An Analysis Of The Financial Situation Marketing Essay

An Analysis Of The Financial Situation Marketing Essay Upon the successful completion of ACCAs fundamental level, I met the eligibility criteria of BSc Honours Programme, offered by Oxford Brookes University in partnership with ACCA for ACCA students. I had to select a topic from a vast variety of more than twenty topics to embark upon. After short listing them one by one, I decided to choose Topic 8 The business and financial performance of an organisation over a three year period for my research project. There were several reasons for choosing this particular topic. Apart from my personal interest, I wanted to apply my academic learning into a real world scenario as studying F7, Financial Reporting in the fundamental level of ACCA and P2, Corporate Reporting in the Professional Level, gave me high conceptual grip of financial analysis. It would also prove helpful to me in the future as I have a strong desire to invest into Plcs through the stock exchange once I start my career as an Investment Banker. I wanted to analyze on an organisation that operated in a highly competitive environment so that I would be able to compare its results with a competitor to see the financial and operational performance and the relation to the proposed strategy. This would also help make the report more interesting for the readers. Increasing trend in fashion, new clothing brands being introduced and the rapidly changing style sense of people, brought me to the conclusion to select an organization in the clothing retail industry. After researching on a few of the leading brands in the clothing industry of UK, I decided to analyse the financial performance of Next Plc and to compare it with Marks and Spencers. United Kingdom Clothing Market: In 1992, the United Kingdom clothing market emerged from the recession of the late 1980à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s and has continued to benefit from the renaissance of High Street spending throughout the 1990à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s. In late 1996, early 1997, the clothing retail industry showed signs of being boosted by the continued growth in personal spending, aided most recently by the payments consumers received from the building society conversion. In order to prevent economic overheating, the United Kingdom government and its major financial institutions were keen to dampen consumer spending. This occurred with the Bank of Englandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s decision to raise interest rates. The introduction of new entrants into the clothing market and their, expansion, growth and diversification of outlets both in the chain and independent sector at all ends of the market i.e high, mid, and low were also important factors in the development of the United Kingdom clothing industry. Furthermore the retailers, revolutionized and thought to introduce new ways to sell their products. One of the popular methods was via the mail-order catalogues. This has now been super seeded by the arrival of television and Internet-based clothing outlets. There are in excess of 25,000 clothes retailing businesses in the United Kingdom, with a combined outlet total of 45,500 outlets. 1.2 Company Profile The Next retail chain was launched in February 1982 and the first store opened with an exclusive coordinated collection of stylish clothes, shoes and accessories for women. Collections for men, children and the home quickly followed. Next clothes are styled by the in-house design team to offer consistency of style, quality and value for money with a contemporary fashion edge. (Next Plc, Business Overview, The Next Brand [online]) Next Plc is a brand name in the United Kingdom clothing market for stylish, trendy men and women between 20 and 40 years of age. Menswear, womenswear, childrenswear and babywear is part ot the expansion into all the sectors of the clothing market under the NEXT brand label. Today Next Plc employees over 30,000 people and operates from more than 500 stores in the UK and Eire and over 170 franchise stores overseas, including Europe, Asia and Middle East. This makes Next Plc, one of the biggest High Street retailers in the United Kingdom. Over the last few years several larger format stores have opened across the UK and, in October 2005, Next opened the anchor store at the Manchester Arndale Centre with a store in excess of 80,000 square feet. Next Plc mainly operates through 5 basic divisions: Next Retail operates the high street shops through more than 330 stores covering the UK and Ireland; Next Directory is the mail order division which also contain the e-commerce platform; Next Overseas operates retail outlets in the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East through franchise agreements; The company also provides home shopping and financial services, that make up the other 2 divisions: Ventura runs the financial services division by providing customer services management to clients wishing to outsource their customer contact administration and fulfilment activities Other activities include telecommunications software services and property management. For the first time in August 1985, Next launched its interiors range of soft furnishings for the home. Following the success of this diversification and the introduction of Next directory and home shopping, later in 1993, Next Plc announced its brand strategy, of One Brand Two Ways of Shopping, bringing together the common ranges across both retail and home shopping formats. 1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT The primary aim of this report is to evaluate the business and financial performance of Next plc between, the three years ended, from 28th January 2006 to 24th January 2009. The main focus of this report can be summarized into: To understand Next Plcs Business Strategy; and how it has facilitated Next Plc to achieve success. To analyze and present financial information in a manner which will enable to evaluate the overall financial performance of Next Plc from the year-ended 28/01/2006 to 24/01/2009. To analyze the nature of clothing retail industry and the competitive environment in which Next Plc operates, and the affects it had on the company. 1.4 Executive Summary Exciting,beautifully designed,excellent quality clothing and homeware;presented in collections that reflect the aspirations and means of our customers (Annual Report 06) Next Plcs aim is to provide its customers with good quality clothing at a reasonable price. According to Michael Porter, in terms of Porters Generic Strategies this would be more of a stuck in the middle position, as it is competing with the market cost leaders as well as product differentiators. However, the success of Next Plc has shown that it has successfully operated in such a mid-market position and has done very well to implement its strategy. The overall business strategy has been successful. Despite an ongoing programme of expansion over the last few years, the company has continued to increase profits, besides the decline in 2009 due to the unstable economy of United Kingdom. It has been forced to close only four outlets due to poor performance over the past years. The above chart shows a steady increase of 32.3% during the years 2004 to2008. This followed brand-strengthening strategies and a new perspective in overseas development. During the three fiscal years ended, the performance of the group can be summarised as follows; Turnover increased by 7.17% Profit before tax increased by 10.91% Earnings per share incresed by 32.41% Dividends increased by 25% Overall the figures are not much high, but they look promising and have shown a steady improvement over the years except in 2009 when the figures declined steeply. The group has set a target to increase its sales turnover in the years to come and increse its earnings per share, that is one of the most important financial objective. Uncertain economic outlook, rising tax rates and weakinig pound against euro and dollar may act as barriers to this target, but it is highly probable that it will be achieved, by better and efficicient stock, margins, costs, including overhead and administration cost controls. 2 INFORMATION GATHERING 2.1 Sources used and their reasons 2.1.1 Primary Research Primary research is the research in which the researcher collects original data directly about the product, market and organization by whatever means appropriate to answer the research questions i.e it is specificially related to a particular Research Project. It is data that did not exist before. Due to the availability of sufficient information from secondary sources, I felt that there was no need of primary data. Hence, most of my work is based on secondary sources. 2.1.2 Secondary research I used two main sources for the secondary research. Library I went through various books in the College library. I used BPP study text Success in your research and analysis project which gave me an initial outline, approach, and structuring for the project. Studying the Bsc Oxford Brookes Information Pack gave me the essential information on how to go about the project. The study texts published for ACCA examinations provided me with an array of analytical tools to use in achieving the aims of this report. Electronic research I mainly relied on the Internet to formulate this report, as there was vast information available on the internet, needed for this report. The various databases and search engines to collect the information I needed for the report were: Next Plcs website was the most important and authentic source of information. It provided me with the annual reports, company profile, its history and all the other information I needed for this report which includes the audited financial statements aswell. The website also had an archive of company news which gave me a hindsight of the more immediate matters faced by the company. Competitor websites (for the same reasons) Reuters website (http://stocks.us.reuters.com), this provided me with the financial statements of Sainsburys and Tesco for the past five years along with ratios of both companies and the industry averages for the current period. London Stock Exchange website, providing details of historic share performance and relevant industry and competitor news Using internet search engines (Google, and Wikipedia) to gather information related to Next Plcs and the UK clothing retail industry. Other business related databases used to obtain relevant industry and competitor news are: Financial Times (www.ft.com) Accountancy age (www.accountancyage.com) Business Week (www.businessweek.com) BBC (www.bbc.co.uk) 2.2 Methods Used Information gathering is a critical and crutial phase, as the whole of the research is based on the information gathered, so it should be done in an organized and systematic way. Information access has become simpler with extensive details and volume available online and offline therefore a plan has to be made beforehand to be able to extract the relevant and accurate material in order to form a well-structured and organized report, which is easy to understand to the users of the report. Main method I used to collect the information was to use the GOOGLE search engine. By just entering a few key words in the search bar it provided me with the links of numerious different websites, that contained loads of information, which was both relevant and irrelevant for this report,. So I went through all the information and chose the one that was relevant and necesaary to formulate this report. I wanted to have the relevant material in hand before I actually started the report writing process. I started my research way before I actually started to write the report, so as I used to browse different websites, I bookmarked the web pages which had the relevant articles so that I would not have any problems referencing the information if I had chosen to quote it in my report. I printed the Financial Statements of Next Plc that I downloaded from its website and had also imported it into MS Excel to perform the ratio analysis on. 3 ANALYSIS 3.1 PORTERS GENERIC STRATEGIES Next Plcs aim is to concentrate on the design, quality and value of the product, together with excellent customer service and deliver. ( John Barton, Chairman Next Plc, Annual Report 2009) Michael Porter identified three generic strategies (See Appendix A) by which organizations gain competitive advantage. Porter argued that to be successful an organization should select and implement one of the strategies, i.e. either cost-leadership or differentiation. According to Porters viewpoint Next Plc would be a classic stuck in the middle whereby it is trying to compete with the Industry Cost Leaders, Primark etc. as well as the Product Differentiators, House Of Fraser However, the overall success of Next Plc has proved quite the opposite and there exists another viewpoint that a single generic strategy is not always best because within the same product customers often seek multi-dimensional satisfactions such as a combination of quality, style, convenience, and price. Next Plc seeks to provide its customers with fair price products without compromising on their quality and has been successfully operated in such a mid-market position. When interpreted narrowly as referring to the appeal of a product to its target buyers, the proposition that firms should not be stuck in the middle should not be taken to imply that companies must be down-market or up-market, but nothing in-between. Such a view is belied by the evident success of companies such as Next Plc, which earn substantial economic rents in a mid-market position. PIMS (Profit impact of marketing strategy) data and other evidence shows, however, that intermediate positions are indeed profitable and are successfully exploited by many firms. (Michael Cronshaw, Evan Davis and John Kay (1994), pp. 19-33) 3.2 SWOT ANALYSIS Next Plc STRENGTHS Brand Name Niche strategy WEAKNESSES E-Commerce Concentrated market OPPORTUNITIES Expand into EU Marketing Opportunity THREATS Competitor price war Economy Strengths BRAND NAME Next Plc uses its own label Next to sell its products. Customers of Next associate themselves with the Next label. As they use their own brand it is easier for them to react on customers wishes and to adapt them very quickly keeping control over the quality management. NICHE STARTEGY Next Plc adapts a niche strategy and its main target group is between the ages of 20-40. This strategy has worked quite well over the past years and it has emerged as one of the strengths of Next Plc, designing adult fashion wear for the people between 20-40. While some of its competitors have problems to satisfy this segment, NEXT managed it very well in the past, selling their stylish products at reasonable prices. WEAKNESSES E-COMMERCE Although Next Plc introduced its online shopping in 1999 and the entire collection is available to shop from on the internet, but Next Plc does not invest a significant amount on e-commerce as its competitors do. Debenhams for example invest approximately GBP 5m on internet technology while on the other hand Marks Spencer spend around GBP 50m on e-commerce and digital TV. Trend of internet shopping is increasing rapidly; therefore Next Plc should reconsider their IT strategy and invest more into e-commerce to stay in the competition. CONCENTRATED MARKET Next operates in a highly competitive retail clothing market, therefore there is concentration of similar type of clothing manufactures, e.g. Marks Spencer, Arcadia. This can damage Next, if competitors gain the market share or if consumers change their habits and Next does not adapt to these changes quickly. OPPORTUNITIES EXPAND INTO EU More than 90% of the revenue generated by Next Plc is within the UK under the brand names of Next Retail and Next Directory. However there is an opportunity to increase the revenue and sales by expanding its operation into EU countries. Next Plc has already its operations in mainland China, Hong Kong, Romania, Sri Lanka, India, Turkey but if it expands into EU it can diversify the risk of the concentration of UK retail market and the strength of Great Britain Pound over Euro, which currently is not that high due to the recession but in future this can be a good source of income. MARKETING OPPORTUNITY Next plc is already running a groundbreaking mail order operation Next Directory, which was launched in 1988 with a hardback, creating the blueprint for catalogue retailing. It is ranked number one among the High Street names that offer mail order clothing. This is an effective marketing techniques added by Next Directory, i.e. the online shopping service for its targeted age group 20-40 as they have little time to do their shopping. This could be a great opportunity for Next to increase its market share. THREATS COMPETITOR PRICE WAR The UK clothing retail industry is a highly competitive industry. Next Plc has over the past few years managed to compete very well and occasionally offering sale and promotions as well. However if cost-leaders retaliate this, it may have serious consequences as the business strategy of Next Plc is different to the cost-leaders, such as Primark, and it may not be able to compete with them in this area. Also indulging in a price war would mean that the quality of its products may have to be compromised. ECONOMY Due to the recent credit crunch, UK economy generally is facing a downturn. This has affected many industrys including retail. This is one of the main reason for the downfall in the revenue of Next Plc in 2009. The other worrying factor is the weakning of pound, this affects adversly to Next Plc due to its international suppliers. According to the analysts, UK economy will improve in 2010, and bringing back the sales for Next Plc. PEST Analysis Political: A stable and sound political environment is the basis for long-term decisions. The United Kingdom, as a Member State of the European Union, fulfils this prerequisite. The government has to act within a definite political framework to achieve the conditions of the European Union and this guarantees Next Plc a higher scope of economic actions. Another advantage of the European Union is the open transfer of goods. This makes it easier for Next Plc to sell their products in the different European countries. There are no trade barriers that aggravate sales. Economic United Kingdom had a stable economy in the last few years but since 2008, it is experiencing one of the worst recession in the history. This has affected almost all of the businesses in the United Kingdom. Due to this, Pound has become weaker than Euro and Dollar. This can be alarming for Next Plc, as these two are the main purchasing currencies oof the group. Secondly, due to this, foreign investments have become expensive for the group and it may become a hurdle for the group in order to expand overseas. The group now, can not exploit the favourable economic conditions of United Kingdom, when the Pound was exceedingly stong in the past few years where the group expanded its operaions the most. Social: The social structure has changed dramatically over the last few years. People are eager to find more convinent way to shop e.g internet shopping and shopping from home, due to the busy life and lack of time to go and shop from the retail stores. Nexts target customers are in the range of 20 to 40. People in this age group are much busier than rest and prefer to shop online, due to their interest in technology. In order to retain this customer age group, Next Plc must need to understand the needs of people and respond immediately. This will also result in customer satisfaction and an increase in market share for the group if it tends to satisfy its customers . Techinlogical: The age of Internet and the reception of new media reveal a lot of potential opportunities for Next Plc to boost profits Therefore the group relies heavily on its sub-brand Next Directory, through which customers can shop online, conveniently from home or through a mail order catalogue and the products are delivered the next day. Using this method the group can react instantly to changes in behaviours of its customers. 3.4 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE The activities of the company in recent years have resulted in an exceptional financial performance. 3.4.1 SALES REVENUE The sales revenue of the group increased reasonablly well in the two years 2006-2008. Revenue incresed from  £ 3106.20m to  £ 3283.80m during the year ended 27th January 2007 resulting in an increase of 5.71% and in the year ended 28th January 2008, revenue further increased by 1.37% showing a consistant performance. This was achieved by roburst performance of Next Directory, and an effective cost control system. These are good results in a period of economic slowdown and are a reflection of the efforts we have made in building and improving the Next brand. (John Barton, Chairman Next Plc, Annual Report 2008) In 2009 the revenue of the group fell by 1.73% from  £ 3329.10M in 2008 to  £ 3271.50M in 2009. It was a tough year for the group, mainly because of the unstable economic conditions of UK as a whole, which began by the end of 2008 and still continues to worsen. Another reason for the decline in the turnover was the weakening of Great Britain Pound against dollar and euro, which are the main purchasing currencies of the group. But still the group did well to survive in these conditions and the management was pretty much optimistic about the financial conditions of the country. 3.4.2 PROFITABLITY RATIOS Gross Profit Margin The gross profit margin changed a little over the three years, this is because of the highly effective and efficient cost management of Next Plc. Revenue has increased over the years but the cost of sales hasnt changed much, proving that the group is cutting down its cost to save its customers from higher prices. In 2009, even under the tense economic conditions, the group has managed to decrease its cost of sales by 0.7% from  £2380m in 2008 to  £ 2,363m in 2009. This became possible due to the effective supplier management and good buying terms with its suppliers, even though pound got weaker against dollar and euro, which are the two main purchasing currencies of the group and higher tax rates, Next Plc aimed at reducing its costs rather than charging its customers with higher prices. Their response has been excellent,working hard with our suppliers to protect our customers from unaffordable price increases and our own margins, as far as possible. ( John Barton, Chairman Next Plc, Annual Report 2009) Marks and Spencers G.P margin was 38.6%% in 2008 and this decreased to 37.2% in 2009. This shows that the economic conditions were affecting everyone. But still GP margin of Marks and Spencers is better than Next. This is due to the increased amount of revenue generated by Marks and Spencers over the years from 2007 to 2009, in contrast with Next Plc. Net Profit Margin In 2008 net profit increased by 0.68% from 15.45% in 2007 to 16.13% in 2008. This was mailny due to the increase in revenue and effective management of overhead costs. In 2009, net profit declined by 9.3% from 16.13% in 2008 to 14.62% in 2009. Along with the weak economic environment and the decline in sales, another reason for this decline was the 39.9% increase in the overhead costs since 2008. This increase in the cost was due to the overseas expansion of the operations and the investment to strenghthen the Next brand. We are also extending the Next Brand into new overseas markets where we believe there are opportunities to build profitable businesses. If this is successful it will bring new sources of growth over the longer term. (John Barton, Chairman Next Plc, Annual Report 2008) Our goal has been to put a little of the magic back into the Next Brand through our product ranges, marketing and shopfit (Simon Wolfson, CEO Next Plc, Annual Report 2008) In contrast to this, the Net Profit Margin of Marks and Spencers is quite low as compared to Next Plc. It showed a varied trend over the three year period, being 10.9% in 2007, increasing to 11.8% by the year ended March 2008. In 2009, net profit declined by 22.16% from 11.8% in 2008 to 9.6% in 2009. Marks and Spencers incurs a very high cost on its admin, selling and general expenses amouting to almost  £2400m on average every year where as, Next Plc incurs just  £ 345m a year. Return on Capital Employed The return on capital employed (ROCE) assesses profits with the amount of funds (capital) employed to make the profits. This increased from 49.77% in 2007 to -53.27% in 2008. This represents an increase of 3.5%. But due to the economic unstability, the group could not maintain its high ROCE over the years and it declined by 9.85% from 53.27% in 2008 to 43.42% in 2009. On the other hand Marks and Spencers ROCE in 2008 increased by 0.44% to 22.37%. In 2009, it declined by 9.75% to 12.62%. This difference shows that Next is managing its resources much better, despite the fact that the revenue generated by Next Plc is approximately 37% lower than Marks and Spencers. The reason for a low ROCE for Marks and Spencers is the high overhead costs. It must control its costs in order to generate a higher return and free up additional extra capital invested. 3.4.3 LIQUIDITY RATIOS Current Ratio: This is a measure of the adequacy of companys current assets to meet short-term liabilities as they fall due, i.e its a basic liqiudity ratio. A ratio between 1 and 2 thought to be a standard level of liquidity. Next Plcs current ratio was 1.33, 1.11 and 1.50 in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. This shows a healthy situation of the group as it has more current assests than its current liabiliteis as the ratio is greater than 1, therefore there does not seem to be any alarming situation for the group. If we compare the ratio of 1.50 in 2009, with the industry average of 1.93, it is very reasonable for the group but it can be improved by more efficient working capital management. Comparing the ratio to Marks and Specers, it was 0.52,0.59,0.60 respectively in 2007,2008 and 2009. This is because Marks and Spencers have a relatively high amount of current liabilities than Next Plcs, almost 30% more in year 2009. Quick Ratio: This differs from current ratio as it eliminates inventory from current assets providing a more useful position of the company to settle its immediate liabilities. Norms for quick ratios range from 0.7 to 1. Quick ratio of less than this is seen as a signal of illequidity. However, the trend of the ratio over time and comparison with the sector average are the most important indicator, as they are with current ratio aswell. Next Plcs quick ratio has been 0.82, 0.54, 0.93 for 2007 2008 and 2009 respectively. The ratio had a sharp decline in 2008 because of the  £242.7m short term debt raised by the company during the year in order to expand internationally. In 2009, the ratio was 0.93 which is quite good as compared to the industry average of 1.35. In comparison Marks and Spencers quick ratio was 0.22, 0.25, 0.30 in 2007, 2008 and 2009. This is quite alraming for the company as compraed to Next or the industry average, as it is very low. This is maily due to the high amount of debt finance invested in the group. This can be an alrming situation for the group as it can lead to illiquidity. This trend shows that Next Plcs in a better liquidity position and it may not face any problem settling short-term debts, whereas there may be pressure on Markss and Spencers suppliers. It indicates that Next Plc is making better use of its working capital. 3.4.4 GEARING RATIOS Capital Gearing Ratio: This indicates the extent to debt finance involved in a business. Next Plcs gearing ratio changed from 74.26% in 2007 to 111.22% in 2008 and 81.5% in 2009, whereas Marks and Spencers gearing ratio was 50.71% , 58.9%, 59.3% in 2007 2008 and 2009 respectively. In 2008, gearing ratio crossed over a 100% for Next Plc because of high level of debt taken by the group in order to finance the expansion and it exceeded the level of equity present in the group. We continued to invest in the Next Brand, spending  £39m refitting stores, maintaining advertising spend and improving the quality and design of our clothing and Home ranges (Simon Wolfson, CEO Next Plc, Annual Report 2008) Interest cover: The interest coverage ratio indicates the extent of which earnings are available to meet interest payments. An interest cover ratio of more than 3 times is considered safe as even if profits are reduced to half the company will still be able to meet its financing costs. Next Plcs had a very high interest cover of 15.37 in 2007. It then decreased to 12.38 and 9.74 in 2008 and 2009. On the other hand, the interest cover of Marks and Spencers showed a varied trend. It increased to 10.15 from 9.14 in 2008 and then decline by 51.6% to 5.24 times in 2009. Interest covere declined for both the companies in 2009. This was mailny due to the financial crisis the economy of UK is going through, but still it is much more than the safety margin i.e 3 times, therefore both the companies are in the position to settle their financial obligations. 3.5 INVESTOR OUTLOOK The earnings per share measures how much profit after tax is made for each individual share. (EPS) has been quite high for the group despite of the fall in the revenue in the 2009. The EPS of the group was 127.4p and it increased by 15.4% from 146.1p in 2007 to a record high of 168.7p in 2008. In 2009, EPS fell to 156p due to the fall in revenue. The continued use of surplus capital to buy back shares has again enabled us to deliver superior growth in earnings per share, our main financial objective ( John Barton, Chairman, Next Plc, Annual Report 08) The dividend per share of Next Plc was 44p and it then increased by 12.24% from 49p in 2007 to 55p in 2008. The group managed to maintain the same dividend per share of 55p in 2009, which is covered 2.8 times by earnings. Marks and Spencers EPS was 39.1p in 2007 and increased to 49.2p in 2008 before declining to 32.3p in 2009. The dividends per share were 18.3p, 22.5p, 17.8p in 2007,2008 and 2009 respectively. Despite having a very high EPS, the dividend payout ratio of Next Plc is much lower than Marks and Spencers. It was 33.5%, 32.6%, 35.2% in 2007,2008 and 2009 while the ratio of Marks and Spencers was 46.8%, 45.7%, 55.2% in 2007,2008 and 2009. This shows that Next Plc retains much of its profit as compared to Marks and Spencers. This can turn out to

Of Mice and Men & Death of a Salesman by John Steinbeck Essay

John Steinbeck was born in California, Salinas February 1902. In spite of the fact Steinbeck came from a wealthy background he also showed curiousness toward the farm workers and spent his own time working with them. The experience he had gained from working with the farm laborers was then applied as matter for his writing. This certainly adds a sense of realism to his texts. Steinbeck produced numerous novels about poverty-stricken people who have a dream. One of the novels is the well-known ‘Grapes of the Wrath.’ During the late 1920s the Wall Street crash took place, forcing millions of Americans out of work; this then led on to the Great Depression, an era in which people lacked any economic opportunity. The main cultural trends that occurred throughout this period of time were poverty and unemployment. The characters in the novella, â€Å"Of Mice and Men† can relate to this trend as it is set during that era. All the characters in the book are experiencing poverty at the time and are working to continue existence and to vanquish the Great Depression, so that they can obtain the dream. It is shown here – â€Å"Look, if me an’ Lennie work a month an’ don’t spen nothing, we’ll have a hunderd bucks. That’d be four fifty. I bet we could swing her for that.† The American Dream is striving for freedom, status, and success, and as this quote suggests it is often bound up with issues of a financial nature. The American Dream associates with all characters in, â€Å"Of Mice and Men† but mainly with Candy, Crooks, Lennie, George and Curley’s wife, who at one point says, â€Å"He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural.† Quotes such as this remind us of the unwavering confidence that American citi zens had in their version of the American Dream, and they often read ironically. This is because, as  readers, we know that the character is disillusioned, and falling for the false promise of prosperity. Racism is posed throughout the novella; in the 1990s segregation laws were approved, whereby the rights of black and white people were divided; black people generally had the things lacking in quality, i.e. Crooks’ inhumane segregation on the ranch. Habitual use of racism, for example flippant use of the word ‘N****r’ are prevalent in this novella. There were also groups of people who were explicity posed against blacks, for example the KKK, who presented violence towards the black minorities, by ambushing them and/or lynching them. They would also strike  any person who dared to associate with blacks. This may stand to elaborate why nobody socializes with Crooks – they’re frightened to step outside of social parameters. For example we learn that, ‘Candy stops at the door and takes a step back.’ The fact that Crooks is black demolishes the possibilities of his dreams actually being accomplished; they are not assigned the same rights, and In turn dreams as the white people. This is ironic because we know that Crooks used to ‘live the dream’, and live amongst â€Å"the white kids;† perhaps this is Steinbeck making a comment on how society has regressed for the worse. The tone Steinbeck creates is mellow and calm especially in the opening paragraph. I know this because Steinbeck uses words such as â€Å"twinkling† and â€Å"golden foothill slopes curve. † creating a dream-like atmosphere. Both these quotes represent colours that indicate summertime, a long season whereby people and animals revel in the tranquillity of the outdoors. In addition to this Steinbeck says that the, â€Å"foothill slopes curve† this gives the impression the walk is effortless trip. However, this calmness is instantly interrupted and starts to show rupture as the George and Lennie near. This may be Steinbeck commenting on how the futile nature of dreaming will always become apparent. Steinbeck states that the two men â€Å"hurried† and â€Å"pounded†Ã‚  down the river; both these verbs are starting to stipulate the start of a battle. By the writer creating such a subtle scene, which is then ruined, could represent the fact that people whose lives come across cheerful and composed, also have holster sadness. I feel that Steinbeck wanted the audience to know that ‘the best laid plans’ didn’t have the outcome that was anticipated; in fact the dream of ‘livin off the fatta the lan’ near enough every time fails, results in relationships vanishing and lives wrecked. Lennie is very broad and heavy handed. On the other hand George is small, so it is also ironic that Lennie’s surname is small. The text readers, â€Å"Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely.† The writer says that George has â€Å"restless eyes†Ã‚  meaning that his eyes are defined, whereas Lenni e’s are described as â€Å"pale.† This colour is not vivid nor is it harsh, so it is almost sympathetic and tender. Lennie’s eyes do not suggest strength, so maybe Steinbeck is presenting Lennie as having a monotonous, good-natured personality. Steinbeck is not trying to make George and Lennie seem alike, but completely different; this is to show how dependent two opposites are in needing each other. Without one another George would have been a lonely ranch worker, meanwhile Lennie would of probably contained in a mental institution. Lennie is referred to a bear, straight away this tells the audience that Lennie is physically strong, pretty large and hostile. Despite this, it also shows that Lennie would only fight when he has to, he wouldn’t do it without an intention. Research has shown that bears only attack when they feel in danger, therefore a bear symbolizes Lennie best as he tend to lose control a lot. Lennie is always willing to attack when the dream is compromised, showing how important the vision was to American  citizens. Lennie says, â€Å"I remember about the rabbits, George.† and George responds, †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ The hell with the rabbits. That’s all you can ever remember is them rabbits.† This is the very first time we hear about Lennie dream. Even from the beginning of the novella, the impression is given that Lennie is more enthusiastic than George about the dream. George’s simple eradication of the words â€Å"them rabbits† shows signs that he thinks the whole situation is foolish. This tends to get intricate as we to register that George might just be as animated for the dream as much as Lennie. it comes across that George is extra wary about that excitement, this makes sense as he’s also more aware of his surroundings compared to his other half. The American Dream as whole is impossible of fulfilment, the death of Lennie is figurative of that – concluding that all good things most come to an end. Lennie only wanted to â€Å"tend the rabbits,† nothing more, nothing less – it was George who came up with the entire dream therefore Lennie is not to blame for everything. The dream was presented to Lennie like a story, in a childlike manner. â€Å"†¦God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and  go into town and get whatever I want†¦Ã¢â‚¬  At this point George lashes out at Lennie raging about what the life of a migrant worker would be like without any heavy loads i.e Lennie. From this piece of text it seems that George is imagining a nonchalant existence and that Lennie is just an obstacle in his way.What George had highlighted here is far-seeing because of what happens in the end of â€Å"Of Mice and Men.† George uses the dream so that they both have hope later on life, after  the ranch workers knew about their dream they wanted to have one too. This reveals the value of dreams entirely in the novella, and for those alive during the Great Depression, sitting in the same position as the ranch workers. Once George creates a full account of the farm, its heaven garden-like qualities become even more obvious; Everything thing they want will be in front of their eyes, without any literal effort. Just as Lennie states: â€Å"We could live offa the fatta the lan’.† I think that when George shot Lennie he was right in doing so. One of the reasons I think this is due to the fact that he would have been killed by Curley or the rest of the ranch men anyway. Lennie had unexpectedly killed Curley’s wife; therefore, it would of resolved in death either way. The author lets the reader know that Curley would of killed Lennie when Curley says – â€Å"I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shot gun. I’ll kill the son-of-a-bitch myself.† If Curley killed Lennie, it would of resolved in a slow painful, death. In my opinion, it was better his best friend killing him than his enemy. This killing can be compared to a mercy killing or linked to euthanasia in many ways. George killed Lennie for all the right reasons; the only downfall in this is that George has to go on and live a lonely life, with no companionship. George kills Lennie by Salinas River ‘Salinas’ means lonely, which is what George is now. George and Lennie fail to register that their dream is like thousands of other ranch workers, Crooks summarizes their dream when he quotes: â€Å"Seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them. They come an’ they quit an’ go on, every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never one of them get it.† The men on the ranch have this futile dream about owning their peace of land, but its unachievable because of their circumstances. In a similar manner, from beginning to end Miller depicts the American Dream and how Willy Lowman and his family fail to achieve it. Arthur Miller was born in New York, Harlem October 1915. Miller wrote Death of a Salesman whilst working for his father’s company at the age of seventeen. Miller had said that everything he wrote was based on someone he knew or had seen. After Miller wrote the script he wrote a postscript saying that the real-life salesman, who the play is based on had killed himself by jumping in front of a subway train. Willy has been attempting to achieve the American Dream for such a long period of time that he actually believes it’s achievable. Throughout Willy’s life he has prolonged numerous lies to himself and to his family, this has persuaded him that his dream has become an possibility. He constantly reveals to his family that he’s on the verge of huge success, meanwhile he contemplates to himself as to why he hasn’t reached the dream he knows he is capable of – Willy says that â€Å"There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! The competition is maddening! Smell the stink from that apartment house! And one on the other side†¦ How can they whip cheese?† Willy says this in Act one, this quote suggests that Willy is blaming the over populated country, America, on his lack of success – the truth is that its down to his belief in the assumption of the flawed American Dream. Its seems to me that Willy is just trying to come up with excuses, to cover the fact that he, himself, failed at the American Dream. The fact that Willy is always in need of a scapegoat , shows us that the dream Is, by nature, completely unachievable. The use of explanation marks in this quote express Willy’s feelings about the people and the impact its having on his ability to achieve the American dream. Miller makes an abstract comment on how America is guilty of selling their citizens a dream to failure, but who do we blame? On one hand we should blame the scapegoat, America as a nation, but it seems the  readers can’t help but blame Willy, it’s almost as if the readers have fallen for the same myth – blaming Willy and not American society. Willy convinced his sons that in order to achieve the American Dream you need to be â€Å"well-liked†, not just liked. It seems that Willy is implying that being admired and the quality of arousing interest is the most important thing that will enable you to achieve the American Dream. He puts being â€Å"well liked† first over any other quality. According to Willy, being well liked amounts to the bare matter for reaching the American Dream. Being well liked is a quickened way of achieving something without as much hard work. In act one Willy says to Happy that he’ll be â€Å"Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not liked. He’s liked – but not well liked.† The exclamation mark is to emphasise the fact the he’s going to be bigger than Charley, Charley is prestige and has status. The dash creates the effect of a dramatic pause to make it clear that Charley was not well liked, but at the same time Willy is implying that he, himself, is well liked, when evidently we know this is just a delusion. Willy completely thinks that anyone who works hard in America will become successful without doubt. He says, â€Å"Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such- personal attractiveness gets lost. And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff – he’s not lazy.† This is another encapsulation of the American Dream fooling the American man, it’s evident that it’s futile and ends up killing Willy. It’s almost like Willy sees the American dream as a given right of an American, Willy’s death is such a horrendous one, as he commits suicide and so this serves to show us how destructive the American dream can be for the average American man. In act one, Willy indicates that Biff can even get let off with purloining a ball because of how popular he is with his coach. This supports the  notion that Willy places upmost importance on being â€Å"well liked† In Act One Willy says to his sons â€Å"Tell you a secret, boys. Don’t breathe it to a soul. Someday I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home anymore† Here Willy is secretive and possessive, just like in of Mice and Men when George let Candy participate in their dream. Willy wants to own a  business just like George and Lennie, although Willy’s dream and George and Lennie’s dreams are completely different, they are similar at the same time, as they both are striving to achieve financial independence, they both have this unwavering image of a dream which they believe to be achievable, but the irony is the reader sees this as unachievable. The difference in these dreams is evident through what is they want to achieve; George and Lennie aims for and simple, agricultural success, whereas Willy is positioned in a contemporary situation in which he seeks to corporate success and material gain. Here it’s worth realizing Biff and Happy endeavour to achieve and reality which is more similar to George and Lennie in terms of its simplicity, however his father’s obsession with corporate wealth means that this is not possible. The above can be seen when Happy says, â€Å"That’s what I dream about Biff. Sometimes I wanna just rip my clothes off in the middle of the store and outbox that goddamned merchandise manager. I mean I can outbox, outlift and outrun anybody in that store, and I to take orders from those petty, common sons of bitches till I can’t stand it anymore.† Here we see Happy rejecting his father’s wishes to follow a corporate lead American dream, in favour of a more primal like competition. However he releases the idea that business competition, similar to the type his father promotes will bring him success; he can’t escape the rat race of American capitalism. This is similar to the inescapable, futile situation that Lennie and George find themselves in; they move from ranch to ranch, with seeming direction, but the irony lies in the fact  that their life is totally directionless. The final bitter blow lies in Lennie’s death. Although culturally, the direction toward which the pursuers of the American Dream changes over time (from dreams of living simply via agriculture, to dreams of achieving corporate success) it is interesting to see that Willy says to his wife, â€Å"You wait, kid, before it’s all over we’re gonna get a little place out in the country, and I’ll raise some vegetables, a couple of chickens†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This suggests that the direction of the American Dream has not  changed much, and material/corporate success only serves as a temporary means to fulfil the original view of owning one’s own ranch and living from the land. Here, Willy’s vision is almost identical to George and Lennie’s, which is interesting due to the difference era both are set in/written in. The ellipsis in this quote represents the never ending possibilities of what they can acquire. This aforementioned idea of Willy obsessed with being well liked is something he unfortunately passes down to his children in a typical cyclical way. In a conversation with his parents Biff and Happy reveal they are interested they are looking for work that is simply bearable. Happy says, about his â€Å"business idea† that, â€Å"†¦it wouldn’t be like a business. We’d be out playin’ ball again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Despite this, Willy is completely fixated on ensuring that the boys possess job security in a lucrative profession, which he believes will lead them on this path to greatness, and most importantly, financial security. We may accuse Willy of not being very supportive of his children, as he seems to be prioritising pursuit of the American Dream over his children. This is a true reflection of his blind faith in the idealised dream. Linda’s attitude toward the American dream is contradictive. Linda does this by motivating Willy into believing his dreams are real, even though she recognizes his dream is conclusively futile and bound to stay  incomplete. Linda doesn’t have as many dreams as Willy, but her main one is to live a undemanding, quiet life with her husband. Whereas he would prefer to travel, be recognized and remembered by everybody. Linda would prefer to sit back in her aging jacket with him and to have him employed in the city. This is illustrated when Linda says to Willy ‘can’t continue this way’, and encourages Willy to put himself forward and ask Howard for a job, so that he does not have to travel and so he can pay for the insurance premium. At this stage the audience gather that Linda is very concerned for Willy. Linda never manages to attain her dream since Willy would be more willingly to commit suicide than to surrender his job as a salesman. In addition to this, Linda yearns to safeguard Willy. A case of this is whilst speaking to Ben  she shouts at Ben and says, ‘don’t say those things to him! ‘Afterwards, it is clear that she is shielding him; even though the stage directions interpret Linda as being ‘frightened of Ben’, she becomes assertive for Willy’s benefit. She fails to shade Willy as he objects, resulting in the worst case scenario whilst under her belt. Willy committing suicide. As the play concludes, it’s evident that Willy was lost and didn’t actually know himself. We already knew this, the point being hardly anyone attends his funeral. It is here Biff registers that his dad was lost, entirely and travelled down the wrong road, we know this as he says â€Å"He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong.† It is obvious the Biff will no longer follow the same route as his father. However, Happy, decides to secure his father’s ill-advised visions and takes them on-board himself, he says so himself toward the end of the play â€Å"I’m gonna win it for him.† Comparison of â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and â€Å"Of Mice and Men† The novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ and the play ‘The Death of a Salesman’ paint a picture of the vanity of dreams, the main one is the American dream. Both authors, Arthur Miller and John Steinbeck use numerous linguistic and literary methods, so that the audience can see how impossible dreams were during that era. Of Mice and Men and Death of a Salesman are set during the 1930s-1940s, the writers permit the context of the literature in order to help them tour the futility of the ‘American Dream’. The American Dream is never achieved. The working-class people -Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, ends up disenchanted and kills himself. The Lomans are alike Lennie and George, They both try to repudiate that they’re just a minority in the world they’re living in, but their American dream is invariably just a step away. At one point, in Of Mice and Men and Death of a Salesman they contrast as Willy wants to be successful and â€Å"well liked† in order to gain status, whereas Lennie and George don’t want status they want to own a piece of land and belong somewhere, I know this as George says ‘it’d be our own, an ‘nobody could can us’. Willy is lost in this delusion about being successful and gaining status that he would rather die than be known to failure of the American dream. When Willy and Ben are speaking Linda yells at him saying, ‘don’t say those things to him!’ Here it is clear the Linda is shielding Willy. The way Linda presented herself to Ben is almost identical to the way Lennie reacts when its things resulting with George. For example, When Crooks expressed the possibility of George being injured, Lennie ‘walked dangerously towards’ him, questioning ‘who hurt George?’ The word ‘dangerously’ is used to narrate Lennie’s negative, forceful charge  toward crooks, this shows how far Lennie will go, having the only intention of making sure George is safe and not thinking about the outcome when doing so. Likewise, when Ben indicates Willy isn’t doing so well at work Linda reacts in a menacing manner toward him. In the stage directions Miller says how Happy was ‘almost ready to fight Biff’ As we know, Happy’s dreams are what his father’s are and when Biff decides to ask what applicability Willy’s dreams are it results in a battle nearly commencing. The reason being as to why Happy was ready to challenge Biff is because as stated above (Happy’s dreams are his fathers). What happened here is similar to what occurred with Lennie and Crooks. In my opinion Steinbeck and Miller, both display how the characters will assert one’s over another in an arrogant way, to make the audience grasp mentally, that no matter how much you try to protect your dream it will always be captured.

Do I Regret Knowing You - 1039 Words

Do I Regret Knowing You? There I was, March 16th, 2015, sitting backstage, waiting for my breathing to regulate with my friend Angelina on my side. Feeling as if I was being drowned in the water and couldn’t get a grasp of air. My body was shutting down, â€Å"how could this happen† and â€Å"why would she do that† kept coming out of my mouth. One moment friends, and then hatred came into place. I was having one of those moments when you just want hide and never come out; that was where it all began. It first started on January 18th, 2015, coming back from the last Bar Mitzvah of the year. â€Å"Just sleepover tonight!† Katherine said. â€Å"Okay† I replied. After a really long night Katherine, Makenna, and I had just gotten to Katherine’s place. I was too tired to go home, so I decided to just sleep at hers. We had planned to stay up all night and just have a good time, and it was. We started by getting into our pajamas and just having a girls’ night as usual. 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Henry Wadsworth Longfellows The Jewish Cemetery at...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellows The Jewish Cemetery at Newport is an enigmatic musing on Jewish history and culture. On the one hand, Longfellow makes sure to display his feelings that Hebrews are strange. In the first line of the poem, Longfellow uses the word strange in the same line as Hebrews, and then suggests that it was strange to see a Jewish cemetery close by the street of this fair seaport town, (line 2). This is as if to say that the Jews were not welcome in a fair seaport town, with emphasis on the word fair connoting white as well as attractive. The association between Jews and strangeness continues as the poet states directly, the very names recorded here are strange / Of foreign accent, and of different climes, (lines 13-14). The names referred to are Sephardic, Alvares and Rivera, which does substantiate the connotation with Jews and not being fair of skin (line 15). Yet just before Longfellow starts to come across as being anti-Semitic, the poet begins to lament the phenomenon of anti-Semitism in Europe. How came they here? What burst of Christian hate, / What persecution, merciless and blind, / Drove oer the sea (lines 29-31). Longfellow then demonstrates sensitivity to the fact that Jews in the old country lived in narrow streets and lanes obscure, / Ghetto and Judenstrass, (lines 33-34). Jews have been mocked and jeered, and spurned by Christian feet, too, states Longfellow (line 44). Moreover, the poet demonstrates some

Essay about Cyber Security A Necessity Nowadays - 1285 Words

Cyber-attacks are not just in fiction movies, they are a reality of our world. The cost of cyber-attacks are estimated at $100 billion to $1 trillion annually (Eschelbeck, 25). The reason of this is not difficult to understand. Computers are present everywhere. People are always connected posting information about their lives on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. On the commercial field is the same. The most part of enterprises have their bases computerized. All the transactions and important information are in computers. Cyber Security is now one of the biggest necessities of the world, because our lives resolve around computers, the cyber-attacks are dramatically increasing in number every day, and the cyber attackers are becoming more†¦show more content†¦The number of cyber-attacks is increasing in general. 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Cyber crimes are characterized into twoRead MoreEssay on Hackers and Security Measures4415 Words   |  18 PagesHackers and Security Measures A diffuse group of people often called â€Å"hackers† has been characterised as unethical, irresponsible, and a serious danger to society for actions related to breaking into computer systems. In this essay I try to construct a picture of what is and includes a computer crime as well as a portray of hackers, their concerns, and the way in which hacking takes place. What I intend to argue is that, in their majority, hackers are learners and explorers who want to help

The Water Wars In Central Asia Environmental Sciences Essay Free Essays

string(32) " of surface irrigation systems\." â€Å" Water promises to be to the twenty-first century what oil was to the twentieth century: the cherished trade good that determines the wealth of states † . The 20th century governed states with the kernel of industry – rough oil. Even today it is the focal point of international struggle, ordering a states ability to map in both planetary political relations and the planetary economic system. We will write a custom essay sample on The Water Wars In Central Asia Environmental Sciences Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now The 21st century promises to regulate states with the kernel of life – clean H2O. Driven by fickle conditions forms, intensive irrigation, and population force per unit areas, H2O is increasingly going a scarce trade good and is developing into a accelerator of international instability and struggle. An illustration of H2O ‘s ability to impact an country in the 21st century can be found in the Central Asian States, and the dehydration of the Aral Sea. The enlargement of irrigated agricultural land area and hydroelectric power, determined to be the root causes of the Aral Sea catastrophe, have continued due to miss of collaborative action by the freshly independent provinces of the part. The Amu Darya and the Syr Darya supply fresh water to the upstream provinces of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Southeastern Kazakhstan, and the downstream states Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Southwestern Kazakhstan. These states are going progressively competitory over H2O in the part, go forthing the dehydration of natural formations like the Aral Sea as an acceptable cost. The competition over H2O comes from the H2O intensive cotton harvest, which dominates the agribusiness in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Southwestern Kazakhstan. Cotton provides a important foreign currency earn er for the part and is a major supplier of employment, but demands big sums of H2O from the part, which the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers struggle to supply. The indiscriminate usage of H2O to fuel cotton production has been in pattern since the early 1960 ‘s and is doing terrible environmental jobs, such as the drying of the Aral Sea, clime alteration, H2O and dirt salt, and H2O, dirt and air pollution. Increasing poverty, quickly turning populations, and the pattern of â€Å" economic patriotism † alternatively of regional cooperation by the autocratic governments of part, are the ingredients for future tenseness, societal instability, and possible struggle in Central Asia. These developments will be interpreted in a political economic system model, going from the Soviet ‘s forced cotton production, which is analyzed in the 2nd subdivision of this paper. Water is an progressively scarce resource in the part that is under force per unit area stemming from economic involvements, such as hydroelectric coevals and agricultural production. The environmental involvements of biodiversity, bettering supports of the part ‘s population and the resurgence of the Aral Sea are underrepresented and hence unheard. The environmental debasement of the Aral Sea is examined in greater item in the 3rd subdivision of this paper. The dehydration of the Aral Sea has far making effects in the part, impacting the clime and biodiversity. Desert air currents can transport 1000000s of dozenss of contaminated sand and salt from the country that was one time the Aral Sea, and lodge them on agricultural land all over the part. The effects of these polluted sand and salt sedimentations are farther amplified by the hapless drainage systems and the eventful H2O logging, that have caused dirt salt to go an increasing environmental job. Rising salt degrees have cause the ecology of the part to degrade to the point where many countries are going inhospitable, due to the barbarous downward spiral fueled by poorness and environmental debasement. The concluding subdivision critics the institutional model behind the H2O direction of the part. Foregrounding the displacement from a centrally run allotment of H2O by the Ministries of Land Reclamation and Water Resources ( Minvodkhoz ) located in Moscow to more regionally located signifiers of H2O direction, following the prostration of the Soviet Union. Since so it has become imperative that upstream states like Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Southeastern Kazakhstan jointly allocate H2O resources with downstream states like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Southwestern Kazakhstan. New establishments have been created to supervise this procedure as each twelvemonth, at the presidential degree ; understandings are negotiated to stipulate the sum of H2O allocated to each state. There has been small alteration at the micro-level except in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where Water Users ‘ Associations ( WUA ) have been established. In both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, both major consumer s of H2O, the cardinal allotment and direction of H2O is still practiced in the absence of local reforms. The â€Å" usage it or lose it † rule, the result of the Soviet ‘s centrally planned H2O allotment patterns, are still in pattern due to the deficiency of countenances forestalling the abuse or inducements advancing the preservation of H2O. The continued ingestion of H2O at current degrees, coupled with the low efficiency ratios soon practiced, will take to increased degrees of dirt salt and the farther irreversible debasement of the Aral Sea basin. In a divided Central Asia stricken with a deteriorating environment, the scarceness of H2O has lead to increased tensenesss and may, given clip, lead to serious struggle. Many in the part believe that entree to H2O is â€Å" God-Given, † which contributes to the local authorities ‘s deficiency of concrete action against the current scarceness confronting the part, that is itself semisynthetic. Merely reduced and more efficient ingestion of H2O in Aral Sea basin supervised by efficient micro and macro-organizations, coupled with interregional cooperation, would be able to come on the part to a sustainable hereafter. The Soviet ‘s Management of Water The former Soviet Central Asia consists of chiefly steppes and comeuppances. This environment had traditionally limited the development of colonies and the attach toing agribusiness to oases, fed by rivers or belowground reservoirs known as aquifers. Soviet regulation changed all this, with forced collectivisation. Much of the traditional methods of sustainable cropping forms were forcibly altered to large-scale individual harvest methods that required a H2O direction substructure composed of surface irrigation systems. You read "The Water Wars In Central Asia Environmental Sciences Essay" in category "Essay examples" Regions like the Fergana Valley that were irrigated and specialized in cotton as a hard currency harvest, had a considerable comparative advantage over countries non bring forthing â€Å" white gold † . In the early 1960 ‘s Moscow took notice of this comparative advantage and began to make a quasi-monoculture, turning Cardinal Asia into a natural stuffs manufacturer for the fabric industries of the more cardinal Soviet Union. Cotton rapidly became the life-bread of the outer agriculturally based Soviet democracies, an indispensable trade good in their political economic systems. This patterned advance is illustrated by the province of Uzbekistan, which became one the largest cotton bring forthing states in the universe. The success or failure of cotton began to order the destiny of political elites in the Soviet Socialistic Republics ( SSRs ) , which lead to extended corruptness such as the over and underreporting of cotton production and the forced organisation of labou r to optimise cotton production. These corrupt patterns shortly became basiss of Uzbek, Tajik, and Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republics ‘ economic systems and the agricultural industry of the part. As the production of cotton in the Central Asiatic part increased quickly, the demand for H2O became despairing, due to the clime ‘s agricultural inhospitality and demand for irrigation. Water, at the clip, seemed copiously supplied by the Amu Darya and Syr Darya and lead to the building of great canals like the KaraKum canal, stretching more than 1,100 kilometer from the Amu Darya to Turkmenistan. The cragged countries of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan are the get downing point for both rivers, which are mostly consumed by the agriculturally demanding countries of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This division between upstream and downstream states and the resulting differential entree is one of the chief causes of tenseness refering H2O use in the part. The moneymaking enlargement of cotton land area, best illustrated by Uzbekistan, created a quickly increasing demand for agricultural irrigation, and began deviating mass measures of H2O to provide it. In Uzbekistan cotton ‘s enlargement was unprecedented, spread outing from an end product of 441,600 hectares in 1913, to 1,022,600 sunburns in 1940, to 1,427,900 sunburns in 1960, to every bit much as 2,103,000 sunburns in 1987. In Uzbekistan cotton became known as â€Å" King Cotton † , providing a antecedently bare state with an unprecedented hard currency harvest and provided employment to the bulk of its citizens. The Uzbek ‘s flourishing cotton industry had one fatal defect: it relied wholly on the handiness of H2O, in a part missing abundant H2O. The efficiency of H2O use was minimum due to a hapless substructure trusting on unlined and exposed canals, where escape is highly high, with the bulk of H2O either evaporating or oozing into the land. These inefficient H2O direction patterns lead to a diminishing sum of H2O really making the Aral Sea, and by the 1960 ‘s the sum of H2O making the Aral Sea began to dunk below the 50 kmA? to keep the sea degree at the clip. In the 30 old ages that followed ( 1960-1990 ) , the Aral Sea shank to merely half its original surface country. By the twelvemonth 2007 the Aral Sea had shrunk to merely ten per centum of its original size. The lay waste toing toll on the environment caused by the irresponsible, regulated, and irreguardless ingestion of H2O in the part, at this point can non be reversed, and has threatened to do the full part inhospitable due to the salinization of its dirt. Interestingly plenty the drying out of the Aral Sea did non halt or even decelerate during the decennary of passage from Soviet regulation. The freshly independent states were concerned with their ain single wellbeing, with a focal point on the employment and foreign currency cotton production brought, instead than that of the part as a whole. The states of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, were trapped politically to maintain cotton production changeless even when spread outing the production of other harvests. This was due to cotton ‘s incontestable value in the states ‘ economic systems, disenabling policy shapers from traveling to more sustainable resource direction even if they wanted to. The agricultural demand for H2O by the downstream states and the hydroelectric demand by upstream states, over the last 10 old ages, have non been contained. Agricultural H2O usage has remained more or less the same, even with a displacement to more diverse and sustainable harvests. Overall cropping forms for the Central Asiatic part was 40 % cotton and 7 % wheat in 1990, which shifted to 35 % cotton and 30 % wheat by 2000. This displacement resulted in no bead in H2O ingestion, even though wheat is a less water-intense harvest. This is due to the parts deficiency of efficient H2O conveyance substructure and H2O direction, show by the remarkably high demand for H2O, in comparing to other cotton bring forthing states. The deficiency of authorities financess to better substructure and educate citizens about efficient H2O direction could be blamed, but in all world the demand for a revival of self-sustainable agriculture patterns in the part is what is truly needed. Management A ; Reforms After the prostration of the Soviet Union, the centralized and regionally focussed H2O direction tactics antecedently practiced were abandoned. New national and regional organisations were formed during the passage period after 1991. An understanding was reached during February of 1992 to organize the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination ( ICWC ) , comprised of the five freshly independent Central Asian states. This organisation was responsible for H2O allotment in the Aral Sea basin, but lacked the foresight to turn to jobs like H2O quality, salt, and the authorization to efficaciously pull off possible struggle state of affairss that could happen. In March of 1993 a subsequent understanding established organisations like the Interstate Council on the Aral Sea ( ICAS ) , moving as an consultative commission for the five provinces of the part. This lead to the formation of the International Fund for the Aral Sea ( IFAS ) in order to fund the assorted activities of ICAS, follo wed by the constitution of a Sustainable Development Commission, concentrating on protecting the environment of the part and socioeconomic development. ICAS and IFAS were shortly merged to organize a new IFAS empowered by a board of deputy curates, giving the organisation comparatively more power. At the basin degree of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya, H2O direction was delegated to single Water Basin Associations or Basseynoe Vodnoe Ob’edinenie ( BVOs ) . These organisations oversaw the H2O direction of basins that affected five freshly independent provinces, including the communicating substructure, pumping systems, canals, power supply, and distribution systems from the several rivers beginning to its basin on the Aral Sea. These BVOs did non nevertheless control drainage, as this duty fell to the national H2O governments. Dispite the bureaucratic muss that the complexnesss and sheer figure of bureaus that were created to cover with H2O direction in the part, organisations like the BVOs lacked the support of international jurisprudence, intending that understandings and resource direction put for the by these organisations could be ignored with no effect. This deficiency of authorization is farther illustrated by the absent acknowledgment by province legislative assemblies and the support duties, proportionate to H2O allotment portions, which merely two of five states on a regular basis complied with. The deficit of support besides hampered the ability of BVOs and similar organisations to map and even keep the basic substructure that they were founded to set up. Originally IFAS was to be financed yearly by allotments of one per centum of the five member states Gross National Product, this figure was reduced to 0.3 % for Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, and to 0.1 % for Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. These decreases in budget allotments were farther impeded by late payments and the deficiency of payment wholly, as some provinces concluded that the financess allocated for IFAS would be better utilized within their ain boundary lines. This meant that organisations like IFAS could non number on regular parts to fund direct operationa l costs or to fund larger substructure care, fix, and betterment doing the bing H2O direction construction to farther deteriorate. How to cite The Water Wars In Central Asia Environmental Sciences Essay, Essay examples

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Question: Discuss about the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Answer: Introduction Change management refers to an approach where the individuals are equipped and supported to adapt to change that brings organizational success. Being hired as an external change agent, the aim of this report is to make changes in the existing processes of Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). RSPCA is a community based charity that works to prevent animal cruelty and promotes protection and care. The organization promotes animal welfare since its formation in 1981 (Rspca.org.au, 2017). The organization has a strong mission by promoting care and protection of animals. The organizational vision is to be the leading authority in animal protection and care. RSPCA runs 40 shelters with the help of 1000 employees working together to save the lives of Australian animals (Rspca.org.au, 2017). According to the case study by Dr. Niki Ellis, the results of qualitative research suggest that there is compassion fatigue among employees based on the figures for turnover, sick leave and productivity (Elis, 2007). The research suggests that the employees like a few things the best about working at RSPCA such as being a part of team, interacting with animals, helping animals find a new home and meeting new challenges regularly. However, a few parts such as making unfavourable decisions, physical complications like heat and rain, abuse, lack of resources, seeing animal cruelty and frustration at lack of success are quite stressful for the employees. Therefore, this paper shall help in developing corrective actions that can help the organization reach a desired state to the current one. Further, a change management program is framed by considering multiple factors such as depth, type and scale of change programme. Lastly, the progress shall be measured if the change is implemented su ccessfully. Development of Corrective Actions According to the report by Elis (2007), the situation of RSPCA in 2008 depicts compassion fatigue among employees. Compassion fatigue is a situation experienced by people in extreme state of preoccupation or stress caused to people providing care. As RSPCA employees provide care and compassion to the animals regularly, they are more likely to encounter compassion fatigue. The compassion fatigue is most prevalent in animal attendants than the inspectors and vets in RSPCA. Also, the same issue is found more in casual employees than in permanent. The rate of absenteeism is found more in animal attendants. The organization also faces staff turnover rate of 30% (Elis, 2007). In 2008, the employees faced certain challenges (Elis, 2007). The casual employees face issues such as workload and scheduling. Moreover, there is lack of trust that contributes to compassion fatigue. The employees also face issues regarding support from the manager as they do not find him approachable. Other issues s uch as maintaining line, limited time and resolving issues to a certain extent also exist (Holcombe et al., 2015). As there is compassion fatigue prevalent in the organization, a few corrective actions must be taken to develop a compassion satisfaction program. Compassion satisfaction refers to the positivity involved in caring. The employees need to feel good while they help the animals and make a positive difference in the world. The future desired state shall be the development of compassion satisfaction program shall be to foster positivity among the employees at RSPCA so that there is reduced absenteeism and turnover while increase in job satisfaction (Brannick et al., 2015). According to the report, the primary preventive or corrective actions involve the implementation of compassion satisfaction policy, smarter working program, celebrating wins, involving staff in activities and conducting survey of compassion fatigue and satisfaction (Elis, 2007). For compassion satisfaction policy, the guidelines of self-care need to be established in RSPCA in accordance with standards of Academy of Traumatology (Elis, 2007). The guidelines have two main purposes- not harming self while treating others, and attending to own physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs to ensure high quality services. Further, individual and organizational stress prevention techniques need to be applied. The job redesign shall increase the decision authority allowing the employees to plan their schedule without interference. Further, the casual workers at RSPCA can set their goals for understanding their role and improving performance. The employees working in different teams such as vets, inspectors, animal carers and attendants may negotiate their role based on their liking or personal choice. A de-stress workshop shall be helpful in creating a social support system that would provide feedback and emotional support to the employees. The employees at RSPCA need to take personal responsibility by increasing physical exercise and relaxation training to manage their stress levels (Jacobson, 2012). A smarter working program may be another corrective action to help RSPCA in reaching the desired state. The smarter working program may start with a workshop to brainstorm ideas and plan action. The managers at RSPCA may conduct a brainstorming session where they encourage employees to come up with thoughts and ideas that could be a creative solution. Team management software may be implemented so that the workers at RSPCA can share information and progress on website. A staff suggestion box through continuous improvement program can be run that shall help in improving work processes in the organization. The employees can be rewarded or recognized for making unique suggestions and improving process (Jacobson, 2012). Further, the managers must celebrate local wins. Celebrating wins is a great way to acknowledge the work of welfare workers at RSPCA. The employees have job insecurity and there is heavy workload that adds to organizational risk. There are physical environment risks such as heat and rain that causes distress among the employees (Slocum-Gori et al., 2011). With the uncomfortable work environment, it is necessary for the managers to accentuate the positive that increases the likelihood of positivity among employees. The staffs must be involved while implementing prevention strategy so that they feel active. The animal welfare workers must be involved in the decision making as they have the accurate information regarding operations. A compassion satisfaction and fatigue survey must be conducted to assess the employee satisfaction rate (Lee, MacFarlane, LeRoy, 2014). A few secondary prevention corrective actions may also be applied to RSPCA. RSPCA may conduct a peer support program to bridge to employee assistance program. The peer program shall enable the employees in recovering from the trauma they have passed through while recovering the animals. The peer specialists can offer support and teach skills to help animal find a new shelter. The empathetic listening, encouragement and understanding the employees can help them overcome social or emotional barriers to achieve goals. The induction training can be conducted where the workers can build relationships under good supervision. Also, necessary information can be recorded by communicating with the managers as it is seen that employees are reluctant to turn up to them (Scotney, McLaughlin, Keates, 2015). Guiding Change Management Plans Change management relates to a process that involves planning and delivery of the project. Change management can be referred as the separate component of project plans. This section provides guidance to the change management plans while considering the depth, scale and type of change management programme (Hayes, 2014). The first step is to identify change. The type of changed required for the organization is change in policy, systems and job roles. The speed of change required is moderate as the management of RSPCA may not be able to implement change immediately. The scope of change includes the managers, animal attendants, carers, vets and inspectors who work at RSPCA. The change shall affect the entire organization. There is a need to change the relationship between managers and employees so that the change can bring positivity and reduce compassion fatigue in the organization. There is readiness for change as the target training audience is selected (Tracy, 2014). There is a need for people change as the work practices need to be simplified. New behaviours is required by the managers so that the employees feel more connected to the organization. The policies regarding sharing information between employees and managers need to be changed as the subordinates are hesitant to speak to their managers. Funds shall be required to bring the change and conduct induction program, peer support program, and running website for smarter working program (Cameron Green, 2015). Policy / Procedure Type of Change Required Suggested Plan Compassion satisfaction policy Enhancing individual and organizational responsibilities Conducting animal care workshops, job redesign, role negotiation and creating a social support system, increasing physical exercise and relaxation training Smarter working program Running continuous improvement program to make constant changes Workshop to brainstorm ideas, managing team management software, and creating staff suggestion box Peer support program Skills-development programs, peer support groups Bridge to employee assistance program, offer support and teach skills Induction program Explaining policies and procedures, job role, performance measurement The employees shall be explained the policies and procedures. Job role must be defined. Performance shall be measured. Table 1: Change Management Plan Source: Created by Author Communication of objectives is necessary as there is a need for understating, acceptance, alignment and commitment. The message must be short so that it is simple and clear to the stakeholders. The senior management, employees and trainers are the stakeholders involved in the process (Bridges, 2014). The external change agent needs to consider the following audience or stakeholders as a part of the change management plan- Stakeholder Key Message Delivery Method Location Senior managers The behaviour needs to be changed and must be more responsible towards the social and emotional needs of the employees. Face to face communication RSPCA Employees (animal carers, attendants, vets and others) The employees must take initiative and provide feedback regarding the social and emotional support required in the organization. Emails, Face to face communication RSPCA Trainers The employees and managers must be trained using induction program, peer support program and others Face to face communication RSPCA Table 2: Communication Plan Source: Created by Author Stakeholder Group Type of Training Required Optimum Setting Delivery Method Employees Induction On-the-job training Face-to-face Senior Managers Induction On-the-job training Seminar Table 3: Training Plan Source: Created by Author Every change management plan has certain resistance from the employees or managers that is necessary to be managed. Method How to Use When to Use Advantages Disadvantages Education Communication the desired changes with justification Employees miss information regarding potential changes People often cooperate with required changes It is a time consuming process Participation The potential resisters must be involved and participated to carry change successfully Insufficient information to design and implement change Employees feel greatly committed to implement change Employees may design an inappropriate plan Facilitation Providing emotional support and skills training There is resistance when people fear not being able to cope up with the change Best method in comparison with other approaches Can be expensive and time consuming Negotiation Offering incentives to make change People may not cooperate and resist change It is a simple way to manage resistance Employees can blackmail regarding leaving the job Coercion Transfer or threaten jobs or promotions to those who do not adapt to change To manage change effectively and quickly It helps in overcoming any type of resistance There may be resentment among employees Table 4: Resistance Management Plan Source: Created by Author It is not a simple task to manage change as it is not a one way street. The employees must provide their feedback regarding the change management process. Success and long-term wins must be celebrated by the working team of RSPCA. Measuring Progress This section aims to devise ways to measure the effectiveness of change management at RSPCA. As RSPCA is ready to implement change, it is necessary for them to understand change management. The purpose of measuring change is that it must motivate employees to perform new desired activities. The new projects and initiatives are launched to improve performance of the workers a RSPCA. The change shall also lead the employees to attain organizational goals and objectives. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the success of change to ensure that it has become a norm for the people at RSPCA (Milner, Myers, O'Byrne, 2015). Key Performance Indicators are quantifiable measurements agreed to beforehand, that reflect the critical success factors of an organisation. They will differ depending on the organisation. The goals of KPI compliance are to assess whether business programs and policies are accomplishing their stated objectives, identify areas in need of improvement and provide ways to control and monitor employee performance. In addition, insisting on KPI compliance demonstrates your businesss intent to establish an environment of accountability. Meeting these objectives requires process, activities and outcome KPIs. In addition, insisting on KPI compliance demonstrates your businesss intent to establish an environment of accountability. Meeting these objectives requires process, activities and outcome KPIs (Millar Hall, 2013). In the given paper, there are four main changes suggested that involves change in policies and procedures. The desired change is to reduce turnover, absenteeism and improve performance of the people at RSPCA. The employee satisfaction index may be used as a key metric to measure the employee happiness rate. Annual surveys may be conducted using a Likert scale scoring regarding the organizational culture, leadership effectiveness, management support and conditions of service. This shall give an idea about how happy employees are at the workplace so that necessary measures can be taken for improvement. Further, the number of employee satisfaction surveys may be measured as it shall help in understanding the effort put by the management to ensure employee happiness (Parmenter, 2012). Further, the percentage of employees trained using peer support program and induction shall help in understanding the effort made to change culture. RSPCA must focus on employees have a healthy work-life balance. Therefore, they need to assess the number of days, both used and unused. As there is high absenteeism rate in the organization for casual employees, the total absenteeism including predictable and unpredictable rates need to be measured. This key performance indicator helps in measuring employee motivation as a high absenteeism rate means low motivation in the organization. RSPCA must try to keep this figure minimum for high performance and low cost reasons (Dooren, Bouckaert, Halligan, 2015). As RSPCA has both casual and full time employees, a check on the number must be kept. Casual employees are temporary in nature and may choose to quit the organization quicker than the full time or permanent employees. The organization requires greater number of permanent employees so that there is greater loyalty in the organization. The long tenure of work among the employees shall indicate company loyalty and high commitment. The tenure shall help in determining the talent retention rate. As social workers have specific talents that are not possessed by every individual, it is necessary to retain the employees (Jensen, Patel, Messersmith, 2013). The involuntary termination rate must be assessed where the resignations are employer-led. Such figure shall be calculated semi-annually so that the reasons can be assessed. Similarly, the voluntary turnover rate shall also be measured where the employees choose to resign from the organization. A higher rate shall indicate changing the policies and improving working conditions at the workplace. The attrition rate shall help in determining if the organization was able to retain employees. A low attrition rate shall indicate success of the new policies and procedures (Dooren, Bouckaert, Halligan, 2015). The employee productivity rate shall help in determining workforce efficiency. The number of animals getting less ill shall determine that they are taken good care by the employees. Further, the increase in number of animals at RSPCA shall indicate greater initiatives by the employees to provide shelter. A compassion satisfaction may be conducted where their happiness quotient shall be measured (Kehoe Wright, 2013). There is constant pressure on RSPCA to reach higher performance levels by supporting work and helping the organization achieve goals. It may be challenging to measure employee performance. When an employee's goal is defined in terms of an organizational KPI, it ensures that what the employee is doing is well aligned with the goals of the organization. This is the critical link between employee performance and organizational success (Dahler-Larsen, 2013). Conclusion Therefore, the above report shall be helpful in enhancing the work culture of RSPCA. RSPCA is a community based charity that works to prevent animal cruelty and promotes protection and care. The research suggests that the employees like a few things the best about working at RSPCA such as being a part of team, interacting with animals, helping animals find a new home and meeting new challenges regularly. Compassion fatigue is a situation experienced by people in extreme state of preoccupation or stress caused to people providing care. The employees also face issues regarding support from the manager as they do not find him approachable. The job redesign shall increase the decision authority allowing the employees to plan their schedule without interference. The employees at RSPCA need to take personal responsibility by increasing physical exercise and relaxation training to manage their stress levels. There are physical environment risks such as heat and rain that causes distress among the employees. The peer specialists can offer support and teach skills to help animal find a new shelter. Change management relates to a process that involves planning and delivery of the project. There is a need to change the relationship between managers and employees so that the change can bring positivity and reduce compassion fatigue in the organization. The senior management, employees and trainers are the stakeholders involved in the change management process. The purpose of measuring change is that it must motivate employees to perform new desired activities. The desired change is to reduce turnover, absenteeism and improve performance of the people at RSPCA. As there is high absenteeism rate in the organization for casual employees, the total absenteeism including predictable and unpredictable rates need to be measured. The organization requires greater number of permanent employees so that there is greater loyalty in the organization. References Brannick, E., DeWilde, C., Frey, E., Gluckman, T., Keen, J., Larsen, M. et al. (2015). Taking stock and making strides toward wellness in the veterinary workplace.Journal Of The American Veterinary Medical Association,247(7), 739-742. https://dx.doi.org/10.2460/javma.247.7.739 Bridges, W. (2014).Managing transitions(1st ed.). London: Nicholas Brealey. Cameron, E. Green, M. (2015).Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change(1st ed.). NY: Kogan Page. Dahler-Larsen, P. (2013). Constitutive Effects of Performance Indicators: Getting beyond unintended consequences.Public Management Review,16(7), 969-986. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2013.770058 Dooren, W., Bouckaert, G., Halligan, J. (2015).Performance management in the public sector(1st ed.). NY: Routledge. Elis, D. (2007).RSPCA Stress audit: Draft report. Australia. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/tv/stressbuster/episodes/casenotes/rspca_final_report.pdf Hayes, J. (2014).The theory and practice of change management(1st ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Holcombe, T., Strand, E., Nugent, W., Ng, Z. (2015). Veterinary social work: Practice within veterinary settings.Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment,26(1), 69-80. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2015.1059170 Jacobson, J. (2012). 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