Do transformation really work for Pizza Express Dissertation

Do transformation really work for Pizza Express - Dissertation Example observed trend regarding the transformation (which includes refurbishment of the units) it has been recommended that Pizza Express should invest in the innovation of products and services and also adopt identical and unique design for all the units of Pizza Express across the country. Major business houses round the world have undergone massive transformation over the years in order to be competitive and to fetch a substantial market share. In the era of globalization, organizations need to adopt various changes in their outlook to sustain their businesses in the competitive market scenario. The history of successful organization reflects the fact, that the organizations have carefully identified the changes in business processes at appropriate timings and those changes have gained profitability for them in the long run. In the present era, transformation of business across all sectors has evolved in a massive way. As a result of transformation, industries have experienced major chan ges over the years and this has been one of the critical elements responsible for the survival and growth of business organizations. Among the major changes undertaken by different organizations in the past decade, the focus has always been on the creation of value. Customer satisfaction has also been one of the prime forces which have driven the changes over the years. Much importance has been given to bring about changes in the products and services, according to the needs and demands of the customers so that the products and services offered by them are perceived by the customers to be of high value. The overall transformation in the business activities of the organizations also has a huge effect on the economy of a country. As the industries in a country contribute a substantial part... Express 23-27 Analysis 28-34 Conclusion 34-36 Recommendations 36-37 Bibliography 37-40 Appendix 40-41 Transformation in Pizza Express Executive Summary: A study of the process of business transformation has been conducted with special reference to the transformation process in Pizza Express. A detailed study has been done to analyze the importance and the advantages of the business transformation process. The transformation process undertaken by Pizza Express has been studied with the help of the secondary sources and some primary information. Studies reflect that the transformation process of Pizza Express is mainly based on the refurbishments of the units and a huge cost is being allotted by the organization towards the achievement of these goals. In the next step in the transformation process of the organization, the major process in the business operations needs to be detailed. Importance on the operation of process needs to be provided as all the major tasks in the organizations are accomplished through the process and the overall outputs of the process determine the efficiency of the organization. The various outputs of the organization should be aligned to the strategy so that operational excellence can be achieved by the organization. The detailing of the business operation will in turn lead to the overall analysis of the process and the identification of the process which needs the transformation. Once the process requiring transformation is identified, critical analysis of the particular areas of the process needs to be evaluated which needs transformation. Once the process requiring transformation is identified, critical analysis of the particular areas of the process needs to be evaluated which needs transformation.

Reward System And Its Impact On Employee Motivation Essay Example for Free

Reward System And Its Impact On Employee Motivation Essay Social networking also referred to as social media. The growing usage of social media indicates a potentially effective new platform for advertisers. Social Media, today, is among the ‘best opportunities available’ to a brand for connecting with Prospective consumers. Social media is the medium to socialize. These new media win the trust of consumers by connecting with them at a deeper level. Social media marketing is the new mantra for several brands since early last year. Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and beginning to implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social media marketing and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated. One cannot afford to have no presence on the social channels if the competitor is making waves with its products and services. The explosion of social media phenomenon is as mind boggling as that and the pace at which it is growing is maddening. Global companies have recognized social media marketing as a potential marketing platform, utilized them with innovations to power their advertising campaign with social media marketing. - KEY WORDS: Social networking, Marketers, Socialize, Media SOCIAL NETWORKING Social networking, also referred to as social media, encompasses many Internet-based tools that make it easier for people to listen, interact, engage and collaborate with each other. Social networking platforms such as Face book, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, message boards, Wikipedia and countless others are catching on like wildfire. People use social networking to share recipes, photos, ideas and to keep friends updated on our lives. SOCIAL NETWORKING IN MARKETING Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media sites. Social media itself is a catch-all term for sites that may provide radically different social actions. For instance, Twitter is a social site designed to let people share short messages or â€Å"updates† with others. Face book, in contrast is a full-blown social networking site that allows for sharing updates, photos, joining events and a variety of other activities. ORIGINATION OF SOCIAL NETWORKING According to a BBC Radio 4 documentary, the origins of social networking can be traced back to the 1970s. While conducting research for the radio show, The Secret History of Social Networking, the BBC’s Technology Correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, found that in 1973 the owner of a record shop in Berkeley California placed an analogue computer in his store and invited people to come in and type messages. The computer quickly became a popular attraction, especially amongst University of California students who would come in to the store to post messages and take part in discussions on the analogue machine. One of the first social networking Web sites, launched in 1997, was SixDegrees. com. This site started the trend of enabling users to create personal profiles and make lists of their friends. Two years after the fall of Six Degrees, Live Journal offered authors options to add a list of friends to their profile page. Other early social networking sites include Friendster and online dateing service Ryze. MySpace launched in 2003. However, the site didnt start drawing the attention of the masses until well into 2004, due largely in part to MySpace changes that allowed teenagers to join the social network. Since their introduction, social networking sites (SNS) have attracted millions of users, whereby many people integrate these sites into their daily practices. The conception of Googlebuzz. com has been recently introduced to rival the likes of facebook, which has 350 million users. Here is a timeline to show the progress of the social networking world. 1995: Classmates. com is a social media website created by Randy Conrad. The website helps members find, connect and keep in touch with friends and acquaintances from school life. Classmates has more than 40 million active members in the US and Canada. In early 2008, Nielson Online ranked Classmates as number 3 in unique monthly visitors among social networking sites. 1997: Sixdegrees. com was named after the six degrees of separation concept and allowed users to list friends, family members and acquaintances and see their connection with any other user on the site. It was one of the first manifestations of a social networking websites in the format now seen today. Sixdegrees closed in 2007. At its height, the website had about a million users. 1999: Cyworld. com is a South Korean social networking service. Users can have â€Å"apartment like† spaces which make for a sim-world like experience. The ‘cy’ in Cyworld could stand for Cyber; however, it also plays on the Korean word for relationship. A 2005 survey showed that 25% of South Korea was users. 2002: Friendster. com has over 115 million registered users and over 61 million unique visitors per global month. Over 90% of friendster’s traffic comes from Asia. The website is also used for dating, discovering new events, bands and hobbies. 2003: Myspace. com launched after eUniverse employees with Friendster saw its potential and mimicked the more popular features of the social networking site. Myspace became the most popular social networking site in US 2006. The 100th million account was created on August 9 2006. 2005: Bebo. com is an acronym for â€Å"blog early, blog often†. It is similar to other networking sites; the site must include two specific modules, a comment section and a list of users’ friends. The site claims 40 million users. 2006: Facebook. com is the most popular social networking site boasting 350 million users. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg who studied at Harvard University. The websites membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges. Facebook has met with some controversy being blocked in countries such as, China, Syria and Iran. The original concept for Facebook came from the colloquial name for books given out at the start of the academic year by universities designed to help students get to know one another better. 2006: Twitter. com is a social networking site that that enables its users to send and read messages known as â€Å"tweets†. Tweets are text based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the authors profile page and are delivered to the author’s subscribers known as followers. It is sometimes described as the â€Å"SMS of the internet† and is widely popular with about 5 million users. ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN MARKETING: Social media is now increasingly becoming an ingrained aspect of political campaigns, national defence strategies, public policy, public relations, brand management and even intra company communication. Since the major task of marketing as tool used to inform consumers about the company’s products, who they are and what they offer, social marketing plays an important role in marketing.  · Social media can be used to provide an identity about the companies and the products or services that they offer.  · Social media helps in creating relationships with people who might not otherwise know about the products or service or what the companies represent.  · Social media makes companies â€Å"real† to consumers. If they need not just talk about the latest product news, but share their personality with them.  · Social media can be used to associate themselves with their peers that may be serving the same target market.  · Social media can be used to communicate and provide the interaction that consumer look for. THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKS IN MARKETING According to comScore, a marketing research company that tracks Internet traffic, social networking sites accounted for 13. 8 billion display ad impressions in August 2009, representing more than 25 percent of all display ads viewed online, in a study of U. K. online display advertising on social networking sites. Social media is changing the way marketing is done. No longer can marketers rely on putting out one general message to the public. In Malaysia, 80% of affluent Malaysians use social networking sites. The opinions of bloggers and friends have become more influential than advertisements. Using social media allows businesses to reduce cost on marketing or connect with customers. A number of Malaysian companies use social network to promote their product or service. A recent example is mobile operator DiGi who used social networking to create awareness on mobile broadband. One of the many campaigns DiGi did was Pimp My Broadband which was a contest allowing people to post up creative videos to the site. DiGi used mostly Face book and Twitter to spread the word and communicate with people. In another example, the Prudential insurance company was running in December 2009 a contest for which people were asked to guess the retirement fund a fictional character named Adam would need to retire comfortably. This campaign was heavily promoted over social networks and blogs. Most organisations have jumped onto the social networking bandwagon. Large and small organisations alike maintain Facebook fan pages and groups. The leading budget travel airline, AirAsia, has more than 20 different Facebook pages and groups that promote some aspect of their service. It also has Twitter feeds as well as its own social network located at www. airasia. ning. com. The results have been impressive. It claims to lead all other airlines with a fan base of approximately 100,000. The AirAsia blog is ranked as the world’s second most popular blog site by an airline while CEO Tony Fernandes’ blog is the most popular in Malaysia by a corporate leader. Its YouTube site is very popular while its Twitter account has 15,500 followers. AirAsia’s investment of time and effort to reach out socially to Internet users must be bringing results; it recently announced plans to launch a brand new social network for travellers. The Nielsen Company estimates online advertising spent on the top social network and blogging sites increased 119 percent, from approximately USD49 million in August 2008 to approximately USD108 million in August 2009. Businesses and professionals are also connecting with one another on social networks. It has become commonplace for professionals to maintain accounts at LinkedIn. Using that platform, businessmen are able to find contacts that they can trust as introductions come from people they know and trust. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN INDIA AN OVERVIEW India has 71 million active internet users. Social Media is really picking up new heights in India. Many companies are coming big way for Social Media Optimization for their Product or Services nowadays. During Election 2009 Social Media was used for Influence Indian Voters. Social Media Marketing in India is being undertaken by brands like Tata Docomo, MTV India, Channel V, Clear Trip, Tata Photon, Axe deodorants, Microsoft, Naukri, Shaadi and many more. Besides, numerous Indian celebrities are also using SMM platform to promote their movies, music and events via Twitter, Facebook and personalized blogs. Social Media Marketing is also boosting public relations business. Several PR agencies in India are undertaking brand building exercises for corporate organizations, brands and celebrities. However, to the delight of many among us, the biggest gainers from SMM till date have been the organizations from the Not-for- Profit sector. Several Campaigns like ‘Bell Bajao’ and ‘Jaago Re’ have been quite successful on Social Networking Sites. These campaigns have been spreading the word about their cause through blogs, Twitter and Facebook. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGIES: SMM is still in its infancy. Most of the online retailers though appreciate its positives fallouts on the brand awareness and promotion; they are still in the early stages of adoption. For an organization willing to invest in social media marketing, it is important to understand why SMM is an important marketing strategy and how it can help: This is the age of consumer satisfaction. It is not about selling it is more about interacting. There is a lot to learn from the customers. Using social media one can identify customers, listen to their feedback and use them to improve and innovate on products or services. SMM is not a mass advertising strategy. It can be used to identify peer groups and advertise to that particular group. Social Media can help in identifying influencers and through them one can guide a prospective customer into making a purchase. SMM calls for novel advertising methods as the attention span of online junta is very low. This is largely due to the multitasking phenomena. A person watching a video clip on YouTube might be simultaneously updating a blog, while reading another one and watching friend’s photographs on Facebook. In order to garner their attention away from distractions the advertisement must be innovative and interesting to hold the imagination and attention of the prospect. At the same time the message must also provoke the recipient into action; like seeking a detailed description of the product/service, or suggesting to a friend, or initiating purchase. So, if the advertisement is trying to sell something then it should be conveniently placed with links so that the prospect can make a purchase with least effort. Similarly Social Media can be used to increase customer loyalty through customer support services and hence improve customer retention. Social Media Marketing can also be used by brands to ward off any negative publicity. But the brands will have to be cautious here as over doing it may further aggravate their customers / stakeholders. There are many things that social media can do for business. Developing a strategy for using it means that the firms need to think about what they want to accomplish this year and determine how social media fits into the plan. One of the benefits of a social media strategy is the fact that the available tools can customized for their particular needs. The firms can choose to concentrate their efforts on the sites that seem to offer the best return on investment, while taking a â€Å"wait and see† stand on the others. Better Marketing Communications Any marketing campaign is only as good as its effectiveness in reaching the client. As the saying goes, you can have the best product in the world but its success depends on its reach to the customers. One advantage that social media networks such as Twitter, Blogspot, MySpace and Facebook possess is that of cross-communication. In other words, much of the information is shared across different social sites. In the past, marketing strategies would target a certain audience based on the resources available. These days, however, if a company has a profile page on Facebook, for example, cross talk alone can generate interest, because of the fluidity of social media websites. Social media sites have helped do away with many geographical and communicative borders; companies who have listings with these sites can place themselves in a position where such communication can be just as effective as a targeted marketing campaign. In the same way, if one person subscribes to a certain company’s web page, it is likely his or her friends will see it and too may become interested. Qualified potential clients can come to the company rather than the other way around! Higher Customer Satisfaction When a company is seen as being active on social media sites, it has just established itself as having its proverbial â€Å"finger on the pulse† of modern society. In a very real way, people take notice and assume that the company has something to say, that it is part of the community rather than simply a static web page. By posting regular updates that subscribers can see, business can appeal to their tastes and, more importantly, that business also has the ability to follow trends and change strategies based on the requirement. A keen observation is always essential for these updates. A close association with current scenario and trends will align the business people to more accurately cater to their audience’s needs. In the past, a happy customer was a customer who could become a regular customer. Today, a happy customer or client has the ability to recommend a company to others grouped under similar target audience. Social networks can accomplish much of the work that in the past was allocated to the more traditional e-mail campaigns. Stronger Financial Returns This final factor should be the most obvious and, at the same time, the most motivating. It only stands to reason that with a larger target base, sales and publicity will naturally increase. One important thing to remember is that there are few if any costs when dealing with social sites. In the past, domain names came with a price tag. Even more relevant was the financial burden which often accompanied building a very good website (web design, maintenance, updates, etc). When a company takes advantage of social media, on the other hand, not only does exposure increase if done in the right manner, but also the financial obligation is little, if any. Why, then, are more businesses not taking full advantage of the tools in front of them? One of the issues is that many out there still consider the social media market a â€Å"niche† sector and haven’t fully implemented their campaigns to include social networking as a part of the overall strategy. Other companies state that not all of their employees are open to newer technologies. Still others just don’t have correct media policies in place; i. e. what can be said, how it can be said, the chain of command to approve updates†¦the list can go on and on. The main issue tends to revolve around the adaptation to changing technologies and sources of revenue. CONCLUSION: There is no escaping social media these days, either for individuals or for businesses. Today, it is impossible to separate social media from the online world. Companies are diverting resources and rethinking their traditional outreach strategies. And as the social media wave dissipates into the vast ocean of connected experiences, the term itself will become an entry in dictionaries and encyclopaedias and we will embark on a new era of knowledge, accessibility and experiences unbound by distance, time or physical walls. It is high time that every business adopts social media and takes it seriously!

South African Forced Removals History Essay

South African Forced Removals History Essay In South Africa, apartheid was an important factor in the forced removal of many innocent South Africans, due to the color of their skin. Throughout the 1900s the struggle between segregation and equality was brought to attention, affecting almost every aspect of a black South Africans life. Equality was a struggle starting as far back as the 1600s, when white settlers first came to Africa establishing white supremacy over the black majority, rendering them helpless. From the causes, to the effects upon the civilians, the forced removals majorly affected the present day South Africa. There are many causes as to why the forced resettlement of blacks was conveyed by the government. The apartheid more or less originated back in 1652 when white settlers first arrived in South Africa. This history did impact the way the laws and policies were enforced later on 1948 on by the nationalist party. In 1910, the Union was formed. After this, the territorial segregation the white settlers had impressed was put in law with the 1913 Black Land Act. The Black Land Act limited the areas black Africans could occupy through ownership or rent, basically to the Bantustans reserves, which made up 7% of the total land area of South Africa. This act would become the basic land policy of South Africa up until the end of the resettlement. The Act also made the number of migrant laborers increase, since most of the industries and mines, which was and still is the main source of income for Africans, were occupied by black workers, but were located on white land. In 1936, due to the large a mount of blacks enforced into the reserves, the Development Trust and Black Land Act added land to the reserves. The total land area increased from 7% to 13% land area for blacks, and 87% owned by whites (Henard). During the 1930s and 40s, the amount of money blacks were paid in urban areas was considerably better than that of rural, and this began a migration of black Africans into urban areas. This countered the wants of the dominant agricultural capitalists, who needed a good, cheap work force during the agricultural boom of the 1950s. Thus began the move towards forced removals, to keep blacks out of white urban areas. This need for the removal was the implementation of the Bantustan (Homeland) Policy. The Bantustans consisted of a set of ten tribes, known as homelands. Bantustans were territories set aside for the black inhabitants of South Africa that were unofficially independent. The Bantustan Policy was directed towards rural, urban, and Bantustan resettlement. These resett lements were to direct blacks from designated white urban land and areas, which led to a superfluous amount of farm laborers. In 1950, the Group Area Act was put into action. The Group Area Act mandated residential segregation throughout South Africa. Over 860,000 Africans were forcibly moved to divide and control racially-separate communities. Multiple multi-racial communities were destroyed by the government using things such as bulldozers, and other machinery. To further enforce the eviction of blacks to the Bantustan reserves, the white government created the Prevention of illegal Squatting Act in 1951. An illegal squatter by definition was someone living illegally on land without permission from the land owner. They also extended that to even with permission from the owner; they could still be convicted and ejected by the authority. Illegal squatters were removed to the Bantustans. As time progressed, black political organizations such as the African National Congress and Pan A frican Congress were banned from interference. Whites dominated in politics and economy, strategically dividing black majority into small townships with separate political structures. Having them divided kept them from coming together and forming their own ideologies and political ideas. This also prevented them from doing any type of resistance against the white dominated government. Overall there were many events leading up to the forced removals. By the beginning of the 1980s, almost 60% of the African population was based in the Bantustans (source 2). The black spots, or communities the blacks were forced into, were overcrowded and unsanitary. These communities more or less became the dumping grounds for unwanted blacks, namely the elderly, women and children. By forcing these Africans into overcrowded settlements, they prevented them from having political or economic advantage over the whites. As a result of the enforced removal of blacks from white urban and most rural areas, the black majority (87% of the total population) was refocused into the 13% of Bantustan land reserves, by white authoritative (MSU). Places such as Sophiatown in Johannesburg (1955-63), and District 6 in Cape Town (beginning in 1958) were evicted from their homes. If blacks were to rebel or resist movement, they were forcibly moved, as demonstrated in 1985 over a period of four days, in Crossroads, South Africa. Blacks were being removed to a new tow nship that was government run called Khayelitsha. Their peaceful demonstration turned violent, causing 18 civilians to be killed, and 230 injured. Between the periods of 1960 to 1983, 3 million black Africans were moved. After the institution of the Bantustan Policy, places such as Dimbaza, Illinge, and Saba on the Eastern Cape became overcrowded and infertile. At first the Africans did nothing, but beginning in the 1980s popular resistance to the removals was widespread amongst the migrated. The resistance was massively influenced by Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who both stood for the end of apartheid and segregation. Gandhi represented peaceful movement and protest, while Nelson Mandela rooted strongly for changing the type of government and the people controlling it, allowing blacks into the political loop. By the 1980s, the crumble of forced removals began to take place. There was widespread resistance, along with massive amounts of unemployed blacks living largely in poverty. In 1990, the African National Congress was finally unbanned, along with Nelson Mandela freedom. Working together, they were able to hold the first multiracial democratic elections in 1994. Upon this success, the African Nation Congress dominated with 62% majority of the vote. Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa after 28 long years in prison by the parliament, therefore actively ending apartheid and bringing back equality to South Africa. The Bantustan reserves were later incorporated back into the country of South Africa as a whole. Even after it ended, a great amount of the blacks that were forced into small townships remained there, out of the result that they had no work or money to leave for or with. Bantustan reserves are ridden with poverty and crime, due to the forced removals. South African forced removals had a large effect on the current state of South Africa. Starting as early as the first white settlers in Africa from Europe, blacks were faced with apartheid and white supremacy for many long years. Over three million Africans were forced from their homes, having to move to overcrowded, infertile, and unsanitary areas so that the white and blacks would stay separated. This separation was made legal through a series of laws, policies, and acts by the white dominated government. The struggle for equality and erosion of apartheid was a long and continuous process, but finally came to an end in the early 1990s.

Analysis of Propaganda: First Theories of Decoding and Effects Essay

1) assumptions In this paper I discuss several assigned articles with regard to the assumptions, focus, time and space contexts, stated purpose, and comparison between certain articles. Except for one article, all articles in this weekly reading are assumed to use post-structuralist paradigm. In their article, Lobao & Meyer (2001) encourage the readers to use combination of macro, meso, and micro approach in understanding agricultural transformation rather than only macro approach. For example, they urge the Human Ecology Theory (PEP), which is micro theory about individual’s adaptation to the dynamic of environment like population density, culture and technologies, and bio-physical environment. They criticize the PEP paradigm as heavily oriented in structural approach, neglecting the dynamic of socio-psychological factors of individual and social practices. For Lobao & Meyer, micro level of the household dynamic is crucial to understand the survival mechanism of the smallholder farmers to seek â€Å"strategic business behavior† (p. 112). Moreover, gender division, particularly with regard to the struggle of women in on-farm and off-farm activities is important. The Lobao and Meyer’s article also highlights the regional context of agri-related policies, such as agricultural loans which tend to be biased to certain ethnic groups, a fact that may be overlooked by the PEP. For comparison, Bernstein’s article is also in similar vein, in which he looks at the case of Green Revolution in India as not â€Å"resource neutral† (p. 61), by giving more access to the richer farmers to any program innovation packages (like credits, supply of inputs, and information). Lobao & Meyer’s article’s on famers’ action in politic to defend their interests ... ...le. Similarly, but with different case, Pechllaner and Otero (2008) describe the recent case resistance of the Mexican toward the introduction of biotech foods by international companies via trade liberalization. To sum up, while most of the articles have similar post-structural paradigm --which assume that local and regional factors are crucial factors in understanding agricultural transition— the focus of study, time-space contexts, and purpose of study, are different. The articles provide excellent perspectives and various examples in different time and across geographical boundaries regarding the needs of assessing the complexity of agricultural stakeholders, particularly the struggle of farmers as individual, household, or community (including the food consumers), to adapt with the change of external forces, which influence their livelihoods and interests.

Lack of Nationalism and Patriotism of the Filipino Youth Today Essay

â€Å"Lack of Nationalism and Patriotism of the Filipino Youth Today† Nationalism and patriotism both show the relationship of an individual towards his or her nation. The two are often confused and frequently believed to mean the same thing. However, we have lost that sense of nationhood particularly among youth. It wasn’t long time ago when young people here, loved to die for their country. The evident reasons were patriotism and love in their souls for their motherland. But the situation is not so now. Nowadays, if you ask them to die for their country, believe it or not, they either will slap you or laugh out loud at you, thinking it as a frivolous roguery, you are trying to pull at them. Many wonder, if there is a foremost problem, then there must be a solution to it, education reformation, globalization awareness and westernization regulation. Modern education is a major influence for such a situation because the subsequent generation was never taught of patriotic acts and sacrifices of people for their country which resulted in lack of inspiration and moral education also wasn’t encouraged as it should have been. Young people were taught to be self-independent and to only ponder on their well-being. Movies and songs also stopped showing patriotism and partisanship and started making them believe in fantasies, driving them apart from veracity. These are the few reasons why the present generation is devoid of patriotism. I believe that the Department of Education should give also importance on how nationalism be engraved to Filipino youth. Globalization describes the processes by which economies, societies and cultures have become integrated through communication, transportation and technology. It is a new form of culture that knows no boundaries and is spreading globally which is quite alarming. Youth tends to be blind about the process of globalization in our country. For me, having knowledge about social culture is such a big count for patriotism. Westernization is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, clothing, language, alphabet, religion, philosophy, and values. This particular process plays a big role in lack of nationalism of the Filipino youth today. Idolizing Korean-pop, adulating  imported products and simulating foreign fashions are the norms. In this case, parents and teachers or authorities must not tolerate those actions. They should be the first to encourage youth about nationalism and patriotism. The nation built by today’s youth will be the nation they pass along to their own children. If young people today wish their children to have an America of freedom, the young people of today must protect and defend that freedom by supporting our country’s greatness and working to make her ever better. The youth of today owe a debt to those of the past who sacrificed, worked hard, and even died to build us a free nation. To keep faith with those who have gone before and upon whose toil and sacrifice the nation was built, youth need to show patriotism. Through education reformation, globalization awareness and westernization regulation, nationalism and patriotism will not be lost among Filipino youth.

Free Essays on Genocide

â€Å"We do not live in a civilized world if the most powerful countries allow genocide to happen.† I do not consider this statement completely true. I disagree with the fact that genocide alone solely contributes to a non-civilized world. I feel that if genocide were completely eradicated, our world would still not be civilized. Although, this statement does bring up many good points about how, when, and who should take responsibility for the prevention and persecution of those that commit genocide. Based on the international system now, steps such as the Nuremberg trials, the Geneva Conventions, International tribunals, and recently the International Criminal Court are multilateral means of correcting genocide offenders even though there are no â€Å"world police officers.† I strongly support International organizations to help bring justice to these gross offenders of mass murders. These organizations allow for powerful countries to jointly discourage the wrongs done and this will lead to a more cooperative and peaceful means to justice. As opposed to certain countries taking sides and just causing a major disaster. It is obvious based on the case of Rwanda in 1994 that the United Nations does not have much power in controlling genocide. These steps will hopefully answer the questions of whom, and how genocide offenders can be stabilized. The question of â€Å"when† countries should intervene brings up controversial issues of sovereignty and human rights. I deeply feel that intervention should be mainly based on its own national interest and security. This is the only basis of making the decision because there is an international government is anarchical. For example, I completely agreed with the decision of non-intervention when General Pinochet forcefully overthrew the Chilean government. It was in our country’s best interest to allow Pinochet to instill democratic ideas in his country and to condemn that of com... Free Essays on Genocide Free Essays on Genocide â€Å"We do not live in a civilized world if the most powerful countries allow genocide to happen.† I do not consider this statement completely true. I disagree with the fact that genocide alone solely contributes to a non-civilized world. I feel that if genocide were completely eradicated, our world would still not be civilized. Although, this statement does bring up many good points about how, when, and who should take responsibility for the prevention and persecution of those that commit genocide. Based on the international system now, steps such as the Nuremberg trials, the Geneva Conventions, International tribunals, and recently the International Criminal Court are multilateral means of correcting genocide offenders even though there are no â€Å"world police officers.† I strongly support International organizations to help bring justice to these gross offenders of mass murders. These organizations allow for powerful countries to jointly discourage the wrongs done and this will lead to a more cooperative and peaceful means to justice. As opposed to certain countries taking sides and just causing a major disaster. It is obvious based on the case of Rwanda in 1994 that the United Nations does not have much power in controlling genocide. These steps will hopefully answer the questions of whom, and how genocide offenders can be stabilized. The question of â€Å"when† countries should intervene brings up controversial issues of sovereignty and human rights. I deeply feel that intervention should be mainly based on its own national interest and security. This is the only basis of making the decision because there is an international government is anarchical. For example, I completely agreed with the decision of non-intervention when General Pinochet forcefully overthrew the Chilean government. It was in our country’s best interest to allow Pinochet to instill democratic ideas in his country and to condemn that of com...

Outline and assess the main positions in the secularisation debate The WritePass Journal

Outline and assess the main positions in the secularisation debate Abstract Outline and assess the main positions in the secularisation debate AbstractIntroductionThe bottom up/demand side theory of secularisationThe top up/supply side theory of secularisationConclusionBibliographyRelated Abstract This essay tackles the main positions of the secularisation debate. To begin with, this essay examines the ‘bottom up/demand-side’ theory of secularisation, which postulates that as societies go through the process of industrialisation, the religious values that underpin the societal fabric will inevitably erode as the citizenry become more impervious to spiritual pursuits. This essay also examines the importance of the ‘market’ approach to the theory of secularisation, arguing that the top down/supply side perspective is of fundamental significance in order to understand the persistence of religious practice in modern societies. Introduction The secularisation debate has acquired a growing influence in recent years, due to the onset of the postmodern age. Postmodernism posits that in the age of instantaneous communications and ubiquitous access to technology, rigid and fixed classifications pertaining to religion, class, gender and race have been significantly eroded.   The main positions in the secularisation debate focus on two distinct approaches (Fitzgerald, 2000: 133). The first perspective that is postulated for examination relates to the ‘bottom up/demandside’ idea of secularisation. According to this view, as societies go through the process of industrialisation, the religious values that underpin the societal fabric will inevitably erode as the publics become more impervious to spiritual pursuits (Gauchet, 1999: 40). At the same time’, the ‘top down/supply side’ theory of secularisation, which highlights that the need for spirituality remains constant across national boundaries , places a great deal of emphasis on the role of religions institutions in maintaining adherence to theological principles.   This essay will begin by charting the idea that secularisation responds to the gradual phasing out of religious values in modern societies. The second part of the essay will concentrate in the manner in which these values are permanently re-imposed on societies by religious leaders and organisation. Crucially, the second section of the essay highlights the importance of the ‘market’ approach to the theory of secularisation, arguing that the top down/supply side perspective is of fundamental significance in order to understand the persistence of religious practice in modern societies. The bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation The main view propounded by this theory of secularisation is that the advent of the scientific method and rational observation as a method to create societal improvement has shaken the theological foundations that were influential in shaping the evolution of the Western world (Gauchet, 1999: 45). The erosion of supernatural interpretations of the nature of the world has been a permanent cultural phenomenon in the Western world since the advent of the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on universal categorisation that could be subject to empirical observation and rational testability standards (Martin, 1993: 93). The rational template endorsed by industrialised societies rendered the theological claims imposed by the major religions incompatible with the needs of the existence of human collective that relied in an increasing manner on the benefits brought forward by technological advancement (Martin, 2005: 55). There was a gradual and consistent loss of religious faith in Western societ ies that ultimately resulted in the unravelling of theological practices and Church attendances (Martin, 1993: 97). In addition, this provoked a relative corrosion of the social and cultural meanings attached to religious identity, along with a move away from allegiance to political parties and organisations based on denominational values.   According to this theory of secularisation, religious and scientific values are at loggerheads, with a constant undermining of Bible teachings by making reference to the Darwinian teachings put together in the theory of evolution (Martin, 1969: 25). The knowledge gained by society through scientific advancement and its application to technological improvements, coupled with the expansion of education opportunities, impacted on the cultural changes that were ushered in Western societies. It could be posited that the tenets of the Enlightenment undercut the metaphysical principles that were responsible for maintaining societal cohesion during the Middle Ages (Martin, 2005: 59). Thinkers like Max Weber stated that the onset of industrialisation and mass capitalism produced an environment of opinion conducive to reducing the idea of the supernatural to the domain of human rationality and subjected to the explanations taken from the hard sciences rather than making reference to metaphysical arguments (Gauchet, 1999: 49). The attainments made by Western societies in the sciences and the feats that took place in the realm of engineering and technology has emphasised the importance of subjecting nature to the control of man (Bruce, 2002: 59).   These developments were responsible for a change of perception regarding the advent of personal tragedies and natural disasters on the part of a growing number of individuals, who started to regard those eventsin rational terms, instead of attributing them to mysterious forces outside the control of man. Accordingly, the intellectual authority held by religious ministers became just one of the sources of knowledge to be taken into account (Berger, 1969: 30). Their authority was put in direct competition with the people who displayed their professional expertise across many fields of study and who made use of the rational method. At the same time, the gradual \ separation between state and church that took place in many European nations and the United States, co upled with the emergence of bureaucratic apparati and modern political parties led to the discrediting of traditional religious institutions. The industrialisation of Western societies had attached to it a series of changes that impacted upon the ability of individuals to experience mystical experienced (Harris, 2005: 61). This includes the steep decline in communal life, the fragmentation between nature and man and the increased use of technology.   It is worth mentioning that the interpretation put forward by Max Weber regarding the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation is based on the effects that the Lutheran Reform and the industrial revolution had on the development of political and religious life in Western Europe and North American (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 101). The idea of disenchantment with the world, as propounded by Weber, compelled individuals to seek salvation in the pursuit of material gain, hence eroding the very foundations of transcendental Christi an thinking (Tremlett, 2009: 22). The growing importance of Rationalism was necessarily conducive to being sceptical about the existence of an omnipotent and omniscient God, ultimately resulting in the debunking of religion as a method of explain natural phenomena (Bruce, 2002: 67). It is also important to stress that a bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation can also be understood according the functionalist perspective underlined by Émile Durkheim (Durkheim, 1912, 1995: 73). The French sociologist identified the loss of functional purpose as one of the main reasons behind the erosion of the centrality of religion in the institutional make-up of modern societies (Norris, 2004: 130). This functionalist perspective highlights the idea that a scheme of theology does not just represent a system of beliefs about the nature of existence (Asad, 2003: 90). Instead, it is also a framework of actions concerning certain and certain rituals and symbolism that are performed to signpost the passage of time across the person’s natural lifespan (Durkheim, 1912, 1995: 30). These symbolisms were responsible for maintaining a high degree of social cohesion and stability, hence producing common goods that could be enjoyed by all members of society (Davie, 1994: 8 8). Conversely, the industrialisation Western European and North American societies generated the fragmentation of the social space by inducing process of technical differentiation that dispersed the sources of knowledge (Wilson, 1966: 76). The specialisation of knowledge production stripped the ecclesiastical authorities of the powers that they had in determining which epistemological approaches should be pursued and how the knowledge created was to be disseminated (McCutcheon, 2003: 119).   In addition, all the charity organisations of Christian extraction that had for centuries been in charge of providing for the disenfranchised members of society were replaced by welfare states subsidised by government institutions (Bruce, 2002: 62).   These events were the immediate result of the reappraisal of the role of religious doctrines and organisation. By the late nineteenth century, the doctrines and practices proposed by the Church were not deemed to be functional to the task of e nsuring the material welfare of the population (Tremlett, 2009: 19). Instead, the state had become a kind of secular god that had encroached into many areas of the lives of individuals (Berger, 1969: 147). This entailed that the role of religious institutions were strictly confined to the personal realm; in the public domain, the faith gradually ceased to become a powerful force in the shaping of the political evolution of the nation. The top up/supply side theory of secularisation The views exposed in the previous section can be juxtaposed to the perspective highlighted by the top up/supply side theory of secularisation. This perspective underlines the conditions brought about by the spread of religious freedom in contemporary societies, which led to a competitive environment in the market for religious adherents amongst theological organisations (Davie, 1994: 93). This view makes an analogy between theological organisations and business firms, all of which struggle in order to capture a growing segment of the market. The top up/supply side theory of secularisation postulates that the competition between different religious denominations has a positive impact on the preservation of religion as a vibrant force in society (Asad, 2003: 33). This approach explains the manner in which, for example, the level of religious adherence is larger in countries like the United States, where the different theological denomination are engaged in permanent competition in orde r to attract new adherents (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 111).   This theory puts forward the notion that an intense competition between the different denominations result in churches striving to keep a dynamic spiritual environment in their congregations, hence helping to retain the relevance of religion in their community (Harris, 2005: 58). In the United States, this has generated a situation in which the older denominations such as Lutherans, Catholics and Presbyterians are losing ground to the evangelical religious organisations.   Whilst the evangelical movements demand a great deal of effort on the part of the would-be adherents, they also offer a more intense religious experience than the older denominations; which seems to be a determinant factor in attracting support for their cause (Asad, 1993: 145). Furthermore, the top up/supply side theory of secularisation posits that in cases where religious life is dominated by theological organisations that are directly subsidised by the state, the clergy seems to be less keen to engage with the community of believers, hence leading to the decay of spiritual life in their communities (Stark and Iannaccone, 1994: 232). This theoretical approach seems to replicate the idea that state-owned organisations, be them of an economic or religious nature, tend to be less innovative than private ones (Davie, 1994: 19). For example, in Northern Europe, the established Protestant churches are able to fend off the threat posed by other Christian denominations (Wilson, 1966: 58). This means that the clergy does not have to overexert itself in order to attract the attention of their would-be religious adherents (Asad, 2003: 14).   Consequently, this led to a situation in which religious attendance declined in a significant manner, since the number of op tions available in the spiritual market tends to be quite reduced (McCutcheon, 2003: 46). However, this does not explain the reasons behind the consistently high levels of religious attendance in Southern European and Latin American countries, in spite of the monopoly enjoyed by the Catholic Church (Martin, 1969: 28). It could be argued that a pluralist religious template as the basis for a high level of religious attendance represents a theoretical blueprint that can only be successfully applied to particular settings (Berger, 1969: 61).   It would appear that many of the tenets espoused by this particular theory of secularisation are not based on a sound methodological framework (Harris, 2005: 55). To be sure, the idea of a competitive religious market as an instrument that allows countries to reverse religious decline can only be applied to the United States, which is a society that has traditionally been based around the development of communal life; strongly informed by relig ious values in order to connect individuals to their particular cultural and geographical setting (Asad, 1993: 66). At the same time, it has been argued that the level of religious attendance have remained quite consistent across the ages, which entails that there have been no substantial secularisation process as a result of the onset of modernity (McCutcheon, 2003: 48). In addition, it has been noted that the ‘market’ theory of religion can provide a sound basis for explaining overall trends in religious adherence (Stark, 1999: 249). In fact, in Western societies, periods of low attendance alternated with periods of higher levels of religious fervour (Idinopulos and Wilson, 1998: 98). It is therefore important to concede the possibility that the top up/supply side theory of secularisation may provide with a sound framework of reference in order to examine the level of religious adherence in across the ages (Stark, 1993: 389). It would appear that the postmodern condit ion does not necessarily mar the possibility of a reconstitution of religious life along more fluid doctrinal lines (Stark, 1999: 260). This goes some way towards rebutting the assumptions put forward by the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation (Wilson, 1966: 61). The ‘market’ interpretation of religious adherence may provide a better way of understanding the extent to which modern societies have been secularised (Wilson, 1966: 82). The dynamic interactions that take place in the social space give rise to the possibility of more fluid (and therefore more vibrant) religious denominational structures that may rehabilitate the spectrum of religious life in postmodern societies (Stark and Iannaccone, 1994: 231). It could be posited that this trend, directed from the top down and informed by a strong supply side approach borrowed from the field of economics, is ultimately a better way to understand the reasons behind the persistence of religious life in modern soci eties (Asad, 2003: 14). Conclusion By way of conclusion, it may be posited that the bottom up/demand side theory of secularisation provides with some interesting insights regarding the evolution of religious life in societies that have been affected by the process of industrialisation and modernisation, to be sure, the application of scientific methods of interpreting the nature of reality resulted in profound changes in the nature and extent of religious practice in Western European and North American societies (Berger, 1969: 77). The specialisation of technical knowledge production removed power from the religious authorities regarding the way in which knowledge was to be pursued, created and spread (Norris, 2004: 41).   Moreover, the onset of modernisation and industrialisation gave the state a great deal of power in order to provide welfare provisions for its citizens, hence stripping the church institutions of their functional purpose (Fitzgerald, 2000: 122).   Notwithstanding the validity of these arguments, they do not explain the persistence of religious attendance throughout the ages (Stark, 1993: 390). There seems to be an inherent human drive to seek the ultimate explanations of the nature of existence by referring to supernatural forces, which explains the resilience of religious practice across the ages. The postmodern condition has given rise to new forms of religious and spiritual practices that thrive thanks to the way in which they are able to utilise technology in order to fulfil their mission (Asad, 1993: 45). For all the reasons cited above, it could be concluded that the theory of secularisation fails to explain the continued interest shown by people in pursuing spiritual avenues for personal advancement; an interest that seems to be more vibrant than ever in the age of fluid doctrinal requirements for religious practice. Bibliography Asad, T. (1993) Genealogies of Religion, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Asad, T. (2003) Formations of the Secular, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA Berger, P. (1969) The Sacred Canopy, Anchor Books, Garden City, NY Bruce, S. (2002) God is dead-Secularization in the West, Blackwell, Oxford Davie, G. (1994) Religion in Britain since 1945, Blackwell, Oxford Durkheim, E. (1912, 1995) The Elementary Formations of Religious Life, Free Press, New York, NY Fitzgerald, T. (2000) The Ideology of Religious Studies, Oxford University Press, Oxford Gauchet, M., (1999) The Disenchantment with the World, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ Harris, S. (2005) The End of Faith, Free Press, New York Idinopulos, T. and Wilson, B. (1998) What is Religion? Origins, Definitions and Explanations, Brill, Boston Martin, D. (1993) A General Theory of Secularization, Gregg Revivals, Aldershot Martin, D., (1969) The Religious and the Secular, Routledge, London Martin, D. (2005) On Secularisation, Aldergate Publishing Company, Aldershot McCutcheon, R. (2003) The Discipline of Religion-Structure, Meaning, Rhetoric, Routledge, London Norris, P. (2004) Sacred and Secular, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Stark, R. and Iannaccone, L., A Supply Side Reinterpretation of the Secularization of Europe, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion ,Vol. 33, No. 3 (Sep., 1994), pp. 230-252 Stark, R., Europes Receptivity to New Religious Movements: Round Two, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 1993), pp. 389-397 Stark, R., Secularization, R.I.P. Source: Sociology of Religion, Vol. 60, No. 3, Autumn, 1999, pp. 249-273 Tremlett, P. F. (2009) Religion and the Discourse on Modernity, Continuum, New York Wilson, B. (1966) Religion in Secular Society, C. A. Watts, London

Definition and Examples of Sound Change in English

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It was usually omitted in common words such as ev(e)ry, fact(o)ry, nurs(e)ry, which were pronounced as if they were spelt evry, factry, nursry with two syllables only. In slightly less common words, such as delivery, there was fluctuation. Some people inserted a schwa, others omitted it. A schwa was retained in the least common words, such as desultory, cursory.(Jean Aitchison, Language Change: Progress or Decay? 3rd ed. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2001) Theories of Sound ChangeVarious theories of sound change, some of them proposed a century ago or earlier were current in the [19]70s. There was a longstanding traditional view about sound change being due to speakers modifying their pronunciation either to make it easier- to expend less effort- or to make speech clearer for the sake of the listener. Another one was espoused by Halle (1962) that language change, including sound change, served to improve grammar by making it more cognitively simple to compute. Postal (1968) suggested it was due to speakers desire for novelty, i.e., sounds change for the same reason that hemlines and haircuts change. Lightner (1970) claimed it was to avoid homophonydespite the abundant counter-examples that show homophony as the result of sound change. These are all teleological accounts, that is to say, they assume that the changes are purposeful, i.e., that they [are] motivated by a goal of some sort . . ..(John Ohala, The Listener As a Source of Soun d Change: An Update. The Initiation of Sound Change: Perception, Production, and Social Factors, ed. by Maria-Josep Solà © and Daniel Recasens. John Benjamins, 2012) The Neogrammarian Regularity HypothesisIn the 1870s a group of linguists now generally referred to as the Neogrammarians created a lot of attention, controversy, and excitement with the claim that unlike all other linguistic change, sound change is regular and operates without exceptions.This Neogrammarian or regularity hypothesis led to a great deal of valuable and interesting research. However, as can be expected, such a strong claim did not remain without a good deal of often quite vociferous opposition. . . .[I]t is important to note that the neogrammarian regularity hypothesis has proved to be enormously fruitful, no matter how accurate it may be in fact. For it forces the linguist to look for explanations of apparent irregularity, either by establishing a non-phonetic source or through a better formulation of a given sound change. Either way we learn more about the history of a given language and about the nature of linguistic change than if we subscribe to a view that does not expect regularity in sound change.(Hans Henrich Hock, Principles of Historical Linguistics, 2nd ed. Walter de Gruyter, 1991)

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SAM 445 UNIT 1 - Assignment Example There are four managerial functions an Athletic Director utilizes when planning activities for a football program. These are decision-making, planning, directing operational activities, and controlling. Planning as a managerial function in accounting perspective ensures efficient communication of the football program that outlines the goals of the university. Effective planning is achieved through budgeting process based on decisions made by managers. The budgets outline sources or inflows of economic resources as well as the uses of economics of the institution. Controlling function is a function achieved by measuring performance, comparing the real performance with the budgets and taking action where required. There are different approaches for analyzing performance. Performance will be equated to the number of wins acquired by the institution form the football games. However the process of determining the persons who performed well sounds challenging. The challenge lies among the persons to be given credit; coach, manager or the team. Poor performance is evaluated from the number of lost football games, the number of head coach fired and such like. The challenge worth argument in case of matches lost form football games is the person to be evaluated. Does the coach win or lose the games or is the team responsible for the

Employing Strategy in a Competitive Environment Research Paper

Employing Strategy in a Competitive Environment - Research Paper Example These factors include income, education, geographic location, and age. Technological changes, which are arising might or might not support the activities of our business as well. This will be the supreme important trend, which could affect the ability of the company to stay competitive within the market. As the company provides the customers with quality information materials, which will permit them to sell to the end user clients more ably at a lesser charge, the company has to be aware of the datum that fresh technologies are emerging every day (Stigler 2008). The company must ensure that the products are continually updated to meet the clients’ needs. The company has to be aware of these emerging changes, as they occur to continue to anticipating the customers’ needs, and tackle them afore they essentially request it. This is how the company can capitalize on these changes in technology, by ensuring the clients have available information resources at all time to meet their end user consumer needs. The company can achieve this by constantly researching fresh and innovative technologies, as they emerge hence staying ahead of clients' requirements. New entrants to the market can also present a threat to the company. If the company is successful in attaining market share as well as being lucrative, this could draw new comers who may pull clients from the company. The company can combat this through being the low cost spearhead. Moreover, the company must keep on providing quality products, which the company’s clients trust. Establishing such reliability will be a basis in guaranteeing the company’s stand within the market (Wisma, 2012). To address the sustainable mobility’s challenges, while getting on a fresh stage of dynamic development and consolidating its presence within the international marketplace, the company can rely on its fundamental strengths. These strengths include knowhow of the inner operation of the informatio n industry; capacity to afford quality products, virtual firm can be easily be accessed online to generate a competitive benefit within the marketplace. The company can achieve this through effective communication with core clients. Increased sales do not necessarily mean increased returns; therefore, the company needs to evaluate the efficacy of the firm’s communications (Karakaya, 2005). This strategy will provide the company the understanding of the inner operation of the information sector to be cognizant of the clients’ needs. Furthermore, all staff must have some experience about book to fortify the company’s most crucial asset. Through keeping a close watch on changes in technology, the company will be capable of offering relevant products that the end users can benefit from them. Working online will make the company mobile and effortlessly accessed by either the company’s clients or their clienteles. This eases on the travel costs that would other wise be incurred if need for assistance or service arises (Wisma, 2012). Considering that the market share is minimal, I find that the company’s core competitor is the established publishers. The challenge is how the company can obtain and retain customers. The company has to create information materials, which clients can differentiate from those of the competitors’ products owing to their good quality. The company must employ proficient writers and

SAM 445 UNIT 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SAM 445 UNIT 1 - Assignment Example There are four managerial functions an Athletic Director utilizes when planning activities for a football program. These are decision-making, planning, directing operational activities, and controlling. Planning as a managerial function in accounting perspective ensures efficient communication of the football program that outlines the goals of the university. Effective planning is achieved through budgeting process based on decisions made by managers. The budgets outline sources or inflows of economic resources as well as the uses of economics of the institution. Controlling function is a function achieved by measuring performance, comparing the real performance with the budgets and taking action where required. There are different approaches for analyzing performance. Performance will be equated to the number of wins acquired by the institution form the football games. However the process of determining the persons who performed well sounds challenging. The challenge lies among the persons to be given credit; coach, manager or the team. Poor performance is evaluated from the number of lost football games, the number of head coach fired and such like. The challenge worth argument in case of matches lost form football games is the person to be evaluated. Does the coach win or lose the games or is the team responsible for the

The denouement of The Dead Essay Example for Free

The denouement of The Dead Essay Looking at the denouement (pages 217 224) of The Dead, discuss the emotional variety of Gabriel. In the denouement of The Dead Gabriels mood oscillates between different emotions until, at the end, an epiphany comes upon him. This climatic epiphany at the end has been alluded to throughout the story. The effect of this realisation is enhanced by the emotions which preceded it. When Gabriel and Gretta leave the cab and go into the hotel Gabriel is almost in a state of euphoria. The first touch of her body, musical and strange and perfumed, sent through him a keen pang of lust During their journey back from the party he reflected nostalgically upon their honey moon and his lust for her seems to have been rekindled. In his enamoured state he feels an acute sense of passion towards his wife. As they climb the stairs of the hotel, Only the stress of his nails against the palms of his hands held the wild impulse of his body in check The reference to nails and palms alludes to the crucifixion of Jesus, similar allusions are used later on in the story. His excited state of ardour when juxtaposed against his mood later on serves to emphasise it in its contrast. Gabriel also feels a sense of escapism which is part of what contributed to his euphoric state, He felt that they had escaped from their lives and duties, escaped from home and friends and run away together This sense of escapism is a continuation of what he discussed in his speech at the party and is a theme which Joyce likes to explore. However, does this escapism imply that they are trapped in their everyday lives and duties? When they enter the hotel room the porter offers them a candle because the electricity is not working, however, Gabriel replies We dont want any light. We have light enough from the street. Could Gabriel be trying to create a more romantic atmosphere for what he thinks is going to happen? The lack of light also serves to heighten the atmosphere and creates an apt setting for the conclusion of the story. The light entering the room is referred to as ghastly, this seems to link in well with the menacing setting of earlier, again Gabriels emotions seem incongruous with the setting. The light coming in from the window is referenced frequently in the story and becomes of greater importance as the denouement progresses. Gabriel makes conversation with Gretta but she says she is tired, she then walks over to the window and looks out of it with a serious face, as mentioned before we will later see the significance of this. Gabriel waits for her but feels that diffidence [is] about to conquer him and strikes up another line of conversation about Malins, but this is in a false voice. Even though, in conversation, Gabriel appears to have his emotions under control it says he is trembling with annoyance, most probably triggered by her seeming indifference to him and he wonders at her [abstraction]. Joyce is foreshadowing what is to come, however, Gabriel is oblivious to his wife actual state of mind. He is still in a state of passion but acknowledges that, To take her as she was would be brutal. As Gabriels lust grows his feelings take on an almost bestial nature, the word brutal is used again in reference to the language he wishes to shout out and he has to restrain himself. He longs to, Cry to her from his soul, to crush her body against his, to overmaster her. He is in such a fever of rage and desire that he does not hear her return from the window. The portrayal of lust as something that brings out a persons animalistic nature is not an uncommon one. When she returns from the window she kisses him and tells him that he is a very generous person. The kiss and compliment trigger a mood change and his fever of rage is quelled and he trembles with delight. He strokes her hair and his heart brims with happiness, this mood sharply contrasts with his prior feverous state and demonstrate the tempestuous nature of his emotions. Gabriel wonders if, Her thoughts had been running with his In light of later occurrences this seems a foolish remark when one considers what she must have been thinking about. Gabriels own thoughts have diverged far away from what Gretta is thinking about and she does not feel his impetuous desire. However, Gabriel asks the fatal question, What are you thinking about? Gabriel then realises that she was certainly not thinking about a night of passion as she [brakes] loose from him. Gabriel feels astonishment when she breaks away and follows her. As he passes the mirror he catches sight of himself within it, His broad, well-filled shirt-front, the face who expression always puzzled him when he saw it in a mirror and his glimmering gilt-rimmed eye glasses. This favourable image of himself will offer the reader a point of contrast when he sees himself later on and will show the effect the dead have had upon his own perception of himself. When Gabriel realises that the person she is upset about is someone she used to know his smile [passes] away, this phrase also alludes to the dead. A dull anger begins to gather and the dull fires of his lust began to glow angrily in his veins, his anger of earlier is now being rekindled and his emotions have swung again. When Gretta tells him his name he tries to seem disinterested in this delicate boy, he turns the phrase Gretta has used to describe Michael against him. His smiling question of earlier has turned into a cold question, heat was used earlier in the story as a symbol for their passion, this symbol has now been subverted in place of his attempt at indifference. Grettas eyes make Gabriel feel awkward, he possibly has an idea of what is to come. Before Gretta tells him that Michael is dead she looks away from him and along the shaft of light towards the window, the window is appearing again and could be linked with the memory of Michael Furey. Gabriels response to Gretta saying that Michael is dead is a sense of [humiliation] as he realises that whilst he has been preoccupied by memories full of joy and desire she had been comparing him in her mind with another. In light of this shameful consciousness of himself his image of himself changes, in the mirror he sees himself as ludicrous and pitiable and accuses himself of idealising his own clownish lusts. As mentioned before this shows the effect Michael Furey has had on him and one of the main themes of this story is how the dead affect the living beyond the grave. We see in quite an obvious light how Michaels death has affected Gretta but this shows us how he has indirectly affected Gabriel already. When Gretta tells Gabriel that she thinks Michael died for her a vague terror seizes him, Some impalpable and vindictive being was coming against him, gathering forces against him in its vague world Could this impalpable and vindictive being be Michael Furey? At this point he sees Michael Furey as something coming against him, his feelings towards him have not yet evolved into the jealousy, and then admiration, of later on his image of him is still vague. Gretta then goes on to tell Gabriel the full story of how Michael died and of the last night she saw him, I heard gravel thrown up against the window. The link between Michael and the window is now established, Gretta could have been looking out the window earlier remembering Michael. You could go further to say that the light coming through the window from outside was in some way part of Michael this would explain Grettas preoccupation with the window and why, earlier on, Gabriel instinctively turns away from it to hide his shame. When Gretta moves to the bed Gabriel goes and looks out of the window and this is when his epiphany creeps upon him. Gabriel looks upon her unresentfully, he does not blame Gretta but he does feel a jealousy that she has had that romance in her life. Gabriel is now pained by the realisation that he had played a poor part in her life. He wonders if she has told him all the story as he sees her clothes against the chair. Gabriel now wonders at his, Riots of emotions an hour before Those emotions are now long gone and he reflects upon what had given rise to them. As he wonders at the events of the party and of the wall home his thoughts inadvertently turn to death and he thinks about how his Aunt Julia will soon become a shade and that they were all becoming shades, from this he realises that it is better to, Pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age He admires the way Michael Furey passes away boldly and generous tears fill his eyes as he realises that he has never felt that way about anybody and henceforth he has never felt love. This realisation that he has never loved anyone before is an especially depressing thought for him given that he is married and at that stage of life to realise that you could die never having felt love could be a terrifying thought. Part of why Furey passed away boldly could have been because of the love he had felt during life and how he had left behind some of that love with Gretta. Many people believe that the only afterlife we experience is what memories we leave behind on Earth, if Gabriel died, what would he leave behind? Gabriel now sees Michael Furey before him, standing under a dripping tree, this image would have been the image Michael left behind with Gretta because it was the last she saw of him. This also links Furey to Christ because Christ stood under a tree in the Garden of Gethsemane a few nights before he was crucified. Furey seems a Messianic figure, he also died young which would fix him forever as the innocent youth Gretta loved who would never fade away. Gabriels soul begins to approach the vast region where dwell the vast hosts of the dead , he can feel but cant apprehend their flickering existence. As Gabriels identity begins to fade out he is experiencing an almost out of body experience. The dead are referred to as flickering, which is reminiscent of a candle, these could be the previously referred to shades. This flickering existence could be contrasted with the bold passage of Michael into the other world, and the light, which seems representative of him, that shines through the window upon them. Gabriel is drawn by taps upon the window and realises that it had begun to snow again and from this comes the realisation that it is snowing all over Ireland and thus on the graveyard where Michael lay from this he is able to draw a link between Michael and himself. Again the fact that he is drawn by the window shows how this realisation is brought on by the memory of Michael. Gabriels soul [swoons] as he hears it falling like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead, he now feels the effect that the dead have upon the living. These final thoughts could suggest that the living might, in fact, be able to escape and live unfettered by the past, because surely snow cant last forever? Gabriels emotions at the beginning were fervent and filled with anger and passion, they fluctuate as the evening progresses and these fluctuations are triggered by Grettas mood and response to him and thus, in effect, by Michael Furey. By the end of the story Gabriel is no longer angry but feels a keen sense of self awareness triggered by Grettas revelation that Michael Furey died for her. The setting of the story against the backdrop of winter which, in literary tradition is a symbol for death, is entirely appropriate given the nature of Gabriels epiphany. Joyce exhibits how, beyond the grave, the dead can still have an effect on the living. In his speech at the party Gabriel says, of the dead, Were we to brood upon them always we could not find the heart to go on, Will he ever manage to escape the death of Michael Furey?

Empirical Analysis of Firing Disputes

Empirical Analysis of Firing Disputes Are Common Perceptions on Termination Cases in Mexico Supported by Empirical Data Abstract Using a random sample of cases from the Federal Labor Court in Mexico, this research analyzes firing disputes in Mexico from an empirical perspective. In particular, it focuses on presenting evidence in regard to the following three common perceptions on termination cases: (i) that they are often terminated by an adjudicated decision; (ii) that they are extremely delayed; and (iii) that the final payments obtained by the workers are extremely high. The statistical evidence suggests that an emphasis in the literature and media on a particular subsample of cases with extreme characteristics (e.g. adjudicated or appealed processes) produces these conceptions. The study concludes with a brief comment regarding the importance of empirical studies as a way of better understanding legal phenomena in Mexico. Table of contents I. Federal labor tribunals in Mexico II. Methodology and Data III. Results and Discussion A. Termination payments are extremely high B. Termination cases are extremely delayed C. Termination cases normally go to trial IV. Conclusion Although the analysis of the law in Mexico has changed slightly in the last years, Pounds vision effectively reflects the atmosphere of pure law of the Mexican mainstream. The analysis of labor law in Mexico—the general topic of this research—reflects this analytical path. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the literature related to labor justice has been doctrinal and normative. These studies often ignore factual evidence of how the legal framework affects the legal reality; and if some evidence is presented, it is merely indicative or anecdotal. This doctrinal research figures prominently in public policy debates. This study departs completely from the Mexican mainstream insofar as it is an empirical study based on case file analysis. The research results are based on a random sample of 3,203 files selected from the Junta Federal de Conciliacià ³n y Arbitraje (JFCA) archive. These files correspond to termination cases presented before the Tribunal 15 of the JFCA (Tribunal 15), a labor tribunal (Junta Especial) whose jurisdiction includes the pharmaceutical, chemical, automotive, and paper industries; and the Tribunal 6 and 8 of the JFCA (Tribunal 6 8), the labor tribunals whose jurisdiction includes the textile industry. The period studied extends from 1991 to 1998. Note that case file analysis has been used extensively in other countries with fruitful results. The objective of this research is to characterize empirically the termination disputes in Mexico in the context of the tribunals analyzed. In particular, it focuses on presenting evidence in regard to the following three common perceptions on termination cases: (i) that they are often terminated by an adjudicated decision; (ii) that they are extremely delayed; and (iii) that the final payments obtained by the workers are extremely high. This article is divided into three sections. The first section explains the operation of the federal labor tribunal in Mexico. The second section describes the data and the methodology. The third section examines the above mentioned perceptions on termination cases. I. Federal labor tribunals in Mexico The JFCA is an administrative court that belongs to the executive branch. Because of this dependency, Mexican legal authors have questioned its degree of judicial independence. The JFCA consists of 61 labor tribunals, called Juntas Especiales. Sixteen tribunals are located in Mexico City, and the remainders are dispersed throughout Mexico. Labor tribunals have the legal power to conciliate and adjudicate. In fact, the LFT mandates at least one conciliation hearing before trial. Among the labor tribunals, jurisdiction is determined by industry. Although the labor law openly promotes settlement of disputes, it does not permit the settlement terms to remain confidential. The relevant tribunal must ratify the settlement for it to become binding. An employee cannot credibly forfeit the right to sue his employer unless and until the court approves his settlement. Employers and workers very often submit a settlement jointly to the labor court simply to obtain ratification, which then makes the agreement binding. The approval of settlements primarily serves as a mechanism for confirming that the worker has not renounced some legal benefit and for making the agreement binding at law. Tribunals must record details about the settlement, such as the date of the settlement and the amount paid. Once a lawsuit is filed, the tribunal with jurisdiction over the dispute must schedule at least one conciliatory hearing. At the conclusion of that hearing, the tribunal schedules subsequent hearings for the presentation of evidence and for trial. At any point during the process, however, the suit can be terminated by a settlement. The tribunal must approve this settlement. In fact, the parties can agree to defer hearings if they think they need more time to negotiate the terms of the agreement. If no agreement is reached, a tripartite commission composed of an employer representative, an employee representative, and a government representative may issue an award deciding the dispute. Note that the employee may also drop the complaint at any point during the lawsuit. As noted in the tables below, dropped lawsuits are not uncommon. An appeal mechanism, the juicio de amparo, is available to challenge the resolutions of the tribunal. Note that the parties cannot only challenge the final decision issued by the tribunal, but also other decisions that could potentially affect the outcome of the case, for instance, the fact that the tribunal notified the employer about the workers complaint in an incorrect manner. It is fair to state that the scope of review of the juicio de amparo in labor cases is limited to protect the due process rights of the parties. II. Methodology and Data Clermont Eisenberg divide legal studies based on statistical research into three groups depending on the way in which the data is assembled. Studies of published judicial decisions, studies based on data produced by experimental work or by archival research, and studies involving analyses of publicly available, and usually governmental, databases. The present study fits into the second category, legal research based on archival data. The logic behind analyzing archival cases is simple: random samples of large dockets can provide us with useful information to analyze the patterns of litigation in a particular tribunal. This is particularly relevant when there is no information available—or only very incomplete information—on how certain type of legal dispute is resolved. In particular, information regarding labor disputes is extremely general and imprecise. The data used for this research was obtained through a public information request under the Ley Federal de Transparencia y Acceso a la Informacion Publica Gubernamental, the law that regulates the access to public governmental information. While some of the variables used in this study are considered public information under this law, other variables are not public information, and have been obtained under a confidentiality agreement. The confidentiality agreement was negotiated with the authorities of the JFCA, who only authorized to review those cases that complied with the following characteristics: (1) closed cases that cannot be reopened by the parties anymore, (2) and cases that had been initiated in 1998 at most. Given these constraints, I was able to assemble a random sample of cases initiated between 1991 and 1998 in Tribunal 15 and Tribunal 6 8. Note that these years refer to the dates in which the cases were presented before the labor tribunals, and not to the dates in wh ich the cases were actually solved. There are two main types of cases observed in the sample: filed settlements and litigated cases. In filed settlements, the employer and employee file a jointly agreement, which is merely ratified by the tribunal. In litigated cases, the parties usually present and produce several documents, such as the employees initial petition, the employers response (if any), the terms of agreement reached if the case is settled, the final award issued by the tribunal if the case is not settled, and the appeals carried out by the parties. Note that litigated cases have three possible outcomes: dropped suits, settlements, and trials leading to a final decision issued by a tripartite commission. As mentioned before, the final decision is known as an award (laudo). Using the information from the documents mentioned in this paragraph, I calculated the duration and the final payment of the cases handled by Tribunal 15 and Tribunal 6 8. These calculations will be presented in further tables. A comment should be made on the validity and usefulness of the results coming from the data analyzed. First, the LFT has not been substantially modified since its enactment in 1970. Second, and based on five interviews with representatives of the government from five federal labor courts that handle similar disputes, it is reasonable to state that the solving pattern of the termination disputes here portrayed is accurate and reflects the current situation. III. Results and Discussion A. Termination payments are extremely high Some Mexican authors have analyzed the LFT from an economic perspective. Basically, their argument is that the LFT should be modified to eliminate all those provisions that create restrictions on hiring, mobility, and termination of employees. These legal restrictions, originally designed to protect the worker, generate a higher social cost than benefit. In particular, these authors claim that the LFT raises termination costs, diminishing the quantity of labor that an employer hires below the socially efficient level. This argument assumes that most of the termination payments are paid according to the LFT and are thus extremely high. No empirical evidence concerning this assumption has been produced. Before presenting the empirical evidence, the rules regarding termination payments should be explained. These rules, provided in the LFT, mainly refer to the provision of fringe benefits, overtime, and the mechanics of termination. Fringe benefits are mainly composed of vacation pay and year end bonuses. Each employee is entitled to a certain number of days of paid vacation depending on his or her tenure at the firm. Also, every employee has the right to receive an end of the year bonus equal to at least 15 days wages. A normal workweek cannot exceed 48 hours. If an employee works more than 48 hours in a single week, he is entitled to overtime pay. The law mandates double pay for up to 9 hours of overtime, and triple pay for any hours above 57 per week. Terminations are classified under the law as justified or unjustified. Justified termination is limited to wrongdoing on the part of the worker, such as three continuous unjustified absences. Termination for any other reason, such as low employee productivity, is considered unjustified and it often implies higher termination cost. For either type of termination, the firm must cover all payments owed to the worker up to the termination date, including overtime and the prorated proportion of fringe benefits until the termination date. Additionally, the worker is entitled to severance pay equivalent to 12 days wages for each year worked, with the wage rate capped at twice the minimum wage. At the time of termination the firm must issue the worker a written document explaining the exact cause of termination as defined by the LFT. Workers have the right to challenge the grounds for termination. According to the LFT, the firm carries the burden of proving that it fired the worker for just cause. Workers terminated in an unjust manner have the right to receive two additional payments. Back pay from the termination date through the date when judgment is issued (including not only the salary, but also the fringe benefits), plus three months salary with benefits. Also, those workers who are denied reinstatement are enti tled to 20 days wages plus benefits for each year worked, without any cap on the wage rate. Note that a worker who proves he was fired without justification can request to be reinstated in his job. The firm may refuse reinstatement for certain categories of workers, such as temporary workers, those with less than one years tenure, and those considered to be at will employees. A firm may also avoid having to reinstate workers it fires in the case of justified layoffs. Table 1 presents the average final payments obtained by workers depending on the form in which the cases concluded. Both absolute and relative amounts are shown. Relative amounts correspond to the amount that workers win as a percentage of the amount they claimed. The data demonstrate that fired workers who initiated a lawsuit usually claimed considerable amounts of money that seldom obtained. Also, note that workers who resolved the case through a filed settlement or a settlement reached during the lawsuit had better final payments. Interestingly, in cases solved by an award, the decision of the parties to appeal increased the amount received by the worker. As the tables portray, most of the termination cases do not receive an extremely high final payment, which contradicts the widely held assumption of the Mexican media and Mexican academic literature. Although this section only presents a descriptive analysis of the data, these results deserve much more attention and analysis in future research. B. Termination cases are extremely delayed This section presents empirical evidence that supports the idea that the duration of termination cases is not necessarily extremely delayed, but it actually depends on characteristics of the dispute like the termination mode, the decision of the parties to challenge the tribunal decisions, or to defer the case. Many Mexican legal scholars have criticized the fact that labor procedures are extremely formal and complicated. According to this view, procedure is the main source of delay in labor disputes. Proposals for diminishing delays in labor disputes include: improving the conciliation system , hiring more legal clerks , replacing the old technology in the JFCA (i.e. principally computers) , and, of course, changing the law to eliminate procedural complexities. The LFT procedures do not limit the time period for case resolution; rather they establish a term in which each action in the process should be completed. The goal of establishing such terms is to create a fast labor procedure (article 685). The labor statute requires different types of procedures depending on the case at issue. The procedure by which termination cases are solved is known as ordinary procedure (article 871). The ordinary procedure starts when the employee files a claim before the JFCA (article 871). After this claim is admitted, the parties are scheduled for a hearing (article 873). The hearing has three stages: the conciliation stage; the claims and exceptions state; and finally, the stage of submission and admission of the evidence (article 875). Each one of these stages has particular time and form characteristics according to which it operates. Article 876 governs the conciliation stage. The goal is for the parties to reach a conciliation agreement through the intermediation of the tribunal. If the parties reach an agreement, the disputed is terminated and the tribunal endorses the corresponding agreement. This agreement, like an award, is enforceable. If the parties do not reach a conciliation agreement, the hearing proceeds to the claims and exceptions stage. Article 878 also governs this stage. The worker presents his claim, and the employer answer him. After this stage, the submission and admission of the evidence stage occurs, which article 880 governs. Next, the evidence is presented before the tribunal in another hearing governed by Article 884. When all these stages have been completed, a legal clerk creates a draft of the final ruling. This draft has to be approved by members of the tripartite panel (the representative of the employees, the employers, and the government). This process follows the rules established in articles 887, 888, and 889. After approval, and if no corrections are proposed, the draft is turned into the award. According to the terms established in the statute for each one of these proceedings, an ordinary procedure should be resolved in 75 effective court days. As table 2 portrays, the average duration of an ordinary procedure (i.e. case solved by an award without being appealed or being deferred) in Tribunal 15 is 440.76 effective court days, and in Tribunal 6 8 is 419.89 effective court days. Several things should be clarified with regard to the description of the ordinary procedure. First, although the labor statute speaks of one hearing divided into different stages; in fact, there are different hearings in which all these stages are completed. Therefore, if the parties cannot reach an agreement after a conciliation hearing, the conciliation continues in the next hearing, and the subsequent stage is postponed and so on. Second, the statute permits the parties to defer the hearings if both sides agree. In other words, if the parties are in the process of negotiating a conciliation agreement, they can ask the labor tribunal for more time. According to table 2, this is not unusual. Third, although the statute specifies that the conciliation stage should be performed at the beginning of the case, the parties can reach a conciliation agreement at any time during the ordinary procedure, even after the conciliation stage has passed. Fourth, the description portrayed for the or dinary procedure does not account for whether the parties (either the employee or the employer) decide to appeal the award or not. If the parties decide to appeal the award issued by the judge, the procedure should be extended by no more than 45 days until the appeal sentence is rendered. Table 2 portrays that the duration of the case increases considerably when the parties decided to appeal the rulings of the labor tribunal. While cases concluding through an award that was not appealed took 450.45 effective court days to be solved in Tribunal 15 and 442.69 effective court days in Tribunal 6 8, cases concluding through an award that was appeal took longer: 904.79 effective court days to be solved in Tribunal 15 and 790.28 effective court days in Tribunal 6 8. The ordinary procedure requirements suggest the excessive formality of the process for resolving termination cases. The real question is how many cases actually pass through all these complicated stages. Table 2 shows the average duration of cases in court effective days depending on certain decisions of the parties, particularly, their decision to appeal the tribunals rulings and to defer the case. Note that 56.97% of the total cases from Tribunal 15 and 23.48% of the total cases from Tribunal 6 8 were filed settlements. These cases were resolved without passing through any of the above mentioned stages of an ordinary procedure and went to the court as a mere formality. The situation is different for litigated cases. Litigation cases are divided between those cases in which the parties deferred the case at least once and those in which the parties never deferred the case. As noted in the tables, the average duration is regularly higher when the parties decided to defer the case tha n when they chose not to defer it. Observe that the difference in duration of a lawsuit also depends on the parties decision to settle, drop, or go to trial seeking an adjudicated award. Finally, the duration of the case depends on whether the parties chose to appeal the rulings of the tribunal or not (including the award). Therefore, it is clear that when an award is issued to resolve a labor dispute or when the parties challenged the tribunals decision, the case was more delayed. However, the real question is how frequently this situation actually occurred. According to the evidence presented here, termination cases were rarely solved through an award (6.09% in Tribunal 15 and 9.76% in Tribunal 6 8), and even more rarely through an award issued after an appeal (1.88% in Tribunal 15 and 2.55% in Tribunal 6 8). Adjudicated awards and appeals appear to be more the exception than the rule. Short settled cases (i.e. filed settlements and settled lawsuits without appeal) instead of long disputes seem to be the typical termination case. Finally, and given the results presented in table 2, it is reasonable to believe that the substantial length of the adjudication process could be itself a contributing factor to the settlement of most cases. Although a profound analysis of such idea goes beyond the scope of this work, it should definitely be considered in further empirical studies. C. Termination cases normally go to trial The media and legal scholars in Mexico have portrayed Mexican labor justice as complicated, corrupted, delayed, and costly. This vision has deeply shaped the perception of the labor justice system. Cases reflecting the view of delayed justice and low final payments appear in the random sample of cases analyzed in this study. Although these cases exist in the data set, they do not at all reflect the typical case. First, case 1/1991 , which began in 1991. In this case, a 26 year old man filed a claim of unjustified termination. He worked in the state of Oaxaca, in a paper factory. He had worked for almost five years receiving a daily wage of $78 pesos and claimed $191,900 pesos. A public defender represented him. In 1995, after four years, an award issued by the judge determined that the termination had been lawful. Thus, the claim was dismissed without any payment to the worker. Second, case 2/1994, which began in 1994. In this lawsuit, a 32 year old man also claimed an unjustified termination. He worked in the state of Chihuahua for a pharmaceutical firm. He had worked for six years and received a daily wage of $307 pesos. A private lawyer represented him, and the amount at stake was $922,429 pesos. The lawyer appealed the first award, which had favored the employer. The final decision, rendered near the end of 1997, favored the worker, but only granted him $7,894 pesos. The case took slightly more than three years of effective court time; and interestingly, the parties decided to defer the case once during the process. At the end of the day, the worker waited three years and received only a small fraction of his original claim (less than 10%). Although the cases portrayed above match the descriptions provided in the news for termination cases that reach the trial stage, it is not clear that these cases are representative of the typical termination case with which the tribunal commonly deals. Other cases in the sample reflect a completely different result. In other words, high payments and little court time. For example, case 3/1994 began in 1994 when a 50 year old man from Mexico City claimed an unjustified dismissal after more than thirteen years of work at a well known pharmaceutical company. The case did not reach judicial evaluation of the merits, and was settled only three months after filing. Interestingly, the parties decided to defer the hearings twice, and a private lawyer represented the employee. The employee, who claimed $267,115 pesos, received $214,959, 80% of his original claim. In another termination case, 4/1997, a 57 year old man filed a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company asking for $1,364,927 pesos. The employee had a 22 year tenure and a daily wage of $2,472 pesos daily salary. The case was settled after ten months, and the employee obtained $1,001,167 pesos, 73% of his original petition. Again, a private lawyer took the case, and the parties deferred the hearings twice. Note two relevant commonalities in the two cases presented: both settled before reaching the trial stage, and the parties decided to defer the hearings at some point in the process. This study finds that settled cases more accurately reflect the resolution of Mexican labor disputes than the cases highlighted in the media, which typically cover cases that go to trial and terminate with an adjudicated award. In other words, the media emphasize cases that usually take a long time to resolve; and in particular, cases in which workers obtain outlying results (very low or high payments). Although these cases eventually come up in labor tribunals, they are rare. A bias for highlighting cases that go to trial has been identified several times in the literature. Laurence Ross and Alfred Conrad showed, in 1970 and 1964 respectively, that only a very small fraction of disputes go to trial and an even smaller fraction are appealed. Consequently, an analysis based only on those cases that go to trial is not representative of the influence of legal rules on social affairs. The conclusions of doctrinal studies based on trials or appealed cases disclose very little about how legal rules affect the behavior of those subject to them or affect the generation of legal disputes themselves. Mexican literature concerning labor law in general, and particularly termination cases, has followed this pattern. The methodological problem in studying only final decisions, like appeals or awards, is that the: simple extrapolation from a sample of litigated cases to the population of all cases is valid only if the sample is random. If cases are not randomly selected for litigation, then a researcher who uses litigated cases is necessarily studying both the selection mechanism and the underlying population of cases simultaneously. The particular set of data gathered for this research avoids this problem to a great extent. First, as explained earlier, the labor statute requires parties to ratify terminations before the labor tribunal for the termination to become legally binding. If an employer fires an employee and wants to have a legal document verifying that the employee was fired without any violation of the provisions of the law, he needs to ratify his dismissal agreement before the labor tribunal. Therefore, termination cases (the underlying dispute) should pass by the court, at least for ratification. Second, cases sampled not only include filed settlements, but also cases that starte d as lawsuits and were later settled, dropped, or decided by an adjudicated award. In short, the random sample of cases studied accurately represents the solving pattern of termination cases because the cases analyzed are a random sample of the underlying disputes, not a random sample from a particular biased sub sample. Table 1 and 2 portray the solving pattern of termination cases in Mexico. Statistics from these tables suggest that the typical termination case is settled in some fashion, and that awards are issued occasionally. A brief survey of the Mexican literature shows that one of the main concerns for labor reformers in Mexico is the long delay in solving disputes. Table 1 and 2 show that this perspective is imprecise. Most of the disputes went to court merely seeking a ratification of the parties agreement and were solved the same day they were presented. On the other hand, if the dispute was not a mere ratification but litigation, duration varied greatly according to the way of solving the dispute and to the parties decision to appeal the tribunals decision (particularly the award). Therefore, it appears that when studies and news refer to delay in labor justice, they actually refer to a sub sample of cases with certain characteristics, in particular, to those cases that finish with an adj udicated award, are appealed, or both. Many analyses of Mexican labor justice in general, and of termination cases in particular, have not seen the whole picture, but only a small fraction of cases with extreme characteristics. These works, though somewhat useful, tend to be biased in their conclusions, and they definitely do not appear to be the best guide for implementing public policy measures or legislative changes. Interestingly, according to the tables, a final judgment (i.e. award) was issued only in 6.09% of the total cases sampled in Tribunal 15 and in 9.76% of the total cases sampled in Tribunal 6 8. Alexander reports that fewer than 5% of litigated cases are tried to judgment in the U.S. Trubek et al. state that approximately 8% of civil suits filed in state or federal court went to trial. Also, Resnik notes that 85% to 90% of all federal civil suits end up settling. Note that 86.14% of the sampled cases were settled in some manner in Tribunal 15 and 77.80% in Tribunal 6 8. Therefore, the results of the present study are consistent in supporting the conclusion that cases that go to trial provide only a distorted window into peoples behavior in response to legal rules. IV. Conclusions This article seeks to analyze termination using empirical evidence. Using a random sample of cases from three Mexican labor tribunals, this work has analyzed three widely held perceptions on termination cases, which are commonly supported by the Mexican media and some Mexican legal scholars. The conclusion is straightforward: the perception of termination cases in private industry has been biased by a sub sample of cases with extreme characteristics, cases that go to a final judgment or are appealed. Interestingly, this biased has not been detected by research on labor law produced by Mexican scholars who study the law from a doctrinal perspective, proving that limiting the study of the legal system to doctrinal analyses of legal norms could lead to erroneous conclusions. Approaching research questions from an empirical perspective is necessary, and it will eventually reveal new features of the Mexican legal system.