Menelaus and Helen In ‘The Trojan War’ Essay

Menelaus and Helen are the main characters of the poem, hence, its title. This draws the readers’ attention mostly to the characters rather than to the Trojan myth. The title could have been, ‘The Trojan War’, but rather than doing this, Brooke focused mostly on the main characters, for the poem is more about them, than about the actual happening of the Trojan War. The perspective, and of whose point of view the poem has been written, does not change. It is always from Menelaus point of view of what is happening. Both in part one which describes the scene of the Trojan War, and how Helen has been captured by Paris and is token away from Menelaus, and in part two, which talks about the future, and supposition of how Menelaus and Helen would be years after, it is all Menelaus’ point of view, and not Brookes. The effects of this are that we only have the point of view of one of the main characters, so we do not know how the others felt about the same situation, because Brooke just describes Menelaus’ thoughts and not Helens. It is distinct in the poem that the persona is not Brooke, and that Brooke is simply writing as if he knew what Menelaus thought. This can be told because Brooke writes, â€Å"Menelaus broke To Priam’s palace†, and not â€Å"I broke into Priam’s palace†. The speaker clearly indicates what took Menelaus to this action, his reasons, his feelings, and sensations; Brooke refers to Menelaus’ actions, the scene, as if it were a fact, he does not at any moment of the poem, show his opinion. He is not biased; he simply tells what happens when Helen is captured, as if he were an observer. In the second stanza, it is not Brook’s thoughts, but Menelaus’ feelings towards Helen. It is very clear that Brooke does nto put himself as if he were Menelaus, â€Å"He had not remembered that she was so fair†, he just describes his thoughts as if he knew what Menelaus though about Helen. In the second part of the poem, Brooke analyses the scene and gives his opinion, â€Å"perfect knight†, in the third stanza he continues analyzing, he writes about Menelaus thoughts. So there is a clear distinction between the writer and the persona, we can tell whether or not the character and voice is in the poem or not. Brooke does not only state the facts, he is writing as if he could read Menelaus’ mind and thoughts about his future with Helen, he then goes back to telling the facts and what actually happened when they got old, relating the facts, being omniscient and analyzing what happens, this enriches our comprehension about what is going on. The poem does not have a formal structure. Although we can depict some rhymes at the end of lines, they do not follow a regular pattern. There is also some sense of symmetry, for the stanzas are reasonably the same length. The poem is divided into two parts, the firs one which is a myth and the second one which is the reality. The theme is first presented by a description of the scene, the capturing of Helen by Paris, then, the feelings of Menelaus towards Helen and their lives, following a vision and analysis of the result of the capturing and how Menelaus imagined his future would be, finally, a report on how their lives actually turned out to be. Brooke narrates the scene, he describes Menelaus’ thoughts and therefore does not use speeches in his poem. When there is use of speeches, we know exactly what are on the characters mind, but he does not use them, and we still understand the thoughts of Menelaus because the author does not write of his point of view, but as he were thinking like Menelaus. There are connotations such as when Brooke relates Helens voice as being golden. In this case his intentions are not to say that her voice is made of gold, but this suggests that she has a soft voice, which gives an impression that she is a delicate and elegant woman. Brooke does not literally mean that Helens voice is gold. Brooke does not need to tell the readers that Helen is a feminine woman, because, by saying that her voice is golden, that is already noticed by who reads the poem.

Jamcracker

What are the critical challenges for the business model to be sustainable? Before the business model of Jamcracker could be established, it had to tackle a series of critical challenges. Foremost amongst them was the issue of timing, the risk Jamcracker might be delivering a new model of service before the world was ready for it. The model proposed was entirely a new market mechanism for distributing ITServices and In order to succeed, the emerging markets warranted sufficient Infrastructure, economically viable Industry relationships and strong growth prospects which were all the more strained and complicated after the dot. com crash. Apart from timing issues the model faced severe technical roadblocks as well such as lack of established standards in the relatively young in ASP industry which led to integration issues with Jamcracker platform.Apart from the above mention entry level problems, issues such as need for rofessional services and customer service were the dominant concern s which called for attention before the business model could be sustained. As the industry developed more and more people were getting involved. This called for services such as initial system configuration and integration which would be followed up by customer concerns regarding service level quality, privacy and security. Thus these were the critical challenges faced by the business model before It could be sustained 2. How does Jamcracker fit in the ASP (SaaS) space?Jamcracker analogous to Its name, tried to avoid IT log jams using web-based technology, for its clients and empower them to smoothly move towards their business objectives. Its business model was based on the widely anticipated growth of Application Service Providers, more popularly known as ASPS. ASPs provide various benefits to an organization such as speedy implementation of IT infrastructure, cost reduction, IT skilled workforce, 24Ãâ€"7 support etc. But given that these ASPs solved small IT problems for clients , Chandra along with Chen and Terbeek envisioned a nique space for Jamcracker In the ASP space.Although, Its model was based on ASP but Jamcracker was not an ASP Itself. It cooperated with ASP partners to combine application services through its enterprise I platTorm, JamcracKer Enterprlse, Into comprenenslve oTTerlngs. 3. How would you explain the business model of Jamcracker? As said above Jamcracker assumed the role of an ASP cafeteria wherein it partnered various specialized ASPs and using its enterprise IT platform, Jamcracker Enterprise rovided comprehensive solutions to the IT problems of its clients.In simple terms, it aggregated the benefits of various ASPs and provided as one solution to the client. Since, Jamcracker presented these solutions to firms as â€Å"IT Department in a box†, the client had to Just maintain a single contractual relationship with Jamcracker rather than numerous relationships with specialized ASPS. So, a single interface with Jamcracker platf orm would suffice. Jamcracker's clients paid a per-user per-month fee for accessing Jamcracker's service nfrastructure and an additional per-user per-month fee for each application service that they chose to use.Also, a modest set up fee would be charged initially. Jamcracker did not have to make large capital investments in developing and operating applications as it used the application services of its ASP partners. Although costs involved in engineering, service, sales and delivery were higher but economies were favorable. Also, adequate volumes allowed for generous margins as the incremental cost in serving a client was way less than doing the same for a new client..

Effect of Social Media

Johnson & Wales University [email  protected] MBA Student Scholarship The Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School 11-1-2011 The Effects of Social Media on College Students Qingya Wang Johnson & Wales University – Providence, [email  protected] edu Wei Chen Johnson & Wales University – Providence Yu Liang Johnson & Wales University – Providence, [email  protected] edu Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarsarchive. jwu. edu/mba_student Part of the Education Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Repository Citation Wang, Qingya; Chen, Wei; and Liang, Yu, â€Å"The Effects of Social Media on College Students† (2011).MBA Student Scholarship. Paper 5. http://scholarsarchive. jwu. edu/mba_student/5 This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the The Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School at [email  protected] It has been accepted for inclusion in MBA Student Scholarship by an authorized administrator of [em ail  protected] For more information, please contact [email  protected] edu. Running Head: EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS 1 The Effects of Social Media on College Students Qingya Wang, Wei Chen, and Yu Liang Johnson &Wales University Feinstein Graduate SchoolRSCH5500-Research & Analysis Submitted to Professor Martin Sivula, Ph. D. November, 2011 Peer Reviewers: Frederic Juillet , Anne Catelotti, Jennifer Gay, Rohan Kichlu, Christina L. Blundin, and Volha Ban 2 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS Abstract As social media sites continue to grow in popularity, it is our premise that technology is a vital part in today’s student success equation. This descriptive, exploratory research study drew a random sample (N=48) of males (n=26) and females (n=22) who were administered a student perception questionnaire on how social media affects college students.Thirty-five percent of the participants were undergraduates and 65% were graduate students, studying at Johnson & Wales University. Thirty-one percent of participants have full-time jobs, 30% have part-time jobs and 39% do not have jobs. The results of the survey questionnaire indicate that 45% of the sample admitted that they spent 6-8 hours per day checking social media sites, while 23% spent more than 8 hours; 20% spent 2-4 hours and only 12% spent less than 2 hours on this task.Results indicate while most college students use social media and spend many hours checking social media sites, there was a negative aspect to college students’ use of social media. Key Words: social media, college students, learning efficiency 3 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS Introduction The definition of social media is â€Å"the relationships that exist between network of people† (Walter & Riviera, 2004). In the last ten years, the online world has changed dramatically. Thanks to the invention of social media, young men and women now exchange ideas, feelings, personal informat ion, pictures and videos at a truly astonishing rate.Seventy-three percent of wired American teens now use social media websites (Oberst, 2010). Schill (2011) states that the social media sites encourage negative behaviors for teen students such as procrastination (catching up with friends), and they are more likely to drink and drug. However, every day, many students are spending countless hours immersed in social media, such as Facebook, MySpace, World of Warcraft, or Sim City. At first glance this may seem like a waste of time; however it also helps students to develop important knowledge and social skills, and be active citizens who create and share content.At present, whether social media is favorable or unfavorable, many students utilize these sites on a daily basis. As social media sites continue to grow in popularity it is our belief that technology is a vital part of today’s student success equation. Many researchers have been diving into a considerable amount of res earch on how social media influences student retention at colleges. Many parents are worried that their college students are spending too much time on Facebook and other social media sites and not enough time studying.Therefore, our research ascertains the relationship between the social media and students’ study efficiency. 4 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS Statement of Problem To address the issue of the effectiveness of using social networking, the first question raised in this study is: for what purpose is the student utilizing social networking? Research on this topic will start to reveal social networking sites are simply part of how students interact with each other with no apparent impact on grades.Thus, the objective of this research is to explore the advantages and disadvantages of students’ use of social networking for study. The main purpose of this research is to expand on previous research, explore the relationship between the effects of socia l networking and students’ study efficiency, and to determine if social media interfering with students’ academic lives. Research Questions: Which is the most popular social media site for students? What is the amount of time students spend utilizing social media in various academic processes? Review f the Literature College students have great interest in social media. For the purpose of this study, social media was defined as Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn (Martin, 2008). Although, providing a detailed perspective on social media use among university students and underscoring that such use can produce both positive and negative consequences, according to a Nielsen Media Research study, in June 2010, almost 25 percent of students’ time on the Internet is now spent on social networking websites (Jacobsen, & Forste, 2011).Facebook is the most used social network by college students, followed by YouTube and Twitter. Moreover, Facebook alone reports 5 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS that it now has 500 active million users, 50% of whom log on every day. In addition, according to a study by Online PhD, students spend roughly 100 minutes per day on Facebook. In 2007, the number of students who used Facebook was already enormous: 92 percent of college students had an account. By 2008, 99 percent of students had an account on Facebook.That is quite a large amount considering the service was only opened in 2006 to everyone. On one hand, the positive aspect of online communities is that youths can utilize them for academic assistance and support (Lusk, 2010). Due to the ability of social media to enhance connections by making them easily accessible, social media can yield many benefits for the young, including providing a virtual space for them to explore their interests or problems with similar individuals, academic support, while strengthening online communication skills and knowledge. Students who may be reluc tant to speak up in class are participating in book discussion blogs and writing for real audiences. There are new Web tools emerging all the time that are enhancing learning (Brydolf, 2007). † On the other hand, â€Å"Our findings indicate that electronic media use is negatively associated with grades. We also find that about two-thirds of the students reported using electronic media while in class, studying, or doing homework (Jacobsen, & Forste, 2011). † This multitasking likely increases distraction, something prior research has shown to be detrimental to student performance.As social media websites, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter gain popularity, they are also are becoming increasingly dangerous as they create modes to procrastinate while trying to complete homework. Hence, in a survey of 102 students, 57% stated that social media has made them less productive. 6 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS As to the relationship between social media and grad es, a study released by Ohio State University reveals that college students who utilize Facebook spend less time on studying and have lower grades than students who do not use the popular social networking sites (Kalpidou, Costin, & Morris, 2011).Moreover, according to a new study by doctoral candidate Aryn Karpinski of Ohio State University and her co-author, Adam Duberstein of Ohio Dominican University, college students who use the 500 million member social network have significantly lower grade-point averages (GPAs) than those who do not. Nevertheless, another study found no correlation between heavy social media usage and grades. There was no significant difference in grades between those considered to be heavy users of social media and those considered to be light users.Additionally, there was no correlation between grades and the social media platform used. For example, almost the same number of heavy and light users of both Facebook and YouTube received the same percentage hi gh and low grades. Regarding the relationship between using social media with the grades of college students, concurrent with past studies that find that online communication is linked to time spent in offline relationships, â€Å"our findings indicate that Social Networking Site (SNS) use and cellular-phone communication facilitates offline social interaction, rather than replace it (Jacobsen & Forste, 2011)†.Students commonly commented that connect should be invaluable for making friends and supporting each other, especially within the first few weeks after arriving at the University (Oradini & Saunders, 2007). Furthermore, â€Å"The relationship between Facebook and well-being appears to become positive over the college years, possibly because upper-class students use Facebook to connect socially with their peers and participate in college life (Kalpidou, Costin, & Morris, 2011). † EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS Therefore, â€Å"we need to keep in mind that the benefits of this interactive technology far outweigh the risks,† says Leri. â€Å"When it’s used in a positive way, it can be an extraordinary tool (Brydolf, 2007). † Method The purpose of collecting data was to perform a group research on how social media affects college students. In this research, an anonymous questionnaire was administered to collect data which was the standard survey collection method. The total number of questionnaires administered were 50, however the usable questionnaires were (N = 48).According to the respondents, males (n=26) and females (n=22) were involved in this survey. Thirty-five percent of participants were undergraduates and 65% were graduate students currently studying in Johnson & Wales University. Thirty-one percent of participants have full-time jobs, 30% have part-time jobs and 39% do not have jobs. The number of females who have jobs is higher than that of males. This was one part of our anonymous questionnaire. I n the following, other relevant questions were developed to carry out the research.Other questions focused on the lives of students and the feeling of students when they were using different social media. For example, â€Å"How many hours a day do you check your social media site? † and â€Å"Do you post or respond while completing homework? † Also, at the end of the questionnaire, we asked two open questions about the biggest advantage or disadvantage when college students used social media in studying and looking back to the last time that they used social media. The participants were randomly selected regardless of gender or educational level.These questions related to their lives. There were three different perspectives 8 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS present in the research which included advantage, disadvantage or not sure. However, other independent variables were tried to decrease the impact on the results. Results Sixty percent of participants ar e in favor of Facebook, 22% like Skype, 10% prefer Twitter and 8% like My Space. Sixty-eight percent of the sample reported that they primarily used a laptop to check social media sites; while 20% use a cell phone; and only 12% preferred to use a desktop computer.Forty-five percent of the sample admitted that they spent 6-8 hours per day to check a social media site, 23% spent more than 8 hours, 20% spent 2-4 hours and only 12% spent less than 2 hours. The ratio of participants who posted or responded during school hours was 64%; 15% rarely used social media during school hours; 21% were not sure whether they would like to use it. Eighty percent of the sample reported that they posted or responded while completing homework; 8% would never use social media while doing homework; and 2% were not sure.In terms of the benefit of social media, 20% agreed that social media helps with school assignments; 25% agreed that social media helps to make new friends; and 55% just used social media for fun. Discussion According to the data we collected from the anonymous questionnaire, most college students would prefer to use social media and therefore spent vast hours checking social media sites. Facebook is very popular among college students, even though students would use it when they had classes. Ninety percent of students spent their time on entertainment; there were not too many college students who preferred using social EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS media to deal with their homework. Eighty percent of the sample admitted that they posted or responded while completing homework. It has definitely affected their efficiencies and their grades. Considering the data collected, there was a negative attitude towards social media when college students used them. For instance, imagining one student spent over six hours checking social media site and responded while completing their homework; it would be likely increase distraction of the students which can be det rimental to student performance.Conclusion Our research has revealed that college students were likely to be affected by social media. Social media is attractive; it not only provides college students another world to make friends, also provides a good way to release pressure. To some degree, it absolutely affects the lives of college students including the grades. This research also indicates that an approach is needed to better balance the relationship between social media and academic study. Therefore, college students should think more about the balancing equation of social media and academics.Limitations and Recommendations This study was limited in several aspects. First, the timeframe to collect data was too short. Three to four weeks for the study was not sufficient. Second, a total of 50 questionnaires were administered, however usable questionnaires were 48, so the result may not reflect the real situation for the whole population. With this sample size, the estimated samp le error is 14. 4%, so an increase in sample size might yield different results. And, of course these results might be affected by this very large sample error. 0 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS Third, this research did not consider student’s psychological state; perhaps influences and motivations for social networking use. Our research indicated that most college students would prefer to use social media and spend many hours checking social media sites. Social networking is definitely affecting students’ efficiencies as well as their grades. Hence, educators need to be concerned about these problems and try to find better ways to solve these problems.Although, framed within an academic context, the concepts outlined here can be utilized to investigate the use of communication technology not only at school, however also at home, workplace, and various other settings, and for a variety of different audiences such as teenagers, young adults, the elderly, or f amilies. For future research, it may be more helpful to measure the social presence besides motivation and pressure, examining how a student’s psychological state influences motivations for social media use.Also, do social media sites have a positive influence on study and academics and are students leveraging them as cited sources in discipline research? 11 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS References Baldwin, T. T. , Bedell, M. D. , & Johnson, J. L. (1997). The social fabric of a team-Based M. B. A. Program: Network effects on student satisfaction and performance. Academy Of Management Journal, 40(6), 1369-1397. doi:10. 2307/257037 Brydolf, C. (2007). Minding MySpace: Balancing the benefits and risks of students' online social networks. Education Digest, 73(2), 4. Domine, V. 2009). A social history of media, technology and schooling. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 1(1), 42-52. Gerlich, R. , Browning, L. , & Westermann, L. (2010). The social media affinity sc ale: implications for education. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 3(11), 35-41. Jacobsen, W. C. , & Forste, R. (2011). The Wired Generation: Academic and Social Outcomes of Electronic Media Use Among University Students. Junco, R. , Merson, D. , & Salter, D. W. (2010). The Effect of Gender, Ethnicity, and Income on College Students' Use of Communication. Kalpidou, M. , Costin, D. & Morris, J. (2011). The relationship between Facebook and the well-being of undergraduate college students. Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 14 (4), 183-189. doi:10. 1089/cyber. 2010. 0061. Lusk, B. (2010). Digital natives and social media behaviors: An overview. Prevention Researcher, 173-6. Margaryan, A. , Littlejohn, A. , & Vojt, G. (2011). Are digital natives a myth or reality? University students' use of 12 EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON COLLEGE STUDENTS digital technologies. Computers & Education, 56(2), 429-440. Oberst, L. (2010). The 6S Social Network.Retrieved from: http://sixs entences. ning. com/profile/LindsayOberst Rosen, L. , Lim, A. , Carrier, L. , & Cheever, N. (2011). An empirical examination of the educational impact of text message-induced task switching in the classroom: educational implications and strategies to enhance learning. (2011). Psicologia Educativa, 17(2), 163-177. http://dx. doi. org/10. 5093/ed2011v17n2a4 Schill, R. (2011). Social Networking Teens More Likely to Drink, Use Drugs, Study Finds. Retrieved from: http://jjie. org/teens-on-facebook-more-likely-drink-oruse-drugs-study-finds/20713

Systems Of Kinship Emerged During The Middle Ages. Absolute And Essay

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Historical Fires School Fire New London, TX Research Paper

Historical Fires School Fire New London, TX - Research Paper Example The question was raised that where did the ignition come from? It probably is believed to have accumulated from any of the laboratories or places where shop work was going on. This incident allowed authorities to criticize school’s construction. (USFA, 2011) The Incident The richest and most finest schools of the country United States were located in New London, Texas in 1937 on the northwestern side of Rusk County where the residents of this community were immensely proud of the magnificent, modernized, E-shaped, steel-framed school building located on the Eastern Texas oilfields. In the afternoon of March 18, 1937, 18 students were preparing for Inter-scholastic meet which was scheduled next day in Houston. The Parent Teacher Meetingmet at the gymnasium. The manual training coach, Mr. Lemmie R. Butler switched on a sanding machine which comprised of a combination of air and gas but was not known to him. As he turned on the switch, it gave an ignite to the mixture of air and gas and took the flame into an almost trapped space situated underneath the building up to fifty-six feet wide and 353 feet long.(Hilliard,2012) Soon after that, everyone noticed that the building actually rose into the air and subsequently crashed into the ground. All the walls of the building smashed. The roof of the building came out and so all the students and the teachers lie there dead in a huge corpus of steel, brick and concrete. The remains of the explosion were thrown almost to a distance of 200 concrete slabs where it destroyed Chevrolet 1936. Everyone living atleast 200 feet away from the building witnessed the explosion. After fifteen minutes of the incident, the news was covered by all Western Union lines and telephone lines as well. Bewildered, all the parents at the Parent Teacher Meeting hurried to the building of the devastated school. Roughnecks from the oilfields of Eastern Texas carrying their equipment of high-duty and residents of the community came rushing by . Texas Rangers as well as the highway patrol was sent for the rescue and assistance of the injured, wounded people by Governor James Allred in an hour of the incident. (Hilliard,2012) Medical supplies and doctors were called upon from nearby Scottish Rite Hospital for Disabled Children and Baylor Hospital from Dallas and from Wichita Falls, and Nacogdoches as well. Furthermore, United Army Air Corps were brought in from Barksdale Field which is located in Shreveport, Louisiana. All these helpers were aided by the deputy sheriffs from Henderson, Overton, and Kilgore. They were also assisted by the Boy Scouts, the Salvation Army, the American Legion, the American Red Cross, and also volunteers joined from Gulf Pipe Line, Humble Oil, the International-Great Northern Railroad and Sinclair. The debris was searched by workers who began looking for the sufferers. The rescue operation was continued till the night fall and for convenience, floodlights were put up in there. Soon after the in cident, almost after seventeen hours all the wounded people as well the wreckage was taken to some other place. Dedication ceremonies were cancelled at the Mother Francis Hospital to help the wounded. Twenty five embalmers were sent in by the Directors of Texas Funeral.(Hilliard,2012) Almost 298 people died in the incident out of the staff of forty teachers and 500 student body. Out of the 202 people left, there were about 130 students who did not receive fatal injury. Some student and teachers were in desperate

Art history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

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Financial accounting - Math Problem Example You should not provide impairment losses in the financial statement as these will decrease our reported profit and may be misleading for tax authorities and shareholder. We have a responsibility of disclosing fair and accurate information, therefore we should not provide for impairment losses until we want to close our operations. Our business investment buildings will be included at their fair value according to the judgment of auditors in the balance under long-term leases head. This will be done according to IAS 16 principles which calls for fair-value to be include in the balance sheet. Fair value consists of costs less depreciation less impairment losses. Since, we are not charging any depreciation, we can simply state these building at their NRV that according to you come around $2.5 Million. You have also asked me about how to treat grants. You are right about the fact that we can treat it as deferred income. IAS 20 allows us to treat it as deferred income. However, this option may increase will increase our profit and will also result in more tax payments. So, it is better to not treat it as tax income and instead amortize it completely by adjusting it with the purchase of fixed assets.

Socrates Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Socrates - Research Paper Example To put it in simple words, Protagoras views the principle of morality as a valuable aspect that facilitates social cooperation. On the other hand, Socrates holds a vision about the principle of morality as a matter of an individuals’ interrelation towards his/her own soul which cannot be taught based on certain defined theories or assumptions contradicting Protagoras’ views that a person learns virtue from his early age recently when he/she starts speaking (Plato 5-25). Thesis Statement This study intends to analyze the arguments made by Socrates questioning the dialogues in Protagoras regarding the teachability of virtue and education humans regarding wisdom. Protagoras’ acclamations with reference to the viewpoints of Socrates will also be analyzed in this study to recognize the role of a rational agent, its justness and also its goodness in teaching wisdom to individuals. Proper justification will also be rendered with concern to the agreeability of the thesis , i.e. Protagoras. Explanation of the Argument The sole concern of Protagoras’ acclamations has been to rationalize that virtue and wisdom of human life can be taught. However, this argument has further been countered by Socrates where he questions the reality concerning the teachability aspects of virtues. ... Conversely, Socrates holds a perception that the diverse aspects of virtue are singular as well as indivisible in nature. As per his beliefs concerning the aspects of courage and wisdom are simply dissimilar names for two similar qualities of good life. Apart from arguing regarding diverse aspects of virtue, the determination of the interrelation between knowledge, doing good and pleasure have also been focused in the rudiments of Socrates’ arguments based on Protagoras’ dialogues. In this connection, Socrates proclaimed that pleasure undividable with the concern of good. This can be further rationalized with reference to Socrates’ acclamation that anything which seems to be painful is regarded as evil. This particular proclamation of Socrates signified that it is not possible knowingly to do what is good which apparently contradicts the views of Protagoras stating that individuals can be taught of doing good. Moreover, the proclamation put forward by Socrates al so represented with reference to the fact that it is quite unfeasible to live delightfully while performing any sort of evil activity which again rationalizes a strong connection within the various aspects of virtue as described by Protagoras. Conversely, Protagoras argued that there are several people who are not able to measure the most prominent doing that would bring pleasure to them. Hence, as a consequence, wrong activities are generally caused by ignorance that is not to be considered as a conflict or disagreement between ethical duties and the aspirations for pleasure within an individual. According to Protagoras’ dialogues, there lay the requirement of a specific art or

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion - Essay Example We find our identity in our families and families are there to fulfill our hopes and aspirations. It is quite possible that at times, family becomes a disappointment. Nevertheless, it can be said that in current form, they are more like proving equality rather than erstwhile happy families where members were tied with some bond of belonging. Person# 3 Response It can be said for sure that global changes are making more equal families but not with certainty that it makes happier family too. Kids don't get enough time from their parents. Ever since women are working in the offices, men have to also work at home. Women across all communities and classes are involved in business. Cross marriages between members of different religious and ethnic groups have created families with multi ethnic and multi religious backgrounds. Obviously, kids are likely to pick multi cultural values from their parents. Old cultural values are dying and new sets of cultural values – rather mixed set of cultural values are taking shape. If the new set of cultural values does not suit to either members and further since women are not dependent on men, divorce is a quick fire solution. New value system has made families smaller with mostly single kid and even without kids. Old cultural values are surely on the path of decay replacing it with new phenomena.

How can perceptions shape imaginative thought Essay

How can perceptions shape imaginative thought - Essay Example t is people’s sensory experience of the world around them involving both the behavior in response to stimuli and the recognition of environmental stimuli. Perception is known to incorporate the five senses of smell, touch, sight, taste and hearing (Heuer 1999). In this day and age concepts and thoughts are urged onward by an increasing amount of information and data made accessible to every person. This in turn makes one to respond to and anticipate transformations within their environment. Mental models are thus important in allowing individuals to process what would otherwise be considered incomprehensible volume of information (Heuer 1999). It is rather unfortunate that people tend to perceive what they expect to perceive and not what is actually there in reality. Perceptions shape imaginative thoughts. Creativity and imaginative thoughts can be said to be similar in a number of ways where majority of researchers have discovered that imaginative individuals tend to be more depressed as compared to the general population due to their perception of different situation they may be experiencing (Heuer 1999). Individuals considered to be highly creative or imaginative tend to explore unusual possibilities. Those who perceive the world around them in a limited perception tend not to be as imaginative or creative as those who are open minded and liberal. The left and right hemispheres of the human brain usually communicate with each other via a network of nerves joining these two parts of the brain. These also tend to possess different modes of thinking that may lead to conflicting interpretations with regards to awareness and perception. Imaginative thoughts are usually associated with the right brain hemisphere and for an individual to have clear perception of a given situation, the two hemispheres need to be in communication at the time of the experience in order for the person to better judge and act as per the

Misconception of Identifying Ethnic Groups by Cultural Elements Essay Example for Free

Misconception of Identifying Ethnic Groups by Cultural Elements Essay Misconception of Identifying Ethnic Groups by Cultural Elements The common misconception in relating ethnicity and culture is to define ethnic groups by cultural elements. Firstly, ethnic group is a category of people which is bound together by common characteristics that differentiate them from other groups. On the other hand, culture is a system of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people. Culture consists of values, beliefs, religion, experiences, behaviours and traditions acquired by a group of people that is passed down generations by generations (Browaeys Price, 2008). In my essay, I would like to clarify that ethnic groups cannot be defined by their cultural elements with several examples. Commonly, characteristics and traits of an ethnic group is identified by its cultural elements. Elements such as language, religion and customs are used to differentiate a group and another. Specified cultural elements are categorized to represent different types of ethnic groups. However this assumption is not suitable to apply in many situations. It is troublesome to identify ethnic group by cultural elements. This is because the people within an ethnic group does not necessarily possess the identical cultural elements. For instance, the Cham people in Vietnam belong to one ethnic entity, however in different areas this group of people possess different cultural elements. The Cham people in south central of Vietnam and in Mekong Delta have distinctive differences in religion, language and customs. In the south central Vietnam, the Cham practise localized Hinduism and Islam as religion. They speak south central dialect and their writing is originated from a script in Sanskrit. In term of custom, these Cham people are considered matrilineal and practice exogamy. On the contrary, the Cham in Mekong Delta majorly practise Islam. They speak in Mekong Delta dialect and their writing derived from the Jawi script. In their custom, they are loosely matrilineal and practice endogamy(1). This shows that cultural elements are not suitable to determine an ethnic group. People of the same ethnic group may not necessarily practice the same culture. In the study of the Kachin people from Burma, Edmund Leach mentioned â€Å"the mere fact that two groups of people are of different culture does not necessarily imply – as has nearly always been assumed – that they belong to two quite different social systems (Leach 1954: 17)(2). To consider ethnic group as cultural group will fail to address many aspects of ethnic phenomena. Large population of the Kachin people lives in the Kachin Hill in northern Burma’s Kachin State and in neighbouring areas of China and India. They speak different languages and dialects; there is a wide difference in cultures between the same ethnic group in different area. To support this statement, I would like to provide an example; the Malay people who belonged to one ethnic entity in Malaysia are influenced by different customs. Malay people practice two distinct types of customs, the Adat Temenggung and Adat Pepatih. The former is originated from Minangkabau and widely practiced by most of the Malay states. Adat Temenggung emphasizes on patrilineal kinship structure in matters such as inheritance. In contrast, the Adat Pepatih is only practiced in Negeri Sembilan. It emphasizes more on matrilineal kinship structure, in which women gain benefit in matters such as inheritance and marriage (Shuid, Osman Othman, 2006). This depicts that people of the same ethnic group practise various and wide range of customs. Thus, it is difficult to define ethnic group by cultural elements. In the 19th and 20th century, large wave of immigrants from China came to Malaya. Now, Chinese people are the second largest ethnic in Malaysia. Majority of these Chinese are Han Chinese. There is wide spread of Chinese people in every state of Malaysia, espeacially in the town areas. Even though they are grouped as one ethnic entity, their cultural elements varied widely. Most of the local Chinese practise Buddhism and a small number of them have faith in Christianity and Islam. Futhermore, they speak variety of dialects such as Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew and many more. For example, most of the Chinese in Penang speak Hokkien whereas most of the Chinese in Kuala Lumpur speak Cantonese. Thus, the cultural elements of an ethnic are not fixed, the elements varied greatly to the extent that it is difficult to determine an ethnic group by its cultural elements. Besides that, the influence of political and economical circumstances has changes the cultural elements of the people while the ethnic identity remains. As time passes by, people within an ethnic group spread, share, learn and adapt cultures of other ethnic groups. There is the tendency for different cultures to overlapse in a society. For instance, the Chinese immigrants that came to Malaya in the late 15th to 16th century were known as Peranakan Chinese. This group of immigrants consists of merchants, traders, and those who came to escape economic hardships in mainland China. They embraced the Malay customs and cultures. Most of the Peranakan Chinese engaged in intermarriage with the local Malay. However, there are part of Peranakan Chinese people without Malay ancestry. They belong to Chinese ethnic but adopted the combination of Chinese and Malay cultures. The Malay language and cultures are assimilated into their daily lives, however their ethnic and religious origins still remain. These Peranakan Chinese speak Malay language, wear the baju kebaya, a Malay traditional clothing, and developed their cuisine with mainly Malay spices in their every day lives, they still belong to Chinese ethnic (Tan Chee Beng, 1993). Their ethnic identity cannot be determined by merely identifying their cultural elements. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize my point that ethnic groups cannot be defined by their cultural elements. Ethnic groups can hardly be measured by cultural traits as a matter of fact cultural boundaries do no always go accordingly with ethnic boundaries. Cultural traits of an ethnic group is not always fixed, people of the same ethnic group do not necessarily possess the same cultural elements. To determine ones ethnic identity by identifying his or her cultural elements with the typical cultural elements of an ethnic group is not right. The ethnic identity of a person will still remain unchanged even if his cultural elements have changed. As stated by Michael Moerman, â€Å"Someone is Lue by virtue of believing and calling himself Lue and of acting in ways that validate his Lueness† (Moerman, 1965:1219)(3). Ethnic identity can be claimed by one’s self but not by determining its cultural elements. Bibliography Browaeys M. J. , Price R. (2008) Understanding Cross Cultural Management. New York: Pearson Education. Mahdi Shuid, Suzani Osman, Sazlina Othman. (2006) Sejarah Malaysia. Petaling Jaya: Longman . Tan, C. B. (1993). Chinese Peranakan Heritage in Malaysia and Singapore. Kuala Lumpur: Penerbit Fajar Bakti Sdn Bhd. (1)(2)Power Point Slides: What is an ethnic group? Ethnic Troubles Theories of Ethnicity. (3)Reading 1: Ethnic identification in a complex civilization: who are the lue?

Role of the State in Economic Development

Role of the State in Economic Development In this chapter will seek to throw light on some keys issues from many scholars in the context of theory it related to this research. It is useful for situating the study for charting out what kind of theoretical implication the finding of this study are likely to offer. Therefore in this chapter we discuss the role of state in economic development and the competitiveness in the term of competitiveness in the world market by using revealed comparative advantage and lastly are short brief about the electronics industry. 2.1. The Role of the State in Economic Development The role of state in economic development is enormous not only as regulator but also in law enforcement, the provision of education, adequate infrastructure until on health. The achievement of all the governments role in economic development is depends on the readiness and the government itself. In East Asia has been stated that in the role of state has played in economic development in the region. This can be seen from the many studies about the success of the role of state in East Asia by many authors such as World Bank, 1993, Johnson, 1982, Wade and White, 1984, Amsden, 1989 and Castell, 1992. In this session we will discuss about the perception of the role of state development in East Asia, with emphasis on the relationship between public policy and economics. There are 3 models of the state which we will discuss is the market led model, the state led business model and toward the state interdependence. The Market Led-Model Major institutional anchor market and East Asian development model is a symbol and development strategies, as already stated in the 1980s.by World Bank. In a world development report 1987, the World Bank has been consistently to provide some insight straight from the neo classic from Alfred Marshalls point of view that emphasizes the positive effects of unlimited market in the optimal allocation of resources in order to support free trade and free market development model . In the policy, the World Bank gave some suggestions that the development of the country to adopt a more market development programs such as making links with international bodies like the International Monetary Fund. The story of East Asian development emphasizes the importance of market forces that have been written by Little, 1981, Balassa 1982 and Balassa et.al, 1988. In view of the market-leading model, the role of the state has a limited function as a catalyst and corrector of market failure. According to Little (1981) said that export success in East Asia NIEs stresses because the positive effects of free trade conditions. In this era, the East Asian NIEs have been the transition to industrial capitalism, such as Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In this case, the stability of government is essential to provide stable conditions for long-term business conditions and also the regulatory framework and infrastructure capacity too. Balassa remarks in his study of the lessons of East Asian development: The principal Contribution of government in the Far Eastern NIEs has been to create a modem infrastructureà ¯Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¥ to provide a stable incentive system, and to ensure that government bureaucracy will help rather than hinder exportsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦More generally less use has been made of government regulation and bureaucratic controls in East Asia than elsewhere in the developing world. Finallyà ¯Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¥there have been fewer policy-imposed distortions in labor and capital markets, and greater reliance has been placed on private enterprise. (Balassa, 1988; .286-8) Its opposite with Paul W. Kuznets views. Kuznets took a different view of the Balassa by comparing the diametric in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea and end with a diametrically different view of the state of the Balassa. Kuznets states, in three countries, Government intervention, although limited by the need to keep exports competitive, had penetrated (Kuznets, 1988; 36). Latin America vs East Asia: the secret of export-led growth According to Balassa, (1988; 271-288) stated that the East Asian NIEs (including Hong Kong) have adopted the first phase of import-replacing industrialization (the primary local market and import of consumer products are replaced by labor-intensive local production) and is opposite with Latin America NIEs by adopting the second phase of import-substituting industrialization (local production as a producer of goods, capital-intensive import substitute). Balassa (1988) said that export growth in East Asia NIEs which they recorded the highest GDP growth rates among developing countries. Factors influencing this are: Export carried out in accordance with comparative advantage by contributing to the allocation of resources. This condition is an advantage of the new, improved efficiency based on the excellence of each industry and the country concerned. (Balassa, 1988; 280-1) East Asia NIEs exports provide to overcome the limited domestic market with to maximalist use of resources and reap the benefits of large-scale production. Import substitution and protection are often monopolies; export-oriented industrialization is more towards the competition with a change toward more modern technology in order to improve their position in world markets. According to Balassa (1988; 268-8) that four determinants of economic performance of East Asian NIEs are beneficial are: Stability of an incentive system. History of East Asian countries shows that the system is to encourage exports by setting up incentives, eliminating administrative barriers and create a favorable environment for exporters with a relatively stable condition. These conditions contrast with Latin America NIEs. Where East Asia NIES countries are more inclined to avoid any increases or fluctuations in exchange rates, and exporters can usually expect that the incentives they receive will be maintained in the period, while countries in Latin American NIEs with fluctuating exchange rates and wage increases in exports, so it is reduce the profitability of exporters. Limited government intervention. Countries in East Asia have implemented the administrative system is far more limited than in Latin America. This condition is meant by East Asian nations to create a positive environment for economic growth with free markets working. Well function labor and capital markets. The existence of the policy of East Asian countries has instituted in distortion imposed on labor and capital markets. Where labor markets are generally free in East Asia Niles is different with the regulation in Latin America NIEs. These conditions not only on the labor market but also more free capital markets in East Asia NIEs than in Latin America NIEs. Another factor is the interest rate in line with market prices to provide incentives for domestic savings and to prevent capital outflow, while in Latin America NIEs, artificially low interest rates affect currency values is considered too high to encourage overseas capital. Dependence on private capital. Comparing the existence of dependence of the private sector in East Asia NIEs is greater than in Latin America NIEs. In East Asia NIEs private companies to take an important role in making the necessary investments, and through the relationship of international competition to makes efficient and profitable. While in Latin America NIEs, the public companies tend to play a more important role than in the East Asian NIEs. The State-led models State led model is very opposite perspective with the neo classical. The story of the revised outlook from East Asia to the view of the market led to a state model of development led to the concept of state has been expressed by Johnson, 1987, Castell, 1992, as well as success in industrialization on late development in the context of state as the biggest agent in the transformation has been expressed by Gerscenkron, 1962. According to Wade and White observe that: If we turn to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, among the most dramatic and equitable Cases in the history of Capitalist development, industrialization has in each case been accompanied by aggressive government intervention. The authorities have acted to guide markets and moderate the competitive process in a way that neo classical economics says public officials cannot get right. (Wade and White, 1984; 1) Other scholars such as Deyo said about proposed capacity model strategic, emphasizing the new industrialism East Asia: [the] states commitment to economic expansion and, more important, its capacity to implement well-chosen development strategies differentiates these NIEs from other developing Countries better endowed in natural resources, scale of domestic markets, and other economic assets. (Deyo, 1987; 228) According to the static view, Stephen W.K. Chiu and Tai-Lok Lui (1998; 144) said that state intervention is required for successful late industrialization. This is consistent with Gerschenkron perspective which said that the importance of strong state to overcome the lack of defects, and lack of smooth industrial markets. (Gerschenkron, 1962; Rueschemeyer and Evans, 1985). By following Gerschenkron, Amsden (1989) stated that the industrialization of East Asia is characterized by Late instead of Newly of his (such as the economy in new industries). As a newcomer to East Asian companies must be able to compete with Western companies in terms of technology. In other words, Wade, 1992 said that the magnitude of problems faced by latecomers from the developmental state is to offset the weakness that is often faced by companies in East Asia into International Competition and the transfer of its industrial structure to a more dynamic activity technology. The capitalist developmental state Speaking about development capitalism state directs us to the opinion of Johnson (1987) state that capitalism development does not attempt to replace the market mechanism and private decision, but neither does it abdicate to private profit-seeking Behaviors in the development process. Johnson argued about capitalist development is the logic of the system comes from the interaction of two sub-systems, one public and directed to other development objectives and the private sector and aimed at maximizing profits (Johnson, 1987; 141-2) State of development, according to Johnson, 1987 concept have the following features: Elite Development produced and come to the fore because of a desire to exit the stagnation of dependence and backwardness, that really understand that they need to successfully market to maintain efficiency, motivate the people in the long term, and serves as a check on institutionalized corruption as they struggle against underdevelopment (Johnson, 1987; 140). Because not a socialist country, state development firm committed to private property and markets. The market system is very closely with the government to formulate a strategic industrial policy to promote development. While the development of elite state economic intervention not only on the market. In the state bureaucracy, the pilot agencies (such as MITI in Japan) plays an important role in the formulation and implementation of strategic policy. The agency is given sufficient scope to take initiative and operate effectively, and manage the best people. Johnson showed that a good recruitment in the civil bureaucracy will give good results but also produces a sense of unity and common identity on the part of the elite bureaucracy. Another story about how the state promotes late industrialization has been expressed by Amsden (1989) in which the Korean emphasis on subsidy policy for the revolution industry and disciplined in protecting the new industry grow. Subsidies have given because Korean Integration cannot fight with Japanese companies. Subsidies are given to entrepreneurs to build industry. Korea in the future so that eventually became the major industrialized countries. The discipline Policy, firmly Korean government made a rule that companies that have good performance was the company will be able to award a management and bad performance will get a penalty. This suggests that state intervention is in need when Korea in the industry lags It is required in state bureaucracy that has been selected to get a bureaucracy meritocracy have capable and competent in running the government both in terms of policy and regulation. According to Stephen W.K. Chiu and Tai-Lok Lui (1998; 147) bureaucratic autonomy was also guarded by the politicization of the major economic decisions, or what Johnson calls the separation between reigning and ruling: Otherwise, Johnson said that the politicians set broad goals, protect the technocratic bureaucracy from political pressures perform safety valve functions when the bureaucracy makes mistakes, and take the heat when corruption scandals are uncoveredà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the official bureaucracy does the actual planning, interveningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ² and guiding of the economy. (Johnson, 1987; 152). All this is a portrait of the importance of the relationship between state development, conglomerates private sector, banks and other institution in economic development. So the bureaucracy and public-private sector can work together in bringing a strong autonomous states that are not only able to formulate strategic development objectives, but also able to translate national goals into broad effective policy measures to promote late industrialization in East Asia. Towards state-business interdependence? According to Stephen W.K. Chiu and Tai-Lok Lui (1998, 149) states in-state theory emphasizes state autonomy in making decisions and carrying capacity to dominate the market. In East Asia, the theory Gilbert and Howe said: We argue that state-cent red theorists disregard the interrelationà ¯Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¥on of state and society; in viewing the state as an independent entity, they fail to see how it is related to the wider society. Further, they oversimplify societal forces and ignore class conflict within and beyond the state. State and society are interdependent, and must be analyzed as such. (Gilbert and Howe, 1991; 205) Author such as Weiss argued the governed interdependence theory, premised on the proposition that The ability of East Asian firms and industry more generally to adapt quickly to economic change is based on a system that socializes risk and thereby coordinates change across a broad array of organizations both public and private. (Weiss,1995; 594). On the other hand, Weiss argues not only about autonomy is emphasized in state-led model but also the attributes of institutional capacity for coordination with the appropriate type of relationship industrialized countries. Weiss said that in Korea, Taiwan and Japan, the complex matrix of institutions have been established between state institutions and the private sector such as policy networks provides an important mechanism to obtain information and to coordinate cooperation with the private sector with examples of MITI in Japan (Weiss, 1995; 600). This differs with the opinion Samuels in his study of Japans energy policy (Samuel, 1987; 8) says that it is an iterative process of confidence among market participants and public officials, which works better where the patties are stable and negotiations where institutions compacts that ensure their survival. Samuels suggests that Japanese nationals wishing to pursue an energy policy that aims to maintain a stable private market rather than be used to compete or replace private entrepreneurship. Another example, Okimoto debate about the close relationship of government business: It has served as the main instrument for consensus building, the vehicle for information exchange and public-private communication. Close government business relations would be hard to imagine in its absence. Indeed the whole system of Consensus, on which Japans political economy relies, would be hard to maintain without industrial policy as an integrative mechanism. (Okimoto, 1989; 231) Also like Okimoto, Calder said about the financial industry in Japan and the formulation of the strategic capitalism also emphasizes the public-private hybrid system, pushed ahead in the calculation of market-oriented private sector, but with the active involvement of the public sector to encourage public spiritedness and long-term vision (Calder, 1993; 16). Finally, Evans also highlighted the fact that states the successful development can not only be autonomous, they are also embedded in a concrete set of social ties that bind the state to society and provide institutionalized channels for continual negotiation and re-negotiation objectives and policies (Evans , 1995; 12). Competitiveness Competitiveness is the ability to compete in international term between industries not between countries (Krugman, 1996). In winning the competitiveness, the company has its own strategy, such as lower costs, improve product quality and looking for network marketing. However, sometimes the company still needs government support for companies already in several contexts proved to be an important component of the process of achieving competitiveness. The essence of competitiveness strategy are: to improve in-company learning, skills development and technology efforts, to increase the supply of information, skills and technology from around the markets and institutions, and to coordinate collective learning processes that involve different companies in the same industry or in related industries (popularly known as clusters such as, geographic or activity-wise, see Porter, 1990). To win the competitiveness of companies occasionally develop their skills in the market is different for example relating to physical infrastructure, human, financial, technology, capital, and the cluster effect. Competitiveness policy needs arise when one of the markets fails to function efficiently. The experience of East Asian countries in achieving the victory proved that the policy required a coherent and carefully both from the government and the company itself. In order for companies to succeed in international competition, then the measurement of competitiveness needs to be done. One method that can be used in measuring industrial competitiveness in the international area by looking at the competitiveness of industrial products is an international market. One method often used is the RCA (Revealed Comparative Advantage). Revealed Comparative Advantage Beginning of comparative advantage was pioneered by David Ricardos that had opposed the theory of absolute advantage by Adam Smith in The wealth of Nations. In the theory of comparative advantage, David Ricardo states that the country must produce and export goods and services that are relatively more productive than other countries and imports of goods and services that other countries are relatively more productive (Mahoney et al 1998). This theory refers to the productivity based on technological differences in each country. In the literature several techniques used to measure a nations competitiveness by using comparative advantage. There are a number of ways to examine the comparative advantage of the country. One common method is to determine just how special of a country in the production both through building Balassa index or revealed comparative advantage index. This check is good proportion of manufactured or exported, or the numbers working in each industry, compared with other countries. Revealed comparative advantage (RCA) was developed by Balassa (1965). RCA essentially measures normalized export shares, in connection with the same industrial exports in the reference state. RCA index used to determine the position of international competitiveness in terms of trade. RCA Approach, which was pioneered by Balassa, (1965, 1977, 1979 and 1986) have been widely used to test industrial excellence in exports in international market. RCA index is defined as the ratio of a countrys share in world exports of a given industry divided by the share of overall world trade. RCA is still a valid measure of comparative advantage in industries across the country. This is also true by definition still reflects the relative export performance in countries, industries and time and thus still useful for the analysis of the state. Several studies have been done using the concept of RCA by using export and import data. Balassa (1977) have performed an analysis of patterns of comparative advantage of industrialized countries for the period 1953-1971. This method has been used also by the scholar to know the position of industrial competitiveness in international markets such as UNIDO; 1986; World Bank; 1994, Aquino; 1981; Crafts and Thomas; 1986; van Hulst et al; 1991 and. Lim; 1997. The formula to measure a countrys revealed comparative advantage (RCA) is given by: xij / xj Index RCA = xiw / xw Explantation: Xij = value exports commodity i country j Xj = total value exports country j Xiw = value exports commodity i world Xw = total value exports world Several studies by using RCA method Table 2.1. Previous Research on Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) No. Researcher Tittle Conclusion 1.. (Utku Utkulu and Dilek Seymen (Turkey, 2004)). Revealed Comparative Advantage And Competitiveness: Evidence For Turkey Vis-À-Vis The Eu/15 All seven indices show that Turkey has revealed comparative advantages for seven of the 63 product groups: clothing and clothing accessories; vegetables and fruit; sugar, sugar preparations, honey; tobacco; oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; rubber manufactures; textile yarn, fabrics and related products. 2. (Amita Batra and Zeba Khan (India, 2005)) Revealed Comparative Advantage: An Analysis for India and China The analysis of the degree of competition reveals that there is no correlation between the manufacturing sectors of India and China in the global economy. 3. (Naseem Akhtar, Nadia Zakir and Ejaz Ghani) (2007) Changing Revealed Comparative Advantage: a case study of Footwear Industry of Pakistan The changing revealed comparative advantage in Pakistans footwear industry i.e., its shift from disadvantage situation to comparative advantage indicates that there is a potential in this sector for higher growth and the industry can become a source of higher exports earnings. 4. (Diarmaid Addison-Smyth in 2005) Irelands Revealed Comparative Advantage The researcher stated that that Ireland has a RCA in the food and beverages, chemicals and IT sectors. 5. (L. G. Burange and Sheetal J. Chaddha in 2008) Indias Revealed Comparative Advantage In Merchandise Trade Results suggest that India enjoys a comparative advantage in the exports of Ricardo and HO goods. The category of Other goods is also enhancing its presence on the list of items offering comparative advantage. All production of goods requiring standard technology is shifting to developing economies like India as reflected in the absence of RCA in imports of HO goods. Electronics Industry Electronics manufacturing is a commodity that is growing rapidly. In 2005, the global electronics industry has achieved the production of U.S. $ 1.338 trillion, the largest manufacturing industry in the world. The biggest share of world electronics industry is Asia Pacific for 36.8% and America by 25.54% followed by Europe and Japan at 21:35% 15:11%. While for the period 2002-2005 the growth rate, the worlds electronics industry is able to reach 8.2%(table 2.2). Today electronics industry seeks to make changes or moving from the high cost industry to the low cost industry. Based on data concerning the movement of high-cost industries to low cost in mind that manufacturing companies located the United States, Canada, Japan and the West have been migrated and set up their production plants in Asia Pacific countries. This is due to lower costs so that the opportunity to earn much higher profits of manufacturing profits (see figure 2.1). Migration to Low-Cost Locations Source: Reed Research, 2005 in Satiago (2007) Today, with rapid technological advances that have occurred shift segmentation of electronic product with a tendency to electronic networking in the Asia Pacific region including China amounted to 2 / 3 electronic products (see figure 2.2). Based on data on the automotive electronics segment have also been due to various electronic components and parts which have been widely used in automotive. The report said that current industrial electronics industry contributes about 30% of the cost of cars and is expected to rise continue in the future. In terms of market size of electronic components, from the figure 2.3 indicated that the major Asian countries contribute to 43%, excluding Japan 19%, bringing the total of Asia now contributes 62% of the total market and Western countries such as Americas and European) to contribute only 38%. Over the last few years, Asian countries also have penetrated Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) business in the world and are expected to reap 67% of the global EMS revenue in 2009. Electronics Components Market Source: European Electronic Components Manufacturers Association, 2005 in in Satiago (2007) Based on the trend growth rate of the primary and then the electronics industry can be divided into 4 parts electronics industry, namely (Santiago, 2007): Consumer Products: TV flat panel, high definition TVs, iPods, digital cameras and set top box. Communications products: 3G handset, TV reception on handsets, mobile services. Electronic Industry: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), green electronics, optical recognition Automotive electronics: products such as global positioning systems (GPS), hybrid cars and electronics for safety purposes. Electronic games for casinos. Indonesia Electronics Industry Indonesian electronics industry is one of strategic industries and important role in the Indonesian economy. The contribution of electronics industry in Indonesias manufacturing exports in 2005 reached 8%, the third largest non-oil exports in the industrial sector (figure 2.4). Share of the Electronics Exports of the Total Manufacturing Exports (in percentage) Period 2005-2009 Note: *) Period of January-October. Source: BPS (2010) Electronics industry in Indonesia is divided into 3 parts (Ministry of Industry, 2007), namely: Consumer electronics industry, which is a function of their use of electronic product is intended for household needs, such as radio, television, video cassette recorders, refrigerators, washing machines. Industrial electronics business / industry, ie electronics products that use the function intended for business or industrial needs such as computers, calculators, medical equipment. Industry electronics component that is part of an electronics product such as television tubes, integrated circuits, resistors, capacitor, motherboard. Of the three categories, consumer electronics industry is relatively developed industry in Indonesia because it uses technology that is easy to use machines like most in other manufacturing industries (eg, injection-molding machines, inserting machines, dipping machine, press machine, roll-formed steel equipment , machine tools, etc.). Another factor is technology that is relatively simple, so easy in the company relocating from principal to Indonesia. Industrial electronics industry has undergone significant developments supported by booming communications and telecommunications sectors. Weakest segment in the electronics industry is an industry component. Component industry is still underdeveloped compared to both other electronics industries. So the electronics industry is still a high dependence Indonesia with imported components. This is due in addition to limited local component industry also collided in terms of product innovation. The majority of the domestic component industry produces low-tech components, such as plastics, rubber, and metal parts, passive components, mechanical parts, such as speakers, transformers, heat sinks, cable connection, flyback transformer, and printed circuit board (PCB). When we compare in terms of number of firms, output, and work with other industries in Indonesia such as the textile industry, the electronics industry in Indonesia is relatively small. According to the survey of medium and large manufacturing firms conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Industrial electronics assembly industry is still dominated by the level of innovation and simple modification and limited-production capabilities. Only a minority of companies have the ability to modify the basic, design, and engineering innovation. Viewed from the point of production structure, most electronics companies are very dependent on imported components from principal. Base on survey conducted by the Ministry of Trade in 2008 found that the Indonesian electronics industry is still concentrated in the regions of West Java and Banten, Riau Island, Jakarta and East Java with a percentage of the industry amounted to 59.70 percent, 17:14 percent, 12:05 percent, and 8:10 per from the above provinces such as in Central Java, DI. Yogyakarta and North Sumatra is still far smaller than the fourth region. Based on the data, the Indonesian electronics industry is still concentrated in only four regions. These conditions actually facilitate Indonesian to building facilities and infrastructure that can support Indonesias competitiveness in electronic products. Agglomeration Effects versus Policy Effects: The Case of the Electronics Industry in Malaysia In the present paper, we examined firms location choice within the Malaysian electronics industry, using a conditional logit model. We find that agglomeration and industrial estate have a positive effect on location choice. In particular, agglomeration has much larger effect on location-choice behavior by firms than any other factor. Although the government establishes industrial estates in underdeveloped areas to attract new investment, their effectiveness on location choice is very limited because of the lack of agglomeration effects. From these results, we draw the following two policy implications. First, establishing industrial estates is not an efficient strategy to overcome the regional inequality of industry in a developing country. Other policy tools should be considered for this purpose. Second, enlarging existing industrial estates and/or building new ones will be a good policy tool to attract firms to regions that already have plentiful firms. Dieter Ernst in 2004 Late Innovation Strategies in Electronics Industries: A Conceptual Framework and Illustrative Evidence This paper has developed some important conceptual building-blocks that we need to capture peculiar features of Asias late innovation strategies in the electronics industry. The paper has finding that Asian firms recently have been able to innovate in industries that involve highly complex technological knowledge, despite the fact that they continue to lag substantially behind advanced nations in the development of their RD and innovative capabilities. In addition to design implementation, this includes innovations in process technology for electronic components and in the design

The sustainability strategy

The sustainability strategy EXECUTIVE SUMMARY With globalization, technological changes, economic drivers, and social and environmental mandates, the global business environment is less predictable and more challenging than it was even a decade ago. Customers, stakeholders, and society expect and demand superior products, services, and operations with less waste, reduced impacts on health, safety, and the environment, and enhanced corporate responsibilities for the decisions, technologies, products, processes, and activities of every facet of the business enterprise. In the words of Rainey (2006) Today, businesses must thoroughly analyze the global business environment to gain a firm understanding of the opportunities and challenges it presents, and develop aggressive strategies for improving every aspect of their enterprises. To do this, corporations must have in place a comprehensive and integrated strategic management framework for formulating and implementing business strategies, programs, and actions based on considerations that include the entire business environment. Such a framework requires the capability to integrate both internal systems and processes and those of external business entities, including customers, stakeholders, and supply networks. According to Siemens Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2002, Berlin and Munich: Siemens AG, 2002 Sustainable success is our number one priority. Our activities focus on meeting the needs of customers and creating value for our shareholders and employees. Our innovations generated through our own laboratories and in cooperation with customers, business partners and universities are our greatest strengths. Woolworths Limited is an Australian public corporation with annual sales of over 38 billion. The company is recognized as one of the top five retail companies in the world. The company is committed to wards improvement of its environment footprint through a proper sustainability strategy. The sustainability strategy of the company addresses many of the significant issues related with environment, public, staff, and economic responsibilities of business. This sustainability strategy of Woolworths has been discussed in detail along with its benefits and limitations in the report. INTRODUCTION The retail industry connects with every person in some way. To remain competitive and profitable the industry is constantly required to adapt to changing nature of local as well as that of global marketplace. Sustainability is not an easy task as it involves a great deal of complexity related with the issues involved. It is important to have an effective management system for managing environmental, social and economic performance as it is fundamental for a sustainable development of any company or industry as a whole. Further, identifying, measuring, and reporting social and environmental impacts cannot begin until the board of directors and CEO are committed to improved sustainability management. Often it is through a mission statement or the development and articulation of a corporate sustainability strategy that the board and CEO set the tone at the top. It is then necessary to drive this commitment through the organization by implementing the various systems for identifying and measuring impacts, stakeholder engagement, product design, product costing, capital budgeting, information management, and performance evaluation. Epstein, Mark J. (2008) argued that effective and consistent leadership provides an alignment between environmentally and socially responsive activities and corporate goals and provides internal credibility to promote progress toward improved social and environmental management within business units and organizational functions. Woolworths CEO Simon Susman says, We know that sustainable growth can only be achieved through paying greater attention to the world around us than has been the case in the past. The links between economic growth, transformation, social development, the environment and climate change must create a better world for everyone. Purpose and Scope The report aims at making a critical analysis of Woolworths Sustainability Strategy. The strategy is analyzed on the basis of business responsibility towards social, economic and environmental issues. The report will present a view of Woolworths sustainability along with the key introductions in companys new plan of sustainability which was released recently. Woolworth was praised for its sustainability strategy but recently it has also been criticized of working against its own strategy. This aspect is also discussed in the report. Methodology The case study analysis is undertaken to form an opinion about the issue. Secondary source of information is mainly used to analyze the sustainability strategy of Woolworths and its effect of society, environment and economic areas. The data has been collected from various journals, newspapers and website of Woolworths. Various concepts and theories will be applied to the available data in order to present a clear picture of the companys strategy. BACKGROUND Woolworths Limited stretches across food and grocery, liquor, petrol, general merchandise and consumer electronics. The company is a major investor in Australia and New Zealand communities. Woolsworth is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and employ more than 191,000 people with approximately 380,000 shareholders. The company claims of being conscious of its responsibilities towards it stakeholders as its operations impact its own people, customers, communities, shareholders, supply chain and the environment. Woolworths is well known as the fresh food people in Australia and was established in 1924. It was the second largest employer in Australia and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was an integral part of its corporate agenda. Recently Woolworths announced its new sustainability strategy. Under such strategy Woolsworth also opened its first Green Store in 2007 in Sydney. In this store innovative technologies are used to minimize the use of energy and water, and reduce waste generation. Through these stores Woolsworth aims at reducing the environmental impact caused by the companys retail operations. According to Simon Susman (Chief Executive, Woolworths) We have used the phrase the Good business journey because this truly is a journey and there are no easy solutions. We are committed to meeting the 5 year targets we have set and to do this, we will be exploring new ways of doing things in many areas. Reaching these destinations will require significant behavioural and cultural change. If we can take our customers and suppliers along with us, this journey will have an even more meaningful impact on the wide range of transformational, social and environmental challenges that face South Africa, Models and Frameworks The objective of sustainability is the maintenance or restoration of a desired state that has already existed. The promotion of sustainability is an active process of engaging society. Firms need to become involved in this process because, collectively, they are now so powerful that communities and governments often do not act sufficiently strongly to achieve sustainability if there is active or perceived opposition from the private sector. So sustainability-promoting firms need to go beyond simply reducing their own negative environmental, social or economic impacts. They need to produce products that help society to become sustainable and they also need to use their influence to encourage society-wide action to achieve sustainability. This approach will be taken as the basis of our analysis of Woolworths sustainability strategy. Capabilities Framework According to Turner and Crawford (1998) To maximize organizational success, in both the short and the long term, firms need the capabilities to deliver results effectively. They also need to be able to identify viable and desirable future directions. And in the face of the enthusiasm for the new, they still need to retain valuable attributes and resources (within the firm and in society/ the environment). To achieve these three goals firms need special capabilities. Turner and Crawford gave a framework of such capabilities which is depicted in Figure 1 and will be considered while discussing the strategy of Woolswoths. Sustainability Implementation Framework Another framework to be used in the study is the Sustainability Implementation Framework suggested by Diesendorf (1998) that comprises of following three levels: Level 0, comprising the broad ethical principles Level 1, comprising broad goals arising from these principles Level 2, comprising measurable objectives or indicators The above two models will be used to analyze the sustainability strategy of Woolworths. ANALYSIS OF SUSTANABILITY STRATEGY OF WOOLSWORTHS Woolworths is aware of its responsibility towards stakeholders and thus employed corporate social responsibility at the core of its business strategy. Business of the company has social, economic and environmental impacts and thus Woolworths decided to take a range of initiatives to provide a quality of life to its customers, the workforce and the society at large. Along with such social initiatives Woolworths took up several initiatives to be a responsible retailer as well. Woolworths made sure that its initiative related with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) must comprise of initiates towards the betterment of environment, employees, shareholders, supply networks and customers. Some important components in relation to sustainability strategy of Woolworths are discussed as follows: Accelerating Transformation Driving Social Development Enhancing the Environmental focus Addressing Climate Change Providing Quality and Innovation in products and Services Accelerating Transformation Woolworths aims at accelerating transformation of its products, stores and processes. The company is committed to transformation across the business and has embarked upon a company-wide program so as to make sure that transformation becomes an entrenched way of doing business all over the company. Under this approach company will transform the way of doing business across all aspects and also will work in partnership with its suppliers, public sector, and franchise partners. Woolworths will accelerate its retail skills and for achieving this target various straining initiatives have been undertaken by the company. These initiatives include accreditation of Woolworths courses and the establishment of provincial Woolworths learning centers. Such training initiatives will prepare a pipeline of skilled employees which can be harnesses in case of any shortage at senior leadership levels in the organization. Under the sustainability strategy Woolworths is also aimed at meeting employment e quity targets. Also Woolworths aim at focusing at groups such as madumbi farmers of KwaZulu-Natal and the Beaufort West Hydroponics Project to increase the number of core products sourced from BEE supplier partners. According to the website of company In addition to our own broad BEE Employee Share Ownership Scheme, we will focus on advancing skills development and pushing our South Africa first approach even harder. Woolworths also recognized its economic responsibility and have taken initiatives to refine its brand position with significant investment in price, merchandise range, and quality. This investment will continue to deliver gains to shareholders of the company. Driving Social Development Under its sustainable strategy Woolworths is committed towards social development and its first focus is on South Africa in this context. As stated on companys website-Well work harder to drive social development by expanding the existing initiatives of the Woolworths Trust such as EduPlant and MySchool, and by introducing a programme through our stores to improve the plight of orphans and other vulnerable children. Woolworths also plans an effective role in providing employment and giving the community opportunities to expand and grow. The company employs nearly 191,000 people in its retail business. The company claims of employing people based upon their skills, qualifications and aptitude with irrespective of gender, race, religion, marital status or ethnic origin. Also, it employs women in business and provides them flexible working patterns and training opportunities. Health and Safety policy is also undertaken and is well communicated to managers in the organization along with an efficient system of managing and reporting of such a health and safety culture. Woolworths is continuously making a difference in South African Schools. According to the financial results of the company for a period of July 2007 to June 2008, Woolworths has announced a R18 million contribution to MySchool, including MyPlanet and MyVillage in South Africa. The company aims at increasing it social contributions to more than R300m per year. Woolworths also entered into partnerships with charity groups and undertook franchising programs. It supported charities like Foodbank, Salvation Army, Canteen, Beyond Blue, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, etc. Woolworths also started many initiatives to raise awareness about the plight of farming families hit by drought of Australia. The introduction of reusable bags by the company supported new enterprises that were required to produce fabric bags for the company. Enhancing Environmental Focus Another key component of Woolworths Sustainability Strategy is giving full importance to environmental issues. Environmental sustainability was a key aspect of Woolworths CSR approach. Woolworths is in retail business and its operations affect the environment in many ways such as waste production, high energy and fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Woolworths implemented a long term strategy to combat issues concerning the impact of the companys operations on the environment. Woolworths concentrated on refrigeration, lighting and temperature control to reduce the amount of energy consumption in its operations. Installation of automated after-hours blinds on open refrigeration cabinets, lighting and air conditioning made operations more energy efficient. Woolworths have decided to make all of its new stores Green Stores and adopt energy efficient guidelines in all such stores. Through these initiatives company will be able to reduce the emission of Carbon-di-oxide. In the strategy company aims at reducing the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals and increasing organic food and cloth offering. Also, company introduced a new packaging scheme to develop reusable bags which an effort towards saving scarce natural resources. The company targets at reducing the amount of plastic and cardboard in the general waste to less than 1 percent by weight by year 2010. Susman said Water is one of South Africas scarcest natural resources and Woolworths is targeting a 30% reduction in water consumption and will develop a programme to encourage our suppliers to do the same. Woolworths also took several initiatives to save water in it stores. It plans to save at least 200 million liters of water by year 2010. Also, as a fuel saving initiative, Woolworths discarded vehicles that consumed more fuel. It outsourced the disposal of worn-out tires and batteries to third party experts and used grease traps at its truck cleaning centers to prevent oil and fuel waste from entering waste water system. Addressing Climate Change Woolworths planned to use B20 (20 percent bio fuel mix) bio-diesel for its entire fleet of trucks. This move was expected to reduce carbon emission by 11,500 tones per year. Also, company decided to use large number of small cars with LPG fuel across its car fleet. The carbon emission from the companys fleet of 3100 cars is to be reduced by 30 percent by 2010 and that of trucks by 25 percent by the end of 2012 as compared to 2006. In addition to this initiative the company aims at cutting its electricity usage by 30% and removing conventional light bulbs from its shelves. Chief Executive, Woolworths, Simon Susman stated Woolworths will support carbon offsetting in as much as greening reduces carbon excess. Well do this by planting more trees at our MySchool schools, our Eduplant schools and our extensive Midrand campus grounds. Providing Quality and Innovation The very first component which formed the base of sustainability strategy was innovation. Woolworths aims at providing innovation in products, services and facilities provided by the company. The company views innovation as the base to introduce any product or service in market, finding more efficient and cheaper sources of supply, new store formats and process improvement to gain a reduction in cost. In this context while considering environment responsibility Woolworths concentrated on adopting a Green Stores strategy where all the new stores of companys would adopt energy efficient guidelines. At the same time Woolworths implemented several water saving initiatives at its stores. While choosing new sites for stores the company special consideration have been given to investigate how a store will fit in the state and local government area. Sufficient market research is being done before opening up any store. An example of innovative practice is a number of modifications being made in store design to address the community interest in Mullumbimby in New South Wales. Company has moved the loading dock away from the car parking area to improve safety for shoppers and making changes to the faà §ade so that the store will fit in better with the streetscape. Woolworths introduced a health kids program named Fresh Food Kids. This program helps in increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in kids. An interactive and educational website has also been launched under this step. There are many successful applicants to the program who have regarded it a success in developing and encouraging eating health and fresh food among kids. Woolworths aims at undertaking innovation through efficiency and enhancing quality in its business processes. It has made a substantial commitment to its Project Refresh which refers to a framework in order to improve business performance and business restructuring programs through end-to end supply chain improvement. APPLYING VARIOUS FRAMEWORKS TO SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY OF WOOLWORTHS Now we will apply the models discussed in section 2 to analyze the performance Woolworths sustainability strategy. Capabilities Framework Path-finding Path-finding refers to developing, crystallizing and articulating new directions, strategies, purposes and values for the organization. Woolworths studied the environment in which the company is operating. It gave due importance to the areas and people affected by its operations and business. Through a continuous study the company realized that it is important to act responsibly towards the stakeholders of the company. So, it designed and developed a strategy committed towards benefit of customers, shareholders, environment, climate and communities. Then company placed the Corporate Social Responsibility at the base of the project so that there is no divergence from this basic objective through the implementation of the strategy of sustainable growth. The directions decided to achieve the objectives of this strategy was guided by the principles of innovation, quality, transformation, environment and climate focus and social improvement. Engagement Getting people throughout the organization informed, committed and motivated to act to achieve the organizations purpose and future direction refers to engagement. Woolworths strategy involved people of the organization to achieve the desired target. The strategy at each step emphasizes on training of employees and workforce of the company so as to understand the need of new initiatives and learn to perform under new objectives. Woolworths has launched an Employee Matching Award (EMA) to support issues that are of particular, personal concern to its staff members and encourage the workforce of the company to help make a positive contribution to worthy causes. However, there is no involvement of customers and other stakeholders in strategy making process. No feedback or suggestions are taken while designing a policy which can impact the lives of general public. Development Woolworths have been engaged in developing its resources whether physical, technological or personnel. Redesigning of stores has been initiated as a strategic move to reduce waste and make them energy efficient. Personnel at all levels are being provided training to perform well in changed environments and with new standards. Also, company has changed its fleet of trucks and cars to reduce emission and fuel consumption. Performance Management There is no set well established management system to assess the performance at each step of implementation of the strategy. In such a strategy where so many changes and new operations have been introduced there is a need of a detailed and efficient performance management system also. Identification Woolworths strategy does not give a clear view of which of the organizations or societys current attributes, strategies will be retained and which will be changed under the plan of sustainability. Marketing and Selling The sustainability strategy of Woolworths lacks a detailed marketing plan. Although, understanding the market and innovating products as per the needs and expectations of customers is surely present in the plan but the strategy to enter new markets and tap existing untapped markets does not find any place in the sustainability of the company. Sustainability Implementation Strategy Applying the Sustainability Implementation Frameworks as suggested by Diesendorf the strategy of Woolworths is now explained. There are three levels discussed in this framework of sustainability development. These levels along with their presence in the sustainability strategy of Woolworths are discussed as follows: Level 0 In this level the broad principles considered are generally ethical requirements. By ethics, we mean pertaining to questions of right or wrong, or good or bad. In the past, consideration of values and ethics was not popular in the business world. The ethical principles described under this framework are respect nature, respect humans and be generous in our respect. According to Diesendorf (2000) Those who are uncomfortable with starting from an ethical position might consider that the above ethical principles are essential for the long term viability of the economy and society. Therefore, they could be seen as enlightened self-interest on the part of individuals and corporations planning for a long term future. In the strategy of Woolworths all the three principles are very well taken care off. There is perfect consideration for nature in the strategy and also humans whether employees, customers or shareholders all are respected and given due consideration while taking any step towards achievement of strategic goals. Level 1 At Level 1, the broad goals to conserve or enhance inter- and intragenerational equity, human well-being, biodiversity and ecological integrity are widely supported. Diesendorf added the conservation of cultural diversity here as a social analogue to the conservation of biodiversity. According to Diesendorf The goal of inter-generational equity is the basic thrust of the Brundtland definition of sustainable development. If we accept this goal, then it can be argued that we must also accept the need for intra-generational (that is, social) equity. It should be recalled that, in this chapter, equity does not mean equality, but rather equal opportunity. This goal is very well taken care of in Woolworths strategy. The company ensures of employing people in the organization irrespective of their cast, race, gender, cultural background and strictly on the basis of their educational qualification and experience. The conservation of natural capital, widely used in some models of sustainability, has been replaced here by the conservation of critical capital, because the former overlaps strongly with conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity and, even where it does not, there are vast quantities of some forms of natural capital (for example, sand) which are not in urgent need of conservation. Critical capital facilitates a focus on those forms of natural and human-made capital which are threatened with damage, destruction or dispersion (for example, phosphorus, archaeological sites). This feature does lack in the strategy of Woolworths. Conservation of atmosphere and climate is not normally included as a sustainability goal. However, in view of the seriousness of the present threat and the fact that the potential effects of climate change impact on biodiversity, ecological integrity and human health, it has been listed explicitly here alongside critical capital. This goal have been given an important place in sustainability strategy of Woolworths as the retail giant aims at reducing the emission of carbon from its fleet of trucks and cars. Also, introduction of reusable bags in place of plastic bags proves that the company is committed to environmental and climate safety. Level 2 This stage defines the standard criteria for sustainability indicators. This stage explains that such criteria should be measurable, relevant, simple to use and understand, reliable, reproducible, and timely for decision making. Hart (1998) states Several authors suggest that sustainability indicators should, in addition, reflect something fundamental to the environmental, economic and social/cultural health of a community over generations. The sustainability strategy of Woolworths does include set targets which are represents in figures but there is no set measurable standards to judge and measure the achievements of the strategy. RECOMMENDATIONS From the analysis of sustainability strategy of Woolworths it is evident that despite of being a successful strategy with corporate social responsibility as the basis of its operations there are certain key areas where the process is lacking. For the improvement of the strategic program certain recommendations have been discussed as follows: There should be a performance measurement and control system embedded in the strategy of sustainable growth. A proper assessment of performance at various stages and the regular feedback on the performance will help in removing any gaps in the level and efficiency decided for meeting objectives and actual achievement of such objectives. A system of feedback and suggestions from stakeholders should be designed. Such a feedback will help in improving the strategy and making the required changes as per the perception of general public about the initiatives taken by the company. It will ensure a fast and proper acceptance of the strategy by the stakeholders which is an essential element for the success of any strategy. There should be a proper system of informing stakeholders about the strategy. In the present plan no emphasis is given to communication of plans within and outside the organization. If the plans of the management are properly and efficiently communicated they are easily grasped by the concerned parties and makes it easier for the workforce to contribute towards the achievement of desired organizational objectives. Woolworths is also expected to introduce innovation in its products. There have been several innovative steps taken by the company to improve its processes and service to public. The company operates in a highly competitive environment of retail industry where the needs, demands and preferences of consumer changes very fast. To sustain in such an environment it is necessary to introduce innovative products also. Conclusion In the words of Simon Susman The Good business journey is a business imperative for Woolworths. Many aspects of it are linked together to generate a multiplier effect: reducing product miles by encouraging greater local sourcing we will open up opportunities for enterprise development and preferential procurement; reducing packaging will result in energy and paper savings thereby reducing the Woolworths carbon footprint. Corporate responsibility or Sustainability is fundamental to any companys responsibilities. At the same time it is also an opportunity for the company to establish its good image in front of its customers and shareholders. Thus, an integrated sustainability program as that of Woolworths is an important and successful method of managing environmental, economic as well as social risks. Moreover, such a strategy helps in identification of new opportunities, services, new products and new markets for expansion of business. Woolworths program of sustainability is strongly influenced by the strategies of international retailers such as Wal-Mart, and Marks Spencer. However unique to this approach is the placement of South African perspective on the issues related with Social responsibility along with a strong focus on transformation initiatives and environmental safeguard. REFERENCES Brown, Christopher Stephen (2005), The Sustainable Enterprise: Profiting From Best Practice, Kogan Page Bleischwitz, Raimund and Hennicke, Peter (2004), Eco-Friendly, Regulation and Sustainable Business: Towards a Governance Structure for Sustainable Development, Edward Elgar Publishing. Cocks, G.J. (2003), Bringing Life to Organizational Strategy, Mt Eliza Business Review, Winter/Spring, pp. 45-49 Dunphy, Dexter Benveniste, Jodie (2000) Sustainability: The Corporate Challenge of the 21st Century, Allen Unwin. Egelhofff, W.G. (1993), Great Strategy or Great Strategy Implementation-Two ways of Competing in Global Markets, Sloan Management Review, Winter/Spring, pp. 37-50 Epstein, Mark J. 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