Company in Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Company in Crisis - Essay Example Research questions: taking failure as a phenomenon in everyday life that ought to be crossed either by winning or not we are left with the questions about the ways to win the debacle. In a business firm that faces distress, the big boss must get himself equipped with the capabilities to retrieve answers to questions on the cause and depth of the crisis and then questions regarding the salvation process are to be evolved. The purpose of the research that I conduct is to elucidate answers for these questions about the cause and depth of the distress simultaneously finding the way in which organisation culture has to be reformed or remodelled to get the favourable results in the turnaround process. Changing the organisation culture or cultural renewal is the vital part of the turnaround process, since culture is the base of the entire realm of a business. The methodology of turnaround comprises mainly of grass root changes. Turnaround decisions are hard to conceive, although everybody i n a crisis torn company is eagerly waiting for a fresh mechanism to thrive. I have collected feedback data from many companies worldwide that underwent crisis management and companies that foresaw the crisis and adopted prudent approaches to circumvent the crisis. The research papers and journals on the subject of crisis management were of highly helpful in my research. Throughout the search I found that a strategic change was a must in the turnaround endeavour. A company shows symptoms of distress in six ways. They are: 1. Dividend reduction 2. Plant closing. 3. Losses. 4. Lay offs. 5. CEO resignations. 6. Plummeting stock prices. Operating losses of a company results in the reduction of its capital leading the firm towards bankruptcy. In Kenya, companies such as Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered and National Oil Corp are laying off their staff. Many a companies are left with options to take turnaround steps in the following ways only. 1. Disposing of real property. 2. Merging with other firms. 3. Reducing capital spending on R & D. 4. Issuing new shares. 5. Negotiating with creditors. 6. Liquidation. 7. Lay offs. Of these a successful negotiation with the creditors to extend the duration of debt servicing, interest and paying period fetches a good result of saving the company from liquidation. (Jonah Aiyabei, 2000). 1.1 CAUSE OF THE CRISIS Corporate misconduct is the root cause of crisis to creep in a company. The direction of movement of corporate behaviour is normally from top to the bottom. Integrity must permeate a company from the level of chief executive who are supposed to blend ethical values to their traits of integrity. The survey results of the Investor Responsibility Research Center, Washington D.C., survey of board practices and pay, 2004 delineates that an internal campaign organised by the CEOs emphasises the company was taking the reforms seriously and provide an opportunity for discussion among the employees. Responses received from many of the respondents revealed an inability and impossibility to legislate morality and ethics and at the same time greed was felt at the core of many of the past problems. A grade point average (GPA) of 2.6 in the field of accounting management encompassed the view of the respondents that CEOs should meet with department heads and create a direct

Harold Lasswell's theory of the socialization Essay

Harold Lasswell's theory of the socialization - Essay Example This is why even the best of governments are known as necessary evils. The difference between the society and the government is that the society has unlimited wants whereas the government is a source of the so called ‘wickedness’. For instance, Friedrich Engels attacked the state by stating that the important fact about the state on religion is that it puts the anxiety of mankind before itself. Often, it has been said that only those who are corrupted seek power. Political affairs are a much variegated web of many vices and virtues along with a small possibility of truth and false hood of every shape interwoven (Lasswell 8). Moreover, politicians and statesmen are compared to men who are skillful in juggling and making all kinds of incantations and tricks of all kinds. With this kind of men it is very difficult to escape their influence. In spite of all the evil associated with power, not everything about power is a symbol of evil. Power can be used for worthy purposes by the good and the strong. Not all those with power work for strange and cunning occults arts to gain power and keep it. As for those who believe that power is evil, the sometimes agree that not all who use power are evildoers. On the contrary, some men in power have been named as the heroes of mankind, great men in history, liberators, founders of nations and even statesmen (Lasswell 9). From this perspective, power, personality and government are judged favorably. Recent expansions and discoveries in the psychological, social and medical science have added to the knowledge of power and those who seek power. From a social political objective, there is instrumentation of democratic values. The connection between power and personality can be associated with service of human dignity. According to Lasswell, power is an interpersonal situation; those who hold power are empowered (10). As long as those in power give

Strategy and Management of Change Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategy and Management of Change - Case Study Example The company was inspired mainly by the international brand McDonalds. Preempting the entry of McDonalds in the Philippines, our organization reinvented and differentiated itself by concentrating on Filipino way of doing the business. What pushed our organization during its earlier period are its internal strengths. Stores were structured to suit the ambiance fitted to customers, services were transformed into a full service fast food operations and equipments were updated to enhance effectivity and efficiency. Jollibee was able to enter the ranks lists of top 500 Philippine corporations in 1984 by reaching the P500 million sales mark. Barely 10 years in the business, our organization joined the ranks of the top 100 Philippine corporations. It made a record when it became the first Philippine fast food chain to break the P1 billion sales mark in 1989. In addition, it became the first Philippine food service company to be listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange in 1993. This was the strategy that helped our organization broaden its capitalization and lay the groundwork for sustained expansion of business operations both domestically and internationally (www.jollibee.com.ph). Pursuant to its long-term goal to dominate the local food service industry, our organization has expanded its market coverage. It acquired Greenwich Pizza in 1994, which by then has established a strong presence in the food service industry, to penetrate the pasta segment. The franchise of Delifrance was acquired in the succeeding year and paved the way for further penetration in the food segment particularly French caf-bakery which is a growing segment in the Philippine food market. With the strategic acquisition of Chowking, our organization has solidified its position as the dominant leader and made it a leader in the Oriental quick service restaurant segment. As a result of its success domestically, the extent of its business operations have grown exponentially. It now even owns a Chinese fast food chain operating in mainland China and a popular teahouse chain doing business in Taiwan. Jollibee is now an international brand with phenomenal expansion of business operations. From an ice cream parlor a few years back, it was able to put up over 570 stores in the Philippines and 27 international stores in countries like the United States and Hong Kong. The company had been earning laurels from the corporate world for many years now. In 2001, The Far Eastern Economic Review named it the top corporation in the Philippines and the sixth leading corporation in Asia. Jollibee had also won recognition for its contribution to the economy of the Philippines and the success of its strategies by the Asian Business Review, leading management consultants Hewitt Associates, and many Filipino corporate bodies. Jollibee had the distinction of being one of the very few companies that had been able to give multinational fast-food giants such as McDonald's and Burger King a run for their money. While Jollibee had a market share of over 60%, its closest rival, McDonald's had less than half of that. CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE Competition is a great factor for the survival in any kind of business endeavor (Robbins and Coulter, 2002). To be able to stay on top and gain advantage over myriad companies within the same industry, the organization

Produce a fully functional Essay Example for Free

Produce a fully functional Essay The company sells to small corner shops in the east midlands. All the sales to shops are currently recorded on an order form that will be processed in the companys main office. They use calculators to find out the total cost. They have a total of four company reps that they use to deliver orders and take new orders if required. Each of the rep carries a number of documents including order forms and a catalogue including a price list. The current system used to take orders can no longer handle the increasing quantity of trade and a new system is required. The company decided to solve this problem by giving each rep a laptop computer. A package will be installed into the laptops to process the data. The company will require the following features in the package:   An automated order form to replace the current one. A database containing each item of stock.   A facility to update the sales sheet.   A summary sheet to raise the stock order from the warehouse so they can be delivered on the next round.   A total sales sheet so it is possible to view any commission earned by the rep. A home page that can be used to navigate to the other pages.   An option to print so there is hard evidence of the documents. CURRENT METHODS USED   All of the sales to the shops are manually recorded on an order form that is processed in the main office.   The reps use calculators to calculate the costs.   The reps carry catalogues containing all the products available along with price lists.   The order forms are separate sheets.   The reps visit the shops about once a week and they make new orders if necessary   The reps receive 2% commission for any order over   1000. WORKING SPECIFICATION Front Page This sheet will link up with the rest of the sheets in the spreadsheet so users can search it easily. Order form. This sheet will be used when customers want to order products from the company. Information to go into the order form will include:   Date of order   Time of order   Sales persons name   Customer name and Address   Customer contact numbers   Name of product   Description   Price   Stock number   Quantity   Total cost Print out form This sheet will be identical to the order form and will show what the customers have ordered. There will be a print option so the customers have a receipt for what they have bought. Stock and price list This sheet will show all the products available from the company along with a price list. Address Sheet. This will include contact details for all the customers. DATA CAPTURE METHODS There are many of methods used to input data into a cell. Some are listed below.   Manually keying in information.   Selecting data from drop down lists   Macro programming   Hot keys Below I have drawn a table to show how the information will be captured. Typing into cells Selecting data from a list Automatic Hot keys Customer name Rep name Date Print Address Stock description Time Saving work done Contact numbers Stock model no. Total cost Quantity Total quote cost Below is a table to show what processing needs to be done to achieve the required output. Stock Code Lookup information within a database. Display stock in a cell. Rep Name Process index number from the rep table. Display the data in a cell. Customer Information Lookup information within the database. Display stock in a cell. Time and Date Process the system date and time. Display time and date in the cell chosen. Commission Finds out a total if over i 1000, and works out 2% of it. Displays commission total in a cell chosen. For a spreadsheet database to be successful, it should be as error free as possible. Information should be easily entered. An excel spreadsheet can provide the following functions. Tips and Help, to make it easier to use. Formatting of cells.   Labels and titles.   Highlighting and background colours   Drop down lists Validation and verification DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT By designing the spreadsheet first, it will be easy to put it together. I will provide ways of easily entering data into the spreadsheet. These will include   Data entry forms   Form like sheets I am going to enter some tips to help the user use the database. These will include.   Data entry messages   Validation messages Marcos will play a big roll in the design of the spreadsheet. I will use it to make the spreadsheet user-friendlier. It will be used to   Simplify data input.   Produce printed reports I will use more complex spreadsheet facilities to make it even easier to use.   Drop down lists- so data can be selected from a choice and not typed in every time.   Named cells- some of the cells will be named so it will be easy to use when carrying out formulae. Validation- this will restrict what data can be put into certain areas so it is easier for the users.   Lists and tables- these will be used to sort the data so it can be looked up. The Front Page I will place a variety of links and macro buttons on this page so that users can search the spreadsheet easily. The buttons will all be placed on the page. I will include a company to show the user that they are on the right program. I may colour code it to make it user friendly. The order form The order form will contain many formulas. I will use a combo box to create an area where the customer information goes. When the user selects their name in this box, the rest of the information will be shown. I will use V-lookup to do this. V-lookup will also be used to find products that the user wishes to order. When the stock code is typed in, information on that product will be shown. The column headings will be stock code, stock and model number, description, and price. I may colour code the different columns to make it more user friendly. In order to find the total cost for the products the customer wishes to buy, I must multiply the cost of the product by the quantity. Calculation Sheet This sheet is private and can only be viewed by the sales representatives. All calculations the reps need to make will be done on this page. For example they can mark up prices on this page. As this page is private I will insert a lock function with a password so customers cannot enter it. Commission form The function of this page is to calculate the amount of commission. The formula to calculate this will be: . This means that the rep will only get commission is a sale is over i 1000. ORDER FORM DEVELOPMENT This order form includes all the relevant information needed. I have neatly lined up the buttons next to the customer details box. However there are a few problems with it. It looks very bland. None of it is emboldened so important parts dont stand out. There is no title to show what the sheet is for. I will include these improvements in my next design. Certain important words have been emboldened. This makes it much easier to read and looks more professional. I have placed Order Form at the top so the user can see what the page is for. The buttons are in an odd position and should be rearranged to get a better balance. The form should include Online Direct Computers address in case the used needs it. Also an option should be added to show the sales person. Also it currently shows the price without VAT. Another calculation must be added to show the price with VAT added. It is still very dull so some colour needs to be added to make it more attractive and more user friendly. By adding colour and rearranging the buttons has improved the image and it now looks finished. The sales person name can now be added from a drop down list box. I will maintain this image throughout the program. TESTING I carried out a number of tests in order to check that the spreadsheet is running correctly and to check whether it matches up with the specification. There were four tests that I carried out: Continuous Testing   Testing Data   Invalid Data Testing   Specification test Continuous Testing- I will test all the formulas that I have put into the database including all the combo boxes and buttons. Testing Data- I am going to test data in the spreadsheet to see if it all works properly. I will test: Product information   Customer details   Sales representative names Invalid Data Testing-I will deliberately input some invalid data into some of the cells to see whether the error messages, that I created, appear. Specification test- I will compare my original specification to with my finished package. This will tell me whether the package will be able to do the job the user requires.E-Mail [emailprotected] com Invalid Data If I enter a stock code that isnt between 1000 and 1047 an error message will appear because there is no stock out side of this. If letters are typed in by accident an error message with appear. Specification Test Original Specification Comments Target Met Front Page This sheet will link up with the rest of the sheets in the spreadsheet so users can search it easily. I have created a front page that links up all of the pages in the database. Order form This sheet will be used when customers want to order products from the company. Information to go into the order form will include: Date of order   Time of order Sales persons name Customer name and Address   Customer contact numbers   Name of product   Description   Price   Stock number   Quantity   Total cost Date and time of order have been added into order form using the formula =NOW() The sales person names have been inserted into a drop down list that can be selected. There is space in a box at the top of the form for the customer name. This automatically there address and contact numbers. There is a box on the order form for stock codes to be typed in. This automatically brings up details including a total cost. Print out form. This sheet will be identical to the order form and will show what the customers have ordered. There will be a print option so the customers have a receipt for what they have bought. I have included an option on the order form to print so customers will have a receipt of what they have bought. Stock and price list This sheet will show all the products available from the company along with a price list I have produced a list of all the products available from online direct computers Address Sheet This will include contact details for all the customers I have produced a list of all the customers and there contact details. Examples of the sheets.

A nature and sources of data

A nature and sources of data Methodology Nature and sources of data The specific data required for this study were from primary and secondary sources. Secondary data were obtained from the Ibadan North Local Government Authority and Ibadan Waste Management Board. Analogue map of the study area was obtained from the Local Government headquarters. Land use map (1995), road map, elevation data, rail line data were made available from Ibadan Waste Management Board. A field visit was paid in order to determine the names of features on the analogue map in the attribute field of the digitised copy. GPS was used to capture points on ground for analysis. Hardware and Software The hardware used in this study included PC Pentium IV (RAM 250 MB, HD 2 GB), HP DeskJet 1220C color printer, HP Scanjet 2400, Logic Trace digitiser, Sony digital camera (8mp) and Garmin E trex 12 channels GPS receiver. The software used in preparing and analysis of the data included MS Excel, ArcView 3.3 with Network Analyst and Super decision for the AHP aspect. Digitising The base map was transformed into digital map for use in GIS by digitising using the platform of ArcView 3.3 GIS software. Digitising a map means converting an analogue map into a digital form by encoding the spatial coordinates of features on the map through the process of on-screen digitising. A digital map that is recognised by the computer in a GIS environment is the end-product of this exercise. Data analysis Five major GIS spatial operations were performed to achieve the set of objective for this project. These are, buffering, overlay, query, network analysis and nearest neighbourhood analysis Buffering It is a spatial analysis known as proximity analysis, generating zones of a given distance around a feature theme. It forms a polygon around a point, line or polygon theme by locating its boundaries at a specified distance. GIS can create buffer zones around selected features. The roads and rails were buffered at a radius of 100m (Javaheri 2006) while the streets were buffered at a radius of 30m. Overlay Overlay was performed to identify areas that meet all the set criteria and to show areas that do not meet the criteria. GIS can overlay different pieces of information. It helps in understanding the association between network analysis and specific geographic features. Ibadan North map and other data were overlaid to get possible sites. Query This command is used to answer the question of ‘what is and where is in GIS. The land use was queried to get the open space while the elevation was queried to get the suitable elevation. Network analysis Arc view Network Analyst is a powerful extension that provides network-based spatial analysis including routing, travel directions, closest facility, etc. This was made use of in this study to show the possible routes of connection from the transfer stations to the disposal site. Nearest Neighbour Analysis The nearest neighbour analysis helps to determine the nature of the distribution of the features which can be clustered or scattered. It is employed in this study to determine the pattern of skip distribution. If the index is less than 1, the pattern exhibits clustering and if greater than 1, the trend is toward dispersion. Cartographic model ‘The cartographic model is simply a graphical representation of data and procedures used in a study (Eastman 1995). It is a set of interacting ordered map operations that act on raw data as well as derive intermediate data to simulate a spatial decision making process (Tomlin, 1990). It shows all the layers of information starting with the base maps on the left and ending with the end product on the right. Its purposes are to help the analyst organise and structure the procedures that the analysis to be performed in a study will require and to identify the data needed to complete them. LU= Land-use The above cartographic model was constructed based on the following parameters: The land use maps was queried because site location must fall outside the land use areas so that settlement will not be polluted by the exhume/stench from the waste. The roads and rail were buffered at a distance of 100m and the streets were buffered at a distance of 30meters to create a good distance between them and the landfill site. The elevation was queried to get an elevation greater than or equal to 222meters so that it will not be located in an area that is too low because of water flow. Questionnaire Questionnaires were designed to seek public opinion as they include part of decision-making in a study such as this. 720 questionnaires were distributed among the various stakeholders, which include the public, planners and officials of Ibadan Municipal Government and Waste Management Board. In order to identify the criteria for siting, opinions from planners were required. Questionnaires were given out to 10 experts as part of public participation. Questionnaires were also distributed among the people living in the major areas where skips were to be allocated. These areas include, Oje market, Gbenla, Adeoyo, Danadaru, Premier Hotel, Jemebewon, Poly road, Cultural Centre, Bodija, Ikolaba, Oyo Secretariat. 60% of the questionnaires were distributed around the southern part as it was observed during field visit that most illegal dumpsites are around that area. Criteria for selection To arrive at the selection criteria for choosing a site for landfill, relevant literature and decision makers opinion were sought. Site must be close to at least a street with a buffer of 30m (Decision makers preference) Site must not be too far from a transfer station (Decision makers preference) Site must be 3km from residential areas, with the exception of areas with barriers (trees, hills, etc.) (Banar et al. 2007). There should be a minimum distance of 100m between site and roads (Decision makers preference, Javaheri et al. 2006) Site must be on a suitable soil. Site should be constructed in areas which do not have an important economic or ecological value (Lober 1995, Siddiqui et al. 1996). The AHP component Finally, in the second step, a decision hierarchical structure using the AHP was developed and implemented to rank the two suitable sites according to their suitability for landfill siting. The AHP can assist in identifying and weighting selection of criteria and expediting the process of decision making (Sener 2010). Preferences of decision makers can be included in a planning problem within an AHP. The problems then structured in a hierarchical form to allow for weighting of the preferences by pairwise comparisons (Phua and Minowa 2005). The AHP typically involves establishing a graphical representation of problem as a hierarchy, weighting the elements at each level of the hierarchy and calculating the weights (Phua and Minowa 2005). The AHP methodology compares criteria or alternatives with respect to a criterion, in a natural, pairwise mode. To achieve this, the AHP uses a fundamental scale of absolute numbers (Table 3.2) that has been tested in practice and validated by physical and decision problem experiments. It is perhaps the most widely used decision making approach today. The AHP is generally used to support other methodologies such as in deciding how many servers to employ in a queuing situation taking into account factors like costs, waiting times and human frustration. Several other applications include resource allocation, forecasting, etc. The Super Decisions software (Saaty 2003) was used in developing the AHP model. A Super Decisions model generally comprises clusters of elements rather than elements arranged in levels. Clusters contain node which represent the elements in them. For example, the criteria for siting a landfill may include proximity to transportation networks, proximity to waste collection centres, etc. These represent the nodes in the ‘Criteria cluster. When a line joins a cluster with another cluster, it means the nodes in both clusters are connected together. The main aim of using the AHP is to assign weights to criteria and come out with the best alternative.

africa Essay -- essays research papers

African Cultures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Africa has more than 800 languages native to its continent. African cultures are so diverse that they are different from any other culture of the world. African cultures contain many different languages. African languages range from common French to languages unheard of to most people such as Swahili. African arts are much different than American arts. Their art involves much more creative pottery, masks, and paintings. Africa has a very interesting culture. Reasons being the people are very creative and like to express their individuality. The most diverse cultures in the world belong to Africa. There are more than 800 languages spoken in the continent of Africa. Most Africans speak two or three languages, their primary language, or â€Å"mother-tongue†, and a second or third language to communicate with people from other close by areas (Fetzer A-102). African languages are broken up into four individual categories: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, Afro-Asiatic, and Khosian. The most commonly heard two categories are Niger-Congo and Nilo-Saharan. Both of these groups can modify the meanings of words by the tone of the speakers’ voice. Niger-Congo languages are spoken of the people in West Africa, below the Sahara desert, Southern and Central Africa. Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken mainly in Central Africa. Afro-Asiatic languages are mainly spoken in Northern and Northeastern Africa. This group includes Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and Arabic. Khoisan languages are spoken mostly in Southern Africa by Bushmen, members of traditionally roaming hunting people, and Hottentots, members of pastoral people of Namibia and South Africa. Khoisan languages are communicative through clicking sounds (Fetzer A-102). Some South Africans speak Afrikaans, a language that was developed from Dutch. Europeans in African speak Portuguese, French, and English (Fetzer A-102). English is becoming very recognized in the countries of Africa. The 1991 South African Census concluded that 45% of the people in South Africa have a speaking knowledge of English. It also concluded that 10% refer to English as their â€Å"mother-tongue†. The most common languages in South Africa are Xhosa, Tswana, Zulu, and Swahili (African Languages). Zulu is one of nine Bantu languages spoken in East Southern Africa. Approximately 8.8 million people speak t... ... language of Africans (African Individuality).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ceremonies are held when someone changes their social status and social relationship with those in the community. There are about six ceremonies in ones life. The first is their birth, the second is their maturity, third is their marriage, fourth is their child bearing, fifth is their elderliness, sixth is their death. Ceremonies are simply socially approved methods of participating in pleasurable events (African Individuality).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Africans view body modifications as beauty. Body modifications, such as piercing, have been practiced in Africa for centuries. People there believe that one is not fully human and cannot be distinguished from animals if not pierced. Piercing is brought with royalty and portrays courage of a person (African Cultures Piercing). African cultures are different from any other culture in the world. The languages of Africa are unique in their own way. The arts of Africa are beautiful and different from any other arts in the world. African people are creative and like to express their individuality. Africa is a very original continent with lots of culture. africa Essay -- essays research papers African Cultures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Africa has more than 800 languages native to its continent. African cultures are so diverse that they are different from any other culture of the world. African cultures contain many different languages. African languages range from common French to languages unheard of to most people such as Swahili. African arts are much different than American arts. Their art involves much more creative pottery, masks, and paintings. Africa has a very interesting culture. Reasons being the people are very creative and like to express their individuality. The most diverse cultures in the world belong to Africa. There are more than 800 languages spoken in the continent of Africa. Most Africans speak two or three languages, their primary language, or â€Å"mother-tongue†, and a second or third language to communicate with people from other close by areas (Fetzer A-102). African languages are broken up into four individual categories: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, Afro-Asiatic, and Khosian. The most commonly heard two categories are Niger-Congo and Nilo-Saharan. Both of these groups can modify the meanings of words by the tone of the speakers’ voice. Niger-Congo languages are spoken of the people in West Africa, below the Sahara desert, Southern and Central Africa. Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken mainly in Central Africa. Afro-Asiatic languages are mainly spoken in Northern and Northeastern Africa. This group includes Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, and Arabic. Khoisan languages are spoken mostly in Southern Africa by Bushmen, members of traditionally roaming hunting people, and Hottentots, members of pastoral people of Namibia and South Africa. Khoisan languages are communicative through clicking sounds (Fetzer A-102). Some South Africans speak Afrikaans, a language that was developed from Dutch. Europeans in African speak Portuguese, French, and English (Fetzer A-102). English is becoming very recognized in the countries of Africa. The 1991 South African Census concluded that 45% of the people in South Africa have a speaking knowledge of English. It also concluded that 10% refer to English as their â€Å"mother-tongue†. The most common languages in South Africa are Xhosa, Tswana, Zulu, and Swahili (African Languages). Zulu is one of nine Bantu languages spoken in East Southern Africa. Approximately 8.8 million people speak t... ... language of Africans (African Individuality).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ceremonies are held when someone changes their social status and social relationship with those in the community. There are about six ceremonies in ones life. The first is their birth, the second is their maturity, third is their marriage, fourth is their child bearing, fifth is their elderliness, sixth is their death. Ceremonies are simply socially approved methods of participating in pleasurable events (African Individuality).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Africans view body modifications as beauty. Body modifications, such as piercing, have been practiced in Africa for centuries. People there believe that one is not fully human and cannot be distinguished from animals if not pierced. Piercing is brought with royalty and portrays courage of a person (African Cultures Piercing). African cultures are different from any other culture in the world. The languages of Africa are unique in their own way. The arts of Africa are beautiful and different from any other arts in the world. African people are creative and like to express their individuality. Africa is a very original continent with lots of culture.

Flowers for Algernon †Qualities That Surpass Intelligence Essay

Flowers for Algernon, is a classic novel written by Daniel Keyes a young mentally challenged man named Charlie Gordon. This book chronicles, from a first person point of view, Charlie’s mental and physical struggles and achievements after undergoing a breakthrough procedure that is hoped to render him intelligent. Throughout the book, much of the focus is on Charlie’s academic progress while his emotional and personal development is not much of a concern. This becomes a problem because Charlie realizes that it is important to demonstrate qualities other than intelligence to lead a life that is oth happy and successful. Qualities shown to be more important than intelligence in Flowers for Algernon are: patience, kindness and respect. Throughout Flowers for Algernon, patience is often shown to be a more important quality in character than intelligence. Starting from the beginning when Charlie was still mentally challenged, people never seemed to be patient with him. If they had taken the time to get to know and understand him they would have seen that he had a good heart and genuine personality. This also applies to our everyday life. We must be patient and try to understand others before we begin to judge them. Charlie also demonstrated the negative consequences of a lack of patience when his intelligence began to surpass that of those around him, â€Å"I was afraid it would come to this, but I have no patience with her now. I’m jealous of every moment away from the work- impatient with anyone†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Keyes 295). You can clearly see that due to his lack of patience with anyone around him, he is in a state of upset and distress. That is how patience is shown to be more important than ntelligence in this novel. Kindness is another quality shown to surpass intelligence in order of importance in Flowers for Algernon. Simply being kind to others can get you far in life and change others views and opinions of you in a positive way. This is shown when Alice tells Charlie what made him such a great person before he had the operation, â€Å"There was something in you before. I don’t know†¦ a warmth, an openness, a kindness that made everyone like you and like to have you around. † (Keyes 122). Being kind makes both yourself and others feels good. While everyone may not be able to solve an algebraic equation or understand Shakespeare, we can all interpret, accept and appreciate kindness in all its forms. This is why kindness is shown to be a more valuable quality than intelligence in Flowers for Algernon. A third quality shown to be more important than intelligence in Flowers for Algernon is respect. Everyone wants to be valued and respected and when you behave in this way towards others, it is often reciprocated. Everyone should learn to respect each other for who they are and not try to change them. Each person is an individual with their own thoughts and feelings and we can not change them. In the novel, a bakery employee stresses the importance of respect when the other workers make fun of Charlie, â€Å"He can’t help what he is†¦ but for God’s sake, have some respect! He’s a human being! † (Keyes 199). Charlie also often feels that he is not being respected as a human being and that he is just being treated as an experiment. This has a negative impact on him and also demonstrates the importance of respect. Those are the ways that respect is shown to be a ore valuable quality than intelligence in this novel. If one looks between the lines in the novel Flowers for Algernon, they will interpret many messages and take away valuable lessons from it. One of which is that there are qualities that are much more valuable and important than intelligence. The qualities that are shown to be more important than intelligence in Flowers for Algernon are patience, kindness and respect. By possessing and utilizing these qualities a person can lead both a happy and successful life and better the lives of those around them.