Herman Miller Inc Essay Example for Free

Herman Miller Inc Essay From the headquarters of Herman Miller Inc. , Curt Pullen talks amid the unmistakable pounding sounds and commotion associated with a construction work site about his companys plan to rebound from the recession. Pullen, the firms executive vice president and president of North America, says the workers are installing new lower-height Herman Miller workstations designed to accommodate a growing trend in offices toward more open, collaborative environments. The new product, called Canvas, is part of the companys market-shift strategy after the demand for office furniture fell hard during the economic downturn. The plan also involves diversifying into the health care and academic furniture markets and more emphasis on emerging economies. The plan appears to be paying off. For the first time in nearly four years the company reported two consecutive quarters of double-digit percentage sales growth after releasing its second-quarter earnings statement on Dec 15th. Orders in the second quarter rose 34% to $462 million. CEO Brian Walker noted the companys expanded market reach as a contributing factor to growth. Significant increases occurred in international markets where sales rose 33%. In 2010 the company acquired UK-based ergonomic workstation manufacturer Colebrook Bosson Saunders and purchased assets from Australian furniture maker Living Edge Group. In 2008, the company announced a partnership with Chinas Posh Office Systems Ltd. to expand in the Asia-Pacific region. The company attributed a year-end surge to gains in its international, health care, learning and retail vertical markets. The expanding health care industry has become one of the companys key growth targets. One of the more recent expansions into the health care field came on Jan. 31 when Herman Miller completed its acquisition of health care furniture manufacturer Nemschoff Chairs LLC based in Sheboygan, Wis. Herman Miller designed the Canvas workstation at a lower height than traditional workstations to facilitate a workplace trend toward more collaborative environments. The design also allows more light into work areas and saves space, the company says. Including sinks and headwalls, to be reconfigured to meet patient needs. 2. Business Strategy: Broad Differentiation Strategies This strategy pursues the buyer’s needs and preference to make them satisfied with the product. And to be different from other rivals, the product must have unique product attributes that a wide range of buyers find appealing and worth paying for. The strategy achieves its aim when an attractively large numbers of buyers find the customer buyer value proposition. Herman miller is pursuing this strategy as we refer to the case study that their products are based on the design which is designed according to the people who use the furniture. Like the president of Herman Miller said: ‘people are important not the furniture. Furniture should be useful’. Besides, this company emphasizes on product design and environmental friendly, these are two basic things that they have been practicing for many decades. Furthermore, they also invest more in research and development for product innovation. Take an example of office design product, Herman Miller’s Insight and Exploration team observed various workplaces to analyze how people collaborate and the ways in which their interactions vary over the course of a day, and throughout the life of a project by differentiating the subtleties of how, when, where, and why people connect independent of content or industry. Senior Researcher Shilpi Kumar notes that, â€Å"outlining these collaborative work behaviors will empower designers and decision makers with a greater understanding for how people really work, and will enable more informed choices in regards to office spaces. Herman Miller takes advantage of the growing desire for green products to create a better world and increase ergonomic furniture, because the consumers are willing to pay a premium for such quality and social responsible product. Since the designer of Herman Miller emphasized quality, excellence, and the continual improvement of their products, obviously one of their product which is designed by Charles and Ray Eames since its launch in 1950 had developed from plastic chair to wood chair in 2000. She also confirmed that this wood chair is 100 times recyclable since Herman Miller is concerned about environmental friendly, and Eames Molded Wood Side Chair earns Gold award at NeoCon 2013 in the Guest Seating category. 3. Functional strategy: Research and Development (RD) This category focuses on strategy that is concerned with the actions in managing particular functions within a business especially in RD. In terms of Herman Miller RD, they invested in research and development (RD) financially. Although there was downturn in financial, Herman Miller still invested tens of millions of dollars in RD. The investment in RD was code named Purple. A result of investment in RD was an outgrowth of project Purple. The goal of this project was to spread beyond the boundaries of normal business. Herman miller created a special team called the accessories team in which the team-identified a potential growth area. This team is made to recruit people with different disciplines needed to support that goal. In addition, this team focuses on contributing ideas to the success of the team from all resources and also to develop a particular product as it goes through that piece of work. This project is in line with functional strategy of RD in which a company’s product development represents the plan for keeping the company’s product in accordance with what buyers are looking for (Thompson et al, 2014). In the case of Herman Miller Inc, they began with research in every real design solution in which the exploitation and insights of the best research leads to human-centered design and problem solving. Herman Miller Inc is doing many things for RD in the case of education, sustainability, performance, healthcare, manufacturing, architectures design and ergonomics. Herman Miller Inc has its major RD activities and projects, i. e. its way to support and develop a company’s product. According to Herman Miller’s financial statement for fiscal years 2006-2011, there was a decline in design and research in 2009 due to the ongoing economic downturn. Figure 1. 1: Spending on Design and research So far, they have done some research projects regarding education such as; student’s research work behaviors behind innovation spaces. In the fall 2012, there was a project Herman Miller funded as a way of investing in the next generation of workers by giving students the chance to apply what hey learn in a real-world setting. Herman Miller wanted them to look at the business objective of the company. Besides Herman Miller providing the funds, the employees of the company also participated in the project. After the field research, the goal of this project was that the students shared what they had learned from going to the company for a workshop. The company also wanted to discover more about places that encourage creativity and the places of creative people. Besides Herman Miller providing the funds, the employee of the company also participated in the project. In regarding with the research in technology, the research starts by understanding which technological trends are creating new behaviors in the workplace. So from that, they can produce new design solution. Over the last three years, a group of designers, engineers, and researchers, the Insight Herman Miller and Exploration Team (I E) has focused on emerging technologies and how they alter social behavior in the workplace. Herman Miller’s goal is to identify the technology trends that are relevant to the office and also understanding new behaviors that allow the designers, architects and manufacturers to bring new workplace design. For healthcare, Herman Miller Healthcare saw the opportunity to study and analyze by doing the research from the discussion of Bluewater health in which prior to design development and also the satisfaction and safety of patients and staff members. Herman Miller Healthcare is sponsoring a research project that will explore how changes in the built environment have affected staff in three important areas: Ambulatory Care, Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department. 3 4. Functional Strategies: Marketing Marketing is one of the strategies used under functional strategy. First and foremost, Herman Miller products were sold internationally through wholly owned subsidiaries in countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Singapore, China, India, and the Netherlands. Hence, they use the international strategy to compete its products in each country. In other words, they use the foreign subsidiary strategies because it seemed that they prefer to have a direct control over all aspects of operating in a foreign country that is the reason why they established wholly owned subsidiaries. As a result, this strategy was successful as their brand was recognized by customers and increased customer base spreading over 100 countries. Moreover, they used green marketing strategy to sell their products. This is because they mainly focus on environmental friendly such as Mirra chair, one of their products which was made of 45 percent recycled materials, and 96 percent of its material were recyclable. Therefore, the chairs used 100 percent renewable energy. Due to this strategy used, Mirra chair was recorded as one of the Top 10 Green Products by Architectural Record and Environmental Building News. Hence, this can indicate the success of using this strategy. In addition, Herman Miller engaged in cooperating advertising with strategic partners. As the example of Hilton Garden Inns which they equipped the Mirra chair in some room and on the desk in the room, was a card that explain how to adjust the chair while also providing the advertisement of Herman Miller’s website, how to purchase the products. Likewise, this is one of the advertising used to promote their products by using the strategic partner. As a result, they can reduce the advertising cost and gain more brand awareness. . Operating Strategy: Lean Production Initially, at Spring Lake, Herman Miller had invested in a giant robot assembly that welded supports inside file cabinet housings, including a tractor-trailer-length automated welding line with 1,000 sensors to drive labor completely out of the process. Unfortunately, big customers like Hewlett-Packard and ATT were pulling their orders of 100 instead of 500 and some wanted file cabinets in two weeks instead of six with much higher quality. The Spring Lake plant could not deliver, and certainly not for the lower prices customers demanded. 995, they adapted Toyota’s leading-edge formula for plant-floor management into an approach they called the Herman Miller Performance System (Boozco. , 2010, para 20). Based on the above quote, it depicted that Herman Miller’s decision to employ Herman Miller Performance System (HMPS); lean production, was to maintain efficiencies and cost savings by minimizing the amount of inventory on hand through a just-in-time process. To ensure a fluid flow on the order – driven production, Herman Miller collaborated with reliable and strategic suppliers. HMPS created competitive advantage through large assembly – manufacturing based. For example, direct materials and components purchased as needed to meet the demand and some suppliers delivered parts to Herman Miller production facilities five or six times per day. This resulted in a standard lead time of 10 to 20 days for majority of the products and low inventories on hand. Interestingly, HMPS managed to increase the variable costs rather than fixed costs while retaining proprietary control over manufacturing process. It was reported that â€Å"the plant managers across Herman Miller have learned that the best-run plants rely on people, not machines. Only people can solve problems to make assembly lines go faster, run cheaper, and deliver higher quality† (Boozco. , 2010, para 25). Therefore, it can be concluded that labor intensive approach tend to outperform machine intensive approach especially when the products demand further customization with limited time and the majority of industry products are built to each customers unique order. Question 2: Culture at HMI: healthy and largely supportive of good strategy execution. Herman Miller had codified its long-practiced organizational values, intended as a basic for uniting all employees, building relationship, and contributing to society. Herman Miller started in 1905 with the Star Furniture Company and created the Herman Miller furniture company with his son in law named Dirk Jan De Pree. From the beginning, De Pree committed himself to treating all workers as individuals with specials talents and potential. This was part of Herman Miller’s corporate culture which continued to generate respect for all employees and take advantage of the diversity of skills possessed by all. This is one of the functional strategies in corporate culture in Herman Miller Inc in which included the company’s approach to people management, procedures and operating practices that provide the guidelines for the behavior of the company. The impact of this culture became one of the competitive advantages that make strong management and employee satisfaction in the company. The business principles and ethical standard of Herman Miller are the management practices as the key of company’s culture. Herman Miller was one of the furniture company named to Fast Company’s â€Å"Most Innovative Companies† in both 2008 and 2010. Herman Miller had pursued a path of reinvention and renewal. Herman Miller has many ways to develop their products and its culture is also unique. Through the growing of the company, Herman Miller maintains the relationship with the employees. Herman Miller’s commitment to innovation included sharing ideas and opinions from the employees. On January 1979, Herman Miller established new organization structures that included all employees were to be given the opportunity to discuss new plan in small group settings. In addition, Herman Miller also established a plan in which all employees became shareholders. Herman Miller Inc. also focuses on more efficient and environmentally friendly by taking a major initiative in 1981. It is in line with a better world value which is pursuing sustainability and environmental policy. They established environmental quality action team whose goal was to coordinate environmental programs worldwide that involves many employees. A Herman Miller’s culture is grounded in and resides to certain core value and some sets for ethical behavior. Herman Miller had long practiced organizational values that were still used in 2012. The values are as basis for uniting all employees, building relationship, adapt the implied attitude, behaviors and work practices. The company adopted inclusiveness which means they include all the expressions of human talent and potential that society offers. As mentioned before, Herman Miller corporate culture continued to create respect to all employees and looking for and utilizing the skills possessed by anyone. The second value is design in which it is important to Herman Miller Inc. in order to make innovative products. It is the way for them for looking at the world and how it can work. The results of this value are Herman Miller established many innovative products and designs. In 1971 and 1984, they introduced products based on ergonomics principles such as the Ergon chair and Equa chair. For another groundbreaking design, it introduced the Aeron chair which was almost added to New York Museum of Modern Art’s permanent design collection in 1990. Other important values are based on Herman Miller’s best performance that focuses on enriching the lives of employees, customers and create value for the shareholders. The result of this value has made Herman Miller share the gains and pains with the employees especially about the compensation. All employees received a base pay and they also participated in a profit sharing program where they received stock in accordance to the company’s financial performance. The company also offered to the employees the employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), retirement income plan, offered annual bonus to all employees based on company’s performance, and in regard to profit sharing both the employees and executives have same calculation of bonus potential. High performance culture In Herman Miller Inc. there is a strong sense of involvement on the part of company personnel and emphasis on individual initiative and creativity. Two of the greatest strengths lie behind our heritage of research-driven design. Respecting and encouraging risks, exploring new ideas and freedom of speech. Owners actively committed to the life of the community called Herman Miller, pride in doing things right, sharing in its success and risks. The strengths and payoff really comes in when engaging in people’s own problems, solutions and behavior. Performance is required at the highest level possible. Herman Miller enriches employees’ lives, delight its customers, and create value for its shareholders. Herman Miller includes all the express human talent and potential, everyone should have a chance to realize his or her potential regardless of color, gender, age, sexual orientation. It believes that skill; different educational background could bring the company uniqueness. Adaptive Culture Herman Miller always keep innovating its products to serve their customers better. Herman Miller’s corporate culture, which continued to generate respect for all employees, had fueled the quest to tap the diversity of gifts and skill held by all. The company designs products according to what people want the most, and it is a way of looking at the world and how it works or does not. To design a solution, rather than simply devising one, required research, thought sometime starting over, listening and humility. Manager and employees support each other in dealing with working environment. Herman Miller designed the Canvas workstation, at a lower height than traditional workstations to facilitate a workplace trend toward more collaborative environments. The design also allows more light into work areas and saves space, the company says. Additionally, the company also keeps changing its production designs from time to time according to the needs of the people and follow ergonomic system. Herman Miller hired much expertise to design its furniture, and it is costly to spend on R;D but company the company was willing to take risks on new innovation. Financial performance Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 Revenue ($ millions) $ 2,012. 1 $1,630. 0 $1,318. 8 $1,649. 2 R;D to Sales Ratio R;D/Sale 51. 2 / 2,012. 1 = 2. 5 % 45. 7 / 1,630. 0 = 2. 8 % 40. 5 / 1,318. 8 = 3. 1 % 45. 8 / 1,649. 2 = 2. 8 % Table 2. : HMI’s Revenues and R;D to Sales ratio from 2008 to 2011 Figure 2. 1: Research and development (R;D) to Sales ratio from 2008 to 2011 The above graph shows the trend of R;D sales ratio which increases from year 2008 until 2010. However, it decreased slightly in 2011 due to low R;D investment because of recession. However, it is not clear whether measuring the R;D ratio is a good metric to represent its efficiency towards a company. This is because it takes into consideration the R;D expenses rather than R;D investment thus it is easy to manipulate the number by lowering the R;D expenditure. Even, in the balance sheet of Herman Miller, the R;D investment is not disclosed under assets. If R;D is capitalized as asset, then it depicts the efficiency of R;D towards business revenues. In brief, due to that constraint, we assume that at least the R;D sales ratio increases and contributes positively towards Herman Miller’s business structure as Herman Miller invests heavily in R;D to create the furniture. Figure 2. 2: HMI’s Revenues from 2008 to 2011 The above graph illustrates that the trend of sales revenue decreases from year 2008 until 2010. However, it started to increase in year 2011. Thus, in brief, Herman Miller is improving in their sales through investment in Research and Development and produces competitive design. Question 3: HMI’s Financial situation: prior years and its competitors 1. HMI’s financial situation In order to measure the financial performance of Herman Miller Inc, we have used different ratios, such as liquidity, profitability, leverage and activity ratios. Besides, we also compare the financial performance of HMI in relation to its competitors – HNI and Steelcase Inc from 2008 until 2012 based on the above mention ratios. For our case, we have used the current ratio to measure the extent to which the three companies (HMI, HNI and Steelcase) can meet their short term obligations as shown in the figure below. Figure 3. 1: HMI’s current ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The figure above shows the current ratios for the three manufacturers’ of office furniture and equipment for five consecutive years. In the case of Herman Miller Inc. , their current ratio showed some slight increase of about 1 percent from 2008 to 2009. However, a drop of about 21 percent was xperienced in 2010 but they were still able to maintain a current ratio of greater than 1. In the year 2011 and 2012, there had been a tremendous increase in their current ratio to 1. 76 and 1. 81 respectively. This current ratio of greater than 1 provides additional cushion against unforeseeable contingencies that may arise in the short term. In the case of HNI, their current ratio showed a moderate increase of about 7 percen t from 2008 to 2009. However, for the subsequent years, HNI experienced a decrease in their current ratio of approximately 10 percent from 2010 all the way to 2012. Nonetheless, they were able to maintain a current ratio of at least 1 to ensure that the value of their current assets covers at least the amount of their short term obligations. As for Steelcase, their current ratio showed a moderate increase of about 8 percent from 2008 to 2010. On the other hand, the company experienced a decrease of roughly 8 percent in the year 2011 but they were still able to maintain a current ratio of greater than 1. However, Steelcase managed to have an increase in their current ratio from 1. 37 in 2011 to 1. 52 in 2012. Overall, Herman Miller Inc. as shown a significant increasing trend in their current ratio as compared to the other two companies. This may suggest improved liquidity of the company or a more conservative approach to working capital management. ii. Profitability ratios: Profitability ratios measure management’s overall effectiveness as shown by the returns generated on sales and investment. There are a number of ratios under profitability but for our case, we have used the Return on Assets (ROA) to measure the after-tax profits per dollar of assets and Gross Profit Margin which measures the total margin available to cover operating expenses and yield a profit. These two ratios have been used to evaluate the three companies (HMI, HNI and Steelcase). Figure 3. 2. 1: HMI’s return on asset ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The figure above shows the Return on Assets for the three manufacturers’ of office furniture and equipment for five consecutive years. In the case of Herman Miller Inc. , there has been a decreasing trend of ROA in the year 2008 to 2010 from 19 percent to 4 percent respectively. This shows that the profitability of the company is deteriorating. Nevertheless, rom the year 2010 to the year 2012, the company has shown some slight increasing trend of ROA from 4 percent to 9 percent respectively. This indicates that the company’s profitability is quite improving over the years. When it comes to HNI, it has also shown a high decreasing trend of ROA in the year 2008 to 2011 from 5 percent to -0. 6 percent respectively. This shows that the profitability of the company is extremely deteriorating. However , in the year 2012, there was an increase of about 4 percent as compared to the previous year. The company was able to move from -0. 6 percent to 3. 8 percent. This signifies that the company’s profitability is slightly improving. Lastly for Steelcase, there has also been a high decreasing trend of ROA from the year 2008 to 2010 with about 6 percent and -0. 8 percent respectively. This shows that the profitability of the company is extremely deteriorating. However, there was a slight increasing trend of ROA in 2011 and 2012 of 1. 02 percent and 3. 33 percent respectively. This means that the company’s profitability is somewhat improving. Overall, Herman Miller Inc. has shown a considerable increasing trend in their ROA over the years as compared to the other two companies. This may imply effective use of assets and creation of high margins by the company as well as gauging how well the company uses its financing from borrowing and bonds. Figure 3. 2. 2: HMI’s gross profit ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The figure above shows the Gross Profit Margin for the three manufacturers’ of office furniture and equipment for five consecutive years. In the case of Herman Miller Inc. , there has been a slight decrease of the Gross Profit Margin in the year 2008 to 2009 from 34. 72 percent to 32. 37 percent respectively. However, from the year 2010 to the year 2012, the company has shown some slight increase in their Gross Profit Margin from 32. 49 percent to 34. 26 percent respectively. This indicates that the company can make a reasonable profit. For HNI, there has been an increasing trend of the Gross Profit Margin from the year 2008 to 2011 with about 33. 66 percent and 34. 6 percent respectively. However, in the year 2012, there was a slight decrease of about 1. 3 percent as compared to the previous year. The company’s Gross Profit Margin moved from 34. 86 percent to 34. 39 percent. This also signifies that the company can make a reasonable profit. Lastly for Steelcase, it has shown a slight decreasing trend of Gross Profit Margin from the year 2008 to 2010 with 32. 12 percent and 28. 35 percent respectively. However, there was a slight increasing trend of Gross Profit Margin in the subsequent years amounting to 29. 5 percent in 2012. This means that the company can still make a reasonable profit. Overall, HNI has shown a steady increasing trend in their Gross Profit Margin over the years as compared to the other two companies. This may indicate how efficiently the company is using its materials and labor in the production process and gives an indication of the pricing, cost structure, and production efficiency of the company. iii. Leverage ratios This ratio is used to determine the companies’ financing methods, or the ability to meet the obligations. There are many ratios to calculate leverage but the important factors include debt, interest expenses, equity and assets. In this section, we will examine two ratios which are debt to assets and debt to equity ratios. Figure 3. 3. 1: HMI’s debt to asset ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The debt to asset ratio gives us a quick measure of the amount of debt that the company has on its balance sheets compared to its assets. In general, the debt to asset ratio for Herman Miller fluctuated over the years as compared to its competitors – HNI and Steel case. In 2008, the debt to equity ratio for Herman Miller was above 80 percent and rose approximately to 100 percent in 2009, whereas this ratio was just about 61 percent and 57 percent for HNI and Steel case respectively in 2008; and about 58 percent in 2009 for both competitors. This indicated that almost 100 percent of Herman Miller’s assets were financed by debt or creditors which implied that the Company has high level of leverage and risk, while its competitors had roughly 50 percent of their assets financed by the owners. However, Herman Miller’s ratio significantly dropped in 2010 to about 40 percent which was below its competitors who almost maintained their position over the years. In 2012, 70 percent of Herman Miller’s assets were financed by debt. In general, although the company debt to assets ratio is still high in relation to its competitors, the financial performance of the company is improving after the financial crisis. However, the Company needs to further reduce the amount of debt resulting to the reduction of risk; this is because it may affect the company’s survival in the long-run. Figure 3. 3. 2: HMI’s debt to equity ratio versus its competitors’ ratio A debt-to-equity ratio measures the amount of debt a company uses to fund its business for every dollar of equity it has. In other words, it is a measure of a companys ability to repay its obligations. Generally companies with less debt equity ratio are less risky than the companies with high ratios. As we can see from the graphs, Herman Miller Inc. has the highest ratio over the year in relation to the other companies. For instance, its ratio fluctuated significantly over the years which were at 32. 7 and 94. 91 in 2008 and 2009 respectively. This might be due to the effect of the financial crisis, which caused the company to increase its debt financing heavily. Also, this indicates that the company had substantial high amount of debt as compared to equity which can endanger the long term survival of the firm since the company may not be able to generate enough cash to satisfy its debt obligations . Meanwhile, debt to equity ratio for HNI and Steel case was roughly lower than 2, which was acceptable for large public companies. For Herman Miller, however, this ratio sharply dropped over the next years to just about 8. 62 in 2010 and 2. 37 in 2012. In contrast, its competitors still can maintain their ratio below two over the next years. In order to improve this ratio, Herman Miller had sold its common stock and tried to lower the mount debt financing, this can be seen by the amount of long-term debt decreasing. This implies that the company’s financial performance has been improving after the financial crisis. In terms of leverage, overall, it can be said that the performance of the company has been improving over the years and regaining its position in the furniture market after the economic downturn. Although it may not do well as compared to its competitors in terms of financing the debt and equity, there is a sign of improvement and effort in positioning its self in the market industry in U. S. iv. Activity Ratios Figure 3. 4. 1: HMI’s Inventory turnover ratio versus its competitors’ ratio The inventory turnover is commonly used to measure the operational efficiency in managing its assets. Based on the figure 4. 1 illustrated above, in 2009, Herman Miller Inc. has the highest ratio compared to other years. This high ratio could indicate two conditions, such as; whether the company has strong sales during the year or it has an ineffective buying activity. However, it is perceived that the company did have strong sales proven from the lowest level of inventory and high sales revenue which are seen in the annual report during the year. While in 2010, Herman Miller Inc. ’s turnover ratio drops significantly compared to the other years. Its cost of sales for the year has the lowest and showed a decrement of 24% from previous year which simultaneously contribute to low ratio as well as indicating the lack of effectiveness particularly in turning its inventory into sales. One of the reasons is that it could be due to the recession which highly affected the company, and hence making them to reduce the cost of sales. However, Herman Miller Inc is getting better in turning its inventory into sales proven from the increment of its ratio by year. Additionally, compared to competitors, the position of the ratio shown for Herman Miller Inc. is located somewhat in the middle. Steelcase is somewhat faster in turning their inventory into sales compared to others. In contrast, HNI has the lowest rate. This proves that Steelcase is more effective in managing its operational assets. Figure 3. 4. 2: HMI’s Average collection period versus its competitors’ ratio Average collection period is the number of days it takes a company to collect its account receivables. As illustrated from the figure 4. 2 above, Herman Miller is getting better in obtaining its receivables shown by the average days taken which was from 58 days in 2008 and 34 days in 2012. This demonstrates that Herman miller Inc. onstantly improve its credit policy effectiveness confirmed by a dramatic slump by years. Comparing to other competitors, originally HNI was the most effective company in managing its credit term policy, as the company only took 38 days in collecting its account receivables compared to Steelcase or Herman Miller. However, the company ended up to be the highest rate at 2012 showing that it is not effective in evaluating company’s credit policy. As a result, when a company possesses a lower average collection period, it is seen as optimal as it indicates that the company does not take very long to turn its receivables into cash. . HMI’s current strategies: an issues of need to change its strategies during poor economic conditions The current Herman Miller strategy which focuses on growth strategy, through innovative products and related diversification made the company to survive the Great Depression early in its history, multiple recessions in 20th century and in early 21st century the company recovered from the dot-com bust and was able to continue expanding overseas. The furniture industry is an economically volatile industry. The office furniture segment of the industry was hit hard by the recession. Industry sales decreased 26. 5 percent during the 2009 economic downturn. However, because of the innovative and diversification, Herman Miller was able to outperform its competitors in terms of sales and profitability, during that time Herman Mill’s sales dropped by 19% which is relatively low in comparison with its competitors HNI Corporation and Steelcase which had dropped by 33 percent and 28% respectively. The furniture industry is at its maturity stage, thus Innovation is crucial to the company’s survival. If Herman Miller continues to successfully innovate, it will enable them to compete in the market strongly. The industry had been negatively impacted telecommunication which had reduced the need office furniture. Yet, more employees were spending more hours in front of the computer screens than ever before. Because of Herman Miller’s effective innovation, they were able to respond to the need of ergonomically correct office furniture that had helped to decrease fatigue and injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. In summary, the company does not need to radically alter its main strategy which focuses more on innovation and diversification as it’s the reason they were not dramatically hit by recessions and competitions among the rivals. 3. Recommendation: i. Reduced current benefit and incentive schemes There are several incentives that had been eliminated by Herman Miller’s management due to the economic downturn in 2009. The suspend of 401(k) contribution plans (saving contribution plan), cut-off 15 percent of current workforce and 10 percent reduction in salary for remaining workforce had been implemented during the crisis. However the pay cuts was discontinued because of Herman Miller’s quick turnaround. The company was stable starting the year 2011, but the selling, general, and administrative were the highest contribution of the operating expenses. Specifically, â€Å"†¦$3. million and $16. 6 million of additional operating expenses during fiscal 2011 due to the reinstatement of all of our employee benefits and employee incentive expenses† (Herman Miller’s Annual Report, 2011). The company believed that the large benefit and incentives had created motivated and skilful employees which are the key of its competitive advantage. Even though the company has increased in sales as compared to the year 2010, it is important to cut the costs by eliminating some of the less important incentives schemes and benefits such as $100 rebate on a bike purchase, concierge services and one-site services to name a few. Previously, the company had eliminated the 401(k) contribution plan so that they could stop providing some percentage on the employees’ contribution. It is crucial since it could allow the company to save a significant amount of money in the long run (Richardson, 2009). It can be done by communicating the problems and issues which need to be addressed to the staff before they get out of hand. Address the problems proportionately and regular communication could make the staff be aware on their role to support the company throughout the economy downturn. By having it, the staff might accept the decision positively and provide effort to help the company to fully recover after the recession (‘Recession Business Cost Cutting†, 2013). ii. Reduction in company’s cost of sales According to Herman Miller’s Annual Report (2011), the increase in cost of sales for the year 2011 was due to the increase in sales volume that was driven primarily by cost leverage on higher production, which was partially offset by deeper discounting, higher employee benefit and incentive costs, and higher costs of key direct materials, most notably steel and steel components. Besides that, the cost of direct material increased as compared to previous years which there was increase in the cost of commodities and the increase in discounting, which has the effect of reducing net sales The costs of certain manufacturing materials used in producing finished products are sensitive to the volatility of commodity market price. The cost of direct labor and overhead were increased due to increase in product volume while the cost of freight expenses had increased during the year because of increase in product volume as well as increase in fuel costs in 2011. First recommendation to cut the cost of sales in terms of direct material is substituting lower cost material where possible to replace the expensive one and each angle should be considered for better decision. For example, the substitution of carbon steel to replace expensive stainless steel could reduce the cost but the corrosion protection might not last longer. This method should be applied if only the benefit from the substitution is higher than the cost of reduction in quality (Lewis, n. d. ). Second recommendation is by eliminating unnecessary product features to reduce cost. The company should produce a product that really suits customers’ preferences in buying their products. For example, the company should identify whether customers are purchasing its products because of their unique looks, lower price or high quality. If customers buy the products because of their lower price, unique features may not be needed (Lewis, n. d. ). Third recommendation which is the most effective one is by hedging the price of the steel through futures contract. According to Herman Miller’s Annual Report (2011): The company believes market prices for commodities in the near term may move higher and acknowledges that over time increases on its key direct materials and assembly components are likely. Consequently, it views the prospect of such increases as an outlook risk to the business† (p. 34). By locking the price in the contract, it could eliminate any risk of price volatility (â€Å"Hedging in Practice†, 2013). For example, if there is a huge possibility that the price of steel will increase in a certain period of time. Due to that, the company will engage in future contract and lock-in the price for a specific period in the future. Regardless of increase in steel price, the company is eligible to buy the commodity at a lower lock-in price as stated in the agreed future contract. Conclusion Herman Miller Inc. has implemented different strategies in order to improve its performance and expand its self in furniture market, such as diversified strategy, broad differentiation strategy, green marketing, product development and innovation. In addition, besides focusing on those strategies to achieve the business goals, the company also concerns about how it communicates and treat its employees. â€Å"All workers as individuals ith special talents and potential† can be considered as one of the healthy culture at Herman Miller since 1927 and the Company continued to generate respect for all employees and fueled the quest to tap diversity of gifts and skills held by all. According to one of the verse in chapter 42 of the Qur’an: â€Å"Those who hearken to their Lord, and establish regular Prayer; who (cond uct) their affairs by mutual Consultation; who spend out of what We bestow on them for Sustenance† (Quran 42:38) The verse above explains the importance of mutual consent in making a decision. Islam encourages Muslims to decide their affairs by consulting with those who will be affected by the decision. Thus, in the case of Herman Miller, it empowers its employees and nurture participative decision making so that the employees feel as part of the company. Surviving in matured furniture industry and the economic volatility such as recession, demand full cooperation from the whole organization. It is not easy to integrate the diverse nature of employees with different backgrounds and behaviors to achieve goal congruence. Thus, Herman Miller’s healthy culture leads to its employee’s readiness to accept any relevant decision by Herman Miller such as cutting their salaries as the employees work with Herman Miller and not just work for it. Furthermore, in term of design value, the designer team of Herman Miller always emphasized on quality, excellence, and the continual improvement of their products. â€Å"At Herman Miller the products we made decade ago are still sold after today, and products we make today we will do for a decade to come. † All in all, Herman Miller should pursue its current strategies and continue to expand those strategies such as product innovation, diversification and so on. We believe that these strategies have made and will make Herman Miller one of an outstanding and award winning Company. They will continue to provide the Company with the ability to renew and reinvent itself in the furniture market and outperform its rivals in the future. From the explanation above, it gives us a broad view of how the company’s long-term strategy and objective affects all their business: from product design to decision-making process to the culture of the Company.

The Nurse as an Advocate for the Patient

The Nurse as an Advocate for the Patient Nurses are highly skilled and trained professionals who take care of the sick. They educate patients, families, communities and populations on wellness and healthy living as well as health approaches to any chronic or current disease process and treatment. Moreover, nurses are entrusted with the duty of performing treatment and procedures as prescribed by physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Pattillo (2011) notes that a nurse is full of compassion for her fellow human beings; they possess good communication skills and good listening skills. They are required to report the progress of their patients to physicians, keep patient records, chart all patients observations, do the teaching procedures for patients and document communications with their patients. The nature and duties of nurses depict them as health care providers that are closest to patients and their families. They are therefore endowed with the task of advocating for the rights of patients within heal th care institutions. This paper discusses nurses as advocates for the patients, giving reasons why advocacy for patients rights should be incorporated into the nursing practice. Nurses are better placed as advocates of patients because they are constantly interacting with patients, thus making it easy for patients to trust them and confide in them. Pattillo (2011) describes a wide range of activities performed by nurses, which extend to the wider community. Nursing involves collaborative care of communities, individuals of all ages, groups and families; both sick and healthy (Pattillo, 2011). Nurses prevent illnesses, promote health, and care for the disabled, the ill and the dying people placed under their care. Moreover, they are advocates for promotion of safe environment, health education, research participation in shaping health policy as well as systems and patient management (Pattillo, 2011). Marquis Huston (2009) observe that nurses are the first health care professionals to recognize situations which are not in the best interest of patients and to report these situations to persons that could effect change. They identify and take action or report things such as questionable drug order to the physician or report an incompetent health care provider to a nursing supervisor; thus advocating for the rights of the patient (Marquis Huston, 2009). The American Nursing Associations Code requires nurses to be advocates of patients by reporting cases of patient abuse, including known or suspected cases of emotional, physical or sexual abuse because they constitute unprofessional conduct and form basis for disciplinary action against the culprits (Marquis Huston, 2009). In the event that the nurse is not satisfied with how a reported case is handled to protect interest of the patient, the Code provides for nurses to pursue the case further within appropriate reporting channel and outside the agency (Marquis Huston, 2009). According to Marquis Huston (2009), the policy for board of registered nurses warns that reporting duties are responsibilities of individual nurses and supervisors or administrators are not required to impede or inhibit the process or subject the reporting nurse to any sanction for making the report. Nurses are further advised to follow guidelines developed by the board of registered nurses concerning content of patient abuse course in identifying abuse cases that require action to protect the rights of their patients (Marquis Huston, 2009). Nursing advocacy plays a key role in observing safety of patients during their encounters with health care system; especially when the patient is too ill to serve his own advocate or when the patient is undergoing surgery and anesthesia. Marquis Huston (2009) highlight that during situations of surgery, the circulating nurse must serve as the patients advocate, speaking for the patient and protecting patients wishes throughout the process. The nurse is required by the nursing code to support the cause or proposal as a result of patients vulnerability. Nurses serve as patients advocate by advocating improved health care practices that relate to control of infections and patient care environments as well as access to care. Marquis Huston (2009) note that each encounter that the nurse has with his patient presents an opportunity for the nurse to serve as the advocate for the patient. Giving voice to patients in situations where patients decide to give their full trust to health care provider or when the patients are hesitant to speak their mind is an advocacy role of nurses to their patients. Goldberg (2011) reiterates that in such situations, nurses should encourage patients to voice their wishes and provide care that focuses on meeting patients specific wishes. In addition, nurses should ensure that the safest procedures are observed for patients during care provision. As advocates for the patients, nurses are required to limit traffic in operating suite or delay the beginning of a surgery procedure until correct instructions are provided (Goldberg, 2011). This not only eliminates carelessness but also protects the well being of patient throughout the process. Furthermore, Goldberg (2011) embraces the importance of nnurses in the preoperative arena who play a critical role by care environment monitoring, provision of safe care for the patient and promotion of best practices for prevention and control of infection. The nurse as an advocate for the patient must intervene in situations where patients safety is compromised like in cases where a physician does not routinely wash his hands before touching a patient or physicians who regularly violate sterile technique and ignores other practice standards. The code stipulates for nurses to recognize and address practice patterns that put patient at risk in order to protect the rights and well being of the patient. Besides acting as advocates for patients, nurses also act as advocates for family members of the patient. Goldberg (2011) points out that positive results have been achieved through advocacy in situations where patients are very ill and at point of death; where upon request of family members to be with the patients, nurses have respected these wishes and allowed family members to be with the patient. In such situations, death conditions have been reversed with the patients condition improving drastically upon seeing family members. Patients advocacy guarantees safety and protection of patients from preventable harm as patients and their family members depend on nurses to detect and address potential safety issues (Goldberg, 2011). Nurses as advocates for patients face numerous challenges in their daily advocacy duties. Goldberg (2011) observes that some physicians may not respond or listen to nurses in a timely manner as a result of competing priorities for nurse attention and efforts, thus placing tasks before advocacy. Additionally, hierarchical and institutional constraints frequently limit nurses from role as advocates of patients; placing patients safety at risk. People who espouse advocacy for patients are of the opinion that nurses should achieve higher professional autonomy for rights of patients to be fully protected in hospital settings. Goldberg (2011) regrets that while medical ethics rarely addresses the freedom of physicians to establish professional relationships with patients, nursing ethics must deal with continuous challenges to freedom of practice, especially in hospital settings. The intertwining of professional and ethical concerns, with the principles such as rights of patient and autonomy being considered in the same context as professional freedom to practice is quite challenging and places nurses at an awkward position. However, it is clear that the primary obligation of a nurse is to the patients, but not to physicians or hierarchies in health care facilities. This has gained prominence and wide acceptance within the profession. The American Nursing Associations Code requires nurses to be always alert as clients advocates by taking necessary action on any situations of unethical, illegal or incompetent practices originating from health care system, members of health care team or actions that violate patients best interest. This has overtaken sections of previous code that mandated nurses to be obedient to physicians orders and observe high level of confidence in physicians. In addition, putting nurses as advocates for the patients has led to shift of n urses perceptions of their primary allegiance from physicians and hospitals to patients. However, advocacy for patients may be a complex issue, especially when patients are unwilling to express their preferences or are afraid to say what they want because they believe it will alienate their physician. Sometimes disagreements may arise between choices and also the nurse may find other care professionals indifferent or opposed to wish of his patient. These reasons and others make advocating for patients a complex activity. In conclusion, nurses as advocates for patients have been embraced in most health care institutions. Advocacy for patients guarantees safety and protection for patients, especially in situations where patients are too ill or during surgery. Health care professionals should therefore respect the role of nurses as advocates for patients by providing adequate support and cooperation in order to attain this goal.

Periods Of English Literature :: essays research papers

Question: Show how the voices of writers through many centuries of literature have depicted a variety of mentalities and lifestyles. . Centuries could pass, and not many changes could be easily perceived by the common man, as those changes came gradually. Yet those changes can be readily discerned when looking at England as a whole, not looking at parts of history individually. The alterations of life, when looked at from a certain literary viewpoint, can be explained when one looks at the different periods in English literature, seeing the depictions of a certain era through writings that unintentionally convey great varieties in the mentality and lifestyles of the people who lived during that time. From war and violence to the more genteel inclinations of love and peace, English literature has evolved throughout the centuries, most especially if one considers the differences between the Old English, Renaissance and Romantic periods. The Anglo-Saxon history is undoubtedly very interesting to study, as the period spans several centuries and several different inhabitants of the land now known as England. The main characteristic of this time was the heroic ideal, which was the attempt by a hero to do things such as sailing a ship through a storm and taming a horse better than anyone else. The heroà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s first priority, however, was to always be ready to fight. The Angles were a heathen race, worshipping old Nordic gods and Wyrd (fate). It is very important to remember that it was the Anglo-Saxons who determined the basic language and culture of the English race, therefore it was them that were the foundation upon which literature would stand. The first literature found in the history of this period was during the reign of the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. It was not really literature, in that it was written down by anybody, in mass-produced copies. The literature back then consisted of songs, sang b y bards, who embellished the story with every telling. It was only in later years that the tales were written down. This came about during the reign of Christianity, where the monks had tried to write down all of the tales that the bards sang, the ancient folk tales of the Anglo-Saxons. The monks also tried to infuse the Anglo-Saxons with a love for Christianity, where the heroes were Christ and his Apostles, by writing poetry such as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Cinewulfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Dream of the Roodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?

Inventing the Caribbean: Columbus’s Creation of the Other Essay

Inventing the Caribbean: Columbus’s Creation of the Other Columbus’s invasion of the Caribbean in 1492 brought Native American and European cultures together for the first time in a startling encounter that reshaped the worldviews of both groups. In The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other, Tzvetan Todorov seeks to understand the ways in which the Spanish worldview shaped Columbus’s perception of the natives of Hispaniola, as he fashioned an other from his own sense of self. In Todorov’s model, the other is defined in terms of its correspondence, or lack thereof, to different facets of the self, including culture, language, physiognomy, religion, and knowledge; furthermore, the other is valued, distanced, and understood in relation to the presumed supremacy of the self. In this way, the other can only be seen as an â€Å"imperfect state of oneself† and never as a distinct entity judged according to its own values and defined on its own terms (Todorov 42). Todorov explores Columbusâ€℠¢s letters and journals, various first-hand accounts of the discovery, and the writings of Las Casas in order to understand the ways in which the distinct self of the native population was transformed into an other, whose identity depended on European values to define it. Todorov argues that Columbus’s self (and, consequently, the other, which he created in the image of that self) is defined by three spheres: the divine, nature, and humans. Each of these spheres is integral to Columbus’s worldview and colors his perception of that which is outside his world. Within these spheres of perspective, Columbus’s identity is shaped by Catholicism, a reverence for nature, and European society and culture – particularly that of Portu... ...her and reveals the complex process of suppression and projection, which attempted to impose the â€Å"Old World† view on the â€Å"New World† in the sixteenth century Caribbean. Bibliography 1. Columbus, Christopher. The Journal of Christopher Columbus. New York: Burt Franklin, 1968. 2. Knight, Franklin W. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism, 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Pres, 1990. 3. Sider, Gerald. â€Å"When Parrots Learn to Talk, and Why They Can’t: Domination, Deception, and Self-Deception in Indian-White Relations.† Comparative Studies in Society and History 29, no.1 (1987), 3-23. 4. Steward, Julian H. and Louis C. Faron. Native Peoples of South America. New York: McGraw Hill, 1959. 5. Todorov, Tzvetan. The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1984. Inventing the Caribbean: Columbus’s Creation of the Other Essay Inventing the Caribbean: Columbus’s Creation of the Other Columbus’s invasion of the Caribbean in 1492 brought Native American and European cultures together for the first time in a startling encounter that reshaped the worldviews of both groups. In The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other, Tzvetan Todorov seeks to understand the ways in which the Spanish worldview shaped Columbus’s perception of the natives of Hispaniola, as he fashioned an other from his own sense of self. In Todorov’s model, the other is defined in terms of its correspondence, or lack thereof, to different facets of the self, including culture, language, physiognomy, religion, and knowledge; furthermore, the other is valued, distanced, and understood in relation to the presumed supremacy of the self. In this way, the other can only be seen as an â€Å"imperfect state of oneself† and never as a distinct entity judged according to its own values and defined on its own terms (Todorov 42). Todorov explores Columbusâ€℠¢s letters and journals, various first-hand accounts of the discovery, and the writings of Las Casas in order to understand the ways in which the distinct self of the native population was transformed into an other, whose identity depended on European values to define it. Todorov argues that Columbus’s self (and, consequently, the other, which he created in the image of that self) is defined by three spheres: the divine, nature, and humans. Each of these spheres is integral to Columbus’s worldview and colors his perception of that which is outside his world. Within these spheres of perspective, Columbus’s identity is shaped by Catholicism, a reverence for nature, and European society and culture – particularly that of Portu... ...her and reveals the complex process of suppression and projection, which attempted to impose the â€Å"Old World† view on the â€Å"New World† in the sixteenth century Caribbean. Bibliography 1. Columbus, Christopher. The Journal of Christopher Columbus. New York: Burt Franklin, 1968. 2. Knight, Franklin W. The Caribbean: The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism, 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Pres, 1990. 3. Sider, Gerald. â€Å"When Parrots Learn to Talk, and Why They Can’t: Domination, Deception, and Self-Deception in Indian-White Relations.† Comparative Studies in Society and History 29, no.1 (1987), 3-23. 4. Steward, Julian H. and Louis C. Faron. Native Peoples of South America. New York: McGraw Hill, 1959. 5. Todorov, Tzvetan. The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1984.

Trumans Decision to use the atomic mom Essay -- American History, War

Truman’s decision to use atomic weapons has long been a controversial subject throughout the decades after he used it. Many scholars and people who surrounded the president at the time published memoirs and books about the decision to use the weapon. As years went, more works of writing and information were released which added more information to the vast knowledge we have of the decision to drop the bomb and of what the Japanese faced after the event took place. J. Samuel Walker wrote a book called Prompt & utter destruction which uses new knowledge gained about the bomb and new information the Japanese released, which Walker said, â€Å"has greatly enriched our understanding of the agonizing deliberations in Tokyo over ending the war† (ix).Walker did not take any sides in the book, however, he uses what material from the first book and new sources of information to evaluate why President Truman made his decision. The main focus of Walker’s book is to answer w hy President Truman used atomic bombs against Japan and open more discussion to the question â€Å"was the bomb militarily necessary or was it used primarily for political/diplomatic reasons that had more to do with impressing the Soviets than winning the war against Japan?† (xii), which Walker said the question â€Å"divided specialists† (xii). Throughout Walker’s book, he focuses on President Truman’s choice of using the atomic bomb on Japan, Truman’s advisers who were General George C. Marshall and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson agreed that the bomb was necessary. President Truman believed that the bomb was necessary to spare â€Å"the lives of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers† (4). The book points out that Truman never had a â€Å"categorical choice† (5) when choosing to use the... ...e forever by the bomb. On the Japanese side they did decline the Potsdam Declaration. Truman gave the Japanese the choice to accept but the declaration. I admired the United States for giving warning. Walker did give some history of post-WWII, but I am particularly interested in the environmental effect of Hiroshima and how did Japan rebuild after the bomb. I think he lacked in this department when he wrote the book. My final say is the first bomb was necessary and I thought being in American hands was the best thing at the time to have. I think the second bomb was unnecessary and I also blame the Americans for not giving ample of time for the Japanese to surrender. The Japanese did downplay the destruction of the bomb and I think this was a flaw. Lastly I thought the book should have had more on post war and onwards of the effects on both sides.

The Essense Of Buddhism

John Snelling has written that scientists with their scientific information have succeeded in sending space craft to distant planets or even probe to remote quarters of the planet with radio telescopes, (Snelling 7). They may investigate the mysteries of the sub atomic world with electron microscopes. But the thing that infact know least about is this great mystery that is right here with us all the time- the heart of the matter behind Buddhism.For like every one they subscribe to consensus view and don’t give the matter a second thought. Thus, according to John Snelling of the London Buddhist Society, these scientists fail to see what is right under their nose, (291). Buddhist is concerned, Snelling has found, with the unravelling of this mystery. In the first sense it is necessary to see through the great delusion of ‘I', of the so called person. Then it is a matter of finding what really is there.And how plot thickens to penetrate this mystery is to penetrate the ulti mate mystery, the mystery of the heart of all things, and confront what the Christians called God, the Hindus Brahman or Atman-and it goes by other names in other religions. Buddhists, however hesitate to put a name to it or say anything or say anything at all about it. It is they maintain something that cannot be grasped by intellect or described in words.It cannot be seen directly; but that seeing brings about something truly miraculous: a total transformation, no less. The veils of delution fall away and last the world is perceived as it truly is. At the same time a deep compassion also crystallizes: a pure, self less kindliness and caring born of an understanding of the unity of all beings. Therefore, as has been established by John Snelling in his ‘The Buddhist handbook: a complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice', (7) Buddhism is quite simple.But as, Snelling has found out simple things are always hard to fully realize, so people need all kinds of aids and suppor t. A vast superstructure according to Snelling has therefore grown up around the basic heart core of the Buddha’s teaching: mountains of philosophical speculation, a voluminous literature, monastic codes and ethical systems, histories, cosmologies, different types of ritual and meditation practice, institutions and hierarchies. John Snelling writes of one Shuan Chin ken who wrote a preface to a text book (mumonkan)From the London Buddhist society, John Snelling (1987) established that many of those who have undertaken the study and practice of Buddhism have also taken an interest in the western psychotherapies that developed from the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud, the, the most famous western psychologist. As well as the Freudian psychoanalysis and its derivatives, Snelling has found that, this includes the analytical psychology of Freud great but errant student, Carl Gustav Jung, as well as subsequent developments right down to the present time, where Buddhism and western society have come together in a wonderful bond, (Snelling, 292).These theories, now regarded as Western psychotherapies arose towards the end of the 19th century and in the early part of the 20th century. This great discovery made by the pioneers of this movement was of the existence of the unconscious: an area or range of aspects of human psyche falling outside the normal range of conscious awareness. Snelling records the therapeutic aspects that interested Dr. Freud to study a lot on the nerve system of animals.Sigmund Freud, as recorded by, Snelling was to the view the unconscious as a kind of cellar containing mainly what he called ‘vises’, all those aspects of himself that a person does not wish to confront- the unacceptable desires, aggressive impulses, painful memories and many other areas of ego. Snelling has established cure of all these consisted reclaiming this exiled material from the abyss of knowing and restoring it to the province of consciousness- or in Freudian terminology: restoring it to the ego from the Idd, a process that Freud compared to reclaiming land from the sea, (Snelling, 295).If Freud’s tendency had been essentially secular, according to John Snelling then Jung’s ideas brought the new psychology into the area once regarded as the preserve of religion (293). Indeed he began to see the role of analysis not merely as directed towards curing neurotic symptoms but of assisting harmonious development, the flowering of individual potential, and ultimately towards securing a transformation that would take the individual beyond himself. John Snelling writes:â€Å"The fact that the approach to the numinous is the real therapy and inasmuch as you attain to the numinous experiences you are released from the curse of pathology†. (Snelling 253). To accord due credit to Jung, however, it must be said that many western Buddhists have found that this ideas represent useful bridge into exotic world of Eastern spir ituality. Some have gone so far as to undertake Jungian analysis and have found helpful, particularly in dealing with psychological problems.According to John Snelling, Alan Watts was able to explain on this in his writing of the seven symbols of life (1936); Watt propounded the idea that Buddhism has more in common with psychotherapy than with religion as the term was then understood in the west. Psychotherapy and Buddhism are intermarried and each has its part to play in assisting in its full realization, psychotherapy in helping to develop a sound ego, Buddhism in taking the process on from there, (Snelling, 298). Religion of faith Buddha emphasized that his teachings had a practical purpose and should not be blindly clung to.He the Dharma to a raft made by a man seeking to cross a dangerous hither shore of a river, representing the conditioned world, to the peaceful further shore, representing Nibanna (M. 1. 34-5). He then rhetorically asked whether such a man on reaching the ot her side should lift the raft and carry it around with him there. He therefore said, Dharma is for crossing over not for retaining, that is a follower should not grasp at Buddhist ideas and practices, but use them for their intended purpose, and then let go of them when they had fully accomplished their goal.Many ordinary Buddhists, though do not have a strong attachment to Buddhism. While the Buddha was critical to blind faith, he did not deny a role for soundly based faith or trustful confidence (saddha) for to test out his teachings, person had to have at least some initial trust in them. He emphasizes a process of listening, which arouses saddha, leading to deeper saddha and deeper practice until the heart of the teachings is directly experienced. A person then becomes an Arahat, one who has replaced faith with knowledge.Even Theravada Buddhism, which often has a rather rational unemotional image, a very deep faith in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is common. Ideally this is base d on the fact that some part of Buddha’s path has been found to be uplifting, thus inspiring confidence in the rest. Many people though have a calm and joyful faith (pasada) inspired by the example of those who are well established on the path. In essence therefore, Buddhism is a religion that is based on aspects of faith. In actual sense Buddhism is a religion where faith is exercised for the purposes of perfection.We therefore accept the fact the statement of acclaim that Buddhism is a religion of faith holds. Buddhism does not demand that anyone accepts their teaching on trust. The practitioner is instead invited to try them out, to expriment with them. John Snelling writes and says there is no compulsion and it happens to find truth elsewhere or otherwise all well and good, (Snelling, 4). The essential freedom from dogma is enshrined in the Buddha's words to the Kalama, a people who lived in the vicinity of the town of Kesaputta:† Come, Kalamas, do not be satisfied with heasay or with tradition or with legendary lore or with what has come down in your scriptures or with logical inference or with weighing liking for a view after pondering it over or with the thought ‘the monk is our teacher' When you know in yourselves ‘these ideas are unprofitable, liable to censure, condemned by the wise, being adopted and put into effect they lead to harm and suffering ‘, then you should abandon them†¦ ( and conversely:)when you know in yourselves these things are profitable†¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ then you should practice them and abide in them. † (Snelling, 3). Philosophical foundations According to John Snelling, in his The Buddhist Handbook: A complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice Buddhism as a religion is based o philosophical foundations. He writes: â€Å"At the core of Mahayana philosophy lays the notion of emptiness: Shunyata. Buddha very much in the spirit of anata as first teaches this. It is not used to imply, not me re or sheer nothingness, but ‘emptiness of inherent existence’; that is, the absence of any kind of enduring or self –sustaining essence.There is also a sense in which it has connotations of conceptual emptiness: absence of thoughts. It could be regarded too as a non-term signifying the ineffable understanding arising within the practice of meditation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Therefore, Shunyata as used by Buddha has formed this philosophical foundation in Buddhism, although in addition to this Snelling introduces another key term tathata which according to Buddhism philosophical foundations means ‘thusness’ or ‘suchness’ which signifies Emptiness in its immanent aspect: as it appears in the world of form.The Buddha, as Snelling writes, is sometimes called the Tathagata: ‘He who is thus gone’. The Tathagata-garbha (garbha means ‘germ’) doctrine, on the other hand, proposes the notion of an imminent Absolute: the manifestat ion in form of a transcendental principle, (Snelling,5). Therefore it is true Buddhism has some philosophical foundations as it written by John Snelling, (Snelling, 4). In conclusion we have seen that Buddhism involves that Buddhism has evolved on the basis of some philosophical foundations and that it involves psychological, religious, some mystical experience and meditations.Unlike other religions, Buddhism holds the religious perfection in which one should not clung of practical faith but should eventually make it to knowledge. Therefore, this makes it more a practical experience. It is such aspects, according to John Snelling that drive us to believe that there is no Buddhism but only Buddhists. REFERENCES Snelling, John. The Buddhist Handbook: A complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice. London: Rider, 1987.

Racism: a Raisin in the Sun and Family

Man Walter Lee Is a desperate man, shackled by poverty and prejudice, and obsessed with a business Idea that he thinks will solve all of his economic and social problems. He thought the novel Is looking for ways to carry his family on and give them every material thing they want. He Is desperate because he sees the other people with economic resources while his family is struggling to move on.He is the perfect example of the mid twentieth-century men who believe they are the ones who have o carry their families with the economic resources and struggle to achieve it, that's why he gets desperate because although he tries he seems he is not getting it. Sometime these men get blind and don't realized what really they are doing because the will to help their family is too big. Throughout the novel Walter looks for ways to give the family what they want.He works on liquor store and he thinks that will provide him the financial security needed to boost them out of poverty, but sometimes he gets desperate and thinks none of this will help him. â€Å"Sometimes It's eke I can see the future stretched out In front of me – Just plain as day. The future, Mama. Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waling for me – a big, looming blank space – full of 522). One can clearly see how Walter fears that his life will always be a life of nothing. He is overwhelmed by a sense of dread and fears that his suffering will continue on and on forever.Walter was so desperate he often fights and argues with Ruth, Mama, and Beneath. Also a thing that makes him like that is the racism at that time he often see who the White people from high social status had everything they want, kids attended different schools, neighborhoods were separate from the other, that also made him be like that. He was so desperate he inks to a new low and calls Mr.. Lender back, saying that he'll accept the Money, a think his family was not agree with. This is really Walter's lowest point In the whole play. He's prepared to totally shame himself for the money.In the end, though, Walter Is redeemed when he eventually refuses to take the money from Mr.. Lender. Once he begins to listen to Mama and Ruth express their dreams of owning a house, he realizes that buying the house is more important for the family's welfare than getting rich quickly. Walter finally becomes a man when he stands up to Mr.. Lender and refuses the money that Mr.. Lender offers the family not to move in to its dream house in a white neighborhood. â€Å"Talking 'bout life, Mama†¦. Mama, you know it's all divided up. Life is. Sure enough. Between the takers and the â€Å"token. † I've figured it out finally. Yeah.Some of us always getting â€Å"token. â€Å"(Handlebars 570). What Walter did here was correct because he was making horrible mistakes for him and his family instead of helping them; he was making the wrong thing. He looked to much the other things and envy what the wh ite people had; made him almost took the wrong decision, but because he listen Mama and Ruth he realized that accomplishing a family dream will fulfill them more the Glenn them material things. Having a house was always Mama's dream. Although undergoes the greatest transformation. His Journey takes him from total Jerk, obsessed with get-rich-quick schemes, to a man worthy of respect.In Walter Younger, Lorraine Handlebars shows how poverty and racism can twist and depress people, turning them against those that they most love. Of course throughout Walter, Handlebars shows us how these social barriers can be overcome through personal determination and staying true to one's own beliefs. Sometimes one care too much about the things other people had and the willing of getting them make you think in wrong way, and instead of helping the ones you one to help you end making and error for yourself and the people you wanted to help.