data can be collected from student applications, academic records, and surveys (Seidman, 1996). The AMAC will coordinate its activities with university programs designed to provide remedial services to students with deficient backgrounds. It will refer students to other departments and and University support services for problems outside its responsibilities. Such intensive intervention will likely help not only improve academic performance, but also retain students and enable them to graduate with decent grades. Student participation in the AMACs program shall enhance their capabilities to improve their academic standing through sound advice and counseling which will positively influence their attitude toward learning and grades, time management skills and study habits. The AMAC will further facilitate development of university policies and programs designed to overcome academic deficiencies and encourage students to stay in school and achieve their academic and career objectives. Conclusions Academic advising is a very important aspect of students educational experiences in higher education. In order to enhance teaching and learning effectiveness, higher education institutions must listen to their students unique needs and priorities by assessing assistance services available to students. The results of such assessments can be used to develop targeted action plans for serving specific student population. The results of the analyses of data obtained from the School of Business and Economics grade reports and a survey of students enrolled in business and economics courses at North Carolina AT State University, along with other relevant literature, imply that many college students need a school-specific academic monitoring and advisement services at an early stage of their college career. It is apparent that it becomes difficult, if not impossible, for junior and senior students to make meaningful grade improvements due to the short span of time available to them during their last years of study before graduation. This may pose a serious marketability problem for some of the graduates of these programs with low grades. In the real world of ever increasing globalization and more competitive job market environments, college students need to acquire higher skills and GPAs. The proposed AMAC is certainly a first step to guide needy students in this direction. References Beswick, D. and Ramsden, P, (1987). How to Promote Learning with Understanding. Working Paper 87:1. Melbourne: Center for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne. Eikeland, O. J. and Manger, T. (1992). Why Students Fail During Their First University Semesters. International Review of Education 38(5), 489-503. Entwistle, N. J. (1990). How Students Learn and Why They Fail. Paper Presented at Conference on Talent and Teaching, University of Bergen. Entwistle, N. J. , Hoursell, D. , Macaulay, C. , Situnayake, G. and Tait, H. (1989). Success and Failure in Electrical Engineering Courses in Scotland. Summary of a Report to the SED. Edinburgh: Department of Education and Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment. University of Edinburgh. Fielding, G. J. (1985). Transportation Education, Part Two. Report of Joint Conference, Eno Foundation Board of Directors and Board of Consultants. Transportation Quarterly, 39(2), 207-233. Kelly, W. E. , Kelly, K. E. and Clanton, R. C. (others) (2001). The Relationship between Sleep length and Grade-Point-Average among College Students, College Student Journal. Noel-Levitz Research (2003). Academic Advising Highly Important to Students, www. noellevitz. com. Norales, Francisca O. and Addus, Abdussalam A. (2003). University Students Learning Efforts, Texas Business and Technology Educators Association Journal, Vol. VII, No. 1. Seidman, A. (1996). Retention revisited: R = E, ID + E In, Iv. Journal of College Student Retention. 71(4), 18-20. Wiley, III, Ed (1993). Re-Emphasizing Teaching. Black Issues in Higher Education. Womble, Laura P (2001). The Impact of Stress Factors on College Students Academic Performance, Working Paper, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, N. C. ABDUSSALAM A. ADDUS Associate Professor DAVID CHEN Associate Professor ANWAR S. KHAN Professor Emeritus Department of Economics and Transportation/Logistics North Carolina AT State University Notes. (1) the factors are: academic advising, campus climate, campus Life, campus Support Services, concern for the Individual, instructional Effectiveness, recruitment and financial aid effectiveness, registration effectiveness, responsiveness to diverse population, safety and security, service excellence, and student centeredness. (2) the items are: the academic advisors approachability, the academic advisors knowledge about major requirements, the academic advisors concern about the students success as an individual, the academic advisors assistance to set goals and work toward, and the clearness and reasonableness of major requirements. Table 1 Grade Distribution of Students in the School of Business and Economics by Classification, Fall 1998 Grade Range Classification Freshman Sophomore Junior No. % No. % No. % 3. 50-4. 00 20 6 46 19 20 10 3. 00-3. 49 26 7 44 18 32 16 2. 50-2. 99 45 13 62 25 45 23 2. 25-2. 49 33 9 33 13 33 17 2. 00-2. 24 37 10 28 11 34 18 Below 2. 00 200 55 35 14 31 16 Total 361 100 248 100 195 100 Chi-square: 278. 38 * Grade Range Classification Senior All No. % No. % 3. 50-4. 00 18 7 104 10 3. 00-3. 49 42 17 144 13 2. 50-2. 99 90 35 242 24 2. 25-2. 49 47 18 146 14 2. 00-2. 24 44 17 143 13 Below 2. 00 14 6 280 26 Total 255 100 1059 100 Chi-square: 278. 38 * Note: * Statistically significant at 5 percent probability level. Source: School of Business and Economics, NC AT State University. Table 2 Profile of Survey Respondents Item Frequency Percent Gender (n = 206): Male 99 48. 1 Female 107 51. 9 Classification (n = 206): Freshman 21 10. 2 Sophomore 61 29. 6 Junior 77 37. 4 Senior 47 22. 8 Major Area Unit (n = 206): Business and Economics 140 68. 0 Other Areas * 66 32. 0 * Include Arts and Science, Education, and Engineering. Table 3 Distribution of Number Problems for Students who Sought. Assistance * (n = 154) Classification Number of Problems and Gender One Two Three Four Five Six Total Plus Classification: Freshman 4 1 3 2 1 2 13 Sophomore 16 4 7 9 8 2 46 Junior 14 14 12 6 4 7 57 Senior 6 7 14 7 3 1 38 Total 40 26 36 24 16 12 154 Gender: Male 19 15 15 11 8 6 74 Female 21 13 19 13 8 6 80 Total 40 26 36 24 16 12 154 * Problems include adding/dropping courses, choosing major, changing major, improving grades, time management, internship opportunities, personal problems which affect academic performance. Table 4 Distribution of students who did not Seek Assistance (n = 52) frequency Percent of Total Classification: Freshman 9 17. 3 Sophomore 14 29. 9 Junior 19 36. 5 Senior 10 19. 3 Total 52 100. 0 Gender: Male 25 48. 1 Female 27 51. 9 Total 52 100. 0 Reason for not Seeking: Did not have problems 10 19. 2 Did not have time 9 17. 3 Did not know availability of assistance 10 19. 2 Did not believe it is useful 7 13. 5 Combination of last three 8 15. 4 Other reasons 8 15. 4 Total 52 100. 0 Table 5 Student Efforts to Seek Assistance for Academic Problems (n = 154) Assistance sought from Frequency Percent Academic Advisor 89 59. 7 Department/Course instructor 44 29. 5. University Center for Success 6 4. 0 SOBE resource Lab 3 2. 0 University Counseling Service 3 2. 0 Career Counseling 2 1. 4 Financial Aid 2 1. 4 Table 6 Student evaluation of Effectiveness of Assistance Sought (n = 149) Item frequency Percent Grade improved 13 8. 7 Enhanced self-confidence 4 2. 7 Remained in major 15 10. 1 Changed major for better 16 10. 7 Two or more of above 60 40. 3 No effect 41 27. 5 Table 7 Student Preference for Counseling/Monitoring Services Location (n = 206) Item Frequency Percent Prefer student Counseling at school level Yes 147 71. 3 No 44 21. 4 Indifferent 15 7. 3. Would seek assistance more often if Available at school/college level) Yes 92 44. 7 No 15 7. 3 Not sure 45 21. 8 Indifferent 54 26. 2 Gale Copyright: Copyright 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Economic Scene Colleges Are Failing in Graduation Rates Top of Form Bottom of Form †¢ Share By DAVID LEONHARDT Published: September 8, 2009 If you were going to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you’d probably have to start with the Wall Street firms and regulatory agencies that brought us the financial crisis. From there, you might move on to Wall Street’s fellow bailout recipients in Detroit, the once-Big Three. Multimedia [pic] From the Most Selective Colleges, More Graduates Related The College Dropout Boom Economix: Which Colleges Are Doing Their Job? Reader Responses: Failing Colleges Readers’ Comments Share your thoughts and read responses to readers comments from David Leonhardt on the Economix blog. †¢ Read All Comments (113)  » But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public universities. At its top levels, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world. Yet in terms of its core mission  turning teenagers into educated college graduates  much of the system is simply failing. Only 33 percent of the freshmen who enter the University of Massachusetts, Boston, graduate within six years. Less than 41 percent graduate from the University of Montana, and 44 percent from the University of New Mexico. The economist Mark Schneider refers to colleges with such dropout rates as â€Å"failure factories,†and they are the norm. The United States does a good job enrolling teenagers in college, but only half of students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree. Among rich countries, only Italy is worse. That’s a big reason inequality has soared, and productivity growth has slowed. Economic growth in this decade was on pace to be slower than in any decade since World War II  even before the financial crisis started. So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis matters enormously, and a new book tries to do precisely that. It is called â€Å"Crossing the Finish Line,†and its findings are based on the records of about 200,000 students at 68 colleges. The authors were able to get their hands on that data because two of them are pillars of the education establishment: William Bowen (an economist and former Princeton president) and Michael McPherson (an economist and former Macalester College president). For all the book’s alarming statistics, its message is ultimately uplifting  or at least invigorating. Yes, inadequate precollege education is a problem. But high schools still produce many students who have the skills to complete college and yet fail to do so. Turning them into college graduates should be a lot less difficult than fixing all of American education. â€Å"We could be doing a lot better with college completion just by working on our colleges,†as Robert Shireman, an Education Department official who has read an early version of the book, says. Congress and the Obama administration are now putting together an education bill that tries to deal with the problem. It would cancel about $9 billion in annual government subsidies for banks that lend to college students and use much of the money to increase financial aid. A small portion of the money would be set aside for promising pilot programs aimed at lifting the number of college graduates. All in all, the bill would help. But it won’t solve the system’s biggest problems  the focus on enrollment rather than completion, the fact that colleges are not held to account for their failures. â€Å"Crossing the Finish Line†makes it clear that we can do better. †¢ The first problem that Mr. Bowen, Mr. McPherson and the book’s third author, Matthew Chingos, a doctoral candidate, diagnose is something they call under-matching. It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into. They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that’s closer to home or, given the torturous financial aid process, less expensive. About half of low-income students with a high school grade-point average of at least 3. 5 and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have. Many don’t even apply. Some apply but don’t enroll. â€Å"I was really astonished by the degree to which presumptively well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,†Mr. Bowen told me. They could have been admitted to Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus (graduation rate: 88 percent, according to College Results Online) or Michigan State (74 percent), but they went, say, to Eastern Michigan (39 percent) or Western Michigan (54 percent). If they graduate, it would be hard to get upset about their choice. But large numbers do not. You can see that in the chart with this column. In effect, well-off students  many of whom will graduate no matter where they go  attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates. These are the places where many students live on campus (which raises graduation rates) and graduation is the norm. Meanwhile, lower-income students  even when they are better qualified  often go to colleges that excel in producing dropouts. â€Å"It’s really a waste,†Mr. Bowen says, â€Å"and a big problem for the country. †As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students. Instead, it appears to have fallen somewhat since the 1970s. What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer. Tellingly, net tuition has no impact on the graduation rates of high-income students. Yet it does affect low-income students. All else equal, they are less likely to make it through a more expensive state college than a less expensive one, the book shows. Conservatives are wrong to suggest affordability doesn’t matter. But they are right that more money isn’t the whole answer. Higher education today also suffers from a deep cultural problem. Failure has become acceptable. Students see no need to graduate in four years. Doing so, as one told the book’s authors, is â€Å"like leaving the party at 10:30 p. m. †Graduation delayed often becomes graduation denied. Administrators then make excuses for their graduation rates. And policy makers hand out money based on how many students a college enrolls rather than on what it does with those students. There is a real parallel here to health care.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
The Sex Ratios Of India
The Sex Ratios Of India Indias growth story has been incredible. The stock markets are doing well. Corporate India is optimistic about India being able to sustain the current growth rate for a considerable period of time. Indian companies are making their presence felt through cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Services and manufacturing sectors are booming. Growth in agriculture may be sluggish as compared to the other sectors, it growing nonetheless. Urban India believes that India is going to surpass the United States of America in a span of fifteen years. However, fundamental problems like malnutrition and corruption still plague our country. But the urban, educated, middle class are not affected by malnutrition and have learnt to live with corruption. There is one problem besides corruption and malnutrition; which is prevalent across all sections of the society and all of them all guilty participants in making this problem a widespread one. The urban, educated, middle class; despite being educated, do not seem to realise the long term effects of their actions. This problem, if unchecked, has the potential to apply the brakes on Indias growth. The birth of a boy child is celebrated, while the birth of a girl child is, well; tolerated. And sometimes, the girl child is killed even before she is born. Sex ratio is the number females in a geographic region per 1000 males. Most developed economies of the world (except China) have healthy sex ratios, with more number of females than males 1. A sex ratio 952 females per 1000 males is considered healthy. The national average as per the 2001 census is 933. Delhi has a modest 915 according estimates in the year 2009 2. As per the 2001 census, Rajasthan averages 922, while Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh average 964 and 978 respectively. Kerala being the most literate state also has the healthiest sex ratio of 1058 per 1000 males 3. However states like Punjab has a dismal sex ratio of 795 per 1000 males, which is alarming 4. The state of Maharashtra too is a cause for concern. With more working women being visible in Maharashtra, there is a misconception that Maharashtra is better off, but facts state otherwise. The juvenile sex ratio is 869 girls to 1000 boys, as on March 2010 11. If India has to continue on the growth path, the burgeoning menace of female foeticide cannot be ignored. But is the common man on the road concerned? No. Why? For one, the common man believes that it is not his problem; but of the feminists, the NGOs, the government, and so on. For another, he believes that the problem is societal, not personal; and hence it cannot affect him. (The common man I am talking about is a reference to the numerous people I have met so far in my life. Gender imbalance is the least of their problems.) Is the problem societal? Crime against women is on the rise and the increasing imbalance between males and females will aggravate it 5. A survey conducted by Jagori, based in Delhi concluded that women face harassment in public places on a continuous basis 6. Since most of the cases of harassment go unreported, the awareness of the magnitude of the menace is abysmally low. An article written by Kalpana Sharma, No girls please, were Indian, (The Hindu, 29 August 2004) calls this problem an epidemic with huge social costs associated with it. My understanding of the articles I have referred to is that gender imbalance would lead to an increase in restlessness among men. Women would become easy targets to vent their frustration. Is the problem personal? We Indians have developed a very wrong mindset. Unless a problem affects us personally, we do not seem to bother. Should women care? Women craving for sons, who have never faced harassment should realise that even they can be vulnerable. Should men care? States like Punjab and Haryana are facing a very grave situation. Due to their heavily skewed sex ratios, there are not enough brides for the grooms within the community. A study notes that 20% men may remain unmarried 6. Another study notes that marriage has beneficial effects on health and survival, with men reaping maximum benefits. Therefore, men run the risk of shorter life expectancy 7. Why is that we do not want daughters? Daughters have always been considered as paraya dhan. Parents consider having a daughter as an expense, a luxury they cannot afford. Taking care of her, educating her, and marrying her off to a suitor, all require huge sums of money. Any property she inherits or assets that she creates go the family she marries into. Families who own large pieces of land have owned such lands for generations. Such families would always want their first child to be male for the purpose of inheritance and keeping the land within the family. Even today marrying off a daughter is considered the biggest responsibility a parent can possibly have. Fears for her sexual safety and security make parents to marry off their daughter as early as possible. Why is that we want sons? The answer is dowry. Though the practice of dowry is made illegal in 1961, it is an open secret that the practice is prevalent even in 2010. We have men in the south proudly telling each other that they have a market value in the marriage market 9. There are men among the rural folk who consider getting married simply to rake in dowry and use it to fund their businesses. Dowry in todays world has taken many convenient forms like a fully furnished apartment, high-end electronics, a four-wheeled vehicle, and huge sums of money. The trend of son preference cuts across socio-economic factors like caste and economic status 6. As a result, dowry related harassment is rising. Other than financial concerns, there are other benefits in having sons. India is a patrilineal society. Sons continue the family lineage (gotra), while daughters lose their gotra of birth and join the lineage of their husbands. This essentially means that sons are the only legitimate descendan ts in the system. Therefore, sons are a source of prestige for a family. As a consequence of these deep seated norms, girl children under the age of 5 face severe neglect in terms of nutrition, immunisation, and clothing. They also face discrimination with regard to schooling. Sometimes female infants are killed within a few days of their birth. With the advent of technology, the trend of sex selective abortion or female foeticide has risen to unprecedented levels. Thirty years ago, these methods were not known. The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act (PNDT) Act prohibits doctors and clinics from using pre-natal diagnostic techniques, such as scans, to determine the sex of a foetus. First offenders would face a penalty of up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 and repeat offenders would risk a five-year imprisonment and a 50,000 fine. The act also prohibits any advertising for diagnosis facilities. The act notwithstanding, the awareness of sex selective abortions were popularised with the mushrooming o f unregistered, illegal, small clinics by advertising the benefits of sex selective abortions through messages like It is better to pay a small amount today for a sex-selective abortion than a larger amount later for your daughters dowry. The government, on its own, has not been effective in enforcing the act. The government has a myopic take on the issue. Since this issue cannot be treated as a plank to garner votes, the long term after effects of sustained gender imbalances on demography are not being considered seriously 10. All hope is not lost. Many NGOs have launched sting operations, such as luring doctors into revealing the sex of a foetus. While often receiving wide publicity, these initiatives are proving somewhat less effective for legal reasons, as proof of criminal wrongdoing is often difficult to establish. But they nonetheless have had an unmistakeable impact on clinic operators in some areas, who have come to realise that the Act can be implemented by non-official entities. Other than stings, NGOs have been also been instrumental in spreading awareness through campaigns like Save our daughters, Laadli 1 million signature campaign, FADA movement by Deepalaya, Jatha campaign by Jagruti, and recently, the programme Santulan by the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, to name a few. Actress Gul Panag has taken up the cause in Chandigarh and has partnered with a city based NGO called Samsher Singh Foundation to fight female foeticide 8. Notwithstanding these initiatives, at a personal level, we must spread awareness of the issue. A growing India not only needs to debate on fiscal deficit and current account deficits but also on the daughter deficit. The issue needs to be talked about more often to make it relevant all the time. Changing the mindsets of a billion people will not happen overnight. The youth and newly wed couples need to be sensitised about the issue. I advocate certain fundamental changes in the way we think to bring about the change. The urban, educated, middle class can be targeted first with these ideas. After there is a considerable change in the mindset of the middle class, these ideas can be trickled down to the grassroots. The primary problems of lineage, inheritance, and girls being treated as paraya dhan need to be addressed. The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 gives women equal rights of inheritance of land and property. This empowers the women economically and treats daughters as equal financial providers. Second, sons are no more providing for the parents during their old age. Sons are moving out of their ancestral homes, are staying away from their parents and are starting families of their own. Parents of sons are also not assured of constant personal care from their sons in their old age. Now in such a context, it does not matter if the parents have sons or daughters: they are going to stay away anyway due to a variety of reasons and they will be playing roughly equal roles when their parents need them. Third, the concept of a patrilineal society needs to be done away with. The very notion that a daughter would be part of another family after marriage should be erased. Daughters, not jus t sons, can also be considered as legitimate descendants. The children of the daughter need not be thought of as children of another family. In the United States of America, a child can take the surname of either parent. Though it is not a norm here in India, the government is not stopping us from doing so. Now with respect to dowry, young men need to be sensitised about the issue. They need to be told that the fact that they are proud to have a market value is detestable. They need to be taught that it is unethical to think of dowry as an opportunity for instant money. Traditionally, parents of the girl perform her wedding and bear all the expenses. This has to change. Parents of the boy should also shoulder the burden of performing the wedding and share the expenses with the parents of the girl; it is after all the wedding of their son, what is the shame in bearing the expenses of their own sons wedding? Better still, the boy and the girl should be made accountable for the expense s incurred. It their own wedding, why make their parents shoulder the entire responsibility for the expenditure? The fundamental assumptions which would make these changes work are that the urban, educated middle class are liberal in their mindsets, love their sons and daughters roughly equally, and have inflated egos. By hitting on their egos, by enquiring about their capability to fund their own sons wedding, these changes can be driven home. It would too naive to think that by making these changes, we would quickly achieve a healthier sex ratio. These changes are easier said than done, because they are too radical. Even the urban, educated, middle class would find it difficult to digest and assimilate these changes because the existing norms have been around for centuries. Small successes should be celebrated and propagated. It would take years for these changes to provide material results. Eventually, when these changes produce results, one cannot rest because these changes will still have to trickle down among the rural and poorer sections of the society. For India to be an economic superpower, all sections of the society should have a healthy sex ratio within their communities. It is a long and arduous journey ahead. (I have quoted references for most of the facts, results of a survey or study, and certain opinions by authors like Banashri Savanoor and Kalpana Sharma stated in this article. Everything else is either a culmination of my readings on the subject or purely my personal opinion. I shared my ideas on this subject with my colleagues where I worked and they appreciated them. Their feedback was that these ideas are logical, but making it practical would be very difficult.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_sex_ratio http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Delhi-sex-ratio-takes-a-nose-dive/articleshow/6555979.cms http://www.iloveindia.com/population-of-india/sex-ratio.html http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=20..280810.aug10 http://legalserviceindia.com/article/l292-Female-Foeticide.html http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-120929-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html http://www.economist.com/node/16789152 http://www.bollywoodworld.com/bollywood-news/gul-panag-to-fight-against-female-foeticide-110519.html I have drawn such a conclusion from my personal experience. I hail from Hyderbad, and it is common knowledge that certain communities like the Reddys, and the Gouds are known for their exorbitant dowries. The talk of a market value for men started during my college days. It was one of the most discussed topics in most circles. When I graduated and started working in Mumbai, there was a small Telugu community within the workplace, and I was shocked to hear the term market value, again; among older men. The very notion of a human being, man or woman; being treated like a commodity enrages me. I have been reading up on this topic from quite a long time and has become close to my heart. That is why I have chosen this topic. My views on the bias against the girl child and the PNDT are a culmination of my readings on the subject. Facts and advertisements for the clinics have been taken from PC-PNDT Handbook for the public, http://pndt.gov.in/index2.asp?slid=6HYPERLINK http://pndt.gov.in/index2.asp?slid=6sublinkid=58HYPERLINK http://pndt.gov.in/index2.asp?slid=6sublinkid=58sublinkid=58 . The views on the government are entirely personal. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/as-law-crawls-maharashtra-sex-ratio-drops-more/649580/1
Friday, September 20, 2019
Lenovo Brand Strategy
Lenovo Brand Strategy Abstract Purpose This study aims to apply the reviewed literature of brand identity, brand strategy, and product positioning to analyze the lessons and improvements on how Lenovo, a No.1 PC manufacturer in China, implements brand integration as part of its global brand strategy to increase brand awareness and recognition. Approach This study introduces multiple methods to analyze the pros and cons of brand integration, and brand product positioning such as product segmentation and perceptual map as well as the companys revenue comparison. Findings Lenovos co-branding strategy in its first two phases of global brand strategy benefit its revenue growth dramatically but in limited level to its own brand awareness. And the global sales loss happened after Lenovo forgone co-branding with IBM brand on its ThinkPad/ ThinkCentre brand lines in its third phase of global branding strategy. Moreover, the unsatisfactory sales performance forced the company to trade-off the premium price of ThinkPad in attempt to cater to more consumers, gaining market share and revenue growth, but only result in the opposite situation due to the unclear repositioning of ThinkPad. Research limitations/implications The inaccessibility of the overall statistics on the sales of ThinkPad by Lenovo in overseas market over the past five years impacts the accuracy of the analysis result. Besides, the depth of the study is hindered due to the lack of Lenovos investment in branding and marketing promotions, as well as sales volume of its major competitors such as US, Europe, etc. Practical implications Leveraging a well-known ThinkPad brand can expedite Lenovos access to the cutting-edged technology and distribution channel setup, however, it will takes a long process to build and increase a strong brand of Lenovo globally. Apart from focus on quality and technology innovation, Lenovo should emphasize its value-added brand positioning, i.e. nurturing the brand in the dimensions of relationship, personality and culture. The separation of Lenovo and ThinkPad should be the best solution for the sake of maximizing each brand equity. Originality/Value This study is an attempt to discuss disconnection of distinctive brands like Lenovo and its sub-brands ideapad/ideacentre from ThinkPad / ThinkCentre to maximize each brand equity. Literature Review According to Arnold (1992), brand strategy is the process whereby the offer is positioned in the customers mind to produce a perception of advantage. And strategy implies the execution of the organizations vision, mission, and objectives. In another word, the essence of the brand needs to be reflected in everything the company does, especially those that impact the consumer. When making branding strategies, a company should first have an insight into their brand and brand equity. Brand equity is the differential effect that knowing the brand name has on customer response to the product or its marketing (Kotler, 2009). A successful brand has high brand equity and its image (B) can be thought of as the combination of three elements: a good product (P), a distinctive identity (D), and added values (AV), i.e. B=P*D*AV. Especially the brand preference depends on added values that give customers confidence that this product has qualities, status or associations not possessed by alternative choices (Doyle, 2008). It helps customers navigate the choice process by reducing risks and saving time of evaluation (Doyle, 2008). Brand management centres on creating perceived added value for the companys offer among customers, which can be achieved by shaping the brands identity. Brand Identity is everything the company wants is brand to be perceived by customer (Temporal, 2002). It has six dimensions, which is also called now as brand identity prism (Kapferer, 2007), namely , physical, reflection, relationship, personality, culture and relevance (Kapferer, 1997). The identity of strong brands reminds us that identity is not just a matter of functional attributes (Kapferer, 2007). With time, brand associations typically move up from tangible to intangible values -No brand should be without a strong intangible component became the top priority of 10 key principles of strategic brand management (Kapferer, 2007). Due to the increasing fierce competition and rapid imitation, the focus of keeping customers in marketing highlights the building lasting relationships on brand management, namely, classifying the different types of relationships consumers have with brands (Fournier, 1998), or the different types of interactions companies engage in with their clients (Rapp and Collins, 1994; Peppers and Rogers, 1993). Kapferer (2007) claims the establishment and recognition of brand identity is one of the key stages in the process of brand globalization. That is, the brand must have an identity that will serve as a medium for its globalisation, specifically for its brand positioning and brand strategy. Clearly, for existing brands, positioning derives from identity. But it exploits a specific, coherent and salient aspect of identity at a given point in time in a given market and against a precise set of competitors. At the level of global brands, the brand positioning emphasizing a unified identity should occupy a distinct place in the target markets mind (Kotler, 2000), ensure the distinctive position of the products of a company from its competitors offerings, maintain or increase market share by satisfying current or potential customers, and finally achieve higher revenue (Hassanien and Baum, 2002). Bingham and Raffield (1995) identified six positioning alternatives for firms: price, technology , product quality, distribution, image and service. Although repositioning is increasingly inevitable as the changing marketing environments that influence organisations (Trout and Rivkin, 1995; Kotler, 1997), any decisions companies need to make about repositioning will demand careful consideration of all of the brands attributes (Park et al., 2002). When brand managers decide brand strategy, the added-value lever on which a product is based should be taken into consideration as an important parameter in choosing different brand architectures. A single (corporate) brand umbrella or master brand strategy is often recommended when the added value in a particular market is linked to reputation and scale (Kapferer, 2007). However, the more segmented the market, with top-quality, personalised products, the more one has to favour either an endorsing brand strategy or a new portfolio of product brands. Besides, cost factors have to be considered. Doyle (2008) gave insightful explanation and said that the objective of adopting brand strategies is to increase long-run economic profits, which leads to an orientation to sharing brand names For companies in its initial phase of going global with limited resources, the simplified brand lines can reinforce each brands selling power and reduce marketing cost, provided that the company has complementary products. Another factor that can not be neglected in formulating brand strategy is the country background of a brand. COO (Country of Origin) refers to the impact that generalisations and perceptions about a country have on a persons evaluation of the countrys products and brands (Nebenzahl, Jaffe, and Lampert 1997; Lampert and Jaffe 1998; Dinnie 2004). COO helps or hampers the development of brand equity in the new market. Yet to some extent, acquired brands can produce a short-cut to overcome the negative effect of COO in brand globalization (Ying, 2008) and co-branding provides a buzz around the brand among opinion leaders to create an image (Kapferer, 2007) facilitating brand into global arena, but it is not a substitute or alternative for brand building in the long term. Co-branding can generate greater sales from the existing target market as well as open additional opportunities with new consumers and channels as it can increase cash flow through increased number of touch points betwee n brands (Srivastava et al., 1998). In addition, co-branding can reduce the cost of product introduction and help stage a brand into a new market by leveraging the existing brand with global awareness. This is reflected in the increasing number of cases of mergers and acquisition of such kind worldwide. Undeniably, it can boost the business of a company but does not necessarily mean the success of integrating brands (Swystun, 2001). It is difficult to change an established brand identity and a good fit between brands is essential to the successful marriage. For a company going global, a distinctive and consistent brand identity should be nurtured and matters most in distinguishing itself from other competitors despite of manufacturing the same high quality products. Clayton M. Christensen (2004) noted that most organizations can acquire resources, but it is the application of the process (how to solve problems) and values (past investments) that distinguish a company. And branding strategy is the process of such kind as one of the key factors which will ultimately determine a companys future success. About Lenovo and its internationalization and global brand strategy Founded in Beijing, China, Lenovo is No.1 PC manufacturer in China and the worlds fourth largest PC maker with its revenue in 2007-2008 reaching 16.4 billion US dollars and its market share in China stabilize at 29%-30%. In 2004, its acquisition of IBM PC business (Thinkpad brand) for 1.25 billion US dollars made the company the worlds No. 3 PC company after Dell and HP and signified the beginning of its steps into international market. Since then, Lenovo has established more than 200 branches in 66 countries (Lenovo official website: http://appserver.lenovo.com.cn/About/aboutus_overview.html, accessed Nov 23, 2009). Lenovos sports marketing, the Olympic marketing, and co-brand marketing strategy enhance the brand image and capture the market share. Its global branding strategy incorporates three phases. In the first phase focused on the continuity of the brand in overseas countries to strengthen the relationship between the Lenovo and Thinkpad; In the second phase to consolidate t he high-end business Thinkpad image. And in the third phase to accelerate Lenovo brand building (Gu, 2006). Methodology and descriptive analysis We can compare Lenovos branding strategy with its revenue over the past five years. Investment in the brand must come first to ensure revenue enhancement. (Jeff Swystun, 2001) From the comparison, the dramatic revenue growth in 2004-2006 seems to verify that the branding strategy of leveraging IBM brand and reinforcing ThinkPad benefit the corporate performance. Meanwhile, however, Lenovos global brand awareness got increased during the process? Since Lenovo had the right to use the IBM brand only for five years until 2010, the company decided to drop it two years ahead of schedule, such was its confidence in its own brand (http://www.economist.com, 2008). Despite of the right move, the result is the decrease in the corporate revenue: Lenovos sales volume was down by 5 percent in the third quarter 2008, sales revenue dropped by 20 percent, and market share declined from 7.5 percent to 7.3 percent (Ming, 2009), especially, the sales in America and Europe fell by 17% in the 3rd quarter compared with the same period last year due to the sluggish demand in those markets and notably, its domestic sale grew and accounted for 48% of its total sales(http://www.economist.com, 2009). Actually, the unsatisfactory result can be attributed in a sense to the abrupt brand shift from IBM ThinkPad to Lenovo ThinkPad. Whereas, the point is that it is not the inappropriate timing to forgo co-branding with IBM brand, but it is during the initial phase of implementing global branding strategies when Lenovo did not handle well the relations between leveraging IBM brand and, more importantly, enhancement of Lenovo brands identity and differentiated advantage in its new market outside Asia where the brand name was little known, especially in US and Europe, the focus of Lenovo business outside China. To gain an insight on the brands strategy, we can look at Lenovo brand architecture transition below for the major product lines and brand integration in the early 2008. After the brand integration, under the corporate umbrella brand of Lenovo, the streamlined product brands resulting in global marketing cost-effectiveness can be categorized into ideaPad and ideacentre sub-brands for consumers and ThinkPad sub-brand for consumers and commercial segment and ThinkCentre sub-brand for companies. Notably, there is a change in customer positioning for ThinkPad by serving companies only switching to companies primarily and consumers secondly served with individual models of ThinkPad products. This is to meet the increasing needs for consumer PC. Besides, ThinkPad is expanding its position from high-end only to both middle and high-end in light of Lenovos pricing system. And a question comes to arise: Is Lenovo ThinkPad is as good quality as IBM ThinkPad? Lenovos reaction to the sceptical v oices is the price cut of ThinkPad is to cater to those customers feeling pinch in the current situation. But the transition risk should be foreseen that the customers who know ThinkPad very well may not have that sense of advantage that the original brand identity confers, and eventually the transformation may harm the brand equity. Lets look at the brand positioning of Lenovo and its competitors. Over time, PCs has become ubiquitous and play a growing role in many important aspects of daily life. Consumers are therefore looking for more innovation (Quelch and Knoop, 2006) with appropriate pricing. Capping the product features of each company in terms of innovation and pricing, we can see that HP, Dell and Acer-the strong competitors of Lenovo in US and European market -are all positioned as economy brand whereas Lenovo as bargain brand positioned as overall high level of innovation and IBM as premium brand. Highly recognized by its customers, ThinkPad brand, with high innovation and high price of a differentiate advantage, best represent the culture of IBM brand. The branding strategy should first take into consideration the environment and customers (Doyle, 2008). Although Thinkpad brand has nothing to do with IBM after the acquisition, the customers perception of high level of innovation and pricing of Thinkp ad brand is deep-rooted, thus, it is not necessary and even harmful to its original image in its customers mind for any attempt to lower its pricing arrange. As for Lenovo brand, on one hand, competitive pricing is the core value that the company embraces to contest its key competitors internationally, and on the other hand, like many other Chinese company going global, it still take time for Lenovo to get away from Made in China image interpreted as manufacturing cheap products. Thus, the implementation of its bargaining pricing system in its another brand line ideapad and ideacentre can embody its differentiating advantages lower price but good quality and higher level of innovation and lower the entry barrier to the consumers in the new market(Doyle, 2008). Of course, this is what Lenovo is doing, promoting its idea brand line in US, Europe and other major overseas market (Lenovo official website: http://appserver.lenovo.com.cn/About/aboutus_overview.html, accessed Nov 23, 2009 ). It can be concluded that there is distinctively different brand identity between ThinkPad/ ThinkCentre and Lenovo and its sub-brands ideapad/ideacentre. Discussion on improvement In developing a global brand, Chinese companies could choose between a traditional and modern approach (Ewing, Napoli, and Pitt, 2001). And Lenovo has adopted the modern (although more risky) approach that accelerates internationalization via joint ventures and acquisition of foreign brands, enabling them to leapfrog to the advanced stage in the process. Product differentiation and brands management separation Lenovo should resume the high-end brand identity of ThinkPad targeting companies and high-end consumers to gain premium price and high margins. And this branding strategy can not waver surrendering to the current economic conditions. And for the medium and lower-end market, idea brand line can play its flexible role catering to different subdivision market. In addition, the ideapad/ideacentre identity should be enriched to increase its value-added specifically in its relationship and personality prospective to differentiate with other competitors brands. Apart from product pro motion, creating customers product experience should be the remedy to have them gain better knowledge of the new entry brands and enhance the recognition of Lenovo. Most important, ThinkPad/ThinkCentre brand should be separated from Lenovo and its sub-brands. The case of the separation of product brand Lexus and company brand Toyota means the success of the both brands even though few know Lexus brand is under Toyota.(Jean-Pierre and David, 2002) . Conclusion This study emphasizes on the analysis and discussion on the brand integration of Lenovo, idea brand line, and IBMs ThinkPad brand, which features an indispensible process of implementation of global brand strategy by Lenovo. The strategy of co-branding of Lenovo and IBM in ThinkPad products in the initial phase impelled the process of Lenovo brand into international arena. At the same time, however, Lenovo should have engaged in its own brand identity and equity, which will alleviate the loss arising from the disconnection of IBM and Lenovo. An effective positioning/repositioning brand strategy should highlight the consistent process of enhancing brand awareness. At this point, Lenovo took a either slower or inappropriate action which entail improvement and transformation. As for the established ThinkPad brand, the dimensions of its brand identity should be taken into full consideration otherwise any branding initiatives will damage its brand value through confusing or depriving the sense of status and pride from its customers. To avoid the collision of two distinctive brand identities ThinkPad and Lenovo with its sub-brands ideapad/ideacentre, disconnection is the best solution to maximize brand equity.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Parent and Sibling Relationships in To Kill A Mockingbird :: Kill Mockingbird essays
Parent and Sibling Relationships in To Kill A Mockingbird Inside the wondrous book, To Kill a Mockingbird, you can find many different examples of the theme I chose for this particular essay. The theme I seemed most fascinated with was parent and sibling relationships. The reason why I chose this theme was for the reason that I knew this book was all about the lessons that we learn in life, and how we gain knowledge from our parents and other family members also. As I looked through the book I found dozens of examples of parent and sibling relationships. Parent and sibling relationships to me means how strong of a relationship people have, or what they have done to come closer as a family. In chapter three I found a nice quote to analyze. First of all Atticus said, " If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you see things from his point of view." (Lee 30). This quote helps me to understand Atticus' point of view on how he wants his children to judge people. He is teaching Scout a very good lesson right now. He is teaching her that you can't really talk about a person unless you have been in his or her position. I think that it is a very good lesson to teach Scout because she is still a young girl and at he school she has to put up with all kinds of judgmental people, she doesn't need to add to the mix. I think that this has made Atticus' and Scout's friendship come a little closer because now she knows something that she didn't before so s he can develop to be a nice and even better young lady in life. Another quote that related to my theme is the one in chapter 23. "Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes for a minute, I destroyed his last shred of credibility at the trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, he always does. So if spittin' on my face and threatening me saved Mayella one extra beating, that's
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