The Lottery Essay Example for Free

The Lottery Essay The Lottery The specific details Jackson describes in the beginning of â€Å"The Lottery† set us up for the shocking conclusion. In the first paragraph, Jackson provides specific details about the day on which the lottery takes place. She tells us the date (June 27), time (about 10 A.M.), and temperature (warm). She describes the scene exactly: there are flowers and green grass, and the town square, where everyone gathers, is between the bank and post office. She provides specifics about the town, including how many people live there and how long the lottery takes, as well as about neighboring towns, which have more people and must start the lottery earlier. In the paragraphs that follow this introduction, Jackson gives us characters’ full names—Bobby Martin, Harry Jones, and Dickie Delacroix, among others—and even tells us how to pronounce â€Å"Delacroix.† Far from being superfluous or irrelevant, these initial specific details ground the story in reality. Because she sets the story firmly in a specific place and time, Jackson seems to suggest that the story will be a chronicle of sorts, describing the tradition of the lottery. The specifics continue throughout the story, from the numerous rules Mr. Summers follows to the names of the people who are called up to the box. In a way, there is safety in these details—the world Jackson creates seems much like the one we know. And then the stoning begins, turning reality on its head. Because Jackson is so meticulous in grounding us in realistic, specific details, they sharpen the violence and make the ending so incredibly surprising. Themes The Danger of Blindly Following Tradition The village lottery culminates in a violent murder each year, a bizarre ritual that suggests how dangerous tradition can be when people follow it blindly. Before we know what kind of lottery they’re conducting, the villagers and their preparations seem harmless, even quaint: they’ve appointed a rather pathetic man to lead the lottery, and children run about gathering stones in the town square. Everyone is seems preoccupied with a funny-looking black box, and the lottery consists of little more than handmade slips of paper. Tradition is endemic to small towns, a way to link  families and generations. Jackson, however, pokes holes in the reverence that people have for tradition. She writes that the villagers don’t really know much about the lottery’s origin but try to preserve the tradition nevertheless. The villagers’ blind acceptance of the lottery has allowed ritual murder to become part of their town fabric. As they have demonstrated, they feel powerless to change—or even try to change—anything, although there is no one forcing them to keep things the same. Old Man Warner is so faithful to the tradition that he fears the villagers will return to primitive times if they stop holding the lottery. These ordinary people, who have just come from work or from their homes and will soon return home for lunch, easily kill someone when they are told to. And they don’t have a reason for doing it other than the fact that they’ve always held a lottery to kill someone. If the villagers stopped to question it, they would be forced to ask themselves why they are committing a murder—but no one stops to question. For them, the fact that this is tradition is reason enough and gives them all the justification they need. The Randomness of Persecution Villagers persecute individuals at random, and the victim is guilty of no transgression other than having drawn the wrong slip of paper from a box. The elaborate ritual of the lottery is designed so that all villagers have the same chance of becoming the victim—even children are at risk. Each year, someone new is chosen and killed, and no family is safe. What makes â€Å"The Lottery† so chilling is the swiftness with which the villagers turn against the victim. The instant that Tessie Hutchinson chooses the marked slip of paper, she loses her identity as a popular housewife. Her friends and family participate in the killing with as much enthusiasm as everyone else. Tessie essentially becomes invisible to them in the fervor of persecution. Although she has done nothing â€Å"wrong,† her innocence doesn’t matter. She has drawn the marked paper—she has herself become marked—and according to the logic of the lottery, she therefore must die. Tessie’s death is an extreme example of how societies can persecute innocent people for absurd reasons. Present-day parallels are easy to draw, because all prejudices, whether they are based on race, sex, appearance, religion, economic class, geographical region, family background, or sexual orientation, are essentially random. Those who  are persecuted become â€Å"marked† because of a trait or characteristic that is out of their control—for example, they are the â€Å"wrong† sex or from the â€Å"wrong† part of the country. Just as the villagers in â€Å"The Lottery† blindly follow tradition and kill Tessie because that is what they are expected to do, people in real life often persecute others without questioning why. As Jackson suggests, any such persecution is essentially random, which is why Tessie’s bizarre death is so universal. Motifs Family Family bonds are a significant part of the lottery, but the emphasis on family only heightens the killing’s cruelty because family members so easily turn against one another. Family ties form the lottery’s basic structure and execution. In the town square, families stand together in groups, and every family member must be present. Elaborate lists of heads of families, heads of households within those families, and household members are created, and these lists determine which member draws from the box. Family relationships are essential to how the actions of the lottery are carried out, but these relationships mean nothing the moment it’s time to stone the unlucky victim. As soon as it’s clear that Tessie has drawn the marked paper, for example, her husband and children turn on her just as the other villagers do. Although family relationships determine almost everything about the lottery, they do not guarantee loyalty or love once the lottery is over. Rule s The lottery is rife with rules that are arbitrarily followed or disregarded. The intricate rules the villagers follow suggest that the lottery is an efficient, logical ritual and that there is an important purpose behind it, whereas the rules that have lapsed, however, reveal the essential randomness of the lottery’s dark conclusion. Mr. Summers follows an elaborate system of rules for creating the slips of paper and making up the lists of families. When the lottery begins, he lays out a series of specific rules for the villagers, including who should draw slips of paper from the black box and when to open those papers. When someone is unable to draw, the lottery rules determine who should be next in line. At the same time, there are ghosts of rules that have been long forgotten or willfully abandoned altogether, such as those for salutes and songs that accompany Mr. Summer’s induction as the  chairman of the lottery. The fact that some rules have remained while others have disappeared underscores the disturbing randomness of the murder at the end of the lottery. Symbols The Black Box The shabby black box represents both the tradition of the lottery and the illogic of the villagers’ loyalty to it. The black box is nearly falling apart, hardly even black anymore after years of use and storage, but the villagers are unwilling to replace it. They base their attachment on nothing more than a story that claims that this black box was made from pieces of another, older black box. The lottery is filled with similar relics from the past that have supposedly been passed down from earlier days, such as the creation of family lists and use of stones. These are part of the tradition, from which no one wants to deviate—the lottery must take place in just this way because this is how it’s always been done. However, other lottery traditions have been changed or forgotten. The villagers use slips of paper instead of wood chips, for example. There is no reason why the villagers should be loyal to the black box yet disloyal to other relics and traditions, just as there is no logical reason why the villagers should continue holding the lottery at all. The Lottery The lottery represents any action, behavior, or idea that is passed down from one generation to the next that’s accepted and followed unquestioningly, no matter how illogical, bizarre, or cruel. The lottery has been taking place in the village for as long as anyone can remember. It is a tradition, an annual ritual that no one has thought to question. It is so much a part of the town’s culture, in fact, that it is even accompanied by an old adage: â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.† The villagers are fully loyal to it, or, at least, they tell themselves that they are, despite the fact that many parts of the lottery have changed or faded away over the years. Nevertheless, the lottery continues, simply because there has always been a lottery. The result of this tradition is that everyone becomes party to murder on an annual basis. The lottery is an extreme example of what can happen when traditions are not questioned or addressed critically by new generation s. Foreshadowing and Suspense Many of the seemingly innocuous details throughout â€Å"The Lottery† foreshadow the violent conclusion. In the second paragraph, children put stones in their pockets and make piles of stones in the town square, which seems like innocent play until the stones’ true purpose becomes clear at the end of the story. Tessie’s late arrival at the lottery instantly sets her apart from the crowd, and the observation Mr. Summers makes—â€Å"Thought we were going to have to get on without you†Ã¢â‚¬â€is eerily prescient about Tessie’s fate. When Mr. Summers asks whether the Watson boy will draw for him and his mother, no reason is given for why Mr. Watson wouldn’t draw as all the other husbands and fathers do, which suggests that Mr. Watson may have been last year’s victim. Jackson builds suspense in â€Å"The Lottery† by relentlessly withholding explanation and does not reveal the true nature of the lottery until the first stone hi ts Tessie’s head. We learn a lot about the lottery, including the elements of the tradition that have survived or been lost. We learn how important the lottery is to the villagers, particularly Old Man Warner. We go through the entire ritual, hearing names and watching the men approach the box to select their papers. But Jackson never tells us what the lottery is about, or mentions any kind of prize or purpose. She begins to reveal that something is awry when the lottery begins and the crowd grows nervous, and she intensifies the feeling when Tessie hysterically protests Bill’s â€Å"winning† selection. And she gives a slight clue when she says that the villagers â€Å"still remembered to use stones.† But not until the moment when a rock actually hits Tessie does Jackson show her hand completely. By withholding information until the last possible second, she builds the story’s suspense and creates a shocking, powerful conclusion. Quotations 1. Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. This quotation, from the fifth paragraph of the story, reveals how firmly entrenched the villagers are in the lottery’s tradition and how threatening they find the idea of change. The villagers have no good reason for wanting to keep the black box aside from a vague story about the box’s origins, and the box itself is falling apart. Beyond shabby, it barely resembles a box now, but the villagers, who seem to take such pride in the  ritual of the lottery, do not seem to care about the box’s appearance. They just want the box to stay the same. Their strident belief that the box must not change suggests that they fear change itself, as though one change might lead to other changes. Already, some towns have stopped holding lotteries, but these villagers do not seem to be headed in that direction. Instead, the y hold firm to the parts of the tradition that remain, afraid to alter even this seemingly insignificant part of it for fear of starting down a slippery slope. 2. Although Mr. Summers and everyone else in the village knew the answer perfectly well, it was the business of the official of the lottery to ask such questions formally. This quotation appears about halfway through the story, just before the drawing of names begins. Mr. Summers has asked Mrs. Dunbar whether her son, Horace, will be drawing for the family in Mr. Dunbar’s absence, even though everyone knows Horace is still too young. There is no purpose to the question, other than that the question is part of the tradition, and so Mr. Summers adheres to the rule despite the fact that it seems absurd. Even though other parts of the ritual have changed or been discarded over the years, this rule holds firm for absolutely no logical reason. Large things, such as songs and salutes, have slipped away, and wood chips have been replaced with slips of paper. Yet this silly, pointless questioning continues. The villagers seem strident in their adherence to the tradition. Old Man Warner, in particular, is adamant that tradition must be upheld and the lottery must continue. But the reality is that there is no consistency among what rules are followed and which are discarded. This lack of logic makes the villagers’ blind observance of the ritual even more problematic because the tradition they claim to be upholding is actually flimsy and haphazard. 3. Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. This quotation, which appears near the end of the story, distills the lottery down to its essence: murder. The villagers may talk of tradition, ritual, and history, but the truth—as this quotation makes clear—is that the traditional parts of it have long been discarded. The original ritual and box may indeed have borne along a tradition, violent and bizarre as it may be, but now, without the original trappings, songs, and procedures, all that remains is the violence. The  haphazard ritual, the bits and pieces that have been slapped together into some semblance of the original, have led to this essential moment of killing. The villagers are all too eager to embrace what remains, eagerly picking up the stones and carrying on the â€Å"tradition† for another year. Character Analysis Tessie Hutchinson When Tessie Hutchinson arrives late to the lottery, admitting that she forgot what day it was, she immediately stands out from the other villagers as someone different and perhaps even threatening. Whereas the other women arrive at the square calmly, chatting with one another and then standing placidly by their husbands, Tessie arrives flustered and out of breath. The crowd must part for her to reach her family, and she and her husband endure good-natured teasing as she makes her way to them. On a day when the villagers’ single focus is the lottery, this breach of propriety seems inappropriate, even unforgivable; everyone comes to the lottery, and everyone comes on time. The only person absent is a man whose leg is broken. Although Tessie quickly settles into the crowd and joins the lottery like everyone else, Jackson has set her apart as a kind of free spirit who was able to forget about the lottery entirely as she performed her chores. Perhaps because she is a free spirit, Tessie is the only villager to protest against the lottery. When the Hutchinson family draws the marked paper, she exclaims, â€Å"It wasn’t fair!† This refrain continues as she is selected and subsequently stoned to death, but instead of listening to her, the villagers ignore her. Even Bill tells her to be quiet. We don’t know whether Tessie would have protested the fairness of the lottery if her family had not been selected, but this is a moot point. Whatever her motivation is for speaking out, she is effectively silenced. Old Man Warner Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, has participated in seventy-seven lotteries and is a staunch advocate for keeping things exactly the way they are. He dismisses the towns and young people who have stopped having lotteries as â€Å"crazy fools,† and he is threatened by the idea of change. He believes, illogically, that the people who want to stop holding lotteries  will soon want to live in caves, as though only the lottery keeps society stable. He also holds fast to what seems to be an old wives’ tale—â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon†Ã¢â‚¬â€and fears that if the lottery stops, the villagers will be forced to eat â€Å"chickweed and acorns.† Again, this idea suggests that stopping the lottery will lead to a return to a much earlier era, when people hunted and gathered for their food. These illogical, irrational fears reveal that Old Man Warner harbors a strong belief in superstition. He easily accepts the way things are because thi s is how they’ve always been, and he believes any change to the status quo will lead to disaster. This way of thinking shows how dangerous it is to follow tradition blindly, never questioning beliefs that are passed down from one generation to the next. Mr. Summers Despite his breezy, light-hearted name, Mr. Summers wields a frightening amount of power in the village, power that seems to have been assigned to him arbitrarily. A married, childless business owner, Mr. Summers is â€Å"jovial† and pitied by the townspeople for having a nagging wife. No one seems to question his leadership of the lottery, and it seems to have never been challenged. Perhaps he took on the role himself, or perhaps someone offered it to him. Whatever the case, he now has complete control. Mr. Summers not only draws the names on the day of the lottery, but he also makes up the slips of paper that go into the black box. It’s up to him to make the black circle that ultimately condemns someone to death. Jackson never explains why the villagers put such pure faith in Mr. Summers, and the assumption that he will continue to conduct the lottery is just one more inexplicable but universally accepted part of the ritual.

Higher education Essay Example for Free

Higher education Essay Education â€Å"Knowledge is power† as Focault stated. This quote is commonly used to define not only the importance of knowledge and its effect, but ones decision to attain knowledge demonstrates power of developing knowledge. Education is one of the main factors in attaining knowledge. Education serves and effects society in numerous of ways. The influence of educational institutions, the structure it has on children and adolescents, the control education has on society, how education transform lives , and the social benefits that comes with having a higher education. Education may be defined as the process by which a society transmits knowledge, values, norms, and ideologies from young people to adult roles. The influence of educational institutions is one example of how education affects our society. According to the article â€Å"Universal Education†, Mr. Gatto states â€Å"School is the first impression children get out of an organized society. Like most first impressions, it lasts† (N. P). To me, this statement clearly represents not only how school is an educational institution influencing the lives of many, but how Gatos express that schools are a part of the children’s socialization process in development (1 ). Our youth, which is considered the future of our society, develop some their values and learning processes from institutions. School is very crucial and necessary in a child’s upbringing, because it takes the child from childhood and prepares them for adult activities. Institutions serve as a backbone to create, maintain order, and control our environment which entails the rules and monitoring systems. Schools have provided a structured system with policies, and procedures that influence the youth. Educational institutions help create a social world for children. One of the main factors of education is that its structures the lives of children and adolescents. Education gives an opportunity to enhance careers and skills for beneficial purposes. That is why schools prepare students to be effective economic competitors, reliable workers for employers, and well-adjusted individuals. In â€Å"Letters to a Young Brother†, Mr. Harper states â€Å"Since the key to staying in the game is education, it is essential that you take control of your relationship with school† (56). This statement clearly shows Harper’s affirmation about the bond between one’s education and financial success. Mr. Harper expounds greatly on the importance of education and how it influences and affects the life of young adolescents. Schools shape the life of a child from childhood years well into adulthood. For instance, the beginning years of school develops the child’s interactions and social skills. In one’s early school years, one learns how to read, write, and how to develop key social skills that one will utilize for a life long period. Even in adulthood, education affects our lives, because of the careers available and the amount of one’s salary tends to increase with the completion of academic programs and degrees. Education also motivates, pushes our youth to do better, and want to amount something professional in their lifetime. Education has a major control on society as a whole. Educational institutions affect not only our surroundings, but the daily lives of all people within that society. In my opinion, every neighborhood should contain some sort of institutions, whether it’s a community college, high school, or even an elementary school. Education improves lives and minds, and offers more opportunities and possibilities. Our education system embeds our youth with a structure of discipline, and knowledge that will be utilized for further advancement in one’s life. On a collective note, our institution of education reinforces the statuses of the larger society. Some parents are affected and play a major role in the child’s school life. For example I maintain a safe environment for my seven year old son. I show interest in his progress at school, help him with his homework, explain the value of a good education him , and I also stay touch with teachers and school staff . The main reason I created such partnerships is because I understand how important is education and I know it will help him succeed in school, and in later life. The key to a bright and successful future for the youth is through the education they get at school, but they also need resources at home to support them. Parent involvement in children’s education allows kids to perform better in school Education is the key to creating opportunity and changing lives. â€Å"The unemployment rate for people who have never gone to college is more than double (10 percent) what it is for those who have gone to college (4. 5 percent)† (qtd. in Hawkins N. P. ). These statistics make it clear that completing some form of higher education is the best tool to meet the challenges of a 21st century economy. Education is a productive and beneficial factor in a person’s life. The benefits of a college education are evident; higher salaries and lower unemployment rates. â€Å"Cities with a higher percentage of college graduates have lower crime rates† (qtd. in Hawkins N. P). Criminal offenders often have low levels of education. Statistics shows only 35 percent of inmates in U. S. correctional facilities have earned a high school diploma, compared to 82 percent of the general population. Young people with insufficient education are immensely found within the criminal justice system. Education provides opportunities to reduce crime, by helping children to gain knowledge, skills, and character that help them avoid criminal activity. I think education is one the most auspicious means we have of preventing and reducing crime A college education is essential in today’s society to earn a job. A College degree will open the door of opportunity in ways that will increase your potential in landing a great job in the field of preferred study. The more knowledge and experience one holds, the more willing employers are to furnish better positions in the company, and enhanced pay raises or bonuses. Having a college degree tells your current or prospective employer a lot. First, students gain a wealth of knowledge in school. Spending two or four years immersed in a program dedicated to your job field, arms you with the knowledge you’ll need from day one on the job. Employers know that if you’ve got a degree, you won’t need as much training as those without one. A degree also gives you a different perspective of the industry than that of someone without a diploma. Having a college degree makes the employee more valuable to a company (Cunningham, N.P). Your job relies on the amount of education youve received and have achieved in subjects. Math can help you out in money in shops; you can become a successful shop accountant or a bank accountant. English helps you with your daily communicating skills; you can become a successful lawyer, English made writers like James Patterson and Steven King. Science is included in our daily lives, when you water plants, make a cup of tea, freezing food; you could become a scientist, doctor, chemist. Science made people like Einstein. Even if you dont want a job, you need to have some sort of knowledge of the world. Education is the path to success; it benefits individuals, families, and communities (Harper, 106). â€Å"College graduates are statistically more likely to have healthy children and to be involved with their children’s education both inside and outside of school. Studies have also found that there is a correlation between a womans education, and the health of her children. Thusly, having a college degree is related to good health in parents, and learning readiness in children. For instance, more than 90 percent of preschoolers whose mothers are college graduates are read to at least three times a week, compared to 76 percent of their counterparts whose mothers are high school graduates†(qtd. in Cunningham N. P). Higher income is one out of many benefits of having a higher education, people with more education tend to have more leisure time and better outcomes for their children, and improved quality of life in general. For example, they are more likely to have jobs that provide health insurance and retirement benefits than workers without college education. In conclusion, â€Å"School is a great gift our society offers you. It provides the key for your future† (Torres, 160). Educational institutions serve as a major influential force in society and the lives of both children and parents. Schools are organized networks of socializing experiences, which prepare individuals to act in society. Education structures the lives of many, whether it’s a child, adolescents, or adults. Education is very meaningful in the upbringing of a child, and plays a significant role in his/her life. Education educates individuals, such that they prefer not to engage in crime. College-educated adults engage more frequently in educational activities with their children. A college degree proves to an employer that you’re devoted to your career, and serves as proof that you’re knowledgeable and qualified in your field. Essentially, higher earnings are one of the important outcomes of higher education. It is imperative you have an advanced education if you want to be successful. Work citation Cunningham, Alisa. The Broader Societal Benefits of Higher Education. the Solutions For Our Future Project†. The Institute for Higher Education Policy, Washington, D. C. , N. D. Web. 29 Oct 2012. Gatto, Taylor John. Universal Education. Yes Magazine, yesmagazine. org. 02 1998. Web. 29 Oct 2012. Harper, Hill. Letters To a Young Brother. New York, N. Y: Penguin group USA Inc. , 2006. 56-105. Print. Hawkins, Mary. Reinventing Your Life with Education: The Larry Crowne Effect. †. pickthebrain. com, 07 2011. Web. 29 Oct 2012. Torres, Jose. A letter to a Child Like Me. Trans. Array Across Cultures: A Reader For Writers. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Becker. 8th. Ed. USA: Pearson, Inc. , 2011. 160-164. Print.

The Cobb Douglas Function

The Cobb Douglas Function This chapter will discuss the estimated techniques theories and the equation, it is include the Unit root test and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds test. And the data sources also discuss in this part. 3.1 Endogenous growth theory and modeling In the economic condition, the Cobb-Douglas functional form of production functions is commonly used to represent the relationship of an output to inputs. It was predictable by Knut Wicksell (1851-1926) and tested against statistical evidence by Charles Cobb and Paul Douglas in the years of 1900-1928. The production function is shown as below: Y = ALÃŽÂ ±KÃŽÂ ², (1) Where the symbol of transformation for the Cobb-Douglas function is: = Total production (the monetary value of all goods produced in a year) = Labor input = Capital input = Total productivity growth The and are the output elasticity of labor and capital simultaneously. These values are constant determined by available technology. For output eleasticity the receptiveness of output to a change in levels of both labor and capital used in production in the condition of ceteris paribus. Such as if =0.20, it will show that the 1% increase in labor will lead to a 0.2% increase in output. ÃŽÂ ± + ÃŽÂ ² = 1, These function indicate that the constant return to scale in production function. That means if L and K are each increase 30%, Y will increase in 30% too. If the return to scale are decreasing and return to scale are increasing, this will be show as below: Expect it on the perfect competition, the and can be indicate to be the both labor and capital share of output. The Cobb-Douglas function are influnced by statistical evidence that come into sight to show that labor and capital shares of total output are constant over time in developed countries, the researchers clarified this by statistical fitting least squares regression in their production function. It is show that having doubt over whether constancy over time exists. But according to Yao and Wei (2007), through joint ventures local firms have been able to imitate foreign technologies and started to produce their own models or supply parts to foreign industries. There is no doubt that FDI has not only helped improve the production efficiency of domestic firms but also helped to push Koreas production frontier towards the worlds most advanced levels. Assume that there are two countries in the world: one is an industrialized economy A and the other is a newly industrializing economy (B) and both countries will follow a Cobb-Douglas production technology: (2) Where Y, K, L are respectively to GDP, capital and labor, j and t denote country (A, B) and time. And g(z) is a function of various factors affecting production efficiency and the production frontier, including exports, human capital, FDI, institutions and others. As country A is richer and has a higher K/L ratio than country B, country A tends to make investments in B in order to maximize returns to capital, as long as à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡YBt /à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡KBt > à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡YAt /à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡KAt holds true. According to Yao and Wei (2007), in this two-country perspective, both countries should have mutual benefits for cross-border movement of capital to take place. The benefit for A is that it can maximize returns to its capital and has access to Bs market. The benefit for B is that it can have access to As technology and improve per capita income so that the income gap between A and B declines over time. Another assumption is that both countries invest in science and technology to create knowledge and innovation. However, because A has better endowments in both physical and human capital, it is more able to innovate and hence produce a higher level of output given the same level of inputs in comparison with B. The only way for B to decrease this technological gap is through importation of As technology embedded through FDI. But again from according Yao and Wei (2007) that the role of FDI can recommend by their two propositions. Firstly, they given the same steady state of Bs technology, FDI can improve Bs production efficiency because foreign invested firms are front runners in the adoption of GPTs because of their superior human capital, management and organizational structure. Domestic firms can be trained from foreign invested firms through learning by watching. They also have incentives to become more proficient and competitive because they fear losing out to foreign invested firms. The moving effect of FDI on production efficiency of B can be illustrated in Figure 1. Production frontier of A and B, denotes the production frontier of B. At a steady state when input is fixed at X0, the actual level of domestic production is Yd0 without the effect of FDI. If FDI has a positive impact on production efficiency at this steady state, or à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡YB/à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡FDIB > 0, the actual level of production will rise to Yf 0. The net moving effect of FDI on country Bs production is (Yf 0 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Yd0). Second proposition examine that FDI is a shifter of the domestic production frontier. If FDI does not have a shifting effect, the maximum output of B can never go above PFB. If FDI has a shifting effect, country Bs maximum potential output can be as high as those located on PFA, which is the production frontier of A. (Cobb-Douglas. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobb%E2%80%93Douglas) Figure 3.1: Production Frontier of A and B and the role of FDI in B. Y PFA Yft PFB Ydt Yf0 Yd0 0 X0 X1 X For example, without a shifting effect, the actual level of production may move from Yf 0 at the initial steady state to Ydt at the new steady state with a new input mix Xt. The maximum possible output of B at the new level of input will be on PFB or below. If FDI has a shifting effect, the actual level of output can go above PFB, with a maximum potential output to be on PFA. In Fig. 1, if the new actual output is Yf t , which is situated between the two frontiers, it means that the production frontier of B has been shifted towards PFA from PFB. This positive shifting effect can be expressed as à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡YB/à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡FDI = f (t)>0, implying that the marginal product of FDI is an increasing function of time (Yao and Wei, 2007). According to Yao and Wei (2007) indicate that with Propositions 1 and 2, country Bs production function can be rewritten as: (3) And FDI is part of the multiplier ABt along with a set of other variables Z1 which can also improve production efficiency. Besides, FDI enters the residual term to be a shifter of the production frontier along with other variables, including a time trend t , which captures the Hicks neutral technological progress in B in the absence of FDI or foreign technologies, t * FDI captures the additional technological progress that is attributed only to FDI. The total effect of FDI on economic growth in country B can be expressed as: (4) The first part on the right-hand side of (4) measures the moving effect, and the second part the shifting effect of FDI on YB. If both effects are positive and significant, the above two propositions hold true. While the traditional growth theory considered only two factors of production, namely capital and labor, this new growth theory adds a third, technology. Endogenous growth theory or new growth theory focuses on the wider concept of technology, which is expressed through ideas, instead of objects or products. It necessitates a different set of institutional arrangements, like pricing systems, taxation or incentives to ensure the efficient allocation of ideas. These types of models are sometimes called Schumpeterian models because Schumpeter emphasized the importance of temporary monopolistic power over discoveries, as a motivating force for continued innovative process. A great deal of evidence has been produced in recent years casting doubt on endogenous growth theory. Mankiw, Romer and Weil (1992) argue that the neoclassical growth model of Solow and Swan with exogenous technological progress and diminishing returns to capital, explains most of the cross-country variation in output per person. The Schumpeterian variant of endogenous growth theory that emphasizes technological progress, innovation and RD has come under particularly heavy fire. Endogenous growth models attempt to explain a greater proportion of observed growth as well as why different countries experience different growth rates. They generally use the neoclassical model but allow the production function to exhibit increasing returns to scale, focus on externalities and assume that technological change, although important, is not necessary to explain long-run growth. In 1986, paper of Romer ignores physical capital and only considers knowledge but a general form of his model can be written as: Y = A(R) F (Rj, Kj, Lj) (5) Where R j, K j and L j are, respectively, stock results from research and development expenditure by firm j, physical capital of firm j and labor of firm j; R is the aggregate stock of knowledge. Any private research effort will have a spillover effect for the public stock of knowledge A(R). This type of model can explain why countries experience different growth rates. A country with an initial higher level of K experiences a higher rate of growth of K leading to a higher rate of growth of per capita income because such a country is more experienced through learning by doing. This is an external effect that prevents diminishing returns. 3.2 Model specification The previous empirical studies have proved that GDP can be determined by the following variables: labor and capital as basic physical inputs; export, FDI and foreign exchange rate policy as variables of openness. The following model regression will include all these variables. (6) Where t (t = 1976, , 2008) denote year t, k and l capital stock (Gross fixed capital accumulation) and total labor force, fdi = FDI inflow, exp = total export and exc = real exchange rate. Lastly, the Y is the Gross domestic product in economic growth and the is error term. Data for GDP are gross domestic product and capital is calibrated below based on investment in fixed assets. All the variables are calculated in 2000 constant prices. GDP is derived from real GDP annual indexes by province. Labor is total labor force in each province. FDI is actually used FDI inflows. Export is the total value of exports. The description of FDI in the production model needs careful consideration. Because capital stock is the accumulation of fixed asset investment, which includes both domestic and foreign investments, the production function would be mis-specified if FDI, either measured as a flow or stock, were added as another explanatory variable along with capital stock. In the previous literature, export and exchange rate also has been found to be relevant variables in the production function. Like FDI, export is defined as total FDI inflows and total export in Korea therefore can effect to output. The values of exports and FDI are provided in US dollars (USD) in the official statistics. Since they are measured in US dollars, most economic analysts do not bother to deflate the values in current prices into values in constant prices (e.g. Liu et al., 1997; Liu, 2000). It is important to conduct an appropriate deflation. One relevant deflator is the US consumer price index. The values of trade and FDI in nominal dollars are deflated by this index. Since all the other variables in the model are measured in KRW100, it is useful to change these two variables in KRW as well. Exchange rate is real exchange rate, which is time-variant but location-invariant as all the provinces faced the same foreign exchange rate. Beside this, real exchange rate should be derived from the exchange rates and price indexes of Koreas main trading partners. However, since KRW follows the US dollar very closely, albeit not pegged to the dollar, only the dollar exchange rate and the US price index are used to calculate the real exchange rate. Real exchange rate is expected to have a positive sign influence on economic growth because it represents Chinas competitiveness in international trade and the extent of market liberalization in the foreign exchange market from Yao and Zhang (2001). The expectation result for the variable of capital stock, labor, human capital, FDI, export and real exchange rate are expect getting the significant and positive relationship to economic growth. 3.3 Empirical methodology 3.3.1 Unit root test A unit root test is vital in observing the stationery of time series data. It is main to estimate about the variables observed have a tendency to return to the long term trend follow a shock (stationery) or the variables follow a random walk which containing a unit root. If the variables follow a random walk after a temporary or permanent shock, the regression between variables is spurious (Amiruddin, Nor and Ismail 2007). According to the Grauss-Markovs theorem, in such cases, the series do not have a finite variance. Hence the OLS will not produce consistent parameter estimates. A stationary series is one whose basic properties, for example it mean and its variance, do not change it over time. In contrast, a non-stationary series has one or more basic properties that do change over time. If the time series variable is stationery, i) The mean of is constant over time ii) The variance of is constant over time iii) The simple correlation coefficient between and depends on the length of the lag (k) but on no other variable (for all k). The unit root test can separate into 2 test, that is Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test and Phillips Perron (PP) test. This will test for level (original series), first differences and second differences (changes). If stationary at level, then the series are integrated of order zero, I(0) and if stationary at first differences and second differences, the series are integrated of order one and two, I(1) and I(2) respectively. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller test statistic and Phillips-Perron test statistic to estimate the stationary for the variables. The results are and the hypothesis will indicate as below: Hypothesis: Ho: No stationary Ha: Stationary Hence, p-value should small tahan 0.05, then rejected Ho, that is stationary, if failure to reject Ho, that means no stationary]. 3.3.2 Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL)-Bound test The Bound Testing Method can use to estimate the small size sample data in between 30 observations. Therefore, one of the conditions is the dependent variables must be in I(1) and the dependent variables can be mixed in I(0) and I(1), but not the I(2). For example: Y=a+b1X1+b2X2+b3X3+e. The variable Y must stationary at order one or I(1) and the X1,X2 and X3 can be in I(0) or I(1) or mixed. For the simplicity, the Bound testing can be shown as: (7) The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method developed by Pesaran et al. (2001) was used to establish co-integration relationships among the variables. And it can use to overcome the stationary problem in the time-series regression. The advantage of the ARDL method is it can be applied to the model whether the independent variables are stationary at I (0) or I (1). The dependent variable must stationary in I (1). As a result, a dynamic model known as the Autoregressive Distributed lag model (ARDL) will be estimated and can be written as: (8) This equation shows that output growth is effects by values of explanatory variables as well as the lagged dependent and explanatory variables. The bound test used the conventional F-test compare to the critical value to detect the presence of co-integrating relationship. The critical value is base on the Narayan (2005) table of critical values for the bounds test case III: Unrestricted intercept and no trend. If the F-test is higher than the upper bound critical value, the hypothesis of no-co-integration is rejected. Beside this, if an F-statistic is lower than the lower bound critical value implies that the absences of the co-integration. If the F-statistic is in between the lower bound and upper bound, there is no clear indication of the absence or existence of co-integration relationship. Using Wald test to investigate the joint hypothesis is, Ho: Ha: The conclusion for the hypothesis can be separate to three part, that is: i) If the Wald F-statistic fall above the upper critical value- cointegration exists. ii) If the Wald F-statistic falls down between the lower bound and upper bound critical value- inconclusive. iii) If the Wald F-statistic falls below the lower bound critical value-no cointegration exists. Furthermore, an Error Correlation Model (ECM) also use with the Bound test, the form is: (9) Where, : 1-L is the difference operator : f(yt,xt) trend: trend term : long run multiplier Therefore, from the ARDL model, we can use the Bewleys (1979) regression approach to obtain the long run model. (i=1,2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦,k) (10) Where, and , i= 1,2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, k are the selected (estimated) values of and , i=1,2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..,k. However, the short run dynamic model is estimated base on the Unrestricted Error Correction Model (UECM) model. (11) Where ECT represents as a long run steady point or partial adjustment term as below: (12) And using the Wald test to compute the long run elasticities and it standard error is: 1-Sum of the dependent coefficients= Sum of the independent coefficients (13) 3.4 Data The secondary data set consists of the annually data of the Korea economy for the period of 1976 to 2008 obtained from World Bank database, UC Atlas of Global Inequality, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Financial Statistic (IFS), Korea National Statistical and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Since the ultimate goal is to perform regression analysis with the data expressed in natural logarithms, it may instead wish to work with the log and proxy for variable as below: CHAPTER 4 REGRESSION RESULTS 4.0 Introduction Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test and Phillips Perron (PP) test and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). 4.1 Unit root test In this study, two stationary tests on individual stochastic trend are conducted, that is Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Phillip-Perron (PP) tests which have been used frequently I time series data. The value of ADF t-statistic and PP z-statistic will be compared to the critical value given by MacKinnon (1991). The time series under consideration should be integrated in the same order before we can proceed to cointegration analysis and causality test. The result can be show as below: 4.1.1 Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test Based on the result as below Table 4.1.1, it show that result for Augmented Dickey-Fuller test statistic in Unit Root test. This test is function to know the stationary of data for variable. In the result, the dependent variable and all explanatory variables are significant on the first and second differences for the constant with trends and constant without trends. This is because the p-value is small than 0.05 at significant level. So, we will rejected Ho and conclude that the data is stationary when first difference. Therefore, all series are I(1) process. Variable Level First Differences Constant with trends Constant without trends Constant with trends Constant without trends t-stat p-value t-stat p-value t-stat p-value t-stat p-value Economic growth (y) -2.070027(0) 0.5421 2.327602(0) 0.9999 -5.756136*(0) 0.0003 -4.782721*(0) 0.0006 Capital stock (k) -1.911924(0) 0.6251 -0.546014(0) 0.8689 -4.515321*(1) 0.0060 -4.361648*(0) 0.0017 Labor force (l) -0.459604(0) 0.9804 -1.009485(0) 0.6241 -4.564489*(0) 0.0051 -4.425029*(0) 0.0014 FDI (fdi) -4.190134(1) 0.0125 -1.009485(3) 0.7363 -2.892944*(8) 0.1825 -6.300895*(2) 0.0000 Export (exp) 2.708182(0) 1.0000 5.784347(0) 1.0000 -3.567930*(0) 0.0495 -2.184710(0) 0.2155 Real exchange rate (exc) -2.246001(0) 0.4496 -1.594207(0) 0.4739 -5.035710*(0) 0.0016 -5.101766*(0) 0.0002 Table 4.1.1: Result Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test Criteria: Schwarz Info Criterion (SIC) Variable Level First Differences Constant with trends Constant without trends Constant with trends Constant without trends t-stat p-value t-stat p-value t-stat p-value t-stat p-value Economic growth (y) -2.815698(18) 0.2023 3.136859(7) 1.0000 -6.399643*(11) 0.0000 -4.778071*(1) 0.0006 Capital stock (k) -2.096298(2) 0.5282 -0.519748(5) 0.8745 -4.100869*(7) 0.0153 -4.204347*(7) 0.0026 Labor force (l) -0.631981(1) 0.9699 -1.228256(1) 0.6498 -4.564489*(0) 0.0051 -4.423468*(1) 0.0014 FDI (fdi) -1.392163(31) 0.8440 -1.577055(31) 0.4824 -4.828185*(12) 0.0027 -5.032975*(13) 0.0003 Export (exp) 4.407935(8) 1.0000 6.050077(5) 1.0000 -3.555909*(1) 0.0507 -2.042327(1) 0.2683 Real exchange rate (exc) -2.374756(1) 0.3848 -1.615847(1) 0.4631 -4.981815*(3) 0.0018 -5.068019*(2) 0.0003Note: The number in parenthesis are lag length. The test employ a null hypothesis of a unit root. All series are log transformed. *Indicate that 5% at significant level. Table 4.1.2: Result Phillips-Perron (PP) test Criteria: Schwarz Info Criterion (SIC) Note: The number in parenthesis are lag length. The test employ a null hypothesis of a unit root. All series are log transformed. *Indicate that 5% at significant level. 4.1.2 Phillips-Perron (PP) test Based on the result as above Table 4.1.2, it show that result for Phillips-Perron (PP) test statistic in Unit Root test. This test is function to know the stationary of data for variable. In the result, the dependent variable and all explanatory variables are significant on the first and second differences for the constant with trends and constant without trends. This is because the p-value is small than 0.05 at significant level. So, we will rejected Ho and conclude that the data is stationary when first difference from the result of PP test. Therefore, all variables are integrated of order I(1). 4.2 Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) test The condition of the bound testing is the dependent variable must be in I(1) and the independent variables can be mixed in I(0) and I(1). The y is I(1) and the independent variable is mixed in I(0) and I(1)., the estimation of co-integration can be done by using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). The Bound test technique is applied to examine the long run relationship between the exchange rate and its determinants. The result of the estimated ARDL model for Malaysia is reported as Table 4.2. The goodness of fit of the model (adjusted R-squared (Adjusted-R2)) and the standard error of regression are higher. Based on the table 4.2, includes the diagnostic tests used to confirm the validity of the model. These several important diagnostic test has been carry out in order to strengthen the accuracy of the results. The result of the diagnostic test indicated that the residual of the model is normally distributed. Beside this, there are no heteroskedasticitity and no serial correlation. However, the model successes to pass the Ramsey RESET test. Since all the probability is larger than 0.05 (5%) significant level. Thus, hypothesis failed to reject the Ho, hence there are absence of those problem in the model carried out. Note: The critical values are cited from Narayan(2005).(Table case III: Unrestricted intercept and no trend;pg1988). *,**and *** denote significant at 10%,5% and 1% significance level, respectively. Based on the Table 4.3, the results of bound cointegration test obviously demonstrated that the null hypothesis is, against the alternative hypothesis is easily rejected at 1% significant level. The model shows that the determinant variables are strongly cointegrated with economic growth in Korea. The result showed that the F-statistic compute by Wald test is highly significant at 1% significance level. The F-statistic is 8.742069, which is greater than the upper critical bound value of 6.040, so it is showed that cointegration exists. Hence, based on the test result, there exist cointegration or long run relationship among the economic growth, capital stock, labor, foreign direct investment, export and real exchange rate. (14) Based on the Table 4.4 reported the long run elasticity between the variables use the ARDL test. The expected sign of the variables are indicate in this table and the estimated coefficient for capital stock (k) is positive 0.764333 and has consistent sign with the expected sign. This implies that an increase in the capital stock by 1 billion US Dollar (US$), the gross domestic product (GDP) will increase 0.764333 billion US Dollar (US$). The standard error is 1.594101 and probability 0.6359 is the p-value in the model. For the labor force (l), the estimated coefficient is positive sign, it is 25318.75 and which is consistent with the expected sign. The coefficient means that when 1 unit labor force increase, the GDP will increase 25318.75 US Dollar (US$). The probability is 0.4858 and standard error is 35765.61. In addition, the foreign direct investment (fdi) in estimated coefficient is positive 5.627353 and same with the expected sign. This indicate that when increase 1 billion US Dollar (US$) in the foreign direct investment, the GDP will increase 5.627353 billion US Dollar (US$). The p-value is 0.4313 and standard error is 7.032203. The estimated coefficient for export (exp) is positive 0.798721, it has consistent sign with the expected sign. This implies that an increase 1 billion US Dollar (US$) in export, the GDP will increase 0.798721 billion US Dollar (US$). The standard error for export is 0.204665 and the probability is 0.0007. In the case of real exchange rate (exc), the estimated coefficient is positive 173672187.2 and is similar with the expected sign. The coefficient means that when real exchange rate increase in 1 units of Korea Won 100 (KRW100) per US$ 1, the GDP will leads to increase in 173672187.2 US Dollar (US$). The p-value for real exchange rate is 0.1910 and standard error is 1.29E+18. 4.5 The Error Correction Model (ECM) test The result of the Error Correction Model is reported at Table 4.6 and the Error Correction Term (ECT) is shows as below: (15) So, the ECT equation will be generated into short run dynamic model. Based on the Table 4.5, the error correction term (ECT) is -0.090218. This implies that speed of adjustment to the long run stability is very slow which is 0.09. It is negative sign and rapid adjustment from a short term imbalance. The negative sign of the ECT means when there is a short run shocks occur, the gap is closed towards the adjustment process to the long run stability. This implies that the imbalance of output growth in the short run maybe adjusted with error corrections that resume the long term equilibrium. Approximately a high percentage of 89.7% of the gross domestic product can be clarify by the capital stock, labor, foreign direct investment, export and real exchange rate selected. Furthermore, the variable of capital stock (k) is significantly influence the gross domestic product (GDP/y) in the short run. The capital stock represents the gross fixed capital formation to be the most important factor that influences the gross domestic product in Korea. The capital stock, labor (l), foreign direct investment (fdi), export (exp) and real exchange rate (exc) is statistically positive influence in the current year of gross domestic product. As mentioned in literature review, this all explanatory variables should be elastic, portrays a positive sign and is should be a statistically variable in most of the research. In the short run, capital stock is statistically significant and positive sign to the gross domestic product for Korea. When capital stock is increase 1 billion US Dollar (US$), the gross domestic product will attracts approximately increase 1.249795 billion US Dollar (US$). Beside this, when the labor is increase 1 unit labor force, the gross domestic product will increase 2308.908 US Dollar (US$). And if the foreign direct investment increase 1 billion US Dollar (US$), the gross domestic product will increase 0.508124 billion US Dollar (US$). If export increase in 1 billion US Dollar (US$), gross domestic product will increase 0.072330 billion US Dollar (US$). Lastly, when the real exchange rate is increase in 1 units of Korea Won 100(KRW100) per US$ 1, the GDP will increase in 15708616 US Dollar (US$).

Do People Who Are Trafficking Human Organs Help Other People? Essay

Do People Who Are Trafficking Human Organs Help Other People? (Campbell & Davison, 2012), say that the unlawful business in human organs special kidneys has advanced quickly and unexpectedly. The reasons why selling kidneys has advanced quickly is that nowadays many countries have wars so there are many poor people who need money to live a good life. Also, after wars, there are many sick people that felt desperation because they lost their organs in the war and no one donated to them, so they needed to buy organs to stay alive. Other reason is because people have two kidneys so when they sell one kidney for important reasons, they won’t die. Most countries punish those people who sell their organs that are why in those countries there are many illegal trafficking of human organs, but in some countries trafficking human organs is legal like Iran. People who are trafficking human organs help other people to live a good life, also help sick people to feel healthy again and not to die. The desperation of many people needing transplantation s urgery and the poverty of many people with healthy organs often results in the trafficking of human organs. It’s a trade where the two persons win, because trafficking human organs help many poor people who don't have money to buy food or clothes by selling their organs that they can live without for money to the sick people who need this organ to stay alive. Selling organs can help the sick person to stay alive and give the poor person money to help his family from humiliating life. I read something posted on (ALL THINGS PAKISTAN blog, 2007) about a poor Pakistani guy who holds with his hand a paper with a sign that says â€Å"Would you buy my kidney please?.† I think that poor guy needs money t... ...ngs pakistan blog. In (2007). Retrieved from http://pakistaniat.com/2007/10/17/would-you-like-to-buy-my-kidney-please/ Caplan, A. R., & Arp, R. (eds.) (2013). Contemporary debates in bioethics. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.kw/books?id=-RsoAAAAQBAJ&dq=how much does the middle man make trafficking organs&source=gbs_navlinks_s Denis, C., & Davison, N. (27, May, 2012. Illegal kidney trade booms as new organ is 'sold every hour' Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/27/kidney-trade-illegal-operations-who Gross, R. (2008). Noblesse oblige blog. Retrieved from http://noblesseoblige.org/2008/01/12/egyptian-man-sells-wives-kidney-on-black-market/ Parry, W. (2012). How poverty, false promises, fuel illegal organ trafficking. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/19237-illegal-kidney-organ-trade.html

Drug Policy :: essays research papers

Drug Policy Colloquium Reflection   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The war on drugs and the violence that comes with it has always brought around a hot debate about drug legalization. The amount of violence that is associated with drugs is a result from harsher drug laws and prohibition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The business of buying and selling drugs comes with high transactions costs. The dealer cannot risk being caught or scammed so he buys a gun to defend himself from the police and other dealers. The buyer of the drugs does not to be killed for his money if the dealer gets greedy so he buys a gun for himself. Now we have two people that if it came down to it, would kill for their crack rocks. Also, if a buyer got a bad crack rock or got less than he paid for, he cannot go the police or file a complaint. He must take matters into his own hands resulting in violence. If drugs were legalized, they would be safer in the sense that the crack-head that needs his daily crack rock would not have to deal directly with dangerous drug dealers and criminals and risk getting shot for his money. Instead, he can go down to the local â€Å"drug store† and get his drugs safely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drugs will even become safer for those who are willing to use them. Government regulations on drug quality will make the drugs more pure, and potent, taking the harmful additives that some drug makers put in. Like cigarettes, warnings would probably be posted on drug packages stating â€Å"The use of crack may be harmful to your health.† As well as on windows of the stores that sells the drugs. An age limit to buy drugs would probably be 21. Clean, sterile needles would also be provided to heroin users and stop the spread of diseases such as AIDS from contaminated and dirty needles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think that if drugs were legalized, use of legal drugs would tend to rise because it would be easier to obtain them and it may encourage people to try them out. However, the increase would only be for a short time period. In the long run, drug use would decrease because all the users that are using more drugs because they are easier to get would overdose and kill themselves and set an example for other people thinking about trying drugs. Another reason why drug use would decrease is that the reason why some people use drugs is because they are illegal.

Changing Roles of Managers at Corporate Insurance Essay -- business, m

Over the course of the past two years, I have worked in a call center environment within the Corporate Insurance Company. A typical day is fast paced, yet structured. Up until recently, I had the responsibility of taking anywhere from 70 – 100 inbound calls daily from either troubled agents or inquiring customers. Of these calls, a few are monitored on a monthly basis to ensure the accuracy of the information that I am giving out. Customer service representatives here are also held accountable for our time on and off the phone as well as any data entry or what we call â€Å"after call work†. Again, this job family has operated with full structure and accountability. One of the repeated issues facing all phone counselors in this job family is the changing of the roles of managers. This is due in part to Corporate being a growing Fortune 500 company. Lately, about every four to six months, there has been a need for restructuring and reassigning of managers and team mates. We strive to work cooperatively as a team and just as we begin to effectively motivate one another, things change. Personally, in two years I have had five different managers and three different teams. Each manager has their own management, leadership and coaching styles and within each team there are ever changing inter and intra-personal dynamics. As I eluded, I have also changed job families and again, have had to become accustomed to a new manager, as well as the inter workings of a new job family all together. I now work diligently as an Account Processor, processing 70 – 100 policy changes daily. In this role, there is greater flexibility, less structure, and less support. However, the responsibility to provide the best service for the customer has no... ...ze our natural talent, and bring this out. They also have the skill to put their self in the shoes of those they manage. This will help them understand what employees are like and what motivates them, and then they can slowly work to mold them and help them to do their best. Those are some of the primary differences between leadership and management. I’m the type of leader or manager who would lead by example. As a leader I would eliminate potential barriers my employees couldn’t see. Also I would expand my vision with the insight of others, and this would potentially create a better vision and end result. As a manager, I would delegate work to my employees, so they felt as though they were apart of the big picture. Also I would get to know each of my team members, both personally and professionally. All in all I think I would do just fine as a leader or manager.

Customer Service Profile–Marriott Hotels

Motivate employees, train them, care about them, and make winners of them. At Marriott, we know that if we treat our employees correctly, they’ll treat the customers right, and if the customers are treated right, they’ll come back. Bill Marriot Jr. If a customer leaves a hotel or resort satisfied with the property and the service, there is a much better chance that they will return. That is an obvious reality in the industry, and in the forefront of the customer service policy of the Marriott chain of hotels.Customer response for rapid resolution to customer complaints is used by each and every Marriott Hotel and Resort. Customer Surveys are an integral part of the plan. Getting this feedback makes it possible to correct errors and enhance the customers’ overall experience as a guest. Customers are used to getting a questionnaire or a survey â€Å"after the fact† to record and advise the company of a problem and whether or not it was solved to the customer ’s satisfaction.Marriott’s goal is to provide such a survey to the customer during the stay, so that any lingering problem can be immediately resolved. If there is something wrong with the room, it should be addressed during the stay, so that no one leaves dissatisfied. The real time feedback not only resolves complaints, but has been a stream of customer suggestions which would improve the experience. These suggestions are seriously considered and many have been implemented, such as providing a billing summary available to the guests by internet or television prior to check out.Marriott Hotels and Resorts also have a Rewards program that has been frequently judged as the best in the business. Customers get points for each stay, and can apply the points either to frequent flyer miles or future vacations. This program was instituted in 1997, but there has been some form of a frequent guest program at Marriott since 1983. Many other hotels have similar â€Å"loyaltyâ₠¬  programs, and it has come to be an expectation of a lot of guests.There are many ways to earn points and over 3000 properties all over the globe where they can be earned. The points can be redeemed for a variety of things, such as cruises, hotel stays, frequent flyer miles, and even wide screen TV’s. There is even a way to donate accumulated points to charitable organizations. The above two described programs comprise Marriott’s customer service milieu. While the combination of the two prongs is very successful, there is always room for improvement or enhancement.For a great many guests, especially the frequent travelers for business or pleasure, accumulating the points towards an eventual goal is a real selling point and would certainly have the desired effect of return visits. However, for the occasional traveler, saving up enough points to have any benefit is probably not realistic. In these uncertain times, vacations and even business travel might come on to th e â€Å"chopping block†. But, even in the best of times, only a small part of the population travels quite frequently.For all these circumstances, the Reward programs is of no benefit. Again, this is not unusual for businesses to give out coupons, punch cards, or reward points that will never be used. Who doesn’t have frequent flyer miles, $10 off coupons for stores that will never again be visited, or credits towards a cruise or dinner that has expired and not used? The guest could then feel that only other people reap the â€Å"rewards†. One alternative would be to allow a guest to â€Å"opt† out of the Rewards program and instead to offer an immediate â€Å"reward. An example would be for a 2 night stay, the guest could choose from several food items to be delivered to the room, such as a late night dessert. Or, for a 3 night stay, the guest would receive a free spa visit if available on the premises. An alternate â€Å"reward† would be a coupo n for free gasoline, or something commonly available. The idea would be that for some customers who knew that the point system would not be a benefit to them, could still know that Marriott was customer oriented and that if they were to be traveling again, they would remember ot only the personal service, but that they were rewarded for just being a customer. A Review of the Marriott Rewards Program. (2010).Retrieved November 2010, from About. com: Business Travel: http://businesstravel. about. com/od/rewardsprograms/gr/marriott_reward. htm Executive Blueprint. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2010, from Case Study: Increasing Sales by Service: http://www. executiveblueprints. com/_cases/service_marriott. pdf Marriott Reward Program. (n. d. ). Retrieved 2010, from Marriott : http://www. marriott. com/rewards/rewards-program. mi