Rescuers of Holocaust Victims :: essays research papers

Individuals who risked their lives†¦ There were many individuals who risked their lives to rescue and hide the Jews during the Holocaust. Some of them got caught, while some of them made it until their village’s liberation day. An example of a rescuer that saved a Jew’s life is Jadwiga Suchodolski. This young girl was from a Catholic family. Her family lived in the village of Krzynowloga Wielski. At one evening of April in 1943 her family heard a knock on their door. When they opened it, they saw a Jewish man that fell down on his knees with his body all swollen up from hunger. The family talked about it and decided to let Michael in. They promised to keep him a secret. Two years later when liberation day came, the word spread that a Jew was being nursed back to life in their village. One day a group of partisans broke into Jadwiga’s house and demanded that Michael be turned over to them, but Jadwiga held them off long enough to let Michael escape. When the partisans realized that the Jew left, they gave a chase but did not catch up with him. In revenge, they ransacked Jadwiga’s house. Later Michael came back, but soon after he married Jadwiga and left to live in Israel in 19 57. Another example is Irena Sendler. Irena worked as a member of a Council for Aid to Jews. She had a permit allowing her to visit the ghetto area at all times. In the summer of 1942, under the code of â€Å"Jolanta†, she arranged some things for Jewish children to be smuggled out of the ghetto and found some non-Jewish families where the kids can stay. In the fall of 1943, Irena was arrested and was taken to a prison, and brutally tortured. The Gestapo people failed to get information from her, so she was supposed to be executed. However, her Jewish underground buddies had bribed one of the Gestapo agents, and on the day that Irena was supposed to be executed, she was released. She was forced to stay out of sight from the Germans, but she still conducted her activities from her hiding place.

Hopefully Looking Into the Future: Haiti

Hopefully Looking into the Future â€Å"Hope is the thing with feathers  /That perches in the soul  /And sings the tune without the words  /And never stops at all. †Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Emily Dickinson In Edwidge Danticat's anthology, The Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the United States, different voices of the Haitian dyasporas tell their stories on how they have hope. Whether it be a young child looking for motherly love, seeking to win a soccer game or on an even bigger scale, or getting politically active and hope that what you have done pays off.Though Haiti is often associated with negative stereotypes, whether it be associated with AIDS or â€Å"the Phrase† which was Haiti: The Poorest Nation in the Western Hemisphere (Dreyfus 57), Haitian Americans tend to look on the bright side and turn out to be very optimistic. They are not the ones to just give up, they have come too far. The hope Emily Dickinson's quote from her poem Hope is the thin g with feathers   describes, is what the hope Haitians have. It gets buried within a person, that never succumbs. Throughout many essays, this point is clearly supported.Though their country may not be at its best, throughout the essays, Haitians as well as this part of the Haitian dyaspora, look to move forward and become successful by the migration to the United States. In many instances throughout the compilation of essays and poems, Haitian Americans share their stories on how they have this sense of hope. In â€Å"Restavek† , by Jean-Robert Cadet, the boy, despite the maltreatment of Florence, hopes that deep down she loves him and cares for him. In reality all she really does is abuses and uses him for what he's supposed to be doing as a restavek child.Even til the end, when the boy knows how Florence treats him, he hopes that she had gotten him something for his ceremony. In â€Å"Bonne Annee†, Jean-Piere Benoit inserts a small anecdote that shows that,  "Haitians hope even when there is no hope† (34). Interestingly enough, Benoit cleverly includes the brief anecdote of the soccer game of Italy versus Haiti right after he mentions Bebe Doc taking over his father, but right before states that Bebe Doc had fled the country, as if to enhance the meaning of it.By putting it in this order, you see that Haiti can, even if they end up losing they do have the potential. Jean- Claude fleeing the country gives rise to new hope among many Haitians, both in the ten departments of Haiti and in the eleventh department. As Benoit describes that even † a blizzard in New York [†¦ ] does not prevent jubilant Haitians from taking to the snowy streets, waving flags, pouring champagne† (Benoit 35). Like the soccer game, they celebrated. Something good has happened, an occurrence that for Haitians does not come too often. hink this is perfectly sequenced in order to convey In â€Å"Adieu Miles and Good-bye Democracy†, Patric k Sylvain shows us that the hope he has in his country becoming a democracy is more important to him than his family. Even though he does give up his role as a father to take that of a political activist, he does question himself on whether he made the right decision and if he even made a difference in Haitian politics. All these different voices come together to express the potency of the hope of Haitian Americans.The hope Haitians have prevails over death. Although many Haitians seem to be very hopeful in life, there most certainly are those few that through death triggered hope, and ultimately resorting to suicide. In â€Å"Something in the Water†¦ Reflections of a Peoples Journey†, Nikol Payen tells us of a woman that could not bear with the suffering being on the boat with her infant and gave up on life, plunging into the ocean, never to be heard of again. Although she did not fight to continue, we have to understand the hardships dealt on a daily basis.The boy tell ing the author the story of the aunt that had jumped off the boat, gains hope from seeing this act. He resorts to trusting Payen and getting onto the ship, hoping that he would get a better ending than the aunt. In Marie Ketsia Theodore-Pharel's essay â€Å"Haiti: A Cigarette Burning at Both Ends†, the title alone gives the essay an ethos of lost hope, that no matter what Haiti will, in comparison to a cigarette, burn at both ends, choking any possibilities of having hope. In the end, Thurel died, simple as that. Mr.Thurel â€Å"had made the ultimate sacrifice†, his journey had ended, but his death triggered the author of the essay to think, and other could have been influenced too. Therefore his death had made an impact on people enough to maybe give them hope to do better, and not turn out haw he had. Theodore- Pharel is contemplating whether Mr. Thurel had died for no cause, and this makes her question her love for Haiti. Being given a hopeless title, but opening th e essay with an anecdote from her past that shows the story of a martyr that obviously impacted her, makes me think of the essay as being contradictory.Thurel's suicide, as the suicide of the woman on the boat, is because of the difficulties that they were dealing with in their lives. However, in Thurel's suicide we see more of him being somewhat of a martyr. Thurel said himself in this essay that he was to â€Å"offer myself in holocaust for the complete liberation of my country† (Pharel 83). He died for his country , as had past fighters: Dessalines and Christophe. Like they once did, he had hope for his country, and as did Sylvain, which was mentioned before.Hope does not stop at death, especially considering the fact that Haitians believe that a person does not really die, their soul lives on. And even after death, there is always hope for future generations. Many of the authors of these essays have grown up in the United States, coming from Haitian-born parents. These pa rents hoped for their children to be successful. They did not want their children to have to go through what they had been. These authors, now mostly accomplished , are the epitome of a Haitian American, or of the Haitian dyaspora.Finding â€Å"success in exile†, whether it be to learn a lesson as Sandy Alexandre did in Exiled when she was tricked by her mother to go to Haiti to teach her a lesson to respect her elders, or finding exile as a motivator to become successful (Dreyfus 58). Having been sent to to Haiti, Dreyfus realizes she has to be thankful for what she had, not just take it for granted, seeing that not everyone had the same privileges as she did back in her home in America. In â€Å"Home is†¦ Sophia Cantave, currently a professor at Tufts University, is perplexed if â€Å"perhaps my mother had given birth to me so that I could do all the things that she never did† (170). As an educated woman, she is proud of having succeeded, making her mom proud, yet she is disconnected from her mother, her native land. This hope given to future generations , of the children of Haitian migrants to the United States, is in a way disconnecting them from Haiti. Hope is an exuberant trait among Haitian Americans.Those that had grown up in a place very different from their mother country, as well as those still in Haiti and even in the journey to migrate faced many dilemmas. As Haitians, going from fighting France to win their independence and always having this background of a turbulent government, they will always turn to hope. All they can do is hope, hope for the best , as their ancestors had done in the past and as they continued to do so. And from that hope, become a proud Haitian, because despite their past, they overcame it. They are left alone in this new world, with only hope at their side to help them continue.

Mice and Men - 822 Words

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† The Great Depression took place in the United States in the 1930s. Northern California, Salinas Valley was affected by the Great Depression. Many farmers lost their properties and were forced to find other work. Banks were forced to foreclose on mortgages’ and had to collect debts. Hundreds of thousands of farmers packed up their families and few belongings, and headed for California. The Great Depression left many people in poverty and caused them to face unpleasant events. This is how life was like for the characters in Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. Mostly all the characters in this novel suffered from loneliness. Some of the men desired to come together in a way that would allow them to be like brothers to one†¦show more content†¦Crook’s actions are significant because loneliness cause people to spend their time by themselves. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses characterization of dialogue and actions to reveal that one can be surrounded by a group and still be lonely. The use of dialogue proves that the characters are lonely even though they are working closely together. Also, through the characterization of actions the author reveals that most of the men are lonely and that the men occupy themselves even though they are with a group of people. John Steinbeck’s theme applies to the entire would because it proves that loneliness affects everyone at one time or another. It changes the way a person thinks and behaves. When people feel lonely their actions and way of life are affected. Nobody can run away from loneliness even if they live with a group of people. It’s a trait that no one can get ridShow MoreRelatedOf Mice and Men1242 Words   |  5 PagesOf Mice and Men Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan states that, in the state of nature mans life is nasty, brutish and short. In depression era America, no greater truth could be said. There were millions unemployed, largely unskilled and living on the margins of society. The lowest of the low were the migrant labourers travelling from place to place trying to scratch a living. They often had to travel illegally by freight car with all its consequent dangers. Their life expectancy was low, crimeRead MoreOf Mice and Men961 Words   |  4 PagesPeople have a tendency to lose sight of their goals and dreams. Mentally, people struggle to maintain their sanity in this game of life that has no set of rules. In the book Of Mice and Men, this story portrays the inequality between people’s dreams and what can actually be accomplished. John Steinbeck, the author Of Mice and Men, utilizes his general themes of friendship and loneliness, through his deep characterization and connection between characters i n order to illustrate â€Å"The American dream.† TheRead MoreMice and men1998 Words   |  8 PagesHey this essay is about me not having one and just wanting a free account.GCSE JOHN STEINBECK The first 200 words of this essay... à ¯Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¿Of Mice and Men Essay à ¢Of Mice and Menà ¢ is the fictional short novel written by John Steinbeck in 1937. Steinbeckà ¢s perspective when writing the novel could be based on the fact that he had once worked on a ranch and had a certain fascination about it. The novel is set in 1930s America and this can be seen as the cause of the very enduring culmination that takesRead MoreOf Mice and Men1006 Words   |  5 Pagesheart of every novel.† In your view, what are the distinctive ideas explored in Of Mice and Men? Explain how these ideas are developed throughout the novel. Themes are integral and fundamental aspects which render the literature valuable. They usually provide insight into the author’s perception and internalisations of the world in which they live. Set in California during the Great Depression, Of Mice and Men, by Steinbeck, illustrates the hardships experienced by individuals as they roamed theRead MoreOf Mice and Men1171 Words   |  5 PagesOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Q- â€Å"I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her† what is the reader supposed to think about Curley’s wife? * How is she described by the other characters? * How the author describes her * How she speaks/behaves * Her dreams * Is she the cause of all the trouble Written By Ruqayyah Draey Curley’s wife is not well described and respected by the other characters. She is often looked down upon and discriminatedRead MoreOf Mice and Men547 Words   |  2 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s landmark novel Of Mice and Men is perhaps best known for its revolutionary telling of two characters that are very different, but have come to rely on each other to survive during the Great Depression. The two characters are men named George and Lenny. George is somewhat of an average fellow who has no real special skills or attributes. Lenny is large and abnormally strong, but unfortunately has the mind of a child. Lennie looks up to George as if he were a role model. This statementRead MoreOF MICE AND MEN1721 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿In the book Of Mice and Men, the single women that appeared in the book resented herself as an object. The statement Women today are more often treated by men as equals rather than objects can be true or false. A man that goes to Gentleman s Cubs eve ry night is a different man that studies at Harvard Law School. A striper is going to be a different person than a CEO of a successful business. It’s all about how you present yourself. In Of Mice and Men, Curley s wife presents herself in a seductiveRead MoreOf Mice and Men883 Words   |  4 Pages‘Of Mice and Men’ is a novel about two men and their struggle to reach their dreams of owning their own ranch. George Milton and Lennie Small are best friends, and in despite of their differences they still manage to work together, travel together and tackle anything that gets in their way. Steinbeck uses nearly all of the characters in this novel to stress the importance of having a friend. The novel ironically starts off in Soledad, which means ‘Solitude’ but when translated into English it meansRead MoreOf Mice and Men2269 Words   |  10 PagesOf Mice and Men John Steinbeck World Literature Mrs. Finke December 7, 2012 Of Mice and Men: A Classic for the Ages Thesis: Despite some impurity Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck should be considered as a classic due to its honesty, truth, loveliness, justice and of good report. I. Introduction II. Impurity A. Swearing B. Violence C. Economic poverty D. Psychological corruption III. Honesty A. Steinbeck’sRead Moreof men and mice1198 Words   |  5 PagesBookreport on „Of Mice and Menâ€Å" The novel „Of Men and Miceâ€Å" was published in 1937 and is written by John Steinbeck. The first edition of the book has 107 pages and can be devided into six different sections. The novel plays during the Great Depression, in California. The Author himself grew up in a fertile agricultural valley about twentey-five miles from the Pacific Coast. The maine Charachters are two migrant workers, Lenni Small and George Milton. Two very different men, who travel

Measuring Quality of Life Based on Geography

Perhaps the most important aspect of living that we sometimes take for granted is the quality of life that we receive by living and working where we do. For instance, the ability for you to peruse these words through the use of a computer is something that might be censored in some Middle Eastern countries and China. Even our capability to walk safely down a street is something that some countries (and even some cities in the United States) may lack. Identifying areas with the highest quality of life offers an important view of cities and ​countries while providing information for those hoping to relocate. Measuring  Quality of Life By Geography One way of looking at a places quality of life is by the amount of output it produces each year. This is especially handy in the case of a country considering many countries have varying degrees of production, differing resources, and distinctive conflicts and problems within them. The major way of measuring a countrys output per year is by looking at the countrys gross domestic product, or GDP. The GDP is the amount of goods and services produced within a country annually and is typically a good indication of the amount of money flowing in and out of the country. When we divide a countrys total GDP by its total population, we get GDP per capita which reflects what each individual of that country takes home (on average) per year. The idea is that the more money we have the better off we are. Top 5 Countries with the Largest GDPs The following are the top five countries with the largest GDPs in 2010 according to the World Bank: 1) United States: $14,582,400,000,0002) China: $5,878,629,000,0003) Japan: $5,497,813,000,0004) Germany: $3,309,669,000,0005) France: $2,560,002,000,000 Countries with Highest-Ranked GDP Per Capita The five highest-ranked countries in terms of GDP per capita in 2010 according to the World Bank: 1) Monaco: $186,1752) Liechtenstein: $134,3923) Luxembourg: $108,7474) Norway: $84,8805) Switzerland: $67,236 It seems that small developed countries are ranked the highest in terms of per capita income. This is a good indicator to see what the average salary is of a country but can be a bit misleading since these small countries are also some of the richest and, therefore, must be the most well off. Since this indicator can be a bit distorted due to the population size, there exist other factors which further inform quality of life. Human Poverty Index Another metric for looking at how well-off a countrys people are is to take into consideration the Human Poverty Index (HPI) of the country. The HPI for developing countries represents quality of life by formulating the probability of not surviving to age 40, the adult literacy rate, and the average amount of the countrys population who have little to no access to clean drinking water. While the outlook for this metric is seemingly dismal, it does provide important clues as to what countries are better off. There is a second HPI that is used mostly for those countries that are considered developed. The United States, Sweden, and Japan are good examples. The aspects that are formulated for this HPI are the probability of not surviving to age 60, the number of adults lacking functional literacy skills, the percentage of ​the  population with income below the poverty line, and the rate of unemployment lasting longer than 12 months. Other Measures and Indicators of Quality of Life A well-known survey that attracts a lot of international attention is the Mercer Quality of Living Survey. The annual list places New York City with a baseline score of 100 to act as the median for all other cities to compare with. The rankings consider many different aspects from cleanliness and safety to culture and infrastructure. The list is a very valuable resource for ambitious companies looking to set up an office internationally, and also for employers to decide on how much to pay at certain offices. Recently, Mercer began to factor in environmental friendliness into their equation for cities with the highest qualities of life as a means of better qualifying what makes a great city. There exist a few unusual indicators for measuring quality of life as well. For example, the king of Bhutan in the 1970s (Jigme Singye Wangchuck) decided to overhaul the Bhutanese economy by having each member of the country strive for happiness as opposed to money. He felt that GDP was rarely a good indicator of happiness as the indicator fails to take into account environmental and ecological improvements and their effects, yet includes defense expenditures that rarely benefit a countrys happiness. He developed an indicator called Gross National Happiness (GNH), which is somewhat difficult to measure. For instance, while GDP is an easy tally of goods and services sold within a country, GNH doesnt have much for quantitative measures. However, scholars have tried their best to make some sort of quantitative measurement and have found a countrys GNH to be a function of the well-being of a human in economic, environmental, political, social, workplace, physical, and mental terms. These terms, when aggregated and analyzed, can define how happy a nation is. There are also a number of other ways to quantify ones quality of life. A second alternative is the genuine progress indicator (GPI) which is similar to GDP but instead looks to see if a countrys growth has actually made people better off in that nation. For instance, if the financial costs of crimes, environmental degradation, and natural resource losses are higher than the financial gains made through production, then the countrys growth is uneconomic. One statistician who has created a way to analyze trends in data and growth is the Swedish academic Hans Rosling. His creation, Gapminder Foundation, has compiled plenty of useful data for the public to access, and even a visualizer, which allows for a user to look at trends over time. It is a great tool for anyone interested in growth or health statistics.

The Rituals Of Rituals And Rituals - 2269 Words

Rituals are often just thought of as something that religious groups do, but that is not the case. It is true that many religions have certain rituals that they perform, yet it is also true that an individual can have certain daily rituals of their own. Some examples of daily rituals are doing chores, going to school, doing homework, and even making dinner each night. My daily rituals aren’t as advanced as making dinner, even though I do make it every now and then, but I still have a few. Daily rituals play key roles in people’s lives, and really say a lot about someone’s personality. As I have already stated, I have many daily rituals just like everyone else. The most consistent daily ritual that I have is probably asking my two little sisters if they need help with any homework. My little sisters, Alexa and Carrie, are participating in extracurricular activities for the first time as freshmen in high school. This is one reason that I want to help them. Another reason I want to help them is they don’t go to just any high school; they go to iSTEM Early College High School. I notice how much homework they have and I can’t imagine how hard it is for them. I know how hard it was for me when I participated in baseball my freshman year, and track my sophomore and junior year, but I think they have it a bit harder. It seems that only the intelligent people in society are challenged. Advanced students get all of the homework while those in the basic classes are the ones who needShow MoreRelatedIndian Wedding Rituals And Traditional Rituals1895 Words   |  8 Pagesborrowed, something blue†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A wedding is a ceremony of marriage that is celebrated across cultures. It is one of the only rituals that many of the world’s cultures have in common. However, each culture has their own unique traditions when dealing with marriage. Because India is a more religious nation than the United States, they tend to stick to a more traditional regimen of rituals and customs. While most weddings in the United States have developed into more modernized versions of the ancient ceremonyRead MoreEssay Rituals605 Words   |  3 PagesRituals There are rituals that we practice year after year, but forget where they came from. Sometimes we continue to practice these rituals even after we have lost the meaning of why they are practiced. In the story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the practice of a yearly ritual changes the lives of all the people who participate. Jacksons story reveals a horrific ritual in which one person is sacrificed by being stoned to death in order to have a better crop season. Jackson uses symbolicRead MoreRituals in Anthropology1617 Words   |  7 PagesTA: Adriana People all over the world have different rituals. A ritual is a repetitive act that symbolizes events that have taken place in the past. Many times it can be religious, but it can also be a ceremony having to do with social customs. Rituals are repeated yearly or every couple years, it is not a ritual if it is only done once and never again. A pilgrimage physically takes someone from one place to another, whereas a ritual could be performed in one spot depending on what it is.Read MoreTaboos and Rituals1615 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscussed are rituals, taboos, and fetishes. All three of these baseball traditions or superstitions can be directly related to specific aspects of culture. There are religious, social, and political ties to all three. In examining the rituals, taboos, and fetishes of baseball, cultural ties can be made and one can begin to understand the complex nature of society as it relates to the individuals that comprise it. In Baseball Magic, Gmelch realizes that certain players have rituals that they performRead MoreRituals of the Nacirema1106 Words   |  5 PagesThe rituals of the Nacirema To most of us, hospitals are a place to help you when you’re in need or want to get healthy. But for the Nacirema, it’s quite the opposite. According to the Nacirema ritual article, they call hospitals a latipso, which is hospital spelt backwards without the ‘H’. They discuss and caricature the repulsive viewings on what they think goes on in hospitals (latipso’s), or what they think they do. I will now tell you how in Miner’s perspective, the body is ugly and howRead MoreThe Ritual Of Marriage Essay1419 Words   |  6 PagesMarriage is universal; in fact, all cultures have social or legal contracts that join two or more people in matrimony. The ritual of marriage is religious to some individuals, signifying a divine covenant with another, while to others marriage is a secular contract. This particular ritual has fluctuated between the two throughout generations and cultures. Historically, these matrimonial contracts solidified alliances and were frequently arranged by entire families or even nations. While these matrimonialRead MoreThe Ritual Of The Church927 Words   |  4 Pageswrap my head around why this guy, the priest, was able to forgive me it always seemed unnatural and he never suggested I admit and confess to those I hurt, just say prayer and you will be absolved. And eventually the lack of conviction for these rituals would be challenge my belief in God and I would end up dismissing God and the church as fairy tales and rhetoric that parents told their children to get them to behave. Eventually I would develop a new belief system, with me as the center and theRead MoreThe Importance Of Family Rituals1618 Words   |  7 PagesFamily Rituals helps with all the distances and perplexity that parental figures and children regularly feel in this quick moving society that we have. We often become so occupied with other activities that we often neglect some rituals. For some, rituals make living in this turbulent world less complex and steadier (Faull, 2017). Family rituals can keep the family grounded and help them remember where they came from. They will use this time to speak about different family rituals that have beenRead MoreExamples Of Family Rituals1475 Words   |  6 PagesFamily Rituals Proverbs 22:6 states, â€Å"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it† (King James Bible. 1973). When you train your children, you are passing doing rituals. Rituals that you learned from your parents and your parents learned from their parents. Some people think that they don’t have any family rituals. However, they do not realize that everyday task that you do with your family can be considered a ritual. From eating meals together, watchingRead MoreComparing Mormon Temple Rituals to Wicca Rituals Essay2398 Words   |  10 PagesRituals, Beliefs, Symbols Comparing Mormon with Wicca Contrasting with The Bible Is there one God or are there many gods? Is there God or are there gods and goddesses? What about the afterlife? What lies ahead for those who pass on from this world? Will they go through pearly gates, become a ruler of their own planet, or come back as a spirit guide to those left here on earth? Although the beliefs of the Mormon Church are comparative with other Christian religions, they also share

Spirit free essay sample

Jewel has finally come out with a follow up to her platinum album, Pieces of You. Jewel Kilcher is known for her soothing sounds and intricate harmonies. And in the new album, Spirit, Jewel gives us exactly what we expected. Her hit single, Hands, went to the top of the charts even before the album was released. Many of the songs on Spirit are beautiful love songs that easily relax a person and change their mood from stressed to mellow. In Jewels first album, Pieces of You, she explored her spirituality in songs like Who Will Save Your Soul, and even some controversial issues in songs such as Little Sister. In the new album, Spirit, the songs are mostly, if not all, love songs. Even though the constant theme of love can be tiresome, Jewel maintains her original goal of making quality music. Spirit ends up with a lot of different sounds and melodies that could entrance you for a full hour, or put you to sleep. We will write a custom essay sample on Spirit or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Jewel succeeds in bringing out an album that is different from many recent ones. It is definitely not in-your-face rock music. What it does do is represent folk-based songs that express her feelings about love and spirituality. In order to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Jewels new album Spirit might be a worthy purchase. But Im sure your teachers wouldnt approve if you listen to this before you do your homework, because these songs will put you in a coma if youre not careful.

Critical Decisions for ERP Integration

Question: Discuss about the Critical Decisions for ERP Integration. Answer: Introduction. The most competitive advantage of a business largely depends on its possibility to benefit from innovation activities. Understanding a number of the internal and external factors that affect a business and its management is necessary to decide the innovation strategy that will eventually yield income for the organization. Business is an organization where an exchange of goods and services takes place for money or one another (Trkman, 2010). Business decision making is not just a one-time experiment; it is a continuous process that must be solved in harmony with the organization strategy. Critical organizational issues are usually accompanied by lots of business processes, business structure, and strategy. A critical business issue can be defined as a problem or opportunity which is critical to the general success of an organization. This paper aims at examining some of the critical issues that are related to business and management context, and to gain clarity of the contextual facto rs that affect an organizational business decision making. Organizational behaviors Organizational behaviors define both the supervisory relationships, the structure of a business and workflow within the organization. The behaviors of an employee at work are different from their behaviors in a social setting or at home. There are certain factors that can motivate an employee or contribute to disengagement. These includes; culture, motivation, decision-making and change management (Ajmal, Martel Kokale, 2010). When a new employee enters an organization, their behaviour will be determined by the organizational culture. People tend to fit in the environment around them since they are social beings. If an organizations culture encourages its employees to speak up without fear, then new employees will embrace this as well. While if an organizations culture encourages the shoot the messenger trend, then it is clear that the employees will keep their opinions to themselves. Employees are mostly motivated when they can spot a clear distinction between the efforts that they put and the rewards they receive when they work hard. A salary should not be the only reason for an employee top show up at work (Klibi, Martel Guitoni, 2010). Rewards must be available and should fair and equitable to ensure that the employees of the organization are inspired to work hard. Human beings make business decisions, whether at the organizational or individual levels. The organizations' behaviour greatly informs the peoples decision making process. Businesses with excellent and good communication mechanisms make it easier for staff to make effective choices because well acquainted with the concepts of the business in question. All businesses should respond to dynamic markets, critical requirements and client demands if they must succeed. Businesses and companies can manage change effectively if they understand the organizational behaviour (Klibi, Martel Guitoni, 2010). The need for change in an organization should be openly discussed; employees should be involved and given a chance to participate fully. Business managers should also adapt to the changes. Environmental sources Both internal and external environmental factors influence business. The internal factors includes those factors which exist within the organizations' premises. They affect the different operations that take place in the business. The internal factors include; a value system, mission and objectives, financial factors and internal relationship (Russo Perrini, 2010). A value system is the culture and norms of a given organization; this is the regulatory system or framework of the business. Every employee and managers are required to act within the limits of this framework. The missions and objectives guide an organization's different priorities, policies, and philosophies. Financial factors which come in forms of policies, financial status and capital structures also affects the performance and strategies of the business. Internal relationships refer to the support that the executive management is given by all the stakeholders of the business. Outside factors affecting a business can be further divided into micro and macro environment factors. The microenvironment factors include suppliers, competitors and marketing intermediaries. Suppliers are the people who have the responsibility of supplying the necessary inputs to an organization. The organizations management should keep a close look on the market come up with necessary strategies and policies that will enable them to face the competition they face from other organizations (Malhotra Temponi, 2010). Marketing intermediaries help the organization in promoting, selling as well as distributing business goods and services to customers. This makes marketing intermediaries the only vital link between the business owners and consumers. These macro environment factors include economic, social, political and technological factors. Economic factors that affect business are the economic conditions together with policies that contribute to the economic environment together. An example includes rate, inflation, and impeding trade practices. The social factors are the general society, together with the priorities s well as preferences which include educational background, peoples purchasing power, and consumption patterns (Zikmund, Babin, Carr Griffin, 2013). The political factors are linked to business public affairs management and their impact on the organization. In order to maintain political stability in trade, it is important to maintain political stability. Recent technology helps improve the market attractiveness of a product hence making the commodity attractive to the end consumer. It is, therefore, important that a business keeps pace with the dynamic technologies to survive in the long run. Risk confronting the organization Organizations face all types of risks, some of these risks sometimes causes serious loss of profits others even leading to bankruptcy. Business is likely to face the following types of risks; strategic risks, risk of operation, risk of compliance, risks related to finances and reputational risks. Strategic risks are when the business strategy becomes less effective forcing the company to struggle to achieve its goals (George, McGahan Prabhu, 2012). Strategic risk can be caused by technological changes, a strong new competitor, shifts in the customer demand, cost of raw material spikes, and any other large scale change. Compliance risks involve a business ability to comply with all the required laws and regulations that apply to business. New laws are implemented all the time. Hence there is always a risk that an organization is likely to face more regulations in the near future. When the business expands, they may find the need to comply with new rules that did not exist when the bu siness was started. Operational risk involves an unexpected failure in an organizations day to day operations. This could be a technical failure or could be caused by the employees, management or the processes of the company. Am operational risk could also be caused sometimes by events outside an organizations' control, for example, a power cut, natural disaster, technical problems, etc. Financial risk refers to the finances flowing in and out of the organization, and the possible fact that a sudden financial loss could occur. Financial risk increases when a business engages in debts, especially if some of these debts are short term that is due in the near future (Sarkis, Zhu Lai, 2011). In any business, reputation is everything. If a reputation of a business is damaged, an immediate loss is realized as most customers attracted to organizations with good reputations. Reputational risks come off major lawsuits, embarrassing product recall or negative publicity about an organizations' staff or business i tself. Governance and legal requirement Many legislations affect businesses by providing legal definitions, establishing operational and finance related codes that should be followed by business firms. These legal requirements come in forms of regulatory, labour, tax and reporting legislations. The laws and regulations have a direct impact on how business firms operate within particular business environments. These forms of regulations are formulated and implemented as codes and environmental rules and regulations. Labour laws refers to regulations that look into the manner in which employees are treated in an organization. These includes regulations such as minimum pay, protection of workers, and payment garnishment rules. Tax laws that a business should consider are following the principles of accounting. However, many are viewed as significant notable deviations, such as the schedules regulating depreciations that the government allows (Taricchi, Toneli Cagnazzo, 2010). Finally, the laws and regulations of tax regulate s the manner in which organizations present their financial reports Organizational functions consist of a marketing department, Human Resources departments, and information technology departments. The organizational functions break the companys works into different groups, forcing the individual's group to accomplish their tasks or the whole organization suffers. Businesses can have different ways of dividing responsibilities and duties throughout the company (Doz, 2011). When each department completes their assigned task successfully, then everything runs smoothly. In a case where either an employee or a manager, fails to accomplish their task or delays to do so, there is a risk of not being able to deliver, hence pissing off customers and stakeholders, this will automatically result in the business realizing losses. Positive work and business practice In business, it makes much sense when employees are satisfied with their work as well as workplace conditions. This includes balancing the needs and capacity of the organization to that of the employees. There are certain areas that an organization needs to consider to enable a positive work in the business entity (Al-Debei Avison, 2010). These includes getting the basic conditions right, being a good communicator, having a positive management approach among others. Organizations who fail to set up good business practice may end up not running smoothly. Business owners should practice the art of engaging in meaningful dialogues, showing appreciation where necessary, listening to both customer and employees ideas and trusting team members as well. References Ajmal, M., Helo, P., Kekle, T. (2010). Critical factors for knowledge management in project business.Journal of knowledge management,14(1), 156-168. Al-Debei, M. M., Avison, D. (2010). Developing a unified framework of the business model concept.European Journal of Information Systems,19(3), 359-376. Doz, Y. (2011). Qualitative research for international business.Journal of International Business Studies,42(5), 582-590. George, G., McGahan, A. M., Prabhu, J. (2012). Innovation for inclusive growth: Towards a theoretical framework and a research agenda.Journal of management studies,49(4), 661- 683. Klibi, W., Martel, A., Guitouni, A. (2010). The design of robust value-creating supply chain networks: a critical review.European Journal of Operational Research,203(2), 283-293. Lin, F., Rodrguez-Cohard, J. C., Rueda-Cantuche, J. M. (2011). Factors affecting entrepreneurial intention levels: a role for education.International entrepreneurship and management Journal,7(2), 195-218. Malhotra, R., Temponi, C. (2010). Critical decisions for ERP integration: Small business issues.International Journal of Information Management,30(1), 28-37. Russo, A., Perrini, F. (2010). Investigating stakeholder theory and social capital: CSR in large firms and SMEs.Journal of Business ethics,91(2), 207-221. Sarkis, J., Zhu, Q., Lai, K. H. (2011). An organizational theoretic review of green supply chain management literature.International Journal of Production Economics,130(1), 1-15. Taticchi, P., Tonelli, F., Cagnazzo, L. (2010). Performance measurement and management: a literature review and a research agenda.Measuring business excellence,14(1), 4-18. Trkman, P. (2010). The critical success factors of business process management.International journal of information management,30(2), 125-134. Zikmund, W. G., Babin, B. J., Carr, J. C., Griffin, M. (2013).Business research methods. City, Boston, MA. Cengage Learning.