by Herman Bailey | Feb 8, 2023 | Essays |
Conservatism is political belief based on social stability and tradition, emphasizing established institutions and having a preference on a gradual development to an abrupt change (Marietta 23). In conservative theories, they aim to preserve and restore, stressing continuity and stability, limit to change, restricted government guidelines of business and strong national defenses (Para 3). Conservatism so to speak is political morality.
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Conservative political drives have been productive as they have unified people of different opinions on the basis of shared goals (Mannheim 41).It is not possible to find the successes of conservatism in a big government but through individual achievement and freedom! According to O’hara, conservative ideology is mirrored through family values, decent parenting at home and what can be achieved when the government ceases to interfere (52). For instance, set of grandparents living their years without debt with their families leading a simple but self-governing life and out of trouble that’s a conservative success. When a small business opens up, with owners working hard and selling authentic products and excellent service, then gradually expanding step by step then becoming a big business organization…that is a conservative success story. If you see a soldier risking his life to protect the inhabitants of a dangerous area and receiving no recognition, that is conservative values in action (Cecil 23). Conservative form of leadership is the best, as it grows people to take responsibility for their actions, health, education and family the success is revealed in the glory and accomplishments of the individual and not in the credit and achievement of legislation that will promise some things that one should earn on their own.
In Canada, the Harper government has offered positive differences to the people of Canada and the world in general. It has offered tax relief with a 2% decrease to 5% in goods and services tax (GST), has assisted working families by lowering income taxes, has lowered small business and corporate taxes and has introduced the universal child care benefit that has given families real choices in child care (Gottfried 45). The harper government has also taken action by offering a special tax credits which has assisted in paying for children’s fitness programme, in regard to Crime and Justice, it has improved with strong new laws and punishments that fit the crime. The Tackling Violent Crime Act has ensured that criminals who get jail condemnations pay their dues to the society. According to Gottfried, corporations and unions have been banned from contributing to politics (66); the amount that an individual can donate has been reduced to between ,000 and ,100 per year.
There has also been investment in the Canadian Forces who strive to protect the country and its citizens by providing insurance for the personnel, while increasing sustenance for those who experience injury and illness in the line of duty. Canada signed the Copenhagen According, an agreement among developing and developed nations to decrease the worldwide level of air pollution ( Viereck and Claus 33).
In America, during the president George W. Bush conservative administration, they never accepted corruption in office and rejected the state ordering people how they should lead their lives.
In 2007 President Bush lifted the strategy for the war in Iraq from forced safeguarding to population security (Marrieta 54). In 2002, President Bush fronted the “housing first” strategy to reduce homelessness this worked and the number of homeless people decreased by 30 percent between 2005 and 2007. For the time being, serious crimes levels declined rapidly since 1993, when the country began to embrace conservative tough on crime policies. According to Marrieta, he addressed nationwide poverty, increased financial aid to developing countries and assisted in alleviating AIDS in Africa (67). In 2003 November third, he facilitated enactment of The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.
According to Viereck and Claus Australia’s main achievements of the Menzies, Holt, Gorton and McMahon conservative governments included high living standards for Australians; increased ratio of home owners, progress in industry, free medical treatment for seniors and the homeless, introduced homes for the aged, established Commonwealth Scholarships as means of introducing aid to all schools, increased work force and introduction of family allowance (71).
The Howard government’s policies enabled the provision of low rates of interest, lower taxation and increased economic growth; Australian domestic students by allowing them to invest in their own education, increased total revenue for higher education institutions from $8.6 billion in 1997 to $16.8 billion in 2007( O’hara 46).
Conclusion
The principles of conservatism are all-encompassing as they are founded on what men and women have learned through involvement in a dozen generations. With all the experience of the past and present, conservative future is still going to continue working as the task will not be to sell a philosophy, but to make the citizens, who already believe in the philosophy, see that modern conservatism offers us a political home (Marietta 27).From above it evident that conservatism prevents movement backward and downward and towards forward and upward away from chaotic darkness and primitive state, a philosophy that world nations should adopt for better and brighter futures.
Work Cited
Marietta, Morgan. A Citizen’s Guide to American Ideology: Conservatism and Liberalism in Contemporary Politics. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Viereck, Peter, and Claes G. Ryn. Conservatism Revisited: The Revolt against Ideology. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2005. Print.
Gottfried, Paul. Conservatism in America: Making Sense of the American Right. New York: Palgrave, 2007. Print.
Mannheim, Karl. Conservatism. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013. Internet resource.
O’Hara, Kieron. Conservatism. London: Reaktion Books, 2011. Internet resource.
Berkowitz, Peter. Varieties of Conservatism in America. Stanford, Calif: Hoover Institution Press, 2004. Print.
Gord, Walker. A conservative Canada. Santa Barbara, Calif: Paget Press, 1983.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Feb 6, 2023 | Essays |
According to Scherer, democracy is government by the people in which the ultimate power is entrusted in them and implemented directly by them or by their elected representatives under an open electoral system (4). The Patriot Act is the most significant tools Congress has given to law enforcement to fight the people that want to kill Americans at home (Patterson 2).
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Both ideals convey the affirmation of Independence, of which the first obligation of government is to preserve the liberty and lives of the people. Following the horrendous events of September 11th, President Bush and his team, in a rare demonstration of bipartisanship, he pledged to do everything possible within the precincts of the Constitution to prevent future terrorist occurrences (Para 13).
The twin attacks on September 11th, 2001, prompted a nationwide need for amplified security and improved abilities for law-enforcement organizations to trail and halt terrorists. The Patriot Act was conscripted in response and it was presented to Congress by Republican Representative. Jim Sensenbrenner. The primary writer of the act, Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh, following his evaluation of Department of Justice procedures and practices in the event of the September 11 attack drafted Separate forms of the law which went before the House of Representatives and the senate (Patterson 21).
The account of the USA PATRIOT Act involved many groups who conflicted and reinforced the legislation, which was recommended, endorsed and signed into law 45 days after the 9/ 11 terrorist attacks. The Senate form was passed on October 11th 2001, but the House form was changed severally, then rewritten and reconciled with the Senate form before being sanctioned by the House. The Senate accepted this reviewed consolidated account and the complete bill was signed into law by President Bush on October 26th, 2001 (Finan 17).
The original act had a sunset paragraph which would have caused expiration of many of the law’s provisions in 2005. Meanwhile, opposition to the PATRIOT ACT had increased and Democrats used a empty talks to delay reauthorization (Steoff 45). The clause was prolonged for several months, but amplified Democratic supremacy in Congress enforced a compromise, and the laws were reauthorized in the beginning of 2006 with sequences of civil liberties safeguards in place. A lot of the act’s functions were lasting and three were not made permanent (Schulhofer 31).
The USA PATRIOT Act, though accepted by large margins in the House of Representative and the U.S senate, was contentious, and parts of the law were nullified or revised by successful legal contests over constitutional violations to civil liberties. A number of clauses were eliminated by the courts (Jacobs & Skocpol 27). Some provisions were confronted by the ACLU standing for American civil liberties union, filed a petition on the 9th of April, 2004. In April 2005, a Senate Judicial Trial on the Patriot Act was heard. The Act was extremely controversial, and more groups were lobbying against it. Aside from the the ACLU, the CDT , EPIC and many others, the Act had raised the fury of the American Booksellers Foundation for Freedom of Expression and American Library Association (ALA) , who were all extremely concerned about the elements of the Patriot Act (Para 6).
The Specialist Committee on Intelligence in June proposed legislation to the House of Representatives on July 21st as the USA PATRIOT on Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Steoff 33). It revoked the sunset timings for surveillance provisions of act – in other arguments; it would have made those segments permanent. Numerous of revisions were also proposed and approved. The famous sneak and peek elements of the Patriot Act were eliminated after the FBI unlawfully used the provision to apprehend Portland attorney Brandon Mayfield on suspicions that he had taken part in the Madrid train bombings 2004.The Patriot Act made numerous changes to U.S. law (Para 5). Major acts changed were the (ECPA) Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the (FISA) Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Money Laundering Control Act and the Immigration and Nationality and also the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) (Patterson 52).
According to Finan ,the Patriot Act permits investigators to use the equipment that were already accessible to investigate organized crime and drug traffickers by allowing law enforcement to use surveillance against more crimes of terrorism, allowing state agents to pursue sophisticated terrorists skilled to dodge detection allowing law enforcement to conduct investigations without tipping off terrorists and allowing federal representatives to ask for an order in the court to obtain business accounts in national security terrorism circumstances (43).
The Patriot Act enabled information cooperation and sharing among government supports so that they can better connect the clues (Steoff 34).Other changes restrict the length of duration the FBI can hold archives and prompt government officials to provide explanation of their motives for requesting surveillance and search warrants. The act on Domestic Security Enhancement was written by the Department of Justice but never given to Congress of which a leaked showed that the bill entailed harsh restrictions on civil liberties and massively expanded government powers (Scherer 33).
Through the US PATRIOT ACT, President George W. Bush steered the state into war, attack on civil liberties and more. He torn the U.S. Constitution, crushed on the Bill of Rights, casted-off the Geneva Conventions, and stacked scornfulness on the domestic torture statute and the U.N. Convention counter to Torture and other Inhuman, cruel or punishment or Degrading Treatment (Jacobs & Skocpol 43).
The Patriot Act diminishes or eliminates many of the civil liberties appreciated in the United States and assured by the Constitution (Patterson 53). The right to privacy (supported by numerous Supreme Court decisions) and freedom against unreasonable seizures and searches are the most notable infringements due to the increased government’s ability to conduct surveillance, obtain NSLs and perform pursuits without notification. The PATRIOT ACT also facilitated indefinite holding of material witnesses and accused terrorist without contact to lawyers (Finan 65). The Patriot Act included exceptional expansions of government surveillance controls, which included spying and government involvement in associational and political activity. It made widespread changes to FISA, getting rid of many of the safeguards against surveillance abuse.
The Patriot Act fraudulently increases the powers of the executive and eliminates many vital checks and balances (Schulhofer 29). The law has also been used inappropriately against non-terrorist criminals. For instance, it has been used to displace destitute people from train locations, to pursue drug traffickers and to collect financial data on casual visitors to Las Vegas .The results of an internal FBI inspection were released in 2007, which revealed that the agency had abused National Security Letters more than 1,000 times since 2002( Para 7).
According to Patterson, by the time it got to 2004, almost 300 municipalities around the United States had passed local legislation officially disagreeing with the Patriot Act and urging the Congress to repeal or modify it (19). One town in Arcata, California, approved a law making it a criminal violation to conform to those sections of the Patriot Act the township considered unconstitutional (Para 4).
The act also led to endless War. George Bush marched the American soldiers into Afghanistan and Iraq unlawfully and under false simulations, while Barack Obama has practically tripled the amount of wars. Thousands of nationals have been killed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and millions have been exiled. In excess of 6,000 U.S. military members have been killed, and more than 50,000 injured in wars that have totaled the American people trillions (Jacobs & Skocpol 67).
It is not just where these wars are taking place, but how they are is alarming. According to Finan, drone strikes are being conducted in Yemen, Pakistan and Libya, nations on which Congress has not pronounced war (25). To the magnitude that Bush and his counselors ignored the law to validate torture, Obama and his counselors disregard the law to warrant warfare. Presently, his advisors are going to the extent of arguing that the President has the ability to side step the War Powers Resolution’s restrictions on independent, administrative war making, simply by using high-technology weapons like the drones, which do not have need of soldiers on the ground (Patterson 39).
The ACLU paraded the first lawsuit petitioning section 215 on 30th July, 2003 in state court in Michigan. The suit emphasizes that section 215 infringes on the First Amendment rights and privacy of all Americans to freedom of speech, association with the groups they select and freely exercise their religion (Finan 34). The petition was filed on behalf of six community and advocacy groups including a Muslim community association and an Arab-American civil rights organization who are certain that they are aims of investigations because of their religion, ethnicity and political associations (Para 5).
In Los Angeles ,the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of Humanitarian Law Project, filed a case which advocated for peaceful solution to conflicts, challenged a USA PATRIOT ACT clause making it a offense to provide expert assistance and advise to groups titled as terrorist by the executive (Patterson 47). CCR maintains that the presence of professional advice and help in the explanation of material support to terrorist groups is void for ambiguity and intrudes on fundamental First Amendment activities (Para 4). It is in this provision, that providing support in negotiating a peaceful solution is forbidden with respect to an external terrorist organization.
The three expiring elements of the Act (Section 215 Section 206 Section 6001) give the government full power to spy on the American people and in some cases, lacking any evidence of wrongdoing (Jacobs & Skocpol 36). NSLs allow the government access to the financial, communication and credit histories of persons deemed significant to a terrorism enquiry even if the person is not suspected of improper behavior (Para 6).
With each passing day, the outcry of the public grows over abuse of civil liberties in the USA PATRIOT Act. Three states, 149 cities, counties and towns have passed Civil Liberties Safe Zone resolutions and ordinances to safeguard the civil liberties of their inhabitants. One citizen in Newton, Massachusetts, solidly approved its resolution to supporting the U.S. campaign against violence, but also voiced a commitment that the campaign should NOT be conducted at the sacrifice of needed civil rights and liberties of the American citizens ( Scherer 23).Another citizen stated that it is the responsibility of the National Coalition to abolish the Patriot Act, independent public inquiries in cities around the country were conducted in July 2005 in order to collect testimony and information about the Act, police brutality ,civil liberties and racial profiling (Finan 49).Librarians across the states have been significant partners in fighting the Patriot Act. Virtually all American library associations have spearheaded the American Library Association endeavor in passing resolutions differing sections of the Act (Para 3).
As a result of the act, U.S. government, commits cruelty on prisoners held in indefinitely in detention, commits extrajudicial killings of American citizens and undermines freedom of the press (Schulhofer 69). It is evident that the Patriot Act has repetitively violated various parts of the United States Constitution related to the individual liberties of every American citizen; this in every way diminishes democracy in America (Para 2) . Most probably, Americans do not know where in the Constitution these acts are forbidden. But those we elect ought to know – as they swore to maintain and shield the U.S. Constitution against all adversaries domestic and foreign (Para 7).
The solution to curbing the effects of the patriot act is that the Congress should take note, democrats and republicans, liberals and conservatives alike should work together on a legislation that will eliminate the most tyrannical sections of the patriot act and abolish funding for programs that challenge personal privacy (Finan 63). Also the Patriot Act should be repealed (Para 3). The people should demand from their congressional representatives to protect their civil liberties or be conquered in the coming elections by someone who will (Patterson 70).
The NSL provisions should also be amended so that they can only collect information on suspected terrorists and not on all American citizens.
CONCLUSION – power to the people of America
Ten years on from attacks of 9/11, the president has claimed more power and the people have conceded more power. Federal trials were the standard for suspected criminal terroristic action; now, the method is military show that includes the death sentence or unknown or preventive detention. Increased illegal wars are being battled today than under Bush administration, more laws are undermined in the name of national safety and more people are being expatriated than ever in our history (Steoff 60).
Americans most probably do not question the Patriot Act very much because they are informed that it is only used for their protection (Para 7). Nonetheless, Americans should be very careful when it comes to giving the government too much power to pry into their personal lives.
In finality, the assessment of our democracy is to observe the actions that have been done under our watch and in our name – the repression, the wars, the extra-judicial killings, the profiling and the torture – and analyze if we are better placed to stop the acts and to ensure that they don’t occur in the future. We can definitely do that , we should demand the end the lawlessness, discontinue stockpiling the power of constitutional and move back towards a lawful path, democratic action and the restoration of the values that requires combined actions of the Americans (Patterson 75) . It is time we say to the regime, enough is enough and petition an end to the continuing injustices, and the return of our beliefs.
Works Cited
United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. USA PARTIOT and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005: report of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, to accompany H.R. 3199 together with dissenting views. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 2005.Print.
Lauri S Scherer. Democracy. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008.Print
Lawrence R Jacobs & Theda Skocpol. Inequality and American democracy: what we know and what we need to learn. New York: Russell Sage, 2005.Print.
Thomas E Patterson .The American democracy. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2001.Print.
Stephen J Schulhofer .Rethinking the Patriot Act: keeping America safe and free. New York: Century Foundation Press, 2005.Print.
Louise I Gerdes. The Patriot Act: opposing viewpoints. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2005.Print.
Christopher M Finan .From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: a history of the fight for free speech in America. Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press, 2007.Print.
Rebecca Stefoff. The Patriot Act. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2011.Print
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Feb 6, 2023 | Essays |
Abstract
Understanding a business; its strengths and challenges demands an inclusive study of the various aspects of the business. Components of the business often work together, under a strong management to ensure success of the business. Growth begins with management, understanding the nature, type and structure of management. Of the three kinds of management, the case study has proven that Carrefour has its focus on top management. This means that the top management has highly skilled and uniquely talented individuals. Their functions vary but essentially revolve around planning and decision making.
The culture of the organization provides a competitive advantage. It revolves around being hardworking and putting the customer first. Employees are expected to arrive early to work, and anticipate the client needs. Training of employees and horning of skills revolves around ensuring customer satisfaction. The result is that Carrefour has the largest market share which so far has been easy to maintain.
The study includes recommendations that can be made to change the various loopholes identified in components such as effectiveness of the management style. The competitive strategy employed by the company needs to improve and change to incorporate the market changes. The issues presented in the paper, uphold the belief that the retail giant has vested carefully and strategically in all aspects of the business. It is for this reason that competitors have benchmarked against Carrefour. Its values, customs and even culture of the organization have become the centre upon which various retail organizations have built their reputation. None of the components of the business has been undermined even with the increased growth, popularity and expansion of the target market.
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Introduction
Managers are a vital part of any growing business. The success of the business depends on the ability and skills of the manager. A manager is equipped to apply the knowledge they posses to ensure growth and success of the business. Good managers are able to make the right decision at the right time thereby placing the business in the right path. Further, they anticipate the future needs of the business and therefore plan for the same. Today, managers are not just plain mangers but rather strategic planners, and thinkers. They act as the bridge between the business protecting it from any threats and harm.
Carrefour management has played a vital part in growing the business in the past. However, recent neglects and ignorance has cost the business some vital turnabouts. The problem is not in the business structure itself but rather seems to lie in the management. When the business management is weak, the business becomes prone to various threats. Such threats are not planned for, neither are they anticipated and could therefore cause serious damage. Not many businesses take seriously the management structure. For Carrefour, understanding the vitality and effectiveness of the management structure is vital in ensuring prosperity and growth. For purposes of future planning, there is also need to see the challenges presented by the management structure. As with every business, a careful analysis of the management, its current state and expected future state will only strengthen the business.
Based on the core values of the business, the management structure and other vital characteristics; the management can be easily improved and restructured. As one of the biggest retail companies, the strength of the business lies in strategic planning and management.
Managers are the essence of any organization. They have the task to coordinate the work within an organization and make sure that the job is done in the best possible way. However, there are different functions that managers do and different roles they play in order to assure the profits of an organization. Nevertheless, there are different levels of management:
- Top Managers: These kinds of managers have the responsibility of making the organization’s important decisions. Moreover, they make decisions that define the long-term objectives and their plans will affect the entire organization.
- Middle Managers: Those managers’ help in integrating the plans from the top managers and then converting them into tangible activities and actions. In addition, they work as the connection between top managers and lower managers. Finally, they supervise and oversee the work of the lower managers to make sure that the work is done as planned.
- First Line Managers: They are considered the lower level managers their main mission is to supervise the day to day operations and make sure that the non-managerial employees and doing their job in the best way to translate the organization’s vision and goals.
Therefore, after meeting with the Carrefour management we asked them which one of those three managerial levels they think is the most important. As expected, they answered by emphasizing the idea that all levels are important and combining the three levels will help do the job in more effective and efficient way. Since the top managers will decide on the plans and objectives, then the middle managers will transfer those plans into activities that will help in achieving the goals, and finally the first line managers will implement those activities and make sure that the desired outcome will be achieved.
However, they thought that top managers are the most important managerial level since they come up with reasons that the organization is operating and they are taking the bigger risk by solving unusual problems.
On another questions, we asked one of the managers how you define a good manager. And he said that a good manager who would keep everything simple and that he do not complicate the job procedure. In this way the manager will be able to control his/her employees in a better way and will show them that he/she trust them which eventually will motivate them to do a better job.
Efficiency VS Effectiveness
Getting the job done in an effective and an efficient way is the optimal goal that all organizations are seeking. Moreover, effectiveness is doing the right things to attain the organization’s goals. However, efficiency is doing things right which means not only to do whatever it takes to attain the organization’s goals but also to lower the costs.
Carrefour is one of the largest retailer’s around the globe. Since their main goal is to provide their goods to all customers with lower prices they would need to control their resources and make sure that their costs will not be greater than their profits. Moreover, in order to achieve their goals they will need to make deals with their suppliers in order to attain their goals. Therefore, they would need to be both efficient and effective in their job.
Nevertheless, Carrefour thrives for being more efficient in their job. For example, their employees must come early to the store in order to prepare for their customers and keep the customers relationships high. Moreover, in order to control their costs, Carrefour has their own private label that produces almost 5% of their product. Such private label helped Carrefour in lowering their costs. Finally, their deals with their local suppliers and the low costs they pay on advertisements helps in keeping them lowering their costs and achieving their jobs efficiently.
Cultures
One of the most important factors that distinguish organizations from each other is the culture within an organization. Therefore, Carrefour is one of those organizations that are culturally different from their competitors. At the beginning, once the new person is employed they go under a three months practice by Carrefour professional staff where they will learn history of Carrefour, the way Carrefour operate, and all the values shared within Carrefour. However, there are different occasional parties that are coordinate to all employees to join and have fun as one family. Finally, inside Carrefour’s offices there are pictures hanged on the wall that influence employees and remind them of their values that is shared and developed by Carrefour. All of those methods and values shows how the culture of Carrefour is descriptive, perspective, and shared within the company.
Examples of Carrefour’s values:
- “We fully accept the consequences of our actions toward customers, our company and employees, institutions and environment”.
- “We respect our employees, suppliers, and customers”.
- “We express solidarity within our group, regardless of our profession, function, department of the store”.
- “We support progress and the development of new technologies to serve the needs of people”.
- “We apply fair trade practices by promoting the sharing of values”.
Carrefour is an expanding company opening branches all over the Middle East and is currently expanding from the Middle East. Carrefour is a known company all over the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran, and Qatar), Georgia, Armenia, and Kenya.
There are several entry modes used by companies when opening branches in new countries. Some of which are exporting/importing, franchising, licensing etc. Carrefour uses the franchising method. Franchising is a form of business organization in which an already existing firm with prosperous products and services (known as the franchisor) forms a relationship with other businesses (known as the franchisees) that operate under the franchisor’s trade name and guidance. Carrefour is open in several countries; therefore they let their trade name to be used under their guidance and control. This entry mode is selected because it is the best suited to allow Carrefour to be a renowned international business. By using franchising, Carrefour is now known is almost all of the Middle East and is currently expanding from the Middle East and is very successful in Pakistan. It has effectively opened in Georgia and Armenia.
Since there are foreign branches, the main headquarters of Carrefour (located in Dubai) send out employees to work in these countries. The employees undergo a three-month training, and are then sent to different countries to work in Carrefour. In other words, Carrefour recruits workers globally.
In Carrefour there is an evident hierarchy used for when decisions are being made. The decision makers approach their choices rationally. The main goal of the company is to have lower prices than their competitors, be consistent, and make value-maximizing choices. The managers making the decisions approach it in an objective fully logical way. The problems that occur are carefully defined and all the possible ways to solve the problems are well thought of.
Since Carrefour is a well-established company that had been running for many years, most of the problems encountered are already familiar, rarely are they blind-sided by a problem and rarely do they tackle unusual problems. The decisions made in the company are based upon the company’s interest rather than personal interests, so the alternative that will maximize outcomes and produce positive results will be the selected alternative.
Like any other company, Carrefour has a set of policies and rules. Policy is a general guideline used to approach a structured problem. Rules are what limit a manager or employees on what he/she can or cant do. Policies and rules are highly respected and followed by the managers and workers of Carrefour. They use standard management. A clear set of rules and the top managers for the workers to strictly abide set policies. Status Que is maintained. Innovation isn’t something encourage by the company as creativity isn’t needed. The goal is clear and simple, have the lowest prices in the market. If risks are to be taken, it is mandatory for them to be measurable. Since the company is well established, it is rare to encounter any unusual problems.
There are several corporate strategies a company can follow, such as growth, stability, and retrenchment. Carrefour uses the growth corporate strategy. There are several growth strategies: diversification, unrelated diversification, concentration, and integration. Concentration is when a company focuses on a product line and increases the products offered. There are two types of integration, vertical integration (which has two parts) and horizontal integration. Backward vertical integration is becoming self-supplier and forward vertical integration is eliminating any intermediaries. Horizontal integration is making alliances in the same market to reduce the number of competitors and increase competitive strengths.
Diversification is split into two parts, related diversification and unrelated diversification. Related diversification is expanding by combining with companies that sell the same product as you whereas unrelated diversification is combining with unrelated industries to gain higher financial returns. Carrefour used unrelated diversification to grow. When one walks into Carrefour, products of all kinds are displayed. Carrefour sells everything from food to electronics and everything in between. Recently iPads are being sold in Carrefour. When a company sells more than one kind of product, more customers will be attracted to the place resulting in higher financial returns. Several companies make contractual agreements with Carrefour in order for Carrefour to be authorized to sell their products. In this way Carrefour’s product portfolio is varied and huge, so it targets more than one market and customer segment.
Carrefour presently holds 35% market share in UAE. This is considered to be a successful fruitful business. It has a high market share and high market growth, which, according to the BCG matrix, is considered a star. Carrefour is expected to experience positive growth and high financial returns.
Competitive strategy:
Competitive strategy is mainly the method that the organization is willing to apply in order to gain competitive advantage in the market. Each business different competitors and customers therefore, they will need to implement the most suitable strategy in order to gain this competitive advantage and higher market share.
There are three different competitive strategies, which are:
- Cost leadership strategy: it is when the organization is seeking to offer their products in lower prices comparing to their competitors.
- Differentiation strategy: is attracting consumers but offering unique products that will distinguish the organization from their rivals.
- Focus strategy: you can define this strategy as choosing one of the previous strategies (Cost leadership strategy or Differentiation strategy) and then implementing it only on specific targeted consumers which also known as segment of the market.
Moreover, Carrefour is one of the largest retailing businesses around the globe. Furthermore, after meeting with couple of their managers we have been informed that Carrefour is ranked the first retailing business in the Middle East and ranked the second globally after Wal-Mart. Nevertheless, Carrefour is using the cost leadership strategy by providing the cheapest prices on their items to all customers. Basically they offer all consumption products and by providing the lowest prices on those kind off products there are making sure to gain a competitive advantage against their rivals. On the other hand, customers are the most important factor in any business and they have good bargaining power and Carrefour trying to lower this power and obtain more customers by providing the best quality with lower prices.
SWOT Analysis:
The SWOT analysis is one of the important analyses that any organizations do before deciding on formulating a business strategy. The SWOT analysis consists of two analyses:
External Analysis: Is the study of the environment of the organization and basically viewing the Opportunities (O) that the organization can use to increase their productivity/profits. Also, the external analysis helps you in defining the Threats (T) from outside that might affect the organization’s goals.
Internal Analysis: Is studying the organization from within. In this part of the SWOT Analysis the organization will be trying to measure the capabilities and Strengths (S) of the organization. Moreover, they try to define the Weaknesses (W) in the organization that might lead the organization to lose the competitive advantage or not get to it anyways.
After interviewing the couple managers of Carrefour and discussing the SWOT Analysis we have learned the following about Carrefour’s own SWOT:
Strengths: Carrefour are the leaders in the UAE market with 35% market share, they are number two globally, and number one in the Middle East.
Weaknesses: The managers think that they consider organization is expanding in fast rate but they do not have the sufficient resources to control their huge expansion.
Opportunities: After successfully opening different branches around the world, the managers think that have a great opportunity in keep opening new branches and keep on expanding their brand name.
Threats: The main threat to Carrefour is considered the large amount of competition locally wither it is from Co-op, Spinneys, or new entrants to the retailing business. However, they are also considering the strong competition globally from Wal-Mart.
Organizational Structure and Design:
Organizational structure is the arrangement of tasks and jobs within an organization to make sure that the most efficient and effective outcome is achieved. Moreover, there are six factors that influence the organizational structure:
- Specialization: Each employee or group of employees have a specific task that they can do in the best way.
- Departmentalization: Dividing the organization into divisions that focus on specific tasks, which can be classified as functional, geographical, product line, process, or by customers.
- Chain of Command: Clear line of authority from the top management to the lower levels in the organization.
- Span of control: Refers to finding the number of employees that can be supervised efficiently and effectively relative to the number of managers.
- Centralization: Is concerned with the involvement of lower level management in making decisions.
- Formalization: Means that there is a specific rules and procedures to guide the employees to accomplish the organization goals.
However, depending on the previous factors an organizational design will be formed and they are either Mechanistic or Organic organizational design.
The Mechanistic Design characteristics are: high level of specialization, specific departments, clear chain of command, narrow span of control, centralization, and high formalization. However, the Organic Design is the opposite of the mechanistic design. Nevertheless, Carrefour employees have specific tasks and rigid rules to do their job. The decision-making is generally centralized to top management and there is a clear chain of command in the organization.
Despite that the environment of Carrefour is considered dynamic and complex. Another factors that affect the Carrefour’s organization design such as: size of the organization, routine procedures, limiting innovation and risk taking, cost control and the factors we discussed previously. We came to conclusion that Carrefour has a Mechanistic organizational design.
Changes:
Changes within an organization are a critical part and managing organizations. Usually, organizations tend implement changes on either external or internal environments that have mainly direct effect on the organization. Carrefour has a very dynamic environment and needs make non-critical changes very often.
External changes focuses on the outside environment and trends happening outside the organization and have a direct impact on the organization. For example, when Carrefour is willing to open new branches in other countries they are going to make changes to fit with the countries governmental laws and the economic situation in that country.
Internal changes are basically the changes in the way that the organization does stuff within itself. Such changes could be as big as changing the organizational strategy or structure and can be simple as changing few work procedures.
However, we asked Carrefour managers about three important types of changes that all organizations have to do it in some point. First of all, structural changes which is alterations on the arrangement of tasks in the organization to make sure that the outcome is the best possible outcome. Second of all, changes on the technology or the work procedures or equipment. Finally, changes on the human resources, which is changing the attitudes, expectations and behaviors of the employees in the organization.
Moreover, after explaining the three types of changes we have been informed that structural and technological changes do not happen very often. Most of the time such changes happen almost after five years of operation. On the other hand, the human resources changes happen very often.
Finally, we triggered the question do your employee’s resists changes and if yes how do you deal with it? Surprisingly, the answer was that most of the time employees do not resists changes and they support and are willing to do their best to adapt to the changes as soon as possible. However, if some of the employees had a problem regarding the new changes Carrefour management will communicate with those employees and try to educate them on why such changes will be better for both the employees and the organization. Moreover, the management will try to involve those employees and make them participate in order to convince them about the new changes. However, as the general manager Mohammad Al Assaf emphasized on the management only discusses and try to solve “Professional factors” that caused the employees resistance.
Every business in the world faces problems of all kinds; whether it is a structured problem or and unstructured one. There is a difference between these two types of problems. First, structured problems are problems that are familiar and have clear goals. The information about these problems are available and easily accessed. First level managers often deal structured problems because these problems are quite repetitive and clear. The decision of solving these problems, also known as programmed decisions, is based on rules, procedures, and policies.
On the other hand, unstructured problems involve unclear, unusual, and new problems that a company may face. The information about these problems are not available; therefore, these kinds of problems require critical thinking in order to make a unique and wise decision, also known as programmed decisions or custom-made decision, in solving these unstructured problems. Upper-level managers need to be creative in dealing with unstructured problems that have undefined goals.
Carrefour is a huge company that lasted over 60 years. The manager states that unstructured problems are were faced in a usual sequence in the midst of Carrefour’s history, however, recently the company is not facing unstructured problems, because after this deep history and years of experience, Carrefour realizes and recognizes a lot of kinds of problems that were once unstructured. The managers developed procedures to these particular problems to rely on. Besides, Carrefour develops and nourishes in a stable environment in which they can get in control of a lot of situations after long years of experience.
Innovation and creativity are factors that relate to most of the organizations in the world. Creativity is defined as the ability to combine ideas, develop them, and decorate them in a unique and outstanding way to help the organization have methods and factors that make the working environment unique and stand-out among the outsiders such as new entrants and competitors. Innovation is a result of creativity and the outcome of the creative thinking. Creativity and innovation allows the company to take risks after long studies and deep analysis to become singled-out of other competitors in the industry.
As for Carrefour, innovation and creativity play a major role in there. The managers believe that their employees are people with creative ideas that should be brought into the table and be used if the results were possibly effective and efficient. “We believe that innovation is what keeps the business running, because if we stop having creative ideas, others will. That’s why we have to keep up these unique ideas to help us become different in the industry. Of course, we do not lock our employees’ creativity to not be out there. We actually believe that not only managers come up with creative ideas, but employees should be given the chance to bring new ideas to the table, to be heard, and to be taken into consideration and process after we make careful studies about it”.
One of the creative ideas was implemented in Carrefour, university branch in Matajer Sharjah. Students in the universities face troubles in terms of food, as there are fast food restaurants mostly around them. A thoughtful idea was to hire an excellent chef to cook daily different meals that are related to Arab food. The results of that idea were good, since students now have the chance to eat different kind of food around. After the success of this idea, other restaurants opened around the university that have the same process as Carrefour’s, yet in a different way, different varieties of food choice, and, of course, unique chefs. These new restaurants are, for instance, Breakpoint, Abella, and Grab N Go.
After creative ideas, standout performances, and potential improvements, there are rewards systems that are provided to help motivate employees to stand tall in improvement and to give a sense of satisfaction inwards and self-recognition and great reputation outwards. There are different types of rewards. First, intrinsic rewards are intangible rewards such as self-satisfaction and sense of achievement. The intrinsic reward is related to the person involved in making an action that helped other people or an action that was right which resulted in feeling satisfied inside. On the other hand, extrinsic rewards are tangible rewards that are seen by not only inner self, but also by others based on a specific achievement or certain accomplishment. For instance, there are certificates or trophies symbolized as a reward to someone who has done an achievement and a great job. Other examples of extrinsic rewards are such as monetary rewards, also known as bonuses, or vacation days.
The managers in Carrefour definitely hand out rewards to their employees after a recognizable improvement or a creative idea that helped to improve the company. Managers in Carrefour rely on both at different situations. When an employee contributes in a certain task that is off of the employee’s field, there are compliments and thanks notes that are given to the employee after finishing the task; therefore, that is considered as an intrinsic reward that help to motivate the employee. Plus, there are bonuses and an applauding recognition among other workers to a specific employee after making an outstanding achievement or creative idea that helped the Carrefour have greater reputation. The managers in Carrefour rely best on bonuses to the employees as an extrinsic reward.
Conclusion
The components of business that model the retail giant have proven to be the strength of the business. The components drive a specialized focus, both internally and externally. Internally components such as management structure and culture of the organization assist the business to rethink its leverage. They help to bring a stronger foundation upon which the business can be grown and expanded. The internal components take advantage of the assets and capabilities of the business to give itself some leverage against competitors. With a strong management, an exciting business culture; competition becomes less of a concern and more part of planning and strategizing. External components such as the competition and market advantage help the business to look for and find other capabilities that are not present internally. This includes the required talent to grow the business and other specialized sources. Combined these components allow the business to redefine their competitive position in the face of an industry that is constantly undergoing changes; while at the same time allowing the business to take advantage of the benefits of scale, efficiency and flexibility.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Feb 5, 2023 | Essays |
Introduction
For an organization to succeed, it is fundamentally important to establish and grow the employee relationship. Aylott (2014) Defined employee relationship as the relationship covering the social as well as [political aspects in an organization which employees provide manual and mental labor in exchange for rewards allotted by employers. In essence the employment relationship is a relationship that is psychological, legal and economical through which employees make use of their skills, and knowledge for the employer in return for particular financial rewards. The relationship differs on many grounds from one organization to another but is clearly defined by the contract of employment. This contract defines exactly the tasks that the employer expects to be completed and the re-imbursement that will be given to the employee for completion of the same. For this reason, the employment relationship goes beyond the daily and day to day interaction; it becomes a legal contract which involves two parties. There is strong evidence suggesting that the employee relationship does not exist in some form of vacuum; it reflects the community and societal rules within which it operates. There exist some internal factors within the organization can affect the health of the employee relationship so can external factors. In the recent past, the employee relationship has come under close scrutiny. Organizations can no longer deny the importance of employee relations. Whether psychological, economical or even social; these categories of employee relations latch together and band to form the essence of the organization itself. There have been several changes in the world over, but the truth about employee relations remains the same. Aspects may have changed but the foundations remain strong.
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INTERNAL FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
Management styles:
Managers are often on the lookout for newer styles of controlling employees while at the same time increasing income. Of course, the mangers often do not have the freedom to elect the management style that they will apply towards employee relationships. There are various strategies that managers can use to influence the employee relationships and these are:
Traditionalists: these managers are often overtly exploitive of employees, disallowing and discouraging issues such as trade unions and their roles. They invest little in improving the employee, pay only the minimum that is required and often give the employee little if any job security. These kinds of managers are mostly successful in the hotel industry. This industry is renowned for poorest employee relations and highest turnover rates.
Sophisticated paternalists: managers often treat employees in some sort of paternalistic nature. Employees are given generous contracts and job security although discourages from active trade unions and such. Marks and Spencer company is a great example of this kind of management. Employee relations are characterized with good communication and good conditions for employment.
Sophisticated moderns: these managers have the same strategy as the paternalists except they recognize and acknowledge the importance of trade unions. Many of the Japanese owned companies such as Nissan and Hitachi employ this style of management. Unions are part of management and bargaining is thought to profit all parties. This manager is more focused on fostering commitment.
Employee participation in the organization
Employee participation is defined s the degree of power sharing and regulatory ability in the organizational decision making structure. In the past, only managers and executives were involved in the decision making process. The needs of the employees in the process of decision making took a back seat. Research and long term studies quickly proved that organizations faced high turnover from these process. Modern organizations are more focused on involving and addressing the employee needs and challenges in every aspect of decision making. However, the level of employee participation varies in every organization. Increased employee participation fosters loyalty and commitment from employees and thus a more positive and healthy employee relationship.
Increased employee participation is of course often found to be similar to democracy in the work place. Rather than dictatorial decision making, democracy fosters growth of the company as all employees are satisfied and involved even in small decisions. They influence, control and exercise power in their own small realms and therefore feel more as part of the organization. Such as organizations faces low turnover and decreased costs of labor, (Corby and White 2002).
Structure of collective bargaining
Max Weber a famed sociologist in the 1930’s indicated that collective bargaining in an organization was so vital that indeed the study of industrial relations should be the study of collective bargaining. Collective bargaining often defines all sort of negotiations between employers on the one hand and on the other hand all those who are arguing on behalf of employees. There are organizations that discourage and indeed have no sort of collective bargaining, (Fitzwater 1999). While such organizations may pay employees generously and provide some form of job security this only buys them a strong short term positive employee relationship. Take for example the famed Marks and Spencer Company, employees are generously rewarded; however any form of collective bargaining is discouraged and frowned upon. The result is a high turnover rate with employees seeking out companies that may pay lower salaries but allow collective bargaining. Collective bargaining gives employees a sense of belonging and importance where they feel that their voice hold some sort of strength.
EXTERNAL FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
The government:
The government is often found to be at the centre of organizational operations. Governments define policies and constitutions which govern the relationship between employers and employees. Governments act as intermediaries protecting the rights both parties in the contract without neglecting any. For example, in the United Kingdom the wages council is given power by the government to determine minimum wages for various industries and sectors of the economy. In addition taxation regulations often play a major role in determining the income and benefits that employees will enjoy. Should the employee relations turn sour, it is common for both parties to turn to government bodies in an attempt to regulate, build to rectify the relationship. In some cases, the government may step in and dictate the terms of the relationship.
Power, justice and culture
Dessler (2000), Indicated that employee relations are characterized by power play and interactions within organizations. Both parties refer to the concept of power often as being taken advantage of or taking advantage of. Depending on the interpretation, power relations often have a connotation of justice. Justice refers to how employees and employers have felt about fairness in the organization. Whether procedural and distributive justice, they are all related to the way in which decisions are made. The treatment given to people during a specific period, affect their perceptions about the process of fairness and therefore their entire relations of the organization.
Line managers have the duty to ensure that the subordinates’ perceptions of fairness are positive for stronger employee relations. This involves communicating decisions, providing reasons for specific actions and consulting about the impact of specific future decisions with the employees in the area they manage. Blyton and Turnbull (1998), with the global markets organizations need to take into consideration the differences in national culture, their influence upon the organization’s culture or sub-cultures and therefore their implications for the organization’s policies and procedures. Differences in languages, religions, traditional beliefs, laws and even education systems will definitely mean that the organization and national cultures will diverge.
Trade unions
According to Rollinson and Dundoon (2007), the primary function of a union is protecting the welfare of the members. The membership will have to come together because they recognize they have a common interest. The union has the responsibility to identify and give common voice to the common interests. They define the nature of relationship that employers have with employees. They are often considered as the go between for both parties. They negotiate payments for the employees, leave days and even go as far as representing individual employees in disputes with the company.
The underlying purpose of trade unions from times in history is participation in the job regulation. Through the union, workers can gain more control over their own careers and working lives. A trade union therefore translates into a continuous relationship of workers for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their own work environment. Trade unions therefore basically dictate the employee relations which is why many organizations discourage membership to the same. In Europe for example, trade unions are quickly becoming weaker and their influence is much more degraded.
Conclusion
Majority of the organizations have employed labor on fixed term contracts. The organizations are, in effect, achieving flexibility by adjusting the nature and size of their workforce in line with the production and demand. These changes have caused far wide effects on the ways which employees view the relationship with the organization. The employee relations now continuously exist in a state of change moving and subsisting from very strong to sometimes non-existent. Whereas workers in the past have previously stayed with one employer for the length of their career, they are now more likely to change the employer while staying the same occupation. The length of time that an average employee stays with a given employer has declined greatly, an indication of weakening employee relations.
References
Aylott, E. (2014). Employee relations. Philadelphia, Kogan Page.
Blyton, P., & Turnbull, P. (1998). The dynamics of employee relations. Basingstoke: Macmillan Business
Corby, S., & White, G. (2002). Employee relations in the public services: Themes and issues. London: Routledge.
Dessler, G. (2000). Human resource management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Fitzwater, T. L. (1999). The manager’s pocket guide to employee relations. Amherst, Mass: HRD Press.
Rollinson, D., & Dundoon, T. (2007). Employee relations. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Feb 5, 2023 | Essays |
Introduction
Parenting forms an integral part of caring and loving the teen. Good parenting according to Darling (12) is about providing secure home life, warm, developing positive self-esteem, and helping the teens learn the rules of life, such as respect and sharing with others. “A young child’s behavior is an indicator to what inborn tendencies need to be addressed or changed before the child reaches adolescence”, writes Darling (12). Good parenting requires the parent to stop the teens from getting involved in the wrong doings and continually encouraging the children to do the correct things based on the societal norms and the laws of the land. By definition, parenting constitutes elements such as attention, love, support, discipline and guidance to the children. However, love of the teens is the most powerful and important emotion that constitute to both the mind and the heart. Emotion has been described as the state of well-being characterized by physical reaction. Devotion and affection to the child is love given to the teen without question. Essentially, one of the most impressing things that can happen to an individual is being a parent. However, the raising part is the most hectic part of being a parent. The teen years is often conveyed as stressful for both the parent and the teens. As parents guide their teens from infantile dependence into the stages of autonomy, the adopted styles of parenting provides both lasting and immediate effects of the social functioning of the child, especially in areas of moral development, to peer pay and educational achievements.
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Thesis Statement: Good parenting requires a combination of authoritative and flexible parenting to offer positive outcomes and childhood-adulthood transit.
Good parenting has been defined as the act of realizing that every child is different and not comparing the child to others that allow for the adoption of an effective and beneficial style of parenting (Wargo 89). Further, Wargo writes, “Parenting is reciprocal process where the parent influences the development of the child, and in turn, the child influences the parent,” (p. 89). The initial stages of life have been thought by numerous scholars as the period of human development that parents are obligated to assume a special role in the lives of the teens. Ensuring the best possible outcome for the children requires the parents’ readiness to face the challenge of balancing the disciplinary and maturity demands (Wargo 89). This is important for integrating the teens into the social and family system and at the same time maintaining the atmosphere of warmth, support, and responsiveness. Reasonably, when the attitude and the conduct of the parent during the pre-school period do not factor absolute balance on these spectra, the teens may be faced by multitude issues of adjustment. Providing the young ones with the needed attention for development of their body and mind is significant for good parenting. A study by Wargo (122) concludes that the role of nursing a child to develop and grow up healthy by nurturing their daily requirements provides them with safety and trust. Therefore, the young one would grow knowing that they will not get hurt, and good parenting requires observing the best interest of the child as well as constant care.
Darling (22) provides that parenting requires providing proper guidance in the right direction that assist the child in choosing the correct action and absolute manner to conduct themselves. Parents should support their children mentally that together strengthens the body and the mid of the child. Likewise, discipline is a fundamental tool of child development, and good parenting requires the parent to set the rules that the young one should obey without objection. The practice of enforcing rules to children and punishing them when they break rules is sufficient for good parenting. Accordingly, punishment assists in discouraging of unwanted behavior that might be spotted in the child. Darling (24) further expresses that reinforcing discipline helps in building the correct character needed for the development of the child throughout their life. Probably, there are numerous diverse opinions on what constitutes good parenting. New parents often receive guidance and advice on the procedures and policies on how to parent their young ones from their experts and parents.
According to research evidence, flexible and authoritative parenting styles are recommended fro parenting, especially for a child growing in a nuclear family. However, Darling (24) argues that these parenting styles may not apply for all families, especially, for the children growing up in other situations and circumstances. Providing a child with freedom and flexibility produces positive outcomes, reading from Darling (24) research validations. Arguably, children that stay in safe neighborhoods are less likely to get involved in dangerous behavior; however, high-risk areas may result into bad behaviors, and a high degree of parental control might be necessary. Darling (28) argues that being too hard on the children may at times be unproductive in the life of the child. While punishment is encouraged to assist in the deterring of the child’s unwanted behavior, parents that become too hard of their teens and use physical punishment often finds it wrong. The children that are hit, spanked or slapped are more likely to develop violent behavior as well as become prone to fighting with peers (Darling 28). Furthermore, these children are likely to become bullies and use aggregation to solve disputes with the peers.
Research done by Grusec (17) on parenting styles stated that the developmental psychologists overwhelmingly endorses authoritative parenting as the optimal style of raising the young ones in the transit periods. Based on the research, authoritative parenting has been linked with healthy development of the young ones and assists in the provision of balance between support and affection. Besides, it provides an appropriate degree of parenting control that is influential in managing the child behavior. The atmosphere created by authoritative style of parenting for the teens to developing healthy sense of autonomy and self-reliant is intertwined within the parental guidelines, limits and rules. While authoritative parenting has been widely associated with beneficial outcomes of development, critics have proposed the use of mixed parenting styles. Grusec states, “Children of authoritarian parents are more likely to be fearful and anxious,” (Grusec 17). In particular, a study by Grusec (19) on the effectiveness of good parenting provided that some parents may be more permissive in consenting their teens an extended weekend curfew. On the other hand, an authoritarian parent often disallows their teens to be out of the home after 8 p. m. Thus, according to Grusec (19), parents may modify their styles of parenting to fit the presented circumstances. Therefore, it is significant to ensure that the children feel safe, valued, free, and loved. Likewise, the adults looking after the children must notice their moral behaviors.
Parallel study conducted on the effectiveness of parenting features similar results. Referencing from the exploration by Steinberg (21), good parenting is linked with authoritative parenting that is characterized by balance of responsiveness and demandingness with elevated children social competence. Accordingly, the children of authoritative parents often get characterized with high competence levels in their early peer relationships. Thus, these teens will hardly engage in limited levels of alcohol and drug use and develop a more emotional well-being. Although permissive and authoritative parenting styles appear to represent the opposite ends in the spectrum of good parenting, opponents highlights that neither style has been linked to positive outcomes. Steinberg writes, “Children of the permissive parents may lack control, since none is expected from them,” (Steinberg 21). It is established that both parenting styles limit the opportunities for children to learn the procedures of coping with stressful situations.
Darling states that,
“Children with difficult temperatures are more vulnerable or prone to the effects of family discord, stress, and negative child-parent relationships that children with easy temperaments, who are more resilient to such effects” (p. 21)
Steinberg, (22) argues that too much demandingness and control minimizes the opportunity of the child to make decisions for themselves and their need known to their parents. Similarly, Steinberg, (27) criticizes permissive parenting and points that this style of parenting may lack control for guidance and direction significant for the development of appropriate goals and morals. Likewise, the research uncovered important relationships between styles of parenting across the generations; good parenting and bad parenting appears to be passed on.
Conclusion
Based on the robust literature, education and information on the optimal styles of parenting is essential for good parenting. Likewise, the establishment of effective practices is significant for the success and social adjustment of the child. In most circumstances, the application of warm, authoritative and flexible style of parenting provides the most effective and beneficial style of good parenting for the intellectual, emotional, social, and moral development of a child. Yet, the research validations in the area of child-parent interaction should be expanded to enhance the evaluation the outcomes of the broader variety of racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and cultural groups. Furthermore, research is necessary for the investigation of the children of different ages to provide the families various situational factors to employee in good parenting to reap the full benefits of research on good parenting. However, based on the developmental arguments based on current research validations, good parenting can be achieved through a combination of authoritative, permissive, and flexible parenting. The development of morals, personality, problem-solving skills and goals requires effective parenting to foster safe transit from childhood all through to adulthood.
Work Cited
Darling N, Steinberg L. Parenting style as context: An integrative model. Psychological Bulletin 1993;113 (3):487-496.
Grusec JE, Hastings PD. Handbook of socialization: Theory and research. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 2006.
Steinberg, L. We know some things: Adolescent-parent relationships in retrospect and prospect. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2001, 11, 1-19.
Wargo, E. Adolescents and risk: Helping young people make better choices. ACT for Youth Center of Excellence (2001): Research Facts and Findings. Retrieved November 20, 2007, from http://www.actforyouth.net/documents/AdolescentRisk_Sept07.pdf
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Feb 5, 2023 | Essays |
The Chalk Circle by Li Qianfu is a play centered on political satire, injustice and government corruption set in the Yuan Dynasty of 1259 to 1368. The play is set at the time of the fall of Communism and the establishment of the current independent states after the partitioning of its satellite regions. It is imperative to note that the “Chalk Circle” inspired the epic drama by Bertolt Li Qianfu known as “The Causian Chalk Circle.”
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The themes in the Chalk Circle are confused and convoluted. It focuses on human behavior towards fellow human beings, the uncertain validity of the law and the decision-making complexities. The play uses two sources to exemplify the theme of justice, that is, the Solomon’s Judgment in the Bible (1 Kings 3: 16-28). It is noted that the child (Shoulang) is awarded to the real mother through wise judgment in both models. However, in the Li Qianfu’s Chalk Circle, the child is awarded to Ch’ang Hai-T’ang, who was the real mother to the child, rather than the fake mother to the child, Ah-Siu. This judgment is informed by the humane actions that Hai-T’ang has taken to care for the child. Hai-T’ang refused to pull the child as instructed by the judge. On the other hand, the child’s fake mother, Ah-Siu pulls the child without caring whether the child would be hurt or not (Du 318).
Bao Zeng in his judgment decides whether to award to Ah-Siu mother, who is selfish, materialistic, overweening elite, or to award the child to the loving and deeply human woman, Ch’ang Hai-T’ang. Hai-T’ang exhibits kindness, self-sacrifice, and nobility traits that according to the judge are excellent characteristics of human spirit that the society should practice. Bao Zeng uses “Solomonic” wisdom to award the child to the woman with finest traits of human spirit (Luo and Ye 591).
The theme of justice explored in the Chalk Circle reflects on the concerns of the Chinese during the Yuan period of the 13th-14th centuries where the Mongol discontented the Chinese of the low social hierarchy (peasants) with the domination. A number of the writers during this period focused on the central theme of rectifying the social injustices. The plays during the Yuan era like the Li Xingdao’s Chalk Circle were focused on saving the innocent and punishing the guilty through Solomic discovery of the truth. The Yuan era also emphasized themes of supernatural, filial piety, chastity, heroism, and loyalty (Du 320).
Yuan drama was staged with no set design. It comprised of simple stage that consisted of two doors. The costumes were colorful, with stage make-up with non-realistic stage conventions.
The Chalk Circle was written by Li Qianfu during the dynasty by Yuan in the 1271-1368 AD. The play was a reflection of his experiences as he travelled through Europe and the United States of America from China. The play was revived in the Peking Opera Stage explore the mutual impacts of the paradigm in Western and Eastern drama. The play was written in a prologue of four acts. The play was preserved in the Yuan-Chu-po-cheng collection. The translation of the play was done in the Western World by Stanislas Julien and published as Le Cercle de Craie (1832), in London in French language. Klabund later translated the play into German language as Der Kreidekreis in 1924.
The play was set to the Yuan dynasty period. Chalk Circle by Li Qianfu is believed to be the source of the Klabund’s “Cicle of Chalk” and Bertolt Brecht’s “The Caucasian Chalk Circle.” based on the 1300 AD Ancient Chinese play by Li Xingfu (Du 318). The story revolves around a young girl who is strong-willed known as Hai-T’ang, and a judge known as Bao Zeng who is credited for establishing justice, which is of unique brand to the land. The play is a secular version of the Solomon and the baby in the Bible where two women approached Solomon claiming to be the mother of the same child. Solomon ordered for the slicing the baby into two halves (Luo and Ye 592). The real mother to the baby objected to this proposal revealing to Solomon that she must be the real mother to the baby.
The play relates to the contemporary period when shadow world elites, and global corporations establish repressive fascists of their own. The connection of the theatricality of the costumes and spectacle in the contemporary innovation period can be related to the Coke Company that exemplifies the philosophical Marxism of repressive Communism and devolved corruption. I would include Russian-accented English as well as a gloss of Russian comedy into the play. Interruptive blackout and the participation of ad hoc audience during the makeshift wedding would make the play the contemporary period. I would also eliminate the lackluster effects in the production of the play to remove the theme of human kindness and love in the Li Qianfu’s play.
Works Cited
Du, Wenwei. “The Chalk Circle Comes Full Circle: From Yuan Drama Through the Western Stage to Peking Opera.” Asian Theatre Journal 2.2 (1995): 307–325
Luo, Yuming, and Yang Ye. A Concise History of Chinese Literature. Leiden: Brill, 2011. Internet resource.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
