Commodity Fetishism

Karl Marx introduces the concept of commodity fetishism which is our society’s obsession with the consumption of goods and services. It is in Marx’s opinion that this is used to mask the exploitation of the working class as they become obsessed with consuming. We use capitalism as a system of exchange value, for example we exchange our labor in order to afford food to survive instead of producing our own food. The prices we see when we walk into a store represent the human labor required to produce the product and the approximate use value one would achieve using it.The use value is simply the amount of utility we gain from consuming or using a good or service. Now, I travel very often on business trips with my father’s investment company; recently we went on a trip to Boston with Mackenzie Investments. We stayed in a world class hotel and were treated to box seats at a NFL game, this was paid for; Marx would refer to Mackenzie’s business functions as havi ng an exchange value.The company will subsidize our travel costs as well as provide goods and services to satisfy our wants in order to build a relationship and in turn receive our business. The use value we receive from the consumption of these commodities will also impact how we view Mackenzie. Perhaps a person in attendance at the football game detests the sport while another adores it; each person will value the experience differently as it provides different utility to each person.Our relationship between ourselves and Mackenzie is not based on an intrinsic level but rather on the giving of commodities, we will only briefly talk to the fund managers of the company so it’s hard to build a relationship on anything but what they provide us with. This relationship has the ability to be built on the giving of goods and services due to the capitalist society’s commodity fetishism. We will observe the working class where more and more people are working in factories and large corporations to produce more commodities for people to buy or services to use.While the lower class is trapped in a cyclical labor to consume cycle (in other words living pay check to pay check like 47% of the Canadian economy (globeandmail)) the rich are reaping the benefits. The workers must consume because this is what society tells them to do, they must labor in order to consume so the workers labor, be it mental or physical they are becoming a commodity themselves because they are for hire. They sell themselves and their labor to their boss who sells what they produce and in turn makes the profit.This relates directly to the alienation earlier discussed by Marx. The workers become alienated from the product they are producing for they will not use it, they become alienated from self because they are not in control of their actions, often they will also be alienated from people in their be it in their own office or at their station in a factory. The drive behind our societ y seems corrupt and vague; we observe the prices of goods and services but do not account for the hardships of the workers producing them.We often see ads about children overseas in sweatshops being exploited but what about our own people who slave away 9-5 at a job they hate producing goods they do not consume for the sheer benefit of the monetary gains of their boss Question: Now that we have uncovered the true nature of capitalism how can we change it? Is there any way to help abolish the fetishism which takes advantage of the working class and benefits the rich?

Decision making Essay

Overview My experience in the business world has shown a variety of ethical decision making practices. The beauty industry has a somewhat skewed view of ethics as it appeals to the vanity and esteem of consumers around the world. The health care industry must provide health care to its customers yet maintain the business with the goals of making a profit. Yale University is known for its research in the fields of science and medical technology. All these companies practice ethics, but view ethical behavior in a different way. This paper will explore the definition and principles of ethics and discuss the impact of ethics on the decision making process in the work place. Definition Pearson Custom Publishing (Pearson, 1998-2002) defines ethics as the â€Å"standards of conduct and moral judgment. † Markula Center for Applied Ethics (1995-1998) defines ethics as those standards that compel one to refrain from committing crimes against another person such as stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud. It is also the standards that encourage honesty, integrity, compassion and loyalty. Ethics is not a religious principle, nor is it based on â€Å"feelings† about a particular problem. It cannot be defined as a legal practice because laws are created to protect rights, not manage ethical principles. While the definition may seem clear, ethics as a practice is somewhat ambiguous since interpretation plays a big part in how people perceive right from wrong. The Markala Center for Applied Ethics (1995-1998) states that in order to understand the meaning of ethics we must find answers the following questions, â€Å"According to what standards are these actions right or wrong? What character traits (like honesty, compassion, fairness) are necessary to live a truly human life? † Defining ethics is relatively easy compared to practicing ethics in the work place. Since the primary concern of most businesses is the bottom line, the ethical views may differ based on the type of business. Ethical views of employees may also differ from the views of the company. This can cause conflict among workers and management as companies strive to improve the bottom line. Personal ethics may be compromised in an effort to keep a job. In business, what are the ground rules? Since ethics is not an exact science it is easy believe that if it is legal it is ethical and therefore acceptable. This is not always the case and recent examples of Enron and Microsoft prove this point. Enron has shown us that greed can interfere with good judgment and the impact of their decisions was grave. Microsoft is another company whose ethics have been questioned as it strives to maintain its place as the software giant. Is it unethical for Microsoft to work towards the demise of its competitor Netscape? Or is this the normal competitive spirit. Another good example is the beauty industry that built a billion dollar business convincing consumers that cosmetics and perfumes will make them perform better, become more powerful and/or more popular if the products are used. Is this behavior legal, yes. Ethical, well, that is questionable and based on personal interpretation. So how can ethical behavior be judged? Markala Center for Applied Ethics (1999) provides the following questions to help us more clearly ascertain ethical behavior. â€Å"Is there something wrong personally, interpersonally, or socially? Is there conflict that could be damaging to people?to animals or the environment? to institutions? to society? Does the issue go deeper than legal or institutional concerns? What does it do to people as persons who have dignity, rights, and hopes for a better life together? â€Å" These questions will help us to get the facts necessary to understand the problem, but we also need to know the values. Markula Center for Applied Ethics (1995-1998) suggests asking these additional questions to further determine values; â€Å"Is the solution to this problem for the common good of the community? Does it violate any rights? Is it fair and non-discriminatory? Will it benefit the majority of the people? † So when a problem occurs that requires a solution, it is necessary to review these questions and ask ourselves, based on a desired approach, if the outcome is ethical. This can be a difficult decision since often there is clearly no right or wrong answer. How could ethics benefit the decision making process? Incorporating ethics in the decision making process could making the process easier or more difficult. Easier by providing an additional layer that would justify a difficult decision based on whether it was ethically right or wrong. Ethics could make the decision making process easier by helping to eliminate choices that would not benefit all parties involved. For instance, let’s say there is a company who produces steel wires for construction projects. They need to build a larger factory in order to keep up with the demand. They are a fairly small operation, but complex in that they use dangerous chemicals in the finishing of their products. They have found a couple of locations which meet their needs; one in a location that is isolated a far from any residential areas, the other is located directly on a river that flows into a lake used for recreational purposes. The first location is considerably cheaper and would add an additional 30 minutes to the current employees commute. The second is closer and less expensive. In making the decision on where to build, management must consider the ethical ramifications to the environment. If they were to build near the river there would be a chance of chemical run off that would pollute the river and ultimately the lake. The use of ethics in the decision making process would make it easier to eliminate this location as an option and help to justify the additional expense and commute. Ethics could also make the decision making process harder by adding another layer of complexity to the problem. Take for instance, the issue of stem cell research. The research is performed on human embryos which some say is an unethical practice. Others say that using stem cells for research will make technological advances in medicine that cannot be achieved in other ways. These groups are opposed to the ban on federal funding for research that involved human embryo research (Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics). In the meantime, there are many diseases in which the cure points to more search in the area of stem cells. This research could help to save lives, but it is being held up due to the ethical beliefs of opposing parties. How should ethics be used in business? Ethical decision making should be a method by which decisions are made for the good of all people. Ethics should provide a code of behavior that is used as a base for all decision making. They should provide specific guidelines that ensure that decisions are always made in the interest of helping or protecting the rights of people. Many professional groups had specific practices by which they are expected to adhere as stated by Larry Colero of the U. B.C. Centre for Applied Ethics; â€Å"professional associations have codes of ethics that prescribe required behavior within the context of a professional practice such as medicine, law, accounting, or engineering. † These types of associations lay the ground rules in the decision making process. What are the ethical implications of the decision? Ethical implications in the decision making process could have a positive and negative outcome. I do believe that if a decision is not made in an ethical manner, the outcome will be negative. Using ethical decision making will most likely provide a positive outcome. Although it may not benefit the bottom line, it will surely benefit the community and the company long term. The negative implications come from situations where the decision is made without consideration for ethics. A sales person who is desperate to make quota for the quarter sells a product to the customer even though the customer does not need the product at this time. The customer may feel that the sales person does not have their best interest in heart and take their business elsewhere. Initially, the sales person benefited from an unethical decision, but in the long run, this type of decision making did not pay off. From a positive perspective, if the sales person had used ethical decision making, his sales may have increased not only through this one particular customer, but also from referrals due to the excellent customer service he/she had provided. Initially, the numbers may not have been satisfactory, but the long term results might have overcome the initial down turn. Conclusion Utilizing the principles of ethics in the decision making process will help to ensure that decisions made are fair and respect the rights of those parties involved. Unfortunately, ethical decision making is only as morally sound as the person making the decision. If the person making the decision is does not live by an ethical code, the decision will be swayed in the direction of that belief. Therefore, in order to make sound ethical decisions, decision makers must constantly evaluate their own beliefs and strive to live in an ethical manner. References Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics, (n. d. ), On human embryos and stem cell research: An appeal for legally and ethically responsible science and public policy. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: May 18, 2002 http://www. stemcellresearch. org/statement/statement. htm Colero, L. , (n. d. ) A framework for universal principles of ethics. Retrieved from the World Wide Web. May 18, 2002 http://www. ethics. ubc. ca/papers/invited/colero. html Pearson Custom Publishing, (1999-2002) Ethics. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: May 15, 2002 http://www. pearsoncustom. com/link/humanities/philosophy/crithink/ethics. html Markula Center for Applied Ethics, (1995-1998) A framework for ethical decision making. Retrieved from the World Wide Web. May 15, 2002. http://www. scu. edu/SCU/Centers/Ethics/practicing/deci3sion/framework. html.

Dead Poets Society †Belonging Essay

I have written some introductory paragraphs for you if you are thinking about using the film Dead Poets Society as a related text. You will need to include a paragraph that examines TWO scenes, with film techniques, and discuss how the concept of Belonging is explored in these scenes if you wish to use this text Q – The challenge to belong may be resisted or embraced. The challenge to belong may be resisted or embraced and this concept is explored in detail in Peter Weir’s film, Dead Poets Society. In this film we go on a journey with the student body of Welton Academy, an exclusive private school, and English teacher John Keating as they re-form the Dead Poets Society in the hope of exloring their own dreams. Eventually though, this act is seen as defying the honour code of belonging to the school and as the boys choose to embrace their individuality they are met with tragic consequences. The â€Å"four pillars† of Welton are established in the beginning of the film and this sets the tone for the expectations of the Welton community. In the opening scenes the headmaster praises the school, its tradition and its performance and the audience is left with no doubt that to belong to Welton means to unquestioningly abide by the â€Å"four pillars† tradition, honour and discipline. To do so, as the rest of the film goes on to show, means to conform at the expense of any individual passions or pursuits, success is measured by adhering to the group expectations rather than individual goals. John Keating does not belong at Welton, not just because of his progressive teaching methods, but because he encourages boys to think and act for themselves, to change, not to conform. He incites them to take risks and break rules in pursuit of individual pleasures. The theme of resisting the challenge to belong is most sharply focused on the relationship between Neil and his father.

Personal essay for university application Statement

Essay for university application - Personal Statement Example I am the eldest of the child in my family and first to graduate among brothers and sisters with a bachelor’s degree in marketing with minor in management information system. I am the first female member of my family to graduate however both my parents are educated and well-respected in their own field. My father has a degree in civil engineering and I consider him as my role model to follow his footsteps. Since my family has a private business in real estate and banking sector therefore like my father, I also plan to contribute to my family business of banking. My Grandfather was one of the founders of the Qatar Commercial Bank and by having a degree in Islamic Finance, I plan to join Banking and be part of the exciting and emerging field of Islamic finance which is fast becoming the banking of choice in many countries. During my studies for BBA, I took internship at the United Development Co and my job was in business to business relations. It was a wonderful experience to directly work with the smaller businesses in real life and help them evolve their marketing and business systems so that they can evolve and improve their chances for survival. This experience has allowed me to actually understand what the problems of the businesses are and how little external help can actually provide the lifeline to these firms. I also realized that access to finance is one of the key to the success of these firms. I believe that a degree in Islamic Finance can actually help me to better understand the field of Islamic Finance and how small businesses can actually benefit from this. I also believe that a degree in Islamic Finance can actually help me to bring in innovative and new ideas to my family business and help it grow to serve the wider needs of the Qatar’s economy. My experience, education and family ground allow me to learn the Islamic Finance at highest level and earn a degree which can certainly add

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Assignment Example Through focusing on the activities instead on the departments, activity based costing allows the management which is activity based, to become an active catalyst for the improvement of product quality and business procedure reengineering (Lewis, 1995). It provides exactness in the costing process in relation to the end-customers of product, product line, the inventory-keeping units utilized by the organization and the category and channels which reorganize the product flow from the manufacturer to the end customer. This method better supports to understand the perception of the overhead costs which means allocation of widespread business resources because they are utilised by definite product lines as well as their relation towards exact cost driver (Lobo and Paulo, 1998). This method works best with up gradation and quality improvement programs. One special feature of this method is that it imitates the actual process of business, as the requisition of widespread pool resources occurs in the similar way as the common resources are utilised in the firm (Lobo and Paulo, 1998). It offers a more exact method of service/product costing, therefore leading towards perfect pricing decision. This method also increases the understanding of cost drivers and overheads; and makes non-value adding and costly activities more noticeable, thereby facilitating managers to eliminate or reduce them (Cgma, 2014). Activity based costing enables efficient challenge of the operating costs in order to find enhanced ways of assigning as well as eliminating overheads. It also supports the technique of performance management, for example continuous management (Cgma, 2014). This method will help Berry Ltd. to determine which products, resources, and services are actually increasing their productivity and which are causative to the losses. Supervisors are then capable to produce data in order to generate an enhanced budget

One page analysis of mental health current event Essay - 1

One page analysis of mental health current event - Essay Example The study surveyed 200 Spanish-speaking Latinos, of which 83% were women and all were from the lower-income group and who showed varying degrees of depression during the screening process. When they were questioned about whether they were trustworthy, nearly 51% of the participant’s response affirmed that they stigmatized their condition. On further analysis of their response to the treatment it was found that about 22% of the individuals were not taking proper medications, 21% were unable to take steps to control their condition and 44% were likely to have missed scheduled appointments with their doctors. It is conclusive from the study that the presence of a stigma is definitely a barrier for the treatment process. Researchers studying mental health have suggested that physicians need to find alternative ways to enable such people with depression come out of their stigma rather than stick to the conventional methods. The alternative methods should help depressed individuals to put back negative thoughts and abide to the treatment regimen which will lead to faster recovery. Thus the article throws an insight to stigmas that are associated with depression which only tend to compound the condition and lengthen the recovery process. While this study reviewed Latinos, there are many other who are stigmatized about mental illness and more such studies need to be done in order to have a broader view about the issue and find suitable

The Lady Eve review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Lady Eve review - Essay Example In this film, Rowans father is willing to do anything for his sick son. He is seen traveling a long journey to seek treatment for his son who was discovered with Autism disease. The father has played a parenting role as he overcomes all the challenges along the way without giving up. A society has a power to determine how children grow and their future character. It is imperative for parents to give and offer the right morals and guidance to their children for better molding in a society. One of the major differences between Ai Wei-Wei and Banksy is that Ai Wei-Wei used graffiti art while Bankysy used street art. Bankysy was a filmmaker who used art to deliver his message. He was voted as one of the most influential persons in the world. He is put in the same category with the alike of Obama and lady gaga. He mainly displaces his art on publically visible places such as walls. On the other hand, Wei-Wei was a filmmaker and activist in China. His use of art was considered as destructive. He uses Scarecrow to deliver his message in the street of China. Art is a variety of human activities and the resulting product of those activities that usually involve technical and imaginative skills. These activities include criticism of work, work of art production, the study of art, and dissemination of art. Art focuses on the production of visual art that includes the creation of object or image, painting, printmaking, and photography. Art can be mainly be used for educating a s ociety. One of the place where you can display art include on public streets and roads. A good example where you can use art is when you want to challenge a governments decision to ignore public opinion. One can decide to use art to educate people about the serious consequences of the governments choice of action or decision. Art is very effective way of communication and educating a society. The book of Kells is sometimes known as

Re-write an old report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Re-write an old report - Essay Example An electronic chart is ECIDIS only if it adheres to the performance standards authorized by International Maritime Organization (IMO).Basic measure of IMO standard is; feature assessment, and functions for a safe utility to serve the navigation purpose (IMO, 1995).With integrated Global Positioning System (GPS), ECDIS assist and enhance navigation performance by automatically determining the position (Gould et al.2009).In this way locating position becomes a simplified task, however, according to Sauer et al. (2002)the system monitoring requirement increases with ECDIS. But ECDIS has got edge which can not be ignored. Its most important advantage is designing and monitoring. Route designing was manually done in past, ECDIS made it much easier and the process more efficient. Moreover, manual designing can damage the chart and can hide important description on the chart (Yu-xin et al. 2004). 2.1.The basic purpose of Transas Navi-Sailor 3000 ECDIS Navi-Sailor 3000 provides the navigator with all the information from different navigational sensors presented in electronic navigational chart. All the information provided at on chart assist in ensuring a safe passage. Route planning functionality is enhanced by different functions and integrations (ZORA, 2009).According to TRANSAS (2009), Navi-Sailor 3000 is developed to not only meet SOLAS convention but also to meet the requirement of IMO resolution to be implemented in all commercial vessels and Military ships. 2.2. Feature Appraisal of Navi-Sailor 3000 Software Navi-Sailor 3000 ECDIS assist the navigator in understanding marine environment by numerous functions and features. Nearly all the features that ensure safe navigation are available by the software, for instance, beacons, buoys, lighthouses, areas, and dangerous objects. Some of the functions used are: Positioning Route planning and monitoring Alarms Electronic log and Playback Function ECDIS and Navi-Sailor 3000 Integration 2.2.1. Positioning The system is fully prepared to assist the navigator by providing all the essential information. Current ship position and motion vector is displayed at top position as shown in figure 1.In addition, radar/ARPA information and AIS data is also obtained from this system. Furthermore, Navi-Sailor 3000 also provides a feature of ship contour display according to parameters and chart scale. Additional date is obtained from system’s navigational sensors. Figure 1: Current ship position (TRANSAS, 2009) 2.2.2 Route planning and monitoring Through route planning feature, Navi-Sailor 3000 ECDIS provide; geographical data, such as course and waypoints, scheduled information, such as, estimated time of arrival and departure, and average speed, weather calculations and other updated information. In addition to route planning function, ‘Check Route’ function is also available. It enables route checking from threats to navigation. There are customization options to set the mode by user acc ording to varying safety contours and depth. Planned route can also be checked and amended simultaneously. In addition to route planning and checking, planned route can also be monitored by Navi-Sailor 3000

The Biome of Hawaii Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Biome of Hawaii - Essay Example In addition, the website provided the average temperature: 75 degrees to 88 degrees Fahrenheit from April to November, and 68 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit from December to March, with an average water temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Encarta Online Encyclopedia (2007), eight main islands, namely Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Niihau and Kauai take almost the state's entire area of 28,311 square kilometer, with 98 sq. m. of inland water. The other part is composed of islets, coral reefs, and shoals. Thus, it is considered to be one of the smallest state in America. Hawaii did not escape the bad effects of deforestation, pollution, global warming, and human selfishness. The Nature Conservancy (2008) cries, "Climate change is already affecting our lives and the places we live, and has the potential to dramatically impact the lives of future generations." The plant life in the islands are mostly sets of coconut palm trees which are usually seen near the beaches, uncommon plants such as mesquite, koa haole, cactus, drought resistant grasses, wiliwili, naio, bastard sandalwood, niihau, kahoolawe, kukui, lantana, and alien weeds.

Contemporary HR and Management Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Contemporary HR and Management Practices - Essay Example Therefore, it is the firm's workforce that provides the competitive advantage for companies, using its knowledge, commitment, skills and training. This is where the Human Resource Management's inevitable role comes to play. It devises policies that not only aim to improve organizational performance fostering innovation and flexibility, but also to improve employee well being. The human resource management uses mechanisms to build healthy two-way communication; provides healthy compensation, fair treatment and employee securities and career development and growth opportunities for all employees. Such HR activities deal with areas like employee morale, motivation, and performance; and workforce recruitment, retention, and turnover, which in turn increases various aspects of employee well being. As mentioned in the beginning, the changing scenario of working conditions and increasing competition due to globalization and rising awareness in customers, firms have to take decisions that not always end up in the best interest of the employees. Despite the capable policies of human resources and management in favor of the employees, contemporary HR and management practices do not succeed in meeting the promises of assuring well-being of the employees. Instead, the de-layering, restructuring and downsizing efforts of the HR and management of the firms are leading to work intensification. Work intensification is the extent to which employees are being forced to work faster and harder than they have been before. Where these decisions and policies cut financial and operational costs substantially, these are having inevitable impact on work intensification. In order to save their jobs and work up to the expectations of the management, employees have to perform more than they ever did before. The workforce has to get multi skilled in order to perform multiple tasks and give improved productivity. Not just to save jobs and survive in the organization, the workforce has to bear with the work intensification because of the performance related pay systems. The HR and management practices the productivity related compensation, which is originally intended to improve motivation and satisfaction amongst employees. Although such practices alongside add to the intensity of work and tasks and adversely affect the employee well being. A report specially made by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Job Insecurity and Work Intensification, says that work uncertainty amongst professional workers has become more severe in the 1990s. More than 60 percent of employees assert that the speed of work and the effort they have to put into their jobs has amplified over the past five years. Fright of joblessness is not the only facet of work uncertainty. Although many workers are not unjustifiably anxious about losing their jobs, they are particularly concerned about the loss of esteemed job features, such as their rank and prospect for promotion. The report concludes that the core reason of work uncertainty and work intensification happens to be the decreased recruitment levels pursued by

Analyze the causes of the obesity epidemic affecting Americans Essay

Analyze the causes of the obesity epidemic affecting Americans children - Essay Example Obesity affects not only adults, but also children and youth. It has become a serious health problem and has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. More than this, it is threatening to become a global epidemic. There are four main factors that can cause obesity: the environment, a person’s eating habits, physical activity, and genetics. First of all, the environment plays the most important role in obesity. In the current environment of the United States, American children have access to unhealthy foods throughout schools and society in general. American children spend most of their time at school. Because they are there for so long, they need to have meals, drinks, and snacks there. However, most schools in the United States provide a great deal of unhealthy foods such as fried foods, hamburgers, and sugary drinks through vending machines, the school cafeteria, at fundraising events, and at sporting events. In contrast, there is a lack of healthy food choices such as vegetables and fresh fruit. Children who are always eating unhealthy food may gain body fat more easily, and this increases calories, which leads to obesity. Moreover, in society, fast food restaurants exist almost everywhere. The typical boulevard has at least four fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, and Jack in the Box. Among these fast food restaurants, McDonald is the most popular. The documentary Super Size Me states that â€Å"McDonald’s represents around 43 percent of the American fast food market.† In addition, there are many fast food restaurants that are located close to high schools and colleges. The reason is that it is convenient for students to have their lunch nearby their place of study. Furthermore, advertising is also an environmental factor that may lead to greater obesity. The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation released a study in 2007 stating that, â€Å"many food companies

Nissan Motors Essay Example for Free

Nissan Motors Essay Dramatic loss in 2008 was wake up call for Nissan Motors Head Office, and the CEO of the company has conducted a meeting with fellow managements and shareholders to discuss the recovery plan for the company. As a result, he came up with Five year recovery plan detailed below. 1. Categorise by geographically- they categorised their market into three regions: Americas, Asians, AMIE which includes Africa, Middle East, India and Europe includes Russia. Each regions manufactured car will be sold in the nearby countries, saving transport cost. 2. Change in targeted customers- theres been sale increase in China and India, Nissan focused on selling more cars to those areas instead of the main customers such as USA, by doing that theyre making cars that meets the certain countries, for example in Japan, people buy car to get from A to B, whereas in Europe, people tend to go for money saving cars (eco-friendly/efficient 3. Reducing overall wage bill- means Nissan stopped hiring new staff, cut overtime, and introduced work sharing. Also, they made redundant of 20,000 workers in high cost countries including 1,500 in the UK. In Asia, they temporarily reduced salaries of cooperate officers by 25%, general managers by 20%, and other staff around 15% and eliminated bonuses and compensations. 4. Scrap scheme- In 2009, 10y+ cars can be exchanged for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2000 towards their new car. It encouraged people to buy new car to help car manufactures to grow, bring more customers and replaced old cars with new ones. Nissans Scrap Scheme They extended the scheme for drivers exchanging 8-10 year old car to buy any British build range that includes any new Nissan Micra, Nissan Note, Nissan Qashqai. That means some people managed to buy British built Nissan Micra for as little as à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5,995. CONCLUSIONS From the table above, it is clear that it has been a wake up call for the company. They recognised it quickly and came up with a solution that has worked for them perfectly. According to BBC website, they published that Nissan Motors recovered fully in three years instead of five, which is great news, however they cannot sit back and relax as the global economy is not yet fully recovered and there is a chance that foreign currency might fall and rise anytime again. Press are saying that they recovered, but according to the speech of the CEO of Nissan Motors, hes claiming that they are still in their recovery mode and continuing to watch their expenses and preparing for any event that might come up in the future. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.bbc.co.uk

Impact of ISO 9000 on Business Performance

Impact of ISO 9000 on Business Performance Introduction International Organisation for Standard (ISO) is based in Geneva. It is a worldwide body founded in 1946 to promote and develop the international standard and related activities to facilitate the exchange of goods and services nationwide (Randall, 1995). ISO inaugurated a technical committee on quality management and quality assurance to develop a universally accepted set of quality standard. In 1987 ISO published the ISO 9000 standard series on quality management and assurance based on the commendable work of the committee (Hoyle, 2006). These standards were also revised in 1994 and 2000 respectively, and the most recent called ISO 9000:2000 family of standard. Many writers have come up with several but related definition of ISO 9000. Hoyle (2006) defined ISO 9000 as: â€Å"A criteria that apply to the management of an organisation when determining customers needs and expectation and supplying product and services that are intended to satisfy those needs and expectations.† Martinez-Costa et al.(2004) also defined ISO 9000 as an effective system for the evaluation of the ability of an organisation to design produce, and deliver quality products and services consistently. Sun et al.(2004) also has it that the standard provides guideline for organisations for establishing of their quality management systems â€Å"by focusing on procedures, control, and documentation†. The Science and Engineering policy Studies Unit (SEPSU) came up with a more summarized definition for the ISO 9000 family of standard. ISO 9000 was defined as being about quality systems and about consistency. It aims to give customers confidence in their suppliers by assuring them that the suppliers have in place management processes that deliver consistency (SEPSU study,1994).The study also stated that IS0 9000 encourages but never in itself directly assures product quality. From the above definitions, it could by deduced that ISO 9000 is only a criteria or process to be followed to achieve quality, and not the quality itself. Research problem and study purpose The definition given by SEPSU study clearly explained the role of ISO 9000. Still, many issues remains unaddressed. Firstly, surveys has it that despite the fact that several organisations spend so much resources in obtaining certification of the ISO 9000 standard , there seems to be other motive for seeking the certification and which therefore influences the outcome of the their business (Gotzamani and Tsiotras,2002; Idris et al.,1996).There are organisations that seek certification just for market purposes (Hoyel, 2007), and some also consider it as path of continuous improvement for the company (Stone,2003; Goetsch and Davis, 2005). However studies have shown that customers prefer products from suppliers that are ISO 9000 certified (Taylor, 1995a; Witcher, 1993). This means organisations are now forced to obtain certification in whatever way possible. As a result of these hurry for certification, the European Commissions Directorate for industry which is a high profile regulatory group has questioned the effectiveness of the certification since many European firms are not sure if the certification actually infuses quality into their organisations (Stratton, 1994). The purpose of this paper is to address the problem above by examining critically if the ISO 9000 standard does improve business performance or not, by testing the strength of the relationship between the ISO 9000 certification and organisational performance. Research Question and study objectives â€Å"ISO 9000 is only a beginning; it provides a mechanism with which to bring about systematic improvement but it does not improve performance byitself†. Paying attention to the above statement made by Hoyle (1994) on the value of ISO 9000 certification and its diverse nature, the following questions will be clearly investigated in this work: Does ISO 9000 certification have a significant positive effect on business performance? What is the organisational attitude towards ISO 9000 certification? Providing answers to these questions above will lead to a clearer understanding of the impact of ISO 9000 certification on business/organisational performance. It will also guide to a realistic management expectation of business value of ISO 9000 certification in an organisation and the knowledge that gaining an ISO 9000 certification is noting similar to creating quality organisation. Research methodology This research seeks to review some extant theoretical literatures and web-based sources on the impact of ISO 9000 on business performance. It is important to acknowledge that major researches on ISO 9000 have been conducted via postal questionnaire (Magd, 2003, 2004, 2008; Bhuiyan and Alam, 2005, Douglas et al., 2003; Batchelor, 1992) which is a more standard, practical approach and gives less room for bias. Literature review The literature review identified quiet some articles that deals with impact of ISO 9000 on businesses in quality and reliability management studies. Despite the perceived benefit of the ISO 9000 certification, only few studies have examined if ISO 9000 certified organisations do actually perform good than non-ISO 9000 certified organisations. These studies include 🙠 Magd, 2008; Terziovski et al., 2003; Lee, 2003; Chow-chua; 2003; Sun, 2000; Dick et al., 2002; Heras et al., 2002a etc.). Several papers associated with ISO 9000 are mainly focused on the qualitative benefits associated with its certification, like communication and general understanding of the companys process, and not the quantitative benefits. Some literatures also focused on what to do to gain ISO certification. Perceived benefit of ISO 9000 certification ISO 9000 certification bodies such as the British Standards Institute (BSI), Lloyds Registers Quality Assurance (LRQA) and SGS, have claimed some benefit of ISO 9000 such as: Bringing recognition and reputation at the market place, increasing customers satisfaction, high profit margin (www.BSI-GLOBAL.com). Reduction in waste, competitive advantage, formalize management system (www.SGS.com). Magd (2008) listed some benefits like improvement in documentation and improvement in efficiency of the quality system are among the top perceived benefits of ISO 9000 in an empirical survey conducted on the Egyptian manufacturing sector. In another investigation in a servicing company in the UK industries, Douglas et al. (2003) found that the main external benefit of the ISO 9000 was the higher perceived quality from the customers, and the main internal benefit being â€Å"good documentation procedure†. In another research carried out by chow-chua et al. (2003), highest numbers of respondents agreed that expansion in international market was the internal motive, and improvement in customer satisfaction as the external factor for seeking ISO 9000 certification. However, an empirical study conducted by Heras et al (2002a) conclusively stated that the major benefits sought from ISO 9000 is profit improvement (see Table i below for illustration). In another negative vein, in a st udy conducted in China involving 194 manufacturing and servicing sector, a good number of respondents expressed the view that ISO 9000 will not have direct effect on companies business performance (Dang, 2007). In fact; Lima (2000) also supports this view. This variation in survey results only proves a point â€Å" That the implementation and the impact of ISO 9000 standards vary from organisation to organisation and from country to country†, these variation is as a result of the various organisational context and the level of the countries awareness of quality management practice ( Magd , 2004). ISO Certification Quality management system Quality improvement Business performance Profitability Certified to ISO 9000 standard The approved quality Management System brings an Increased emphasis on quality and how it may be achieved consistently Internal: Less waste and duplication of effort External: quality received by customers improves Reduced costs Improves Competitiveness Fewer customer defections so sales increase Badge of quality opens more sale opportunities Cost of sales reduces leading to increased profits Profitability benefits from scale economies and lower sales acquisition cost Driving forces for seeking ISO 9000 certification Juran (1995) has said that the main reason for an organisation seeking quality certification is â€Å"maintenance or market expansion†. In a survey by Madg (2008), the question was the deferent reasons for seeking of certification. These options were being limited to 14. The response rate was 35 percent, (see Table ii next page). The participants were asked to rate the significance of these reasons on a five- point scale. In response to improve the efficiency of the quality system and to achieve customer satisfaction took the top position. However, improve employees relations and capturing workers knowledge came below the list. (Table ii): Driving forces for seeking ISO 9000:2000 certification RANK DRIVING FORCES M SD 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. To improve the efficiency quality of the quality system To achieve customer satisfaction Pressure from competitors/foreign partners To maintain/increase market shears Avoid potential export barrier To meet government demands, requirements or pressure To achieve quality improvement To market product in the international arena To use ISO as a marketing promotion tool To be a step towards TQM To achieve cost reduction To meet corporate objectives To improve employees relation Capturing workers knowledge 4.71 4.68 4.64 4.62 4.60 4.56 3.71 3.64 3.47 3.29 3.19 2.24 2.17 2.14 0.42 0.48 0.49 0.50 0.57 0.60 1.02 1.10 1.42 1.30 1.27 1.20 1.18 1.09 NOTE: The Mean score is based on participants level of agreement with each statement on a scale of 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = Strongly agree; a mean score above 4 indicates high, between 3 and 4 indicates moderate and a score of less than 3 indicates a low level of agreement; SD = Standard Deviation. Another good example is the Science and Engineering Policy Studies Unit in the UK (SEPSU study,1994).This study took 28 survey on many different issues among these were the same as Magd (2008), reasons organisations seek certification and the effectiveness of the certification. There appears to be a motive some managers adopt certification. The commonly cited driving force for seeking ISO 9000 however, was customer pressure. This, therefore, results in less improvement in organisational performance (Park et al., 2007; Singles et al., 2001). The problem with this type of analysis is that it lacks the strength to show the relationship between ISO 9000 certification and organisational performance .However, it gives some useful results. Business value of ISO 9000 A more comprehensive empirical survey on quality practice is the International quality study (American Quality Foundation,1991).The study surveyed 500 banking, computer, automobile ,and health care organisations in Japan, Canada, USA, and Germany. The result of this survey was that some quality practices, most especially supplier certificate and process improvement which is aided by ISO 9000 indeed have some significant effect on performance. (Prubhu et al., 2000) also supports this fact. Similarly, a study in Australia by the Australian Manufacturing council (AMC study, 1994) whose approach was to analyze the methods and approach used by the Australian and New Zealand manufacturing organisations in quality management practice. The result was that more than 50 percent of the ISO 9000 certified firms agreed that ISO 9000 certification was a significant factor in the improvement of their business performance. Managers of certified firms has therefore agreed that certification increases customer perception of product quality, and such perception can often be effective in wining new customers (Cermen Escanciano et al.,2001). Firms are been advised in the AMC study ( 1994) that certification is not a substitute for quality product and services. The AMAC study has been criticized for its data analysis methodology (Terziovski et al.,1997). Organisations can achieve certification but still produce a poor quality product (Zuckerman, 1997; Hertz; 1997). Furthermore, certification could cause managers to have a self-satisfied attitude towards quality. There is this risk of also bringing in some poor practices through the certification process. It will be the best practice if organisations could set a quality standard for themselves well above the minimum being outlined by ISO 9000, and also seek ways to improve (Terziovski et al., 2003). Batchelor (1992) surveyed 647 certified manufacturing and service companies in the United Kingdom, and discovered that 15 percent of the respondents that participated thought they had gained business value on nine dimensions of organisational performance, which include: â€Å"customer satisfaction, waste and cost, market share, new customers, procedural efficiency, staff motivation, staff attitudes, and error rate†. A quite impressive body in management and quality literatures has pointed out that the major reason backing organisations decision to adopt ISO 9000 system is due to perceived marketing benefits (Lloyds Register, 1993). A survey carried out by Sun (1999) did some remarkable investigations on ISO 9000 certified firms in Norway. The survey reveals that â€Å"ISO 9000 and quality are correlated†. This was known to be in respect of the reduction of customer complaints, defects, and improvement of business performance in productivity and profitability. Supporting these facts Heras et al.(2001) reported that organisations that has implemented ISO 9000 standard have successfully been able to project themselves to achieve continuous improvement, competitive advantage, and are better-run organisation. Zairi and Baidoun (2003) also supports this fact. Magd (2003) in another study conducted at Saudi Arabia involving 140 ISO 9000 certified manufacturing firms. Using a questionnaire as a means of primary data collection, this relied on the use of five-point likert scale. The study suggested 20 possible benefit of ISO 9000 of which the respondents were asked to rate the extent to which ISO 9000 affect these elements. These rating were to be from â€Å"crucial effect† to â€Å"no effect†. From the results of the survey, improvement in efficiency of the quality system, increased quality awareness in the firms, improvement in customer service, and increase in quality of product was seen as of benefits ISO 9000 certification among the Egyptian manufacturing companies. McAdam and canning (2001) in another assessment of the impact of ISO 9000 on the performance decided to focus his study on the building construction companies in Northern Ireland. The methodology used was to conduct a semi interview with six surveying practitioners on their view on ISO 9000.This finding obtained was then used to develop and structure a questionnaire towards the study purpose. Out of about 66 questionnaires posted, 52 usable ones were returned. The result was that ISO 9000 certified firms indicated some internal benefit in varying degree. 35 percent agreed that they have improvements in management systems, 24 percent had improved service quality, 12 percent agreed they had developed clearer communication, and 6 percent of the respondents believed that ISO 9000 â€Å"increases profit ratio†. In summary, this research brings to light that majority of the respondents share the view that ISO 9000 has a significant impact on business performance, because of there is more benefit as compared to the demerits. In a survey conducted by Douglas et al.(2003) questionnaires were being forwarded to 200 quality managers/representatives in UK industries. Among these 200, 120 were from the service sectors while 80 were from the manufacturing sector. The simple task was for them to indicate the financial benefit of the ISO 9000. 104 usable questionnaires were received. 53 percent claimed they dont perceive any benefit with regards to staff motivation. 45 percent of the respondents said that their organisation did not achieve any benefit with regards to cost and waste reduction. Despite the contradictory figures a whopping 75 percent believe ISO 9000 to be a good value for money. This reaction may likely be in connection with the fact that they now gained the ability to tender for contracts previously not realistic. Another investigation was carried out by Musa et al (2003) which involves a different approach altogether. This survey compared the performance of ISO 9000 certified and non-certified Turkish firms by using their stock market returns. The list of the monthly returnes of these firms was gotten from the Istanbul Stock Exchange ISE (2001) market of Turkey from January 1977 to December 2000.One hundred and three (103) of these firms are ISO 9000 certified while one hundred and seventeen (117) where non-satisfied. Based on the objective of the research, two main hypotheses were made: H1 – ISO 9000 certified firms have higher stock market returns than non-ISO 9000 certified firms H2 – ISO 9000 certified firms have lower variability. This type of analysis of using the stock market returns of firms has some limitation since limited number of companies might meet the criteria to be listed in the stock market. Also the survey was measuring only the exports excluding the regional returns in this analysis. Considering the literature review so far, it appears that some managers have failed to distinguish conformance from performance. This is because they have not yet understood the primary role of ISO 9000 certification. ISO 9000 is a conformance specification that shows that the company has a system which is capable of giving a quality goods and services (Teziovski et al.; 1997). The willingness of the management and the employees to use and accept the standard in their day to day activities also depends on this capacity. Askey and Dale (1994) has it that managers tend to divert from the original practices after gaining ISO 9000 certification, which often result in managers engaging their workforce in preventive actions, after much damage has been done already (Brown, 1994). Performance specification on the other hand falls on the tools and techniques, and requires the employees to use the certification process as part of improvement initiative (Allan, 1993). The major problem that emerges from the review is the managers perception of the ISO certification as the answer rather than a tool to an answer. There is a general view in the literature that certification is a potential path to Total Quality Management (Sun, 2000). Barrier to ISO 9000 effective implementation Some assessments were performed to identify the perceived barriers that might add to the ineffective implementation of ISO 9000 in Egyptian manufacturing organisations by Magd (2008). Some numbers of barriers were extracted to perform this study. The respondents were being required to rate these barriers on a five point scale. From â€Å"strongly disagree†=1 to â€Å"strongly agree†=5. As explained in the research there was consecutive agreement among the Egyptians manufacturer that top management commitment, lack of qualified personnel, insufficient quality education and training, lack of financial resources, and failure to define responsibility were among the top barriers for an effective implementation for ISO 9000. Top management commitment was the most important barrier because if an organisation is lagging in management commitment, the employees do not tend to prioritize the quality management system, which will therefore affect the implementation of the quality m anagement (Lee, 2004; Magd, 2003; Bhuiyan and Alam, 2005). Boiral and Marie-Josee (2007) made it clear that lack of managers and employers commitment, difficulty in understanding the quality management system, meeting and system development, time involved in training and difficulty in overcoming the communication barriers are common factors against the implementation of ISO 9000 standard. Another similar study conducted in Singapore by Quazi and Padibjo (1998) explained that high cost of implementation, extra effort in documentation, shortage of manpower, resistance at supervisory levels, lack of management commitment and employee resistance to change are among the top barriers. These finding should be a significant factor to stakeholders in a business. The barrier to be eliminated can easily be identified so that the standard could be implemented effectively. Criticism of ISO 9000 certification Seddon (1997a) a strong critic of ISO 9000 expresses the view that a number of operations that are associated with ISO 9000 are actually not fully optimized within the work place. According to Douglas et al. (2003) the view of some critics of ISO 9000 is that â€Å"some organisations whose objective was TQM (Total Quality Management), implementing ISO 9000 took them away from achieving that objective†. The issue of cost of registration and implementation has also been stressed (Dick, 2000), in that the costs are greater than the desired benefit. (Douglas et al.,2003) in their survey asked participants to indicate a five-point scale the extent they agree with some statement against ISO 9000 (See table iii). From the survey, 53 percent of the respondents did disagree with Gotzamani and Tsiotras (2001) on the view that ISO 9000 sub-optimize performance in a workplace. On the argument about continuous improvement, Lee (2004) argued that 1SO 9000 only introduces improvement through prevention and correction of non performance. These critics has argued that achieving ISO 9000 certification does not mean quality as organisation may still be certified and still give poor quality output. The consistency and the role of the assessors of this standard have been questioned by previous researches (Killman and Stanford, 1996). Criticism Strongly disagree Disagree Neither Agree Strongly agree ISO 9000 promotes action which results in sub-optimization of performance. ISO 9000 a step backwards in the guess of TQM. ISO 9000 relies too heavily on other, in particular assessors interpretation of quality. ISO 9000 can only be effective if accompanied by a culture change. It is easy to be ISO 9000 certified yet produce poor quality output. ISO 9000 will only control output; quality is about improving output. 12 14 8 0 1 9 53 65 44 8 19 35 27 19 22 14 9 20 9 2 23 54 54 33 0 0 3 24 18 4 Findings From the random-sample carried out in this research, it will be practical to conclude that quality studies have been able to identify two main sections of which quality impacts business performance: In terms of manufacturing aspect which involves the increase in employee quality awareness, improve in internal quality process, reduction in production cost and increased productivity, reduces defect and wastage, improves operational performance. Marketing aspects where it increases costumers satisfaction, and market performance, and ability to tender for business. It also exposed how companies clutch for ISO 9000 certification as if it was a remedy for their quality control problem. Limitations of the study Several limitation of this study must be mentioned. In contrast to previous studies, which used survey, questionnaires and average monthly stock market returns of the organisations to examine their performance, which is wide, more stable, consistent and provides less room for bias or error. This study is based on collection of secondary data on the impact of ISO 9000 in business performance. Conclusions and Recommendations This work did analyze the result of implementing the ISO 9000 standard in business. From the opinions of researches reviewed in this paper it is of no doubt that the implementation of these standards has an effect on organisational performance. There is a very high consensus regard to the influence of ISO 9000 on a companys results, mainly through operation improvement, and the cost of companies internal activities. Despite the numbers of surveys on the impact of ISO 9000 on business, this review identified that few surveys have focused on Africa. Further researches should be focused on these developing countries because it is on this basis the general impact of ISO 9000 can be determined. References Allan, M.J. (1993), â€Å"Implementation of ISO 9001/2 in large Australian manufactures†, unpublished Research Project, Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne. Australian Manufacturing Council Study, leading the way: A study of Best Manufacturing Practices in Australia and New Zealand, 1994, pp.59-63. Askey, J.M. and Dale B.G, (1994 )From ISO 9000 Series Registration to Total Quality Management†: An Examination, Quality Management Journal, pp.67-76. Batchelor, K. ( 1992 ), â€Å"Badge of quality†, Financial Times, September. Total Quality Management, Vol. 7 No.3, and pp.293 – 303. Bhuiyan, N. and Alam, N. (2005), â€Å"An investigation into issues related to the latest version of ISO 9000†, Total Quality Management, Vol. 16 No.2, pp.199-213. Boiral, O. and Roy, M.(2007) â€Å" Integration rationale and organisational impacts†, international Journal of operations and production management, Vol. 27 No 2, pp 226-247. Chow-Chua, C., Goh, M. and Wan, B.T. (2003), â€Å"Does ISO 9000 certification improve business performance?†, International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, Vol. 20 No. 8, pp. 936-53. Clements, Richard B., Quality Managers Complete Guide to ISO 9000. New Jersey: Prentice Hall (1993). Dale, B.G., Boaden, R.J. and Lascelles, D.M. (1994), â€Å"Total quality management: an overview†, in Dale, B.G. (Ed.), Managing Quality, Prentice-Hall I, international, Englewood Cliffs, NJ pp 3-40. Dang, L. (2008),†The impact of Quality management practices on business performance†:An empirical investigation from China. International journal of Quality and Reliability, Vol. 22 No 8, pp. 809-82. Dick, M.P.G. (2000), â€Å"ISO 9000 certification benefits, reality or myth?† The TQM Magazine, Vol.12 No.6, pp.365-71. Dick, G., Gilmore, K. and Brown, C.J. (2002), â€Å"Does ISO 9000 accreditation make a profound differences to the way service quality is perceived and measured?†, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 30-42. Douglas, A., Coleman, S. and Oddy, R. (2003), â€Å"The case for ISO 9000†, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 15 No. 5, pp. 316-24. Escanciano, C., Ferna ´ndez, E. and Va ´zquez, C. (2001), â€Å"Influence of ISO 9000 certification on the progress of Spanish industry towards TQM†, International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 481-94. Goetsch, D. and Davis, S. (2005), Understanding and Implementing ISO 9000: 2000, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Gotzamani, K.D. and Tsiotras, G.D. (2002), â€Å"The true motives behind ISO 9000 certification. Their effect on the overall certification benefits and their long term contributio TQM†, International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 151-69. Heras, I., Casadesus, M. and Dick, M.P.G. (2002a), â€Å"ISO 9000 certification and the bottom line: a comparative study of the profitability of Basque region companies†, Managerial Auditing Journal, Vol. 17 Nos 1/2, pp. 72-8. Heras, I., Casadesus, M. and Ochao, C. (2001) Vol. 9000, â€Å"Effects of ISO 9000 certification on companies profitability: an empirical study†, Integrated Management: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on ISO 9000 and TQM, pp. 60-65. Hertz, H.S. (1997), â€Å"The criteria: a looking glass to Americans understanding of quality†, Quality Progress, Vol. 30 No. 6, pp. 46-8. Howell, J.P., et al,(1986) â€Å" Moderator Variables in Leadership Research,† Academy of Management Review, Vol.11, no.1, pp.88-102. Hoyle, D.(2006),ISO 9000 Quality system handbook, Fifth edition, Butterworth-Heinemann publishers, Oxford. Hoyle, D. (1994), ISO 9000 Quality handbook, Reed Educational and Professional Publicizing Ltd,Oxford. Idris, M.A., McEwan, W. and Belavendram, N. (1996), â€Å"The adoption of ISO 9000 and total quality management in Malaysia†, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 8 No. 5, pp. 65-8. Juran, J.M. (1995), A History of Managing for Quality: The Evolution, Trends and Future Directions ofManaging for Quality, Vol. 109 No 1, pp 43 – 45. Killman, J. and Stanford, M.(1996),†Auditor evaluation System†, Quality world,January,pp10 -11 of ISO 9000†, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 88-94. Lee, Y.C. (2004), â€Å"TQM in small manufacturers: an exploratory study in China†, International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 175-97 Lee, S. K. and Palmer, E. (1999), â€Å"An empirical examination of ISO 9000- registered companies in New Zealand†, Total Quality Management, Vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 887-90. Lima, M., Resende, M. and Hasenclever, L. (2000), â€Å"Quality certification and performance of Brazilian firms: an empirical study†, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 66 No. 2, pp. 143-7. Lloyds Register Quality Assurance Limited: Setting Standards for Better Business, Report of survey Findings, 1993, pp1-10. Martinez-Lorente, A. and Martinez-Costa, M. (2004), â€Å"ISO 9000 and TQM: substitutes or complementaries? An empirical study in industrial companies†, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 260-76. McAdam, R. and Canning, N. (2001), â€Å"ISO in

Food Security and Nutrition Situation of Nepal

Food Security and Nutrition Situation of Nepal An Assignment on:  FOOD SECURITY ANALYSIS Submitted by: Bibek Thapa Bidhya Gautam Binod Rana Chandan Shilpakar Chiran Adhikari Chura Mani Bhusal   Dipak Shahi Deny Kumar Shrestha Dev Raj Gupta INTRODUCTION Nepal is a food deficit, land locked and least developed country, having a population of more than 27 million people. Around 31 percent people in the country live below poverty level. Around 49.3 percent of under-five children are chronically malnourished. Globally, Nepal ranks 144th out of 182 countries in terms of its Human Development Index (UNDP, 2009). Annual population growth rate of the country is 2.2 percent. It is estimated that the countrys population in 2025 will reach 40.5 million, with anticipated difficulties of fulfilling the food requirements. Nepalese economy dominated by agriculture, 65.6 % of total population is directly or indirectly depend on agriculture. Since last couple of years, population dependent on agriculture have been decreased (Sanjel, 2005). Apart from the small holding, other sources of income are livestock, wages, migration, etc. Of total income, 48 % from farm, 28 % from off-farm, 11 % from foreign remittance and 13 % from other source (WFP MoAC, 2009). Table 1: Nepal HDI Trend Year HDI 1980 0.309 1990 0.407 2000 0.5 2005 0.537 2006 0.547 2007 0.553 Source: HDR, 2009 The geography, political situation and cultural practices in the country are diverse. Peoples access to health facilities, schooling, employment opportunities and hygiene and care practices is limited. After 10 years of armed conflict (1996 -2006), the country is under a transitional period of establishing constitutional democracy after signing of a peace accord in November 2006 and the Constituent Assembly election held in April 2008. The decade long insurgency caused a loss of 13,347 lives in the country (UNDP, 2009 a). CONCEPT OF FOOD SECURITY: Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The concept of food security has four pillars (availability, access, utilization and stability). The issue of food security is multidimensional, that varies across countries, social groups and time. Widespread poverty is the major cause for food insecurity. Food insecurity and hunger remain pervasive in Nepal, not only in food deficit districts but also within marginalized communities in districts with surplus food production. Food and financial crisis is gradually increasing, chronic food insecurity since 1990 in Western hills (Adhikari and Bhole, 1999), and total number of food insecure people are 6.9 million (OCHA, 2008). Feudalism and labor arrangement system are also the reason for food insecurity. Consequences of food insecurity are that poor have already exhausted their saving to buy food, sold the property and increased school dropout. There is a correlation between areas of high poverty and high malnutrition and areas of most impacted by conflict. Nationally, 47 % of the land owning HHs owned only 15 % of the land with an average size of less than 0.5 ha, whereas the top 5 % owned nearly 37 % of land. A recent rough estimate by WFP stated that the minimum amount of land required for HHs self-sufficiency is approximately 0.54 ha (OCHA, 2008). DIMENSION OF FOOD SECURITY: Food Availability Availability of food is affected by insufficient agricultural productivity, inadequate rural infrastructure, and seasonal food shortages. In aggregate and percentage terms, the deficit is usually 3-5% of total utilization in cereal equivalent. Situation of food availability and access are very unevenly distributed over the country, and areas with the lowest production and greatest deficit per capita also tend to be the ones with low incomes, highest rates of overty and malnutrition, and they are often the most remote and inaccessible. Since 1990, at national level, overall food production is deficit and Nepal has been a net cereal importer for most years during the last two decades (FAO, 2008). Table 2: Food Deficit for 2009 Crop Deficit (Mt) Paddy 150,000 Wheat and barley 130,000 Maize 120,000 Total 400,000 Source: WFP Food security bulletin -24, August 2009 The Hill and Mountain regions are particularly food deficit and more vulnerable to drought. The low production is largely due to the predominance of rain fed agriculture, traditional farming practices, limited agri-input, inadequate technical advice for farmers due to poor extension services, poverty and limited availability of credit, and frequent droughts and floods. In addition, the conflict has reduced farmers’ access to production inputs and markets and reduced the motivation of farmers, producers and traders to expand their activities. The lack of growth in crop production greatly limits the potential for crop diversification which leads to nutritionally unbalanced and poorly diversified HH food consumption patterns. Only around 40 % of rural households produce enough food to meet their year round needs. A 3.4 million land holdings produce barely enough food to meet six months of household food needs. Average farm size is less than 0.8 ha and the parcels are scattered re ndering difficulty for commercialization and management care. Reduction in % of agricultural household from 83 % (1995) to 78 % (2003/04) and significantly in average size of land holding (CBS 2004). Livestock contributes about 30 % to agricultural GDP and projected to rise to 45 % by 2015. According to NLSS (2004), livestock accounts for about 20 % of total agricultural income, after crops (50 %). It is also a major household asset used to mitigate short-term shocks (FAO, 2008). Food Access: Physical and financial causes affect food access and it is restricted due to scarce nonagricultural Income possibilities, limited access to productive resources, lack of functioning services and substandard managerial and organizational capacity. This is a measure of a households entitlement to food. A 2008 WFP’s study shows that 75 % of surveyed HHs did not have sufficient access to food, and more than 95 % of very poor HHs had insufficient access to food. Food Utilization: Proper food utilization requires proper food handling, adequate education on health and nutrition, child care, hygiene and sanitation, health care, etc. A total of 55% to 85% of drinking water sources are micro-biologically contaminated (OCHA, 2008). Stability/Vulnerability to Food HHs and individuals must have access to food at all times, either fresh or processed. However, sometimes they can be affected by external shocks (droughts, floods, conflict, poor political and economic governance and climatic crisis or seasonal food insecurity) and internal shocks (loss of income, illness). ROLE OF WOMEN IN FOOD SECURITY According to FAO, in developing country, 60 -80 % of total food production is contributed by women, and they have been engaged in subsistence farming (Kantipur, 2009). Capacity building of women in different sectors contributes to improve the livelihoods of the family, community and whole country. Almost 100 % women take responsibility for nurturing and care of children, and ideas, believe and practice change of women contributes a lot to improve nutritional status of children and women themselves. REASON FOR FOOD INSECURITY Main reasons for food insecurity are categorized according to four pillars and detail is given in Annex 3: Availability †¢ Low agricultural production and productivity and high population growth †¢ Small land holding †¢ Feudalism and labor management †¢ Misuse of food commodities †¢ Dependency syndrome on food aid. Access †¢ Unequal food distribution †¢ Lack of road network and market in remote area †¢ Lack of emergency backup services †¢ Poor purchasing capacity of people †¢ Social and geographical disparities and exclusion. Utilization †¢ Lack of awareness on nutrition and food habit †¢ High levels of malnutrition †¢ Poor basic services †¢ High disease incidence. Stability/Vulnerability to Food †¢ Low income †¢ Frequent disaster †¢ Social conflict †¢ Poor political and economic governance and other †¢ No functioning of traditional/indigenous community food safety net. GOVERNMENT PROVISION FOR FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION According to international law, every human being has rights to be freed from hunger and rights to have safe and nutritious food. Universal declaration on human rights, Conventions on Child Rights and other international legal documents have ensured the rights of food. Nepal does not have a comprehensive food security policy addressing the different dimensions of food security; however, food security and nutrition have been included in different policy document. Nepal Interim Constitution (2007) The interim constitution has recognized food sovereignty as the fundamental human right and guaranteed some important rights which are relevant to ensure the legal entitlement on the food security. It guarantees the right to life (art. 12.1) and rights to employment and social security (article 16). For the first time in Nepal, constitution also guarantees the right to food sovereignty (art. 18.3). Provision of rights of food security for all citizens has been ensured through the article 16 and 33. Similarly, through article 35, provision to improve the food security situation of marginalized community has been ensured. However, these rights are subject to implementing legislation, unfortunately, such specific laws are not yet made. Recently, in a case, interpreting this right, Supreme Court of Nepal issued an interim order to the GON to immediately supply food stuff in food insecure districts (Adhikari, 2009). Besides these following plan and policies have also ensured food security for Nepalese citizens: Three Year Interim Plan (TYIP 2007 -2010) Agricultural Development Policies †¢ Agriculture Perspective Plan (1995-2015) †¢ Implementation of APP Support Programme (2003-2008) †¢ National Agriculture Policy (2004) †¢ Health Sector Policy (2004) †¢ National Water Plan (2005) †¢ Forestry Master Plan †¢ National Transport Master Plan †¢ Agribusiness Promotion Policy (2006) †¢ Food and Nutrition Security Plan (2007) †¢ Milk Development Policy (2007) †¢ Agriculture Biodiversity Policy (2007) AGENCIES WORKING IN FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION: Government Agencies Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC) Focused on food production, most of the programs are extension (with very limited research); targeted to production increase, market access and technical support for the farmer. According to NSDRM 2009, this is focal ministry for food security (MoHA, 2009). Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) Implements Nepal Food Crisis response program, funded by World Bank (WB), and Food for Work (FFW) programs, material support of WFP and technical support of GTZ, in food deficit districts with the objective of creating rural employment opportunities to the poor through the Rural Community Infrastructure Works (RCIW) Programme consisting of rural road construction and community based projects such as irrigation and soil conservation, school building and other support, health facilities improvement, income generation, etc. Ministry of Education (MoE) MoE implements Food for Education (FFE) program with material food support from WFP. It follows an objective of improving nutritional status of school children, school enrolment and attendance of children, particularly girls, by providing a mid-day meal and a take-home ration of oil for girl students. The program is implemented in food deficit districts. Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) Department of Health implements Mother and Child Health Care (MCHC) programme with material support from WFP in collaboration with MoE. The programme aims to improve the health and nutritional status of pregnant and lactating mothers and children (6-36 months) by providing monthly take home ration (fortified nutritious food). Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) NFC is currently supplying subsidized food to 30 districts including 22 remote districts across the country (MoAC, WFP and FAO, 2009), where local production is deficit. It follows the Governments food policy with responsibility of collection, transportation, storage, sale and mobilization of food. It also handles food aid received by the country. NFC focuses on providing food to people living around district headquarters, and mostly to government employees. Line Agencies World Food Programme (WFP) WFP works in partnership with MoLD, MoE, MoHP, UN agencies and NGOs through life cycle approach of distributing food from pregnancy stage to adult of women candidates. As of November 2009, WFP coverage is in 22 districts (personal interaction with WFP staff). All interventions are carried out in the food insecure areas identified by Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping (VAM) unit of WFP in close collaboration with the Government. There are other agencies and some of them are as follows: ActionAid Nepal Agro Enterprise Centre (AEC) DEPROSC, DFID, GTZ, Helen Keller International (HKI), OXFAM GB, SAPROSC, UNICEF, WHO SUMMARY: Food security in Nepal depends on land productivity as managed by small holders who face challenges in productivity and sustainability, and the country is prone to natural disasters that can have serious consequences for agricultural production.Additionally, the households that are most likely to be food insecure tended to engage in livelihood activities such as petty trade, unskilled labor, natural resources exploitation, handicrafts, and farming. Nepal has become a net importer of grain in recent years.The key factors causing food insecurity, especially in remote mountain districts, are an increasing population, remoteness (causing lack of transportation and distribution), low income-generating opportunities, and lack of access to food. The issue of food security is multidimensional, that varies across countries, social groups and time. These factors can be grouped in three clusters: 1) Overall socio-economic, political and natural environment 2) Performance of the food economy, and 3) Household level food security influenced by livelihood assets and activities, care practices, and health and sanitation conditions. CONCLUSION: In current situation, for food security major thrust has to given to production of food grains, horticulture, fisheries and livestock product through sustainable use of resources. Investing in agriculture has several benefits and as a major sector contributing to economic growth, 38 agriculture has to transform from traditionally subsistent to a vibrant commercial and competitive one. Potentiality for agriculture development should be taped with increasing concerns for irrigation, fertilizer, storage, marketing, improved seeds and breeds, quality control, improved service delivery, research focus on niche areas, credit facility and capable human resources. Improved farming system, planting of fruit and fodder and use of SALT (Sloping Agricultural Land Technology) can improve land use and control water induced disaster. Similarly, environment friendly agriculture farm, storage and gene bank are essential but insecticides and pesticides are being haphazardly at commercial scale but eff ective monitoring is lacking. Required numbers of cold storage are lacking, and farmer is compelled to sell goods at cheaper price. Strategies, approaches and programme to increase domestic food availability have to emphasize on: (i) The need for technological change to increase labor, land, input and productivity, (ii) Improving connectivity to increase market access resulting to reduce the transaction costs of getting inputs and services from market to farm and farm to market, and (iii) Price guarantees to serve as an incentive to farmers to produce for the market. Increasing production, promoting processing, developing and strengthening business enterprises services, improving marketing efficiency, and reducing food prices, are major avenues to improve food security. REFERENCE: Adhikari, B. 2009. Food Security Related Safety Nets and Legal Empowerment of Poor in Nepal. Report submitted to FAO 2009 November. Kathmandu CBS, 2004. Nepal Living Standards Survey 2003/04, Statistical report. Volume 1 and 2. Kathmandu. National Planning Commission, Central Bureau of Statistics. Kathmandu FAO. 2010. Assesment of Food Security and Nutrition Situation of Nepal. Kathmandu. MoAC, WFP and FAO, 2009. Crop and Food Security Assessment: 2008/09 Winter Drought in Nepal, Joint Assessment Report – May 2009. Kathmandu MoHA, 2009. National strategy for disaster risk management, 2009. Government of Nepal, Ministry of Home Affairs OCHA, 2008. Nepal Needs Analysis Framework Key Findings September 20087. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). Kathmandu FAO.2008. Nepal Food Security and Nutrition Monitoring/Early System Assessment of Current System, Project Design and Proposal. February 2008. FAO, Rome Sanjel, N. 2005. PARYAWARAN: Disaster Management Special. Status of Agriculture production and Food security in Nepal. ECO-Nepal, Paryawaran monthly, volume 13, Additional issue, June 2005 UNDP. 2009 a. Nepal Human Development Report 2009: State Transformation and Human Development. UNDP. Kathmandu WFP and MoAC. 2009. District level food Security Monitoring: Resource material MoAC, Government of Nepal and world Food Programme, Kathmandu Adhikari, J and Bhole, H.J. 1999. Food Crisis in Nepal

World Trade Center Attack :: 9/11 september 11 patriotism essays

World Trade Center Attack Reactions to the events of September 11, 2001 run the gamut of human emotion and cognition. There cannot be any doubt of the crime's horrendous nature. Disgust and revulsion might be the best way to describe the sense one feels at the calculated murder of innocent thousands. What more, this was not an attack by another sovereign state. It was an attack by an organization in the shadows. In its aim, no one is sure. What does a terrorist organization gain by committing such acts anyway? In the confiscated tapes depicting Osama bin Laden, the violence surpassed his vision. The expected damage was to be far less worse. But it seemed as if the scale and scope of the onslaught did not faze him in the least bit. The martyrs were going to heaven. And the United States had a lot to say about that. Most denounced the terrorists as cowards, but there were a few, such as Susan Sontag and Bill Maher, who did not feel the same way. There was a sense of overwhelming patriotism, and to say anything otherwise, was foolhardy. And the American flag was everywhere. Even shoes came in the red, white, and blue. Defiling the flag seemed to become downright patriotic. Courage became debatabe, heroism standard. Soon both Sontag and Maher were denounced, even called traitors. What kind of new war was this? Albert Camus states that: By attributing too much importance to admirable actions, one ends up paying indirect homage to evil. For one leads others to assume that such admirable actions are so valuable only because they are rare, and that human activity is far more frequently motivated by nastiness and indifference. (The Plague) These words are full of implication. But to hone in on the media treatment of the events of 9/11 and the war on terrorism in general, one sees the role mass media plays in shaping today's heroism. It is difficult to turn to media and find information without some moral connotation. This after all, is not the proper role of mass media. Or is it? The over-saturation of images and commentary regarding the terrorist actions in the United States is potentially dangerous. This is not to say the issue be taken lightly. That would be delusional. But with recent news of a documentary detailing the events to air on network television, one is left to ponder the merits of this. World Trade Center Attack :: 9/11 september 11 patriotism essays World Trade Center Attack Reactions to the events of September 11, 2001 run the gamut of human emotion and cognition. There cannot be any doubt of the crime's horrendous nature. Disgust and revulsion might be the best way to describe the sense one feels at the calculated murder of innocent thousands. What more, this was not an attack by another sovereign state. It was an attack by an organization in the shadows. In its aim, no one is sure. What does a terrorist organization gain by committing such acts anyway? In the confiscated tapes depicting Osama bin Laden, the violence surpassed his vision. The expected damage was to be far less worse. But it seemed as if the scale and scope of the onslaught did not faze him in the least bit. The martyrs were going to heaven. And the United States had a lot to say about that. Most denounced the terrorists as cowards, but there were a few, such as Susan Sontag and Bill Maher, who did not feel the same way. There was a sense of overwhelming patriotism, and to say anything otherwise, was foolhardy. And the American flag was everywhere. Even shoes came in the red, white, and blue. Defiling the flag seemed to become downright patriotic. Courage became debatabe, heroism standard. Soon both Sontag and Maher were denounced, even called traitors. What kind of new war was this? Albert Camus states that: By attributing too much importance to admirable actions, one ends up paying indirect homage to evil. For one leads others to assume that such admirable actions are so valuable only because they are rare, and that human activity is far more frequently motivated by nastiness and indifference. (The Plague) These words are full of implication. But to hone in on the media treatment of the events of 9/11 and the war on terrorism in general, one sees the role mass media plays in shaping today's heroism. It is difficult to turn to media and find information without some moral connotation. This after all, is not the proper role of mass media. Or is it? The over-saturation of images and commentary regarding the terrorist actions in the United States is potentially dangerous. This is not to say the issue be taken lightly. That would be delusional. But with recent news of a documentary detailing the events to air on network television, one is left to ponder the merits of this.

Contemporary Societys Crisis of Masculinity Essay -- Papers Men Mascu

Contemporary Society's Crisis of Masculinity Works Cited Not Included Masculinity is the word used to describe the broad stereotyped traits traditionally ascribed to all males in British society and the notion of how men should appear and behave. It is more accurate to refer to 'masculinities', to reflect the complexity and diversity of masculinity today. There are important differences made between 'hegemonic' and 'subordinate' masculinities; hegemonic masculinity is the dominant western image - white, heterosexual and middle class, subordinate the diverse masculinities - homosexual men, black men and the working class. David Beckham is a modern icon who has expressed and challenged some of the dominant assumptions of masculinity and identity. He is a talented and committed footballer yet his experiments with fashion and his posing for shoots are taken by some as an affront to the conventionalities of traditional masculine behaviour. Rutherford stated that 'the reality of men's heterosexual identities is that their endurance is contingent upon an array of structures and institutions'. He believes that if these structures are threatened or weakened then masculine identities can be threatened or weakened. Rutherford thinks that five changes have undermined the male dominance of certain structures and institutions. These changes are 1) working-class masculinities threatened by the decline of heavy manual industry. Male unemployment has risen while female employment has increased. 2) Violent and sexual abuse of women and children has become more widely publicised and less tolerated. 3) Men's roles within the family have been questioned.... ... genuine rise in male dissatisfaction for which there are numerous causes. The growing assertiveness of women and the lack of women prepared to be the property of patriarchal men. Male power is being overthrown. There may be a crisis of masculinity, but 'Men still outnumber women in positions of power across the globe, still glower downwards through the glass ceiling, still strut the cabinet and boardrooms in every developed country in the world, the seeming masters of their fate and everybody else's. In the developing world the situation is even more unequal. The gender disparity in sharing the burden of unpaid work is stark, and for all the talk of equality women throughout the world continue to work longer hours than men and are paid very much less for it. The colonists are still in command.' (Clare, 2000)

Harvey Wasserman’s ‘Robber Baron’: Criticizing Essay

â€Å"Robber Barons† Harvey Wasserman’s â€Å"Robber Baron† is a harsh critic of not only legendary titans in the American business history, but also of the politics and politicians of the Gilded Age. In his monograph, the images of â€Å"robber barons†, corrupt politicians and laissez-faire government is conjured in the era wherein many important sectors of the American economy were dominated by a handful of firms as cut-throat business competition were compounded by frequent economic contractions that gripped the nation. Wasserman accused the captains of industry of financial trickery and of political corruption with the bribing of legislatures, and attacking them for the inhumane treatment of labor which included the imposition of heavy hours, unhealthy working conditions and using cheap immigrant labor to undercut wage rates. But above all, Wasserman condemned them as merciless monopolists who engaged in ruthless competition by choking off rivals using railroad rebates, controlling raw materials and money supply, and the forced purchase of competing firms. According to Wasserman, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan, and Vanderbilt all had something in common – they were all â€Å"Robber Barons† who monopolize the railroad, petroleum, banking, and steel industries, profiting massively and gaining personally, but not doing a whole lot for the common wealth. Many of the schemes and techniques that are used today to rob people of what is rightfully theirs, such as pensions, stocks, and even their jobs, were invented and used often by these four men. Wasserman’s narrative relentlessly pursue troubling and crippling side effects of the Gilded Age: high levels of political corruption, the arrogance of global economic power, the twisting of the U. S. tax code, and the voter belief in the captivity of government to private interests. But is it fair to consummate in totality, as per Wasserman, these early industrialists as â€Å"robber barons† and the business practices of the Gilded Age as completely corrupt and pointless? The stereotype is indeed irresistible, especially so that it resonates in our time with the Enron, WorldCom and other corporate debacles. But nonetheless, Wasserman’s critique of capitalism is one-sided and obscures other dimensions of corporate activity and opportunity during the era. Take for instance, the doubling of the number of farms and the amount of land in cultivation during the period, the increased size of the workforce, especially in the manufacturing sector, the increased railroad track mileage and the swelling of steel production – all pointed to a surging Gross National Product (GNP). With increased life expectancy, economic data proved that industrialization indeed did raise the standard of living for the majority of Americans during that era. The railroads that became the point of contention between business moguls, was the definite symbol of industrialization as it lowered the cost of shipping freight, which in turn permitted the reduction in the prices consumers paid for food and durable items, thus creating the evolution of national markets that stimulated new levels of competition, opportunity and further growth. Although it still remains an endless debate as to the exact preposition that beholds the likes of Carnegies, Rockefeller, Morgan and Vanderbilt, it is beyond doubt that corporations, a number of which were owned by these men, were the engines of economic growth. In the 40 years following Appomattox, the United States amazed European investors and bankers with the speed at which she changed from a backward agricultural republic to the most powerful industrial force in the world. During the years of the so-called â€Å"robber barons†, America outpaced other nations by large margins when it came to growth in per-capita income, industrial production and rising values generally. Moreover, the Gilded Age also saw economic participation at all levels of society, including numerous previously disenfranchised constituencies. Thus, it is worth noting, Wasserman’s narrative, along with that of Charles Beard and Matthew Josephson (the original creator of the â€Å"robber barons† dichotomy), needs a further reassessment. From Wasserman’s narrative, it is easy to reach the conclusion that the post Civil War program providing subsidies to western railroads was a disaster, a way of transferring millions of the people’s wealth to a few politically well-connected plutocrats. Seemingly, it would have been attempted. But when all the dust settled, the United States did have a transcontinental railroad. Without the offer of mammoth government subsidies, such railroad construction would not have happened for decades.

Explore Joe Gargery’s role in Great Expectations Essay

In Great Expectations, Joe acts as a father figure to Pip, when he is in fact his brother-in-law, as Joe married Pip’s sister, Mrs Joe Gargery. We are introduced to Joe as a â€Å"mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow†. Pip describes him as a kind and gentle man, making the reader immediately like him. â€Å"Good-natured† and â€Å"sweet-tempered† give Joe an endearing quality, so the reader is drawn to him. However, â€Å"foolish† introduces a potentially negative side to his character, like he is stupid, although this too could be considered endearing. Perhaps Dickens does this so that we can understand Joe’s actions better, or at least don’t view him too negatively when he can’t protect Pip from Mrs Joe. In contrast to his gentle personality, he is a blacksmith, and therefore a strong man. Pip thinks of him â€Å"like the steam-hammer, that can crush a man or pat an egg shell†. He is likening Joe to a machine in the forge, giving Joe a sense of power. Although, â€Å"crush† is quite a violent word, suggesting Joe to be violent, which he definitely is not. Perhaps Dickens included this detail to make us respect Joe, which is important for later on in the novel, so we don’t just view him as a â€Å"sweet-tempered† man. But there is a sense of this good natured man in the word â€Å"pat†, it could potentially have paternal connotations. Perhaps this links to the image of the egg shell as well, as it is a fragile protector of life. Furthermore Joe could almost be seen as the protector of Pip’s life, as he saves him several times. Also egg shells can be strong, but have weak sides if they are put under stress, just like Joe has a weak side – he can’t protect Joe from Mrs Joe Gargery. As well as this, there is the idea that Joe is in control, in the words â€Å"can† and â€Å"or†, he can choose which side of himself to be, strong or gentle. This is a very adult concept, but Joe can sometimes be very childlike. Joe can’t deal with the idea of death, despite being a strong blacksmith. When Pip asks Joe if Miss Havisham died, he eventually replies â€Å"she ain’t living†. This is a very backward way of saying it, a way we don’t normally use, showing Joe’s childish innocence. He avoids the subject of death again, when Pip asks him if he had heard of Magwitch’s death. Even though Joe never knew him personally, he avoids saying the words, instead he says he heard â€Å"something or another in a general way in that direction†. The vagueness of this statement is almost humorous, he can’t even just say â€Å"yes†. Joe is unable to confirm a person’s death, he just brushes over the subject, not fully acknowledging or possibly understanding it, like a child would. Another way Dickens portrays this childishness is through making Joe illiterate. Pip writes him a letter, and all he can read is his name: â€Å"Why, here’s three Js, and three Os, and three J-O, Joes, in it, Pip! † The exclamation mark at the end implies he is excited and proud that he has managed to read, and that he is wanting Pip to recognise his achievement, like a child would want their father too. This childishness makes Joe a lovable character, the reader wants to see him do well. Perhaps it also makes Pip’s behaviour towards him seem worse, from the reader’s perspective, as Joe is such an innocent character. Whilst Joe may not have great knowledge or academic skills, he possesses something most of the other characters don’t have, self-knowledge, he recognises he is illiterate and ‘stupid’. He tells Pip on two separate occasions that he is â€Å"most awful dull†. He is accepting of himself, he knows he is not the cleverest, in fact â€Å"awful† suggests that he thinks he is very stupid. Moreover, â€Å"dull† could imply many things, not only that he is stupid, but also that he isn’t sharp. Perhaps this is a reference to him being a black smith, that he is like one of his hammers, only good for physically things, he’s not sharp witted or clever. â€Å"Dull† could also intimate that he thinks he is boring, perhaps why he struggles to talk to, or be in the presence of people in a higher class to himself, because he considers himself boring and unworthy. But this ‘dullness’ does not stop him from being wise. Throughout the novel, Joe gives Pip many pieces of advice, for example â€Å"if you can’t get to be oncommon through going straight, you’ll never get to do it through going crooked†. Joe, even though he is perhaps the most uneducated character (shown in the wording of the sentence) he can sometimes be the most wise and honourable. Because of this he acts as a hidden role model for Pip. Not only is he honourable and wise, he understands his place: â€Å"I am wrong out of the forge† he tells Pip at their awkward reunion. Dickens suggests (through Joe) that people should stay in their class, and not aspire or try to move up; he argues for social immobility. Joe tells Pip that if he ever came back to the forge he’d â€Å"see Joe the blacksmith, there, at the old anvil, in the old burnt apron, sticking to the old work. † Joe labels himself â€Å"the blacksmith† implying that he believes it is all he is good at. The repetition of â€Å"old† makes him seem experienced, as he has been doing it a long time. There is also the idea that he clings or latches onto his work, in the word â€Å"sticking†, he fixes himself onto it so much that it has become how he defines himself. The fact that he feels himself â€Å"wrong† when not in the forge could be the reason why he can’t talk to Miss Havisham: â€Å"Joe†¦ persisted in addressing me. † It is like he cannot deal with the formality of he occasion, as he feels he doesn’t belong there. Dickens humiliates Joe here, presenting him as a shy and awkward character, making the reader sympathise with him. This is another negative quality, helping to balance out the character of Joe.