Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov Essay example -- Brothers Karamazo

The Brothers Karamazov The Brothers Karamazov deals with many facets of life. More importantly though, the novel peers into the mind and its response to death. The characters all run from death in some way, and only those who can accept the suffering find justification. In addition to the theme of death, the novel acts as an autobiography of Dostoevsky, expounding his various beliefs and values. To get his theme across, Dostoevsky utilized several stylistic devices, such as imagery, irony, and dreams. Yet, his ability to write down what a character was thinking at certain moments helped shed light on that person's beliefs better than if he presented himself only through dialogue or description. In order to understand the relations between Dostoevsky and his various characters, the author's life and background must be studied. Born to lower middle class parents, Dostoevsky grew up in a rough, impassive childhood. He lived amidst two diametrically opposite parents--his father, a righteous and stern army doctor; and his mother, a kind, generous, and passive woman. Thus, the fact that several of his novels contain very different characters can be inferred from a childhood of two opposite parents. When Dostoevsky became older his father sent him to an army engineering school, which later becomes significant in analyzing the connection between Dostoevsky and Dmitri Karamazov. While at school, he faced several hardships that would torment his life and help explain the recurring themes in his novels. The serfs at his father's estate mercilessly killed him without getting arrested. From this harrowing experience came Dostoevsky's obsession with death, and throughout all of his novel s, especially "The Brothers Karamazov", deat... ...y see the soul of a man who carried vengeance in his heart, yet maintained a love for mankind characteristic of the biblical Job, whose suffering only brought more sympathy and blessings in the eyes of God. On an ironic note, Dostoevsky presented Alyosha Karamazov as a young man who would instill the love and spirituality to the innocent children needed to turn the backward country of Russia into a global power. These children did indeed change Russia 30 years later, not as spiritual lovers but as violent rebels in a communist revolution. They sought to free the peasants and laborers by theory, but in reality created a totalitarian state more powerful than even Peter the Great could have imagined. Now, the once powerful Russia lies wasted amidst the same poverty it dwelled in one hundred years earlier. Truly an ironic twist to the beliefs of a prophetic man.

Big Fish in a Small Pond :: Essays Papers

Big Fish in a Small Pond While living in Costa Rica last summer I was introduced to a new culture and way of life. The national slogan, â€Å"Puravida,† was the daily greeting while riding my bike down the dirt rode into town for Spanish class. The country’s belief in â€Å"Puravida† translated - ‘pure life’ is one component that makes Costa Rica distinct in this ever-globalizing world. In the small town I lived the people would work for a day, fishing or tour-guiding, and spend the next three days off, displaying an extremely different lifestyle than that of an American entrepreneur. Similarities between Costa Rica and the US, however, were visible. In some of the bigger cities of San Jose and Heredia I was surprised to see the familiar signs of McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken mixed in with the local restaurants. In my trip to San Jose I was even more surprised to see a large Intel building. Seeing the Intel building I questioned what they were doing in Costa Rica. From my experience it was odd to see a high-tech American corporation in the middle of an ever-developing country. After the initial shock I was more interested in what effects Intel has had in Costa Rica economically, socially and politically. In particular, did the move of Intel into Costa Rica have positive or negative consequences on the small country? In this paper I will examine the dynamics of the relationship between Intel and Costa Rica and will consider the implications of this interaction for large corporations relationships in developing countries. Using the case study of Intel in Costa Rica I will use a costs-benefit analysis to show why foreign direct investment has positive effects on the host economy. Costa Rica Costa Rica is located in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama. Costa Rica enjoys the political environment of a democratic republic. The country is open to economic integration of the greater region, being a member of the Central American Common Market(CACM), subscribing to a uniform external tariff and to free-trade internally. Costa Rica also supports the Puebla-panama plan, initiated by Mexico’s president Vincent Fox, which intends the ‘Mesoamerican’ integration of Mexico’s struggling southern states and all seven Central American countries. In addition, since 1948, Costa Rica has not had a military, and despite severe turbulences and civil wars in Central America and border conflicts with Nicaragua and Panama, it has successfully maneuvered itself through these times.

Backpacking: A Different Way Of Camping Essay -- essays research pape

Backpacking: A Different Way of Camping What is camping? To most people, it is perceived as a time to pack up the car, drive to local camp grounds, and spend the weekend in the great outdoors. It is a time to frolic with family and friends around a campfire, singing songs, playing games, and roasting marshmallows while listening to ghost stories that can only be heard while camping. However, to the avid backpacker, camping takes on a different perspective. While experiencing the great outdoors is very similar to car camping, backpacking is very different in many respects. Preparation for backpacking and car camping and the locales where one can set up camp are very different. In either case, experiencing the great outdoors and its natural beauty cannot be surpassed. With car camping the only real limitation is one's vehicle. A person is limited to the vehicle's capacity to carry or tow. For example, a camper will bring a stove, a twelve man tent, two coolers of meat and potatoes, five gallons of water, and maybe tow a camper. On the other hand, when backpacking, the circumstances are very different. One is limited to his or her own capabilities: the amount of weight that can be carried, endurance levels, just to name a few. Provisions must be carefully measured. If overloaded, it can affect performance while hiking to one's destination, but if not enough provisions are carried it, will impact how long one can last out in the wilderness. The equipment must be minute in size...

Significance of Communication Skills

Conversing and corresponding with people around is such a common activity that most of individuals are so preoccupied with their daily routine that they do not stop and ponder over the immense advantages that business enterprises can derive from mastering the art and science of communication. Following payoffs are only suggestive: (1) Communication is the life blood of an organizationOrganization cannot function without people interacting, conversing or corresponding with one another. All enterprises require human beings working for it or with it, to:Interact and reactMake assumptions about future or forecast future events ï‚ · Plan or draw up a rough blueprint for the futureOrganize / design a format of how to get resources together to achieve the planStaff or gather / recruit people and get them to desired locationsLead or direct people, and devise their jobs so as to adhere to the planExchange information, ideas, plans and proposalsMeasure and monitorCoordinate and controlCommu nication has been described as the „glue‟ that holds the entire organization together as one entity. Without communication, managers / leaders are not able to influence the attitude and behaviour of people to achieve the common objectives.Internal communicationBefore the end of nineteenth century, businesses were small; they started growing in size from the beginning of twentieth century. Contemporary business enterprises are very large and have not only become multinational but also transnational in character. Besides, they have grown in complexity in terms of a wide array of products and services they deal in and the number of countries and continents they are operating in. Also, arising from liberalizing of many national economies, global competition has intensified and the rate of change in market place has accelerated. Market forces have  also become very dynamic, almost verging on chaos.With business becoming very large in size, complex in nature and rapidly chan ging dynamics, enterprises must put in place effective internal communication so that every one can be kept informed of happenings within the large corporation. It is the only way managers / leaders can build understanding among people located in far off communities, countries and continents – stringing them together in to a beautiful necklace that everyone can be proud of.External communicationAs a business enterprise in the modern society, it has to interact, pro-act or react to happenings in other institutions viz.Government bodies, statutory / regulatory agencies, municipal authorities etcDistributors, dealers and retailersCustomers, community and society at largeReputed organizations are concerned about their public image, goodwill and trust. In order to further reinforce their reputation, they participate in a number of activities:Public speeches by senior executivesTactful responses to comments and criticisms in the mediaPreparation and distribution of informative pamp hlets about the firmMarketing communications or advertisement / publicityProduction and dissemination of product catalogues, videos etcBecause of their importance, these activities are centralized in the Public Relations and Corporate Communications department of large corporations. These activities have emerged as specialist skills of critical importance to the well being of the company. Successful messaging can: ï‚ · Eliminate unnecessary correspondence  Save time and expenseBuild favourable impression in public mindEnhance reputation and goodwillHelp increase company profits and profitabilityCommunication skills as vital job requirementHuman beings are communicating all the time. Ability to express powerfully and influence the attitude and behaviour of people for giving better performance on their jobs, has emerged as a job skill of critical importance for managers / leaders at all levels of management. Thus all employees are expected to:1 Write good correspondence 2 Be good in oral conversation 3 Develop and cultivate powerful body language 4 Be able to sell ideas and products effectively 5 Be very good in weaning away customers from competitor and retaining themIt is now increasingly understood that even specialists like accountants, engineers, technicians etc should have good communication skills. In the present day knowledge society, competitive advantage of acquiring excellent communication skills cannot and perhaps need not be emphasized!Communication skills essential for promotion Communication skills have emerged as the most critical prerequisite for promotion to senior executive positions in the industry. Consequently, managers at lower rungs of organizations should also have good command over the spoken and written language of the business. As a general rule, managers should have the ability to make their communications heard, read or understood. Individuals who have had quick rise to senior level positions, attribute it to their being good i n conversation and in articulating topical issues besides being very good in written communications – be it in writing persuasive letters or producing concise and compelling reports.Communication skills aid problem solving A person can become a good communicator only when he is a clear and systematic thinker. Acquiring effective communication skills adds to one‟s self esteem and confidence. This helps managers to be able to collect relevant information and get around people quickly that are essential prerequisites for any problem solving effort.Communication skills ignite enthusiasm If a person is able to articulate viewpoint of the group he belongs to, it enthuses him because he becomes the automatic choice as their representative. The person becomes more spirited and involved and his group activities increase manifolds. People rally around such persons more readily and they progress in to more important roles.Communication skills enhance motivation People who have goo d oral or written communication skills usually develop into very good listeners. Listening to others leads to added learning that influences their attitude and behaviour. It goes a long way in re-orienting their mindset towards work and enhancing their performance. Such persons become more aligned to firm‟s objectives and are motivated to accomplish them.Communication skills are advantageous in personal life As private citizens, individuals take part in a lot of activities like sports, club work, social work, community work etc. People also participate in other social, cultural and religious activities. If they are good communicators, they get noticed quickly and can be appointed or nominated to many such activity groups. Before long, they become well-known and prominent member of the community. (10) Communication skills hone leadership traitsFrom the foregoing discussions, it is easy to understand that all leaders in business, industry or political arena, have notably better skills in communication. They are able to deliver informative and persuasive speeches to audience at large. They are able to draw up, compose and distribute most effective posters, banners and circulars. Thus effective communication skills propel them to positions of leadership. (11) Dividends from effective communication skillsCommunication skills have come to be recognized as integral part of one‟s upbringing and personality. His choice of words and phrases and their use is quite unique to him and can directly give clues to his personality. In the modern age of knowledge society when education, training and skills are being formally taught, communication skills have become of critical importance in every day life. It is said that it is no use having brilliant ideas if one cannot put them across properly, accurately and lucidly. Following illustration highlights the strategic importance of role and importance of communication skills: Effective Communications  Enhance

Exaggerated Global Warming Essay

Global warming is worldwidely experienced climatic phenomenon; but the question is, is it really that serious? Global warming has been a major issue as a result of industrialization as well as human progress since the past few decades. The cry to bring global warming to an end has been carried on by private in addition to international organizations since the initiative was first put forward. Global warming occurs as a result of devastating factors that negatively affect the climate. There are numerous sources that give details about the causes and effects of global warming. Each and every living organism has been negatively affected by the current global warming. This paper will evaluate various sources in order to demonstrate the dangers of global warming. Introduction Gupta asserts that global warming is primarily a change in the climatic conditions of the earth (p, 4). These climatic conditions differ as a result of various reasons; both internal and external. Changes to climatic conditions and thus global warming can occur as a result of natural, for example volcanic emissions and solar activity, or man-made circumstances, such as deforestation. The issue concerning global warming in the United States has in the past few years generated heated debates in the political arena. The former U. S. Vice President, Al Gore, an anti-global warming crusader, through the U. S. National Assessment of Global Warming as pointed out by Harmon, convinced a lot of people that global warming manifest an evident and current danger to the United States (p, 29). However, Al Gore’s report was termed as a misrepresentation claiming that it portrayed deliberate scientific deceit for the purpose of political agenda (Johnston para, 7). Many people, according to Johnston, claim that Al Gore failed the movement for climatic change and that his negligence resulted in an irreplaceable harm to the climate (para, 8). All in all Al Gore notes that global warming is an overwhelming danger currently facing the United States and the world at large. Gore asserts that left uncontrolled, global warming will tremendously affect the future of humankind (Harmon p, 36). Exaggerated Global Warming Global warming occurs as a result of a combination of numerous factors. The solar variation theory, according to D’Silva, states that the suns energy has been increasing day by day over the past sixty or so years (para, 1). This theory states that the sun may now be acting as a major cause of global warming. Studies, as illustrated by D’Silva, have revealed that the amount of sunspots in a particular area directly affects the amount of time taken by the nearby earth to cool (para, 1). The sun acts as the main source of energy to the earth. The earth takes in a very large percent of the earth’s solar flax. As a result of this flax, the earth, land, and ocean’s atmospheric temperatures increase drastically (Sinha p, 89). Orbital forcing, as Sinha states, is the other factor believed to be a natural cause of global warming (p, 90). The slow tilting of the axis of the earth is also believed to have some negative effects on the climate. This tilting causes the sun to be positioned at different angles than normal, thereby causing it to hit the icebergs. The most significant cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect (Sinha p, 91). Green house effect is the increase in earth’s surface temperature as a result of infrared radiation from the atmosphere. Green house effect has led to an in crease in the atmospheric temperature by about 24%. Increase in carbon dioxide is the main factor that results in greenhouse effect (Gupta p, 8). Methane is the other gas that is linked to global warming. The other factor that may lead to global warming is solar variations; these are the changes that occur in the quantity of radiant energy emitted by the sun. Rapid industrialization is the other factor, in addition to natural causes, that result in an increase in global warming presently. Global warming is believed to have first been experienced about 8,000 years ago with the start of agriculture (Maslin p, 40). Forests were cleared, a factor that increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Industrialization is believed to increase the release of gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, which lead to global warming to the atmosphere. Forests are cleared in order to establish industries. Cutting down of trees results in an increase in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere as trees contain a very high quantity of carbon. Burning of fuel fossils is the other humankind activity that increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and, thus an increase in global warming. Over the past two decades the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that results in global warming has increased by about 80% (D’Silva para, 5). Although global warming is believed to cause numerous negative environmental effects, it is hard to link specific conditions to global warming. It is also hard to tell whether the link between the global warming and the tremendous global effects attributed to it are true. The former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, was highly criticized for publishing work that many claimed over exaggerated the effects of global warming for political gains (Harmon p, 41). However, the effects of global warming are dangerous and real. The two major effects of global warming are increase in the atmospheric temperature by approximately 3Â ° to 5Â ° C, and the rise of sea level by about 25 meters (Roleff p, 54). Increase in global temperatures result in a wide range of changes including rise in sea levels as a result of thermal expansion of the ocean, along with melting of the land ice. The numbers as well as the patterns of climatic phenomenon predictions are changing at a very high rate as a result of global warming (Maslin p, 45). The total power of hurricanes has increased as a result of global warming; this is due to the increase in their average intensity and duration. Extreme changes in temperature and patterns of prediction increase the frequency, duration, and magnitude of other climatic events such as floods, tornadoes, heat waves as well as draughts (Roleff p, 68). Hurricanes as well as other storms are likely to become more and more intense if the current rate of global warming is not checked (Gupta p, 16). Global warming leads to a drastic reduction in agricultural production. It also leads to glacial retreat, lesser summer street flows, and extinction of certain species. Some species are moving from regions experiencing adverse effects of global warming to cooler regions. This if left unchecked will result in tremendous changes in the ecosystems. Global warming is also believed to cause diseases, which had been eradicated in certain places, to return with severe consequences (Schneider p, 57). On average, precipitation has increased across the world. Schneider notes that the amount of fresh water drastically reduces with increase in global warming (p, 75). This leaves a lot of people as well as animals which rely on it for drinking water and power production without a source. Scientists predict that heat waves, hot extremes in addition to heavy precipitation will become a common phenomenon (Roleff p, 51). Scientists argue that the sea will become more acidic as a result of taking up more carbon dioxide (Schneider p, 79). Global warming, as asserted by Kriengsak, causes devastating economic effects to the U. S. as well as the whole world (para, 1). Kriengsak argues that tornadoes and hurricanes in addition to other storms result in bullions of dollars in damage, disease and control of conflicts that may arise (para, 4). Global warming, according to Roleff, is also believed to be the major cause of extreme cold weather that has recently afflicted the eastern and southern regions of the United States (p, 87). This is believed to be as a result of movement of cold polar air masses to the southern regions. Global warming is also attributed to heavy snow falls. This is due to the fact that higher temperatures results in more evaporation of water in addition to higher humidity content in the atmosphere, and therefore to heavier snows incase the warm, humid air comes across cold air masses moving to the southern regions from the polar regions. The real exaggeration of global warming as a result of man-made related factors must be somehow greater than a factor of two, due to the fact that most of the rise in atmospheric temperature occurred before 1940, but carbon dioxide in addition to other green house gases entered the atmosphere after 1940 (Maslin p, 65). This may lead to a conclusion that the effect of green house can only be accountable for only a few proportions of the observed rise in temperature. Exaggeration of global warming for the last few years, as argued by Maslin, is important as it acts as a resource of the forecasts of a devastating global warming in the next century (p, 112). Conclusion It can therefore be concluded that global warming, which is primarily a change in the climatic conditions of the earth, is a real danger to not only the united states, but also to the rest of the world. Private as well as international organizations have been in the forefront in the fight against global warming. The former vice president of the U. S, Al Gore, though was highly criticized, clearly illustrated the effects of global warming to humankind. The two major effects of global warming are increase in the atmospheric temperature by approximately 3Â ° to 5Â ° C, and the rise of sea level by about 25 meters. Global warming has also resulted in an increase in the total power of hurricanes due to the increase in their average intensity and duration. Global warming leads to a drastic reduction in agricultural production. Global warming causes devastating economic effects to the U. S. as well as the whole world. It also leads to glacial retreat, lesser summer street flows, and extinction of certain species. Work Cited: D’Silva, Roy. What Causes Global Warming? N. d. viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/what-causes-global-warming. html Gupta, KR. Global Warming, ISBN 8126908815: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2008 Johnston, Robert. Falsehoods in Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, 2006 viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://www. johnstonsarchive. net/environment/gore. html Kriengsak, Global Warming: The Economic Risk Factor, n. d. viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://blog. nationmultimedia. com/print. php? id=1693 Maslin, Mark. Global Warming: Causes, Effects, and the Future, ISBN0760329656: Voyageur Press, 2007 Roleff, Tamara. Barbour, Scott. and Swisher, Karin. Global warming: opposing viewpoints, ISBN 1565105125: Greenhaven Press, 1997 Schneider, Stephen. Global warming: are we entering the greenhouse century? ISBN 0718828151: James Clarke & Co. , 1990 Sinha, PC. Global Warming, ISBN 817488954X: Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. , 1998 Harmon, Daniel. Al Gore and Global Warming, ISBN 1404217614: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008

Rural Entreprneurship -One Key to Rural Revitalisation

Entrepreneurship can play an important role in rural development. â€Å"Entrepreneur means one who creates a product on his own account, who ever undertakes on his own an industrial/trading enterprise in which work men are employed†. If entrepreneurships really encouraged in rural area it would, of course, be instrumental in changing the face of rural areas by solving the problems of unemployment, poverty, economic disparity, poor utilization of rural capacity, low level of standard of living. Authors: 1. Dr.Ratan Barman, Reader, Department of Commerce, Assam University (Diphu Campus) 2. Dipanjan Chakraborty, Senior Lecturer, Department Of commerce,Darrang College,tezpur Introduction ‘India lives in her villages’—- this axiom is still true today despite the service sector budding in the urban and semi urban areas. Majority of the population still lives in rural India and the large chunk of population in urban areas still live through the learning of a villa ge life. For the strength of the country there is a necessity to develop the villages. Development of a country is a choice loaded on its people, whether urban or rural.It is individuals who shape up a society and decide its progress and performance. Urban and rural are two sides of the same coin of economic development. While the urban sector has witnessed phenomenal growth and development, fuelled by the post independence era of industrialization, the rural sector saw little corporate growth. Rural development is more than ever before linked to entrepreneurship. Institutions and individuals promoting rural development now see entrepreneurship as a strategic development intervention that could accelerate the rural development process.Furthermore, institutions and individuals seem to agree on the urgent need to promote rural enterprises: development agencies see rural entrepreneurship as an enormous employment potential; politicians see it as the key strategy to prevent rural unrest ; farmers see it as an instrument for improving farm earnings; and women see it as an employment possibility near their homes which provides autonomy, independence and a reduced need for social support. To all these groups, however, entrepreneurship stands as a vehicle to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities and to sustain a healthy economy and environment.Rural industrialization is important not only as a means of generating employment opportunities in the rural areas with low capital cost and raising the real income of the people, but also because it contributes to the development of agriculture and urban industries. In the absence of rural industrialization, it would not be easy to solve the problem of unemployment in rural areas. The entrepreneurial orientation to rural development accepts entrepreneurship as the central force of economic growth and development, without it other factors of development will be wasted or frittered away.However, the acceptance of entrepreneurship as a central development force by itself will not lead to rural development and the advancement of rural enterprises. What is needed in addition is an environment enabling entrepreneurship in rural areas. The existence of such an environment largely depends on policies promoting rural entrepreneurship. The effectiveness of such policies in turn depends on a conceptual framework about entrepreneurship, i. e. , what it is and where it comes from. Concept of Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneur The terms ‘entrepreneurship’ and ‘entrepreneur’ are not new to the Indian economy.Often these two terms are considered synonymous and used interchangeably. But conceptually both the terms are different. The relationship between the two is just like the two sides of the same coin. The understanding of the concept of entrepreneurship owes a lot to the work of economist Joseph Schumpeter and the Austrian School of economics. According to Schump eter (1950),’ and entrepreneur is a person who is willing and able to convert a new idea or invention in to a successful innovation. † Entrepreneurship forces â€Å"creative destruction† across markets and industries, simultaneously creating new products and business models and liminating others. In this way, creative destruction is largely responsible for the dynamism of industries and long-run economic growth. The entrepreneur is the kind of persons that is willing to put his career and financial security on the line for an idea, spending his time and capital in an uncertain venture. Entrepreneurship as a stabilizing force limits entrepreneurship to reading markets disequilibria, while entrepreneurship defined as owning and operating a business, denies the possibility of entrepreneurial behaviour by non-owners, employees and managers who have no equity stake in the business.Therefore, the most appropriate definition of entrepreneurship that would fit into the r ural development context, argued here, is the broader one, the one which defines entrepreneurship as: â€Å"a force that mobilizes other resources to meet unmet market demand†, â€Å"the ability to create and build something from practically nothing†, â€Å"the process of creating value by pulling together a unique package of resources to exploit an opportunity†2. Concept of Rural entrepreneurship Many examples of successful rural entrepreneurship can already be found in literature.Rural entrepreneurship can be defined as entrepreneurship emerging at village level which can take place in a variety of fields of endeavour such as business, industry, agriculture and acts as a potent factor for economic development, In short, rural entrepreneurship implies rural industrialization consisting mainly of agro-based industries, Khadi and village industries and cottage industries. The promotion of rural entrepreneurship is vital in the context of generating gainful employ ment and minimizing the widening of disparities between rural and urban population.About 75% of the population who lives in villages has to utilize the village resources and they are plentifully available and people are not utilizing it effectively due to mass illiteracy. The risk aversion people can be transformed in to risk taking innovative entrepreneurs by proper training. Rural entrepreneurship not only concentrates on enhancement of products by use of local force or by artisans but also has significant environmental and social impact by developing eco friendly and appropriate olution to local problems China represents a unique example of rural entrepreneurial development with prima facie importance to the use of local resources, such as natural resources, human resources and material resources for local economic, social and cultural development and for running within the local area the surpluses so generated and at the same time effectively integrating rural development with m odernization the urban sector. China’s successful rural development through less dogmatic and down-to-earth approach to rural industrialization is really worth emulating for our country.Dynamic rural entrepreneurs can also be found. They are expanding their activities and markets and they find new markets for their products and services beyond the local boundaries. Role of Entrepreneurship in Rural development For rapid development, rural industrialization is must. But rural industrialization requires development of rural areas.. According to the Government of India, any industry located in rural area, village or town with population of 20,000 or less and an investment of Rs. crore in Plant and machinery is treated is rural industry. Rural or village industry is classified in to the following categories: †¢ Mineral based industry †¢ Forest based industry †¢ Agro based and food industry †¢ Polymer and chemical industry †¢ Engineering and non-convention al energy †¢ Textile industry †¢ Service industry Objectives of entrepreneurship in Rural Development †¢ To reduce disparities in income between rural and urban areas †¢ To promote balanced regional development To pressure the age-old rich heritage of the country †¢ To control migration of population from rural to urban area and thus helps in checking haphazard growth of cities and slums †¢ To help in reducing social tension and pollution Rural Entrepreneurship as a policy Tool to Achieve Rural Development Before independence, rural industrialization and hence rural entrepreneurship did not get any emphasis. The British Government gave importance to imports and neglected the development of Indian industries.In order to achieve rural development, after independence, the government of India used rural entrepreneurship as a policy tool. It has been clearly reflected in various five year plans and industrial policies. 1) Production in Khadi & Village indust ries sector was Rs 4,519 croes in the year 1997-98 and by the end of the year 2006-07, it is expected to increase up to Rs. 13,250croes i. e. in the span of 9 years it is expected to rise by almost 3 times. 2) Employment in KVI sector was 6. 65 million in the year 1997-98 and it is expected to increase up to 9. 5million by the end of year. Problems faced by entrepreneurs of rural areas †¢ Lack of finance-Modern entrepreneurship is a costly affair which needs abundant credit facilities. But in undeveloped countries, there is always scarcity of such credit facilities †¢ Lack of technical know-how-On account of faulty education system youth lack professional, managerial and technical knowledge which is an impediment in developing the spirit of enterprise, consequently not many people come forward to establish self-employment units. Absence of Enterprising skill- Most of the rural people in India lack risk bearing ability. Reluctance to involve oneself in business, inclination towards wage employment, lack of creative thinking are few reasons which have restricted the growth of self-employment in rural area. †¢ Lack of Infrastructure-On account of lack of infrastructural facilities viz, transport, water, electricity, market, storage and communication etc, entrepreneurs are shying away from establishing industries in villages. Industries which are already established are also facing similar problems. Adverse, social, cultural and Industrial environment-Caste systems, social evils, fatalism, religious superstitions, particularly in the countryside, do not allow development of adventurous spirit. Lack of skill and expertise in labourers, their tendency to migrate to big cities and consumer’s habit to buy goods produced by big companies create many problems for new entrepreneurs. †¢ Lack of awareness about quality control-It is true that of awareness hinders rural entrepreneurship. There are number of factors responsible for the lack of awar eness among rural folk.Illiteracy, ignorance, lack of proper propaganda by agencies, corruption among government functionaries etc are some of the factors responsible for this problem. †¢ Lack of market information due to poor communication facility- The absence of effective communication and access to right information makes it difficult for rural entrepreneurs to understand market trends and policies followed by the government on industrialization. Rural Development through Rural Entrepreneurship To achieve rural development through rural entrepreneurship,† The support infrastructure† given by Bill Bolton & John Thompson should be implemented given below.The support infrastructure | | People | Ideas | The Enterprise | |Sector |Education and |Research and |Property |Finance |Supply |Business support |Community | | |Training |Development | | | | |development | |Facility |School, |Industry, |Business |Seed and |Sub |Government |Housing, | | |College |University |Incu bator; |venture |contractors; |Agencies; |Schools, | | |University; |Garage |Innovation |capital |Labour |Clubs and |Hospitals, | | |Training | |centre | |pool |Associations, |Recreation, | | |Facility; | |Science | | |Consultants |Transport | | |Entrepreneur | |Technology | | |And business |Tele commu | | | | |Business | | |advices |nications | | |school | |parks | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Activity |Courses of |Technology |Premises |Equity& | Staff |Training advice |Amenity | | |programmes |transfer |and support |Loans |& Suppliers |and networking |provision | Source: Entrepreneurs by Bill Bolton & John Thompson Conclusion On the basis of analysis and role of rural entrepreneurship for rural development, we can conclude that rural entrepreneurship and rural development are two sides of the same coin. A part from Government policy, there is an urgent need to create conducive environment in rural areas so that rural entrepreneurship should flourish. Suggestions The following suggesti ons can be put forwarded for the protection and enhancement of demand potentiality leading to fertile ground for entrepreneurship.Entrepreneurship would be conducive for rural capacity utilization and development and solving rural problems like, unemployment, poverty, low level standard of living etc. ? Formulation of a registered trade union, under the guidance of appropriate Government, at village level-The role of such a trade union should be to protect and promote the interest of labours in the village. It will lead to enhance their bargaining power, thereby more earnings. Labour concessions will be instrumental in changing the face of rural areas. ? Formation of village development council, under the guidance of appropriate Government, at the village level . This council should lead in forming and propagating about negative impacts of drain of rural demand, rural resources to urban area.Consciousness should be created about the fulfillment of rural demand by rural supplier livi ng in the same village. It means trading should be promoted in the villages. Positive impact of divion of work. Divion of work will lead specialization, better capacity utilization, assurance of definite market and enough earning to meet family needs. The positive and negative impacts of migration of people from rural area to urban area. It is good in the sense that it is going to provide employment to rural people in urban area. But the negative part of the process is that commit their funds in urban area. These migrated people should be encouraged and motivated to finally stay in village.They should spend their money in rural areas. It would lead to enhancement in rural demand and rural development. Such a village development council will be forum where issues relating development will be discussed and opinions will be floated among the people for course of action. ? Formation of Rural entrepreneurship Development Bank of India, on the line of Industrial Development bank of India, is essential to promote entrepreneurship in the rural areas. It role would be to make available finance, knlwledge, technical expertise, managerial advice, help in marketing, string etc. it has to take case from beginning to end. Even its role would be to come up with plans.The is need to promote urban culture in rural area in respect of consumption, entertainment, education, spending, standard of livingrationality,etc. to promote economic activities. Rural-Urban interaction, T. V, Radio, Mobile, Road etc, are promoting urban culture in rural areas. ? State Government must invest in more for development of rural entrepreneurship ? All latest technology of the globe is to be disseminated to all rural areas by Government through Toll free number ? Appointment of SSI ombudsman and having one stop centre for needs of rural entrepreneurs to be established. ? There is necessary to promote education and skill necessary for entrepreneurship ?

Black Female Executives in Corporate America Essay

Black female executives are a symbol of what determination and hope can achieve that despite the odds and perceptions, people can achieve anything they set themselves on regardless of their cultural backgrounds. Reaching the top for these women has been a journey which dates back way before slavery when women lived and followed the African traditional settings which governed every aspect of their lives. In this setting, the women were subordinate to their men and their duty was to look after their families. Evolution has since changed these perspectives after the civil war that liberated the black people such that they were able to own property and even work in state organizations. In addition, the African people had the power to be educated. Over the years, African women have continually struggled to be the best academically as well as professionally such that they have even outshone their fellow men. â€Å"By 1994, there were more black women as compared to the black men who were employed especially in white collar jobs in corporate America (Tucker, 1994). † Thanks to institutions like Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), there has been significant growth of blacks taking up leadership roles in corporate America (Benjamin, 84). In the managerial positions, black men are slightly more than the black women but still the number of women in managerial positions between the years 1982-1992 had increased by 64% (Tucker, 1994). This positive figure has encouraged other black women to undertake leadership roles hence adding up to the increasing figure. Black women representation in the corporate organizations cannot be compared to the rise of white women in the top managerial positions whose numbers have increased over the last decade. This is illustrated by 32% of white women managers who were executive leaders as compared to 14% African American women in similar positions who earned less than them in the year 2000 (Ely, 2003). This shows that as much as the black women are making it ‘big’ there are several factors that hinder their rise to such positions. â€Å"By the year 2001, African American women remained in the shadows and remained invisible hence they were ranked in the corporate businesses either according to gender as well as race (Bell & Nkomo, 2003). † Reasons for lack of black females in executive positions Though there are a few known black women executives in the corporate world it does not necessarily mean that they are not learned enough or that the positions are limited. The major issues limiting the black woman from getting to the top of the corporate ladder are gender and race. Certain stereotypes which are mostly negative are likened to the black female. â€Å"They are considered to be aggressive and very direct (Caver, 2002). † Such characteristics make them unsuitable for leadership positions in big organizations hence limiting their chances of advancing their careers. Black women are not exposed to educational opportunities like their male counterparts as well as white people. This is because most of them come from poor backgrounds and therefore their education is limited up to a certain level when the funds they have can allow. That is why they usually get casual jobs and work as subordinate staff in organizations. Another issue that has contributed to the lack of black females in executive positions is the perception that such positions are the strongholds of men hence organizations mostly employ male colleagues. These factors make it harder for the black women to be promoted to executive positions as they are not only judged by the way their race but also according to gender. Challenges the black women executives face The rise of the women in the corporate world does not really mean that it is all rosy at the top. Though the experience is rewarding some of them are frustrated. The few African American women in executive positions are faced with several challenges in the course of their work. They have to continually convince people and prove to their colleagues that they have what it takes to run organizations. To begin with their salaries are low as compared to those of their fellow black men in similar leadership positions. Most of the African American women in the top managerial positions are considered as vulnerable employees. They are given those positions that can be easily scrapped off when the company restructures itself (Tucker, 1994). They do not therefore get the chance to play major roles in organizations especially in terms of decision making as sometimes they do not have jobs to do. This makes them feel inactive and feel as if they were just put in those positions to enhance the good image of the companies they head as being good an equal employer. â€Å"Some companies just put the women up there so that they can show their corporate allies that they are not biased against any race or gender (Lamont & Molnar, 2002). † †¢ Lack of strategic relationships Relationships define how people will relate with each other in the organization. When the black women are not supported by their employers, then it becomes hard for them to relate with them in proper ways and this affects their work relationship. The relationship between black and white women in the workplace is also strained. This is because white women do not interact often with black women on organizational matters hence they have little knowledge on some of the racial perspectives; the black women have to deal with. â€Å"They feel white women do not care about black women issues and concerns (Caver, 2002). † This has made the black women feel betrayed by them and no wonder they do not relate with them well (Bell & Nkomo, 2003). This scenario has strained communication between the two groups and they never engage in constructive activities. They have been reduced to clicks that support their own members and rarely will they support the promotion of the opposite colleagues to such leadership positions. If the black women cannot relate well internally with their colleagues, it is therefore hard for them to form corporate relationships with people from other organizations as well as their clients as they do not have people within the organization to link them to other business relations. †¢ Lack of mentoring and support African American women are never mentored; and if, on a limited scale. â€Å"This is because they are thought to have nothing in common with their white counterparts as well as black men (Caver, 2002). † Moreover, it is difficult for the black woman to fit in the white male-oriented ‘positions’ which is limited by the negative, historical, sexual racism between black women and the white men (Benjamin, 2005). For this reason, they do not get to improve on their leadership skills hence it is hard for them to be promoted to higher positions. In addition, when other people will start performing better than them, they are said to be incompetent and therefore they risk losing their jobs. The society is also not showing support for the black women corporate leaders who have managed to beat all odds and be the best. This is more so seen in the African American community where people think that they use their high positions to intimidate them. No wonder it is hard for them to find suitable husbands as the males feel threatened. †¢ Trust issues The few black women executives who are there are not trusted to make strategic and informed decisions by other colleagues in the workplace and that is why they have to struggle so much to build this trust which takes a long time. This is why some black women who can no longer cope with the pressure resign from their jobs. This has led to an increasing number of black women quitting their jobs. This is why the CEO as well as other colleagues in the workplace are left to wonder if race determines commonality or whether gender connects across racial lines and if the black women have their own leadership style that helps them navigate in the hierarchy (Bell & Nkomo, 2003). †¢ Lack of access to business development opportunities Leaders need to continually sharpen their skills so that they are able to tackle problems that arise in the business cycle. Black women are usually sidelined in major activities and this limits their chances of growth in terms of acquiring skills and building strategic alliances. For example, a project may be designed which may entail people going for training but surprisingly, countable black women; if any, will be short listed. This makes them feel like an extra burden to the organization. †¢ Balancing work and personal life Just like all women, African American women have to place their families before everything else. They therefore have to ensure that they balance their personal lives as well as their works lest they fail in all of them. Sometimes it is not easy as in every place they are faced with issues and sometimes they do not have colleagues whom they can turn to for help. Impact on the black female work population The statistics might show that black women positions in leadership positions have increased but the experiences of African American women in such positions reveal another thing. Some women have said that they have watched their subordinate colleagues some who are not qualified be promoted to higher ranks while they, who have served the companies for longer periods, are stagnant in the same positions. â€Å"In addition, when they give ideas on anything, they are not taken seriously and this is adding up to their frustrations (Hesselgrave, 2009). † Such scenarios have made them feel diminished, have low self esteem and not feel like part of the organization. This has made them emotionally as well as psychologically disturbed as they cannot come to terms as to why so much hatred and seclusion is still in the society. The lack of back women executives in corporate America is not doing much to encourage young black women professionals to take managerial careers. They see on a daily basis on how their fellow black women in the corporate world are treated and nothing much is done to solve the issues. Some black women have had to succumb to offering sexual favors and bribes if they really want the positions. Such negative factors make the young ladies not wanting to be in such vulnerable positions hence they will opt to choose careers that they find pleasure in. Another impact is that organizations have been divided along racial and gender lines when ‘their own’ are not promoted to executive positions. This has inhibited progress in the organizations as decisions can not be made effectively because employees are not communicating and they are not performing well at their work because their issues are not being addressed. â€Å"This has also brought in unhealthy competition in the workplace as the different groupings of people have to find fault in each other so that they can use the raised issues as an excuse to make them appear better so that they can be favored (Ivancevich & Gilbert, 2000). † In some instances, it has led to the formulation of policies which the minority group in this case, the African American women, use to give them an edge over other colleagues. Recommendations Women of all races play a major role in corporate organizations and that is why they should be encouraged to take the top most leadership positions if they are qualified. Some of the factors that need to be considered in promoting African American women in leadership positions include: ? Encouraging more black women to pursue leadership positions Educating and sensitizing the young black girls at a young age is important so that they take up leadership courses. This will make them more open minded at an early. The Federal State therefore should ensure that there is equitable distribution of resources such that black children can access proper schools like the rest of the children in major cities. African American women also need to be trained on political skills so that they are able to lead people in the proper manner thus become competent. ? Equal treatment Affirmative actions and the formation of women movements have played a vital role in rallying for equal treatment of women. More needs to be done so that the women can feel like they are part of the organizations they serve. The managers should therefore diversify employee groups and continually monitor to see how they are progressing and help then overcome the challenges they face. â€Å"The top managers should also be able to identify black women who are skilled and help them grow within the organizations they head (Lamont & Molnar, 2002). † The human resource heads should therefore ensure that they recruit they staff equitably and not based on any kind of biasness so that when it comes to making decisions or selecting the right candidate for a particular top office, all the people will be represented therefore the right candidate will be chosen regardless of their back grounds. ? Respect and trust Respect starts with an individual when they identify their needs and they treat others the way they would like to be treated in return. Respect is a very important virtue that should be in every code of conduct since it determines how people will be treated. â€Å"Sometimes when white male superiors and black female subordinates as they are trying to amend their relationships they are faced with difficulties because of the lack of basis for identification which is mainly attributed to the fact that the motives behind them are not sincere (Thomas & Gabarro298). † Without respect, then there is no trust as individuals will not trust people who treat them badly. People therefore need to learn to respect black women because it is the only way that will help them salvage their relationships, ease communication and enhance understanding each other so that productivity of the company can improve. It is also advisable to find trust agents if the matters in the organizations are too complex for the members to solve. Having an independent party helping employees and management to solve their problems will be good as they will not be biased. ? Educating the other employees on the negative effects of discrimination is also a positive step towards creating room for black female executives. Conclusion Operations in organizations are changing slowly by slowly to accommodate cultural diversity and people are beginning to embrace the work done by the black women as well as other minority groups. Black women executives nowadays can be found in almost all departments in the workplace and have even gone a step further to head multinational organizations. â€Å"Even in the wake of civil rights and women movements which have helped bring about gender equality, black women executives still face many challenges. African American women need to work harder to face out racism especially in this ever changing diverse world (Burk & NCWO). †These women need to be supported in the work they do rather then being put down as they are also human and they deserve respect just like other individuals in similar positions in the society. Corporations therefore need to change their cultures and philosophies so that they attract more black women and retain them. Black women also need to show that they deserve the executive positions by being passionate about the jobs and ensuring that they are qualified for the positions. References Bell, E. L. J. & Nkomo S. M. (2003). Our Separate Ways: Black and White Women and the Struggle for Professional Identity. Harvard Business Press, 5, 239, 5 Benjamin L. (2005). The Black elite: still facing the color line in the twenty-first century 2nd Ed. Rowman & Littlefield, p. 70 Caver K. A. (2002). 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