Transcendentalism The Antidote to Brainwashed Youth Essay

When I was first exposed to the concept of Transcendentalism in my English class, the idea seemed farfetched and rather abstract. Upon further readings and research, I discovered that the concepts, although they originally seemed esoteric, where works of true brilliance. Society has made it hard for individuals to exist when things like popular culture seemingly brainwash youth into doing whatever is considered â€Å"cool†. Transcendentalism is a powerful concept which should be acknowledged by my generation, for the points encompassed in Transcendentalism are more vital today than ever. Transcendentalism is the philosophy of striving to live a life of independence, simplicity, and oneness with nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the†¦show more content†¦Truth, if it agreed with an individuals instinct of truth, must be indeed truth. Another leading Transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau, takes this idea of doing what is right to one’s conscience to a new level in his essay â€Å"Civil Disobedience†. In the piece, Thoreau asserts that the â€Å"true place for a just man [in an unjust society] is in jail†. He also puts into writing what would be practiced over 200 years later by exposing the public to the suggestion of civil disobedience through nonviolent protests. In the past 50 years, examples of this have appeared on several occasions: civil right’s movement, women’s rights movement, Vietnam protests, and even usage by the great Mohandas Gandhi in the Indian independence movement. All of these movements met success. Thoreau also wrote â€Å"Walden†, a collection of entries from a span of two years in which he lived in a cabin next to Walden Pond in Massachusetts. In this masterfully collaborated piece, Thoreau seeks to explain two, among many other, particularly core Transcendentalist values: nature and simplicity. Although Genesis 1:26 tells us that man was to â€Å"rule over† the animals that we live among, Transcendentalism seeks to live alongside what were given to us to be our â€Å"subjects†. There is also the alternate definition of nature, which relates to an inherent sense of righteousness or wrongness. This relates back to one’s conscience being of more

Linux Operating System on Business - 2703 Words

Introduction about Linux Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Linus had an interest in Minix, a small UNIX system, and decided to develop a system that exceeded the Minix standards. He began his work in 1991 when he released version 0.02 and worked steadily until 1994 when version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel was released. Linux is developed and released under the GNU General Public License and its source code is freely available to everyone. There are now literally hundreds of companies and organizations and an equal number of individuals that have released their own versions of operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Apart from†¦show more content†¦| |Country Energy, NSW, Australia |A Linux user since 1995, Country Energy has been steadily moving more | | |and more systems over to Linux. | |Deutsche Bahn |German railway system manager Deutsche Bahn began in late 2004 to | | |migrate its servers to Linux. The migrated systems include a Lotus | | |Notes server, a SAP system and their web servers. Other systems will | | |follow. | |Endress+Hauser |In the summer of 2004, the sensors and instruments manufacturer | | |migrated its SAP system on to a mainframe running Linux. | |Ernie Ball Inc. |The guitar string manufacturer abandoned Microsoft and migrated its | | |entire IT infrastructure to LinuxShow MoreRelatedWindows NT 40 vs. Lynix Essay1577 Words   |  7 Pagesproducts and services for business and personal use; each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. 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Officially licensed Unix operating systems include OS X (Apple), Solaris (Oracle), AIXRead MoreNetw 240 Course Project: Operating System Proposal Essay643 Words   |  3 PagesNETW 240 Course Project: Operating System Proposal Follow Below Link to Download Tutorial https://homeworklance.com/downloads/netw-240-course-project-operating-system-proposal/ For More Information Visit Our Website ( https://homeworklance.com/ ) Email us At: Support@homeworklance.com or lancehomework@gmail.com Course Project: Operating System Proposal Objectives Back to Top Your company is currently investigating the use of Linux. Your manager has asked you to research theRead MoreBoeing Case674 Words   |  3 PagesBoeing Software Procurement Case Study 1. Why would a large and complex company like Boeing employ off-the-shelf application-specific software for accounting, human resources, supply chain management and other core business processes? And why do they choose to own, host and operate all of their own software rather than to for example outsource payroll to ADP Corporation or sales force management to Salesforce.com? [list] Answer: Reasons why Boeing employ off the shelf application: a

Andersen’s Case Auditing and Assurance Services Free Essays

Arthur Andersen was one of the five biggest accounting firms in United States. Arthur Andersen is specific example about the most recent business collapse, which is considered profound in American business history. The firm, practicing in more than 80 countries with thousands of employees, now lost its reputation as an audit and accounting firm. We will write a custom essay sample on Andersen’s Case Auditing and Assurance Services or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are many different thoughts and judgments about the case when Arthur Anderson failed its tasks to detect fraudulent financial activities on Enron and several different companies. The Enron Company filed bankruptcy in December of 2001. Being well known as a big energy company which headquarters is located in Houston, the bankruptcy of the company drew lots off attentions from business world. Questions were asked and lots of financial misstatements were revealed and Arthur Andersen – Enron’s external auditing and accounting firm in Houston, was involved. Stephens (2002) stated, Arthur Andersen who were responsible for managing Enron’s audits, had illegally destroyed paper and electronic documents related to their representation of Enron (p. 4). The case soon went to the jury. Louwers et al. (2011) reported the instructions hinged on the wording of statue that makes it a crime to knowingly use intimidation or physical force, threaten, or corruptly persuade other person. According to Oxford Dictionaries online, corrupt means having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain. In this case, the word â€Å" corrupt† was not applied appropriately to the actions of Anderson. There was no evidence to prove that there is a person who is corrupt persuader. Who was the one that acted dishonestly? The court also needs to identify the personal gain that a corrupt persuader can gain from having such action. The court could not find the answers to this issue, which means the decision is attached to the firm’s fate – Arthur Andersen. Research by Stephens (2002) states that to clarify the instruction of Judge Harmon about â€Å"corruptly†, the prosecution describes the illegal conduct of four corrupt persuaders: Duncan, Temple, Thomas Bauer, and Michael Odom. After a few days, the jury was not required to unanimously agree on the single corrupt persuader’s identity (Stephens, 2002). As Louwers et al. (2011) stated that the issues that overturned the Andersen verdict were based on faulty jury instructions, not on whether Andersen was in fact guilty or innocent. It was not Andersen who violated the law; it is individuals of the company who did. Hoxter (2005) argued that the instructions were faulty because they did not require proof that Andersen officials knew they were doing something wrong. The ruling destroying the documents was not a crime. There must be a person with authority who sent out the instructions for Arthur Andersen employees to do so. As Stephens (2002) restated from the interviews with reporters after the verdict, four jurors identified Temple as that person. It is appropriated for the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court’s decision because Judge Harmon used the word â€Å"promptly† with different meaning from the dictionary, which is â€Å"improper purpose†, such as intent to subvert or undermine the fact finding ability of an official proceeding. The lower court failed in identifying the specific person who is corruptive persuader. According to Duska (2005), Arthur Anderson, a venerable firm, at one time, prided itself in its role as auditor since it fulfilled an important public function. As auditors, Andersen’s employees should have had clear minds to make sure that the financial statements that they audit are really what were going on in the company. However, big money that was made in the consulting means the responsibilities that auditors have to face is heavier. The SEC and the department of Justice should’ve tried to targeted specific individuals who had engaged in acts because it seems not fair for the rest of the firm. According to Cunningham (2005), â€Å"It is a shame that the actions of a few individuals at Andersen caused 28,000 employees in the U. S. to lose their jobs† (p. 6). Indeed, putting the complete firm out of business for the unethical actions of a couple of individuals was the real sin. Andersen’s conviction was overturned does not mean that its employees acted in ethical manner. McNamee and Palmeri (2002) provided information about Arthur Anderson’s cleaning-up mission when the Enron case started to topple. From Anderson’s internal document, Enron team was also busy amending four key memos to correct the record of its review of Enron’s convolute and conflicted partnership deals (McNamee and Palmeri, 2002). Moreover, David Duncan overruled the concerns on at least four occasions, siding instead with Enron on controversial accounting that helps to hide debt amount and brought up the earnings. That is not all, there are also evidences said that Duncan’s team wrote memos which are falsely stated that PSG partners had signed off on Enron’s inventive bookkeeping. Nancy Temple is the attorney for Arthur Andersen. She is the one who should clearly know about all the regulations and should not be the one who acted unethically. According to McNamee and Palmer (2002), memos from Nancy Temple to David Duncan were found which can considered the main key in the conviction of Duncan about shredding the documents. It is more for Nancy Temple who is more responsible for the Andersen saga. The class action lawsuit against Andersen also has another name which include other entities name in there because those entities also had involved in Enron’s case. These entities helped Enron to cover up because by helping them they make more profit. From Arthur Andersen’s case, entities and accounting firms in business world should learn lessons for their own goods. If the employees notice of any concerning about the legality of any records, they should contact the legal department right away. There is nothing wrong disposing of business papers that are not needed. It is illegal only when retention is required by law or regulation according to Stephens (2002). Reference Page Hoxter, C. J. (2005). Arthur Andersen Conviction Overturned. Caribbean Business, 33(25), 8. Duska, R. (2005). The Good Auditor – Skeptic or Wealth Accumulator? Ethical Lessons Learned from the Arthur Andersen Debacle. Journal Of Business Ethics, 57(1), 17-29. doi:10. 1007/s10551-004-3818-1 Stephens, D. O. (2002). Lies, Corruption, and Document Destruction. Information Management Journal, 36(5), 23. McNamee, M. , Borrus, A. , Palmeri, C. (2002). OUT OF CONTROL AT ANDERSEN. Businessweek, (3777), 32-33. Cunningham, C. (2005, July-August). Ruing Andersen’s demise and the loss of audit competition. Financial Executive, 21(6), 6. Retrieved from http://go. galegroup. com. glbvv001. enmu. edu/ps/i. do? id=GALE%7CA134300985=2. 1=nm_a_enmu=r=EAIM=w In Oxford Dictionaries online. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries. com/us/definition/american_english/corrupt? q=corrupt Louwers, T. J. , Ramsay, R. J. , Sinason, D. H, Strawser, J. R, Thinodeau, J. C. (2011). Auditing Assurance Services (5th, ed. ). NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. How to cite Andersen’s Case Auditing and Assurance Services, Papers

Being Black or White in Canada Two Nations

Question: Discuss about theBeing Black or White in Canadafor Two Nations. Answer: Introduction Canadians have a habit of asking people the question of their origin (Veenstra Patterson, 2016, p. 53). This especially happens when one is not white. It is until they know one's race and geographical coordinates that they can relax. They are always curious to know the exact place that one comes from, what one's race is and who one's parents are. Lawrence Hill, the author the of the article The Question has been asked the question about his origin so many times by the Canadians which makes him feel offended ( Lawrence, 2001, p. 29). According to Lawrence Hill, the Canadians who are asked the question of their origin are the black and mixed race people. Rarely do black people ask others of their origin because they have been asked the question countless times which have made them sophisticated through their experiences. Lawrence Hill is convinced that the Canadians do not ask the question about one's race out of curiosity, but they are interested in knowing one's ancestry. The Canadians will not ask a Canadian who is indisputably white and whose accent is similar to traditional Anglo-Canadian of his origin. The black people are the ones who are faced with this question since the Canadians feel that they have the right to know the exact place where they originate (Lawrence, 2001, p. 45). They view the black people as different from them because they do not resemble them and they are clearly not Canadians. The Canadians teach their children etiquette such that by teenage they understand what is polite and what is n ot. However, they do not warn them of asking people of their origin which Lawrence Hill views as impolite (Hacker, 2010, p. 64). Lawrence Hill interviewed several people in the greater Toronto area who gave different views on how they responded to the question of their origin. One of the people who was interviewed was Tyson Brown who said that when he was asked the question of his origin, he took it as an advantage to educate people concerning issues of blackness and mixed race. He responded to the question by saying that he was mixed white Canadian and African Canadian. Tyson was in a high school which was largely white, and he explained to Hill how he came to embraced his identity as a young black man. However Dan another interviewee narrated that the question was an unpleasant experience when he was growing up since people did not believe when he told them that he was half black (Lawrence, 2001, p.22). Karyn Hood said that she often got mad at people who asked her about her race. Karyn explained that she was perceived as exotic, preferred to date black men and cultivated friendships with black community which she finds annoying. Natalie wall said to Lawrence Hill that the question of his origin was a very rude one. People he encountered on the streets were always guessing about his origin and when he told them that he was Canadian and they still insisted on knowing the exact place he came from. Jaz Miller is sick of being asked the question so many times that she has invented a way of responding to the question with the aim of embarrassing the person asking it. Aaron Cavon narrated that people were always surprised when he refused to answer the question since it irritated him. People in Toronto felt offended when they were constantly asked about their racial background (Fanon, 2008, p. 35). Lawrence Hill finds the question of his origin offensive because it makes a false assumption about the identity of black and mixed race people. The race is used as a factor to base their identity. He records that when he gets up in the morning, he does not consider whether he is black and carries on his activities normally. He cares less of the whiteness and blackness within him which the society reflects back at him. Lawrence Hill feels that interrogating someone especially a stranger of their identity is very wrong (Lawrence, 2001, p. 23). One vivid experience I encountered was when I was in an exchange program in one of the universities in the United States. Every student was curious to know of the country that I came from since I looked different from them. The questions ranged from who my parents were to what their origin was. I was asked this many times that it offended me. I wondered how my origin mattered to them. Just like Hill, I feel that it is the high time that people stop questioning people about their race and appreciate them regardless of their colour or origin. Conclusion Personally, I find the question about my origin offensive just like Hill. It is wrong to judge people based on their race because it most often leads to discrimination. It is not edifying at all since it makes a person feel alone in a strange country where people are of a different race. It feels offensive when people bombard you with questions about your race instead of being hospitable. References Fanon, F. (2008). Black skin, white masks. Grove Press. Hacker, A. (2010). Two Nations: Black and White, separate, hostile, unequal. Simon andSchuster. Lawrence, H. (2001). On being white or black in Canada. Canada: HarperCollins Publishers. McKinnon, B., Yang, S., Kramer, M. S., Bushnik, T., Sheppard, A. J., Kaufman, J. S. (2016). Comparison of blackwhite disparities in preterm birth between Canada and the United States. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 188(1), E19-E26. Ramraj, C., Shahidi, F. V., Darity, W., Kawachi, I., Zuberi, D., Siddiqi, A. (2016). Equally Inequitable? A cross-national comparative study of racial health inequalities in the United States and Canada. Social Science Medicine, 161, 19-26. Veenstra, G., Patterson, A. C. (2016). BlackWhite Health Inequalities in Canada. Journal Of Immigrant and Minority Health, 18(1), 51-57.

Chauvinistic Ideologies The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men Essay Example

Chauvinistic Ideologies The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men Paper In literature, anti-feminism and patriarchal ideologies can manifest in very different forms. Some texts can be subtle while others are blatantly chauvinistic. A text can, however, can contain sexist ideologies but portray them in negative ways to promote feminism. If a text fails to address and condemn any forms of sexism it contains, the text promotes ideologies that damage society. Whether a text negatively or positively portrays the patriarchy vs feminism drastically alters the way we can interpret, value and read literature. Anti-feminist literature is damaging, and while it portrays the way most societies are, it does not accurately reflect the attitude or best interest of general populations. Both The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men take place in America during the 1920s and 1930s; a very male-dominated time in American society. While the texts do a great job of incorporating the struggles of the poor and rich in this rough time in American history by including class struggles and obvious discrepancies between how each class treats each other, both the texts fail to condemn the anti-feminist ways of life. The Great Gatsby is brimming with patriarchal aspects of life from the very first chapter. Nick Callaway, the story’s narrator, begins his story by having ‘dinner with the Tom Buchanans’ (8). He refers to his cousin and her husband by the plural version of Tom Buchanan’s name, rather than simply The Buchanan’s, to emphasize the male presence and procession of the home and family. Later in the book, after learning of his wife’s affair, Wilson locks his wife in the house. While a neighbor walks by, he hears Myrtle’s screami ng. ‘I’ve got my wife locked in up there,’ explained Wilson calmly. ‘She’s going to stay there till the day after tomorrow and then we’re going to move away’ (146). We will write a custom essay sample on Chauvinistic Ideologies The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Chauvinistic Ideologies The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Chauvinistic Ideologies The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Instead of helping Myrtle, Wilson’s neighbor pries a bit but does nothing further to aid Myrtle. The neighbor acce

godsmobeddapaper essays

godsmobeddapaper essays m - Only the Highest Quality Sites on the Net BOOKMARK NOW!!! Tired of searching and searching for the papers you need? Well look no further! One of the Top Quality Term Paper Sites found at Term Paper Sites.com is What makes us different from all of those other so called Top Sites? This site was founded by some of the Top Term Paper site No tricks of any kind to deceive web surfers. Only hand selected Top Quality Term Paper Sites. We DO NOT rate sites on the amount of traffic they send us. We rate them on the Quality of their site and what they have to offer. Things you will find on our Top Term Paper Sites: High Quality Term Paper web sites. Thousands of free and searchable Term papers! Quality Sites on the Net BOOKMARK NOW!!! Tired of searching and searching for the papers you need? Well look no further! One of the Top Quality Term Paper Sites found at Term Paper Sites.com is What makes us different from all of those other so called Top Sites? This site was founded by some of the Top Term Paper site No tricks of any kind to deceive web surfers. Only hand selected Top Quality Term Paper Sites. We DO NOT rate sites on the amount of traffic they send us. We rate them on the Quality of their site and what they have to offer. Things you will find on our Top Term Paper Sites: High Quality Term Paper web sites. Thousands of free and searchable Term papers! Quality Sites on the Net BOOKMARK NOW!!! Tired of searching and searching for the papers you need? Well look no further! One of the Top Quality Term Paper Sites found at Term Paper Sites.com is What makes us different from all of...

Advertising Campaign of McDonalds Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Advertising Campaign of McDonalds - Case Study Example and social issues.First of all, there was a rapid upsurge of public interest to the healthy lifestyle,and together with this tendency there was one more - McDonald's was gradually becoming a symbol of unhealthy eating that causes problems with health and obesity.At the end of the XXth century, Atkin's Diet gained a great amount of adherents,and it also affected the reputation of the fast-food giant, as people were becoming increasingly more concerned as for the volume of fat and carbohydrates,and in number of calories in their everyday meals, and surely, Big Macs, hamburgers,soft drinks with lots of sugar and French fries proved to be 'champions' as far as the content of 'bad' calories was concerned.Though the companies that were competing with McDonald's could not boast to serve healthier food, yet because McDonald's was the most popular chain of fast food restaurants,it played a trick on the company making it a 'collective' symbol embodying all the negative sides of eating junk. It cannot be overlooked that with the world's businesses becoming global and the emergence of various anti-global movements that blame multinational corporations for exploiting people and affecting the economy of the developing countries, McDonald's has also become a symbol of 'the world's corporate evil' that attempts to 'catch' the entire planet into its 'vicious net'. In 2002, the American president G.W. Bush started an anti-obesity campaign that included propagating healthy food among schoolchildren and their parents, and in the course of this campaign the direct connection between eating junk food and obesity was being pinpointed. As a result, there was a significant decrease in the number of McDonald's customers, and many of its restaurants were closed. It was also stressed that there had been a decrease in the number of young people visiting McDonald's, and as soon as the company's analysts noticed that the ratio of teenagers and young people among their customers was decreasing, 'I'm lovin' it' advertising campaign was launched. Taking into account all the above said, this new advertising campaign was meant to enhance the image of McDonald's so that to deal with the crisis the company found itself in. In contrast to the 2001-2002 campaign that targeted mainly children and family audiences ('Happy Meal', Ronald McDonald, playgrounds for children, toys, balloons, birthday parties etc.), the new global task for McDonald's was to attract young people and teenagers. McDonald's advertising campaign whose slogan has become 'I'm lovin' it' was launched in 2003, and proved to be a significant breakthrough as far as the company's branding is concerned. This slogan

Literature Review of Balanced Scorecard in Higher Education

Of Balanced Scorecard in Higher Education - Literature review Example Also instrumental in improving the internal and external communications in the organization and monitoring performance of organizations against strategic goals and objectives, the balanced score card has extensive usage and gained acceptance in almost all sectors of the market. Originated by Doctor Kaplan and Doctor David Norton as a framework for performance measurement adding to the strategic non-financial performance measures to the conventional financial metrics, they have provided this framework for executives and managers for assessing the overall and balanced view of the performance of organizations (Schmeisser, 2011, p.194). The balanced score card presents an integrated result oriented collection of key performance measures including financial and non financial measures which comprises both the present performance of the firm and also its future performance drivers. The main premise of the score card is based on the fact that financial evaluations alone are not enough for ca pturing the value-adding activities. Kaplan and Norton (1992), suggests that apart from using financial measures firms must also develop a comprehensive framework of other measures as indicators or predictors of financial performance too (Beard, 2009, p.1). ... The following diagram would highlight on the different performance measures and their linkages in the balanced score card. Figure 1: The Balanced Scorecard links Performance Measures (Source: Kaplan & Norton, 1992, p.72) 2. Characteristics of Balanced Scorecard Characteristics of the scorecard is the presentation of the combination of financial and non financial measures each of which is compared with a target value within a concise and single report. The most unique characteristic of this scorecard is that it determines the most relevant and crucial information by capturing information which is most relevant for the business. Based on the vision of an enterprise, strategies are formulated and derived from its goals. For measuring the achievement of the objectives, relevant characteristic numbers can be assigned to these goals. This translates the enterprise strategy into figures which can then be communicated towards all divisions in the company and therefore can communicate the str ategy to all workers in the company (Welz, 2007, p.7). In this way every worker adept to which goals need to be attained first in order to attain the desired objectives of the business. Link between the strategic level and the operational level can be reached by the derivative by further sub goals and relevant figures from the strategy for each department. Because of the fact that the balanced scorecard considers goals which are directly linked with the success of the organization it remains succinct and concise (Niven, 2006, p.xxi). The concept of the balanced score card is to include information and data from all divisions of the organization under the controlling of entrepreneurial success. This is the reason why it is perceived

Child labor in India & Peru Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child labor in India & Peru - Essay Example One of the key reasons as to why children are being used in the force labor is to support their families due to poverty and other conditions. Lack of schooling and inadequate financial resources, caste system and other socioeconomic conditions force parents to engage their children in child labor Peru is another country with one of the worst records in terms of the child labor, however, its government is believed to be working towards the implementation of strategy to overcome this. What is critical to note that children in Peru are working under the hazardous conditions and are being employed mostly in the agriculture and mining sector? Recent data suggests that approximately 68% of the children under the working age are being employed in various sectors with majority being employed in the agriculture and mining sector. In agriculture sector, children are mostly assumed to be working for growing rice, sugarcane, barley and other crops indicating that the children may be involved in the hard labor wherein they may be forced to work in areas where they may not be suitable for this type of hard labor. The herding of livestock is another area where children are being employed or forced to work. (Bekele and Boyden). It is however, critical to note that most of the forced child labor in the country is in gold mines as mining is the second largest area where children are employed as workers. It is critical to note, however, that the working conditions in the gold mines are relatively difficult and hard for children.

Introduction to Crime and Punishment

Introduction to Crime and Punishment Theories were developed to help to explain and understand certain events, behaviors and/or situations. Over the years, sociologists have created these theories in hopes of explaining why things happen in society. For instance, social conflict theories try to explain why society creates conflict due to inequalities that are present in everyday life. In Karl Marx and Engels, economic determinism, economic activity shapes and defines all political, cultural, social and technological aspects of society. It proposes that laws and norms are made in the interest of powerful members of society. This conflict theory proposes three propositions. The first proposition explains that the more inequality the more conflict. The second explains that those who receive less needed resources question the legitimacy of social order, and the third proposition says that those who are getting fewer resources will organize and expose conflict to the public. Marx and Engel saw that unjust exploitation of one social class and social solidarity could be regained if we overthrown capitalism. In the interactional theory, developed by Terrence Thornberry, suggests that delinquent behavior is a result of a relationship between an individual, peer groups, social structures, weakened bonds and learning environment. This theory is broken into three different stages in a life course. The first stage is delinquent behaviors are developed during childhood, primarily because of a dysfunctional family, school failure and association with delinquent peers. The second stage is during mid-adolescence where they are no longer influenced by family, but their peers. The third stage is during adulthood where their delinquent behaviors are shaped by their place in society and his or her own family. According to Durkheim, Punishment is an expression of social solidarity. He believed that punishment serves positive functions in society. There are three parties that help enact punishment. The controller is the person that administers the act, the controlled is the person being punished, the one who committed the crime, and the onlookers which is the general public. Durkheim saw punishment as a moral education. Punishment is an essential part of moral order in society and it helps limit the spread of deviance and disobedience. The two theories that I found interesting were Marx and Engels economic determinism and Durkheims punishment as a moral education. I agree with Marxs idea of the inequality of power in society and how it influences deviant behavior among people who cant get the resources that they need in society. When an individual seem to not have the resources, they go about getting it another way. This relates back to Robert Mertons strain theory that focused on the emphasis of the American Dream. Those who cant obtain it, find other ways, such as stealing or selling drugs. The conflict theory explains that inequality causes more conflict. Those who receive less needed resources would organize and come forth to open it up to the public. Capitalism is considered the root of conflict because it is taken to be the source of unjust inequality. I agree that we should overthrow capitalism and form a just social solidarity, like communism, as Marx and Engel suggests. This way everyone is on the same lev el of social class and has the opportunity of receiving the same resources needed in society. In Durkheims, punishment as a moral education, I agree that punishment is essential for social order. For most children, when they are born they are taught morally right from wrong, such things like, stealing, lying or fighting. This is reinforced with punishment that can range from time-outs to physical beatings. As a result it ensures that whenever the child has an urge to do something wrong, they know the consequences. Personally, for as long as I can remember I have always been reprimanded by my parents whenever I did something I knew I wasnt suppose to. So as a result at any time I felt like misbehaving I would avoid it so that I wouldnt get punished for it. The same idea relates to when an individual thinks about committing a crime, they know that punishment will be a result of that. Like many other theories they arent concrete. They are developed to make sense of why and how certain things happen in society, but there are some criticisms that can be made about them. Durkheim says that punishment is a positive function in society. It reinforces social solidarity and strengthen common values. Although I agree, I question whether he believes punishment of criminals has more of a positive function than reforming criminals? I do believe that some criminals deserve to punished for their actions, but I also believe that developing systems or policies where we can help an individual, that has committed crime, become a better person in society. There are circumstances where an individual had to commit a crime not because they wanted to but because they had to. For instance, a mother that is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her family, steals food from the grocery store because she has no money. In a technical sense she has committed a crime of stealing, but I m sure if she had the money she wouldnt steal. Instead of punishing her by putting her into a correctional institution, why not help her find a job where she can have steady income. This way she is able to provide for her family and we dont have to separate her from her kids.

Personal Narrative- Destruction of Nature Essay -- Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative- Destruction of Nature If you ever get a chance to visit Chaco Canyon National Monument in New Mexico, you should take the time to just stand in the desert and listen. The silence in this place is physical; you can feel it surround you. This is a silence with depth and layers that are unbroken even by the wind, which moves through emptiness and speaks only in occasional sighs through the canyons. The air itself is very clear—the lack of humidity gives the cliffs and buttes sharp lines, and the colors of the earth, though muted, stand in stark relief to the blueness of the sky. Night comes gradually to this place. The height and dryness of the air allows the stars to appear before the sun has set—creating an odd contrast of light and darkness in which night is falling on one horizon while the sun reddens the other. Standing on the cliff tops you can see the sky deepen from blue to black. At night the only lights come from the stars and moon, and the faint smear of light that is the city of Alb uquerque, fifty miles away. This small blemish on the horizon haunts my memory in some ways, like an eyelash in the eye, because I know that twenty years ago the night was perfectly dark. In his book Cosmos, Carl Sagan quotes two amateur astronomers as saying, â€Å"We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.† But my question is, if we do not fear the darkness, why do we constantly seek to keep it at bay with our streetlights and floodlamps? Emerson declares that if man would be alone, let him look at the stars. With the defeat of the night, we have also blocked out the stars. Do we fear isolation? Or is it the undeniable presence of uncontrollable forces or of decay that is present and necessary to na... ... presence, and darkness is always present. We have created an isolation that leads us to fear the world that created us. Are we hopeless? I hope not, because the intellect and creativity and ingenuity of the human mind are beautiful things. I am not saying we should chuck it all and go back to nature. The natural world is a harsh, brutal and impartial place, and we as sentient beings could not fit in. Rather, I argue that â€Å"development† and â€Å"progress† should be holistic, an improvement of the mind and soul as well as the body. Thoreau once said that in wilderness can be found the salvation of the world. It forces us to turn outside of ourselves and seek a social consciousness that extends beyond â€Å"individual rights† to human rights, and a greater reconciliation with the world around us. Perhaps then we can accept the darkness, because we will no longer fear the night.

Spanish National Anthem

At times, our political and cultural landscape can seem like an endless parade of divisive controversy. We cannot agree, so why not disagree—and disagree loudly? The latest war of debate and rhetoric centers around the presence of illegal aliens within our country’s borders. Should they stay? Should they go? While the subjects themselves protest in the streets, individuals of all creeds and colors are waging a ping-pong of protests across air waves and across coffee tables. Through these spirited arguments, a symbol of the nation’s division has emerged, and—ironically enough—it is one of the core symbols of America itself.The current battleground in the illegal immigration debate concerns the recent release of a Spanish version of the United States national anthem. Titled â€Å"Nuestro Himno† (â€Å"Our Anthem†), the controversial translation of â€Å"The Star-Spangled Banner† is being produced by Urban Box Office president and British-born Adam Kidron; it is being performed by popular Latin stars such as Wyclef Jean, Pitbull, Olga Tanon, and Carlos Ponce (Associated Press, 2006). Is this translation an attempt at American assimilation, as its defenders claim? I believe that the answer is no. If the song were a true attempt at honoring America, it might be understandable. However, â€Å"Nuestro Himno† is nothing more than a political tool whose purpose is more division. Further, it is an indirect assault on one of our nation’s most sacred symbols.The song’s producer defends its release by claiming that it is a means for more people  to understand and learn the national anthem: â€Å"There’s no attempt to usurp anything. The intent is to communicate†¦.and also express to express gratitude and patriotism to the United States†¦.†However, in the very same interview, Kidron (the producer) reveals a deeper intention: â€Å"I wanted to show my thanks to these people (who)†¦.do the jobs I don’t want to do† (Associated Press, 2006). This song is being released less as an ode to America and more of an ode to illegal immigrants. If not, then why was the song’s release timed to coincide with the immigration protests and Congress’ debates about illegal immigration? Why are a large chunk of the profits produced by the song going to immigration groups?Why did the record label encourage Latin-themed radio stations to concurrently play the song at a certain time, in a show of â€Å"solidarity†? Why do many of these radio station employees (whom one would expect to be the strongest supporters) question the motives of the song? â€Å"We should be trying to assimilate, not aggravate,† says one Latin radio host.An immigration web magazine writer adds, â€Å"If you want to say all those things, by all means, put them on your poster board, but don’t put them on the national anthem† (Associated Press, 2006). And what â€Å"things† is the latter referring to? It seems that in June the song will be released as a remix, and several lines will be added to the song, including: â€Å"These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws †¦ let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born† (Wides-Munoz, 2006). This remix begs the question, When did â€Å"mean laws† become an adjective for â€Å"gratitude and patriotism†?This song is not a celebration or even a mere translation of the national anthem. It is literal rewriting and bastardization of our country’s symbolic history into a weapon of political propaganda. Sure, pop, rock, and country versions of the anthem may exist, but all of these versions honor the words of the song. Yet not one verse of â€Å"Nuestro Himno† stays true to the English-versed national anthem. Following is one excerpt of the translation:The glow of battle, in step with li berty My people keep fighting It's time to break the chains At night they said: â€Å"It's being defended!† Oh say! Your starry beauty is still unfolding. (Online extra, 2006)How many words do we find in this version that are also included in the original?†¦two.Could anyone even say (without deep examination) which verse of the national anthem thisâ€Å"translation† derives from? Sad to say, the first question which enters my mind upon reading thisverse is who â€Å"My people† are? Is the song remembering the American soldiers who fought fortheir country, as Francis Scott Key did? Or is â€Å"My people† simply another coded ode to illegal  immigrants?â€Å"The Star-Spangled Banner† is a celebration of all that America stands for. Its author  poured these lyrics out of his soul in a burst of inspiration. Something stirred inside him as he  witnessed his flag flying proudly, withstanding a night full of â€Å"bombs† and â€Å"rocke ts† from  enemy forces. The poem (and subsequent song) captured the bravery, loyalty, and independence  which that flag came to symbolize. Why did these verses survive over a century—faithfully sung  in everything from bars to baseball games?   Why did the song officially become our national  anthem in 1931? It spoke to the hearts of the American people, and to the soul of America itself.As the president himself says, â€Å"One of the important things here is that we not lose our national  soul† (Associated Press, 2006). If we allow our country’s most sacred symbols to be tarnished by  politics, we will lose. The only way to ensure that does not happen with our national anthem is to  preserve it and protect it in the form which its creator intended: English. Assimilation means  blending in, and America is for all intents and purposes an English-speaking nation. A Spanish  national anthem does not assimilate our principles; it rejects th em.We do not change our national animal symbol (the bald eagle) because some might prefer  a turkey. We do not alter our national colors because some might be offended by red, white, and  blue. And we never, ever compromise our American democracy:USA Today/Gallup Poll:69%–the national anthem should only be sung in EnglishReferencesAssociated Press. (2006). Oh say can you see the national anthem in Spanish? Retrieved May 2,  2006, from CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/28/anthem.inspanish.ap/Online extra: English translation of Spanish-language version of national anthem. (2006).Retrieved May 2, 2006, from Salt Lake Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/ ci_3764054?source=rssWides-Munoz, Laura. (2006). Spanish ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ draws ire. Retrieved   May 2,2006, from My Way News: http://apnews.myway.com/article/ 20060428/

Jane Austens views upon marriages essays

Jane Austens views upon marriages essays Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice carries through a lot of thoughts about marriages in the 18:th and 19:th century. In the novel, Jane Austen is rather critical about the whole system of hierarchy during the time. The critics are especially directed towards the situation for women. This can be seen in several of the marriages, where she uses them as examples of the focus on class and money, instead of on love. Another part of the novel is where she gives a warning to everyone, telling you to be really careful with who you marries, and not just take the first one. Yet, she does not only complain about how it works, but she also shows us what she considers to be a wealthy marriage. In Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice there is a lot of criticism upon the system of hierarchy. This is shown in many of the different marriages, with the way they do not like each other, persons marrying for class instead of love, and several other aspects. One example of people marrying just for the different advantages it means in society, is the Collins. Charlotte goes into the marriage with the reflections of it to be general satisfactory (90).The result of it is being rather depressing. Already in the beginning of the engagement Charlotte feels that she [cares] not how soon that establishment were gained (90) . All because of the societys demands on how a marriage should look like, and also because of the trap Jane Austen consider young girls to be held captured in. Since girls can not own anything in any way, they have to marry. Otherwise they take the risk of being thrown out a house some day. An highly uncomfortable situation for the women who can sometimes come even f rom the upper gentry. Therefore, if you are approaching the age of being to old for marriage, you should seriously consider to get married as soon as possible, just like Charlotte Lucas. Another big part of the novel is wh...

Remember When essays

Remember When essays Remember when... we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat!!!!!!!!!!! This is a quote by Shau Marie, a woman from Wisconsin talking about the way discipline has changed over the years. She was more afraid of what her parents would do you her than being sent to her principles office. Strict discipline is a thing of the past. Things have changed since then. Some people would say for the better, but I would say for the worse. Ask anyone on the street if the modern day family has changed and most of the people asked would say yes. The family has changed and one of the main changes is discipline. It has gone from very strong and strict to almost non-existent. We need to incorporate some of the strict old-fashioned upbringing and discipline used in the past with the new ideas of today. Some of the most important and basic aspects of the discipline of the past were fear and respect. If we establish these same values in the children of today they will in return show respect and appreciation to those around them. Fear was one of the ways to discipline children in the past. Fear is defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. It is a known a fact that a person who thinks him/her is in danger that they will do anything to get out of it. One of the ways that a parent or teacher would install this fear is by threatening the child. A threat could be as simple as a verbal warning or as harsh as a belt or switch being shown. A mild way of carry out this type of discipline would be a simple verbal warning or guilt trip. They can both cause remorse and fear when done sparingly. If used often, they tend to loose their effect. An example of both of these would be If you...

Management Accounting Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management Accounting Case Study - Assignment Example Lastly, this report looks at the financial position of the company and its capability to fund the project under consideration. The main strengths of Moonsnail Soapworks are: its unique selling proposition; high quality, all natural and handmade products; intensive product development effort; strong brand equity; and strategic marketing and location. Moonsnail Soapworks suffers from weaknesses which includes Ms. Ridgway's inadequate knowledge in management and the company's exposure to losses from product obsolescence. Opportunities abound for Moonsnail. The major opportunity for the company is the introduction of additional products to broaden and lengthen the product line and widen its customer base. As customers are becoming more and more concerned with having a natural lifestyle, it is expected that they will seek for product offerings like the ones provided by Moonsnail. The firm should also maximize the use of the internet to efficiently market its products. The major threat for Moonsnail is the unstable tourist arrival due to external circumstances. Another is the rising prices in oil prices which can further dampen the demand for tourism activities. Moonsnail is financially capable of investing in Moon Baby Cream. The company is records remarkable profitability, high efficiency, and liquidity. Its huge cash account can be utilized to introduce its new product. One of the biggest challenges faced by business organ... Conclusion 12 References 13 Appendix 14 I. Introduction One of the biggest challenges faced by business organizations is decision making. Through this feat, the company chose among a host of possible opportunities to take advantage of and shapes its future. In decision making, a firm critically assesses possible alternatives to determine which course of action will bring maximum benefits at the same time helping the company in realizing its vision. It is imperative that in coming up with a business decision, an organization looks at its competitive position to efficiently determine if it is ready to undertake a significant move. Another factor which is equally important to take into consideration is the firm's financial position and readiness as financial resources are always needed to back company projects like product introduction. This report will examine the most pressing issue faced by Moonsnail Soapworks-the introduction of a new product called Moon Baby Cream. As stated previously, the readiness of the company to launch a product can be assessed by looking at the competitive performance and the financial position of the business organization. The next section will then take a closer look at the company by employing frameworks which are designed to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of the Moonsnail as well as its external environment. The financial position of the firm will also be examined through ratio analysis. Lastly, the feasibility and profitability of introducing Moon Baby Cream is also analyzed through cost and benefit analysis. This report will conclude with its recommendations. II. Moonsnail Soapworks: Competitive Position SWOT Analysis SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Final exam - Essay Example All the models also aim at the value of national health policy to [provision of guidelines and direction for national health issues. Beveridge model emphasizes on the responsibility f the government in ownership and operation of healthcare. It also emphasizes that healthcare is a human right and should not be considered a privilege. The system encourages full access to healthcare despite the ability to pay for the services. The American model entails both the models as all the characters are observed in all the two models. The government is in charge of the healthcare similar to encouragement of private healthcare facilities. The reforms are those that are aimed at improving the healthcare that are given in the country. the reform has entailed bringing about new rights, benefits and protection that has included the that most healthcare that are on the grandparents covers preventive services that are from at least ten categories of essential health benefits. There are countries that have tried to implement the strategy and the type of system into their countries such that there is increased provision of health care to those in the country. A country such as Germany has been able to have the policy of a minimum amount of services in the country and free preventive services in its system. This is similar to the reforms that are stated in Obama care reforms. The first state of the reforms was that which was focused on United States and Europe and it mainly entailed forming the basics for compulsory governmental-run or voluntary subsidized programs on healthcare. This was in the 1900s to the 1920s. From the time, there have been initiations that focused on the campaign on by elites more concerned with caring against attacks from awareness groups than with current deployment, and common improvers in the labor, civil rights, activist, and also from AIDS activist activities have focused more on instant and incremental changes than on changing the health care

China sweat factories pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

China sweat factories pollution - Essay Example The thesis statement of this paper is: Sweatshops in China are unethical because they are causing severe pollution and are destroying the environments surrounding the country. A sweatshop is basically a factory in the clothing industry, in which working conditions are poor and which violates the labor laws as defined by the legislature of the country. Poor working conditions may include unfair wages, child labor, lack of incentives given to the workers, perverse working hours, issues such as sexual or gender harassment, or any other kind of high degree exploitation of workers. Sweatshops even do not provide living wage to the workers, which is required to cover the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. Workers work more than 60 hours per week. The workplace environment of sweatshops is a great stressor for workers. Harassment, intimidation, verbal abuse, and forceful work are important aspects of sweatshops. For example, workers are made to work with dangerous chemicals bare-handed. Developing or under-developed countries have the highest rate of child labor coming out of sweatshops that tend to produce a variety of products, such as clothing, shoes, toys, car gadgets, rugs, carpets, and eatables like chocolate and coffee. Sweatshops in China tend to pollute the air. There are a myriad of reasons behind this. Sweatshops discharge waste materials and toxic chemicals into the air and water. For instance, tons of dyes are discharged into water that causes various diseases. There are a number of sweatshops in China that are responsible for adverse environmental practices that are dangerous to health of workers working in the supplier plants. For example, Foxconn and Lian Jian Technology are some of the Chinese suppliers that work for Apple. These factories regularly violate China’s Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases, according to which factories found indulged in

Interpretation of Political Cartoon Essay Example for Free

Interpretation of Political Cartoon Essay We feel that the cartoonist intended to convey that Malaya is going to take all the revenue of every state involved in the merger in order to contribute to Malaya’s prosperity. To justify our opinions above, we refer to the following points. The man in the vehicle is Tunku Abdul Rahman as he is wearing a religious hat and he is also the person driving the vehicle which made him seemed very mighty and powerful. The man rolling the wheel is Mr Lee Kuan Yew as he is the person who was strongly for the common market, precisely the words on the wheel that he was rolling. The truck that Tunku Rahman was driving was empty and was moving towards Singapore. As such, we felt that Tunku Rahman was going to take the money from Singapore in order to greater benefit Malaya. Mr Lee Kuan Yew is also put in a bad light as it seems like Mr Lee Kuan Yew is working for the Tunku. We then further deduce that the cartoonist is pro-Malaya from the additional inference that since the original title is in Malay, the cartoonist should be Malay as well. Singapore is placed at the edge of the entire picture and our country is also depicted as small and undeveloped. Malaya on the other hand, is big and has many factories that are emitting smoke which can suggest that their factories are in operation. As established above, Mr Lee Kuan Yew is the man who is rolling the wheel with the words ‘common market’ written on them. We think that this means that his main/ most explicit purpose of merger is for a common market to be set up. (With further analyzation, this can be a form of saying that Singapore is selfish as Singapore would benefit more than the other states. He also seems to be kneeling on the ground which could suggest that he is desperate for a common market. On the other wheel of the vehicle, there are the words ‘rural development’ written on them. We feel that this means that the Tunku is pushing forward the idea of developing the rural areas. (With analysation, this can also be hinting that Malaya is very gracious who is thinking about developing the other not as advanced states unlike Singapore who only thinks about her own benefits. ) We believe that these respectively are the high hopes of each country.

1984 compared to cults Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book 1984, written by George Orwell, there is a group portrayed that is similar to what society would call a cult. A cult is defined as a religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader. Totalism is described as the principle of complete and unrestricted power in government. The books main themes include language as mind control and psychological and physical intimidation and manipulation. In the book, the people live in a city which is very out of the ordinary and also overseen by a charismatic leader, Big Brother. This society, portrayed by George Orwell has all the elements of a cult-like and totalist society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oceania, which is the Americas, the Atlantic islands including the British Isles, Australasia, and the southern portion of Africa, is where Winston Smith lives in the book 1984. Ingsoc, newspeak for English Socialism, is the political ideology of Oceania. â€Å"War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength,† is the slogan of Oceania, which is displayed on the pyramid of the Ministry of Truth. The Ministry of Truth is where they change books to reflect the party’s ideology. â€Å"The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating clichà ©. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. These become the start and finish of any ideological analysis† (Lifton). Big Brother used this method to break down the party’s complex theories and put them into one phrase. â€Å"War is peaceà ¢â‚¬  is the part that keeps all the people of Oceania united. Big Brother makes the people of Oceania think that they are in a state of constant war. By making the people think this, the people stay united against the other countries that â€Å"threaten† them. â€Å"Freedom is slavery† is used to scare people into remaining loyal to Big Brother. The party is saying that anyone who strays from Big Brother will surely fail. â€Å"Ignorance is strength† means that the inability of the people to realize how the party is keeping power is how the party stays in power. This type of language puts people on a leash and the more they repeat the party’s sl... .... These men called him Christ, which translates into â€Å"Chosen One†. Another example of religions starting out as a cult is Buddhism. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha, who rejected the principles of Hinduism and found acceptance for his new ideas among a group of disciples. Big Brother never claimed to be the chosen one because he wasn’t taking power for religious purposes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They called him Big Brother because the name sounds like he would be one to protect his people, but he is just brainwashing them. Big Brother uses the same methods of control that are used by every cult and totalist leader. He uses lies to convince the people that he is protecting them, but he is just putting them on a leash that gets smaller and smaller with each day. He prevents the flow of information within Oceania just like cults makes their own newspaper and books. Not one person has left Oceania and came back to tell about it because if anyone left, they wouldn’t even be able to realize that all they’ve known is false. Now I understand Orwell when he wrote, â€Å"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.†

The Struggle Within :: essays research papers

The Struggle Within   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Scarlet Letter offers extraordinary insight into the norms and behavior of 17th century puritan society. The basic characteristics and problems of its main characters, however, are familiar to readers in the present (Encarta 98). In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne develops Reverend Dimmesdale’s internal struggle through his guilt, his indecision regarding confession, and his final decision to confess.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the novel, the Reverend Dimmesdale has committed adultery with Hester Prynne, and he is constantly troubled by inescapable guilt. Dimmesdale knows he is a hypocrite and he hates himself for it. He tries many ways to pay penance, but nothing seems to relieve him of this terrible guilt. He tries fasting and he tries whipping himself, but nothing can rid him of his guilt. This guilt causes Dimmesdale to become physically ill. He constantly is holding his hand over his heart. This is because Hester Prynne is forced to wear the scarlet letter A on her breast. He feels connected to her because she was his partner in sin, so he holds his hand over his heart to hide his A, or guilt. At the end of the novel when he does confess, he shows his chest, and reveals his own A. Many people thought that this was caused by guilt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Reverend Dimmesdale wants to confess, but he is always too cowardly to face the consequences of confession. In the first scaffold scene, Dimmesdale tries to confess, but is unable to do it. In the second scaffold scene, Dimmesdale’s purpose is to stand on the scaffold until morning so everyone will see him. He is unable to stop thinking about what might happen to him if he is seen. While standing on the scaffold, in this vain show of expiation, Mr. Dimmesdale was overcome with a great horror of mind, as if the universe were gazing at a scarlet token on his naked breast, right over his heart†¦. Without any power to restrain himself, he shrieked aloud; an outcry that went pealing through the night, and was beaten back from one house to another, and reverberated from the hills in the background†¦(Hawthorne 102) This quote shows the anguish felt by Dimmesdale that he had no way to relieve himself of his guilt. Later, when Dimmesdale is still on the scaffold Hester and Pearl walk by. Dimmesdale asks them to join him on the scaffold.

Human Resource Practices in Sme Sector

EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 Human Resource Practices in SME Sector: An Exploratory Case Study of Pakistan Naveed R. Khan Faculty of Management and Economics Sciences, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, 35900, Malaysia naveed. r. [email  protected] com Mustafa Rehman Khan Faculty of Management Sciences, Institute of Business and Technology, 75190, Pakistan [email  protected] com Abstract The role of human resource practices (HRP) at its significance in small and medium enterprises (SME) become an emerging topic, especially in developing countries.This study aims to gauge the level of HR practice being exercise in SME. Quantitative approach has been followed and data was collected from 195 SMEs through a structure questionnaire. Findings suggested that SME are performing moderate level of HR practices and owner/managers are aware with the importance of HR practices in their organizations. Moreover, compensation is the most significant factor of HR practices foll owed by employee performance, recruitment and selection and training and development.HR function has been substantially implemented and HR practices are being carried out in number of SME and is contributes at all phases of organization’s functions. The globalization and dynamic milieu is forcing the SME sector to switch informal functions to formal manner. However more coherent approach is required to replace the traditional way of practicing HR functions. This study validates the implementation of HR practices in SME as documented in the literature. It further provides a reference for academicians and practitioner to build upon a contention for future research. 7 7Keywords: recruitment and selection, training and development, employee performance, compensation. COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 1. Introduction In the era of globalization, business environment becomes highly dynamic with high r isk and uncertainty. This uncertainty decreases market share and increases organizational inefficiency. As elsewhere, Pakistani SMEs too are affected by the recent global economic meltdown. Escalating inflation in Pakistan further compounded the situation for SME growth.Human resource working in SME sector plays a vital role in economic growth without any space for their personal growth. It is therefore observed that retention is one of the major problems in small and medium size industries. Slightly better emoluments provide good reasons to an employee to switch over from one organization to another organization. Growth in salary in SME sector is far behind the growth in inflation which is a source of depression and made them less productive at their workplace (Khan, 2011). SMEs are identified as the leading employment generation sector, nation wide.In context of the Karachi city which contributes 30% in manufacturing sector of Pakistan and 90% in Sindh’s GDP and around 20% of the total GDP of Pakistan. These figures indicate the potential and further growth in this sector further it prove the argument that SME sector shall plays pivotal role and have potential to grow. Moreover, extensive economics activities at sea ports and industrial zones increase the significance of Karachi city, hence is called the financial and business hub of Pakistan, providing millions of economic opportunities (Ghouri et al. 2011). This study has been conducted to measure the gap between philosophies and practices of HR practices. HR scholars have argued that SMEs are insignificantly practicing the HR function in Pakistan. It may be consider that the owner / managers are not able to utilize their human resource strategically and coherently. Perhaps this is due to the shortage of HR professional in SME sector. Further, fragile structure and substandard formalization intends management to ignore organization’s most valued assets, that is, 8 the workforce.This ignorance causes the job dissatisfaction in employees and ultimately affects the organizational performance. However, employees perform the essential tasks within the organization, and organizational human resource systems are designed to support and manage this human capital. 7 This study aims to measure HR practices in SME operating in Karachi, Pakistan. The city is considered as the hub of commerce and financial activities of Pakistan. SMEs operating are having a mix of proper and casual setup.The study is designed to measure the level of HR practices and identify the most significant HR practice among recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and employee performance. Consistent with the discussion so far, this study seeks to answer the following questions. 1. What is the level of HR practices followed in the SME? 2. What is the most/least important practice of HR, among four facets, in SME? 1. 2 Brief Overview of Employment in Pakistan Over the years, Pakistan ha s substantially moved from agriculture economy to manufacturing economy.Economically active size is the largest in the total population of the country. Human capital is enriched with diverse skills from unskilled labor to high-skilled critical mass. Pakistan’s urban growth rate is highest in South Asia. Estimated in 1980s, urban population growth rate was 4. 5% per annum and projected to 60% by the turn of the century. That proved true. Karachi’s urban economy and its employment pool is the glaring example of this. Its formal and informal sectors provide greater employment potential and are in a position to use human capital efficiently (Khan et al. , 2011).ISSN: 1582-8859 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 At present, SMEs are recognized as the backbone of the country’s economy by representing nearly 90% of all the enterprises in Pakistan. SMEs form a significant po rtion of the manufacturing and services sector. According to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s report (2010) the labor force today is divided in agriculture 43%, manufacturing 13%, construction 7%, transport 6%, and services 14% and the other head carrying the rest of the burden.The total workforce in Pakistan is 102. 7 million; out of which 55. 77 million people are employed in 2010 with $2400 per capita income; this labor force will increase to 154. 4 million by 2030 with the growth rate of 2. 05. However, 15. 2% unemployment rate was recoded in 2010. SMEs provide 80% employment of the non-agricultural labor force. In Pakistan small and medium enterprises offer diverse employment and production and share 40% in annual GDP of Pakistan (Khan, 2011). 2. Literature Review Pakistan’s SMEs sector is very different from SMEs working in industrialized world.Here, small and medium size businesses are usually not documented mostly with purpose. Pakistan has also a un ique culture of not sharing information with others. Freedom of public information is only on paper. Businesses profiles are not uploaded on the website and it is even so difficult for field researchers to collect basic information through interviews. Limited academic studies are conducted so far on HR practices in Pakistan’s SME environment. This study thus dependent on earlier researches conducted in environment other than Pakistan for conceptual understanding and theory development.Selected literature is reviewed for this study whose results are generalizable to any other environment. Basically, employees perform the essential tasks within the organization, and organizational human resource systems are designed to support and manage this human capital (Gramm and Schnell, 2001). HRM philosophy emphasizes on the benefits of meeting employee needs and enables them to have control over their work, moreover, satisfied workers willing to improve their efficiency, effectiveness a nd productivity to get the work done.The extensive use of high-involvement work practices represents a significant investment in human 7 capital. Basic microeconomics suggests that investments in human capital (employees) are justified when such investments are more than offset by future returns in the form of increased productivity. Thus, firms will make greater use of such practices when employees are viewed as particularly vital to firm success (MacDuffie, 1995). By adopting effective HR practices firms can acquire not only new skills and knowledge and change the attitudes of their employees but also improve their organizational performance.Through effective HR practices firm can get rid of traditional ineffective and inefficient practices which in turn enable the firm to maximize the achievement of its objectives (Delery and Doty, 1996). Armstrong (2006) defines human resource management (HRM) as the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization's most val ued assets – the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business.Findings from previous studies indicated that increased concern for HR practices among firms resulted from the need to develop HR as a source of competitive advantage (Walker, 2001; Wright et al. , 2001; Wright and Snell, 1991). In relation with the SMEs recent studies acknowledged the relevance and applicability of HR practices in small and medium scale firms (Nankervis et al. , 2002; Singh and Vohra, 2005; Chang and Huang, 2005; Schlogl, 2004) SMEs who successfully integrate their HR system with their vision and organizational objectives, are achieve their goals in a more organized manner (Singh and Vohra, 2005).Hence it would build-up more 9 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=2155840 EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 comprehensive business strategy to retain the position in the industr y. According to Chang and Huang (2005) human resources are viewed as a strategic asset that creates value when embedded in the operational system in a manner that can enhance firm’s abilities to deal with a turbulent environment. Sevral studies indicated that to improve organizational performance and develop a competitive advantage, firms need to implement an ffective HR practice system (Zheng et al. , 2006; Osman et al. , 2011; Katou, 2012). Studies on HR practices indicated that HR theories and models are assumed that they are applicable to all types of organizations regardless of their type, sizes and nature of human resource practice functions (Arthur, 1994; MacDuffie, 1995; Huselid, 1995; Youndt et al. , 1996). However, Nankervis et al. (2002) study findings suggested that previous empirical evidences are still not able to provide enough evidence to suggest that HR practices works for all kinds of organizations.Traditional literature on human resource practices identifie d four general categories, which include: Staffing, training, evaluation and compensation (Dessler, 2008; Mathis and Jackson, 2008; Fisher et al. , 2006). In few cases, these categories are aggregated in a slightly different manner, and certainly there is overlap and interrelationship among them (Shub and Stonebraker, 2009). Shub and Stonebraker (2009) define these categories as: Staffing generally involves the human resource activities of planning, job analysis and design, recruitment and selection.Training generally involves the HR activities of employee training, organization development and career development. Evaluation generally involves HR activities of various evaluation designs, both formal and informal, and different evaluation periodicities. Lastly, Compensation generally involves the HR activities of base wage or salary system, incentive system and perks, as well as benefits. Generally, the relationship-based approaches to staffing, training, evaluation, and compensation are shown in the literature to be directly associated with firm performance (Huselid, 1995; Osman et al. 2011; Ngo et al. , 1998) 2. 1 Human Resource Management and its Measurability Stone (2005) defined human resource management as it involves the productive use of people in 7 achieving the organization’s strategic business objectives and the satisfaction of individual employees need. This definition clearly indicates that the organizations’ objectives are dependent on their work force productivity. Moreover, work task, work environment, freedom in work, opportunities provided and the benefits are provides are few of the most important needs a worker may perceive.The effective HRM practices are able to link these practices with organization structure and objectives. Many studies investigating human resource management practices have looked primarily into an organizational structure construct. To accurately measure â€Å"human resource practices†, a number of H R functions may need to be evaluated. However, these characteristics or facets may not be of equal importance to every organization. One of the most comprehensive and widely used measures for human resource practice is presented by Dessler (2008) and Fisher et al. 2006). In this study human resource management practices is characterized as multidimensional, and it has four major facets namely i) recruitment and selection, ii) training and development , iii) compensation, iv) employee performance evaluation. 2. 1. 1 Practice of Recruitment and Selection Recruitment and selection is the first facet of human resource practice, which involves planning, forecasting, and job analysis for the future demand of employees according to the need and demand of the firm.Moreover, various tools and techniques have been used by the firms for the improvement of staffing process to avoid the loss in terms of time, money and potential employees. 2. 1. 2 Practice of Training 10 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES Eur oEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 Training is another dimension of human resource practice where firms invested on the development of their employees’ knowledge, skills ability and other on-job required skills to improve the productivity of employees.Training can transform human resource to human capital where skilled employee would better perform in the success of organization as compare the employees who can get training lesser or never. 2. 1. 3 Practice of Compensation Compensation is one of the most extrinsic practices of human resource function in an organization setting. This dimension determines the level of job of an employee on the basis of their perceived knowledge and experience.Moreover, the matching of their job knowledge with the pay or compensation provided them must demonstrate the market level competitive packages. Good compensation plan would therefore, inevitably influence on employees’ performance. However, the extent to which an employee who is getting the good compensation package will perform well would also depend on his/her overall assessment of various factors like the compensation package in other organizations in relation to the work load and the possibility of getting better compensation packages (Purani and Sahadev, 2008). . 1. 4 Practice of Evaluation This aspect of human resource practices generally involves the activities of various evaluation designs, both formal and informal, and different evaluation periodicities (Shub and Stonebraker, 2009). It is a means of getting better results by understanding and managing performance within an agreed framework of planned goals, standards and competency requirements. It functions as a continuous and evolutionary process, in which performance improves over time.Moreover, it provides the basis for regular and frequent dialogues between managers and individuals about performance and development needs (Armstrong, 2006). 3. Research Methodology The study comprises on a quantitative survey of 195 SMEs. The data was collected from the companies operating in Karachi through a self-administered questionnaire. The study covered manufacturing and 7 service sectors SMEs. In the study, SME referred to the firms employed between 10 to 250 employees, this definition have been adopted from the SME policy 2007 and SMEDA.The SME were identified and randomly selected from the listing of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) and Jamal’s Yellow Pages. The questionnaire was adopted from Chew (2004) and modified according to the nature and objectives of the study and tested for reliability, prior to data collection. The questionnaire used in this study consisted of three sections. Section one focused on collecting background information of the respondents. Section two captured the characteristics of the firm and last section obtained the information concerning the HR practices adopted by the firm.To examine the hypotheses of the study, descripti ve statistics analysis were performed using SPSS 17. The sample size for this study was 300 however only 195 questionnaires, with response rate of 65%, were found acceptable for analysis. 3. 1 Reliability Testing To measure the reliability of the instruments used, Cronbach’s alpha was employed. According to Sekaran (2005), if the alpha value is greater then 0. 7, the instrument is acceptable. The internal consistency reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) for the scales used in this study are well above the level of 0. , thus are acceptable for the analysis purpose. In Table 3. 1, alpha scores of all variables with complete response of 195 SMEs are given. 11 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Table – 1: Reliability Coefficients of the Constructs (n = 195) Constructs Recruitment and selection Training and development Compensation Employee performance No. of Items 4 6 6 5 Cronbach’s Alpha . 750 . 792 . 845 . 824 ISSN: 1582-8859 4. Rese arch Findings 4. 1 Characteristics of the Respondents The characteristics of the respondents are presented in the following table.Table – 2: Characteristics of the Respondents (n = 195) Variable(s) Gender Male Female Age 20-25 yrs 26-30 yrs 31-35 yrs 36-40 yrs 41-45 yrs 46-50 yrs Over 50 Education Intermediate Bachelors Masters MS/M. Phil PhD Other Total Frequency 167 28 %age 85. 6 14. 4 Variable(s) Marital Status Married Unmarried No response Position in Firm Owner but not manager Owner and manager Manager but not owner No Response Frequency 130 64 1 %age 66. 7 32. 8 0. 5 29 48 40 32 16 21 9 3 77 103 7 0 5 195 14. 9 24. 6 20. 5 16. 4 8. 2 10. 8 4. 6 1. 5 39. 5 52. 8 3. 6 0 2. 6 100. 14 108 70 3 7. 2 55. 4 35. 9 1. 5 12 7 Work Experience 1 – 4 Years 5 – 7 Years 8 – 10 11 – 13 14 – 16 ; 17 Total 42 37 45 20 19 32 195 21. 5 19 23 10. 2 9. 7 16. 4 100. 0 As shown in the table 2, statistics of the respondents clearly and logically depict the pic ture of their characteristics. In total of 195 respondents 167 were males and 28 were females. Likewise 130 respondents were married and 64 were unmarried. The age and years of work experience among the respondents ranged from 20 to more than 50 years and one to more than 17 years respectively.In terms of education 3 respondents obtained intermediate certificate, 77 obtained bachelor’s degrees, 103 have master’s degree and 7 have MS/M. Phil degree, however none of the respondent has a PhD. COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 The in-depth analysis of statistics highlighted some interesting facts of the respondents. The Female owner/manager represented the 14. 4 % of total respondents which show significant contribution of females in the total workforce, however, this proportion need to be increase at substantial level.Moreover, sixty percent respondents’ age ranged from 20 to 35 years, it shows that young entrepreneurs/managers are coming into the industries with new passion for growth. Likewise 52. 8 percent respondents have a Master’s degree. This combination of ‘young age’ along with ‘education’ shall change the mind-set of traditional business practices and may bring new innovative ideas and measures which shall boost the SME sector in near future. 4. 2 Characteristics of the Firm The characteristics of the firm are summarize in Table 3.These characteristics depict the picture of the firm’s form of business, number of employees working, age of the firm and type of business. Table – 3: Characteristics of the Firm (n = 195) Variable(s) Form of Business Solo proprietor Partnership Private limited Age of Company 3-5 years 6-8 years 9-11 years 12-14 years ; 14 years Total Frequency 24 74 97 23 15 42 51 64 195 %age 12 38 50 11. 7 7. 6 21. 5 26 32. 8 100. 0 Variable(s) No of Employees 10 to 50 51-100 101-150 151-200 201 – 250 Type of Business Manufacturing Se rvices Total Frequency %age 45 16 26 73 35 89 106 195 23. 8. 2 13. 3 37. 4 17. 9 45. 6 54. 4 100. 0 13 7 The in-depth statistical analysis shows that fifty percent SME are the private limited firms and 32. 8 % firms are operating since more than 14 years. Likewise, 37. 4 % SME employed the workers range from 151 to 200. Lastly, 54. 4 % SME are fall under the category of services firms. 4. 3 Distribution of firm by Business sector The SME, participated in this study, represented various business sectors in the manufacturing and services industry. The distribution of the sample firms by type of business sector is presented in table 4.Table – 4: Characteristics of the Firm (n = 195) Variable(s) Business Sectors Financial Institution Engineering/Construction Energy/Petroleum Frequency 18 23 5 %age 9. 2 11. 8 2. 6 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Chemical/Pharmaceutical Education Textile Telecommunication Logistics Others Total 18 15 19 18 17 62 195 9. 2 7. 7 9. 7 9. 2 8. 7 31. 8 100. 0 ISSN: 1582-8859 The statistics indicated that eight different business sector firms were participated in this study. Most of the firms are from Engineering/Construction business sector which comprises of 11. % of the firms participated in the study. Energy/Petroleum business sector have the least presentation in the sample which comprises of only 2. 6%. However, the ‘others’ head carrying the rest of the burden comprises of 31. 8%. 4. 4 Human Resource Practices The mean and standard deviation scores of HR practices variables which include recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and employee performance are recorded, from the firms, are presented in table 5. The results depict that the mean scores of HR practices ranged from 3. 352 to 3. 83. Hence, at the general level, results suggest that the SME in the study practiced the HR function, to a certain extent. Furthermore, recruitment and selection is moderately practiced in the organization (mean = 3. 49, SD = 1. 10) along with training and development (mean = 3. 35, SD = 1. 081), compensation (mean = 3. 68, SD = . 975), and employee performance (mean = 3. 69, SD = 1. 34). Table – 5: Descriptive Statistics of Variables (n = 195) Items Recruitment and selection Training and development Compensation Employee performance Overall HRM Practices 4. . 1 Recruitment and selection Table 6 highlights the descriptive statistics for each item. Out of the four items of selection, â€Å"only the best people are hired to work in this organization† (mean = 3. 74, SD = 1. 07) followed by â€Å"the values and beliefs of this organization are discussed in interviews with potential employees† showed the second highest mean value of 3. 69 (SD = 1. 054), followed by, â€Å"when new employees are hired, they must go through an extensive hiring process in which they are interviewed a number of times† (mean = 3. 44, SD =1. 53), and â€Å"employ ees of this organization are involved in the hiring of their peers† (mean 3. 11, SD = 1. 152). In general, the SMEs appeared to have moderate level selection practices in their organization. Table – 6: Descriptive Results of recruitment and selection (n=195) Mean 3. 497 3. 352 3. 683 3. 682 3. 553 Standard (SD) 1. 10 1. 081 . 975 1. 349 1. 126 Deviation 14 7 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 Items Only the best people are hired to work in this organization. The values and beliefs of this organization are discussed in interviews with potential employees.When new employees are hired, they must go through an extensive hiring process in which they are interviewed a number of times. Employees of this organization are involved in the hiring of their peers. Total Mean (Selection) 4. 4. 2 Training and development Table 7 highlights the descriptive statistics for each item. Out of the six items, â€Å"people are properly oriented and trained upon joining this organization† showed the highest level of training practice (mean = 3. 67, SD =1. 042), followed by â€Å"the company provides enough training for the employees to learn new ways to do their job† (mean = 3. 9, SD = 1. 037). â€Å"This organization does provide regular opportunities for personal and career development† (mean = 3. 43, SD = 1. 045). â€Å"Training provided by the firm often consists of both classrooms teachings and On-Job-Training (OJT)† (mean = 3. 27, SD = 1. 168); â€Å"This organization subsidizes, assists or reimburses employees for training they get outside the organization†, mean = 3. 22, SD = 1. 097). However, â€Å"employees in this organization receive additional compensation† have the lowest level of practice in the variety of activities (mean = 2. 0, SD =1. 099). Table – 7: Descriptive results of Training and development (n = 195) Items People are properly oriented and trained upon joining this organization. Th is organization does provide regular opportunities for personal and career development This organization subsidizes, assists or reimburses employees for training they get outside the organization Employees in this organization receive additional compensation Training provided by the firm often consists of both classrooms teachings and On-Job-Training (OJT). The ompany provides enough training for the employees to learn new ways to do their job Total Mean (Training) 4. 4. 3 Compensation Out of the six items in table 8, â€Å"Employees are given positive recognition when they produce high quality work† showed the highest level of compensation practice (mean = 3. 89, SD =. 965), followed by â€Å"This organization pays well† and â€Å"This organization offers good opportunities for promotion† (mean = 3. 723, Mean 3. 6769 3. 4359 3. 2205 2. 9077 3. 2769 3. 5949 3. 352 SD 1. 04202 1. 04524 1. 09713 1. 09906 1. 16885 1. 3793 1. 081 Mean 3. 6923 3. 7436 3. 1128 3. 4410 3. 497 ISSN: 1582-8859 SD 1. 05405 1. 07737 1. 15213 1. 15337 1. 10 15 7 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 SD = . 927) and (mean = 3. 723, SD = 1. 018) respectively. â€Å"The way in which employees in this organization are compensated† (mean = 3. 65, SD = . 920). â€Å"This organization values individual excellence over teamwork† (mean = 3. 61, SD = 1. 015); â€Å"This organization offers a good benefits package compared to other organizations†, mean = 3. 49, SD = 1. 007).Table – 8: Descriptive Results of Compensation (n = 195) Items This organization pays well The way in which employees in this organization are compensated This organization offers a good benefits package compared to other organizations This organization values individual excellence over teamwork Employees are given positive recognition when they produce high quality work This organization offers good opportunities for promotion Total Mean (Compensation ) 4. 4. 4 Employee performance SMEs are highly intended to let its employees know, how they are performing (mean = 4. 08, SD = 2. 98).Table 9 the descriptive statistics is highlighted for each item. The measurement of an employee's performance on the job is a priority in this organization receives the 2 nd highest mean value (mean = 3. 77, 16 SD = . 895), followed by the measurement of turnover and absenteeism is a priority in this organization† and â€Å"when evaluating the employees for promotion, seniority is one of the criteria taken into account† (mean = 3. 517, SD = . 937) and (mean = 3. 517, SD = . 970) respectively. However, â€Å"this organization 7 makes a point of keeping track of factors that it considers critical for success† receive the lowest mean value (mean = 3. 0, SD =. 959). Table – 9: Descriptive Results of Employee performance (n = 195) Items The measurement of an employee's performance on the job is a priority in this organization. Th is organization makes a point of keeping track of factors that it considers critical for success. The measurement of turnover and absenteeism is a priority in this Organization When evaluating the employees for promotion, seniority is one of the criteria taken into account Does your company lets its employees know how they are performing Total Mean (Evaluation) Mean 3. 7795 3. 5077 3. 5179 3. 5179 4. 0872 3. 682 SD . 89534 . 95986 . 3799 . 97041 2. 98408 1. 349 Mean 3. 7231 3. 6513 3. 4974 3. 6154 3. 8923 3. 7231 3. 683 SD . 92793 . 92024 1. 00706 1. 01574 . 96522 1. 01800 . 975 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 5. Discussion and Conclusion Small and medium enterprises may have a significant contribution in the economic growth of a country. The swift progress in entrepreneurial set-ups depicts healthy business activities. The findings of this study measure the level of HR practices in SME. The mean score of overall HR practices reported at 3. 553 indicated a modera te level of HR practices, followed in the firms.The adequate level of HR practices is an indication that the SMEs, participated in the study, are involved in implementing and practicing HR activities in their organizations. However, sophistication HR practices bring ample opportunities to gain competitive advantage in the market in terms of HR outcomes i. e. employee retention, satisfaction, competencies and commitment. This increase in HR outcomes may significantly affect the SME performance. Hence HR practices should consider as the source of sustain competitive advantage and owner / manager should therefore put the HR agenda in central to any strategy.Human resources are consider as the activators of all non-human resources and are means for developing competitive advantages in the market place (Stone, 2005). Compensation practice of employees has a significant role followed by employee performance. These are considered as the key factors in managing HR in SME. Hence are practice s in a comprehensive manner. However recruitment and selection and training and development practices are still need the attention and would like to practice in a more sophisticated manner.Especially, training and development, since, trained and motivated employees and managers contribute effectively under these practices. Moreover, scant attention is being paid to new HR practices to manage knowledge and its effective use (Taha, 2006). Efficient HR practices in a SME may bridge the information gap and improve the organizational performance. Moreover, HR practices framework in SMEs requires a collective approach to practices HR functions working as a set or â€Å"bundle† rather than independently (Delery, 1998). SMEs owners and managers should broaden the scope of HR practices.It will increase the retention rate of employee, enhance the competencies and commitment in work force and levitate the level of 7 satisfaction among employees. This shift in-turn enhances the organizat ional performance in terms of quality, productivity and market share. Successful HR system also helps to integrate the other organizational functions in lesser time. This integration will open long term investment opportunities through organizational strategy. Finally, appropriate strategies at national level may enable the SME sector to boost the national economy. Acknowledgement: I would like to acknowledge Dr.Mashhood Ahmad Khan and Dr. S. M. Taha for providing guidance in initializing this study and insightful comments at different stages of this research. ISSN: 1582-8859 17 COUNTRY CASE STUDIES EuroEconomica Issue 3(31)/2012 ISSN: 1582-8859 References Arthur, J. (1994). 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