The Phenomenon Of American Dream - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1032 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/03/25 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: American Dream Essay The Great Gatsby Essay Did you like this example? The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel that aims to express a critic regarding the American dream in the 1920s which turned into an age of extreme prosperity and materialism. The author portrays this era as a time where social and moral values decayed into cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure; a period where easy money and relaxed social values reigned. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Phenomenon Of American Dream" essay for you Create order The corruption of the American dream, where the desire for pleasure and money became greater than the more noble goals, is what led the character of Jay Gatsby to host exuberant parties every Saturday night in his mansion. Before the 1920s womens main role in their lives was to take care of their husbands and children, but in the novel we can see that they become more interested in themselves and their place in society becoming unfaithful towards their families. Women in the novel are portrayed in a negative light to represent the corruption of the American dream. The two main female characters, Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, are represented as unfaithful, materialistic, dependent on men and, at the same time, objects of desire for them. Both depicted as unfaithful and materialistic. Daisy Buchanan, wife to Tom Buchanan, is the woman Gatsby has always been in love with. The two had a relationship when they were younger, but, the war forced Gatsby to separate from her. Despite this, Daisy promised him that once he returned, they would be together, however, she doesnt maintain her commitment and gets involved with another man. When Gatsby suddenly reappears in her life, she becomes interested in him again as he has now become wealthy and is part of the nouveau riche. Gatsby knows Daisy is interested in his money therefore, he takes her to his mansion to show her all of his properties. Theyre such beautiful shirts, she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ?It makes me sad because Ive never seen such beautiful shirts before (Pg. 92). In this scene, the real essence of Daisys character is exposed as she starts crying for materialistic goods. Fitzgerald wants to show that this behavior is not only typical of higher class women but it applies to all which is why Myrtle Wilson, who pertains to the working class, is portrayed in the same way. She is married to George Wilson, however, she feels unhappy about her relationship with him because they are poor, therefore, she decides to have an affair with Tom Buchanan who is of a higher social status. The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebodys best suit to get married in, and never told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out. (Pg. 35). In these words, we can clearly see the importance she attributes to physical objects over pure feelings. She is also represented as a fool in that what she saw in Tom was a man who gave her lavish gifts because he was in love with her but really, he was just using her. Although in the 1920s women had just been given the right to vote, the author chooses to depict their continuous dependence on men. Daisy is represented as a woman who is not capable of staying by herself. When Gatsby leaves to fight in the war, Daisy settles in with Tom because she needed a man by her side and was tired of waiting for him. She is financially provided by Tom and dependent on his social status. Her idea of the role of women in the world is cynical as in her eyes, women have no place in this world to be intelligent, only beautiful and stupid which is why she is disappointed when she finds out she is going to have a girl. I hope shell be a fool thats the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool (Pg. 17). As we can see here, she embodies the values of irresponsibility and detachment in her treatment of her daughter, showing how she has become careless and how the role of women in society has changed. In the same way, Myrtle is dependent on Tom. He is her source of happiness because he can give her the wealth and social status that she has always dreamed of which Wilson will never be able to obtain. Even when Tom abuses her and slaps her, she stays with him and tries to go back to him for the sake of his money. Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand. (Pg. 37) Myrtle is yet again submitted by men when she is locked in her room by Wilson which portrays how men had control and power over their wives. In regard to women being an object of desire for men, Daisy Buchanan is the character that best embodies this attribute as Tom and Gatsby constantly attempt to win her over. When the two men are fighting, Daisy isnt given the opportunity to speak and express her feelings. Your wife doesnt love you, said Gatsby. Shes never loved you. She loves me. She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me! (Pg. 130). Through the entire novel Gatsby and Tom fight for Daisy because she is beautiful. It is interesting to see that even though Myrtle is not even remotely as appealing as Daisy, Tom still desires her and is able to obtain her with his money. As we saw though the characters of Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, women of a high and low social status are both depicted as unfaithful, materialistic and dependent on men. The reason why the author decides to emphasize these negative aspects about the women at the time is to represent how this social group was affected by the fall of the American dream. Corrupted social norms had repercussions on the individuals who abandoned their established role in society and became careless.

Good vs. Evil - 1659 Words

Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the poem s main and most important aspect. The poet makes it clear that good and evil doesn’t exist as only opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the ability to do good or to perform acts selflessly and in help of others. Goodness is also showed throughout this epic as having the ability to cleanse evil. Even though evil is presented by Grendel, Grendel s mother, and the dragon, who are filled with a desire to act against people and ultimately destroy them, even pride, a human quality, is presented in Beowulf as a sign that evil exists. This story might even be considered a classic because it mainly talks about the old fashion†¦show more content†¦He often talked about his accomplishments saying, â€Å"They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night- sea slaughtered sea-brutes.† (Beowulf 419-42 2), which shows how good can also be a bit proud. In the end, though, most of the time good will always defeat evil but good won’t always stay alive. For example, in the end of Beowulf, although Grendel was killed by Beowulf as well as his mother, Beowulf still dies. In other words, just because evil is defeated doesn’t mean good will always live. On a different but similar note, is Grendel s mother, who is seen as vengeful. Different, because she isn t the same type of evil that Grendel is, but similar because she is still an opponent to both men and the society of man at the time that Beowulf was written, or rather, spoken. Also, Grendel s mother is tainted in the opposite way that Grendel is; while Grendel is given a humanistic point of view, people try to dehumanize Grendel s mother. While she is indeed just as evil as Grendel was, she does not represent the utter evil that man must fight to achieve immortality. She is a symbol of defiance of man, but she can be seen as more of a neutral symbol. Grendel s mother doesn t attack Heorot because she doesn t like it. She attacks it because Beowulf killed her only son, But now his mother had sallied forth on a savage journey, grief-racked andShow MoreRelatedEvil Vs. Good And Evil1055 Words   |  5 PagesEvil vs. Good-Which One Shall Gain Control? Good and evil are a contradiction that works together. What I mean by this statement is that although good and evil are two very separate things, they could not exist without each other. Good is anything of which can be morally right. Evil is anything of profound wickedness. They are very different, aren’t they? Now, read a newspaper, listen to a story, or turn on the news. It is not definite, but you most likely will hear about an occurrenceRead MoreGood Vs Evil Essay1198 Words   |  5 PagesThe area between good and evil are muddled with uncertainty and dualistic outcomes. Christopher Marlowe’s complex play, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, implores readers to evaluate the theological concepts of good versus evil. This play tells a story of an educated man who signs a deal with the devil in order to be on the same level as a God. Through this journey, Faustus fights with himself over the implications of his actions and becomes scared of his impending damnation. Despite a breachRead MoreGood Vs Evil In Beowulf714 Words   |  3 Pageshuman kind’s existence, there has forces of good and evil. From childhood, it is instilled within us that we must always strive to have a disposition that that denotes good manner. 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English literature often tends to concern itself more and more with the intended meanings of the work through common stories of good and evil those are holding specific symbolic meanings, whether these meanings represent good or evil, the readers continueRead MoreGood vs. Evil - Lord of the Flies807 Words   |  4 PagesGood vs. Evil Star Wars, Superman, James Bond—all of these are stories which chronicle the ever-present warfare between good and evil. What exactly is good? How does one describe evil? The answers to these questions are highly subjective, and could be debated for years on end without ever reaching a final conclusion. However, it is widely agreed that each person is inherently born with two sides; one of which is good, the other evil. It is this sense of inherent good and evil in all of us thatRead MoreThe Ultimate Battle Of Good Vs Evil1987 Words   |  8 Pages2015 The Ultimate battle of Good vs Evil in Beowulf The story of Beowulf involves a man who accomplishes many unbelievable feats. These feats help to save the Danes from evil beasts. The idea of good and evil opposing one another has been a topic for discussion since man’s existence. This idea is seen all around us in movies (Superheroes vs Villains), the world (ISIS), and religion (God is good, Satan is evil). The story of Beowulf is has the theme of good versus evil imbedded into it also. BeowulfRead MoreGood Vs. Evil : How Do People Become Evil?1527 Words   |  7 PagesBoris Hennig PHL 201 February 22, 2015 Good vs. Evil: How do People Become Evil? Through the centuries, the words ‘good’ and ‘evil’ have been used extensively to describe certain things or situations. The subject of good versus evil is one that often causes great debate as the two terms are not facts, but entirely subjective. When people are born, we presume they are innocent, because as infants they are not capable of carrying out actions that are evil, or good. They are a clean slate, and as timeRead MoreGood vs. Evil in â€Å"a Good Man Is Hard to Find† Essay1052 Words   |  5 PagesGood vs. Evil in â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† Flannery O’Connor shows her readers a realistic look at their own mortality in â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find.† The story is about a family of five, a father, mother, grandmother, and two children, starting out on a vacation to Florida from Georgia. The family, on their way to a routine vacation, takes a detour that will change their lives forever. Through the use of literary elements like symbolism and characterization, O’Connor creates a theme ofRead MoreThematic Message: Good vs. Evil1546 Words   |  7 Pagestreated with inclusive human dignity and be affected by good aspects rather than deleterious behavior. In addition to both novels, â€Å"Suffering with Them†, â€Å"Evil’s Fate†, and â€Å"To Hope† share the same concurrent theme. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Grapes of Wrath and â€Å"Suffering with Them†, â€Å"Evil’s Fate†, and â€Å"To Hope† illustrate a synonymous, thematic message that evil’s inhumanity, during corrupt times, induces a perception of hopefulness for good to conquer immorality. Harper Lee, the author of ToRead More Theme of Good vs. Evil in â€Å"Sweat† Essay1213 Words   |  5 Pagesthe South that clutches on to her belief in God to help her get through the suffering that she endures from her abusive and adulterous husband, Sykes. â€Å"Sweat† is full of religious symbolism that demonstrates that Hurston was using the theme of good vs. evil in the short story. In the very beginning of â€Å"Sweat† one can see that Delia possesses a very strong work ethic, by the way that she is working vigorously to wash the clothes for the white people that she worked for to put food on the table and

Market Structure of Australia †Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Market Structure of Australia. Answer: Introduction There is the presence of different types of market structure in the Australian economy. The important structure that dominates is the oligopoly form of the structure. In an oligopoly type of market there are mainly a handful number of firms who are dominating the market. Duopoly is a special form of oligopoly. The Australian retain supermarket is dominated by the duopoly. The duopoly firms who control the market of retail are Woolworths and Coles. The competition that is faced by the firm imperfect and both produces homogenous products. The interest tends to vary with respect to two types of variables for the firm. In first case, the price set by the firms and the quantity that is produced by each of the firms. A huge share is controlled by the firms in the market for a particular type of product (Baumol, and Blinder 2015). Among all the forms of the market, there is less number of firms who are monopolistic. The characteristic of monopolistic market structure is that there are a lar ge number of buyers and sellers of the product. In this particular essay, recent newspaper articles are used for the analysis of the duopoly market of Australias supermarket industry. Duopoly Super Market Industry: When there are only two types of firms holding the market then it represents a duopoly market. The features of oligopoly are similar to that duopoly structure. In the article by the Sydney Morning Herald, there has been a reviewing of the law of demand and the supply of Coles, the dominant firm in the Australian super market. There are large number of consumer power concentrated in the hands of the Coles and Woolworths. These giant super markets they are facing a tough competition from the low cost large firms of the overseas i.e. Aldi from Germany and Costco from the United States. The expansion is getting rapid than never before. This provides the hint that the super market of Australia is getting competitive which is a very beneficial factor for the customers but the seasoned sellers Coles and Woolworths have to suffer (Moulin 2014). In the prior years the retail giants have been able to keep the prices in control through the use of the buying power for putting pressure on the sup pliers to a point which is quite a difficult task.The pressure has resulted in the demand for the home brands. The retailers they take into account the integration of the production, product and the point of sales. There has been a price rise by the suppliers but now this is quite a concern. The spotlight emerged when there was complaint lodged in the Federal Court of Australia by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The complaint noted was that Coles was engaging in the unconscionable conduct and there are suppliers who still demand for their demand from Coles. Coles have however defended the allegations saying that they are not aware of the complaints. The reason for the suppliers to criticize is that they are in a fear of losing their shelf space with the market of retails getting more competitive (Financial Review 2016). Thus, it has been seen that the retail super market industry is losing the duopoly structure with the presence of large number of foreign supermarket firms who tends to offer products at a much lower price than that of Coles and Woolworths. In an article under Australian Financial Review, it was stated that Food Revolution Group has partnered with Coles and Woolworths, the largest of all the super market for the sale of juices. This will be a great initiative for it since it has entered into the Australia Stock Exchange. The reason for the US firm to enter into agreement with Coles and Woolworths was due to its dominating position in the market. It is expected that there will be more of fruit juices in the shelves of the Australian Supermarket. The owner of the company is also too excited with the initiative as this was a very good venture and there would be large outlets that would help in promoting their sales. Food Revolution Group has collaborated in China and there are more than 1000 stores in the China selling their product (The Sydney Morning Herald. 2014).Thus, the companys position in the market is relevant for making collaborations and partnerships. Theory: There are two types of interest of duopoly firms has in the market, the price that is set by each of the firm and through the quantity produced. There are a number of assumptions on which both the models Cournot and Betrand are based and the most important of which is that they are needed to sell homogenous products (Varian 2014). When there is price interest involved then it is shown through Cournot Model. In a Cournot Model, the two firms (Coles and Woolworths) they assume that the output of each are fixed and this is decided independently of each other but at the same time (Boland 2014). The decisions are made by the firm by taking the behavior of the firm as constant. Cournot equilibrium is likely to result from the number of responses together by all the firms (Nicholson and Snyder 2014). Betrand Model is a model helps firms to compete involving quantity rather than price (Hall and Lieberman 2012). The model is a game of two types of firms where each of the firm is going to assu me that the other will not be changing the prices in response to the price cut. The firms use this logic to reach Nash Equilibrium. Conclusion: Thus, the Australian supermarket, which is characterized by a duopoly structure, is seen to break down due to the increasing competition in the market due to the entry of new firms in the market. In the face of competition, it is getting quite difficult for the firms to adopt appropriate strategy. Coles and Woolworths they are trying to collaborate with some of the global brands so that they both are mutually benefited. Since the market is characterized by duopoly, so there is a competition among the firms with respect to price or quantity. Coles and Woolworths in a fear of losing large market share trying to alter their marketing strategies. References: Baumol, W.J. and Blinder, A.S., 2015.Microeconomics: Principles and policy. Cengage Learning. Boland, L.A., 2014.Methodology for a New Microeconomics (Routledge Revivals): The Critical Foundations. Routledge. Financial Review. (2016).Food Revolution Group juices Coles and Woolies for a new deal. [online] Available at: https://www.afr.com/business/fresh-squeeze-on-the-asx-courted-by-coles-and-woolworths-20160404-gny23g [Accessed 8 Aug. 2016] Hall, R.E. and Lieberman, M., 2012.Microeconomics: Principles and applications. Cengage Learning. Moulin, H., 2014.Cooperative microeconomics: a game-theoretic introduction. Princeton University Press. Nicholson, W. and Snyder, C.M., 2014.Intermediate microeconomics and its application. Nelson Education. The Sydney Morning Herald. (2014).Coles: Reviewing law of supply and demands. [online] Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/coles-reviewing-law-of-supply-and-demands-20140506-zr5k1.html [Accessed 8 Aug. 2016] Varian, H.R., 2014.Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach: Ninth International Student Edition. WW Norton Company.

Understanding Organizational Culture; A Case Study

Executive summary Having a strong, cohesive organizational culture is perhaps the most important strategy that an organization can implement to cope with the current aggressive competition, declining economy and ever increasing internal challenges. This report shall set out to elaborate different concepts used to define, explain and justify organizational culture.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Understanding Organizational Culture; A Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To this end, an overview of what culture entails shall be provided and benefits that an organization can accrue from adopting a strong culture outlined. Different theories and principles shall be used to recommend the best course of action that can be taken by BSG to address its behavioral and cultural issues. Introduction In today’s business environment, members of any given organization are expected to behave in a manner that ena bles them to achieve the set organizational goals and objectives. To ensure this is done, rules, regulations and guidelines are designed and implemented to act as a framework through which activities and operations can be carried out. As a result of these frameworks, organizations develop practices, attitudes and norms that define how organizational practices are carried out. These practices, attitudes and norms form the organizational culture. Wilderom et al (2004), state that organizational cultures play a pivotal role in unifying and motivating employees to perform better, and commit to the organization. As such, it can be argued that by having a strong organizational culture, business entities can perform better and more efficiently. Purpose of the report In all organizations, there are internal and external factors that influence the ability of the organizations to perform efficiently. They include but are not limited to: leadership, management and motivational factors among ot hers. Regardless of the category, organizational culture seems to play an integral role in the determination of how members of an organization carry out their duties and responsibilities. In response to these undertones, this report shall set out to define and elaborate various concepts of organizational culture. In addition, the benefits of having an organizational culture shall be discussed and justifications for these benefits provided. Scope of the report De Long (1997) argues that organizations have different organizational cultures. Some may adopt a competitive culture, while others may choose a collaborative culture. It is therefore important to understand the culture that an organization has. This understanding can only be achieved by examining the values, practices and beliefs that are held by the members of the organization.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this report, the cultural and behavioral characteristics of BSG Pty Ltd shall be analyzed. This shall be done by deducing these characteristics from the scenario given and identifying the cultural and behavioral issues that affect the organization’s success. Background of the report Over the past few years, the profitability of BSG Pty Ltd has been significantly declining against the expected projections mainly due to aggressive competition and economic hardships that characterize the market. In addition, results from a recently conducted cultural/employee attitude survey indicated that BSG Pty Ltd employees lack cohesion, motivation, commitment. More importantly, employees at BSG Pty Ltd seems to have significantly low levels of job satisfaction, team work, trust (among themselves and the management), and expectations for future advancements (promotions and rewards). On the same note, there was a 30% increase in pilfering of company resources as evidenced from the analysis of co mpany data. The 15% increase in last year’s staff turnover is also an issue that needs to be addressed. In light of these issues, the C. E. O of BSG Pty Ltd strongly suggested that there is need for change if the company is to survive the current unforgiving market and economical trends. This he attributed to the fact that the current culture adopted by the company was the root cause of the poor performance exhibited by the company. As such, this report has been necessitated by the need to identify, analyze and solve the cultural and behavioral issues that affect BSG Pty Ltd. Sources and methods used in this report Evidently, BSG Pty Ltd has numerous cultural and behavioral inadequacies as has been identified in the currently gathered information. We shall use this evidence as the basis of the report. Relevant academic sources and concepts shall be used to analyze these issues and recommend viable solutions for the same. Literature related to theories, principles and models u sed to address the aforementioned cultural and behavioral issues shall be applied as necessary.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Understanding Organizational Culture; A Case Study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Organizational culture: A Literature Review De Long (1997) defines culture as the values, norms and practices that are followed by members of a given organization. According to the author, values refer to the beliefs held by an organization in regard to the worthiness of what it does and has. Practices in this context are associated to the routines (formal and non-formal) that organizational members follow to accomplish their tasks. According to the author, norms are the shared belief that organizational members’ have regarding proper working behavior (De Long, 1997). From this definition, it can be argued that organizational culture is rooted in how people act, their expectations to each other a nd how they interpret the actions of others in an organizational setting. On the same note, organizational culture has been defined as particular practices carried out by organizations that evolved over time (Kostova, 1999; Wilderom, 2004). These practices reveal the competence and shared knowledge in an organization. In this context, organizational culture can be described as the shared perception that members have in regard to the correct or wrong organizational work practices. Such practices may differ from one organization to another. From the definitions stated above, it is evident that values play a significant role in defining culture. This is further accentuated by Hibbard (1998) who defines culture as a set of beliefs and values that are strongly shared by members of a given organization. Despite the logic behind Hibbard’s (1998) definition, research conducted by other scholars presents a strong case against this criterion. Wilderom et al (2004) argue that the greate st disparities between organizations are strongly based on practices than they are on values. The authors reaffirm this fact by stating that the cultural difference exhibited by different organization is deeply rooted in the organizational work practices that are adopted by the personnel. These authors contend that values are constituents of practices. As such, using values as the basis of defining organizational culture creates a problem when it comes to measuring culture in an organizational context.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Cohesive culture: A Brief Overview Cohesion broadly refers to collaboration and unity. Using the definition of culture proposed earlier, a cohesive culture can best be described as the work practices that promote unity and inter-departmental collaboration. They include but are not limited to knowledge sharing, trustworthiness, team work, effective communication and commitment among others (Luca, 2006). Bolman and Deal (2008) state that a cohesive culture refers to harmony experienced in an organization as a result of clearly defined practices and values that are shared by an organization’s personnel. The authors argue that an organization that adopts a cohesive culture is bound to succeed. This means that a cohesive culture leads to success and it is not always the other way around. Benefits of a strong, cohesive organizational culture Bolman and Deal (2008) state that a strong culture is pivotal towards the promotion of team work in an organizational setting. When the member s of an organization share the same values and practices, they are better placed to work together as a team. This is in contrary to a situation whereby employees compete against each other for recognition and personal gratification. In addition, Palmer (2008) contends that team work is guaranteed by the presence of a vision. An organization envisioning harmony gives its employees a glimpse of what to expect from the organization and they judge the organization by the principles that govern it (Cartwright Baldwin, 2007). Similarly, Palmer (2008) asserts that a strong, cohesive organizational culture reassures employees of the better days ahead. In addition to this, it provides meaning and a sense of belong to the followers and other stakeholders as they deem themselves as part of something greater. An organizational culture inspires and motivates them to aim higher and employ extra effort so as to actualize the vision and make a significant difference in their own capacities. This i n turn acts as a unifying factor and creates a sense of community between them. In addition to this, organizational cultures provide the followers with a theme of change or transformation. This is important especially in cases where a seamless transition is desirable. At the same time, strong cultures also help followers to understand what is expected of them and this helps them make reforms and become more innovative. Sharing similar practices and values also assist in developing and shaping the attitude of the organization. This is because a strong, cohesive culture, if embraced by all, develops a life of its own and becomes part of the organization. This improves interactivity between members and they develop common values and beliefs as they all set target towards a common goal. Glisson (2007) further asserts that a strong organizational culture equips members with a referenced legal and ethical framework on how to actualize their goals. For a vision to become reality there need s to be rules and regulations, which act as guidelines to all members. A strong, cohesive culture enables leaders to communicating these to the followers and smoothen the implementation process. This makes it easier to achieve the set goals and objectives because every member receives clear directives on how to go about actualizing a particular vision. A strong, cohesive culture is not only desirable, but also essential to the success of the business for it is through it that organizational goals are met. As mentioned earlier, a strong culture enables leaders to support employees as they work towards achieving organizational goals. As Webne-Behrman (2008) asserts, a strong culture enables leaders to evaluate employees’ ability to work as a problem solving and decision-making entity, all the while designing measures to counter undesirable behavioral traits that seem to inhibit the employees’ ability to perform as required. Rivera-Vazquez (2010) further contends that the success of any organization depends mainly on the effectiveness and ability of the leader to inspire. This fact effectively underscores the importance of having a collaborative culture because a leader is deemed worthless if he lacks the backing and support of a team/group. It is therefore important that all leaders work towards cultivating and generating a strong, cohesive culture for their firms. In most organization, only a fraction of the capability of the work force is utilized because leaders do not fully understand how best to motivate employees. Huszczo (2004) acknowledges that managers and leaders cannot gain much by coercing the employees to work harder. Instead, an increase in productivity can be achieved if the leaders invest highly on retraining programs, ensure availability of essential resources, and provide motivational attributes like bonuses, promotions and even pay increments to act as incentives. Such interventions can only be discovered if leaders nurture a cul ture that considers how employees behave and react to certain positive or negative stimuli. A strong, cohesive organizational culture ensures that organizations have a sense of purpose and are working towards the achievement of some organizational goals. It sets out to generate and sustain trust between the administration, employees and clients. Usoro and Kuofie (2006) assert that this will result in the promotion of hope, knowledge sharing and confidence amongst the organizations worker force. These qualities heighten the levels of optimism within the organization all the while boosting employee’s morale and guarantees future success in all organizational endeavors. Cultural Issues at BSG Pty Ltd As mentioned in the background section, the profitability of BSG Pty Ltd has been significantly declining against the expected projections mainly due to aggressive competition and economic hardships that characterize the market. In addition, results from a recently conducted cultura l/employee attitude survey indicated that BSG Pty Ltd employees lack cohesion, motivation, commitment. More importantly, employees at BSG Pty Ltd seems to have significantly low levels of job satisfaction, team work, trust (among themselves and the management), and expectations for future advancements (promotions and rewards). On the same note, there was a 30% increase in pilfering of company resources as evidenced from the analysis of company data. The 15% increase in last year’s staff turnover is also an issue that needs to be addressed. In light of these issues, the C. E. O of BSG Pty Ltd strongly suggested that there is need for change if the company is to survive the current unforgiving market and economical trends. Addressing cultural issues at BSG As has been elaborated in this report, culture has a significant influence on different aspects of a business. Palmer (2008) asserts that there is a strong relationship between culture and motivation, leadership, trust and te am work. A strong cohesive culture promotes harmony. For example, McKeown (2008) contends that a strong, cohesive culture fosters innovation. This means that an organization with this culture will work towards improving itself. Having such a culture at BSG will therefore motivate the employees and guarantee it a competitive advantage in these hard times. In addition, team work is mainly based on trust. In an organization where employees are insecure of their jobs and have low levels of job satisfaction, team work is bound to lack. This is because they do not trust each other and they fear that sharing may result to their demise in terms of rewards or job position. However, a cohesive culture eliminates such fears and encourages employees to work together so as to achieve the set goals. In BSG the factors that need to be addressed include job satisfaction and motivation. This is because these two factors determine how committed employees are to the organization. If the employees are strongly committed, then they can go past the issues of trust, pilfering and lack of team work. These two key factors are best addressed by the two factor theory of motivation advanced by Frederick Herzberg. This theory suggests that job satisfaction has two dimensions. They include the hygienic factor, which refers to the working conditions, and the motivation factors which include work incentives (Griffin 2007, p.296). With this in mind, leaders at BSG should ensure that they foster a culture that promotes hygiene. Hygiene in this case not only refers to clean working conditions but also good interpersonal skills, pay security and adequate supervision. On the other hand, motivation factors refer to achievement and recognition, advancement and growth. If BSG develops a culture that encompasses these factors, the company is bound to have a seamless transition geared towards success. Development and maintenance of culture Park, Ribiere and Schulte (2004) state that a strong organizat ional culture can be developed by applying motivational and managerial skills that aim at fostering teamwork and collaborative decision making. In this regard, an organization can implement group process strategies that encourage employees to work together towards attaining a common goal. Webne-Behrman (2008) defines group process as the procedures implemented by member of an organization who are closely working together in a bid to come up with the best solutions to handle or solve a common problem. The group process concept has been in existence for a long while and has proven to be an asset in numerous organizations when it comes to understanding how groups function in regard to problem-solving and decision-making processes. In addition, Webne-Behrman (2008) asserts that group process enables group facilitators to come up with viable interventional measures that can be implemented to alter undesirable behavioral attributes that are inherent in a particular group. In this regard, the author suggests that group process can be viewed as behavioral patterns exhibited by members of a group as they collectively try to perform various organizational tasks. In regard to maintaining an organizational culture, Rivera-Vazquez (2010) states that there are practices that can guarantee that employees keep the adopted culture burning. Some of the recommended strategies include team-building retreats and seminars, initiation rites and ceremonies and socialization surveys conducted regularly within the organization (Rivera-Vazquez, 2010). These strategies facilitate the development and maintenance of organizational culture in the sense that employees are able to understand each others strengths and weaknesses and devise means of coping and improving the same. Recommendations To efficiently address the issues at BSG, the managers and leaders should implement motivational strategies as proposed by Griffin (2007). In additional, an ethical program dictating the codes of conduc t should be developed and implemented. This code will act as a guideline through which the expected professional behavior can be monitored and evaluated. Similarly, programs that promote the development of the employees should be put in place. Glisson (2007) states that training and retraining employees on proper conduct, knowledge sharing and the value of team work are among the key factors that enhance performance. In addition, developing a reward system is an effective motivation and commitment booster in an organizational setting. Conclusion Challenges are inherent in all organizations. How these challenges are handled determines whether an organization will succeed or fail. In this report, issues that affect BSG have been outlined and their impact on the organization’s success discussed. The issues in this company have resulted from a lack of a strong, cohesive organizational culture. To this end, the concept of organizational culture has been evaluated in regard to defi nition and benefits. By using relevant literature, a discussion highlighting possible solutions has been provided. Recommendations as to how the company can develop and maintain a strong culture have also been outlined. If implemented, BSG will realize a monumental change in how its employees behave and perceive work. This will in turn help in restoring the company to its former glory; if not better. References Bolman, LG Deal, TE, 2008, Reframing organizations: artistry, choice, and leadership, John Wiley and Sons, New Jersey. Cartwright, T Baldwin, D 2007, Communicating Your Vision, Center for Creative Leadership, New York. De Long, D 1997, Building the knowledge-based organization: How culture drives knowledge Behaviors, Working paper, Ernst Young’s Center for Business Innovation, Boston. Glisson, C 2007, ‘Assessing and changing organizational culture and climate for effective services’, Research on Social Work Practice, vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 736-747. Griffin , RW 2007, Fundamentals of management, Cengage Learning, New York. Hibbard, J 1998, ‘Cultural breakthrough’, Information week, vol. 701, pp. 44-55. Huszczo, G 2004, Tools for Team Leadership: Delivering the X-factor in Team Excellence, Davies-Black Publishing, Sydney. Kostova, T 1999, ‘Transnational transfer of strategic organizational practices: A contextual perspective’, Academy of management review, vol. 24, pp. 308-324. Luca, ML 2006, ‘The role of culture on knowledge transfer: the case of the multinational Corporation’, The Learning Organization, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 257-275. McKeown, M 2008, The Truth About Innovation, Prentice Hall, London, UK. Palmer,ER 2008, Ultimate leadership: winning execution strategies for your situation, Wharton School Publishing, USA. Park, H, Ribiere, V, Schulte. DW 2004, ‘Critical attributes of organizational culture that promote knowledge management technology implementation success’, Journal of Knowledge management, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 106-117. Rivera-Vazquez, JC 2010, ‘Overcoming cultural barriers for innovation and knowledge Sharing’, Strategic Direction, no. 3, p. 26. Usoro, A, Kuofie, MHS 2006, ‘Conceptualization of cultural dimensions as a major influence on knowledge-sharing’, International Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 16-25. Wilderom, C, Berg, DV, Peter, T 2004, ‘Defining, Measuring, and Comparing Organizational Cultures’, Internal Association for Applied Psychology, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 570-582. Webne-Behrman, H 2008, The Practice of Facilitation: Managing Group Process and Solving Problems, IAP, USA. This report on Understanding Organizational Culture; A Case Study was written and submitted by user Jakobe Bowen to help you with your own studies. 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