Stories as Attitudes :: Sociology Essays Research Papers

Stories as Attitudes Curiosity seems to be innately part of the human experience. With this propensity towards curiosity comes our seemingly insatiable need to search for answers to the world's many unanswered (and conceivably unanswerable?) questions. Perhaps the most important of these questions regard the origin of the world, of life, and of us as human beings. The need to account for our own beginnings can be seen throughout history, as multiple explanations have been offered from diverse cultures, religions, philosophies and disciplines. For example, "the folklore of even the most primitive human tribes indicates that they had given some thought to questions about the origin and history of the world" (Mayr, 2001, p.1). This "urge to account for a beginning" has indeed led to many different answers and justifications throughout time, the most popular and noteworthy being the stories of creationism and evolution (Mayr, 2001). These two accounts at first appear to be entirely irreconcilable, thus spark ing centuries of heated controversy and debate. The purpose of this discussion is not to attempt to resolve the age-old arguments among creationists and evolutionists, but instead to investigate the psychosocial reasons behind the power of each side's assertion that they and they alone are "right". According to the definition of an "attitude" (i.e., "any cognitive representation that summarizes our evaluation of an object, which may be the self, other people, things, actions, events, or ideas"), the stories/explanations that we come up with to account for the world around us are nothing more than attitudes (Smith & Mackie, 2000, p. 247). Evaluating the inherent characteristics of attitudes will allow us to gain insight into new (and more useful?) ways of thinking about persuasion (i.e., "the process by which attitudes are developed, reinforced, or changed by communications"), thereby allowing us to further understand why conflicting stories, specifically the stories of creationism vs. evolution, can be perceived as tremendously threatening (Smith & Mackie, 2000, p. 248). People form attitudes/ create stories because they are useful in mastering the social environment and in establishing important connections with others. It is a well- known fact in psychology that once an attitude is formed, it becomes very closely linked to the representation of the object to which that attitude has been ascribed (i.e., the attitude object) (Smith & Mackie, 2000). This cognitive connection helps us to negotiate our interactions with these attitude objects in two ways: through the "object appraisal or knowledge function" and/or the "instrumental or utilitarian function".

Educational Goals and Philosophy Essay -- Education Teaching Essays

Educational Goals and Philosophy As a student of education, I have been able to gather many ideas and opinions about practices and ideals I want to implement in my future classroom. My philosophies about education are still being formed and continually change with every class I visit and with every educator I encounter. My ideas, admittedly, come from random experiences and intangible texts, but as I gain more experience in the field through my courses, my philosophies about teaching will become more clearly defined. These few ideas I have now will undoubtedly be added upon as I enter student teaching and my professional career, nevertheless, they are concepts of which I hope to never lose sight. I believe teaching is a privilege and a serious profession. There are few other careers in which you have as great of an effect on other people. The responsibility is great and I take it very seriously. At the same time teaching can be fun and intellectually stimulating. As a teacher, I will have the opportunity to explore and define a subject area that I have committed my career to---Science. What better way to show my enthusiasm for the subject than to teach it? Additionally, I know that there is nothing more rewarding than reaching a student through my teaching and having a profound influence on their curiosity. Good teaching should extend beyond the classroom, and it will if students are inspired to continue their studies on their own. Honestly, I believe that there is no other job that is equally as rewarding. Science education often receives an inaccurate stereotype of being boring or too complex for the average person to comprehend. I have an extreme passion for Science and teaching. ... ...wish to pursue board certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards after I have taught for three years. It is important to me that I never stop learning. I want to exude this quality for the well being of myself and for my students. Maybe through me, students will see that education is not a hassle, but a completely rewarding experience. My philosophy of education has been shaped by experiences within my own life and education, as well as learning about education in college. As I enter the profession, my philosophy will most likely evolve somewhat as I grow and gain experiences as a teacher in the classroom. However, the foundations of my educational philosophy will continue to guide me in the way which I will interact with students and teach within my classroom.

Bloodchild: Oppression in Science Fiction Essay -- Butler Bloodchild E

Bloodchild: Oppression in Science Fiction Throughout American literary history, nearly every form of literature has covered the topic of slavery and black oppression in America. From William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist papers to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s controversial Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, the exploration of the black position in America has been a theme that engrossed generations. In the past century, as science fiction has established its place in the literary genre, authors such as Octavia Butler have become increasingly popular. In her short story "Bloodchild", Butler extends the discussion of oppression in America into the science fiction genre. In this manner her story, "†¦like almost all science fiction, though it seems to concern itself with human beings and worlds of the far distance and future, it also concerns itself with the here and now" (Asimov 110). Within the first few passages of "Bloodchild", Butler establishes that the Tlic clan has oppressed the Terran clan in the past. Though this history of superiority and oppression exists between the two species, T’Gatoi, a Tlic, is still a friend of this Terran family. "Only she [T’Gatoi] and her political faction stood between us and the hordes who did not understand why there was a Preserve†¦or†¦did not care" (Butler 1036). Gan and his family are forced to live on a preserve, keeping the Tlic from entering in and enslaving his family further. Already, one can see the similarity to the United States of America’s relations with the African-American people. Butler substitutes the race issue with a difference of species, creating an obvious physical incongruity between the oppressed and oppressors. This physical difference was often r... ...d its treatment of those who differ physically from the majority of the population. Through science fiction, Butler has reached another section of the literary audience, and challenged them to open their minds and to change their world. Bibliography Primary Source Butler, Olivia. "Bloodchild." The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Ed. Garyn G. Roberts. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall Inc., 2001.1035-1049. Secondary Sources Asimov, Isaac. "Science Fiction and Society". Asimov on Science Fiction. American Medical Association. 103-111 Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Fold. New York: Fawcett World Library, 1903. Litwak, Leon. Trouble in Mind: Black Southerners in the Age of Jim Crow. New York: Knopf, 1998. Rundblad, Georganne and Peter Kivisto. Multiculturalism in the United States. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2000.

A critical analysis of “Charles V & Philip his Son” by Marino Cavalli, 1554

This is a critical analysis of a written piece by Marino Cavalli as he writes his thoughts about the comparisons between the current King; Charles V, and his son and heir Philip. Cavalli has documented the concerns he has about Philip's inability to adequately rule over ‘various peoples' when he comes to power. Cavalli was the Venetian Ambassador in France at the time, and had a vested interest in who succeeded Charles V to the throne. Cavalli begins by making basic observations about the physical similarities between father and son; their appearance, their habits and their demeanour. â€Å"His Highness is now in his twenty-fourth year, of very delicate complexion and medium stature. In both face and mind he resembles his father..† This is the first, and last positive evaluation he makes about Philip. It becomes clear very quickly that he harbours numerous doubts about Philip's ability to come to power and manage different countries, when he favours being advised by a solely Spanish council, who would clearly have preference for their own agenda. â€Å"He takes excessive pleasure in being revered, and he maintains with everyone, no matter who he may be, a greater haughtiness than his father,†. Cavalli obviously worries that Philip does not attempt to earn the respect of his subjects or nobility. He manages to infer a negative edge to the term ‘revere' cleverly using insinuation to make the reader consider this to be an unattractive quality, and demonstrates a preference for Charles V over Philip as he goes on to say; â€Å"They have good reason, being used to his father, who knows extremely well how to adjust himself by various ways to all kinds of people.† If Cavalli's dilemma was merely a loyalty preference for Charles V it could be argued that he was politicking. Especially considering his Venetian roots and French ties, and the fact that the European countries were constantly warring for power, land and control. But when taking into account his other reservations about Philip's eventual rise to power, (which were similar to a great many other opinions of the time), the historian; with the grace of hindsight, can see that his concerns were well founded. It was well known that Charles V (despite the many wars he fought) was hungrier for peace than to acquire land, and he made the best efforts to maintain civility with the neighbouring states, whether or not they had previously fought each other for the rite to rule. Charles V was also recognised as having a very tolerant nature regarding the religious preferences of the people he governed. He was aware of the protestant uprising, and did not make it a priority to come down on his subjects with the severity he could have. As his son Philip would do in later years. It would seem Philip was destined to live in his fathers shadow; â€Å"But owing to the greatness of his father, and the fact that he was born great and has not yet proved himself in any work, he will never appear in the last analysis as the equal of the emperor.† Cavalli felt that Philip had cut himself off from all but the Spanish. â€Å"One may judge that when this prince succeeds to the government of his states he will be served wholly by Spanish ministers, for he is inclined towards that people more than is fitting in a prince who wishes to rule over various peoples†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And he was quite right, Philip did move to Spain never returning to live in Holland, he refused to speak the language and did keep virtually a wholly Spanish council. His preference for Spain was widely known at the time, and widely documented in the historical years to follow. This piece of text is written in a personal, almost diary or journal entry style which allows Cavalli to articulate freely his concerns. It would seem that Cavalli's fears were realised once Philip came to power, although there would have been nothing Cavalli could have done to bring about change, as Philip was born into the time when Royalty were believed to be born with a divine rite to rule, and due to the sheer population numbers of the countries that he resided over, he was always able to gain favour somewhere, especially when his main goal was to crush the protestant reformation and gain land and title, no matter what the cost.

Amir’s Redemption Essay

It is fair to say Amir redeemed himself by demonstrating courage in the end of Khaled Hosseini’s controversial novel, The Kite Runner. Not all individuals possess courage and some develop this virtue at a later time in life. Courage is defined as the ability to do something that frightens one. That is precisely what Amir had done when he received a phone call from his old friend, Rahim Khan. He repented for the terrible things he had committed and decided it was time for him to make things right and â€Å"be good again. † He risked his new life and traveled to his treacherous homeland to make right of something he had done years ago. He vowed to fix his mistakes and by this act showed courage and redemption. Amir had betrayed his only friend Hassan in one of the most cruel and darkest ways. He witnessed something unspeakable and did not aid his friend nor did he make anyone aware of the situation. Yet Amir was a young boy at the time and young children can be ignorant in situations such as these. He had known what he saw was wrong and felt, at the least to say, heart wrenchingly guilty. He was painfully aware of his cowardness. â€Å"I ran because I was a coward. I ran because I was afraid of what Assef could do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt (The Kite Runner 140). † Almost thirty years later when Rahim Khan calls him with the opportunity to redeem himself, he takes it. He takes it because he has to fix the mistake he made with Hassan and realizes saving his now orphaned son, Sohrab, is the way to do it. He demonstrates newfound courage by traveling back to Afghanistan, a place he never wanted to see again. Although his homeland is now dangerous and swamped with evil Taliban, he is determined to rescue his nephew. Initially Amir travels to a run-down Afghan orphanage in hopes of finding Sohrab and releasing him to a couple who will take care of him. Upon arriving there he finds out his nephew has been taken by Taliban and he then goes to save him from his menacing, childhood bully, Assef. This truly courageous act shows how far Amir was willing to go for redemption. He was Kidder 2 beaten mercilessly and brutally by Assef to get Sohrab. In a way his redemption was also his retribution. As he was getting injured by Assef, Amir felt he was finally paying for all his sins and mistakes. â€Å"My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last, I laughed (The Kite Runner 253). † Battling his demon and saving Sohrab was his most courageous act by far. Amir always considered Hassan his brother symbolically, having being â€Å"fed from the same breast. † When he found out Hassan was truly his brother by blood, he was in disbelief but accepted it. That is why he decided it was best he take Sohrab to live with him in America. In his heart he knew this courageous act would be his final step to redemption. He would never be able to fix what happened with Hassan but saving his son would save anymore tragedy from happening. It was difficult for Sohrab to transition from life of hardship in Afghanistan to life in America, the land of dreams. He was mute for two years and was judged harshly by General Tahiry. Amir stood up to the General and told him â€Å"You will never again refer to him as ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab (The Kite Runner 315). † This was courageous and honorable of him as he has always been intimidated by the General. The Kite Runner is a spectacular, well-written novel that conveys how an individual can develop the virtue of courage even much later in life. What the character of Amir had done was terribly wrong, but he fully atoned for his mistakes. Realizing the error of his ways, he went above and beyond to make things right. It took courage to travel to one’s forgotten hometown, the place where he went through hardship. It took a great deal of courage to bring his nephew to safety from Taliban. Amir suffered enough and showed enough courage to finally be redeemed from his sins.

Decaying of Ideology in Modern China

Although Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Though (MLM) still serves as the ideology which the People’s Republic of China (PRC) adhere to, these socialist doctrines no longer serve inspirational purposes to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and are viewed as an â€Å"ideological vacuum. † China’s attempt to establish a rapid growing economy to support the authority of the Communist regime has contradicted the Communist ideology and has thus created a reverse effect. It is certain that Chinese citizens have grown increasingly apolitical in the current era due to the exposure to market economy and Western influences. This new environment prompts the public to adopt individualism and neglect Communist ideologies such as collectivism. As Deng Xiao Ping and many other scholars blamed the ineffective political education as the major cause of this phenomenon, the assertion remains debatable. CCP now faces a challenge where it has to redefine its political ideology while fitting the socialist regime in the context of â€Å"socialist commodity economy. † The CCP’s attempt to reconcile its capitalist practices with socialist ideal results a dilemma. As uncertainties lay in the future of the Chinese political environment, this paper evaluates the failure of The Communist Party’s normative authority, and distinguishes possible alternatives and solutions. One of the main reasons for the failure of the propaganda scheme is that the value which the Party tries to promote grossly contrasted with the actual social condition. While the Party urges the public to embrace the idea of â€Å"collectivism,† and â€Å"serving the people,† it fails to justify how socialist morality is compatible with market competition. Jurgen Habermans has labeled this dilemma as ‘rationality crisis,’ caused by the disjunction between current practices and the original ideological tenets upon which the regime was founded. † Although CCP recognizes the need for combating moral disorder and launched the â€Å"socialist spiritual civilization† (SSC) campaign in 1997, the accomplishment is diminutive. It is obvious that political education in China is heavily emphasized, where political elements are incorporated in every curriculum, from kindergarten to university. However, the program is ineffective since these principles are not applicable in the social environment. As a result, students see no purpose in these materials except to know them well so they could obtain a decent academic record and remain competitive in the job market. Furthermore, â€Å"even party functionaries no longer take ideological work seriously, and few are interested in this specialty as a career. † The character of legitimation crisis has also surfaced besides the presence of rationality crisis. Legitimation crisis is â€Å"a discrepancy between the need for motives declared by the state and the motivation supplied by socio-cultural system. † As â€Å"harmonious society† (hexie shehui) and scientific development† continues to serve as current watchwords for CCP, they appears to be oxymoronic. The concept of harmonious society is drawn upon Confucius values, whereas the concept of scientific development aroused mainly from Deng Xiao Ping Theory, which is an emphasis on economic stability. The rationality and legitimation crisis which CCP now encounters â€Å"can be explained in terms of the antinomy between rationality and reasonableness, or between scientism and moralism. This antinomy seems to be the most visible obstacle and the most controversial policy of Chinese education. † Another critical argument for CCP’s decaying normative authority is the corruption of government officials and therefore creating a devastating effect on the Party’s goal on rebuilding moral order. Since the 16th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, more than 100 minster- and provincial-level officials were sentenced for corruption, an unprecedented number, according to statistics released by the Supreme Procuratorate. In 2005, 47,206 officials were disciplined-punished by Chinese supervision agencies. † Consequently, the uncontrollable widespread of corruption among government officials brings public to think that education system is hypocritical and therefore, unpersuasive. In a survey conducted in the state enterprises of Shenyang, one of China’s largest industrial cities, 71% of respondents agreed that moral education should be directed primarily at the high- and middle- ranking cadres rather than at ordinary people. † In order to overhaul the Communist Ideology, the Party implemented inspirational projects incorporating patriotic education and Confucianism. China’s patriotic education was design for two purposes. One is to combat Western influences and second is to achieve â€Å"unified thinking† (tongyi sixiang). To a certain extent, the program was successful, particularly in â€Å"unified thinking. † Although the Party is unable to eliminate all Western influences and the exchange of information, the general public has increasingly learnt to praises and adapt to traditional Chinese culture. The party has utilized Confucianism value by describing â€Å"Confucianism as a positive force that could consolidate the Chinese nation and foster socialist spiritual civilization. † Accordingly, most of the Chinese families today follow Confucian’s teachings and the value of Confucianism is already deeply rooted in the society. Through the post-1989 Patriotic Education, the regimen has provided China’s new generations with nationalists. In China’s education system, children are taught â€Å"that China’s misery was imposed by Western countries,† and acknowledged themselves as nationalists and â€Å"bound to become fenqing. † Furthermore, although young generations are no longer interested in the concept of ideology, CCP has little problems finding new members as we can see that during â€Å"the last five years, three-quarters of those who flocked to join were under thirty-five. This is not only a result of patriotism but also joining the Party could provide opportunities and benefits. On the other hand, the increasing population of nationalist does not imply legitimating the government’s policy and authorities. â€Å"By placing the party and the center of the official discourse the state-centered view of nationalism restricts the extent to which the Party-state can mobilize nationalist symbolism in support of its leadership and make the Party vulnerable to criticism from more popular conceptions of nationalism. June 4th crackdown and the emergence of Chinese liberalism are the result of nationalism. Besides from implementing propaganda program to strengthen Communist Ideology, new ideas have also formed in the Chinese political platform. Ideas such as â€Å"new left,† â€Å"new conservative†or evenâ€Å"liberalism† are introduced. The New Leftism is in opposition to capitalism and Chinese economic reforms and in favor of the restoration of the Maoist-style socialism. â€Å"New leftists† appeal to social injustice like corruption and the interest of low class people became particular popular in 2009. Furthermore, it addresses the problem of the disparity between rich and poor. The New leftists â€Å"guarantee the welfare of the country’s 800 million peasants left behind the recent change. † Alternatively, if China is to take on the advice of the New Leftist, it would create an enormous wave of withdraws in the form of foreign investments due to the economic uncertainty, which would inevitably destroy China’s new emerging market. And the collapse of the Chinese economy would make it impossible for the Party to provide welfare for the poor. In that sense, the New Left ideas do not generate common interest between the public and the Party’s ideology. On the contrary, the â€Å"New Conservatives†, or Neo-Conservatives, â€Å"holds that modernization is a gradual process (incrementalism), and that, during this process, traditional values, the existing order and an authoritarian government are necessary to maintain social stability and ensure a successful social transformation. † It also distinguishes itself from traditional conservatism by accentuating modern transformation and accelerates economic development. The Neo-Conservatives tries to develop â€Å"a model characterized by economic growth under an authoritarian political order. † This hybrid Ideology that retained Marxism-Leninism ideals and Deng’s goal to achieve modernization â€Å"enabled Jiang to legitimize the Party and ensure its survival. † Consequently, Jiang has balanced centralism (elements of the â€Å"Mao Era†) and capitalistic-orientated economic policies (which are elements of the â€Å"Deng Era†) and achieve new census. Besides from the ideas that were discussed above, â€Å"liberalism† is another concept which has derived from the June 4th incident of 1989. The collapse of Communism in the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe provided an opportunity for Chinese liberals to deeply reflect on the illusion of ‘socialist democracy. ’† The Chinese liberals advocate the abandon of one Party rule and call for multi-party elections to increase competition and limiting the power of the government. â€Å"Despite hard suppression of democracy and liberal ideas by the Chinese party-state, and partly due to this suppression, liberalism and the quest for human rights have been on the rise and achieved a level of sophistication in China since the late 1990s. Even though the idea of liberalism is not irrelevant to China’s political future, the system would be impossible to impose under a peaceful transition. Ultimately, China would have to construct a new political stance that ensures government power but also provide economic prosperity. China would have to undergo gradual transition from Communism to Authoritarian Capitalism, for instance the People’s Action Party (PAP) in Singapore. Under such political system, there is a large degree of economic freedom but tight control in terms of social freedom. Although there are negative comments on Singapore’s authoritarian capitalism, such as ones that were made by Christopher Lingle, his arguments are debatable. He claimed that â€Å"Singapore’s authoritarian rule has led to the ‘politicization of commerce,’ the distribution of economic and commercial privileges to trusted political supporters, stifling the emergence of home-grown entrepreneurs. † On the other hand, statistics has proven him wrong. Singapore is the second most economically free country according to 2011 Index of Economic Freedom. Furthermore, its government spending in terms of GDP is among the lowest in the world (14. 5%), according to information from The World Factbook. And as we can see, the Chinese government is actually taking such transition, and characters of capitalism can be found in increasingly free trade. Several universities claimed â€Å"that great powers like China and Russian, with authoritarian state capitalist regimes could pose a viable rival model. †

Kinh Do Bakery

Executive summary This report was aimed at analyzing current issues in the organizational environment of KDC and providing recommendation for the company to improve its performance regarding environment. The analysis focuses on the external environment of KDC. Overall, KDC has a quite favorable external environment to a certain extent to make out the most of it. However, each of the factors in its external environment have good and bad effects on its outcome, realizing and understanding all of which can help the corporation to exploit the most from the environment and avoid mistakes reducing its achievements.External environment is divided into general and specific factors. In the general environment, economics is enduring massive fluctuations, making customers cut down expenditure and turn to economically efficient products. The political condition in Vietnam is stable, appropriating for applying in a long time. Whereas, the life styles of people are under a considerable change, the y adopt time- saving meals, which is an opportunity for instant foods of KDC. Nevertheless, the instant foods are also proved not to be so good for health.Finally, beside a potential domestic market, which possesses an ideal population structure, as Vietnam joined in WTO, it comes a chance of extending KDC’s market into the world. In the specific environment, because of the significant drop in people’s income comparing to real value of commodity, the purchasing power of customers decreases. The widespread of fake and low quality goods turns out to be an opportunity for KDC as people trust in established organizations.Regard the potentiality of confectionery industry development in Vietnam, it is easy to understand the vast number of KDC’s rivalries in the market, and despite the leading role of KDC, the others have their own considerably outstanding strengths. KDC has a wide variety of suppliers both from domestic and abroad, which bring not only benefits but al so disadvantages due to the differences in price and the distance to deliver. Finally, pressure groups always react in case of wrongdoings.With a view to solve the problems and exploit the market, KDC should cut down the price, diversify the products, build development and extend plans. They also should consider more about the responsiveness to the consumers and society I. Introduction KD is a big corporation which is the combination of many subsidiaries and each of which has the specialized production. However, when it comes to the brand name of KDC, people often associate it with the confectionary production, which is under implement of Kinh Do Bakery.Established in 1993, after 19 years of development, this company has become the leading one in the food industry. KDC is considered to be one of the well-known joint- stock company which is not only dominating in the market of Vietnam but also expanding to the international scope. In the recent years, though the economic recession ha s put a lot of pressure on the well-being of many companies, KDC still has the good performance and even make the incredibly high profit in the stock market of Vietnam.The annual report of KDC reveals that in 2011, the revenue increased by 32% and on average every SBU achieved the growth level of 2 digits. As food processing is the main production activities and also the base for the development of the whole group, the annual turnover from this section strikingly accounts for nearly 90% of the total revenue for the corporation. The customer that KDC targets at is the Vietnamese one especially children because normally, the confectionary good is more preferred by this group than the adults.Therefore, what the company is producing and providing to the market is of various kinds including candies, cakes, soft drinks, ice cream and other product made from milk. In addition, they have the desire for bringing their products to the world market to consolidate their position and get more pr ofit. No matter what strategic goal that KDC aims at, they always consistently follow the mission of the company which providing customers with the safe, delicious and nutritious products and trying to meet the changing their needs to fulfill the dream of making life better day by day.By that way, KDC can maintain its long-established reputation in the food industry as well as sustainable and non-stop development in the future. II. External environment analysis of KDC 1. General environment like any other organizations KDC is affected by its general environment which includes economic, political , sociocultural, demographic, technological and global conditions. 2. 1 Economic conditions Recently, Vietnam’s economy has been undergoing massive fluctuations which have affected almost companies including KDC.First of all, the years ranging from 2008 up until now, the issues of escalating inflation and high interest rate have posed numerous threats to businesses (Tu 2011). It is un doubted that those components of the economy have changed spending behaviors of customers, who may cut down their expenditures on luxuries as well as become more critical about what to buy and how much to buy. This may be a real challenge for KDC since the corporation is well known for high quality and costly products. 2. 2 Political/ legal conditionsThere is no doubt that political and legal situation of each nation always exerts profound effects on its business performance. In terms of politics, it is widely accepted that political environment in Vietnam is relatively stable, which gives KDC an opportunity to apply its development policies in a longer time frame without having to follow various political institutions. Concerning legal aspect, Vietnam Government provides and enforces Business Law by which an organization operates. For instance, in May1st, 2012 the Tuotre. vn reported that Vietnam Government passed through the Law which required higher minimum salary.Consequently, K DC had to spend more on salary for its employees. Hence, legal environment in Vietnam not only brings about advantages to a confectionary producing firm like KD but also creates barriers to the expansion and development of the corporation. 2. 3 Sociocultural conditions In recent years, Vietnam’s society and cultures have been experiencing considerable changes, which brings about the change in consumers’ life styles. One of which is adopting time saving meals instead of traditional ones, which is beneficial for instant foods industry- the major of KDC.This can be regarded as a big opportunity for all the businesses which manufacture instant food like KDC. Meanwhile, there is also another dominant trend in today’s society which to some extent may affect KDC. That is the shift in the Vietnamese perception in the importance of health in their lives. Thus, it is trendy now that more and more people put much emphasis on food hygene and safety when making choices of fo od. It means that they are tending to consume the products which are rooted in long-established and well-known brands.This is undeniably an obvious advantage to KDC which is by far top-of-mind company in Vietnam food industry. However, it is also posing challenges for KDC considering the confectionary sector. It is universally known that the products such as candies, cream cakes and so on are among the major causes of obesism, which may lead to cardiovascular diseases and other serious problems (Bang 2011). As a result, people in modern culture with educational improvements have been gradually changing their tastes to adjust to products which contain low fat and cholesterol intake.This would be a big issue for KDC which operates in the field of manufacturing products with high volume of sugar, milk and butter. This is a big challenge for KDC to innovate the ingredients in its products to meet these new requirements from its customers. 2. 4 Demographic conditions As reported in the C IA World Factbook in 2011, Vietnam has an ideal population structure, consisting of more than 90% of youth and mature people within working age. This has contributed to creating a vibrant and potential market for KDC in private and food industry in general.Moreover, this striking pattern in age structure of the country also brings about a significant benefit for KDC, which does business in food manufacturing sector with high demand for labors. 2. 5 Technological conditions It is obvious that technology is a very active element filled with numerous opportunities and threats to enterprises. First of all, as widely accepted, the introduction of modern technology helps simplify a variety of complicated and time-consuming manufacturing processes, contributing to optimizing efficiency and improving profits for many firms.However, in Vietnam, it seems to be an immense challenge since there is a shortage of qualified staffs to meet the new requirements of knowledge economy such in-depth und erstanding of advancements in science and technology. In addition, our country also ranks behind many other countries in the world in the field of technological applications as well as transferring. According to the Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) published in recent years concerning technology indicators, the order of our country is 92 out of 117 hile that of Thailand is 43. Hence, it can be concluded that this would an immense challenge for KDC to cope with technological issues today given the explosion of newly emerging technologies, which has and has been making existing ones become quickly obsolete and need innovating much more frequently than ever. 2. 6 Global conditions As reported in the VTC news, Vietnam has officially become a member of the World Trade Organization-WTO. This has marked an important turning point in the country’s development in all aspects.In terms of economy, joining the WTO has given domestic enterprises an opportunity to integrate into th e global economy, expanding their scope of market. Nevertheless, it may also pose threats to many firms as it would attract more and more foreign investment into the country, creating harsh competition in domestic economy. KDC may also be put under this threat unless it could reinforce its outstanding position in customers’ mind. In addition, the opening of the country’s economy to the global one also means that our economy will be influenced by fluctuations in other economies.In recent years, the whole world has been suffering a long period of economic downturn, which has resulted in a dramatic decrease in purchasing power even in developed countries. Thus, not only KDC but also numerous enterprises all over the world would have to address this problem to gain an outstanding position in the gloomy picture of global economy. 2. Specific environment 3. 7 Customer According to Stephen P. Robbins and Mary Coulter, the specific environment is the external factors directly affecting managers’ decisions and actions and is of the most relevant components to the achievement of the organization’s goals (Robbins2009, p. 8). As specific environment is unique to each organization, it is worth analyzing the specific environment of KDC to find out its opportunities and threats. Customers seem to be first mentioned as an organization’s existence is for their demands. Consequently, this is the objective that organizations have to satisfy initially. Naturally, customers always want to buy goods at the lowest price and highest quality, which pushes organizations to race in the field of price and product’s quality pressure.It is quite challenging in the case of price pressure as the price of inputs is increasing faster over time whereas the income and purchasing power of consumers are limited. According to the Vietnam economic forum, in 2009, GDP of Vietnam decreased by 51 years in comparison with Indonesia, 95 years with Thailand and 15 8 years in comparison with Singapore (Le Khac 2012). In the article titled â€Å"Moi lo lon: gia ca tang cao thu nhap tang cham† (2007), the author also mentioned about the alarmingly increasing trend of necessary goods including food, which had strong negative impacts on the living standard of people with low income.Despite the increase of production cost, organizations still have to maintain their quality of goods because without it, consumers will reduce their purchase. Especially in the context of fake goods and low quality goods widely spread in the market, the challenge that KDC has to face is not easy. The article â€Å" sua kem chat luong, banh keo qua ‘dat’ tran lan† (2005) reveals that market control forces discovering successively increasingly cases of producing and delivering fake and low quality goods, included products faking KDC’s, which absolutely negatively affects the prestige of the company.However, the number of consumers trustin g in KDC and buying its products always ranks first in comparison with other domestic confectionery companies, showing the advantage of it over the rivals, the total revenue of 4 other largest companies in term of confectionery which are Hai Ha, Huu Nghi, Biscafun and QNS is only equal to 73% of KDC’s (2012). One more problem that the company itself realized is that the bird flu, which affects the quality and price of eggs_ the major ingredients in making KDC’s products, raised the cost of production and reduced the sale of the products (2012). . 8 Competitors Although KDC is the largest confectionery company in Vietnam, it does not mean that it can eternally maintain the current position without caring about other less successful companies and other kinds of competitors. The main current rivalries of KDC are Hai Ha, Huu Nghi, Biscafun and QNS. While KDC focused on the high and medium grade products, others tend to pursue producing the common grade products. And wherea s KDC is the leader in the market share of moon cake, AFC and sweet biscuit, those 4 companies also ave their strong positions in other products: BBC lead in candy market, HHC lead in chew and Jelly market, Huu Nghi well-known for Tet jam and industrial salty bread, which also bring them great profit and still tremendously potential to exploit (2012), from the research, we realize that although the way KDC is following is highly profitable and still grow fast, it may be rather risky when the income of consumers is low and they cannot afford its products in the future, in that case, they can turn to other brands.It also exists the case of consumers changing their tastes, and demand more the products that KDC does not focus to, which can reduce sharply its sale revenue. Additionally, the confectionery industry is one of the most potential industries in Vietnam ( from 2008 to 2012 the production of confectionery increases by 114. 7% per year despite the depression  (2007), so the cha nce of new entrants coming to it and take parts of KDC market share is of high likelihood 3. 9 SuppliersRegardless of however potential the market is, without suppliers, a company cannot perform anything. Suppliers, defined as who provide not only materials and equipment but also financial and labor resource, play a crucial role on the well-being of companies. In the case of KDC, the suppliers of raw materials are determined by its vision and mission. As the quality of products is what factory puts the most emphasis on, KDC has a tendency to coordinating with the partners of high prestige supplying high quality and clearly-rooted materials.The main inputs such as sugar, eggs, flour, admixtures are taken from the domestic market while milk powder and chocolate are from the global one, particularly, France, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. It can be acknowledged as an opportunity of KDC because the materials in the internal market are always available and it just has to deal with negligible carrying cost. Whereas, the wider spread of supplier network over the world market enables KDC to be flexible in ensuring the inputs for production.Along with the opportunities, suppliers also pose a lot of threats to the company in different ways, the first of which is through prices. As announced in the annual report of KDC in 2011, due to the inflation, the firm suffers from dramatically increasing and unstable prices of material together with the rises in salary and utilities expense, which leads to a significant drop in total revenue of KDC. Moreover, as KDC imports some materials from the external market, they are the price takers. Therefore, they will encounter some problems because of the fluctuations in the world prices.Back to the domestic market, the changing prices of inputs, especially sugar is really a pending issue. Not only KDC but also many confectionery producing corporations also get exhausted with the discrepancy between the sugar price at the beginni ng and the end of the harvest. While the price of confectionery does not change by 10 % per year, the sugar price fluctuates by nearly 30% (Hung, cited in thesaigontimes. vn, 2012) What is more, company effectiveness of performance is reduced significantly by supply chain disruption especially in global sourcing.Rob Handfield (2011, p3) points out that the delay in supplying can cut down shareholder value by as much as 10% or even worse in ‘time-sensitive† environments where early market introduction is critical to success. KDC also gets part of its inputs from the external market through shipping so it is impossible to avoid the risk of supply chain disruption, which means a great deal of time and money wasted. 3. 10 Pressure groups. One more factor that a firm often has to bear in mind derives from pressure groups, which are the ones attempting to influence the actions of organization.Every organization has its own pressure groups and as for KDC, the 2 groups that have the role in regulating KDC’s performances are Environmental Protection Group and Customer Right Protection Group. The EPG takes investigation of the treatment to wastes from production activities of KDC to determine whether it does harm to environment or not. If there is any problem, they will reflect it through the medium to force the company to correct it or make some compensation. The CRPG monitors the action of KDC from the step of taking inputs to processing and packaging to ensure it is safe to the health of customers.As the social attitudes change so does the power of pressure groups. In 2008, KDC had been blamed for using milk powder that contains melamine- one toxic substance- to produce cakes. Under the pressure of media, KDC had to carry out a careful test to make sure that the production was absolutely reliable. ( Thao, cited in baomoi. com,2008) | | | | | III. Recommendations In term of specific environment, as confectionery demand is rather elastic due to its e normous number of close substitutes, the lower the price is, the higher the demand is, especially in these dark days of the economy.Hence, it is obvious that KDC should take a set of actions in terms of price to motivate consumers to purchase more such as reducing the price of products, or giving promotions when they buy a certain large amount. Such programs will not only raise the company’s revenue but also make its reputation much more well-known. The marketing work also should be taken into consideration since the current advertising campaign of KDC is not of high effectiveness. Thus to make the quality of its products known and then highly regarded by people, it should promote advertising and marketing strategy.As regard competition, to be more competitive to best exploit the market, it is thought that KDC should research and build development plans, diversifying its products and expanding to other markets, this will both helps KDC to avoid the case of lower revenue due t o the change of consumers’ taste and bring about enormously larger revenue if successful. For the suppliers, the careful analysis over opportunities and threats that supplier chains bring about gives the implications for the company to direct its actions. As for KDC, to minimize the negative impacts of suppliers, it has to face 2 ill-minded questions.The first one is how to reduce the purchasing prices of inputs. To enjoy the low-cost sourcing, it is advised that KDC should make a periodical purchase with extreme amount of materials. By that way, KDC is benefit from the great negotiation power over its partners about the prices. Another question is how to manage the risks from tardy delivery progress. According to Handfield, the most critical action is to develop the supplies chain strategies to detect the problems, assess the negative impacts and also mitigate them.In the case of KDC, they should sign the strict contracts with its partners, forcing them to adhere to the cont racts to ensure about the delivery progress. Moreover, it is better for KDC to make plans of frequently checking the materials left to be active in ensuring the inputs for manufacturing. Besides suppliers, KDC should pay attention to the pressure groups. The only way to get out of the impacts of them is doing things right. In particular, KDC is encouraged to give priority to the customer rights by providing the safe goods to consumers with appropriate prices.Moreover, it is necessary to develop a business plan of manufacturing parallel with protecting environment. It is the way KDC performs its social responsibility. Turning to external forces in the general environment, there is no denying that KDC should take these components into thorough consideration. Concerning opportunities, the firm should understand and take advantage of them to reinforce its competitive advantage over other competitors. For instance, in terms of demography, Vietnam seems to be a dynamic and potential marke t for confectionary products.Therefore, KDC should seek the ways to expand their scope of production as well as diversifying their items to meet new requirements from different customers. Turning to the issues that are generated by the general environment, the firm should stay alert and pay more attention to them if it does not want to be put under serious losses. Specifically, it is obvious that KDC should take into account the fluctuations in the open market as well as changes in the Government rules and regulations to respond quickly and make appropriate adjustments for its strategic management.IV. Conclusion To sum up, it is concluded with no doubt that KDC is doing an extremely good business, which brings about a strikingly high economic profit and also gets the KD’s brand name familiar with the customers in the domestic market as well as the global one. To attain this achievement, beside some internal factors of the company such as the good manager, skillful employees o r great capital, the external environment of KDC also makes a significant contribution.The general factor, which include economic, demographic, technological, social, cultural, political/legal, global, though do not have the direct impacts on the performance of KDC, they still serve as the frame to set the standard for all business activities. On the contrary, KDC is influenced by four specific elements namely customers, suppliers, competitors and pressure groups. They act as the determinants of the success or failure of KDC. 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