Saturday, May 23, 2020
What Is the Meaning of Yin and Yang
Yin and yang (or yin-yang) is a complex, relational concept in Chinese culture that has developed over thousands of years. Briefly put, the meaning of yin and yang is that the universe is governed by a cosmic duality, sets of two opposing and complementing principles or cosmic energies that can be observed in nature. Key Takeaways: Yin-Yang The yin-yang philosophy says that the universe is composed of competing and complementary forces of dark and light, sun and moon, male and female.à The philosophy is at least 3,500 years old, discussed in the ninth-century BCE text known as the I Ching or Book of Changes, and influencing the philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism.The yin-yang symbol is related to the ancient method used to track the movements of the sun, moon, and stars around the year.à Generally speaking, yin is characterized as an inward energy that is feminine, still, dark, and negative. On the other hand, yang is characterized as outward energy, masculine, hot, bright, and positive.à A Subtle and Cosmic Duality Yin and yang elements come in pairs, such as the moon and the sun, female and male, dark and bright, cold and hot, passive and active, and so on. But note that yin and yang are not static or mutually exclusive terms. While the world is composed of many different, sometimes opposing, forces, these forces still coexist and even complement each other. Sometimes, forces opposite in nature even rely on one another to exist. The nature of yin-yang lies in the interchange and interplay of the two components. The alternation of day and night is just such an example. There cannot be a shadow without light.à The balance of yin and yang is important. If yin is stronger, yang will be weaker, and vice versa. Yin and yang can interchange under certain conditions so that they are usually not yin and yang alone. In other words, yin elements can contain certain parts of yang, and yang can have some components of yin. This balance of yin and yang is perceived to exist in everything. The Yin Yang Symbolà The yin-yang symbol (also known as the Tai Chi symbol) consists of a circle divided into two halves by a curved line. One half of the circle is black, typically representing the yin side; the other is white, for the yang side. A dot of each color is situated near the center of the others half. The two halves are thus intertwining across a spiral-like curve that splits the whole into semicircles, and the small dots represent the idea that both sides carry the seed of the other.à The white dot in the black area and the black dot in the white area connote coexistence and unity of the opposites to form the whole. The curvy line signifies that there are no absolute separations between the two opposites. The yin-yang symbol, then, embodies both sides: duality, paradox, unity in diversity, change and harmony. Origin of Yin-Yangà The concept of yin-yang has a long history. There are many written records about yin and yang, some dating back to the Yin dynasty (about 1400ââ¬â1100 BCE) and the Western Zhou dynasty (1100ââ¬â771 BCE). The oldest records of the yin-yang principle are found in the Zhouyi, also called the I Ching or Book of Changes, which was written by King Wen in the 9th century BCE during the Western Zhou dynasty. This set is based in the Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrelated concepts; as used in Feng Shui and the I Ching. This version (later heaven) is used by the Luo Pan compass which is used in Feng Shui to analyze the movement of the Qi that affects us. The trigrams correspond to the five elements, to astronomy, astrology, geography, geomancy, anatomy, the family, and more. Thoth_Adanà / Getty Imagesà à The Jing portion of Zhouyi particularly talks about the flow of yin and yang in nature.à The concept became increasingly popular during the Spring and Autumn Period (770ââ¬â476 BCE) and the Warring States Period (475ââ¬â221 BCE) in ancient Chinese history. The idea has influenced thousands of years of Chinese philosophers, including the scholars associated with Taoism, such as Lao Tzu (571ââ¬â447 BCE), and Confucianism, such as Confucius himself (557ââ¬â479 BCE). It underlies Asian martial arts, medicine, science, literature, politics, daily behavior, beliefs, and intellectual pursuits.à Origin of the Symbol The origin of the yin-yang symbol is found in the ancient Chinese time-keeping system of using a pole to measure the changing lengths of shadows over the solar year, and invented in China at least as long ago as 600 BCE. In fact, some have suggested that the yin-yang symbol closely approximates a graphical representation of the daily change of a poles shadow length during the year. Yang begins at the winter solstice and indicates the beginning of the period when daylight dominates over darkness and thus is associated with the sun. The yin begins at the summer solstice and represents the dominance of darkness over daylight and is associated with the moon.à Yin-yang also represents the observation of the shadow of the earth on the moon, and the record of the position of the Big Dipper constellation through the year. These observations make up the four points of the compass: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the direction of the shortest shadow measured is south, and at night, the pole star points north.à Thus, yin and yang are fundamentally connected with the annual cycle of the earth around the sun and the resulting four seasons.à à Medical Use The principles of yin and yang are an important part of Huangdi Neijing, or Yellow Emperors Classic of Medicine. Written about 2,000 years ago, it is the earliest Chinese medical book. It is believed that to be healthy, one needs to balance the yin and yang forces within ones own body. Yin and yang are still important today in traditional Chinese medicine and Feng Shui. Sources Fang, Tony. Yin Yang: A New Perspective on Culture. Management and Organization Review 8.1 (2015): 25ââ¬â50. Print.Jaeger, Stefan. A Geomedical Approach to Chinese Medicine: The Origin of the Yin-Yang Symbol. In Recent Advances in Theories and Practice of Chinese Medicine. Ed. Haixue Kuang. IntechOpen, 2011. Print.Sà ´ma, Mitsuru, Kin-aki Kawabata, and Kiyotaka Tanikawa. Units of Time in Ancient China and Japan. Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan 56.5 (2004): 887ââ¬â904. Print.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Theology Analysis of Friedrich Schleiermachers Speeches
Introduction Friedrich Schleiermachers On Religion: Speeches to its Cultured Despisers led to his description of the Father of Modern Theology. The first two speeches, Defence and The Nature of Religion both use established concepts to oppose orthodoxy and establish a new method of theological thought that influences theology to modern times. Paul Tillich and Karl Rahner are also influential, both supporting the vital and intimate relationship between the divine and the human. Furthermore, this essential interrelationship and theologys focus on it are supported by various Christian philosophical/theological thinkers, including Langdon Gilkey, Martin Luther, John Calvin and Blaise Pascal. Body: Q1. Friedrich Schleiermacher has often been called the father of Modern Theology. On the basis of the first two speeches of On Religion: Speeches to its cultured despisers, is that title rightly accorded him or not? Why? The first two speeches of On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers distinguish Schleiermacher as the father of Protestant Liberal Theology, at the very least (Schleiermacher 1996, xiv, xi). The First Speech is Defence (Schleiermacher 1996, 1-25) and the Second Speech is The Nature of Religion (Schleiermacher 1996, 26-118). Reacting to the orthodoxy, enlightened rationality and detachment, and neoclassical ideals of his time (Schleiermacher 1996, xiv, xvi), Schleiermacher used some established concepts to articulate a newer, liberal approach
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Violence in Public School Free Essays
Your Name Instructor/Professorââ¬â¢s Name Course Date Violence In Public Schools Perhaps, one of the most pressing concerns affecting not only the educational sector, but the entire society, is the rising violence in schools. Indeed, thereââ¬â¢s no question that school-related violence is one of the gravest threats that any government will have to face. In fact, the U. We will write a custom essay sample on Violence in Public School or any similar topic only for you Order Now S. is just one of the dozens of countries plagued by this social ill. With easy access on guns and knives, schoolsââ¬âstudents and teachers, specificallyââ¬âhave been placed at a more precarious condition. Thus, it is no longer surprising if shooting spree, sexual assault, and stabbing incidents continue to headline the newspapers around the world. Such is the alarming rate of violence in what was once considered the haven of safety and sanctuary of morality that parents, students, and policymakers have to brave. In general, violence in U. S. schools, plus the governmentââ¬â¢s failure to preventââ¬âlet alone eliminateââ¬âeven in the presence of new initiatives specifically intended for this purpose, has turned out a huge cause for concern that needs to be addressed no sooner than later. No student or teacher for this matter should ever suffer from violence inside the classroom, playground, school cafeteria, or even while on his way to or from school. But the truth does not speak of the same. As the rate of school violence continues to escalate year by year, so does the disruption of the learning process, degradation of the studentsââ¬â¢ and teachersââ¬â¢ morale, and the spread of fear not only in the school but in the community in general. Aside from the immediate negative impact, school violence could also give birth to youth violence, which could stem to more diverse concerns in criminality, peace and order, and public health and safety. In this paper, we will try to delve the degree of school violence and how dangerous it is not only to wither the integrity of the U. S. school system, but also to rock society as well. In the present condition where the government seems too powerless enough to put this social crisis to an end, it is safe to say that school violence is indeed a force to reckon, a substantial shaker that will definitely cause the failure of schools in general. Data Reveal the Alarming Rate of School Violence Numerous studies have been conducted to assess the real impact and the degree in which school violence has really affected the school system. Data from the US Department of Education show disturbing figures. Between 2003 and 2004, it was revealed that 1 out of 10 teachers in urban schools admitted receiving threats from students. Between 2005 and 2006, almost 40 percent of public schools had at least one case of school violence. In 2007, 23 percent of students admitted that gangs existed in their schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (series 4) reveals that according to the results of a nationwide survey in 2007 among students from grades 9 to 12 show that almost 6 percent of students did bring guns, knives and other types of dangerous weapons inside the school. Furthermore, almost 8 percent of students were threatened, harassed, or injured by these weapons. Meanwhile, 12 percent of the respondent-students admitted that they had been involved in physical fights inside the school. A more disturbing note revealed that most than 22 percent of students sold, used, and were offered and given illegal drugs right inside the school. Nonfatal assaults are also rampant inside the school. The Department of Education reveals that in 2006, on a national level, 3 out of 100 students are actively participating in school-based crimes, which included rape, assault, and theft. Bullying is even a more serious cause for alarm. More than one-third of the entire student population had been victims of bullying, 4 percent of them being bullied online or through text messages. This stems to a more violent personality as bullied students have more chances of getting engaged into fights, psychological trauma and dropping out of school. Likewise, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (33-36) reveals that school violence-related deaths continue to escalate on a yearly basis. Although on an average rate, 1 out of 100 students die due to violence inside the school, still, such cases are too much to ignore, since NO death, especially violence-related must ever occur inside the campus. Since 2003, more than 115 students have been killed in almost 110 incidents. On a yearly basis, that translates to 17 students dying from homicide. Anderson et al (2695) reveals that school-associated violence and deaths occur ââ¬Å"before and after the school day and during lunch,â⬠while cases of violence are more likely to occur at the onset of the semester (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Violent, 657). Half of recorded homicide cases show that perpetrators actually reveal some sort of warning signal before they attack their victims. These include making a threat or leaving a note before the crime occurs (Anderson et al, 2695). Risk Factors Leading to Violence in Schools School violence does not exist simply because they have to exist. There are numerous underlying factors that trigger the occurrence of numerous conditions that give rise to this case. In fact, experts, researchers and lawmakers agree that there is a deeper root that that gives life to these occurence. According to the Constitutional Rights Foundation, among the risk factors affecting school violence include: ââ¬Å"weapons, media violence, cyber abuse, the impact of school, community, and family environments, personal alienation,â⬠(crf-usa. rg) among others. Access to Weapons. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the rapid increase in the rate of gun accessibility among teens in the United States. As more teenagers owned guns, thus, the rise of gun deaths and injuries (crf-usa. org). A study conducted by Bergstein et al (794-8) in Boston and Milwaukee shows that that 42 percent of students who responded revealed that ââ¬Å"they could g et a gun if they wanted, 28 percent have handled a gun without adult knowledge or supervision, and 17 percent have carried a concealed gunâ⬠¦. This claim was backed by data provided by the University of Southern California School of Medicine, which reports that around 35% of U. S. households with children 18 years old and below are reported to have owned at least one firearm, which ââ¬Å"translates to more than 11 million children living in homes with firearmsâ⬠(crf-usa. org). Furthermore, teens can also acquire handguns in illegal sales, as ââ¬Å"American gun shows continue to be a venue for illegal activity, including unlicensed sales to prohibited individualsâ⬠(Bergstein et al, 794). Violence Caused by Media. The Constitutional Rights Foundations (crf-usa. rg ) reveals that an average American child will have witness 8,000 murders and 100,000 violent acts by time he reaches 7th grade. Thatââ¬â¢s because of television. Time and again, claims have been made and studies have been conducted to really test the truth behind the impact of television in inculcating wrong values to a child. According to the Anderson et al (81), ââ¬Å"violent television and films, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts. Although certain characteristics exhibited by viewers, such as identification of aggressive characters), parental guidance and other social factors, as well as the content of the media could make or break the effect of media violence. These also count the the degree of aggression instilled in the viewerââ¬â¢s personality. Cyber Bullying. Anderson et al (83) write that high school students are more exposed to violence in video games, thus, they show ââ¬Å"more pro-violent attitudes, had more hostile personalities, were less forgiving, believed violence to be more normal, and behaved more aggressively in their ev eryday lives. â⬠However, Sherry (msu. du ) reasoned out that the ââ¬Å"overall effect of these games on aggressiveness does not appear greatâ⬠to warrant significant attention. School Environments. A survey conducted by the Childrenââ¬â¢s Institute International revealed that more than half off teenage population living in rural, suburban, or urban areas all agree that schools are becoming more and more violent in the passing of time. School-based Gangs. The National Center for Educational Statistics, as quoted by the Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA (2), reveals that in 2005, ââ¬Å"24 percent of students ages 12-18 reported that there were gangs at their schools. Nevertheless, no difference was observed with regards to reporting gang presence among rural and suburban students. Communities. Aside from the negligence in the school and in the home, communities also show neglect in children, which is another reason for hastened occurrence of school violence. Furthermore, a communityââ¬â¢s unresponsive attitude ââ¬Å"to the needs of families and their children [â⬠¦could] develop into school violence [â⬠¦given that] [a]fter-school and summer programs are not always availableâ⬠(crf-usa. org). Family. The family, which should have been highly responsible in shaping a childââ¬â¢s mind to become upright and law-abiding, are also the one the blame of the deterioration of the values and attitudes among teenagers. As parents neglect their duty to rare their child with positive attitudes, ââ¬Å"children may develop negativeââ¬âand often violentââ¬âbehavior patternsâ⬠(crf-usa. org). But more than providing room for negative values to grow, irresponsible and abusive households also impede a childââ¬â¢s growth and maturity. Thus, as observed, some of the most aggressive teenagers show signs of poor communication skills and low self-esteem. And since children have no parental role models to look up to, they would tend to focus their attention on popular culture, no matter how violent or aggressive it nature may be. The lack of support from the family and community therefore poses burden on schools, as it turns out that they are the only social institution left to ââ¬Å"educate, shelter, and discipline children,â⬠(crf-usa. org). Nevertheless, this task serves too tasking as ââ¬Å"most schools have difficulty playing multiple roles as educators, surrogate parents, social service, or law-enforcement agenciesâ⬠( crf-usa). Violence Is Becoming Widespread in Schools With all these research and information laid on the table, it is therefore too difficult to ignore the fact that school violence is bound to impair the countryââ¬â¢s education system. Lack of funding and support from state and federal governments, plus neglect on the part of communities and families, eventually prove too much for educators to bear the task of educating, disciplining and imparting positive attitudes to students. Thus, it could be deduced that ââ¬Å"violence and danger are constant companions for Americaââ¬â¢s schoolchildrenâ⬠(McClusky, cato. org) While state and federal documents reveal that school violence has been heading towards the slump since the advent of the 21st century, researchers believe that these information are misleading, as administrators and government officials are actually negligent and blind enough to make the problem known. Journalists are quick to point out the discrepancy of assessments. McClusky (cato. rg) revealed a Denver Post article that uncovered a widespread ââ¬Å"under-reporting of violent incidents in Denver-area schoolsââ¬âunder-reporting that occurred despite the presence of a state accountability system designed to identify dangerous schools. â⬠Whatââ¬â¢s went wrong is the fact that in the entire Colorado, as well as well as in other states, a lot of schools tend to under-report violent incidents. Furthermore, Chicago Tribune in McCl usky (cato. org) reported negligence on the part of law enforcers in Illinois to warn school districts whenever ââ¬Å"convicted juvenile sex offenders enroll in their schools. Many failed to notify principals in the mistaken belief they were not permitted to alert them, when in fact they were required to do soâ⬠(cato. org). Another mistake on the part of the government is the poor process of collecting and gathering data, reveals Modzeleski in McClusky (cato. org). When the law regarding this issue was enacted in 2001, it was revealed that quite a good number of school districts have gathered sufficient data to provide accurate records regarding school violence, although there were also school districts who failed on this. Impact of Violence in Public Schools Thereââ¬â¢s really no question that violence in schools have profound effect not just in the education system, but in the entire aspect of American life. As schools are disturbed by violence, the effect is felt by students through poor education, low self-esteem and other debilitating factors that could affect not only their professional career, but other facets of their lives, as well. ââ¬Å"It is intuitively obvious and consistent with an ecological perspective that crime and violence in settings in which youth live and attend school pose a poor context for academic involvement and performance,â⬠explains Bowen Bowen (321). Indeed, violent and aggressive behavior displayed by students at school could mean poor academic performance, which could directly or indirectly hamper the teaching and learning process. Based on the observations made by Lochman, Lampron, Gemmer, Harris (339), we can conclude therefore, that aggression and violence do not only hamper the individualââ¬â¢s academic performance, but the ââ¬Å"negative impact [could also extend] on the education of their classmates by diverting their teachers from teaching and reducing the amount of time students are engaged in learningâ⬠(339). In Garbarino Abramowitz (17), we discovered that the ââ¬Å"risks to development can come from both direct threats and the absence of opportunities for development. â⬠Aside from classroom performance, the impact of school violence also reaches to the physical side. Pollack, in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc. gov), reveals that ââ¬Å"a number of students seek medical care for nonfatal, violence-related injuries. Some of these injuries are relatively minor and include cuts, bruises, and broken bones. Other injuries, like gunshot wounds and head trauma, are more serious and can lead to permanent disability. â⬠But injuries extend deeper, more than what the eye can see, actually. The Center for Disease Control (cdc. gov) reveals that constant exposure to violence not only in school, but also at home and in the neighborhood, could result to different negative health, psychological and even mental outcomes to a person. This could include depression and anxiety, which could trigger fear in going to school and other negative effects to an individualââ¬â¢s life. A 2007 survey by CDC (cdc. gov), shows that almost 6 percent of high school schools in the entire country nationwide did not go to school ââ¬Å"on one or more of the 30 days before the surveyâ⬠(cdc. gov) was conducted for fear of danger and harm ââ¬Å"at school or on their way to or from schoolâ⬠(cdc. gov). Thus, for this reason, the rate of absences has risen from 1993 and 2005. Furthermore, Pollack (cdc. gov) revealed that around ââ¬Å"160,000 students go home early on any given day because they are afraid of being bullied. â⬠Conclusion All the records are one and the same in revealing that violence in the school is indeed a cause for alarm for everyone. According to the Indiana State University (indiana. edu), the past fifteen years saw a distressing rate in the increasing of youth violence in schools. Worst, both the culprits and the victims are getting younger and younger. What is sad and disturbing about this situation is that school officials themselves show little interest in curbing the criminality within their campus. They either fail to record the incidence or are negligent nough to inform higher officials and law enforcers about this. Furthermore, law enforcers themselves seem half-hearted in waging an all-out campaign against school violence. Even state and federal governments seem not to care at all. That is why, it is pretty irritating to note that government officials are proud to hail that school violence has either stabilized or spiraled downwards, even if every day, televisions and new papers keep o n trumpeting for what really is the truthââ¬âincidents of shooting, stabbing, robbery, or rape right within the school campus. Thus, we can really conclude that at this point, schools are not really safe. They are in fact, at their most dangerousââ¬âamong the riskiest places, ever, for students and teachers be. As revealed by Indiana State University (indiana. edu): ââ¬Å"National level data suggests that middle and high schools, especially larger schools, are more at-risk for serious violence. Moreover, students in urban schools serving predominantly lower SES minority children remain twice as likely to be victims of violence as students in suburban, town, or rural areas. In addressing the tragic incidents that have occurred recently in suburban and rural schools, it is critical that the more ongoing and severe problems of lower SES urban schools and students not be forgotten or ignored. â⬠All these data, figures and studies have their significant effect on our schools and in society as a whole. Indeed ââ¬Å"what we do in our schools on a day to day basis in terms of discipline may be related to serious crime and violenceâ⬠(indiana. edu). Thus, each of us is partly to blame for what is happening. And as we are part of the problem, so, too are we parts of the solution. And while comprehensive programs and tightened security are implemented to improve the atmosphere inside the school and reduce the violence, we may say that, really, only time could tell what the future holds for our countryââ¬â¢s educational system. References Anderson, C. A. , Gentile, Douglas A. , Burkley, K. E. Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory Research and Public Policy. New York: Oxford University Press; 2007, 83. Anderson, Craig A. et al. The Influence Of Media Violence On Youth. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 4 (3); 81. Anderson, M. , Kaufman J. , Simon T. R. , Barrios L, Paulozzi L, Ryan G, et al. School-associated violent deaths in the United States, 1994-1999. JAMA 2001; 286 (21):2695-702. Bergstein J. M. , Hemenway D. , Kennedy B. , Quaday S. , Ander R. Guns in young hands: a survey of urban teenagersââ¬â¢ attitudes and behaviors related to handgun violence. Journal of Trauma. 1996 Nov; 41(5):794-8. Bowen, Natasha K. , Bowen, Gary L. Effects of Crime and Violence in Neighborhoods and Schools on the School Behavior and Performance of Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 14 No. , July 1999, 321-23. Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA. Youth Gangs and Schools. Los Angeles, CA: 2007. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School-associated student homicides-United States, 1992-2006. MMWR 2008;57(02):33-36. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Temporal variations in school-associated student homicide and suicide events ââ¬â United States, 1992 -1999. MMWR 2001; 50(31):657-60. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillanceââ¬âUnited States, 2007. Surveillance Summaries, June 6, 2008. MMWR 2008;57(SS-4). Constitutional Rights Foundation. Causes of School Violence, no date. Retrieved from http://www. crf-usa. org/school-violence/causes-of-school-violence. html. Department of Education. Indicators of school crime and safety: 2008. NCES 2009-022. Department of Education and Justice (US); 2009. Washington (DC): US Government Printing Office. Garbarino, J. , Abramowitz, R. H. (1992). The ecology of human development. In J. Garbarino (Ed. ), Children and families in the social environment (2nd ed. , pp. 11-33). New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Jamieson, A. , Curry, A. Martinez, G. School enrollment in the United States ââ¬â social and economic characteristics of students. Department of Commerce (US), Census Bureau (US);1999. Washington (DC): US Government Printing Office. Kachur, S. P. , Stennies, G. M. , Powell, K. E. , Modzeleski, W. , Stephens, R. , Murphy, R. , et al. School-associated violent deaths in the United States, 1992 to 1994. JAMA 1996;275(22):1729-33. Lochman, J. E. , Lampro n, L. B. , Gemmer, T. C. , Harris, S. R. (1987). Anger coping intervention with aggressive children:A guide to implementation in school settings. In P. A. Keller S. R. Heyman (Eds. ), Innovations in clinical practice: A source book (Vol. 6, pp. 339-356). Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Exchange. McCluskey, N. Violence in Public Schools: A Dirty Secret. School Reform News: 2005, June 1. Retrieved from: http://www. cato. org/publications/commentary/violence-public-schools-dirty-secret Olweus, D. Bullying at school: what we know and what we can do. Malden (MA): Blackwell; 1993. Pollack, W. Real boys: rescuing our sons form the myths of boyhood. New York (NY): Henry Holt and Company, LLC; 1998. How to cite Violence in Public School, Essay examples
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Entrepreneurship in International Emerging Economies â⬠Free Samples
Question: Discuss about the Entrepreneurship in International Emerging Economies. Answer: Introduction An entrepreneur is an individual who is responsible for starting a business endeavor. At the inception of any business the risk is evaluated to be very high, though it depends upon the industry as well but initial capital acquisition, risk, liabilities are all on the shoulders of an entrepreneur. Efficient and successful entrepreneurs are the growth basis of any economy as it ensures new business. Entrepreneurship is broad and much more complex concept than just about a new business venture, it is an distinguishing attitude of an individual to lead, manage, organize, plan and bear risk without panicking (Kearney Hisrich, 2014). A person who is willing to work passionately for the business he or she has built is an entrepreneur. Jeff Bezos began his business from his garage by selling books online. He founded Amazon in the year 1994, this was the early days of internet and Jeff had seen an opportunity which he grabbed. Today Jeff Bezos has taken the crown off Bill Gates of being the wealthiest man in the world (Jeff Bezos: the 'obsessive' Amazon founder and world's next richest man, 2017). Analyzing the interview of Jeff Bezos Jeff Bezos has repeatedly mentioned in his interviews that there are three topics or point of focus for his growth and development in the business. Firstly, he says that he always look at the larger picture, thinks on a long run basis. Secondly, the focus is not on sales, not on the profit margins of the company but on the customer satisfaction. Thirdly, he believes in innovations and development of new and improved ways and means to grow in the market and in the industry. As an entrepreneur of a benchmark company and pioneering in the e-commerce field of business, Jeff is a rather humble person. To help develop a new business idea, one must be far sighted, and should adapt to change. Change is constant and will continue to happen within the organization or externally. The company should be ready to face the challenge at any point of time and it is dependent on the attitude and riskmanagement capabilities of an entrepreneur. When Jeff was asked about the risks and challenges or unforeseen situations suddenly hit the market how does he keep his clam and deal with situation. He replied saying that it goes back to being farsighted and thinking about the long term. A farsighted entrepreneur should be able to deal with and be ready to tackle any circumstance (Ucbasaran et al. 2013) Jeff also believes in advertising the truth about his service to his customers. As Amazon is known for its customer centric behavior and service, the founder of the company also believes that the center of success is the consumers and hence they should be able to see clearly what they are being offered. He doesnt believe in promoting something and providing something else to his customers. Amazon has two types of business one form the seller end and the other is the buyer end. The seller end of the business is the people who can use the platform to sell their products. It is seen that Amazon does not only have big selling giants in the portal. They also have a good place for any new business or startup as well. It is important for Amazon to encourage and motivate new business because Jeff as an entrepreneur understand the value of starting small and what capabilities small industries have. As worlds richest man he has a responsibility to help develop and grow new business ideas (Aldrich Yang, 2014). In his interview Jeff says that he does not believe in shortcuts and there are step after step which are to be taken in order to reach a milestone. These milestones or goals in the long run help achieve the object of the company. There should be passion and love for the work and that is the only way to success. He talks about understanding of an opportunity, initially there was a just books that was available in Amazon which he sold form his garage in Seattle. And now Amazon is a multinational company with thousands of employees worldwide. Bezos says that, his passion for Information technology and his love for reading is what drove him to begin in the first place and rest fell in place because his knowledge about the internet and his understanding of its reach has made him who he is today. He says that passion is what has driven him from the beginning and it is what is still driving him to innovate and invent use new ideas to face new challenges of the changing world (Jeff Bezos - Thinking for the Long Term, 2017). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lAizH_Ycxc Personality Attributes of an Entrepreneur From the above interview we can infer some of the following personality attributes of an entrepreneur and what drives an individual in creating and developing new business ideas: Passion: Any successful business is an outcome of the passion of its entrepreneur. It is passion that motivates and continuously inspires an individual to develop and innovate. A successful business is the hard work of a passionate entrepreneur. Nothing should be left on chance it is knowledge and understanding that helps create opportunities. Be it a small scale or a large scale business it is important for the entrepreneur to be passionate about what he or she is offering and should strive for betterment (Cassar, 2014). Understanding opportunities: It is important for an entrepreneur to understand and develop on existing opportunities and should also have policies which will may way for more opportunities in the future (Baum, Frese Baron, 2014). Farsightedness: thinking long term is the basis of any successful endeavor. A company has to lay down policies and develop in accordance with the external and internal business environment and this requires the entrepreneur to be farsighted (Almeida, Ahmetoglu Chamorro-Premuzic, 2014). Leadership: A leader is a person who can motivate and inspire others to follow a definite path or ideology. A successful entrepreneur should be a good leader so as to make others work and share his passion for the development of the company. Customer centric: An entrepreneur should focus and form his policies keeping in mind first the quality of the product or service that is being offered to the customer. It is important for a new business build a customer base people who are loyal to the brand that the new business is trying to create. This will only happen if the company focuses on the development of customer service and cultivate the product or service they have to offer keeping in mind the end consumer (Caliendo, Fossen Kritikos, 2014). Innovation and hindrances For any new business to develop and expand in the market it is important to keep innovating and upgrading according to the changes in the environment. One of the major difficulties that new businesses face is the capital generation for innovation. It is a hard fact to accept that a new business will get any profit in the first few years. Hence the availability of rotational funds is comparatively less. But this is where the passion of the entrepreneur is at test (Leutner et al. 2014). Sometimes strict rules for the resources also can behave as a barrier towards innovation. Open thinking and opportunity to test is one of the key elements of innovating new and improved business (Kuratko, 2016). It is imperative for new business to have an open mind and liberal through process so that the resource at disposal has the opportunity to innovate on their own. There is also a lack of control and improper disposal of power in a new business, which can work as a barrier in innovation. People also confuse creativity to innovation. They are different and have a different approach and requirement. On need to be creative in order to invent and think with an open mind (Drucker, 2014). Conclusion The above interview of Jeff Bezos is very insightful for any aspiring entrepreneur as it gives us idea about the do and dont. The point that Bezos is talking about in the interview has practical relevance and is a proof why he is now the richest man on earth. His view on being obsessive consumer centric is something all industries should follow and incorporate in their policies. He is also spot-on about being passionate if one wants to start a business he or she should love what he is doing. A new business is not like a 9-5 job the entrepreneur has to live in the dream that he or she is about to build. There are no holidays for an entrepreneur as there are no short cuts to success. References Aldrich, H. E., Yang, T. (2014). How do entrepreneurs know what to do? Learning and organizing in new ventures.Journal of Evolutionary Economics,24(1), 59-82. Almeida, P. I., Ahmetoglu, G., Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2014). Who wants to be an entrepreneur? The relationship between vocational interests and individual differences in entrepreneurship.Journal of Career Assessment,22(1), 102-112. Baum, J. R., Frese, M., Baron, R. A. (Eds.). (2014).The psychology of entrepreneurship. Psychology Press. Caliendo, M., Fossen, F., Kritikos, A. S. (2014). Personality characteristics and the decisions to become and stay self-employed.Small Business Economics,42(4), 787-814. Cassar, G. (2014). Industry and startup experience on entrepreneur forecast performance in new firms.Journal of Business Venturing,29(1), 137-151. Drucker, P. (2014).Innovation and entrepreneurship. Routledge. Jeff Bezos - Thinking For The Long Term. (2017).youtube.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lAizH_Ycxc Jeff Bezos: the 'obsessive' Amazon founder and world's next richest man. (2017).theguardian.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/02/jeff-bezos-amazon-founder-worlds-richest-man-bill-gates Kearney, C., Hisrich, R. D. (2014). 6. Entrepreneurship in developing economies: transformation, barriers and infrastructure.Necessity Entrepreneurs: Microenterprise Education and Economic Development, 103. Kuratko, D. F. (2016).Entrepreneurship: Theory, process, and practice. Cengage Learning. Leutner, F., Ahmetoglu, G., Akhtar, R., Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2014). The relationship between the entrepreneurial personality and the Big Five personality traits.Personality and individual differences,63, 58-63. Ucbasaran, D., Shepherd, D. A., Lockett, A., Lyon, S. J. (2013). Life after business failure: The process and consequences of business failure for entrepreneurs.Journal of Management,39(1), 163-202.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)