Mcgee Cake Company

Running Header: CASE STUDY 1 The McGee Cake Company: A Case Study Submitter Instructor BUS Course 2012 CASE STUDY 2 Introduction The McGee Cake Company, owned by Doc and Lyn McGee, has been a sole proprietorship company since its inception in 2005 (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 18).A sole proprietorship â€Å"is the least regulated form of organization† and has allowed the McGee's to run their company largely as they see fit and to reap all the financial profits. However, the company's recent growth has added additional financial burdens which have caused the McGee's to revisit the company's current form of organization (Ross, Westerfield, & Jordan, 2013, p. 5). To that end, the owners have approached me â€Å"to help manage and direct the [company since its fast growth has] led to cash flow and capacity problems† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 8). What follows is information on â€Å"the advantages and disadvantages of changing the company's organizati on from a sole proprietorship to an [limited liability company] as well as â€Å"the advantages and disadvantages of changing the [company's current form of business organization] to a corporation† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 18). In addition, the McGee's have asked me for my recommendation as to which form of business organization I believe the company should undertake and the reasons/rationale behind my recommendation.CASE STUDY 3 Key Issue The one key issue that has led the McGee's to consider moving the company from a sole proprietorship to a limited liability company or that of a corporation is the company's recent rapid growth. This growth has presented both opportunities and challenges for the company as a whole.Specifically, â€Å"sales have exploded† since The McGee Cake Company was recently featured in â€Å"a leading specialty food magazine† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 18). While this growth has allowed the McGee's to use the comp any's revenues as their sole source of income, it has increased their need for capital as they have had to hire â€Å"additional workers to meet the demand† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 18). Also, additional capital will be needed to purchase more assets in an effort to keep up with the company's continuing growth (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 8). Under the current business form these two increased expenditures—payroll and assets–are the sole financial responsibility of the McGee's which may cause some financial stress since their available â€Å"equity†¦ is limited to the amount of [their] personal wealth† (Ross, Westerfield, & Jordan, 2013, p. 5). This growth has also presented the McGee's with the opportunity to enter into business with â€Å"a national supermarket chain [that has proposed] to put four of [the McGee's] cakes in all of the chain's stores† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 18).In addition, the McGee's hav e been approached by â€Å"a national restaurant chain [in regards to] selling McGee cakes in its restaurants† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 18). Again, under sole proprietorship the company may miss out on these opportunities â€Å"because of insufficient capital† to expand the business assets (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 5). For example, if the McGee's do not have the capital to purchase more ovens they may not be able to keep up with the increased demand from the supermarket/restaurant chains, potentially causing both business ventures to fail.In order for the company to capitalize on its current growth the McGee's need to be informed of the advantages and disadvantages of other forms of business organizations to determine which will best suit their needs for both the short- and long-term. CASE STUDY 4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Changing from a Sole Proprietorship to a Limited Liability Company â€Å"The goal of [a limited liability company] i s to operate and be taxed like a partnership but retain limited liability for owners† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. ). Thus â€Å"[t]he main advantage gained by shifting from a sole proprietorship to a more formal organization [whether it be a limited liability company or a corporation] is liability protection† (Cromwell, n. d. , n. p. ). Under sole proprietorship the McGee's have â€Å"unlimited liability for [their] business debts† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 5). This means that if their business owes creditors and the McGee's are unable to pay with business assets the creditors can demand payment via the McGee's personal assets (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. ). In contrast, under a limited liability company the McGee's personal assets would be protected â€Å"from business liability† (Cromwell, n. d. , n. p. ). Additionally, the McGee's must rely on their own personal wealth in an effort to raise equity whereas a limited liabili ty company affords the business â€Å"to bring a number of investors and partners† on board in an effort to raise capital (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 5; Cromwell, n. d. , n. p. ).Hence, the limited liability company will provide them with the capital they require to increase their business assets in order to keep up with the high demand for their products. In terms of taxes the McGee's currently report their personal and business taxes as one. Under a limited liability company they will no longer be able to claim their business income on their personal filings; separate tax returns would have to be filed for both their personal income and their business income (Cromwell, n. d. , n. p. ).Moreover, the McGee's would have to file documentation with the state prior to their company being able to claim limited liability status. The taxes and state filing issues, in my professional opinion, should not be viewed as detractors. The benefits the company will reap (e. g. , ab ility to raise capital) certainly outweigh the annual taxation preparation and filing with the state to ‘establish' the limited liability company. CASE STUDY 5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Changing from a Sole Proprietorship to a CorporationSome of the advantages of forming a corporation are, in contrast to sole proprietorship, â€Å"owner-ship [of a corporation] can be readily transferred† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, pp. 5-6). Also, like a limited liability company, a corporation has â€Å"limited liability for the company's debts and [stockholders] can only lose what they have invested† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 6). In addition, unlike sole proprietorship, a corporation an unlimited [business] life† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. ). For these reasons, a corporation is a superior form of business organization for raising capital (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 6). Along with the advantages of forming a corporation comes t he main disadvantage: taxation. Corporations must deal with double taxation â€Å"meaning that†¦ profits are taxed [at both] the corporate level when†¦ earned and again at the personal level when they are paid out† (Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 2013, p. 6).While a corporation provides many advantages the tax disadvantage that comes with it currently outweighs those advantages. CASE STUDY 6RecommendationWith The McGee Cake Company's rapid growth it is in need of changing its form of business organization. In particular, the McGee's â€Å"need enhanced protection for [their] personal assets from business obligations and liabilities as well as a better vehicle to attract investors† (Cromwell, n. . , n. d. ). Therefore, after carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages of changing from a sole proprietorship to a limited liability company or that of a corporation my recommendation is for the former. Becoming a limited liability company will benefit them gr eatly since it provides limited liability in that their personal assets will be separate from their business assets, thus protecting their personal assets from creditors seeking payment if such a situation should ever arise.Becoming a limited liability company will also allow the McGee's to raise equity through partners and investors. Since the McGee's are in need of additional capital to purchase new business assets in an effort for them to keep up with the current demand for their products a limited liability company would allow them this advantage. Since this rapid growth may continue the McGee's may want to revisit becoming a corporation. However, my recommendation is for them to take the next logical and less daunting step and become a limited liability company for the reasons stated above.CASE STUDY 7 References Cromwell, J. (n. d. ). Demand Media: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Changing the Company Organization from a Sole Proprietorship. Retrieved from http://smallbusi ness. chron. com/advantages-disadvantages-changing-company-organization-sole-proprietorship-24632. html Ross, S. , Westerfield, R. , & Jordan, B. (2013). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (10th ed. ). McGraw-Hill/Irwin: New York, NY

Irish Immigration

When the Irish immigrated to the United States in 1850 after the great potatoes famine in Ireland, the Irish natives were poor and without money, although prejudice did not seem to affect the Irish they were subjected to prejudice and segregation. Because the Irish fit in with the white race upon entry to the United States they were not discriminated against like the African Americans and Asian immigrants who were often denied entry into the United States because of their color and ethnic characteristics.However the Irish were poor and forced to live in the filthiest neighborhoods and alleys most lived in basement or apartments that were not properly ventilated and damaged by sewage. The social status of the Irish forced them to take job that were often dangerous like building railroad, these people were forced to take these jobs because no employer would give an Irish man or women a decent job. At this time in history cites needed hard manual laborers because the Irish were unskille d and poor they worked for the lower wages other ethnic groups would not.People were threatened by the Irish because of their hard working ethnics and because of their catholic religion signs for employment would often say â€Å"Irish need not apply. † (Hy Kinsella, 1996-2010. para3. ) Catholic Churches were often burnt down and riots occurred protesting Irish Immigrants, America in the 1850’s recognized the Irish as poor, filthy criminal who would work for pennies, many feared their upward movement in society, but eventually the Irish overcame the new world that showed then so much prejudice and discrimination.After entering the county the Irish were not only affected by poverty and prejudice other events also plagued the Irish but some things moved the Irish up in society. The dual labor market affect the Irish, because employers were not willing to give uneducated and unskilled people†¦ During the 1800’s the Irish began arriving in the United States. In the 1820s there were 5 million Irish immigrants living in the United States. By the 1840s, almost half of all immigrants residing in the United States were Irish and only one-third by the 1850s (Kenny, 2008).The reception of the Irish from the native-born Americans was not one of warmth and acceptance. Fleeing Ireland was a matter of life and death for some. The quest for a better life was hindered by the â€Å"unwelcome† mat placed before them when they arrived (The History Place). During 1845 – 1849 was a period known as â€Å"The Great Famine† or â€Å"Great Hunger† in Ireland (University College Cork, Ireland). The potato, a main staple on which more than one-third of the Irish population relied upon to survive, was overcome by a fungus known today as â€Å"potato blight. Between 1846 and 1851 over 1 million Irish died of starvation and various hunger-related infectious diseases. Many of those deaths were of the poor. It was believed that the Ireland ’s Government had abandoned the people by not helping the hungry, yet continuing the exportation of food (University College Cork, Ireland). The Irish entered the United States through various routes. Some took the expensive US ships to Boston and some gained access by walking over the border into New York from Canada (University College Cork, Ireland).It was mostly poor refugees who were fleeing their famine stricken homeland and their slums of Ireland to come to America, only to face prejudice, discrimination, and hostile American nativists. (The History Place). Forced to live in basements, cellars, or one-room apartments, the Irish lived in their own section of each town, often referred to as Irish slums (The History Place). Landlords victimized the Irish settlers by charging $1. 50 a week for a small room. Single family homes were sub-divided into nine-by-eleven foot rooms with no water,†¦ Remember, remember always, that all of us†¦ are descended from immigrants and revolutionists. Franklin D. Roosevelt] Other factors that increased and reinforced this inflow were the decline in the birthrate as well as an increase in industry and urbanization in the United States. The United States, in the 19th Century, remained a strong magnet to immigrants, with offers of jobs and land for farms. Earlier immigrants considered that in America, the streets were, â€Å"paved with gold,† and at the same time as well as offerings of religious and political freedom. A German immigrant to Missouri wrote home about: â€Å"[The] abundance of overbearing soldiers, haughty clergymen, and inquisitive tax collectors†¦ During the years 1890-1924 the reasons for the immigration had a change from the past trends. The kinds of immigrants also changed. Jews came for religious freedom, Italians and Asians came for work and Russians came to escape persecution from the powers in their home country. The reason that America had jobs was still prevalent in this pe riod. America had religious freedom for the many people around those who were facing tyrannical situations from their respective countries. All these reasons were the cornerstone of the fact that America was called the â€Å"Land of Opportunities†. The Immigrants to the U. S. uring 1870 – 1920s There were mainly the Irish and British who immigrated to America during this time period. The circumstances in which the Irish immigrated to America were quite different from those of the British and they also differed in their impact on the U. S. One of the reason why the Irish immigrated to U. S was the potato famine that killed over a million. Apart from the famine conditions, the Irish were tired of the British rule in their country. The ordinary Irishman was under the tyrannical control of the British landlords. Ireland was a country of prolonged depression and social hardship during this period.Ireland was so ravaged by economic collapse that in rural areas, the average a ge of death was 19. Miller, Mulholland & Patricia show through intimate letters, journals, and diaries of actual immigrants, in the Journey of Hope how the Irish in America and their triumphant rise from adversity and prejudice to prosperity and prominence. The social class of majority of the Irish immigrants was tenant farmers. They did not have any expertise for farm work and were quite poor to but any land for themselves in America. They aged from teenager to young adult mainly from the Roman Catholic.The second largest inflow into America was from the British. The British immigrated to America for various reasons. Mostly professionals, independent farmers, and skilled workers, the British came to simply look for better opportunities of work. Most immigrants from Britain were fairly young and Protestant. Cinel has noticed that return migration to Italy from the United States from 1870 to 1929 took place. A large number of Italians did not intend to settle permanently in the Unite d States. Rather, they immigrated temporarily to the United States to make money in order to buy land in Italy.Order Your Custom Term Papers, College Essays and Research Papers After the Civil War of 1861, the immigration agents went to Europe to enlist recruits for the American Industrial army. In 1864 they legalized contracts by which immigrants pledged the wages of their labor for a term not to exceed twelve months to repay expenses of their journey to the U. S. This and other such moves were made to encourage the immigrants. But the year 1868 saw a repeal of the law. Even under the repeal of the law, the American Emigrant Company still imported laborers until 1865 when Congress made it unlawful.The immigrants who expected great work opportunities on American soil were also looked upon by the politicians as potential voters. There were classes of immigrants who were considered â€Å"voting cattle†. These cattle were used by their bosses to milk the plant of politics. Altho ugh the immigrant vote did not seriously affect the outcome of elections but it gave rise to a serious debate over the rights and interests of the immigrants. Telushkin states that the Jews first arrived to New Amsterdam in 1654 and then to the Lower East Side in the early 20th century. It was the diversity of the immigrants that J.Hector St. Josh de Crevecouer said, â€Å"What, then, is this new man, the American? They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes. From this promiscuous breed, that race, now called Americans, have arisen. † Unique Characteristics of America for the immigrants The main reason why most of the immigrants migrated was the tyrannical situations in their homelands. America was attractive because of the fact that young men were not forced to serve long years in the army. The immigrants had a genuine likeness for the land of opportunities, the U.S, since they could achieve what their parents could not. They also found i n America, a place where they could do whatever they wanted in the ideas of religion and politics. Laws Restricting Immigration There was a propaganda spread in the favor of laws restricting immigration as a means of protecting the American wage earned. The restrictions on the immigration started coming in from 1875. The first restriction of immigration was that of prostitutes and felons. In 1882 the government reacted to the anti-immigrant feelings and made more restrictions barring the insane, the retarded, and people likely to need public care.In 1892 the U. S further restricted the immigration of convicts, polygamists, prostitutes, people suffering from diseases, and people liable to public charges. Another reason that the leaders might have judged in those olden times is pointed out by Patrick J. Buchanan in his work. According to the author in The Death of the West is that the United States is no longer a healthy melting pot, but instead a confused, tottering â€Å"conglomera tion of peoples with almost nothing in common. † BIBLIOGRAPHY â€Å"America must be kept American† Quoted. President Coolidge signing Immigration Quota Law in 1924Quote on immigrant’s importance by Franklin D. Roosevelt The National Integration of Italian Return Migration, 1870-1929 by Dino Cinel The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization by Patrick J. Buchanan The Golden Land: The Story of Jewish Immigration to America: An Interactive History With Removable Documents and Artifacts by Joseph Telushkin Journey of Hope: The Story of Irish Immigration to America by Kerby Miller, Patricia Mulholland Miller, Patricia Muholland Miller Quote by J. Hector St. Josh de CrevecouerI chose the Italin ethnicity as the ethnic group that I feel like I am most related to. I researched determined that the itialins immigrated to the United States. I would her my great aunts and uncles talking about our family â€Å"com ing over on the boat† and I was so young I never really understood that saying until I was in school and learned about those type things. The Irish immigrated to the United States of America with promises of a better life. That was not the case upon arrival for the Irish settlers. They faced prejudice, segregation, and many other forms of discrimination.Their treatment was very poor and unwelcoming to say the least. The moment they stepped off the ships from Ireland, they were segregated into the most impoverished areas to seek shelter in slums and attempted to fit their entire families into rooms no bigger than today's average bedroom. As a group, the Irish were shunned and turned away from many job opportunities being confronted by signs which stated â€Å"Irish need not apply†. Being that the British still dominated the â€Å"New World†, the Irish was also prosecuted because of their Catholic religion.The Irish Americans were subjected to a dual labor market. During the late 1800's, after the first large Irish immigration into America, Irish immigrants were considered to be the poorest of all the immigrants coming into the United States. Because of the constant prejudice against Irish, they were kept at this poor standing by only being offered the lowest paying, and the most backbreaking jobs available, leaving the higher paying jobs for natural American citizens. â€Å"During the 1850's there was no group who seemed lower than the Irish.Some of this was due to poverty but the Irish were also considered bad for the neighborhood. The term Redlining did not come into use until after the Fair Housing Act of 1934. During the 1800's you could easily say the Irish were redlined. During the mid-1850's there was the Know Nothing movement. This movement was designed to keep Irish Catholics from holding public office; the opposition was by Irish Protestants. † (Kinsella, 1996) http://www. squidoo. com/irish-history-and-immigration-to-the-un ited-states Home  » Culture ; Society  » History Irish History and Immigration to the United StatesRanked #3,915 in Culture ; Society, #82,887 overall Through Their Eyes Shared, first-hand liver cancer  survivor stories through their eyes CancerCenter. com/CareThatNeverQuits Grants for Women You May Qualify for Grants to Earn  a Degree Online. Search Schools. EducationConnection. com/GrantsInfo UNICEF USA Monthly Giving Pledge Your Monthly Support and  Help UNICEF Save Children's Lives! www. unicefusa. org Explore Irish History and Cultural Values This page is an exploration of Irish culture and history, particularly in relation to the immigration to the United states.It includes documentaries about the motivating factors behind many Irish people immigrating to America during a relatively short period of time. This page focuses on some of the struggles that faced many immigrants, and how that has become a part of the American melting pot of cultures. The Irish people faced extreme difficulties moving across the ocean and setting up new lives in a new land. Despite many challenges, immigrants to the United States from Ireland and their descendants have made a rich and positive impact on US culture at large.Using both academic resources in cultural anthropology as well as entertaining and informative documentaries and music videos, you will find this lens interesting if you are doing research about Irish history. This lens contains many links and resources of interest to anyone doing genealogy research about Irish Americans. It's for Irish Folks, College and High School students writing papers, and anyone else interested. If you have related information or links you would like me to consider adding, feel free to comment or send me a message! 🙂 The image of the crowned harp is an Irish symbol I found on Wikimedia commons, attributed to Thomas Gun. Important! Economic and religious factors were the primary reasons for mass immigration from Irela nd to the united states, and the potato famine was an additional significant factor that helped trigger the sense of urgency to make the journey to America. Videos About Immigration to the United States from Ireland Over only a decade which followed the famine in the mid 1800s, more than a quarter of the Irish population left their homelands and relocated to the US, and many more followed.Despite hardships they made many great contributions to society in the U. S. . Irish Immigration by dudeguy006 | video info 65 ratings | 26,284 views A brief documentary on Irish Immigration to America, Reasons for leaving, life upon arrival, cultural contributions, and current immigration. curated content from YouTube The Primary Factors the Motivated Irish Immigration to the United States Desperate economic factors in Ireland made employment opportunities in a new land look golden. Religious persecution towards the Roman Catholic majority of Irish citizens inspired a desire for religious freedom and acceptance.Political unrest in Ireland made American democracy look attractive to Irish immigrants who hoped for a more fair political system in the US. The possibilities for the common man to become a land owner seemed more promising in the US to Irish immigrants. The Impact of The Potato Famine This single event triggered a mass imigration from Ireland to the United States. Poverty to a level of desperation and starvation became worse and worse during the 19th century in Ireland, which began to motivate large waves of immigration from Ireland to the united states in the mid 1800s.These economic conditions in Ireland were the result of a variety of factors, most importantly political domination by Britain and a dependency on one significant crop, the production of potatoes. The potato had become increasingly popular and created some significant population growth dispute political unrest and religious persecution. Potatoes became the center of Irish agriculture, because it was d iscovered that about twice as many potatoes could be grown in the same sized area as other crops might have been planted in.This allowed for the production of a healthy amount of food for the farmers, and a surplus that could be used as an economic asset. By 1830 35% of the irish population depended on the potato harvest, both as their primary food source and their source of work. This economic dependence on a particular crop led to a collapse in the economy of Ireland during the Potato Famine. This blight on the Irish potato crops was caused by an airborne fungus which caused the potatoes to become diseased. In September 1844 the potato crops were first discovered to be infected. By 1854 ? of Irish population had immigrated to the United States.This wave of mass immigration was given its sense of urgency by the potato famine; with underlying factors of poverty, religious persecution and political unrest. America must have seemed to faraway immigrants leaving from Ireland as a true chance at a decent life. It was believed that they could find good work in the United States, although arriving immigrants found it difficult to gain employment in many fields due to cultural prejudices. Still, in a land with no jobs and no food, the possibility of any hope in a new land seemed to many better than suffering the circumstances of life in Ireland at the time.It was believed that the common man had better possibilities not only in terms of gainful employment, but as future land owners. The United states was also seen as a place of religious freedom, and many immigrants left hoping to create a better life for themselves by escaping religious intolerance and persecution. Democracy, freedom of speech, and religious tolerance were factors that went beyond the purely economic I motivating the search for a new home in a new land. . Scholarly articles and Research about Irish Immigration The American WakeImmigrants leaving Ireland for the United states knew that they would pro bably never see their families or homeland again. The Irish Potato Famine One of the most signifigant social conditions in Ireland which increased the need for Irish citizens to seek a better future in another land. An Artice on Irish Imigration to the US on associated content Irish Famine A LOT of information The Journey to America A sholarly discussion on Irish Immigration. The Severity of the Famine was Devistating, and Could Have been Entirely Avoided The devastation of the potato famine is almost indescribable.There had been eight million people in Ireland at the time farmers began to discover that all but ten percent of their food crops had been infected. Most of their primary food source was simply gone, and by 1847 more than half of the population was entirely reliant on this crop. Soon, about three million people became dependent on government run soup kitchens for food. people began to starve to death. Because poverty was so severe, many of the families of the deceased cou ld not afford to bury their loved ones in coffins, and so they were laid to rest in shallow graves.The situation was so severe that countries all around the world heard of the plight of the Irish, and began to send aid. In a day and age without the means to communicate quickly over great distances, far away places like Barbados, Jamaica, Italy, and France began to get word, and tried to help the starving people. The gifts were many and generous, including over 200,000 pounds from the Quakers alone. With so much of the population affected by the potato famine, the donations were only able to go so far. People ate stale bread, and a little soup, if anything.An eighth of the population actually slowly starved to death, and not all nations were as kind and generous. Britain had political domination over Ireland. Absentee landlords from England owned much of the land that the Irish people lived and worked on. Rents were high, wages were low, and a significant portion of the crops were â €˜money crops' and belonged to the absent landlords. The most terrible and ironic fact about the potato famine is that during the blight Ireland still grew and was compelled to ship out enough food that the food needs of the whole country could have been covered by it.While the country was so desperately poor and without food, some ships cam filled with supply, but even more left with the meager good portions of the crops. This is one of the major factors in the animosity between the Irish and the English. Religious persecution had been a significant factor in the poverty and living conditions of the Irish, and was used as a form of political domination. Roman Catholics were forbidden by English law to do many things that might make them more able to become self-sufficient and rise up against the protestants who had allied themselves with the British.To retain economic control, the British contrived laws meant to keep the majority of the Irish people who were Roman Catholic from improving their lot. Roman Catholics were forbidden to read and write, or educate their children with any more skills than necessary to perform the laborious jobs the dominating overloads expected. Many of them chose to educate themselves in secret, at great risk. There are some letters from that time which survive, and those that took the risk to attempt to write and send them have created some surviving historical documentation the presents a bleak picture.The people were impoverished to begin with, and so the effects of the famine were disastrous. Many families had been struggling to pay their high rents to begin with, and had to go without many things to continue to have shelter. They had to kill what livestock they had for food, or sell it to come up with money for rent. There clothing was tattered, and poor protection during the colder months. When their crops failed, they often looked for more laborious jobs in work houses and on larger farms. In a weakened physical condition from lack of food, many became sick and unable to perform heavy labor.This led many of the people to become homeless. They were often evicted when they became unable to pay their rent, and often under dramatic circumstances. Sometimes the landlord would pull them out of their homes and destroy the house in front of them. These things happened even at the height of the potato famine, when many of the people forcefully thrown out of their homes were already starving and sick. Not only did the majority of the Irish suffer starvation and sickness, but in desperation many were convicted of small crimes such as poaching or stealing food from storehouses.This was treated as a very serious offense, without much leniency or understanding for the starving people who were being denied basic human rights. As a result, many of those convicted of these â€Å"crimes† were convicted and sent forcefully to Australia to do hard labor in prison camps. Most of those who were separated and sent away on Australian bound convict ships never saw Ireland or their families again. The English might have moved to aid faster as other countries did, but were reluctant. Not only were they importing food from a starving country, they declined to give much assistance for the people growing the food.It was believed that if they gave the Irish money, they would use it to buy weapons and revolt. The idea of providing them free food out of soup kitchens was also not popular with the English, who were concerned that they would become accustomed to the free food and become lazy and overly dependent. All the while, the Irish peasant farmers carried carts full of potatoes to be collected for the British, pulling them by hand without the aid of livestock. They suffered hard labor with little or nothing to eat, and had to deliver food to others while watching their families and their animals slowly starve to death.It was in this atmosphere that many chose to leave for other countries, knowing t hey would probably never see their families or their homeland again. . Videos About the Potato Famine in Ireland Warning, this stuff may make you weep, particularly the third video with the letters from the young Irish girl about the famine. Irish Famine film by worcesterjonny | video info 123 ratings | 69,939 views A short film produced by Pathe News around 1905 that brought attention to famine in Ireland in that year.The film has been altered and is used to draw similarities to the early famine of 1846-50. curated content from YouTube The American Wake An unusual tradition known as â€Å"the American Wake† happened daily across Ireland and continued for about 75 years. It was a somber fair well, among friends and loved ones before embarking on the journey of immigration across the ocean. Often more of a funeral than a celebration, the wake was held in order for adult children who were leaving to be able to mourn their parents funerals while they were still living.The emigra nt who was leaving would have visited friends and relatives prior to the wake, to tell the news of their plan for departure. All who were close would come the night before the immigrants departure, to say final goodbyes knowing that they would probably never see each other again. On the night of the wake, relatives and friends would spend time trying to impart their wisdom to the immigrant. They hoped life in the new land would be better for the person who was departing, but knew that the journey was risky and becoming established with little resources would be hard.Elder relatives took this moment to advise the emigrant, many of who were fairly young, on how to survive and make a life for themselves. In the most impoverished areas food sharing and refreshments were not offered, but a small amount of poteen might be brought and shared on rare occasions. In those areas worst effected their was generally no singing and dancing, and these gatherings were often filled with the wailing a nd lamenting of the women. Women were called upon to say a lament for the departing person and their families, much like one might speak of the departed in a modern funeral.In a wailing kind of speech, a woman would aquatint the listener with the personal story of the virtues of the departing person, how sadly their skills and virtues will be missed, and how terrible the grief and suffering of the parents and relatives is because of this need to say goodbye. In areas that were less poverty stricken, the American Wake included all of those elements, but was also a more festive occasion. There might be baking, cleaning, and preparation beforehand for a nice gathering. Visiting neighbors might also bring food, tea, stout, and other libations to share.The lamentations continued, but were also sometimes mingled with dancing and singing to celebrate the life of a loved one and hope for the future. These festivities would continue late into the night, when older people would sit near the h earth and tell stories to the young seated on the floor around them. The next morning they would accompany the young emigrant to the docks for their departure. Travel by sea was risky, and known to be frought with the potentials of sickness or shipwreck. Traditionally, relatives left behind promosed to pray for their safe passage and opportunities in America.Those departing promised to pray for a good harvest, for restoration of health and better times to their families and loved ones, and that they would keep Ireland forever in their hearts. Some found ways to communicate via letter across the expansive ocean, but with a high rate of illiteracy and the distance involved that only happened in the rarest and luckiest of cases. After a long trip by sea, the Irish found life in a new land to be difficult. Life in a new land was not easy for the Irish immigrants that made it across the ocean. Many of them, sadly, did not make it.Already in poor health and with little money, the conditio ns of travel were bad. The ships were overcrowded, didn't have enough supplys, and sickness took many of the passengers durring their three month journey. Many of the people who left Ireland never made it to the United States, in such grat numbers that the vessels carrying the immigrants became known as coffin ships. During the years of the famine boats constantly brought more refugees seeking a new home, the numbers totalling around a million within a decade. During the same period, around a million and a half died from starvation in Ireland.Upon arrival, the new immigrants had to find places to live and work. This was challenging, because the American people were overwhelmed with the volume of very poor newcomers. The Irish imigrants were primarily farm workers who were not accustomed to or prepared for the industrialized cities they came to settle in. Many potential employers hung signs that said things like â€Å"No Irish Need Apply†, because of prejudices against the Iri sh people who they believed to be lazy and unskilled. The work these immigrants had in Ireland had been primarily agricultural, while the American culture was focused on industrialized production of goods.The Irish were forced to take jobs that involved hard labor for low wages, usually in industries that were dangerous. After immigrating and setting up a meager home, many of the new immigrants died in jub related accidents while working in industries such as railroad building. This is a Verry Beautiful and Deeply Inspiring Book Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by: John O'Donohue Amazon Price: $8. 51 (as of 01/15/2012) The Irish People Have Made Many Great Contributions to American Society Music is one of the first things that may come to mind when you think of the impact of Irish Culture in America.There are many beautiful Irish songs, and the Irish people culturally are known to have produced many talented musicians and songwriters. One thing the Irish seem to value culturally m ore than some other peoples is music, and it's ability to carry a story in a memorable and beautiful way. For Irish immigrants, preserving and performing music from their country of origin was both a way to feel at home and to share a sense of that with others. This tendency to appreciate and cultivate musical and artistic talents also helped to pass down historical lessons and cultural perspectives from one generation to the next.Irish music is known for rich artistic imagery, and storytelling in both serious and comic ways. This first video of ‘Oh Danny Boy' shows some very beautiful photography of the Irish countryside. Can you imagine the newly immigrated people, remembering these places and knowing they would probably never see them again? Wanting to share these memories with their children in a new country was part of what motivated this sharing of oral history in song. The second version, chillingly beautiful and different, features Johnny Cash. . Danny Boy Ireland by t ubelookjohn | video info ,010 ratings | 5,170,337 views http://www. lookaroundireland. com see the beautiful scenery of Ireland while listening to the tenor voice of Michael Londra http://www. michaellondra. com curated content from YouTube Johnny Cash and Jimmie Rodgers : Danny Boy Johnny Cash & Jimmie Rodgers – Danny Boy by Carters01 | video info 470 ratings | 564,898 views Johnny Cash & Jimmie Rodgers – Danny Boy curated content from YouTube Books About Irish History Top of Form Search Amazon. com Bottom of Form Showing 1 – 6 of 50 results A Reading Book in Irish History P. W.Joyce (Paperback – Sep 19, 2010) $18. 88 A Reading Book in Irish History Irish history and the Irish question Goldwin Smith, Hugh J McCann (Paperback – †¦ $21. 85 In Search of Ireland's Heroes: The Stor†¦ Carmel McCaffrey (Paperback – Oct 26, 200†¦ $14. 68 Irish History and the Irish Question The History of the Great Irish Famine of†¦ John O'rourk e (Paperback – Sep 5, 2010) $39. 35 12345> Privacy Like Music, Dance is an Art form that can Share a Story with Feeling The Irish have made significant contributions to the arts not only in music, but in writing, theater, and dance.As another art form, dance can be unique and expressive, and may tell a story and share feeling and ideas. Even now, the Irish influence on dance and storytelling can be strongly felt in America. The popularity of dance troupes that do Irish style dancing has only increased over time. Modern groups like River Dance sometimes retell moment in Irish history, such as in this clip, which shows a dance about the â€Å"American Wake† and immigration to the Americas as the potato famine effected Ireland. Riverdance American Wake by thunderceltic | video info 418 ratings | 182,462 views riverdance live from geneva urated content from YouTube Other Great Lenses about Irish History and Immigration to the U. S. The Great Irish Famine A Monument to the Great Famine IN THE shadow of Ireland's â€Å"holy† mountain, Croagh Patrick, stands a most unusual ship. It looks like a small 19th-century sailing†¦ Guestbook submit Reply JoshK47 Oct 17, 2011 @ 11:32 pm | delete Great work on this lens! Very good information! Reply kimmanleyort Aug 20, 2011 @ 7:54 am | delete Very thorough lens on Irish immigration and the potato famine. This is a subject near and dear to my heart as my ancestors came from Ireland to Quebec in the mid-1800's.Have you read the historical novel, Galway Bay? It gives a look at one family's experience and is riveting. I even did a lens on it. Well done and blessed! Reply GetSillyProductions Apr 18, 2011 @ 1:40 pm | delete accurate history and great video of Johnny Cash. two thumbs up Reply jackiebolen Mar 21, 2011 @ 9:26 pm | delete Very informative! Well done 🙂 Reply KEELACOM Mar 20, 2011 @ 9:43 am | delete That was one of the most informative pieces I have come across on Irish Immigration to th e US. I have you as a link on my lens (http://www. squidoo. com/videos_of_Ireland) in the hope others will read it.As an Irishman living in Co Clare where the famine did untold damage, I just want to say keep up the great work. Reply LadyJasmine Mar 20, 2011 @ 2:12 pm | delete Thanks very much, I appreciate it. 🙂 Reply SquidooKimberly Mar 17, 2011 @ 11:38 pm | delete I never understood the facts but the movies always made it seem like Irish immigrants had it rougher than other cultures. Thanks for all the great history! Congrats on being on the Best of St. Patrick's Day lenses 2011! http://www. squidoo. com/monsterboards/best_st_patricks_day_2011 Reply LadyJasmine Mar 20, 2011 @ 1:55 pm | delete Oh, wow, cool! :- Thanks Kimberly!Reply KimGiancaterino Mar 17, 2011 @ 11:19 pm | delete My great-great grandparents were Irish immigrants and times were very tough for them. It's hard to even read about what those people endured. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Reply d-artist Mar 11, 2011 @ 3:30 pm | delete Very interesting lens, being an immigrant myself I understand struggles, but this is heart wrenching†¦ I just recently saw on TV a documentary about this very subject Load More Show All Share this Guestbook Stumbleupon Facebook MySpace Twitter Digg Delicious RSS Email Donations WiserEarth is the online social forum and directory for  sustainability.We help the global movement working toward social  justice and environmental stewardship collaborate, share knowledge,  and build alliances. Our tools and resources are all free to u We at Squidoo passionately believe in creating new ways to support good causes online. By making a donation to Wiser Earth from this page, you are sending money directly to that organization, in whatever amount you want. We don't touch it. We don't even see it. The author of this page doesn't either. And if you made it this far, thanks for caring. Top of Form Choose an amount: Donate Cancel Bottom of FormSpecial Thanks to my roo m mate Jean Marie Carrier for co-authoring this page, and allowing me to include excerpts from a college research paper she did this semester for a history class. Ads by Google NC Immigration Lawyer Contact An Experienced Lawyer for  Business, Family ; Individual Visas www. edgertonimmigration. com K-12 Homework Help Tutors ; Learning Centers Near You. Contact K-12 Homework Help Programs Tutor. Schools. com Like 39 RSS by LadyJasmine LadyJasmine I play piano,guitar, write music and sing. I am also a Wiccan, a tarot reader, a freelance writer, a student, a teacher, a traveler, and a wandering s†¦ ore  Ã‚ » 65 featured lenses Winner of 23 trophies! Top lens  » The Best and Most Beautiful Tarot Decks Feeling creative? Create a Lens! Explore related pages The Importance of Integrity The Importance of Integrity Top Research Paper Websites for Kids Top Research Paper Websites for Kids The Great Irish Famine The Great Irish Famine Irish Slaves in the Caribbean Irish Slaves in th e Caribbean Unique Gift Ideas for Teachers 2012 Unique Gift Ideas for Teachers 2012 Irish Fiddle: Traditional Irish Instrumental Music Irish Fiddle: Traditional Irish Instrumental Music Beautiful Claddagh RingLWRS043-7 Nickel Free Sterling Silver Irish Claddagh Friendship and Love Band Polished Finished Ring Size 7 Amazon Price: $16. 99 (as of 01/15/2012) Saphire Claddagh Ring Sterling Silver Blue Sapphire Heart CZ Claddagh Ring Sizes 4 to 9, 7 Amazon Price: $34. 99 (as of 01/15/2012) Anam Cara by John O'Donohue Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by: John O'Donohue Amazon Price: $8. 51 (as of 01/15/2012) Related Tags Irish History history college college writing cultural anthropology emmigration history immigration immigration history rish irish dancing irish immigrants irish immigration to the united states irish music irish people melting pot potato famine reaserch writing research paper scholarly research LadyJasmine more†¦ TOS Originality Pact About Us SquidooHQ Charity Rep ort Abuse Feedback ; Bugs Copyright  © 2012, Squidoo, LLC and respective copyright owners This page and all the pages on Squidoo generate income for lensmasters and charities based on affiliate relationships with our partners, including Amazon, Google, eBay and others.Have fun. Want our Newsletter? Top of Form Sign up! Bottom of Form Sorry, lens owners cannot vote for their own lenses. close Top of Form Visitor Squidoo Twitter Name: Login (email address): Password: Posting comment as Twitter user Tweet this comment! Posting comment as Facebook user (disconnect) Post this comment to Facebook! Notify me by email when new comments are added. Email: CancelSubmit Bottom of Form John O'rourke (Paperback – Sep 5, 2010) John O'rourke (Paperback – Sep 5, 2010) back – Sep 5, 2010)

Does War Advance Civilization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Does War Advance Civilization - Research Paper Example Civilization is any multifarious society characterized by urban expansion, social stratification, emblematic communication forms and a perceived natural environment by culture, civilization is referred to as advancement. Civilization is intimately associated with social, political and economic characteristics including centralization, specialization of labour, monumental architecture, taxation, and social dependence. War has a profound impact on technology, the World War II being an example of a global war led to technology advancements that were and are still of great benefits, for instance, the development of air travel technology that was brought about by the end of the World War II. Through this, there was the promotion of transport that made it possible and easy to travel across the world. This advancement has made the world a global village whereby someone can quickly travel across the world with a span of a moment. The advancement has aided in advancing civilization and thus p roving that war can influence civilization.Second, war has an impact on technological progress in the medical science arena. AFR contributed to the need to preserve more lives in case of war and to invent better ways of killing enemies using science technology. The use of scientific methods to fight was evident during the world war I and II, where scientific and medical inventions were advanced, for instance after the world war I, countries like Russia were on the front line to invent better methods of fighting after they had been defeated.

Measure for measure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Measure for measure - Essay Example According to the law, he decides to slay Claudio for illegally having sex with Juliet. Juliet and Claudio were already married but due to some problems they didn’t have a registered marriage. Isabella, Claudio’s sister, was aware that his brother was married to Juliet so she went to the duke (Angelo) to plead him for his brother’s life. Angelo placed a condition for sparing her brother’s life that she will have sex with him. Isabella, being a chaste lady, was shocked and refused the offer. She was dejected and was going home when she was faced by friar (vincento) and told him the whole story. Friar made a plan to safe Claudio. The plan was to send Mariana, Angelo’s fiance, instead of Isabella. Mariana was Angelo’s fiance but they weren’t married because Mariana’s dowry was lost in the sea. According to the plan angelo will have sex with mariana instead of Isabella which he did. Then he ordered the release of Claudio. Soon angelo got to know that he has been played with and he imprisoned mariana and Isabella. According to the law if angelo and mariana had sex then there marriage will be completed. When angelo got to know about this he imprisoned mariana and Isabella. Then he summoned friar in the court. He then blamed friar for all this and sentenced him. At that time friar showed his true appearance. The people then came to know that angelo was a corrupt duke.

Happy Ending Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Happy Ending - Essay Example Margaret deftly and almost brutally shatters this faade of "ever lasting love" disseminated by emotionally and intellectually lazy writers, who often care little about exploring the mechanisms of love and desire in a realistic context. The intention of the writer seems to be to boldly jolt her readers out of their crumpling perceptions about love, which instead of bolstering human relationships, abandon them in a bog of disillusionments and frustrations. Though initially feeling disoriented after going through this seemingly simple work, the reader ultimately emerges with a more through and pragmatic grasp over the emotions of love and desire, that is not childishly black and white, but grounded in an adult atmosphere, dominated by shades of grey. Love is a noble emotion that imbues any relationship with bliss and happiness. Though it is a different thing that many a times people fail to fulfill the conservative claims of love, going by the frailty and imperfection inherent in human life. 'Happy Endings' astonishingly unravels this inevitable dilemma of love through a variety of relationships considered in the narrative. Desire is an aspect of love which if exercised in isolation, degenerates into a selfish and blind quest for self gratification.

Did western influences hasten the decline of the Qing dynasty Why or Essay

Did western influences hasten the decline of the Qing dynasty Why or why not - Essay Example First theory is concerned with China? ¦s internal problems, including corruption, poverty and abuse of powers of the ruling class.† (34) But another sect of the historians argues that even though the Qing Dynasty was wearing out due to the heavy internal troubles, the western influences were at the center of these internal adversaries. Indeed the western influences were not the military interferences and threats to the dynasty in its concrete sense. Rather the western industrial revolution, rapid urbanization, growing individualism and the rapid changes and reorganizations of the socio-economic fields, as again Stanley says, â€Å"The theory supported by the Western World is that imperialism and introduction of western ideas in China ultimately caused the disintegration of Qing† (). Fairly in the early twentieth century Chinn’s socioeconomic and political cultures began to be influenced by the European Industrial Revolution. The pro-western influence school of h istorians purports that even if there were no internal conflicts, the Qing Dynasty would have to respond to the demand of the age. ... d of the Napoleonic War, the growth of industrial revolutions and the European Colonial presence in the neighboring states of China allured the West to take hold of vast Chinese markets (78). The Chinese markets were potential for the European Colonial powers in the late 19th Century in two ways: firstly, China was a potential market for the West to market their industrially produced goods and secondly, the country was a great reserve of raw materials that could feed the demonically growing industries in Europe. These commercial interests of the European nations in China provoked them to interfere into the internal issues of the country. Consequently the Opium War took place, greatly determining the future of the Qing dynasty (Cotterell 84-9). Indeed the root of the Opium War lies in the increasing Irish-British interest in the Lucrative Opium business in the mid 19th century. Since the Opium trade began to be less lucrative for the Chinese due to the Turkish cheaper supply in the op ium market, the Qing Emperor Daoguang banned the trade in contradiction to the expectation of the British traders. Eventually the Opium War began between the British-Irish Ally and the Qing Dynasty and ended upon causing some irreparable loss to the Qing Dynasty. Indeed the Qing Dynasty’s defeat in the First Opium War inspired the Western powers to interfere and manipulate the subsequent rebellions and internal conflicts in their own favor. Though he Qing Dynasty received the reluctant western support during the Taiping Rebellion, Nien Rebellion and a number of other rebellions, these rebellions were greatly caused by and connected to western commercial interests in the country. The Taiping Rebels, though were confronted by the allied Chinese-West Troops, received the non-official support

Information Systems Management Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Information Systems Management Plan - Essay Example This has several advantages to the store. Most importantly will be the boost in the store’s efficiency and effectiveness of its core operations, which will in turn increase the competitiveness of the store. 5.1 Alternative A All ACME stores have an information system. However, each of the information systems for each store is suitable for the individual stores. This is after modification of the information systems in order to suit the specific store. Different factors influence the choice and nature of the information system in use by a store. These include the geographical location of the store, language of most customers, and finances, among others (Management Information Systems (1995). In the case of ACME Mexico City, when geography and language aspects are considered, it is noted that most customers are Mexicans, and these speak Spanish. Therefore, ACME Mexico City might choose to settle only on modifying the existing information system to the Mexicans, who speak Spanish. This way, communication in the store will be easier and more efficient. This is especially after considering the fact that most employees in the store are the locals, who speak Spanish. On the contrast, this kind of information system might be limiting to the non-Spanish speakers in the store. 5.2 Alternative B ACME Mexico City also has the option of designing its own new management information system. This new management information system will be unique and different from the initial management information system, which the different ACME stores have adopted and customized. The new management information system will therefore, be developed to be more efficient, effective, and modern than the initial management information system. For instance, the latest new computer and mobile devices will be purchased. These are more efficient but sophisticated. However, a totally new system will often cost more, as this will also require training of the staff on its usage (Baltzan, 2011). 5.3 Alternative C ACME Mexico City store might adopt the bid optimization tool in the design of its information system. This application will be highly advantageous to the store, as this might increase the opportunities of the store with suppliers and vendors, thus increasing the store’s competitiveness by giving it an edge over its competitors. The bid optimization tool has more strengths, which are paramount to the store. First, this is superior to the manual bidding, thus outperforms it. Secondly, this application has the ability of leveraging historical data and automatically updating bids based on different days and time, among other factors. This also saves time, as it is capable of analyzing data and making bid changes on a routine basis. This application can as well be customized to uphold simplicity, which will make it easier for all staff to use it, despite their varying levels of IT competence. However, the bid optimization tool will generate significant costs. 5.4 Alt ernative D ACME Mexico City store will have the consideration of adopting the new IBM and UNIX-based data warehousing. IBM’s data warehousing provides a unified and powerful access to both the structured

Article by James Howard Kunstler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article by James Howard Kunstler - Essay Example   He suggests that no one thought of understanding the architecture that America could have established rather what happened was that roads were widened and this resulted in huge traffic jams at the present, which seem to mean a lot of tension and apprehension left, right and center. Kunstler has given the example of Walt Disney in this article as he thinks that Walt Disney understood the American psyche and thus he constructed something which could relate with the way the Americans used to live in and enjoy their freedom. He has touched upon the aspects related to the postwar decades where America could not come to terms with its own basis, breaking all the rules that were previously coined and turning towns into urban garbage lands. I believe that Kunstler has been pretty critical of the American geography and has just touched the construction aspects related with America itself. He has not linked this article with the advancements that America has had in different fields of life, so much so that it has come to be known as the Super Power of the World. But then again Kunstler has been vocal at making a point or two which could go down well with the town planners and architects since there is still a lot of room for improvement within the said fields and the matter pertaining to the ugliness of the American skyline is somewhat debatable as I have understood it. The urban sprawls have demanded that long towers are built across the cities and the people be inhabited across a set of different areas whilst being earmarked for living purposes, industrial concerns and the like. Thus the debate is somewhat mind-boggling since Kunstler must know about the facts before making a point about the actual basis of the American urban sprawls.  Ã‚  

Coaching youth sports Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coaching youth sports - Research Paper Example Most developed economies spend millions of dollars in promoting sports, training the new comers to it and making people aware of the importance as well as over all benefits of sports activities. This piece of research paper addresses basic techniques in teaching of softball to young players and positive ways of identifying appropriate skills in individual players and explains how sports can develop physical skills as well as self esteem in young people. Coaching Techniques for Softball As Softball is a team sport, it requires using of specific evaluation tools and techniques that can also be used to assess the developments of the individual parts to make up the whole of the team (American Sport Education Program, p. 9). Improving basic physical skill is key element to success of any sport, and therefore, it is highly important that all the techniques and tactics that are planned to coach softball players must be useful to improve the physical skills of the players. Similarly, there a re some non-physical skills like remembrance, mental capacity, communication skill, character training etc that are also important for effective performance in any sport and these are also to be considered while coaching is given to softball players. Evaluating the effective techniques for coaching softball requires understanding what are the essential physical skills required for softball. They are strength, speed, agility, flexibility and power (American Sport Education Program, p. 9). Techniques and tactics can be different from team to tem, from coach to coach, but all these techniques must be able to boost the above mentioned essential physical skills. Prior to starting physical training and coaching of physical skills, the trainers or coachers must convey messages regarding the importance of the coaching, motivate the athletes to improve in their present skills, try to make all the coaching techniques to be given to athletes are unbiased and constant and convey the feedback of the coaching to the, etc. In softball techniques, Hitting coaching is perhaps most important one. It involves quickness, strength and hand-eye coordination etc. While coaching to help players better hit, it must be carefully considered to make them comfortable in proper grip and stance as well (American Sport Education Program, p. 22- 24). Another important technique of coaching is stride, which is a controlled forward move in the direction of the pitcher in order to help the hitter transfer her weight while she swings. Coachers should also train how the players can effectively position their bat and how can they be angled well. Teaching the proper hand-position in bat is also highly important. In each and every step, through out every different move forward and along with different types of hitting, the coacher should teach different stance, hand position and better grip tactics to the players so that they can have gradual improvements in overall moving and other important parts o f the softball game. A well structures and effective coaching of softball with different techniques must be well-planned, considering various programs like a) monitoring academic progress, b) arranging team program, c) creating goal chart, d) administering coaching, e) cooperating with team-players etc (Veroni and Brazier, p. 36). Ways to identify skills appropriate to individuals Players are individually different in terms of their age, gender and physical strength and therefore certain skills are more appropriate to some

Igor Stravinsky Essay Example for Free

Igor Stravinsky Essay Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was born on June 17th, 1882 in Oranienbaum, Russia. He was one of four to his polish parents, Anna nà ©e Kholodovsky and Fyodor Stravinsky. Igor Stravinsky’s first exposer to music was from his father, who was a bass singer at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. His father helped him learn the love of music. His first musical education began at the age of nine with piano lessons, studying music theory, and attempting composition. By fifteen, he had mastered Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in G Minor and finished a piano reduction of a string quartet by Glazunov. That same year, Stravinsky rebelled against the Russian Orthodox Church and abandoned it. Even though he excelled in music, his parents still wanted him to become a lawyer. In 1901, Stravinsky enrolls at the University of Saint Petersburg; however he never attends many of his classes during the four years of school. When it came time to take final examinations in 1905, the school was closed for two months because of Bloody Sunday. He then later received a half course diploma in April 1906. In 1902, Stravinsky began receiving private lessons from Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov, the leading Russian composer at that time. That very same year Stravinsky’s father dies from cancer. In 1905 Igor Stravinsky proposes to his first cousin Catherin Nossenko. Even though the Orthodox Church opposes marriage of first cousins, they got married on January 23rd, 1906. The same of his marriage, Stravinsky’s creates first important composition Symphony in E Flat. The following year they have their first child Theodore and then the next year they have their second child Ludmila. The same year as Ludmila’s birth, Rimsky, Stravinsky’s father like figure, dies. In 1909, Stravinsky’s compositions, Scherzo fatastique and Feu d’artifice (Fireworks) where performed at a concert in St. Petersburg. In that very audience Serge Diaghilev, founder of the Ballets Russes, was extremely impressed. He was so impressed that he chooses Stravinsky to carry out orchestrations and to compose a full length ballet, The Firebird. In 1910 Stravinsky travels Paris for the premier of The Firebird. At this performance he meets Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and many other important musicians. Towards the end of the ballet season, his family moves to Switzerland with him and, Catherine expecting her third child. In Lausanne, Switzerland in September 1910, Sviatoslav Soulima their third son was born. In 1911, Stravinsky completes another successful ballet, Petrushka. Three years later, Stravinsky composes the two part ballet Le Sacre du Primtemps (The Rite of Spring). This ballet marked the coming of modernism in music and was met with astonishment and hostility. The riot that followed was the most notorious event in music history. Right after the performance, he developed typhoid fever, which took six weeks to recover from. Around the same time, Catherina and Ludmila were found to have tuberculosis. A year later Ludmila did and after giving birth to their fourth child Maria Milena, Catherina also died. Three months after that his mother died also. After all these deaths in his life, Stravinsky also diagnosed with tuberculosis. He spent five months recovering with his newest daughter Milena; she took six years to recover. Stravinsky met Vera de Bosset in Paris in February 1921, his new wife to be. At the time when they first met Vera was still married to the painter and stage designer Serge Sudeikin. They began an affair which led Vera to leave her husband. During his last years in Paris, Stravinsky made professional connections with people in the U.S.

Directors Duties under the Companies Act 2006

Directors Duties under the Companies Act 2006 Executive Summary This paper explains about the directors’ duties that is implemented in the Companies Act 2006. It is significant that every director have to act within the legal principles in order to prevent any dispute from company’s interest with their personal interest. In the Companies Act 2006, there are several duties that every director has to act with the duties that are provided in Section 171 to Section 177. However, the directors did not put the duties into practice when carrying their responsibility as a director in a company. As a result, it has caused a great impact to many aspects such as employment rate, economy and others. Question 1 Introduction: Directors’ Duties in Companies Act 2006 In this modern globalization, every company must have at least one director for non-public listed company and at least two directors for public listed company as it had mentioned under the Companies Act 2006 in Section 154 (Davies, 2007). The reason of having a director in each company is to represent the company to act due to the ‘artificial’ legal entities of the company. In a company, the directors are the persons who represents its owners to manage and solve the problems of a company. According to the Cornell University Law School (2015), the directors of a company are called as fiduciaries because they are owing the fiduciary duties of the company while the people who owes the fiduciary duties is called as principal. Fiduciary duty is a legitimate obligation where it act exclusively in another party’s interest, which is the company where the fiduciaries are representing of. In the legal systems of United Kingdom, fiduciary duty is the most rigorous duty of ca re and duty of loyalty because the fiduciaries have to obey the duty that had implemented to prevent themselves from any irreconcilable circumstances with their principals or with different fiduciaries’ customers. In order to prevent conflict of interest, the Companies Act 2006 has implemented several fiduciary duties to the company’s director that has mentioned in sections 171 to 177. Directors’ duties in Companies Act 2006 In the Company Act 2006, there are several directors’ duties that are necessary for a director to act when carrying the responsibility of its position in a company, which is duty to act within their powers, duty to exercise independent judgement as well as duty to avoid conflicts of interest. 2.1 Duty to Act within Powers This is one of the most important duties that every directors of a company should act on. This duty requires the directors to perform their authority accordingly with the rights they have assigned by the company and utilise it in a proper purpose to give the best interests to the company. It is stated in the Section 171 of Companies Act 2006 that: A director of a company must act in accordance with the company’s constitution, and only exercise powers for the purposes for which they are conferred. Davies (2007) explains that the directors of the company are required to take after all the directions with reference to how the company’s undertakings ought to be sorted out and regulated that are set down in the company’s constitution in order to agree with any constraints that is set down in the constitution on what exercises an organization might legitimately participate. In the Section 171 (b), he explains that the directors’ powers should be utilized just for the proper purposes doctrine. This is to deal with the directors’ affairs by implement those powers that the company wish in order to avoid any conflicts with the company. Unfortunately, the directors have abuse their powers and their acts are not in line with the company’s constitution. This matter is clearly seen in the case of Hogg v Cramphorn Ltd[1], where it concerns about the distribution of shares by the directors of Cramphorn Ltd in order to avoid a take-over in the honest belief as they believe that the take-over would not be in the interest of the company and they want to protect their position as a director in the board of directors. As a result, Mr Hogg, one of the shareholder of the company sued the directors for being misused of their powers accordingly and the new distribution of shares was not legally distributed, so the court announced that this distribution of new shares are invalid (Lawteacher, 2015). However, there’s a case in Western Australia, which is Whitehouse v Carlton Hotels Pty Ltd[2] where Mr. Charles MacDonald Whitehouse is being sued for issuing the shares to his son in order to prevent his former’s wife or daughter to take over the company when he dies. In this case, the High Court of Australia held that Mr Whitehouse does not breach the directors’ duty although he distributed it for improper usage and therefore, the appeal is dismissed with costs (UnistudyGuides, 2013). 2.2 Duty to Exercise Independent Judgement Besides that, the directors must practice this fiduciary duty by using their power autonomously without influence by the other interests. In order to prevent the breach of this duty, the directors have to practice the duty in the Section 173 of Companies Act 2006, whereby they have to act: in accordance with an agreement which has been duly entered into by the company; or in a way authorised by the company’s constitution. In this fiduciary duty, it does not mean to give powers on the directors to delegate or avoid them from utilizing the power that is given by the company’s constitution to delegate. According to the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (2015), the directors have to ensure that they will give the best interest entirely for its own company and shareholders instead of their own interests offered by the third party. Also, the directors of the company are allowed to consult other professions for the legal advice but, the final decision has to be judge independently by themselves. It is clearly seen in the case of Fulham Football Club Ltd. v Cabra Estates plc[3] that the directors did not exercise their powers accordingly with its independent judgement. This is happened where the Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council consented to an agreement to expand the Craven Cottage, the football ground for housing purposes and assure that they will not restrict the advancement at a later date or bolster a compulsory purchase order. As a result, the directors of Fulham Football Club were held that they breached the duty of exercising independent judgement because they had not restricted the future exercise of their discretion accordingly (Quizlet, 2015). As mentioned in the AustLII (2015), the directors of the organization in the case of Thorby v Goldberg[4] was held by the High Court of Australia that they did not fetter on their discretion upon the interest of the organization in entering into a contract. 2.3 Duty to Avoid Conflicts of Interest Moreover, this directors are put into practice with this duty in order to dodge in a circumstances where a director can obtain either a direct or an indirect benefits from the conflict with the company’s interests. In conjunction of this, the Section 175 of Companies Act 2006 has clearly mentioned that this duty is not violated if: the situation cannot reasonably be regarded as likely to give rise to a conflict of interest; or the matter has been authorised by the directors. Based on the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (2015), the breach of this duty is applied when the directors take advantages from the third party in terms of property, unofficial information and opportunities. At the same time, it is not a breach of duty in a circumstance that it is arise unreasonably or it has been approved by the directors. Unfortunately, the directors always face the conflict of interest with the competitor, major shareholder, or a supplier and it has been increasing from years to years. This is because the Act does not explained clearly on what is â€Å"interest† or the â€Å"conflict of interest† means. This issue has showed clearly in the case of Boardman v Phipps[5] where Mr Broadman and Tom Phipps buy the company shares with the acknowledgement of Mr Fox as they believe that they could turn the company around. Nevertheless, Mr Broadman and Tom Phipps did not entirely acquired to all beneficiaries and they have made a great pr ofit with Mr Fox. As a result Johnn Phipps has sued them for breaching the duty to avoid conflicts of interest (Webstroke Law, 2014). In Australia, the directors are also charge for breaching this duty, which is stated in the case of Chan v Zacharia [6]where the High Court of Australia was held that Dr Chan has breached the duty. This is because Dr Chan acted in his personal interest instead of legitimate the interest of the partnership as a whole (Oxbridge Notes, 2014). Conclusion: Prevention rather than cure? In conclusion, it is essential for every directors to act within the directors’ duties that is stated in the Companies Act 2006 to ensure that they do not breach the duty when carry out their responsibility to a company. There are several duties that is important among all of the directors’ duties, which is the duty to act within powers, duty to exercise independent judgement as well as duty to avoid conflicts of interest. It is mentioned in the LawTeacher (2015) that those directors who have breached the duties will caused the company to have financial losses and at the same time, the directors will also be charged for such as imprisonment, fines, and commercial consequences. The directors will also be barred from its position under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 in the Section 6 if they breach the directors’ duties. In order to prevent the breach of duties rather than cure it, the Corporate Governance is a better system than the directorsâ€⠄¢ duties where the Cadbury Report 1992 states that it is a system where the companies are controlled and directed accordingly (SA Technical, 2012). This has led to more sharpness to the director’s responsibilities where they have the executive responsibilities and monitoring role to prevent the breaching of their duties as a directors. [1] Hogg v Cramphorn Ltd. [1967] Ch 254, Chancery Division [2] Whitehouse v Carlton Hotels Pty Ltd. [1987] 162 CLR 285 [3] Fulham Football Club Ltd. V Cabra Estates plc [1992] BCC 863 [4] Thorby v Goldberg [1964] HCA 41; (1964) 112 CLR 597 [5] Boardman v Phipps [1966] UKHL 2 [6] Kak Loui Chan v John Zacharia [1984] 58 ALJR 353

Gender Roles in Society Essay -- Sociology Gender Sex Dominant Essays

Gender Roles in Society Since the beginning of time men have played the dominant role in nearly every culture around the world. If the men were not dominant, then the women and men in the culture were equal. Never has a culture been found where women have dominated. In â€Å"Society and Sex Roles† by Ernestine Friedl, Friedl supports the previous statement and suggests that â€Å"although the degree of masculine authority may vary from one group to the next, males always have more power† (261). Friedl discusses a variety of diverse conditions that determine different degrees of male dominance focusing mainly on the distribution of resources. In The Forest People by Colin Turnbull, Turnbull describes the culture of the BaMbuti while incorporating the evident sex roles among these â€Å"people of the forest†. I believe that the sex roles of the BaMbuti depicted by Turnbull definitely follow the pattern that is the basis of Freidl’s arguments about the conditions that determine vari ations of male dominance. Through examples of different accounts of sex roles of the BaMbuti and by direct quotations made by Turnbull as well as members of the BaMbuti tribe, I intend on describing exactly how the sex roles of the BaMbuti follow the patterns discussed by Freidl. I also aim to depict how although women are a vital part of the BaMbuti culture and attain equality in many areas of the culture, men still obtain a certain degree of dominance. Friedl argues that â€Å"the source of male power among hunter-gatherers lies in their control of a scarce, hard to acquire, but necessary nutrient-animal protein† (263). This is proven by the people of the BaMbuti since they do in fact rely on the hunter-gatherer method which is a process where the people depend on wild plants and animals for subsistence. Although the women of the BaMbuti culture contribute a substantial amount to the hunting process by foraging for mushrooms and nuts and by driving the animals into the net, the men actually kill the animal and distribute it among the tribe. Turnbull states that â€Å"survival can be achieved only by the closest co-operation and by an elaborate system of reciprocal obligations which insures that everyone has some share in the day’s catch† (107). According to Friedl this distribution obligates others to the hunter and â€Å"these obligations constitute a form of power or control over others, both men and... ... to the degree of dominance held by men in the BaMbuti culture. Although this degree might not be extremely high and women do acquire a certain level of equality with the men, the patterns expressed by Friedl in â€Å"Society and Sex Roles† are consistently followed throughout Turnbull’s book, The Forest People. The Forest People is a great example of the patterns expressed by Friedl in her article. Friedl’s hypothesis that men tend to dominate based on the amount of resources distributed and on the division of labor based on sex is proven through the actions of the BaMbuti people. The present dominance that exists by men in nearly every culture is one that is likely to continue for many years if not forever. Friedl suggests that â€Å"as long as women spend their discretionary income from jobs on domestic needs, they will gain little social recognition and power† (269). She proposes that the only way women will attain equality is to â€Å"gain access to positions that control the exchange of resources† (269). If in fact women do continue to gain these higher positions, then male dominance may eventually become obsolete and egalitarianism may one day become the basis of industrial societies.

Does College Help :: essays research papers

College or technical schools are supposed to be the gateway to higher paying careers, but most are not all that they are cracked up to be. The standards and goals that society wants met are continually not being met by the students today. Also, many higher learning facilities lack the funds to provide positive learning environments for students. For these reasons and many more are keeping the students of today from benefiting fully from schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society today has to make some new choices for the students of tomorrow, choices that will carry them into the next millennium. Society can either “lower standards so that everybody “passes'; in a way that looses all meaning in the real world'; or “ raise standards and then meet them'; (Barber 479). I personally believe in raising our expectations and doing whatever is needed to meet them. Our countries standards are among the lowest in the world and “ at the same moment as we are transferring our responsibilities to the shoulders of the next generation, we are blaming them for our own generation’s most conspicuous failures'; (Barber 472). Every election year the candidates use something about education as one of their platforms, but few ever carry through with them once they are elected. Most education bills die in congress in some shape or another and the ones that actually make it through congress, are usually ineffective because t hey have been changed and modified to the point of ineffectiveness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also, many of the learning facilities today lack the funding to provide adequate, positive learning environments for students. Underpaid teachers and professors who “ make less than accountants architects, doctors, lawyers, engineers, judges, health professionals, auidiors, and surveyors'; and thus many student disregard teachers as role models. If people see someone who can score touchdowns or dunk a basketball making millions while their teachers are scraping bottom to survive, then how can an educator possibly motivate them to learn (Barber 470). Many people chase after their “dreams'; of money instead of seeing the reality of learning. Although society today rates an education as one of their top priorities, they still allow learning facilities to become broken and run down. Like animals, children and adults file into buildings with bad floors, horrible plumbing, leaky roofs and ceilings, and pack into desk, usually 35+ per educator. Today the gove rnment spends $35,000 a year to keep someone behind bars and only a fraction of that to keep them in school (Barber 475).

Meaning, Interpretation, and Tension in Literature Essay -- Literary A

"Iraqi Head Seeks Arms." (Pinker, p. 69) Quiproquo, double entendre, pun. These are instances of finding more than one possible meaning to an event, most often a phrase. We can't read Shakespeare, or Molià ¨re, or the works of many other authors if we don't believe that something can have more than one meaning. "There is no topic in philosophy that has received more attention than meaning, in its multifarious manifestations." (Dennett, p. 401) Meaning is one of our most intimate bedfellows – it is always in our minds. In Webster's Third New International Dictionary, meaning is defined as follows; 1meaning 1a: The thing one intends to convey by an act or esp. by language b: the thing that is conveyed or signified esp. by language: the sense in which something (as a statement) is understood 2: The thing that is meant or intended: INTENT, PURPOSE, AIM, OBJECT It is especially interesting that there is a difference between 1a and 1b in this definition, because this implies that there can be at least two meanings for a given event or utterance; what the meaner intends, and what the witness understands the meaning to be. The number of possible meanings grows when we consider that there may be many different meanings, or levels of meanings of the meaner. There could also be many witnesses to the event, each with her own interpretation. Each of these situations is like a different context, which could reveal a new sense. One area in which the possibility of the existence of more than one meaning or interpretation creates tension is literature. "Intention, text, context, reader – what determines meaning? Now the very fact that arguments are made for all four factors shows that meaning is complex and elusive, not something once and f... ...case, especially if we concede that certain things from which we derive meaning were created without intent or purpose. Perhaps our concept of meaning is a manifestation of our tendency to make up stories to explain things, or desire as humans to fill emptiness and to expand. We certainly don't have all the puzzle pieces yet; hopefully our understanding will evolve and expand as more information becomes available. Works Cited: Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. New York; Philomel. 1969. Culler, Jonathon. Literary Theory. New York; Oxford. 1997. Dennett, Daniel. Darwin's Dangerous Idea. New York; Touchstone, 1995. Hofstadter, Douglas R. Gà ¶del, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid. New York; Basic Books. 1979 Mayr, Ernst. What Evolution Is. New York; Basic Books, 2001. Pinker, Steven. The Language Instinct. New York; HarperCollins, 1994.

Restaurant satisfaction Essay

Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Surveys Can Keep Your Customers Coming Back Keep your customers coming back and recommending your restaurant to others with help from restaurant customer satisfaction surveys. Restaurant customer satisfaction surveys give you quantitative insight into the opinions and attitudes of your customers. You’ll obtain facts about what they want, what they expect, and if they plan to return to your restaurant again. If results show that your restaurant does not meet your customers’ expectations, you’ll know exactly what areas to target for improvement. Whether you own a fast-food restaurant, a dine-in establishment, or a chain of restaurants, Infosurv’s restaurant survey measuring customer satisfaction can provide you with valuable data you can use to make better business decisions. Gauging satisfaction with a restaurant customer survey can tell you about the demographics of your customers as well as give you insight into what they really think about: Food quality Menu selection Menu pricing and value Waiting times Promptness of service Professionalism and friendliness of server(s) Server’s knowledge of menu Decor Restaurant location Overall restaurant experience By assessing the wants and needs of customers – and then acting upon them – restaurants have continually found that satisfaction surveys encourage: Repeat business Positive feelings towards the restaurant because they showed that they cared about customer opinions Increased recommendations by current customers Increased spending within the restaurant Whether you need a restaurant satisfaction survey designed from scratch exclusively for your customers, or have an existing survey that needs to be administered, Infosurv takes extraordinary measures to ensure validity, reliability and bias reduction. Our goal is to help you compose a highly relevant survey instrument that will yield sound and valid conclusions while achieving the maximum survey response rate possible. Learn More About Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Surveys From Infosurv To learn more about restaurant customer satisfaction surveys and the Infosurv Experienceâ„ ¢ please download our brochure. What Makes Customer Satisfaction Research Useful? Capture customer feedback and use the data to set business priorities. Mar. 25, 2008By Marian Singer, partner, FiveTwelve Group Ltd. Much has been written in the last couple of years about the promise of customer satisfaction research (CSR) to improve performance or shorten development cycles for businesses and organizations. This work is particularly germane in North America, where growth in many industrial and commercial markets is peaking and companies are scrambling for competitive advantage. The concept is simple: capture customer feedback and use the data to set business priorities. Customer satisfaction data is routinely gathered to support continuous improvement programs like TQM, ISO and Six Sigma. The answers to the questions â€Å"How are we doing? † and â€Å"What should we do better? † are the building blocks of a customer relationship based on measurable value. Answered correctly, they track improvements in the business relationship and identify areas for improvement. However, translating the answers into meaningful actions is difficult. The issue is not whether or not you are getting information about customer satisfaction; it is whether or not you are using information about customer satisfaction to act differently. Generally, two factors cause weak CSR: uninvolved stakeholders and useless data. Let’s explore what makes CSR useful. An engineered products manufacturer had recently been purchased by investors seeing promise in their technological leadership. Research was commissioned to help the new team understand current satisfaction and long term business durability. They were shocked to find that more than 90% of the business was at risk. While sales teams showcased and closed many initial orders, lengthy start-ups, late shipments and poor quality pushed customers away once they had adopted the technology. The manufacturer was, in essence, training customers to prefer the technology on behalf of their competition. Employees were frustrated too. They had heard complaints but hadn’t digested the consequences. Out of necessity, they assumed ample supply of new customers to replace the disgruntled ones. The costs associated with lost business hadn? t been clear. The team dove into the research, put answers into context, mined new feedback, and made survey adjustments even while they collected more information. They isolated common themes, asked why, and tested actions steps to recover the business. In the end, improved communication systems solved internal conflicts and kept customers in the loop. Investments in new secondary operations simplified customers’ processes and improved predictability. With these changes, the manufacturer was able to recover tenuous relationships, improve its pipeline and the satisfaction of its customers and employees in about a year. Today, the company monitors satisfaction routinely, taking care to not only benchmark against previous year’s performance but to test new ideas and gain a clearer understanding of the feedback it receives informally. So, how to ask the question â€Å"How are we doing and what should we do better? † When a business process like the collection of satisfaction data hardens into concrete steps, it loses flexibility, become sterile and impractical and as a result, can erode value. When data collection is exercise in scoring, ranking, and polling, it blocks inspiration, the creative process, decision-making, relationship-building and new learning that comes from effective listening. Weak CSR: Is a static process: A survey of customer satisfaction done once is a popularity contest. Done over time it can be a tool for decision-making, because it can show progress or setbacks. However, if you ask the same customers the same questions, year after year, eventually they are going to ask you to stop. It is very important to evaluate customer satisfaction routinely, to expose changes, but it is equally important to change it up to test new ideas, show responsiveness and build better relationships over time. Customer satisfaction is dynamic. The CSR process should be too. Ignores Context: Most CSR surveys assign a subjective value to tasks or functions like delivery, development, sales management, or customer service. If, however, the satisfaction score isn’t understood in terms of its relative importance to the customer, it is difficult to see impact on business health. For example, a customer might state that their satisfaction with pricing levels is relatively low — say a 3 on a 7 point scale. Without context, a natural reaction might be to re-examine pricing policies — and those of competitors — to look for guidance. If, however, pricing scored low in terms of importance in comparison to lead-time, a supplier would know that improvements in delivery could dampen the need for reactionary discounting. By knowing the context in which attributes are evaluated, suppliers can better allocate efforts, grow sales and save margin. Before asking â€Å"How we are doing? † CSR should first establish the importance of an attribute in order to provide context. Is Quantitatively Biased: CSR surveys are often biased by the preponderance of closed questions like force ranked lists and 1-7 scoring. Learning about low satisfaction with service may be informative, but investing the time to uncover ideas for improvement is what is crucial to improving a customer relationship. To illustrate, a customer with little tolerance for late deliveries may score delivery as important but add that a simple call to reschedule would satisfy. Without this background, a manufacturer might have invested to retool, having overestimated the hazard. Always ask â€Å"Why? † Keys to Success Treat customer satisfaction as philosophy It’s counter to think that something as fundamental as listening to customers should be institutionalized, but in these days of consolidation and distant markets, it is absolutely necessary. As the knowledge economy continues to evolve, we see that high performers are distinguished by continuously improving CSR processes that get as much attention from process experts as LEAN or Six Sigma. A good first step is to view CSR not as a project thrown over the wall to the new MBA intern, but instead, as a philosophy of listening and interacting with customers. Design CSR that can flex and learn, like people do It’s also counter to think that CSR should be designed to flex with what is known at the moment, but this is actually a sign of effective learning and communication, which are the key ingredients to usefulness. The ability of a research team to make changes along the way depends on whether they see and understand the trends early enough. The important factors determining CSR success are not sample size or repetition, but research transparency and the volume of critical thinking done during the project. Act Small CSR exists because companies are big. The complexities that are introduced when groups enlarge encumber simple activities like listening, thinking and doing. But these are the activities that create value and wealth. To make them simple again, build a great CSR process to do the basic, smart things that entrepreneurs are forced to do. It’s Never the Data If you ask â€Å"How are we doing and what should we do better? † tomorrow, the answers that you get will be different than the answers you got yesterday. The most important ingredient to CSR is the action that you take with what you learn, and the ability of the customer to see and feel value from those actions. Marian Singer is a partner at FiveTwelve Group, Ltd. , a research and consulting firm that works to improve way that businesses, investors and member organizations listen to their customers and markets and how they act on what they learn. www. fivetwelvegroup. com http://www. industryweek. com/companies-amp-executives/what-makes-customer-satisfaction-research-useful Customer Satisfaction Survey By F. John Reh We all know customer satisfaction is essential to the survival of our businesses. How do we find out whether our customers are satisfied? The best way to find out whether your customers are satisfied is to ask them. When you conduct a customer satisfaction survey, what you ask the customers is important. How, when , and how often you ask these questions are also important. However, the most important thing about conducting a customer satisfaction survey is what you do with their answers. How You Ask Whether Customers Are Satisfied There are many ways to ask your customers whether or not they are satisfied with your company, your products, and the service they received. You can ask them: Face-to-face As they are about to walk out of your store or office, ask them. Call them on the phone If you have their phone number, and their permission, you can call them after their visit and ask how satisfied they are. Mail them a questionnaire This technique has been used for a long time. The results are predictable. Email them a customer satisfaction survey Be careful to not violate Spam laws Email them an invitation to take a customer satisfaction survey When To Conduct A Customer Satisfaction Survey The best time to conduct a customer satisfaction survey is when the experience is fresh in their minds. If you wait to conduct a survey, the customer’s response may be less accurate. He may have forgotten some of the details. She may answer about a later event. He may color his answers because of confusion with other visits. She may confuse you with some other company. What To Ask In A Customer Satisfaction Survey There is a school of thought that you only need to ask a single question in a customer satisfaction survey. That question is, â€Å"will you buy from me again? † While it is tempting to reduce your customer satisfaction survey to this supposed â€Å"essence†, you miss a lot of valuable information and you can be easily misled. It is too easy for a customer to answer yes to the â€Å"will you buy from me again? â€Å", whether they mean it or not. You want to ask other questions in a customer satisfaction survey to get closer to the expected behavior and to collect information about what to change and what to keep doing. By all means ask the basic customer satisfaction questions: How satisfied are you with the purchase you made (of a product or service) How satisfied are you with the service you received? How satisfied are you with our company overall? And ask the customer loyalty questions† How likely are you to buy from us again? How likely are you to recommend our product/service to others How likely are you to recommend our company to others. Also ask what the customer liked and didn’t like about the product, your service, and your company. How Often Should You Conduct A Customer Satisfaction Survey The best answer is â€Å"often enough to get the most information, but not so often as to upset the customer†. In real terms, the frequency with which you conduct a customer satisfaction survey depends on the frequency with which you interact with your customers. My state renews drivers licenses for five-year periods. It would be silly for them to ask me each year what I thought of my last renewal experience. Conversely, if I survey the commuters on my rapid transit system once a year, I will miss important changes in their attitudes that may be driven by seasonal events. What To Do With Answers From A Customer Satisfaction Survey Regardless of how I ask my customers for their feedback, what I ask them in the customer satisfaction survey, and when I survey them, the most important part of the customer satisfaction survey is what I do with their answers. Yes, I need to compile the answers from different customers. I need to look for trends. I should look for differences by region and/or product. However, I most need to act on the information I get from my customers though the survey. I need to fix the things the customers have complained about. I need to investigate their suggestions. I need to improve my company and product in those areas the mean the most to the most of my customers. I need to not change those things that they like. Most importantly I need to give them feedback that their answers were appreciated and are being acted upon. That feedback can be individual responses to the customers if appropriate, or it can simply be fixing the things that they tell you need to be fixed. What’s Next in Customer Satisfaction Surveys?