Grapes of Wrath :: essays research papers

The Grapes of Wrath, chronicles the Joad’s family exodus from Oklahoma to California in search for a brighter, economic future. The name Joad and the exodus to California is parallel to the Biblical story of Exodus and the character Job, but at the time was depicting the Okie Exodus. The Okies were farmers whose topsoil blew away due to dust storms and were forced to migrate along Route 66 to California in search of work. The Okies were resented for migrating in large numbers to areas in the West where work was already hard to find and the sudden multitude of workers caused wages to be lowered. The Joad’s reside in Oklahoma, referred to as the â€Å"Dust Bowl† of the U.S. because of its lack of rain. The story takes place during the late 1930’s when the country was in the midst of the Great Depression. The Joad family were sharecroppers evicted from their homes because they failed to pay the bank their loan payments to the Shawnee Land and Cattle Company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On their journey, the Joad’s ran into a returning migrant from California who tells them that the handbill they have looking for 800 pickers is a bunch of hogwash. He’d rather starve in Oklahoma then starve in California. The migrant scolds them on their naivety saying â€Å"Now, how many of you all got them handbills?...(The men respond that they all have them) There you are, same yellow handbill. 800 Pickers Wanted. All right, the man wants 800 men, so he prints 5,000 handbills and maybe 20,000 people see 'em. And maybe two or three thousand people start West on account of that handbill. Two or three thousand people that are crazy with worry headin' out for 800 jobs. Now does that make sense?† He tells them that the growers are exploiting them, causing a surplus of workers to drive down labor costs according to supply and demand. The significance of his role in the movie, is that he let’s the Joad’s know everything they are moving West for is false. Their journey is based on a lie, and the grass isn’t greener on the other side.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While stopping for gas, Mr. Joad heads into the diner to buy a loaf of bread. Mr. Joad is a nickel short of the 15 cents that the bread cost, and against the waitresses opinion the chef tells her to sell it to him for a dime.

Strategic Management and Lego

1st CASE STUDYWinter term 2012/2013Student: Aitor Martin SantanaProfessor: Ravinder Kaur-LahrmannSubject: Management Tools| THE LEGO GROUP 1. In this case I have identified some key characteristics that are in relation with the strategy that LEGO has been following. In the 1970-1980 decades, environment was hostile. There was a huge oil crisis, and there were too much difficulties. However, LEGO maintained its philosophy, and their image of unique and iconic brand. Competence was also hard, with Mattel and Hasbro in the market, but LEGO sustained its powerful position.If we focus, for example, in the strategy that they carried out between 1995 and 1998, an interesting fact is that their objectives (become the best known global brand, increase the sales, etc. ) are set in a long term direction. Another important point is that they wanted to expand the scope of their activities. They entered in new areas such as films, games†¦ and they also built new LEGOLAND parks. However, the t urnaround attempts that happened between 1999 and 2003 forced this company to check their strategy. Different factors such as the changing environment, lead times†¦ affected negatively LEGO`s strategy.This shows that the uncertainty of strategic decisions is also decisive. If we look at the exploring strategy model, we can see that the strategic decisions have affected the three main elements (position, choices and action). Regarding to the strategic choices for example, we can mention the corporate-level and the business level strategies. I think that LEGO took some correct decisions, such as changing their relationship with retailers, renewing their supply chain†¦ 2. There are many external features that have more or less influenced LEGO`s strategy development.One of this factors has been the competitor`s influence. Due to the high competitiveness in the toy market, LEGO has to make a big effort in strategy in order to be one of the leaders of this industry. Other import ant issue is the supply and the distribution. The main reason of changing their strategy is that sales were seasonal and they had to adapt their supply system to this. Concerning the distributors we can state that retailers were putting too much pressure on the company, so the solution consisted on bringing their positions in order to achieve better results.Maybe one of the reasons of starting a digital strategy was the obsolescence of their products. There are other influences worth mentioning, such as the economic (crisis and bad cost management) and social (criticism of the public). 3. Improvements of the capital structure were important resources that have enabled LEGO to achieve their successful results. If we focus on intangible resources, we can say that the reputation of this firm is key element, especially because they created an image of a family-run company, which give consumers, shareholders, suppliers†¦ a feeling of trust.Kjeld played an important role. On the othe r hand one of the most important competences of LEGO is their brand. This is one of the oldest and better known toy companies in the world, so we can say that their brand is iconic. In my opinion, this is the main core competence of LEGO. 4. I think that the various internal and external factors responsible for problems were the key element in the development of those alternative strategies. They forced Kejld to take those decisions.The previous years were adverse, and there were internal problems such as financial and logistic difficulties, longer lead times, etc. Also external factors such as competitor`s rising power and problems with suppliers were determinant in taking the strategic decisions. In my view, two were the most important strategies: focusing on cost and the supply chain and innovating. Managing the costs efficiently is very important, especially for companies that produce seasonal products. This gives security. Innovation provides a company an extra value.Inviting t he consumers to participate in product development was an excellent idea, because in the toy market is necessary to have lots of ideas. LEGO needed new, better and more ideas. 5. In order to approach future strategy development, they could focus on one of the four strategic lenses (strategy as a design, strategy as experience, strategy as ideas and strategy as discourse). If they chose the design lens, their managers would have to take rational decisions with a high grade of legitimacy such as those related to costs, their product`s marketing, etc.They also should take a look on economic performance, which is very important in LEGO Group. Also, they could focus in the experience lens. Focusing on this lens would be a possible decision, because LEGO has a lot of individual and collective experience. Although LEGO could focus on this lens, I personally think this would not be the best option because LEGO needs innovation and new ideas for the future, and this lens states that the futu re has to be made based in the past. The next would be the ideas lens. This would be, with the design, the ens which better would fit with LEGO Group`s strategy, and the one that they should develop most. I say this because in the market where this company competes new ideas are very important, in order to maintain competitiveness. Finally there would be the discourse lens, which I think could also be a good strategy for LEGO, but not the best, because we have to remember that LEGO doesn`t want its managers to have too much power and legitimacy. Their work should be more focused on teamwork and cooperation between higher and lower power levels in the company.

Small Business in Australia

Small Business in Australia Introduction Business insurance is a mandatory risk management prerequisite for every business despite its size and sector of operation. The business entity under study in this report is a sole proprietor small business that has been in operation for over ten years in Australian of professional services sector of the economy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Small Business in Australia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Australian business environment is full of risks. Unlike big business entities, it would be very difficult for a small business to survive a calamity given the limited capital invested in the business. According to GIO Business Insurance Company, research shows that 70% of Australian small businesses would not survive a calamity such as storm or fire without proper insurance (Protecting Your Business, par. 2). It is for this reason that the owner of the small business I surveyed found it prudent to hold insurance as a risk management strategy. Insurance protects small businesses from any potential risk that might lead to losses and the eventual collapse of the business. Types of insurance available to small business owners in Australia There is quite a variety of insurance available to small business owners in Australia. Depending on the needs of the business owner, the following types of insurance are applicable. Liability Insurance This type of insurance covers business owners against any form of liability in the course of their business operations (Insurance Quotes Compared, liability subsection). Liability insurance protects the business as well as anyone associated with it including customers. Under the broad category of liability insurance, a business owner may opt for public liability to cover the business against any liability claims from third parties, or product liability to cover the business against liability claims regarding its product (Insurance Quotes Compared, liab ility subsection). Assets and Revenue Insurance This type of insurance gives the business a wider coverage and protects both business assets including building and contents, machinery, automobile, as well as covering the costs of business interruption or loss of profits (Insurance Quotes Compared, Assets and Revenue subsection). Assets and Revenue insurance can be broken down into the following types of insurance:Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fire and Perils: that covers the business premises and its contents against the dangers of fire, lightning and storm. The calamities covered in this type of insurance can be either malicious or accidental. Auto Insurance: sometimes referred to as motor insurance covers both own property damage and injury resulting from the use of one’s vehicle as well as third party injury and property damage arising from use of the same. Machinery Breakdown: that covers the business against losses resulting from machinery breakdown, specifically electric motors or boilers that are used in the business. Business Interruption Insurance: that covers the costs of taxes and other utilities during the period the business is temporarily closed down following a calamity. Workers Compensation This is compulsory insurance for every employer in Australia (Pynt, p. 86). It covers costs arising from claims made by employees due to injury, illness or death during the course of duty (Insurance Quotes Compared, people subsection; Insurance Information Institute, par. 2). Professional Indemnity This type of insurance is specifically applicable to businesses in professional services sector of the economy. It covers the business owner against legal claims made by his clients against him because of the losses they incurred as a result of the business owners omissions or errors in his professional advice (Insurance Quotes Compar ed, Assets and Revenue subsection). Political Risk insurance This type of insurance covers the business against losses that would arise from political perils including riots, revolution and embargo. Tax Audit This type of insurance covers the costs that the business owner would otherwise incur because of response to ATO audit. Reasons behind the choice of business insurance The small business owner in this study holds an Assets and Revenue insurance. This type of insurance covers his business premises and the contents therein as well as costs of running business during business interruption period. Given the fact that his business is located in Australia, a country prone to natural disasters such as fire and storms, his business premises stands a high risk of destruction. Building and assets therein form the backbone of every business, big or small. Should he suffer any loss due to weather calamities, then he is likely to close down his operations given the small size of his busines s. Besides, the cost of running a business after an interruption may be too high for this type of business. Through his business interruption cover, he assured of a relief in the basic costs of running his business, i.e. rent, tax, and utility bills, during the period of business interruption. Therefore, the main reasons for his choice of insurance are two fold: the uncertainty of Australian physical environment, and the possibility of a business interruption following a disaster.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Small Business in Australia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The relationship between business owner’s background and business insurance focus From the consolidated data, it was revealed that the small business owner in this case study is an Asian. There is a high possibility that his ancestry influenced his choice of business insurance. Asia is a region prone to natural calamities including floods an d storms. An Asset and Revenue insurance is a necessary insurance cover for every business in Asia to safeguard them against the risks of losses resulting from natural disasters. Most likely, the business owner in the question had this preconception and hence settled for Assets and Revenue insurance to cover his business premises and contents therein as well as costs during business interruption. Yet, liability insurance and professional indemnity would be more applicable to his business given his sector of operation. The relationship between business background and insurance focus The small business owner in this case study specializes in professional services. Considering his type of business, there is no relationship between his business background and insurance focus, no wonder he has never lodged any insurance claim despite being in operation for over ten years. Based on his type of business, he ought to have opted for more appropriate types of insurance like Professional Indem nity to protect him against any claims that his clients would make regarding errors or omissions in his advice. Insurance Information Institute. â€Å"Workers Compensation Insurance.† Insurance Information Institute Inc., 2011. Web. Insurance Quote Compared. Business Insurance. Insurance Quotes Compared, 2009. Web. â€Å"Protecting Your Business.† GIO, n.d. Web. Pynt, Gregory J. Australian Insurance Law: A Fast Reference. Chatswood, N.S.W: LexisNexis Butterworths, 2008. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Hassans Story Essay Example

Hassans Story Essay Example Hassans Story Paper Hassans Story Paper A. The two major types of surface markings that bone do have are the depression and openings. These include fissure, foramen, fossa, sulcus, meatus, process, condyle, facet head, crest, epicondyle, line, spineous process, trochanter, tubercle, and the tuberosity. B. Liu and Hassan were surprised to find metopic suture on an adult skull because right after birth the left side and right side of the birth bone are united by the metopic suture. They also were surprised, because this suture should have disappeared between the ages of six to eight years of age. Finally because they are only founded in 5 to 10% of people. C. The skeletal structures that are found inside the nasal cavity that might be missing from a excavated skull would be the perpendicular plate, middle and inferior nasal concha and the vomer. D. Hassan and his team would be able to tell the ages of the skeletal remains of the woman and the baby by the four main sutures such as coronal suture, sagittal suture, lambdoid suture, and the squamous sutures. E. The features that the larger skeletal in the sarcophagus would show to indicate it was a female is the vertebral column of a female is about 61cm (24in. ) and a male vertebral column of a male is about 71cm (28in. ). : F. The bone of the neck region that could be affected or damage by strangulation or neck trauma other than the cervical vertebrae is the hyoid bone. G. If the bones of a person found at the excavation site were mixed and out of order the anthropologists would be able to determine which was cervical, lumbar, or thoracic, because the cervical vertebrae include interlocking vertebrae bodies with saddle shaped superior and inferior surfaces alongside the canal is triangular and of a similar size to the vertebral body, and the spinous process are shorter then in thoracic and not as massive as the lumbar vertebrae process. The thoracic vertebrae increases in body size and articulates with a pair of ribs in the human skeleton. The upper thoracic bodies are roughly triangular in a superior outline whilst the lower thoracic vertebral bodies are more circular. The vertebrae canal are smaller relative to the vertebral body, and importantly, more circular then in cervical vertebrae. Finally the lumbar vertebrae increase in size from superior to inferior. They are the largest of all the infused vertebrae, and should be easily identifiable by their size and features. H. Bones with their hard structures would be subject to and show signs of the disease that destroyed this community because I. The structure that passes through the transverse foramina of cervical vertebrae that would cause death if damaged as in the child’s skeleton is.

Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teams - Essay Example A set of strategies perceived to be suited to rectifying the Team's collaboration and sense of belongingness will be presented. Finally, a conclusion shall synthesise the main points of this paper, and reiterate the support for a team-centred culture, represented by the procedural manual, as a solution to the current Team environment. 1) Value: Having the ability to work independently - this is a value inherent in the role of an 'independent worker'. The employee is able to organize themselves, set goals, manage time, maintain their progress and evaluate their outcomes. Being able to rely on their skills and knowledge to achieve a task, the independent worker is self-reliant and often takes the initiative. Furthermore, when entering into a group assignment, the independent worker brings a wealth of knowledge, skills and competencies that contribute to the development of the group. Such diversity cultivates empathy, tolerance for differences, and appreciation for another's point of view. 2) Value: Distributed Responsibility and Leadership - each member of the Team acknowledges their accountability for their decisions and actions, and accepts that a combination of leadership styles must be available to guide and monitor group development. This value includes the consensus that a Team member needs to act in a professional manner, and that this requires a commitment to the group assignment. 3) Value: Communication - to consider others in our interactions, by being open and sincere in or contributions and conferencing. Each member of the group is expected to support the group and interact with other members to plan, problem solve and discuss Team issues. Each person will be listened to and provided with the opportunity to speak freely of their issue or suggestion. Members are encouraged to express their reservations with the current procedures and processes, as this will enhance the accuracy and relevance of the manual, as well as encourage group members to form bonds of trust, support, consideration and overall coherence. 4) Behavior - Democratic Vote - A decision will be made by the majority. As such, all members will have the opportunity to voice their points of view, while at the same time being required to justify their position. Issues which require a vote must have all Team members present. However, if the decision made is later evaluated and found to be lacking in effectiveness it will be revised and modified. 5) Behavior: Motivation - The Team aims to encourage and support each member, as when asking them about their job and issues at work. As a group, solutions will be brainstormed so that it is not the independent worker with the sole responsibility for progressing toward set goals. The Operations Manager will also review Team Development and comment on goals and progress. At meetings, praise is given for achievements, both as a group, and as individuals contributing to the group.Now to turn to the identified strengths and weaknesses of the Team's culture. Firstly, it is a strength that the Team decided upon a set of core

Canadian Lumber Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Canadian Lumber Trade - Essay Example Several meetings were held between the Trade officials of both the countries in order to get to a mutual understanding, which would benefit both the parties, but until today both the parties are seeking for solution for this issue. By May 2002, US International Trade Commission took a stand against Canadian Lumber Producers by stating that the imports from Canada threaten material injury to US industry. The Commission was convinced that Canadian softwood lumber imports are unfairly subsidized. During the same year, Bush administration slapped average tariffs of 29 percent on Canadian softwood lumber imports in a bid to protect US lumber jobs from subsidized Canadian imports. According to Mary Crawford1, the tariffs, known as countervailing duties will be 19.34 percent and the additional dumping penalty of 9.6 percent will be applied to Canadian lumber exporters for selling their softwood lumber at prices below fair market value. The imposition of the tariffs over the Canadian softwood lumber definitely was going to protect the US lumber industry in the longer run, but the most effected ones were the US consumers, as they were going to face the hike in prices of lumber, hence overall construction cost would be high. The NAHB2 believed that the tariff would serve as a hidden tax on US homebuyers and renters. According to NAHB, the overall 29 percent tariff was adding $1000 to the cost of building a new home. NAHB pointed out different types of lumber for house framing is not interchangeable, and the types of lumber being imported from Canada are different from US lumber, and are used in different structural uses in home construction, hence the tariff is going to affect the overall quality of a house. According to Barry Rutenberg3, for house framing the Canadian SPF4 is better than US SPF, and satisfies the requirement. He said, "Homebuilding and remodeling account for two-thirds of lumber consumption in the U .S., and lumber is the primary building material used in home building. Because there are not enough trees available in the U.S. to produce the lumber needed for home building, Canadian lumber imports are critical for the construction of affordable new homes and to make improvements on existing homes in America". As the price of Canadian SPF raises the overall house construction prices also rises, which will decrease the number of homebuyers. Recently US Department of Commerce published a second administrative review in the Federal Register, according to which, for softwood lumber shipped from Canada to the U.S., the combined countervailing and anti-dumping duty rate of 10.8 percent is now in effect. The countervailing duties will be collected at a rate of 8.7 percent, and the "all-other" anti-dumping rate is now 2.1 percent. The real question now is whether the Canadian government is going to tackle the trade dispute issue in a way which enable the Canadian lumber industry to regain the power it needs to shape the economy in the interests of Canadian citizens, the majority of which are women and men who work for wages. Analysis shows that there are certain key points which are going against the Canadian lumber industry interests and overall Canadian labour community. Firstly, the U.S. still manages trade in their own interests whenever they want to do so.

Marketing Research and Segmentation Problem Paper

Marketing and Segmentation Problem - Research Paper Example Therefore, it can be mentioned in a nutshell that the hospital caters to the general people with a wide range of medical facilities. Research A research on the consumers in the area surrounding the hospital would be carried out with the help of Value and Lifestyles (VALS2) and Potential Rating Index by Zip Market (PRIZM). VALS2 This tool for lifestyle analysis makes an endeavor to contour consumers by categorizing into three diverse orientation groups and they are principle oriented, action oriented and status oriented. Each of the categories is believed to be supported by two dimensions and they are resources as well as self-orientation. The orientation groups are then again sub-grouped into eight diverse lifestyle segments. These mentioned lifestyle segments are known as actualizers, fulfilleds or survivors, achievers, believers, experiencers, strivers, makers and strugglers. The medical facility or rather the hospital is assumed to be located in the United States (US) where the po pulation has been learnt to be alienated into three main consumer kinds as previously mentioned. The principle oriented individuals are the ones whose selection for services is presided over by their respective beliefs rather than their requirement for support from other individuals. The selections of the status oriented individuals are supposed to be guided by the support, action along with the views of the other individuals. The action oriented individuals are measured to be those who get stimulated by a desire for physical or even social form of activity, risk bearing and variety (Indira Gandhi National Open University, 2012). The believers and the fulfilleds have been stated to fall under the category of principle oriented individuals. The actualizers, achievers, strivers and strugglers are learnt to belong to the category of status oriented individuals. Lastly, the experiencers and the makers are clubbed in the category of action oriented individuals or segments. Therefore, the application of this particular model would effectively aid in segmenting the market for the needed kind of service (Indira Gandhi National Open University, 2012). PRIZM The other tool for assessing the lifestyle of the individuals for the intended service is the PRIZM. The intention of this mentioned tool is recognized to be the assessment of the geographic regions along with associating them with the consumption pattern. This form of assessment is supposed to be founded on the assertion that lifestyle as well as consumption remains principally guided by the demographic rudiments. An imperative step with regard to this form of assessment is the ascertainment of the proper base definition in order to appropriately match up with the accurate household base (Scarborough Research, 2012). Market Segmentation The target segment or rather the kind of individuals targeted for the medical facility or the hospital would be the principle oriented individuals and the status oriented individual s. The initial category of individuals are learnt to be quite well educated individuals who are either engaged with professional occupations or are retired. This implies that the age group can be ascertained from middle to higher that is from 40 to above 65 years of age. This particular segment would be the appropriate choice as the target patients for the intended medical facility owing to their age group. The individuals belonging