Corruption In the Oil Industry (Situation in Alaska, UN Oil-for-food Essay

Corruption In the Oil Industry (Situation in Alaska, UN Oil-for-food Program) - Essay Example oil back in December 1996, the Security Council allowed Iraq to deliver a maximum of $4 billion worth of oil each year wherein two-thirds of the profit will be used in the purchase of humanitarian goods and services. (Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food, 2007b) This value was eventually increased to $10.52 billion a year in 1998. Due to the huge demand for oil globally, the Security Council removed the export limit in December 1999. Despite the huge amount of money that is expected to be collected from this program, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that more than $67 billion of oil revenue has accumulated over-the-years but only $31 billion or less than 50% was spent on the humanitarian program in Iraq. (United States Government Accountability Office - Report to Congressional Committees, 2006, p. 2) The Oil-for-Food program has been successful in achieving its main objectives. As of March 2003, a lot of positive improvements with regards to the Iraqi’s socio-economic status were reported to have increased the living status of its local people. (Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food, 2007b) However, negative issues related to the oil corruption scandals connected to this program have been tremendously debatable for many years. (United States Government Accountability Office - Report to Congressional Committees, 2006; Asman, 2004) In line with the act of removing the export limit of oil under the Oil-for-Food program, the study will examine the major causes and effects of oil corruption; the well-known personalities who are directly and indirectly involved behind the oil corruption scandals; the negative impact of oil corruption to the local people in Iraq; and the strength and weaknesses of Alaska’s regulation on oil corruption. At the end of the study, the researcher will discuss and suggest several ways on how the government of Alaska could prevent and minimize the negative impact of oil corruption among its

Grandfathers Journey by Allen Say Essay Example for Free

Grandfathers Journey by Allen Say Essay Question 1. Describe how the story is structured to influence your response to the text. Question 2. Describe one of the storys major settings. How is it constructed and what is its significance to the story and its ideas? North America is the major setting in this book. North America holds a lot of new technology and everything is new and spectacular to him, the trains, the enormous rock sculptures and an endless farming field are examples of this. There is also a bad side to this place; there are huge cities of factories and tall buildings with thick smoke coming out of each building. But above all, best place was California, where there were a strong sunlight, the Sierra Mountains and the seacoast. Along the way he had met and shook hands new people, which had different cultural backgrounds to him. This setting is constructed in a way that the more the grandfather travels the more he liked it and wanted to make the New World his home. This setting shows that the cultural barrier can be broken and people should go out and see the world and meet new people to develop more familiarity of the world they live in. Question 3. How are you positioned to respond to the major character/s of the story? What values are represented through them? Question 4. Describe the extent to which language and graphics are successfully used together to shape your response. Discuss with close reference to at lease two examples. In the Grandfathers Journey, there are a few pages where the graphics and the text connect together to give the reader a better understanding of situation. At the beginning (on page 4) the text was My grandfather was a young man when he left his home in Japan and went to see the world. On this page it shows the grandfather in Japanese clothes and the background had very dull colours because he is still in the Old World. On the next page it shows the transition to the New World. The background colours have changed from dull to bright and he had changed into European clothes. The wave that looks very unsteady shows the New World. All this happens when you want to see the world. On page 17, there is a picture of the grandfathers daughter holding a pram with a European doll sitting in it. The text that goes with the page was As his daughter grew, my grandfather began to think about his own childhood. He thought about his old friends. In the picture the author shows the contrast between the Asian girl and the European girl using different clothing and the cultural difference (seen through the colours of the hairs). When compared, the grandfather began to remember how his old friends in Japan were when they were little. This illustrates think about his own childhood. He thought about his old friends. Question 5. Discuss the attitudes and values of the text and your personal response to these. Question 6. Describe at least one link you can make between this book and another/other texts you have read or viewed. How do the texts compare in terms of the ideas presented and how do you respond to these ideas? One of the pages in this book makes us realise that we often label Japan as the enemy in World War II, whilst they were also the victim and had also suffered a large amount of devastation. In the film Pearl Harbour, one of the scenes was Japan bombing Pearl Harbour. This only shows the negative side of Japan, where they were attackers, but it did not show them as the victims suffering from the disaster. This movie is persuading the audience to blame Japan for the damages of the war, where Japan had to go through the emotional breakdowns and physical injuries. Even though the book tells us not to blame Japan for the damages and the movie shows us that Japan was the enemy in World War II, there is still a link between the two texts and that is after a war majority of the participating countries will have, no matter large or small, havocs. I think, because of this, we should not blame a certain country for the occurrence of the war, and should not blame any country since the countries that participated are both enemies and victims of the war.

Managing Globalization at Sony

Managing Globalization at Sony Executive Summary As a consequence of economic liberalization, free trade is rapidly becoming a reality within regional blocks, such as the EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, and Mercosur. Furthermore, the World Trade Organization is continuously reducing the remaining barriers to the free flow of capital, goods, services, and technology among countries and regional blocks. The barriers to trade and investment among countries continue to decline rapidly and are making globalization increasingly more feasible and less expensive. Secondly, technological advances continue their onward march. There has been a sharp decline in the costs of air transportation, telecommunication, and computers since 1950. The decline in transportation costs has radically shrunk the cost of shipping goods across countries. These developments in information technology have dramatically reduced the operative distance between companies, their customers, and their suppliers and made coordination of far-flung operations not only more feasible but also more reliable and efficient. Owing to the development of the global economy, most of the firms are now expanding their operations across nations. Companies are not only located in their home countries, but the production centers, warehouses, distribution centers are also built up in different countries as well. This has been done increasingly to reap the benefits of cost and advantageous resources. This research mainly focuses on certain important strategies adopted by multinational enterprises. These strategic areas of discussion are strategy for globalization, achieving global coordination and operations, building global RD networks and improving corporate governance. The main focus will be on strategies adopted for the mentioned key issues by two multinationals: SONY and SAMSUNG. A qualitative research of these two companies is undertaken and a comparison of the strategies adopted for various key issues has been made in this paper. 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Background and Motives In its simplest form, strategy is about getting from A to B as cost-effectively as possible. Implicit in this process are: assessing a firm’s existing situation (A), both external and internal; clarifying strategic objectives (B) and the opportunities they encompass; and determining the pathway of long-term activities (strategies) that most effectively lead from A to B. The strategic pathway must reflect not only the changing environment, but also changes called for in a firm’s capabilities. As such, strategy necessarily combines both internal and external aspects of a firm. When the environment is complex and at times volatile, as is true for the global economy, these two aspects are continuously in play and shaping each other. Firms vary considerably in the motivations and paths that guide them toward their global agendas. They begin at different points in their development, pursue different visions, and operate under different industry conditions. Firms also have a broad choice of the strategic path they take to achieve their global agendas. Some firms in the medical, biotech, and computer software fields may be viewed as â€Å"born global,† because their products have immediate widespread acceptance in an identifiable market niche around the world. But even then, like most firms, they must traverse one or more of three broadly different paths to globalize their operations-through growth, extension, or transformation. Thus, it is the foreign entry strategy that decides the mode of expanding business across nations. The research paper will focus on these strategies as adopted by Sony along with the strategy adopted for global coordination, global RD networks and corporate governance. These strategies of Sony will be compared with those of Samsung to present a contrasting image between the two companies. 1.2 Research Methods The purpose of qualitative research methods is to discover and explain the actual business phenomenon of operations, and CASE STUDY is one of the most popular methods of conducting such a research. This research is mainly focused on two multinational enterprises-SONY and SAMSUNG and the strategies adopted by these firms to enter foreign markets, strategies for attaining coordination in global operations and corporate governance strategies. In order to understand the strategies adopted by these two enterprises is studies. These sources include publications, annual reports and public release of case study companies and a case study provided on globalization of Sony Corporation. Afterwards, the data and information among these corporations will be compared and analyzed. Finally, the results of the case study will be tested and verified with the literature and certain recommendations for further strategies to be followed will be provided.Certain important concepts will be considered whi le making the analysis. These concepts are Multinational Enterprise, Globalization, Corporate Governance and Competitive advantage. The purpose of this research is to explore various strategies adopted while going global and for managing global operations efficiently. The research will aim at discussing and comparing two multinational companies Sony and Samsung on issues relevant to global operations of any organization. The research will also analyze the impact of current economic crisis on the global strategies adopted by companies. While analyzing such impact special consideration will be given to the views of Rhodes and Stetler provided in an article Seize the Advantage in a Downturn, Harvard Business Review (2009) 2 MANAGING A GLOBAL CORPORATION: SONY Sony is uniquely characterized with its relatively outgoing nature, flambount leadership and global mindset of its top executives. The company was founded on May 7, 1946, in Japan under the name of Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo. In 1958, the company changed its name officially to Sony Corporation. Its major products include Audio, Video, Televisions, Information and Communication, Semiconductors and Electronic Components. Sony was the first Japanese company to set up manufacturing facilities in the U.S. In 1980s Sony decided to diversify beyond consumer electronic goods and began to move production to other countries. Various strategies adopted by Sony while globalizing its operations are discussed in following topics. 2.1 Going Global In 1980s Japan had an image of a producer of poor quality goods. When Sony decided to go global the very first decision taken by Morita, (then chairman of Sony Corporation) was to change the companys name from a Japanese name to Sony, which was a combination of a Latin word sonus meaning sound, and a British word sonny meaning, little man. Sony initiated in its global operations in a properly planned way and used Transnational-market strategy to go global. Instead of just starting off the operations in all major countries, the company emphasized on setting up operations in one particular region at a time. For globalizing its operations, Sony followed a approach to understand the market and learn to sell before making any heavy investments. The very first effort towards globalization was setting up of a sales subsidiary in U.S. This was done in 1960 and a decision to set up a manufacturing unit was taken up only in 1971 when the company became well aware of the market trends and consumers choice in U.S. Also Morita decided to stay in America so as to understand the mentality and consumer behavior of the market. Such a bold decision helped Sony to better place its products in U.S. markets. Next market which Sony decided to tap was Europe. In order to be successful in European markets, Sony decided to customize its products as per the consumers choice. Sony had to design a Television set that would accept any of the four prevailing standards of Europe. Although, there was strong resistance for Sonys designs in European markets, company totally refused to leave its philosophy of being different and not an imitator. In London also company followed the policy of starting with only sales office and that too on a small scale. This helped the company to deeply analyze and understand the market the consumer choice before going for great investments in the country. In Germany Sonys strategy was to concentrate on projecting an image of quality. It started selling its product sonly through some best electronic shops and this created a strong awareness about the products of the company. However, to sustain in German markets, Sony continued to persist with its expensive, high quality image even after gaining a considerable awareness and flow of orders. Another challenge which Sony faced while globalizing was expanding operations in several Scandinavian countries. Here Sony first appointed local competing manufacturers, as its agents to enter the market. These manufacturers were those enjoying a good reputation in market and had strong sales capabilities. A worldwide economic recession of 1981-82 acted as a dampener on Sonys sales. At this time a new strategy of setting up Strategic Business Units (SBU) was undertaken so as to manage operations on global basis. 2.2 Building a Global RD Network Sony had developed several breakthrough products since its inception in 1946. The company had always followed the strategy of identifying customer needs and developing products to satisfy those needs and also which can stand the ever-changing market trends. Sony has several RD labs established in different parts of the world. These labs participate in annual meetings every year so as to set priorities and promote collaboration among different regions. The company looked at RD facilities as a means to tap foreign technology, provide technological support to foreign plants and to modify products to suit the needs of overseas markets. The global RD network is controlled centrally by CTO at the Japanese headquarters of the company and the system represents a Matrix system. The RD offices of US and Europe have CTOs who coordinates their own regional RD activities and formulate regional technology strategies. However, overseas labs are given sufficient autonomy to plan and implement their projects and local labs are managed by local subsidiary and also by the CTO. Sony aims at non-duplication of research activities across the system and for this company organizes Annual Technology Exchange Convention where executives from all over the world are able to exchange information and appreciate companys research capabilities. 2.3 Global Coordination Sony used decentralization and delegation in managing its global operations. The need for a good communication between Japanese headquarters and local businesses was also realized. To foster this Sony emphasized on relating its marketing groups with engineering, manufacturing and other headquarter functions. Also, product divisions were allotted the responsibility of participating in design, promotion and advertising along with distribution and various operational issues. Sony does have separate business units with independent management committees but all these are linked with headquarters to ensure coordination and cooperation in various functions. Along with a fair deal of decentralization of functions Sony established a Strategic Group Headquarters to oversee group operations and allocate resources efficiently. Also, there is an integration of design, production, customer service and logistics functions of factories to streamline supply chain management. Through greater use of i nformation technology Sony aims at coordinating administrative, sales and marketing operations of Japan, U.S and Europe. The strategy is to provide a wide range of authority to business units, but with the retention of the cohesive power of headquarters. The goal of this strategy is to create an environment of strong leadership of top management and increased corporate worth. 2.4 Corporate Governance While designing a corporate governance system at Sony, it was aimed that the ability of Board to oversee operations be strengthened. Proper care was taken for delegation of greater authority and responsibility for the extension of business activities and company planned to adopt the Company with Committees system. Such a system comprised of three committees each of which consists of a majority of outside directors. The appointment of outside directors ensures greater soundness, transparency and speed in corporate governance matters. The strategy here is was recognize the importance of a management system that believes in importance of shareholders of the company. The base of such a system of corporate governance is considered to be the innovation of Board of Directors of the company. 3 COMPARISON OF SONYS STRATEGIES WITH THAT OF SAMSUNG. Samsung was founded by Lee Byung-Chull as a small trading company in 1938. Today Samsung Group is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. The globalization efforts started in Samsung in late 1980s. When Samsung decided to go global the main problem which aroused was companys image of being bargain junk. CEO and management personnel of the company travelled to the US to understand the market and realized that there is a strong need to change this perception about Samsung. Like Sony, Samsung also started with setting up of sales subsidiaries mainly in developed countries but unlike Sony, Samsung did not emphasized in tapping one country at a time. Rather Samsung started with its global operations in 1980s with setting up of production facilities in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe with an aim of gaining the benefits from roundabout export. Samsung also took the path of mergers and acquisitions to go global during the initial years of globalizati on. This was not the case with Sony which entered new markets independently to acquire new markets with its existing competencies and image. Despite of a strong resistance for its products design in European markets, Sony refused to compromise on companys corporate philosophy. However in 1990s Samsung did follow th strategies that included manufacturing components for better known global brands and selling copycat products of microwaves or televisions such as Sanyo to consumers. On the part of Global Coordination, Sony followed a policy of decentralization along with a tight control from headquarters so as to ensure proper functioning, accountability, transparency, cooperation and increased corporate worth. At Samsung, global operations are managed region wise. U.S market is considered as a centre for local marketing and introduction of new technologies whereas Mexico is the base for roundabout export. While Southeast Asia and Europe are the production sites, Japan is the new export market centre for introducing new technologies and China is the second most fundamental market. All these markets are given adequate authority to perform their individual functions but are closely linked with each other as well as with Global Strategy Control Headquarters in Korea. There is an exchange of technology between US and Mexico where low to medium class products are manufactured. Also there is a supply of products from Europe to U.S and of product design and new develo pments from U.S to Europe. At the same time there is a constant flow of information regarding RD initiatives, and high value-added products from the headquarters to these global business units. Thus, there is a coordination of operations among all the markets which are working as per their specializations. Sony has set up several RD units in various different countries to absorb the customers expectations from all the markets and convert this information into new innovative products to suit the needs of each specific market and its customers. Samsung also invested heavily on RD and applied the concept of innovation within the organization. According to Steers, Richard (1997) Innovation for Samsung means, develop through globalization to globalize Samsung. However, Samsung adopted a strategy to make each and every staff member of the organization capable enough to innovate. Ungson, Gerardo (1997) explained that a review of Samsungs operations from 1990 to 1992 demonstrated the need to train employees as international experts, to manage difficulties, experienced with foreign local employees, and to recruit excellent employees. Company created an atmosphere that can make each employee confident to create innovation. For this Samsung revised the concept of Samsung man that emphasized on the creative individual who is characterized with a wide view and high moral standards. Samsung recruited qualified people and there were a third of companys directors aged in 40 years or younger. The company aimed at getting people with good vision about future and considered human capital as the most important element for a successful innovation leading to efficient globalization. On account of corporate Governance, Sony has a clear structure consisting of board of directors which are mainly from external sources of the company. In Samsung there is a cross shareholdings pattern representing a web of dubious cross-shareholdings among scholars, bureaucrats and NGOs. Chairman of the company, Lee Kun-hee and his family maintain a control over the group. The Samsung Everland, Samsung Life insurance, Samsung Electronics and Samsung Card are the main pillars to sustain corporate governance structure and form a ring of shareholdings in the company and exhibit an intricately entangled shareholding system. 4 CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS AND GLOBAL STRATEGIES In the words of Landefeld, J.Steven (2009) Globalization is an economic process that has been going on since the earliest days of trade and investment across regions and countries. It has helped in significantly raising the standards of living, health and improvement in environment through a rise in world-wide production and income. As it is always believed that globalization is largely driven by economic gain; a common question during the situations of economic crisis is whether a company should focus on its current geographies rather than venture into expanding its global operations. In current financial crisis it has been seen that markets are good at pricing marginal risks so as to achieve short-term gains. However, Landefeld (2009) argued that markets are not good in evaluating bubbles and long-term systematic risk. The current financial crisis definitely affects the global strategies of companies. Most of the companies view the global economic downturn as the biggest challenge partnerships to be dealt with. Also, most of the agencies report that their corporate partners are finding it difficult to initiate new partnerships in current economic crisis. Despite such difficulties the current economic crisis has a positive side-effect also. It provides an opportunity of an extra incentive for finding more and more creative ways of partnerships and global engagements. The crisis also has a positive effect of encouraging innovation. According to Rhodes, D., and Stelter, D., 2009, Seize the Advantage in a Downturn, Harvard Business Review, Inaction is the riskiest response to the uncertainties of an economic crisis. But rash or scattershot action can be nearly damaging. In the above mentioned article Rhodes pointed out that a planned approach towards global strategies need to be followed in times of economic crisis. The very first step in this approach is that the company should assess its own vulnerabilities, at the company level and by business unit. Company should be aware of various ways in which the current scenario can affect its business in terms of reduced demand for its products, companys ability to secure short-term financing, effect on cost of capital, etc. Once such affects are known the impact can be quantified to closely assess the exposure. Then it is possible to determine the ways to reduce the exposure and survive and maximize the companys performance during the downturn. Dr, Suder, Gabriele, Professor of International Business at CERAM Business School, France clarifies that while the reduction-of-cost argument is one of the main motivations for internationalization in times of crisis, when it comes to location decisions, decision-makers will always also opt for convenient labor conditions, market opener effects and access to resources not obtainable elsewhere. Therefore, a crisis as we know it today is unlikely to alter internationalization strategies, and it shouldnt. Simply because this would alter the firms strength. Rhodes explained that a company can capitalize on the opportunities presented by a recession. There is a need to assess and minimize the vulnerability of ones firm. This will position a company to seize future resources of competitive advantage, whether through bold investments in product development or transformative acquisitions. As per the plan suggested by Rhodes, liquidity is considered as the key to survive any economic crisis. A company should monitor and maximize its cash position. This can be done through tightly managing customer credit and aggressively managing working capital. Also, there is a need to optimize ones financial structure by reducing debt and other liabilities and securing access to lines of credit. Further, there is a need to inform investors and analysts about the companys recession preparedness. This will help in maintaining a strong share price for the company. A company should reduce costs and increase efficiency during economic crisis. This is to be done through rooting out long-standing activities, centralize key functions, and analyze current suppliers and reviving earlier efficiency initiatives to implement them fully in better times. Next level is to revitalize customer retention initiatives during recession. There is a need to realign sales force utilization and incentives, reallocate marketing spending towards immediate revenue generation, and consider more-generous financial terms for customers. Also, during recession a company should reconsider its product mix and pricing strategies so as to offer lower-price versions of existing products, considering creative strategies such as result-based or subscription pricing, etc. Naim, Moises (2009) Globalization cannot be derailed by the world financial crisis until and unless we believe that globalization is mainly about international trade and investment. James (2009) argued that present economic crisis is temporary and globalization will continue and the entire world is tied up due to increase in volume of business. Through a proper mechanism a company can very well expand during recession also. The best companies make an extra effort to not only survive in downturn but position themselves to thrive during subsequent upturn. A company should consider the fact that investments made today in areas such as product development and technology will give good results only once the recession is past. The cost of such initiatives will be lower during recession and will give huge benefits in times of growth. Also, an economic crisis like that of today is good time to invest in human capital also. Downturns can also be viewed as an opportunity to rethink the business models. More and more analysts and practitioners are emphasizing on recognizing the importance of sustainable business practices, comprehensive risk-management, long-term performance and ethics. The current economic crisis has lead to recognition of Corporate Social Responsibility in every organization. This crisis has lead companies to pay more attention on environmental, social and governance issues which have a positive effect on companys performance and long-term corporate value. Also, financial investors have learned to consider these key issues while making any investment decisions. Steets, Julia (2009) argued that the global economic crisis will most likely not have a negative impact on business partnerships. In the words of Thomsen, Kristina (2009) While the crisis leads to a reduction of philanthropic giving, it also triggers innovative partnerships and may have a cathartic effect on more conventional ones, eliminating those that would not have been sustainable anyway. Thus, compan ies adopting a comprehensive approach towards handling economic crisis can be better placed and be able to seize the opportunities emerging from the turbulence and will also be able to head start on the competition once the crisis is over. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS From the above discussion it can be concluded that current financial downturn supports the recognition of sustainable business practices for long-term success of an organization and its businesses. At a time when global competition is intensifying, Sony and Samsung, using different set of strategies, remain internationally competitive. Sony has continued to supply innovative products all over the world. On the other hand Samsung has emphasized on process enrichment and innovation along with good RD investment. Samsung has concentrated on its core competency of manufacturing. Despite their different approached towards globalization and various other key issues related with the concept, both Sony and Samsung have successfully met the challenges of global competition. Sony has been characterized with an unrelated diversification. Samsung is focused on its core competency of manufacturing but Sony seems to have stuck up in multiple businesses and such unrelated businesses can be more detrimental rather than being helpful for the company. It is recommended for Sony to regain focus and investing in enhancing the companys core competencies. Further to survive competition from firms like Samsung and LG, the top management teams at Sony should evaluate the identity of the Sony brand to its customers and adopt a brand oriented leadership. These steps are necessary to rejuvenate Sony in the long run. REFERENCES Caves R.E. (1986), Multinational enterprise and economic analysis, Cambridge University Press, pp.1-30 Dunning J.H. (1993), Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy, Addision-Wesley Publishing Lindsay M. (1992), Developing Capital Markets in Eastern Europe-A Business Reference, New York University Press Landefeld, J.Steven (2009), Un High- Level Forum on Globalization and Global Crisis: The Role of Official Statistics. United Nations Statistics Division, ECOSOC Chamber. Kim, Samuel S. (2000), Korean Globalization, Cambridge University Press. Parker, Barbara (2005), Introduction to Globalization Business, Sage Publishing. Pak Y.S. and Park Y.R. (2004), Global Ownership Strategy of Japanese Multinational Enterprises: A Test of Internalization Theory, Management International Review, Vol.44, No.1, pp.3-21 Steers, Richard M Park, Seung-Ho (1997), Korean Enterprise, Harvard Business School Press. Websites Samsung Corporation http://www.samsung.com Samsung in Hungary http://www.samsung.com/hu/index.htm Samsung in Russia http://www.samsung.ru/about/ Samsung RD expenses in 2003 http://www.samsung.com/AboutSAMSUNG/ELECTRONICSGLOBAL/CompanyProfile/InvestmentinRD/ Samsung’s Governance Remains Problematic (2009), Ohmy News http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400no=274927rel_no=1 Accessed 18 November 2009 Sony Corporation http://www.sony.net Will globalization be derailed by the world financial crisis? (2009), McKinsey Company http://whatmatters.mckinseydigital.com/the_debate_zone/will-globalization-be-derailed-by-the-world-financial-crisis Accessed 18 November 2009

The Tragedy of Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea Essay -- Wide Sargasso Sea

The Tragedy of Wide Sargasso Sea  Ã‚   In Jean Rhys' novel Wide Sargasso Sea, whether Antoinette Cosway really goes mad in the end is debatable. Nevertheless, it is clear that her life is tragic. The tragedy comes from her numerous pursuits for love and a sense of belonging, and her failure at each and every one of these attempts. As a child Antoinette, is deprived of parental love. Her father is a drunkard and has many mistresses and illegitimate children. According to Daniel Cosway's account, old Cosway is cruel to his own son. Yet even if Daniel was not really a Cosway, and his descriptions were made out of spite, or if old Cosway had cared any more for his legitimate children than his bastard ones, his alcoholism is real, and thus he could not have been a loving father to Antoinette. Her mother, Annette, does not show much motherly affection to her either. Antoinette needs and wants her mother's love, but Annette is indifferent to her. Once, Antoinette sees her mother frown, and tries to smooth the frown out with her hand, But she pushed me away, not roughly but calmly, coldly, without a word, as if she had decided once and for all that I was useless to her. She wanted to sit with Pierre or walk where she pleased without being pestered, she wanted peace and quiet.†¦. 'Oh, let me alone,' she would say, 'let me alone' (13; part 1). One night, when Antoinette has had a nightmare, she awakens to see her mother at her bed. This makes her feel safe, but even then her mother has not come to show concern for her, but to look after Pierre, whom is frightened by her noise. When her needs for love and belonging are neglected by her parents, Antoinette seeks to fulfill them elsewhere. She seeks love from a newly foun... ...r her, if there has ever been any, is completely gone, andall that is left is destructive hatred: If I was bound for hell let it be hell. No more false heavens. No more damned music. You hate me and I hate you. We'll see who hates best. But first, first I will destroy your hatred. Now my hate is colder, stronger, and you'll have no hate to warm yourself. You will have nothing (110; part 2). He thus murders her last hope for love and safety, and brings her to England to be locked away in his attic. This is her second dislocation, this time not only removed from her own familiar world, but completely isolated from the entire world. Here her tragedy is complete, for her heart and soul are killed, and she is but a ghost, with "nothing left but hopelessness" (110; part 2). Work Cited Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. Ed. Angela Smith. London: Penguin, 1997.

Perception on the functionality of the school library Essay

Chapter I Background of the Study A school library is a library within a school where students, staff, and often, parents of a public (state) or private (fee paying) school have access to a variety of resources. The goal of the school library is to ensure that all members of the school community have equitable access â€Å"to books and reading, to information, and to information technology. † A school library â€Å"uses all types of media are automated, and utilize the Internet for information gathering. † School libraries are distinct from public libraries because they serve as â€Å"learner-oriented laboratories which support, extend, and individualize the school’s curriculum. A school library serves as the center and coordinating agency for all material used in the school. † Across the United States, research has shown that students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized test scores than their peers in schools without libraries. From Alaska to North Carolina, more than 60 studies have shown clear evidence of this connection between student achievement and the presence of school libraries with qualified school library media specialists. In the Philippines there is a severe lack of public libraries. Reading programs are not enough, by themselves alone, to achieve the overall and longer-term objective of making children fall in love with reading and become regular readers for life. Read-along are great in sparking a child’s initial interest in books and reading. But something more is needed to convert that initial interest into a real love of books and a lifetime reading habit. According to experts, children need at least two other things to actually adopt such a habit: (1) As much guidance, encouragement and example as they can get from their usual role models – their parents, teachers, and older siblings — and (2) regular access to books and other reading materials. As far as I know, some of the students of DCHS are using the library for past time and group chatting not for gathering information, references, and researching their homework’s. DCHS library has a low rate of students visited every day because they think reading books is so boring. I conducted this survey to motivate the students to visit the libraries and to improve their reading and writing skills, English language arts, fine arts and etc. This survey will help us to improve the library and improve the interest of the students. Statement of the problem The main purpose of this study was determined the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library. What is the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library? Is there a significant difference in the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library in terms of : section? gender? Null Hypothesis The following null hypothesis had been formulated using 0. 05 level of the significance for the present study: There is no significant difference in the perception on the functionality of the school library in terms of section and gender. Review of Related Literature A significant number of relevant literature and related studies have been compiled in this section by the researcher to provide some general basis of the design and conduct of the study. Bosah L. Eghoso conducted a survey that studied about the Perception of the library by secondary school students in enhancing success in their examinations. After the success of his survey, Bosah found a conclusion that both private and public schools relegated the library to the background in teaching and learning in recent times. Private schools proprietors do not see for expanding their finances in libraries especially when they can make their students pass their examinations through dubious methods. Dr. Zeynep Filiz, said that every two library meet the student’s information. He conducted a survey that studied about the service quality of university: A survey amongst student at Osmangazi University and Anadolu University. A total of 400 usable responses were received. About 70% of the respondents were men and 50% of responses were from Osmangazi University. About 75% of respondents had used the library more than six times, and 51% of respondents indicated they relied on the library staff when using the library. Moreover, about 35 of respondents said they intended to use the library in the future and recommended others to use the library. Sofi Zahoor Ahmad said that more than 89% rural and 90% urban schools claim existence of a library with no standard physical requirements and specifications, She condected a survey entitled A Survey of Senior Secondary School Libraries in Jammu and Kashmir India. This give her a conclusion that 89. 55% are housed in insufficiently spaced single rooms within the schools while 5. 47% are accommodated in principal offices where students always have inhibitions to go. However, a few schools 4. 97% possess separate library blocks, though these also lack the basics of a library design. No significant difference is revealed while assessing the rural-urban statistics relating to the library housing and location. Jerome Idiegbeyan-Ose said that in Benin City, do not have a library period for the students, and as a result students can never be taught how to make use of the library. He conducted a survey entitled â€Å"A survey on the Present State of School Libraries in Benin City majority of the schools investigated†. School libraries in Imo State lack adequate accommodation, materials, and funds, as well as trained staff to manage the libraries in Imo state. These are similar to what is on ground in Benin City where unqualified staff manages the school libraries. Which revealed the various libraries’ staff strength, it can be deduced that all the libraries under investigation are understaffed; Human resources in libraries contribute to the standards of that particular library. This research revealed that all the schools visited are under stocked with library materials. A majority of the schools visited in Benin City have outdated books which are very dusty, where they existed. It is very unfortunate that most of our school libraries in Benin City are staffed by unqualified staff and non-librarians, which fall short of minimum standard of a school library. Emmanuel E. Baro said that only a few library schools offer the course information literacy as a stand-alone course in their curricula. His survey entitled â€Å"A survey of information literacy education in library schools in Africa†. Results from the study revealed that, presently, only a few library schools offer the course IL as a stand-alone course in their curricula. Many library schools have not yet incorporated â€Å"IL† as a stand-alone course in their LIS curricula; rather, it is briefly discussed as a topic in related courses. Although not all the library schools in Africa were examined due to language barrier, more than 60 library schools were investigated, among them 20 institutions were found offering IL courses or a related area. This studies the researcher compiled is related to the researchers’ studies, because it is about a survey of perception on different students towards school library. It is also about enhancing the school libraries to encourage students to visit. It is also to motivate students to make their assignment and gather information in the library because one of the most fundamental areas responsible for the dwindling educational standards and fortunes in our educational system is the area of the library education and library service utilization among students. Significance of the Study The results of this study are generally aimed at providing information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today’s information and knowledge-based society. The result is deemed significant to the academic community but mostly valuable to these groups of people: 1. Administration. The proposed study helps the institution to be more aware of what the students need in a library to develop and improve students learning progress. It also helps the administration to improve the library in the way the student’s needs. 2. Teachers. The proposed study helps the teachers in preparing classroom curriculum or seeking professional development resources. It also helps the teachers in their research to improve their visual aids. 3. Parents. The proposed study helps the parents to have a small library at home to improve the basic needs of their child. 4. Students. The proposed study helps the student to have very good concentration in their study. It also helps the students know the lesson in advance by searching the book in the library. CHAPTER II METHOD This chapter presents the research design, research subject, sampling method, research instrument, data gathering procedure and statistical treatment of the data. Research Design Descriptive research is a research that provides an accurate portrayal of characteristics of a particular individual, situation, or group. These studies are a means of discovering new meaning, describing what exists, determining the frequency with which something occurs, and categorizing information. May be used to reveal summary statistics by showing responses to all possible questionnaire items. It can provide leads in identifying needed changes and it may be used to explore relationships between two or more variables. In this research study, it intends to describe the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library through conducting this study and by having a survey on how useful a library is. In this study, the researcher will attempt to describe how students find the functionality of the school library behind the difference between the gender and section of the respondents. Research Subject This study gathered the percentage of students of the fourth year level of the Davao Central High School in relation with their perception on the functionality of the school library. The actual population of these students is seventy-five, due to a limited time and resources, by using the Slovin’s formula, the researcher would only take nineteen respondents from Confucius; twenty-four respondents from Mencius and twenty respondents from Lao Tzu to have a total of sixty-three respondents. Solution: n=N/-(1+Ne^2 ), where N(75) is the actual population, e is the percent error (5%) † =† â€Å"75† /-(â€Å"1+75† (? â€Å"0. 05† ? ^†2†³ ) ) =63 In table 1, it is indicated that the actual population of 75 (100%) is divided into two clusters which consists of 14 (19%) females and 9 (12%) males in Confucius; 16 (21%) females and 12 (16%) males in Mencius; 14 (19%) females and 10 (13%) males in Lao Tzu and a total of 44 (59%) females and 31 (41%) males. Using the Slovin’s formula, the number of samples decreased into 63 (100%) which now consists of 12 (19%) females and 7 (11%) males in Confucius; 14 (22%) females and 10(16%) males in Mencius; 12(19%) females and 8(13%) males in Lao Tzu and a total of 38 (60%) females and 25 (40%) males. Sampling Procedure In this research study, the researcher will use the systematic random sampling method. In systematic random sampling method, the researcher will conduct a survey through selecting sample members from the population according to a random starting point and a fixed, periodic interval. Typically, every ninth member is selected from the total population for inclusion in the sample population. The researcher chose this since that based in the researcher’s estimation, there are sixty percent in the fourth year level students are using the library every day. Thus, the researcher comes up with an idea on using the systematic random sampling method in conducting this research study. The researchers wrote all the names of the fourth year students in a paper and arranged by section. The researchers selected a number that he/she likes; and lastly the researcher selected the respondents every â€Å"ninth† of the names until he gets 63 respondents. Table 1. Distribution of Respondents Section ClustersPopulationSample Number NPercent (%)Number nPercent (%) ConfuciusFemale1461%1261% Male939%739% Total2331%1931% MenciusFemale 1657%1457% Male1243%1043% Total2837%2437%. Lao TzuFemale1458%1258% Male1042%842% Total2432%2032% OverallFemale4459%3859% Male3141%2541% Total75100%63100% Research Instrument The research instrument consisted of fifteen-item questionnaires that are divided into two categories (students and library) on whether the library is functional to the fourth yr. students. The respondents will respond to a five-point scale ranging from very positive, positive, fair, negative and very negative. Items on the questionnaire were drawn from literature on the normal reasons for answering the question on what is the perception on the functionality of the school library. The proposed survey questionnaire is self-constructed. In order to interpret the response of the research subjects, Table 2 will be used as basis. Table 2. Quality Index Mean ScoreQualitative Description 4. 20 – 5. 00Very Positive 3. 40 – 4. 19Positive 2. 60 – 3. 39Fair 1. 80 – 2. 59 Negative 1. 00 – 1. 79Very Negative Data Gathering Procedure This research survey had been conducted by the use of systematic random sampling method. Through this, the first 65 students in the fourth year level will serve as the respondents for this research survey. The procedure of conducting this research survey is as follows: The researchers distributed the survey questionnaire to the 63 students that has been randomly selected and ask to answer the survey. After the student had answered the questionnaire, the researchers gathered the entire survey questionnaire and thanking the students who had answered the following survey questionnaire. Statistical Treatment In this survey, the researcher used the following statistical tool to analyze the gathered data of this study: Mean. By using the mean, the researcher had been able to get the average of students’ sample population which is using the school library. Since, that the respondents are divided into two clusters, the researcher also get the average percentage of every male and female respondents of this survey. Standard Deviation. In standard deviation, it showed how much variation exists from the average mean. In short, this measured the confidence of the respondents in statistical conclusions. t-test. The t-test assesses whether the means of two groups are statistically different from each other. This analysis is appropriate whenever you want to compare the means of two groups. Through the use of t-test, the researcher had been able to distinguish the difference on the perception on the functionality of the students on the school library in terms of their gender and section. Chapter III RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter presents the data obtained through the survey conducted, and the analysis of the data using the appropriate statistical treatment and the interpretation of the results obtained. Problem No. 1 What is the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library? Table 3 Perception of the Students on the Functionality of the School Library by Gender GenderMeanStandard DeviationQualitative Description Male2. 950. 39Fair Female2. 960. 52Fair Overall2. 960. 46Fair Table 3 summarizes the perception of the fourth year students on the functionality of the school library when classified according to gender. The data shows that the mean of male students is 2. 95 with a standard deviation of 0. 39 which is interpreted as fair. Moreover, the female students obtained a mean of 2. 96 with a standard deviation of 0. 52 that can  be interpreted as fair. Comparatively, it can be generalized that 4th year females are more aware of the functionality of the school library than 4th year boys. The table explains that the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library has an overall mean of 2. 96 in terms of gender that can also be interpreted as fair. The female students of all 4th year are aware of the functionality of the school library than the male, because the female students obtained a mean of 2. 96 and a 0. 52 standard deviation that can also be interpreted as fair. Table 4  Perception of the Students on the Functionality of the School Library by Section SectionMeanStandard DeviationQualitative Description Confucius2. 910. 46Fair Mencius2. 990. 45Fair Lao Tzu2. 970. 49Fair Overall2. 960. 46Fair Table 4 presents the perception of fourth year students on the functionality of the school library when categorized according to section. The data shows that the mean of Confucius students is 2. 91 with a standard deviation of 0. 46 which is interpreted as fair. Furthermore, Mencius students obtained a mean of 2. 99 with a standard deviation of 0. 45 that is interpreted fair. The mean of Lao Tzu is 2. 97 with a standard deviation of 0. 49 that is interpreted as fair. It can be generalized from the data that the Mencius students are more aware of the functionality school library than the other two sections. As a whole, the mean of all the 4th year students who were chosen as the respondents for this study is 2. 96 with a standard deviation of 0. 46 which indicates that the overall level of usage of the school library is fair. The table explains that the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library has an overall mean of 2. 96 in terms of section that can also be interpreted as fair. The 4th year Mencius students are more aware of the functionality of the school library than the two other 4th year sections because the 4th year Confucius students obtained a mean of 2. 91 and a 0. 46 standard deviation that can also be interpreted as fair. The 4th year Lao Tzu students obtained a mean of 2. 97 and a 0. 49 standard deviation that can also be interpreted as fair. Problem 2. Is there a significant difference in the perception of the students on the functionality of the school library in terms of gender and section? Table 5 Gender and Perception of the Students GenderMeanMean DifferenceComputed t-valueTabular t-valueDecisionConclusion Male2. 95-0. 01-0. 011. 99Accept NullThere is no significant difference Female2. 96 Table 5 shows the results of the t-test between the level of awareness of the parents and their gender. As presented on the table, the mean difference of the male and female respondents is -0. 01. Since the computed t-value of -0. 01 is lesser than the tabular value of 1. 99 at 0. 05 level of significance with 61 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of the students of the functionality on the school library in terms of their gender. The table explains that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of the students of the functionality on the school library in terms of their gender because of the mean of the males is lesser than the mean of the females it also apply on the computed t-value and tabular t-value. The data shows that the mean of 4th year male students are 2. 95 while the 4th year female students are 2. 96 with a mean difference of -0. 01, a computed t-value of -0. 01, and a tabular table of 1. 99. Table 6 Section and Perception of the Students SectionMeanMean DifferenceComputed t-valueTabular t-valueDecisionConclusion Confucius2. 91-0. 08-0. 112. 02Accept NullThere is no significant difference Mencius2. 99 Confucius2. 91-0. 06-0. 082. 03Accept NullThere is no significant difference Lao Tzu2. 97 Mencius2. 990. 020. 032. 02Accept NullThere is no significant difference Lao Tzu2. 97 Table 6 shows the results of the t-test between the perceptions of the respondents and their section. As presented on the table, the mean difference of the Confucius and Mencius respondents is -0. 08. Since the computed t-value of -0. 11 is lesser than the tabular value of 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significance with 41 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of Confucius and Mencius students on the functionality of the school library. . On the other hand, the mean difference of the Confucius and Lao Tzu respondents is -0. 06. Since the computed t-value of -0. 08 is less than the tabular value of 2. 03 at 0. 05 level of significance with 37 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of Confucius and Lao Tzu students on the functionality of the school library. Moreover, the mean difference of the Mencius and Lao Tzu respondents is 0. 02. Since the computed t-value of 0. 03 is less than the tabular value of 2. 02 at 0. 05 level of significance with 42 degrees of freedom, the null hypothesis is accepted. This means that there is no significant difference between the perceptions of Mencius and Lao Tzu students on the functionality of the school library. As a whole, it can be generalized that the perceptions of the 4th year students are aware of the functionality of the school library. Chapter IV SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary The study is about the functionality of the school library based on the students’ perception. The respondents in the study are the selected 4th year student of Davao Central High School. The method used in this study is the systematic random sampling wherein the researcher would pick out members from population according to the random starting point. The researchers choose this kind of sampling due to the researchers’ estimation that there will be about sixty percent of 4th year student who are using the school’s library every day. Thus, the researchers will be writing all the names of the students in a paper then he/she will pick a number that the researcher likes and lastly the researcher selects the respondents every â€Å"ninth† of the names until the researcher will get 63 respondents. Conclusion After the careful analysis of the data gathered, the researchers reached the following conclusions: 1. The level of perception on the functionality of the school library is fair. Female is more aware of the functionality of the school library than male. Section Mencius has the highest mean followed by section Lao Tzu and section Confucius. 2. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of the students on the functionality of the school library in terms of their gender. Recommendation The administration should improve the library in the way the students’ needs. The teachers should give the students an assignments or projects that can be found able at the library. The parents should have their own mini-library at hone to improve the basic needs of their child. The researchers would like to recommend to the future researchers to do some related studies about the school libraries. The researchers would like to propose some that they could also conduct a study about the usefulness of the diff. facilities, and the completeness of the references of the library.

How To Buy Car Insurance Essays - Types Of Insurance, Free Essays

How To Buy Car Insurance Essays - Types Of Insurance, Free Essays How To Buy Car Insurance Friday, December 01, 2000 HOW TO BUY CAR INSURANCE Many people look forward to buying car insurance about as much as having their wisdom teeth pulled by a dentist named Dr. Pain. Today I intend to show you how to take a lot of the sting out of purchasing car insurance by arming yourself with a little knowledge. Many people believe car insurance is a simple as black or white, either you have liability or full coverage. In fact there many important options in between. In becoming informed you will need to know how to research, and what questions to ask. The three key considerations when purchasing car insurance are price, coverage, and company. The first key consideration when buying car Insurance is price. According to Glenn Hardman at San Diego Insurance, There is no one company that has great rates for everyone. He further stated, It really pays to shop, shop and when youve had enough shop some more. And if it sounds to good to be true it usually is. Different companies target different age and risk groups, so while one company has a good price for your friend, they make not have a great price for you. Usually 10-15 quotes will probably give you a good range of prices to choose from. GOTO VA1 In this graph, I compared rates from the Facilities and Service Corp V9902.4 a software company that produces rates for insurance companies. The example here is a 22 year old single female with two tickets driving a 94 Honda. As you can see her rate varied between companies by well over a $1000 for the same coverage depending on only the company. A good resource I found was the yellow pages, the listings are localized to your specific area and everyone who is anyone is there both big and small. The second key consideration when buying car Insurance is coverage. Coverage varies from company to company but the basic components usually remain constant. The first is liability. Liability pays in the event you hit and injure another person or damage there vehicle, and is required by law of every driver in California. The two parts of Liability coverage are Bodily Injury and Property Damage. Both are expressed in thousands of dollars. GOTO VA2 Here are the minimum limits as required by the state of california. The first number is the per person limit and second is per accident. This means that if I have an accident with this coverage the insurance company will pay a maximum of $15,000 per person up to a total of $30,000 any number of people per accident for bodily injury. The property damage is the second number and indicates how much the company will pay to fix the other persons car or property. In this case $5,000. This is not a lot of coverage. If I was to hit a pedestrian in the crosswalk this coverage could run out in a hurry and I would be held liable for anything the insurance didnt cover. Many people with equity in their homes or with other assets will opt for greater coverage such as 100/300/50 as shown below. The second is medical payments. Medical payments pay a flat amount per person for anyone injured in your car regardless of fault. They range from between $500 to $5,000. This amount is not meant to absorb the cost of an injury, but to offset immediate out of pocket expenses such as health insurance deductibles. The third is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. This protects you and your passenger in the event you are hit by a driver with no insurance or not enough insurance. The fourth is comprehensive and collision covers damage to your car. Collision pays to fix your car in the event it is damaged in an accident that is your fault. Comprehensive pays in the event of fire, theft, and vandalism or anything collision does not. A deductible will usually apply and is the amount of money you must first pay and the insurance will pay the rest. Deductibles range from $50 to $5000. The higher the deductible, the lower your cost. The fifth is towing and rental reimbursement. Towing provides a flat amount of coverage