Is Competition Necessary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is Competition Necessary - Essay Example Therefore, competition determines who is to undertake a certain duty and assigns people their respective status or place in the social realm. For instance, some people compete with others with the aim of retaining their social status while others compete in order to attain new social status. Competition is necessary in society in that outperforming others is healthy since the person who is smart manages to get the best. Competition is really necessary because it acts a motivation in that it challenges people to have an objective and a goal that encourages or motivates them to attain more that the other person. This in turn makes the person to explore different ways available in order to beat others. In addition, competition brings more imaginative and creative thinking since a person is inspired where there is a challenge to overcome certain issues. Additionally, it offers the determination to continue without interference or undeterred. With this in mind, a person is able to recogni ze others in that he or she respects that different people have distinct abilities and skills (Fullick 36-7). Therefore, people ought to compete in a manner that motivates them positively not negatively even if it means against themselves and their own past successes. For instance, in classroom setting, some children posses’ different potentials and ways of learning, therefore, finding an good way to motivate them may involve a competitive aspect but it has be chosen wisely or else it can have negative effect and de-motivate students. In addition, competition brings people of different levels, aspirations, ages, and desired objectives or goals. Due to this, some individuals may be in a competition for social purposes. Competition is significant in that presents some life lessons. This is based on the argument that life can be hard and tough at times. For example, applying for jobs or participating in marathon or any discipline where there are many losers than winners. People are able to learn from it in that they relish chance or opportunity to do their best and find ways to enhance and improve in order to emerge winner the next time. More so, people will learn to cope with disappointment by congratulating the winner for outperforming him or her and candidly appreciating the abilities and talents of others while looking forward for the next chance (Porter 32-3). For instance, competition can make an individual enjoy freedom and mobility in that the spirit of competition assists individuals to enhance and improve their social status. On the same threshold, competition offers an individual good opportunity to satisfy their needs for new experience and better recognition in the society. Competition is also necessary in that it challenges an individual to go an extra mile when competing with other people. For instance, when people set their eyes on the price, they are able to put in more energy and enthusiasm which motivates them to carry on. Individuals ar e often ready to look for an extra reserve of determination and stamina to work through and carry on with the competition (Fullick 23). Competition has proved to be helpful in that it helps people to find resources they never had. In this case, competition requires critical thinking by exploring ways that can help one succeed. More so, it regularly

Individual Behavior in Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Individual Behavior in Organizations - Essay Example It explains why a person likes or dislikes a given entity from his/her perspective. Behavioral component explains the way a person would act or is expected to act in the case he/she comes across a certain situation or object. (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2012; Hogg and Vaughan, 2005) Attitudes give rise to an evaluative tendency on the individual’s part to like, ignore, or dislike the different entities he/she might come across in his/her lifetime. Hence, one’s attitudes often become crucial in deciding his/her propensity to execute his/her job role or the responsibilities delegated to him/her. In this way, employees’ attitudes significantly influence the workplace productivity. If the overall alignment of all the attitude components of an employee are oriented positively with respect to his/her job and/or responsibilities, he/she would understand his objectives more clearly and would further caste sincere focus toward achieving them with much ease and liking. (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2012; Eagly and Chaiken, 1993) First, need fulfillment, which entails the satisfaction of an employee’s spiritual, material, and intellectual needs, can be a prime causal in creating job satisfaction. Second, discrepancies are the cause that describes the extent of the employee’s satisfaction levels with his/her need fulfillments. Discrepancies are likely to vary person to person. Third, value attainment is intricately related to the corporate, social and family responsibilities of the employee as an individual who seeks to fulfill the requirements and expectations of others beyond his/her personal or professional pursuits. Fourth, the employee is most likely to be satisfied with is job if he/she is paid or benefited in other ways fairly enough in exchange of his/her labor. Fifth, a person’s personal traits determines how much he/she is suited for the job

Build-a-Bear Summary Analysis Essay Example for Free

Build-a-Bear Summary Analysis Essay Build-A-Bear workshop stores were first established in 1996 by Maxine Clark whose influence came from former CEO of May Department Stores who had stated, â€Å"Retailing is entertainment and the store is a stage when customers are happy, they spend more money† ( Dess, c261). Build-A-Bear’s intentions were to differentiate themselves by giving people the feeling of bringing their teddy bear to life. You could give it a heart, a name, a wardrobe and many other personal touches. Build-A-Bear is about two things, â€Å"entertainment and customization† (c261). At the time of its introduction, following their differentiation strategy, there was not much competition for customized children’s toys. However, after the concept of customization caught on they faced competition from companies such as American Girl and Vermont Teddy Bear. American Girl was marketed to young girls who could make dolls that look like them and even buy matching clothes that the girls and the dolls could both wear. One advantage that Build-A-Bear had against American Girl was the fact that they marketed to all genders and appealed to a wide variety of ages. Parents would bring their young children, both boys and girls in to make dolls and teenagers would bring their boyfriend or girlfriends in to make customized bears as presents. You could even build a bear for your parent or grandparent. As the Build-A-Bear company grew they faced problems, such as a changing industry and a changing market which left them losing edge in their financials. Environmental Analysis. Build-A-Bear started with a handful of stores and it grew to 150 by the end of 2003. They capitalized on the upward trending consumer demand around the holidays when they would rent space in busy malls for their pop up stores. These temporary stores brought increased revenue and gave the company the idea for its current corporate strategies of expanding to more permanent stores. They had 344 stores in the US, UK, and Canada by 2010. They set goals that would allow a Build-A-Bear store to be within 30 miles of 75% of the US population. Though these new permanent stores usually paid for themselves within the first year their â€Å"wow factor† and financial performance quickly diminished time and time again. This no loss expansion worked while saturating the market but was not cutting it when their market further matured. A main reason for the growth is because new stores brought in greater profits which gave the impression that rapid expansion was a wise strategy. They may have expanded too fast though. They lacked the necessary ingredient in producing repeat customers and this was becoming a major problem while strict reliance on overexpansion seemed to be clouding the fact they needed another competitive advantage in the quickly changing toy industry to stay competitive. The real question was how to increase repeat customers and/or increase profitability of their current operating stores. We devised two solutions that could help BearFinancials alleviate the problem of their not so attractive earnings beyond the first years. Strategic Alternatives Alternative Solution #1. One option to get the finances in line would be a retrenchment/turnaround strategy in which the underperforming stores would be closed freeing up resources to explore other options for expansion into different markets. Very similar to Subway and Starbucks, Build-a-Bear wanted a store close to a large percentage of the population and expanded too far and the companies saw it hurt their finances. Build-A-Bear has the unique features to be a thriving, profitable company for a long time but it needs to be careful not to expand too far where it cannot maintain its current culture and core competencies and this can be done by reducing costs through restructuring. Closing underperforming stores and exploring destinations like international airports where people from all over the world will see their product would be a good starting place. Since people do not frequent the airport so much as other retail establishments they could continuously capitalize on the â€Å"wow factor† because new people would be subjected to their stores every day. By reducing fixed costs and exploring new marketplaces Build-a-Bear should be able to boost financials immediately with little investment. Alternative Solution #2. The next solution would be to fashion a new line of accessories and programs that promote repeat consumer visits. Build-A-Bear needs to be viewed as a collectible and something worth traveling for. This was not the case which was why stores started to lacking performance after being open a certain amount of time. Accessories and maintenance programs could be a way to get people to continue to give Build-A-Bear business even f they are not actually purchasing a new bear. Implementing new programs such as wardrobe changes, where people would come back to get Bear-makeover, would bring repeat customers. These programs could offer matching apparel for the bears and the kids who own them. Children and their bears could then wear matching t-shirts which could also first time sales from consumers ‘marketing’ the product. Another idea would be a BearWash. Children can be hard on their stuffed animals and sometimes they end up getting dirty. They could set up a â€Å"bear wash† where people would bring their furry friends in for a fur-flush and get it back all nice and clean. All of which would be geared at upselling the consumer upon return in order to maximize on that repeat visit. Initial investment would be substantial due to acquiring clothing line and additional costs to provide repeat programs. Recommendation Alternative solution #1 would be the best choice for Build-A-Bear at this time. By cutting underperformers they will save millions in fixed costs alone. They could then use this money to expand into locations such as airports and hospitals where it will be easier to maintain that ‘new’ appeal that made the company so much money in the first place. This solution requires the least investment in a monetary sense. Underperforming stores should be closed immediately upon identification and new stores should be in operating order by the end of this calendar year. Build-a-Bear has the right ingredients for continued success they just have to strategically place themselves in markets with the most exposure to non-repeat customers in order to maintain high operating margins beyond the first years. By reducing number of stores in operation they can concentrate on staying profitable and advancing into the future where they will then have the means to pursue other avenues such as improving repeat customer sales described in alternative #2. The focus now should be to stop wasteful spending on underperforming stores as soon as possible in order to open up more possibilities and greater flexibility in the future.

Ostracism in Athenian Democracy

Ostracism in Athenian Democracy Question 3. Ostraka Ostracism was a process instituted as one of the Kleisthenic reforms of 508/7BC as a result of the non-elite intervention in the conflict with the Spartan backed Isagoras, although there is no evidence for its actual use before 487BC (Forsdyke 2005: 144). Lasting for a period of 70 years it was a symbolic reminder of democratic power as opposed to elite rule as well as a pragmatic device for controlling the ambitions of potentially powerful traitors, or leading figures, without destabilizing the political system (Forsdyke 2005: 143). It required a minimum of 6,000 male citizens to take part in an annual secret ballot by inscribing the name of their preferred candidate on a potsherd (ostrakon plural ostraka) and the person who polled the most votes on a simple majority basis was exiled from Athens and Attica for a period of 10 years (Easterling and Handley 2001: 26) with the property and rights of the exile being protected by law during their exclusion. Ostrakon A. The inscriptions on this ostrakon(Fig. 1) can be transcribed, transliterated and translated as follows:- ÃŽ  ÃŽâ€¢ÃŽ ¡ÃŽâ„¢ÃŽÅ¡ÃŽâ€ºÃŽâ€¢ÃŽ £ ÃŽ §ÃŽ £ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽ ÃŽËœÃŽâ„¢ÃŽ  ÃŽ  ÃŽÅ¸ Perikles Xsanthippo Pericles (son) of Xanthippos Pericles was an aristocratic politician who became a democratic leader and this text shows his name inscribed alongside the genitive patronymic (the name of his father). A member of the Alkmaeonid family his mother was the niece of Kleisthenes and his father had been exiled in 484BC but recalled as a general during the Persian war. In 463/2BC he was elected as a prosecutor of Cimon who had been accused of receiving bribes from Alexander of Macedon and this opposition to Cimon brought a coalition with Ephialtes in 462BC to attack and reform the Areopagus (Hornblower and Spawforth 2003: 1139). When Ephialtes died and Cimon was ostracised Pericles became one of the most influential men in Athens, being elected as strategos (general) for 10 consecutive years from 443BC, and was an unopposed ruler who had an ambitious foreign policy of westward expansion that saw Athens become predominant in Greece (Bowder 1982: 157). The extensive public building programme instituted by Pericles, which included the re-building of the Parthenon (Bowder 1982: 156), was intended to make Athens an example to all Greece (Thucydides 2.41). An active military leader he put down a revolt in Euboea in 446BC and reviewed Athens grain supply during an expedition to the Black Sea (Hornblower and Spawforth 2003: 1139). Having once proposed a unification of all Greek states that had fought Persia, which Sparta opposed, his strategy, based upon the advice of Themistocles (Thucydides 1.93.16-17), as Athenian leader in the Peloponnesian war was to avoid fighting in the open, stay behind their fortifications and allow their sea power to prevail. Unfortunately the Athenians did not follow this policy which resulted in defeat (Davies 1993: 118-20). Pericles also made probably the most famous speech on Athenian democracy as a funeral oration for those who fell fighting Sparta in the first year of the Peloponnesian war where he commen ds the Athenian model to their neighbours as government by the many as opposed to an elite few (Barrow 1999: 29-30, Thucydides 2.35-46). Ostrakon B. The text on this ostrakon(Fig. 2) can be transcribed, transliterated and translated as follows:- ÃŽ £ÃŽÅ¸ÃŽÅ¡ÃŽ ¡ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽ ¤ÃŽâ€¢ÃŽ £: ΑÎ ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽâ€œÃŽ ¥ÃŽ ¡ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽ £ÃŽâ„¢ÃŽÅ¸ÃŽ £ Sokrates: Anagyrasios Socrates (of the deme) of Anagyrous The Socrates named here is not the famous philosopher but a general, one of the 10 strategos elected annually one from each of the 10 tribes (Barrow 1999: 20). The text gives the demotic adjective in the nominative case rather than the more usual genitive patronymic and from this deme name we can link Socrates to the Erechtheis tribe (Whitehead 1986: 369). Anagyrous was a garrison deme, possibly part of the signalling network (Whitehead 1986: 401) and as this ostrakon relates to 440BC (Easterling and Handley 2001: 28) we can assume Socrates was elected as strategos by his tribe in 441/440BC and given command of the Anagyrous garrison. We know nothing else of him so can only guess at why he was nominated for ostracism. Inscriptions C (Easterling and Handley 2001: p29). These inscriptions can be transliterated and translated as:- Themisthokles Neokleos Themistocles (son) of Neocles Themisthokles Neokleosito Themistocles (son) of Neocles Get Out Although these ostraka have the more normal form showing the genitive case patronymic two items are of note. Firstly, the double use of theta in Themistocles name and secondly the use of ito (Get out) which underlines the depth of feeling against him (Easterling and Handley 2001: 29) which is an interesting perspective given his reputation as father of the Athenian navy and the fact that he had implemented ostracism in 487BC (Bowder 1982: 198). There is evidence that the surviving ostraka on which Themistocles name is inscribed were written by only 14 people and this may reflect either the poor level of literacy at the time (ostraka being pre-prepared or written by a scribe) or some form of vote rigging (Murray 1993: 285). Themistocles was an Athenian politician, a member of the Lycomid family, a radical democrat who attempted to destroy the aristocracy and considered to be one of the greatest men of his generation (Bowder 1982: 199). When he was archonhe had developed Piraeus as the harbour of Athens (Thucydides 1.93.11-12) and argued that output from the Laurium silver mines be spent on increasing the size of the Athenian navy, ostensibly for the war against Aigina but in reality for use against Persia, which culminated in the victory at Salamis in 480BC (Herodotus 7.144.1-5). Although he had avoided being ostracised in the 480s he was sent into exile in 470/1BC after clashing with Cimon over accusations of negotiating with Persia (Bowder 1982: 198) but when accused by Sparta of becoming Persian he was recalled, fled and in his absence was condemned to death for treason. Arriving in Persia he was made governor of Magnesia where he remained until his death (Hornblower and Spawforth 2003: 1497). Ostracism fell into disrepair after 416BC when Alcibiades and Phiax manipulated its use to combine their forces and have their political rival Hyperbolus exiled. Corruption had always been present but this time it had been so blatant and visible that it completely discredited the process and its use was abandoned (Easterling and Handley 2001: 29). Bibliography Ancient Sources Herodotus: The Histories. trans. A. De Selincourt (Penguin ukessays>essays>classics). Middlesex. Penguin Books. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1986. Thucydides: The History of the Peloponnesian War. trans. R. Livingstone (The Worlds ukessays>essays>classics). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1973. Modern Sources Barrow, R. 1999: Athenian Democracy. (Inside the Ancient World). London. Bristol Classical Press. Bowder, D. (ed.) 1982: Who was who in the Greek world. Oxford. Phaidon Press. Davies, J.K. 1993: Democracy and Classical Greece. 2nd Edition (Fontana History of the Ancient World). London. Harper Collins. Forsdyke, S.L. 2005: Exile, Ostracism and Democracy: the Politics of Expulsion in Ancient Greece. Princeton. Princeton University Press. Hornblower, S and Spawforth, A (eds). 2003: The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3rd Edition Revised. Oxford. Oxford University Press. Murray, O. 1993: Early Greece. 2nd Edition (Fontana History of the Ancient World). London. Harper Collins. Whitehead, D. 1986: The Demes of Attica 508/7- 250BC. London. Princeton University Press.

Paradigms Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Paradigms What do you do when the hypothetical becomes reality? What if something not just unthinkable, but unimaginable, is suddenly proposed to you as a truth. Now, what if this new truth shatters your entire view of the world, of the universe, and of man’s place in all of that. This is a drastic example of a paradigm shift, when people are torn between two different beliefs. Galileo Galilei brought on the paradigm shift that yielded this extreme example when he offered proof of a heliocentric universe in his 1610 publishing Sidereus Nuncius. Thomas S. Kuhn discussed paradigm shifts like this in his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. While it is never an easy transition, once the new paradigm gains acceptance it will offer brilliant new ideas and explorations. It’s not possible to give a modern parallel to Galileo’s early 1600 publishing Sidereus Nuncius. So we must attempt to consider this in the context of the 1600s. Many things that we take for granted today, things that we know from our days in elementary school and never bother to question, were not even conceived yet. There was no gravitation theory; everything naturally moved towards the center. The heliocentric Copernican model had not yet been accepted; everything naturally rotated around the earth. That put earth, and more importantly humans, at the center of the universe. Everything literally revolved around us, and that was how God the Almighty designed it. In order to change from this view, a new one must be proposed, proven, and finally accepted. As Kuhn writes, â€Å"The decision to reject one paradigm is always simultaneously the decision to accept another, and the judgment leading to that decision involves the comparison of bot... ...uble sin. I am alone against thirty thousand. No. Protect you, the court; protect, you, deception; let me protect the truth. It is all my strength. If I lose it, I am undone. I shall not lack accusations, and persecutions. But I possess the truth, and we shall see who will take it away† (Pascal #921). Works Cited Galilei, Galileo. Sidereus Nuncius or The Sidereal Messenger. Trans. by Albert Van Helden. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1989. Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Third Edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996. Pascal, Blaise. â€Å"Pensees.† Online. Internet. 07 Sept. 2000. http://altair.stmarys-ca.edu/studwork/integral/penseesi.txt. â€Å"Philosophy of Science & Information Technology: A Tribute to Thomas Kuhn† Online. Internet. 07 Sept. 2000. http://www.brint.com/kuhn.htm.

Ancient Egyptians Beliefs And Customs :: essays research papers fc

The Ancient Egyptian beliefs and customs have stood the test of time. The Ancient Egyptians were superior in their knowledge to any other nation. In the following paragraphs I will demonstrate there beliefs and customs. Egypt is widely known for their Pyramids, many of these gigantic landmarks have lasted for many centuries. Pyramids were built for Pharaohs to guide them into the ‘Afterlife’. Pyramids took 20 to 25 years to construct. Each piece of rock mined from the quarry had to be carefully fitted into the correct position, to make sure the blocks were in the correct spot, special markings were placed on the side of each block. A mallet made of wood was used to mine the hard dry rock from the quarry. It took one thousand and five hundred men approximately to mine five million blocks of rock to complete a pyramid. The huge rocks weighing one to five tones each, had to be carried up a special ramp located in the middle of the pyramid so they could build around it. It took a lot of men to pull the rocks up the ramp. Before each rock was put into place it was cut into shape using the set square and was smoothed out by masons. Ancient Egyptian medicine was an amazing thing. Every single bit of it was natural. Some of the medicine’s were Thyme, which was used to relieve pain, Sesame, which was used to sooth asthma, Frankincense, which was used to treat throat infections and Honey, which was widely used to dress bloody wounds. They had a range of cures for things like diarrhea, chest pains and respiratory trouble; though not all of there cures were hand made. Some of these cures consisted of special rituals that were performed by the local community priests. Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death, you were guided into what they called the ‘Afterlife’. Upon death, they would embalm the body with special preserving oils then they removed the major organs except the heart and placed them into special canopic jars. The only organ which was not placed into a canopic jar was the brain, which was totally discarded. After the organs were removed the body was stuffed with cotton and linen and sewn back up. They eyes were then removed and replaced either by cotton or fake eyeballs. They then soaked sheets of linen in embalming fluids and wrapped the body in it.

Origin of the Kingdom of Kush’s Religion Essay

Kushite religion was a combination of ancient Egyptian religious traditions and gods with traditional Nubian customs and beliefs. Archaeological evidence shows that ram cults held a great amount of importance for the Nubians prior to the Egyptian defeat. In order to validate their claim over Nubia, the Egyptians associated their god Amun with the Nubian ram cults. Centuries later, the Napatans reversed the roles and used Amun to claim superiority over Egypt. The ram-headed Amun was worshipped all over Nubia during the New Kingdom and Kushite periods. Amun, the god who granted kingship was deemed the most important in the Kushite pantheon, however, he was not the only Egyptian god worshipped. During the Meroitic period, local Nubian gods took their righteous place in the pantheon. Apedemak, the lion headed god of war was the most celebrated. Until the Meroitic language is deciphered, very little can be understood of their religion and gods other than that they were worshipped in a man ner similar to those of Egypt, attended by priests in extravagant temples. Origin of the Kingdom of Kush’s Religion Kushite religion was a combination of ancient Egyptian religious traditions and gods with traditional Nubian customs and beliefs. Archaeological evidence shows that ram cults held a great amount of importance for the Nubians prior to the Egyptian defeat. In order to validate their claim over Nubia, the Egyptians associated their god Amun with the Nubian ram cults. Centuries later, the Napatans reversed the roles and used Amun to claim superiority over Egypt. The ram-headed Amun was worshipped all over Nubia during the New Kingdom and Kushite periods. Amun, the god who granted kingship was deemed the most important in the Kushite pantheon, however, he was not the only Egyptian god worshipped. During the Meroitic period, local Nubian gods took their righteous place in the pantheon. Apedemak, the lion headed god of war was the most celebrated. Until the Meroitic language is deciphered, very little can be understood of their religion and gods other than that they were worshipped in a manner similar to those of Egypt, attended by priests in extravagant temples.