Financial Management in Non Profit Organizations

ITO-YOKADO COMPANY, LTD. M. Edgar Barrett and Christopher D. Buehler Overview The Ito-Yokado Company consisted of three business segments: Superstores and other Retail Operations (lto-Yokado superstores, Daikum discount stores, York Mart, York Benimaru, Robinson's Department Stores, and Oshman's Sporting Goods); Restaurant Operations (Denny's and Famil Restaurants); and Convenience Store Operations (7-Eleven Japan). Ito- Yokado had just acquired struggling Southland Corporation and transitional long-term strategies for Southland would have to be developed.Although diversified, Southland's largest business segment was its Stores Group responsible for operating and franchising of over 7,500 7-Eleven convenience stores. Masanori Takahashi, a senior strategy analyst for Ito-Yokado was considering the possibility that long-term strategies that had been successful in Japan also could be successful in the United States was vastly different than that of Japan; nevertheless, he was confident that through careful and thorough planning, the goal of making Southland profitable could be achieved. Learning Objectives . To acquaint students with the development of a Japanese company and its move into U. S. markets essay writer service review. 2. To acquaint students with elements of â€Å"Japanese management† through Ito-Yokado's â€Å"operation reform project† and to induce them to question the transferability of marketing across national boundaries. 3. To familiarize students with the nature of retailing in Japan buying essay papers online. 4. To show how Southland Corporation became subject to acquisition by Ito-Yokado Company, Ltd. 5. To present the nature of the convenience store industry in the United States.In mid-March 1991, Masanori Takahashi, a senior strategy analyst for Ito-Yokado Company, was preparing to depart for Dallas, Texas. Once there, he would be leading a team of Japanese and American managers responsible for establishing transitional and l ong-term strategies for the Southland Corporation. After nearly an entire year of intense bargaining and negotiation with Southland and its creditors, Ito-Yokado acquired Southland on March 5, 1991. Takahashi began working with Ito-Yokado in 1972 as an assistant manager of one of the company's superstores. He had advanced to the position of regional manager by 1979.In early 1981, Ito-Yokado's Operation Reform Project was conceived and Takahashi was asked to be a member of the team leading the project. During the first few months on the team, Takahashi quickly understood certain crucial aspects of the new project, most notably the use of point-of-sale (POS) systems. Implementation of the project advanced most rapidly in Ito-Yokado’s 7-Eleven Japan subsidiary, so he also had become familiar with the operating environment of convenience stores in Japan. As Takahashi left his Tokyo office, he could not help but feel both excitement and apprehension regarding his new position.He h ad gained confidence while involved with the successful Operation Reform Project at Ito-Yokado's superstores and 7-Eleven Japan convenience stores, but this experience might or might not prove to be useful in respect to Southland. COMPANY BACKGROUND Ito-Yokado's founder, Masatoshi Ito, was born in 1924 and graduated from a commercial high school in Yokohama. He worked briefly at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries before joining Japan's war effort in 1944. After World War II, he worked with his mother and elder brother at the family's 66-square-foot clothing store in Tokyo. 1 The store was incorporated as Kabushiki Kaisha Yokado in 1958.By 1960, Ito was in sole control of the family business. During that same year he made his first visit to the United States. In 1960, Ito visited National Cash Register (NCR) in Dayton, Ohio. While in the United States, Ito was introduced to terms such as â€Å"supermarkets† and â€Å"chain stores† by NCR, which was interested in selling cash r egisters to Japanese retailers. In Japan, retailing was dominated by mom-and-pop stores and a handful of venerable department stores, with few types of retail outlets in between. At this time, Ito began to see the possible role of mass merchandisers in a society becoming â€Å"mass-oriented. Ito soon opened a small chain of superstores in the Tokyo area. These stores carried a large selection of household goods, food, and clothing of generally lesser quality and lower price than either the mom-and-pop or department stores. ‘ By 1965, Ito had opened eight superstores. In the same year, the name of the chain was changed to Ito- Yokado. The Growth of Ito- Yokado as a Superstore Ito's concept for the superstores was centered on having the rough equivalent of several types of retail stores contained within one multistory superstore.The initial stores were located near population centers and railroad stations in the Tokyo areas. ‘ Often, several stores were located in close p roximity in order to achieve â€Å"regional dominance. † The results were high name recognition, reduced distribution costs, and the effective squeezing out of competition. Ito soon realized that social changes in Japan could create new opportunities for his retailing ideas. Younger and more mobile Japanese appeared to be less willing to spend a great deal of time shopping at numerous mom-and-pop stores. Also, the Japanese society was experiencing increased suburbanization.Ito decided to locate stores in suburban prefectures. There were 47 prefectures (provinces) in Japan. One reason for locating stores in suburban areas was the lower cost of real estate. This allowed Ito-Yokado to open larger stores with more parking spaces than competitors located in congested urban areas. Ito continued to use a strategy of â€Å"regional dominance† with these new openings, most of which were concentrated in the greater Kanto district, which consists of the Tokyo metropolitan area an d surrounding cities. By the early 1970s, Ito-Yokado stores were opening at the rate of four or five per year.By the late 1970s, nine or 10 new stores ‘were opened annually. † In early 1987, 101 of 127 Ito- Yokado superstores were located in the greater Kanto district. Ito also adopted a strategy of leasing some properties for new stores. As of the mid-1980s, more than 87 percent of Ito-Yokado's aggregate sales floor space, 10 of the company's 11 distribution centers, and the company headquarters in Tokyo were all leased? Often, property prices were astronomical, or the owners of well-located sites would not part with their property for any price. Constraints on GrowthThe initial success of Ito-Yokado and the other superstores soon resulted in retaliatory action by a powerful competitor: the mom-and-pop store owners. These small retailers were said to â€Å"pull the strings of Liberal Democratic Party politicians at the local level. †8 The action initiated by the small retailers resulted in the 1974 Large Store Restriction Act, which was subsequently strengthened in 1979. The original act restricted the opening of stores with sales areas of more than 1,500 square meters (16,500 square feet). In addition, the act restricted the hours of operation of new and existing large stores.A series of changes in 1979 added restrictions on stores with sales areas greater than 500 square meters (5,500 square feet). A Commerce Coordination Committee was established in each area in order to set policy regarding large-store openings and hours of operation. The committees were effectively controlled by the small retailers. By the early 1980s, Ito-Yokado was opening only four or five new stores annually. † Factors other than the Large Store Restriction Act adversely affected Ito-Yokado. Japanese consumers' real disposable income decreased by a little more than 1 percent during 1980-1981. 0 Japan experienced a general economic downturn in the early 1980s, as did the rest of the world, again serving to limit consumer purchasing power. Net income for Ito- Yokado-which had grown almost 30 percent per year between 1976 and 1981-grew by 9. 7 percent in 1982 and by 0. 9 percent in 1983. 11 The legal restrictions imposed on large stores, when combined with the economic downturn, led to both lower current earnings and a projection of reduced rates of growth in future earnings. Ito-Yokado as a Parent Company During the early 1970s, Ito began pursuing new retailing interests.In 1972, he approached Dallas-based Southland Corporation in an attempt to secure a license to operate 7-Eleven stores in Japan. He was rebuffed. He made a similar attempt in 1973 with the aid of a Japanese trading company, C. Ito and Company, and was successful in obtaining the license. Concurrently, Ito was pursuing another U. S. firm, Denny's Restaurants, in an attempt to obtain rights for opening Denny's Restaurants in Japan. Both subsidiaries, Denny's Japan and 7-Ele ven Japan (originally called York Seven but renamed 7-Eleven Japan in 1978), were established in 1973.The first 7-Eleven and the initial Denny's in Japan were both opened in 1974. Stock for each of the two majority- owned subsidiaries was traded independently on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Both subsidiaries became profitable around 1977. ITO-YOKADO IN THE 1980s The Ito-Yokado group consisted of three business segments: Superstores and other Retail Operations, Restaurant Operations, and Convenience Store Operations. The Convenience Store Operations segment was made up of 7-Eleven Japan. The Restaurant Operations segment consisted of Denny's and Famil Restaurants.Ito-Yokado super- stores, Daikuma discount stores, two supermarket chains (York Mart and York-Benimaru), Robinson's Department Stores, and Oshman's Sporting Goods Store made up the Super-stores and other Retail Operations segment. Ito-Yokado's financial statements are shown in Exhibits 1 through 3 in separate attachments. SUPER STORES AND OTHER RETAIL OPERATIONS York Mart and York-Benimaru York Mart was a wholly owned subsidiary established in 1975. In 1990, it operated 40 supermarkets located primarily in the Tokyo area.These stores sold mainly fresh foods and packaged goods, and competition was high in this geographic and retail area. Ito- Yokado's Operation Reform Program was implemented by York Mart in 1986 as a means to boost efficiency and profits. By 1990 sales were increasing at 6 percent per year. See Exhibit 3. Is York-Benimaru was a 29-percent-owned affiliate of to-Yokado, and was an independently managed regional supermarket chain. York-Benimaru operated 51 stores as of 1988. The stores were located in the Fukushima prefecture of Koriyama-city in northern Japan. Like York Mart, York-Benimaru operated with a higher profit margin than the supermarket industry as a whole. York-Benimaru's earnings growth rate of 13 percent per year was expected to last into the 1990s, and Ito-Yokado's share of this profit was the major contribution to the â€Å"equity in earnings of affiliates† portion of Ito- Yokado's income statement (see Exhibit 2). Daikuma Daikuma discount stores were consolidated into the Ito-Yokado group in 1986, when Ito-Yokado's ownership of Daikuma increased from 47. 6 percent to 79. 5 percent. † In 1990, Daikuma was one of the largest discount store chains in Japan with 14 stores.Although Daikuma was popular among young Japanese consumers, the discount stores attracted the critical attention of competing small retailers. Because the discount stores were regulated by the Large Store Regulation Act, intensive effort was required to open new stores. Despite these circumstances, and increasing competition, Daikuma opened two discount stores in 1989. Robinson's Department Stores In 1984, the Robinson's Japan Company was established to open Robinson's Department Stores in Japan. The Robinson's name was used under the terms of a license granted by the U.S. sto re of the same name. The Japanese company was wholly owned by Ito-Yokado, and the first Robinson's Department Store in Japan was opened in November 1985 in Kasukabe City of Saitama Prefecture. This was a residential com- munity north of Tokyo and was a rapidly growing area. Although an Ito- Yokado super- store was located nearby, Ito-Yokado's management believed that a niche existed for a slightly more upscale retail store. Ito-Yokado had â€Å"shattered traditional wisdom by opening up a department store in the suburbs, not in the center of Tokyo. 21 The location was expected to serve a population area of more than 600,000 residents and to offer a broad selection of consumer goods at prices higher than superstores yet lower than the downtown Tokyo department stores. ~ Many of the strategies employed by Ito-Yokado in opening its Robinson's Department Store followed similar strategies employed in its superstores. The land was leased (in a suburb). Instead of purchasing goods on a co nsignment basis as most other department stores did, Robinson's managers were made responsible for the outright purchase of goods from suppliers.This allowed Robinson's to purchase goods at a significantly reduced price. Robinson's reported its first profit in fiscal 1989, approximately four years after opening. † In contrast, most Japanese department stores operate approximately 10 years before reporting a profit. The single Robinson's location grossed about ? 28 billion (US$220 million) in fiscal 1989. 24 The second Robinson's Department Store opened in late 1990 in Utsunomiya, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Tokyo. Oshman's Sporting GoodsIto-Yokado licensed the Oshman's Sporting Goods name from the Houston, Texas, parent company in 1985. That year, two stores were opened. One of the stores was located inside the original Robinson's Department Store. RESTAURANT OPERATIONS The Famil Restaurant chain was started in 1979 as an in-store restaurant to serve customers at Ito-Yokado superstores. It had; however, expanded to 251 locations by 1988. 25 The Famil chain did not record its first positive earnings until 1986. In Famil's attempts to expand operations, the company had emphasized its catering business. By 1990, the in-store operations (those located in Ito- Yokado superstores) accounted for 45 percent of Famil's sales, the catering business accounted for 32 percent of sales, and freestanding stores accounted for 23 percent of sales. † Denny's Japan Ito-Yokado opened the initial Denny's (Japan) Restaurant in 1974 with a license from Denny's of La Mirada, California. Ito-Yokado tailored the U. S. family restaurant to the Japanese market, and Denny's Japan became profitable around 1977. By 1981, 100 Denny's Japan restaurants had been established. † and in 1990 there were 320 such restaurants operated by Ito-Yokado. In 1990, Ito-Yokado controlled 51 percent of Denny's Japan stock. In the early 1980s. Ito-Yokado decided that Denny's Jap an should purchase all rights to the Denny's name in Japan. The purchase was made in 1984, and royalty payments to the U. S. parent were thereby discontinued. In fiscal year 1990 (March 1989 to February 1990), Denny's Japan reported a net annual sales increase of 10. 9 percent, as compared with the 4. 9 percent Japanese restaurant industry sales increase for the same period= Exhibits 4 and 5 contain financial statements for Denny's Japan.In 1988, Denny's Japan began using an electronic order-entry system, which allowed managers of individual restaurants to quickly order food sup- plies based on trends in their own restaurants. It also allowed for the periodic updating of menus to reflect new food items. See exhibits 4 and 5. CONVENIENCE STORE OPERATIONS 7-Eleven Japan Since the opening of the first 7-Eleven store in 1974, the chain had grown to more than 4,300 stores located in virtually all parts of Japan by February 1990. 32 At that time, about 300 new stores were being opened ann ually.Ito-Yokado owned approximately 50. 3 percent of 7-Eleven Japan in 1990. Originally, young urban workers represented the primary customer base. As 7-Eleven penetrated the Japanese market, however, almost everyone became a potential customer. In Tokyo, for example, utility bills could be paid at the chain's stores. The 7-Eleven stores were small enough, with an average of only 1,000 square feet, to effectively avoid regulation under the Large Store Regulation Act. This allowed 7- Eleven to compete with the mom-and-pop retailers on the basis of longer hours of operation and lower prices.Faced with this competition, many of the small retailers joined the ranks of 7-Eleven. By converting small retailers to 7-Eleven stores, Ito-Yokado was able to expand rapidly and blanket the country† 7-Eleven Japan pursued a strategy of franchising stores instead of owning them. The franchise commission for 7-Eleven stores was approximately 45 percent of the gross profit of the store (the co mmission was 43 percent for 24-hour stores). Ito-Yokado provided most of the ancillary functions for each store (e. g. , administration, accounting, advertising, and 80 percent of utility costs).In 1987, 92 percent of all 7-Eleven stores in Japan were franchised. † and by 1990, only 2 percent of the 7-Elevens were corporate owned. † Within the Ito-Yokado group, 7-Eleven contributed 6. 8 percent of revenues in 1990. With this relatively small portion of overall corporate revenues, however, 7- Eleven Japan contributed more than 35 percent of the group's profit. Under its licensing agreement, 7-Eleven Japan paid royalties of 0. 6 percent of gross sales to the Southland Corporation. In 1989 and 1990, 7-Eleven Japan paid royalties of about $4. 1 million and $4. million, respectively. The financial statements for 7-Eleven Japan for the years 1986 to 1990 are shown in Exhibits 6 and 7. OPERATION REFORM PROJECT Ito-Yokado implemented the Operation Reform Project in late 1981 in a retail industry environment punctuated by reduced consumer spending and decreasing margins. The goals of the project were to increase efficiency and boost profitability by increasing the inventory turn while avoiding empty store shelves. The plan was originally implemented in the Ito- Yokado Superstores and the 7- Eleven Japan convenience stores.The implementation of the project involved a coordinated effort of catering to rapidly changing consumer preferences while, simultaneously, monitoring merchandise flow more closely. This coordination was accomplished by making individual store managers more responsible for such decisions as what merchandise was to be stocked on store shelves, thus allowing managers to tailor merchandise selection in their individual stores to local preferences. Top Ito-Yokado regional managers held weekly meetings with store managers to monitor the implementation of the project.As late as 1988, these meetings were still held on a weekly basis. † In o rder to avoid depletion of store stocks, Ito-Yokado established an on-line ordering system with vendors. In 1982, the ordering system reached only 400 vendors. By 1988, however, the system linked Ito- Yokado with 1,860 vendors. Point-of-Sale System As implementation of the Operation Reform Project began, Ito-Yokado paid increased attention to the importance of obtaining information regarding the flow of merchandise through individual stores. The tool chosen to accomplish this task was the point-of-sale system.POS system usage was increasing in the United States in the early 1980s, but the systems were used primarily to increase productivity at the cash register. In contrast, Ito- Yokado used similar systems as a part of the project by monitoring specific merchandise flow. As of the late 1980s, many retailers in the United States had begun utilizing POS in similar capacities, and some had begun to use POS to track the purchases of individual consumers. The first use of POS systems in Japan came in 1982, when 7-Eleven Japan began installing them in its stores. By 1986, every 7-Eleven store in Japan was equipped with such a system. The systems available were sophisticated enough to monitor the entire stock of merchandise in a typical convenience store having about 3,000 items. ‘ The systems could monitor the flow of every item of merchandise through the purchase, inventory, sale, and restocking stages. In late 1984, Ito-Yokado decided to install POS systems in the superstores. The sophistication of those systems installed in convenience stores, however, was not adequate to handle the merchandise flow of a superstore, which could stock up to 500,000 items. † New POS systems were developed n a coordinated effort by Ito-Yokado, Nippon Electric, and Nomura Computer Services. The installation of POS systems in the existing superstores was completed in November 1985, with more than 8,000 POS registers installed in 121 stores. † With 138 stores in 1990 , Ito-Yokado had an estimated 9,000 POS registers in the superstores alone. In 1986, after the systems had been installed in all superstores and 7-Elevens, Ito- Yokado accounted for about 70 percent of the POS systems in use in Japan as of 1988; 7-Eleven Japan was the only major convenience store chain in Japan to have installed POS systems. By August 31, 1989, Japan had 119,137 POS scanner-equipped registers in 42,880 stores, making it the country with the most POS systems in use. † The POS systems used by 7-Eleven Japan and Ito-Yokado superstores were upgraded in 1986 to add a new dimension to Ito-Yokado's Operation Reform Project. The upgraded systems allowed for bidirectional communication with the company headquarters. This feature essentially allowed information to flow not only from individual stores to a central location, but also from the central location back to individual stores.By linking the central system to other computer systems, more information than just sale s of retail items could be transmitted. This capability allowed Ito-Yokado to increase the efficiency of deliveries by centralizing some orders. By increasing the total size of orders, Ito-Yokado increased its bargaining position with distributors. One result of this bargaining strength was more frequent deliveries of smaller volume. From 1987 to 1988, deliveries increased from one to three per week for stores in many regions of Japan, notably the Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Kyushu areas.Using the POS systems, 7-Eleven began to offer customers door-to-door parcel delivery in conjunction with Nippon Express. In addition, some POS terminals were being used to issue prepaid telephone credit cards+' Since October 1987, Tokyo-area customers had been able to pay their electric bills at 7-Eleven; since March 1988, they had also been able to pay their gas bills Women traditionally manage household finances in Japan, so these services were designed to attract more women customers to the convenience stores. Results For the Ito-Yokado superstores alone, average days of inventory decreased from 25. in 1982 to 17. 3 in 1987. By 1990, it was estimated to be 13 days. The effect on operating margins and net income for the entire Ito-Yokado Corporation was equally dramatic. In 1982, the company's operating margin stood at 5. 1 percent. It had increased to 8. 1 per- cent by 1987. By 1990, the operating margin had climbed to 10. 5 percent. Net income for the corporation increased from ? 14,662 million in 1982 to ? 34,649 million in 1987, and ? 58,465 million in 1990. 7-Eleven Japan recorded similar increases in operating margins and net income during the same period.In 1982, 7-Eleven Japan's operating margin was 20. 7 percent. It had increased to 34. 6 percent by 1987. Net income from the 7-Eleven operations increased from ? 7,837 million in 1982 to ? 33,000 million in 1987. As of 1990, the Ito-Yokado Corporation was the second largest retailer in Japan, with ? 1,664,390 million of ann ual gross sales. The leading retailer was Daiei, with ? 2,114,909 million of revenues. Ito- Yokado was, however, the most profitable retailer in Japan, with net income of ? 58,465 million. In comparison, Daiei recorded net income of only ? 9,457 million for 1990.Financial statements for Daiei are shown as Exhibits 8 and 9. THE SOUTHLAND CORPORATION The Southland Corporation began in Dallas, Texas, in 1927 when Claude S. Dawley consolidated several small Texas ice companies into the Southland Ice Company. This new company was under the direction of 26-year-old Joe C. Thompson, Sr. Under Thompson's guidance, Southland began to use its retail outlets (curb service docks) to sell products in addition to ice, such as watermelon, milk, bread, eggs, and cigarettes. With the addition of these products, the concept of the convenience store was born.During the Great Depression and the 1940s, Southland's convenience store business added several more products, including gasoline, frozen foods, beauty products, fresh fruit and vegetables, and picnic supplies. Because the store opened at 7 AM and remained open till 11 PM, the store name 7-Eleven was adopted during this time. The 1950s were a period of substantial growth in terms of the number of stores and of 7-Eleven's geographical coverage. The first stores located outside of Texas were opened in Florida in 1954. During the same year, 7-Eleven's operating profit surpassed the $1 million mark for the first time.By 1959, the entire 7-Eleven empire constituted 425 stores in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and several other East Coast states. John Thompson became president of Southland when his father, Jodie Thompson, died in 1961. During the 1960s, a population migration toward the suburbs and changing lifestyles presented Southland with new growth opportunities. John Thompson lead Southland on the path of expansion, and more than 3,000 stores were opened in the decade. The product line of 7-Eleven also grew during this time to i nclude prepared foods, rental items, and some self-service gasoline pumps.The 1970s were also a period of achievement for Southland. In 1971, the $1 billion sales mark was surpassed. Southland- stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972, and the 5,OOOth store was opened in 1974. It was at this time that Masatoshi Ito approached Southland with the prospect of franchising 7-Eleven stores in Japan. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Southland's activities became more diversified. In 1986, the company had four operating groups: the Stores Group, the Dairies Group, the Special Operations Group, and the Gasoline Supply Division.The Stores Group represented the largest of the operating groups in terms of sales through the 1980s. The Stores Group was responsible for the operating and franchising of convenience stores. At the end of 1985, there were 7,519 7-Eleven stores in most of the United States and five provinces of Canada. This group was also responsible for 84 Gristede' s and Charles & Company food stores. 38 Super-7 outlets, and 7-Eleven stores operated under area licensees in the United States, Canada, and several Pacific Rim countries, including Japan.The Dairies Group was one of the nation's largest dairy processors in 1986 and served primarily the Stores Group, although aggressive marketing in the 1980s targeted service to institutional dairy needs. This group operated in all of the United States and parts of Canada. The Special Operations Group consisted of Chief Auto Parts (acquired in 1979); Pate Foods (a snack food company): Reddy Ice (the world's largest ice company); and Tidel Systems (a manufacturer of cash dispensing units and other retailer equipment).The Gasoline Supply Division was formed in 1981 to serve the gasoline requirements of the more than 2,800 7-Eleven stores handling gasoline. This division's history was punctuated by the 1983 acquisition of Cities Service Refining, Marketing, and Transportation businesses (CITGO) from Oc cidental Petroleum. Southland's Recent Activities Southland's dramatic growth and diversification during the 1970s and early 1980s resulted in 7-Eleven having a dominant position in the convenience store industry.Despite this position, circumstances since the mid-1980s had greatly eroded 7-Eleven and Southland's strengths. The oil price collapse of early 1986 was the sharpest drop of crude oil prices in history. The instability of crude oil and wholesale refined products, coupled with CITGO's inventory methods and various write-downs, resulted in only modest income for a previously very profitable company. The volatility of CITGO's financial position greatly affected Southland's earnings. Southland's equity interest in CITGO contributed to a $52 million loss for the entire corporation in 1986.In order to reduce the impact of an unstable crude oil market and the accompanying volatility of CITGO's earnings, South- land entered into a joint venture with Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) i n late 1986. The joint venture with PDVSA had several components. Southland sold a half- interest in CITGO to a subsidiary of PDVSA for $290 million. In addition, PDVSA agreed to both supply CITGO with a minimum of 130,000 barrels of crude oil per day and pro- vide its share of CITGO's working capital requirements. A takeover attempt of Southland occurred in April 1987.Canadian financier Samuel Belzberg approached the Southland board of directors with an offer of $65 per share of common stock. Unwilling to relinquish control of Southland, the Thompson family tendered $77 per share for two-thirds of the outstanding shares in July 1987. The other third of the shares would be purchased at $61 per share (plus $16 per share of new preferred shares) by the would-be private Southland Corporation. Financing for this acquisition came from $2 billion in loans from a group of banks and a $600 million bridge loan from Goldman, Sachs and Salomon Brothers. An additional $1. billion was generated by the issue of subordinated debentures Gunk bonds) in November 1987. This occurred after the stock and junk bond markets crashed in October 1987. Southland's investment bankers had to sell the bonds at a blended rate of almost 17 percent, instead of the anticipated rate of 14. 67 percent. The Thompson family emerged from the buyout owning 71 percent of Southland at a total cost of $4. 9 billion. Paying the High Costs of a Leveraged Buyout After Southland had been taken private through the leveraged buyout (LBO), significant changes occurred in both Southland and 7-Eleven operations.Southland was restructured, with the elimination of two levels of middle managers. During this time, Southland began selling more 7-Eleven stores than it opened in the United States and Canada. Due to the increased number of licensees opening stores overseas, however, the total number of stores worldwide continued to increase. 7-Eleven Japan was primarily responsible for this increase, with the opening o f 340 stores in 1988 and 349 stores in 1989. Southland also divested itself of many large assets in the 1988 to 1990 period (see Exhibit 10).Significant in this group of divestments were the entire Dairy Group, more than 100 7-Eleven stores in the continental United States, Southland's remaining interest in CITGO (sold to PDVSA), and 7-Eleven Hawaii, (purchased by 7-Eleven Japan). In November 1989, 7-Eleven Japan purchased 58 stores and additional properties from Southland. These properties and stores, which were located in Hawaii, were exchanged for $75 million in cash. The 58 convenience stores were organized as 7- Eleven Hawaii, which was established as a subsidiary of 7-Eleven Japan.As of December 31,1990, Southland operated 6,455 7-Eleven convenience stores in the United States and Canada, 187 High's Dairy Stores, and 63 Quick Mart and Super-7 Stores. Southland owned 1,802 properties on which 7-Eleven stores were located. Another 4,643 7-Eleven stores in the United States and C anada were leased. In addition the company possessed 234 store properties held for sale, of which 109 were unimproved. 77 were closed stores! and 48 were excess properties adjoining store locations. Three of Southland's four food-processing facilities were owned (the other was leased).The company owned six properties in the United States on which distribution centers were located. Five of the six distribution centers were company owned. Until December 1990 the company had also owned its corporate headquarters (called City- place) located near downtown Dallas. 59 Financial statements for Southland Corporation are shown in Exhibits 11 and 12. THE PROPOSED PURCHASE OF SOUTHLAND BY ITO-YOKADO The divestments of 1988, 1989, and 1990 constituted attempts by Southland to generate sufficient cash to service the massive debt incurred from the LBO of 1987.By early 1990, however, it was apparent that the cash generated from these divestments and Southland's operations was not sufficient to cov er its interest expense. Some experts estimated that Southland's cash shortfalls would reach $89 million in 1990 and more than $270 million in 1991. 60 Southland's long-term debt still totaled about $3. 7 billion, and interest expense alone in the first three quarters of 1989 was almost $430 million. † In March of 1990, Southland announced that it was seeking â€Å"rescue† by Ito-Yokado. Proposed Acquisition of Southland by Ito- YokadoSouthland had â€Å"looked at possibilities of receiving assistance from other U. S. companies, but decided that†¦ Ito-Yokado was the best potential partner. â€Å"63 The original proposal would have resulted in Ito-Yokado receiving 75 percent ownership of Southland for $400 million. This proportion of Southland would be split between Ito- Yokado and 7- Eleven Japan, with 7- Eleven Japan obtaining two-thirds of the 75 percent share. The deal was contingent on Southland's ability to swap its outstanding publicly traded debt for stock and zero-coupon (non-interest-bearing) bonds.The publicly traded debt amounted to approximately $1. 8 billion. There were five classes of public debt, ranging in type and interest paid. The interest rate of the bonds varied from 13. 5 percent to 18 percent. Ito-Yokado's offer was also contingent on 95 percent of all bond- holders of each public debt issue accepting the swap. Under this original proposal, the Thompson family would retain a 15 percent stake in Southland, and the remaining 10 percent of the company would be held by bondholders.The original proposal had a deadline of June 14, 1990, at which time either Ito- Yokado or Southland could cancel the agreement. Neither party indicated that such action would be taken, even though Southland's bondholders balked at the swap proposal. A bigger problem was facing the two companies: a rapidly approaching interest payment due on June 15, 1990. Southland's failure to pay the $69 million payment would result in Southland having a 30-d ay grace period in which to compensate bond- holders. At the end of the 30-day period, unpaid bondholders could try to force South- land into bankruptcy court. Revisions to the Proposed Buyout Southland did not make its scheduled interest payment that was due on June 15, 1990. Bondholders, meanwhile, had shown little regard for the original deal struck between Ito-Yokado and Southland. Three more revisions of the proposed debt restructuring and terms for the buyout were submitted between mid-June and mid-July 1990. In each revision, either Ito- Yokado's or the Thompson family's stake in Southland was reduced and the share of Southland stock offered to bondholders increased.With each revision came increased bondholder support, yet this support was far short of either the two-thirds majority (as required in Chapter 11 restructuring cases) or the 95 percent acceptance rate dictated by Ito-Yokado, As revisions were submitted, the expiration dates of the debt restructuring and stock purc hase by Ito- Yokado were extended. On July 16, a bondholder filed suit against Southland for failure to pay interest on June 15, because on July 15 Southland's grace period had expired. By September 12, a majority of bondholders had tendered their notes. This majority was still far short, however, of the 95 percent swap requirement dictated by Ito-Yokado. The deadlines were extended to September 25 for both the debt swap offer by Southland and the stock purchase offer by Ito-Yokado. As Southland was apparently headed for involuntary bankruptcy filing under Chapter 11, the proposal again seemed in jeopardy. Acceptance of the Proposed Buyout The deadline for Southland's debt swap offer was again extended. Bondholder approval was finally obtained in late October.Ito-Yokado's offer to buyout Southland was extended to March 15, 1991, pending court approval of the prepackaged bankruptcy dea1. The bankruptcy-court petition for approval of the prepackaged debt restructuring was filed on Oct ober 24,1990. Although Southland did not have sufficient bondholder approval as dictated by Ito-Yokado, the bankruptcy court proceedings were swift. The last few bondholders who held out were placated in January when the Thompsons relinquished warrants for half of their 5 percent stake of Southland's stock. † On February 21, 1991, the U. S. ankruptcy court in Dallas approved the reorganization of Southland.?! At that time, at least 93 per- cent of the holders of each class of debt issued by Southland had approved the reorganization. On March 5, 1991, Ito-Yokado purchased 71 percent of Southland's stock for $430 million. Two-thirds of this stock was purchased by 7-Eleven Japan, and the other third purchased directly by Ito-Yokado. The terms of the accepted debt-restructuring agreement between Southland and its bondholders are shown in Exhibit 13. THE CONVENIENCE STORE INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATESThe convenience store industry in the United States changed dramatically during th e decade of the 1980s. The number of convenience stores in the United States, the gross sales of these stores, and the gross margins all increased during this time period. The net income of convenience stores, however, decreased significantly. This outcome was largely the result of the rapid expansion of several chains of convenience stores and the increased number of convenience stores opened by oil companies. Aggregate Measures of the Industry The number of convenience stores grew from about 39,000 in 1982 to more than 70,000 in 1989.From 1985 to 1989, industry sales increased from $51. 4 billion to $67. 7 billion, an increase of 6. 3 percent per year. Gross margins increased from 22. 8 percent in 1985 to 26. 2 percent by 1988. Despite such growth, convenience store operations experienced a decrease in net profit in the late 1980s. The total industry pretax profit peaked in 1986 at $1. 4 billion, fell to $1. 16 billion in 1988, and plummeted to $271 million in 1989. Some trends ar e shown in Exhibit 14. The expansion of convenience stores in the 1980s was led by large convenience store chains and oil companies.In addition to the growth experienced by the Southland Corporation's 7-Eleven, Circle-K, a Phoenix-based convenience store chain, expanded from 1,200 stores in 1980 to 4,700 stores in 1990. The Role of the Oil Companies The impact of oil companies on the convenience store industry had been significant. Virtually all of the major U. S. oil companies began combining convenience store operations with gasoline stations in order to boost profits. In 1984, Exxon opened its first combination convenience store and gas station. By 1989, it had 500.Texaco operated 950Food Marts in the same year. From 1984 to 1989, the number of convenience stores operated by oil companies increased from 16,000 to 30,000. Gasoline sold at a lower margin (about 6 percent in 1984) than nongasoline convenience store products (32 percent in the same year), so the sale of convenience s tore items presented an opportunity for those gas stations with good locations (i. e. , street comers) to increase profits. In order to capitalize on the potential for higher profits in retailing, the major oil companies boosted their marketing expenditures.In 1979, the petroleum industry spent about $2. 2 billion for their marketing efforts. By 1988, these expenditures were almost $5 billion. The convenience stores operated by oil companies were growing in both number and size. In 1986, only about 20 percent of the oil company convenience stores were 1,800 or more square feet in size (the size of about 90 percent of traditional convenience stores). By 1990, however, more than 50 percent of the oil company convenience stores were between 1,800 and 3,000 square feet in size. â€Å"? Merchandise Trends for Convenience StoresBecause of the intensified retailing efforts of oil companies and large convenience store chains, some trends (other than those mentioned previously) evolved. In 1985, gasoline accounted for 35. 4 percent of convenience store sales. By 1989, gasoline accounted for 40 percent of sales. † The gross profit margin for gasoline sales had increased from 7. 3 per- cent to 11. 7 percent more than the same period. â€Å"? Of the 61,000 convenience stores in the United States in 1985,55 percent sold gasoline, and in 1989, 65 percent of 70,200 convenience stores sold gasoline.In 1989, 75 percent of the new convenience stores built were equipped to sell gasoline. † Although gasoline sales and margins became an increasingly significant contributor to convenience store revenues, contributions of revenue from other merchandise stagnated. In 1985, merchandise (other than gasoline) sales for the convenience store industry amounted to $33. 2 billion. In 1,989, sales reached $40. 6 billion. † This increase in merchandise sales, however, was offset by the large number of store openings. In 1985, the average yearly merchandise sales per store was $544,000.This number increased to only $578,000 in 1989. THE SETTING While flying from Japan to the United States, Takahashi reflected on the success that both Ito-Yokado and 7-Eleven Japan had enjoyed over the course of many years. These achievements were the result of long-term strategies that were carefully tailored to the Japanese market. Could these same, or similar, strategies be the foundation for making Southland financially successful again? He realized that the convenience store industry in the United States was vastly different from that of Japan.Nevertheless, he was confident that, through careful and thorough planning, the goal of making Southland profitable could be achieved. -11 pts if late (after 6pm of due date) and additional -5pts for each day thereafter for max late points of -26 pts. Lists the Strengths / Weaknesses/ Opportunities / Threats for the Ito-Yokado Company (total 10 pts) SWOT analysis. Strengths (list and briefly discuss only 3) 1 pt each for tota l of 3 pts. SWOT, defined as the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is an organizational tool used to analyze core competencies of a business.And like most businesses the Ito-Yokado Group consisting of three business segment (superstores and retail operations, restaurants operations, and convenience store operations) is no different. The strategies used to expand its operations Point of sale register, diversified portfolio, name(branding) and strategic location Weaknesses (list and briefly discuss only 2) 1 pt each for total of 2 pts Opportunities (list and briefly discuss only 2) 1 pt each for total of 2 pts The need for new ideas, real estates, the most vulnerable (younger generation) Threats (list and briefly discuss only 3) 1 pt each for total of 3 pts.The threats faced by the Ito-Yokado Group are: competition from mom and pops store, decrease in disposable income and Large Store Restriction Acts. As discussed in the article, the Large Store Restriction Acts influen ce by rival competitors makes it challenging for the organization to cater to its consumer needs. The result is not only deprived customer, but decrease in revenue, as the laws restrict the size of the store, making it impossible to grow different variety in store products.Another threat is consumer income, the limited consumer income, means consumer has limited amount for discretionary spending. And last but not least is the competition from mom and pops stores. These types of small businesses despite their sizes can pose a real threat for large companies such as 7-Eleven, reason being, is the fact that they are better known and rooted within the community. Essay questions to be answered in detail. (18 pts for each question for total of 90 pts) 1.What were some of the primary reasons for Ito-Yokado's remarkable degree of success during the past several decades? Globalization in my opinion was one of the biggest factors in the company success. Today’s market makes fierce comp etition therefore businesses no longer can afford to operate locally. In order for them to be successful, they must join the rest of the world in forming partnership through Joint Ventures, Franchising, Licensing, and Foreign Subsidiaries. While the advantages of globalization exist, it is not without its disadvantages.The transformation of a company from a local organization into a transnational organization is not an easy task mainly because of the various laws, time, efforts, and monetary investment that one must be able to shoulder before taking on such venture. The factors listed include, but are not limited to political stability, relationship between the two countries, licenses fees, market responsiveness, and the cost can determine the successfulness of a business. In addition, the careful planning and leadership ability can also determine whether or not a business can make the transformation successfully.As a leader one of the primary goals is to have a vision that can be c ommunicated down the chain. And as demonstrated by Ito-Yokado, he clearly demonstrated his vision for the company by strategically expanding the company’s operations into three different segment ranging from retail stores, restaurants chain and convenient stores. The result was a diversified portfolio with increase revenue. Another reason of success can be measured by the risk decision made by the company’s leaders. With any operation whether personal or professional, one must be willing to take isk, a risk in which the benefits outweigh the cost. Although the transformation from the Japanese market to the American was uncertain, because of factors such as consumer responsiveness, income, laws and applicable regulations, the decisions to invest into the various markets was worthwhile all because of proper planning and market response. The result was a successful Ito-Yokado group. 2. How did Ito-Yokado’s 7-Eleven Japan differ from Southland's 7-Eleven operations during the 1980s? While the two shares the same name the difference in their operations where obvious.The 7-Eleven in Japan compared to that of Southland differ in their operation that is, the door-to-door parcel delivery by Nippon, the convenience of bill pay for its customers, faster growth opportunities through franchising. Because of the Large Store Restriction Act, the company was limited in growth to expand its physical location; as a result, they resort to a smaller size stores strategically located in suburban areas. This venture was a deliberate marketing strategy used to penetrate the most vulnerable areas (suburbs) and fight off competitions brought on by the moms and pops stores.While the 7-Japan thrive in its operations of smaller stores with over 3000 items with point of sales register, their counterpart was not far behind. Under the leadership of John Thompson, the 7-Eleven in Southland were able to operate convenience stores with expanded products and services includ ing; low cost gasoline, and prepared food. Despite troubles with the oil industry, the 7-Eleven of Southland was able to form a partner with Oil Company such as CITGO and largest ice producer Reddy Ice. The result was a perfect union that brought about increase revenues.The union however, was short lived, as the company profit plummeted and had to file for bankruptcy. 3. What are Ito-Yokado and Z-Eleven Japan getting for their $430 million? 4. What is your prognosis for Southland under Ito-Yokado ownership? Will Ito-Yokado be successful? Based on the article, it is apparent the management and leadership of Ito-Yokado Group are making the right decisions and stirring the company in the right direction. This is evident through it increase franchising of stores and increase revenue. While the Group might be successful in Japan, areful consideration must be given to the market in the United States. As noted in the reading, the Southland Group under the leadership of John Thompson has ha d its share of misfortune mainly because of the oil industry. The fall in oil prices and volatility of the market resulted in loss of profit and buyout. While the venture of acquiring Southland Group, Ito-Yokado, must ensure it does it homework, with proper study of the US market. They must also, realize that the US market is one of capitalism with fierce competition.Unlike Japan, there are no such rules as the Large Store Restriction Act, as long as the proper conditions are met with the right paperwork, a business can expand as necessary. Another determining factor is the need for the product. yes the idea to expand is great! However, is it cost effective or will the company be better off 5. Is 1to-Yokado a global company? Explain your answer. The answer whether Ito-Yokado was a global company would be yes based on the fact that the company operate in more than one country with various subsidiaries.Ito-Yokado, will be consider Multinational Corporation simply because the operation and production of its products and services were done both in the United States and Japan. In addition the trading of its stocks was offered on both the NYSE, and the Japanese trading markets, thereby influencing the economy of both nations. Another important factor is the fact that nowadays, globalization makes it almost impossible for businesses to operate locally. For this reason they must be willing and able to compete on a global stage with numerous   

Barriers to Effective Communication

Effective communication is essential to the accomplishment of any organization or company. The easy procedure for attaining the capability to interact properly between one host and another host can result in the real difference of life or death. There are lots of hurdles within communication in case an individual isn't properly trained to abide by certain principles. This document will review a lot of examples of effective communication as well as the hurdles a person may face when trying to properly transmit information to another person. The word communication is depending on a type of a systematic procedure which involves the exchange of information between one person to another or between parties. There are normally a number of arrays between systems of symbols which is intertwined with discipline to produce a particular type of communications. Various parts of communications consist of situation, channel, interference, atmosphere, comments, source, message, and receiver. Communication is exactly what allows people to share particular experiences or knowledge between themselves. Personal communication is noticeable by many types including talking, writing, broadcasting, sign language, as well as gestures. Broken down even more, various types of communication also can be accidental, deliberate, transactive, interactive, inter or intrapersonal and also verbal and nonverbal. The differences between hearing and listening are quite distinct. When an individual is hearing, one simply feels a sound. However, in case an individual is listening, they are simply being mindful or conscious with a wish to hear or reply to others while making sure an understanding of the type of communication. One should be certain that one has a dedication to listening as well as have an open mind to think about ones point of view. Keep up with the capability to listen to what an individual is stating irrespective of whether one agrees or disagrees with the other. Avoid the impulse to spring to results and recognize body gestures. Don't end a talk suddenly, rather be very sensitive, sympathetic, as well as understanding (Sykes, 2005). Sometimes, an individual’s notion of listening can be to jump in the middle of the talk and attempt to give undesirable advice. But, the ord listening doesn't involve an invitation when a problem should be fixed. At times the speaker is just looking for an ear which would listen sympathetically. The capability to efficiently listen can make a difference in the achievement of a relationship or a job. Just listening can sometimes, help in accomplishing degrees of success required in order to go ahead. Formal communications is a much more managed or orga nized method in which pertinent information is shared between persons in an attempt to achieve a secure, synchronized action in the company. The idea behind formal communication bases an individual’s part in a company and distributes their communication in an organized way which goes as per the established chain of command. In a criminal justice organization, formal communication normally moves in a downward manner generally starting at the police commissioner stage and working its way down toward the stage of police officer. Formal communication also works the other way round by having reports or facts from the police officer stage passed on as high as the police commissioner stage, based on its significance. When talking about informal communications in a criminal justice company, we will know that it meets a variety of requirements, more specifically, emotional as well as social requirements. Informal communication isn't really depending on the position that an individual takes up in the company. Informal communication isn't a planned, a managed type of communication, however, it's a lot more like a casual, relaxed type of communication in which word of mouth swiftly passes through a company since there is restriction on the secrecy of the information. Grapevine will be the word most frequently used for informal communication in a criminal justice company. As per Wilhelm, â€Å"Grapevine communication can spread information quickly and can easily cross establish organizational boundaries, the information it carries can be changed through the deletion or exaggeration of crucial details thus causing the information to be inaccurate – even if it’s based on the truth† (2010). A known hurdle to efficient communication is inhibition. Different personalities, family characteristics, or dependencies may influence communication. One more known hurdle to efficient communication is referred to as denial. Believe it or not, denial is kind of a human expression in which we refuse circumstances in which we don't feel any comfort in showing or being sincere about. Alternatives have been known to turn into hurdles in a number of ways toward efficient communication. Incongruence’s happens when a spoken message isn't congruent or equivalent to the language of the body nor the pitch, volume, as well as power of facial expressions. To assess an individual’s efficiency of how to communicate with other people, one should have the capability to exchange ideas with other people, fix problems, as well as know another’s point of view. The simple act of communication isn't easy; one should be capable to communicate verbally, nonverbally, as well as know preverbal components. While referring to the subject matter of a message for example the arrangement or selection of our phrases, we are interacting verbally. Transmitting messages through body gestures is a type of nonverbal communication. While talking about how we say what we say for example the pacing or volume of our sounds, we are communicating in a preverbal context. All three parts should be used successfully so as to accomplish efficient communication. We should be capable to send brief, clear messages and also hear and understand the message another is attempting to convey. So far as communication is concerned, we wish to attempt to send nonverbal, preverbal, as well as verbal messages. The listener can become baffled with our message in case we are irregular. It might also form a lack of confidence in which it might undermine the opportunity to develop a good connection with another. However, when individuals listen efficiently, they may be capable to recognize particular phrases or actions which may lead that individual to knowing the scenario as the other person is attempting to express it. In case a person gives a message which includes contradictory information, the nonverbal information is what the other person might think as believable. We successfully have covered much of the various hurdles of communications and also developed strategies as well as solutions to assist us overcome a variety of different hurdles to efficient communication. Even though the reality may be subjective or a matter of belief when it involves efficient communication, we should see a much deeper knowledge of the issue and assess any potential route in which a contract might be reached.Reference 1. Sykes, J. F. (2005). Communication Skills. The Sykes Group. Retrieved from http://www.thesykesgrp.com/BiteYourLipListenArt01.htm2. Wilhelm, L. (2010). Formal/Informal Communication. Express Yourself to Success. Retrieved from http://www.expressyourselftosuccess.com/formal-informal-communication-channels/ Barriers to Effective Communication This paper will discuss the process of communication and its components. The differences between listening and hearing within communication will be reviewed. Formal and informal channels of communication will be described and the different barriers between effective communications will be assessed. Lastly, strategies that may be implemented to overcome communication barriers will be examined. The process of communication can be described within five steps. The five steps of the communication process include: transmitting an idea, sending the idea, receiving the message, understanding the message and providing feedback to the sender (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). Transmitting an idea involves the development of a thought or thoughts and then a need to divulge the information to another person is conceived. Sending the idea is the way in which the thought is transmitted from one person to the next. This could be done verbally, in writing or by portraying an action to someone else. The intended party must then confirm receipt of the message. If this does not occur then the transmittal of the message could be unsuccessful. Receipt of the message also falls on the responsibility of the sender. The sender should ensure proper transmittal of the message to the intended recipient. Comprehension of the message is the sender’s ability to send a clear and concise message to the receiver. The message needs to be understood by the receiver in order for there to be a proper flow of communication. Feedback can occur in written form or verbally from the receiver. The receiver of the message will provide the sender with an acknowledgement that the intended message was understood or needs further clarification. The process of communication is two-fold and requires responses from both a sender and a receiver in order for it to work properly. Listening and hearing are two different matters when it comes to communication. Hearing is something that happens naturally and we hear things all day. There is no concentration or thought process involved to hear something. Listening requires a thought and concentration. To listen to something is to actually process in our brain what is being heard or read. Listening requires one to hear, but hearing does not require you to listen (Dunn, 2004). Intended communications can be misconstrued when the intended receiver only hears the message instead of listening to the message. Within the criminal justice organization there are formal and informal channels of communication. Formal channels of communication consist of a clear and concise method to ensure messages are transmitted from one person to the next. This type of communication channel typically funnels from the top down, meaning from the boss to the employees. Formal communication in criminal justice includes memorandums, reports, orders and/or regulations. This helps to keep a set standard, organization within a unit and uniformity. There are also disadvantages to a formal channel of communication. The disadvantages consist of this process being time consuming and tedious. Because of the long process, a formal communication process cannot always keep up with things that change often. A formal process can also hinder ideas and thoughts from being transmitted because some people lack the skill or the drive to follow through with such a formal and long process. The informal channel of communication is â€Å"office gossip† or idle office chatter. This allows for information to travel from the employees to the boss in a funnel up theory. This will also allow for employees to discuss information amongst themselves without being in a formal setting or doing formal reports. Informal lines of communication significantly decreases the time it takes to receive an answer rather than doing up a formal report, sending it for signature and waiting for a response back. Questions and answers can be achieved within a matter of minutes via informal channels of communication. Barriers within the communication process exist when one person is concerned with personal or professional status (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). There are four different types of barriers that exist within this process and they are: emotional, physical, semantic and ineffective listening barriers. Emotional barriers are when people use their past or present experiences to form a message or decode a message. Self-esteem is at the root of emotional barriers; those with low self-esteem will not transmit many messages for ear of rejection and those with high self-esteem may try to impress their own ideas onto others. Physical barriers are any physical interruptions when trying to transmit a message. This could be equipment malfunctions, distance, or strict rules and regulations requiring certain steps be followed before transmitting any information. Semantic barriers are those words or phrases that can be interpreted differently depending on the person receiving the message. A phrase can be said to mean one thing and three different people could interpret it to mean three different things. Ineffective listening is the fourth barrier that could exist in the criminal justice system. Ineffective listening is the inability to clearly listen to a message and interpret what was being said or read. This could be due to distraction, boredom, fatigue, stress or a failure to connect with the speaker. Barriers to communication hinder the process because it stops the flow of communication from one person to the next. There are ways to overcome communication barriers within the criminal justice system. One way to overcome the barriers is to provide feedback. Feedback keeps the listener involved and lets the speaker know you are paying attention and that you understand what is being said. One can overcome emotional barriers by trying to distress before coming onto the job. Leaving emotional baggage out of the office and trying to stay focused on work at work can help to overcome the emotional barrier. Using certain tones to convey messages can defeat a semantic barrier. Tones in one’s voice can help to portray different messages in different ways. Facial and nonverbal expressions can also help to overcome semantic barriers in communication. In order to improve listening skills requires practice. In order to effectively listen to a message there has to be a need to know. Listening skills are something that everyone can always improve on and this only comes from practice. Effective communication within the criminal justice system is imperative to everyone involved. By learning the barriers and strategies to reduce the barriers we can improve on both transmitting and receiving messages. Communication is key in every facet of life and the criminal justice system depends on it.

Passion and responsibility in Edith Warton’s “Ethan Frome” Essay

Set in 1881 Starkfield, Massachusetts, Edith Warton’s _Ethan Frome_ reveals a recurring theme found in literature: â€Å"the classic war between a passion and responsibility.† In the novel, published in 1911, protagonist Ethan Frome confronts his two private passions, his desire to become an engineer that conflicts with his moral responsibility to his family and his passion for Mattie Silver that conflicts with his obligations to his sickly wife, Zenobia Frome. Ethan, being a man of responsibility, places the needs and wants of his family, before his own, which causes him to experience only â€Å"[s]ickness and trouble† and â€Å"that’s what [he’s] had his place full up with, ever since the very first helping† (12). The reader sympathizes with Ethan’s struggles as he abandons his studies at Worcester, considers running away with Mattie, and even attempts suicide with Mattie. When Ethan is confronted with family obligations, his desire to become an engineer ceases and, as a result, he leaves Worcester. Later in his, life he starts to realize that leaving Worcester also meant that he would forget about all of the things he learned. Because Ethan was unable to finish his education as Worcester, he looks at the book that the speaker left him and knows that would be â€Å"things in that book that [he] didn’t know the first word about† (14). Though Ethan had to leave Worcester prematurely, he thinks fondly of his university days and longs to recreate them. Ethan’s â€Å"best  parlour† (112) that he uses as a sanctuary is modeled after a professor he had at Worcester. His professor, a minister, fed Ethan’s curiosity by lending him books. However, Ethan’s sense of responsibility made him give up the knowledge he loved and even years later he clings onto the spark of knowledge that he gained from university. Ethan’s longing to run away with Mattie is obliterated by his overpowering responsibility to his wife. Wharton poses a striking contrast between the two women, using light and warmth to represent Mattie and dark and coldness for Zeena. Mattie brings out a part of Ethan that he had lost when he left Worcester. Ethan embraces this newly found self with the desire to talk to her and not be the shy man he was in his Worchester days. To Ethan â€Å"all his life was lived in the sight and sound of Mattie Silver† (35), and because of her he has found a new happiness. However, this newfound happiness can be eradicated by a mere mention of his wife’s name. Zeena’s name â€Å"threw a chill between† (73) Ethan and Mattie. Zeena’s character juxtaposes the character of Mattie; all the warmth that Mattie brings into the Frome home turns wintry when Zeena is present. Ethan’s responsibility to Zeena causes him to stay in the cold town of Starkfield. Even the townspeople believe that Ethan has â€Å"been in Starkfield too many winters† (7). When Ethan is around Mattie he is filled with â€Å"a warm sense of continuance and stability† (45). Yet Zeena stands in the way of Ethan being with Mattie like he so frequently imagines. This causes Ethan’s heart to be jerking â€Å"to and fro between two extremities of feeling† (95), his responsibilities lie with Zeena but Mattie inflames his passions. Red is the archetypal color for passion and it reflects Ethan and Mattie’s inability to act on their mutual desire for one another. When Mattie first arrives in Starkfield she wears a â€Å"cherry-coloured scarf†(27) and later a â€Å"streak of crimson ribbon† (71) through her hair that catches Ethan’s attention. Ethan â€Å"had taken to the girl from the first day†(*******) and his passion for her never left him. Ethan and Mattie’s rebellious attempt at suicide is inhibited by his thoughts of Zeena. Ethan learns that Zeena wishes to send Mattie away and replace her with a hired girl. He knows that he should respect his wife’s decision but feels that his â€Å"heart was jerking to and fro between two extremities of  feeling† (95). Ethan chooses this path with Mattie because it is her last hope, without living in Starkfield and moving with no job experience she only has one thing to offer. Ethan knows this, but also tries to ignore it thinking that she might get a better life, he tries to help but he â€Å"can’t lift a hand for† (138) Mattie. He has tried every possibility, so together Ethan and Mattie finally go coasting. With Starkfield alight below they â€Å"looked ahead with rigid faces† (138). Everything passes by in a blur, all that matters is that Ethan and Mattie are together and they are in their own world. Mattie suggests going down again b ut this time they will â€Å"never come up anymore† (143). Ethan’s final request is for Mattie to sit behind and † to feel [Mattie] holding [him]† (146). It is Ethan’s own clash of emotions that cause him to agree with Mattie’s suggestion that the two of them should commit suicide by coasting into the elm tree at the bottom of the hill. Everything goes to plan until â€Å"his wife’s face†¦thrust itself between him and his goal† (147), causing him to swerve, but he soon rights it. Instead of hitting the tree head on, the two hit it on the right side. The â€Å"smash-up† (4) is not enough to kill them but it does leave the pair seriously injured. When he hears Mattie’s twittering sounds of pain, Ethan realizes his failed rebellious action and his sense of responsibility returns. Ethan hears his horse begins to whinny and thinks to himself that â€Å"[he] ought to be getting [the horse] his feed† (149). Frome’s injuries remain as a constant reminder of his inability to escape his responsibilities. In _Ethan Frome_ the progonist Ethan Frome cannot escape his responsibilities in his life, whether it be his parents or his wife. Now he also has a new weight to carry, along with the responsibility, it is that Mattie’s condition is his fault. Ethan learned that responsibility trumps passion in all forms, he tried to follow his passions but he could not escape reality. That reality is a life with Zeena taking care of Mattie, and Ethan living his hard life with seeing everyday what he did to the love of his life. Wharton’s use of the responsibility vs. passion motif in her novel Ethan Frome is very apparent. Frome is haunted by his own responsibilities first to his mother and father and then later his responsibility regarding his marriage to Zeena. It is these responsibilities that stand in Ethan’s way of  achieving a â€Å"paradise,† whether it be in the form of an education at Worcester, or a relationship with Mattie Silver.

The Challenges of Managing Behaviour Effectively Essay

The Challenges of Managing Behaviour Effectively - Essay Example According to the report managing student behaviour in a classroom is a major issue for high school teachers in the UK. Effective classroom management skills are vital issues in the teaching and learning environment. Teachers who can manage students’ behaviour help students to perform better than teachers who may not do the same. All teachers have a role to play to ensure that there is a positive classroom environment for learning.As the research highlights managing the behaviour of students effectively require knowing what to do at a particular time, when to and how to do it to bring desired results.   Teachers must understand the mechanisms that will lead to positive impacts on the behaviour of students. Although some teachers may do this instinctively without training, others will require extensive training to master these skills. Such teachers communicate high expectations, are calm in challenging situations, and motivate even the unruly students. On the other hand, admin istrators need to ensure that teachers know the mechanisms of managing behaviour in schools to direct students in the right way.  Students’ behaviour may range from those that are somewhat normal to those that are problematic. Some of the negative behaviours among students may involve failing to follow school rules and talking back to teachers and fellow students. Some of the more serious negative behaviours involve aggression, physical violence and getting involved in risky actions that include the use of alcohol or banned substances.

Give your own,, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Give your own,, - Essay Example For this purpose the steps will be as follows; Step-1: Some of the erstwhile support staff will accompany Bridget to her new home and if possible try spending couple of hours or a day together with her in her new home. This will not only make her comfortable in the new environment, but will also assure her about the availability of easy help when she requires it in future. Step-2: While revisiting Bridget on the third day, an effort would be made to take note of her experience in the new surroundings, some of the problems that she faced or what made her happy in the new environment. It is worthwhile here to mention that these elaborations must be elicited from her in an informal manner, without letting her be conscious about the feedback. The support plan in this case must take into account the history of Bridget, her preferences etc. Bridget has suffered quite a lot in the past and she has many more years ahead for her. Therefore, the support plan must take a long term perspective of the issues with her. While reservations have been expressed about her coming to terms with the alcoholic abuse problem, the fact that she is being allowed to move back to her flat is an indication enough of her becoming a reformed citizen. Key aspects for her support plan are; Often people make use of alcoholic to get rid of tension, isolation and depressing tendencies. A schedule of activities like routine exercises, visit to market, phone call to the social worker, visit to the hostel etc. must be planned out for Bridget. This will keep her busy enough to take recourse to liquor. Purpose of such a schedule is to make sure that Bridget doesn’t come across circumstances like mood swings, involving periods of excessive euphoria or bouts of intense depression. Efforts must also be planned out to locate the whereabouts of her two kids, so that she gets to lead a normal life in times to come.

Honesty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Honesty - Research Paper Example In developing the concept of honesty, one finds that by going from the initial definition of the word honest to the cultural differences expressed in one different language, the true concept, of honesty requires the existence of human relations. The purpose of this paper is to prove the thesis that Honesty in the dictionary sense is not the best policy. The online dictionary definition of honesty implies "fairness and straightforwardness of conduct". The second definition is keeping to the facts: sincere. (Merriam-Webster) Fairness and sincerity are a contradiction. If an older child beat up his brother because his brother broke one of his games, the parent would admonish the violent reaction of the older brother over the younger brother's breaking the toy. Our society does not adhere to violence. The broken toy could have been an accident or a deliberate act. If his parents were sincere, they would ascertain as to why he broke the toy. If both boys were at fault, fairness would dictate that both would be punished. It is rarely the case as the punishment is different for each child and culturally given to the older of the twoIn reality, honesty is governed by a set of rules which go beyond our comprehension of the word. Most of us think that honesty exist. It exist if the rules are followed. In the second source, Mr Dougherty analys es Cringe comedians. He entitles his article Honesty is the best policy. (Dougherty ) People no longer want to spend time thinking through the significance of thought provoking jokes. We are in the "now" society. If it is not attained within 30 seconds, it is not worth it. Cringe comedians come up with one line jokes attacking the truths of life. They twitter their way thru the commentary of life's problems. Life can be split into two twits: alleviating the fears of life by throwing freezing water to chill the problem. A comedian who basis all his one line cringes on self deprecation makes at least one person in the audience feel that there is one person who is better off than the comedian . or the comedian has mastered the art of persona and gives members of the audience what they want to hear as each one has a different concept of honesty. The first comedian uses self deprecation to alleviate fear and the second comedian uses self deprecation to share honest aspects of the "person a". There are people in the audience who can relate to both sorts of tweets. The word tweet is used in a derogatory fashion to show the rapidity in which cringe comedians respond to humor. The concept of honesty is used as the dictionary describes as "straightforwardness" . This limits the point that there is a set of rules to the concept of honesty. As the previous source is somewhat weak, the following source is from a journal. The concept of honesty can be broken down into mathematical equations. A fundamental principal of man is that all human relations are based on the concept of honesty. As this is a rather grandiose principal, the writer has broken it down into equations. The concept of Honesty:

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Reflection paper - Essay Example The role of books has been downplayed to an extent where books are slowly fading off the scene. Literary works such as Harrison Bergeron, The Cold Equations, The Pedestrian, The Pit and the Pendulum and 1984 are some which deserve to be read on by generations to come due to their remarkable content and style. Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut is set in the future where government control is quite strong. Harrison is the fourteen year old son of Hazel and George but has to be taken away from his family by the government (1). Equality is strictly implemented, which means everything or everyone has to be average. This implies that no one can be stronger, more beautiful or more intelligent. Equality, in essence, is maintained through the use of â€Å"handicaps† (Vonnegut, 1). This is one reason why George has a radio implanted in his ear that inhibits his thought process by using periodical noise tuned by the transmitter controlled by the government. The story provides a graphical journey to the future where individual qualities are suppressed and technology dominates social lives while the government presents the worst form of a controlling authority. Due to its far-thinking storyline, the book should be read by people and thus should be kept from the hands of the firemen. Another futuristic story, although controversial, is presented by Tom Godwin in his book The Cold Equation. The book is set in a science fiction like setting where an EDS (Emergency Dispatch Ship) is heading towards the planet Woden. According to the rules, any stowaway discovered on the way is to be jettisoned off the EDS (Godwin, 1). The pilot faces the dilemma after he finds an eighteen year old young girl named Marilyn, who wants to see her brother after ten years. However, in the desperation of the situation, Marilyn is ejected out of the spacecraft out into the space or the whole EDS could have suffered. Again, the book wonderfully creates a fictitious

Hotel Quality Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hotel Quality Management - Research Paper Example Customers who request for a room change spend several minutes before they are reallocated another room. This has proven to be ineffective to customers and hotel departments. Other room services such as newspaper delivery and baggage storage also require improvements. Most of the processes that take place in the hotel are done manually, and there is minimal use of technology. Guests have to call for transport at the check-out time since there are no prior arrangements or contracts with transport companies. These activities and processes compromise the quality of services offered by the hotel, and may drive away some customers. Automating the check-in and check-out process would greatly improve the hotel services. A quality system empowers workers at several levels in the hotel in order to establish guest service expectations and device the best way to meet or exceed these expectations. An online check-in system would prove effective in providing quality system. This would help custome rs conduct booking processes via the internet and make payments online. Currently, the hotel uses a manual identification process, which involves checking identification documents. A computerized check-in process would enable hotel attendants verify the identity of customers automatically. Online services can also conduct room changes before they check-in to the hotel. Room change processes usually consume a lot of time before the new room is prepared. Conducting these requests before the guests check-in would save the amount of time spent. The check-out process is also conducted manually by checking the identification of the customer and retrieving customer accommodation information manually. Guests have to line up at the front desk to clear from the hotel. A computerized system would automate the confirmation process, and guests could check-out of their room without lining up at the front desk. Guests are presented with their bill at the front desk, which increases the amount of t ime spent. An efficient system would enable guests receive their bills before leaving their rooms. The hotel does not conduct a customer satisfaction survey about their services. Collecting customer feedback would enable the hotel improve different areas of their services, which did not please the customers. A guest email service would facilitate the collection of customer feedback and assist the hotel management to process the collected data. The core of quality management is to steer the business towards an improved performance. It has three main components, which include quality assurance, quality control, and quality improvement. Consistent quality is achieved by not only improving the condition of services, but also by improving the processes (Jones and Lockwood, 2004). This involves eliminating or minimizing defects present at the business processes and type of services offered. Customer and investor satisfaction are directly linked to the quality of services provided in the h otel. A hotel quality system would reduce competition from other hotels with the help of benchmarking. The hotel would have a mechanism of measuring the degree of customer needs and expectations through the customer feedback system. The hotel would then match these expectations and needs against the perceived quality. Automating the

What evidences supports the idea that a relatively recent catastrophic Essay

What evidences supports the idea that a relatively recent catastrophic event was responsible for Saturn's rings - Essay Example As a result, a mass of debris was formed hence making up the ring (Hetcht 18). In 1852, Otto Struve discovered that there were changes in the width of the ring and there was a continuous decrease of the gap between the edge of inner ring B and the surface of the planet. The rings were approaching the surface of the planet rapidly. According to modern scientists, the deteriorating nature of rings is attributed to rains of microscopic meteorites that pelt the rings thus eroding them rapidly (Hetcht 19). Modern astronomers believe that Saturn rings contain water that evaporates from their surfaces when the micrometeorites hit them. Natural water molecules fall back on the rings while charges ions move along the magnetic field lines formed near the surface of the rings. As a result, there is presence of water precipitate adjacent to the rings. The scientific explanation behind the water molecules and its ionization show that there are real meteorites which strike the rings causing ionization of water particles. The fast evaporation and ionization of the water show that the ring was formed relatively few years ago compared to what others astronomers believe that it was formed billion years ago after a comer or moon crashed on its surface. If the rings had been formed billion years ago, there wouldn’t have been water precipitate on the surface of the rings (Hetcht

Two Variable Inequality Essay Example for Free

Two Variable Inequality Essay a) Let ‘c’ be the number of classic maple rocking chairs and ‘m’ be the number of classic maple rocking chairs that Ozark Furniture Company make. b) Here we have given that a classic maple rocker requires 15 board feet of maple, and a modern rocker requires 12 board feet of maple. We have ‘c’ classic maple rocker, so total maple required for classic maple rocker chair = 15c board feet. And we have ‘m’ modern maple rocker, so total maple required for classic maple rocker chair = 12m board feet. We have total maple available is 3000 board feet. Hence we can show this condition as: 15c + 12m ≠¤ 3000. This is the inequality which is showing the given situation. c) Graph for this inequality: d) Here this is a less than and equal to inequality, so we need to take the area which is below to the line 15c + 12m = 3000 and this will be a solid line on the boundaries. The region lies between origin to x and y – intercepts. Each point which is in the first quadrant and under the shaded area is a solution for the given inequality. So, if (x, y) is a point in the shaded region then Ozark Furniture Company can obtain x number of classic and y number of modern maple rocking chairs. So, x – axis is showing number of classic maple rocking chairs and y – axis is showing the number of modern maple rocking chairs. i) Consider the point (50, 100). This point is indicating that company is making 50 classic and 100 modern maple rocking chairs. So, c = 50 and m = 100. So, 15c + 12m = 15(50) + 12(100) = 750 + 1200 = 1950. Total board maple available = 3000 board feet. Hence, total remaining maple = 3000 – 1950 = 1050 board feet. So, (50, 100) point, which is within the region showing that the company is making 50 classic and 100 modern maple rocking chairs and using 1950 board feet of maple. In this case total waste of maple is 1050 board feet. So, the company can fill the order easily. ii) Consider the point (200, 100). This point is indicating that the company is making 200 classic and 100 modern maple rocking chairs. So, c = 200 and m = 100. So, 15c + 12m = 15(200) + 12(100) = 3000 + 1200 = 4200. Total board maple available = 3000 board feet. Hence, extra maple required = 4200 – 3000 = 1200 board feet. So, (200, 100) point, which is out of the region showing that the company is making 200 classic and 100 modern maple rocking chairs and need 4200 board feet of maple. In this case the company needs 1200 board feet of maple. So, company cannot fill this order with the available maple. iii) Consider the point (100, 125). This point is indicating that the company is making 100 classic and 125 modern maple rocking chairs. So, c = 100 and m = 125. So, 15c + 12m = 15(100) + 12(125) = 1500 + 1500 = 3000. Total board maple available = 3000 board feet. So, here the company has exact amount of required maple. So, (100, 125) point, which is exactly on the line showing that the company is making 100 classic and 125 modern maple rocking chairs and need to be very careful because company has exact amount of maple available to complete this order. So, company can complete the order. f) Here the order is of 125 classic rocking chairs and 175 modern rocking chairs. In terms of point we can show this condition as (125, 175). So, we have c = 125 and m = 175. So, 15c + 12m = 15(125) + 12(175) = 1875 + 2100 = 3975 board feet. Total maple available = 3000 board feet. So, Ozark Furniture will need 3975 – 3000 = 975 board feet of lumber. So, Ozark Furniture is not able to fill this order because the point is outside of the shaded area and company will need 975 board feet of lumber to fill the order. Conclusion: This was a real life example that how to use inequalities in our business. By the use of this we got to know that we will able to fill any order or not and if not then how much more raw-material we need to complete the order. This was very interesting question and we discussed all the 3 possible cases in this. References Dugopolski, M. (2012). Elementary and intermediate algebra (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing.

Wag The Dog Movie Review Film Studies Essay

Wag The Dog Movie Review Film Studies Essay The 1997 Barry Levinson produced and directed film Wag the Dog is a satire that makes you laugh but on second thought makes you wonder. The film tells how easier than it seems for a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer to fabricate a war between America and Albania to divert the attention of the citizens from a sex scandal involving the president. (Mayarala, 6) Two weeks before election, the unnamed U.S. president is involved in a sex scandal that could potentially affect his re-election. Conrad Brean, a spin-doctor was summoned for his services and he enlists the help of Hollywood producer Stanley Moss (Dustin Hoffman) to carry out the America-Albania war. Brean plans on creating a patriotic media frenzy wherein they would create footages of a fabricated war with a belief that this would push the sex scandal incident off the front pages. (Mayarala, 7) The film, although absurd and next to impossible is made convincing and coherent with the witty script written by David Mamet. Wag the Dog is also an allegory of the deconstruction of the media frenzy and how it heightens, or in this case soften any possible international crisis. (Mandisa, 98) Why does a dog wag its tail? Brean asks. Because the dog is smarter than the tail. If the tail was smarter, it would wag the dog. This is an explanation for the title of the film and also serves as a metaphor on the role citizens play as the tail and the government as, of course the dog. Although the film is a black comedy, it possesses an underlying message and a political undertone that is thought-provoking as citizens in the middle of the politics and the entertainment industry. (Mayarala, 7) Change the story, change the lead is Breans motto which is why he chose to give the public a crisis with a bigger magnitude to worry about rather than an alleged sex scandal of the president. The reason Brean chose Albania is because no American is entirely aware of the existence of the country, at least that is what the film claims. Brean chooses, out of all the Hollywood directors and producers Stanley Moss who is unknown but wants to earn himself a name in the industry. Due to Breans mind manipulations with no second thoughts, Moss agrees. (Mayarala, 7) The video of the fabricated war between America and Albania soon made its way to the public through the evening news with no troops having been reported to have been sent to war beforehand and without any doubt, the public believes it and causes tension. The reason for this is that the television and the news has evolved into a powerful form of media so if its on air, then its real. Robert De Niro as Conrad Brean is in all likelihood at his element in this film. He took on his character and did not just performed well but embodied the characteristics of a spin-doctor. The premise of the film sounds interesting but predictable, but nevertheless gave a different approach that De Niro as the main character Conrad Brean is able to manipulate the string of events and even had the president follow his orders of staying in China. With a deceptive characteristic, Brean is also able to convince the CIA with the authenticity of the war saying that the war is true because it is on TV. With the CIA on Brean trail, he soon devices another plan to incorporate the image of a much believable character in the form of a captured soldier who returns home, Sgt. William Schumann (Woody Harrellson) who creates a speech of his experiences as a captive soldier. The president calls the footage corny and in response, Brean made the White House secretaries watch the video and to his surpr ise, the women leave the room in tears. (Corleone, 205) Visually, Wag the Dog is beautifully captured. Although not intimately detailed, it has adapted the ambiance of a black comedy that is perfect for a political satire and also took into consideration the visual appeal of the film to make the film believable, compelling and coherent. Also, the film did not use the political satire as a background catalyst for the comedy or vice versa, instead every element of the film worked hand in hand in interpreting the political undertone of the film. (Williams, 154) The stunning aspect of the film is its playful camera movements without causing distraction. The zoom in and zoom out, the dolly in and dolly out are well done and tells a story on its own and adds to the tension or the humor of the scene. The continuity is seamless and the scenes are coherent and the humor comes fast that makes the audience laugh without feeling dull because the script are well-written and the film did not just rely on one aspect of the film to make the comedy effective. Levinson made a wise decision in not providing everything on screen like phone conversations and the other person on the line, the public reaction with the scandal and the war, the president and other essential scenarios. This was done to allow the audiences to yearn because an imagined image is more powerful unlike a visible image that gives satisfaction. Also, this style of filmmaking supplies intrigue and generates involvement from the audiences. (Williams, 154) The blocking of the characters in the film and the placement of the camera vis-avis the character works well to highlight the conversation and the messages that the film wants to get through and the necessary response that it wants from the audiences. The mise-en-scene of the film coordinated the spatial elements in every shot that consequentially created rational surroundings for the characters that added to the narrative power. Just by looking at the characters, their facial reactions and the camera movements, even if the sound is taken away the film will still send its message across. The camera has told another story about the characters without the use of words and has done what cuts cannot achieve by making the cinematic space complete and closer to reality. The characters are merely a piece in the scenario and the mise-en-scene and the camera is what makes the protagonist and the antagonist bleed out in a scene populated by a sea of people. The mise-en-scene is also able to take the audiences into the era the film is pertaining to with it hue colors with brownish sepia tone which gives the feel of the 80s and 90s. (Williams, 154) The auditory and cinematic space of the film also complement each other. The visuals being stunning matched with great music is definitely what makes a good comedy. The film also remained true to its nature and maintained its consistency throughout the film in underlining the measures that the government will go through in order to achieve what they want and how the citizens are just pawns in their game. The title of the film has been perceived as a symbolism and was submitted to different interpretations. One would say that the tail is the media with the tail being the political campaigns. The interpretation that is most likely to be associated with the title is that the citizens of America are represented by the dog and the government is the tail, thus the irony of the tail wagging the dog. This is probably referring to the movies premise wherein a greater catastrophe is given birth by something that is as small as a sex scandal compared to a war. Halfway through the film, although it can be a bit dragging, the film never faltered in giving what the audiences expected and delivering its promise but still suspends some factors for the audiences imaginations. It did not perceive its audiences as slow and dim-witted relevant because it does not explain itself. The film is also fearless in creating a film which is a social commentary that satirically attacks the political system. The film is, without a doubt socially relevant and historically significant. Wag the Dog is, in all likelihood a great film with a comic sensibility that takes on the political and media dilemma that is entirely original when it comes to its overall atmosphere without the feeling that neither the characters nor the director is overanalyzing the plot. The film is rich in content and the plot is logical that included an ensemble of great cast that gave compelling performances. The plot resembles scepticism and the ambiance of the film brings to mind the film Dr. Strangelove. Levinson succeeds in creating a character-driven film wherein the plot becomes a backdrop for the characters rather than the vice-versa. With an ensemble of great actors that gave a splendid performance, the film becomes relatable and more believable that audiences tend to think twice making the film a social commentary, a black comedy and also a cautionary tale of the potential dangers that could result from a political-induced media frenzy. (Mandissa, 90) Although the film is a comedy, it is straightforward and the splendid acting supported by the seamless continuity of the scenes and the smooth-flowing dialogues adds to the realistic aspects of the film that stirs the minds of the audiences if what they are watching is based on true events and if not, its possibility that this could happen in real life or has already happened or is happening right now. The film is shocking and an eye-opened that is trying to prove the human error in the political system and the media billed as credible.

Exploratory Paper On Political Ideology History Essay

Exploratory Paper On Political Ideology History Essay Political ideology is defined as a set of ideals and principles created for social order. Thus, after much consideration and deliberation, I chose to work on Political Ideology. Politics appeals to me because I have been intrigued by how it can inspire the masses with powerful rhetorics by charismatic personalities. President Barack Obama is a political leader whom I greatly admire for his oratory eloquence displayed during his maiden speeches in the U.S. Presidential Elections 2008. I was captivated by his Yes We Can! speech which moves the crowd to disperse all doubts about their future and believing that America will succeed under his leadership. Marxism-Leninism and Maoism are communism by nature but takes on a different form to cater to the circumstances in their respective countries, Russia and China. Marxism-Leninism is a political ideology that is based on Valdimir Lenins writing on the ideas of Karl Marx. Marxism advocates socialism while being heavily critical on capitalism which he believes is the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, which means a society run by the upper echelons of society to their own benefit. His idea of socialism is that the society will be run by the working class known as the dictatorship of the proletariat. Marxs ideas were heavily influenced by the class struggle in society. One significant event that epitomises Marxism-Leninism ideology would be the 1917 October revolution in Petrograd, currently known as St. Petersburg. Valdimir Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik (communist) Party that toppled the Russian Provisional government and created a new form of Russia called Soviet Russia which borrowed Marxism ideologies along with it. The Bolshevik won over the support of the majority of the workers and soldiers because of the repressive and autocratic ruling by the imperialist Tsar which resulted in declining economic and social conditions. The working class was unhappy with long working hours, overcrowded housing problems with poor sanitary control, low wages which was made worst by increases in cost of living due to Russias involvement in World War one at that time. Thus Lenin-led Bolshevik appealed to the masses and faced little resistance when they staged a coup, occupying government buildings and strategic points. In China, Maoism is a political ideology that straddles along the Marxism-Leninist line. Peasants and farming forms the fundamental and building blocks of a socialist society. The difference between Lenins Russia and Maos China is dictatorship of the working class while another is the dictatorship of the peasants. Mao Zedong rise to the top of the Chinese Communist Party was nothing short of spectacular. He was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 and was actively involved in spreading Marxist ideas to the peasants in his hometown of Hunan Province. The most significant event in the history of communist China is The Long March in 1934-1935. During the Zunyi conference, Zhou Enlai was ousted as the Chief Political Officer of the party while Mao Zedong was elected Chairman of the Politburo with backings from the military leaders and he has never relinquished his position since. Mao Zedong was credited for unifying China as a Peoples Republic and away from imperialism (Qing Dynasty) and feudalism (War-Lords). Also, the Long March gave the Chinese Communist Party the reputation that they are willing to endure hardship for the people and to formulate policies on land reform that would reduce the plight of Chinese peasants thus gaining wide support from the peasants. Another difference from Marxism-Leninism is the deep belief that man can prevail in harsh conditions and achieved things through strong willpower. He personally pushed through this ideology during the Great Leap Forward (1958-1960) and the Cultural Revolution (1968-1976). Maoism ideologies can also be found in Peru and Nepal. Locally, Singapore also had brushes with communist in the past. The Barisan Socialis was a former left-wing political party formed in 1961 by former members of the PAP (Peoples Action Party) and led by Dr Lee Siew Choh and Lim Chin Siong. The party was accused by the PAP to be a communist front and deemed a threat to national security which resulted in many Barisan Socialis members arrested and imprisoned without trial during operation coldstore by the internal security department. Singapore, widely regarded as a democratic society, would be understandably not be tolerant of the Barisan Socialis, supposedly advocates of communism since that would be conflict of political ideologies. However, based on an extract below, I felt that it could be reasons of a partisan nature. In a recently declassified Colonial office papers, Baron Philip Moore, who was Deputy High Commissioner of Britain in Singapore from 1963 to 1965, was quoted as saying: He (Lee) went on to suggest that in order to avoid the Communists taking over, he would create a situation in which the UK Commissioner would be force to suspend the Constitution. This might be done either by the Singapore Government inviting a Russian trade mission to Singapore thus forcing a constitutional crisis, or by instigating riots and disorder, requiring the intervention of British troops. I did however, form the impression that he was quite certain he would lose a general election and was seriously toying with the thought of forcing British intervention in order to prevent his political enemies from forming a government. (CO 1030/1149 p.95, para 3) In history, after revolutions for a change in political ideology, there would be power struggle for leadership as can be seen in the Chinese Communist Party. Mao Zedong wiped out all that threatens his position as leader and started the Cultural Revolution. In the Soviet Union, after Lenins death, Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky fought for power to lead. In the end, Stalin ordered the assassination of Trotsky. The lesson to be learned from history is that power struggles for leadership happens before, during and after a revolution. Leaders clinging to power would use all means to consolidate their status by eliminating political rivals. It is no difference regardless of political ideologies.