Case Study Essay - 2170 Words

Enron Corporation began as a small natural gas distributor and, over the course of 15 years, grew to become the seventh largest company in the United States. Soon after the federal deregulation of natural gas pipelines in 1985, Enron was born by the merging of Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth, a Nebraska pipeline company. Initially, Enron was merely involved in the distribution of gas, but it later became a market maker in facilitating the buying and selling of futures of natural gas, electricity, broadband, and other products. However, Enron’s continuous growth eventually came to an end as a complicated financial statement, fraud, and multiple scandals sent Enron through a downward spiral to bankruptcy. During the 1980s, several†¦show more content†¦Its method of evaluating employee performance was nicknamed rank and yank by Enron employees. Every 6 months, employees were ranked on a scale of 1–5. Those ranked in the lowest category (1) were immediately yanked (fired) from their position and replaced by new recruits. Surprisingly, during each employee review, management required that at least 15% of all the employees ranked were given a 1 and therefore yanked from their position and income. The employees ranked with a 2 or 3 were also given notice that they were liable to be released in the near future. These ruthless performance reviews created fierce internal competition between fellow employees who faced a strict ultimatum; perform or be replaced. Furthermore, it created a work environment where employees were unable to express opinions or valid concerns for fear of a low ranking score by their superiors. With so much pressure to succeed and maintain its position as the global energy market leader, Enron began to jeopardize its integrity by committing fraud. The SPEs, which originally were used for good business purposes, were now used illegally to hide bad investments, poorly performing assets, and debt; to manipulate cash flows; and eventually, to report more than $1 billion of false income. The following are examples of how specific SPEs were used fraudulently. Chewco: In 1993, Enron and the California Public Employees Retirement SystemShow MoreRelatedCase Studies : A Case Study Approach Essay1157 Words   |  5 PagesA case study is a specific instance that is frequently designed to illustrate a more general principle (Nisbet and Watt, 1984). Hitchock and Hughes (1995) further suggest that the case study approach is particularly valuable when the researcher has little control over evens. Case studies strives to portray ‘what it like’ to be a particular situation, to catch up reality and ‘thick description’ (Geertz, 1973) of participants’ lives experiences of, thoughts about and feelings for a situation. TheyRead MoreCase Study887 Words   |  4 PagesCHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons choose the case 1.2 The Problems The problems of this case are: 1. How would you characterize Lincoln Electric’s strategy? In this context, what is the nature of Lincoln’s business and upon what bases does this company compete? 2. What are the most important elements of Lincoln’s overall approach to organization and control that help explain why this company is so successful? How well do Lincoln’s organization and control mechanismsRead MoreBusiness Case Study : Business Case Studies997 Words   |  4 PagesWriting Business Case Studies How to Write Business Case Studies The objective of this part of the course is to use your case study to help you solve real company problems and to make the learning more relevant to your experience. The Business Case Study you are being asked to start today will provide information for yourself and the class to permit constructive feedback. You will have to use all of your research, writing and analytical skills to write your Company Case Study. You must give enoughRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pages978-0-273-73552-6 (web) All rights reserved. Permission is hereby given for the material in this publication to be reproduced for OHP transparencies and student handouts, without express permission of the Publishers, for educational purposes only. In all other cases, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the Publishers orRead MoreCase Studies13817 Words   |  56 PagesCASE STUDY #1 A Job Search Dilemma Eric, a second-semester senior, is looking for a job. Anxious about finding work in the worst economy in decades, he sends out scores of resumes for a wide variety of positions. 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Jessica in Ther Merchant of Venice Free Essays

Jessica in The Merchant of Venice In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare introduces his audience to the multi dimensional character of Jessica. Jessica is identified as the daughter of a Jewish Merchant but the audience learns she is much more than that. As the play moves along and Jessica marries a Christian man, Jessica’s identity as a Jewish woman is challenged. We will write a custom essay sample on Jessica in Ther Merchant of Venice or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although a minor character in the play, she is important because she makes the audience question what it means to be Jewish and therefore what it means to be Christian. The differences between Judaism and Christianity in the play are shown through Jessica’s relationships with Shylock and Lorenzo. The father daughter relationship that Jessica and Shylock share shows the audience values of Judaism. The two have a very rocky relationship through out the play and although it appears that Jessica is no more than a rebellious teenager, their relationships and interactions show the foundations of a Jewish family. Shylock shows the rigid rules of the Jewish religion through how he treats Jessica at their home. What the audience knows about Jessica and Shylock’s history is that Shylock locks up Jessica in their house and she is not allowed out. Jessica then undoubtedly has resentment towards her father when she says â€Å"Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil, / Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness† (2. 3. 1). It is clear to the audience that Shylock not only wants to lock up his daughter to the world he, also doesn’t want Jessica to experience Venetian society when he says â€Å"lock up the doors† so the sounds of music don’t drift in from the streets (2. 5. 5). It becomes very obvious that Jessica’s house is a strict, rule driven household that she does not appreciate or like. Jessica’s life under Shylock’s rules shows the rigidness of the Jewish religion that Jessica was brought up under. These instances, at the beginning of the play, show the audience what Jessica’s life as a Jew is like. It is not until we see Jessica’s transition into a Christian that we can see the differences between the two religions. Once Jessica runs away from home and marries Lorenzo, her life as a Jewish woman comes to an end. Through this transition of Jessica’s, we see outside opinions on Judaism and Christianity. When Jessica runs away from home to marry, a conversation is sparked between Lorenzo and his friend Gratiano. They have a conversation about why it is that Lorenzo loves Jessica. Lorenzo is trying to explain to Gratiano how Jessica does not fit the typical Jewish mold by saying â€Å"For she is wise, if I can judge of her/And fair she is, if that mine eyes be true/And true she is, as she hath proved herself†(2. 6. 53-55). From Lorenzo’s language when describing Jessica, it becomes clear that these Christians associate good traits such as fairness, intelligence, and truthfulness with being traits that most Jewish people do not possess. On the opposite end of the argument, the play has Shylock and his response to Jessica running away, getting married, and selling her mothers wedding ring. Shylock responds by saying â€Å"Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my? turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor: I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys. (3. 1. 14). Shylock is upset that his daughter would waste away her precious materials for something as foolish as a monkey. It is in this moment in the play that the audience see’s the new carefree lifestyle Jessica is living as a Christian when she denounces her mother’s ring. Shylock, who loves material possessions, is appalled by his daughter’s carless actions. The audience sees through Jessica’s transition from Jew to Christian and from the conversations sparked in characters from this action how the two different religious groups see each other. After her transition, Jessica’s relationship with her new husband also sparks different assumptions about religion. After Jessica marries Lorenzo, her life is literally transformed from a Jew to a Christian overnight. Through her final actions of the play, the audience can see how different her two worlds are. Her life with Lorenzo is one full of carefree fun and no material possessions. While her life with her father was one full of rules and restrictions. Once Jessica enters into this relationship with Lorenzo, the notion of what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be a Jew is questioned. Jessica’s two different lives represent the different stereotypes of the two religions. The Jewish people in this play are portrayed through Jessica and Shylock as being an old worldview of life. Shylock’s house is very strict, rule abiding, and oriented in hard work. While on the other hand, Lorenzo represents the New Testament, Christian view of the world where people are much more about living carefree and denouncing material possessions. When Jessica marries Lorenzo and becomes a Christian through marriage she also brings up another question about religion and what makes a person a Jew. Jessica is a Jew by birth but converts to Christianity through marriage. This brings about the question of is it birth or decision that makes a person a certain religion. Lancelot first brings this about when he claims that Jessica is damned because she was born Jewish in that he is referring to the fact that there is nothing she can do to undo being Jewish. The audience also sees many lines where the image of blood is brought up. Shylock refers to his daughter as â€Å"my own flesh and blood† (3. 1. 32) and Jessica states, â€Å"I am a daughter to his blood† (2. 3. 18). This image of blood that Jessica and Shylock share bonds them together and parallels the idea that Judaism runs in the blood, therefore is determined at birth. Although Lancelot seems to believe that Judaism runs in the blood, Jessica believes that she can overturn this by marrying Lorenzo. She states, â€Å"I shall be saved by my husband/He hath made me a Christian† (3. 5. 3). To her, Judaism is out of her because her husband, Lancelot, made her into a Christian through marriage. Here we see two differences in what the characters of the play believe makes a person Jewish. Lancelot believes Jessica is Jewish by birth, and Jessica believes that marrying Lorenzo can make her into a Christian. The character Jessica is important in The Merchant of Venice because of the questions she brings up about religion. Her relationship with her father shows her life as a Jew while her marriage to Lorenzo shows her conversion into a Christian. These two worlds of Jessica play off of each other and through them the audience is able to see the differences between Judaism and Christianity. Through Jessica’s transition from Jew to Christian, the audience is able to see the large differences between the Jewish and Christian characters in The Merchant of Venice. Works Cited Evans, G. , ed. The Riverside Shakespeare. 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974. How to cite Jessica in Ther Merchant of Venice, Essay examples

Corporate Social Responsibility Practices †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: What Is The Corporate Social Responsibility Practices? Answer: Introduction 'Corporate social responsibility strengthens corporate reputation and performance This essay is based on the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the business operations. From many years, CSR is the important part of the business activities. There are many companies which are dedicated towards such activities. Such kinds of activities create values for the shareholders in the company as well as focuses on the various groups of stakeholders. Along with this, by the CSR activities, those companies are able to improve their value in the market (Arora Rana, 2010). By various researches, CSR activities are positively related to the companys value and the performance of the company. The relation between the CSR practices and the companys value is quite uncertain and unclear. It might be because there is the lack of understanding related to the channels by which the CSR practices affect the value of the company. There are many theoretical models which assume that there is the direct connection between the companys value and CSR activities. The aim of t his essay is to explore the relationship of companys value and its performance with the CSR in the company. The value of the company is based on the ability of the CSR activities to influence the group of stakeholders in the company (Bird, Moment Reggiani, 2012). CSR and companys value Defining CSR- Before providing the detail of CSR activities in any business, it is important to understand the concept of CSR in the company. Baron (2001) stated that corporate social responsibility is an incompletely defined concept. A broad definition of CSR is given by World Business Council for Sustainable Development i.e. CSR is the kind of promise of a company to contribute for the ecological development, working with the people, and the local society to improve the quality of life (Bird et al, 2007). The definition depicts the accountability of any company towards the environment, treatment of the employees, the society and the human rights. Basically, CSR is concerned about the various groups of stakeholders. CSR is the important factor which ensures the growth of a company in terms of sustainability which is the basic concept of growth. CSR is the commitment of the companies including the external citizen of the community, stakeholders, legal agreements and regulations (Groening Kanuri, 2013). It includes the legal, ethnic, economic and environmental management by the company. CSR is the essential concept which makes sure that the companies must be responsible for the impact of stakeholders which is the obligation from the company. Under CSR activities, the companies should do their work with justice, accountability and the efforts to develop and improve the quality of the lives of the staff as well as the society (Cordeiro Tewari, 2014). A study done by Larsen (2001) stated that consumers are always interested in the companies having environmental protection activities, CSR and ethics in the business operations. There are four responsible dimensions in the CSR practices i.e. legal, ethical, economic and philanthropic responsibility. There are two different views regarding CSR i.e. classical view and stakeholder view. In the classical view, the CSR activities are based on the neoclassical economic theory which includes economic profit making terms and focuses on the profit maximization of the stakeholders. On the other hand, stakeholder view is based on the stakeholder theory including social responsibility of the company which is required to understand the interests of all the stakeholders by the actions. So, it is understood that CSR is the effective practice for the companies to improve their value and the performance in the operating market as the customers always consider those companies which exercise CSR practices for the welfare of the society. Role of CSR in enhancing corporate reputation Based on past and recent researches, it is clear that corporate reputation is the base of getting competitive advantage in the market and this is the strategic success factor for the company. Reputation cannot be defined easily as it is based on various factors i.e. stakeholders views, expectations from the companys performance and intension. Having good reputation in the market is essential for the growth of the company. Corporate reputation is one of the most valued assets and it has importance in the growth of the company and its performance (Jacobs, Singhal Subramanian, 2010). Corporate reputation and the financial performance of the company have direct relation with each other. There are various studies which have confirmed that improved brand and corporate reputation is one of the most important motivations in the CSR practices. According to Wang (2003), business reputation plays an important role in terms of strategic marketing and the markets because service quality is important factor to attract the customers. Corporate status can influence the behaviors of the employees in the company. So, reputation can be described as the important feature of the company which differentiate one company form another in the operating market. A strong and positive corporate reputation is the important competitive advantage in terms of product differentiation. The reputation of the company is one of the most crucial aspects which are associated with the CSR practices. The consumers, suppliers and the society generally want to stay connected with the CSR practices in the company. The high level of motivation and the stakeholder concerns provide the outcome of good citizenship. The overall effect of CSR practices is based on the corporate social performance which impacts the reputation of the company in the society. Connecting the corporate reputation with the CSR practices, many researchers have realized that the companies are able to improve the brand and corporate image in the society which are the important parts of the corporate reputation. Along with this, having good brand name, companies are able to support social causes by the ethical business practices. By focusing on the stakeholders impact, companies can also improve the reputation in the society. Basically, the reputation and the success of the company depend upon demand of the stakeholders and meeting their expectations in the business. So, according to Donaldson and Preston (1995), CSR is the essential for building and enhancing the reputation of the firm. For instance, Barmer and Prevelin (2006) stated that having positive reputation, a company can make the stakeholders in the CSR practices. To get higher profit and to survive in the market for long-term basis, company should have higher reputation in the market. CSR is the most essential component of the reputation which builds up trust and goodwill among the group of stakeholders. Having good corporate policy in terms of environmental sustainability, a company is able to attract the stakeholders in the business. The initiatives of the company towards environmental protection are not accountable for the society but also improve the performance of the company by an improved image. The ecologically appealing actions by the company i.e. reduced emissions can be able to enhance the image of the company and attract the customers. So, it is clear that company is able to enhance its image and reputation by adopting environmental friendly activities or focusing on costly environmental practices in the business operations. Role of CSR in companys performance The various researches have mentioned that there is the positive relationship between companys performance and CSR activities. Many studies provide support to the existence of CSR practices in the business. The concept of CSR practice is not new in the companies. Most of the developed countries are aware about the CSR issues and they are concerned about that. The studies found that there is the positive relationship between the CSR and the companys performance. Having social responsibility, some companies have better results in terms of business performance. Companies can get better social responsibility by identifying and resolving the social issues which are closely related to the company. By focusing on the ethical responsibility, the company is able to get a better level of business performance. Social responsibility adopted by the companies can be described as the opportunity to gain good results in the business operations so; the companies have to implement all those activities which are in the welfare of the society. If an organization wants to adopt the practices related to social responsibility, then the organization will not only work for its employees, workers, clients, suppliers and society but also provide benefit to the environment surrounding to the organization (Amini Bienstock, 2014). There are two major theories which have supported the relationship between the performance and corporate social responsibility. Those theories are stakeholder theory and social exchange theory. Stakeholder theory provides the relationship of CSR practices with the relevant stakeholders such as employees, customers, shareholders and wealth maximization of the shareholders. According to Gherghina (2015), the instrumental stakeholder theory argued that there is the positive relationship between the value of the company and corporate social responsibility. Having ability of the company to be involved in the corporate social responsibilities, company is able to make the society to view the company in terms of good image and good reputation. Along with this, the theory explains that shareholders are connected with the company based on the returns provided by the company (Kansal Joshi, 2014). Thus, the stakeholder theory connects the shareholders and the society with the corporate performa nce. Further, the social exchange theory describes that the people in the society purchases from the companies and the companies can provide the values by engaging in the CSR activities and programs. So, the theories on the CSR practices explain the relationship between the CSR practices with the companys value and performance in the society. Thus, the engagement of the company in the corporate social responsibility has positively affects the value and performance of the company. Further, the CSR practices are also affects the financial performance of the company among the customers (Aras, Aybars Kutlu, 2010). It is the fact that the companies are the essential part of the society and the business activities of the company always impact the social and environmental groups within the specific community. By the CSR practices, companies are able to prevent the society form the harmful problems (Orlitzky, 2013). By the commitments, companies are able to solve the social and environmental problems to improve the quality of the life of the society. Because of these reasons, the companies having socially responsible behavior are acceptable everywhere in the society and they are able to improve their efficiency among the customers. From the many researches, it is observed that the companies which are generating the biggest profit in the business are more accountable and liable towards society and have greater value and improved performance in the society (Flammer, 2015). Conclusion The objective of this essay is to explore the importance of the CSR practices in the business to improve the performance as well as companys value in the society. Form the above analysis; it is observed that CSR is the important factor which ensures the growth of a company in terms of sustainability which is the basic concept of growth. It is understood that CSR is the essential concept which makes sure that the companies must be responsible for the impact of stakeholders which is the obligation from the company. CSR is becoming mandatory for the companies. Along with this, CSR is also important factor for enhancing the value of the company in the community as having good brand name; companies are able to support social causes by the ethical business practices. The reputation and the success of the company depend upon demand of the stakeholders and meeting their expectations in the business so many researchers have argued that to get higher profit and to survive in the market for lon g-term basis; company should have higher reputation in the market. Further, it is analyzed that, there is the positive relationship between the companys performance, value and the CSR practices as the customers always consider those companies which have socially responsible behavior. Thus, by CSR actions, companies are able to improve the brand and corporate image in the society which are the important parts of the corporate reputation. There are two theories which have provided in the support in the relationship of the CSR and the firms performance. So, in conclusion it can be said that having the CSR practices, companies are able to prevent the society form the harmful problems. References Aras, G., Aybars, A. Kutlu, O. (2010). Managing corporate performance: investigating the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance in emerging markets: International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management. 59(3). pp.229254 Arora, D. Rana, A.G., (2010). Corporate and consumer social responsibility: a way for value based system: Aims International Conference on Value-Based Management Bird, R., Hall, D.A., Moment, F. Reggiani, F., (2007). What corporate social responsibility activities are valued by the market: Journal of Business Ethics. 76Bird, R., Moment, F. Reggiani, F., (2012). The market acceptance of corporate social responsibility: a comparison across six countries/regions: Australian Journal of Management. 37(2). pp.153168 Cordeiro, J.J. Tewari, M., (2014). Firm characteristics, industry context, and investor reactions to environmental CSR: a stakeholder theory approach: Journal of Business Ethics. 130(4), pp.833849 Flammer, C. (2015). Does corporate social responsibility lead to superior financial performance? A regression discontinuity approach: Management Science. 61(11). pp.25492568 Groening, C. Kanuri, V.K., (2013). Investor reaction to positive and negative corporate social events: Journal of Business Research. 66(10). pp.18521860 Jacobs, B.W., Singhal, V.R. Subramanian, R. (2010). An empirical investigation of environmental performance and the market value of the firm: Journal of Operations Management. 28(5). pp.430441 Kansal, M. Joshi, M. (2014). Perceptions of investors and stockbrokers on corporate social responsibility: a stakeholder perspective from India: Knowledge and Process Management. 21(3). pp.167176 Orlitzky, M. (2013). Corporate social responsibility, noise, and stock market volatility: Academy of Management Perspectives. Vol. 27(3). pp.238254 Amini, M. Bienstock C.C. (2014). Corporate sustainability: an integrative definition and framework to evaluate corporate practice and guide academic research: Journal of Cleaner Production. 76(1)