Pilgrimage Toward Social Equality

The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declaring African’s freedom from slavery and officially making them part of the United States was mandated a century prior to Martin Luther King Jr’s historical speech calling for social justice and abolition of racial discrimination against African Americans. Between the two historical periods, the black communities all over America have suffered subtle and savage forms of discrimination and oppression from the whites. The black community strived to seal their place in society amidst hostility and negative criticisms.One short story that very well illustrates their struggles is Ralph Ellison’s Battle Royal. The story provides a very descriptive narration of a black man’s pilgrimage to overcome oppression from an overly-racist community ruled by the economically-powerful white men and to find his opportunity to shape the destiny of his people. This paper aims to provide a vivid presentation of inhumane and savage oppre ssion that the African Americans encountered in Southern America before gaining their voice and place in American society.Battle Royal was narrated in a first-person perspective with a nameless narrator. He suggests that twenty years back, he has been struggling to find his own identity through other people’s acceptance and affirmation. He further explained that his dilemma for self discovery rooted from his grandfather’s last words on his deathbed, â€Å"Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome ‘em, with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction. Let ‘em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open.† (Ellison, 2000, p 935) He calls his grandfather’s lines a â€Å"curse† haunting him whenever he feels accepted as the narrator describes, â€Å"When I was praised for my conduct, I felt a guilt that in some way, I was doing something that was really against the wishes of the white folks, that if they had understood they would have desired me to act just the opposite, that I should have been sulky and mean, and that they really would have been what they wanted, even though they were fooled and thought they wanted me to act as I did.†(Ellison, 936) The narrator’s statement represents his mindset of his actions and attitude toward the white folks. His current partially confused mindset is influenced by his grandfather’s words. In layman’s term, his grandfather’s words can be translated to a call to action to fight a good fight by acting according to the opponent’s will until they take you all in with acceptance until they destruct themselves in their own volition.One such incident where the orator became accepted and triumphant is when he delivered a graduation speech, which he describes by saying, â€Å"On my graduation day I delivered an oration in which I showed that humility was the secret, indeed, the ver y essence of progress. (Not that I believed this — how could I, remembering my grandfather? — I only believed that it worked)† (Ellison 938). His speech received accolades from his professors that he was given the opportunity to deliver it again in a â€Å"gathering of the town’s most leading white citizens†.When he arrived at the venue where he was supposed to deliver his speech, he was informed that before delivering his speech, he needs to join the Battle Royal. The hotel he’s in at that moment was indeed full of economically powerful people all dressed up with their tuxedos, intoxicating themselves with whiskey, and getting themselves a good spot among the chairs neatly lined up along the three corners of the ring. Inside the ring, a pool of black men were lined up blindfolded and were forced to do engage in a violent boxing war against each other.After torturous moments of fighting like headless chickens on the ring, the narrator was abl e to see slightly behind his blindfold. His awareness enabled him to keep a good fight without drawing attention to himself so the white men wouldn’t notice that he’s starting to dodge his hits. In the end of the first round, the narrator remained on the ring together with the biggest boy in the group to fight. While they were fighting it out on the ring, the narrator tried to negotiate with his opponent by scripting the fight and he’ll give him a proportion of the winning pot.His opponent refused and they continued to fight until the narrator was knocked out. Allegorically, the narrator’s unexpected battle before delivering his speech is a symbolic representation of the African American’s years of pains and struggles before they were given the chance to be heard. The battle royal may well represent the fights that black men wage against each other just to gain money, position, and prominence, as is the case of the narrator’s opponent.The co ncept of the fighters blindfolded can be allusion to some of the black men’s blindness of allowing the economically powerful white men to use them as a means of entertainment as if they were freaks of nature. After the first round, the fighters were then called out again for another round of activity where they were attracted to scourge over gold coins and bills scattered in a rug. They urged the fighters to gather the coins for themselves saying it’s all good â€Å"American cash†. In the process, they soon discovered that the rug was electrified.This narration emphasized the white men’s racism through barbaric treatment to the black men, as they treat them like animals. When the show ended, all the participants were paid and the narrator was about to leave the nightmare when the MC called him back to deliver his speech in the congregation of intoxicated people who have earlier gained pleasure through his pains. The narrator proceeded to deliver his Booke r T. Washington inspired speech while trying to conceal his aching physique while gulping down his blood.The narrator described that his audience continued with their incessant chatting and laughter as he delivers his speech and though he was tempted to do something else, the presence of the school superintendent who is still closely listening to him kept him going. In the process of his oration and swallowing his own blood, the narrator accidentally yelled â€Å"social equality†, a phrase had â€Å"often seen denounced in newspaper editorials, heard debated in public. † (Ellison, 940)Upon uttering the word, a deep silenced covered the whole room and the narrator received hostile reactions from his intoxicated audience, until a mustached man asked him upfront what he just said, and he got the chance to correct himself. The interrogator then asked him if he’s not being smart and that social equality was indeed a mistake. The narrator nodded and the man dropped th is statement, â€Å"We mean to do right by you, but you’ve got to know your place at all times. † (Ellison, 944)This man’s powerful statement is a general representation of the white men’s attitude towards racism over the negroes. They are aware of such discrimination, but they gain pleasure in treating them as inferior human beings as it constantly feeds them the feeling of superiority and power. The man’s statement may mean well as to change the narrator’s current status but he commands him to keep his head and mouth in its’ proper place. Upon the end of his speech, he was greeted with applauses as if the entire audience listened with so much enthusiasm to his speech.The school superintendent then came up to the stage to present him with a gift- a scholarship to the State College of Negroes. He then turned to the narrator and addressed him, â€Å"Prize it. Keep developing as you are and someday, it will be filled with important pap ers that will help shape the destiny of your people. † (Ellison, 947) The scholarship the narrator received is a symbol of an opportunity presented to him to â€Å"shape the destiny of his people†. That by going to college, he might become more knowledgeable and able so as to create a better society for his people.The scholarship becomes the first step to his pilgrimage towards social equality. Battle Royal is a very compelling short story that Ralph Ellison eventually made it the first chapter of his greatly-acclaimed novel, the â€Å"Invisible Man†. Every black man in that horrifying period might have been represented by the nameless narrator and all the pain he was inflicted during the Battle Royal is a representation of every black man’s pain and struggle for years.If the readers at that period view it as an allegory to the harsh conditions of the African American people within the American society, it would have been a wakeup call to those who were op pressed to unite and to those oppressors to change the society. References: Ellison, Ralph. â€Å"Battle Royal. † Making Literature Matter. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford, 2000. Ellison, Ralph Waldo. Invisible Man. New York: Random House, 1952.

To what extent was the treaty of Versailles

To what extent was the treaty of Versailles motivated by anti-German feeling? sy Rewaj123 Without doubt it is clear that some of the countries held great antiGerman feelings during and after the war. Especially France, they held the highest lack of remorse against the Germans. Whereas countries such as the United Kingdom and the USA wanted majority peace throughout Europe and felt that peace was the main objective rather than annexation of land etc.It is fundamentally clear that Frances ideas ursued in the treaty was solely based on anti German feelings, They wanted to annex the Rhineland and, even worse, the coal production would be given to France with reparations On top Of that. 3y taking their coal supply Germany will crumble. They already Owe money from the war originally and With no money coming in, due to the coal annexation, the country Will have little income'industry.Consequently Germany Will not be able to deal With all these problems and cease to exist as a countr',q With France this is ultimately about the anti-German feelings seeing as hough Germany tried major annexation of land and a takeover of France, the feelings are completely understandable. Also one could argue that (article 231) the war guilt clause was also triggered by anti-German feelings. They knew that the clause would cause extreme unrest In Germany and due to the blame Germany would have this would seriously affect the country as a whole, In the long-term.Britain developed a growing sympathy tor Germany whereas France thought It was being too lenient. However It was also the situation created by the war that shaped the term of the treaty and not just anti-German feeling. It should be mentioned that it wasnt Just Germany but Austria-Hungary and Turkey also had to sign treaties, which shows It Isnt solely about antiGerman feelings. Plus the treaty has to sufficiently appease the other countries so German consequences were also inevitable. Personally I think that the French ideas were motivated with antiGerman feelings but the other countries wanted what was best for theirs.

Chemistry revision notes Essay Example for Free

Chemistry revision notes Essay The oxidation state or oxidation number, is a value assigned to a chemical species which represents its actual or nominal electrical charge. The oxidation number in a free or uncombined element is zero. This means that, metallic magnesium has an oxidation number of zero, and chlorine in Cl2 form has an oxidation state of zero. For simple ionic compounds, the oxidation state of the single atom ions is simply the charge on the ions. In most compounds the oxidation number for hydrogen is +1 and for oxygen is -2. The exceptions include the hydrides (the oxidation state is -1) and the peroxides (the oxidation state for oxygen is -1). In the compounds, halides usually have the oxidation number -1. The sum of all the oxidation numbers in a compound have to be equal to zero. The sum of all the oxidation states in a complex ion is the same as the charge on the ion. Semiconductors A covalent element such as silicon or germanium which has a higher conductivity than that of a typical non-metal but a much lower conductivity than that of a metal is described as a semiconductor. Semiconductors are also referred to as metalloids and they occur at the division between metals and non-metals in the Periodic Table. Key facts : 1. The electrical conductivity of semiconductors increases with increasing temperature. 2: Doping pure crystals of silicon or germanium with certain other elements produces 2 types of semiconductors: n- type and p-type semiconductors. The addition of small quantities of certain substances to pure silicon greatly enhance its conductivity and makes possible the construction of electronic devices. This controlled addition of impurities is called ‘doping’. 1. doping pure silicon with phosphorus or arsenic (group 5 elements) these elements have 5 valence electrons, a few of the silicon atoms are replaced by P, As atoms — 1 electron is left over after the 4 bonds have been formed. The extra electron is free to conduct an electric current and the phosphorus-doped silicon becomes a conductor called n-type. B. doping with boron or aluminium (group 3 elements). By doping with an element having 3 valence electrons some of the silicon atoms are replaced by boron atoms, but because each boron has only 3 electrons, one of the four bonds to each boron atom has only 1 electron in it. We can think of this as a vacancy or hole in the bonding orbital. An electron from a neighbouring atom can move in to occupy this vacancy. As a result of this movement this type of conductor is called p-type. Superconductors 1. Superconductors are a special class of materials that have zero electrical resistance at temperatures near absolute zero. 2. Achieving temperatures near absolute zero is difficult and costly so application of superconduction at these temperatures is impractical. 3. Recently superconductors have been discovered which have zero resistance up to temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen- temperatures which are less costly to attain. 4. Superconductors may have a future applications in power transmission and electrically powered forms of transport. Chemistry revision notes. (2017, Aug 10).

TThe Principle of Non-Rrefoulement at SEA and the Effectiveness of Essay

TThe Principle of Non-Rrefoulement at SEA and the Effectiveness of Asylum Protection - Essay Example Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights grants the right of seeking and enjoying asylum from persecution in other countries (Thomas 2011, p. 71). The principle reflects the dedication of the international community to guarantee enjoyment of human rights to all persons, including the rights to life, inhuman punishment or treatment, freedom from torture, and security of person. These rights and other rights may be endangered upon returning a refugee to danger or persecution (Andreas 2011, p. 1109). The observance of the principle of non-refoulement relates to the determination of refugee status. Arrangements or procedures for refugee identification should offer a guarantee against refoulement by ensuring that individuals entitled to protection receive it. Such arrangements or procedures are vital when a country receives both migratory movements and asylum-seekers. Respect of this principle may be most effectively ensured if claims to asylum and to refugee status are det ermined expeditiously and substantively (Bimal 2003, p. 23). However, sea-borne migration is alleged as a problem or a hassle by destination countries despite the refugees in awful need of protection. In some cases, countries deny refugees through invoking security concerns to refuse protection and justify the removal or non-admittance of refugees. Arrivals through the sea of asylum-seekers challenge the interpretation and application of the principle of non-refoulment and the existing regulations related to liberty and the safety of navigation. During the Vietnam War, from 1950s to 1970s, there were arrivals of several Vietnamese irregular immigrants to the coasts of neighboring countries. While dealing with these arrivals, the international community noted there was a gap in the international law. The law had no effective and useful instruments to deal with immigrants at sea, particularly with the asylum-seekers (Agnes 2009, p. 204). The key problems that remain include the identi fication of the rights and duties of the concerned states in different marine zones. This is with exceptional regard to the organization and administration of search and rescue operations at sea (Agnes 2009, p. 206). Another essential issue has been the question of whether the resolutions of countries to refuse the entry permission into their territories are lawfully limited. This question occurred mainly in relation to the handling of refugees and asylum-seekers, especially among the immigrants, with regard to the principle of non-refoulment. The exercise of sovereign powers in the different marine zones, pursuant to the customary international law and law of the sea, present challenges in the application of the principle of non-refoulment and the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers at sea (Schmitt, McCormack & Louise 2011, p. 544). Article 21(1) of the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) provides that the sovereignty of a coastal country extends beyond i ts internal waters and land territory. The article also defines archipelagic waters of an archipelagic country as the territorial sea. This maritime zone cannot exceed 12 nautical miles. The only exception to the exclusive authorities of the coastal country in its territorial sea contains the right of innocent passage. The coastal state shall not hinder the innocent passage of foreign vessels through the territorial sea, but it may regulate the passage conditions in the fields listed in article 2(1). An example is inter alia,

Japanese Attacks on Pearl Harbor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Japanese Attacks on Pearl Harbor - Essay Example Pearl Harbor resulted in American participation in World War II. On the next day of attack, US declared war against Japan with equal support of American congress. US did not respond as per the requirements because US had already promised Britain support against Germany. Aim of this paper is to study the reasons that compelled Japan to launch a surprise attack on US naval forces in pacific with a view to study American response to Pearl Harbor attack. Japan moved its aircraft carriers for about 4000 miles deep into the ocean to help the air force to take off for launching attack on Pearl Harbor. The dawn of 7 December 1941 witnessed the destruction of American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor. It was a great the in the history of military combats. Japanese air force launched attack in two waves. Japan used six aircraft carries for launching its air force against the US fleet (Clausen & Lee 2001). Japanese air force played havoc in the first wave and caused sudden destruction of American battleships. Total destruction could not be caused as main air craft carriers of American naval forces were sailing hundred miles away from the Pearl Harbor. Commander Mitsuo led the attack on Pearl Harbor. Attack caused 3500 hundred death and wound injuries to American troops. Eight main battleships including USS Arizona were destroyed in the attack (Borch & Martinez 2005). US Arizona got blasted because of fire in ammunition magazine of the ship and then sunk in a short time. There were numerous objectives behind Japanese attack on pacific fleet. ... US Arizona got blasted because of fire in ammunition magazine of the ship and then sunk in a short time. There were numerous objectives behind Japanese attack on pacific fleet. Main reasons of attack were as under. US president Roosevelt had imposed economic and military sanctions on Japan in retaliation to Chinese invasion by Japan American continuously warned Japan to end the war in China through peaceful negotiations (Prange, et al 1988). All exports of oil, robber and iron were banned on Japan. This started severely damaging economy of Japan. Japan could no longer bear the crippling effects of American sanctions on it s economy and military. Sanctions put real strain on oil supply to Japan as Japan lost more than 90% of oil supplies due to crippling sanctions (Clausen & Lee 2001). These American sanctions filled hatred for Americans in the hearts of Japanese and they started preparing for teaching America a bitter lesson in Pearl Harbor. Breakout of Second World War cleared the w estern intentions towards Japan. Japanese government had noticed western hostilities towards its territory (Wohlstetter 1962). This made Japan more vigilant for its security in the region. Japan never wanted its forces to withdraw from China. US were pressing hard to start negotiations with Chinese authorities to end the conflict. Japan was not ready to take serious notice of American protest against the invasion of China. Japan was keen in expanding its borders for economic needs (Morison 2001). US never wanted expansion of Japan because of its own vested interests in the region. Japan also adopted the diplomatic way to convince US but US did not agree on Japan’s terms. Japan wanted its territorial expansion in Asia, free of American

Open Topic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Open Topic - Research Paper Example Do the benefits of transporting hazardous material by rail outweigh the costs and damage on the environment? The following study into quantitative and ecological risk analysis of the transportation of hazardous chemicals by train across the United States. The study employs findings and conclusions made by former literature conducted over the effects of transporting hazardous material by rail and the environment. The study also analyses geographic data surrounding rail systems in the United States involved with transporting hazardous contents. Ecological features of these surroundings build towards probabilistic approximations of exposure to various spill cases the history of America’s rail system. This risk analysis integrated approximated cleanup expenses that accrued, effect of dispute on the distribution of soil, underground water, the contributions of yearly traffic, the rates of accidents, and deployed safety measures. A number of factors influence the risk and scale of the criticality of the consequence of spilling hazardous material on the environment during transportation by rail. First, the difference in safety performance of the standard tank cabin layouts is a significant risk factor (Anand et al., 2006). The higher the difference in cabin miles among various hazardous materials, and the difference in yearly accident-induced spill rate. Second, in approximating the effect expenses, hazardous substances that dissolve less in water incur more soil and groundwater cleanup expenses due to longer remediation periods (Xie et al., 2012). Third, in approximating the evacuation expenses, hazardous material moved along routes with more populations incur more evacuation expenses. Lastly, scheduled delay expenses may range from 3 to 8% of the entire effects costs in contrast to from 76 to 88% of cleaning up hazardous substances spilled into the soil and groundwater (Spraggins, 2011). The

I will attach the Topic and instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I will attach the Topic and instruction - Essay Example 013).On the other hand the Democrats considered it as â€Å"nonsense† (Austin, 2013).They accused the Republicans of exploiting the voter-ID law to create hurdles for the poor citizens of Texas and the minorities. The Law involved the active participation of the Texas Legislature, Senate and House, Gov. Rick Perry, federal government and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Law was passed accordingly under the supervision of the Legislature of Texas after three legislative rounds and six years. The House approved its version in March, 101- 48. After contrasts between the Senate and House versions were resolved, both chambers approved the final version, in May, SB 14 and forwarded it to Gov. Rick Perry, who had announced the issue a crisis item at an earlier period in the session. Notwithstanding, more than a year and a full election cycle after its entry, the law is still not in effect, its incorporation first held up by the U.S. Division of Justice, then denied by a federal circuit court. Its extreme destiny was chosen by the U.S. Supreme Court. During the time of July 2011, Texas formally asked the Justice Department to "preclear" the law and permit it to become effective from Jan. 1, 2012. The federal government had 60 days to go for one out of the three alternatives: support the solicitation, deny it or request more data (The Texas Tribune, n.d .). The issue affected the women of Texas to a large extent since after marriage their surnames often get changed. While a few Americans headed to twitter to express their backing for the new voting regulations, others utilized the medium to whine about not having their vote numbered or being compelled to go through excessive complications, for instance putting signature on a sworn affidavit. Furthermore to underscore the perplexity that these laws have fashioned the nation over, a few voters didnt realize what sort of recognizable proof, if any, they required to produce. There are also accounts of poll workers asked to

Pepsi Co bid for quaker oats Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pepsi Co bid for quaker oats - Case Study Example The quick ratio of Pepsi in 2000 was 0.89. Quaker had a quick ratio of 0.87 in fiscal year 2000. Gross margin is a financial metric that measures the broad profitability of a company. Pepsi had a gross margin in 2000 of $8,595 million. Its gross margin percentage was 61.27%. Quaker in 2000 had a gross margin of $2,240 million with a gross margin percentage of 55.37%. Pepsi’s gross margin percentage is better than Quaker by 5.89% which implies that its broad profitability is superior. During 2000 Pepsi had a net income of $1,572 million, while Quaker had a net income of $309 million. The net margin measures the absolute profitability of a firm. The formula to calculate net margin is net income divided by sales. Pepsi’s net margin in fiscal year 2000 was 11.21%. Its net margin is better than Quaker’s 7.64% result. Return on assets (ROA) measures how well management has employed its assets (Garrison & Noreen, 2003). Pepsi’s return on assets of 8.90% is inferior to Quaker’s metric of 12.30%. The ratio analysis performed on these two companies’ shows mixed results. The short term liquidity of these two companies is similar with Pepsi holding a minor edge of 0.01 and 0.02 in the current and quick ratio. The broad profitability of Pepsi is better, but the absolute profitability of Quaker is superior. The return on assets of Quaker is much better than Pepsi. Overall based on the ratio analysis Quaker had a better financial performance than Pepsi. The acquisition of Quaker by Pepsi makes sense from a financial standpoint. Buying Quaker will not impose any constraint in the liquidity position of the firm since both companies had similar current asset and quick ratio results. The profitability of Pepsi will be enhanced by the acquisition due to the fact that Quaker’s net margin and return on assets was superior to Pepsi. From a marketing

MKTG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

MKTG - Essay Example Though humorous, the ad depicts an overweight father who tends to his crying baby, only to find that the baby confuses its father’s chest with its mother’s. The ad contains a strong message however; the execution has been done through a wrong mode which may be demeaning for the target audience. An ethical way would have been to show a person facing health problems or social problems because of being overweight. This is because the ad awkwardly defies the society’s natural gender roles and a lot of overweight individuals may find the ad offensive as well. The customers who are overweight would feel bad about themselves and even the brand will have a tendency to create negative associations as the target audience will not respond positively when they are being made fun of. Bibliography Maecat. â€Å"4 Banned Commercials†. YouTube.com. 6 March, 2007. Web. 2 May 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiYkwtBK34&feature=related

Explication of Out, Out by Robert Frost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Explication of Out, Out by Robert Frost - Essay Example These are themes which can be found in other poems by Robert Frost as well. An explication of the poem on this theme will show that the main thesis of the poem is that, no matter how sad an event such as death is, life must go on. Interestingly the opening of the poem keeps the reader constantly on edge, unsure whether something bad or good will come in the end. The first six lines of the poem set up a scene that sounds very nice. Although the first line does sound menacing, that is soon done away with by describing in great detail the lovely â€Å"sweet-scented stuff† that the sawdust gives off â€Å"when the breeze drew across it† (l.3) and showing the â€Å"Five mountain ranges one behind the other / Under the sunset far into Vermont† (l.5-6). These lines, taken together, make it sound as though the poem is going to be an ideal one about the pleasures of work in natural beauty and so on. However, line seven returns the menace of the first line by repeating tha t â€Å"the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled† (l.7). This is again undone two lines later, in a line which both reduces the tension and immediately adds to it again. The poem says that â€Å"nothing happened† but then makes this uncertain by adding that the â€Å"day was all but done† (l.9). From here the subject matter of the poem becomes more clear. Everything after this point has a melancholy feel to it, as though the reader is aware of how the poem is going to end before actually getting there. In the rest of the poem the boy loses his hand and has to get it amputated. He does not want it to be removed because he considers it to be the same as death. This is implied in the line that the boy â€Å"saw all was spoiled† (l.23). Because of this they have to sedate him, which ironically leads to his death when he does not recover from the anesthetic (l.26). It is clear that the boy's own sadness at his death, or even his lack of belief at the f act that he will eventually die, since he has lost his hand, actually leads to his immediate death much sooner than it should have happened. It is common for Robert Frost's poetry to show this "kind of dark design" which "comes like a thief in the night to steal away innocence" (Rath 163). In other words, the poet is often concerned with death, and the sadness--or loss of innocence--that it causes to mankind. However, even though he does have this common theme which runs throughout his work, some of his poems show that life will go on after this dark design has completed. These poems show that "man cannot be totally gloomy-shut," he cannot just shut himself away and feel depressed all the time about death (Rath 164). Instead, he will have to go on with his life. Interestingly, â€Å"Out, Out,† fits well into both categories. It is an exploration not only of he effect of death on other people, but of the loss of innocence of the boy who, when he loses his hand, sees his own de ath arriving. In this regard, since he was not able to move on as he should have, he actually dies, and is really unable to move on forever. Carl Runyon points out in his discussion of the poem that â€Å"we should not assume that the sister returned to the normal course of her life as quickly as did the doctor, or that the unseen parents immediately resumed their lives as if nothing had happened† (Runyon). Runyon says that the quickness of the poem's ending does not suggest the ending of the poem is â€Å"callous,† just that it is â€Å"realistic† (Runyon). Taken as a whole, the poem suggests that "there is a line between the living and the dead that cannot be crossed," which is also expressed in several other poems by Frost (Fagan 157). This might be seen as a cynical view of life, and

Theology of Community Essay Example for Free

Theology of Community Essay In this paper, I am going to share my ideas of theology. I believe that one of the biggest mistakes I made in the past was that I was afraid of being rejected, so I wrote a theology paper and tried to give the previous COM what I thought they wanted to hear instead of what was truly inside of me. Fortunately for me, even though I was not given a green light in order to see the Eccleastical Council, I was licensed to preach and this gave me time to wrestle with my theology and helped me to see where I stood on these very important areas of Christian faith. I want to briefly mention that although I have a lot of respect for liberation theologians, I disagree with them in one key area. Many liberation theologians start off with their experiences, and then look to the bible and interpret it. I believe that theology must start off with the Bible because it is the best source of information about who God is, who Jesus is, and what the early church was like. I do believe that the Church should speak out when there is injustice. However, it comes from a belief that we should treat others as if we see Jesus in them (see Matt 25:31-46). I refer to my personal theology as the â€Å"Theology of Community†. I reject this modern notion that Jesus is my â€Å"personal savior† because it highlights the rampant individualism in America. We are so consumer driven in the United States that if we have to wait more than two minutes in a drive-thru in order to get our food, we get upset. I believe that Jesus saves us from our selfishness, and self-destructive behavior; but that He draws us in to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Overview I see the entire Bible, both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Testament, as a story about how God is constantly reaching out to human beings with the intent of having a relationship with us. Many years ago, in my early twenties, a minister introduced a concept that I still draw upon. He used a diagram of a triangle. At the top of the triangle is God, and at the bottom two points were supposed to be the husband and wife. The idea being that as you draw closer to God, then the married couple would actually be closer to each other. If you are less selfish and willing to serve your spouse in love, then your relationship will (in theory) grow and become stronger. What I have done is to apply this to all relationships within the church. There is a tendency within churches for people to think that their way of doing things is right, and if you don’t agree then you are somehow bad; or at least you are a nuisance that should be shunned or ignored. We as human beings tend to want to be around people that are like us, who think like us, talk like us, and have the same opinion on virtually everything. Yet, if you look at the makeup of the group of disciples that followed Jesus, this is not the case at all. For the sake of brevity I will point out only two: Judas the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector. The zealots hated the Romans so badly that they were willing to take up arms against the Romans, yet the tax collectors were willing to collect money from their fellow Jews and give it to the Romans. Both groups were represented at the table during the Last Supper. It would be a refreshing thing if that kind of diversity was truly experienced today in our modern churches. I am heavily influenced by the theology of Karl Barth and somewhat by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I would also credit people like Hans Frei and George Lindbeck and the â€Å"post-liberal† movement; which some also know as â€Å"narrative theology†. In the writings of Frei and Lindbeck they talk about how liberal theology tends to focus on the experience of a believer more than on the scriptures. They also point out that conservatives responded to modernity by holding fast to the Bible and forming a more literal view of the scriptures. The view that they promote is what Lindbeck calls the â€Å"cultural/linguistic† approach. I felt very comfortable with this way of looking at the scriptures because if you rely too much on your own personal experience, then what kind of standard do you have? If you take the Bible literally, then how can you deal with issues like a person being swallowed by a whale, or saying that the earth is only six to seven thousand years old, when science says it is billions of years old? I have found that by avoiding the extremes of either side that the truth is usually in-between the two. I. God I don’t believe that we know everything about God. There are many things that we don’t know about the Divine. What we do know is what God has chosen to reveal. This self-revelation is done freely by God, without any coercion by anyone. Karl Barth put it this way: â€Å"God’s being, or truth, is the event of his self-disclosure, his radiance as the Lord of all lords, the hallowing of his name, the coming of his kingdom, the fulfillment of his will in all his work.† [1] Professor Barth often in his speeches refers to God as the â€Å"God of the Gospel†, and our best source of knowledge about God is Jesus Christ. We know that God is loving, kind, and compassionate because we have the written testimony of the Apostles that say that is how Jesus was. As Barth’s theology is very Christocentric, mine is as well. I would also point out that throughout the Hebrew Bible God used many prophets, judges, and teachers to reach out to humanity; and ultimately sent Jesus to reach out to people. So it is ultimately God who initiates the relationship between God and people. II. Imago Dei and our gifts In Genesis 1:26-27 the Bible talks about how we are made in the image of God, or have what is known as the Imago Dei. Some people would say that this means that human beings have a conscious, and live at a level that is more complex than just living on mere instinct. I believe that there is more to it than that. Romans 12:6 says that â€Å"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.† In other words, as you read the rest of the chapter you can see how each of the different gifts given to people can be used to edify and strengthen other people. We were created to be a blessing to other people, and those other people were created to live in harmony with you. III. Sin When we focus on our own needs, and we ignore the plight of the people around us; then we are living in a way that is contrary to the will of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer referred to sin as selfishness, and Karl Barth said that the root of sin is pride. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talked about how the Pharisees and tax collectors did some things that on the surface appeared to be good, but if you looked at their heart you realize the ulterior motive. Matthew 5:46-47 says, â€Å"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?† In other words, if you are helping someone because you are getting something back, in reality it was more of an investment than truly being helpful. It is not as malicious as stealing or killing someone, but it is not what you could call â€Å"unconditional love† either. IV. Christology Where liberals tend to focus on how we should follow the example of Jesus’ life and ministry, and conservatives tend to focus on the blood atonement, and how you can’t have a relationship with God without the shed blood of Christ; my response is Yes! I agree with both sides on this, and do not think that they contradict one another. Jesus is our example of how we should live. He was willing to engage with people that disagreed with him (John chapter 3). He treated women with dignity and respect (John chapter 4). Jesus brought healing and wholeness to a crippled man (John 5:1-15). Jesus cared for the crowds of people and wanted to feed them and meet their needs (John 6:1-15). Jesus also was a servant leader, who was willing to wash the feet of his disciples in order to make a point (John 13:1-17), that we should serve one another. However, Jesus was also known as the â€Å"Lamb of God† (John 1:29). He fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah, notably what was in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 dealing with the suffering servant. There has to be a balance between the two points of view because if you go too far to the left, you can forget what makes Jesus different from other religious teachers; and if you go too far to the right and focus too much on the hereafter, then you ignore the needs of the people around you and are no good to anyone in the here and now. Or as some would say, â€Å"They are so heavenly minded that they are not any earthly good.† I would say that this is not an either/or situation but a â€Å"both/and†, which is a phrase that our Lutheran friends use often. If we are to be the United Church of Christ, then in my mind our theology should be Christ centered. Karl Barth stated it in this way, â€Å"The object of theology is, in fact, Jesus Christ. This means, however, that it is the history of the fulfillment of the covenant between God and man.†

Toyotas Management Philosophy

Toyotas Management Philosophy The Toyota Way describes the 14 principles that form the foundation of this uniquely successful management style. Using profiles of a diverse group of organizations, from a variety of industries, it demonstrates how this model of success can be applied in any organization, to improve the quality, efficiency, and speed of any business process, including sales, product development, marketing, logistics, and management. This blueprint of Toyotas management philosophy offers managers in blue-collar, white-collar, manufacturing, or service environments specific tools and methods for becoming the best in their industries on cost, quality, and service.   Principle 1: Management decisions should be based on a long-term philosophy, even is short-term financial goals may suffer. Principle 2: Create constant process flow to bring predicaments to the surface. Principle 3: Employ pull systems to evade overproduction. Principle 4: Balance out the workload (heijunka)-work similar to the tortoise, not the hare. Principle 5: Construct a culture of ending fix problems, to get excellence right the first time. Principle 6: Consistent tasks are the basis for continuous development as well as employee empowerment. Principle 7: Make use of visual control so that no problems are concealed. Principle 8: Employ only reliable, carefully tested technology that complements your people along with processes. Principle 9: Grow leaders who systematically understand the work, comprehend the philosophy, and train others with it. Principle 10: Increase exceptional people with teams who go along the companys philosophy. Principle 11: Value your extended set of connections of partners and suppliers by testing them and helping them develop. Principle 12: See for yourself to meticulously appreciate the circumstances (genchi genbutsu). Principle 13: Formulate decisions little by little by consensus, thoroughly considering all options: put into practice decisions quickly (nemawashi). Principle 14: Grow to be a learning organization through persistent reflection (hansei) and nonstop improvement (kaizen). While Jim Collins describes in his book, Good to Great his concepts of people and leaders. Level 5 Leadership the Level 5 Leaders are not the types which are charismatic and media. Chances are youve by no means heard of them. They are seen as humble, self-effacing as well as more concerned about the success of the company than their individual accomplishment. First Who, Then What Through a bus analogy, Collins argues that great companies first get talented people on the bus, then settle on where to drive it. As stated by to Collins, the right people are your largely important asset. Confront the Brutal Facts but Yet Never Lose Faith Those Good to Great companies continue unwavering faith that they can as well as will prevail in the end, in spite of of the difficulties, and all at once have the discipline to deal with the most brutal truths of their current reality no matter what that might be. The Hedgehog Concept also known as Simplicity within the Three Circles The Good-to-Great companies do what they be able to do best (as opposed to what they desire to do best), what they are deeply zealous about, and they center on what guides their economic engine. A Culture of Discipline containing a disciplined culture is the other extreme of having a controlled one. Hierarchy, bureaucracy, if not excessive control is not needed. Technology No one in the Good To Great executives position technology as their top 5 drivers. No one of them jumped on the .com bandwagon due to panic. All of them took a careful approach as to how technology can be of great help to them to do what they do well much more. There are so many genuine insights seen in this book. Understand that Collins has no intention to be revolutionary. He is simply reporting data. The proposition is if you could model these significant factors, your company could as well reach the level of vastness. The 5th Level Leader 5th Level Leaders contain a combination of strong will plus personal humility. The 5th Level Leader shows an unwavering resolution and sets the benchmark for building great companies. In equilibrium, he demonstrates a forceful modesty, relies on inspired standards in addition to channels ambition keen on the company, and not into the character. Comparing the two, they are similar in some ways. Collins and Liker both understand how to develop its own business. One of their similarities is their concept of people running the business. They see very good people running the operations to sales as one of their asset. However, there are some differences on how the two authors value business. In his book, Good To Great, Jim Collins describes the business strategies of both successful and unsuccessful firms. Successful CEOs evolve innovative, wealth-creating plans that are long-lived, accommodate flexibility and change, and are firmly rooted in providing genuine value to customers. The unsuccessful CEOs tend to employ quick fix strategies doomed to be short-lived. In his book, The Toyota Way, Jeffrey K. Liker describes Toyotas preeminent form of lean manufacturing the Toyota Production System (TPS). Liker acknowledges that firms can boost productivity in the short term by implementing TPS tools. But long-term sustainability critically depends on what he terms the Toyota Way, which is Toyotas management commitment to invest in its people and promote a continuous-improvement culture. Liker contends that if a company does not understand the culture behind TPS, even though it has all the tools and techniques of TPS in place, the real work of implementing lean has just begun. Essentially, TPS is about applying the principles of the Toyota Way so that workers are contributing to the improvement of the system and of themselves. The Toyota Way encourages, supports, and demands employee involvement, for it is people who carry the system to life by means of working, communicating, resolving issues, also growing together. Thus, it is a culture even more than a set of efficiency and improvement techniques. Based on the authors 20 years of studying Toyota, he offers 14 principles that constitute the Toyota Way and form the basis of the culture behind TPS. For ease of understanding, he divides these principles into the four categories-Philosophy, Process, People/Partners, and Problem Solving-that correlate to the four high-level principles (genchi genbutsu, kaizen, respect, and teamwork) explained in Toyotas own internal Toyota Way training document. The idea of understanding that drives action is one way to put it. Good to great companies worked to understand at a deep level what made their company work, and by continually looking for new answers to the question, they developed the momentum to breakthrough into greatness Their leaders understood success was not about themselves as a person, but about the success of their company. They understood that the right people in the right seats on the bus make all the difference. They understood the importance of finding the truth and acting on it in the form of facing the brutal facts of reality, while maintaining unwavering faith that they would succeed. They understood that tapping passion, extraordinary competence, and the key economic driver builds progressive momentum. They understood the discipline of staying focused on the essentials and stopping the distractions. They understood technology is best used to accelerate momentum, not to create it. Finally, they understood that greatness comes from sustained commitment to disciplined people, disciplined thinking, and disciplined action that creates breakthrough momentum. Such understanding requires the integrated whole of the principles illustrated in this book. The challenge to all is to embody these principles, and by so doing, to live them out in everyday actions and interactions. By so doing, greatness, or even further greatness, awaits.

Production Strategies Adopted by Toyota

Production Strategies Adopted by Toyota Constantly since the company was founded in 1937, The TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION and their supplementary (TOYOTA), have incessantly strived to contribute to the sustainable expansion of society and the earth through the developed and provision of high-quality and innovative products and services. Through these continuous efforts, they have established a corporate philosophy that has been passed down from creation to generation throughout the company and which has come to be known as the Guiding Principles at Toyota (originally issued in 1992, revised in 1997; the Guiding Principles. they have also put TOYOTAs standards and methods in written form, in the Toyota Way (issued in 2001). Such values and methods must be shared globally among us to realize the Guiding Principles and they are seeking to pass these on to future generations. Through these efforts and by Passing down business viewpoint and values and methods, they are steadfastly striving to understand the creation of a prosperou s society by making things. TOYOTA has long-demonstrated its dedication to contributing to sustainable development. As their business operations have become increasingly global, they need to reconfirm their corporate philosophy and have issued an explanatory paper in January 2005 unconstrained Contribution towards Sustainable Development. This paper interprets the Guiding Principles from the stand point of how TOYOTA can work toward sustainable development in its interactions with its stakeholders. They believe that by implementing the Guiding Principles in maneuver, TOYOTA will successfully fulfill its expected contribution towards sustainable development. Therefore, as stated in the Guiding Principles and descriptive paper, we must meet the terms with local, national and worldwide laws and system, counting the strength thereof, and act with humbleness, honesty and truthfulness. compare to when the Code of Conduct for Toyota Employees was first issued in 1998, TOYOTAs existence in civilization has to a great e xtent augmented and also new laws and policy have been recognized, such as for the defense of individual data. With this surroundings in intellect, we have revised the existing code of conduct and shaped the Toyota Code of Conduct in order to communicate the elementary approach necessary to motivate sustained confidence in TOYOTA, to respect and comply with the laws, and to maintain our honesty and integrity. I would mainly like to ask each one of you, as a person working for TOYOTA, to be aware that you are a necessary donor to the success of TOYOTA. In this period of global opposition, borderless trade, and diversification, TOYOTA wishes to conduct business in an open and flaxen means. TOYOTA aims to become the most appreciated, esteemed and trusted company in the world by its customers and society. Accomplishing this goal requires that each one of us is aware of TOYOTAs respected reputation and standing in the community, the gratefulness their owe to customers and society, and th e necessary respect of laws and regulations. Therefore, they must each act in a unwavering, sure-footed, and thorough way, and in agreement with common sense and good judgment. I imagine and ask you to carefully read this Toyota Code of Conduct and to implement the spirit within March.. After the Second World battle, the allocation of World economic authority was wholly rearranged. Prior to the battle, Europe and the USA lined the world marketplace. The administration of Western companies was based on the Scientific Management by Frederick Winslow. This intellectual basis characterizes the begin of industrialization, lead to mass production and to fabulous output increases. Yet subsequent to the war, new company appeared on the playground, whose work was based on a viewpoint, on methods and rules unknown before. At the same time as Western managers bowed to short-term thoughts to satisfy shareholders and to everlasting reform, the new actors intense on frequent development in the quality of products, consistency of processes and qualification of employees. Toyota is one of these new companies, which regardless of the ferocious opposition due to overload production capacity in the automobile industry of around 25 % outperforms Western opposition in every aspect, in t echnological innovation, in customer satisfaction, in continuous growth and in profit. In 2004 Toyota passed Ford to become the second major automobile manufacturer. prior to long, Toyota will overtake General Motors flattering the largest car company in the world most likely having no less than 15% of the world marketplace. Toyota will achieve continuous success in the automobile industry in the light of their innovations. FOUNDER OF TOYOTA In a nutshell the companys objective is to have: Action Commitment Teamwork for becoming #1 in the world Explanation of the Project The core concept of the project is to understand the benefits of controlling the waste material, the strategy introduced by Toyota which is Toyota production system and the benefits of TPS. How much this crucial innovation helped in achieving customer satisfaction around the world? TPS explain how it became the leading automobile manufacturers by following its strategy. Thus this research project covers all the aspects of TPS and provides the best outcome. CHAPTER Literature review The Toyota Way Author: Jeffery K. Liker The Toyota concept: In the 1980s, Toyota started making its mark, on the world highway, as a sturdy car that lasted long and required less of maintenance than American cars. Today, the Company is the worlds most profitable car manufacturer, consistently producing high-quality cars using fewer man-hours and less on hand inventories. To this day, Toyota continues to raise the bar in manufacturing, production development and process excellence. TPS and Lean Production: The Toyota Way explains the management principle and business philosophy behind Toyotas success. It narrates Toyotas approach to Lean Production (known as the Toyota Production System TPS, which it invented in the 1940s and 50s) and the 14 principles that drive Toyota towards quality and excellence. The book also explains how one can adopt the same principles to improve ones business processes, while cutting down on operations and production costs. Toyota invented Lean Production in the 1940s and 50s. The Company focused on eliminating wasted time and material from every step of the production process (from raw materials to finished goods). The result was a fast and flexible process that gives the customers what they want, when they want it, of the highest quality and at most affordable cost. Toyota improved production by eliminating wasted time and resources, building quality into workplace systems, finding low-cost and yet reliable alternatives to expensive new technology, perfecting business processes and building a learning culture for continuous improvement. How Toyota Became the Worlds Best Manufacturer: After World War II. While Ford and GM used mass production and economies of scale, Toyota faced very different business conditions. Toyotas market was very small but it had to produce a variety of vehicles on the same assembly line to satisfy customers. The solution: making the operations flexible. This resulted in the birth of TPS. TPS borrowed some of its ideas from the United States. The core idea of the Just in Time (JIT) system came from the concept of the pull-system, which was inspired by the American supermarkets. In the pull system, individual items are replenished as each item begins to run low on the shelf. Applied to Toyota, it means that the first step in the process is not completed until the second step uses the materials or supplies from Step 1. At Toyota, every step of the manufacturing process uses Kanban to signal to the previous step when its part needs to be replenished. The Company was also inspired by W. Edwards Deming, who, aside from broadly defining customers to include internal and external clients, also encouraged Toyota to adopt a systematic approach to problem solving, which became a cornerstone for continuous improvement (known as Kaizen). Eliminating Waste: The purpose of TPS is to minimize time spent on non-value adding activities by positioning the materials and tools as close as possible to the point of assembly. The major types of non-value adding waste in business or production process are overproduction, waiting or time on hand, unnecessary transport or conveyance, over processing or incorrect processing, excess inventory, unnecessary movement, defects and unused employee creativity. One of the keys to success of Toyota is that it lives by the philosophy of self-reliance and a let us do it ourselves attitude. This can be best illustrated when it ventured into the luxury car industry. It did not buy a company that already made luxury cars. Rather, it created its own luxury division the Lexus from scratch, in order to learn and understand the essence of a luxury car. CHAPTER Aims Of The Study 1. Aim of the study: Toyota strategies in controlling the wastage of Material Toyota Production System (TPS) Primary, of course, it trained the recent car manufacturing how to make cars appropriately. Only some had heard of the Toyota Production System (TPS) until three academics in the car industry study planned run by (MIT). It described the philosophy and practices at the back the just-in-time mechanized system urbanized at Toyota by Taiichi Ohno. He in revolve had haggard motivation from W. Edwards Deming, an powerful statistician and quality-control specialist who had played a big part in mounting the rapid-manufacturing processes used internationally during the Second World battle. At the heart of TPS is removal of waste and absolute attentiveness on reliable high quality by a process of nonstop enhancement. The memorable just-in time aspect of bringing parts jointly just as they are required on the procession is only the clearest materialization of the persistent drive to remove sludge waste) from the industrialized process. ILLUSTRATION OF DIAGRAME: Toyota production system TPS is the combination is the combination of just in time inventory (JIT) and Jidoka In the above diagram exemplify the continuous flow work because the supplier are available to provide the inventory and without any shortage work is complete on time and all works starts same time and end up at same time. On the contrary the Jidoka systems of inventory stops and notify the abnormalities, work is done in separate settings manual work and automatic work finished separately without depending each other. Justification of Aim: Just-In-Time (Jit) Just in time production system eliminate the wastage of inventory because there is no warehouses cost would incur whenever the inventories are required the suppliers fulfill the demand and in the case of Toyota develop strong line with the supplier, if any supplier not able to provide the inventory on time the other supplier provides immediately Through just in time inventory system the product not suffers due to the shortage of material and availability issue completely resolved. Just in time inventory (JIT) system is one of the tremendous innovations of Japanese automobile industry initially introduced by Toyota and now implemented in all automobile manufacturing concerns. Toyota production system TPS is now working efficiently by adopting the just in time inventory system and it overcome the issue of overproduction and assist in making instant decisions. 2. Aim Of The Study: Efficiency Effectiveness of Production Process. A wide number of principles and practices can be employed to achieve the efficiency and effectiveness of production process. As management once noted, people instinctively know to eliminate waste once it is identified as such, so the task of reducing waste often centers first around identifying unnecessary uses of human, capital, or physical resources. After waste is targeted, new processes or practices can be devised to deal with it. Justification of Aim Process Enhancement One of the crucial aspects of controlling the wastage and enhancing the production efficiency through this amazing system introduced by Toyota which is Toyota production system TPS, this process saves time and cost and increase the ratio of profit. Earlier the production is languish in the warehouses and operating cycle duration increasing and all the cost incur due to the longer operating cycle time. another problem that worker spent their time and efforts on arranging the material which is directly related to the production of the product and all the system depend to each other and push strategy being used. However Toyota eliminates the traditional process and come up with the latest innovation which is TPS. Worth Added Toyota production system TPS, one of the vital technique launching by Japanese manufacturing concern which differentiate the action and put the added worth in the product and these additional features that makes product prominent not incur any cost which is base on the idea which comes in mind . the main focus of any manufacturing concern is to minimize the cost and to maximize the level of profit but its just like a word but Toyota converts these words into reality by providing value added services in the form of Toyota production system, extra cost cuts, inspecting cost, warehouses cost, outsourcing cost, opportunity cost and time delays issue completely resolved and by incurring the lower cost achieve the best quality which fulfill the market demand. Excellence By Design Another aspect of capturing the market Japanese manufacturing concern is a striking concentration to the design of the product that will attract to the customer through its Toyota production system and develops incomparable products in the market that makes difference to all other automobile manufacturing concern and provide 100% satisfaction to the customer which is the true evidence of Toyota success in the form of large market share of Toyota in all over the world. Toyota production system improves the production process and brings the positive results that helps to resolve current problem which Toyota is facing and for planning the safest future strategies and for best outcome. Order-Based Production Order base production system is one of the crucial strategy adopted by Toyota the concept behind the order base production system is to eliminate the cost of overproduction and also the cost of warehouses in which the product are standstill for selling. The order base system makes the order on the behalf of market need and demand rather than production capacity this process saves the maintenance cost of machinery eliminate the extra expenses some of which are directly or indirectly related to the manufacturing of the product and also one imperative aspect is to save a lot of time and order base production process provide brand new product to the customer and this process also a best tool to monitor the inflation cost which depends upon the whole economy scenario. Order base production system assist in setting the prices and eliminating the wastage of materiel. CHAPTER METHODOLOGY Qualitative Quantitative sources of data. Primary Source Of data Data collection is the step which needs much more concentration of the researcher because if this step is good enough then the research will be effective and efficient. I have used the source Interview and general observations as my instruments for primary data collection. We shall also refer to books, magazines and internet to make our research more comprehensive. Additionally a quantitative analysis also done through generating hypothesis and implementing a Z-test method. b) Interviews I have conducted interviews from the other managers and HR manager to acquire the accurate information. I have conducted structured interviews for collecting information. SECONDARY SOURCES OF DATA The already existing data has about the banking sector had been collected from the following secondary sources: Web site of the company I collected the information about the history, mission, and vision statements from the website of the company. I used internet to collect more information that comes in secondary source of data. Following are the other sources that also helped me to better understand the procedures and methods being used in Toyota automobile manufacturing concern. Books Case Studies RESEARCH DESIGN Research design is a step by step process. It provides the basis for testimony. The need of the research itself determines the methodology and the design of the research. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this research report is to explore the Production strategies adopted by Toyota to minimize wastage of material. A lot of research work has been done on the production process of Toyota, but a little research work is done on Production strategies adopted by Toyota to minimize wastage of material, so this shows that this is an exploratory research work. TYPES OF INVESTIGATION: Our type of investigation is correlation because we find the important variables or factors that contribute their part in providing an edge to Toyota production system TPS EXTENT OF RESEARCHER INTERFERENCE To conduct this research our interference in the environment was minimal. .STUDY SETTING: The study setting in our research is non contrived (natural) because we have not created any artificial environment for our research. This reason for keeping non contrived study setting is because we took a number of interviews, and research is being conducted in the natural environment of the Toyota. UNIT OF ANALYSIS: In our research unit of analysis is group because in this research, we conduct interview to the Hr. Managers and employees and from some loyal people of Toyota. We collect the data from this specific group who use Toyota. TIME HORIZON: Cross sectional studies are those in which the data are collected just once over a period of days, in order to answer a research questions. Same is the case with our research because we collected the data in one shot and not again. Ethical Consideration TOYOTA will fulfill with related laws and business procedures, interior business policies and rules. Toyota always focus to the social norms and values that makes history and heritage of Toyota and strictly govern all the business policies and take timely action to the any violence of the rule. Toyota not compromise to the quality and commitment which are its core principles. Toyota adopt the strategy to make the customer forever not for once and for that Toyota never motivate to an illegal way but it offers the tremendous services that catches the heart of customers. The Toyota Company strictly banned to making any unethical advertisement that will defame the market of the Toyota motors in the eye of the customer and also beyond to its code of conduct. Toyota company also not compromise with the safety of its product which it offer in the number of ways and Toyota will also educate people to create awareness of new innovation and for betterment of the customer , employees and for the sake of company ultimate growth and prosperity. CHAPTER 5 Results RESULTS Null Hypothesis In generating hypothesis we assumed that our population is normally distributed. We use Z-Score method to test our hypothesis. By studying the literature review which contains the different researches and studies conducted in different universities, on the basis of these studies we are assuming that 65% of employees said that Toyota Production system TPS is the ultimate solution to controlling waste material. We are also assuming the same percentage for the employee of Toyota Company who said that TPS is the ultimate solution to controlling waste material. So our null hypothesis is: H0: P = 65% or 0.65 Alternate Hypothesis Now our assumed percentage of the employee of Toyota Company who said that TPS is the ultimate solution to controlling waste material could be greater or lesser than 65% and we can show it by alternate hypothesis which is: H1: P à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚   65% or 0.65 Level of Significance We assumed the level of significance ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05 Critical Region Since it is a two tail test so ÃŽÂ ±/2 = 0.025 On the basis of the level of significance the critical region is: -1.96 Computations Analysis of our interviews, which had a random sample size of 120, show that 50% of the employees said that Toyota Production system TPS is the ultimate solution to controlling waste material. Now by using the Approximation formula Z = (x n P0) / à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ (n P0 q0) Where X = 60 (50% of 120) n = 120 (sample size) P0 = 0.65 q0 = 0.35 [q0 =1- P0] Z = (60 120 * 0.65) / à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ (120 * 0.65 * 0.35) = -3.44 Result: Because Z-Scores value computed by normal approximation does not lie in critical region, we did not find sufficient evidences to accept our Null Hypothesis. We further concluded that less than 65% of employee said Toyota Production system TPS is the ultimate solution to controlling waste material. CHAPTER 6: Discussions CONCLUSION Toyota Company is one of the best automobile manufacturing companies of the globe. This has successfully conquered its market through attractive and reliable cars with continuous innovations. In this case, Toyota has main advantage of its efficient production system which is its unique characteristic. Besides that it uses number of marketing tools to maintain its sustainable growth, which is as under Research and development Toyota focusing on innovation, for that innovation they conduct research and collect information about market, customers etc and they always come up with new ideas, brings new cars With more feature of comforts Customer relationship management (CRM) They consider customer as king, and realize their importance in their business operation So they develop long term relation with them to best identify their characteristic in order to give them extra value and satisfaction Compliance with laws and regulation Toyota is global leader and markets its product in numerous countries, so for that it must need to understand rules regulation of every country to perform its business operations. So it always complies with national and international laws and regulation being socially responsible. Stakeholder relationship Toyota respect its stakeholders, who have some stake or interest in your organization, like customer, investors, suppliers, dealers etc so Toyota focuses on how to make them satisfied for smooth operations of business E-Business operations Toyota also started its e- business in many countries, so its good marketing strategy to facilitate customers and dealers to transact on computer (internet) Promotional activities It is almost impossible for multinational company to run without focusing on promotional activities, so Toyota does it recognizes too and stresses promotional activities. Extra customer value and satisfaction Toyota has the image, that it provides high quality and standard of life. It always contribute its efforts to maintain that image among customers, so it created brand equity and has made their customer brand loyal Participative management Toyota welcome suggestion from every working unit, encourage creativity from every employee of organization. Who shows creativity and innovation brings competitive advantage For Toyota, than it reinforce them by rewarding Recommendations Operations are strictly run by a sustainable business strategy in order to control the wastage of material, which is passed on from one generation to the other and not by short-term decision making or by the attitudes of changing management teams and variable customer tastes. Toyota success comes through continuous efforts and launching incomparable product. Growth comes from the inside out and not through mergers and acquisitions, in other words, growth through continual improvement of products and services and not through continued reform. Toyota always focus to their customer need rather their capacity to produce the product the key point is to control the wastage of material because Toyota adopted the strategy mass customization rather than mass production. Skilled employees are one of the key point of Toyota in achieving their long lasting goals. Toyota employees always work for the sake of the company prosperity. Latest technology is being used like the Toyota production system to eliminate the wastage of material and to compete to the rivals and in order to fulfill the customers desire. Centralized system is being adopted by Toyota all the powers are not in one hand divided into several hands for the interest of employees and staff. Flexible environment the lower cadre easily reaches to the higher cadre and sharing of ideas is the key spot of the success history of Toyota. Remarkable history of Toyota an ultra growth in the automobile industry without any imperfection. Toyota offer flexible working environment, create a culture to stick the setback. New ideas are core area of the success of Toyota. Toyota implements blue ocean strategy in order to make incompetent to their rival. First fuel injected car introduced by Toyota which is his blue ocean strategy and capture the market share of all the automobile manufacturing concerns. Standardised tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee Empowerment. produce leaders who scrupulously comprehend the work, live the values, and educate it to others. Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your companys beliefs. Respect your comprehensive network of associates and suppliers by challenging them and serving them progress. Make decisions slowly by accord, in detail taking into account all options; employ decisions speedily.

Essay --

The All American Dog has a long history that’s been forgotten by America today. The American Pitbull Terriers use to be a World War I, â€Å"Mascots of neutrality and bravery.† Today they are seen almost like a convict in public waiting to commit a crime and keep their distance from them. The breed is one of the smartest breeds out there in the world today proven by the Canine Temperament tests, American Pitbull Terriers score above average higher than any other dogs. Pit Bull Terriers are part of American history due to their powerful physical characteristics and strong bonds of loyalty, however, recent media focus have tarnished changed this breed’s image unfairly. The American Pitbull Terrier originated from Europe, Scotland, and Ireland in the eighteenth century. The American Pitbull Terrier came from mixing terriers with bulldogs a, â€Å"Breed historians believe originally served as a gripping dog for hunters of large game.† They use to let about four Pitbulls at once and attack a bull for entertainment. They later saw it as a sport, â€Å"These dogs were used in the blood sport of bull and bear baiting.† As they fought against bears, bulls, and other large animals. The American Pitbull Terriers, â€Å"maintained their grip until the animal became exhausted from fighting and loss of blood.† soon after they banned the inhumane sport in the 1835. Soon, dog fighting became very popular, exciting and entertaining to see as the wining dog was, â€Å"Celebrated and held up as heroes for their courage and fortitude during battle.† Selective breeding started that way their dog would be easily handled and obey owners. The y received the name for being trained to fight in pits with other dogs mostly of their own breed; after baiting was banned they got the b... ...sible, abusive, forgets, and reckless towards the dog, â€Å"A bad stereotype that has come because a lot of times they are raised wrong.† The breed was a very important breed to America that was looked up to, as of now some states ban owning an American Pitbull Terrier. The breed is part of the nations upcoming and history that many are terrified of to even pet the exploring, loving, and friendly All American Dog they are. The fighting dogs were also known to change their habits with new responsible owners and created a very loving bond as if they never fought before. Today, American Pitbull Terriers aren’t allowed to enter most dog contests due to the false myths the media has created and irresponsible owners. The now infamous American Pitbull Terrier has developed a bad reputation since the eighties that some people are slowly changing back to our All American Dog.

Information Technology in Society Essay -- Technology, Computers

Introduction Richard (2004) pointed out: â€Å"In the long history technology innovation, the computer sense is no more notable than such major inventions as the steam engine, the train, electricity and electronics, the telegraph and the telephone, the automobile, the airplane, radio, motion pictures and television.† The 21st century is the age of computer technology and it has brought about a fundamental change in every facet of our life. It has largely influenced the way we communicate and the way information exchange is facilitated in today's world. The modern world has been shaped by its metaphysics, which has shaped its education, which in turn has brought forth its science and technology. So, without going back to metaphysics and education, we can say that the modern world has been shaped by technology. It tumbles from crisis to crisis; on all sides there are prophecies of disaster and, indeed, visible signs of breakdown. If that which has been shaped by technology, and continues to be so shaped, looks sick, it might be wise to have a look at technology itself. If technology is felt to be becoming more and more inhuman, we might do well to consider whether it is possible to have something better-a technology with a human face. This is the era of computer (information technology); every action of human being has become mechanized. One of the bad element of this computerized age is that human being is gradually become substitute computer. The actual hazard is not that computer will start to thinking like human, but that human will start thinking and act like computer. It is dread that human will be totally assistant to technology (Lin & Atkin, 2007). Overall, everything just like Anthony St. Peter (2010) quoted Nicholas Negropon... ...ther, they would group chat which is say have 5 friends all chatting so we have to send each text to 5 people at once and because the texts were free they would ask such silly questions using text like u ok? Then response to that would be at Gammas my response doing what? Want to go shopping. And before you know it we have sent like 15 texts each (Hanks, 2010). Conclusion In general, Mr. Harris is using his quote to make us humans more aware of the real danger and its consequences. He is trying to get us off what most of us believe that the real danger is that computers will begin to think like humans. However, he is trying to turn us around and make us apprehend that, in fact, it is the opposite, that if we as humans begin to think like computers, the consequences will be far more severe. Mr. Harris has achieved his ambition by saying this quote. â€Æ' Information Technology in Society Essay -- Technology, Computers Introduction Richard (2004) pointed out: â€Å"In the long history technology innovation, the computer sense is no more notable than such major inventions as the steam engine, the train, electricity and electronics, the telegraph and the telephone, the automobile, the airplane, radio, motion pictures and television.† The 21st century is the age of computer technology and it has brought about a fundamental change in every facet of our life. It has largely influenced the way we communicate and the way information exchange is facilitated in today's world. The modern world has been shaped by its metaphysics, which has shaped its education, which in turn has brought forth its science and technology. So, without going back to metaphysics and education, we can say that the modern world has been shaped by technology. It tumbles from crisis to crisis; on all sides there are prophecies of disaster and, indeed, visible signs of breakdown. If that which has been shaped by technology, and continues to be so shaped, looks sick, it might be wise to have a look at technology itself. If technology is felt to be becoming more and more inhuman, we might do well to consider whether it is possible to have something better-a technology with a human face. This is the era of computer (information technology); every action of human being has become mechanized. One of the bad element of this computerized age is that human being is gradually become substitute computer. The actual hazard is not that computer will start to thinking like human, but that human will start thinking and act like computer. It is dread that human will be totally assistant to technology (Lin & Atkin, 2007). Overall, everything just like Anthony St. Peter (2010) quoted Nicholas Negropon... ...ther, they would group chat which is say have 5 friends all chatting so we have to send each text to 5 people at once and because the texts were free they would ask such silly questions using text like u ok? Then response to that would be at Gammas my response doing what? Want to go shopping. And before you know it we have sent like 15 texts each (Hanks, 2010). Conclusion In general, Mr. Harris is using his quote to make us humans more aware of the real danger and its consequences. He is trying to get us off what most of us believe that the real danger is that computers will begin to think like humans. However, he is trying to turn us around and make us apprehend that, in fact, it is the opposite, that if we as humans begin to think like computers, the consequences will be far more severe. Mr. Harris has achieved his ambition by saying this quote. â€Æ'

Comparing Jane Eyre and Yellow Wallpaper -- Comparison Compare Contras

Similarities Between Jane Eyre and Yellow Wallpaper   Ã‚   There are notable similarities between Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. These similarities include the treatment of space, the use of a gothic tone with elements of realism, a sense of male superiority, and the mental instability of women. There is a similar treatment of space in the two works, with the larger, upstairs rooms at the summer lodging and at Thornfield Hall being associated with insanity and the smaller rooms below being safer and saner. Gilman's narrator expresses an early desire to move downstairs to a smaller, saner room, but her wish is ignored. Large rooms become haunted rooms in both stories as typified by the room with the yellow wallpaper, the Red Room, and the third floor room beyond which Bertha is confined. Both works contain gothic elements, but there is a conscious effort on the part of both narrators to dispel the gothic tone with elements of realism. Gilman's narrator begins to describe her eerie summer lodgings, but notes "there was some legal trouble with the heirs and co-heirs... That spoils my ghostliness, I am afraid" (11). Jane likewise is both affected by and resists the supernatural. For instance, she notes along with Grace Poole's fantastic laughter, her affinity for beer. However, the most notable similarity between the two works is the presence in each house of a "madwoman in the attic" (to borrow from Gilbert and Gubar). In the case of Gilman's narrator (unnamed, but with one ambiguous reference that it may be Jane) and Bertha, madness id the result of traditional Victorian marriages, from which both transgress. Clearly implied in Gilman's text and interpretable in Bronte's ... ...e Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. New York: Feminist Press, 1973. Golden, Catherine, ed. The Captive Imagination: A Casebook on "The Yellow Wallpaper." New York: Feminist Press, 1992. ------. "The Writing of 'The Yellow Wallpaper': A Double Palimpsest." Studies in American Fiction. 17 (1989): 193-201. Haney-Peritz, Janice. "Monumental Feminism and Literature's Ancestral House: Another Look at 'The Yellow Wallpaper'" Women's Studies. 12 (1986): 113-128. Kasmer, Lisa. "Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper': A Symptomatic Reading." Literature and Psychology. 36, (1990): 1-15. Lodge, Scott. "Fire and Eyre: Charlotte Bronte's War of Earthly Elements." The Brontes: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Ian Gregor. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1970. 110-36. Maynard, John. Charlotte Bronte and Sexuality. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1984.

Alienation in “Black Boy”

Carlos Hernandez Eng. 111 Prof. Weitz 02/18/2009 Causes of Alienation in Black Boy Black Boy demonstrates how the protagonist, Richard Wright, alienated himself from his community because he did not share the same religious and societal beliefs practiced by his community and felt that the questions he had about everyday life would not be answered if he conformed to his degraded position in society. Richard alienated himself from his community because he wanted to find answers to his questions about racism that were not being answered. His desire and capacity for knowledge is discouraged and underestimated by whites and blacks due to living in the Jim Crow South. Religion is also a cause of alienation because Richard does not share the same enthusiasm for religion as the community does. These are all causes of alienation for Richard. The first signs of alienation come as a result of Richard’s curiosity with the world around him. An insatiable sense of curiosity grew in him after learning to read, write, and count to one hundred that he soon became, â€Å"a nuisance by asking far too many questions of everybody. This led him to learn about the relations between whites and blacks. After finding out about the white man beating the black boy he began to ask questions regarding race and why there is a puzzling coexistence between whites and blacks. He asked his mother why that happened and she simply responded by saying, â€Å"You’re too young young to understand. † She did this to dodge this contr oversial topic. He had so many questions regarding this topic and no one in his community was willing to give him a straight, if any, answer. On another occasion, Richard asked his mother if they could look in the white side of the train and noticed his mother becoming irritated. â€Å"I had begun to notice that my mother became irritated when I questioned her about whites and blacks, and I could not quite understand it. † His inquisitive nature and lack of answers lead him to alienate himself from his community by going on his journey to the North in order to answer these questions of racism. Richard’s curiosity led him to desire knowledge. This thirst for knowledge is another cause of alienation for Richard. It results in alienating himself as well as being alienated from the black community. For example, when Granny found out that her tenant, Ella, was reading Bluebeard and His Seven Wives to Richard, she objected to it and forbade her from reading to him on religious grounds by saying, â€Å"That’s the Devil’s work. † When Richard protested, she responded by saying, â€Å"You’re going to burn in Hell. † It seems that her deep religious beliefs did not promote creativity or knowledge. Her disallowance of creativity and expanding his mind only made it more desirable for Richard. He secretly took books from Ella and tried to read them. Another example of this is when he wrote the story in the local black paper. His own classmates did not believe that he had written it himself and thought he had stolen the idea for the story. After this occurrence he said, â€Å"If I had thought anything in writing the story, I had thought that perhaps it would make me more acceptable to them, and now it was cutting me off from them more completely that ever. This experience led him to want to go to the North to pursue a writing career, something he could not do in the South because it was discouraged by whites and could have fatal consequences, and because his community is not all that supportive because of that. In this way he is alienated from his community and alienating himself. His curious nature and thirst for knowledge led him to seek religion to answer the questions he had regarding racism. Religion is an additional source of alienation for Richard. He is constantly being pressured to join the church congregation by his mother, Aunt Addie, and Granny. One of the first unpleasant experiences he had with religion can be found in the first pages of the book. His mother invited their local church’s preacher to dinner and that night’s dinner consisted of soup and fried chicken, a sign that it was a special dinner. Richard refused to eat the soup and while everyone else finished their soup and began eating chicken he became upset, believing that â€Å"the preacher [was] going to eat all the chicken. This dinner had a negative effect on him because he learned that â€Å"the preacher, like his father, was used to having his own way. † Since he disliked his father for abandoning his family, it was natural for him to associate this religious figure with his father and therefore, he saw religion in a negative way. After being persuaded by his classmates to give religion a try, he makes an effort to join the crowd, â⠂¬Å"I was so starved for association with people that I allowed myself to be seduced by it all. although he made an effort, he could not share his family’s rigid Christian fundamentalism, further alienating himself from his family and his community. Richard was not a believer because he â€Å"had not settled in [his] mind whether [he] believed in God or not; his existence or nonexistence never worried [him]. † After going to a revival at the local church and confessing to the other boys that he felt nothing, â€Å" they too admitted that they felt nothing. † This only confirmed his belief that religion led to conformism. He believed this because of the harsh environment in which he had to live that was reluctant to answer the questions he had about society. He realized that the conformist nature of religion would not lead him to finding the answers he sought of racism, nor would it satisfy his desire for knowledge on the issue. Had he succumbed to the wishes of his friends and family he would have given up his individuality and conformed to the way of life available in the South. By not being able to share in his community's religious beliefs, he further alienates himself from the rest of the group because of his nonconformity. Richard Wright alienates himself from his community because he does not share societal and religious beliefs followed by those in his community. He refuses to conform to his degraded position in society. Richard does not accept a fundamentalist Christianity because it is used to obstruct his goal of becoming a writer, primarily by Granny. Although he is an outsider who feels little connection with other people, he still cares for them nonetheless, as it is shown when he decides to go North with the promise to send for his mother and his brother. These are the causes of alienation seen in Black Boy.

Compare and contrast the aims and methods of Trait Theory Essay

Psychologists seek to explain and formulate why people behave differently in everyday common situations and to define individual differences in terms of the knowledge gained and it structure. Personality can be defined as an individual’s characteristic qualities of thought, emotion and behaviour when interacting with their social environment. Traits are ‘relatively enduring ways in which an individual differs from another’ (Butt 2012, p. 46). Eysenck’s trait theory has it origins in the psychometric tradition of measurement; while Kelly’s personal construct theory adopts a phenomenological approach. The aims and methods of both theories will be critically compared and contrasted outlining their theoretical perspectives and the knowledge that each produce. By focusing on individual differences their different methodological approaches will be assessed in terms of their objective and subjective roles, highlighting that each have influential findings bu t don’t completely give a complete account of all personality phenomena. (Butt, 2012) Eysenck’s (1953) Trait theory adopts a nomothetic approach that classifies personality dimensions to measure and describe the individual differences of personality. It’s based on the assumption that individuals can be characterised by certain personal attributes or traits that in turn influence behaviour. Descriptions of traits have their foundation in everyday language used to describe human behaviour; trait theory draws on the histrionic usage of traits in vocabulary such as ancient Greek typology. This usage is used to support evidence of, ‘constitutional and biological factors that are indicated through personality traits’ (Butt, 2004). Eysenck used factor analysis to establish cluster traits using questionnaires (Eysenck’s Personality Inventory) proposing that two high order factors could account for the clustering profile obtained, extraversion vs introversion and neuroticism vs stability, he later added and third psychoticism vs superego. Each factor has second order traits established from ‘factor analytic studies’ (Butt, 2012, p.50) to describe more fully individual characteristics or tendencies. Eysenck believed biology could  explain the individual differences of personality, that causal factors at a neurological level in the cortical and autonomic arousal systems influence an individual’s temperament and behaviour. ‘The purpose of personality theory is not to capture the idiosyncratic nature of the individual’ (Butt, 2012, p.47), but used as an indicator of how a person is likely to react in certain situations. Eysenck acknowledges that it’s not only biology that influences behaviour, but our past experiences and learning can also have an influence on current reactions to different stimuli. However trait theorists tend to view personality from a deterministic perspective, as stable and enduring and don’t take into consideration the behavioural and attitude changes that people experience over time (Butt, 2012). Kelly’s (1955) personal construct theory, which is a form of phenomenology; views personality as idiosyncratic phenomena that can not be measured, as each individual adopts a unique way of making sense of their world. Each person is seen as a composition of personal world views or constructs that are based on unique experiences. Individuals construct others behaviour in terms of their own subjective viewpoint. Kelly proposed we act like scientists, who form theories and assumptions about ourselves, others and the world. By inquiry and testing out the uncertainties of our assumptions we produce further inquiry that is an ongoing lifelong cycle. Based on the cognitive approach, it is these constructs or schemas Kelly theorises that provide the basis of our reactions and behaviour (Butt, 2012). Both Eysenck and Kelly aimed to produce theories that have a clinical application, Eysenck sought to use his theory for clinical diagnosis in response to discredited psychiatric classifications, while Kelly who practised as a psychotherapist sought to facilitate therapeutic change through learning and self awareness. Eysenck viewed ‘classification as a fundamental part of scientific study’ (Eysenck and Rachman, cited in Butt, 2012, p.48), Kelly placed no importance on the psychometric tradition of assessment; the emphasis of his approach is on ‘recognising the value of examining the unique cognitive constructs of an individual’s world view and the self’ (Butt, 2012. p. 47). Kelly’s emphasis was on self-determination and problem solving rather than the diagnostic standardised dimensions used  by trait theories. Where trait theory seeks to discover societal norms and how we all differ in relation to them, personal construct theory places no importance on making individual comparisons through personality dimensions. Butt (2004) states that ‘trait theory does not account for the richness of personality in the way that personal construct theory can’. Trait theory would propose that behaviour is biologically controlled and therefore consistently predictable, which excludes the potential for change, while personal construct theory views constructs as being flexible and fluid and therefore open to change, even through individuals might actively resist the difficulty of change (Butt, 2012). Mischel (as cited in Butt, 2012) a student of Kelly’s questioned trait theories deterministic view of behaviour consistency, arguing that behaviour was a diverse phenomenon influenced by social stimuli; that people will behave differently according to the situation they find themselves in. Results from Zimbardo’s (1975) prison experiment would suggest that social situations can exert an influencing effect on behaviour. Skinner (1974), (as cited in Butt, 2012) proposed that traits can not explain behaviour; they only provide a description, not an explanation of behaviour that simply identifies regular patterns of behaviour, or a ‘cycle of redescription’ (Butt, 2004. p.3) Mischel also points out that traits are implicit personality theories based on subjective perceptions of the individual being rated, or a perception of others which will reflect biased prejudices of the sociocultural environment. He highlights a study were observers allocated the same traits to both strangers and those they new well, indicating ‘fundamental attribution error’ (Butt, 2004), which suggests that observers attribute over generalised traits that are not valid. This raises the issue of trait objectivity, by highlighting the subjective nature of evaluation that challenges the concept of trait structure, along with the validity and reliability of factor analysis (Butt, 2012). It would appear that the objectivity of trait theory comes into question and therefore the methods it employs. The argument of patterns of similarity verses uniqueness and the approaches they adopt either nomothetic (universally general) or idiographic (individually unique) is a relevant  area, as individual differences has traditionally set out to identify the universal dimensions of individuals. Eysenck used the nomothetic approach of factor analysis, which correlates clusters of traits that have been established through the use of subjective questionnaires and ratings. He addresses the criticism that factor analysis is prone to unreliable incongruent practitioner results stating that ‘universal agreement and correlation is strong support for his statistical method’ (Eysenck and Stanley, as cited in Butt, 2012, p. 51). His measurement techniques provide objective data that can be used to draw comparisons across wide populations and provide a structure in which categorical typology can be conducted. However his factor analysis would appear to be used more in marketing and ‘occupational rather than clinical psychology’ (Butt, 2012). Mischel stated ‘that the only thing objective about personality inventories was their administration and scoring’ (Butt, 2004). Alternatively the idiographic data gathered by personal construct theory produces subjective results that can not be generalised and therefore applied to our understanding of traits or people as a whole (Butt, 2012). Mischel concluded that personality testing only produces self-concepts and personal concepts and more appropriate idiographic measures should be employed like Kelly’s (1955) repertory grid, which helps to assess an individuals personal constructs. The repertory grid was devised by Kelly to elicit how individuals categorise constructs by comparing and contrasting experiences and events, allowing participants to access and assess personal meanings through construing. Individuals construe others behaviour in terms of their own subjective viewpoint. The results produced by repertory grid, can be subjected to factor or cluster analysis but only in terms of the individual meaning rather than a universal interpretation similar to Eysenck’s. Salmon (as cited in, Butt 2012) adopted Kelly’s theories of individual differences and integrates his philosophy and methods into learning in schools. She criticises the ‘market model of education’, which she states â₠¬Ëœdelivers packages of knowledge’ that measures and classifies children through tests and examinations, which removes the ‘individuality of the individual’, creating hierarchies of ability. Like Kelly she argues that learning should be more interactive and intersubjective, that children need  to engage in debate in order to formulate and challenge their own implicit constructs. She believed that it is only by the acknowledgment of existing constructs that personal development can occur, through methods such as Kelly’s repertory grid. By adopting personal construct philosophy, she developed the Salmon line, which seeks to draw out the implicit by empowering students to define the idiosyncratic meaning of their personal expectations around academic progress. Salmon believed that the use of these phenomenological methods instead of the generalised preset formats of trait theory, offered access to ‘living material’ of understanding, which encourages learning and change. (Salmon1994, as cited in Butt 2012, p. 59) Salmon also highlights the hierarchical nature of learning, that educational success is based on the testing and grading students through examinations. From a Kelliyan philosophy, hierarchical structures are unbeneficial; his emphasis is on the understanding of objects rather than labelling or comparison. Hierachical structures raise the issue of power relations that Kelly points to within trait theory and most psychometric methods. As with learning environments, power can be exerted by those who administer measurement tools and how they exert the knowledge that is gained. Trait theory because of its diagnostic emphasis has been criticised due to the pathologising nature of negative diagnosis. Richards (2002) highlights ‘reification where methodology ascribes an unwarranted description to an individual or object’ (p. 254). It could be argued that personal construct methods such as the repertory grid and the Salmon line eliminate the labelling of individuals by traits, by assisting them to identify their own personal constructs and meanings and therefore avoiding power relations (Butt, 2012). Hollway (2012) highlights the importance of agency-structure dualism when considering experimental methodology. Eysenck’s proposes that traits have their explanations in innate biological factors, which would suggest that agency has little or no influence on behaviour and that social factors are irrelevant, suggesting that personality is fixed. Personal construct theory views this dualism as complimentary, where the individual is viewed in the context of the societal environment in which they are constructed. Kelly  proposes that individuals have some degree of agency because structure partly restricts through social construction and therefore have an ability to initiate change. While individuals can change their social and individual constructs, social structure clearly has an influence on behaviour. Salmon shows through examples of learning and the application of the salmon line, the interaction between agency and structure. She highlighted that ‘knowledge is never neutral it comes with the interests and concerns of a particular siociocultural source’ (Salmon, as cited in Butt, 2012, p. 59), clearly indicating how societal influences impact on the agency of individuals (Butt, 2012). Both trait theory and personal construct theory seek to gain an understanding and explain why individuals act in terms of individual differences. Eysenck and Rachman’s trait theory adopts a nomothetic approach using psychometric testing to measure personality traits. Kelly’s personal construct theory emphasise the uniqueness of individuals, seeking to understand how individuals construct their subjective world views, based on their own experiences. Using phenomenological methods they produce detailed accounts of individual personalities that avoid comparisons, with an emphasis on interpretation rather than scientific explanation, in contrast to the psychometric tradition which sets out to discover societal norms and use these to explain individual differences (Butt, 2012). Eysenck outlines personality in terms of dimensions which reflect the underlying biological basis of personality. Personal construct theory recognises the ability for change unlike trait theory and uses idiographic methods such as the repertory grid and the Salmon line to enable chance to occur, through the interaction of personal agency and social structures. Salmon showed how personal construct theory can be implemented into clinical practice, however a complete theory of personality would need to encompass, structure, psychopathology and change, it would appear that both theories have areas of development in both theory building and testing. References: Butt, T. (2012). Individual differences In Hollway, W., Lucey, H., Phoenix, A., and Lewis, G. (eds). Social Psychology Matters (p.1-22). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Butt, T. (2004). Understanding people, Basingstoke and New York, Palgrave MacMillan. Richards, G. (2002). Putting psychology in its place, Hove, Psychology press.