Mercantilism: International Trade and Favorable Balance

During the Age of Exploration, mercantilism was the main economic philosophy. Mercantilism is a collection of governmental policies for the regulation of economic activities, mainly commercial activities, by and for the state. There are multiple ideas that characterize mercantilism. Mercantilism is characterized by the country applying policies and institutions such as the Navigational Acts, towards having a favorable balance of trade, extending borders, and having all of the economic goals set towards enriching the mother country. Having a favorable balance of trade was essential to mercantilism.A favorable balance of trade meant that there were more goods leaving the country to be sold (exports) than there were goods coming into the country to be bought (imports). This allows the country to be making more money than it’s losing. This means that the country will be making a profit instead of losing money or being at a standstill economically speaking. Jean Baptiste Colbert of France applied this idea to France by making France self-sufficient, so that France would not have to buy anything outside of itself meaning no imports.He did this by setting up a system of state inspection and regulation on domestic goods. He made domestic industries meet very high standards on their products because then the French could buy high quality goods locally instead of buying the same goods internationally. Also, a key component for France’s favorable balance of trade included Colbert applying high tariffs to imports. This would encourage the French to buy less goods from other countries. This gave citizens a higher incentive to stop buying imports and to buy domestically made goods.Now French goods were of high quality and they were much cheaper than imported goods. These two ideas (self-sufficiency & tariffs) that Colbert applied to France allowed mercantilism to enrich France through having a favorable balance of trade. The textile industry expanded enormously due to Colbert’s policies, and â€Å"France†¦ had become in 1683 the leading nation of the world in industrial productivity. † This shows that France had successfully become self-sufficient, which means that the amount of imports coming into France were extremely low. Having the mother country become wealthier was the goal of mercantilism.Colbert’s policies were an effort in enriching France. He created a powerful merchant marine to transport French goods which allowed France to transport large amounts of goods easily and quickly when trading with other countries. Another country who had a powerful merchant marine was the Dutch. The Dutch East India Company is an example of the powerful merchant marine that the Dutch controlled during the 1600s. These countries both worked to control the trade of their country’s exports. They wanted to increase the amount of exports to enrich the mother country.France did this by giving bonuses to French ship owners and builders while establishing a method of training for sailors. This would allow France to be able to trade their goods quickly and efficiently making the amount of exports increase. The Dutch also used trade merchants to bring the Netherlands prodigious wealth. The Dutch merchant marine was the largest in Europe. They controlled trade, and since they dealt in bulk no country could undersell them. The Dutch East India company was a joint stock company that dealt with the transportation of goods.The company was extremely successful, and with the combination of the Dutch merchant marine and companies such as the Dutch East and West India Companies, the Netherlands enjoyed a great amount of success due to mercantilism. Both France and the Netherlands increased their amount of exports by creating powerful merchant marines. Mercantilism being the main economic philosophy during the Age of Exploration allowed countries like the Netherlands and France to become extremely wealthy. France used Colbert’s policies of self-sufficiency, high tariffs on imports, and a powerful merchant marine to create a favorable balance of trade for France.The Netherlands had become the financial center of Europe through controlling trade by having famous exports and successful transportation companies such as The Dutch East India Company. This allowed the Dutch industries to enrich the mother country. These policies from both countries are key components to what mercantilism is. Mercantilism is characterized by the country applying policies and institutions towards having a favorable balance of trade and having all of the economic goals set towards enriching the mother country. Mercantilism: International Trade and Favorable Balance Discuss economic policies and institutions that characterized mercantilism systems 1600-1800.During the Age of Exploration, mercantilism was the main economic philosophy. Mercantilism is a collection of governmental policies for the regulation of economic activities, mainly commercial activities, by and for the state. There are multiple ideas that characterize mercantilism. Mercantilism is characterized by the country applying policies and institutions such as the Navigational Acts, towards having a favorable balance of trade, extending borders, and having all of the economic goals set towards enriching the mother country.Having a favorable balance of trade was essential to mercantilism. A favorable balance of trade meant that there were more goods leaving the country to be sold (exports) than there were goods coming into the country to be bought (imports). This allows the country to be making more money than it’s losing. This means that the country will be making a profit ins tead of losing money or being at a standstill economically speaking. Jean Baptiste Colbert of France applied this idea to France by making France self-sufficient, so that France would not have to buy anything outside of itself meaning no imports.He did this by setting up a system of state inspection and regulation on domestic goods. He made domestic industries meet very high standards on their products because then the French could buy high quality goods locally instead of buying the same goods internationally. Also, a key component for France’s favorable balance of trade included Colbert applying high tariffs to imports. This would encourage the French to buy less goods from other countries. This gave citizens a higher incentive to stop buying imports and to buy domestically made goods.Now French goods were of high quality and they were much cheaper than imported goods. These two ideas (self-sufficiency & tariffs) that Colbert applied to France allowed mercantilism to enrich France through having a favorable  balance of trade. The textile industry expanded enormously due to Colbert’s policies, and â€Å"France†¦ had become in 1683 the leading nation of the world in industrial productivity.† This shows that France had successfully become self-sufficient, which means that the amount of imports coming into France were extremely low.Having the mother country become wealthier was the goal of mercantilism. Colbert’s policies were an effort in enriching France. He created a powerful merchant marine to transport French goods which allowed France to transport large amounts of goods easily and quickly when trading with other countries. Another country who had a powerful merchant marine was the Dutch. The Dutch East India Company is an example of the powerful merchant marine that the Dutch controlled during the 1600s. These countries both worked to control the trade of their country’s exports. They wanted to increase the amount of exports to enrich the mother country. France did this by giving bonuses to French ship owners and builders while establishing a method of training for sailors.This would allow France to be able to trade their goods quickly and efficiently making the amount of exports increase. The Dutch also used trade merchants to bring the Netherlands prodigious wealth. The Dutch merchant marine was the largest in Europe. They controlled trade, and since they dealt in bulk no country could undersell them.The Dutch East India company was a joint stock company that dealt with the transportation of goods. The company was extremely successful, and with the combination of the Dutch merchant marine and companies such as the Dutch East and West India Companies, the Netherlands enjoyed a great amount of success due to mercantilism. Both France and the Netherlands increased their amount of exports by creating powerful merchant marines.Mercantilism being the main economic philosophy during the Age of Exp loration allowed countries like the Netherlands and France to become extremely wealthy. France used Colbert’s policies of self-sufficiency, high tariffs on imports, and a powerful merchant marine to create a favorable balance of trade for France. The Netherlands had become the financial center of Europe through controlling trade by having famous exports and successful transportation companies such as The Dutch East India Company.This allowed the Dutch industries to enrich the mother country. These policies from both countries are key components to what mercantilism is. Mercantilism is characterized by the country applying policies and institutions towards having a favorable balance of trade and having all of the economic goals set towards enriching the mother country.

Cycle of Abusive Families Essay

The story of A Thousand Acres written by Jane Smiley is not at all unfamiliar to some American families. While the story tells about the male character representing a negative typical figure of abuse and the female character as the victim of violence and lack of compassion may be fictional in nature, this kind of story also happens in real life (Smiley 12). Love, security, and safety are words commonly used to describe a home. Some people say that home is where the heart is. From the daily grind of life, people seek refuge in the confines of the place they call their own. However, not all homes echo peace and harmony among family members. Not every home becomes a safe place to return to. Not all homes are filled with laughter. Not all homes make one proud. As a child, I get used to playing alone. Within the four corners of my dark bedroom, I have learned to find ways of how to make myself happy as I tried hard to get numb from feeling the bruises on my body and even just for a while forget about terror I get from seeing blood drop out of my skin. Mom said that Dad loves me that is why when he learned that I was not performing academically well in school, he has to hit me to remind me that I had not been a good boy. I believe her. I blame myself for not being able to completely understand my lessons because I cannot concentrate on reviewing while I hear Dad cursing mom in between beatings while mom screams her heart out from the pains she endure. If Dad has to lock me up inside my room, I cannot blame him because it was my fault. If he had to switch the lights off while I have to read my books, I cannot blame him because it was my fault. If he will not allow Mom to bring some food inside my room because I had just been punished for my poor grades, I cannot blame him because it was my fault. Dad punishes me because I deserve it. He does all these things because he loves me. I came to believe that fathers normally act this way because Dad once said that my grandfather does the same things with him when he was my age. Perhaps, children have to go all through this to feel the love their fathers have for them. But I was wrong. Dad has no right to hurt me or Mom. He is a father and a husband, not the enemy. Love is not supposed to be expressed by inflicting harm on the other. Love is not supposed to leave wounds that even time cannot afford to mend. I never had a happy childhood. Now that I am a grown up, I must admit that I am still struggling with the pains that my father has caused me. I know that it takes time. I am also aware, that while I try to leave all the hurtful memories behind, some of the bitterness in my heart will be here to stay. My father has been long gone. He died of colon cancer. Since his demise, Mom and I tried our best to put ourselves and our lives back to pieces. It was utterly hard, but our love for each other helped each of us to live life anew. Neighbors, relatives, and friend also extended their help to us. Coping up entails a long process to recovery. Nonetheless, it was all worth it. Life has not been easy as I used to be hunted by my past. However, my experience has allowed me to extend help to those who find themselves on the same path I used to cross. I devote my time in learning more about domestic violence. In this way, I can cause a change to other people’s lives in my own little way. From my own personal experience, I learned so many things I could not have otherwise known. My life may not be enviable at all but I am so proud to have surfaced from it nonetheless. The things I learned from my own life story are the very same things I want to leave behind when I am gone. I learned that I am entitled to live in a place where I can be safe. I have the right to stay inside a home free from violence of any kind. I am free to commit mistakes. No one has the right to tell me that I am useless. I am supposed to live my life according to my rules following my own decisions. I deserve respect for my intelligence. I am entitled to chase my own dreams. I am supposed to attend to my personal needs as a person. It is unfair for me to remain in a relationship where my personal welfare is in no way considered. It is important for me to discuss my concerns particularly with people whose behavior impairs wellbeing. I am entitled to decide things on my own. While I have the right to express my opinion, I also have the right to withhold them if ever I decide to do so. Fulfilling the needs of people who has inflicted pain on me is not in any way my obligation. Violence in the family is not something new. Perhaps, since time immemorial, family violence has already existed. However, it was only during the modern times, that societies started to acknowledge its existence and regarded it as a social problem. The World Health Organization regarded violence in the family as a global health concern in the year 2002 (Barnett, Perrin, and Perrin 2). It is easy to think of the family as being relatively immune from violence, a place of safe harbor, a place of sustenance and care. The idea that a parent or a spouse would intentionally and knowingly inflict injury on a loved one is counterintuitive. A parent is supposed to protect and care for a child. Spouses are supposed to love and cherish each other. We know, however, that often the family is a source of maltreatment and violence. We read about maltreatment within families in the newspapers, and we see news stories about it on television. Many of us know people who have been abused by family members or we ourselves have been abused, or we have witnessed abuse between our parents. We know family violence exists. Identifying the commonality of violence in the family is a difficult task. Calculating family violence is naturally problematic, primarily since there is a little conformity among those who collect data as to precisely what makes up domestic violence. Regardless of definitional consensus, the fact remains that most domestic violence takes places inside the confines of a home. It is usually concealed, overlooked, or ignored. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation finds it hard to accurately identify the statistics of family violence because not all cases are reported for reasons beyond their control (Barnett, Perrin, and Perrin 3). When researchers attempt to deal with the issue of frequency of domestic violence utilizing self-report surveys, the data they collect proves to be unavoidably insufficient. Some victims may find it hard to remember childhood maltreatments and those who are currently suffering from domestic violence may not regard, may choose not to regard, or may be unable to report the abuses they endure at home. In this light, statistics of domestic violence must be treated with caution. Identifying precisely and accurately how much violence exists in the American society seem almost impossible. Violence in the family may appear to be unpredictable, merely a sudden occurrence associated to the moment as well as to the circumstances under which the people concerned find themselves into. As a matter of fact, violence traces a distinctive pattern regardless of the time when it took place or who is involved. The cycle of violence recurs every time the level of the abuser’s violence rises. At each stage in the cycle, the abuser takes full control of his or her actions and tries to manipulate and further isolate the victim. To be able to effectively address the concerns of the abused, it is vital to have a good understand the cycle of violence as well as of how the mind of the abuser works. In this way, the abused recognizes that he or she is not the one at fault. The cycle of violence begins with the set up. It is followed by the act of abuse itself. Afterwards, the abuser suffers from feelings of â€Å"guilt† and revenge. It is then followed by rationalization. The abuser then shifts to a charming behavior. Thereafter, the abuser contemplates on how to carry out the next act of violence on his or her victim. The act of violence can be manifested in various forms. The abuser behaves violently in the intention to show his or her victim who is in control. When the assault has been done, the abuser feels guilty not for his or her actions but for fear of facing the consequences of what he or she has done. This is where the abuser begins to rationalize his or her actions. The abuser does so in order to shift the blame on others. When the abuser starts to complete another plot of abuse, he or she creates a situation wherein justification can be made as to why the assault happened in the first place. Violence in the American society is not at all new. Wars, riots, gangland slayings, political assassinations, or rape cases are different types of violence familiar to Americans. However, surprisingly, the American home is perhaps as or more violent as compared to ay singular American institution. They run the greatest risk of murder, physical injury, or assault inside the confines of their own homes inflicted by their own family members. Across the country this is borne out by official crime statistics. Stories of ill-treated children and maltreated wives are rampant enough to be labeled as â€Å"child abuse† and â€Å"wife abuse. † Approximately millions women and children ill-treated and abused by family members each year are only the tip of the iceberg identified as â€Å"violence between family members† (Straus, Gelles, and Steinmetz 4). Brothers and sisters beat, stab, and shoot each other. There are husbands who are struck and beaten by their wives, and even grandparents are battered by their own children. Violence in one generation affects and encourages violence in another generation. In many families, perhaps a majority of violent families, violence is not even considered taboo or wrong. Rather, it is an accepted and integral part of the way the family functions. Wife abuse and child abuse have captured public attention because of the terms themselves and because they involve terribly violent acts with damaging consequences for the victim. However, â€Å"abuse† is only one extreme end of the continuum of violence in the family, which, for many reasons, never is publicly identified as â€Å"abuse. † Our aim was to study a variety of forms of violence, including some which many people do not consider violent, such as spanking a child. These are some of the frequently asked and most important questions, which unfortunately, we still cannot answer with any certainty. There is no real way of knowing whether families have become more violent in the last decade of the last century. One could use official police, hospital, and social agency statistics to assess changes in the extent of child abuse and wife abuse, but for several reasons these statistics are not suitable for estimating actual levels of violence in the family. First, official statistics compile only the cases of family violence that come to public attention. These are probably only a fraction of the total cases of family violence. Second, official statistics are compiled by organizations and individuals who work in those organizations. These individuals and the units they work in are often influenced by publicity campaigns, public pressure, political pressure, and changes in state and federal law. It was not until 1968 that all fifty states had laws mandating reports of child abuse (Straus, Gelles, and Steinmetz 4). Thus, official statistics compiled by the states before 1968 reflect differences in official legal attitudes toward child abuse and not the true level of abuse in each of the states (Straus, Gelles, and Steinmetz 4). Even today, official statistics vary because each state and each compiler of the statistics in state and local agencies draw on different definitions of child neglect and child abuse. In terms of spouse abuse on the other hand, spouse abuse, few if any agencies have ever bothered to compile statistics on how many wives or husbands batter one another. Although we cannot say definitely whether violence in the American family is on the increase, historical facts argue that family violence certainly is not new and that, probably, we are more violent and perhaps a little less violent toward our own families than were our ancestors. Abused women are found in all socioeconomic levels, all educational, and all racial groups (Finkelhor 29). The abused woman has a martyr-like behavior. She is often a long sufferer and overloaded with the demands of others. The abused woman finds it difficult to nurture herself and she feels unappreciated. The abused woman is often employed but is not allowed control of any finances (Finkelhor 29). She does not know how to deal with stress. She can have anxiety attacks. Usually, this type of woman will feel tired and overworked. She does not provide enough space in her life for breaks. Poor management of time and resources are quite apparent. It is hard for the abused to make life changes. Problem solving is very stressful. The abused accepts responsibility for the batterer’s behavior. The battered woman is isolated and loses contact with her family or friends. She often feels embarrassed about her situation. This type of woman is further isolated because her partner does not want her to give time to friends, neighbors, relatives, or outside activities. He wants all the attention himself. The abused suffers from guilt. He or she may feel that he or she deserves to be beaten for failing to live up to the expectations of the abuser. An abused woman is a traditionalist about her role in the home. She strongly believes in family unity and has traditional expectations of her husband or as the provider. This type of woman wants to keep the image of a socially or religiously acceptable marriage. The abused has a low self-esteem and does not feel that he or she has much value. The abused is extremely critical of his or herself and usually of others. He or she does not have a high level of self-preservation. The abused accepts violence in the hope that someday the abused violence the abuser will eventually change. The abused believes that he or she caused the anger and violence. The abused woman usually loves her husband and wants to trust his promises that he will reform, although it rarely happens. The abused could have been emotionally neglected as a child. He or she could have been physically and/or sexually abused as a child or saw violence in his or her family. He or she could have been abused by a sibling, parent, or a relative. It is difficult for the abused to verbalize her needs and desires to others. He or she has poor communication skills and has difficulty in being able to express his or her anger. The abused woman has poor communication skills and has difficulty in being able to express her anger. Since the abused woman is unassertive, she can be quite manipulative. She is skilled in the art of complaining. However, her complaints are usually not listened to or resolved by her partner. The abused is usually in denial. He or she will not admit to his or herself that he or she has been physically, emotionally, or sexually abused. The abused may think of each incident as an accident. He or she often gives excuses for the abuser’s violence. The abused usually rationalizes the incident. The abused woman is usually taught from her childhood to defer power to a male. Much of the time she feels helpless and will look for someone to help her put her life together. She does not want to take responsibility for making decisions and would rather have someone else make them. Many abused women feel comfortable in taking a complaint position (Finkelhor 29). She has been brought up to believe that women are weak, inferior, and should submit to men in return for financial support. The abused is often depressed. He or she can try to make his or herself less depressed by overdoing things. The abused my turn out to be alcoholic, may overeat, may over exhaust his or herself from work, to name a few. He or she may even contemplate on suicide to end his or her difficult life. Although parents’ use of violence on children certainly is not new, the addition of the term child abuse to our vocabulary has come about only recently. Child abuse typically refers to acts committed by parents on their children that other members of the society view as inappropriate and harmful. Thus, child abuse depends on historically and culturally relative judgments for its meaning. All families have tensions, and all families sometimes resolve these tensions in inappropriate ways. Even the best parents and the most loving couples sometimes lose their tempers, say intentionally hurting things to one another, raise their voices when arguing, and even lash out at loved ones physically. Many structural factors make families particularly prone to violence. One of these is the amount of time family members spend together, which increases the opportunity for violence. Another factor is that family interactions are often emotional, and so especially volatile. In addition, power differential often exists among family members. Children are subordinate to parents, elderly parents are subordinate to their adult children, and wives may be subordinate to husbands. The result is that the powerless sometimes become targets of aggression. Further complicating matter is the fact that children, and to some degree, women as well cannot fight back. Nor can they always choose with whom they will or will not interact. Whereas many interpersonal conflicts can be resolve simply through the dissolution of relationships, family relationships are protected by law and are not so easily severed. Wives can easily feel trapped by the cultural, legal, and economic constraints of marriage. Children are dependent on their parents. Even when child maltreatment comes to the attention of authorities, states are reluctant to break up families and parents are often given every opportunity to change. Everyone involved with spousal abuse seems to have feelings of guilt and frustration that manifest themselves as denial or in a pessimistic outlook. Either they cannot do anything about it so they might as well ignore it, or they cannot do anything about it by they will pretend they can until someone comes up with a better idea. It appears they are embarrassed by their failure or their perception of failure and so use defense mechanisms to protect themselves from it. Perhaps, this explains the general reluctance to talk about the problem at all, to anyone. Some believe that family members can be expected to lose control from time to time, that parents and spouses sometimes need to â€Å"blow off steam. † They may rationalize that a man who hits his wife is not really violent – he just had a bad day at work and lost his temper. Or they many rationalize that a woman is generally a good mother, but her kids were really acting up and she only hit them because she lost control temporarily. Some people believe that such actions are inevitable – even natural – and are hardly worthy of serious societal reaction. The ludicrous nature of the â€Å"it just happens† justification becomes clear, however, when one recognizes that stranger violence is not so easily dismissed. When one stranger assaults another, we do not allow the assailant to dismiss his actions as a momentary loss of control, a need to blow off steam, or a reaction to a bad day at work. Nor do we allow the assailant to blame the victim. We are appropriately intolerant of stranger violence. Violence within the family increasingly is identified as profound societal problems that can exert a multitude of short and long term effects on young people and can take a variety of forms including abuse perpetrated by parents or siblings. Victims of violence are survivors, and they find various ways to help themselves endure the violence until they are able to leave the relationship. The coping strategies they work out enable them to put their feelings on hold so they can deal with the day-to-day challenges of a violent and dangerous life. The most common coping strategy abused people do is denial. Denial enables them to live with what is happening and to avoid feelings of terror and humiliation. Denial can be counterproductive, as they may cause the victim to deny the seriousness of the problem. Anger enables the victim to take strong action in an emergency. Nightmares provide a way to experience strong feelings of fear, anger, panic, and shame the abused may not be able to share with anyone else or even allow him or herself to feel. The emotional impact on children who witness domestic violence done to other people can be significant, particularly when their parents or recognized authority are the ones involved. Moreover, the emotional impact on children is also great when the violence takes places inside the home where children are supposed to be kept away from harm. When children find themselves in a hopeless situation, they can also be harmed regardless of whether or not they are the ones directly abused in the situation (Helfer, Kempe, and Krugman 3). Many times, the effects of domestic violence are intensified when the children think they can no longer expect support coming from their parents or caregivers. They likewise struggle with feelings of fault and guilt. It is crucial to acknowledge that the impact on the child bearing witness to domestic violence can be controlled by a several factors, such as support from concerned adults as well as effective treatment to address their problems. In the vast majority of families, women are the primary caretakers of children. Therefore, the battering of mothers affects children in myriad of ways. Children who witness violence against their mothers are at considerable risk physically, psychologically, and emotionally. These children face two fold threats. One of which is the threat of physical abuse. The other is the threat of bearing witness to a traumatic incident happening inside their home. Children living inside a violent home are also at risk of being harmed. They may be traumatized witnessing their mother being attacked while both of them are left without aid. Consequently, these children may lay the blame on themselves for not being able to do something about the problem. Furthermore, these children may be abused or neglected themselves. Women who have been battered repeatedly are sometimes unable to respond psychologically to their children. They may display the following behaviors: unresponsiveness to the child’s emotional needs, passive rejection of the child, detachment or lack of involvement with the child, interaction with the child only when necessary, no display of pleasure when interacting with the child, lack of positive response to the child’s attempts to elicit interaction, poor ability to comfort the child at times of distress, no sharing in the positive experience of the child, withdrawn affect, no display of emotion, or depression, and an inability to derive pleasure or satisfaction from a relationship with the child (Wilson 32). Children living inside violent homes may be indirectly harmed themselves. These children may be struck by thrown objects or weapons. Babies may suffer injuries in the event that the mother is holding the baby at a time the assault takes place. In other cases, children may receive injuries while they try to protect their mother from harm. Many fathers unintentionally inflict harm on their children while throwing objects while assaulting their wives. The care, affection, and love they deserve are not given to children living inside violent homes. The trust of an abused child towards a violent parent is impaired in the process. Moreover, violence toward a child by a parent often serves to disrupt the development of child-parent attachment. The aggressive family tends to live in an environment that fails to provide the children with appropriate opportunities for or models of socialization or bonding. It is not surprising that children who are victims of family violence often have impaired social relations. Children have been subjected to differing types of maltreatment throughout history, and these atrocities are well documented (Utech 37). For centuries, society has condoned infanticide, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and the exploitation of children’s labor. The prevalence of child maltreatment has endured throughout time and has cultivated tenacious legacies that have shaped societal response to child abuse. Those legacies include the tenet that children are the property of their parents – and expandable as well. These traditions contributed to the slow societal response n defining and responding to child abuse. In addition, society has suffered from a denial of the problem’s existence and prevalence. Child abuse is a complex, disturbing concern that, even though prevalent in underprivileged families, crosses all sectors of society (Helfer, Kempe, and Krugman 3). The human as well as fiscal costs of abuse in America are huge. It is highly possible that billions of dollars are used in social service and treatment costs and lost in reduced productivity for a generation of abused children. The human costs on the other hand fill a long list of psychological disorders. The emotional damage due to maltreatment may last a lifetime. Works Cited Barnett, Ola W. , Cindy Lou Miller-Perrin, and Robin D. Perrin. Family Violence Across the Lifespan: An Introduction. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE, 2005. Finkelhor, David. The Dark Side of Families: Current Family Violence Research. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE, 1983. Helfer, Mary Edna, Ruth S. Kempe, and Richard D. Krugman. The Battered Child. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1999. Smiley, Jane. A Thousand Acres. London: HarperPerennial, 2008. Straus, Murray Arnold, Richard J. Gelles, and Suzanne K. Steinmetz. Behind Closed Doors: Violence in the American Family. Piscataway, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2006. Utech, Myron. Violence, Abuse and Neglect. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman Altamira, 1993. Wilson, K. J. When Violence Begins at Home: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Ending Domestic Abuse. Alameda, California: Hunter

The Wrestler by Dudley Talcott

Originally created in 1929 by Connecticut-born sculptor Dudley Talcott, The Wrestler is a testament to the power of the modern age. Nearly a century after its creation, its imposing presence is potent enough to earn itself the position as the symbol for the Florida International University Wolfsonian Art Museum. At nearly seven feet tall, the aluminum sculpture is oddly comforting. Its blend of a few key human features and a featureless facade gives it a quality of quiet strength, softening its powerful bulk. It seems only fitting that such an ominous figure of peaceful might would be displayed at the Olympic games in Los Angeles three years after its creation. This piece of art is one of subtle meaning, leaving it open to a variety of apt interpretations. Dudley Vail Talcott was born in 1899 into an artistic and encouraging family. He was supported in his artistic endeavors instead of being pushed to adopt a more commercial career. Talcott studied briefly at Yale University but never earned a degree. He opted instead to travel, attending open classes at Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris before traveling to Norway. Alcott spent his time in Norway exploring Norwegian fjords by canoe and working on a North Sea fishing boat. He later published two books documenting his experiences replete with his own drawings and photographs. By 1927, Talcott was exhibiting his work in New York and Chicago. He quickly gained repute as America’s premier sculpture, creating works in his own distinct style but still showing signs of more traditional approaches. By this point, Talcott was being commissioned for large-scale installations such as fountains while working on smaller pieces of a more personal nature. The Wrestler, one of his earlier works, already showed distinct signs of Talcott's style. The 1920s saw American artists being presented with competing mediums in which to express visual modernity. Modern applied arts of French influence were the modes of choice for architects and interior designers. Many sculptors chose to create works based on pre-classical Greek figures; this refers to the rendition of the human form in expressionless poses and facial features. Being born on the heels of the industrial revolution, Talcott was caught up with the rest of the country in the wave of awe and wonderment that came with experiencing such a radical change in the cultural and economic landscape. The advent of the automobile and the plane physically changed the American landscape. Jazz, considered to be one of the truly American art forms, was born shortly followed by the invention of the radio. Home refrigeration as well as penicillin, a cure-all antibiotic, was changing the way of life on the home front. Modernism, an artistic philosophy founded on the breaking of traditions and the abandonment of convention, was increasingly becoming less of a philosophy and more of a reality. Modernist art is characterized by sleek, minimalist design. It forgoes extravagance and ostentatious splendor for subtle elegance. A bloom in popularity of science fiction, introduced by films such as Metropolis, had introduced robots into popular culture and fueled an already rampant wonder of new technology. Talcott fused all these modernist ideas into The Wrestler. His faceless visage and geometric musculature are reminiscent of an automaton, yet the inclusion of ears, nipples, and male genitalia humanize what might have been an otherwise cold form. This humanization of his sculpture is evocative of nude Greek figures in the pre-classical eras. The use of aluminum as a medium allows Talcott to express a sense of futurism through material alone. Though it is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, it did not become commercially available until the early nineteenth century. It was initially isolated in 1845 but until the early 1900s was only used for small applications, most notably jewelry. Once techniques were developed to produce aluminum in industrial quantities, it becomes something of a wonder material for engineers. Its durability, relatively low density, and resistance to corrosion made aluminum ideal for architectural and aviation applications. Its resistance to corrosion and ductility in particular made it apt for public sculptures and architectural ornaments. Frank Lloyd Wright, acclaimed architect and modernist, is credited by some sources as being the first to use aluminum as a decorative medium in architecture in his design of the walkway of the Polk County Science Building of the Florida Southern College. The esplanade features tapered aluminum columns that give the appearance of mechanical function. Each column is divided into three sections that give the illusion that they can retract and extend. This esplanade reflects modernist appreciation for the aesthetic appeal of the machine. Combined with its robotic form that is only vaguely human, The Wrestler is a tribute to the power of progress. Talcott entered The Wrestler in the Sculpture division in the arts portion of the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Arts competitions based on sports-themed works were a part of the Olympic games from 1912 to 1948. This portion of the Games was discontinued due to concerns about amateurism and professionalism. The competition had divisions for music, literature, painting, architecture, and sculpture. In context of the Olympic games, The Wrestler can take on meaning in addition to the modernist ideals it embodies. It can be argued that in removing some of the distinguishing features of the form, this statue transcends humanity. In spirit with the Olympics, it is free from some of the unavoidable evils of the human experience such as political, religious, and racial prejudice. The choice of athletic event depicted also adds another layer of meaning. Wrestling is classically a sport of control, as opposed to outright dominance. This sense of control refers to more than just control over one’s opponent; it also refers to control oneself. An effective wrestler is equal parts brute and master strategist. A match can be said to resemble a game of chess played with the limbs. Many eastern cultures and the predecessors of our own western culture, the Greeks, valued wrestling as a means of transcendence and self-discovery. The Greek philosopher Plato, a wrestler himself, saw the sport as a means to keep the balance between intellect and brawn while simultaneously experiencing a microcosm of human existence. American anthropologist Clifford James Geertz noted in his study of Indian culture that they view wrestling as â€Å"a story they tell themselves about themselves†¦. When in the competitive pit, a wrestler stands alone as the distilled essence of his way of life. He stands alone with his own background, his own unique history of success and failure, his own strength and skill, and his own style and technique. † Indians collectively believed being a wrestler was as much a description as a title. They revere not only the competitor as a champion but as one who has â€Å"lived up to the ideals of a rigorous life,† implying that wrestling goes beyond the barrier of recreation and ventures into creed. It can be said it is viewed as a religion without a formal doctrine, something existent in all cultures in some form or another. Dr. Jospeh S. Alter, sociocultural anthropologist and professor of medical anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh, stated in a similar study focusing on the symbolic meaning of the body in the practice of North Indian wrestling, â€Å"When in the competitive pit, a wrestler stands alone as the distilled essence of his way of life. He stands alone with his own background, his own unique history of success and failure, his own strength and skill, and his own style and technique. We find the paradoxical nature of life mirrored in wrestling: despite requiring the presence of an opponent and being a custom that spans across every culture, wrestling is a solitary practice. In light of this new meaning, The Wrestler can be seen as representing humankind’s control over its future through the balance of intellectual progress and unbridled force. Furthe rmore, The Wrestler is an icon of the solidarity of the modernist movement. Without centuries of precedence and influence to rely on, a subculture of artists devoted to testing preconceptions had charged themselves with creating things that until then had never been. One could argue that modernists influenced the establishment of existential philosophy for the very reason that they were the first to strip themselves of their preconceived notions and were completely free to create as they saw fit. The Wrestler can serve as an allegorical figure for the modernist movement as a whole. Modernists stand alone in the proverbial ring, alone with their opponent (convention and classical conformity) with nothing but their own skill, style, and technique. A similar ideal is embodied by the sculpture that took the silver that year. Wrestling, by Hungarian sculptor Miltiades Manno, depicts two wrestlers in the heat of combat. While The Wrestler is more of a stoic figure of progress and strength, Wrestling is extremely detailed. Each facial feature is carved into an expression of exertion and each muscle is anatomically accurate. This sculpture is an example of a neo-classical Greek figure. Historically, these figures are more expressive and much more anatomically correct due to a better understanding of the human body; the increasing realism of the sculptures coincide with medical advancements of the era. In contrast to Talcott’s piece, Manno’s statue is a more literal depiction of the sport it is based on. A portrayal that is more analogous in meaning to that of The Wrestler is the portrayal of Jacob’s wrestling match with God. In this rendering, the match is an allegory for the triumph of man (in this case) over a higher power. He is left permanently handicapped from the match implying that, though it is possible to prevail, there are severe consequences in wresting command from those above us; we are to allow ourselves to be controlled as opposed to taking control of our lives ourselves. The sentiment behind The Wrestler is that humankind is in control of itself. Though similar in the use of wrestling as a metaphor for control, the two depictions differ in their ultimate meaning. Another work of Talcott’s, his monument to renaissance astronomer Copernicus, is also closely related in significance to The Wrestler. The monument features a modernist representation of the heliocentric model, the sun symbolized by three interlocking discs and the Earth’s orbit symbolized by a sixteen-foot ring. At its time, Copernicus’ heliocentric model was innovative. It was a widely held belief that the Earth was the center of this solar system. It seems fitting that a modernist would be the one to commemorate Copernicus’ revolutionary concept. As with all things, ways of seeing The Wrestler have changed with time. Aluminum is no longer a new and futuristic material. Robots and advanced technology are now commonplace. Most people do not even leave their houses without a cell phone, a device that would have been more science fiction than nonfiction to people of the 1920s. Without the novelty of a new material and style, this statue is still a poignant testament to the enduring character of the human spirit. The Wrestler stands proud and resolute; his broad shoulders and intimidating musculature are symbolic of the force of willpower. It is this willpower that fueled the scientific and cultural progress that was so idolized by early nineteenth century modernists and subsequent artistic movement such as post-modernism. In regards to my personal reaction to this piece, to say that I was moved by this piece is a severe understatement. As a wrestler myself I have always found competition to be a exercise in both physical and mental faculties far surpassing the development of body and mind separately. In fact, I’m a firm believer that the most valuable gains from a life spent wrestling have nothing to do with athleticism. Once my body loses its ability to handle the demands of this sport, I will not miss it. When that day comes my mind will still retain its ability to strategize at the capacity I have trained it to do so. I will still have the iron will to turn my goals and aspirations into inevitabilities. I will still be able to grapple with the foes of peace and tranquility in my life and overcome them with ease. I will still be a wrestler. This is a sentiment shared by anyone that has ever defined him or herself through this sport. The fact that this piece uses wrestling to convey such a complex and layered message stirred up these emotions in me; I have been on a hiatus from actively competing due to several orthopedic injuries so these feelings have lay dormant until recently. Tascott’s use of wrestling to convey his point struck a chord in me, allowing me to relate to the concepts presented in his despite my birth being over sixty years after these ideas were relevant. I think it is his appeal to basic constituents of the human condition, though, that arrests the attention of what would be an otherwise oblivious passerby. I believe this is the reason it was selected to be the symbol of the Wolfsonian museum. It is intimidating yet approachable; it is simple yet alluring, cold yet inviting. To borrow a line form Winston Churchill, The Wrestler is â€Å"a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. †

Demand and Supply in Organization Success Research Paper - 14

Demand and Supply in Organization Success - Research Paper Example Thus by understanding the consumer demands, the organization can identify their desires and will only stock the commodities that provide utility to the users. Hence, the organization will have a wider knowledge of what the demands are relative to what the supplier can offer at a particular market rate (Bustinza, Parry, & Vendrell-Herrero, 2013). Thus, prices and availability of goods and services are predetermined to the consumer. This ensures that customers do not miss out on their wants whenever they come to purchase a particular commodity. Thus, trust and loyalty are built between the two parties that will result in more sales hence increased profits to the firm. Rain checks are forms of compensations that are usually offered to consumers when the goods and services they had ordered are unavailable majorly due to the organization being out of stock or late deliveries. Customers are thus promised the assistance to acquire the products at prices indicated earlier and did not have to spend more regardless of any economic crisis like inflation. Customers are thus assured to get their services or be compensated and will not encounter any losses that create a mutual trust for both parties. However, to say this is a fair treatment of consumers is understatement due to economic injustice it creates to the consumers. Individuals usually derive their satisfaction at a particular time and have more tastes to it is provided during that period rather than a later date. Thus, postponement of the consummation of a particular good or service may lower the satisfaction of products to customers and reducing their utility.

Tintern Abbey and I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud By William Wordsworth Essay

Tintern Abbey and I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud By William Wordsworth - Essay Example Both the poets discussed how splendor the daffodils were, but in a very resembling manner. However, poem written by William Word worth has an edge over his sister’s prose, thanks to his differentiated writing style. So the similarity in their work can be of the description of daffodils which seems to be most likely reason behind the walks of the individuals. Taking a look at the prose which was written by Dorothy, which stated off with the beautiful discussion of what he weather was like, the stormy evening , whereas on the other hand, William Wordsworth makes use of a simile of being the cloud which is very much related to the picture painted by Dorothy of the gloomy weather. Similar to the cloud which according to Wordsworth ‘floats on high vales and hill’, and when they come to the stretch of land where Dorothy describes there are abundant daffodils spread across the patch beautifully. She wrote in her prose, â€Å"tossed and reeled and danced and seemed as if they verily laughed, whereas on the other hand, William Wordsworth, using almost the same expressions to describe the beauty of the daffodils stated in his poem, flowers â€Å"fluttering and dancing in the breeze.† The description of the flowers wrote by the two poets are almost the same, but the way they can be interpreted are different. Where on one side William starts off the poem by stating the eloquence of the daffodils and comes to a beautiful end where he delightfully remembers the walk he once had with his sibling, on the other hand Dorothy states how the walks are the occurrences of just some days where the mere observations of the exquisite scenery takes place. In the prose of Tintern Abbey , Dorothy states, â€Å"The Bay’s were stormy and we heard the waves at different distances and in middle of the water like the sea†, whereas the lines written by William Wordsworth are well elaborated ones where he writes, â€Å"The waves beside the [flowers] dan ced; but they outdid the sparkling waves in glee.† The way both the writers made the ending lines are quite different as well, where each added a different finishing touch to the poem. Dorothy in Tintern Abbey states that the tiring end comes to a good end with the family supper and the thirst quenching water and rum. Whereas if we pay attention to William Wordsworth’s work, he ends the poem with a deeper meaning stating the inner satisfaction and the gratitude that he got from the walk he had with his sibling, â€Å"...heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils.† When you start reading Wordsworth’s poems, you will notice that there in no depth in the feelings, whereas if you take in to consideration how he had put the beautiful effects the nature had on the human inner mind, and how encompassed with the beauty of nature, the reader will find more meaning attached to it. It was like Wordsworth’s mind had slipped into a meditation which helped him escape from the worries and the thoughts that he had indulged himself into. When he compared himself to a cloud it represented that this walk in to the exquisiteness of the nature had helped him in getting light, as light as a cloud. It can be said that this particular poem written by Wordsworth is very much same to the work that he had written earlier, which is that the mind of the poet gets

Strategic Leadership - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Leadership - - Case Study Example The working conditions are free and very safe whereby the employees can enjoy doing their work. The company offers equal opportunity for development within the organisation. Another notable aspect of the organisational culture at J&J is that the employees have the autonomy to make contributions towards the decisions that affect their operations. By virtue of allowing the employees to contribute towards decision making, the organisation will benefit in that the employees will have a sense of belonging to it hence will continue serving it faithfully. This culture adds value to the organisation in many ways. Performance of the employees is greatly improved and this allows the organisation to meet its goals and objectives. When employees have a sense of belonging to the organisation, they are committed to their work and this adds value to the organisation as well. When the organisation is in a position to meet the needs of the employees as a result of the optimum performance of the emplo yees, it can be noted that the organisation will have a competitive advantage over the other competitors which greatly adds value to the operations of the organisation as a whole. ... Thus, through creating a sense of belonging to the organisation greatly enhances the maintenance of this culture. 2. Ventrella as the president of the new Hospital Services Group is likely to face problems of resistance to change. Since HSG has been established as an independent company, there were numerous issues to be settled, most of which were related to the companies involved. For instance, decisions had to be made especially about who should own the inventory in the warehouses, what payment and credit terms would be or whether the supply company field sales men would introduce these to the customers. Indeed, there was need to attract competent people to meet this delicate operation. Likewise, one of the most challenging roles of a leader is to guide the organisation through a major change. Organisations operate in a dynamic environment which is constantly changing and for them to remain viable, change is inevitable in order to be able to keep pace with the developments taking p lace in the business environment. In this case, the leader plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the organisation undergoing a change process and this is a major problem likely to be faced by Ventrella given that the employees will resist the change idea during the preliminary stages. In most cases, change initiative is not readily accepted by the employees hence the need for Ventrella to carefully entice them to buy the idea. The workers form the backbone of an organisation and this is the reason why the leaders have to effectively influence them to share the same vision for the organisation. In some instances, workers are sceptical about change for fear of losing their jobs or being rendered powerless by the initiative as is the case since Ventrella seeks to centralise

Analysis of a foreign film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis of a foreign film - Essay Example The major characters are Li Mu Bai ( Chow Yun Fat), Yu Shu Lien ( Michelle Yeoh), Yu Jiaolong ( Zhang Zhi-Yi), Jade Fox ( Chang Chen). The movie’s plot is great due to its historical undertones and stimulating conflict which makes the story interesting for the viewers. Even from 100 critics nationwide, it was hailed as â€Å"Best Picture of the Year† according to Sony pictures. The over-all direction can be credited to Ang Lee who is also known for the masterpiece â€Å"Sense and Sensibility†. Thus, the fusion of evocative drama and balletic martial arts is enough to entertain even a jaded moviegoer. Moreover, the story’s theme does not only focus on revenge but also on a love story that is failed from the very start. The rating given to the movie is PG-13 due to martial arts violence and sexuality. Nevertheless, the movie is appealing to moviegoers of all ages. From the characters alone, one would observe that this movie is very Asian as ethnic Chinese actors were used in this movie. The first theme that one would see in the movie is â€Å"hidden love† that eventually became a failed love affair. Yu Shu Lien and Li-Mu Bai have feelings for one another but they have so much respect for the one person they both loved. This makes them live their whole life with so much longing for each other. Although both of them are considered might warriors, they are both cowards when it comes to expressing their love for one another. This a characteristic of Asian cultures where one would place self-sacrifice over personal gains. Here, love is forbidden because they chose to do so. It was excruciating to see them subtly expressing their affection for one another through looks or subtle verbal messages. Unfortunately, they both lose the chance to express that love since Li Mu Bai died from poison darts. Love is such a terrible thing to waste and Yu Shu Lien felt the pangs of regret. Aside from these two characters, another parallel love

Market Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market Analysis - Assignment Example Also worth to note is the eventual interaction between online shopping and the gaming market. Gamers continue to purchase their preferred games online as opposed to the traditional approach where games were mostly purchased over the counter. This will obviously affect such outcomes as packaging. Marketers will be forced to shift from their current packaging models that mostly involve compact disks and memory sticks to other packaging models that are friendlier to online shoppers. Already, gamers are flooding social media sites to enable them to find fellow gamers and to indeed play a video game over the internet. Gaming coders are also ensuring that their games contain the requisite social media links so as gamers can share their progress and achievements over the social media sites and in the process contribute to marketing of the game. Mobile phones and tablets are the other market disruptors in the gaming market (Kammerlander, 2013). The current gaming sensation, Candy Crush, that boasts of over 45 million monthly users mainly derived from social media platforms. The game is not available through traditional consoles but through mobile phones and tablets. Candy Crush has since been declared as the most addictive and popular social media games of all time. The Candy Crush statistics has since dwarfed those of the former contenders Angry Birds and Farm Ville. Since its launch in April 2012, the game has attracted over 550 million installations across Apple’s ios, Google’s Android and Facebook. Also notable is the fact that the game’s revenue model is mainly driven by an integrated online shopping platform where gamers can purchase extra lives and functions or even purchase more time in between the allowable lockout period that is applied after one fails to complete a particular level even after numerous repetitions. King, the company that manufacturers Candy Crush receives $875,000 in revenues in a single business day by integrating the

Time Capsule Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Time Capsule - Essay Example The following six tracks selected are as follows. The Baroque era constitutes a significant shift in music style. One of the most notable composers of this era is Johann Sebastian Bach. While there were a great variety of Bach’s works the selection committee considered, Bach’s composition ‘Sonata no 1’ a characteristic example of his work. This track combines violin and harpsichord in a level of instrumental complexity and poignancy that at the time had not yet been experienced in the history of music. While ostensibly non-secular this music seemingly transcends such categorizations as it exhibits pure musical poignancy. In these regards, there is a sort of mysterious quality to the track that places it at a level of great interest and intrigue to listeners. In addition to these sonic qualities the committee considered that Bach has significant historical importance both for his power compositions as well as the tremendous influence he had on future musicians. His influential nature and iconic historical importance factored greatly into the committee’s selection of this composition for the time capsule. Furthermore, Bach’s harpsichord concertos are recognized by scholars as among the first concertos for the keyboard instrument ever written (Bukofzer 2008). Another notable Baroque era composer selected for the time capsule was Jean Baptiste Lully, with his ‘Symphonie’ the selected work. While Bach’s work was slightly subtle, this composition is highly bombastic with patriotic or nationalistic overtones in its upbeat melody; in these regards, it could fit perfectly in a state or crown sponsored event (Bukofzer 2008). There were a number of factors that led to the committee’s decision. In addition to Lully’s seminal historical importance to the Baroque era, this composition has withstood the test of time and its sonorous, yet patriotic qualities are

The Organizational Ethics of Lockheed Martin Essay Example for Free

The Organizational Ethics of Lockheed Martin Essay Lockheed Martins Vision statement reads as follows; (Who We Are) be the global leader in supporting our customers to strengthen global security, deliver citizen services and advance scientific discovery. Lets break this statement down into separate components. First, supporting our customers to strengthen global security, is a phrase that is limited to a customer base but also inclusive to the entire globe. The ethical question with this part of their mission statement is; at what point does an organization like Lockheed impose their own ethical limits over their customers? This is a prime example of external factors influencing the companys ethical standards. Lockheed can find themselves at the mercy of their customers request and desires. This can lead to taking on a project that they may not be ethically inline with. They are in essence giving their customer complete control over what they believe is ethical in global security. This can obviously turn into a bias view of whats good for the world, when left up to a specific group of customers. The next part of the statement then puts the ethical decisions back into the hands of Lockheed, deliver citizen services. With this sentiment Lockheed gets to choose the services within a society that it feels will serve that citizens the best. Finally and maybe the most ethically sensitive area of Lockheeds mission, is advance scientific discovery. Science, especially in the area of discovery, can lead to many ethical questions depending on the nature of the research. The biggest questions arise when animal or human testing is involved. To specifically address their ethical philosophy Lockheed released this statement; ( ) We are committed to the highest standards of ethical  conduct in all that we do. We believe that honesty and integrity engender trust, which is the cornerstone of our business. We abide by the laws of the United States and other countries in which we do business, we strive to be good citizens and we take responsibility for our actions. The reality is Lockheed is in the business of making some of the worlds most advanced and destructive military weapon systems. Even though their products are used in combat to kill the enemy, there are still laws and rules governing the how destructive and lethal these weapons can be. Lockheed does make sure to operate within the guidelines set forth by Geneva Convention Treaties and Rules of Armed Conflict. These guidelines are examples of legal factors that give Lockheed guidance of where the ethical lines should be drawn. Lockheed addresses the fact that they not only have their own ethical standards to adhere to but that they are also a direct reflection of their suppliers. (Who We Are ), We want our suppliers to understand, foster, and mirror the ethical conduct we expect from our employees in all business challenges and transactions. This places them in the unique situation, not only to monitor their practices but also those of the organizations providing the materials they need to do business. Lockheed Martin expects their contractors to behave in a manner consistent with the principles of their code of ethics. One key element in regards to their suppliers is that Lockheed requires their suppliers to have a set and standardized Code of Ethics Programs within each organization. Lockheed also holds their employees to the same standards as their suppliers. In Lockheeds 2012 Employee Perspectives Survey, employees stated that they were more apt to report unethical behavior activity, while the percent of misconduct reported was at an all time low. Leo S. Mackay Jr., vice president of Ethics and Sustainability says, (FIve Lessons) â€Å"Even if you didn’t know anything about our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, if you followed the value statements Do what’s right, Respect others, and Perform with excellence you could come pretty close to how we would want you to act in any situation that involved an ethical judgment.† One thing that makes Lockheeds ethic program work is the ethics officers, at the business level, are embedded directly with the employees. These ethics officers  attend business and planning meetings. This ensures that the officers understand the businesses they support, and by participating in the field they are able to bridge the gap between business and ethics. When employees have to deal with ethical issues, they have specific avenues to reach out to including; talking to their ethics officer, calling the Corporate Ethics HelpLine, or sending an email directly to the Lockheed Ethics Department. It is important to note that the aforementioned ethics officers are elected officials from within the company. Lockheed Martin must report certain types of misconduct to the government. This further signifies the importance the responsibility of all employees to report any ethical issues. Every Lockheed employee, even executives, must participate in ethics training once a year. References. Who We Are Ethics. (n.d.). Ethics  · Lockheed Martin. Retrieved July 28, 2014, from http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/who-we-are/ethics.html Five Lessons for a Successful STEM Career. (n.d.). Polishing Our Ethics Performance  · Lockheed Martin. Retrieved July 28, 2014, from http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/who-we-are/ethics/culture-ethics.html

Case Study of Changing the Business Model of NovoCure Ltd

Case Study of Changing the Business Model of NovoCure Ltd Introduction: Novocure is a privately held medical device company focusing on the treatment of various types of cancers. It has developed NovoTTF 100A device that uses specially tuned, low intensity electric fields called Tumor Treating fields to disrupt the divisions of cancer cells. The Tumor Treating fields are applied to the tumor region using non-invasive insulated electrodes placed on patients scalp. The electrodes which look like bandages are attached to a battery operated portable device that generates the fields. NovoTTF 100A device has completed pivotal trials for Recurrent Glioblastoma successfully. NovoCure needs to transform itself quickly from a research oriented organization to commercial business once it receives the Pre-Market Approval for the treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma using NovoTTF 100A. This would require several capabilities to be built within a short time frame. A new business model needs to be developed. Tumor Treating Fields is an oncology therapy that needs to be delivered by a portable hardware, which apparently is a new delivery model for the oncologists, neurosurgeons and even for patients for that matter. There are various challenges which need to be addressed with this business model especially how this therapy should be provided to patients. NovoCure needs to choose a distribution and service delivery model, billing and reimbursement process. NovoCure also needs to ramp up its manufacturing and establish a supply chain management process to ensure reliable product availability. It also has to build patient and physician support infrastructure around the world. NovoCure has the potential to generate huge revenues from the cancer treatment using Tumor Treating Fields technology. NovoCure had to find a way to finance their path to market. NovoCure would also like to retain commercial rights to all possible cancer indications. But, getting to the future needs funding. NovoCure would need an additional $35 million to file the PMA application for recurrent glioblastoma, complete the non small cell lung cancer pilot trial and complete the two year enrollment of the pivotal trial for newly diagnosed glioblastoma. There were three options available for NovoCure which included attracting additional venture capital firms, approaching a strategic corporate partner and/or attracting a significant angel Investor. Recommendation 1: Attract a strategic corporate partner to fund $35 million to get to the future. Since the elements of the strategic fit of NovoCures Tumor Treating Fields with the chemotherapy manufacturers is apparent, NovoCure is expected to generate significant interest among the manufacturers of chemortherapy agents. NovoCures TTFields technology can be used to make chemotherapy more effective. TTFields could be prescribed in conjunction with the chemotherapies. This can provide an advantage to NovoCure because NovoCure can exploit the existing elaborate global distribution infrastructures of the pharmaceutical companies to market therapies to oncologists and patients. The commercial life of TTFields is long compared to the chemotherapy drugs. As a result TTFields can make each drug better in its turn as the new chemotherapy drugs are developed. Since NovoCure is not really keen on licensing out any of its target cancer indications, NovoCure can approach in-house venture funds of the large pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Johnson Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline which have established investment organizations managing significant assets. These funds will not only bring equity financing, but also the credibility and halo effect of having passed the inspection by a leading industry player. The leading venture capital firms who are known for making quick decisions were at a stand-still due to the liquidity crisis when NovoCure was in a critical stage. As a result raising additional venture capital was not an option. Although attracting venture philanthropy is a feasible option, NovoCure will not get the advantage to exploit the global distribution infrastructures which is apparently available when they attract a strategic partner. As a result NovoCure should attract a strategic partner to fund for $35 million to go forward. Recommendation 2: Hire Management Consulting teams to analyze existing business problems/challenges and develop plans for improvement. NovoCure needs to transform itself quickly from a research oriented organization with only 38 employees worldwide to commercial business. This transformation would result in many changes and create many challenges which need to be addressed. NovoCure might need assistance from a Management Consulting firm which is experienced in Change Management assistance. The Change Management needs a structured approach to be followed to transform Individuals, teams and organizations from a current state to desired future state. It is an organizational process which is aimed at helping employees accept and embrace changes in their current business environment. Various types of organization changes where NovoCure might need assistance are strategic changes, technological changes, structural changes and changes in the attitudes and behaviors of personnel which can be provided by experienced Management Consulting firms. If we look at the statistics, Annual occurrence of human glioblastoma in only United States, Europe and Japan is 20,000 25,000 cases. Apart from these countries, if NovoCure wants to expand to the Asian Markets as well, there will be a huge influx in demand once the PMA approval for recurrent glioblastoma is obtained. In this case, NovoCure might have to set up their bases in different parts of the world for manufacturing the devices. It also needs to focus on providing support infrastructure, choosing product delivery model and choosing payment services. In this case, NovoCure might need assistance from a Management Consulting firm which can bring their experience to plan for development of coaching skills within the organization and operational improvement services. NovoCure can try to adopt the Supply Chain and Operational model which is implemented by the successful companies like Dell or Wal-Mart for the Operations process which will be very crucial after the PMA approval with the help of experienced Management Consulting Firms. Recommendation 3: Invest on Innovation, Research and Development to start trials on different forms of cancer in parallel and to provide price and product differentiation for various types of cancer treatment. One of the major issue/draw back with NovoCures Tumor Treating Fields device is that the cost of the device is exorbitantly high. It would be difficult for NovoCure to reach wide customer base (Customers in this context will include physicians who will prescribe the treatment/device, drug stores who will distribute the device and patients who will use the device) with such a high price. NovoCure needs to investigate in its Research and Development to innovate on producing price and product differentiation. Although the Product is portable, it is comparatively big especially because it has to be worn throughout the day. NovoCure needs to reduce this patient treatment time and also try to reduce the size and weight of the product. Cancer can occur for various types of patients depending on age, stages of cancer and medical condition. NovoCure can innovate on these lines by providing different versions of the product for different age group, stages of cancer and different medical conditions. Ex: Very young age / Old age and Individuals with prolonged medical problems need to be provided a product with extensive features to cure their disease. If NovoCure has to expand to Asian Markets where there is a huge population of middle class people, NovoCure needs to provide this Price and Product differentiation to customize products and charge customers closer to their reservation price. Although NovoCure is conducting clinical trials for different types of cancer, this process needs to accelerated. Innovation and Clinical trials for different types of cancer needs to carried in parallel. NovoCure need to hire skilled individuals from all over the world for this process. The Management Consulting firm would help NovoCure in this whole process. NovoCure needs to expand its RD base and start clinical trials for different types of cancer in this way. Summary: NovoCures Tumor Treating Fields Technology can be used effectively as Blue Ocean Strategy to Market their products especially because of minimal side effects compared to other chemotherapies. NovoCure needs to raise funds for conducting clinical trials which can be achieved by attracting a strategic investor. Once they raise funds, they also need to analyze and solve the business challenges which can be done and taking help from Management Consulting firms. NovoCure also needs to continue its innovation process to roll out different products with price and product differentiation to reach wide customer base. With NovoCure, World can be a better place for cancer patients to live in and the Cancer Patients all over the world can say Never, never, never give up.

Reforma Integral De La Educacion Basica

Reforma Integral De La Educacion Basica La Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica de Mà ©xico se encuentra en un proceso de reforma que inicià ³ en 2004 con preescolar y continuo en 2006 con secundaria. En el 2009, la Reforma se generaliza en primaria en los grados de primero   y sexto. Durante los siguientes dos aà ±os, la reforma abarcarà ¡ los grados de segundo y quinto, asà ­ como tercero y cuarto de primaria, respectivamente, para que en el 2012 la Reforma Integral de la Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica haya cubierto su ciclo de articulacià ³n. El nuevo plan, programas y materiales educativos de primero y sexto tuvieron una etapa de prueba durante el ciclo 2008-2009 en 5,000 escuelas piloto. Sus resultados fueron analizados e incorporados previos al proceso de generalizacià ³n en todo el paà ­s. Las razones de una Reforma Educativa son connaturales al avance de la investigacià ³n educativa y la evolucià ³n de las diversas disciplinas cientà ­ficas, pero tambià ©n, buscar hacer de esta reforma una gran oportunidad para mejorar la calidad de nuestro sistema educativo nacional. La Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica debe formar en los alumnos las competencias que requieren para incorporarse con à ©xito en la sociedad del conocimiento, lo que significa mejorar sus capacidades lectoras, matemà ¡ticas, cientà ­ficas y tecnolà ³gicas hacia niveles de alta complejidad, al mismo tiempo que se les brinda una formacià ³n integral para la vida y el desarrollo humano. Ello implica formar en los nià ±os las competencias para saber conocer, saber hacer y aplicar el conocimiento; saber convivir en una sociedad democrà ¡tica y saber ser hacia la autorrealizacià ³n personal. Como en toda reforma educativa, el docente es central para lograr resultados exitosos.   Es por eso que se realizan capacitaciones para profesores de primero a sexto grado, directores, supervisores y jefes de sector de nivel primario, y se actualicen en base a la nueva reforma. La Reforma Integral de la Educacià ³n Primaria, es parte de la polà ­tica educativa nacional con la que se culmina el proyecto de articulacià ³n curricular, impulsado desde la reforma en preescolar y secundaria, orientada a elevar la calidad de la educacià ³n y que los estudiantes mejoren su nivel de logro educativo, cuenten con medios para tener acceso a un mayor bienestar y contribuyan al desarrollo nacional. Esta reforma es parte de la estructuracià ³n global del proyecto cuya base es la coherencia de los fundamentos pedagà ³gicos que promueve y posibilita al docente el acercamiento a los propà ³sitos y al enfoque del nuevo plan de estudio, los programas y los materiales educativos para que se apropie de ellos y encuentre diversas formas de trabajo en el aula acordes con la diversidad y entorno sociocultural. Uno de los ejes fundamentales para el à ©xito de esta reforma, es la participacià ³n de todos los actores en el proceso educativo: alumnos, padres, maestros y autoridades educativas comprometidas con el cambio. Una estrategia inicial es la formacià ³n acadà ©mica a docentes, directivos y asesores tà ©cnicos pedagà ³gicos. Para que la reforma pueda lograr sus objetivos, es indispensable reconocer que a cada maestro le corresponde la tarea de traducir los principios que orientan la reforma a propuestas concretas en el salà ³n de clase, esto es: Realizar una planeacià ³n de sus actividades didà ¡cticas en concordancia con los enfoques de cada asignatura. Reconocer la manera como pueden instrumentarse en una escuela, en un contexto especifico, con un grupo de alumnos con caracterà ­sticas particulares y desde la reflexià ³n de su propia experiencia como docente. Establecer las actividades de aprendizaje y las formas de evaluacià ³n que articulen este nuevo enfoque en la tarea docente, desde los planes y programas de estudio apoyadas en los materiales educativos. La planeacià ³n dentro del proceso enseà ±anza- aprendizaje es fundamental para el à ©xito del trabajo en el aula; en ella intervienen el contexto de la escuela, su organizacià ³n, su infraestructura, matricula y el conocimiento general del grupo, aspectos que el docente considera en su planeacià ³n ademà ¡s del plan de estudios, los programas y otros materiales de apoyo. Cabe mencionar que la planeacià ³n es el espacio donde la creatividad del docente y su conocimiento del contexto de la prà ¡ctica y de sus alumnos se ponen en juego; por esta razà ³n, la planeacià ³n es à ºnica e irrepetible. Considero que las reformas educativas son necesarias porque el conocimiento siempre està ¡ cambiando. Para que una reforma tenga à ©xito tiene que poner al dà ­a las enseà ±anzas y hacer uso de los adelantos, los maestros necesitan estar al dà ­a, aprender lo que no saben, haciendo uso de las tecnologà ­as de informacià ³n, el uso de las computadoras y otros medios auxiliares en cuanto a educacià ³n. La reforma requiere establecer un sistema de evaluacià ³n acorde con los postulados de las competencias y abandonar los enfoques centrados en la memorizacià ³n y en ejercicios mecà ¡nicos alejados de la vida del alumno. Los planes de estudio del 2009 tienen como finalidad elevar la calidad de la educacià ³n para que los estudiantes mejoren su nivel de logro educativo, cuenten con medios para tener acceso a un mayor bienestar y contribuyan al desarrollo nacional. La principal estrategia es la adopcià ³n de un modelo educativo basado en competencias y la articulacià ³n entre los niveles preescolar, primaria y secundaria. El plan de estudios se clasifica en campos formativos: 1. Lenguaje y Comunicacià ³n 2. Pensamiento Matemà ¡tico 3. Exploracià ³n y Comprensià ³n del Mundo Natural y Social 4. Desarrollo Personal y para la Convivencia. Un elemento pedagà ³gico que articula la reforma es la nocià ³n de establecer competencias en los estudiantes. Se busca que el estudiante, en su formacià ³n para ser ciudadano y miembro de una sociedad, desarrolle de manera conjunta conocimientos, actitudes y habilidades para enfrentar situaciones inà ©ditas que le corresponderà ¡ vivir en el mundo de maà ±ana. Perrenaud[1]   indica que el elemento fundamental que orienta la discusià ³n de competencias remite a la lucha por lograr que la educacià ³n supere la visià ³n enciclopà ©dica que lleva a que los estudiantes memoricen y apliquen conocimientos sin entender su relacià ³n con las situaciones cotidianas. Es la lucha del sistema escolar por lograr un aprendizaje significativo. En la vida cotidiana ese aprendizaje no tiene mucho sentido, no es empleado para nada y se olvida una vez que el estudiante esta fuera de la escuela. Por su parte John Dewey[2] nos dice La educacià ³n debe fundamentarse en una teorà ­a de la experiencia†¦ por ello se requiere de una interaccià ³n entre el individuo, los objetos y otras personas. Entendemos por competencia a la capacidad de hacer que demanda tener informacià ³n, mediante la informacià ³n podemos desarrollar una competencia, esto no significa que se deba enseà ±ar en la forma en que habitualmente se hace ya que se pretende acabar con el aprendizaje memorà ­stico. Enseà ±ar por competencias es el resultado de una lucha por superar la visià ³n enciclopà ©dica de la enseà ±anza en el terreno de la educacià ³n. La finalidad es formar al alumno en el uso de la informacià ³n y el desarrollo de habilidades para resolver situaciones cotidianas. Lo importante es lograr que el estudiante construya el sentido prà ¡ctico de lo que aprende en la escuela. [1] 1999. Libro Formar competencias en la escuela [2] 1937. Teà ³rico de la educacià ³n de cara al proceso de industrializacià ³n.

being the youngest child Essay -- essays research papers

Being the youngest child in a family has definite advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, babies are fussed over and pampered. They enjoy special status in the pecking order and often get away with behavior that other family members can't. On the other hand, many youngest children feel that they never quite measure up to their more experienced and accomplished siblings. To borrow a phrase from a famous comedian, they get no respect. Psychologists use a variety of words to describe last-borns: affectionate, sensitive, people-oriented, attention-seeking, indulged, dependent, laid-back, tenacious, absent-minded, relaxed, fun, flaky. What family relationships might be at work molding youngest children into these diverse shapes? Relationships with parents Some parents look on their youngest child as their last chance to do everything right. In these families, the youngest may feel a great deal of performance pressure, similar to a firstborn. Other parents seem to decide that they will never allow their last child to be unhappy, ever. The predictable effect of constantly catering to the child's wishes is to make her into a demanding, dissatisfied tyrant. Psychologists sometimes refer to such a child as being "enthroned." In most families, however, last born is a relatively low-pressure position. The parents have more experience under their belts and are more likely to take a laissez-faire attitude toward such issues as developmental milestones, toilet trainin...

Comparing Dystopian Dream of Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale and GATTACA :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Dystopian Dream of Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale and GATTACA  Ã‚   In Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill writes that â€Å"it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied.† By this he meant there are qualitative degrees of satisfaction and if to be satisfied we’re lowered in status to that of a pig, it’s better for us to be dissatisfied humans. The film GATTACA and the books Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale create fictional places where the needs and desires of humans are met, but not as well as they should be and not without a price. Given the achievements in science over the last several decades, specifically in areas of genetics and biology, it is no wonder why we dream of altering our world in the name of progress. But with social progress in these tales comes repressed individuality, loss of personal freedom, and discrimination of those who aren’t the biological elite. Because such stories deal with these potential imperfections of utopia, they’re called dystopias, pessimistic vi sions of societies striving to be ideal but never reaching their goal. Utopian and Dystopian thinkers differ in their views of human nature. While Utopians see human nature as basically good, Dystopians cannot share such optimism. Human nature, in their view, is much like science, neither good nor bad, but varied and variable, potentially both good and evil. Even in the most ideal circumstances, Dystopians believe there’s no escaping those who desire power and control over others. (Dystopia Handout) In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale those who seize power in the Republic of Gilead are the Commanders, men who arrange a right wing militant theocracy that demotes women and controls society. After a political massacre eradicates pre-Gilead government and environmental disasters threaten the proliferation of the human race, those women still capable of reproducing are forced to bear children for those who cannot. Those lucky enough to become Handmaids are spared from life in the Colonies handling toxic waste. Offred, the main chara cter of the book, finds herself stripped away from her family and her previous role in society. Instead of being a wife and a mother, she is what Lois Feuer calls â€Å"a walking womb,† useful only because she’s still fertile in a world where fertility is rare.. In GATTACA, as in The Handmaid’s Tale, reproduction is controlled by an elite group of males, but in a slightly different way.

Hdfc Bank Credit Cards

| Contents TOPIC : â€Å"STUDY OF HDFC BANK CREDIT CARDS TOWARDS CUSTOMER†1 1. Context /Background3 2. Summary and literature review4 3. Questions and hypotheses and justification6 4. Summary of method7 4. 1:Research instruments7 5. Ethics and Safety Requirements8 6. Limitations9 7. Implications10 8. Research Timetable11 9. References12 STUDY OF HDFC BANK CREDIT CARDS TOWARDS CUSTOMER 1. Context /Background Housing Development Finance Corporation Bank of India was incorporated in the year in August 1994 after the changes that were made by Reserve Bank of India, which is by allowing for the establishment of private sector banks in India.This is an assignment made on the sales of the bank credit cards because this is a vast subject that is to be studied in a country like India. India is a large country with diversities, so the customer interaction with be different in each and every place, that may be the language, environmental factors etc. According to my study I would like to suggest that the industries go through narrow phases like introduction, growth, maturity and declines. But these may vary from one place to another comparatively on interceptions and interpretations. In India there a various banks like public sector and private sector banks.And today the private sector banks are giving a tough fight for the public sector banks so called government banks. So considering all these factors I would like to discuss the topic credit cards of HDFC Bank Ltd because there is a tough competition and in this competitive situation how the customers can be satisfied with the bank. In today’s world of competition customer is the supreme for the bank so customer service and customer satisfaction are the main areas were the concentration is to be made. HDFC Bank ltd has got various types of credit cards for different consumers.It has made a very good market catching plan by introducing different types of cards to different types of customers like for workin g class, business class and special cards for women. The different types of cards that they have introduced are like Gold Credit Card, Women’s Gold Credit Card, Business Gold Credit Card, Titanium Credit Card, Business Platinum Card, Platinum Chip Credit Card all these are regular card and there are premium cards like World Master Credit Card, Visa Signature Credit Card and also there are Super Premium cards like Infinia and Regalia cards.All the above mentioned cards are of different credit limit. All these cards are given to the consumers according to their bank transactions ant measured value of customers according to their efficiency so all types of customer get the privilege of using credit card. In India use of credit card is a privilege. So the HDFC Bank ltd aiming this point of view of customers they have satisfied the needs of customers according to the customer wants. In my study ill will show about the HDFC Bank and their role towards customers. 2. Summary and lite rature reviewI will be showing in this study of HDFC Credit Card towards customers as they have many positive and few negative things towards the usage of credit card. There are three factors of customers that i have taken into consideration that is satisfaction of customer, security and payment default of customer. In this study I have a personal experience with the sales of HDFC Credit Cards so that I know what the customer prefer what are their needs, i have a basic practical research on this. And also in my study i have done a review of different people what is their opinion about credit card towards customers.There is a lot of study made by various people in the literature review and tried to prove various points like why people start using credit cards by Berthoud and Kempson in 1992, Lea, Webly and Levine in 1993, Lea, Webly and Walker in 1995, Livingstone and Lunt in1992, Tokunaga in 1993, Kaynak and Harcar in 2001. all these people have made an enormous ways of study in cre dit and customers. In one of the study referred in that Tokunaga in 1993 tried to prove himself by getting involved in profile individuals who are using credit cards and also the related problems of it faced by the customers.He made a detail study that whether the consumers are able to use or not efficient to use consumer credit card effectively and in his theory he made a research on consumer behaviour, psychology and substance abuse. He came to know from the study that abortive users appeared to have more external locus of control, lower self efficiency, considered money as a spring of power and prestige. Cox and Jappelli in 1993 initiated that the demand of credit card positively related to permanent earnings and net worth and negatively related to income and age.Duca and Rosenthal in 1993 in their search recognizes that the credit demand of young households is positively related to wealth, income and household size. Calem and Mester in 1995 in their study they investigated the c ircumstances of the people whether they have the efficiency of paying their credit card debts and they recognized that the card holders with a very high unpaid due or debts had a higher probability of payment default. One of the study made by Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ATO) in this study unimpeded that â€Å"what the consumers says for the credit cards? ,it was designed to find that the number credit card a holder having, the interest rates, amount of the card debts of the consumers, expenses that have been made by the credit card and the problems that have been caused by the use of credit cards. Slocum and Mathews in 1970 made a test that whether social class and income class can be considered as indicators of consumer behaviour by using the data that is obtained from nearly 2,032 commercial bank credit card holders in USA.In their study they observed that people of various segments gave their views as different credit card using patterns, and they found that the social class is not the most useful market segmentation variable for the credit card behaviour of consumers and came to a conclusion that the income level is better indicator of consumer card behaviour than social class. Again in 1969 Mathews and Slocum in their study found that the card holders who have low income and socio economic status used credit cards to spawn revolving credit more habitually than the affluent and elevated class card holders.Ankara Chamber of Commerce says that according to their survey results that 70. 6% of the card holders will be using more than one credit card, 50. 3% of the people have the difficulty in the payment of credit card bills, 24. 2%of the people paid their all debts every month and 25% of the people did not even bother of repaying the amount. According to the Novilities et al of 2003 there are inconsistent conclusions in the literature about the effect of psychological factors cause a creation of debt.Some of the studies come to a conclusion that people with outsized amount of personal debt are not demographically different from others. For instance, Livingston and Lunt in 1992 instituted that the debt is common among individuals with high income and less children. In 1993 Lea et al. studied that the serious debtors are varied from the non-debtors in terms of sociological, economical and psychological variables and gentle debtors are generally intermediate between the two.Ausubal in 1997 and Domowitz and Sartain in 1999 instituted that there is a positive relationship between credit cards and personal bankruptcy. Warren-Tyagi in 2003 in his study he says that credit cards provide temporary opportunities for the people to continue their life values when their income is not sufficient. It is like they want to go above their limits to get the needs that are not necessary. In one of the study made by Ahuja G and Singh in 2006, according to them the perceptions of nearly 160 customers of a place in usage of credit cards especially their gro wth of India.They say that 2/3rd of males and 1/3rd females use credit cards. People of age 40-50 years are the people who make more usage. Majority of the card holders are business man or serviceman. The whole study says that the bank should try to give equivalent attention to female consumers with some special offers and benefits. According to Saha p and Zhao Y in 2005 they analyzed that the relationship between service and customer satisfaction in credit cards are mainly of five service dimensions selected by them.Their survey says that efficiency, reliability, responsiveness, fulfilment, privacy, communication, personalization, technology update are the main factors for the customers. These have a strong impact on customer satisfaction. Here in above instances we are aware of different people given different interpretations, ideas, views regarding credit cards. Here in my study I have taken three major factors into consideration that is satisfaction of the customer, payment defa ult of the customer and the security of the credit card.Satisfaction of customers is how the customers are going to be satisfied with the product which is given by the bank. Paymentdefault is a major problem for the bank and also the customers the study is also made on this as key factor and security which each and every customer are find that as a very important factor because they require safety for their money and the credit card which may cause for the misappropriation of the account if lost or mishandled. All these factors are also studied with hypothesis below. 3. Questions and hypotheses and justificationQuestions 1. RQ1: Does the customer’s satisfaction affect credit cards? 2. RQ2: Is there any payment default? 3. RQ3: Do the customers have security for their credit card? SATISFACTION RQ 1 PAYMENT DEFAULT RQ 2 HDFC CREDIT CARDS RQ 3 SECURITY RQ1: HDFC Bank is a customer friendly bank and it try to have a good relationship with the customers by giving good service RQ2: Bank sees that there will be no more payment default and so that it will help the customer and the customer will have satisfaction with the service of the Bank.RQ3:Bank gives security to each and every customer of the bank it is like the credit customer credit card is the credit card of the bank so that it will be taken care of it so that there will be no misappropriation. 4. Summary of method In my study i can say that the customer’s attitude towards HDFC Bank credit card services was eloquent in nature. According to my secondary data study collected by me I would like to say that regarding the satisfaction, customer default and security collected the data feedback from the people to whom I have issued credit cards and use to have a discussion with them about the usage of the card.This was done in order to fully understand the existing banking scenario of the banking services. Firstly regarding satisfaction of customer is yes most of the customers preferably the working cla ss like the customers who work in companies and the companies will have tie up with the bank, in that the companies are graded and according to the grade of the company, the type of credit which the customer require will be given. So the customers of this kind are preferably more in the bank avoiding to my observance so these customers have good satisfaction.But there are instances where customers are not having a great satisfaction with the bank credit card. This is because of some there is some mishandling with the customers because they don’t use the credit card as per the guidelines, rules and regulations given by the bank. Even bank has got some drawbacks because the credit card is been sold out by the credit card sales representatives, so these so representatives don’t explain the customer systematically in a eager that they got a customer and the representatives will be in the only view of completing their target with the given data.I have made few discussions w ith customers to whom i have issued to get the feedback of the service given by the Bank and by myself. 4. 1:Research instruments Discussion: Direct discussion with the customer when he visited the bank for the payment of the credit card bill or by a telephone call after the credit card is issued. Geographical coverage: This study is taken on the customers of HDFC Bank customers. And the customers were from various places who had come for the sake of job.Place where I made my study is in India, Karnataka state, Mangalore. In my study i also found about the payment default of the customers due to various reasons that is; Late payment: This is a major mistake what the employees do, as soon as they get the bill they keep aside then forget to pay or just neglect it and due to this the bank will levy high charges because of the due of the bill. Then the customers start blaming the bank that the bank has unnecessarily levied high charges.Unwanted swiping: Customers once they get a credit card first they start is swiping everywhere for things which not required and the bank put sur charges for the swipes made which the customers some time won’t be aware of that then later the customer will blame the bank. So the bank has taken some precautions for this by giving some facilities like regular messages to the mobile phone, mailing the customer and also the customer can enquire through customer care centre. Security Customers in India are very careful when their using such kind of facility.They will be having lot of enquiries regarding the usage of credit card. They also prefer the card to be secured sop that if lost also any one should not be able to misuse it. So the banks give a pin or a security code to the customer and also insurance facility with the credit card. And if the card is lost and misused by any one the customer will get an alert on his cell or to his mail saying that the card is being swiped. So that he will come to know that if he is using or som eone else if using. 5. Ethics and Safety Requirements:While conducting my research i have taken into consideration that some kind of ethics and safety requirements are followed that are necessary. All the data which I have collected and presented is authentic one. All the research methods which have done is where other researchers have done in their study and I am going to use the method which the research’s have used in their early research study. Some of the ethics to be followed are: Understand would like to make the reader understand what is the research is made on. I have used the language in the way that is simple so that any reader can understand and find it easy.Disclosure: All the data which has been given in this research will have full authenticity. All the data and all the information given will be disclosed despite of being positive or negative in nature. Think about the data when the research is yet to begin would be unethical if the data used is not proper in n ature. To avoid this data will be re analysed before the study begins so that there will be a proper, supportive good data disclosed. Limits of internet: it would be unethical if the data that is applied in the research made by me would be abstracted directly from the internet and disclosed.All the literature and the data will be disclosed taken from internet and checking its authentication and researcher who has done before as the primary research. 6. Limitations 1. The study which i have made on is restricted to the customers of the place Mangalore and it was only about the bank which I was working. 2. There was a lack of co-operation from the customer’s side to give the required information to know or get back the feedback of the customer. 3. The study was restricted to only Mangalore. Hence caution need to be exercised in generalizing the results of the study. 4.The availability of time to carry out an overall exhaustive study was not enough to gather the complete scenari o. 5. In between the work load of the bank the study was conducted so factors may be missed out. 6. There is still study to made on this but due to the time shortage only few things are taken into consideration in my study 7. In some instances the customers are satisfied with the HDFC Bank and the services but in some cases customers are not satisfied with some factors. 8. Only around 50 % of the customers are satisfied with the interest rate on credit card purchase.Most of them believe that the researcher must be enthusiastic to provide some variety of compensation or benefits on the respond because interaction has sacrificed time and may even incur transportation cost to participate in the collection of data. Such responses should be restricted only to the non-financial such as the sharing of the data collection, results etc. 7. Implications The outcome of this research will let us know the customers if the bank better and the customer will come to know about some of the basic thi ngs of the bank credit cards.From this study I would prefer to say that the HDFC Bank should concentrate on the study of the customer card department of HDFC Bank and the credit card section should be in a position to direct the customers in all transactions and credit card queries. There should be a quick processing of the applications when an applicant is applied for credit card. There should be security for the credit cards that which has got a advanced technology so there no chance of misappropriation without the knowledge of the customer.The surcharge and other hidden charges that the bank will be charging on the customer should be informed properly to the customers. The message of the bill should be reached to the customers in time and the bank should keep a good friendly relationship with the customer and suggest the customer to pay the bill in time and also try to convince the customer if there is any pending of the bill to make the payment but convincing the customer in a v ery polite systematic way that the customer is satisfied with bank and do the payment which will be helpful for the customer as well as the bank.The sales representatives should give a clear picture or idea to their customers about the credit card services and all the queries. The research is based on the study made in a place called Mangalore of only one branch of the bank. Thought there are certain limitations feel that justice has been made to the subject and an attempt is made to present an overall picture about the banking experience in HDFC Bank. By conducting this study i would feel that the Bank may go for further improvements in the credit card section in their upcoming days so that it will be favourable to the customers and the bank.The success of the bank depends on the extent to which they are able to sustain the competitive advantages. The bank should also do such kind of studies so that it will come to know the customers wants and needs. 8. Research Timetable TIME FRAM E| MILESTONE| | | 20 JUNE 2012| Selection of assignment topic| 22 JUNE 2012| Enquire with the supervisor can the study be done or not| 25 JUNE 2012| Start with the topic| 26 JUNE 2012 to 27 JUNE| Context| 28 JUNE 2012| Summary of literature review| 9 JUNE 2012| Questions and hypotheses and justification| 30 JUNE 2012| Summary of the method, ethics and safety requirements, limitations| 1 JULY 2012| Implications| 9. References Mehta, Subhash, â€Å"India Consumer Behaviour, Studies and case for Marketing Divisions†, 1997 Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Co. , Ltd. , New Delhi. Kotari C. R, â€Å"Research Methodology† Wiley Eastern Ltd. , New Delhi Jean Pierre Jeannet, Hubbert D. Hannessey, â€Å"Global Marketing Strategies†, 2nd edition, Jaico Publishing House, New Delhi, 1999. Journals,publications,magazines and websitesSurvey of India Industry 2005, The Hindu. Goyal, A. 2004. Role of Supplementary Services in the Purchase of Credit Card Services in India. Asia Pacifi c Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 16(4): 36 Lee, J. , & Kwon, K. -N. 2002. Consumers' use of credit cards: Store credit card usage as an alternative payment and financing medium. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 36(2): 239. Sulaiti, K. A. , Ahmed, Z. U. , ; Beldona, S. 2006. Arab Consumers' Behavior Towards Credit Card Usage: A Comparative Analysis of Consumers Across Middle Eastern Countries. Journal of T Adcock, W.O. , E. C. Hirschman and J. C. Goldstucker (1977). â€Å"Bank credit card users: an updated profile† Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 4, pp. 236-241ransnational Management, 12(1): 65 Ausubel, L,M. (1997), â€Å"Credit card default, credit card profits and bankruptcy†, American Bankruptcy Law Journal, Vol. 71, pp. 249-270 Dunn, L. F. and Kim, T. H. (1999), An empirical investigation of credit card default, Working Paper, Ohio State University www. www. sebi. gov. in/dep/dcbdraft. pdf ezineartticles. com/online-credit-card-payment-service-HDFC-Anyone? &id=6907353 ttp://article. wn. com/view/2012/07/01/HDFC_Bank_aims_one_million_new_credit_cards_in_201213/ Credit Card Research Group (2001), Statistical Yearbook, Credit Card Research Group, London. Mackintosh, J (2001), The Financial Times, pp. 4. Horne, S, Worthington, S. (1999), â€Å"The affinity credit card relationship: can it really be mutually be Worthington, S (1999), â€Å"The plastic card and its role in customer relationship management†, Customer Relationship Management, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 199-20. neficial? â€Å", Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 15 No. 7, pp. 603-1 ***