Essay Sample on Amy Tan and Her Inside Glimpse

Essay Sample on Amy Tan and Her Inside Glimpse Essay on Amy Tan: Mother Daughter Relationships There are no simple or perfect relationships between mothers and daughters. Relationships are a delicate balance between the love and emotions of two individuals. They are ever changing and evolving, and are each unique as the people in them. Amy Tans novels offer an inside glimpse into several intricate mother daughter relationships. Her characters suffer hardships as well as times of joy. There are many similarities in the mother and daughter relationships in the books by Amy Tan. One of the most difficult parts of maintaining a good relationship between mother and daughter is balancing the individual characteristics of each person. Even though daughters are truly a part of their mothers, this definitely does not mean that their personalities are at all similar. In Tan’s novels, the women that the daughters become are amazing. They face many challenges, such as homes with problems or no fathers, little to no money and problems adjusting to the American society, but they still become wonderful people in the end. Sometimes the daughters just want to be different from their mothers, to be their own independent people. This can sometimes be hard for the mothers to accept that their daughters take nothing from them. However sometimes the mothers personalities and traits aren’t the best to learn and take from. Many of the mothers in Amy Tan’s novels are having difficult times balancing the people they really are and the face they choose to show. Many of them feel that they have to hide their different Chinese heritage and ugly pasts in order to find acceptance. Lindo found it hard to keep her Chinese face that she loved in America, and before she even arrived, she had to hide her true self (Tan, Luck Club 258). When the mothers try to conceal who they truly are and try to fit in, it is sometimes for their daughters’ benefit. Ying- Ying who tried so hard to please, impress, and not embarrass her daughter, that she has been quiet for so long that she blends into the shadows and her daughter no longer hears her (Tan, Luck Club 67). Even though she was just trying to help by not embarrassing her daughter, she is just hurting her daughter in the end by not only hiding who she truly is, but also not sharing her personality and traditions with her daughter. They fear the rejection a nd persecution that they faced in China. They want a fresh start in America, even if this requires hiding who they truly are. Some of the traits that the mothers show are not always the best ones. The mothers aren’t perfect; they have negative sides to their personalities. Ruth’s mother, LuLing, got in fights because she didn’t understand others, and they didn’t understand her (Tan, Bonesetter’s 49). Winnie had a hard time forgiving people because of the horrible way she was treated in her past, and this often hurt her daughter (Tan, God’s Wife 22). Waverly’s mother always put her own feelings before her daughter’s, and decided that her daughter would be a prodigy, but whenever Waverly would fall short, her mother would make her feel horrible about herself (Tan, Luck Club 134). The daughters frequently have one common problem, in that they don’t understand their mothers. Whether it is the way that they act or the things that they say, the daughters don’t understand their mothers’ motives, intentions or true meanings. Ruth doesn’t understand how her mother thrives on argument; she turns everything negative, and it only makes her unhappy (Tan, Bonesetter’s 49). Olivia does not see how her mother bounces from man to man, hurting both the men and herself (Tan, Secret Senses 61). Waverly is constantly put down by her mother, and doesn’t know why her mother cannot accept her for who she truly is (Tan, Luck Club 172). The mothers try to hide their true personality from their daughters, only to find this hurts their relationship in the end. Their daughters end up not knowing who their mothers really are, and this ends up deeply hurting the mothers. The mothers try to not show their past or things that their daughters’ might be ashamed of. In the end though, the mothers really don’t know what would embarrass their daughters once they are grown. The mothers never realize their daughters’ maturity and wait too late to educate them. Then the project of discovering their mother’s hidden personality and past falls heavily upon the daughters’ shoulders. The discovery of their mothers’ past and heritage is a task that the daughters in the novels have to face. The death of Jing-Mei’s mother is what makes her question who her mother was, as well as the meaning of her Chinese heritage that she was trying to pass along to her children (Tan, Luck Club 44). Jing-Mei realizes that she knows nothing about her mother or the heritage she was trying all along to teach her (Tan, Luck Club 44). Ruth decides that she must take it upon herself and find out who her mother really is so she can relate to her mother before her mind is gone forever (Tan, Bonesetter’s 347). Accepting Chinese roots is one problem that most of the daughters face in the novels. As children they wanted to fit in, and therefore act and want to be American. However, this was also the time that their mothers were trying to implant the seeds of the Chinese wisdom and heritage in the girls’ hearts. These conflicting efforts usually made the girls unwilling to learn about their own history. It is not until they are older that they realize the impact and importance of their history upon them. Lena, now an adult, is realizing the importance of knowing who she is, and that Chinese heritage makes her unique (Tan, Luck Club 103). Heritage and uniqueness are something that most of the daughters didn’t want to feel growing up, but as adults have begun to embrace. Before the daughters accept their heritage, their mothers’ traditional outlooks on life embarrass them. The mothers always try to keep American culture at bay, and try to have their families embrace their Chinese culture. An-Mei had grown up ashamed of her mother’s old fashioned Chinese ways, and having them forced upon her made her only want to repel the culture more and resent her Chinese past (Tan, Luck Club 47). The resentment formed by the daughters about the culture was a common theme among the novels. Now in America, the daughters want to form their own identities separate from their mothers and become their own persons. They do not want to follow the traditional rules of their mothers; however their mothers do not understand this. They always had admired and respected their mothers’ back in China, but now their daughters wanted to be nothing like them. Lindo had wanted so much to be like her own mother when she was growing up; now that her own daughter is grown, Lindo doesn’t understand why she is ashamed to be told that she looks and acts like her mother (Tan, Luck Club 257). Ruth has known since she was a child that she wanted to be nothing like her mother; she wants to be happy and independent, not depressed like her mother has always been (Tan, Bonesetter’s 52). The daughters do not have the same values as their mothers did back in China. Another area where the values of the mothers and daughters differ is in the daughters’ taste in men. They feel that they should all have their own choices and that it is their decision, not one that their mothers can make for them. The mothers only have the best intentions; they just do not want to see their daughters unhappy or making the same mistakes as they once did. Waverly’s mother always ruined her view of the guys she thought were perfect, but when she finds a love very pure, she has to force herself to not be influenced by her mother’s demeaning words (Tan, Luck Club 176). Olivia always has to defend her husband’s actions to her mother when her mother says he isn’t good enough for her (Tan, Secret Senses 62). Rose’s mother would always badger Rose about standing up to her husband, and that he wasn’t good enough for her (Tan, Luck Club 196). Many of the mothers feel that none of the men their daughters pick is good enough, and while it aggravates the daughters, it is really just motherly love. Sometimes the mothers aren’t so different from their daughters. As women they end up going through many similar experiences. They can become lonely together, as Pearl and her mother were. Even though they were together, Peal and her mother were missing loved ones gone from their lives together (Tan, God’s Wife 33). They can go through times of grief together, as one. â€Å"And then I realized: her face, her hope, her sadness- they were mine as well† (Tan, Bonesetter’s 271). Even though they might feel separated at times or fight, they still will always have each other. One of the most impressionable times of the mothers’ lives was their life before America, and the struggle towards their new home. The mothers’ in all of the books wait until their daughters are older to tell them the stories of their pasts. They wait until they think their words will have great meaning. Sometimes waiting to tell their daughters about their past can take away some of its importance. It often leads to misunderstandings throughout the entire daughters’ lives and hurt the relationships if secrets aren’t shared. The mothers in the novels all lead very hard lives in China. Many of them suffered through wars, abuse, death, and hopelessness. They become very strong women after suffering through such hardship as young women. All of the mothers left China in search of a better life where they would no longer suffer the prosecutions that women suffered in China. Winnie was married off young, to a heartless cruel man; she was abused all throughout their marriage and even lost four children to him (Tan, God’s Wife 322). She made it to America fueled only upon her strong hate for her husband (Tan, God’s Wife 398). The mothers want only a second chance, to leave behind the painful memories of their past and start anew; they want to forget the horrible things they saw and experienced, and to forget those they loved and lost. When Winnie left China she left many things behind, she always lived in fear that her old life and husband would catch up with her (Tan, God’s Wife 81). The mothers all want to share their pasts with their daughters so that they will understand why they are the women they have become. This is usually a very difficult thing for the mothers to do, as many painful experiences are brought up. They are hopeful that their daughters will receive their stories with love and compassion, and not just dismiss what they say as they have done before. Lindo wants her daughter Waverly to recognize her past and take a piece of her with her; she desires her daughter to accept and learn her secrets (Tan, Luck Club 256). The mothers all took a different approach to telling their daughters about their past. Ruth’s mother LuLing wrote in Chinese the account of her childhood and coming to America, which she later rewrote and gave the thick stack of papers to Ruth as what she thought would be a special gift for Ruth to translate (Tan, Bonesetter’s 13). Through the secrets of their mothers’ pasts, the daughters were able to better under stand who their mothers were and to love them for who they are. There are many responsibilities in relationships, the most important being the duty of loving and caring for the other person. However where this responsibility lies in the relationship is an ever-changing question. At the early stages in the relationship more emphasis is placed upon the traditional mother – daughter roles, where the mother is basically responsible for all aspects of the daughter’s life. But as the relationships as well as the people in it mature, the responsibility shifts less from the mother and more to the daughter. She owes to her mother respect as well as her childhood. However, this is sometimes hard for the daughters to see if they remember having more responsibility placed upon them in their childhood. Wherever responsibility may lie there is no question that it exists and is present in all relationships. At times more responsibility can be placed upon the daughters at a younger age in the novels because of their mothers’ lack of American knowledge. Even though the mothers lived longer in the America, they still are not as immersed in the culture as their daughters. Ruth is linguistically superior to her mother, and ever since Ruth was ten; she had held all responsibilities in the home (Tan, Bonesetter’s 50). Having all these duties forced upon Ruth made her very resentful towards her mother (Tan, Bonesetter’s 65). In some cases motherly responsibilities are pushed onto older siblings, such as Kwan who took upon the duty of raising her young sister Olivia (Tan, Secret Senses 10-11). Olivia loves Kwan, but at the same time resents her for taking her mother’s place (Tan, Secret Senses 11). The responsibility of the daughter grows and changes, as both she and her mother get older. Ruth’s mother LuLing is senile, and it hurts Ruth to see her motherâ€⠄¢s mind faded, and she needs to protect her mother, but wants to be held and protected at the same time (Tan, Bonesetter’s 64). She has developed resentment over time holding all the responsibility for her mother. Now that both Ruth and LuLing are older, Ruth is her mother’s child and is also mother to the child that LuLing has become (Tan, Bonesetter’s 346). Love is basis for the mother daughter relationships in Amy Tan’s novels. It is what supports, holds together, and mends the relationships. It keeps the women together, through whatever might come. The love in a relationship grows and changes, but it is always still there. A mother’s love for her daughter is something that doesn’t run out, and the mothers in the novels prove this true. One belief that the mothers all share is that they always know what is right for their daughters. The mothers tend to believe that they have the natural birthright to decide what is worthy and right for their daughters. Olivia’s mother assumes that since she is her mother, she knows exactly how she is feeling (Tan, Secret Senses 62). Similarly, Kwan’s mother always thought that a mother always knows what’s best for her daughter, no matter what the age (Tan, Secret Senses 249). However, the mothers don’t always know everything going on in their daughter lives, and therefore don’t always know the best solution. But no one will ever convince them of that. When the daughters start to out grow their mothers help, it can cause great feelings of uselessness for the mothers and loneliness for the daughters. But many times the daughters don’t even realize that they are hurting their mothers. It is this way for many of the actions children can take; it can be infinitely hurting the mother, while the daughter has no idea of her mother’s pain. â€Å"I think a child has the capacity to hurt her mother in ways she cannot even imagine† (Tan, God’s Wife 33). Love can be extremely painful for the mothers as their daughters grow. The mothers and daughters all have regrets: regrets about the past and what they should have done, things they wished they could have done over, and the wish to take back what was once hurtfully said. A life full of regrets is a painful one, and one that no one should have to live with. Waiting to try again or to forgive can come too late. Last chances can be around that corner no one knows is coming. The characters in the novels all try to forgive those who have hurt them, as well as let go of their regrets. Waiting too late to tell someone of their sorrow is the mistake that several characters make in the novels. Kwan’s mother never told her daughter of her sorrow that she sent her daughter away at a young age (Tan, Secret Senses 209). She only wanted a good life for Kwan, but she never forgave herself for her choice (Tan, Secret Senses 209). Then Kwan, in turn didn’t know until the death of her mother what she had truly lost (Tan, Secret Senses 227). June also waited too late to ask her mother the questions she had. She had always depended upon her mother, but now that she was gone, she realized how much her mother had really meant to her (Tan, Luck Club 40). Ruth almost waited too late to realize the importance of knowing her mother and helping her the best she could while her mother was in need (Tan, Bonesetter’s 64). Sometimes saying sorry can be the hardest thing to muster up the strength to do. It is hard to admit wrongfulness, and that they know the hurtfulness and power of their words. Although Ruth and her mother fought frequently, and at times she really detested the way she acted, she still loved her mother (Tan, Bonesetter’s 166). Winnie was one who found it almost impossible to forgive after living a life full of suffering and pain; she found herself unable to forgive her husband (Tan, God’s Wife 398). It is never too late to try to forgive, as long the love is still there. Many of the daughters feel that their mothers neglected them throughout their childhood. Neglect is one of the emotions that burns long painful scars into hearts, as well as causes a loss of hope. When a mother leaves while a child is still young, the void is not easily filled. A feeling of abandonment is a hurtful one, but is one that Winnie felt. She’s had a pain in her heart for many years, starting back when her mother left her when she was a child (Tan, God’s Wife 102). It isn’t fair that some mothers can hurt their daughters so much and not even see the pain of their actions. â€Å"I felt unlucky that she was my mother and unlucky that she had left us† (Tan, Luck Club 44). Daughters don’t get to choose their mothers, or the ways their mothers make them feel. Olivia certainly wouldn’t have chosen her negligent mother, whom she knew even as a child should have loved her more (Tan, Secret Senses 7). Olivia always felt neglected by her mother, and that still hurts her today. Sometimes the mothers are negligent with their words, like Jing-Mei’s mother, who always brought her down and made her feel as though she didn’t have a mother’s support. An-Mei always felt as though her mother purposely abandoned her, and without a mother she felt broken (Tan, Luck Club 47). No matter what the mothers do to their daughters, they still have a place in their daughter’s hearts. An-Mei felt this way; she knew through everything she still loved her mother (Tan, Luck Club 218). â€Å"Why do we love our mothers of our lives even if they are lousy caretakers? Are we born with blank hearts waiting to be imprinted with any imitation of love?† (Tan, Secret Senses 210). Love is not a simple thing. It has many complexities that are not easily understood. The love shared in every relationship is different, including the mother and daughter relationships in the novels. The love they share is special, and it is not easy to come by. Love is work. â€Å"I once thought love was supposed to be nothing but bliss. I now know it is also worry, grief, hope and trust† (Tan, Secret Senses 399). No matter what struggle the women in Amy Tan’s novels face, they are able to overcome the worst and become better women. The mothers pass their stories of hardship and struggle down to their daughters in hope that they might understand and love the women that they have become. Their love may come in many forms or be shown in diverse ways, but through it all the motherly love still prevails. The one thing that all the mothers had in common was hope and love. It might have been hard to see these aspects in some of the relationships, however it was still there. Hope was the one driving strength the mothers have had embedded in their souls since childhood. The mothers try with all their hearts to pass hope down to their daughters, because without hope there is no chance to love.

Business of Sorzal Distributors is not a common one

In spite these facts, Sorzal Distributors is a reputable dealer. Its main products include â€Å"authentic southwestern jewelry and pottery, and pre-Columbian artifacts from Peru and Venezuel† (Case Study, n.d.). Gross Sales of the company is about $12 millions and increased at a rate of 20% per year. â€Å"Is that the direction that the market is going?† It is known fact that effective marketing depends upon effective marketing system employed by a company and its strategy. Such factors as globalization of markets, economic integration and increased competition forced Sorzal Distributors to find new ways to compete. It is one of the most important infrastructure requirements, which is essential for the expansion of opportunities and plays an important role in making the competitive positioning. Sorzal Distributors has a chance to â€Å"add $1 million in additional sales† (Case Study, n.d.) contracting with a mass-merchandise department store chain. In spite of great benefits proposed by this contract, the company will be faced with a threat to become a â€Å"replicas retailer† and, probably, will have a negative impact on company’s brand image as a dealer of unique authentic artifacts. It is not an easy decision to make, but before signing the contract the company should answer the question â€Å"Is that the direction that the market is going?† (Case Study, n.d.) Changing Environment Sorzal Distributors operates in a simple and static environment. Firms operating in a relatively simple and static environment can generally rely on management strategies that are based on historical data. The strength of Sorzal Distributors is that it’s goods obtained a very competitive position on the market. The brand has a hard core of loyal supporters. It sells lines of products to satisfy the needs of wide audience through â€Å"specialty shops, firm-sponsored showings, and a few exclusive department stores† (Case Study, n.d.). Another strength is that Sorzal Distributors is an exclusive suppler of South American and African artifacts. Obtaining strong market position, Sorzal Distributors has maintained high-speed growth through product mix and new product lines. The opportunity of the company is the nature of business and loyalty of customers. As it is mentioned: â€Å"consumer tastes are changing from the modern and abstract to the more concrete† like Sorzal’s producrs (Case Study, n.d.). The opportunities of Sorzal include: high potential to growth and profitability of the company; promotion to other divisions; increased revenue from success in national market. In spite opportunities, recent changes threaten the business. Political-legal forces allocate power and provide constraining and protect ­ing laws and regulations. Primarily, political changes in Africa resulted in stricter legislation which prohibits â€Å"exportation of certain artifacts† (Case Study, n.d.). Another threat is increased competition which include the threat of entry by new competitors, the intensity of rivalry among existing competitors, and pressure from substitute products, primarily replicates. Recent years, the number of competitors increased from 5 to 11, and, according to David Olsen, â€Å"bargaining position of Sorzal has eroded† (Case Study, n.d.). The company â€Å"has watched our gross margin slip in recent years due to aggressive competitive bidding by others† (Case Study, n.d.). The weakness of the company is changing economic situation which requires new forms of strategy in order to compete on the limited and narrow market of artifacts. Limited destitution is also a weakness of the company. New Strategy In order to solve these problems and sustain competitive position, Sorzal should accept a competition strategy, instead of a competitive advantage. It is possible to admit that market of artifact is really needed low quality replicates such as produced and sold by Sorzal competitors. Nevertheless, this marketing strategy is not acceptable for Sorzal, which obtains a strong market position as a reputable dealer of   authentic southwestern jewelry and pottery Competition strategy will take place on a price and a non-price basis, and will help Sorzal to compete on the national market. Price competition involves businesses trying to undercut each other’s prices; this will, in turn, be dependent upon their ability to reduce their costs of production. Brand image and loyalty of customers should be the main criteria for Sorzal. This strategy will help to stay on top nationally and sustain competitive position as an exclusive distributor of South American and African artifacts. Marketing strategy based on the non-price competition should take form of branding, advertising, promotion, and additional services to customers (Johnson, Scholes, 1998). An alternative policy for Sorzal is to accept replicates distribution strategy. On the one hand, this strategy will help to add additional sales, but on the other hand, it will have a very negative impact on the company’s reputation. This strategy does not help to compete on the market for a long time, and increase the threat of substitution. The best solution for Sorzal is mass advertising campaign and opening new exclusive stores in order to attracted potential customers.   In relation to minor competitors, Sorzal should provide comparable buyer value but perform the activities more efficiently so as to attain a cost advantage, or perform the activities in a unique way which raises the value to the con ­sumer and thus allows them to command a premium price. If Sorzal follows its present say strategy (as an exclusive distributor of authntic artifacts), it will sustain its dominant position as a top brand, while expanding its operations and becomes a main player in the market. Nevertheless, flexibility is the most important infrastructure requirement, which is essential for the expansion of opportunities, and plays an important role in making and breaking the competitive positioning. References Case Study: Sorzal Distributors. N.d. Available Johnson, G., Scholes, K. Exploring Corporate Strategy. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall. 1998. Business of Sorzal Distributors is not a common one In spite these facts, Sorzal Distributors is a reputable dealer. Its main products include â€Å"authentic southwestern jewelry and pottery, and pre-Columbian artifacts from Peru and Venezuel† (Case Study, n.d.). Gross Sales of the company is about $12 millions and increased at a rate of 20% per year. â€Å"Is that the direction that the market is going?† It is known fact that effective marketing depends upon effective marketing system employed by a company and its strategy. Such factors as globalization of markets, economic integration and increased competition forced Sorzal Distributors to find new ways to compete. It is one of the most important infrastructure requirements, which is essential for the expansion of opportunities and plays an important role in making the competitive positioning. Sorzal Distributors has a chance to â€Å"add $1 million in additional sales† (Case Study, n.d.) contracting with a mass-merchandise department store chain. In spite of great benefits proposed by this contract, the company will be faced with a threat to become a â€Å"replicas retailer† and, probably, will have a negative impact on company’s brand image as a dealer of unique authentic artifacts. It is not an easy decision to make, but before signing the contract the company should answer the question â€Å"Is that the direction that the market is going?† (Case Study, n.d.) Changing Environment Sorzal Distributors operates in a simple and static environment. Firms operating in a relatively simple and static environment can generally rely on management strategies that are based on historical data. The strength of Sorzal Distributors is that it’s goods obtained a very competitive position on the market. The brand has a hard core of loyal supporters. It sells lines of products to satisfy the needs of wide audience through â€Å"specialty shops, firm-sponsored showings, and a few exclusive department stores† (Case Study, n.d.). Another strength is that Sorzal Distributors is an exclusive suppler of South American and African artifacts. Obtaining strong market position, Sorzal Distributors has maintained high-speed growth through product mix and new product lines. The opportunity of the company is the nature of business and loyalty of customers. As it is mentioned: â€Å"consumer tastes are changing from the modern and abstract to the more concrete† like Sorzal’s producrs (Case Study, n.d.). The opportunities of Sorzal include: high potential to growth and profitability of the company; promotion to other divisions; increased revenue from success in national market. In spite opportunities, recent changes threaten the business. Political-legal forces allocate power and provide constraining and protect ­ing laws and regulations. Primarily, political changes in Africa resulted in stricter legislation which prohibits â€Å"exportation of certain artifacts† (Case Study, n.d.). Another threat is increased competition which include the threat of entry by new competitors, the intensity of rivalry among existing competitors, and pressure from substitute products, primarily replicates. Recent years, the number of competitors increased from 5 to 11, and, according to David Olsen, â€Å"bargaining position of Sorzal has eroded† (Case Study, n.d.). The company â€Å"has watched our gross margin slip in recent years due to aggressive competitive bidding by others† (Case Study, n.d.). The weakness of the company is changing economic situation which requires new forms of strategy in order to compete on the limited and narrow market of artifacts. Limited destitution is also a weakness of the company. New Strategy In order to solve these problems and sustain competitive position, Sorzal should accept a competition strategy, instead of a competitive advantage. It is possible to admit that market of artifact is really needed low quality replicates such as produced and sold by Sorzal competitors. Nevertheless, this marketing strategy is not acceptable for Sorzal, which obtains a strong market position as a reputable dealer of   authentic southwestern jewelry and pottery Competition strategy will take place on a price and a non-price basis, and will help Sorzal to compete on the national market. Price competition involves businesses trying to undercut each other’s prices; this will, in turn, be dependent upon their ability to reduce their costs of production. Brand image and loyalty of customers should be the main criteria for Sorzal. This strategy will help to stay on top nationally and sustain competitive position as an exclusive distributor of South American and African artifacts. Marketing strategy based on the non-price competition should take form of branding, advertising, promotion, and additional services to customers (Johnson, Scholes, 1998). An alternative policy for Sorzal is to accept replicates distribution strategy. On the one hand, this strategy will help to add additional sales, but on the other hand, it will have a very negative impact on the company’s reputation. This strategy does not help to compete on the market for a long time, and increase the threat of substitution. The best solution for Sorzal is mass advertising campaign and opening new exclusive stores in order to attracted potential customers.   In relation to minor competitors, Sorzal should provide comparable buyer value but perform the activities more efficiently so as to attain a cost advantage, or perform the activities in a unique way which raises the value to the con ­sumer and thus allows them to command a premium price. If Sorzal follows its present say strategy (as an exclusive distributor of authntic artifacts), it will sustain its dominant position as a top brand, while expanding its operations and becomes a main player in the market. Nevertheless, flexibility is the most important infrastructure requirement, which is essential for the expansion of opportunities, and plays an important role in making and breaking the competitive positioning. References Case Study: Sorzal Distributors. N.d. Available Johnson, G., Scholes, K. Exploring Corporate Strategy. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall. 1998.

Achieving Success on International Assignments Essay

Achieving Success on International Assignments - Essay Example As more companies grow and become globalised many employees are also being charged with international assignments and therefore it is important to be prepared. This involves assessing your own personality, team skills, as well as leadership in order to make sure they match international. With these important personal and corporate skills gained through experience with many people from across the world serving in different I believe I am ready to take up an international assignment anytime it is presented my way.  If sent for an international assignment I believe I will easily achieve success owing to great interpersonal skills gained over time. I have a strong confidence in myself, self reliant and proven ability of working independently with little or no supervision at all. As an individual I also am well versed with major international languages and am open to learning new languages used in whatever host country. When faced with obstacles I have observed myself to be very resilie nt and have persevered extremely difficult circumstances. I also view myself as a very flexible individual with impeccable ability to strongly face and come out of uncertainties unshaken. Another great personal trait that I know in myself is the ability to interact with all kinds of people, tolerate everyone and uphold respect for other people as well as their cultures even if they are not familiar. This has helped me to get along well with persons from all spheres of life and I therefore believe will also influence my fast adapting.

Economic Impacts of the National Transportation Safety Board on the Term Paper

Economic Impacts of the National Transportation Safety Board on the Airline Industry - Term Paper Example There were 21 recommendations in between 2006 and 2008 to this center to addresses the management to conduct more accident investigations and studies related to the safety of air-travels (Dillingham, 1). The NTSB training center follows cutting-edge management practices, conducts investigations after accidents and studies for safety measures. NTSB also studies the usages of the Information Technology can help the aircrafts avoid these fatalities and losses. The organization (NTSB) has staff strength of over 400. The budget of the organization is approximately $100 million (at present). It is in charge of each and every civil aircrafts accident in the United States. It has a training center, which was opened in 2003. The training center provides training for the investigators of the organization, as well as other professionals attached to safety of transportation (Dillingham, 1). This study will reflect upon the impact of NTSB on the Airplane Industry Findings of NTSB on an Airplane C rash: US Air flight 427 operated by USAir crashed near Aliquippa (Pennsylvania) on the 8th of September 1994. It was an aircraft of the type Boeing 737-300. NTSB collected data for the air-crash. The total team of NTSB examined the spot and took a couple of years to arrive at the conclusion. It was found that no evidence of any explosion or collision with bird occurred (Walters and Robert, 5-9). Moreover, no trace of in-flight fire was found. Due to bad weather a lot of information went missing. However, the parts of the aircraft and the engine were working with efficiency till before the hazard (as per the research conducted by the NTSB investigators). The investigators conducted computer generated simulations due to lack of apt evidences. NTSB and NASA aerodynamics experts created a wake turbulence model and concluded that under atmospheric conditions that evening caused the havoc. The wake vortices probably had descended to approximately 300 and 500 feet every minute Additionally , NTSB also found that this turbulence had led to the crash of three other air carriers over the years ranging from 1964 to 1972 (Walters and Robert, 5-9). Role of NTSB in Shaping Aviation Industry and Economy (last 20 years): NTSB has already introduced a bill which will reauthorize the Aviation Administration in the United States. It has implemented fully the three management recommendations given in the earlier meetings by the congress (as of April 2008) (Dillingham, 5). The recommendations in the bill are listed below: (1) To facilitate proper channel of communication between staff and management, (2) To align the structure of the organization and to implement the strategic plans, and (3) To rectify the Anti-deficiency Act Violation pertaining to the purchase of accidental death and the dismemberment insurance towards the employees who meet with such accidents while on official duties. In addition, NTSB has progressed on the seven proposed recommendations (management) since the year 2008. NTSB has initiated sending report to the Congress the status of the recommendations and the actions taken thereafter. Moreover, NTSB has started taking steps to implement all three IT-related recommendations of the Congress (Dillingham, 5). NTSB has learned by researching over many years that the various organizations input unique perspective as well as knowledge during the investigative process. The pilots who fly the airplanes know the

sting of prejudice Essay -- essays research papers

Sting of Prejudice   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee there are many characters whose lives and thoughts about one another are distorted by prejudice and stereotyping. Three of the many characters whose lives were affected by prejudice are Bob Ewell, Tom Robinson and Dolfus Raymond. Bob Ewell’s mind is distorted in his view of other races. Tom Robinson is a victim of prejudice and is treated unfairly because of the color of his skin. The third character Dolfus Raymond is not accepted by the community because he is married to a black woman. These are three very different men whom by choice or circumstance are forever affected by the hatred associated with prejudice and stereotyping.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bob Ewell is a man who is consumed by hatred, he is very poor and thinks very little of the black people in the community. Bob believes â€Å"that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings† (17). Prejudice in Maycomb is both racial and socio-economic. â€Å"The Cunninghams don’t like the Ewells† (226) because they consider them lower class. The â€Å"Ewells hate and despise the colored folks.† (226) The trial has given Bob Ewell the opportunity to not only persecute a black man but to feel in a very public way that he is superior and more believable to the jury because of his race.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &nb...

Cheating in a Bottom Line Economy

SUMMARY & CRITIQUE OF: â€Å"Cheating in a Bottom Line Economy† (by David Callahan) In â€Å"Cheating in a Bottom Line Economy,† author David Callahan explains the fundamental reasons for the decay of simple business ethics in today’s economy in order to meet bottom line standards. Callahan draws conclusions from everyday businesses such as auto mechanic services, law offices, and even professional medical firms to prove that people will almost always choose financial stability over integrity. The economic life in America has transformed itself into a vast land of professionals focused on achieving â€Å"lean and mean† businesses in efforts to achieve the â€Å"American Dream,† but in essence lose sense of their morals. What happens when an employee is living a standard life with a job just barely getting them by? Executives at corporate headquarters decide to send down a new set of marching orders that drill employees with twice as much work for a sharply decreased base pay. Those marching orders have coined the term bottom line standards. American businesses have become highly competitive today in a market that is constantly changing to keep up with a new generation of ideas. These fluctuations in the economy have caused businesses to take different methods of actions to be competitive in the market. In the 1970’s Sears reigned as one of America’s well known retailers and shaped popular culture. As the market of demand became more competitive, Sears’ earnings began falling off the market. In order to get on the stock market, Sears had to cut 48,000 jobs and institutionalized a new compensation system (Callahan 31). As Sears set their new bottom-line standards to increase efficiency, it caused uproar from the employees. The demands of the company ultimately undermined the integrity of their workers. The pressure to make unpleasant ethical choices at work had employees â€Å"torn between moral integrity, losing [their] job, and trying to figure out how to work all this out† (Callahan 31). Employees of companies with bottom line standards were faced with a new decision at margin which made doing the right thing harder: suffer a pay cut and risk losing their job or cheat the customer. Not to our surprise, the employee would almost always choose their economic stability over their integrity. It is still not easy to say that the employee’s conscious didn’t warn them of the risks, the first time. It begins with just a simple upgrade tune up and then trickles to $1,000 in new auto parts. If we look back at the Sear’s auto mechanic example, a mechanic could easily convince the customer that their car needed a whole new system because of the customer’s lack of knowledge of the subject. The customer automatically assumes there is a guaranteed trust commitment to their service, but in turn gets fooled. The evidence unearthed by investigators found nearly identical reports of cheating at one Sears auto repair shop after another. The art of deception played a key role in fooling customers. The â€Å"ordinary people† at the New York City law firms were bound by an oath to abide a rigorous code of ethics (Callahan 33). Though these lawyers dealt with legal affairs of America’s largest companies, they were faced with not meeting year end billing requirements. In the most desperate cases of being downsized, lawyers turned to padding their hours by simply making up the numbers. They rounded up their hours and added in miscellaneous hours which was described as the â€Å"new math† (Callahan 39). â€Å"Let me tell you how you will start acting unethically†¦One day, not too long after you start practicing law, you will sit down at the end of a long, tiring day, and you just won’t have much to show for your efforts in terms of billable hours†¦so what you’ll do is pad your time sheet just a bit†¦However you will promise yourself that you will repay the client at the first opportunity by doing thirty minutes for the client for ‘free. In this way, you will be ‘borrowin,’ not stealing,† (Schlitz qtd. in Callahan 39). Commitments to meeting bottom line standards and greed have become directions of undermining integrity of even the most trusted profession: medical doctors. Medical professionals begin engaging in multilevel marketing companies such as the Wellness International Network (WIN), which dictate distributors to sell their company’s product at any extent. By earning money off of new distributors, this multilevel marketing became a pyramid scheme for destruction. Report peg the sale of health supplements by doctors at nearly $200 million in 2001, a tenfold increase from 1997. An estimated 20,000 doctors are now selling supplements from their offices, more than double the number of five years ago† (Callahan 49). These sorts of insider trading within their offices go against the American Medical Association guidelines that â€Å"doctors must ensure that the claims supporting any products they sell to patients are ‘scientifically valid and backed up by peer reviewed literature and other unbiased scientific sources’† (Callahan 49). They clearly prohibit the exchange of medical equipment, but the profit is too grand for the doctors to pass up. Those in the medical profession argue that they resort to such options to pay for their debt payments and management. Comments such as â€Å"I was used to following doctors advice†¦Doctors have the training, so you’ve got to respect their expertise† (Cumminskey qtd. in Callahan 48) prove that doctors hold a high level of respect for their profession, but it diminishes as scandals of deception are released to the public. In Steven Messner’s and Richard Rosenfeld’s article A Society Organized for Crime, they explain that people’s behavior towards meeting bottom line standards is to fulfill the American Dream. They state that the American Dream is an ideology that â€Å"people are socialized to accept the desirability of pursing the goal of material success, and they are encouraged to believe that the changes of the Dream are sufficiently high to justify a continued commitment to this cultural goal† (Messner 6). Generally, success in today’s society is defined by monetary and material gains. Therefore people are willing to go at any measure to achieve that success. Both articles explain how crime and delinquency arise from economic disputes that are settled with unethical behavior. The issue at hand is the fact that these issues cannot be solved in conventional ways, but only by working around the system to deceive their customers. Callahan’s article reinforces these popular notions that crime is not always intentional, but a means of getting through small obstacles in life in an unethical matter. These illegal activities begin as small meaningless preconceived activities and then sprout to everyday routines that are accepted within their business community. Callahan also makes us reconsider the power of higher authority figures that knowingly condone and usually promote this unethical behavior. This takes us back to the old saying, would you jump off a cliff if everyone did? The answer is yes. In all three of the cases, personal issues about cheating were put aside because â€Å"everyone was doing it. † I found these readings really interesting and relevant to the topic of crime and delinquency. Callahan does an excellent job of explaining the effects of bottom lines standards on people and the economy. I completely agree with his perspective that choosing economical stability over integrity will get a person closer to the American Dream then losing their job. It poses a moral issue, but in this century you can’t live on just integrity. The sad truth is people gain integrity from their monetary and material wealth. I believe Callahan could really expand on this topic by looking further into the psychological standpoint of meeting bottom line standards in order to get a better understanding of what goes through a person’s mind when deciding to go against their morals. KEY POINTS, ISSUES, AND QUESTIONS:Doing the right thing gets harder as the pressure between financial stability and integrity is put on the line.The game of hustling becomes everyday knowledge that moral ethics are completely put aside.  The American Dream causes people to act irrationally, but if you really think about it their unethical act stimulate the economy.Question: What are the implications of Callahan’s work for discovering cheating in a bottom line economy? Question: What are the psychological aspects of going against morals to deceive people ?

Racial Stereotypes And Young Children - 3153 Words

Racial Stereotypes and Young Children Nishat Hamid University of California, Irvine Do Racial Stereotypes Exist in Children at a Young Age Aboud’s (1988) review of 20 years of research in this field concluded that children as young as 3–4 years of age demonstrate ethnic and racial awareness, with finer discriminative and conceptual skills developing thereafter. While segregation was put to a halt several years ago, there are still major debates on whether discrimination still exists in the world today. The subject is of great interest especially after recent racial events such as the Trayvon Martin case, the horrifying September 11th attacks, and the fist fights that break out in schools around the country. Whether it means riots because of racial hatred, online jokes offending different cultures or the stereotypes we see emerge; the world responds to these attacks and events very differently. While men and women of all races and color are equal according to the constitution, stereotypes still exist today. Everyday an African American is accused of being a thief, a Muslim is accused of being a terrorist, a nd a Mexican boy is looked at as a thug. The online social media is filled with arguments and debates as people question â€Å"why is it always the black guy who’s always guilty† or â€Å"he wouldn’t have been shot if he was white†. But at what age do these stereotypical thoughts start to emerge in children? Prior research in the field has shown that racialShow MoreRelatedPositive And Negative Impacts Of Children Essay1603 Words   |  7 Pagesindividual or not. Someone at a young age: children, will be multiple times more prone to be affected by their surroundings compared to someone older due to the fact that children are at a stage where they are critically developing the sense of who they are and where they can fit into the society. Positive atmosphere can help in developing a child with positive mentality and attitude, which is a gift for the future generation, whereas a bad influence at such a young age can create an obnoxious, negativeRead MoreSummary Of Brent Stapless Black Men And Public Space1061 Words   |  5 Pagesand his mother Geneva, a homemaker. The oldest of nine children, Staples grew up in Chester, but due to his dad becoming an alcoholic and having financial problems, they moved seven times before he finishing junior high school. Brent was born a year before Brown vs. Board of Education started. Thurgood Marshall the founder of NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and was the lawyer for Brown v. Board of Education, which held that racial segregation in public education is a violation of the EqualRead MoreRacism Present In Disney/Pixar Films. For Many Parents,1587 Words   |  7 PagesRacism Present in Disney/Pixar Films For many parents, these Disney/Pixar movies are something nice they can show to their children, they grew up on many of them and they wish to share this joy with their kids as well. If one was to walk up and tell them â€Å"These movies are fairly racist, you should show them to your children lest they get the wrong idea!† in most cases, they will find them to be just a closet nutcase and ignore that like it never happened. Society and these movies have conditionedRead MoreEverybody Hates Chris1164 Words   |  5 Pagestelevision show, Everybody Hates Chris, season one, episode four entitled â€Å"Everybody Hates Sausage†, the stereotypes that continue to fuel racism are examined in a satirical motif, and class is presented in a comical way, but carries serious undertones which present a somewhat realistic view of the different social strata within the United States. In the new millennium, the concepts of racial diversity in multiculturalism have become part of the fabric of American discourse. Consequently, the televisionRead MoreMedia s Effect On Black Children Essay1201 Words   |  5 PagesMedia has conditioned society into thinking racial stereotypes are the norm. â€Å"Irish people are drunks† and â€Å"Asians are good at math† are all classic examples of common racial stereotypes. Author Michael Omi of â€Å"In Living Color: Race and American Culture† asserts how media presentation of minorities establishes peoples perspectives of â€Å"these groups†. However, where do racial stereotypes media portray originate from? It comes from the establishment of America oppressing others. Minorities haveRead MoreRacism, By Stephen Brookfield1286 Words   |  6 Pagesis of the opposite race. Children are blind to racism, they are blank canvases when they first start out in the world. It is not only until someone or som ething introduces the idea that the color of skin makes him or her different. It is shocking to see young children displaying racist characteristic and thinking that it is perfectly fine. A child’s surroundings can unintentionally teach them to be racist. Parents can push they’re own racist belief unto their children which could lead a child toRead MoreAmerica s Civil Rights Movement1524 Words   |  7 Pagesto put in 10. This alone shows that America has not moved as far forward in civil and racial rights as some would like to think. To top that, African AMerican women are stereotyped and Sexualized. Due to the color of their skin, they are forced into a society who sees them for nothing more than sex and a â€Å"nice body†. Black women have to fight so much harder to live happily in American society due to the stereotypes that hang over their heads everyday. Not only are the stereotyped and sexualized, theRead MorePrejudice And Stereotyping : A Social Psychological Perspective1160 Words   |  5 PagesThe notion to discern ‘us’ from ‘them’ is a way we make inferences of the people we meet and engage with. These everyday inferences affect the way we think, use, and interpret information whic h guide us to behaviors and beliefs. We use prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination all too often and it allows us to make sense of the world around us. This paper will discuss the aspects of prejudice and how we interpret prejudice in social psychology as well as stereotyping and its effects in the media. TheseRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Black Children Essay1151 Words   |  5 PagesThe media has conditioned society into thinking that racial stereotypes are the norm. â€Å"Irish people are drunks† and â€Å"Asians are good at math† are all classic examples of common racial stereotypes. Author Michael Omi of â€Å"In Living Color: Race and American Culture† asserts how media presentation of minorities establishes people perspectives of â€Å"these groups†. But where do these racial stereotypes at the media fingertips originate from? It comes from the establishment of America oppressing othersRead MoreStereotypes And Stereotypes Of African Ameri can Students Essay1148 Words   |  5 PagesStereotypes can be defined as schemas applied to a group of people sharing common physical, biological or racial characteristics. Focusing on education, African American students had consistently been negatively stereotyped about their intellectual abilities. Research indicates that racial stereotypes negatively affect African American students’ academic performance. This correlation, though, is clearest among salient African American students, implying that psychological factors may result from