People And Organisational Development

People And Organisational Development This paper deals with the various problems organizations face while implementing change. It looks at change both from the organizational point of view and the individuals perspective focusing more on the latter. It considers the various process and models involved in change management. The paper compromises gists of a case studies which is attached as an appendice. Finally the paper concludes by pointing out the drawbacks and offering suitable suggestions for the organization undergoing change taking into account the short term and long term benefits. NOTE: Case study summarized in appendix 1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CCC- Coxs Container Company   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BBC- Byfields Business College Introduction Change is a continuous process which every organization or individual undergoes at some point. Defining change management is sometimes a very complicated process. To find the exact definition to fit the purpose underpins the professionalism of the organization. Voropajev (1998) states change management as an integral process related to all internal and external factors in projects, influencing project changes. It also involves identification of possible changes already occurred and coordinated changes across the entire project. (Appendix) write out the 6 points in Voropajev BNET Business Dictionary best describes it by keeping it simple and states it as â€Å"the coordination of a structured period of transition from situation A to situation B in order to achieve lasting change within an organization.† To make it simpler we can describe it as the changes organizations perform to realize benefits or to develop a profit making business. Change is the requirement for competitive success. Change is not a simple process done overnight, it requires thoughtful planning and implementation and should involve consultation and involvement of all the people (stakeholders, employees, consumers) who are going to be affected by the change. Change management faces both internal, external factors and approaches related to projects. Hence managing change is a very important. Change is not a single action or initiative. It involves various theories underpinned by Cameron Green (2004) such as Organizational change Team Change Individual change Cultural change The core objective to be put forward is whether the organization is entitled for benefits due to the changes suggested and the dis-benefits the organization will face if the changes are not initiated. Change needs to be measurable, realistic and achievable for it to have an impact on the organization and individual. Burnes (2009) identified the two dominant managing change approaches as identifying the strengths and weakness of organizations, and situations they are designed to address. But even by applying this does not cover problems organizations face. Burnes (2009) also states that both planned and emergent changes have benefits both practically and theoretically but they neglect other approaches. So a framework built to fit change is a better option and making it flexible for future changes goes even further. The ADKAR model (Appendix) proposed by porsci () acts as a useful tool and when realized in a sequence of steps helps individuals and organizations to manage successful change. Many organizations used this to good effect and Jeff Hiatt (1998,2006) developed it further and prioritized on individuals when achieving change successful. Reasons for Changes Problems facing Coxs Container Company (CCC) Nearing retirement of Founder Managing Director High Market Competition Reduced margins Erica Wilson survey entirely on her own Fear of job cuts No training Change not consulted with employees Cultural issues Non co-operation of manager employees Addition of new consultant Lack of communication between top management employees 2/3 staff work in the production department Are people ready to change? What is the best strategy for change? What is the best leadership style Vermeulen (1997) Resistance to change We (human beings) have always constituted to the major share of resistance to change. The bulk of scientific evidence suggests that the more the individual is enabled to exercise control over his/her task and relates his efforts to his fellows it is lot more likely to gain a positive commitment. Paton James (2008) This shows a basis of a democratic government. A fair amount of disagreement and resistant is often seen in change because it is disruptive and stressful. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) suggested four ways why people resist change Parochial or narrow-minded self-interest Misunderstanding Low tolerance to change Different assessments of the situation People tend to posses fixed ideas and follow certain rules which have worked well for them in the past. But due to advancement in technology, science and trends different organizations tend to be updated with the latest advancement which requires changes or perhaps even re-organising the way they work. Organizational personnels not adapting to this change face the 4 change resistance stated above by Kotter and Schlesinger. But the leader has to assess the situation before implementing the new changes. BBC CCC (Appendix) both dont indicate the assessment being carried out taking all stakeholders involved in the change. Who Performs the Change? A highly debated question is that not many people like change and the people making the decisions come in the firing line if it backfires. Habits are part of every persons life but is counterproductive when it deals with change. Change process or change curve evolves through number of mental phases. Denial Frustration Negotiating or bargaining Depression Acceptance Experimentation Discovery of delight Intergration Baekdal, Hansen, Todbjerg and Mikkelsen (2006) Leaders or managers are the people who initiate the change. As mentioned earlier by Cameron Green (2004) the various changes taking place usually the initiator plays a huge part. At BBCs (Appendix) the director forced changes which affected the work environment and a lot of resistance from employees was portrayed but it invariablelly brought down the performance. Two rather contrasting points to put forward both in BBC CCC the individuals accepted change and the individual repelled changes respectively. John l Thompson 73 Role of Leader in Change Management Leaders seem to infer the phrase change management as means of getting the organization to perform what they want. Cramm (2003) in her research article stress that this only affects the people. This could only lead to the lack of the vision not being migrated from the head of the leader to the hands of the employee. Even strategic planning can go to the drain if there is lack in vision. VISION  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  STRATEGY  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  IMPLEMENTATION Leaders need not possess single recommended style. Thompson (1997) Some are autocratic others democratic in the way they make their decisions. Each relies on different strengths such as planning and analyzing, some are intuitive and visionary. What exactly we need of leaders is going up to people and involving them as part of the process. Gaining Inputs Stakeholder views Likes Dislikes Cramm (2003) states that â€Å"true spirit of change management is enabling all employees to express and apply their knowledge in a way that benefits each of them and the organization.† Burnes (2009) also emphasis that employee empowerment as crucial to successful change, especially when there is attitude and culture involved. For this in turn leads us to motivation being an important criterion. He further compared three theories in order to understand employee involvement. Depth of Intervention Cognitive Dissonance Psychological Contract Burnes (2009) There are a few key aspects to be considered by leaders or managers who take on challenge of change. Recognizing group consent a major influence on willingness to change Convey and emphasize two trust Training a part of building process Allowing enough time for change Encourage people to adopt basic idea to fit the real world and them   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vermulen (1997) et al. Deal Kennedy (1988) The employees have to be convinced that this change is going to benefit them and is done taking into account the best interest of the organization and the employees. Fragmented leadership is a huge cause of outputs being brought down. There always is a need for a well structured plan to achieve transformation. Carr Littman (1990, p. 195) et al. Vermulen (1997) identified nine steps needed for successful cultural transformation process. Planning for cultural change Assessing the current state of quality culture Training managers and the workforce Management adopting and modeling the new behavior Making organizational and regulation changes that support quality action Redesign individual performance appraisal and monetary reward systems to reflect the principles of total quality management Changing budget practices Rewarding positive changes Using communication tools to reinforce TQM principles Hence the leader has to pay extensive attention to cultural change since it is a sensitive issue. Diagnosing and analyzing the organizations character will provide assessment of the strength and weakness. This can be further built upon. This makes the implementation a easier procedure to be carried out. Managing the Individual Culture Changing organizational structure can be done rather quickly but the cultural change is a long process and consumes time. Kanter (1992) et al Burnes (2009) The fact that many people or even teams are repulsive towards the word change is that they are worried if their individual roles and responsibilities would be affected. People are more suited towards performing actions which they are familiar with. Hence Cameron Green (2004) stress the fact that managing the individual and people within the organization is an important criteria. Thompson (1997) states that if culture and power is overlooked, implementation may not be possible. Baekdal, Hansen, Todbjerg and Mikkelsen (2006) state that change management is more about the people and higher efficiency does not come from working harder but from within. Higher efficiency comes from motivation, complete understanding for the entire process and self worth. This has to be focused on a large scale if the company is to improve. The strategic leader plays an important part in the culture of the organization. Attitudes and behavior of employees are affected as well as willingness to accept responsibilities and taking measured risks due to these changes. The culture of an organization is associated to the personality of the individual. Culture and communication cannot be separated and for this to be put in place common assumptions have to be made. Catwright et al Mullins (2005) sees culture as a system of management authority and states three ways employees react. They identify themselves with their organization accept its rules when it is the right thing to do. Internalize the organisations values when they believe they are right and They motivated to achieve the organization objectives Catwright et al Mullins (2005) There are many types of cultures seen in organizations which are cited in Mullins (2005) pg 892 893). But person culture plays as a huge part usually. It sometimes could be people getting together to agreeing with a certain system like the one of sharing cakes on Fridays at BBC. This atmosphere has worked well and has not hindered their success. But forced changes made by the new management has affected the working and led to inefficiencies. Every organization has its own unique culture and large organization posses a mix or cultures. Different people like working in different environments and they get more satisfied and this makes them happy which reflects on their performance. But Dean Kennedy et al Burnes (2005) categorise corporate cultures bearing two factors The degree of risk associated with the organisations activities and The speed at which organizations and their employees receive feedback on the success of decisions or strategies. Change Factors Free market competition is a driving source for organizations and individuals to innovate and change Communication communication strategy Involving people who are going to be directly affected by the changes is crucial and setting up a communication strategy is vital. This has immense effect on reducing the uncertainty people face and assures them of their involvement. By implementing this particular procedure the employees are draw into discussions and gives them the right to debate about the changes. This discussion can convince them why the change is needed rather than just being told to do changes which they really dont know why is being suggested. This can reduce anger, frustration etc being cultivated. This is best described in a mini case study cited in Burnes (2009) where the trade union convenor for NHS had problems with the top managements way of implementing change. Change was not consulted but ordered. This de-motivated the entire department and lack of staff support was evident. The situation seemed not like changing until the new chief executive taking the post on the very first day saw the problem and went to the head of the union. This was a huge step forward since it gave the union head and its employees the assurance of their involvement and them being heard out. This resulted in changes not being possible previously were possible now. It required only a little bit of courtesy and thought to initiate this step. This small win was a big step forward which contributed heavily to the change process. 500 words Management Union Meetings Having management union meetings to address the problems facing the organization and the drop in operational quality is needed. The fact that none of the changes have been discussed with the union is seen as a drawback. The management and the employees can come to mutual agreements and speak over conflicts which are hindering the changes from not being employed. Perhaps suggesting a few compensations to employees might work in favour of the management. Corbett (1994) Drawbacks of Change To every positive there is a negative. If change is not realized tendency to rely on a particular area is too strong and critical factor needed for success will not be built upon. In this every changing world change is the essence for success. Case study at McDonalds Thompson (1997) the smallest change such as change in menu also affects the people involved in making the food since they are accustomed to making the same previous menu. The motivation and moral is suppressed due to this change which will affect quality and time initially. But the organization is going to benefit so this change has to be realized. Forced change and accepted change are two changes which are not discussed often. Case Study Wave management Since over 2/3 of the companys employees work in production department and the fact that they have been working for the past 10 years, managing them to adapt to the changes is critical. Two main steps to put down are Involvement of employees in changes Finding ways to manage them Ezzamel, Green, Lilley Willmott (1995) state that organizations should be leaner, creative and adaptive. Bureaucracy hierarchical control have a lot of drawbacks. Having a network with a shared culture will make the employees committed to the core values of the organization which will bring down the cumbersome hierarchy and its cost. This is needed since there seems to be a vacuum when it comes to confrontation between top management and employees. This new wave management can lead to lot of future emphasis such as Problem-solve through participation Facilitate employee self-discipline Effectively develop HR Flexibly appreciate contingency ambiguity Ezzamel et al. (1995) Ezzamel et al. (1995) also state that managers are not required enforcing rules to control workforce. But this could lead to some problems with respect to disciplinary and motivation. Having cross-functional managers is a way to bring the top management and employees closer. This will bring self disciple as well as a constant monitoring process together which will benefit the organization. This eradicates functional specialism and boundary wjich are seen as obstacles for project management. Strategic management The steps mentioned below is probably the basic best process in achieving change. Planning to achieve the desired output needs a strategy to be implemented. Morgans (1986) et al. Burnes (2009) organizational metaphors 8 point description is good but many people rather prefer Johnsons Scholes (1993) et al. Some problems cannot be solved but only managed and adding value helps to manage change. Values such as awareness, responsibility, teamwork, tolerance and teamwork are supreme just as flexibility and change readiness. Specify time line Specifying the time line for the change to take place is often neglected by organizations. As seen from CCC or BBC case study (Appendix) there is no mention of time frame which does not help to achieve short term or long term wins. This could sometimes weaken the change process and become barriers for change management. Drawing time lines analyzing time lines are crucial to planning and implementation process. 500 words Remedies Motivation Engaging people Ways to make them understand (Educate Regulate them of the situation) Stats (projections) Positive attitude we are not victims, dont take it personal, global competition Get out of a comfort zone loss or opportunities Be a better player you fail company fails Re tool and re invent yourself einstien slogan Ask better questions + attitude Poor planning involve team communicate Dont see the point why will they want to change If ROI is not there then no company will be happy Motivation Manage change Setting Exampes Managing change is an important ingredient to achieving change. It is the responsibility of the management and many organizations fail to do so. There is no point blaming the workers. McCormic () states that effectively dealing with emotional response to change as a key criteria. Managers have their reasons to resist change. This may be due to the fact that they might feel that the change is not going to have effects or lack of trust in the management. Possible solution Top management needs to consider solutions from managers and them in turn from workers. People disagreeing must not be beaten down for their expressions. Top management must review the suggestions and analyze there is enough funds (Executive Sponsorship) to carry out the process if agreed. Open communication two way and honest opinions must be given Expectations must be robust and everyone must be aware of the change. Reporting system must be initiated on mutual grounds. By implementing these steps most managers will tend to be won over by the management and the employees will follow suit. Cultural effects on TQM Culture plays an important part in an organization involving every individual contributing to it and helps change over a period of time. Management plays the most important roles in achieving this transformation. Vermulen (1997) Vermulen (1997) identifies companys culture as major issue hindering TQM and change. Companies through is policies and day to day actions usually send signals defining what is important and proper which in turn helps employees act accordingly. If an audit could be carried out like questionnaires, personal interviews etc this can assess the situation and a feedback system would be created which helps gain commitment and awareness of the present situation. Vermulen (1997) states management must accept and follow accordingly even though there might be differences more than conformance. But what this does in the CCCs situation is that since 2/3 of the company employees work in the same department and are of similar cultural background. This is not always the solution. What effects change can bring STUDENT ID : 469131Page 8

The Destructive Growth of Alcoholism in America

Drinking alcohol has become a past-time for teenagers and adults during weekends. People drink to relax, feel more confident or to forget temporarily any worries that they currently have. Everyone knows that alcohol in moderation do not harm one's body or society at large. The problem lies when drinking becomes uncontrollable and excessive. The social, health and mortality problems associated with alcohol have been perceived as early as 1920's, which was when the Temperance Movement started.The consumption of alcohol began in 1600-1700. People drank alcohol because they had no other alternative. The milk was unpasteurized and the water was unsanitary. In addition, the price of tea and coffee did not fit the budget of most people. According to the article What in American's history could lead to prohibition, â€Å"the average American was drinking 7 gallons of pure alcohol. † During the early years of the American colony, drunkenness was not viewed as offensive.The History of A lcohol article enumerated how people in the colonies â€Å"showed little concern over drunkenness, [in fact] spirituous liquors had become the greatest factors in colonial commerce. † Later on, the demand for alcohol created Saloons where people could drink and take part in different form of vices. The History of Alcohol article stated that â€Å"[i]t was not uncommon to find one saloon for every 150 or 200 Americans, including those who did not drink.Hard-pressed to earn profits, saloon keepers sometimes introduced vices such as gambling and prostitution into their establishments in an attempt to earn profits. † However, people soon realized that alcohol drinkers acted differently and far worse after they have consumed liquor. Prohibition or temperance, which simply meant a â€Å"reduction or elimination of the use of alcoholic beverages,† was enacted to combat these â€Å"social ills† that were developing due to the effects of alcohol.Hence, according t o the History of Alcohol, â€Å"[i]n 1920 America saw prohibition in an effort to prevent the social problems caused by alcohol abuse. † Thornton, an economics professor, expressed that during 1920-1933, â€Å"national prohibition of alcohol [in the US was a] ‘noble experiment'- undertaken to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America. † Supporters of the Temperance Movement firmly believed that alcohol had â€Å" addictive properties.† In addition, the History of Alcohol stated that â€Å"the Temperance movement swept across the United States preaching that alcohol was immoral and destroyed family life. † The same article also says that the benevolent intentions of the Temperance Movement finally materialized when the government included the ban on alcohol in the 18th Amendment, which took away the business licenses of â€Å"brewers, distill ers, vintners, and the wholesale and retail sellers,† of the Constitution. Despite genuine concern about the negative effects of alcohol, liquor cannot be eliminated from the market.The History of Alcohol states that people started to bootleg alcohol from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean- since Americans were prohibited from producing liquor- to cater to their growing customers. Organized crime was established to meet the increasing demand of the public for the prohibited product. According to the What in American's history could lead to prohibition article, the illegal nature of alcohol led â€Å"criminal organizations [to] resort to real crimes in defense of sales territories, brand names, and labor contracts. †Eventually, the government realized that their efforts only increased the reliance on alcohol and made the social ills imposed by it more severe. Therefore, they repealed prohibition in 1933. Even though the Temperance Movement was dissolved, the criminal group s that were formed out of it still remained intact. These groups â€Å"branched out into narcotics, gambling, prostitution, loan sharking and extortion, concerns they still control today,† according to The History of Alcohol article. Moreover, societal problems incurred from alcohol also affect family dynamics.Parents who constantly drink might end up spending more time outside the house and neglect their responsibilities to their children and spouse. Thus, the article entitled Scientific Facts on Alcohol brought up the point that â€Å"[d]rinking can impair how a person performs as a parent, [and] a partner as well. † Likewise, the Scientific Facts on Alcoholic indicated that â€Å"[t]he financial costs of alcohol purchase†¦ can leave other family members destitute. † This is because parents may end up using their salary to sustain their habit to the extent that their children become hungry in the process.Children of alcoholics may not be adequately taken care of as well because their basic needs, such as clothing and shelter, are not provided for because indulgence in the habit makes their parents lose focus on what is important in their lives. The detrimental effects of alcohol become exacerbated to the point that it manifests itself in physical violence or abuse towards other people. A relationship might be jeopardized because the man, as is usually the case, beats up his wife or girlfriend after consuming immense amount of liquor. The wife or girlfriend has a toleration limit in allowing this kind of dismal treatment.After awhile, she is bound to leave him if the behavior does not stop or improve. Information contained in the Alcohol and Women article provided by Loyola Marymount University states that â€Å"57% of female victims [experience] intimate violence (i. e. , current or former spouses, boyfriends, etc. ) [and] reported that the offender had been drinking at the time of the offense. [While] 62% of female victims of alco hol-related violence reported experiencing some form of injury. † Unfortunately, these victimized women have a high likelihood of sticking by their man.As a result, they may end up drinking as well to deal with the abuse that they experience. Furthermore, the article entitled Alcohol, Violence, and Aggression notes that aggressive behavior of alcohol drinkers’ result in â€Å"86 percent of homicide offenders, 37 percent of assault offenders, 60 percent of sexual offenders, up to 57 percent of men and 27 percent of women involved in marital violence, and 13 percent of child abusers. † Excessive alcohol drinkers engage in such actions because according to the Alcohol, Violence, and Aggression article, alcohol has been known toweake[n] brain mechanisms that normally restrain impulsive behaviors, including inappropriate aggression. By impairing information processing, alcohol can also lead a person to misjudge social cues, thereby overreacting to a perceived threat. Simultaneously, a narrowing of attention may lead to an inaccurate assessment of the future risks of acting on an immediate violent impulse. Besides aggressive behavior that is exhibited due to the lessening of inhibition, ease of interaction amongst a group of people also ensues.Thus, men usually drink with acquaintances or colleagues at work to develop rapport and comradeship. Hence, the Alcohol and the Workplace article indicate that â€Å"[s]tudies of male-dominated occupations have described heavy drinking cultures in which workers use drinking to build solidarity and show conformity to the group. † On the contrary, alcohol can be harmful in the workplace when an individual's job performance suffers. Limitless alcohol consumption can result in people suffering from a hangover the following day, which affects and hampers concentration, memory and motor skill.Thus, the Alcohol and the Workplace article state that hangover has a positive correlation between â€Å"the frequ ency of feeling sick at work, sleeping on the job, and having problems with job tasks or co-workers. † The same article also mentions that productivity losses are attributed to alcohol. Performance at work may be affected both by the volume and pattern of drinking. Co-workers perceive that heavy drinkers have lower performance, problems in personal relationships and lack of self-direction, though drinkers themselves do not necessarily perceive effects on their work performance.In addition, the aforementioned article also explains that There is ample evidence that people with alcohol dependence and drinking problems are on sick leave more frequently than other employees, with a significant cost to employees, employers, and social security systems†¦. Therefore, constant and excessive alcohol consumption can negatively affect work performance. Persistent pattern of alcohol drinking becomes a problem because it does not enable the employee to finish tasks, has a drastic effec t on one's output at work and will hurt the company in the long-run if an employee repeatedly accumulates absences.Nevertheless, the negative impact of alcohol on someone’s means of livelihood is still not enough to detract people from taking it. Writer Caroline Ryan of BBC News says that the reason being is alcohol triggers the internal composition of our body. Alcohol releases dopamine which â€Å"which produces feelings of satisfaction. It also increases the production of the brain's natural painkiller – endorphin – which scientists think could be the means by which the brain becomes trained to crave†¦. Scientists believe this effect is part of the development of tolerance to, and dependence on, alcohol.† Also, excessive alcohol drinking can contribute to health issues. According to Dr. Berman, alcohol can either directly or indirectly cause: cancers of the mouth, throat, liver, larynx, and esophagus; stomach ulcers and bleeding in the upper gastr ointestinal tract; pancreatitis; cirrhosis of the liver; hypertension; cardiac arrhythmias; congestive heart failure; peripheral nerve problems; increased susceptibility to infections. Nissl, author of Alcohol and Drug Problems, also indicates that â€Å"[l]ong-term heavy drinking damages the nervous system, heart, and brain.It also can lead to stomach problems, medicine interactions, sexual problems, osteoporosis†¦ † While an article entitled Alcohol Myth says that sparse drinking will still result in the â€Å"slow[ing] down [of] the heart rate, lower[ing] [of] your blood pressure, and slow[ing] [of] your breathing rate. † Also, food digestion is inhibited from fully functioning. The Alcohol and Nutrition article exhibits that alcohol interferes with the nutritional process by affecting digestion, storage, utilization, and excretion of nutrients†¦ Alcohol inhibits the breakdown of nutrients into usable molecules†¦Alcohol impairs nutrient absorption by damaging the cells lining the stomach and intestines and disabling transport of some nutrients into the blood†¦ Even if nutrients are digested and absorbed, alcohol can prevent them from being fully utilized by altering their transport, storage, and excretion†¦ alcohol can impair the mechanisms by which the body controls blood glucose levels, resulting in either increased or decreased blood glucose. Again, the said article also explains that lack of nutrients can result in deficiencies that can lead to â€Å"severe and permanent effects on brain function.Specifically, thiamine deficiencies, often seen in alcoholics, [which] can cause severe neurological problems such as impaired movement and memory loss. † It is also a fact that mental and emotionally faculties can also be affected. According to Green Facts, anxiety, fear and depression are common problems encountered by family members of an alcoholic and the alcoholic himself. For alcoholics, the Why Do People Drin k Alcohol article discusses that alcohol intake actually causes depression since alcohol is a depressant.While feelings of a depressed person is magnified two-folds when depression medicine stays in the system at the same time that alcohol is in one’s body. Despite the health risks involve with excessive alcohol consumption, some women may still engage in the act even when they are pregnant. According to Nemours Foundation, â€Å"[i]t's estimated that each year in the United States, 1 in every 750 infants is born with a pattern of physical, developmental, and functional problems referred to as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), while another 40,000 are born with fetal alcohol effects (FAE).† Fetal Alcohol Syndrome results in birth defects in infants that can debilitate or permanently damage one's normal capabilities and functioning. Indeed, alcohol can become toxic when there is too much of it. Infinite amount of liquor can be the cause of death for a relatively few people. This unfortunate incident is known as alcohol poisoning, also called acute alcohol intoxication. The Alcohol Myth article explains that in this specific instance, alcohol acts as a poison that attacks the body and results in death.On a lighter note, a mild form of sleep disturbance can be induced by alcohol especially among college students who usually have the notion that â€Å"alcohol is not as bad as what people claim it to be. † The Alcohol and Sleep article points out that â€Å"[t]he more one drinks, the faster the person will fall asleep, but the likelihood of sleep disturbances increases. Alcohol consumed up to 6 hours before bedtime can affect sleep patterns. † And we are all aware that lack of sleep can make a person feel easily irritated and unfocused on the tasks at hand.Also, we should not exclude the fact that financial costs can dampen one's available resources. According to Estimating the Economic Cost of Alcohol Abuse article, the health cost of alcoh ol dependence behavior which include medical, alcohol abuse and dependence treatment does not come cheap. Furthermore, hospital bills and medical inconvenience does not end there. Accidents caused by drunk driving, which endanger public safety, can accrue more damages to the physical and financial well-being of a person. Also, mental irregularities can happen when an alcoholic attempts to commit suicide.According to Women and Alcohol article, â€Å"40% of alcoholic women attempted to commit suicide, compared to 8. 8% of non-alcoholic women. [While] [y]ounger women who are alcoholics are nearly twice as likely to attempt to commit suicide (50. 5%) than older women who are alcoholics (25. 5%). † Tendencies like this transpire because a person is emotionally unstable. The main reason why alcoholics turn to alcohol for comfort is to numb their feelings or to forget their problems. They fail to realize that trying to forget about their unpleasant situation is only fleeting and doe s not solve anything in the long-run.For instance, the Why Do People Drink Alcohol article explains that drinking alcohol to deal with a break up or death in one’s family â€Å"delays the healing process because the people aren’t giving themselves a chance to heal. † This is because they are not confronting their problem and letting themselves experience emotions that naturally surface in this kind of circumstance. Hence, the behavior that they are engaging in-regularly drinking loads of alcohol-does not help them at all even though they will like to think so otherwise.Thus, immense alcohol consumption may unfortunately lead to death. According to Dr. Berman, the â€Å"third leading cause of mortality in the United States, and is responsible for approximately 100,000 preventable deaths per year,† is alcohol. Hence, premature death due to excessive alcohol consumption is within our ability to control and avoid from happening. Also, if death does not occur due to reckless driving, diseases that take over the body gradually-as was mentioned earlier- can also take away one's life.If an alcoholic somehow manages to stay out of harm's way, alcohol can contribute to risky behaviors like unprotected sexual activity, use of tobacco and illegal drugs. The article entitled Alcohol: An Addictive Drug tackles the fact that alcohol â€Å"is frequently the entry-level drug that leads to harder drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. † These acts that may seem â€Å"harmless†-especially to those actively taking part in the habit- cost the government money because they shoulder any expense that is brought up. This is because effective law enforcement has to be increased and strengthened via mandatory regular training to deal with misdemeanors.Also, according to Estimating the Economic Cost of Alcohol Abuse article, other parts of society are involved like the â€Å"criminal justice system, social welfare administration-† just to name a few- to ensure that society is not greatly troubled by the reckless behavior that alcoholics enact. Overall, limitation and prohibition of alcohol will never be successful as demonstrated by the Temperance Movement. This is because people find ways to get around the system and defy laws that go against what they want to do with their personal lives.The key to the problems that alcohol presents is not to eliminate the source of the problem, in this case alcohol itself, but to educate young people about the adverse effects that alcohol places on them and on society as a whole. Also, tough enforcement of established laws regarding alcohol should be done. In addition, assistance should be available and given to alcoholics so that violence, alcohol craving and health issues that they have are addressed in a timely manner. Finally, people should keep in mind that alcohol does not solve anything.It only creates or increases the existing problems that one faces. Additionally, people have the power to change the glamorized notions about alcohol consumption-how it is the â€Å"in† thing to do because all the â€Å"cool† kids are doing it- and its supposed positive effects which mostly deals with a smoother social interaction with other people. The media plays a crucial role in changing this persistent view. The media should stress-via their print publication, billboard ads, television and radio programs- that the negative impact of alcohol outweighs any positive impact that may be derived from it.Also, it is essential that alcoholics are aided in finding ways to control their urges and direct it to an outlet that will be more beneficial for them. It will also be important to make people aware that proper and moderate alcohol consumption is an obligation that they should perform and abide by at all times because it is for their best interest. Hence, alcohol regulations serve people by protecting their well-being. References â€Å"Alcohol and Sleep. â₠¬  (2006). Loyola Marymount University. â€Å"Alcohol and the Nutrition. † October 1993. Alcohol Alert.22. 29 January 2008. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. â€Å"Alcohol and the Workplace. † July 1999. Alcohol Alert. 44. 29 January 2008. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. â€Å"Alcohol Myths. † (2006). Loyola Marymount University. 30 January 2008. â€Å"Alcohol, Violence, and Aggression. † October 1997. Alcohol Alert. 38. 29 January 2008. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Berman, James. January 2003. â€Å"Alcohol and drug addiction†. University of Pennsylvania Health System. 29 January 2008 â€Å"Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. † 2008. Nemours Foundation. 30 January 2008. â€Å"History of Alcohol. † (n. d). 30 January 2008 Nissl, Ian. 23 February 2007. â€Å"Alcohol and Drug Problems. † Peace Health. 29 January 2008. Ryan, Caroline. Why alcohol is addictive. 15 March 200 4. BBC News. 30 January 2008. http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/health/3537387. stm â€Å"Scientific Facts on Alcohol. † (2008). Green Facts. 29 January 2008. â€Å"The History of Alcohol. † (2005). Drug-Rehabs. org 30 January 2008. Thornton, M. (1991). â€Å"Alcohol prohibition was a failure. † CATO institute. 30 January 2008. Walters, G. D. (2002).The heritability of alcohol abuse and dependence: a meta-analysis of behavior genetic research. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 28(3), 557- 584. â€Å"What in American's history could lead to prohibition? † (n. d). 30 January 2008. Why Do People Drink Alcohol? (n. d) 30 January 2008. Women and Alcohol. (2006). Loyola Marymount University. 30 January 2008. Alcoholism in America I. History of Alcohol A.lack of other drink alternatives B. American Revolution C. Emergence of Saloons D. Temperance Movement 1. Definition of Temperance 2. Reasons for the movement 3. Problem with Temperance II. Personal Problem with Alcohol now A. Family problem 1. ineffective parent 2. money spent on alcohol instead B. Violence 1. between partners a. statistical information b. victimized women 2. statistics of criminal offenses C. Alcohol at the workplace 1. reason to bond especially with men 2. negative effect on work performance a. productivity b. absence D. Alcohol Cravings E. health problem 1. damages parts of the body2. slows down bodily functions 3. interferes with digestion process 4. nutritional deficiencies 5. mental health problem 6. fetal alcohol syndrome 7. alcohol poisoning 8. sleep disturbances 9. health related costs F. Accidents 1. different damages accrued 2. suicide statistical evidence G. Deaths 1. statistical evidence III. Other negative effects of alcohol A. Vices associated with alcohol B. Government expenditures Note cards page â€Å"Alcohol, like nicotine and marijuana, is frequently the entry-level drug that leads to harder drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. † †Å"Alcohol: An Addictive Drug.† (2006). Covenant Health. 30 January 2008. The nutrients from digested food are absorbed from the intestines into the blood and carried to the liver. The liver prepares nutrients either for immediate use or for storage and future use. Alcohol inhibits the breakdown of nutrients into usable molecules by decreasing secretion of digestive enzymes from the pancreas (2). Alcohol impairs nutrient absorption by damaging the cells lining the stomach and intestines and disabling transport of some nutrients into the blood (3).In addition, nutritional deficiencies themselves may lead to further absorption problems. For example, folate deficiency alters the cells lining the small intestine, which in turn impairs absorption of water and nutrients including glucose, sodium, and additional folate (3). Even if nutrients are digested and absorbed, alcohol can prevent them from being fully utilized by altering their transport, storage, and excretion†¦ Even wh en food intake is adequate, alcohol can impair the mechanisms by which the body controls blood glucose levels, resulting in either increased or decreased blood glucose (glucose is the body's principal sugar)†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Alcohol and the Nutrition. † October 1993. Alcohol Alert. 22. 29 January 2008. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. â€Å"Disturbances of sleep lead to fatigue and sleepiness during the day. The more one drinks, the faster the person will fall asleep, but the likelihood of sleep disturbances increases. Alcohol consumed up to 6 hours before bedtime can affect sleep patterns, increasingthe longevity of disturbances alcohol causes in the body’s sleep cycles. † â€Å"Alcohol and Sleep. † (2006). Loyola Marymount University. â€Å"Studies of male-dominated occupations have described heavy drinking cultures in which workers use drinking to build solidarity and show conformity to the group (4,5). Some male-dominated occupations therefore tend to have high rates of heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems. † â€Å"Alcohol and the Workplace. † July 1999. Alcohol Alert. 44. 29 January 2008. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Myth: â€Å"The worst thing that can happen is that I’ll pass out and have a hangover tomorrow. â€Å"The fact is that death can and does occur from drinking too much alcohol. This is known as alcohol poisoning or acute alcohol intoxication and occurs when the level of alcohol in the body acts as a poison, causing death from the drug overdose. Another way that alcohol can cause death is due to alcohol related accidents, such as drunk driving, falls, and suicide. Myth: â€Å"People pass out from drinking all the time. It’s nothing to worry about. â€Å"†¦ Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that works to slow down the heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and slow your breathing rate.Once your brain has been depressed eno ugh by the alcohol, you pass out. â€Å"Alcohol Myths. † (2006). Loyola Marymount University. 30 January 2008. â€Å"Based on published studies, Roizen (3) summarized the percentages of violent offenders who were drinking at the time of the offense as follows: up to 86 percent of homicide offenders, 37 percent of assault offenders, 60 percent of sexual offenders, up to 57 percent of men and 27 percent of women involved in marital violence, and 13 percent of child abusers†¦. Direct Effects of Alcohol.Alcohol may encourage aggression or violence by disrupting normal brain function. According to the disinhibition hypothesis, for example, alcohol weakens brain mechanisms that normally restrain impulsive behaviors, including inappropriate aggression (5). By impairing information processing, alcohol can also lead a person to misjudge social cues, thereby overreacting to a perceived threat (6). Simultaneously, a narrowing of attention may lead to an inaccurate assessment of t he future risks of acting on an immediate violent impulse (7)† â€Å"Alcohol, Violence, and Aggression. † October 1997. Alcohol Alert. 38. 29 January 2008.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The Dangers of Alcohol Alcohol is the third leading cause of mortality in the United States, and is responsible for approximately 100,000 preventable deaths per year†¦. alcohol abuse can cause long term problems in virtually every organ system in your body including: 4. Cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus 5. Stomach ulcers and bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract 6. Pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, and liver cancer 7. Hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure8. Sexual dysfunction, including loss of libido and impotence 9. Peripheral nerve problems 10. Increased susceptibility to infections Berman, James. January 2003. â€Å"Alcohol and drug addiction†. University of Pennsylvania Health System. 29 January 2008 Alcohol (wine, beer, or liquor) is the leading known preventable cause of mental and physical birth defects in the United States. When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, she risks giving birth to a child who will pay the price — in mental and physical deficiencies — for his or her entire life.Yet many pregnant women do drink alcohol. It's estimated that each year in the United States, 1 in every 750 infants is born with a pattern of physical, developmental, and functional problems referred to as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), while another 40,000 are born with fetal alcohol effects (FAE). â€Å"Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. † 2008. Nemours Foundation. 30 January 2008. In the 1890 the Temperance movement swept across the United States preaching that alcohol was immoral and destroyed family life. This movement radically altered peoples views†¦In 1920 America saw prohibition in an effort to prevent the social problems caused by alcohol abuse. This cause d a surge in gangster brawls as gangs fought to take control of distributing alcohol on the black market†¦. However, this trend slowly started to alter as physicians started to link alcohol to a number of diseases and social problems. By the early 1900 Dr Rush documented the addictive behaviour of alcohol and in 1935 Alcoholic Anonymous was set up. â€Å"History of Alcohol. † (n. d). 30 January 2008 Alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death in teenagers. People who drink alcohol are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior, have poor grades or job performance, use tobacco products, and experiment with illegal drugs. Long-term heavy drinking damages the liver, nervous system, heart, and brain. It also can lead to high blood pressure, stomach problems, medicine interactions, sexual problems, osteoporosis, and cancer. Nissl, Ian. 23 February 2007. â€Å"Alcohol and Drug Problems. † Peace Health. 29 January 2008. â€Å"Alcohol triggers the release of dopamine – a chemical which produces feelings of satisfaction. It also increases the production of the brain's natural painkiller – endorphin – which scientists think could be the means by which the brain becomes trained to crave. † Ryan, Caroline. Why alcohol is addictive. 15 March 2004. BBC News. 30 January 2008. http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/health/3537387. stm 73% reported feelings of anxiety, fear, and depression†¦ Heavy drinking at the workplace may potentially lower productivity.Sickness absences associated with harmful use of alcohol and alcohol dependence entails a substantial cost to employees and social security systems. There is ample evidence that people with alcohol dependence and problem drinkers have higher rates of sickness absence than other employees†¦. lower performance, lack of self-direction and problems in personal relations were found to be related to heavy drinking, particularly when collateral re ports were used. †¦ alcoholism has had adverse impacts on productivity in the workplace and increased absenteeism†¦.It is estimated that drinking and alcoholism have reduced labor productivity by some 10%†¦ Drinking can impair performance as a parent, as spouse or partner, and as a contributor to household functioning†¦. In many societies, drinking may be carried out primarily outside the family and the home†¦. Drinking also costs money and can impact upon resources particularly of a poor family, leaving other family members destitute. Scientific Facts on Alcohol. † (2008). Green Facts. 29 January 2008. Americans during the time of the American Revolution, for the most part showed little concern over drunkenness, and spiritous liquors had become the greatest factors in colonial commerce†¦. To expand the sale of beer, brewers expanded the number of saloons. Saloons proliferated. It was not uncommon to find one saloon for every 150 or 200 Americans, including those who did not drink. Hard-pressed to earn profits, saloonkeepers sometimes introduced vices such as gambling and prostitution into their establishments in an attempt to earn profits. Many Americans considered saloons offensive, noxious institutions†¦Prohibition in the United States was a measure designed to reduce drinking by eliminating the businesses that manufactured, distributed, and sold alcoholic beverages. The Eighteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution took away license to do business from the brewers, distillers, vintners, and the wholesale and retail sellers of alcoholic beverages†¦. The bootleggers (named after the practice adopted by travelers in the Midwest in the 1880's, who concealed liquor in their boots when trading with Indians) began by importing booze over the Mexican and Canadian borders, and from the Caribbean†¦When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, an elaborate syndicate of organized crime, built on the multi-million dollar boo tlegging industry, had survived. The American Mafia branched out into narcotics, gambling, prostitution, loan sharking and extortion, concerns they still control today. â€Å"The History of Alcohol. † (2005). Drug-Rehabs. org 30 January 2008. â€Å"National prohibition of alcohol (1920-33)–the â€Å"noble experiment†Ã¢â‚¬â€œwas undertaken to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene in America.The results of that experiment clearly indicate that it was a miserable failure on all counts. † Thornton, M. (1991). â€Å"Alcohol prohibition was a failure. † CATO institute. 30 January 2008. â€Å"In the 1600 and 1700's, there were very few things available to drink. One did not want to take a lot of chances with the water and the unpasteurized milk of the time. Also, coffee and tea were expensive items, which left people of the time with one alternative, a lcohol†¦.By the 1820's the average American was drinking 7 gallons of pure alcohol†¦. Criminal groups organize around the steady source of income provided by laws against victimless crimes such as consuming alcohol or drugs, gambling and prostitution. In the process of providing goods and services those criminal organizations resort to real crimes in defense of sales terrorities, brand names, and labor contracts† â€Å"What in American's history could lead to prohibition? † (n. d). 30 January 2008. â€Å"It is impossible to treat depression whilst someone is drinking as the alcohol has the opposite action to the drugs prescribed for depression and of course alcohol itself being a depressant may actually be causing the symptoms rather than treating them†¦. If people find they are frequently using alcohol to cope with stressful and worrying situations in their lives then they may need to consider finding another way of dealing with stress or to face the p roblem and deal with it rather than avoiding it.Alcohol cannot solve these problems and will always cause more problems of its own in terms of health and money etc. In situations such as bereavement or relationship break ups, it actually delays the healing process because the people aren’t giving themselves a chance to heal†¦. † Why Do People Drink Alcohol? (n. d) 30 January 2008. Suicide 3. One study showed that 40% of alcoholic women attempted to commit suicide, compared to 8. 8% of non-alcoholic women. 10 4.Younger women who are alcoholics are nearly twice as likely to attempt to commit suicide (50. 5%) than older women who are alcoholics (25. 5%). 10 Victimization13 2. 57% of female victims of intimate violence (i. e. , current or former spouses, boyfriends, etc. ) reported that the offender had been drinking at the time of the offense. 3. 62% of female victims of alcohol-related violence reported experiencing some form of injury. Women and Alcohol. (2006). Lo yola Marymount University. 30 January 2008.

Role of Women in the 1500s - 1696 Words

A woman’s roll in today’s society is just about as equal as a mans, or any other persons that I know. A woman may vote, work a â€Å"guys† job or even run or manage a company. The question is, what was a women’s roll in society in the 1500’s or later? What did a woman do in the house hold, or business? Women’s rights were not always that of a mans so how did women live back in the day of our ancestors? Those are the questions I will be getting to the bottom of. A women’s role in the world open to a new perspective in one small paper. Close your eyes and try to picture a medieval woman. I wonder, was she a woman sitting near a window, doing needlework and waiting for her lord to come home from battle? These images have been branded not only in†¦show more content†¦The private sphere included wives, mothers, family, and immediate household. The information above helps us understand why women had little access to public power but it also shows us why it was necessary for women to sometimes use other means to control their surroundings to their desired end. A point to think on is, we should not underestimate the fact that a womans self-interest may have been the driving force in her pursuit of influence (power). We also cannot assume that women were always helpless victims of society unable to affect forces that may have seemed beyond their control. In defining the private sphere, the scope of a womans self-interest included wives and mothers working to advance the interests of their spouses and children. Simply by her management of the household she allowed her spouse to leave home and give his service for the crown which in turn could supply him with prestige and power through his military endeavors. A medieval woman could be forced to use many methods, not always acceptable ones, to reach a desired outcome. The contribution of money and support through dowry, wage labor, household works, production, patro nage and hospitality, were many of the acceptable ways. The use of affection within her household gave her influence because it could directly result in loyalty to her. Wifely persuasion could be used as in the instance of convincing a spouse to donate funds toShow MoreRelatedRole of Women 1500-Present Day Essay examples1520 Words   |  7 PagesRole of Women 1500-Present Day His 104 Prof. Steven Brownson Role of Women 1500-Present Day Early portrayal of the role of women was of domestic nature, dominated my men. Influenced by religion, culture, and world events, the role of women is ever-changing. In this paper I will look at the evolution of women; their role in society from historical periodsRead MoreEquality of the Sexes: Elizabethan Era and Now (as Conveyed in Romeo and Juliet)895 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysing the role of women in the Elizabethan Era, through Shakespeare’s representation in Romeo and Juliet, and comparing them to the role of women in the 21st century, will help to demonstrate that equality of the sexes has been achieved, and come a long way in the past 400 years. Three ways in which equality of the sexes has been achieved is the role of a married, and unmarried woman, and roles of women in society. Married women’s roles have changed significantly since the late 1500s. 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They were allowed to own property in both empires and also achieved many things such as charity foundations. However, these two empires are very different. The Ottoman Empire started in 1301 and ended in 1922. ThatRead MoreA Womans Role in Todays Society1381 Words   |  6 Pagessociety in the 1500s or earlier. One naturally asks what a woman in the house hold of the business. Further will probably ask rights if any women had and how did women live back then and if they had any power at all. It is these types of issues that this short essay will attempt to probe. Issues of Power and Sources As Tina Cooper puts it, it all depends on how you define power. Depending on the definition of power, it might surprise the modern observer that women before 1500 exercised much moreRead More The Traditional Culture of Asian Civilizations from 1500 to 17001200 Words   |  5 PagesAsian Civilizations from 1500 to 1700 veered towards modernity or careened back toward traditional culture? 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The nursingRead MoreExamples Of Gender Equality In Romeo And Juliet890 Words   |  4 PagesNow Romeo and Juliet is a classic play composed by William Shakespeare in the 1500’s. This tale is about two star-crossed lovers whose love was forbidden by their feuding families. Through the story, Shakespeare educates us on his opinion about the society of Verona, Italy and the societal expectations, beliefs, values and gender standards, behaviors for both men and women. Discrimination and inequality towards women has been around for centuries. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare displays it veryRead MoreEssay about European History692 Words   |  3 PagesEuropean History European society between the years 1500 and 1800 prove to be an interesting comparison to modern times, as can be seen in #8224;George Hupperts work, After the Black Death. Some important aspects of this particular historical society bore both similarities and differences to contemporary populous. In comparing and contrasting certain features of Hupperts analysis, the reader can better understand the growth of society in the past five hundred years . It is no questionRead MoreDivine Rebellion Anne Hutchinson1362 Words   |  6 Pageshistory the roles of society were decide by gender, men’s role was mostly the same throughout history, but the women’s role changed slowly over time. There was many women who were fighting to change their roles and one such woman is Anne Marbury Hutchinson. In â€Å"Divine Rebel† Selma R. Williams tells the story of Anne Hutchinson, who was a Puritan woman of the late 1500s, and researched informations was hard to find. There was a movement later that was called the Suffrage Movement and the women who were

Customer Relationship Management System ( Crm ) - 754 Words

From my perspective, I think it’s just amazing how companies like Target, targets its customers through an algorithm that provides them with information about each of us. A lot, of the information that they retrieve is based on our spending habits. Our spending habits along with their Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) a retailer can simply identify and targeting customer wants and needs in an entirely new way. It takes me back to buying power, how the buying power of the consumer, Consumer buying power refers to the capacity of an individual customer or a specific market to buy certain quantities of goods and services. Therefore, based on theories and algorithms obtained from consumer purchasing retailers are able to predict what type of goods, products and services to offer their customers. CRM is referred to as customer input, one-to-one solutions to customers requirements, direct online communications with customer and customer service centers that are intende d to help customers solve their issues. For example, CRM is designed to be a marketing leverage tool that is personal or in other words, it should be a tool that attracts customers on a personal level. However, when I think about the article, â€Å"How Companies Learn from Your Secrets†, my belief is that yes, it is designed to help with a company’s marketing towards a specific audience, but is it safe? Just with the notion of thinking that a company can target, identify and capture its customers isShow MoreRelatedCustomer Relationship Management ( Crm ) Systems1982 Words   |  8 PagesCustomer Relationship Management (CRM) systems allow companies to have an integrated view of each of their customers’ relationship so they can consider the best way to service them. All departments in the company have access to the same information because the CRM software combines all legacy information that creates silos in companies into one database. Laudon and Laudon (2015, p. 362)) state that a good CRM helps companies answer critical questions such as who their most profitable customersRead MoreCustomer Relationship Management ( Crm ) System Integration Essay1563 Words   |  7 Pagesand customer relationship management (CRM) system integration. System integration proves to be risk for both GlobEx and the end-user data if activity is not processed as intended. To mitigate these risks, a system analyst in addition to a program manager will be assigned to the team to ensure that the workflow will work as intended. Customer Relationship Manager GlobEx will use the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool with the goal of attracting, acquiring, and retaining customers. TheRead MoreThe Implementation Of A Customer Relationship Management ( Crm ) System Essay874 Words   |  4 Pagesimplement a system that allows for strategic consumer marketing to assist in boosting revenue. This can often be done by the implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) system. The CRM system is a strategic marketing tool that utilizes a detailed customer database (Cannon et al., 2015, p.108). Creating a template that contains critical customer information is the initial step. Tracking customer satisfaction is the following necessary step. The final step in generating a CRM system is toRead MoreCustomer Relationship Management ( Crm ) Systems And A More Efficient Inventory System1487 Words   |  6 Pagesequipment. From the first step, there is a high level of interaction between the customer and the coordinator. This high level of customer contact allows for customization of orders, and is possible to achieve through the company’s high level of flexibility. 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Over the years, the CRM model does not limit to just being about customer centric but also to use customer profitability as a catalyst in making decisions

The KKK and Real Estate Essay - 1227 Words

To what extent are real estate agents similar to the Ku Klux Klan? There is no stronger incentive than fear. Clans and secret societies are everywhere; Lawyers, police man, business man, politicians, life insurance sellers, car sellers and real estate agents are just some examples .The difference between them and the Ku Klux Klan is the aim and the means used to achieve their objective. The Klan’s aims is â€Å"by force and terror ,to prevent al political action not in accord with the views of member ,to deprive colored citizens of the right to bear arms and of the right of a free ballot ,to suppress the schools in which colored children were taught ,and to reduce the colored people to a condition closely allied to that of slavery†( Levitt ,†¦show more content†¦The public felt incapable in contradiction of them since they had no power over them. Stetson Kennedy broke into the secrets of the Klan by interviewing and sympathizing with the leaders of the clan which he had some contacts which helped him act as if he was in the sa me side of the problem. In his novel his code name was John Brown .This work would have been easier if Kennedy would of have internet he would of â€Å"blogged his brains out† (Levitt Dubner 60). Hatred and Profits: Getting Under the Hood of the Ku Klux Klan.† In this paper, they analyze the 1920s Klan, those who joined it, and the social and political impact that it had. They utilize a wide range of newly discovered data sources including information from Klan membership rolls, applications, robe-order forms, an internal audit of the Klan by Ernst and Ernst, and a census that the Klan conducted after an internal scandal†. This is the same that Kenney accomplished. Brown was capable to divulge that the Klan’s man used to append a Kl to many words at the beginning. The secret hand shake was a left/handed, limp wristed fish wiggle. When someone wanted to communicate with a Klan member he would ask for a Mr. Ayak (are you a Klansman) and he would hope for a re sponse like Yes and I know a Mr. Akai (a Klansman am I).The incentive marked by the Klan which was lynching was not so used as it is thought it just made the ColoredShow MoreRelatedThesis Of Freakonomics1352 Words   |  6 Pagesbook. There are five important principles in this book which are â€Å"Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life†, â€Å"The conventional wisdom is often wrong†, â€Å"Dramatic effects often have distant, even subtle, causes†, â€Å"Experts—from criminologists to real-estate agents—use their informational advantage to serve their own agenda†, and â€Å"Knowing what to measure and how to measure it makes a complicated world much less so†. The thesis of this book is that it is important to question and think sensibly aboutRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Freakonomics By Steven D. Levitt895 Words   |  4 Pagesasymmetry can be seen with real estate agents and the kkk. While the real estate agents gather mor e information than their clients to make a profit, the kkk’s informational asymmetry contains the clan’s secrecy such as passwords and nicknames to continue terrorizing blacks and others. Since both groups focus heavily on their information, it can be a problem if this information is exploited. The kkk’s information began getting exploited when Stetson Kennedy joined the kkk. By joining the group, kennedyRead MoreThe World Of Economy, By Steven Levitt And Stephen Dubner1517 Words   |  7 Pagesincentive. The focus of the second chapter of Freakonomics is the use of information to increase the strength or power. Levitt and Dubner demonstrate how information irregularity leads to exploitation of at least one person in the relationship. Real estate agents are used an example to show how information is transformed into fear by making a buyer believe that his property will sell for less than its actual value. Agents are able to communicate information about a property in a way that correlatesRead MoreFreakonomics and Misconceptions of Economy Essay1244 Words   |  5 Pagesparticular incentives for baby reaching needs cause people to behave irrationally. Freakonomics exemplifies the real-estate agent who works only to an extent because the incentives to work harder are low. One, they assume that homeowners selling their house are naive to this, and real-estate agents are practically mercenaries – who only care about their cut. Can it be so hard to believe some real-estate agents a ctually care about their clients? Well, Dubner Levitt think so. Tactful in preventing the readerRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Freakonomics By Steven D. Levitt1195 Words   |  5 Pagesis both surprising, occasionally funny, and always enlightening. They do so by drawing unexpected connections between two greatly different but complementary aspects of sociology and economics, such as sumo wrestlers to school teachers, KKK members to the real estate agents, and lastly, crack gangs to McDonalds. In chapter one of Freakonomics, the comparison between school teachers and sumo wrestlers is a juxtaposition that was introduced in this book. The Chicago Public School System is an exampleRead MoreFreakonomics by Steven Dubner and Steven Levitt990 Words   |  4 Pagesof Everything† which is the best phrase to describe the books purpose. The book doesn’t have a set plot line like most books. The book makes people think about things different from how they normally would; for instance, the concept of real estate agents as the KKK. In the book Levitt and Dubner prove many times that correlation does not mean causation. However the book then goes in and provides of examples of how two unrelated items could in fact be connected. Thus, they are able to prove most unlikelyRead MoreThe Book That Caught My Eye Was Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist1967 Words   |  8 Pagesexample expressing commonalities between groups. The next example we see in chapter two is how is the Ku K lux Klan is like a group of real-estate agents. This chapter was harder for me to grasp so I had to read it multiple times to fully understand the point that the author was trying to get across. The overall commonality between the Ku Klux Klan and real-estate is this: false public proclamations. The economic term related to this is information asymmetry. The term is defined as when a personRead MoreFreakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Stephen Levitt1448 Words   |  6 Pageschapters’ main messages and the connections that were found within them according to the author. For example, when comparing the KKK and real estate agents, the author found that both groups of people are willing to strike fear in people to get what they want. The KKK will tell stories about people that are not necessarily true to gain the public’s attention, while real estate agents will try to get buyers to offer more for a house so they can get a higher commission. Now, another chapter deals with Read More Ku Klux Klan Essay1445 Words   |  6 Pageswere not Christians. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;By 1879 the membership of the Klan was around eighty-five thousand members. Many of the visitors that came to the town of Pulaski were inspired by the KKK and when they went back home they decided to set up their own dens and branches of the KKK. There were more than a dozen of these groups all of, which were located in the south. Even though the growth of the clan was steady it lacked leadership and discipline, which caused many of the groups toRead MoreFreakanomics Book Critique1036 Words   |  4 PagesFreakanomics Book Critique What do the Klu Klux Klan, real estate agents, Chicago gangs, and sumo wrestlers all have in common? Surprisingly, economics. Steven D. Levitt, an award-winning University of Chicago economist with an unconventional view of the world, and his co-author Stephen J. Dubner, an intrepid author and reporter, set out to find the bizarre correlations between world events using economics in their 2005 New York Times Bestseller Freakanomics: Exploring the Hidden Side of Everything

Nazi Germany Totalitarian State Free Essays

string(43) " do for all their lost treasures together\." THE AFTERMATH OF NAZI RULE Report from Germany HANNAH ARENDT waste the moral structure of Western society, committing crimes that nobody would have believed possible, while her conquerors buried in rubble the visible marks of more than a thousand years of German history. Then into this devastated land, truncated by the Oder-Neisse borderline and hardly able to sustain its demoralized and exhausted population, streamed millions of people from the Eastern provinces, from the Balkans and from Eastern Europe, adding to the general picture of catastrophe the peculiarly modem touches of physical homelessness, social rootlessness, and political rightlessness. The wisdom of Allied policy in expelling all German-speaking minorities from non-German countries-as though there was not enough homelessness in the world alreadymay be doubted. We will write a custom essay sample on Nazi Germany Totalitarian State or any similar topic only for you Order Now But the fact is that European peoples who had experienced the murderous demographic politics of Germany during the war were seized with horror, even more than with wrath, at the very idea of having to live together with Germans in the same territory. The sight of Germany’s destroyed cities and the knowledge of German concentration and extermination camps have covered Europe with a cloud of melancholy. Together, they have made the memory of the last war more poignant and more persistent, the fear of future wars more actual. Not the â€Å"German problem,† insofar as it is a national one within the comity of European nations, but HANNAH ARENDT is author of a just completed IN LESS than six years Germany laid the nightmare of Germany in its physical, moral, and political ruin has become almost as decisive an element in the general atmosphere of European life as the Communist movements. But nowhere is this nightmare of destruction and horror less felt and less talked about than in Germany itself. A lack of response is evident everywhere, and it is difficult to say whether this signifies a half-conscious refusal to yield to grief or a genuine inability to feel. Amid the ruins, Germans mail each other picture postcards still showing the cathedrals and market places, the public buildings and bridges that no longer exist. And the indifference with which they walk through the rubble has its exact counterpart in the absence of mourning for the dead, or in the apathy with which they react, or rather fail to react, to the fate of the refugees in their midst. This general lack of emotion, at any rate this apparent heartlessness, sometimes covered over with cheap sentimentality, is only the most conspicuous outward symptom of a deep-rooted, stubborn, and at times vicious refusal to face and come to terms with what really happened. INDIvERENE, and the irritation that comes when indifference is challenged, can be tested on many intellectual levels. The most obvious experiment is to state expressis verbis what the other fellow has noticed from the beginning of the conversation, namely, that you are a Jew. This is usually followed by a little embarrassed pause; and then comesnot a personal question, such as ‘Where did you go after you left Germany? â€Å"; no sign of sympathy, such as ‘What happened to your family? â€Å"-but a deluge of stories about how Germans have suffered (true enough, of course, but beside the point); and if the object of this little experiment happens to be educated and intelligent, he will proceed to draw up a balance between German suffering and the suffering of others, the implication being that one side cancels the other and ork on totalitarianism, The Origins of Totalitarianism, soon to be published by Harcourt, Brace. Her writings on history, philosophy, and political theory in COMMENTARY and other periodicals have won her a wide reputation. This report on Germany was written after a recent stay of several months in that country. Dr. Arendt was born in Germany, studied under Karl Jaspers in Heidelberg, and earned her doctorate at that univers ity. She came to this country in 1941. 342 THE AFTERMATH OF NAZI RULE e may as well proceed to a more promising topic of conversation. Similarly evasive is the standard reaction to the ruins. When there is any overt reaction at all, it consists of a sigh followed by the half-rhetorical, halfwistful question, â€Å"Why must mankind always wage wars? † The average German looks for the causes of the last war not in the acts of the Nazi regime, but in the events that led to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. 343 BUT, whether faced or evaded, the realities f Nazi crimes, of war and defeat, still visibly dominate the whole fabric of German life, and the Germans have developed various devices for dodging their shocking impact. The reality of the death-factories is transformed into a mere potentiality: Germans did only what others are capable of doing (with many illustrative examples, of course) or what others will do in the near future; therefore, anybody who brings up thi s topic is ipso facto suspected of self-righteousness. In this context, Allied policy in Germany is frequently explained as a campaign of successful revenge, even though it later turns out that the German who offers this interpretation is quite aware that most of the things he complains of were either the immediate consequence of the lost war or happened outside the will and control of the Western powers. But the insistence that there must be a careful scheme of revenge serves as a consoling argument, demonstrating the equal sinfulness of all men. The reality of the destruction that surrounds every German is dissolved into a reflective but not very deep-rooted self-pity, easily dissipated when ugly little one-story structures that might have been imported from some Main Street in America spring up on some of the great avenues to conceal fragmentarily the grimness of the landscape, and to offer an abundance of provincial elegance in super-modern display windows. In France and Great Britain, people feel a greater sadness about the relatively few landmarks destroyed in the war than the Germans do for all their lost treasures together. You read "Nazi Germany Totalitarian State" in category "Essay examples" The boastful hope is expressed in Germany that the country will become the â€Å"most modern† in Europe; yet it is mere talk, and some person who has just voiced that hope will insist a few minutes later, at another turn in the conversation, that the next war will do to all European cities what this one did to Germany’s-which of course is possible, but signifies again only the transformation of reality into potentiality. The undertone of satisfaction that one often detects in the Germans’ talk about the next war expresses no sinister renewal of German lans of conquest, as sq many observers have maintained, but is only another device for escaping reality: in an eventual equality of destruction, the German situation would lose its acuteness. S course, an escape fromalone; all the peoresponsibility. In this the Germans are not ples of Western Europe have developed the habit of blaming their misfortunes on some force out of their reach: it may be America and the Atla ntic Pact today, the legacy of Nazi occupation tomorrow, and history in general every day of the week. But this attitude is more pronounced in Germany, where the temptation to blame everything under the sun on the occupying powers is difficult to resist: in the British zone everything is blamed on British fear of German competition; in the French zone on French nationalism; and in the American zone, where things are better in every respect, on American ignorance of the European mentality. The complaints are only natural, and they all contain a kernel of truth; but behind them is a stubborn unwillingness to make use of the many possibilities left to German initiative. This is perhaps most clearly revealed in the German newspapers, which express all their convictions in a carefully cultivated style of Schadenfreude, malicious joy in ruination. It is as though the Germans, denied the power to rule the world, had fallen in love with impotence as such, and now find a positive pleasure in contemplating international tensions and the unavoidable mistakes that occur in the business of governing, regardless of the possible consequences for themselves. Fear of Russian aggression does not necessarily result in an unequivocal pro-American attitude, but often leads to a determined neutrality, as though it were as absurd to take sides in the conflict as it would be to take sides in an earthquake. The awareness that neutrality will not change one’s fate makes it in turn impossible to translate this mood into a rational policy, and the mood itself, by its very irrationality, becomes even more bitter. CUCH an escape from reality is also, of 344 BUT COMMENTARY count of what actually happened, and to eliminate the teachers who have become incapable of doing so. The danger to German academic life is not only from those who hold that freedom of speech should be exchanged for a dictatorship in which a single unfounded, irresponsible opinion would acquire a monopoly over all others, but equally from those who ignore facts and reality and establish their private opinions, not necessarily as the only right ones, but as opinions that are as justified as others. The unreality and irrelevance of most of these opinions, as compared with the grim relevance of the experience of those who hold them, is sharply underlined by their having been formed before 1933. There is an almost instinctive urge to take refuge in the thoughts and ideas one held before anything compromising had happened. The result is that while Germany has changed beyond recognition-physically and psychologically-people talk and behave superficially as though absolutely nothing had happened since 1932. The authors of the few really important books written in Germany since 1933 or published since 1945 were already famous twenty and twenty-five years ago. The younger generation seems to be petrified, inarticulate, incapable of consistent thought. A young German art historian, guiding his audience among the masterpieces of the Berlin Museum, which had been sent on tour through several American cities, pointed to the Ancient Egyptian statue of Nefertiti as the sculpture â€Å"for which the whole world envies us,† and then proceeded to say (a) that even the Americans had not â€Å"dared† to carry this â€Å"symbol of the Berlin collections† to the United States, and (b) that because of the â€Å"intervention of the Americans,† the British did not â€Å"dare† to carry the Nefretete to the British Museum. The two contradictory attitudes to the Americans were separated by only a single sentence: the speaker, devoid of convictions, was merely groping automatically among the cliches with which his mind was furnished to find the one that might fit the occasion. The cliches have more often an old-fashioned nationalistic than an outspoken Nazi tone, but in any case one seeks in vain to discover behind them a consistent point of view, be it even a bad one. With the downfall of Nazism, the Germans found themselves again exposed to he B perhapshabit most striking andasfrightening aspect of the German flight from of treating facts though reality is the they were mere opinions. For example, the question of who started the last war, by no means a hotly debated issue, is answered by a surprising variety of opinions. An otherwise quite normally intelligent woman in Southern Germany told me that the Russians had begun the war with an attack on Danzig; this is only the crudest of many examples. Nor is this transformation of facts into opinions restricted to the war question; in all fields there is a kind of gentlemen’s agreement by which everyone has a right to his ignorance under the pretext that everyone has a right to his opinion-and behind this is the tacit assumption that opinions really do riot matter. This is a very serious thing, not only because it often makes discussion so hopeless (one does not ordinarily carry a reference library along everywhere), but primarily because the average German honestly believes this free-for-all, this nihilistic relativity about facts, to be the essence of democracy. In fact, of course, it is a legacy of the Nazi regime. The lies of totalitarian propaganda are distinguished from the normal lying of nontotalitarian regimes in times of emergency by their consistent denial of the importance of facts in general: all facts can be changed and all lies can be made true. The Nazi impress on the German mind consists primarily in a conditioning whereby reality has ceased to be the sum total of hard inescapable facts and has become a conglomeration of everchanging events and slogans in which a thing can be true today and false tomorrow. This conditioning may be precisely one of the reasons for the surprisingly few traces of any lasting Nazi indoctrination, as well as for an equally surprising lack of interest in the refuting of Nazi doctrines. What one is up against is not indoctrination but the incapacity or unwillingness to distinguish altogether between fact and opinion. A discussion about the events of the Spanish Civil War will be conducted on the same level as a discussion of the theoretical merits and shortcomings of democracy. Thus the problem at the German universities is not so much to reintroduce freedom to teach as to reestablish honest research, to confront the student with an unbiased ac- THE AFTERMATH OF NAZI RULE facts and reality. But the experience of totalitarianism has robbed them of all spontaneous speech and comprehension, so that now, having no official line to guide them, they are, as it were, speechless, incapable of articulating thoughts and adequately expressing their feelings. The intellectual atmosphere is clouded with vague pointless generalities, with opinions formed long before the events they are supposed to fit actually happened; one is oppressed by a kind of pervasive public stupidity which cannot be trusted to judge correctly the most elementary events, and which, for example, makes it possible for a newspaper to complain, â€Å"The world at large once again deserted us†-a statement comparable for blind self-centeredness to the remark Ernst Juenger in his war diaries (Strahlungen, 949) tells of having overheard in a conversation about Russian prisoners assigned to work near Hannover: â€Å"It seems there are scoundrels among them. They steal food from the dogs. As Juenger observes, â€Å"One often has the impression that the German middle classes are possessed by the devil. † rHE 345 economic and industrial conditions, and very little is done for the welfare of the masses of the people. Yet none of these facts can explain the atmosph ere of feverish busyness on the one hand and the comparatively mediocre production on the other. Beneath the surface, the German attitude to work has undergone a deep change. The old virtue of seeking excellence in the finished product, no matter what the working conditions, has yielded to a mere blind need to keep busy, a greedy craving for something to do every moment of the day. Watching the Germans busily stumble through the ruins of a thousand years of their own history, shrugging their shoulders at the destroyed landmarks or resentful when reminded of the deeds of horror that haunt the whole surrounding world, one comes to realize that busyness has become their chief defense against reality. And one wants to cry out: But this is not real-real are the ruins, real are the past horrors, real are the dead whom you have forgotten. But they are living ghosts, whom speech and argument, the glance of human eyes and the mourning of human hearts, no longer touch. THERE are, of course, many Germans whom this description does not fit. Above all, there is Berlin, whose people, in the midst of the most horrible physical destruction, have remained intact. I do not know why this hould be so, but customs, manners, speech, approaches to people, are in the smallest details so absolutely different from everything one sees and has to face in the rest of Germany, that Berlin i s almost like another country. There is hardly any resentment in Berlin’ against the victors and apparently never was; while the first saturation bombings from England were pulverizing the city, Berliners are reported to have crawled out of their cellars and, seeing one block after another gone, remarked: â€Å"Well, if the Tommies mean to keep this up, they’ll soon have to bring their own houses with them. † There is no embarrassment and no guilt-feeling, but frank and detailed recital of what happened to Berlin’s Jews at the beginning of the war. Most important of all, in Berlin the people still actively hate Hitler, and even though they have more reason than other Germans to feel themselves pawns in international politics, they do not feel impotent but are con- rapidity with which, after the currency I reform, everyday life in Germany returned to normal and reconstruction began in all fields, has become the talk of Europe. Without a doubt, people nowhere work so hard and long as in Germany. It is a well-known fact that Germans have for generations been overfond of working; and their present industriousness seems at first glance to give substance to the opinion that Germany is still potentially the most dangerous European nation. There are, moreover, many strong incentives for work. Unemployment is rampant and the position of the trade unions is so weak that compensation for overtime is not even demanded by the workers, who frequently refuse to report it to the unions; the housing situation is worse than the many new buildings would seem to indicate: business and office buildings for the great industrial and insurance companies have an unquestioned priority over dwelling units, and the result is that people prefer going to work on Saturdays and even Sundays to staying at home in overcrowded apartments. In rebuilding, as in almost all areas of German life, everything is done (often in a most spectacular way) to restore a facsimile of pre-war 346 COMMENTARY olidarity all the more consoling because it could express itself only in such intangible gestures of emotion as a glance or a handclasp, which assumed a significance out of all proportion. The emergence from this overheated intimacy of danger into the crude egotism and spreading shallowness of postwar life has been a truly heartbreaking experience for many people. (It may be remarked that today in the Eastern zone, with its police regime, this time almost universally detested by the population, an even stronger atmosphere of comradeship, intimacy, and halfspoken sign language prevails than under the Nazis, so that it is often precisely the best elements in the Eastern zone who find it difficult to make up their minds to move to the West. ) inced that their attitudes count for something; given half a chance, they will at least sell their lives dear. The Berliners work just as hard as other people in Germany, but they are less busy, they will take time to show one around the ruins and will somewhat solemnly recite the names of the streets that are gone. It is hard to believe, but it seems there is something in the Berliners’ claim that Hitler never entirely succeeded in conquering them. They are remarkably well-informed and have kept their sense of humor and their characteristically ironical friendliness. The only change in the people-apart from their having become somewhat sadder and less ready for laughter-is that â€Å"Red Berlin† is now violently anti-Communist. But here again there is an important difference between Berlin and the rest of Germany: only Berliners take the trouble to point out clearly the similarities between Hitler and Stalin, and only Berliners bother to tell you that they are of course not against the Russian people-a sentiment all the more remarkable if one remembers what happened to the Berliners, many of whom had welcomed the Red Army as the true liberator, during the first months of occupation, and what is still happening to them in the Eastern sector. Berlin is an exception, but unfortunately not a very important one. For the city is hermetically sealed off and has little intercourse with the rest of the country, except that one meets people everywhere who because of the uncertainty there left Berlin for the Western zones and now complain bitterly of their loneliness and disgust. Indeed, there are quite a number of Germans who are â€Å"different†; but they use up their energy in efforts to penetrate the stifli ng atmosphere that surrounds them, and remain completely isolated. In a way these people are today worse off psychologically than in the worst years of Hitler’s terror. In the last years of the war, there did exist a vague comradeship of opposition among all who for one reason or another were against the regime. Together they hoped for the day of defeat, and since -apart from the few well-known exceptions -they had no real intention of doing anything to hasten that day, they could enjoy the charm of a half-imaginary rebellion. The very danger involved in even the mere thought of opposition created a sentiment of II r the failure of the three devices used by nERHAms the saddest part of a sad story is the Western Allies to solve the moral, economic, and political problem of Germany. Denazification, revival of free enterprise, and federalization are certainly not the cause of present conditions in Germany, but they have helped to conceal and thus to perpetuate moral confusion, economic chaos, social injustice, and political impotence. Denazification rested on the assumption that there were objective criteria not only for clear-cut distinction between Nazis and nonNazis, but for the whole Nazi hierarchy ranging from little sympathizer to war criminal. From the beginning, the whole system, based upon length of party membership, ranks and offices held, date of first entrance, etc. , was very complicated, and involved almost everyone. The very few who had been able to keep alive outside the stream of life in Hitler Germany were exempt, and of course rightly so; but they were joined by a number of very different characters who had been lucky or cautious or influential enough to avoid the many annoyances of party membership: men who had actually been prominent in Nazi Germany but now were not required to go through the denazification process. Some of these gentlemen, mostly of the upper middle classes, have by now established open contact with their less fortunate colleagues, jailed for some war crime. This they do partly to seek advice in economic and industrial matters, but also because they have THE AFTERMATH OF NAZI RULE at last become bored with hypocrisy. The injustices of the denazification system were simple and monotonous: the city-employed garbage collector, who under Hider had to become a party member or look for another job, was caught in the denazification net, while his superiors either went scot-free because they knew how to manage these matters, or else suffered the same penalty as he: to them, of course, a much less serious matter. Worse than these daily injustices was the fact that the system, devised to draw clear moral and political distinctions in the chaos of a completely disorganized people, actually tended to blur even the few genuine distinctions that had survived the Nazi regime. Active opponents to the regime naturally had to enter a Nazi organization in order to camouflage their illegal activities, and these members of such resistance movement as had existed in Germany were caught in the same net as their enemies, to the great pleasure of the latter. In theory, it was possible to present proofs of anti-Nazi activity; but not only was it difficult to convince occupation officers without the slightest experience of the intricacies of a terror regime; there was also the danger that the applicant might compromise himself in the eyes of the authorities, who were, after all, primarily interested in peace and order, by showing too convincingly that he had been capable of independent thought and rebellious action. It is doubtful, however, that the denazification program has stifled new political formations in Germany that might conceivably have grown out of the resistance to Nazism, since the resistance movement itself had so very little vitality in the first place. But there is no doubt that denazification has created an unwholesome new community of interest among the more-or-less compromised, those who for opportunistic reasons had become more-or-less convinced Nazis. This powerful group of slightly dubious characters excludes both those who kept their integrity and those who participated in any resounding way in the Nazi movement. It would be inaccurate in either case to think of exclusion as based on specific political convictions: the elimination of confirmed anti-Nazis does not prove the others to be confirmed Nazis, and the elimination of â€Å"famous† Nazis does not mean that the others hate Nazism. It is simply that the denazification program has been a direct 347 threat to livelihood and existence, and the majority have tried to relieve the pressure by a system of mutual assurance that the whole thing need not be taken too seriously. Such assurance can be gained only from those who are as much and as little compromised as oneself. Those who became Nazis out of conviction as well as those who kept their integrity are felt to constitute an alien and threatening element, partly because they cannot be frightened by their past, but also because their very existence is living testimony that something really serious happened, that some decisive act was committed. Thus it has come about that not only the active Nazis but the convinced anti-Nazis are excluded from positions of power and influence in Germany today; this is the most significant symptom of the German intelligentsia’s unwillingness to take its own past seriously or to shoulder the burden of responsibility bequeathed to it by the Hitler regime. The community of interest that exists among the more-or-less compromised is further strengthened by the general Germanbut not only German! -attitude to official questionnaires. In contrast to Anglo-Saxon and American habits, Europeans do not always believe in telling the absolute truth when an official body asks embarrassing questions. In countries whose legal system does not allow one to give testimony in one’s own cause, lying is considered no great sin if the truth happens to prejudice one’s chances. Thus for many Germans there is a discrepancy between their answers to military government questionnaires and the truth as known to their neighbors; and so the bonds of duplicity are strengthened. Yet it was not even conscious dishonesty that defeated the denazification program. A great number of Germans, especially among the more educated, apparently are no longer capable of telling the truth even if they want to. All those who became Nazis after 933 yielded to some kind of pressure, which ranged from the crude threat to life and livelihood, to various considerations of career, to reflections about the â€Å"irresistible stream of history. In the cases of physical or economic pressure, there should have been the possibility of mental reservation, of acquiring with cynicism that absolutely necessary me mbership card. But, curiously, it seems that very few Germans were capable of such healthy COMMENTARY cynicism; what bothered them was not the fess their own guilt are in many cases altomembership card but the mental reservation, gether innocent in the ordinary, down-toso that they often ended by adding to their earth sense, whereas those who are guilty of enforced enrollment the necessary convicsomething real have the calmest consciences tions, in order to shed the burden of duplicin the world. The recently published postity. Today, they have a certain inclination war diary of Knut Hamsun, which has found to remember only the initial pressure, which a large and enthusiastic audience in Gerwas real enough; from their belated inner admany, gives testimony on the highest level justment to Nazi doctrines, dictated by conto this horrible innocence that transforms itscience, they have drawn the half-conscious self into a persecution complex when conconclusion that it was their conscience itself fronted with the judgment of a morally inthat betrayed them-an experience that does tact world. not exactly promote moral improvement. Ernst Juenger’s war diaries offer perhaps Certainly the impact of an everyday life the best and most honest evidence of the wholly permeated by Nazi doctrines and tremendous difficulties the individual enpractices was not easy to resist. The position counters in keeping himself and his standof an anti-Nazi resembled that of a normal ards of truth and morality intact in a world pers on who happens to be thrown into an where truth and morality have lost all visible insane asylum where all the inmates have expression. Despite the undeniable influence exactly the same delusion: it becomes difficult of Juenger’s earlier writings on certain memunder such circumstances to trust one’s own bers of the Nazi intelligentsia, he was an acsenses. And there was the continual added tive anti-Nazi from the first to the last day of strain of behaving according to the rules of the regime, proving that the somewhat oldthe insane environment, which after all was fashioned notion of honor, once current in the only tangible reality, in which a man the Prussian officer corps, was quite sufficient could never afford to lose his sense of direcfor individual resistance. Yet even this untion. This demanded an ever-present awarequestionable integrity has a ollow ring; it ness of one’s whole existence, an attention is as though morality had ceased to work and that could never relax into the automatic rehad become an empty shell into which the actions we all use to cope with the many person who has to li ve, function, and survive daily situations. The absence of such autoall day long, retires for the night and solitude matic reactions is the chief element in the only. Day and night become nightmares of anxiety of maladjustment; and although, obeach other. The moral judgment, reserved jectively speaking, maladjustment in Nazi for the night, is a nightmare of fear of being society signified mental normality, the strain discovered by day; and the life of the day is of maladjustment on the individual was just a nightmare of horror in the betrayal of the as great as in a normal society. intact conscience that functions only by The deep moral confusion in Germany tonight. ay, which has grown out of this Nazi-fabricated confusion of truth with reality, is more than amorality and has deeper causes than mere wickedness. The so-called â€Å"good Germans† are often as misled in their moral judgments of themselves and others as those who simply refuse to recognize that anything wrong or out of the ordinary was done by Germany at all. Quite a number of Germans who are even somewhat over-emphatic about German guilt in general and their own guilt in particular become curiously confused if they are forced to articulate their opinions; they may make a mountain out of some irrelevant molehill, while some real enormity escapes their notice altogether. One variation. f this confusion is that Germans who conIN VnEW of the very complicated moral situa- 348 1 tion of the country at the close of the war, it is not surprising that the gravest single error in the American denazification policy occurred in its initial effort to arouse the conscience of the German people to the enormity of the crimes committed in their name and under conditions of organized complicity. In the early days of occupation, posters appeared everywhere showing the photographed horrors of Buchenwald with a finger pointing at the spectator, and the text: â€Å"You are guilty. † For a majority of the population these pictures were the first authentic knowledge of what had een done in their name. How could they feel guilty if they had not even THE AFTERMATH OF NAZI RULE known? All they saw was the pointed finger, clearly indicating the wrong person. From this error they concluded that the whole poster was a propaganda lie. Thus, at least, runs the story one hears time and again in Germany. The story is true enough so far as it goes; yet it does not explain the very violent reaction to these posters, which even today has not died down, and it does not explain the affronting neglect of the content of the photographs. Both the violence and the neglect are called forth by the hidden truth of the poster rather than by its obvious error. For while the German people were not informed of all Nazi crimes and were even deliberately kept ignorant of their exact nature, the Nazis had seen to it that every German knew some horrible story to be true, and he did not need a detailed knowledge of all the horrors committed in his name to realize that he had been made accomplice to unspeakable crimes. This is a sad story which is not made less sad by the realization that, under the circumstances, the Allied powers had very little choice. The only conceivable alternative to the denazification program would have been a revolution-the outbreak of the German people’s spontaneous wrath against all those they knew to be prominent members of the Nazi regime. Uncontrolled and bloody as such an uprising might have been, it certainly would have followed better standards of justice than a paper procedure. But the revolution did not come to pass, and not primarily because it was difficult to organize under the eyes of four foreign armies. It is only too likely that not a single soldier, German or foreign, would have been needed to shield the real culprits from the wrath of the people. This wrath does not exist today, and apparently it has never existed. the denazification program inadequate to the moral and political situation at the end of the war; it quickly came into conflict with American plans for the reconstruction and re-education of Germany. To rebuild the German economy along lines of free enterprise seemed a plausible enough anti-Nazi measure, since the Nazi economy had been a clearly planned economy, although it had not-or perhaps not yet -touched property conditions in the country. But the factory owners as a class had 349 NOTwas only been good Nazis, or at least strong supporters of a regime that had offered, in exchange for some relinquishment of private control, to bring the whole European trade and industrial system into German hands. In this, German businessmen behaved no differently from businessmen in other countries in the imperialist era: the imperialist-minded businessman is no believer in free enterprise-on the contrary, he sees state intervention as the only guarantee of safe returns from his farflung enterprises. It is true enough that the German businessmen, unlike the old-style imperialists, did not control the state but were used by the party for party interests. But this difference, decisive as it might have become in the long run, had not yet appeared in its full force. In exchange for state-guaranteed expansion, the German business class had been ready enough to liquidate some of its more conspicuous positions of power, especially over the working class. A controlled economic system, with greater safeguards for workers’ interests, had therefore come to be the strongest single attraction of the Nazi regime for both working class and upper middle class. Here again, the development did not run its course, and state-owned, or rather party-owned, slavery as we know it in Russia had not yet become a threat to German workers (though of course it had been the chief threat to the working classes of all other European countries during the war). The result has been that planned economy in Germany, with no Communist connotations, is remembered as the only safeguard against unemployment and over-exploitation. The reintroduction of truly free enterprise meant handing over the factories and the control of economic life to those who, even if a little wrong about the ultimate consequences of Nazism, had been staunch supporters of the regime for all practical purposes. If they had not had much real power under the Nazis, they had enjoyed all the pleasures of status, and this regardless of actual membership in the party. And since the end of the war, together with almost unlimited power over economic life, they have regained their old power over the working class-that is, the only class in Germany which, though it had welcomed state intervention as insurance against unemployment, had never been wholeheartedly Nazi. In 350 COMMENTARY were former members of the SS, the expellees have a clear-cut political program and can rely upon a certain group solidarity, two elements conspicuously absent in all other strata of the population. Their program is the reestablishment of a powerful Germany which would make it possible for them to return to their former homes in the East and take their revenge on the populations that expelled them. In the meantime, they are busy hating and despising the native German population, which received them with something less than fraternal sentiments. As distinguished from the problem posed by the remnants of the Nazi movement, the refugee problem could be solved by energetic and intelligent economic measures. That, failing such measures, the refugees have been driven into a position where they had virtually no choice but to establish a party of their own if they wanted their interests to be represented at all, is in no small part the fault of the present regime, and more specifically of the influence of the free-enterprise slogan as it has been understood or misunderstood by Germans. Public funds are used for credit to big enterprises; encouragement of small enterprises (many of the refugees are skilled workers and craftsmen), especially in the form of cooperatives, has been almost completely neglected. The amount of money spent for the benefit of the refugees varies from one Land to the other, but the amounts are nearly always hopelessly inadequate, not only in terms of absolute help but also in proportion to the general state budget. Recent proposals by the Bonn government to reduce business taxes-a clear index to the government’s economic policy-would have decreased the available funds for refugees even more sharply. The fact that the occupation authorities vetoed this measure may offer some hope that the American authorities are coming to understand that the free-enterprise slogan has different connotations in Germany, and in Europe in general, from those that surround it in the United States. T IS indeed one of the chief handicaps of I American policy in Europe that this difference is not clearly understood. The American system, where the power of industrial management is strongly counterbalanced by the power of organized labor, would hardly seem acceptable to the European believer in free other words, at the time when denazification was the official watchword of Allied policy in Germany, power was returned to people whose Nazi sympathies were a matter of record, and power was taken away from those whose untrustworthiness with regard to the Nazis had been the only somewhat established fact in an otherwise fluctuating situation. To make things worse, the power returned to the industrialists was freed even of the feeble controls that had existed under the Weimar Republic. The trade unions which the Nazis had wiped out were not reinstated to their former position-partly because they lacked competent personnel and partly because they were suspected of anti-capitalist convictions-and the efforts of the unions to regain their former influence over the workers failed badly, with the result that by now they have lost the little confidence they may have inherited from memories of former times. The socialists’ stubborn attack on the Schuman plan may look foolish to the outside world. This attack, however, can be properly understood (though hardly excused) only if one bears in mind that, under present circumstances, the combination of the Rhine-Ruhr industry with French industry might very well mean an even more concerted and better supported assault on the workers’ standard of living. The mere fact that the Bonn government, frequently considered a mere facade for the interests of the industrialists, has supported the plan so heartily, seems reas on enough for suspicion. For, unfortunately, the German upper middle classes have neither learned nor forgotten from the past; they still believe, despite a wealth of experience to the contrary, that a large â€Å"labor reserve†-that is, considerable unemployment-is a healthy economic sign, and they are satisfied if they can keep wages down in this way. THE economic issue is considerably sharpened by the problem of the refugees, which is the greatest economic and social problem of present-day Germany. So long as these people are not resettled, they will constitute a grave political danger, precisely because they have been driven into a political vacuum. In common with the comparatively few convinced Nazis who are still left in Germany and who almost without exception THE AFTERMATH OF NAZI RULE enterprise; in Europe, the trade unions even in their best days were never among the established powers, but always led the uncertain existence of a mildly rebellious force operating with varying success in an everlasting battle against the employers. In America, moreover, there is a certain reluctance, shared by employers and workers, to resort to state intervention; sometimes the mere threat of state arbitration may bring the disputing parties back to bilateral negotiations. In Germany, both workers and employers have only one idea in their heads: that the state must throw its full weight on the side of their interests. With the possible exception of the Scandinavians, no European citizenry has the political maturity of Americans, for whom a certain amount of responsibility, i. e. , of moderation in the pursuit of self-interest, is almost a matter of course. Furthermore, this is still a country of abundance and of opportunity, so that the talk of free initiative has not yet become meaningless; and the very dimensions of the American economy tend to defeat over-all planning. But in European countries, where national territories have continually shrunk in proportion to industrial capacity, most people are firmly convinced that even the present standard of living can be guaranteed only if there is some measure of planning to assure everyone a just share in the national income. Behind the loose and wholly unjustified talk of American â€Å"imperialism† in Europe, looms the not so unjustified fear that the introduction of the American economic system into Europe, or rather American support of the economic status quo, can only result in a miserably low standard of living for the masses. The social and political stability of the Scandinavian countries results partly from strong trade unions, partly from the role of cooperatives in economic life, and partly from a wisely exerted state intervention. These factors indicate at least the general direction that the solution of European economic and social problems might take if unsolved political problems did not interfere and if the general world situation allowed enough time. In Germany, at any rate, the system of free enterprise has led quickly to cut-throat practices, monopolization, and trustification, regardless of all efforts of the American authorities to prevent these developments. 351 I0OLITICALLY, the most serious aspect of the I situation is not, as might be expected, the rising dissatisfaction of the working classes. The tragic history of the German socialist parties seems to have exhausted their vitality; never before has the German working class been in a less revolutionary mood. There is a certain embittered resignation to a system that is â€Å"sold† to them under the trade name of democracy, but this resentment will hardly cause any trouble; on the contrary, it is almost a guarantee that any regime, however good or bad, will be acceptable, as a matter of indifference. An altogether different and really dangerous side of the matter is that since the situation of the workers has become more hopeless, more insecure, and more miserable than before, the old fear of â€Å"proletarianization† has received new and powerful motivation. This fear especially grips the middle classes, who once again lost their money through the currency reform, in contrast to the industrialists whose fortunes were secure in real properties. The financial status of the middleclass Germans, especially if they lost their belongings in the bombings or are refugees, differs in no way from that of the ordinary worker’s family. But the idea of having to share the worker’s lot for a lifetime is forbidding indeed. To avoid this, the younger people therefore try desperately to scrape together a few marks to enter one of the many universitiesall of them overcrowded. It is their only chance to keep their middle-class status and to escape the misery of a proletarianized life. Everywhere in Germany one is told that in a few years there will be enough lawyers, physicians, teachers, art historians, philosophers, and theologians to form a breadline stretching over all the highways. And most of these potentially unemployed academicians will have earned their degrees at the price of appalling sacrifices; many students live on a monthly income of sixty or seventy marks, which means chronic undernourishment and complete abstention from even the most modest pleasures, such as a glass of wine or an evening at the movies. Academic requiremeans in general are not much lower than they used to be, so that the fanatic devotion of these young people to their studies, prompted as it may be by quite non-intellectual motives, is interrupted only by re- 352 COMMENTARY might counteract the Nazi megalomania which had taught Germans to think in continents and plan in centuries. But the failure of the Laender governments is already almost a matter of record. It is a failure in the only political field where the Germans have been left alone almost from the beginning of the occupation, and where success or failure was independent of Germany’s status on the international scene. To some extent, of course, the failure of the local governments can be blamed upon the general climate of German life created by denazification and the social consequences of a ruthless economic policy; but this explanation sounds valid only if one wilfully ignores the great degree of freedom that was granted to the Germans in the Laender governments. The truth is that centralization, as it was accomplished by nation-states and as it was established in Germany, not by Hitler but by Bismarck, succeeded in destroying all authentic desire for local autonomy and in undermining the political vitality of all provincial or municipal bodies. Whatever is left of such traditions has assumed a hopelessly reactionary character and has petrified into the cheapest kind of folklore. Local government in most instances has liberated the most vicious local conflicts, creating chaos everywhere because there is no power great enough to overawe conflicting factions. The element of public responsibility and even of national interest being conspicuously absent, local politics tends to deteriorate quickly into the lowest possible form of plain corruption. The dubious political past of everybody who is experienced (and the â€Å"inexperienced† elements have by now been rather ruthlessly eliminated), and the low salaries paid to the civil servants, together open the door to all kinds of mismanagement: many public officials can easily be blackmailed, and many more find it very difficult to resist the temptation to augment their salaries by accepting bribes. The Bonn government has little direct connection with the Laender governments: it is neither controlled by them nor does it exercise any noticeable control over them. The only functioning links between Bonn and the Laender governments are the party machines, which rule supreme in all questions of personnel and administration, and which, in sharp contrast to the â€Å"small state† structure curring spells of hard manual labor to earn a little extra money. Nobody in Germany seems to doubt that the tremendous sacrifices of the student generation can only end in severe disappointment, and nobody seems to give this problem much serious thought. The only solution would be the closing of a number of German universities, combined with a pitiless screening of the high school graduates, perhaps even the introduction of the otherwise questionable French system of competitive examinations in which the number of successful candidates is determined beforehand by the number of available places. Instead of a discussion along these or other lines, the Bavarian government only recently opened one more (the fourth) university in Bavaria, and the French occupation authorities, in some ill-advised urge to improve German culture, have actually opened a brand new university in Mainz-which means that six thousand students have come to aggravate the already quite hopeless housing situation in a city almost completely destroyed. And indeed a rather desperate courage would be required under present conditions to take measures that would forcibly empty the universities; it would be like depriving a despairing man of his last chance, even though this chance had become a gambler’s chance. What course political development will take in Germany when a whole class of frustrated and starving intellectuals is let loose on an indifferent and sullen population, is anybody’s guess. hose observers of Allied policy in who viewed denazification with misgivings and saw that a system of free enterprise could lead only to the aggrandizement of politically undesirable elements, placed considerable hope on the federalization program, under which Germany was divided into Laender (states) with extensive powers of local self-government. It seemed indisputably right in so many ways: it would act as a safeguard against accumulation of power, and thus appease the understandable if exaggerated fears of Germany’s neighbors; it would prepare the German people for the hoped-for federalization of Europe; it would teach grass-roots democracy in the field of communal or local affairs where people had their immediate interests and were supposed to know the ropes, and thus EGermany VEN THE AFTERMATH OF NAZI RULE of the country, are more centralized than ever and therefore represent the only visible power. This is a dangerous situation, but in itself it is not necessarily the worst that could have happened. The real trouble comes from the nature of the party machines themselves. The present parties are continuations of the pre-Hitler parties-that is, of the parties that ‘Hitler found it so surprisingly easy to destroy. They are in many cases run by the same people and are dominated by the old ideologies and the old tactics. However, only the tactics have somehow preserved their vitality; the ideologies are carried along simply for tradition’s sake and because a German party cannot very well exist without a Weltanschauung. One cannot even say that the ideologies have survived for want of something better; it is rather as though the Germans, after their experience with Nazi ideology, have become convinced that just about anything will do. The party machines are primarily interested in providing jobs and favors for their members, and they are allpowerful to do so. This means that they tend to attract the most opportunistic elements of the population. Far from encouraging initiative of any kind, they are afraid of young people with new ideas. In short, they have been reborn in senility. Consequently, what little there is of political interest and discussion occurs in small circles outside the parties and outside the public institutions. Each of these small groups, because of the political vacuum and the general corruption of public life around them, is the potential nucleus for a new movement; for the parties have not only failed to enlist the support of the German intelligentsia, they have also convinced the masses that they do not represent their interests. TEm melancholy story of postwar Germany is not one of missed opportunities. In our 353 eagerness to find a definite culprit and definable mistakes we tend to overlook the more fundamental lessons this story may teach us. When all is said, the twofold question remains: What could one reasonably expect from a people after twelve years of totalitarian rule? What could one reasonably expect from an occupation confronted with the impossible task of putting back on its feet a people that had lost the ground from under it? But it would be well to remember and try to understand the experience of the occupation of Germany, for we are all too likely to see it repeated in our lifetime on a gigantic scale. Unfortunately, the liberation of a people from totalitarianism is not likely to come to pass merely through â€Å"the breakdown of communications and centralized control [which] might well enable the brave Russian peoples to free themselves from a tyranny far worse than that of the Czars,† as Churchill put it in his recent speech to the Assembly of the Council of Europe. The German example shows that help from the outside is not likely to set free indigenous forces of selfhelp, and that totalitarian rule is something more than merely the worst kind of tyranny. Totalitarianism kills the roots. Politically speaking, the present conditions of German life have a greater significance as an object lesson for the consequences of totalitarianism than as a demonstration of the so-called German problem in itself. This problem, like all other European problems, could be solved only in a federated Europe; but even such a solution seems of little relevance in view of the imminent political crisis of these coming years. Neither a regenerated nor an unregenerated Germany is likely to play a great role in it. And this knowledge of the ultimate futility of any political initiative on their part in the present struggle is not the least potent factor in the Germans’ reluctance to face the reality of their destroyed country. How to cite Nazi Germany Totalitarian State, Essay examples