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Critique paper. Explore on the economic growth as well as the urbanization that china has experienced

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Research Critique

The main aim of this study was to explore on the economic growth as well as the urbanization that china has experienced. In addition, the study examines largely the reasons behind the existence of the de facto migration from the rural areas to the urbanized areas. It further looks its slower growth rate. The researcher has therefore based its study within the percentage growth in china by examining the Chinese GDP, the number of people in china who live in the urban areas based on annual percentage along with an analysis of reports by the ministry of public security in china.

The researcher bases their study on the hypothesis that despite there being an increase in the de facto urban population, due to economic growth in china, a slower de facto urban population will be witnessed due to hukou enforcement.

The sampling was nonrandom, including the human population of china between 1980 up to 2012. The researcher’s choice of such a sampling frame is suitable. This is the case since the sample acts as a representative of the whole population in china. However, one may argue on the contrary on basis that the hokou system was started back in 1958. True, but changes to the nongzhuanfei requirements took effect starting mid-1980s. As such, the findings will be reliable since the variety in the sample varies consistently within the sampling frame outlined. Therefore, the researcher had an appropriate choice of sampling method as well as having the interest of the public at hand.

The dependent variable is the annual de facto urban China’s population. The researcher’s use of this as the dependent variable is appropriate since it can be measured as a percentage of the total population of China, which lives in the urban areas thereby giving accurate data samples. Further, the writer supports the reliability of the chosen variable since the data source used for the study is the World Bank, which is far much reliable.

The independent variable, economic growth, that is realized through the GDP annual percentage growth, is suitable since it analysis the total growth in all the domestic resources within China on yearly basis. However, it should be noted that the de facto population and the GDP growth varies with years and depending on various factors. It is therefore advisable that a large data set is used to compare on the changes. The researcher addresses this well by working out the average GDP and the yearly percentage change. Consequently, such data can suitable show the accurate economic production, size as well as the general growth in all the county’s sectors. The researcher clearly, presents this.

The researcher uses a longitudinal design as a measure of all the changes that the population witnesses. This is a suitable choice as the study consists of a large number of cases. It is very valid since it brings past data and compares it with present situation. Besides, the statistics highlighted will adequately help in deeply examining the data. However on the other hand, longitudinal design takes quite some time for the researcher to gather results.

The researcher clearly outlines the expected results based on the study carried, the statistics given as well as data from the World Bank. This comes in line with the sources aforementioned which make it simple for anybody to understand.

On the writing style, the writer reference styles are okay, though a few grammatical mistakes and repetition were found, for instance, ‘The documents will either have to either be…,

From the foregoing, the results and data analysis provided by the researcher can be relied on if the mentioned cases are addressed.

Critique the Evidence for the Provision of Family Cantered Nursing Care to Children with Burns

Critique the Evidence for the Provision of Family Cantered Nursing Care to Children with Burns

Introduction

An injury to the skin or any other bodily tissue that results from heat is often given the terminology of a burn. This type of injury occurs when the skin or any other bodily tissues are destroyed by hot liquids, to form scalds, hot solids, also known as contact burns, or even at times contact with flames resulting to flame burns. There are other forms of burns that result from emissions, electric current, abrasions, or contact with corrosive chemicals. Children by nature are curious to get to know and even understand the world they live in. This curiosity rises as they continue growing and even start moving (WHO &UNICEF. (2010).

This natural learning process means that they have to come in contact with different objects including those that can cause burns. In cases where children have been in contact with any of the factors that cause burns, it is important to note that both the family at home and nurses in the hospital have a role in caring for the said children. The family for instance is a child’s main source of strength and support. Parents are the experts on issues concerning their children and therefore they are in positions of offering information important in enhancing a child’s welfare. Nurses also have a responsibility of providing children with medical and emotional support (WHO & UNICEF, 2010). The main objective of this paper is to provide a critique to the evidence of the provision of family centred nursing care to children with burns.

Burns in children

When children are exposed to injuries on their skins or any other body tissue resulting from heat, it is commonly said that they are suffering from burns. There are different types of burns and they include; scalds, which are injuries to the skin or other body tissues caused by hot liquids. Another type is contact burns, resulting from hot solids, flame burns resulting from fires. There are also burns that result from contemporary factors such as emissions, electricity, contact with corrosive chemicals and radioactive agents. The factor that is considered when ranking burns is how deep they are on the skin (WHO & UNICEF, 2010). There are, for instance, first degree burns that are mostly minor. They cause the skin to be red but not blistered. Such burns include mild sunburns. There is the second degree burn that involve deep layers but not the entire skin, they blister the skin making it look red and raw and are too painful when touched. The third one is the third degree burn which is considered as the most harmful. This is because it completely burns the skin. It does not hurt when touched because the nerves on the skin are completely destroyed. In most cases such burns in children may require skin graft or at times special care when the burns are relatively large (Encyclopedia of Family Health, 2005).

The type of treatment or care that a child requires largely depends on the degree of the burn. First degree burns for instance can be treated at home by gently running cool water on the burn are for at least ten minutes, gently cleaning the area and patting it dry. Such burns require a doctor’s intervention if it is larger than the palm of the said baby’s hand. Second degree burns in most cases require a doctor’s intervention especially on how best to provide specific care for the child (Clark, et al, 2007). The parent or person concerned must clean and dress the burn as prescribed by the doctor. It is however important to note that while at home there are general guidelines that must be followed. These include; gently running cool water over the burn for at least ten minutes, avoiding the breaking of any blisters, careful observation for any kind of infection such as redness, swelling and green drainage. The caregiver must also ensure that the burn is always covered by sterilized bandage. For third degree burns, the caregiver must rely on the doctor to for information about specific care to the child. General guidelines include taking the child to the doctor to assess the burn no matter how small. The caregiver should always ensure that the child is returned for check-up or dressing-change as prescribed by the doctor (Delgado et al, 2002).

A major predisposing factor that places children in susceptible positions to burns is the fact that they are generally curious. Their curiosity heightens in the early stages of growth and development especially when they learn how to crawl and walk. The regular processes of learning more about their surrounding often make them want to play and explore the use of different objects. These activities often result in burns which cause intense pain with long-term consequences especially with regard to second and third degree burns (Encyclopedia of Family Health, 2005).

As the main agent of socialization, the family unlike the medical service providers have an essential role in providing necessary care to a child with burns. This is because the family provides a sense of togetherness and love which in themselves are essential in the healing process of a child. The presence or the involvement of the family in any child’s treatment provides the necessary emotional and psychological support to the said child. Nursing intervention is also a necessary ingredient in the healing process of a child suffering from burns. This is because, the nurses provide professional services such as the treatment of the wound as well as counselling services not only to the child but also to the family members. The professional care and counselling services offered by the nurses gives the ailing child together with his or her family the assurance that the patient’s wellbeing is a priority to the said medical facility (Delgado et al, 2002).

The risk factors associated with burns in children are varied both at the local level and international level. One major risk factor is fireworks. Fireworks are significant risks for children especially those at the adolescent stage. High income countries, for instance, have banned or in some cases instituted restrictions on their use. It is important to note that in some middle-income and low-income countries there are no laws restricting the use of fireworks. Flammable substances such as petroleum or even paraffin pose great risks when stored at home. It is important to note that burns are major causes of fatal injuries that occur more repeatedly among girls than boys in South East Asia, low-income countries and the western Pacific Regions (WHO & UNICEF, 2010).. Poverty is a risk factor since high mortality and morbidity rates in children have a strong association with poverty. This is because numerous burn incidences among children occur in low and middle-income economies. Cooking, lighting and heating objects also pose high risks of burns. This is especially common in societies that rely on fossil fuels for cooking. Such open fires that are at the ground level pose significant danger rot children. Socioeconomic factors have a tendency to increase the risk of child burns. These factors include high levels of illiteracy, overcrowded homes, and laziness in the supervision of children, lack of regulations that standardize building codes, smoke detectors and flammable clothing (WHO & UNICEF, 2010).

The bio psychosocial impact of burns on children and their families

Physical trauma such as burn injuries on children can be traumatizing for both the family and the child. This is because of the excruciating and indiscreet medical procedures that are required in the treatment of different degrees of burns (Bronson, 2012). After a burn the children are sometimes hospitalized. During this process, children have been observed to reveal apprehension and fear particularly those related to pain that is produced by the injuries and the treatment involved. On numerous occasions, the child’s emotional response is always in reaction to the amount of discomfort and previous psychopathology (Dickey, et al, 2006).

A number of studies have revealed that diverse family variables are associated with instances of child burns. For instance, the family’s emotional balance, parent psychopathology, dysfunctional families and adverse family environment are said to be the main determinants of the impact of burn injuries (Richard, 2012). This means that there is need to offer psychological support for parents whose children have suffered burns and the said children while they are hospitalized. In a study conducted by Philip and Rumsey (2008), the findings were that in the event of a child’s hospitalization as a result of burn injuries, the mother figure must be given special attention since such mothers, especially those with emotional alterations always express anxiety and depression including a manifestation of strong reproach and disbelief of the efficiency of medical treatment suggested and the health care practices espoused in the care of their children (Peden et al, 2008). The anxiety levels of families, especially mothers, whose children suffered third degree and second degree burns, remain high months after the incident (Kent et al, 2009). The normalization of family reactions characterized by family’s support of the children in face of possible education and social support accorded positively effects the bio psychological adjustment of the child and his or her family after the incident (Richard, 2012).

Emotional impact on the nurse when caring for a child with burns

Nurses experience a variety of emotions that range from satisfaction of their role to the children’s recovery to anxiety resulting from being unable to totally relive children of their pain. It is important to note that in most cases when nurses feel a sense of powerlessness it is always due to management encounters compounded by dressing-changes which aggravate pain in children. Nurses believe that the responsibility of relieving pain is an essential part of their job description and when they are unable to effectively relieve a patient’s pain, it brings with it a sense of helplessness and remorse. The feeling of guilt is further intensified by the insight among nurses that they have shattered children’s belief in their profession when performing dressing-changes (Hilliard & O’Neil, 2010).

Nurses also experience positive emotions such as the satisfaction they derive whenever they help children in relieving agony and distress. These emotions are further enhanced by the use of their knowledge and skills in the nursing profession which helps in the recovery of children (Hilliard & O’Neil, 2010). Positive patient results plays a vital role in nurses’ career gratification since whenever patients recover fully or show signs of recovery, nurses feel that they have met the patient’s expectations (Wise, 2000).

Distancing is one strategy that nurses use to as a means of protecting themselves from emotionally challenging situations. This they do by putting much of their focus on children’s needs while limiting social interaction with children and their parents. This strategy helps nurses in supressing their emotional responses especially when dressing -changes. This goes a long way in helping controlling their emotions to minimize chances of upsetting the children (Hilliard & O’Neil, 2010).

Evaluation of the family centred model of care as a positive approach in caring for children with burns

The family centred approach in the caring of children with burn injuries suggests the need for collaboration between therapists and the families of the patients. Collaborations would be in areas such as the assessment of the children’s needs, setting of common goals and intercessions which reflect the needs of the family and their significance in the success of the healing patient (Ackley et al, 2014). It further includes combined decision making and services made supple and adjustable to the family. One of the primary values in designing such an approach lies in its ability to involve parents in voicing their main concerns and priority on their child’s wellbeing. This will enable them to set goals and provide an enabling environment where they can find a perfect fit between their routine activities and their child’s therapeutic needs. This can only be made possible when parents are trained and educated on the benefits of the family centred approach in dealing with children with burn injuries (Knox & Menzies, 2005).

A family centred model recognizes and respects the unique nature of each family. These variances lie in their cultures, these differences unlike the therapist, are constant in a child’s life since they define how children relate to the society and the system beliefs. This means that the family- centred model designs a technique through which needs of family members are catered for including making adjustments to the healthcare environment to ensure that families operate according to their normal procedures. Another suggestion put forth by this model is that families are essential participants in taking care of their children despite the differences they may have on how to go about issues of caregiving. It therefore stresses on the need to allow families to choose their own roles and to make decisions on who to involve especially in the case of extended families (Knox & Menzies, 2005).

Despite its positive values and benefits, the implementation of this model may be hindered by among other factors; perceived difficulty by medical practitioners on how to incorporate expert knowledge and the family understanding of their child and the treatment needs, a possible conflict between a child’s needs and those of the family, insufficient time to listen to families’ concerns and the ability to work with the family in making judgements about the well-being of a child (Knox & Menzies, 2005).

Child safety strategies

The growing demand for knowledge of that which works is an ever-growing enterprise among those working to minimize the burden of unintentional burn injuries among children in different societies. The likelihood that a child will be injured or that he will die from burn injuries is closely related to variety of factors such as single parenthood, low education levels among parents, poor housing facilities, parental drug and substance abuse among other factors (European Association for Injury Prevention, 2006). There are strategies that have been developed to enhance child injury prevention and safety promotions. They include strategies such as environmental modification. This strategy is the view that children are particularly vulnerable to burn injuries among other injuries since they live in a world where they have no control over. This is associated to the fact that their surrounding is built to meet adults’ needs. Modification of the environment to makes it more children friendly enable the elimination of objects that may harm children. In the case of a child healing from burn injures such a modification will ensure that the patient stays in an environment with minimal possibilities of the harm reoccurring (Rankin, et al, 2005).

Community based intervention is also a strategy that endeavours to involve the family and the community at large in matters related to child protection. The main focus of this strategy is to alter community values to reduce the risk of injury. It is important to note that such an approach may have great relevance for children as interventions mostly target safety awareness attitudes including the conduct of children and parents. This strategy incorporates other numerous strategies such as education on behaviour change and environmental modification among other strategies. At a glance, this strategy aims at creating a danger free environment for the children through its restraint promotional campaigns (European Association for Injury Prevention, 2006).

The introduction of education and skill development programs also serve as proper strategies especially when they are well designed to work with other strategies and directed towards the targeted population, it can be effective (Karageorge & Kendall, 2008). These programmes may include parent skills training on how to handle different types and degrees of burns, training on how to develop and sustain a family based approach in the handling of children suffering from burns. The trainings can also incorporate safety precaution measures that parents can take to minimize burn injuries among their children and how to handle bio psychological impacts of burns (Rankin, et al, 2005).

Conclusion

Child burns have become a common occurrence in different societies especially those characterized by low income economies and low levels of education. However, it is important to note that burn injuries are caused by the contact of the skin of other boys tissues with heat. There are different degrees of burns depending on how deep into the skin the burn can be said to have gone. In cases where children experience these burns, there are always bio psychological effects that affect both the child patients and their families, these can however be rectified through proper guidance and counselling process. Nurses who take care of children face different emotional effects on the basis of their job description and this explains why it is necessary to develop a family-centred approach into dealing with burns among children. Other than that, safety strategies are also necessary to minimize the chances of burns or any other form of injuries to any child in all situations.

References

Ackley, B. J., & Ladwig, G. B. (2014). Nursing diagnosis handbook: An evidence-based

guide to planning care, pp. 285.

Bronson, M. (2012). Psychological and Emotional Impact of Buren Injury, Phoenix Society

for Burn Survivors, pp. 3-4.

Clark, R. E., Clark, J. F., & Adamec, C. A. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Child Abuse. New

York: Facts on File, pp. 45-50.

Delgado, J, Ramírez-Cardich, Gilman, H., Lavarello, R, Dahodwala, N, Rodríguez, B., Cama,

R, Tovar, M & Lescano, A. (2002). Risk Factors for Burns in Children: Crowding, Poverty, and Poor Maternal Education. Pp. 38-41.

Dickey, S. B., Greenberg, C. S., & Bowden, V. R. (2006). Children and their families: The

continuum of care. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, pp. 1356.

Encyclopedia of family health. (2005). London: Marshall Cavendish, pp. 301-302.

European Association for Injury Prevention. (2006). Child safety, Good Practice Guide:

Good Investment in Unintentional Child Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, pp. 4-5.

Hilliard, C & O’Neil, M. (2010). Nurses’ Emotional Experience of Caring For Children with

Burns, RCSI, pp. 19-21.

Karageorge, K & Kendall, R. (2008). The Role of Professional Child Caregivers in

Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect. U.S Department of Health and Human Services, pp. 56-59.

Kent, L., King, H., Cochrane, R. (2000). Maternal and Child Psychological Sequelae in

Paediatric Burn Injuries. Burns, 26, 320- 322.

Knox, V and Menzies, S. (2005). Using the Measure of Processes of Care to Assess Parents’

Views of Paediatric Therapy Service. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, pp. 2-3.

Peden, M. M., UNICEF., & World Health Organization. (2008). World Report on Child

Injury Prevention. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.

Phillip, C., Rumsey, N. (2008). Considerations for the Provision of Psychosocial services for

Families Following Paediatric Burn Injury: A Quantitativ3e Study. Burns, 34, 59.

Rankin, S. H., London, F., & Stallings, K. D. (2005). Patient Education in Health and Illness.

Philadelphia [u.a.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, pp. 147

Richard, D. (2012). The Management of Burn Trauma in Children and Teens: A Guide For

Parents and Families. Montreal Children’s Hospital, pp. 20-24.

Wise, B. V. (2000). Nursing Care of the General Paediatric Surgical Patient. Gaithersburg:

Aspen., pp. 488.

World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. (2010). Children and Burns.World Report

on Child Injury and Prevention. Pp. 1-2.

Critique, Helen Fishers Anatomy of Love

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Critique

Helen Fisher’s Anatomy of Love

There are inherent differences in gender that determine how men and women deal with challenges at different levels. In her Women, Men and Power, it is certain that women have better approaches of problem resolution than their male counterparts. The relative approaches are diversified and flexible to ensure that every party is given a chance to voice their concerns. Such an environment promotes dialogue and negotiation that is imperative for sustainable decision making and problem resolution. Notably, men are not equally empowered in this regard as their choices tend to be fixed and definite. Often, they are uncompromising and will in most instances assume extreme measures when resolving issues. However, it is worth acknowledging that differences in personality also influence this. In other words, the prepositions in this respect could not be factual.

From an anthropological point of view, humans have evolved from a humble background. Notably, nature has provided an ideal living environment for humans since historical times. In particular, the trees and caves protected humans from the harsh weather conditions that could have otherwise compromised their very existences. Other animals were not only a rich source of food and company, but they also promoted the aesthetics of the human environment. Over time, humans have evolved and changed their habitats although they continue to rely on nature for survival. In this consideration therefore, it is certain nature is integral in human existence and to enhance sustainability, humans need to protect it. It is important for the relationship in this regard to be mutual so that both parties derive optimal benefits from each other.

Alan Wheelis “How People Change”

In the Grass, the sole intention of the father in exposing his son to the harsh conditions is to inculcate ideal values in his behavior. These are essential for virtuous living and harmonic co existence within the society. Much as the values are imperative, their inculcation needs to assume sustainable forms in order to be effective. In this regard, it is certain the mode of punishment compromised the parent-son relationship. This made the child liable to negative external forces and he found it difficult to share the close relationship with his father. Thus as much as virtuous behavior is vital; parents need to factor in the needs of the children while administering punishment.

In the visions of change, the son recounts the negative effects of the father’s punishment and does not live a comfortable life. The psychological implications are undoubtedly immense as they make him to recoil to another world and lose control of his personality as well as identity. This implies that punishment needs to be administered effectively in order to yield optimal results. Failure to limit this and make it flexible is likely to have lasting adverse effects on the child.

In ‘The Upward Spiral’, the author’s assertion that change occurs in a harmonic manner can be contested. In this respect, it should be appreciated that humans are social beings who are endowed with different capacities. This is advantageous because then they are able to complement each other. However, it is notable that lack of homogeneity culminates to different conflicts. These stem from the various limitations that characterize human nature and behavior. Likewise, change of behavior is likely to yield conflicting situations as values and ideals would conflict.

Richard Bach’s “One”, Chapter Ten

Seemingly, there is a link between humans and their world of spirits. More often than not, a close relationship with the spirit to the extent of interacting with the same requires that respective humans assume virtuous behavior. In this chapter, this is likened to purity and the ability to uphold values and virtues that are presented by the spirit world.

Leonard Cohen “Poetry and Song”

In ‘A Thousand Deep Kisses”, it can be deduced that love is an emotive feeling that drives the individuals involved in their own world. However, the concept of ‘happily ever after’ can be contested because of the fact that such emotions just last for a very short period of time. The lyric ‘Anthem’ provides solace for individuals who face various challenges when upholding patriotism. Citizens in this regard need to lay emphasis on the relative beneficial effects and carry on the respective activities persistently. With respect to democracy, it can be ascertained that this state has not been attained by the American society. This can be attributed to the inherent inequalities that characterize the population; only the middle and upper class are involved in governance. As such, the needs of the minority are not addressed accordingly. By referring to be biblical personalities, ‘Hallelujah’ succeeds in informing the society that power leads to triumph and it is spiritually inclined.

Wittman’s “Sing the Body Electric”

The human body in this respect is complex yet intricate and each part has a vital role to play in the existence of humanity. There is also an apparent relationship between the human soul and body. All these need to exist in harmony in order to enable humans to perform different functions in an effective manner.

Thoreau’s Views on Consumerism, Slavery, Freedom and War

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Thoreau’s Views on Consumerism, Slavery, Freedom and War

Henry David Thoreau more than 150 years ago talked about consumerism an issue we are currently facing when it comes to environmental conservation and meeting the human needs. Thoreau consumerism was of the view that people needed to align their needs and thus should pick out just was necessary for them. Thoreau pointed out that an increase in consumerism resulted in picking out unnecessary things that resulted in a burden to their pocked. Thoreau had predicted the impact of consumerism which a lot of it came to pass at the beginning of the 19th century when industrialization begun. He had warned that an increase in consumerism was likely to result in unhappiness as people would become more materialistic. This paper will evaluate Thoreau’s validity on the argument on commercialization and consumerism and his views on slaver, war as well as individual freedom.

His approach on wants and needs was quite clear as he wanted to live a life where he practiced the proper utilization of resources that were available to him. Thoreau was firm in his views and constantly stated that people were being carried by the wind of consumerism. His arguments favored common American people as he did not want a burden on the pockets of Americans due to increase in prices of food as a result of consumerism. In his writing, he argued that property ownership was a hurdle to spirituality which meant that possessions as well as property made people poor from the inside (Lytle, pg. 77-89). Thoreau believed full time employment was also likely to lead to an increase in consumerism this led to him rejecting full time employment. By reducing his wants, Thoreau stated that six weeks of labor was enough for a whole year living. In order for one to attain genuine happiness, then demanding less was key as more consumerism would demand a lot of hassle. Humans were exploiting the earth’s resources in order to make profits including the trees, minerals as well as water commodities causing a strain on earth resources. This can still be seen even today as an increase in consumerism contributes to degradation of earth resources such as deforestation which contributes to global warming.

On slavery, Thoreau wrote a speech in Massachusetts that he delivered in a rally that was on anti-slavery after the passing of the controversial Fugitive Slave Act. The act that required the free slaves from the north to be taken back to their owners in the south. Thoreau constantly expressed his ant-slavery sentiments as he saw it was hypocritical on both the democracy and freedom of Americans. Slavery was against the human rights and the fact that slaves could not be allowed any freedom was ironical because every single American was trying to champion for freedom and democracy but these democratic values were not present in the society because of slavery. Before the civil war, the slaves had to work in the different industries for prolonged periods in very inhumane conditions. In 1853, most slave families were separated from each other as buyers purchased them differently so that they could never see each other. Thoreau poked holes on this form of hypocrisy as Americas values were those against enslavement yet the actions were totally different to what they preached (Glick, pg. 193-204).

Thoreau was a believer of individual freedom and in his writing he was able to awaken people’s thoughts and also portrayed significance of one having a free soul. Thoreau refused to pay poll taxes as he thought this was exploitation of the slaves and his refusal resulted in his arrest but him spending nights behind bars did not make him compromise his stands on various societal issues. His writings had impact and he was a threat to a few people who were not ready for the conversation on why slave ownership was wrong. On individual freedom, Thoreau’s argument is well documented in his book Where I Lived for where he states how he think the men ought to live. According to his philosophies, the physical conditions of life are fundamentally and also inevitably tied to an individual’s spiritual life. The cabin appearance, its furniture, size and more so its location on the shoreline of the pool all add to his mental arousal (Thoreau, p.46).

On war, Thoreau was against the American- Mexico war of 1846. To Thoreau this was a ploy by the southerners to expand their slavery to the south west. In protest to slavery and not paying taxes he was jailed an act he considered as civil disobedience. It was in this period that he concluded being against slavery and war was simply not enough and thus the need for civil disobedience. Henry David in his essay titled, Civil Disobedience, advances his belief that the best government is the one that rules least. A government allows the citizens to conduct themselves without interfering or imposing its will on them. He continues to narrate his belief that most governments are the tool to accomplish people’s wishes. Henry believed that a government that does not meet the needs and aspirations of the citizens has no reason to continue existing as it would have failed in meeting its basic role. He talks of the government’s existence as a condition for the protection of individual rights. As he would later learn from experience, taking up the role of ensuring the government meets the needs of the citizens and choosing not to live by the set government involves consequences. The price of non-conformity to the government can be very heavy on those deemed deviant to it.

Thoreau acknowledges that nonconformity to government set regulations that may be unjust comes at a price. If a citizen decides that because the government does not give him the services he needs, then it is the role of that citizen to avoid at all costs no to pay taxes to the same government. Governments are likely to use your taxes to execute what your belief is unjust, and that makes you part of the system. He encouraged people to boycott paying taxes in such cases and f they were imprisoned, it would be a worthy course. He suggested that prison would be the best residence of any man within unjust society (Thoreau, pg. 2).

Thoreau outlines that you cannot achieve justice if people think they can achieve it passively through voting. He outlines practicing just like the convenient way of having a just society. People should consider their obligation not to support the execution of unjust acts or give it any practical support. In his essay, Thoreau narrates that the minority can be agents of unjust by conforming to the demands of the majority. He refused to pay the poll tax to the government he considered corrupt this led to his arrest and imprisonment for a day (Thoreau, pg. 3). After spending a day in prison, someone paying for him the tax and he was set free. He narrates of the ordeal in prison and the trouble he had to go through just because he refused to conform to the unjust system. They serve prisoners with breakfast through a hole in the prison door in small pans made from tins. The pans could only hold the brown bread, a piece of chocolate and an iron spoon given to them. He even narrates the hard life in prison where a comrade seized his vessels as he was returning bread remains. The comrade advised to keep the bread for lunch or dinner and even informed him that he has to work in a hay field within the neighborhood.

In conclusion, Thoreau was a philosopher wo was too brave during his time. he addressed issues such as slavery, freedom and war topics that most philosophers would not because of fear of government actions including jail time which he served. It is his philosophies that may have helped the black people fight for their freedom and rise up in protest against slavery. Thoreau did not rule out violence in fighting for one’s freedom. He defended John Browns attack to the federal arsenal at Harper Ferry in Virginia an attempt to spark slave revolution. Thoreau’s views on consumerism are still applicable today and we should probably borrow a few of his ideals.

Works cited

Glick, Wendell P. “Thoreau and the” Herald of Freedom”.” New England Quarterly (1949): 193-204.

Lytle, George W. “Just Say No to Consumerism: The Continuing Relevance of Henry David Thoreau.” Hwa Kang Journal of English Language & Literature 2 (1996): 77-89.

Thoreau, Henry. Where I lived, and what I lived for. Vol. 37. Penguin UK, 2005.

Thoreau, Henry David. “Resistance to civil government.” Revista Filosofía UIS 15.1 (2017).

Thoreau, Henry David. Collected essays and poems. Vol. 124. Library of America, 2001.

Critiques of Democracy

Critiques of Democracy

Democracy is defined in different breaths by different people. For some people, democracy means idealism, justice and liberty as well as the divine incarnations of the societal principle. Other people define it as political justification based on the foundation of idealism. Some people think that democracy has an uncertain value in the society. There are people who feel that democracy is unimportant to them. However, places with such kind of people who see no importance of democracy are rare. Democracy cannot be completely ignored anywhere in the world. It is very rare to find people ignoring the role democracy plays in the society (Lukacs, 2005).

Democracy has penetrated every part of the world and it is virtually in people’s thoughts everywhere. Democracy is a word defined by many sets of complex concepts existing in the multifarious human world. It is noted that people often assume that they know the meaning of democracy. However, people have never really bothered to inquire what democracy ought to mean to everyone, what it may mean to other people or what it actually means when put into practice (Kofmel, 2008). It is a word that many people around the world take for granted yet it plays an important role in the society at large. It is evident that different people hold different views when it comes to democracy. On the one hand, there are people who show interest in democracy and will always fight for the rights of other oppressed people. On the other hand, there are people who show no interest at all in wanting to know what democracy entails and how they can benefit from the fruits of democracy (Benoist, 2011).

Democracy can be recognized in two senses namely democracy as the cultural emphasis and democracy as a political system that has evolved through cultural trends (Mann, 2004).

Cultural Democracy

In cultural democracy, there is a key principle that any person irrespective of his or her birthright must be viewed as a person who is important, worthy and capable of achieving anything in the society. Such a person should therefore be accorded his or her democratic right to carry out his or her duties without any interference. Democratization would therefore mean giving people opportunity to access things which were previously difficult to access. People’s democracy should not be violated simply because of their cultural backgrounds. Everyone is entitled to his or her democratic space irrespective of cultural affiliations (Sunic, 2011).

Political Democracy

Political establishments worldwide have been created as a result of cultural sentiments. It is therefore clear that cultural democracy relates to political democracy in one way or another. Political democracy can therefore be better understood by understanding cultural democracy. They both advocate for openness, freedom, opportunity and even spite and jealousy in some occasions. The political democracy consists of a key principle, majority rule, which is expressed in elections to determine people fit to hold political office. It is also expressed directly in voting for or against political resolutions and laws of an organization or country. It is noted that people who seek individual freedom always rely on decisions made by the majority as a fundamental means of freedom. Political democracy should be surpassed when it is thought not to serve as the ideal means of freedom. Political democracy is used by political figures as a justification for their political power. They argue that political power has been vested in them by the majority of people voting them into political offices (Ludovici, 1921).

References

Benoist, A. (2011). The Problem of Democracy. New York: Arktos Media.

Kofmel, E. (2008). Anti-Democratic THought. Virginia: Imprint Academic.

Ludovici, A. (1921). The False Assumptions of Democracy. London: Heath Cranon Ltd.

Lukacs, J. (2005). Democracy and Populism: Fear and Hatred. Boston: Yale Universitiy Press.

Mann, M. (2004). The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sunic, T. (2011). Against Democracy and Equity: The European New Right. New York: Arktos Media Ltd.

Titus (Question 13) Tragedy or Dark Comedy what is comic about Titus

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Titus (Question 13) Tragedy or Dark Comedy: what is comic about Titus?

Titus Andronicus is one of Shakespeare’s plays dedicated to the theme of tragedy. Unlike other tragedies done by Shakespeare’s plays, Titus Andronicus is underrated taking a back stage in regard to the theme of tragedy. The story is based on the hatred of the Romans and the Goths who do not see eye to eye. Titus Andronicus is on the side of the Romans who have the upper hand due to the defeat of the Goths in the previous war (Smith, p. 316). He is seen as a hero by his Roman community making him one of the more significant persons in the community. Titus manages to get some captives who belong to the Goths. Amongst his captives are the queen, her lover and her three sons who are at the mercy of Titus. It is evident that Titus bears a considerable amount of hatred for the Goths due to the death of his sons. This brings out the vulnerability of Titus who is placed in a position of deep grief (Williamson, Person, Lawrence, Trudeau, and Stephen, p. 351).

How can it be difficult to distinguish between tragedy and comedy?

As stated earlier, the play is based on the war between two opposing sides. This creates provision of bloodshed due to the number of wars that are displayed in the book. One of the themes of the play is the quest for revenge. Most of the characters have lost loved ones due to the war. This motivates them to seek revenge on their enemies. This in turn, becomes the main cause of the gruesome murder, torture and hatred. These events clearly bring out the tragedies that all the characters experience at the hands of their enemies. Apart from the amount of cannibalism that is experienced in the play, the play portrays other forms of torture. This is seen in the rape of Lavinia’s which is preceded by her mutilation. These events clearly show the amount of tragedy that the members of both face as a result of the war. Despite this, the play is able to display an immense amount of satirist qualities. This is however, not the ordinary comedy that an audience is accustomed. The comedy is mostly dark in nature making it different from the traditional satire. Shakespeare incorporates comedy with violence making some of the situations laughable. One of the displays of dark humor in the play is seen when Aaron offers an exchange for one of Titus’s hands for his two sons. The fact that Aaron chooses to make light of this rather serious situation makes the audience diverge from the tragedy. Aaron has no problem asking for a piece of Titus’s body. This scenario is not a pleasant sight making the situation unrealistic (Taymor, Julie, Shakespeare. p, 236).

The story seeks to deflect from the moral standpoint which is often the priority in most of Shakespeare’s plays. Some of the scenarios cannot be imagined due to the level of pain that they entail. The author brings this out in the scene of Lavinia’s rape where a detailed description is given about the occurrence. The fact that there is no regard for the feelings of the audience creates the impression that anything goes (Holland, p. 254).

Why is the line sometimes so blurred?

The blend between tragedy and comedy is not strange to the world of literature. This characteristic creates a combination that gives the play a distinct theme. The two factors are completely opposite due to the qualities that both cases entail. Tragedy evokes sadness in an individual while comedy accounts for the opposite. When the two factors are merged, one begins to see the similarities between the two. This bridges the gap between the tragedy and comedy making them one and the same.

What are the funny moments in Lear, and what purpose do they serve?

King Lear is the king of burgundy and has three daughters who have the claim to his throne. In his quest to determine the inheritance of his daughters, he puts them to a test to find out who loves him the most. This act shows the kings witty character which is not ideal for a man of his position (Holland, p. 251). At this time, the fate of his kingdom is not determined due to the lack of a definite heir. King Lear has already divided his property amongst his three daughters although they have no idea. Despite this, he still uses his wit to figure out if he made the right choice. A more serious king would approach this situation with in a different manner. This makes the kings character unique in that the king makes personal the determination of an heir (Gordin, Gay and Glazer, p.164).

The king is known to through tantrums which are expected of a small brat. Shakespeare uses comedy to discredit the throne of the king. A king is a symbol of solidarity for the members of his community. King Lear’s choice to make his daughters contest against each other brings a division in the kingdom. His two elder daughters immediately notice the need to gain their fathers approval by telling him what he wants to hear. Cornelia on the other hand, expresses herself differently stating that she cannot express the love she has for the king through words. This makes the king overreact by disowning her and taking away her inheritance. King Lear clearly did not understand the intentions of his daughter. This showcases his naivety in that he did not understand the intensions of his daughter (Barber, p. 35).

King Lear’s character is different from Shakespeare’s other influential leaders. He uses his kingdom as a playground placing the lives of the society at risk. This is a significant part of his character which serves the purpose of the author whose aim is to remove the seriousness that comes with leadership (Downs, p. 245).

In conclusion, Tragedy is a defined by sadness, misery and suffering. Shakespeare manages to bring out tragedy through the events that take place in Titus Andronicus. One of the factors that make the play stand out is the incorporation of comedy in the theme. This is not the regular comedy that the audience knows. The comedy consists of selfish acts that remove the intended tragedy form the play. Combining both tragedy and satire gives the book a unique plot making the audience approach the story differently. King Lear is used in the play to disregard the traditional role of a king. He does not display the character traits that are expected of him in terms of leadership. This humor acts as one of the causes of the tragedy that befalls the kingdom making a connection between tragedy and comedy

Works cited

Downs, Robert B. Famous Books, Ancient and Medieval. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1965. Print.

Barber, C L. Shakespeare’s Comedy: A Study of Drama, Form and Its Relation to Society. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2011. Print.

Gordin, Jacob, Ruth Gay, and Sophie Glazer. The Jewish King Lear: A Comedy in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007. Print.

Holland, Peter. King Lear and Its Afterlife. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2002. Print.

Smith, Emma. Shakespeare’s Comedies. Malden, Mass. [u.a.: Blackwell, 2004. Print.

Taymor, Julie, and William Shakespeare. Titus: The Illustrated Screenplay. New York: Newmarket Press, 2000. Print.

Williamson, Sandra L, James E. Person, Lawrence J. Trudeau, and Stephen B. Barnard. Shakespearean Criticism: Volume 11, William Shakespeare’s Plays and Poetry. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc, 2000. Print.

Critiquing a Change Effort

Critiquing a Change Effort

Name:

Institution:

Date of Submission:

Critiquing a Change Effort

In order to promote efficient management of any given institution, the best approach entails coming up with strategies of managing organizational change. Change concepts generally involve innovation and introduction of something new into the organization. Therefore, organizational change focuses on improving the existing structures and involves activities that are aimed at strengthening and developing the organization efficiency and sustaining its subsistence (Battilana et al, 2010).

Recently my organization instituted a new health information system whose objective was to replace our old closed electronic health records with a new open health records system. This influenced my roles as a nurse by allowing me and other nurses to share and store relevant patients’ information at ease, share and reproduce information at the point of care, and ensure the care being provided adheres to the patients’ privacy and personal rights and HIPPA regulations (Grant et al, 2010). The rationale for this change was to replace the redundant closed system with an open system that allows sharing of ideas and pertinent data among caregivers (both internal and external). This modification would help nurses and other caregivers by making their work easier and in turn improve the provided healthcare outcomes by providing quality, patient centered, and evidenced based nursing care based on the stored information (Kumar, 2003). With the new system and its changes, the intended outcomes of promoting quality nursing care and eliminating issues of diagnostic errors have met, and at the moment, the issues of errors have significantly reduced by more than 75%. This is attributed to the mere fact that the new open system provides a detailed decision support system (DSS) that allows nurses and other caregivers to make decisions on matters exhibiting legal, ethical, and practice challenges during service delivery (Marquis & Huston, 2012).

The concepts of change management adopted are very credible and pertinent, and they are effective by the virtue of allowing the management to adopt a new techniques leading to new business hierarchies and inventive structures of addressing patient health needs through health information technology. Irrespective of the many advantages related with the new system, many personnel were reluctant to the changes (Battilana et al, 2010). The employees’ reluctance to accept the new changes could have been effectively handled by making the changes non-debatable or making it clear that change is not an alternative but a requirement. The process could have been improved by allowing the affected individuals to air their opinions and recommendations, making every individual responsible for his or her actions in regard to the change activity, and finally examining the success of implementation process at designed intervals (Kumar, 2003).

References

Battilana, J., Gilmartin, M., Sengul, M., Pache, A.-C., & Alexander, J. A. (2010). Leadership competencies for implementing planned organizational change. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(3), 422–438.

Grant, B., Colello, S., Riehle, M., & Dende, D. (2010). An evaluation of the nursing practice environment and successful change management using the new generation Magnet Model. Journal of Nursing Management, 18(3), 326–331.

Kumar, A. (2003) .Change and Operations Management .New York: Cengage press.

Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2012). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

Toyota Company Decision-Making Report

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Professor

Course

Date

Toyota Company Decision-Making Report

Overview

Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational corporation being the send largest manufacturer of automobiles, robots, trucks, and provision financial services to its clients. They also produce sewing machines that have been spread to all parts of the globe. Basing on the global structure of Toyota Corporation, it has numerous factories that are located nearly in all the countries to serve the local markets. Examples of countries that have huge factories for assembling Toyotas include; United Kingdom, Mexico, United Nation, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Philippines, South Africa and Turkey among others. Its headquarters is situated in Toyota, Aichi in Japan (Allen, et al 21).

Background of study

The report aims at using descriptive information obtained from Toyota Company to come up with decisions concerning specific underperforming department. The data was collected from Toyota official website. The departments that will be considered are marketing, production, and competition export trends. In addition, the descriptive data to be used in decision-making are mean, variance, and standard deviation. The report will also offer recommendation on how the company will improve these weak sections.

Data Set 1

Toyota company Production data 1 2012

Types of cars Produced 2011 Production 2012

Corolla 300000 250000

Camary 250000 200000

Avalno 150000 120000

Land cruiser 200000 180000

Parado 100000 60000

Toyota 4Runner150000 120000

Allion200050 145000

Alphard189000 120000

Toyota Avalon206700 180000

Toyota Avanza300000 230000

Toyota Crown124000 120000

Toyota iQ70000 30000

Toyota Isis240000 210000

Toyota LiteAce210000 190000

Toyota Mark X234000 210000

Toyota Sequoia140000 150000

Toyota ToyoAce120000 70000

Toyota Vanguard10000 8090

Toyota Tundra206700 200000

Toyota Zelas235000 215000

Totals 3604450 3,008,090

The study was undertaken from a sample of 20 Toyota vehicles with the highest and lowest production and defective rates, among the cars with the highest production mode are Toyota Corollas and Toyota Avanza with a mode sale of 300,000 vehicles in 2011. The production of 201s decreased significantly across all types of brands except for Toyota Sequoia.

Chat 1: Showing the Number of Produced Cars in 2011

The chart indicates that production rate was significant Corolla leading the list while Parado down in the list of production. However, as compared to other years the company should consider producing more Camary as it seems competitive in the market.

Decision Making

It can be deduced from the above chart that the production of cars in 2011 was outstanding as almost every brand shared some significant equality. It can be statistically stated that the difference between the highest produced brand and the lowest is very huge (300,000 and 10,000 respectively). The decision that can be explained with this difference is that it seems Toyota Corolla and Toyota Avanza has the highest demand hence the increase in their production as compared to Toyota Vanguard which has less production.

Chart 2: Showing the Number of Produced Cars in 2012

The 2012 production rate is same as that of 2011, however, the production of 2012 reduced significantly as compared to that of 2011. There was a decrease of more than 40% of the total production rate. From a total of 3604450 in 2011 to 3005090 in 2012.

Decision Making

The two charts above have two different perspectives about the decisions to be considered for the company. However, it is evident that Toyota Company did not make the best production in 2012 as compared to that of 2011, meaning that is faced a depression of production. As a matter of fact this could be as a result of various managerial problems that the company might be facing. From the chart 1 and 2 it is clear that Toyota Company should come up with strategies to improve it production in the coming financial years.

Mean, Variance, and Standard Deviation of Produced Toyota Vehicle 2011 and 2012

Types of cars 2012 2012

Corolla 119777.5 14346649506 99745.5 9949164770

Camary 69777.5 4868899506 49745.5 2474614770

Avalno -30222.5 913399506.3 -30254.5 915334770.3

Land cruiser 19777.5 391149506.3 29745.5 884794770.3

Parado -80222.5 6435649506 -90254.5 8145874770

Toyota 4Runner-30222.5 913399506.3 -30254.5 915334770.3

Allion19827.5 393129756.3 -5254.5 27609770.25

Alphard8777.5 77044506.25 -30254.5 915334770.3

Toyota Avalon26477.5 701058006.3 29745.5 884794770.3

Toyota Avanza119777.5 14346649506 79745.5 6359344770

Toyota Crown-56222.5 3160969506 -30254.5 915334770.3

Toyota iQ-110223 12148999506 -120254.5 14461144770

Toyota Isis59777.5 3573349506 59745.5 3569524770

Toyota LiteAce29777.5 886699506.3 39745.5 64770.25

Toyota Mark X53777.5 2892019506 59745.5 6440784770

Toyota Sequoia-40222.5 1617849506 -254.5 20210745060

Toyota Toyo Ace-60222.5 3626749506 -80254.5 2474614770

Toyota Vanguard-170223 28975699506 -142164.5 4191979770

Toyota Tundra26477.5 701058006.3 49745.5 3569524770

Toyota Zelas54777.5 3000574506 64745.5 3569524756

∑x-x= 31000 ∑(x-x)2=1.03971E+11 ∑x-x= 3000 ∑(x-x)2=88885625695

Mean, variance and Standards Deviation of 2011

Mean

= 3604450/ 20

Mean =180222.5

Standard Deviation

S= 73974.03

Variance

=

S2 = 1.03971E+11/n-1

S2= 1.03971E+11/19

= 5472157757

Mean

Mean, variance and Standards Deviation of 2012

Mean, variance and Standards Deviation of 2012

Standard Deviation

S= 68397.13

Variance

S2 = 88885175695/n-1

S2= 88885175695/19

= 4678167142

Mean

= 3008090/ 20

Mean = 150404.5

In 2011 Toyota had Mean= 180222.5, variance = 5472157757 and standards deviation of 73974.03, while that of 2012 was mean= 150404.5, variance= 4678167142 and SD= 68397.13. According to the data from calculation there was a decrease of value between 2011 and 2012 across all measures of central tendency.

Decision making

The total number of vehicles produced by Toyota decreased from 3604450 in 2011 to 3008090 in 2012. This indicates a 20% decrease in production. The decision means that the company production rate decreased in 2012. Thus, the company should consider identifying the weakness in portrayed over that year mostly what the competitors are doing to increase preference of their vehicles as compared to Toyota.

Toyota company Sales data 2

As indicated in the calculations above the mean of produced cars M= 200,000 and that of defective is 2636, indicating that the defective cars are 1.8th of the produced cars. This is also shown using their variance and standard Deviations.

Data set 2: Toyota Company Sales between 2011 and 2012

Types of cars Sales 2011 (billions) Sales 2012 (billions)

Corolla $17 $15

Camary $15 $12

Avalno $12 $10

Land cruiser $10 $8

Parado $5 $2

Toyota 4Runner$20 $17

Allion$56 $40

Alphard$26 $10

Toyota Avalon$24 $19

Toyota Avanza$59 $37

Toyota Crown$80 $100

Toyota iQ$19 $12

Toyota Isis$17 $9

Toyota LiteAce$17 $13

Toyota Mark X$100 $87

Toyota Sequoia$18 $16

Toyota ToyoAce$10 $10

Toyota Vanguard$15 $11

Toyota Tundra$18 $10

Toyota Zelas$13 $11

Totals $551 $449

According to the above table, there is a clear indication that the data shows there were a decline in sales in 2012 as compared to 2011.

Chart 3: Toyota Company Sales between 2011

The graphs show that 2011 was a year that the company made significant sales of its products to the market, although is varied in-terms of cars. The chart indicates that Toyota mark x had the highest sales in 2011 while Parado had the least sales the same year.

Decision Making

It is clear from the chart that Toyota Company has to come up with approaches on how to market some of its brands in the market. The decision is to ensure that the sales of the poor performing brands are raised so as to maximize profits. This decision is aimed at increasing the total sales as well as improving the profit margin.

Chart 4: Toyota Company Sales between 2012

As compared to the sales of 2011 the sales of 2012 reduced drastically however, other brands sold better in 2012 such as Toyota Crown. Averagely, Toyota Mark X did sale but not as in 2012. Parado continued to show poor sales performance in 2012 like in 2012.

Decision Making

In order to come up with best decision concerning the sale of Toyota in 2011 and 2012 a comparison chart will be consider. The below chart defines the difference in sale between 2011 and 2012

Chart 5: Sales comparison between 2011 and 2012

The decision based on the comparison chart above is that Toyota Company should come up with sales strategies in order to improve their sales to outstanding platform. Such strategies include proper marketing and price consideration in comparison to their competitors.

Mean, variance and SD for sales 2011 and 2012

Types of cars Sales 2011 (billions)   Sales 2012 (billions)

Corolla $17 ($261) $15 ($225.00)

Camary $15 ($197) $12 ($144.00)

Avalno $12 ($116) $10 ($100.00)

Land cruiser $10 ($72) $8 ($64.00)

Parado $5 $509 $2 ($4.00)

Toyota 4Runner$20 ($372) $17 ($289.00)

Allion$56 ($3,108) $40 ($1,600.00)

Alphard$26 ($648) $10 ($100.00)

Toyota Avalon$24 ($548) $19 ($361.00)

Toyota Avanza$59 ($31) $37 ($1,369.00)

Toyota Crown$80 ($6,372) $100 ($10,000.00)

Toyota iQ$19 ($333) $12 ($144.00)

Toyota Isis$17 ($261) $9 ($81.00)

Toyota LiteAce$17 ($261) $13 ($169.00)

Toyota Mark X$100 ($9,972) $87 ($7,569.00)

Toyota Sequoia$18 ($296) $16 ($256.00)

Toyota ToyoAce$10 ($72) $10 ($100.00)

Toyota Vanguard$15 ($197) $11 ($121.00)

Toyota Tundra$18 ($296) $10 ($100.00)

Toyota Zelas$13 ($141) $11 ($121.00)

Totals $551 ($23,054) $449 ($22,917.00)

The Mean, variance, and Standard Deviation of sales in 2011

Standard Deviation

S= 33.96616

Variance

S2 = 23054/n-1

S2= 23054/19

= ($1,153.70)

Mean

= $551/ 20

Mean = $27.55

The Mean, variance, and Standard Deviation of sales in 2012

Standard Deviation

S= 33.86517

Variance

S2 = ($22,917)/n-1

S2= ($22,917.00)/19

= ($1,146.85)

Mean

= $449/ 20

Mean = $22.45

In 2011 Toyota had Mean= 27.55, variance = $1,153 and standards deviation of 33.96, while that of 2012 was mean= 22.45, variance= $1,146 and SD= 33.86517. According to the data from calculation there was a decrease of value between 2011 and 2012 across all measures of central tendency.

Decision Making

According to the above data from measure of central tendency, It is clear that the rate of sales reduced in 2012. This could have been due to various factors that the company should come up with ways of gathering information from the clients on why the preferred other brands from other companies rather than theirs. This is done to ensure the companies get better sales in the fourth coming financial year.

Data set 3: Toyota Export

Types of cars Exported

Corolla 350000 -1.225E+11

Camary 230000 -52899825350

Avalno 100000 -9999825350

Land cruiser 50000 -2499825350

Parado 5000 -24825350

Toyota 4Runner340000 -1.156E+11

Allion140000 -19599825350

Alphard200000 -39999825350

Toyota Avalon220000 -48399825350

Toyota Avanza160000 -25599825350

Toyota Crown187000 -34968825350

Toyota iQ66000 -4355825350

Toyota Isis67000 -4488825350

Toyota LiteAce190000 -36099825350

Toyota Mark X241000 -58080825350

Toyota Sequoia280000 -78399825350

Toyota ToyoAce120000 -14399825350

Toyota Vanguard237000 -56168825350

Toyota Tundra100000 -9999825350

Toyota Zelas210000 -44099825350

Totals 3493000 -7.78186E+11

Chart 4: Indicating Export of Toyota Cars in 2012

Toyota corolla remains the leading brand in the export market and the least was Parado. Camary also has a promising market as compared to others like Avalno and Land Cruiser.

Calculation of Mean, variance and Standard Deviation

Standard Deviation

S= 623.7724

Variance

S2 = (7.78186E+11)/n-1

S2= (7.78186E+11)/19

= (38909275351

Mean

= 3493000/ 20

Mean = 174650

Decision making

Based on the radar chart and the measure of central tendency calculation, the above tools are important in decision making which is will help the company to evaluate the performance of the brands in reference to the rates of export. This will help the company to confirm or change the existing exports for greater export sales in the future.

Opinions/Recommendations

The rapid entrance of new markets and their potentials have greatly affected companies across the world in efforts to explore new markets to benefit from it. The UK companies have experienced so many challenges as they push into exploring new markets. In order for Toyota to experience a better marketing growth in the UAE, and extend to other new markets, it is rather important for them to ensure that the give a good focus on how to give fair treatment in order to facilitate tremendous expansion thereby enjoying the benefits that will be offered by the market.

In market expansion, it is preferable that Toyota Company identify the right market. In exploring the target market, Toyota will learn the weaknesses of other competing firms such as the Nissan, BMW and many other firms to maximize its potentials in those parts that are poorly performed by them.

The SWOT analysis is quite useful for Toyota, as it will help the company to realize its areas of strengths, its strengths are those values that are offered by Toyota and are never achieved by other firms. For instance, its marketing stability will be aided by this tool to fully analyze it. Toyota will be in a better position to continue shining over its rivals. Their strength in adopting into the new technology, which has brought in the issues of environment is yet another area that is best done through SWOT strategic tool. This will help to know the market to increase sales.

Opportunities will be well identified through the employment of SWOT analysis. In case there are new markets, it is the role of this tool to focus on it. With changing market trends, there are a times when opportunities arise. The best results will be reached at only if the tool is employed. The introduction of policies such as export policies is an opportunity to Toyota as earlier mentioned. Opportunities are less considered by porter’s diamond.

Production

In the year 2012 (January to September), Toyota set a goal to achieve 15 percent market share, which would make it the biggest auto company in the world. The media reports suggest that focus on growth led the company into a downward spiral in sales, profitability, and quality and, finally, the crisis of 2011, however this production goal was not attainable in the first 9 months of the year. Yet all the data existing, other than specific stories, shows that by 2012 Toyota was an extremely financially stable company with an outstanding quality and safety record.

The Toyota production system does not seem to be the cause of the quality problems experienced over the prior decade. In the past, Toyota has exhibited a significant advantage over its mass-producer competitors in physical and value-added productivity. The competition should be improved, but it is unlikely that any firm has actually passed Toyota in manufacturing prowess. Data related to manufacturing or assembly quality, such as the number of defects reported by customers in newly purchased vehicles, generally has placed Toyota at the top of the auto industry or at least among the leaders. Therefore, it is evident that TPS will work well with Toyota.

Export Trends

In 2010, Toyota made record global profits, earning $19.9 billion. This was particularly impressive since it was the 50th consecutive year of profits for the company. Many companies deciding to ‘go lean’ have struggled to figure out what that means in their type of business.

They will see a highly repetitive and standardized process and cannot imagine how they can replicate what they see. I believe the problem is in the way companies such as Toyota is the mode of approach to implement competitive export strategies that work hand in hand with the company’s goals and objectives as well as the mission.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that descriptive analysis instruments mean, variance, and Standard Deviation can offer outstanding results when it comes to decision-making of a company. Based on the above example, it is clearly indicated that the instruments have been worth giving insights on various loopholes that Toyota should close in order to remain competitively as other companies such as Nissan and Honda.

Works Cited

Aso, Shinji, Mikio Kizaki, and Hideaki Mizuno. “Development Progress of the Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle.” Training 2013: 12-09.

Inoue, Tokuta, et al. “Toyota lean combustion system-The third generation system.” Energy  (2013): 04-08.

Sakata, Ichiro, et al. “Development of TOYOTA reflex burn (TRB) system in DI diesel.” Training 2014: 04-28.

Ward, Allen, et al. “The second Toyota paradox: how delaying decisions can make better cars faster.” Sloan Management Rev 36.3 (2012).

Critiquing Capitalism

Critiquing Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic and political system whereby the country’s economy is controlled by the private owners and not the state. The workings of the systems are determined by individual policies, market restrictions, capital movement and labor force within the country. The system was created for synthetic, dynamic and integrated approaches for organizational analysis cross-nationally.

Critically capitalism as argued by Smith (2005) did not give the state national ownership of companies’ matters. Firms activities cannot be monitored and controlled by the state and therefore, the economy left on the private hands. Businesses run through this system can ruin the country’s economic activities as the interests of individuals cannot serve the long term goals of the state. The state should control the political and economical activities for its stability but the capitalist cannot since they are only interested to maximize the profits.

The capitalist ignore the cross-national learning which promotes national cohesion and unity for the state. It does not take into consideration of the national interest and may spark in ethnical struggles which may generate tension if the government does not get in and control the system. Several national cakes with several intentions are produced which does not bring several ethnical groups together. There is great imbalance on the nature and quality of the labor force produced to serve these capitalist firms. They cannot have uniform standard quality to measure the production or output that may determine the rate of economical growth of the country.

The private owners do not consider the national interest. They do not allow societies to display similar institutional configurations which can be identified and spread uniformity across the nation. This increases international mobility and deterioration of the state economy. It does not promote national stability, universal capital movement and market forces. The state may lead to have inappropriate work form or hence have a lot of its population unemployed as the private firm may opt to import the labor force from other countries.

Societal effects may be affected by globalization forces, reinforce the existing forms, instead of changing them. Innovation practices may be concentrated in certain towns, places, zones, or regions instead of spreading across the state. Since it allows individual firms to select their own policies and options to shape up their environment. Environmental management may not be possible and this may lead to adverse environmental degradation. Private firms may not take into consideration to the conservation of the environment by controlling or regulating their activities by generating means to become friendly to environment.

Strengths

The system employs diversity in the work force which improves the business system in the state. The private companies are able to improve the quality and quantity of the products in the market fairly well than when the system is controlled by the state. This is very much possible due to the competition created by the private companies where every business owner wants to be seen the best in the market. The system will improve the innovation and invention processes because the market is free from government intervention.

Capitalism increases the rate of globalization and between organizational policies and forms that support business expansion very fast. International trade becomes more homogenized by facilitating removal of trade differences between the countries involved in the business.

Economy run by small number of pattern can be easily distinguished and distinctive varieties of capitalism are simple to analyze and determine the trend of the economical growth in the state. This system, society and dominance provide the state with an alternative to complexities in the economies.

As a political business system, capitalism is based on the distinctive rights to property which increase due to competition, innovation and invention in the production forces. Through these characteristics the economy possesses a generic system in the firms, labour force and the state in general. The private firms takes advantage to formulate their own policies that enable it grow and expand its activities across the border.

Weaknesses

On the other hand, capitalism it is very difficult for the state to standardize the forces to enable it control the exploitation of its resources across the country. Without regulations the economy cannot have a regular trend and future dependency on the available resources as the private firms do not mind about the future generation.

Products produced by capitalists may be sub-standard. This may leave the consumer with no choice but to accept the product available in the market. To control the quality may also be a problem as the private owners in capitalism are only interested to maximize their profits and not to benefit the common man.

Capitalism dominance may result to condensation of some business systems as the capitalist focuses more in the stock markets and less interest on industrial banks for the benefit of the country. The trend may result in inflation rate going very high as the economy is on the hands of the private people.

Capitalist development does not express uniform fashion across the society. Societal effects tend to create unstable internal relationships in various sectors in the government or state. The coordination between various government departments for economic development gets a great challenge as the system patterns are very much dispersed.

The system absorbs the national practices, ideas, norms and cultural beliefs from institutions from the state and national level for instance education, training, resource distribution, employer’s association and firm interrelationships. This brings up uniformity and standard level of evaluating the outputs in the system.

This system encourages the employment of managers from other countries with different educational background, training and beliefs which may not suit the interests of the state. This system may enable the managerial actors to gain bargaining business power in the states the favor their interests on the expense of the original state. For managers who come from other territories may be influenced by his country of origin. The dominance will follow the policies from country the manager originates.

The system creates an uneven nature of economic power and takes lead on the society’s organization or business practices that are considered to efficient. This makes other states to be dominant in a particular line of production than others.

In conclusion, Smith (2005) focused on the capitalism strengths but assumed the long-term effects of the system to the society and its dominance. It’s a good system but its effects causes more harm than benefits to the state.

Bibliography

Allan, D., 2000, Political Economy in Macroeconomics, Princeton.

Barry, R. W. & Donald, A., 2008, The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy, OUP.

Hahnel, R., 2002, The ABCs of Political Economy, London, Pluto Press.

Hudson, M., 2003, Super Imperialism: The Origin and Fundamentals of U.S. World Dominance,

London: Pluto Press.

McLaren. P., 2005, Capitalists and Conquerors: A Critical Pedagogy against Empire, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

Murray, F. & Herbert, S., 2000, An Illustrated Guide to the American Economy: A Hundred Key Issues 3rd Ed., AEI.

Perelman, M., 2006, Railroading Economics: The Creation of the Free Market Mythology, Monthly Review Press.

Perlman, M., 2000, The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation, Duke University Press.

Saul, J., 2001, On Equilibrium, Toronto, Penguin.

Torsten, P. & Guido, T., 2000, Political Economics: Explaining Economic Policy, MIT Press.

Critiquing Racial Stereotypes from the Perspective of Television Content

Critiquing Racial Stereotypes from the Perspective of Television Content

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Introduction

Racial stereotyping is one of the most controversial aspects of cultural analysis as it applies to regular human interaction. These aspects of human cultural coexistence emerge from individual mental perceptions people hold as part of their respective racial groups about other races. The issue of racial stereotypes seems to have permeated into almost all aspects of human life and culture as demonstrated by racism-related issues coming up from all manner of human activity. As one of the most interactive forms of human creation, the media informs and entertains in almost equal measure. However, racial stereotypes seem to have already permeated into this valuable human resource as this critique will demonstrate. Therefore, racial stereotypes will form the main subject of this critique with a particular interest in their adverse effects, as aspects of the cultural analysis, on television content as part of the media.

Criticism for racial stereotypes as evidenced in television programming and its consequences

The relationship between racial stereotyping and television dates back to the very discovery of television. Racial stereotyping is a form of racial discrimination that entails attaching some usually negative attributes to a particular racial group other that which one belongs (Nelson, 2009). Based on the negativity of most of these attributes, the majority of the racial groups affected by these forms of racial discrimination are usually those that belong to the minority groups. Therefore, from the perspective of media, especially television, the Black and Hispanic racial groups suffer most of the consequences of racial stereotyping.

Recently, an American journalist Don Lemon of the CNN disclosed that the number of African Americans killed in shooting incidents involving police officers was twice that of Whites (‘CNN Tonight’, 2015). Surprisingly, Lemon stated that as at June 2015, 135 Africa American deaths involved unarmed individuals as opposed to armed individuals who would compel the law enforcement officers to use lethal force. As a good example of racial profiling, which is related to racial prejudices and stereotyping, the issue incited uproar among African American media personnel. These individuals used their media positions to instigate the start of a racial stereotyping frenzy between them and their white counterparts. African American reporters and newscasters used every opportunity to fuel the fires that raged by demanding for equality in all law enforcement scenarios.

Concurrently, their white counterparts, feeling compelled to downplay any impending media disasters, downplayed all the attempts. The results were an increased proliferation of special coverage by media houses involving a protracted effort by African American journalists to bring to the attentions of the world the injustices faced by their racial group. On the other hand, Whites and journalists from other racial groups downplayed the issue demonstrating the extent of the racial stereotyping present on the media platforms.

Racial stereotypes do not only touch on crime. Other human endeavors such as education, entertainment, and sports also suffer from this harmful practice. There are many forms of racial stereotypes affecting racial minority groups, which get airtime on television either intentionally or otherwise. A common racial stereotype that targets the African American group suggests that most of them make a living from sports and games (Luther, Lepre & Clark, 2012). Such stereotypes seem to borrow from the negative connotation that this racial group is only suitable for activities that involve and require high physical fitness and athleticism. The American Basketball League is one good example of situations that support this negative mindset due to the vast number of African American players. One interesting point that most of the people that subscribe to such inferior mindsets choose to ignore is the success of the American media sector in marketing and promoting its content. Therefore, due to the broad reach of the NBA screening rights and famous African American basketball players like Michael Jordan, the majority subscribe to the racial stereotype that this racial group makes a living primarily from sports. The same mindsets have infiltrated the athletics and track events scene with harmful consequences for the victim countries in international ratings (Fullwood, 2013).

What only a few realize is that only a few thousand African American individuals make a living from all games in the United States out of the millions. However, these considerations quickly lose their potency once concern extends into the entertainment scene. A vast number of successful entertainers in music belong to the African American race making a stereotypical racial assumption easy. Unfortunately, the distance between violence and the music industry is closest at the African American connection based on gang violence. Such considerations fuel an already negative stereotype that all African Americans or Blacks are members of gangs and, therefore, prone to violence. These conclusions are tantamount to prejudice and could not be further from the truth based on the number of people from these racial groups who succeed in industries considered a preserve for the majority. According to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, “there are 12 times more Black lawyers in the US than Black athletes” (Fullwood, 2013).

The situation is similar in other facets of entertainment as demonstrated by numerous studies. In one particular study aimed at American television programming, most television programs saw African Americans usually get roles equal to their White and Hispanic counterparts. However, the situation changed when themes such as crime come up where the Black minority get inferior and dark roles in most cases. Such scenarios arose again in similar fashion for other minority groups as demonstrated by the plight of the Hispanic group in North America. Most typical television programs depicted this racial group in a usual manner, but when themes such as immigrant labor and Latin dance came up, racial stereotyping emerged. These mindsets are proven to affect development programs and coexistence in the areas they exist (Bratt & Rohe, 2005). Such types of racial discrimination cannot continue to permeate society, especially mixed race society such as North America and Europe as it fans darker agenda hidden in neo-racism.

The ideology behind racial stereotyping extended into tokenism and cultural hegemony

In the course of the development of cultural diversity within the modern era, the vices of neo-racism and racial discrimination have taken on new faces. As outlined in the previous sections, racial stereotypes seem to have permeated into every aspect of modern human existence that present circumstances denoted by cultural and racial diversity. Part of this aspect of cultural analysis borrows from past eras where social vices such as slavery and racially motivated extermination existed. However, the fact that these inferior forms of discrimination continue to hide in ordinary human activity such as entertainment and other forms of media is unfortunate. Television has continued to suffer from a sustained form of racial stereotyping as evidenced earlier in the sport and entertainment industries. Weir (2007) states that “the fact that one racial group is perceived to inherently possess superior traits that almost guarantee success and good performance in these sectors is unfortunate” (pg. 152). Such mindsets point to a continued failure by the human race to let go of backward and outdated practices.

Unfortunately, the ideology of racial stereotypes and related forms of racial discrimination such as racial profiling seems to lie in scientific history. In the 19th century, scientific racism emerged as a kind of classification for the human race based on their skin color. Almost immediately, pioneers of this backward scientific reasoning such as Johann Blumenbach whose research in 1775 advanced theories based on this ideology of racist classification referred to as ‘polygenism’ (Bolaffi, 2003). After dividing the human species into five distinct groups based on skin color, White, Blacks, Mongols, and the like, these early ideologies paved the way for racial stereotypes. These stereotypes revolved on assumptions such as black skin being inferior and white skin being beautiful. A few years later after Blumenbach’s inferior ideological presentations, Christoph Meiners cemented the foundation of what would be the start of racism. He suggested the existence of two distinct racial groups; black and white.

Many hundreds of years later, the same backward form of thinking still exists albeit with more subtle attributes. While the Black race and other minorities have suffered sustained inhumane mistreatment over the course of the last four centuries, the modern form of racial discrimination takes on a softer approach. Television programming presents an excellent example of one of the modern forms of racial discrimination that is racial stereotyping. The Black race plays roles attributed to their circumstances under poverty, illiteracy, athleticism, slavery, and servitude (Brooks & Althouse, 2007). The Hispanic group also faces distinct racial stereotyping on television in the form of roles that depict the perceived ignorance and romanticism of Latin culture. Besides, this racial group is linked with immigration issues into North America, gang violence, drug trafficking and animal cruelty. As unfortunate as the circumstance are, the modern media houses and entertainment stakeholders seem unwilling to let go of the negative connotations that continue to fuel neo-racism.

Modern attempts to cover up racial stereotyping in the media have evolved into almost ingenious tactics. Tokenism is the first extension of racial stereotyping that tries to heal these racial stereotypes. Tokenism is the provision of certain privileges or conditions that seek to conceal the recipients’ social, cultural, or financial inferiority. Tokenism is rife in all aspects of human interaction within the context of racial stereotypes and in light of television-related media. A look into the media houses that relate to aspects of racial stereotypes reveals that the media personalities assigned the duty of investigating and reporting these vices are mostly from the affected communities. CNN is perhaps the most affected by this form of racial stereotyping as Hispanic media personalities cover issues of Latin origin such as immigrant welfare. Interestingly, the same applies to other aspects of television as demonstrated by ESPN where African American figures are assigned the majority of basketball commentary positions while Whites and Hispanics cover baseball. These extensions continue to impart an adverse effect on these aspects of human life as racial stereotypes ingrain themselves deeper into human thinking. The results exhibit even in young children who believe that certain racial groups are inherently gifted in various forms of sport and related activity based on what they watch on television.

Cultural hegemony is the second kind of extension to racial stereotyping as it relates to television programming. Cultural hegemony means the dominating effect that a ruling class has in culturally diverse societies demonstrated by the overwhelming effect of their morals, beliefs, values, perceptions (Faber, 2002). Based on the racial stereotyping and other circumstances such as colonization and scientific discovery witnessed over the previous centuries, the White racial group has established itself as the ruling class. Other racial groups have had to contend with this fact, which has in turn been imparted on them through force and other more subtle methods. In the modern setting, cultural hegemony still exhibits itself as an extension of racial stereotyping and other forms of racial discrimination. A cultural analysis of the effects of this vice on the media, especially television programming, reveals that the vice is present in many forms.

Because the ruling class owns most of the major and international media houses, all minority groups have to align their productions with the values and morals of the owners for their content to be televised. Perhaps the reason that many minority groups have started their media houses is the fact that cultural hegemony continues to remind them of the existence of racial stereotyping (Richardson & Kelly, 2012). Some good examples of this phenomenon are the American entertainment groups BET and OWN. BET (Black Entertainment Television) counters cultural hegemony and its effect on the Black entertainment be it music, film, or literature. On the other hand, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) seeks to provide the African American minority with an equal playing field in terms of film and music on television. These are part of efforts aimed at countering cultural hegemony in American television circles.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the vice of racial discrimination continues to plague human life at various levels of social and cultural interaction. One aspect of cultural analysis that seems to be indomitable is racial stereotyping. The reach of racial stereotypes is perhaps the widest, as it appears to have permeated into almost all aspects of human life. The media, especially television programming, demonstrate best how racial stereotypes continue to be propagated and sustained within the global community. The news-casting sector of television has this year suffered severally from instances of racial stereotypes where news personalities gravitate towards their racial groups after unjust occurrences. Similarly, each respective racial group seems to continue suffering the same vice in the entertainment and sports industries.

Interestingly, the beneficiaries of racial stereotyping in whatever sector of television entertainment it affects appear to be willing to sustain it. Through tokenism and cultural hegemony, both sides of the racial stereotyping issue are struggling to maintain the upper hand meaning this social and cultural evil shall remain in existence. However, the fact that all the stakeholders in this unfortunate circumstances seem to overlook is that racial discrimination needs to be eliminated. Whatever forms this vice take, all humanity should unite as a single species and eliminate petty considerations such as skin color and geographical origin. Otherwise, the difficulties that lie in fostering conditions that improve the globe’s economic, social, and cultural status will remain.

References

Bolaffi, G. (2003). Dictionary of race, ethnicity and culture. London: SAGE Publications.

Bratt, R., & Rohe, W. (2005). Challenges and dilemmas facing community development corporations in the United States. Community Development Journal, 42(1), 63-78. doi:10.1093/cdj/bsi092

Brooks, D., & Althouse, R. (2007). Diversity and social justice in college sports. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.

CNN Tonight. (2015). CNN.

Faber, S. (2002). Exile and cultural hegemony. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.

Fleming, T. (2001). Racial stereotypes used by intercollegiate track and field coaches in hypothetical event assignment.

Fullwood, S. (2013). The Media’s Stereotypical Portrayals of Race. CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS. Retrieved 19 July 2015, from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2013/03/05/55599/the-medias-stereotypical-portrayals-of-race/

Luther, C., Lepre, C., & Clark, N. (2012). Diversity in U.S. mass media. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

Nelson, T. (2009). Handbook of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. New York: Psychology Press.

Richardson, B., & Kelly, L. (2012). Power, place and representation. Oxford: Peter Lang.

Weir, R. (2007). Class in America. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.