The Beatles to this day are one of the most famous Essay Example For Students

The Beatles right up 'til today are one of the most well known Essay andpopular awesome gatherings on the planet. The Beatlesinclude George Harrison, John Lennon(1940-1980), PaulMcCartney, and Richard Starkey(Ringo Starr). All of theBeatles where brought up in Liverpool, England. JohnLennon was viewed as the pioneer of the band. GeorgeHarrison was the lead guitarist. John Lennon was a musician, one of the two lead vocalists, and mood guitarist. Paul McCartney was a lyricist, one of the two leadsingers, and a bassist. Ringo Starr played the drums. John Lennons first band was known as the Quarrymen (namedafter his High School). None of the three Beatles were inthis band. Paul joined the gathering in 1957 and Harrisonjoined in 1958. They played with bass guitarist SutSutcliffe, and Pete Best, a drummer. Sutcliffe left in 1961and Ringo Starr joined the band. Pete Best was asked toleave the band on April 16, 1962. He was considered theBeatles undisputed sex image. The Beatles were discoveredon November 9, 1961 by Brian Epstein, a chief of a recordstore in Liverpool just as a x British Army officer. We will compose a custom paper on The Beatles right up 'til the present time are one of the most popular explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now The Beatles initial two tune were Love Me Do andPlease, Please Me. The Beatles featured in two motion pictures, AHard Days Night, and Help. They additionally had their own fulllength animation called Yellow Submarine. The film A HardDays Night earned 1.3 million dollars in its first week. The Beatles early music was impacted by vocalists ChuckBerry and Elvis Presley. In November of 1963 the Beatles acted in front ofthe Queen of England. This was an unbelievable respect. By theend of 1963 the Beatles were the greatest music bunch inEngland. The Beatles came to New York City for the firsttime in 1964. They were a moment achievement. A couple ofweeks later after their New York appearance, the five top of the line records were by the Beatles. They became worldfamous before the finish of 1964. Additionally in 1964 the tune I Want ToHold Your Hand denoted the start of BEATLEMANIA.The Beatles were irregular on the grounds that most stone was strongbeat with no song. The Beatles added tune to shake. TheBeatles likewise included solid and significant verses. John Lennonwrote a book brought In His Own Write. The Beatles starteda new period of music. They wore their hair long and shaggy. This hair style was known as the Beatles hair style. All acrossthe world individuals began wearing their hair like theBeatles. John Lennon portrayed the Beatles like this When yousaid it, it was crawly things, when you read it, it was beatmusic. The Beatles made their last stage appearancetogether in 1966. In 1967 the Beatles set up a showstopper. The magnum opus was Sergeant Peppers Lonely HeartClub Band. The Beatles never got an opportunity to performSergeant Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band. Additionally in 1967 BrianEpstein, the director of the Beatles, passed on. Likewise in 1967 theBeatles coordinated a film, Magical Mystery Tour. The moviewas about themselves in which they visited the Englishcountryside looking for marvel, fun, and enchantment. In 1970 the world acclaimed and world cherished Beatlesseparated. Everyone was wanting to see the Beatles rebound together. That expectation finished when the harmony cherishing JohnLennon was murdered outside his New York City condo by 25year old Mark David Chapman.

Newmont Mining Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Newmont Mining Corporation - Essay Example Newmont additionally has many joint endeavor associations with various nations around the world. Newmont Mining Corporation was established 1916 in New York by Colonel William Boyce Thompson as a holding organization which its fundamental point was to put resources into overall mineral, oil, and related organizations. The name â€Å"Newmont† is a portmanteau â€Å"new York† and â€Å"Montana† that is as per organization legend and it reflects where the organizer , Thompson, made his fortune and where he grew up. Interests abroad were then obtained over confirmed reasons and in about the center of twentieth century, it had a controlling enthusiasm for the Tsumeb mine in Namibia and in the O'Okiep Copper Company in Namaqualand, South Africa. Today, Newmont Corporation stays as the main standing gold organization in the norm and poor’s 500 list (Newmont Company History, 2013). Since it is a mining organization, it has set up a lot of fundamentals that spread human wellbeing, training and rights, network inclusion, straightforwardness and responsibility and nearby work (Kotler and Lee, 2004). The firm’s activity manages training and wellbeing and most works in the organization are finished by the nearby individuals. This is on the grounds that the organization trusts it has an obligation to offer back to the network. Newmont Company has gotten subsidizing from the worldwide money enterprise. In any case, it needed to concur that it will completely consent to the worldwide standards on wellbeing and wellbeing, common biological systems, laborer security, treatment of risky materials, declaration projects and water assets. Through the company’s movement activity, it offered a significant help to the nearby populace as in it helped them move to more secure spots, gave them need in employing of laborers and commitment in various help activities managed the firm’s rustic improvement activity. It is additionally huge to ta ke note of that the firm has occupied with recovery programs in its mine in Peru however it experienced trouble when the delicate elevated biological system made recovery hard and costly. Key partners Newmont Mining Corporation has a wide recorded number of partners as expressed underneath. Bruce R. Stream who presently fills in as a Director for Boart Longyear Pty. Ltd., Programmed Group (as Chairman) and CSL Limited and furthermore an individual from the Financial Reporting Council in Australia and the Audit Committee of the Salvation Army (Southern Command, Australia). Vincent A. Calarco is Director of the Consolidated Edison and CPG International Inc. Mr. Calarco is Newmont's autonomous Chairman of the Board.he works with different partners in Newmont. Joseph A. Carrabba is the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cliffs Natural Resources (in the past known as Cleveland-Cliffs Inc). Gary J. Goldberg who was selected President and Chief Executive Officer and joined the Board of Directors of Newmont Mining Corporation on March 1, 2013. Veronica Hagen is Chief Executive Officer and an individual from the top managerial staff of Polymer Group, Inc. since April 2007. She presently serves on the Board of Directors for Southern Company. Simon R. Thompson is as of now a non-official chief of Sandvik AB (Sweden) and Amec plc (UK). He was a non-official executive of AngloGold Ashanti Ltd (South Africa) from 2004 to 2008 and of United Company Rusal (Russia) from 2007 to 2009 (Newont Company History, 2013). Moral issues for the situation Ethics is a significant viewpoint in a business association. For a specific organization to develop and accomplish its dreams, missions, targets or objectives and goals, it must set its morals programs separated from the standards and rules administering it. Generally normal

Market-Based Economy and a Command Economy

Market-Based Economy and a Command Economy Market-Based Economy and a Command Economy Home›Economics Posts›Market-Based Economy and a Command Economy Economics PostsA market economy which is also referred to as a free enterprise or free market economy refers to an economic systems in which a free price system guides the distribution and production of goods and service through the forces of demand and supply. Under this type of system, there is consumer sovereignty where the consumer/ firm are free to decide on what to consume/produce based on their desires. Again, government fosters healthy competition and eliminates restrictions that are geared towards individual firm or consumer achievements. This kind of economic system is advanced by entrepreneurship, innovation and private ownership.A command economy also referred to as a planned economy is a type of economic system in which important economic decisions are directed from a central planning authority. In this economy, the means of production are public owned or state owned. Decisions concerning consumption, production and income distribution are centralized.   The government plays a role of ensuring that the existing resources are mobilized for public good. State industrial planning or policy furthers this kind of economic system.Describe the basic differences between political systems, which emphasize individualism, and those that emphasize collectivism.A political system based on individualism upholds individual rights as supreme. On the other hand, a collectivism undermines individual rights and maintains that an individual work or life belong to a society or group or tribe. Collectivism is of the belief that society’s power is unlimited, in that, it can come up with laws it wishes and force them in any manner on anyone. While individualism looks at society power as limited, in that, laws can only be made given that they do not violate human rights. Basic differences between a political system which is rooted in democracy and a political s ystem which is rooted in totalitarianismA democratic regime is a government of the people and by the people through power held under an electoral system that is free. It is characterized by competition in politics. The citizens have nearly equal say in matters that touch on their lives. On the other hand, totalitarianism is a political system that aims at regulating both public and private aspects of an individual life. Again, power is bestowed on a single person. Under a democratic regime all people are equal before the law but in totalitarianism issues of equality do not arise. In addition, in democracy citizens have freedom which is secured while in totalitarianism individual freedom is not secured.Totalitarianism imposes restrictions on mass surveillance and speech as opposed to democracy. In democracy citizens shares in the decision making of the government that is not the case in totalitarianism where an individual person make decisions.Under Chavez’s leadership, what kind o f economic system is being put in place in Venezuela?   What type of political system currently prevails in Venezuela?Under Chavez’s leadership, the kind of economic systems that prevails is a command or planned economy. This is true given the fact that Chavez’s wants resources distribution to be solely done by the government. Chavez’s also controls the court system and its operations together with the media. The government also controls the business community.The political system in Venezuela is socialism. This is evidenced by the words of the president of wanting the country to be reformed to be and I quote “Socialism of the 21st Century”. This is because the government advocates for a substantial public involvement that can only be achieved through government ownership.After taking office, what types of changes did Chavez make to the political economy?Chavez’s initially taught of consolidating his power. This was achieved through weakening of the opposition. Chavez’ s employed tactics described as asymmetric conflict system where techniques that manipulate and coerce the population through alteration of factors such as beliefs, expectations, perceptions, political will and legitimacy are involved.The political economy moved from democracy to autocracy/ socialism where all aspects of the opposition are controlled by the government, for instance, media. Again, the government control resource allocation in the country. It also took hold of the judiciary system.Elections and referendums were conducted on legislation in order to change the governing system of Venezuela such as the Constitution.The legal system of Venezuela was reformed by replacing as well as increasing the number of attorneys so as to incorporate supporters of the President. How did you think these changes might have affected the business environment in Venezuela?The business environment will be affected negatively, since there is no freedom to run business smoothly without governm ent interference. In addition, the existing political environment does not promote entrepreneurship and innovation.How do you think these changes will impact future investments by foreigners in Venezuela, especially foreign oil companies?Venezuela being the eighth largest oil producing country, unstable political system coupled with socialism creates fears on foreign investors’ hence minimal investment in the future. The government being proud and a friend of war affect business operations negatively.How will the level of public corruption in Venezuela affect future growth rates?The high level of corruption in among public officers in Venezuela will harm the future growth rate because the investment rate will be low and the resource that the government rely upon which is non-renewable will be exhausted. The policies of supporting welfare programs are not sufficient to sustain a stable growth.In your estimation, what is the long run prognosis for the Venezuela economy? Is this a co untry that is attractive to international business? Why or why not?The long run projections are an unsustainable or fluctuating economic growth rate due to the economic crisis and falling oil prices.No. The country is not attractive to foreigners because of political instability and declining investment. The efficacy of operations has also declined considerably.The workforce is also ill-educated and possess minimal training hence cannot meet the needs of investors. The prevailing conditions, such as, lack of freedom and democracy limits entrepreneurship and innovation. In addition the high level of corruption increase the cost of production coupled with the low growth rat, population and purchasing power in Venezuela making it hard for business to flourish. The legal system is not also friendly for business purposes.

Market-Based Economy and a Command Economy

Market-Based Economy and a Command Economy Market-Based Economy and a Command Economy Home›Economics Posts›Market-Based Economy and a Command Economy Economics PostsA market economy which is also referred to as a free enterprise or free market economy refers to an economic systems in which a free price system guides the distribution and production of goods and service through the forces of demand and supply. Under this type of system, there is consumer sovereignty where the consumer/ firm are free to decide on what to consume/produce based on their desires. Again, government fosters healthy competition and eliminates restrictions that are geared towards individual firm or consumer achievements. This kind of economic system is advanced by entrepreneurship, innovation and private ownership.A command economy also referred to as a planned economy is a type of economic system in which important economic decisions are directed from a central planning authority. In this economy, the means of production are public owned or state owned. Decisions concerning consumption, production and income distribution are centralized.   The government plays a role of ensuring that the existing resources are mobilized for public good. State industrial planning or policy furthers this kind of economic system.Describe the basic differences between political systems, which emphasize individualism, and those that emphasize collectivism.A political system based on individualism upholds individual rights as supreme. On the other hand, a collectivism undermines individual rights and maintains that an individual work or life belong to a society or group or tribe. Collectivism is of the belief that society’s power is unlimited, in that, it can come up with laws it wishes and force them in any manner on anyone. While individualism looks at society power as limited, in that, laws can only be made given that they do not violate human rights. Basic differences between a political system which is rooted in democracy and a political s ystem which is rooted in totalitarianismA democratic regime is a government of the people and by the people through power held under an electoral system that is free. It is characterized by competition in politics. The citizens have nearly equal say in matters that touch on their lives. On the other hand, totalitarianism is a political system that aims at regulating both public and private aspects of an individual life. Again, power is bestowed on a single person. Under a democratic regime all people are equal before the law but in totalitarianism issues of equality do not arise. In addition, in democracy citizens have freedom which is secured while in totalitarianism individual freedom is not secured.Totalitarianism imposes restrictions on mass surveillance and speech as opposed to democracy. In democracy citizens shares in the decision making of the government that is not the case in totalitarianism where an individual person make decisions.Under Chavez’s leadership, what kind o f economic system is being put in place in Venezuela?   What type of political system currently prevails in Venezuela?Under Chavez’s leadership, the kind of economic systems that prevails is a command or planned economy. This is true given the fact that Chavez’s wants resources distribution to be solely done by the government. Chavez’s also controls the court system and its operations together with the media. The government also controls the business community.The political system in Venezuela is socialism. This is evidenced by the words of the president of wanting the country to be reformed to be and I quote “Socialism of the 21st Century”. This is because the government advocates for a substantial public involvement that can only be achieved through government ownership.After taking office, what types of changes did Chavez make to the political economy?Chavez’s initially taught of consolidating his power. This was achieved through weakening of the opposition. Chavez’ s employed tactics described as asymmetric conflict system where techniques that manipulate and coerce the population through alteration of factors such as beliefs, expectations, perceptions, political will and legitimacy are involved.The political economy moved from democracy to autocracy/ socialism where all aspects of the opposition are controlled by the government, for instance, media. Again, the government control resource allocation in the country. It also took hold of the judiciary system.Elections and referendums were conducted on legislation in order to change the governing system of Venezuela such as the Constitution.The legal system of Venezuela was reformed by replacing as well as increasing the number of attorneys so as to incorporate supporters of the President. How did you think these changes might have affected the business environment in Venezuela?The business environment will be affected negatively, since there is no freedom to run business smoothly without governm ent interference. In addition, the existing political environment does not promote entrepreneurship and innovation.How do you think these changes will impact future investments by foreigners in Venezuela, especially foreign oil companies?Venezuela being the eighth largest oil producing country, unstable political system coupled with socialism creates fears on foreign investors’ hence minimal investment in the future. The government being proud and a friend of war affect business operations negatively.How will the level of public corruption in Venezuela affect future growth rates?The high level of corruption in among public officers in Venezuela will harm the future growth rate because the investment rate will be low and the resource that the government rely upon which is non-renewable will be exhausted. The policies of supporting welfare programs are not sufficient to sustain a stable growth.In your estimation, what is the long run prognosis for the Venezuela economy? Is this a co untry that is attractive to international business? Why or why not?The long run projections are an unsustainable or fluctuating economic growth rate due to the economic crisis and falling oil prices.No. The country is not attractive to foreigners because of political instability and declining investment. The efficacy of operations has also declined considerably.The workforce is also ill-educated and possess minimal training hence cannot meet the needs of investors. The prevailing conditions, such as, lack of freedom and democracy limits entrepreneurship and innovation. In addition the high level of corruption increase the cost of production coupled with the low growth rat, population and purchasing power in Venezuela making it hard for business to flourish. The legal system is not also friendly for business purposes.

Annotated Bibliography On Multimedia Security - 1626 Words

Multimedia security is ever demanding area of research covering different aspects of electrical engineering and computer science. In this chapter, our main focus is encryption of JPEG2000 compatible images. Though both stream and block cipher have been investigated in the literature, but this chapter provides a detailed study of block cipher as applied to images, since JPEG2000 generates various subband sizes as blocks. In the first section, we briefly define various encryption components like wavelet transform, bit plane decomposition, XOR operation, artificial neural network, seed key generator and chaotic map functions, for interest of the reader. Later in section 2, we present literature review of various encryption techniques from two perspectives: applications to highlight scope of research in this domain; and approaches to provide overall view of multimedia encryption. The section three provides a new two-layer encryption technique for JPEG2000 compatible images. The first ste p provides a single layer of encryption using a neural network to generate a pseudo-random sequence with a 128-bit key, which XORs with bit planes obtained from image subbands to generate encrypted sequences. The second step develops another layer of encryption using a cellular neural network with a different 128-bit key to develop sequences with hyper chaotic behavior. These sequences XOR with selected encrypted bit planes (obtained in step 1) to generate doubly-encrypted bit planes. Finally,Show MoreRelatedEssay about Annotated Bibliography on Information Technology768 Words   |  4 PagesAnnotated Bibliography on Information Technology Mobile Security in the Future Adesina, A. O., Agbele, K. K., Februarie, R., Abidoye, A. P., amp; Nyongesa, H. O. (2011). Ensuring the security and privacy of information in mobile health-care communication systems. South African Journal of Science, 107(9), 26-32. This research article examines the security concerns of using mobile technology systems in health care institution. Various methods of ensuring privacy and security of patient’sRead MoreBus 311 Business Law Entire Course Material1611 Words   |  7 Pagesread about the  Bailey v. Eminem  defamation case where the court held Eminem’s lyrics were protected by the First Amendment. Read the article and view the video (the links are listed under Week 1 Additional Learning Resources Required and Week 1 Multimedia Required) to the  Pahler v. Slayer  case. Respond to the following questions: 1. Did the  Pahler  court use the same reasoning as used in  Bailey v. Eminem? 2. Should the court’s decision in  Pahler  be different because a young girl was murdered? 3Read MoreInformation Security15951 Words   |  64 Pagesto writing the actual literature review following the theory of argument. What is a Literature Review? 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The Doctrine Of Double Effect - 2007 Words

The doctrine (or principle) of double effect is often invoked to explain the permissibility of an action that causes a serious harm, such as the death of a human being, as a side effect of promoting some good end (McIntyre, 2004) . According to the principle of double effect (DDE), there are times where it is permissible to cause harm – as a side effect of bringing about a good result, even though it would not be acceptable to cause such harm as a means to providing the same good end. I will now refer to two philosophers whom justify and discuss the premise behind the doctrine of double effect. Thomas Aquinas (2003) is acknowledged for his work introducing the principle of double effect in his discussion of the permissibility of self-defense in the Summa Theologica (II-II, Qu. 64, Art.7). Aquinas’ argues killing one’s assailant is defensible; however, their intention mustn’t have been to kill them. Nothing delays one act from causing two effects; one of intention, the other beside. Accordingly, the act of self-defense may have two effects: one, the saving of one s life; the other, the slaying of the aggressor (Aquinas, Regan, Baumgarth, 2003). Aquinas continues this point of direction justifying this defensive action as a means to a goal. Dissimilarly Augustine (1947) claims that killing in self-defense is not permissible; asserting the application of self-defense is conjured from some degree inordinate self-love. Aquinas redirects by discussing the permissibility ofShow MoreRelatedThe Doctrine Of Double Effect1163 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction to Ethics in the Healthcare Setting Doctrine of Double Effect The Doctrine of Double Effect (DDE) is utilized in the explanation of the permissibility of dealings and actions that result in impairment for example, death of a person, as a result of achieving some good at the end. This explains that it is sometimes acceptable to harm someone if the action will evoke some good at the end (Mclntyre 42). This reasoning was introduced by Thomas Aquinas but has developed and many versions ofRead MoreThe Doctrine of Double Effect2090 Words   |  8 Pagesa moral dilemma of having to kill someone. This is where the Doctrine of Double Effect comes into play. The Doctrine of Double Effect (DDE) is a principal which aims to provide specific guidelines for determining when it is morally permissible to perform an action in the pursuit of a positive outcome with the full knowledge that the action will also bring about an evil consequence. (Solomon, 2014). Although the Doctrine of Double Effect is viewed as a positive theory by man, it is unjust in that itRea d MoreThe Doctrine Of Double Effect877 Words   |  4 Pagessuppression of respirations. However, the Doctrine of Double Effect helps to determine if the act is permissible. With this particular case, Nicolas is faced with the situation of either facing unbearable pain or taking morphine to ease the pain in his last months of life. Before this case can be analyzed according to the Doctrine of Double Effect, one must first consider the act, good effect, and bad effect. In this case, the act is the use of morphine. The good effect that comes from the act is the reliefRead MoreEssay on The Doctrine of Double Effect1307 Words   |  6 PagesCase Assignment: The doctrine of double effect says that the pursuit of good is not as acceptable if the harm that results is intended rather than merely foreseen (Lippert-Rasmussen, 2010). To some it is a nonabsolutist moral principle in which as long as significant good resulted from the action, it is allowable (Lippert-Ramussen, 2010). Scanlon believed that an act that leads to the death of an innocent person can never be justified by the good that results (Lippert-Ramussen, 2010). ScanlonsRead MoreProblems With The Doctrine Of Double Effect1904 Words   |  8 PagesJessie Buckler Term Paper Philosophy 3300 April 25, 2016 PROBLEMS WITH THE DOCTRINE OF DOUBLE EFFECT Defenders of the Doctrine of Double Effect argue that there is a morally significant distinction, which bears on the rightness of actions, between those consequences of our actions that are intended and those that are foreseen. Utilitarians often use this doctrine to describe their stance on the topic of harming others. This paper will look at three situations that are commonly used to defendRead MoreDoctrine of Double Effect Essay1464 Words   |  6 PagesAlecia Rhines Doctrine of Double Effect Trident University What is the Doctrine of Double Effect? The doctrine of double effect if often invoked to explain the permissibility of an action that causes a serious harm, such as the death of a human being, as a side effect of promoting good ends. 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There are two different kinds of reflective equilibrium: narrow reflective equilibrium, which is when one’s intuitive judgements concerning a rather restricted set of cases is rendered consistent with a set of general moral principles, where asRead MoreThe Problem Of Abortion And The Doctrine Of Double Effect1775 Words   |  8 PagesIn The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect , Phillipa Foot takes into account what is called the Doctrine of Double Effect (henceforth DDE), which appeals to two effects that an action causes - one intended at and desired, the other foreseen as a consequence of the action but undesired. She uses this doctrine to critically examine its application and thereby assert that My conclusion is that the distinction between direct and oblique intention (the DDE) plays only a quiteRead MoreT he Doctrine Of The Separate Legal Entity1386 Words   |  6 Pagesact is the doctrine of the separate legal entity. Section 1.5.1 of the act outlines the separate legal entity theory, legislated as a company being distinct from its owners, managers, operators, employees and agents. Though, the doctrine of separate legal entity has been argued as a double edged sword. A ‘double edged sword’ is defined by Oxford as ‘a situation or course of action having both positive and negative effects.’ The separate legal entity doctrine is evident of being a ‘double edged sword’Read MoreThe Debate Over Physician Assisted Suicide951 Words   |  4 Pagesdetermined by the doctrine of double effect. The doctrine of double effect states that an action is morally permissible if the bad effect is not intended but may be foreseen; if the act is not intrinsically wrong; and if good effect is the result of the action, not the bad effect. This doctrine can be used to determine whether or not providing the diamorphine is morally permissible. With the doctor committing to giving the diamorphine, he is satisfying all the requirements for the double effect. The intent

Ikea Children Labour Free Essays

string(61) " stiff opposition from Sweden’s large furniture retailers\." KEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) In May 1995, Marianne Barner faced a tough decision. After just two years with IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, and less than a year into her job as business area manager for carpets, she was faced with the decision of cutting off one of the company’s major suppliers of Indian rugs. While such a move would disrupt supply and affect sales, she found the reasons to do so quite compelling. We will write a custom essay sample on Ikea Children Labour or any similar topic only for you Order Now A German TV station had just broadcast an investigative report naming the supplier as one that used child labor in the production of rugs made for IKEA. What frustrated Barner was that, like all other IKEA suppliers, this large, well-regarded company had recently signed an addendum to its supply contract explicitly forbidding the use of child labor on pain of termination. Even more difficult than this short-term decision was the long-term action Barner knew IKEA must take on this issue. On one hand, she was being urged to sign up to an industry-wide response to growing concerns about the use of child labor in the Indian carpet industry.A recently formed partnership of manufacturers, importers, retailers, and Indian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) was proposing to issue and monitor the use of â€Å"Rugmark,† a label to be put on carpets certifying that they were made without child labor. Simultaneously, Barner had been conversing with people at the Swedish Save the Children organization who were urging IKEA to ensure that its response to the situation was â€Å"in the best interest of the child†Ã¢â‚¬â€whatever that might imply. Finally, there were some who wondered if IKEA should not just leave this hornet’s nest.Indian rugs accounted for a tiny part of IKEA’s turnover, and to these observers, the time, cost, and reputation risk posed by continuing this product line seemed not worth the profit potential. The Birth and Maturing of a Global Company1 To understand IKEA’s operations, one had to understand the philosophy and beliefs of its 70year-old founder, Ingvar Kamprad. Despite stepping down as CEO in 1986, almost a decade later, Kamprad retained the title of honorary chairman and was still very involved in the company’s activities. Yet perhaps even more powerful than his ongoing presence were his strongly held values and beliefs, which long ago had been deeply embedded in IKEA’s culture. Kamprad was 17 years old when he started the mail-order company he called IKEA, a name that combined his initials with those of his family farm, Elmtaryd, and parish, Agunnaryd, located in the ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Professor Christopher A.Bartlett, Executive Director of the HBS Europe Research Center Vincent Dessain, and Research Associate Anders Sjoman prepared this case. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Certain details have been disguised. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright  © 2006 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www. bsp. harvard. edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. 906-414 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) forests of southern Sweden. Working out of the family kitchen, he sold goods such as fountain pens, cigarette lighters, and binders he purchased from low-priced sources and then advertised in a newsletter to local shopkeepers. When Kamprad matched his competitors by adding furniture to his newsletter in 1948, the immediate success of the new line led him to give up the small items. In 1951, to reduce product returns, he opened a display store in nearby Almhult village to allow customers to inspect products before buying. It was an immediate success, with customers traveling seven hours from the capital Stockholm by train to visit. Based on the store’s success, IKEA stopped accepting mail orders. Later Kamprad reflected, â€Å"The basis of the modern IKEA concept was created [at this time] and in principle it still applies.First and foremost, we use a catalog to tempt people to visit an exhibition, which today is our store. . . . Then, catalog in hand, customers can see simple interiors for themselves, touch the furniture they want to buy and then write out an order. †2 As Kamprad developed and refined his furniture retailing business model he became increasingly frustrated with the way a tightly knit cartel of furniture manufacturers controlled the Swedish industry to keep prices high. He began to view the situation not just as a business opportunity but also as an unacceptable social problem that he wanted to correct.Foreshadowing a vision for IKEA that would later be articulated as â€Å"creating a better life for the many people,† he wrote: â€Å"A disproportionately large part of all resources is used to satisfy a small part of the population. . . . IKEA’s aim is to change this situation. We shall offer a wide range of home furnishing items of good design and function at prices so low that the majority of people can afford to buy them. . . . We have great ambitions. †3 The small newsletter soon expanded into a full catalog. The 1953 issue introduced what would become another key IKEA feature: self-assembled furniture.Instead of buying complete pieces of furniture, customers bought them in flat packages and put them together themselves at home. Soon, the â€Å"knockdown† concept was fully systemized, saving transport and storage costs. In typical fashion, Kamprad turned the savings into still lower prices for his customers, gaining an even larger following among young postwar householders looking for well-designed but inexpensive furniture. Between 1953 and 1955, the company’s sales doubled from SEK 3 million to SEK 6 million. 4Managing Suppliers: Developing Sourcing Principles As its sales took off in the late 1950s, IKEA’s radically new concepts began to encounter stiff opposition from Sweden’s large furniture retailers. You read "Ikea Children Labour" in category "Papers" So threatened were they that when IKEA began exhibiting at trade fairs, they colluded to stop the company from taking orders at the fairs and eventually even from showing its prices. The cartel also pressured manufacturers not to sell to IKEA, and the few that continued to do so often made their deliveries at night in unmarked vans.Unable to meet demand with such constrained local supply, Kamprad was forced to look abroad for new sources. In 1961, he contracted with several furniture factories in Poland, a country still in the Communist eastern bloc. To assure quality output and reliable delivery, IKEA brought its knowhow, taught its processes, and even provided machinery to the new suppliers, revitalizing Poland’ s furniture industry as it did so. Poland soon became IKEA’s largest source and, to Kamprad’s delight, at much lower costs—once again allowing him to reduce his prices. Following its success in Poland, IKEA adopted a general procurement principle that it should not own its means of production but should seek to develop close ties by supporting its suppliers in a 2 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) 906-414 long-term relationship. a Beyond supply contracts and technology transfer, the relationship led IKEA to make loans to its suppliers at reasonable rates, repayable through future shipments. â€Å"Our objective is to develop long-term business partners,† explained a senior purchasing manager. We commit to doing all we can to keep them competitive—as long as they remain equally committed to us. We are in this for the long run. † Although the relationship between IKEA and its suppliers was often described as one of mutual dependency, suppliers also knew that they had to remain competitive to keep their contract. From the outset they understood that if a more cost-effective alternative appeared, IKEA would try to help them respond, but if they could not do so, it would move production. In its constant quest to lower prices, the company developed an unusual way of identifying new sources.As a veteran IKEA manager explained: â€Å"We do not buy products from our suppliers. We buy unused production capacity. † It was a philosophy that often led its purchasing managers to seek out seasonal manufacturers with spare off-season capacity. There were many classic examples of how IKEA matched products to supplier capabilities: they had sail makers make seat cushions, window factories produce table frames, and ski manufacturers build chairs in their off-season. The manager added, â€Å"We’ve always worried more about finding the right management at our suppliers than finding high-tech facilities.We will always help good management to develop their capacity. † Growing Retail: Expanding Abroad Building on the success of his first store, Kamprad self-financed a store in Stockholm in 1965. Recognizing a growing use of automobiles in Sweden, he bucked the practice of having a downtown showroom and opted for a suburban location with ample parking space. When customers drove home with their furniture in flat packed boxes, they assumed two of the costliest parts of traditional furniture retailing—home delivery and assembly. In 1963, even before the Stockholm store had opened, IKEA had expanded into Oslo, Norway.A decade later, Switzerland became its first non-Scandinavian market, and in 1974 IKEA entered Germany, which soon became its largest market. (See Exhibit 1 for IKEA’s worldwide expansion. ) At each new store the same simple Scandinavian-design products were backed up with a catalog and offbeat advertising, presenting the company as â€Å"those impossible Swedes with strange ideas. † And reflecting the company’s conservative values, each new entry was financed by previous successes. b During this expansion, the IKEA concept evolved and became increasingly formalized. (Exhibit 2 summarizes important events in IKEA’s corporate history. It still built large, suburban stores with knockdown furniture in flat packages the customers brought home to assemble themselves. But as the concept was refined, the company required that each store follow a predetermined design, set up to maximize customers’ exposure to the product range. The concept mandated, for instance, that the living room interiors should follow immediately after the entrance. IKEA also serviced customers with features such as a playroom for children, a low-priced restaurant, and a â€Å"Sweden Shop† for groceries that had made IKEA Sweden’s leading food exporter. At the same time, the range gradually This policy was modified after a number of East European suppliers broke their contracts with IKEA after the fall of the Berlin Wall opened new markets for them. IKEA’s subsequent supply chain problems and loss of substantial investments led management to develop an internal production company, Swedwood, to ensure delivery stability. However, it was decided that only a limited amount of IKEA’s purchases (perhaps 10%) should be sourced from Swedwood. b By 2005, company lore had it that IKEA had only taken one bank loan in its corporate history—which it had paid back as soon as the cash flow allowed. 906-414 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) expanded beyond furniture to include a full line of home furnishing products such as textiles, kitchen utensils, flooring, rugs and carpets, lamps, and plants. The Emerging Culture and Values5 As Kamprad’s evolving business philosophy was forma lized into the IKEA vision statement, â€Å"To create a better everyday life for the many people,† it became the foundation of the company’s strategy of selling affordable, good-quality furniture to mass-market consumers around the world.The cultural norms and values that developed to support the strategy’s implementation were also, in many ways, an extension of Kamprad’s personal beliefs and style. â€Å"The true IKEA spirit,† he remarked, â€Å"is founded on our enthusiasm, our constant will to renew, on our cost-consciousness, on our willingness to assume responsibility and to help, on our humbleness before the task, and on the simplicity of our behavior. † As well as a summary of his aspiration for the company’s behavioral norms, it was also a good statement of Kamprad’s own personal management style.Over the years a very distinct organizational culture and management style emerged in IKEA reflecting these values. For example, the company operated very informally as evidenced by the open-plan office landscape, where even the CEO did not have a separate office, and the familiar and personal way all employees addressed one another. But that informality often masked an intensity that derived from the organization’s high self-imposed standards. As one senior executive explained, â€Å"Because there is no security available behind status or cl osed doors, this environment actually puts pressure on people to perform. The IKEA management process also stressed simplicity and attention to detail. â€Å"Complicated rules paralyze! † said Kamprad. The company organized â€Å"anti-bureaucrat week† every year, requiring all managers to spend time working in a store to reestablish contact with the front line and the consumer. The workpace was such that executives joked that IKEA believed in â€Å"management by running around. † Cost consciousness was another strong part of the management culture. â€Å"Waste of resources,† said Kamprad, â€Å"is a mortal sin at IKEA. Expensive solutions are often signs of mediocrity, and an idea without a price tag is never acceptable. Although cost consciousness extended into all aspects of the operation, travel and entertainment expenses were particularly sensitive. â€Å"We do not set any price on time,† remarked an executive, recalling that he had once phoned Kamprad to get approval to fly first class. He explained that economy class was full and that he had an urgent appointment to keep. â€Å"There is no first class in IKEA,† Kamprad had replied. â€Å"Perhaps you should go by car. † The executive completed the 350-mile trip by taxi. The search for creative solutions was also highly prized with IKEA. Kamprad had written, â€Å"Only while sleeping one makes no mistakes. The fear of making mistakes is the root of bureaucracy and the enemy of all evolution. † Though planning for the future was encouraged, overanalysis was not. â€Å"Exaggerated planning can be fatal,† Kamprad advised his executives. â€Å"Let simplicity and common sense characterize your planning. † In 1976, Kamprad felt the need to commit to paper the values that had developed in IKEA during the previous decades. His thesis, Testament of a Furniture Dealer, became an important means for spreading the IKEA philosophy, particularly during its period of rapid international expansion. (Extracts of the Testament are given in Exhibit 3. Specially trained â€Å"IKEA ambassadors† were assigned to key positions in all units to spread the company’s philosophy and values by educating their subordinates and by acting as role models. 4 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) 906-414 In 1986, when Kamprad stepped down, Anders Moberg, a company veteran who had once been Kamprad’s personal assistant, took over as president and CEO. But Kamprad remained intimately involved as chairman, and his influence extended well beyond the ongoing daily operations: he was the self-appointed guardian of IKEA’s deeply embedded culture and values.Waking up to Environmental and Social Issues By the mid-1990s, IKEA was the world’s largest specialized furniture retailer. Sales for the IKEA Group for the financial year ending August 1994 totaled SEK 35 billion (about $4. 5 billion). In the previous year, more than 116 million people had visited one of the 98 IKEA stores in 17 c ountries, most of them drawn there by the company’s product catalog, which was printed yearly in 72 million copies in 34 languages. The privately held company did not report profit levels, but one estimate put its net margin at 8. 4% in 1994, yielding a net profit of SEK 2. billion (about $375 million). 6 After decades of seeking new sources, in the mid-1990s IKEA worked with almost 2,300 suppliers in 70 countries, sourcing a range of around 11,200 products. Its relationship with its suppliers was dominated by commercial issues, and its 24 trading service offices in 19 countries primarily monitored production, tested new product ideas, negotiated prices, and checked quality. (See Exhibit 4 for selected IKEA figures in 1994. ) That relationship began to change during the 1980s, however, when environmental problems emerged with some of its products. And it was even more severely challenged in the mid-1990s when accusations of IKEA suppliers using child labor surfaced. The Environmental Wake-Up: Formaldehyde In the early 1980s, Danish authorities passed regulations to define limits for formaldehyde emissions permissible in building products. The chemical compound was used as binding glue in materials such as plywood and particleboard and often seeped out as gas. At concentrations above 0. 1 mg/kg in air, it could cause watery eyes, headaches, a burning sensation in the throat, and difficulty breathing.With IKEA’s profile as a leading local furniture retailer using particleboard in many of its products, it became a prime target for regulators wanting to publicize the new standards. So when tests showed that some IKEA products emitted more formaldehyde than was allowed by legislation, the case was widely publicized and the company was fined. More significantly—and the real lesson for IKEA—was that due to the publicity, its sales dropped 20% in Denmark. In response to this situation, the company quickly established stringent requirements regarding formaldehyde emissions but soon found that suppliers were failing to meet its standards.The problem was that most of its suppliers bought from subsuppliers, who in turn bought the binding materials from glue manufacturers. Eventually, IKEA decided it would have to work directly with the glue-producing chemical companies and, with the collaboration of companies such as ICI and BASF, soon found ways to reduce the formaldehyde off-gassing in its products. 7 A decade later, however, the formaldehyde problem returned. In 1992, an investigative team from a large German newspaper and TV company found that IKEA’s best-selling bookcase series, Billy, had emissions higher than German legislation allowed.This time, however, the source of the problem was not the glue b ut the lacquer on the bookshelves. In the wake of headlines describing â€Å"deadly poisoned bookshelves,† IKEA immediately stopped both the production and sales of Billy bookcases worldwide and corrected the problem before resuming distribution. Not counting the cost of lost sales and production or the damage to goodwill, the Billy incident was estimated to have cost IKEA $6 million to $7 million. 8 5 906-414 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A)These events prompted IKEA to address broader environmental concerns more directly. Since wood was the principal material in about half of all IKEA products, forestry became a natural starting point. Following discussions with both Greenpeace and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF, formerly World Wildlife Fund) and using standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council, IKEA established a forestry policy stating that IKEA would not accept any timber, veneer, plywood, or layer-glued wood from intact natural forests or from forests with a high conservation value.This meant that IKEA had to be willing to take on the task of tracing all wood used in IKEA products back to its source. 9 To monitor compliance, the company appointed forest managers to carry out random checks of wood suppliers and run projects on responsible forestry around the world. In addition to forestry, IKEA identified four other areas where environmental criteria were to be applied to its business operations: adapting the product range; working with suppliers; transport and distribution; and ensuring environmentally conscious stores.For instance, in 1992, the company began using chlorine-free recycled paper in its catalogs; it redesigned the best-selling OGLA chair— originally manufactured from beech—so it could be made using waste material from yogurt cup production; and it redefined its packaging principles to eliminate any use of PVC. The company also maintained its partnership with WWF, resulting in numerous projects on global conservation, and funded a global forest watch program to map intact natural forests worldwide. In addition, it engaged in an ongoing dialogue with Greenpeace on forestry. 10 The Social Wake-Up: Child LaborIn 1994, as IKEA was still working to resolve the formaldehyde problems, a Swedish television documentary showe d children in Pakistan working at weaving looms. Among the several Swedish companies mentioned in the film as importers of carpets from Pakistan, IKEA was the only highprofile name on the list. Just two months into her job as business area manager for carpets, Marianne Barner recalled the shockwaves that the TV program sent through the company: The use of child labor was not a high-profile public issue at the time. In fact, the U. N. Convention on the Rights of the Child had only been published in December 1989.So, media attention like this TV program had an important role to play in raising awareness on a topic not well known and understood—including at IKEA. . . . We were caught completely unaware. It was not something we had been paying attention to. For example, I had spent a couple of months in India learning about trading but got no exposure to child labor. Our buyers met suppliers in their city offices and rarely got out to where production took place. . . . Our immediate response to the program was to apologize for our ignorance and acknowledge that we were not in full control of this problem.But we also committed to do something about it. As part of its response, IKEA sent a legal team to Geneva to seek input and advice from the International Labor Organization (ILO) on how to deal with the problem. They learned that Convention 138, adopted by the ILO in 1973 and ratified by 120 countries, committed ratifying countries to working for the abolition of labor by children under 15 or the age of compulsory schooling in that country. India, Pakistan, and Nepal were not signatories to the convention. 1 Following these discussions with the ILO, IKEA added a clause to all supply contracts—a â€Å"black-andwhite† clause, as Barner put it—stating simply that if the supplier employed children under legal working age, the contract would be cancelled. To take the load off field trading managers and to provide some independence to the monitoring process, the company appointed a third-party agent to monitor child labor practices at its suppliers in India and Pakistan. Because this type of external monitoring was very unusual, IKEA had some difficulty locating a reputable and competent company to perform the task. Finally, they appointed a 6IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) 906-414 well-known Scandinavian company with extensive experience in providing external monitoring of companies’ quality assurance programs and gave them the mandate not only to investigate complaints but also to undertake random audits of child labor practices at suppliers’ factories. Early Lessons: A Deeply Embedded Problem With India being the biggest purchasing source for carpets and rugs, Barner contacted Swedish Save the Children, UNICEF, and the ILO to expand her understanding and to get advice about the issue of child labor, especially in South Asia.She soon found that hard data was often elusive. While estimates of child labor in India varied from the government’s 1991 census figure of 11. 3 million children u nder 15 working12 to Human Rights Watch’s estimate of between 60 million and 115 million child laborers,13 it was clear that a very large number of Indian children as young as five years old worked in agriculture, mining, quarrying, and manufacturing, as well as acting as household servants, street vendors, or beggars.Of this total, an estimated 200,000 were employed in the carpet industry, working on looms in large factories, for small subcontractors, and in homes where whole families worked on looms to earn extra income. 14 Children could be bonded—essentially placed in servitude—in order to pay off debts incurred by their parents, typically in the range of 1,000 to 10,000 rupees ($30 to $300). But due to the astronomical interest rates and the very low wages offered to children, it could take years to pay off such loans. Indeed, some indentured child laborers eventually passed on the debt to their own children.The Indian government stated that it was committed to the abolition of bonded labor, which had been illegal since the Children (Pledging of Labour) Act passed under British rule in 1933. The practice continued to be widespread, however, and to reinforce the earlier law, the government passed the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act in 1976. 15 But the government took a less absolute stand on unbonded child labor, which it characterized as â€Å"a socioeconomic phenomenon arising out of poverty and the lack of development. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 198 6 prohibited the use of child labor (applying to those under 14) in certain defined â€Å"hazardous industries† and regulated children’s hours and working conditions in others. But the government felt that the majority of child labor involved â€Å"children working alongside and under the supervision of their parents† in agriculture, cottage industries, and service roles. Indeed, the law specifically permitted children to work in craft industries â€Å"in order not to outlaw the passage of specialized handicraft skills from generation to generation. 16 Critics charged that even with these laws on the books, exploitive child labor—including bonded labor—was widespread because laws were poorly enforced and prosecution rarely severe. 17 Action Required: New Issues, New Options In the fall of 1994, after managing the initial response to the crisis, Barner and her direct manager traveled to India, Nepal, and Pakistan to learn more. Barner recalled the trip: â€Å"We felt the need to educate ourselves, so we met with our suppliers. But we also met with unions, politicians, activists, NGOs, U. N. rganizations, and carpet export organizations. We even went out on unannounced carpet factory raids with local NGOs; we saw child labor, and we were thrown out of some places. † On the trip, Barner also learned of the formation of the Rugmark Foundation, a recently initiated industry response to the child labor problem in the Indian carpet industry. Triggered by a consumer awareness program started by human rights organizations, consumer activists, and trade unions in Germany in the early 1990s, the Indo-German Export Promotion Council had joined up with key 906-414 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) Indian carpet manufacturers and exporters and some Indian NGOs to develop a label certifying that the hand-knotted carpets to which it was attached were made without the use of child labor. To implement this idea, the Rugmark Foundation was organized to supervise the use of the label. It expected to begin exporting rugs carrying a unique ident ifying number in early 1995.As a major purchaser of Indian rugs, IKEA was invited to sign up with Rugmark as a way of dealing with the ongoing potential for child labor problems on products sourced from India. On her return to Sweden, Barner again met frequently with the Swedish Save the Children’s expert on child labor. â€Å"The people there had a very forward-looking view on the issue and taught us a lot,† said Barner. â€Å"Above all, they emphasized the need to ensure you always do what is in the best interests of the child. † This was the principle set at the heart of the U. N.Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), a document with which Barner was now quite familiar. (See Exhibit 5 for Article 32 from the U. N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. ) The more Barner learned, the more complex the situation became. As a business area manager with full profit-and-loss responsibility for carpets, she knew she had to protect not only her business but also the IKEA brand and image. Yet she viewed her responsibility as broader than this: She felt the company should do something that would make a difference in the lives of the children she had seen.It was a view that was not universally held within IKEA, where many were concerned that a very proactive stand could put the business at a significant cost disadvantage to its competitors. A New Crisis Then, in the spring of 1995, a year after IKEA began to address this issue, a well-known German documentary maker notified the company that a film he had made was about to be broadcast on German television showing children working at looms at Rangan Exports, one of IKEA’s major suppliers. While refusing to let the company preview the video, the filmmaker produced still shots taken directly from the video. The producer then invited IKEA to send someone to take part in a live discussion during the airing of the program. Said Barner, â€Å"Compared to the Swedish program, which documented the use of child labor in Pakistan as a serious report about an important issue without targeting any single company, it was immediately clear that this German-produced program planned to take a confrontational and aggressive approach aimed directly at IKEA and one of its suppliers. For Barner, the first question was whether to recommend that IKEA participate in the program or decline the invitation. Beyond the immediate public relations issue, she also had to decide how to deal with Rangan Exports’ apparent violation of the contractual commitment it had made not to use child labor. And finally, this crisis raised the issue of whether the overall approach IKEA had been taking to the issue of child labor was appropriate. Should the company continue to try to deal with the issue through its own relationships with its suppliers?Should it step back and allow Rugmark to monitor the use of child labor on its behalf? Or should it recognize that the problem was too deeply embedded in the culture of these countries for it to have any real impact and simply withdraw? 8 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) 906-414 Exhibit 1 IKEA Stores, Fiscal Year Ending August 1994 a. Historical Store Growth 1954 Number of Stores 0 1964 2 1974 9 1984 52 1994 114 b. Country’s First StoreFirst Store (with city) Country Sweden Norway Denmark Switzerland Germany Australia Canada Austria Netherlands Singapore Spain Iceland France Saudi Arabia Belgium Kuwait United States United Kingdom Hong Kong Italy Hungary Poland Czech Republic United Arab Emirates Slovakia Taiwan Year 1958 1963 1969 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1978 1980 1981 1981 1983 1984 1984 1985 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1991 1991 1992 1994 City Almhult Oslo Copenhagen Zurich Munich Artamon Vancouver Vienna Rotterdam Singapore Gran Canaria Reykjavik Paris Jeddah Brussels Kuwait City Philadelphia Manchester Hong Kong Milan Budapest Platan Prague Dubai Bratislava TaipeiSource: IKEA website, http://franchisor. ikea. com/txtfacts. html, accessed October 15, 2004. 9 906-414 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) Exhibit 2 IKEA History: Selected Events Year 1943 1945 1948 19 51 1955 1956 1958 1961 1963 1965 1965 1973 1974 1978 1980 1980 1985 1985 1991 Event IKEA is founded. Ingvar Kamprad constructs the company name from his initials (Ingvar Kamprad), his home farm (Elmtaryd), and its parish (Agunnaryd). The first IKEA ad appears in press, advertising mail-order products. Furniture is introduced into the IKEA product range.Products are still only advertised through ads. The first IKEA catalogue is distributed. IKEA starts to design its own furniture. Self-assembly furniture in flat packs is introduced. The first IKEA store opens in Almhult, Sweden. Contract with Polish sources, IKEA’s first non-Scandinavian suppliers. First delivery is 20,000 chairs. The first IKEA store outside Sweden opens in Norway. IKEA opens in Stockholm, introducing the self-serve concept to furniture retailing. IKEA stores add a section called â€Å"The Cook Shop,† offering quality utensils at low prices.The first IKEA store outside Scandinavia opens in Spreitenbach, Switzerland. A plastic chair is developed at a supplier that usually makes buckets. The BILLY bookcase is introduced to the range, becoming an instant top seller. One of IKEA’s best-sellers, the KLIPPAN sofa with removable, washable covers, is introduced. Introduction of LACK coffee table, made from a strong, light material by an interior door factory. The first IKEA Group store opens in the U. S. MOMENT sofa with frame built by a supermarket trolley factory is introduced. Wins a design prize. IKEA establishes its own industrial group, Swedwood.Source: Adapted from IKEA Facts and Figures, 2003 and 2004 editions, and IKEA internal documents. 10 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) 906-414 Exhibit 3 â€Å"A Furniture Dealer’s Testament†Ã¢â‚¬â€A Summarized Overview In 1976, Ingvar Kamprad listed nine aspects of IKEA that he believed formed the basis of the IKEA culture together with the vision statement â€Å"To create a better everyday life for the many people. † These aspects are given to all new employees through a pamphlet titled â€Å"A Furniture Dealer’s Testament. † The following table summarizes the major points: Cornerstone 1.The Product Range—Our Identity 2. The IKEA Spirit—A Strong and Living Reality 3. Profit Gives Us Resources Summarize Description IKEA sells well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA is about enthusiasm, renewal, thrift, responsibility, humbleness toward the task and simplicity. IKEA will achieve profit (which Kamprad describes as a â€Å"wonderful word†) through the lowest prices, good quality, economical development of products, improved purchasing processes and cost savings. â€Å"Waste is a deadly sin. † 4.Reaching Good Results with Small Means 5. Simplicity is a Virtue Complex regulations and exaggerated planning paralyze. IKEA people stay simple in style and habits as well as in their organizational approach. IKEA is run from a small village in the woods. IKEA asks shirt factories to make seat cushions and window factories to make table frames. IKEA discounts its umbrellas when it rains. IKEA does things differently. â€Å"We can never do everything everywhere, all at the same time. † At IKEA, you choose the most important thing to do and finish that before starting a new project. The fear of making mistakes is the root of bureaucracy. † Everyone has the right to make mistakes; in fact, everyone has an obligation to make mistakes. 6. Doing it a Different Way 7. Concentration—Important to Our Success 8. Taking Responsibility—A Privilege 9. Most Things Still Remain to be IKEA is only at the beginning of what it might become. 200 stores is Done. A Glorious Future! nothing. â€Å"We are still a small company at heart. † Source: Adapted by casewriters from IKEA’s â€Å"A Furniture Dealer’s Testament†; Bertil Torekull, â€Å"Leading by Design: The IKEA Story† (New York: Harper Business, 1998, p. 12); and interviews. 11 906-414 IKEA’s Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A) Exhibit 4 a. Sales IKEA in Figures, 1993–1994 (fiscal year ending August 31, 1994) Country/region Germany Sweden Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Norway North America (U. S. and Canada) Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia Australia SEK billion 10. 4 3. 9 7. 7 7. 3 4. 9 0. 5 0. 4 35. 0 Percentage 29. 70% 11. 20% 21. 90% 20. 80% 13. 90% 1. 50% 1. 00% b. PurchasingCountry/region Nordic Countries East and Central Europe Rest of Europe Rest of the World Percentage 33. 4% 14. 3% 29. 6% 22. 7% Source: IKEA Facts and Figures, 1994. Exhibit 5 The U. N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: Article 32 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral, or social development. . States Parties shall take legislative, administrative, social, and educational measures to ensure the implementation of the present article. To this end, and having regard to the relevant provisions of other international instruments, States Parties shall in particular: (a) (b) (c) Provide for a minimum age for admission to employment Provide for appropriate regulation of hours and conditions of employment Provide for appropriate or other sanctions to ensure the effective enforcement of the present article. How to cite Ikea Children Labour, Papers

Race Racism and Social Work-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Discuss about the Racism. Answer: Racism has always been an alarming issue in the social work practice (Lavalette Penketh, 2014). It is a social workers job to actively participate in eliminating racial discrimination. However as a public sector staff they often face the discrimination themselves. Adrian is no different. Being from Sudan working in Melbourne, Adrian is facing severe challenges in his job primarily because of his ethnic diversity. He has been a subject to discrimination because of his racial and ethnic identity. The clients treat him differently and develop a misunderstanding and distance with him. He could adopt multiple strategies in order to address and prevent those issues. As a social worker Adrian first has to find out what are the policies his employer have to handle such situations, if there is not any presently he must approach to his authority in order to implement a strategy so that not only him, other staff can get justice (Naswdc.org, 2017). The responsible person who is looking after the issues will suggest what needs to be done in any particular situation. If anything serious occurs Adrian needs to be calm and remove himself from there quickly. He can carry such protective elements like an alarm which he would activate during any emergency. He needs to report the incident and if he could record the incident in any way by using his mobile phone or other, this will act as the primary document in his favor. The authority will take necessary steps to protect him or other victims and can work accordingly so that it does not get repeated. Adrian must not visit sensitiv e areas alone, especially in those places where he has already had a bad experience. He must influence the authority to evaluate the risks and deciding upon more effective strategies in order to tackle the incidents individually. References Lavalette, M., Penketh, L. (Eds.). (2014).Race, racism and social work: Contemporary issues and debates. Policy Press. Racism. (2017).Naswdc.org. Retrieved 20 August 2017, from https://www.naswdc.org/pressroom/events/911/racism.asp

The Character of Tom Joad free essay sample

The Character of Tom Joad In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck delves deep into each character thoroughly. Throughout the book, Steinbeck uses intricate descriptions in order to depict the development and subtleties of each character. Each character has a unique personality that essentially develops into new qualities and attributes. Such development is seen in many characters throughout the book, including Rose of Sharon. She is seen as immature at the start of the book, but by the end, she quickly learns to take the world into account and grows to become less selfish. This is only one of the substantial growths in character can be seen in the characters of this novel. One of the many characters in this novel that greatly portrays this character development is Tom Joad. Tom Joad, as a character, changes severely throughout the book from the selfish person he was, to a figure committed to bettering the future, as well as an improved leader for the family. We will write a custom essay sample on The Character of Tom Joad or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Several examples of Tom’s changes can be seen throughout the book, as a result from his experiences with Jim Casy, as well as conversations he has with his mother. Tom Joad shows that he is a selfish person at the very beginning of the book. At the beginning of the novel, Tom is introduced as a former fugitive now on parole. At most, the reader may think that he is the antagonist of the book because of the fact that he had killed a man. Tom is introduced as selfish from the very moment he is described. â€Å"‘I’d do what I done-again,† said Joad. â€Å"I killed a guy in a fight. We was drunk at a dance. He got a knife in me, an’ I killed him with a shovel that was layin’ there,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (25). Tom Joad was not reluctant at all when he was telling his story of how he got into prison. The fact that he does not care that he killed a man, and even offered to do it again shows that he is a selfish person. He did not care for another mans life, and did not bother to look for an alternate solution to the situation he was in. He only cared about himself when it came to killing, and showed no mercy. If given the decision to take back what he had done, Tom Joad would have kept things the way they were, proving his egotism. As the novel progresses, Tom transforms from this selfish nature to become a caring person. Several examples of this transformation are seen throughout various chapters. When the Joads are traveling west to California with the Wilson’s, Tom offers to help them when their car breaks down. â€Å"Tom said nervously, ‘Look Al. I done my time, an’ now it’s done†¦ Let’s jus’ try an’ get a con-rod an’ the hell with the res’ of it. ’† Tom is showing a little more care for other people’s problems, however, he still has a selfish side because he still does not regret killing a man. He knew he had to pay for it by going to prison, but he still believes he did nothing wrong by taking a man’s life. By offering to help out with the Wilson’s’ car, he is on his way to becoming a less selfish person. As the book draws to a close, Tom stumbles upon Jim Casy again, who is murdered in front of his own eyes. As a result, he is thrown into a silent rage and kills another man which causes him to hide in the forest. He realizes that he is a danger to his family, so he sacrifices his safety in order for his family to be safe. ‘â€Å"Ya can’t do that, Ma. I tell you I’m jus’ a danger to ya,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (391). There is a clear transition from Tom acting selfish at the beginning of the book to him acting completely selfless at the end. This selflessness also contributed to him being a figure committed to bettering the future. As Tom Joad becomes more selfless, this particular quality helps him to become a person who has the future in mind. The main ideals that influence him are the philosophies of Jim Casy as the Joad family is traveling west to California. Tom is first exposed to Jim Casy’s principles in the very beginning of their journey to California. Casy says to Tom, ‘â€Å"I figgered, ‘Why do we got to hang it on God or Jesus? Maybe,’ I figgered, ‘maybe it’s all men an’ all women we love; maybe that’s the Holy Sperit-the human sperit-the whole shebang,’† (24). Tom begins to believe in Casy’s beliefs as he tells him of his ideals and as they spend time together. Tom begins to follow Casy and his belief of â€Å"the human sperit,† and that it could be humans that we need to spend time on; not God or Jesus. This idea gradually begins to dwell on Tom, and it results in him becoming less selfish over time. He begins to be more helpful towards his family and towards others in general, and becomes valuable to the family. The ideals Casy invoked in Tom clearly made him committed towards the future by the end of the book. As Tom was hiding in the woods, he told Ma his thoughts that were inspired by Jim Casy. â€Å"Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. If Casy knowed, why, I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad an’-I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry an’ the y know supper’s ready. An’ when our folks eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build-why, I’ll be there,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (419). Jim Casy’s death allowed Tom to realize that he wanted to help the world using what he had learned from Casy’s ideals. After all of Casy’s advice, Tom had finally changed his view of the world. He realized he had a purpose in life, and he wanted to use it to protect humanity. Tom rambled onto Ma about how he wanted to help whoever was in need and to make the world a better place. This is far from what he aspired to do at the beginning of the book. As the novel progresses, Tom’s character develops from wanting to live a normal life to wanting to live the life of a person who wants to better the world. As Tom gains this new view of the world, he begins to become a leader for the Joad family. The Joad family comes across many hardships as they make their way across the United States to California. Life changing experiences were brought upon the family members, including the death of loved ones, such as Grandpa and Grandma. Pa was beginning to lose his authority as the figure to look up to, and began to look weak. Ma was doing the best she could to help the family, as she was main person who interacted with everyone, as well as made food for the family. As the Joads made their way across the states, a father figure had to spring up in order to keep the family together. Al was not yet mature enough, as he was only seventeen, and expressed constantly that he only cared about himself. We can see this attitude when he talks about leaving the family when they get to California, as well as when he gets married to a person he knows for only a few weeks. With the older and younger figures out of the loop, Tom was the likely candidate to be the new leader of the Joad family. Tom was practically forced to become the leader to guide his family, as no one else either volunteered or was capable of taking the job. When the Joad family arrives at the Weedpatch government camp, the first thing Tom does after they settle down is look for work. â€Å"Don’t you wake nobody up, but when they get up, you tell ‘em I got a chancet at a job, an’ I’m a-goin’ for it. Tell Ma I et breakfas’ with some neighbors. You hear that? †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (292). Tom acts like a leader by trying to find work and providing for his family in any way possible. This leadership role had built up his character because he had to step up into a new and unfamiliar role, making him a stronger person. Tom Joad has developed greatly throughout the novel The Grapes of Wrath. There was an immense change in the character of Tom from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. He transformed from the selfish person he was to a caring, selfless person. Including this increase in character, Tom also committed to bettering the future through adopting Casy’s teachings. Jim Casy’s principles were the driving force for all of his character development. The commitment to better the future allowed Casy to become a selfless person. By bettering the future, one has to care for others, so by using Casy’s teachings, he was able to further develop into a better person. In addition, Tom has to adopt a role as the leader for the Joad family. By doing this, he is putting himself into a new situation which only strengthens his character and tests his ability to keep the family together. Casy’s teachings also apply to Tom’s becoming a leader. Due to the role of Tom becoming a person who wants to better the future, one of the roles in which he could promote this ideal is by being a leader. By leading the people he is close to, he would be able to become someone who can lead other groups of people in order to help better the future. Tom grows into a whole new person by the end of this book, and learns many new things from the people around him.

Free Essays on Rene

Renà © Ce passage du rà ©cit decrit les pensà ©es de Renà © avant son suicide protejà ©. Ceci nous donne un dessein de l’à ©tat de son à ¢me ce moment. C’est important parce que plusieurs thà ¨mes du rà ©cit sont reprà ©sentà ©s, à ©galement c’est le pinacle avant le retournement du rà ©cit quand mele sauve Renà © de sa solitude. Le thà ¨me le plus important du rà ©cit est le rà ´le de la religion. Ceci est à ©vident par le titre du roman La Gà ©nie du Christianisme. Dans ce passage, il s’inquià ¨te beaucoup de Dieu – â€Å"mon coeur aimait Dieu, et mon esprit le mà ©connaissait†. D’abord il est allà © un prà ªtre pour à ªtre pardonnà © avant son suicide. La premià ¨re raison il s’est jettà © dans la solitude est de n’à ªtre pas dans les masses des hommes dont il a trouvà © tellement impieuses – â€Å"tout à ©tait subtiment la souplesse de l’esprit, l’impià ©tà ©, la corruption.† (p.552, l.5-6) Il y ont les points principals faisant sur la rà ©ligion. Tout d’abord, pourquoi est-ce qu’on s’inquià ¨te tellement sur les morales? Pourquoi est-ce qu’on doit affrontà © ce problà ¨me fondamental? Renà © nous dit ceci est grà ¢ce de la religion, du christianisme. Il (le christianisme) nous d onne les rà ©gles de la vie, il nous affronte avec ce malheur premier. Il nous dit que la vie est vide, est le vrai bonheur est avec Dieu au ciel – â€Å"la religion nous offr! e...des chagrins de la terre et des joies celestes† (p.541- dans l’introduction). melie l’atteste aussi dans dans sa deuxià ¨me lettre, qu’elle trouve le bonheur seuelement en à ©tant dans la vie sainte – â€Å"je songe au bonheur que j’ai eu trouver un abri contre la temepà ªte† (p.556, l.20-21). Renà © aperà §evoit que les Natchez, qui sont sans le christianisme, sont les â€Å"Heureux Sauvages† qui laissent â€Å"couler les jours sans les compter.† (p.550, l.25-27). Heureusement, puisque la religion nous a donnà © ce problà ¨me, elle nous donne aussi une solution. ... Free Essays on Rene Free Essays on Rene Renà © Ce passage du rà ©cit decrit les pensà ©es de Renà © avant son suicide protejà ©. Ceci nous donne un dessein de l’à ©tat de son à ¢me ce moment. C’est important parce que plusieurs thà ¨mes du rà ©cit sont reprà ©sentà ©s, à ©galement c’est le pinacle avant le retournement du rà ©cit quand mele sauve Renà © de sa solitude. Le thà ¨me le plus important du rà ©cit est le rà ´le de la religion. Ceci est à ©vident par le titre du roman La Gà ©nie du Christianisme. Dans ce passage, il s’inquià ¨te beaucoup de Dieu – â€Å"mon coeur aimait Dieu, et mon esprit le mà ©connaissait†. D’abord il est allà © un prà ªtre pour à ªtre pardonnà © avant son suicide. La premià ¨re raison il s’est jettà © dans la solitude est de n’à ªtre pas dans les masses des hommes dont il a trouvà © tellement impieuses – â€Å"tout à ©tait subtiment la souplesse de l’esprit, l’impià ©tà ©, la corruption.† (p.552, l.5-6) Il y ont les points principals faisant sur la rà ©ligion. Tout d’abord, pourquoi est-ce qu’on s’inquià ¨te tellement sur les morales? Pourquoi est-ce qu’on doit affrontà © ce problà ¨me fondamental? Renà © nous dit ceci est grà ¢ce de la religion, du christianisme. Il (le christianisme) nous d onne les rà ©gles de la vie, il nous affronte avec ce malheur premier. Il nous dit que la vie est vide, est le vrai bonheur est avec Dieu au ciel – â€Å"la religion nous offr! e...des chagrins de la terre et des joies celestes† (p.541- dans l’introduction). melie l’atteste aussi dans dans sa deuxià ¨me lettre, qu’elle trouve le bonheur seuelement en à ©tant dans la vie sainte – â€Å"je songe au bonheur que j’ai eu trouver un abri contre la temepà ªte† (p.556, l.20-21). Renà © aperà §evoit que les Natchez, qui sont sans le christianisme, sont les â€Å"Heureux Sauvages† qui laissent â€Å"couler les jours sans les compter.† (p.550, l.25-27). Heureusement, puisque la religion nous a donnà © ce problà ¨me, elle nous donne aussi une solution. ...

Sexual offence Investigation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sexual offence Investigation - Assignment Example The overview of laws will be provided and their efficiency will be evaluated. According to the statistics, 20-40% of girls and 1 out of 6 boys become victims of undesirable sexual contacts until they become 18. The so-called â€Å"rule of silence† around the theme of sexual offence allows to assume that such cases happen much more often. Sexual violence takes place when a personality, a child or an adult, is used by an older or stronger individual for the satisfaction of his own sexual desires. There are many kinds of violence: verbal, visual and physical contact without victim’s consent. In order to understand the nature and the consequences of sexual aggression in relation to children, it is essential to realize that the offence happens in the context of relations with a adult, who was supposed to defend a child and take care of it. In the majority of cases the offence is committed by an adult who has an easy access to child and has a certain power over it. Usually it is a relative or a friend of a family. In 12% of cases, which become known, a child is offended by a person, who was unknown to a child. The majority of offenders are men and they are usually much older than their victims. A great number of researches held in the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany proved that the growth of sexual crimes is connected with the development of pornographic industry. In 2003 the Sexual Offences Act was issued in Great Britain. According to this Act, any sexual contact with a person under 12 years is considered to be a sexual offence and the only possible punishment for that is imprisonment for life. However, the hard punishment for sexual offenders is only half the work. It is important to exercise control over the released criminal, whose crime is connected with sexual offence. Thus, the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) was introduced in 2003 under the Sexual Offences Act

Pros and Cons about Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pros and Cons about Abortion - Essay Example Undergoing abortion is a very difficult step to take for any woman and it takes a lot of guts to take the decision. This paper will throw light upon why women choose to abort. Abortion according to many is a very big sin, killing the unborn is an unmerciful act. The irresponsible people in the society, without thinking about the circumstances put themselves in a situation which is extremely undesirable. Everyone must act and behave responsibly to avoid a situation which is undesirable and abortion is without a doubt an undesirable situation for any human being to be in. The biggest con of abortion is that it an unmerciful act, the unborn infant does not deserve to die; there is no mistake of the infant for which the infant should be punished. "Half the percentage of women obtaining abortions is below 25." (Pros and Cons of Abortion, 6 December 2008). This is the age when the people are sexually active and it is highly immoral to involve yourself in a relation without accepting the responsibility which the relation brings with it and opting for abortion is refusing to accept the responsibility. No society appreciates women opting for abortion because it is an immoral act and the same is its biggest con "Some women use abortion as a type of birth control. They sleep with men and do not use protection and think nothing of it to go to the clinic as many as five times in their life to have an abortion. A con against abortion is the nagging thought that a woman went to a clinic, had an abortion, and thus the world was prevented from seeing the birth of the only person capable of attaining a leadership role and initiating a peace accord between warring factions in the Middle East, thus preventing decades of strife and murder. A stable home life is not a guarantee of talent, and illegitimate children have shown themselves to be very bright on occasion, Lawrence of Arabia for one." (Pros and Cons of Abortion, 10 May 2009) Abortion is a very big risk to the health of the woman who opts to undergo abortion. Miscarriages are one of the biggest risks involved when a woman opts for abortion; the biggest risk is to the life of the woman who opts for abortion. There is a high possibility of a woman losing her life when she opts to undergo abortion. Considering the same it is highly insensible to put an individual in a situation where abortion is the only solution. "Every year nearly 42 million women decide to have an abortion and about 20 million of them are forced to resort to unsafe abortion, 98% of which are in developing countries. Unsafe abortion was the cause of 66,500 deaths in 2003, representing 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide. Incidence of unsafe abortion is highest in South America and Eastern Africa whereas mortality rates due to unsafe abortion are much higher in Africa than anywhere else in the world." (Unsafe Abortion, 10 May 2009). An Insight Abortion can have a positive as well as a negative impact on the health of a woman. Women suffering from serious health problems like heart disease, kidney disease etc, have a positive impact of abortion on their health. The body has to be well prepared for childbirth, diseases weakens the body and opting for an abortion many a time helps women in avoiding further health complications. In societies where women are considered child bearing machines, opting for abortion gives them their own identity and the right to choose the fate of their unborn baby. Many women use abortion as a contraceptive, this is both good as well as bad. Good because it keeps a check on the size of the family and limits the expansion of the family, bad because it has

Otaku Positive Effect On The Japanese Culture Media Essay

Otaku Positive Effect On The Japanese Culture Media Essay I believe otaku are a new breed born in the 20th century visual culture era. In other words, otaku are people with a viewpoint based on an extremely evolved sensitivity toward images. Toshio Okada, Introduction to Otakuology Otaku is one of Japanese popular cultures. The term otaku is used in the Japanese environment to refer to someone who is an extremely obsessive fan of something. It is a person that is devoted to something anime, manga, movies, music, computer gadgets, computer games, and other fields of interest. Literally, it means your home or you in formal terms. However, these meanings are from my point of view not an otaku, nor an otaku expert what is otaku really all about? In this research paper, many aspects of otaku will be discussed: Its history as well as the effect of otaku on the Japanese culture, economy and even around the world. Most importantly, the paper is also going to discuss the negative connotation of this term which was rampant in Japan in the late 80s. Even though negative image of the otaku still exist in the Japanese society today, the otaku has many positive effects in the Japanese culture, the economy and the promotion of Japanese art and culture around the world. History of the Otaku The Otaku is very rampant today in international countries like US and Taiwan. It is a term that has many different meanings, interpretations, positive and negative connotations for every society. In the The Origins of Otaku, it was discussed that many accounts have been vaguely consistent with how the term otaku was associated with anime and manga fans. Also, it was reported that Journalist Akio Nakamori was the first person to publicly write about otaku as related to strange and obsessive fans. Nakamori said that these fans called each other otaku which he believes to be an extremely formal way of saying you (Eng). William Gibson calls otaku passionate obsessive(s). Volker Grassmuck describes them as information fetishists. Lawrence Eng defined it to be Self-defined cyborgs. All of the definitions fall down to the term obssession. Many authors tried to define Otaku more specifically. Here are some of the definitions, Rebecca Scudder reported that there are different otaku subcultures, ranging from people devoting themselves to anime, manga, computer games, movies, radio, and other fields of interest(1). The culture has however continued to spread wide within the country and even internationally. Also, she said that in the US, otaku means the popular subculture that is devoted to anime and manga (1). Lawrence Eng noted that there are some Otaku, who use the term as a reference to themselves or their friends in a humorous manner. This group makes effort to reclaim the term from negative association. Most Japanese would be reluctant to be referred to by this term especially in serious circumstances (Scudder, 2). Karl Taro Greenfield stated that for an otaku, information is the fuel that drives their worshipped dissemination systems. Furthermore, for an otaku, the only thing that matters is the accuracy of the ans wer and not its relevance. He said that no tiny little piece is trivial for them. Also, the object is not important for them, but the information is the heart of the matter. These are some of the definitions of Otaku as from a researchers point of view. However, there are also some views that define it in a larger point of view such as that of the society. Otakus negative image in the Japanese society The Otaku exists as a negative element of the Japanese society, which is an unreasonable and unfair judgement to give them. Otaku was an underground market in the beginning. No one wanted to be associated with the otaku. In Japan, the otaku was treated with intense negativity. For years, it was associated with depressing and downbeat colors. Lawrence Eng suggested that this was due to the growing anxiety of the Japanese adult society which thinks that the present young generation is growing more individualistic and isolated. Furthermore, that the young generation is not willing to fulfill mainstream duties and responsibilities for the country such as studying and working or finding a job(Eng). Also, the otaku has been associated with the alienation and isolation of the youth (Stenberg, 191). Media has also played a big role in building otakus negative image. According to Rebecca Scudder who reported that in 1983, Japanese media portrayed otaku with varying degrees of mockery. Otaku was labeled as antisocial, overweight, and unpopular the typical description of nerds and geeks in the US. Otaku was stereotyped as the persons who lived with a huge collection of their mania, unwilling to leave the house or get a job (2). With all the negativity of otaku building during the eighties, one incident really highlighted the negative image of otaku. In 1989, a psychopath named Tsutomu Miyazaki kidnapped, assaulted and murdered 4 little children (Scudder, 2). Police labeled him as otaku because they found a huge collection of anime and manga in his apartment (Eng). Some of the manga were pornographic which added fuel in the fire. Rebecca Scudder stated that Miyazaki was popularized by the media as an otaku murderer (2). This was the start of the otaku panic, as stated by Kinsella, that led to the association of the otaku to sociopaths like Miyazaki (qtd. by Lawrence Eng). The media accounted this deviant behavior on anime and manga, which led to the revulsion and panic (Eng). Since this incident, the otaku hit the mainstream with mostly derogatory remarks with strong hints of fear and loathing (Eng). Takashi Murakami, a self-confessed otaku and famous otaku/pop artist, acknowledged that the otaku culture is discriminated in against in Japan. This negative connotation has been generalized to all the otaku. Takashi Murakami said in an interview that when the police revealed Miyazakis room, it was just like an exact replica of his room. What he means is that, manga and anime are not the ones that are responsible for the deviant behaviour of Miyazaki. Murakami suggested that Miyazaki is a loser who lacked the critical ability of accumulating enormous information in order to survive and win at a debate among otaku. Azuma suggested that to understand the structure of Japanese post-modernity, one must understand the factors that led to the neglect of the otaku culture (1). These factors are: The association of otaku to the famous serial killer, Miyazaki The otaku has an existing strong collective hostility against those who do not share the same interests with them. Azuma suggested that their introversive and defensive tendencies can be thought of as a kind of inevitable reaction against social pressures. The socio-psychological problem of Japanese post-war identity Azuma stated that the Japanese had an existing difficulty after the Second World War to be able to evaluate and be proud of its own culture (1). These negative connotations affected the Otaku so much, but definitely, these ways of definition and seeing things is not proven. They do not have concrete arguments and proofs that Otaku is a negative culture. Positive effects of the Otaku on the Japanese culture There are many positive effects of the Otaku on the Japanese culture, as well as internationally. These positive effects are proven and are validated by concrete facts. First, looking at what Otaku means from their own perspective gives understanding on the real views of the Otaku. From a previous point, information is what is crucial for an otaku. But what does otaku really mean from an otakus perspective? When and where did the otaku started? And how did it really shape the Japanese culture and society. The Otaku is a misunderstood in most times because of the different changes in the history of Japan. To be able to understand the effects it has on the Japanese culture, one must understand first the history and definitions of the word from the otaku themselves. Hiroki Azuma stated that the otaku is a new cultural group that emerged in 1970s. It consists of enthusiastic consumers that were fascinated by different post-war Japanese subcultures, such as anime, manga, computer games, gadgets, music, movies, and so on (1). Hiroki Azuma discussed that otaku is one of the most important factors in the analysis of the Japanese Contemporary culture. He added that this was because the otakus mentalities have greatly influenced the Japanese society. Murakamis superflat conceptualities are being accounted to the artistic quality of the otaku sensibilities. Hiroki Azuma discussed that otaku culture is claimed to be a cultural successor of the pre-modern Japanese traditions, specifically the Edo tradition. This succession theory was emphasized by otaku critics, Toshio Okada and Eiji Otsuka. However, according to Azuma, the otaku culture should be accounted to the recent domestication of post-war American culture. Furthermore, Azuma claimed that the otaku culture is essentially nationalistic, which was developing at the same time with the Japanese rapid economical growth and the recovery of national self-confidence in 1950s and 1960s (1). Therefore, the Otaku culture is positive, in the sense that it was made to promote nationalism. Examples of this nationalistic view are: Spaceship Yamato (TV anime film 1970s) which is claimed to be an imitation of the pre-war Japanese military (Azuma, 1). Saber Marionette J (TV anime film) which was claimed to be an allegory abstracted from an actual otaku situation (Azuma, 1). For an otaku, examination of the content is a very crucial task. Information is the heart of their goals. Azuma discussed further that the otaku culture has two layers of simulacra and database. This means that an otaku does not only appreciate the superficial design aesthetically. An otaku immediately decomposes the image into many elements and feels zeal to reassemble them up into another character (2). Promoting nationalism is a positive thing. From these facts and descriptions, we can say that the Otaku contributed to these nationalist views. How the Otaku changed the Japanese culture The Otaku has changed the Japanese culture in the most unthinkable ways. It started internationally, then eventually, was slowly accepted in the society. In 1991, some interesting modern approach to the Otaku culture has surfaced. The development Otaku no Video (Studio Gainax animation production) that has given rise to a profound interest on the otaku culture. It has also reduced the negative perception and even stereotypes previously associated with the culture thereby increasing the acceptability of the otaku culture and the associated hobbies. After that, the culture has been used by some political leaders to promote the state of Japan to the international community. Even the former Prime Minister of Japan Taro Aso claimed himself to be an otaku (Scudder, 2). After the worldwide release of the film in 1992, fans US, Great Britain, France, Canada began to use otaku as a term to describe themselves. The Otaku sensation paved way for the creation of a hit novel, Train Man. This promoted self-confidence in ones culture. Everyone has a right to be proud of himself, be it an Otaku or not. In 2004, Train Man, a novel by Hitori Nakano, was popularized worldwide because of its unusual love theme. It has also been made into a TV and animation series. It focuses on the love complications of a computer geek (otaku). It portrays another side of the otaku that made the computer otaku popular. It showed that geeks also have hearts. They are capable of communicating, however there arises difficulties. The novel shows that even computer geeks can change for the better. Carlo Santos described it as a novel that pictures a young mans journey from self-deprecation to self-confidence. This gave the otaku culture a light to promote that they are nowhere near the negative connotations attached to them (1). Confidence in ones culture is another positive effect that the Otaku contributed in the Japane se society. Effects of the Otaku in the International Scene The otaku made a successful new market culture in the international scene. From US back to Asia, Otaku has become a craze, shaping the minds of other cultures. Anthony Chatfield reported that anime first appeared in the US market in the 60s in the form of Kimba the White Lion and Astroboy. However, these did not earn a favourable response. Only when Speed Racer arrived did the anime market was distinguished. This was the beginning of the consciousness that Japan was creating something new and exciting. Although the popularity of Speed Racer was not comparable to its American contemporaries, it paved a way to introduce more Japanese otaku to the international market. Different fanbases emerged they were willing to consume the latest offerings such as Starblazers and Robotech. However, the results were mostly underground (1). In 1989, Akira was released internationally and the effect was booming. The international audience was eagerly waiting for more new releases from Japan (Chatfield, 1). In Japan, this was a major business expansion. Shows like Gundam and Dragon Ball overgrew and made runway sensations. The manga industry also expanded along with the anime industry (Chatfield, 1). The international effects of the Otaku are worth mentioning and needs praise. Effects of the otaku in the Japanese Economy The international hit booming of the Otaku led to the advances and innovations in the Japanese economy. The Otaku industry is becoming more and more successful in the development of the economy through the international self-acclaimed Otakus. In 1990s, the anime became mainstream in Japan. Examples were the monumental runs of Dragonball, which had 156 episodes and Dragonball Z, which had 276 episodes. The Japanese otaku economy boomed, earning companies billions of yen, acquiring commercial sponsorships, and funding vast incredible projects that require sums of money to complete (Chatfield, 2). In 1995, American producers saw the huge effect of the anime market happening in Japan. They tried marketing some of these anime Dragonball Z and Sailormoon in the air. Then, Neon Genesis Evangelion release in Japan and show releases in the US made the otaku interest roar abroad (Chatfield, 3). In 1998, the Gameboy conquered the American market along with the enormously popular Pokemon anime. Films began to pour liberally in the US, at that time, the fansub scene was the only way to access some of the more obscure titles that are currently released in Japan. As the market boomed, so did the licensing of major companies. This was the beginning of the final and full assimilation of Japanese pop culture into American (Chatfield, 3). Nowadays, anime products and merchandise are rampant in the isle of supermarkets. The Anime Network also gained its growing success. Magazines such as Japanese trade magazines for the anime industry has now been translated and marketed in the US. Even American director James Cameron is fond of the manga named Battle Angel Alita (Chatfield, 4). This is a clear picture that otaku has made a big step in advancing Japanese art and culture in the international market. Furthermore, the marketing volumes of the Japanese anime and manga proved to be a big advancement, as well as achievement, in the Japanese economy. The otaku craze has also infected Taiwan and other neighboring countries. When compared with the Taiwans Otaku, the perception to otaku is different from the tradition Japanese stereotyping. The Taiwanese otaku emerged in the 1990s. During this period, the computers and internet had gained acceptability and wide range of usage. The usage of this technology had gained unmatched popularity that was not there prior to this period. The otaku was basically viewed as a group of consumers who had preference for some given obsession. This group exhibited craze for anime, some games and manga. People have created new things based on their common interest and obsession. They otaku have to spend money to meet their obsession. This had led to creativity as this people strive to satisfy their obsession and fantasies. The otaku have been found to be fewer prizes sensitive when comparison is made with other consumers. They have formed communities through online or using internet as medium of interaction. It has been evidenced that among the otaku, the information is exchanged rather fast. Jack Hsu reported that the Taiwan otaku is at its consumption stage, meaning, they rather consume than produce their own anime or manga. Furthermore, he reported that the Taiwanese otaku show extremely high preferences towards Japanese Cultural commodities. Taiwanese otaku were found to consume Japanese productions such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Spreading Excitement All over the World with the Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade, Densha Otoko, Akihabara @ Deep and KERORO. Because of this success and popularity, the otaku was popularized as a huge market. And for a true otaku, a price does not matter. In other words, otaku was treated as a new group of mass consumers. Thus, this gives another boom for the Japanese marketing economy. The generation gap associated with stereotypes and the otaku has been fading. The resistance toward the otaku culture also seems to have considerably weathered. This is because, some of the product that were originally associated with the otaku have become domesticated and publicly acceptable. The otaku have been considered as a general group of what can be referred to as mass consumers. Attention should also be paid to the potential for creativity that is likely to be derived from the otaku. To many, the otaku culture is associated with mystery. The otaku became obsessed with some hobbies, which became part of them. The otaku use the media and materials to craft a self and even space. The otaku emerged out of young people conviction that through animation, they could influence the next generation (Dave, 27). This was born out of frustration and boredom. A lot of people and especially the youth were displaced. The economic potential and the creativity of otaku only gained appreciatio n at the turn of the millennium. The otaku culture became appreciated in Japan. The otaku culture has many positive effects especially since the time it gained popularity in Japan and the world over (Flemming et al., 60). These were evident in the American otaku industry and the Taiwan otaku market industry. The otaku culture has also gone revolution associated with the modern and the post modernity period. There were fundamental conditions that changed culture associated with capitalism. This change was attributed to the late capitalist societies that included the Japan, the European countries and the American. The changes were consequently accompanied by the transformation of many areas of cultural production. (Azuma, 10). The Otaku culture is proven to effectively develop and advance the Japanese economy through the international fan scenes. Conclusion The Otaku in spite of the wrong negative connotations that are associated with it, grew to be the one promoting nationalism, international applause, and economic development. The otaku culture has therefore played a significant role, both as the consumers of the popular culture and also as producers of this culture. They are also consumers and producers of the mass media products (Steinberg et al, 191). Iles furthered the idea that the otaku are intimate representatives of contemporary Japan. The Otaku is not of the mainstream. However, the otaku who stand as avatars of the Japanese consumer in fact play an important role in qualifying the nature of postmodern consumption. The otaku has proved to be effective representatives in the promotion, growth and expansion in the Japanese culture, the economy and the promotion of Japanese art and culture around the world.