Arguments Against Chinua Acebes An Image of Africa Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness free essay sample

Literature and Composition 6 March 2013 An Image of Africa: Not Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ People of dark skin have been wrongly discriminated against by racists for hundreds of years. From the first time Europeans stepped onto Africa and deemed black skin inferior till now, black people have been fighting for the right to be called equal. During the last century Africans have made great strides in fighting against racism. Many black leaders have risen up and confronted those racist against them. However, there are also times when people have gotten up in arms and have attacked others over misunderstandings. An example of this is Chinua Achebe’s essay â€Å"An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness,’† in which he attacks Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. In his essay, Achebe presents several reasons as to why Conrad is racist in his novel and why Conrad is a racist himself. Although Achebe is a celebrated author and is called the â€Å"father of African literature,† his reasons for calling Conrad and his book racist are unjust and flawed. Although his essay is titled, â€Å"Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness,’† Achebe sets out to prove that both Conrad and his book are full of racism. To do this he opens his essay by stating that Heart of Darkness creates an image of Africa as the opposite of civilization; the opposite of Europe. Afterward, he makes several points to prove Conrad’s racism. Achebe heavily criticizes Conrad’s diction and questions the use of certain words. He states that Conrad enjoyed things that stayed in their place, implying that Conrad wanted black people to â€Å"stay in their place† under the white man. He says that because the main character, Marlow, is racist, Conrad is racist. He chastises Conrad’s depiction of the continent even though he has been there himself. Achebe even brings in different sources to prove Conrad’s racism, managing to use quotes from the missionary Albert Schweitzer to support his argument. Although the amount of evidence Achebe has is plentiful, many of his assertions are exaggerated, extreme, and just incorrect. Many of his arguments have one of two things wrong about them; he either has faulty logic or fails to take into consideration crucial factors that happen to contradict his ideas. Throughout his essay, Achebe continually presents ideas that have numerous flaws and can be very easily argued against. One of Achebe’s main ideas behind his essay is the idea that Marlow’s and Conrad’s thoughts and racisms are one in the same. He believes that Conrad’s attempt to distance the ideologies of Marlow and himself through the use of two narrators is â€Å"totally wasted because he neglects to hint however subtly or tentatively at an alternative frame of reference by which we may judge the actions and opinions of his characters† (Achebe 5). It is a good thing Achebe did not pursue a career in law because he has deemed a man guilty on the charge that he has not declared himself innocent. Simply put, Achebe believes that because Conrad has not given another source from where his character’s opinions could have come from, those opinions must have come from his frame of reference. Achebe is simply jumping to conclusions without proper evidence. He does this several more times while making a lengthy argument about how Conrad’s depiction of Africa is racist. When Conrad describes Africa Achebe argues that he makes it far too primordial than it should be. He supports this idea by presenting an event that happened shortly after Conrad wrote his book. An event in which a European man is given a mask by a native, who then shows the mask to Europe’s top artists. Achebe then says, â€Å"The event [†¦] marks the beginning of cubism and the infusion of new life into European art [†¦. ] The point of all this is to suggest that Conrad’s picture of the people of Congo seems grossly inadequate† (8). This is another example of Achebe jumping to conclusions. While fine art is a symbol of refinement and sophistication in Western countries, the same cannot be said about Africa. The art of one tribe does not make all of Africa more civilized and refined if other tribes continue to cannibalize each other. It makes no sense for Achebe to stretch his information so far to come to this conclusion. It also makes no sense for Achebe to question Conrad’s description of the continent while Conrad has made the trip into the country. Achebe says, â€Å"I will not accept just any traveler’s tales solely on the grounds that I have not made the journey myself† (7). Achebe has never been to the Congo like Conrad has, yet he has the audacity to question what Conrad witnessed there while Achebe’s father was a baby. Achebe accuses Conrad of depicting Africa incorrectly without having ever having stepped foot into the continent, which makes him even more clueless to the Africa of Conrad’s age. He declares that Conrad of making Africans seem more savage than they actually were, while unable to even imagine how they were so long ago. Achebe charges Conrad with racism and ignorance while completely dismissing his own. Although Achebe is a celebrated author, at many points during this essay his arguments are weak, even pathetic because of the irrational conclusions that he comes to. This gives a preview to the carelessness of his essay that becomes evident upon further inspection. In his essay Achebe seems to forget to (or chooses not to) discuss many factors that go against his argument. He states that Conrad enjoys things that stay in their place. Achebe believes that the African’s proper place is found when Conrad writes about Kurtz’s African mistress. He says, â€Å"She was a savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent [†¦] She stood looking at us without a stir and like the wilderness itself, with an air of brooding over an inscrutable purpose† (142). According to Achebe, Conrad believes that the African’s place is one that is wild and close enough to look at from â€Å"civilization† but distant enough to be separated well. Thus, Achebe implies that Conrad wants Africans to stay in their proper place, where the wildness is far from the Europeans. However, this argument is invalid when considering how Marlow feels about Kurtz. Marlow is unsure about how to feel about Kurtz, but he certainly does not hate Kurtz and has decided to side with Kurtz at the end of the book, so it can be assumed Kurtz is closer to Marlow’s good side than not. However, Marlow describes Kurtz as having no place. He says, â€Å"There was nothing either above or below him, and I knew it. He had kicked himself loose of the earth† (149). Marlow says this because he knows Kurtz is between Europe and Africa. Kurtz has no real place in the world, but Marlow has sided with him. Since Achebe has equated Marlow’s thoughts to Conrad’s, Marlow should hate Kurtz, but he does not. Thus, when Kurtz is taken in as a factor this argument is null and void, much like when Achebe attempts to compare Albert Schweitzer to Conrad. Achebe writes, â€Å"Albert Schweitzer, who sacrificed brilliant careers in music and theology in Europe for a life of service to Africans in much the same area as Conrad writes about, epitomizes ambivalence. In a comment which has often been quoted, Schweitzer says, ‘The African is indeed my brother but my junior brother’† (5). He then continues to criticize Conrad for only go as far to call the African his kin, not his brother. By the standard of Achebe’s day this sentiment could most definitely be considered racist; however, Achebe fails to take into account the simple fact that the standards of his day cannot be applied to Conrad. Conrad is from a much different time, where white men were raised to believe that black men were under them. For him to consider them kin is already a radical thought. Achebe seems to want to ignore the fact that he is criticizing a book written seventy years prior, as he makes this mistake once again. Achebe quotes Conrad’s account of his first encounter with a black man. Achebe writes: â€Å"A certain enormous buck nigger encountered in Haiti fixed my conception of blind, furious, unreasoning rage, as manifested in the human animal to the end of my days. Of the nigger I used to dream for years afterward. † Certainly Conrad had a problem with niggers. His inordinate love of the word itself should be of interest to psychoanalysts. (6) In this excerpt Conrad speaks of only one black man, not of all men of the color, thus it is wrong to assume that he has a problem with â€Å"niggers† from this passage. As far as his use of the word â€Å"nigger,† Achebe seems to ignore the fact the word was used quite commonly during the time period. Even in Achebe’s time the word is used very often in certain areas. Furthermore, the word â€Å"nigger† is used 219 times in Mark Twain’s the Adventures of Huck Finn, yet Mark Twain was one of the greatest advocates for the humanity of African-Americans of his time. In his essay â€Å"An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’† Chinua Achebe makes many points to support his idea that Joseph Conrad and his book, Heart of Darkness are racist. However, many of these points are not very good ones. Although his intentions are good, he is blinded by his quest to attack racists and ended up putting an innocent man, who also had good intentions, under fire.

Risk Taking free essay sample

Taking In our lives, it is important to exercise self-command. However, we should not be so concerned with the future that we stifle the present. The question becomes what balance should we strike between self-command and risks? What kinds of risks are acceptable or unacceptable? In this essay, we will use two examples of risks to show the distinction between the two and arrive at a conclusion as to the balance one should have between risk and self command. The first example we will use Is of a person who spends his life savings on a lottery ticket and does not win the lottery.The second Is of a person who spends his life savings on a hunch regarding a cure for AIDS, a hunch that Is false. Before we make this adolescently, however, It Is necessary to define the terms acceptable and unacceptable risks. Acceptable and unacceptable Risks There are several ways in which one could define which risks are acceptable. We will write a custom essay sample on Risk Taking or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One could say, for example, that the only acceptable risk is one for which the odds of success are greater than the odds of failure. Another definition of acceptable risk might be a risk that does not harm ones future. We might also say that the only acceptable risk is one where the aggregate happiness is increased, thus increasing the moral good of the risk, an idea which is based on John Stuart Mills utilitarianism. Finally, we might define a morally good risk in a Kantian way by saying that the only acceptable risk is one which is rationally thought out (Thomas, lecture). Now that we have several definitions of acceptable risks, we may ask how these definitions, which seem piecemeal and unrelated, can all combine to form one definition of acceptable risk.The best way to do this is to examine the two cases that lie before us and relate the definitions to them. In the process of doing so, we will determine which risk is acceptable and which is not. Risks in the example: the lottery and the AIDS cure If the average person on the street were presented with the case of spending ones life savings on a lottery ticket and losing or spending the same sum on a false hunch regarding an AIDS cure, he or she would probably come up with several answers.For the most part though, all the answers would be consistent with one Idea: the AIDS cure Is simply worth more and thus Is a more acceptable risk. There might be several reasons for this. One could assume, for example, that the only errors who would attempt to cure AIDS would be a doctor with sufficient experience In the field. It would follow, then, that the odds of finding a cure for AIDS would be much greater than the odds of winning the lottery. To win the lottery, one has to draw 6 numbers out of 46 (a probability that is very low).However, curing AIDS with would be a greater moral good because it is less risk involved in it than in trying to win the lottery. This case, although quite valid, is not very interesting. In fact, we have solved it rather rapidly. The more interesting case, and the one we will consider n depth here, is the case in which one has no medical experience whatsoever, but still attempts to find a cure. Furthermore, we will set the odds such that one has a better chance of winning the lottery than finding a cure for AIDS.Yet, I will still show that, regardless of the greater chance of failure, the attempt at an AIDS cure is still has more moral worth than the purchase of the lottery ticket, even though both result in failure. Why does the spending ones life savings on an AIDS cure have more moral worth (which makes it a more acceptable risk) than spending the same sum on a tottery ticket, when the numerical odds of being successful are the same? Why bother, since in the end, the result is the same?The answer lies in Mills definition of a moral good, that which is done to increase the common happiness (Mill, Utilitarianism). The AIDS cure is something that will increase the common happiness, while a person winning the lottery generally will only increase his or her happiness. This is almost obvious. Certainly, if I was to win the lottery, I would increase my happiness greatly, but the increase in the general happiness would be negligible. However, if I were to find a cure for AIDS, it would greatly increase the general happiness.Masses of suffering people and their loved ones would be much happier. Even though my attempt was unsuccessful, it would still be greatly appreciated. Just the thought of a cure would have given hope to what could otherwise be a bleak existence. The mere possibility of being saved from an almost certain death would increase several victims happiness. We see this today, when, each time a new drug that delays the progression of AIDS is approved, people flock to it. That such things re not cures and that some of them do not offer guarantees (indeed, many are experimental) is almost insignificant.

Foundations of the Living Science of Moral Theology

Foundations of the Living Science of Moral Theology Whether God really exists or not is something beyond human conception. However, this belief has lived with human beings since time immemorial. People have ever since live with the conception that God exists such that people tend to associate everything happening in their lives.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Foundations of the Living Science of Moral Theology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In most cases, the existence of god is questioned during difficult times or calamities. Further, the inequalities that have persisted with human nature put to the fore the Christian teachings that God care for all that everyone are equal before God. Moreover, those things that are beyond human explanation are directly related to the super natural nature of god Gennaro, like those who have gone through difficulties also questioned the existence of God. In the novel, he criticized the inequalities that are ever present in human ex istence. He asked why he could undergo such problems yet others just like him are doing better. He questioned the care that god provide to humans and the equality before the eyes of God. However, after facing such difficulties he came to realize that God works in different ways. Moreover, Gennaro claim that god rewards but in a slow process that human beings could hardly understand1. Engulfed in the memory of the painful past, Gennaro argue that human beings may involve in sin without their knowledge. Sometimes it is the circumstances that force people to act contrary to the expectations of God or fellow human beings.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More God, with his supernatural knowledge knew that human beings have sinful orientation therefore they need redemption. Christians must accept that in as much as they would want to be holy, sin cannot be avoided. The only wa y they can remain holy is through redemption. Gennaro argue that sanctification or purification is required since most of the since human beings commit are unknown to them. In Christianity, there are different types of doctrines which people have to believe including the doctrine of redemption and sanctity. The main principle behind these doctrines is the acceptance that human beings cannot escape sin. According to the Christian teachings, sin cannot be avoided and therefore human beings must be redeemed. Sanctification is the ability of God to purify sins through the gracious nature of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is the doctrine that makes us believe in the holiness of God. According to the biblical teachings, the holiness of God is beyond reproach and because God is holy he requires those in fellowship with him to be holy. It is the God’s work that makes human beings holy2. In a more complete way, sanctification is the holy spirits gracious operations, concerning our an swerable contribution, through which we are delivered from the contamination of transgression, replenish our complete personality in accordance to the reflection of God and make it possible for us to exist in a way that are gratifying to him. In other words, sanctification is the practice in which human beings are transformed accordance with the likeness of God and obey the rules of Christ.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Foundations of the Living Science of Moral Theology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sanctification work has been attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit. Gennaro came to realize the work of sanctification after he started to see light. In the prescribed manner, dedication is to help us be as secretive as possible rather than being disrespectful. However, this is the dissimilar phase of consecration that sets distant the decent surroundings or measures of the advocates. This is the moral foundati on that Gennaro was arguing about. That is, after all the sinful acts, believers became the few select after sanctification. Once human beings have been purifies from the sinful acts of the past, they are kept secret by the Holy Spirit. Any evil activity may easily be avoided or that evil that may have existed during the redemption automatically falls. Gennaro believed that the only way people can be purified from evil is through being one with Christ. The novel clearly indicates to us that human sanctification takes place when they are in union with the Christ and by means of truth. It is the truth of God that is being applied to the lives of human beings that they are made holy and free from sin. Generally Gennaro argued that it is the Gods graciousness that human beings are redeemed from their sins and sanctified3. Many people including some Christians hardly believe that God really exists. According to me, this contradicts the scripture teachings. In fact, when one is in trouble and encounters the dark side of life, he or she questions whether God cares and if He actually knows that humanity exists. At this point, it is important to know that lack of faith and doing evil things makes us feel that God hates us. If we have chilling memories about our painful past, we attribute that to imaginary God who does not care and love His creations.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, if both the past and present moments are crowned with good things and happy occasions, we tend to attribute such occurrences to the transcendence of God’s love and care. Based on spiritual principles of moral theology, these could be attributed to being spiritually immature and the resurgence of faint love for God. To know how to cope up with painful past, hate and love as well as in both darkness and light, we need to understand the basis of moral theology with respect to our cooperation with God’s operations4. Our cooperation and God’s operations The sanctification process should be observed as an operation where all believers become dynamically engaged in the word of God. In fact, as Christians we know that God is our creator, redeemer and sanctifier. The consecration procedure is essentially Almighty’s cordial work through which He functions so as to put together the humanity to match to Jesus likeness and become blessed. Thus, we ought to co mpletely understand that people only become holy through God’s permission. In the scripture, Jesus really prayed that God should sanctify whoever believed in Him. In truth and consistent with the scripture, this was the primary occasion when the son of deity initiated the idea of supporters being redeemed and blessed. From Half-Wits, Fr. Peter Genaro believes that people do have brighter days and enjoy better life on in darkness. Such past occurrences are attributed to God’s love, care and acts. When we encounter grotesques and devastating evils, we attributed these to lack of loving, caring, sanctifying and redeeming God. The moral theology according to the Bible tells us that, the sanctifying task is carried out by God. However, the sanctification process requires us to be vigorously engaged through cooperating with the Almighty who works in us. We are obliged to cooperate with God who works in us if anything good has to happen to us. Furthermore, the scripture tells us not to conform to the humankind but rather transform through renewing our minds. Evidently, questioning whether God really cares, loves, redeems, creates and sanctifies hardly helps the human race. In fact, Fr. Peter Genaro as a believer encourages us that we should responsibly take part in the work God which is geared towards transforming each and every believer into Christ’s image. When faced with challenging moments and hardships, we need to cleanse ourselves from all spirits and body defilements. This implies that, when we actively engage in the operations of God within us, we will surely be redeemed and sanctified by the Almighty. This will enable us to forget the painful past and chilling memories which draw us back and take us far away from God5. Works and faith In conclusion, we might produce good works which hardly justify our deeds and ourselves. This shows that we cannot be redeemed and sanctified because of the good works we have done. When cooperate with God as He works in us, we are bound to being sanctified. Sanctifications and redemption is come as a result of the fruits materializing from the sanctified and redeemed lives. Therefore, we need to know that God frees His people from being polluted by sins. God conform us into Christ’s image to allow human race to live as He had planned. When the Holy Spirit also known as God operates in us, we are blamed for failure to freely take part in all the actions. Indeed, God cares, loves, redeems, sanctifies and guides His creation. He is not happy seeing us living in the darkness and languishing in chilling memories because of being spiritually immature and having faint hearts6. Bibliography Goggins, Gerard. Half-Wits. Worcester, MA: Ambassador Books Incorporated, 2001. Pinckaers, Servais. Sources of Christian Ethics. CUA Press: Washington D.C, 1995. Footnotes 1 Goggins Gerard, Half-Wits (Worcester, MA: Ambassador Books Incorporated, 2001), 56. 2 Pinckaers Servais, Sources of Christian Ethics (CUA Press: Washington D.C, 1995), 91. 3 Goggins Gerard, Half-Wits (Worcester, MA: Ambassador Books Incorporated, 2001), 62. 4 Pinckaers Servais, Sources of Christian Ethics (CUA Press: Washington D.C, 1995), 93. 5 Pinckaers Servais, Sources of Christian Ethics (CUA Press: Washington D.C, 1995), 93. 6 Goggins Gerard, Half-Wits (Worcester, MA: Ambassador Books Incorporated, 2001), 62.

New technologies effect on The Work Force Essay

New technologies effect on The Work Force - Essay Example In fact this contradictory attitude resides in all of us. While, at one hand, we wish for things to be easier, newer, faster i.e. changes in our immediate surroundings but on the other hand, we want to stick to the old, the familiar, to the routine -i.e. we resist change. It is because change forces us to leave our comfort zone for a zone of uncertainty and doubt. And this would mean that our self-image, self-confidence and our relationships with others and our selves would change. We might have felt very competent, confident, relaxed, self-assured in our work and surroundings, however technology might change this all for ever. We might feel less productive, creative; effective and our image of ourselves as a rock by the sea simply change into that of an insignificant pebble. Thus technology affects our psychological balance, which is the main reason behind the resistance shown by work force at work place when new technology is introduced. As technology takes place of much of human manual work, an individual's contact with the finished good is diminished. This results in feelings of alienation and un- satisfaction as individuals feel they have not accomplished much or they have not contributed significantly in the production of goods or in image creation of the company. They feel insignificant, unsuccessful and frustrated in their work places and towards technology. They suffer from feelings of resentment and frustration towards technology, which they see as their enemy who has "stolen" their jobs, their sense of pride, accomplishment and worthiness. And it doesn't end here, the fear, anxiety and apprehension is there to stay in their minds and in the ambience of the work place forever, as technology continues to advance unceasingly. ("Social Effects of Technology") This has been well explained by Kurt Lewin in his "change theory", which was further elaborated by Edgar Schein. It is also known as the "unfreezing-change-refreeze" theory, which explains why people reject new technology, or learning in a workplace, how companies should be prepared for this and how they should manage the whole change process so that change finally becomes the part of the system completely acceptable to everyone. (Wirth, 2004) The first stage is known as the "unfreezing" stage where people need to be motivated for change. This explains why people initially resist change and how they can be prepared for the change, nonetheless. He believed that the behavior pattern of human beings is based on what they have learned from past observations and from their surroundings or culture. Any change, for example technological change, means that either new element are added into these past or existing surroundings or some of the elements to removed from them forever. He, further, argued that people would only accept change on three conditions. The first situation is where there already exists dissatisfaction and resentment towards present conditions. This means that individuals are unable to derive their sense of pr

Reflective paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reflective paper - Essay Example Moreover, the nurse’s functions include the various challenges in the provision of care, including the ethical considerations, the various issues in the expansion of roles and the need to secure adequate communication tools with the clients (Johns and Freshwater, 2005). Communication barriers are some of the issues which can make the health care delivery process particularly challenging for nurses and other health professionals. This paper aims to evaluate the management of challenging communication interactions in association with cultural issues. It shall focus on my encounter with a Chinese client who spoke little English. This assessment shall use Johns structured reflective framework model by considering critical reflection based on the main issues of the incident and the possible improvements which could have been implemented to ensure better patient outcomes (Johns, 2009). During my placement in the mental health unit, I was assigned various patients and was subsequently informed that one of my patients spoke little English and was suffering from major depressive disorder. She was under antidepressants and was also under suicide watch because she recently attempted suicide. She is 65 years old and recently lost her home and her business in China to a fire. She was brought to Australia by one of her children and was now living with them, but was having a hard time adjusting to life in Australia. In one of the encounters with her, I went in to her room to keep her company as she was on suicide watch and she turned aggressive, she wanted to push me out of the door because she wanted to be alone. I managed to convince her that I would just be sitting with her, but even with my attempts to speak to her, she refused to communicate with me. Our language barrier failed to reassure her or provide her any comfort. She had a

Example Answers to Questions on LVMH

Example Answers to Questions on LVMH LVMH is known as global giant who is famous for its luxury product. The company is based in Paris France, with strength of more than fifty six thousand employees from all parts of the world, the total number of employees include just the 33 percent from France. The foundation of company was laid down with 50 luxury brands in the year 1987, now the organisation is decentralized and they are grown and passing through different stages of organisation evaluation and achieving different landmarks in their business. All the main offices and head quarter of the company is at the capital city of France, but the organisation can be called as multi culture because they include persons in the higher management and staff from different backgrounds, cultures and countries. Structure and Operations of LVMH LVMH is a group of fifty different companies who have about 450 subsidiaries in different locations round the globe; every company has its own way of doing their business with their president and the process through which they have set up that which subsidiary will report to whom. The management of LVMH has divided different business operations into five zones globally; following are the five zones of LVMH business France America Europe Asia Pacific and Japan To achieve the business standards and improved organisational quality the LVMH uses different approaches at different business zones, but the most common and most widely used is international mobility, they believe in international mobility of their higher management and skilled staff, which include vertical and horizontal moves within the organisation and geographical placement at different business locations and business zones. Working with different cultural environments is very necessary for global organisations like LVMH, they need to develop their employees skills and competencies to smoothly operate in multi cultural environment, but lucky most of their expatriates are internationally experienced so this is not to difficult task for the higher management of LVMH to work in multi cultural environment. But they do provide pre departure and post arrival training to all of their expatriates and international mobile staff about the cultural values and other necessary information which they have to deal with during their stay in the country. Introduction to Task 1 Indentify three key HRM activities in LVMH and discuss how they fit into overall corporate objectives of the company. Argue which model of HRM LVMH deploys and why? Identification of HRM Activities The three key HRM activities which I have identified from the LVMH case study are following Recruitment and Selection Career development and International Mobility (T D) Employees Appraisal System Recruitment and Selection (R S) As LVMH is a global giant with global operation, it is necessary for LVMH to have talented staff to retain their global position as giant and provide their customers good services in order to have a good name for the organisation. At start LVMH human resource department was sometime lacking in international experience, competing in a global environment, so LVMH decide to attract, develop and retain managers with global experience (by 2001 it had 260 expatriates and 650 other employees working in a country not their own) To achieve the corporate goals LVMH is following a very comprehensive and realistic approach i.e. the LVMH subsidiaries HR directors coordinate with the business groups through monthly meetings, in order to identify the vacant positions throughout the world and also study the list of potential candidates within organisation who has potential to progress through new assignment within the year. After that vacant positions are announced on the company website, so anyone can apply for that position worldwide, so LVMH attract professionals from all over the world not just for economic benefits but through exciting career development opportunities, which help LVMH is getting professionals from all over the world and achieve their corporate goals. Career Development and International Mobility (T D) From its creation LVMH is an international organisation, and to meet the needs of an international organisation, they were lacking in their human resources and their international management skills. E.g. in 1987 too many mangers were not fluent in English so the management sought to create a team of managers with working knowledge of international market. To have a professionally trained international class team it is important to have plans for career development of employees. At LVMH they dont focus too much on formal trainings but instead of that they prefer Mobility, mobility like vertical, horizontal and geographical moves in organisation, In order to polish their skills and get experienced in an international environment, like once a French insurance specialist in the fashion business unit was sent to Romania to head a shoe factory. To have an international business specialist management team LVMH focuses on international mobility instead of expatriation, because a person sent from UK to France is more likely to return and work in UK with good experience got their in France. The international mobility policy is a part of career development which requires the training of global mangers on limited time basis. The HR department convince a manager to become internationally mobile by offering them more challenging job with more freedom to perform his task than home. One positive aspect of LVMH international mobility is to take risk in order to develop high potentials. LVMH has two type of high potentials HP1 and HP2, an HP1 is an individual going to have top management position (like board of director) while HP2 is an employee go a step or higher in management hierarchy. Employees Appraisal System Appraisals done properly are an honest attempt to appraise someones current performance (i.e. behaviour) and to help them identify how to improve. (Honey, Peter Improve your people skills, second edition, 09) Appraisal is required to recognize ones work and get your employees motivated and stick on to the organisational goals. Most of the organisations have a systematic way of appraisal like once in year, after accomplishment of a task. At LVMH performance appraisal system is not only based on results but also to propose and implement new ideas. A very good approach to appraise someone is to appraise ones ideas, because it is not necessary that the top level management can just produce good ideas, newly employed young and energetic people can produce ideas which may be not based on experience, but through the latest and updated knowledge and resources they have (like technology). So LVMH try to achieve their corporate goals and objectives through appraisal system. Which HRM Model LVMH deploys LVMH has deployed the European model of human resource management i.e. Best Fit model. Because in best fit model organisation identify HR strategies that fit their business e.g. market, labour, size and structure of the organisation. Justification of using Best Fit model At LVMH they have different HR activities which clearly state that which model they have deployed in their organisation. If we take the example of International Mobilization the concept behind this is Best Fit as Boxall and Purcell described decisions over selection / recruitment, development and training are strategic in nature and have to be harmonised with corporate strategy. LVMH is working in different countries dealing with different cultural people, as HR activities vary from cultured people, as HR activities vary from cultural to cultural, so using the best fit approach they deal each country / subsidiary in the way which best fit them. At LVMH the HR strategies and business strategies are inter dependent, which is according to definition of (Armstrong, 2003) states that best fit approach is Inter-dependence between HR strategies and business strategies. Introduction to Task 2 The requirement from this task is to provide information on the key approaches that how LVMH manages its employees training and development. What are the strengths and weaknesses of their system and provide recommendations to LVMH board of Directors on how to improve its strategy towards TD of its staff management. Training and Development Training is the process of altering employee behaviour and attitudes in a way that increase the probability of goal attainment [1] or we can define training as the formal and systematic modification of behaviour through learning which occurs as a result of education, instruction, development and planned experience [2]. Development is any learning activity which is directed toward future needs rather than present needs, and which is concerned more with growth than immediate performance [2]. How LVMH ensure their employees T D To ensure their employees skill development and equipped them with latest skills and knowledge of management LVMH has a variety of training and development programs. The main focus of all these activities is on to prepare their employees to meet the high market challenges and to ensure the achievement of their organisational goals and objectives through proper utilization of human resources. Following are the key approaches which LVMH use for their employees training and development. International Mobility Career Management (Organisational Management Review OMR) Inter Cultural training International Mobility At LVMH international mobility is an activity for gaining high career mile stones, and develop manager to take the global management positions and enable them to work at a multi cultural and out of their home countries. International mobility is likely to entail a radical functional move. Through international mobility the managers are put into new situations to help them develop new skills and prove their courage. Through international mobility LVMH try to identify the potential individuals who are ready to go for an international assignment and have capabilities to carry out the duties of expatriates. The company provide so many opportunities to its international mobile staff, it attract mangers to international assignments through exciting career development prospects and not through economic incentives, even though its incentive program is competitive. This is a part of career development, they dont dispatch expatriates because of a lack of local talent but they international mobile employees have to fulfil two profiles , one is to those sent by the headquarter to control its subsidiaries and protect its interests and the other is to ensure information, organisational business and to harmonize the procedures. Career Management (Organisational Management Review OMR) To provide their employees an insight into their career development LVMH has a career management process which is known as Organisational and Management Review (OMR). This is an annual process in which the HR objectives of the company are reviewed and set the organisational need for the next three years, that which employees need what sort of trainings and list the potential employees ready for international assignments and to prepare them and train them for the top management position. They use the OMR for maintaining the list of the candidates ready to move and assess their current development. Inter Cultural training To become an internationally mobile or expatriate the employees of LVMH needs intercultural training to adjust quickly, because international position usually has to be filled very quickly, which leaves little time for intercultural training. LVMH normally chose those employees to become internationally mobile / expatriates who has some past experience of international environment. They are extending training to both the employees and his or her family, and for time being both pre departure and post arrival training limited to just language training, which LVMH needs to extend to properly prepare their employees for the position of expatriate. Recommendation for LVMH Board of Directors Keeping in view the above discussion about the training and development in LVMH, I will recommend the board of Directors of LVMH as As LVMH believes in international mobility, and select those employees who has some past international experience, but that is not enough to hold an international management position. So it is recommended to start a structured long term training program to develop a pool of employees for international mobility. When an employee is going to take position as expatriate he / she should be provided enough time to get trained about that country culture, people life style, management styles preferred in that country and the environment of business. LVMH has the opportunity to have proper training and development courses for their support staff and non managerial employees to improve the standard of their daily organisational and business activities. Introduction to Task 3 The requirement from this task is to apply Balance Scorecard to LVMH, and critically review the performance of HR and provide suggestion that how to improve their HR performance. What is Balance Scorecard This system is used by good and large scale organisation for the strategic planning of their business, and is widely used in the business organisation, government institutions and some of the large scale nongovernmental organisations in order to improve the level of their business strategies and align that with their organisation vision, improve the standard of communication in and outside the organisation, and how to monitor their performance keeping in mind the business goals and strategic objectives of the business. Balance Scorecard for LVMH To maintain a balance score card for the LVMH following issues / topic of the HR will be addressed in the balance score card, and the will provide ideas on how to monitor the performance of the HR department. Learning and Growth Perspective Internal Perspective Financial Perspective Learning and Growth Perspective Objectives: Improve the standard of learning of HR staff in making the strategies and deciding the corporate goals, and make them able to be sent on international assignments. Description: Make the HR staff able for international mobility. Corporate Objectives Performance Measures Identification of the candidates who have enough skills, competencies and confidence to become and international mobile officer. Complete the progress and perfromace reports of all employees. Identification of the HR skills of all staff of the HR departments and also for others. Verification and validation of all the HR skills of employees time by time. Actions: Objectives: improve the attachments and dedication of HR staff toward the organizational goals and objectives of the LVMH Description: what are the weaknesses and strengths of the HR department employees, and what activities are needed to improve the skills and competencies of the employees? Corporate Objectives Performance Measures Testing and validation of the HR staff performance and focusing on the weak areas which needs to be improved. Organization special procedures for the maintenance of the employees personal and professional skills record. Actions: Objectives: Modeling and creation of the performance management indicators and improving the standard of communication within the organization. Description: to develop the new systems and those which are already in practice in the industry, or implementation of the standard procedures for the performance management and communication improve the communication. Corporate Objectives Performance Measures Improve the individual alignment and attachment with the strategic plan of the organization by providing them incentives Improve the standards of already implemented communication. Create an implementation plan to model best practices Take the staff on board while deciding all these issues, and take their opinion through survey or some other activity, and make them realize that this for their improvement, and value their feedback. Actions: Internal Perspective Objectives: enhance the employees commitment with organization, and make them proud to be a part of LVMH Description: Satisfy the employees being a part of LVMH, and make them realize that LVMH cares for them. Actions: Corporate Objectives Performance Measures Make the LVMH a good place for work with. Design good strategies for employees involvement and satisfaction. Give attention to employees survey results and feedback. Evaluate the turnover data. Objectives: making the recruitment process effective Description: develop new and enhance the existing recruitment process to make this dream a reality that right person on right place at right time Actions: Corporate Objectives Performance Measures What are the key area of working with LVMH Make the use of technology in recruiting process Integrate good employer story and branding efforts into recruiting Look at the turnover rate How much customers are satisfied with the organization employees. How much management is satisfied with employee performance? How can LVMH improve their HR performance? As LVMH is a global giant doing operation in different countries with a group of 50 companies and 450 subsidiaries, they have very good approach to manage their employees all over the world, and ensure the personal and professional growth throw different activities arranged by the HR department of LVMH. After studying the case study there are some HR activities and operations which can be make much more influential in achieving the organizational goals and objectives. The HR department may start management courses for their middle level and primary level management team, to ensure their growth to take over the future top level management positions Employees ready for international mobility should be given proper training before they go on assignment, though LVMH provide some pre departure and post arrival training but it is needed to have a very structured training program which provide complete knowledge and information on how to work as expatriate. The process of inter-cultural training has much more potential, so the training should be extended to subsidiaries level to make a pool of employees aware of the different cultural values and available for any cross cultural assignments. LVMH needs extend their recruitment and selection process not just to those countries where the company is in operation, to global recruitment and selection in order to get a big pool of potential candidates from all over the world and then select the appropriate individuals on the basis of merit which best suit the organizational goals and strategy.

Slave Acculturation Essay -- American History

Slave Acculturation The seasoning process, as applied to the treatment of plantation slaves, was designed to ensure not only that the slaves would become totally dependent upon the dictates of their owners but also to destroy the cultural links which the slaves had with their former homelands. In the West African kingdoms which provided one of the major source of slaves at the height of the triangle trade, slavery was part of the indigenous culture; however, the motivation behind African domestic slavery was for the main part political, and intricately bound up with the way in which the capture of those from neighbouring tribes would allocate bargaining power to the captors; it was not necessary to impose a process of acculturation on the slaves in order to ensure their total obedience. (Curtin p 63) However, once slavery was extended to Europe and the Americas, there was a perception amongst the white slave-owners that to allow black slaves to maintain their cultural heritage would result in the fomentation of rebellion and invalidate the psychological and physical domination which was essential if small groups of whites were to successfully control large groups of slaves.(Inikori p 22) Depriving slaves of their physical strength, except when seen as necessary to set an example, would have been counter-productive. It was the potential for labour which was highly valued on the plantations; slaves cost money and it was in the interests of the plantation owners to maintain the physical health and strength of their slaves, even when they had established a breeding program which made the slave community essentially self-perpetuating. Seasoning was therefor... ...African heritage but developed along different cultural lines and could not be said to have a direct connection with its cultural origins in the modern context of Black American society. Bibliography Curtin, Philip D. and Paul E. Lovejoy, ed. Africans in bondage: Studies in Slavery and the Slave Trade. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1986. Burnard, T & Morgan, K. (2001) The dynamics of the slave market and slave purchasing patterns in Jamaica, 1655-1788. William and Mary Quarterly 58; 1: npa. Inikori, Joseph E. and Stanley L. Engerman, eds. The Atlantic Slave Trade: Effects on Economies. Societies, and Peoples in Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1992. Africa in America: Slave Acculuturation and Resistance in the American South and the British Caribbean, 1736-1831., The William and Mary Quarterly.(JSTOR)