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analysis on whether the super powers were involved in colonization during the Cold War

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Colonialism

It seems that colonialism will never become extinct because the super powers are still engaging in it. Even now, one can witness how the United States has its presence in many countries such Iraq and Iran, among other countries. In the book ‘All the Shah’s Men’ by Stephen Kinzer, information is provided concerning colonialism efforts by super powers in third world countries. Furthermore, he proves that the United States is the reason behind colonialism in the modern world.

This paper seeks to give an analysis on whether the super powers were involved in colonization during the Cold War. Also, it seeks to give a comparison regarding the 1800’s and 1900’s colonial interventions.

Analysis of the Cold War in terms of the super powers colonialism efforts

There was a lot of intervention by the superpowers in various third world countries. The latter is referred to as colonialism that was furthered by the super powers during the Cold War. In the year 1954, there was an increase of support towards the Egyptian Gamal Nasser’s government. Economic and military support by the super powers was offered to Egypt. The Middle East became the target of the western super powers in a bid to have dominance over the region (Gamal Nasser, 20011. 19). It also ensured that the super powers had strategic control and presence in the countries they took over. For example, the soviets helped the Middle Eastern Arabs in their fight against the Israelis (Kinzer, 2004. 67). The Suez Canal is a key element that attracted the French and British to try and colonize Egypt.

Another element is the Aswan Dam that needed to be constructed in order to benefit the Egyptians. The need to prevent the Egyptian military from gaining power in the year 1956 is another reason why the super powers were concerned. Since the soviet advocated for the Arabs against the Israelis, it won the 1956 Suez War (Kinzer, 2004. 67). It had garnered the support of Egyptians who wanted to ensure that they were not colonized. This victory also took place in Iraq whereby, through a coup d’etat the government that was pro western became defeated. Through the formation of a Central Treaty Organization known as the Baghdad pact all this became possible (Baghdad Pact, 2011. 18).

On the other hand, Iraq, Syria and Egypt were viewed as countries subjected to Western Imperialism. According to Kinzer, they were regimes that were extremely progressive and were oriented as socio, economic socialist countries. The need to ensure that they were not colonized made the three countries be against western colonialism. In turn, they ensured that a United Nations Trusteeship Council was formed in order to act in their favor. It wanted western colonialism to be eradicated through all means possible. The Soviet Union was better off in matters concerning colonialism when compared to the United Nations (United Nations Partition Proposal, 2011. 13). In Cuba, Fidel Castro wanted to have a political system that was socio-economical based on the Marxist-Leninist theories. In turn, it obtained help from Russia in order to gain advantage over the United States (Kinzer, 2004. 69). Colonialism was felt in most African states such as Congo, Guinea, Ghana, and Mali. The latter had a connection with the colonial powers that ruled them. The disadvantage was that the relations were extremely strained. This is because they wanted to be independent without the help of the colonial powers. For example Patrice Lumumba, the Congo Prime Minister did not succeed in obtaining help from the soviets. The help took the form of military aid which that was prohibited by the United Nations. The latter ensured that people would not enter Congo easily as it closed the airports found in Congo.

Various similarities existed between the 1800’s and 1900’s colonial interventions by the super powers. According to Keinzer, (P.69) most of the leaders of the modern regimes who have evaded colonialism are being targeted. For example, the leaders of Iran have been viewed as fanatics and heroes by different people. In turn, it made the people of Afghanistan form the Taliban. The result is that terrorism is continuously threatening people’s lives all over the world. Furthermore, American presidents have been accused of enforcing colonialism in many Middle Eastern countries. They always seem to be part of the crisis that has taken place and that, which is taking place (Kinzer, 2004. 72). Also, there is a difference between the 1800’s and the 1900’s colonialism. In the 1800’s the colonized countries were not as active as the today. The super powers were not as brutal as they are today and they used negotiation tactics as compared to scare tactics of the 1900’s. An example, of a scare tactic is through terrorism whereby people and buildings are often bombed (Bombing of the King David Hotel, 2011.12). During the cold war, super powers set to make their territories known in a direct way as opposed to that which is today through force.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the superpowers played a vital in colonizing the third world. This is because they intervened through many ways in order to make their power known. The Cold war assisted tremendously in colonization as it gave a mandate to the super powers to acquire territories. Indeed, the Cold war is a vital part of history that seeks to be known and the role it played in colonization.

Work Cited

Kinzer, Stephen. All the Shah’s Men. New York: Wiley John, 2004.Print.

Middle East, PowerPoint Class Notes. Slide 1-26. 2011. Print.

Analysis whether food additives are harmful or beneficial to human beings.

Family and Consumer Science

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The Effects of Food Additives

For many centuries, substances have been added to food in order to make its appearance attractive, increase flavor, as well as to preserve it. Even before the invention of the refrigerator, fish and meat were preserved using salts. Fruits were preserved by having sugar added onto them. In most ancient cultures, spices and wine were preserved using sulphites. Also, in order to enhance the flavor of food, colorings were put into the food. Currently, in the food that people consume, it is estimated that there are many food additives in them. According to the database established by the Food and Drug Administration there are many food additives and are 3000 in total. The food additives are found in kitchen cabinets, in items such as baking soda, sugar and salt. People are ignorant about what the food additive does to their health as well as their safety (Winter, 2004).

This paper seeks to give an analysis whether food additives are harmful or beneficial to human beings.

Critical analysis of the food additives

Substances that are added to food in order to change its characteristics are known as food additives. The food additives can either be indirect or direct. The latter refers to additives that are added into food and are for specific purposes. They can be sugar or salt and are found in food labels, as they have been listed as ingredients. The food additives that are indirect occur as trace amounts, and this is as a result of other handling, and package storage. As compared to other times in history, color and food additives are today more strictly monitored, regulated and studied. Before products are put on the market, the FDA must approve that they are safe, and this is after many rigorous tests have been conducted (Winter, 2004).

Fierce controversy exists concerning food additives as well as the health risks that they pose. Fortunately, in the United States, the law on food additives ensures that food is safe for consumption. People should at the same time be cautious about the chemicals found in the food that they consume. An example is phenylalanine that is an amino acid that occurs naturally as a protein. Various foods are manufactured using phenylalanine, and it is also used in the manufacturing of aspartame an artificial sweetener. This additive is known to cause problems in young children when they are growing up as it affects their brain development. This means that when children are being fed, the amount of phenylketonuria should be limited (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1993).

Another common food additive is lactose, and there are some people who are lactose intolerant. It means that they cannot easily digest the lactose that is found in milk sugar. Those prone to becoming lactose intolerant are people with African and Asian origin. They have to take a diet that has limited amounts of dairy foods and milk. In turn, they tend to develop symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and indigestion. Other common and dangerous chemicals include; saccharin, nitrate, nitrite, monosodium Glutamate and caffeine (Blaylock, 2006).

Conclusion

In conclusion, food additives have more harmful effects as compared to beneficial purposes. Many people continue to consume food without knowing the food additives that they have. In turn, many people have suffered as their health has been affected. It is vital that people try and avoid food additives and instead use natural spices.

Work Cited

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (1993). Everything Added to Food in the United States. Boca Raton, FL: Smoley.

Winter, Ruth. (2004).A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives: Descriptions in Plain English of More Than 12,000 Ingredients Both Harmful and Desirable Found in Foods. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Blaylock. Russell. (2006).Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life. Health Press NA Inc.

Analysis-of-ABC-Company-1

Analysis of ABC Company

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Analysis of ABC Company

ABC Company is a manufacturing company that concentrates in building cedar roofing and siding shingles. The current annual sales of the company are around $1.2 million, a 25% rise from the last year. The company has aviolent growth target of achieving $3 million annual sales in next 3 years. The Chief Executive Officer of the companyis keen to search additional goods that can influence the present employee skillset of ABC as well as the production facilities. The Chief Executive Officer is working on a new opportunity. The Chief Executive Officeris planning to use some of the shingle scrap materials to construct cedar dollhouses. This new product line would increase additional raw materials and will take lesser time toproduce in comparison tocedar shingles. Although this product line will need extra expenses, it will generate extra revenue and gross profit and will assist in achieving the growth targets.

Risk Profile

Risk can be called as the ambiguityinvolved in a given thing or event. Risk is observed in every part of life. Two types of the risks are faced by business enterprise as well namely, Systematic Risk and Unsystematic Risk. The Systematic Risk is in-built to the whole market known as un-diversifiable risk or market risk (Brealey, Myers & Marcus, 2003). It cannot be diminishedby using diversification instruments and influences all the business enterprises. Unsystematic Risk can be called as the risk related to a givenbusiness and it can be certainlydiminished. Another name forunsystematic risk is diversifiable risk (Hilton, Michael & Frank, 2006). Therefore, it can be said that identification of the risk involved is very necessaryand diminish it by implementing variety of instruments. Examples of systematic risk are economic conditions, governmental law, policies, natural calamities etc. Examples of unsystematic risk are strike, governmental regulation for a particular type of manufacturer, poor relation with suppliers etc (Ross, Randolph & Bradford, 2006). 

Systematic Risk can be controlled by the management of this company as well; instead they should pay some attention in managing the unsystematic risk (Brealey, et, al. 2003). The possible unsystematic risk faced by the company includes; expected price of product, manufacturing of new goods, whether there will be enough demand for new goods; choosing of supplier for extra requirement of raw material, whether current facilities will be able to manage the new production and method of financing i.e. debt or equity (Williams & Robert, 2002).

ABC COMPANY

Cash Flow Statement

For the year ended 31st Dec, 19×2

Cash from Operating Activities:

Cash Received from customers (Note – 1)$1,260,000

Cash Paid to Suppliers and Employees (Note – 2)$1,080,000

Cash Generated From Operations$180,000

Less: Income Tax Paid –

Cash Flow before Extra-ordinary Items$180,000

Cash Flow from Investing Activities:

Purchases of Equipment$(100,000)

Cash Flow from Financing Activities:

Dividend Declared$(100,000)

Net Increase/Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents:$(20,000)

Cash and Cash Equivalents As at beginning of the year$70,000

Cash and Cash Equivalents As at End of the year$50,000

Note – 1:Calculation of cash received

Total sales $1200000

Less: Opening Balance of Debtors $180000

Add: Closing Balance of Debtors$120000

$1260000

Note – 2: Calculation of cash Paid to Suppliers

Cost Of goods sold$800000

Less: Opening Stock$280000

Add: Closing Stock$350000

Total Purchase$870000

Add: Opening Balance of Creditors$210000

Less: Closing Balance of Creditors$250000

Total Cash Paid$830000

Add: Selling and Distribution Expenses$250000

$1080000

Sources & Uses of Funds

Sources:

Operating:Cash received from debtors

Investing:None

Financing:None

Uses:

Operating:Payment to suppliers

Investing:Purchase of equipment

Financing:Payment of dividend

Steps for improvement of cash flows

Implementation of following techniques will assist in improving the cash inflows from debtors:

Providing discount on early payments (Williams & Robert, 2002).

Regular reminders for payment.

Discount on immediate cash payments.

Automated system for accepting payment like credit card, debit card (Hilton et al, 2006). 

Implementation of debt factoring.

Evaluating credit worthiness of the client before granting debt.

Similarly, to improve the cash outflows, the company shall try to avail the benefits offered by the creditor or the lending institutions.

Financing Options

Any new investment or project or expansion of existing project can be made by two ways namely, by taking money from lenders or owners. These are known as debt financing and equity financing.

Advantages of Debt Financing:

Control over ownership

Interest paid is tax deductible

Flexibility

Less complicated in terms of paper work

Disadvantages of Debt Financing:

Principal borrowed is to be repaid and creates an obligation on borrower (Ross, Randolph & Bradford, 2006). 

Excessive debt increases the riskiness and affects the reputation of the company.

Advantages of Equity Financing:

Money taken is not required to be repaid.

No obligation of regular interest payments.

Disadvantages of Debt Financing:

Ownership is lost.

Requires complex paper work at the time of issuance.

Statement Showing Product Cost for the Expansion Product

Particulars Calculation Amount

Units produced and expected to be sold 5000 units

Machine Hours 5000 Hours

Direct Material 5.60 x 5000 28,000

Direct Labor 4.00 x 5000 20,000

Factory Overhead Variable 1.00 x 5000 5,000

Fixed –

Selling Expenses Variable 0.20 x 5000 1,000

Fixed –

Total Cost 54,000

Statement Showing Total Cost of Existing Product, Expansion Product and overall cost of Products

Particulars Existing Expansion Total

Units produced and expected to be sold 80,000 units 5,000 units 85,000 units

Machine Hours 40,000 units 5,000 Hours 45,000 Hours

Direct Material 104,000 28,000 Direct Labor 224000 20,000 Variable Factory Overhead 40000 5,000 Variable Selling Expenses 16000 1,000 Fixed Factory Overhead 198000 198000

Fixed Selling Expenses 191250 191250

Total Cost 773250 54000 54,000

Cost per unit 9.67 10.80 9.73

The cost of existing product has increased due to the expansion by $0.06 per unit.

Calculation of Selling Price for the new Expansion Product

Particulars Calculation Amount

Total Cost 54000

Profit Margin on sales 40% on sales

54000 x 40

60 36000

Total Sales 90000

Selling Price 90,000 / 5,000 18 per unit

Sales Mix:

Existing: 80,000 units

Expansion: 5,000 units

Statement Showing Contribution margin and Break Even Points

Particulars Existing Expansion

Sales 1,160,000 90000

Variable Cost 384,000 54000

Contribution 776000 36000

P/V Ratio 66.70% 40%

Total Sales 1250000

Total Contribution 812000

Total P/V Ratio 64.96%

Fixed Cost 389250

Total Profit 422750

Break Even Sales =Fixed Cost

P/V Ratio

=389250

64.96%

=599,215

Sales Mix Ratio 80:5 or 16: 1

Break Even Sale :Existing =563,967

Expansion =35,248

Year Cash Flows PVF @ 12% Product

0 Outflow $ 42000 1 (42,000)

1 Inflows $15000 0.8929 13,394

2 $13000 0.7972 10,364

3 $10,000 0.7118 7,118

4 $10,000 0.6355 6,355

5 $6,000 0.5674 3,404

Net Present Value (1,366)

Net Present Value of the proposed investment = $(1,366)

Depreciation =42000/ 5 =$8,400

Year 1 2 3 4 5

Savings in Fixed Overhead 15000 13000 10000 10000 6000

Less: Depreciation 8400 8400 8400 8400 8400

Savings Before Tax 6600 4600 1600 1600 (2400)

Less: Tax – – – – Savings After Tax 6600 4600 1600 1600 (2400)

Add: Depreciation 8400 8400 8400 8400 8400

Cash Flows 15000 13000 10000 10000 6000

The straight line method of depreciation will lead to increase in the fixed cost. There will be no effect on the cash flows because non-cash item like depreciation is not taken into account while calculating cash flows.

The equipment shall not be purchased because the net present value from equipment is negative.

Conclusion

The new project does not seem to be going well with the company as there is increase in the per unit cost of existing product, its manufacturing is quite time taking, demand for the product cannot be estimated with certainty. All these lead to doubt regarding the achievement of target profits and cash flows. The net present value of $1,366 is generated from the new equipment.

Preparation of detailed budget with fixed and variable cost is the responsibility of Controller and Management Accountant. He is liable for maintaining up to date cost records and ensuring effective cost controls. He is responsible for ensuring that production is carried out with the rules, regulation, laws laid down by the government. An effective production process required continuous monitoring, and any imperfections shall be modified.

The Chief Executive Officer shall work strategically by proper planning, evaluation of market conditions, analyzing the resources available, detailing the resources needed. The market for the product shall be stimulated by implementing promotional instruments. Extensive marketing will lead to increase in the demand for the goods. Healthy relationships with stakeholders like customers, suppliers, lending institutions, regulatory authorities shall be maintained. In production process, the cost can be decreased by reducing the waste, increasing the efficiency and adequate training and motivation of employees.

References

Brealey, R.A., Myers, S.C., & Marcus, A. J. (2003). Fundamentals of CorporateFinance. 7th edition.. Boston : McGraw-Hill

Hilton, R. W., Michael, M., & Frank, H. S. (2006). Cost Management: Strategies for Business Decisions. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Print.

 Ross, S. A., Randolph, W., & Bradford, D. J. (2006). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. 7th ed. Boston: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Print.

Williams, J. R., & Robert, F. M. (2002). Financial and Managerial Accounting: The Basis for Business Decisions. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. Print.

Usage of Management Information System in Supply Chain Management

MIS usage in Supply Chain Management

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Date

Usage of Management Information System in Supply Chain Management

A project management information system is of critical importance to Supply Chain because it is one of the key delivery systems for effective project management and Supply Chain. It thus presents a means for building solid relationships and trust that can eventually lead to effectiveness and efficiency in suppling products and hence in productivity. In the process of building this important communication link, the management information system integrates project data into a management description that is in line with the project’s performance (Brown & Vessey, 2003).

Any project has the potential to produce multiple varieties and large volumes of data. This data is very essential in supply chain management because it is not very useful in supporting management decisions in its raw form. Management Information System plays a critical role through addition of value by selective moulding of the project data into information products that are used in the management of the project, reporting as well as in decision making (Shield et al, 2001). Automation of management systems usually supports important portions of the task that are associated with operating a Project management Information System. Normally, tasks that are performed manually can be found at various stages along the Management Information System information path.

Management Milestones

There a few occasions during the project’s life cycle when all the different activities and processes that are related to the particular project converge at the same time during the project’s life cycle. Normally, these moments occur during the management’s decisions to initiate, plan for, execute or terminate the project. At all these important decisions, there is need to focus attention on providing a solid synthesis of information relevant to the project’s progress and a comprehensive snapshot of the project’s development profile (King, 2005).

If a management Information System designed to support milestone decisions is aligned, it has to be aligned in accordance with the decision maker’s directives and usually through their leadership perspectives. Further, it has to take into consideration the provision of information necessary to manage all intermediate tasks that lead to the realization of the milestone targets and objectives.

MIS is responsible for defining Requirements before Planning the Project

A management Information System cannot be relied upon to effectively provide what is not designed into its product coverage. Before planning for a project, all the management Information System projects status reporting and decision makes have to be determined both at the project level and also with the stakeholders of the project. There can arise very heavy penalties if a project’s Project management Information System products are not established at the beginning of tat project’s lifecycle (Monk, Ellen; Wagner & Bret, 2006).

One of the most important risks here is the potential to make decisions based on inappropriate or insufficient information. One other risk is the possibility of friction between stakeholders and the project’s team members due to mismatches in expectations for information. The third risk is the unexpected cost of planning again or having to manually extract data from the plans to use on correcting the deficiencies arising from stakeholder’s information needs. There can be no logic in expecting the project-planning data to match the management and stakeholders informational needs.

What to Include in Management Information Systems relevant to supply chain

The specifications for effective management Information System products are derived from answering the following fundamental questions:

What is the status of the particular project’s accomplishments in relation to the project’s scheduled commitments? This is important in determining the type and kind of supply to make.

What is the status of the actual cost of the project as compared with its initial budgeted cost?

What is the actual effort consumed by the project as compared with the effort provided for in the original budget?

What is the level of the current deficiencies as compared to target standards and previous work levels?

How many changes have been made in respect of the project’s requirements and processes used in developing the projects products and services?

Information requirements for any project vary with the five questions as identified above and these are relevant to supply chain management. The resulting management profile thus describes the current status of the project and tends to point towards the future. All the information products derived from these five key areas provide the necessary intelligence required for efficient and effective management of the project (Sheilds & Mureell, 2001).

Tailoring the project management information system to a specific Project

Tailoring of a management Information System product to meet the specific needs of a specified project is very important to the project’s organization. Before the actual beginning of the planning process there are three basic tailoring tasks that have to be taken into consideration. These are:

Definition of data elements to ensure integrity of meaning

Establishing the level of detail needed for each data element

Defining the time duration of the respective work packages

Tailoring of management Information System products in all these three areas as highlighted above promotes harmony which enables data input to the management Information System to follow a natural sequence for performing project tasks. This is normally provided for from data exists in the organizational information systems for instance the financial tracking system (Lowery & Gwen, 1994).

It is important to define data items so as to ensure integrity in data items and what they mean to both the management and the stakeholders. Defining of data items is also important in ensuring the integrity of the resulting project profile. For instance, if an organization’s financial system provides cost tracking system for projects, then it would be imperative for the project and its financial system to use similar definition of data elements.

Normally, the definition of costs associated with people’s efforts includes more categories than the usual salaries and benefits. In addition, people’s overtime efforts may not include additional provisions for vacation, retirement, or ill-health benefit costs. The only practical test for data consistency is the ability to produce Project management Information System management products by way of comparing similar products that have consistency in their definition (Wylie, 2009).

How MIS is important to Project integration and thus supply chain

Introduction

Project management is an integrative process in which the addition or failure to take an action in can as well affect all other areas of the project. Thus project integration is an essential process in project management. There have been relatively few efforts made in the literature of project management with regard to the development of the theory of project integration management. The development of the concept of project integration has been assisted largely through the application of system theory. It has been widely claimed that one of the most pervasive intellectual tradition to intellectual.

Project integration is derived from treating the project as a system. The integration of a system is usually applicable to almost all projects because all projects are inevitably a system in one way or the other. Major system thinking gives a highlight on the interdependencies inherent between project elements and as such provides a way of thinking appropriate for effective project integration. This is further enhanced by identifying all the systemic relationships. System integration is normally facilitated especially when all project participants including the project manager adopt a holistic stand on the project. This helps set clear coordination in the performance of the project as well as in information flow between the various stakeholders and project management.

Project integration is important especially when one is dealing with different parts of the process and wishes to combine them to form an integral whole. Thus project integration is essential because normally there are diverse projects or subsystems needed to be accomplished separately. This integration is important in the realization of the overall project success. The various project phases have to be interdependent otherwise no meaningful integration will work. The existence of interlinked but diverse project elements and subsystems can also be defined as project complexity. Hence such a system can best be expressed in terms of project differentiation and interdependency (Wylie, 2009).

Project complexity

Projects are normally characterized by the level of complexity that they exhibit. Complexity derives from the fact that different projects contain different sets of interdependent elements. It is a well established fact that interdependency and differentiation are two distinct elements that are managed by integration. When the level of complexity is higher, the difficulties and importance of integration increases so that the actual level of differentiation is matched by corresponding levels of integration. In order to effectively integrate complex project systems, a variety of integrative devices are available for use. A key device is the project manager. Integration can be effected by engaging someone to provide an integrating role. Consequently, integration is facilitated as a key role that is a responsibility of the project manager.

System analysis

The primary goal of system analysis is to determine the nature of the problem and perhaps help fix the system. This important step involves the breakdown of the entire system into different components so as to analyze the situation and engage system users in defining what needs to be created. Analysis of system requirements may at times require individuals or teams from client and also service provider sides to provide detailed and accurate system requirements. Often requirement analysis and definition is the most crucial aspect which is normally coupled with several communication gaps which if addressed well can lead to validation of errors and bugs in the software program.

Conclusion

All the system development life cycle phases serve as programmatic guides to the development of project activity and thus provide a flexible and yet consistent way of conducting projects to the depth that matches the scope and requirements of the project. Each of the system development life cycle phase objectives is clearly described with the corresponding deliverables. In any project management system, it is essential that project managers establish and monitor the control of all objectives in any phase.

Controlling of objectives is very crucial as it helps to provide a well phrased statement of the desired results and purpose. To effectively manage and control any system development life cycle initiative, each project system will be required to implement some degree of Work Breakdown Structure. This helps capture and schedule the work necessary to complete all the work associated with the project (Yusuf, 2004).

Bibliography

Cleland, David, I. (1994) Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation. New

York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994

Frame, J. Davidson.(1994) The New Project Management: Toolsfor an Age ofRapid Change.

Corporate Reengineering, and Other Business Realities, San Francisco: JosseyBass,

1994

Lewis. James P. (1994) Project Planning, Scheduling & Control. Chicago: Irwin, 1995

Lowery, Gwen (1994). Managing Projects with Microsoft Project 4.0. New York: Van Nostrand

Reinhold, 1994

Bidgoli, Hossein, (2004). The Internet Encyclopedia, Volume 1, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Khosrow-Puor, Mehdi. (2006). Emerging Trends and Challenges in Information Technology Management. Idea Group, Inc.

Sheilds, Mureell G., E (2001)-Business and ERP: Rapid Implementation and Project Planning. (2001) John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

L. Wylie, “A Vision of Next Generation MRP II”, Scenario S-300-339, Gartner Group, April 12, 1990

Sheilds, Mureell G., E-Business and ERP: Rapid Implementation and Project Planning. (2001) John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Monk, Ellen; Wagner, Bret (2006). Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning (Second ed.). Boston: Thomson Course Technology.

Monk, Ellen and Wagner, Brett.(2009)”Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning” 3rd.ed.Course Technology Cengage Learning.Boston, Massachusetts.2009

Brown, C., and I. Vessey, (2003) “Managing the Next Wave of Enterprise Systems: Leveraging Lessons from ERP,” MIS Quarterly Executive, 2(1), 2003.

King. W (2005)., “Ensuring ERP implementation success,” Information Systems Management, Summer 2005.

Yusuf, Y., A. Gunasekaran, and M. Abthorpe, (2004) “Enterprise Information Systems Project Implementation: A Case Study of ERP in Rolls-Royce,” International Journal of Production Economics, 87(3), February 2004.

UNDERSTANDING ORGANIZATIONS

MODERN, SYMBOLIC-INTERPRETIVE, AND POSTMODERN ANALYSIS OF THE COCA COLA COMPANY

(Author’s name)

(Institutional Affiliation)

Abstract

Organization theory is considered to be the most essential aspects in the science of economics. Organization theory encompasses theorizing, theories, abstraction, the study of organizations from different points of view, levels and methods of analysis. Organizational theory helps managers to effectively more possibilities and ideas for managing and designing their organizations, as managers usually have numerous options and approaches of solving and addressing issues in their organizations (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006b). In the following essay, I will show how the three most common perspective approaches of organizational theory assist managers and organizations, in general, in achieving and understanding that is more comprehensive of the complex phenomenon usually associated with organizations. These three perspectives include the symbolic interpretive, modernistic and post- modernistic. I will do this by analyzing one particular organization, Coca- Cola.

Key words: post- modernistic, modernistic, symbolic interpretive, organizational theory

Introduction

What is an organization? The term organization can be used to refer to a social system that is specifically established for the purposes of achieving certain goals and objectives. The term social system, on the other hand, reflects the fact that a group of persons, who correlate with everyone in some way, are involved. The role of the management in this case is to organize and coordinate the groups or the social systems so that they can corporate and work together towards attaining certain, specific goals set by the organization. As it follows, an organization can also be defined as a group of individuals who have individual or personal objectives, but work together in coordination for the purposes of attaining certain, common goals that have been set and determined by the organization within the set or the frame of their environment and that of their personal goals.

There are a number of elements that define an organization. Some of these factors include goals, people, relationships made by those people, and the structure of the organization (Alchian & Demsetz, 1972).

Goals and objectives

The goals and objectives of an organization are what define what the management and their employees are supposed to attain in an organization. Goals are most useful when they are unified in terms of their content. Everyone in the organization must work towards the same goals. Moreover, the goals of the management and the workers must also be similar to those of the company.

People

These are the organization’s members. It is the duty and the responsibility of the management to ensure that the people’s focus is towards the achievement of the company’s goals.

Relationships between people

This has been defined as the ‘glue’ that sticks organizations together. These relationships are furthered by the culture of the organization, which are in turn defined by the community within which the organization is located. On the other hand, the community is defined by the opinions, values, dependencies, disagreements, and conflicts that are commonly found within an organization. It is possible for the relationships found within the organization to be ruined, especially by power struggles of differing intensities and strengths commonly associated with organizations.

Structure of the organization

This term is used to define how an organization is organized or structured. It also indicates which units of the organization are essential, and what functions are associated with each unit.

Short Summary of the Organization

The Coca Cola Corporation will be the main focus of this paper. The head office of the company is in Delaware, and its holding company is the Corporation Trust Company. The company produces and distributes over 500 brands in more the 200 hundred countries. The company’s most known product is the Coca- cola beverage. The company offers and distributes other products as well like Fanta, Sprite, and Tab, which was the company’s first diet soda.

The holding company of Coca-Cola has several functions. For example, it is the one involved in general business for all of its subsidiaries; it is also the one that gets in other lawful businesses on the behalf of its holdings. For example, the company buys and acquires all or some of the good- will business, trade- names and marks, rights, property names, and other essential assets (Company fact sheet).

MODERNISTIC ANALYSIS

One of the most basic characteristic of modernists is that they are objectivists, in that they focus more on knowledge reality, which is mostly developed through theorization and conceptualization. In the modernistic view, things that occur usually have definite explanations, and usually through the help of data that is carefully collected and analyzed. For example, a company earns profit because of the ability of its CEO to make the right decisions as they invest the money of the company. It has been argued that the modernists only recognize data and information that they can touch, hear, smell, see, and taste. Organizations based on modernistic theories works depending on the systems implemented and defined by the general system theory. The system, on the other hand, can be established through deductive modes which can be used to measure or test the theories through practice. This system is usually focused on building a set of values that an organization can use so that everyone can follow and adhere to the rues, and as a result, function, and perform in a manner that ensures that the organization’s functions run smoothly.

Environment

According to the modernist theory, the environment is the space that can be found outside the organization’s boundaries. The modernists argue that the environment is the one that provides an organization with resources and they also argue that it absorbs its services, as well as, its products. The environment is seen in this theory to foster several constraints or challenges upon the organization. The environment also demands that the organization adapt to its environment. The management of the organization involves the company protecting its internal environment from shocks that might originate from the external environment. Such shocks might include labor, capital shortage, and labor. This environment management strategy is known as buffering. The other environmental strategy is known as boundary spanning, which monitors the activities in the external environment, and represents the interests of the organization through sales, advertisements, public relations, and efforts in recruiting (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006c). The Coca-Cola Company has managed to stay afloat and successful for numerous years because of its ability to manage the environment. The company, for example, has advanced machines and production machines that utilize high technology. These machines lessen the want for man labor and consequently the company cushions itself perfectly in times of shortages in labor.

The modernists analyze an organization based on three main resources namely the environmental contingency assumption, the population ecology premise and the theory on resource dependence. Coca-Cola will be analyzed using the environmental contingency theory. The analysis of the inter-organizational relationships and associations can be helpful for an organization in that it can help the managers comprehend and analyze the king of relationships the organization has with its network actors; the relation can take the form of power or dependence. For example, the resources that the organization utilizes are controlled by the outer environment. The organization, therefore, depends on the environment to provide it with resources, and the environment, hence, influences some of the decisions that the company makes (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006c).

The Coca-Cola Company, for instance, depends on the outside environment for its raw material, labor, products, equipment and knowledge, and capital. The organization should, hence prioritize each dependence according to its importance and scarcity. For example, the Coca-Cola Company utilizes a lot of water for its beverages. There were complains in the past that the company in some areas has been overusing the water resources to the extent that some plants had to shut down. The company also depends on the customers and clients to move its products. There were complains that the company uses a lot of sugar in its products that can be harmful. It was also said that some of the products of the company had harmful chemicals. As a result, the sales of the company dropped significantly.

Social Structure

The social structure of an organization is formed by the relationships that exist between people working in an organization, and between the organizational units and groups formed by these people. Structure can be defined by three main dimensions which have been added on and elaborated by the modernists. These dimensions include; labor division, formalization, and authority hierarchy. There are two main theories that define social structure of an organization. These are the structural contingency theories and the current contingency theories. The structural contingency theories are three; size, centralization and specialization; integration and differentiation; and organic and mechanistic management systems. Today’s contingency theories include; lifecycles, taxonomies, and open system models of development (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006d).

The contingency theory indicates that the dimensions of a social structure are determined by the associations between the organization’s strategy, environment, size and technology. The Coca-Cola Company is largely centralized, in that the organization is divided into three sections; the holding company, its subsidiaries, and the distributors. The main company distributes concentrates of beverages to its subsidiaries for packaging; the subsidiaries package and distribute the products to the customer. This high centralization has numerous challenges. For example, these three systems have different goals and different ways of doing things. This is despite the verity that the aims of an association must be made uniform for better achievements (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006d). As a result, the company has received numerous complains, in addition to being involved in numerous law suits. For example, the quality of raw materials has been said to be low, resulting to products that are of low quality. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in sales and profitability.

Technology

Technology of an organization is based on three perspectives; that it is a means of turning raw material to final products, which it shapes social relations and the social interactions shape it; and that technology is a type of discipline, control and power that can also liberate. Coca-Cola is going to be analyzed by the modernistic definition that technology determines the tools and equipments an organization utilizes. Coca-Cola has advanced tools and equipments that ensure that the company retains high productivity. This has seen the company adapt machines that surpass human capabilities in manufacturing, packaging, and storing. As a result, the increased technology has displaced numerous workers leading to shortages of jobs (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006a).

Culture

Organizational culture can be defined as the way organizations do things or operate. It reflects an organization’s shared expectations and understanding (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006d). Organizational culture can be defined by the values, norms, assumptions, and believes that determine the way that organization runs, feels, think, and act. Coca-Cola has represented its organizational culture through images and symbols commonly used in the promotions, and campaigns of its products. The symbols and images used by Coca-Cola carry numerous meanings. Coca-Cola uses these symbols to express their ‘fun’ culture and to, in turn, influence customers to be part of the fun by purchasing their products.

Statement of Problems

From the above analysis, it was found that Coca-Cola has numerous problems that can affect its productivity. Most of the problems result from the external environment and the failure of the company to prioritize the most essential resources. For example, Coca-Cola was accused of putting too much sugar in its beverages something that led to a drop in sales. The company was also accused of producing beverages with harmful chemicals. This also led to a decrease in sales. The company has also significantly reduced jobs through the utilization of advanced machines. The company is also losing its reputation because of wastage of water, a raw material. In addition to this, Coca-Cola has also largely decentralized its organizational structure, something that has led to a decrease in quality of products produced.

Solution and Recommendations

To solve the problems brought about by the environment, the company has to critically analyze and determine the most essential sources or environments by their scarcity and importance. The company, through this will determine which sources are worth taking care of and which ones are priorities. The company can improve their situation by developing personal relationships with their environment, by lobbying, and marketing their goods. This way they will improve their reputation and, hence, their profitability (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006c).

SYMBOLIC- INTERPRETIVE CRITIQUE

In the context of environments, the symbolic- interpretive theories is composed of three theories; institutional theory, ambiguity theory, and the enacted environment. These theories argue that organizations must adapt to both the external and the internal environments. An alternative measure to the solutions provided for the environmental problems above, the institutional theory can be used, and specifically the institutional pressures can offer the environment and company an alternative set of solutions to the problems caused by the company and the environment respectively. These pressures are coercive, normative, and mimetic. The company can for example, want to be similar in success in creating relationships with the environment to another company. Through the mimetic pressure, the company can eliminate some of its issues like wastage of water, and minimizing of sugar so as to be successful as another company. The company can also use the normative pressure to change. These are the expectations of the culture to conform to the practices of the society (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006c).

Coca-Cola can also transform and solve the problems it is causing the community by use of the coercive pressures which are the pressures provided by the government. The government for example can regulate the amount of water a company uses. It can also regulate the nutritional values of the company’s beverages (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006c). In the technology context, the social construction of technology offered by the symbolic interpretive perspectives can help the company solve its technology problems. The company was indicated to be causing numerous job losses as a result of technology. The symbolic interpretive perspective implies that technology should be co- developed by an interaction of society, environment, economic, culture, and technical factors (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006a). Based on this argument, the company can balance the use of machines with offering and providing the community with job opportunities, because of the above, mentioned factors.

When it comes to the problems caused by the organizational structure, and in particular decentralization, the company can use the symbolic- interpretive approaches to solve the problems caused by decentralization. For example the company can devise and implement key routines and improvisations that must be followed by all subsidiaries to ensure quality of products. The established routine can make sure that actions are reproduced in all of the subsidiaries of the company to ensure that the quality is good and similar. Routine can ensure stability, as well as, transfer and preserve knowledge and skills (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006d).

POSTMODERN CRITIQQUE

In the environment context, the postmodern theories can similarly be used to offer the company alternative solutions to their problems. The company, for example, can utilize the approach based on the different phases of industrialization, and especially the second phase of industrialization. In this phase, the company has a wider range of products, has more complicated processes of production, and it is at this stage the company grows in bureaucracy (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006c). The Coca-Cola Company is in this phase and, it can control some of the adversities that result from this phase of industrialization by specialization, developing a routine, and by controlling the production. The company can also minimize the number of negative effects resulting from this phase by developing a suitable structure of management.

The approach of the third phase indicates that an organization should be more sensitive to the customers. It also suggests that companies should initiate stimulated consumption, and internationalization, as well as, improve its technologies. This way the customers can start viewing the company in a better light and as a result increase their purchasing power (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006c).

When it comes to the organizational structure of the company, an organization should adapt the de- differentiation approach which promotes self- organization, self- coordination, and self- management. The company should practice all this to ensure that the quality of the resulting products is high. The postmodern theory argues that technology can imprison organizations if they let it govern their needs (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006a). As a result, the organization should not let this happen; rather it should strike a balance between technology and providing work (Hatch & Cunliffe, 2006d).

Conclusion

For one to completely understand the theory of organizations, they have to study and analyze organizational phenomena in different ways. This is because different ways or approaches of analysis provide one with different kinds of perspectives which lead to different theories and concepts. In the above essay, different kinds perspectives of organizational theories have been used to analyze Coca-Cola as an organization, and as a result, the perspectives have helped in a big way in coming up with different issues that affect the company, in addition to the solutions of the problems. The perspectives that have been looked at are the modern perspective, the symbolic- interpretive perspective, and the postmodern approach.

References

Alchian, A. & Demsetz, H. (1972). Production, Information Costs, and EconomicOrganization. The American Economic Review 62(5): 777-795.

Company fact sheet. The Coca-Cola Company. Retrieved from http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/contactus/students.html

Hatch, M. J. & Cunliffe, A. L. (2006a). Technology. Chapter 5. Oxford University Press.

Hatch, M. J. & Cunliffe, A. L. (2006b). A brief history of organization theory. Chapter 2. Oxford University Press.

Hatch, M. J. & Cunliffe, A. L. (2006c). Organization and environment. Chapter 3. Oxford University Press.

Hatch, M. J. & Cunliffe, A. L. (2006d). Organizational social structure. Chapter 4. Oxford University Press.

Unethical Communication

Module 5-Critical Thinking

Unethical Communication

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Institution

Unethical Communication

Unethical communication is a behavior that entails breaking confidentiality and the manipulation of information. In general, this type of unethical behavior undermines relationships or encourages social immorality (Valde & Henningsen, 2015).

The unethical communication encountered was one where I went to the local store and found that they were running promotional messages or the so-called specials. One of the messages had two items for the price of one. I went ahead and put the items on my basket despite the fact that they did not feature on my shopping list but the deal was too good. I was doing my weekly shopping and so my shopping list was along and I had a lot of items in my basket which meant I could easily be charged for the free item without noticing. After the cashier recorded all the items and gave me the till slip. I checked it and found out that the items had been charged as two. I went back and complained and they told me that the specials had been running for the past month put had just concluded the day before and that they were now selling one item at its traditionally. I complained about the sign and they claimed to have just not been able to pull it down. The other excuse was that usually when they are selling two items for the price of one both items are tied together and these ones were not meaning they were independent. They also had this item they had knocked down its price by $2. However, this amount was included in the till slip and when I raised that concern also, they gave me the same answer. I came to understand later that unethical communication on specials is a considerably common problem and one needs to be careful.

This from the view of a customer border deceptive advertising, which is a crime under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act under the Federal Trade Commission (McGaan, 2016). This deed is also prohibited in states as well and there is no excuse for any business owners especially those with small businesses. A case such as this one can be beyond the reach of the law and just depended on the intuitive nature of what is right and what is not. There was no clear way to reinforce the consequences of this very unethical behavior. I am very sure that many unsuspecting customers have fallen into this trap and only an awareness by consumers on this issue would generate consequences for the business. So in my confrontation with the store manager, I threaten to launch a campaign with people from my neighborhood who rely so much on the store. I was very sure that this was a mere threat and I was just trying my luck on whether the store would welcome the knowledge of the ethical requirements of advertising. Physical campaigns are not easy and so I decided to mobilize people around me using social media especially the Whatsapp group shared by people from down the block.

The campaign did not succeed and the next step would be to check where the team at the store had made any action after I raised my concern. It will still be hard to know because the specials are done, after lengthy periods and by then people are already prepared and made ripe for the idea of something that is cheaper than its traditional price. The store continued to operate as usual and there was no sign of change. It would be safe to say that the little to no outcome ended with store manager promising to ensure that the language they used was ethical but avoided to confess that they had removed the misleading placard. Instead, the store people promised to be more careful with the overdue promotional massages. This means that they were still reluctant with the kind of advertising and that they were going to announce it anyway.

The next time the store operates in violation of the law and the trust of its customers, I would launch a more aggressive approach to this issue that includes the lobby for the support of individuals in boycotting the place. If I encounter this situation again I will first begin with refusing to purchase the item. This should be easy because usually specials do not feature in the shopping list and it is never ideal to wander off a shopping list. The other thing I would do is to inform everybody at the store about the misleading information and thus stop these veil transaction. Other people will come in later in my absence to the store and fall victim to this veil act but will unfortunately not notice it. Informing other customers creates the beginning of the flow of that information. One person will talk about the issue with a friend who will, in turn, inform a friend and so on.

The other thing I would differently after encountering this problem will be to withdraw from the store completely and refuse to do business with them again. This will, of course, be accompanied by an earful for those in charge at the store. I will make sure the store manager understands that they have lost a family of aggressive shoppers and others will follow over time.

References

McGaan, L. (2016). Persuasion ethics. Monmouth College. Retrieved from https://department.monm.edu/cata/mcgaan/classes/cata339/Ethics-Persuasion.htmValde, K., & Henningsen, M. (2015). Facework in responding to unethical communication. International Journal of Business Communication,52(4), 369-403.

US-Iran Relationship An Issue of Ideological Differences

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Word count: 1803

US-Iran Relationship: An Issue of Ideological Differences

Introduction

Global politics have changed so much since the World War era. Heywood (2014) notes that the global political landscape is volatile, informed by ideology and historical events. Since the take-over of the US-funded Persian dynasty in 1979, the ideologies and political choices of the Islamic ruling party that took over have led to strained relationships between the US and Iran. From the conflict at the mentioned time, Donelly (2013) notes that the political grandstanding, ideology, and rhetoric have all played a key role in the US-Iran conflict. In a few interactions, the two nations have cooperated and agreed on a few issues, yet, their ideological perspectives as well as actions have remained to be a hindrance to long-term positive agreement. The ideological differences are noted by Soltaninejad (2015) to be the key constraint to progress and cooperation between the two nations, in spite of the several attempts made to bring an end to the conflict. Objective plans (including what President Obama’s administration attempted) have been futile in bringing the rift and bringing an end to the conflict (Mattair 2010). In this report, the view that the US-Iran relationship is largely shaped by differences in ideology is taken. The main argument is that ideology has solely led to the differences in perspectives and agenda, evidenced by instances of cooperation and objective attempts to resolve the conflict without success. While the relationship has largely been inconsistent, moving from hostile disagreement to complete cooperation, the only constant factor in the US-Iran relationship has been the differences in ideology, therefore, leading to the conclusion that it is the root of the conflict.

What is Ideology?

The current world can be interpreted as one that is politically charged. Therefore, this drives a need to understand why nations behave the way they do towards each other. The usage and meaning of ideology bears a significant relationship on this understanding. Originally, ideology only meant a science of different ideas that emphasized the significance of human sensation in knowledge formation (Hussain 2015). Therefore, in this definition, ideology was simply a consequence of the environment and its influence on how people thought. Today, ideology has shifted from the previous perspective to focus on the ideas that creates the environment. These ideas are political. As such, Sauer (2019) defines ideology as a phenomenon that exists in order to confirm a given political standpoint, serve a certain group’s interests, and perform functional roles in relation to the political, legal, social, and economic institutions. Ideological differences are defined by Gause (2017) as a body of ideas reflective of interests and beliefs relating to a political system or nation. Further, Sauer (2019) observes that ideological differences are responsible for underlying the political actions of a given group. In simple terms, ideological differences can be used to mean the system of beliefs that informs the decision making process or one that orders reality in a society in order to render decisions and actions intelligible. In this sense, Iran’s ideology is defined by Golkar (2014) as a complex amalgamation of political populism, Islamic religious radicalism, and pan-Islamism. The Iranian society uses this ideology to create a view of a constant battle against oppression, paganism, and empire rule. Contrariwise, the US sees its ideology to be made of freedom and self-rule, masked in concepts such as democracy, liberalism (Burchill 2013), conservatism, populism, and a combination of any of these concepts ranging from mild, moderate, to extremism. These differences are separated by a conformity to what each society defines as political necessary to ensure existence and safety of its stakeholders.

Role of Ideology in the US-Iran Relationship

America’s relationship with Iran has not always been hostile. However, it has been inconsistent. At some point, Iran’s government was a powerful US ally (Bill 2001). At present, the two nations are involved in a conflict regarding their political movements, actions, and decisions. Regardless of the interaction, Pickering et al. (2009) provide an opinion that the relationship is fundamentally driven by an action-focused intersubjective and ideological belief systems rather than one focused on logic and objectivity. Following the Second World War, America and Iran were regular allies working on different agendas including buffering each other against the spread of communism and the rise of pan-Arabism within the Middle East (Posch 2017). Recently, the two nations have worked towards an agreement on protocols on creating a nuclear program that would be meant to increase peaceful coexistence between the two nations. Evidently, the cooperative spirit where necessary, and the stubbornness that has led to conflict is as a result of difference sin ideology.

Having defined ideology and seen the difference between the system of beliefs that inform decision making and political actions for both Iran and the US, it is now prudent to assert that the ideological differences between these two entities have largely been inflexible. For both US and Iran, the system of actions have been fuelled by a subjective pattern involving public interaction and the progression of the conflict. Soltaninejad (2015) and Golkar (2014) observe that the subjective ideologies and the preferred political actions of the two nations have prevented any significant progress aimed at cooperation. Although leaders from both countries have made repeated attempts towards easing the tension and conflict, any progress is eventually stifled by ideological statements, reactions, or actions by a country towards the other. It is also clear that abandoning ideological positions for both America and Iran is near impossible (Sauer 2019). Pathways towards ending the conflict will only be made possible by an actual intention to abandon ideological standpoints and political positions.

The paradox for the US policy direction in Iran is noted through the enduring conflict between Iran and the United States. As the world continues to change since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the changes that have since occurred have shifted political direction for both US and Iran, including their relations (Mirilovic & Kim 2017). However, as things continue to change, the more they remain the same for the US and Iran in their relationship. The impasse between the US and Iran is still unresolved and quite raw, despite tentative transformation on both sides. For example, Washington’s initiatives in Iran have not meant a decline of concerns regarding the foreign policy actions taken by Iran. Similarly, previous cooperation between the two nations have not resolved the mistrust that Iran has on the US and its agenda in the Persian Gulf.

Is the US-Iran Relationship Largely Shaped by Ideological Differences?

It is evident that the US-Iran relationship is largely shaped by differences in ideology. The ideological conflict between America and Iran, according to Hussain (2015), is based on a choice made by each nation regarding objectivity and ideology on each other’s interpretation of the importance of individual interests relating to the perceived dangers from each other. Presently, the US interprets its ideological interpretation and objectivity on Iran that the latter will use its nuclear capabilities to perform violent actions against the US West. On the other hand, Iran uses its ideological position to craft a belief that the US is constantly attempting to stop nuclear ambitions so as to prevent it from benefiting from what such technology offers. On such differing views, and the deteriorating relations between the US and Iran, different economic, military, or geopolitical interests cannot be blamed for the circumstances leading up to the tensions ad conflict (Cordesman 2008). Instead, the narratives and ideas that emerge due to ideological standpoints have led to the positions taken by each nation. While some of them are rooted deep in historical actions and events, there is little evidence pointing to anything more than just pure need to be right from one’s ideological standpoint.

Even where other factors such as political regime, economic interests, and political interests are involved, the US-Iran relationship seems to go back to relying on ideas that are part of each society to make a decision. President Obama’s efforts to ease the conflict between the US and Iran were largely interpreted as weak and dangerous to the wellbeing of the US. Similarly, President Trump’s actions in North Korea (although not within the scope of this report) were also seen as a danger to the nation. These examples point to a simple fact that every nation would rather support its own ideologies than accept to look at an issue with objectivity and rationality. The US would never see Iran’s nuclear capability as a progress to the nation but rather another looming danger to its welfare. Similarly, The US will always be a threat to the welfare of Iran as long as the two nations use ideology to inform decisions. Wherever the two nations stand to gain, they gladly cooperate, forgetting the said ideological positions to meet a certain agenda. Issues regarding protection against other nations have, for example, been a common source of cooperation in the past. Yet, in every other circumstance or event, the different political grandstanding, ideology, and rhetoric emerge in a way that clouds the entire decision making process, regardless of consequences for both the United States or Iran. Arguably, the US-Iran relationship, and its deteriorating nature, goes back to ideological differences that inform political decisions and similar points of view.

Conclusion

The aim of this report was to present evidence that the US-Iran relationship is largely shaped by differences in ideology. The main argument is that ideology has solely led to the differences in perspectives and agenda, evidenced by instances of cooperation and objective attempts to resolve the conflict without success. The report shows that while the relationship has largely been inconsistent, moving from hostile disagreement to complete cooperation, the only constant factor in the US-Iran relationship has been the differences in ideology, therefore leading to the conclusion that it is the root of the conflict. In the discussion, ideology is defined as a phenomenon that exists in order to confirm a given political standpoint, serve a certain group’s interests, and perform functional roles in relation to the political, legal, social, and economic institutions. Iran’s ideology is presented as a complex amalgamation of political populism, Islamic religious radicalism, and pan-Islamism while the US sees its ideology to be made of freedom and self-rule, masked in concepts such as democracy, liberalism, conservatism, populism, and a combination of any of these concepts ranging from mild, moderate, to extremism. The said differences are separated by a conformity to what each society defines as political necessary to ensure existence and safety of its stakeholders. Regardless of the interaction, the relationship between Iran and America is fundamentally driven by an action-focused intersubjective and ideological belief systems rather than one focused on logic and objectivity. In the end, it becomes clear that the US-Iran relationship is largely shaped by differences in ideology.

Reference List

Bill, J A 2001, ‘The Politics of Hegemony: The United States and Iran’, Middle East Policy, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 89-100.

Burchill, S 2013, ‘Liberalism’, in S. Burchill, et al., (eds.), Theories of International Relations (5th ed.), Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 57—87.

Cordesman, A H 2008, ‘Iran and the United States: The Nuclear Issue’, Middle East Policy, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 19-29.

Donelly, J 2013, ‘Realism’, in S. Burchill, et al. (eds.), Theories of International Relations (5th ed.), Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 32—56.

Gause, F G 2017, ‘Ideologies, alignments, and underbalancing in the new Middle East Cold War’, PS: Political Science & Politics, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 672-675.

Golkar, S 2014, ‘Iran’s Revolutionary Guard: Its View of the United States’, Middle East Policy, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 53-63.

Heywood, A 2014. Global Politics (2nd ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, chapter 3, pp. 53-67.

Hussain, N 2015, ‘US-Iran Relations: Issues, Challenges and Prospects’, Policy Perspectives, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 29-47.

Mattair, T R 2010, ‘The United States and Iran: Diplomacy, Sanctions and War’, Middle East Policy, vol. 17, no. 20, pp. 52-61.

Mirilovic, N and Kim, M 2017, ‘Ideology and threat perceptions: American public opinion toward China and Iran’, Political Studies, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 179-198.

Pickering, T R, Parsi, T, Katzman, K, and Mattair, T R 2009, ‘The United States and Iran: What are the prospects for engagement?’, Middle East Policy, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 1.

Posch, W 2017, ‘Ideology and strategy in the Middle East: The case of Iran’, Survival, vol. 59, no. 5, pp. 69-98.

Sauer, T 2019, ‘The Role of Informal International Organizations in Resolving the Iranian Nuclear Crisis (2003–15)’, Journal of Common Market Studies, vol. 57, no. 5, pp. 939-955.

Soltaninejad, M 2015, ‘Iran and the United States: A Conflict Resolution Perspective’, Asian Politics and Policy, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 455-475.

Starbucks corporation first came into operation in 1971

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Question 1

Starbucks corporation first came into operation in 1971 and was opened in Seattle’s pike place market with a future aim of providing coffee to a number of restaurants and surrounding bars. It was in 1982 when the company took a change in direction. The company’s ability to provide quality coffee beans was utilized and a coffee was brewed from these particular beans. The company then opened a roasting plant and has since opened stores worldwide. The current situation of for Starbucks seems to be an emerging part of their business and their main goal. The company’s current aim is to become a leading global company through making a difference in the people’s lives all around the world. This goal is quite close to being achieved as proved by the Starbucks current locations in the international markets. The current countries in which Starbucks are located are Austria, Philippines, Bahrain, Kuwait Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, new Zealand, china, Singapore, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, south Korea, Thailand, united kingdom, united Arab emirates, Switzerland, Egypt and united states. The overall aim of becoming a worldwide global brand seems to be working in favour of the company and is helping it to attract the attention of the many major companies who would like to partner with Starbuck. This is of course positive news for the company because it provides strong basis for the future development of international markets, which further strengthens the mission to become one of the leading specialty coffee retailers in the world. This aim of expanding their business even to more countries has however been hindered by the different cultures (Seabrook 2004). The beckoning promises of good business and expansions of Starbuck market could be rendered a mere dream if the company doesn’t take effective measure to curb the problems that would arise from a crash of cultures in different countries. Throughout the world there exist numerous different cultures each with different traditions and ways of doing business. The barrier that culture creates within the realm of international business hasn’t escaped the Starbucks and has become a stumbling block to achievement of the Starbucks expansion goal. The different cultures have been a hindrance to international business generally but it has dawned to Starbuck in the recent attempts to penetrate into the Muslim countries. Though the problem was already into the way of the Starbucks goals before this attempt it wasn’t very serious. The culture diversity has now been proved to be a major setback on the globalization goals of Starbuck. It has led to emergency of problems such as killing team work, ineffective communication and other problems. This problem has however has been elevated by the fact that the employee in Starbuck can be posted in any country as stipulated on their contracts of employment. Most of the employees tend to take their cultural values with them and farther hold their cultural values superior to those of the others. The Starbuck management expects to solve this problem in a span of one and half years so as to be able to operate it business even in the most unwelcome regions such as Iran. Even though most cultures are familiar with the Americas abrupt ways of doing business, a simple misunderstanding can crush a negotiation. The Starbucks management has on several occasions identified that some of the cultures are deeply rooted in the way of doing business and one simple gesture can be cause the difference between a successful long term relationship and cause humiliation to the host.

The Starbuck management like international business anticipated the problem and has put in place measures like employing interpreters who have come in play to in help understanding of the different languages which problem has come about as a result of cultural diversity. However such measures have not been able to solve the problem of language barrier and more needs to be done to save Starbuck from this problem that would limit its venture in globalization of the business. The company has also put up various measures which would prevent the crashing of the different cultures but they have not been as useful.

Question 2

The Starbuck management has listed language barrier as one of the biggest problems that has been presented by the different cultures. The way of communication is different with the different cultures. Terms used in some cultures might sound very harsh in other cultures. Thus the way in which words are used has an adverse effect on the in the intercultural communication in Starbuck stores where the management and employees from different cultures come together. This is in fact a major hindrance in business communication process. Another thing that pertains to language barrier and has adversely affected Starbuck businesses is use of different languages. English language though common in most countries is also absent in others. It’s logical that for any business to prosper and yield maximum profit communication between employees, management and consumer must be very effective. For example someone can’t sell goods or services to someone if they don’t understand each other. At the same time they can’t work effectively with the staff when they can’t communicate and come to an understanding (Scarborough 1998) The Starbucks were as a result forced to use their time and money on a program of learning these languages so as to be able to communicate effectively with the counterparts in the other countries. This however hasn’t solved the problem since one may not fully understand the use of the language for example the accent which may lead to distortion of word therefore making communication ineffective. Starbucks also opted to hire interpreters who complicated thing even further by distorting information and giving unclear explanations. Understanding the language of mannerisms and gestures becomes crucial Not only in star bucks but in all in international business. The many times when behavior in certain gestures may be misinterpreted by the people from the different culture makes intercultural communication in all corporate houses very difficult.

The Starbuck management was also able to identify another problem relating to cultural differences. People from some countries were keen when it came to following time bound schedules. Clashes due to different time cultures between people of diverse cultures were depicted in boardroom meetings. The management from different countries classed on when such boardroom meeting were handled. For example those keen on time always wanted an issue to be discussed within the time limit awarded. The starting time of such meetings has also been clashing with some people arriving in time and others arriving on time as allowed by their different cultures. These board meeting are crucial and should be effectively carried on as it is in such meeting that the important corporate decisions are arrived. Thus where some cultures stick to time as scheduled other culture don’t stick to the schedules. The marketing executives who represent the Starbucks in international with international assignments have faced problems in dealing with different corporate culture from across the world.

Another issue that has been adversely affected by different cultures is team work by staff from different cultures when it comes to starbucks which have been set up in foreign countries. The employees may clash on so many issues which for example include time as discussed above. They may also not be able to communicate effectively due to different body languages and gestures that they use. This may result in a misunderstanding and ends up disintegrating them and making it impossible for team work to come into play such organization. Team work is always important when it comes to success in any business.

Question 3

Starbuck like any serious international business aiming towards success is supposed to handle the different cultures carefully. Some of the countries tend to undermine the cultures of other people since they think that their culture is superior. This is very bad practice that can make Starbuck to lose the many opportunities that come with globalization of the economy and should been seen to be done away with. It is good for Starbuck to appreciate the differences in culture in the different societies. Any international business venture should always be purposeful in the fueled of global business and thus should be aware of it wants. It very unethical for them to focus on undermining other peoples cultures other than attempting to look for mitigating factor. When working in global commercial environment, knowledge of the effects of cultural differences is one of the key factors that business men should be armed with. It will help the company to build competencies and also helps individuals to be more sensitive globally. It may affect the international company adversely if the workers don’t attempt to adapt to the different cultures and so as to enhance interpersonal relations personal growth and intercultural interactions.

It is important for the company to ensure that the staff is aware that the cultural barriers do widely exist and they could adversely affect the performance of the Starbuck. Thus the very first thing that Starbuck is supposed to undertake before venturing into a new country is to foresee an awareness program that keeps its staff informed of such imminent problems. This helps the staff to prepare their minds and keep them sharp and focused. The staff usually carries their different cultures to different countries but the ugliest thing is that they tend to believe that their culture is superior to other cultures and thus look down upon other cultures. The management needs to undertake a training that helps the staff to appreciate the diversity of cultures. This would be necessary to help the staff to brain wash their stereotypes and appreciate others peoples way of life. First and foremost if Starbuck is to foresee a success in their globalization goal it is necessary to carry out an extensive research and understand the different cultures and to know what is perfectly normal behavior as perceived in one culture and is perceived differently in another. It is thus important to be aware of the cultural differences and the subtle nuances of etiquette in other cultures. For example when the staff are being sent to the United Arab Emirates, it is important to have them know that men in that country wear long trousers and a long sleeved shirt buttoned on the neck and shouldn’t have visible jewelry. It also helps to know that men need to wear a jacket and a tie during business meetings. Even in the most progressive Arab nations women are supposed to dress modestly with high necklines, long sleeves and very long skirts and they may also need to cover their hair. Thus the Starbuck management needs to educate itself on the culture and tradition of all the potential business partners. Education to the management and the staff is worthwhile and even and Starbuck should invest in this program. There is no secret path way and it takes only research and a large commitments to learning the cultures that Starbucks wishes to come into contact with.

The Starbuck has attempted to solve the problem of effective communication that is caused by language barrier though learning of the various global languages. To amicably soave this problem the company should hire specific staff with the qualifications of knowledge of specific languages for different countries. Thus only a staff who can effectively speak Spanish can be taken to a Spanish speaking country. This however couldn’t be the solution to senior staff like managers who have to be in charge of business in many nationals and for that matter such staff should be preferably multilingual (Seabrook 2004). The Starbuck option of interpreters had failed due to distortion of information. The company may attempt to hire better skilled interpreters.

Starbuck should also avoid transfers of junior employees to different countries. It is would be better if employees transfers were within a national. This would help the employees a situation whereby employees need to adapt to a new environment. Finally as the Starbuck should come up with a long lasting and future forecasting solution by slowly and slowly formulating an accepted international culture which they would then train all their staff and then adapt in a similar pace until its fully assimilated in the business.

Question 4

First and foremost a lot of time and money would be employed so as to foresee the above solutions. An extensive research on different cultures would require that the money which could have otherwise been used in the expansion of business would be used in researching the different cultures. The research would consume a lot of time too before it is accomplished. There is no guarantee that the research would be able to expose all the traditions and ways of life of a people especially where the society is disintegrated either by tribes or races. Again it would not necessarily mean that those cultural practices that have been exposed through the research are to affect the business. It could even be that the simple cultural activity that hasn’t been exposed is the one that would be the stumbling block to the business venture. This way time which could have been used in productive manner would be wasted in unproductive research. Money that was employed in the project would too goo into waste.

The other issue is training the employees and imparting on them the different cultures. This wouldn’t work well with some employees who wouldn’t wish to rid off the values they hold dear and take in some other foreign mannerisms. For the sake of maintaining their jobs such employees will attend the training but wouldn’t be willing in their hearts to learn the foreign mannerism. Thus the training programs would end up being a waste of time and money. It is naturally hard to accept that a person culture is less superior or equals another culture so training the employees to accept the diversity of cultures would as well be rendered useless. The option to have employees who can speak a particular language sticking to those countries which speak that language would also limit the human resource department on the skills. This could result to a shortage of personnel in a particular field if they are limited to the languages they can speak well. In this case you could find that very qualified personnel wouldn’t be able to work because they are not familiar with the language in specific countries. Non transfer of employees outside the country could be limiting their knowledge by refusing them a chance to learn from other environments. Training the senior staff to communicate effectively the different languages may also encounter barriers like the accented language which still doesn’t go well with effective communication. This may also not be easy where a country has diversity of languages as a result of tribal disintegrations. There are thus some countries with no common language like French, English or Spanish but have diversified language which are virtually impossible for the staff to learn.

Lastly the option of adopting a new international culture that would be widely accepted would take a great deal of time as it is a process. It has also faced criticism that leads to erosion of cultural values of some societies. Best practices lessen the clashes that come up as a result of different cultures. The best practices are to some extent more widely accepted. They also help in creation of collective identity (Ferraro 2010). Best practices when dealing with international clients help to lessen the clashes of culture. This works no matter when the clients come from. This is reduced to working with good communication and best practices in the end. These practices however couldn’t go through due to the criticisms that have been leveled against them. Best practices simply have had diverse negative effect however on cultural values. Cultural values have been transformed by immensely by globalization. Social scientist devout their time and also effort to analyze their processes that characterize the international activates today. Some social scientists believe that globalization has produced immense chaos and have destroyed the traditional cultures of different societies. Thus if these practices are unable to solve the issue money and time could have been devoted to formulate them would only go to waste whereas it could have been used in a more productive process.

Question 5

The risks that come out when various solutions are looked into require a deep analysis of the various solutions so as to arrive at the less risky path that Starbuck would need to undertake. However some solutions despite the risk that present itself can’t be avoided and thus require to be undertaken just like the obvious risk of venturing in a business. There are also those solutions which are risky and could be avoided. In such cases it is advisable to drop such solution after they have been classified as so. An extensive research on different cultures would require huge sums of money which could have otherwise been used in the expansion of business would be used in researching the different cultures. The research would consume a lot of time too before it is accomplished. In this case, research is unavoidable and the company is only required to have a highly skilled research department. Despite the fact that there is no guarantee that the research would be able to expose all the traditions and ways of life of a people especially where the society is disintegrated either by tribes or races, there is no other way that the company could be able to find out the ways of life of the country it is planning to venture into. Again it would not necessarily mean that those cultural practices that have been exposed through the research are to affect the business but all the same it is a risk worth taking. Highly skilled research that looks into the goals of the business and the pertinent problems hindering the goals is supposed to dig out the various cultural activities that require to be known so as avoid the problems of culture crash. There is no alternative to research because there is no other way to know otherwise the company would be blindly venturing into a strange society. One can also say that the option to research is improving the skills so as to produce more accurate information in regard to the specific topic. Improving the skills of the research department requires employing highly qualified research personnel and training them to ensure diligence. Improved technology would also come to play to help improve the research skills.

Once the company has been able to identify the different cultures training the employees would come into play. There is the risk that many employees would not wish to drop their mannerism for a culture that they view inferior (Appadurai 1996). This risk could be avoided by first taking a great deal of time in training programs that would help the employees to appreciate the different cultures and the cultural diversity. However this could still not work because it is very difficult for so people to equal their culture with other cultures. Furthermore the management would not be in a position to whether the employees are only attending the training programs just to ensure the security of their jobs since this is in their hearts. Once such employees are posted in those different countries they may fail to put in practice what they learnt in the training program. This puts the business at a very big risk and this could be avoided by another solution that ensures there is no international transfer of employees. If employees stick to one country then company doesn’t have to use money and resources to in the training that would be rendered useless. However the company cannot avoid training of the senior staff that may be in charge of regions and need to be acquainted with the different cultures. This still shows that research is unavoidable despite the risks that are involved. Another thing is language barrier that could be solve in either through learning of the languages by the staff and which carries the risk that the languages may not be fully understood to the point of proper non accented expression. This would still be a barrier to effective communication and could be avoided by ensuring that the staff hiring ensures that only the staff that are familiar with a certain language are sent to certain country. This has limited the qualified personnel on the other hand. In this case it would be preferable to have the highly qualified personnel being taught the different language and though communication may not be fully effective it is to some extent better than losing them. The issue of formulating an international culture that would be globally acceptable is good as it is a long time solution and despite the challenges it is worth a trial as it is a step process.

Question 6

It is important to bear in mind that the solutions to these problems are simple but they require a lot of commitment by the management. The management needs to commit its time and money to foresee that the solution is arrived at. The risks that are imminent should be considered as the normal risks that any person wishing to venture into a business will be exposed to. It could even be that the simple cultural activity that hasn’t been exposed is the one that would be the stumbling block to the business venture. This way time which could have been used in productive manner would be wasted in unproductive research. This even though doesn’t mean that the risk is not worth taking. The achievement that the Starbuck would achieve by venturing into the global market would include making a big name like Coca-cola which ensures that it has a wide market. Such achievement then warrants the company to take the bull by its horn and make its way towards fighting the stumbling blocks. Team work and effective communication are some of the elements that are at the core of success of any business. Anything that would ensure team work in a business however expensive or time consuming would be worth a trial. Training the employees from various countries through expensive programs so that they can learn the different cultures would bear its fruits finally when the company is able to foresee high production coming about as a result of team work. If a business ignores such essential elements at the core of success just because of the risk that are involved, it would then be plunging into bigger risks by making the investment blindly. The different cultures which are bound to crash are bigger risks than undertaking investing money and time to train employees.

References

Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at large: Cultural dimensions of globalization. Minneapolis. University of Minnesota Press.

Harris , M. (1991) Consultancy in solving corporate problems. New York. Vintage Books.

Ferraro, G. (2010) The Cultural Dimensions of International Business, 6th edition. United States. Pearson

Seabrook, J. ( 2004) Consuming Cultures: Globalization and Local Lives. United kingdom. New Internationalist

Scarborough, J. ( 1998) The Origins of Cultural differences and their Impact on Management. Westport. Quorum publishers.

simulation of JVA corporation

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Date

The second strategy would suit the simulation of JVA Corporation. The strategy includes reviewing the employees’ performance after every six months. Reviewing the performance of the employees will show if their level of productivity has increased or decreased. This follows that the salaries or wages of the employee will also change after the review based on the performance level. This strategy suits best since the company is boosting the productivity level of its employees and in turn making more profits and at the same time it is taking care of its employees by giving them the some extra allowances on extra commitment (Bizmanualz 2008).

The strategy covers duration of three years until the company has been able to achieve its goals and has become a leading corporation in the market. Reviewing the performance of the employees will continue taking place but there will be stability of their salaries and best performances may be rewarded in other forms like promotions. Appraisal of the employees will be of a specified process. For uniformity purposes all the employees including the international employees will be subjected to the appraisal process. There is to be a basic salary awarded to each employee which earns a commission as per the quantified level of performance. The employees turn out will be accounted for. For each day the employee does not report to work for whatever cause will be counted as one point less. This will reduce cases of lame excuses from work and increase the time each employee works for the company. Each employee is to be given a certain quantity of work with a specific deadline to be met. Each time the employee doesn’t meet the deadline, a point less is calculated on his performance. If there will be employees submitting their work before the deadline one point more will be awarded for each time work is submitted before the deadline. This will see to it that employees commit themselves to their work so as to meet the deadlines and earn points. Lateness will amount to one point less each time the employee arrives late at work for any cause whether justifiable or not. Time is very essential and this way the employees will learn to keep time. The total number of points earned by the employee after the period of six months is then converted into percentages and the performance level is then determined. The salaries of the employees for the next six months are determined by the performance. After a period of another six months the performances is reviewed and so are the salaries. The cycle repeats itself until the corporation achieves its goals.

The rewards are to be classified in relation to the percentage achieved. Those that are earning below 50 percent on performance are to receive only their basic salaries. Those employees whose performance range between 50 percent and 60 percent will receive a 5 percent commission calculated on their basic salaries. For those whose performance ranges between 60 percent and 80 percent will receive a commission of 10 percent on their basic salaries and finally those whose performance level ranges between 80 to 100 percent will receive a 15 percent commission on their basic salaries.

Competent employees for a proper management system to foresee the appraisal process will be hired. The management system will receive proper training so that it will be equipped with the necessary skills for the process. The human resource department will run a compensation program which lasts for six months with the employees receiving a regular salary for that period until the six months elapse and the performance and the salaries are reviewed.

This compensation program based on the performance of the employees is supposed to improve general skills of the manpower by improving their level of diligence and thus productivity. The commissions are also meant to be incentives to the employees and thus improve the employer employee relationship which is always very important in any corporation (Bizmanualz 2008). The employees will have a source of extra income and thus the corporation while taking care of its interest will also have the interest of the employees in mind. The employees rather than focusing on rebellion and wasting time grumbling will focus on working harder to improve their performance so they can earn the extra coin. The hard work of all the employees will definitely turn out to give the company more output in terms of production and thus increased profits.

References

Bizmanualz(2008)Human Resources Procedures for Employee Management. United States. Bizmanualz

Video Review 1 On Being Just Crazy Enough

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Course Professor

March 29, 2020 

Video Review 1: On Being Just Crazy Enough

Joshua Walters reminded me of Bobby McFerrin with his jazz vocals and mouth beatboxing, I am not sure what this form of art is called. But what was most captivating was his explanation of bipolar disorder. I had no idea bipolar disorder had people acting with insanity. I am familiar with manic episodes where a person becomes reckless, talkative, suicidal and so forth. I had not come across symptoms like demonstrated by Walters during this manic episode. Although he employs humor in his talk, whatever he is discussing a traumatic experience.

Joshua Walters translates the negative of mental illness into positive instead of denying the existence of the illness. I am not sure if mental illness can be reframed into a positive one. Positive thinking yes, but making mental illness positive is almost impossible. The idea that the hypomanic edge is something similar to the state of mind successful people are in as they work to compete was eye-opening. Manic depression as a positive where a person is in a state of mind to do what is considered impossible is surely a positive way of approaching a condition such as bipolar.

In the video, the humor employed by Joshua Walters is not usual and maybe he is putting his idea into context by explaining the potential of people with bipolar when attacked by manic episodes. This video inspires me to go on and do more research. The idea presented in this video is interesting and I would like to find more evidence to establish that whatever is said holds some truth. I understand how creativity works and instances where somebody feels full of ideas and the idea that such instances are similar to hypomanic episodes is amazing.

Video Review 2: The Voices in my Head

I had not come across a person who experienced voices in their head in real life and only thought of it as a fictional idea from movies. Explaining to a person about voices in the head would indeed be shocking and not many people apart from professionals would know how to react. No wonder Longden’s friend reacted as she did. Listening to the video at the beginning I felt a curiosity that almost made me skip to parts where the narrator discussed the kind of condition she was suffering. I was curious to know what condition she was suffering from.

I did not want to judge her as insane because of the way she acted without finding the actual diagnosis but some of her behaviors such as pouring water on the teacher were something that required psychiatric attention in a ward. What was devastating was the fact that at some point people around her did not understand what she was going through. No wonder she faced the kind of stigma she did, discrimination, sexual and physical assault, things that could only worsen her situation. At this point, her psychiatrist was right, cancer might have been better.

This video was my first encounter with schizophrenia. It is quite a draining condition and surviving that level of haunting is quite encouraging. What I got from this video is that support from people around a person suffering from mental illness was very crucial to their recovery. Eleanor takes a significant amount of time to reinforce this thought. The best way to deal with schizophrenia was learning to take control of voices and certain feelings. Although these voices and feelings would recur, one could control them rather than having them control one. The medication would not have been effective without this kind of therapy.