Employee Turnover In Pharmaceutical Companies In Kenya Management Essay

Employee Turnover In Pharmaceutical Companies In Kenya Management Essay The objective of the study was to investigate employee turnover problem in Pharmaceutical industries in Kenya with a case study of Ranbaxy Laboratories limited. The study specifically investigated on staff retention measures utilized by the management, whether exit interviews are conducted, and the competitiveness of reward program and whether the conduciveness of the work place environment as factors that may contribute to workforce turnover in this sector. The study adopted a descriptive research design to identify the employee turnover factors and a sample size of 50 employees were selected using a simple random sampling since the population for the purpose of this study was regarded as homogeneous. The study collected both primary and secondary data using semi-structured questionnaire and review of empirical and theoretical literatures respectively. The instruments were pilot tested for reliability checks. Statistical software SPSS was used for data analysis and generation of charts and graphs. Analysis took both descriptive and inferential dimensions where some elements of measure of central tendency and regression analysis were employed respectively. The study revealed that organization lacked effective staff retention strategies, where exit interviews were not regularly and effectively conducted, the employed reward program was not competitive and existence of unfriendly work place environment influenced most employees to leave the organization. Thus it was concluded that lack of effective strategies to manage these factors influenced most pharmaceutical companies to continue experiencing high staff turnover rates that lower the total organization productivity and increase running costs by recurrent recruitment costs, production disrupting and broken clients relationships. The study recommended that these factors should be part of the organization business strategy rather than being left to managers to act. Key Words: Employee turnover, Retention strategies, Exit interviews, Work environment and, Compensation. Introduction Turnover is the rate at which workers are replaced with new staff members in an organization. Turnover rate is calculated by dividing the number of resignations by number of staff in a given period of time usually a calendar year. Gberevbie, (2008) refers to frequent labor turnover as a state of affairs in an organization whereby employees for reasons best known to them based on their perception of personnel policies and practice of an organization resign or leave their job. Employees switch organizations for several reasons. These reasons could be either organization related or job related. Managers would readily agree that retaining the top performers results in higher customer satisfaction, quality improvement, effective succession planning and a considerable increase in organization knowledge and learning. Smith (2001) discusses companies with work environments that attract and retain people and where people are willing to give their best. These environments arent expensive. In f act, they save money.   In most cases, they improve retention and productivity without lavish salaries or bonuses. And they certainly lower the expense of continually hiring and training new people. Estimates suggest that separation, replacement and training costs are 1.5 to 2.5 times annual salary for each person who quits, which means that the departure of a middle manager usually costs an organization around $75,000 (Dalton et al., 1993). Employees who perceive relationships with customers provide better service. Customers who receive better service express fewer complaints and thereby create fewer problems for employees. Employees in turn react more favorably to encounters with customers. These reactions result in better service which again leads to higher customer satisfaction. Providing adequate health care to the populations remains a major challenge for governments in Africa .Access of drugs is dependent on both affordability and quality. The pharmaceutical sector is Kenya is dominated by multinational companies and generic companies who either import ready products or locally manufactured products. The domestic pharmaceutical industry shows considerable strength and has significant opportunities for growth. Imported generics make 28% of the market share (UNIDO survey, 2009). The reports goes on to say exports to Tanzania and Uganda are growing and still more potential for Kenya to establish its self as a major source in Southern Sudan. For purpose of this study, the researcher focused on Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, an integrated, research based, international pharmaceutical company producing a wide range of quality, affordable generic medicines, trusted by healthcare professionals and patients across geographies, the company has a unique model of applauding and recognizing individual and team effort through (APPRECIATE) program designed to motivate performance (www.ranbaxy.com). The Companys business philosophy is based on delivering value to its stakeholders by constantly inspiring its people to innovate, achieve excellence and set new global benchmarks. Statement of the Problem The private health sector in Kenya contributes around 13% to the GDP and has largely remained unchanged since 1995(KPPB, 2007). Out of this, Pharmaceutical industries account for a whopping 10.3% in its contribution to the GDP. Although on average this is seen as stagnation, it is considered as one of the largest in East and Central Africa. Nevertheless, due to increased development of conventional medicines and awareness about preventive culture in the urban population, the industry has registered a high level of growth and innovation that has turned the sector into a vibrant business domain. This has seemingly attracted the attention of many entrepreneurs resulting to massive investment both at large and retail scale levels. Empirical studies (Wilson and Peel, 1990) on pharmaceutical industries have indicated that the industry is characterized by a stiff competition. In Kenya, the proliferations of the biotechnology marketplace have greatly revolutionized the industry operations. Organizations are increasingly at risk of losing key sales personnel to competitors and new market entrants. In a recent benchmarking study, Best Practices found that the 2006 aggregate annual turnover of employees for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in Kenya is 14.2%. According to (Paul and Anantharaman, 2003) ,increasing turnover of sales people is particularly problematic for the larger pharmaceutical companies as smaller market entrants, particularly biotechnology firm keep on attracting their employees.. This resulted into massive exodus of employees from the pharmaceutical subsector into these upcoming biotechnology firms since the skills required is the same in both sub sector. This has evidently affected the Pharmaceutical industries since they responded to these pressures by focusing on its innovative segment and increasing its RD expenditures by means of in-house innovation, technological and therapeutic market specialization, and mergers and acquisitions of companies within and outside the pharmaceutical industry resulting to declining profits and stagnation (Kundu Malhan, 2007). Most studies (Delaney and Huselid,1996) done of the employee turnover sought to establish preliminary indices for employee turnover situations in different subsector hence making many statistics that describes the turnover of employees as abundant. In spite of having many studies undertaken on staff turnover in pharmaceutical companies, none of t he studies have managed to come up with an effective solution on how pharmaceutical companies should employ effective staff retention measures, conduct exit interviews, employ effective rewards programs and provide better working envi ronment. This has therefore created a wide knowledge gap on staff turnover management and hence created a need to conduct a study on factors contributing to the employee turnover in pharmaceutical companies in Kenya. Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, which is one of the largest and leading chains in the pharmaceutical laboratories with highest turnover according to the preliminary indices, (Delaney and Huselid, 1996) its recent employee satisfaction survey of 2009 indicated that 50% of the employees felt they would not be in the company for the next two years and 69% felt their intention to quit is influenced by management not peers. Considering Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited as a case, this study therefore sought to investigate the factors that contribute to employee turnover in pharmaceutical industries in Kenya. Overall Objective of the Study The general objective of the study is to investigate factors contributing to the employee turnover in pharmaceutical companies in Kenya, a case study of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Specific Objectives The study aimed to:- To investigate employee retention actions as a factor contributing to employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. To find out whether exit interviews affect employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. To find out the competiveness of reward program as a factor contributing to employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited.. To establish whether the work place environment affect employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Research Question The study sought answers for the following questions: Does employee retention actions as a factor contributing to employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Do exit interviews affect employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Does competiveness of reward program as a factor contributing to employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Do the work place environment affect employee turnover in Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. Scope of the Study In the literature, the variables that influence the turnover of the employees in an organization is vast. Since human resource management is also a socially complex process which is intertwined with array of organizational factors, it further diversifies the reasons as to why employees leave their organizations. Thus, this study focused only on retention action employed by the organization, exit interviews, competitiveness of reward program and status of workplace environment as factors influencing the employee turnover investigated. The study will limit itself to the case of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited only. Literature Review Both the theoretical and empirical reviews on employee turnover and its variables were conducted. This resulted into array of constructs (retention strategy, exit interviews, reward strategy, workplace environment and employee turnover) and their relationships which was conceptualized in the following schematic diagram below. This was used as the Conceptual framework which guided the study. Retention Strategy Exit Interviews Employee Turnover Reward Strategy Work place Environment Independent Variables Dependant Variable Research Methodology This chapter focused on research design, sampling, instrumentation, data collection, data analysis and interpretation. Research Design The research adopted descriptive approach. This is because, the study aim to describe employee turnover phenomena using different set of independent variable cluster. Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe what exists, with respect to variables or conditions in a situation (Mugenda and Mugenda, 1999). Population and Sampling The study focused on pharmaceutical industry in Kenya which is the target population regarded as the larger population on which the findings were generalized to. The study population was mployees of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. A target population is the total collection of elements about which one wishes to make some inferences (Mugenda and Mugenda, 1999). Stratified random sampling was used to select a sample size of 50 employees out of the total 75 employee of the study population. Since most variables under investigations are related to motivation, stratification is necessary to consider the different cadres of employees which pose motivation implications. This is equivalent to 66.67% sample size. According to Dempsey, (2003) a sample size of 50% is appropriate for generalization of the gathered findings in descriptive research. This therefore surpasses the threshold suggested by Dempsey, (2003) for generalization purposes and thus, regarded as adequate. The list sourced from th e Human Resource department of Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited was used as a sampling frame. Data Collection and Instrumentation Primary data collection was through the questionnaire using a semi structured questionnaire that was interviewer-administered. Secondary data was through review of the theoretical and empirical literatures sourced from books and scholarly journals, Internet and conference papers among others. Pilot Test A pilot study was conducted to test reliability of the instrument (questionnaire). This involved selecting 2 respondents from each strata and issuing them with the questionnaires. Data was obtained using the questionnaires and after evaluating and identifying the response, reliability analysis using Kunder-Richardson 20 formulae was conducted. The results were applied to modify or drop the items whose thresholds were low. Data reliability also plays an important role towards generalization of the gathered data to reflect the research objective. Data Analysis and Presentation Descriptive statistics data analysis method was applied to analyze quantitative data where data was scored by calculating the percentages and means. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software was used specifically for the purpose of analyzing the quantitative data and presenting it inform of table, figures and graphs. Linear Regression analysis was also used to show the relationship between research variables. Qualitative data analysis method was employed to analyze qualitative data gathered using open end questions. Summary of the Major Findings Response Rate The response rate was 80%. This is regarded adequate in line with the literature by Mugenda and Mugenda, (2003) which recommends 70% as a good response rate in descriptive studies. Respondents Demographic Profile Majority of the respondents (50%) were within the age bracket 31-40 years, 24% within the age bracket of 18-30, and 13% within the age bracket of 41-50 years and 51 years and above. On the education level, majority of the respondents (62%) had attained university education level and 25% had attained college education level. Regarding working experience most of the respondents (35%) had a working experience of 3-5 years, 25% 6-7 years, 18% 3-5 years, 20% had a working experience of less than 2years and 20% had a working experience of 8 years and above. This indicated that most of the study respondents were experienced and educated and hence expected to give relevant information for this study. Employee Retention Strategies Majority (58%) of the respondents indicated the organization lacked effective employee retention strategies while 42% felt otherwise. The 58% felt management lacked understanding on retention strategies. This concurs with Ruth (2004) that managers who have greater understanding on causes of employee turnover are likely to employ effective employee retention strategies in order to retain competent and most skilled employee. Further 80% of the respondents felt that the strategies employed do not minimize employee turnover. Using Likert scale method rating 4 very effective,3-effective,2-Moderate and 1 not effective 5-very effective, (50%) rated the effectiveness of the employed employee retention strategies as being moderate, 18% effective, 20% not effective and 12% very effective. From this we can infer majority of the employee rated average. This concurs with findings by Baker (2004) that organization that lacks very effectives employee retention strategies faces cases of high employ ee turnover rates that contributes to loss of the most skilled and competent employee. The low standard deviation indicates that there was negligible error during the analysis and the variance results demonstrates that respondents gave similar answers as the answers variation was close to each other and hence giving a clear indication that the answers given were reliable From the findings, it can be concluded that lack of effective employee retention strategies contributed to high employee turnover rates in the organization. Exit Interviews Majority of the respondents (68%) were of the opinion that employees leaving the organization were not subjected to exit interviews. However, 32% of the respondents expressed that the employees were subjected to exit interviews. This agreed with suggestion by Armstrong (2006) that presence of exit interviews in organization assists human resource management to establish the core causes of high employee turnover. Concerning whether exit interviews help the organization to find out the reasons for employee turnover (83%) answered no indicating that exit interviews did not help to establish reasons why employees left the organization and (37%) felt otherwise. The majority who answered no explained that the organization lacked effective exit interview program that helped in capturing the organization problems influencing high employee turnover. Regarding the frequency of conducting exit interviews respondents (47.5%) stated that exit interviews were rarely conducted, 40% stated sometimes , 7.5% never and only 5% who stated exit interviews were always conducted. Exit interviews were rarely conducted since the management was not conscious on the reasons contributing to high employee turnover rates and this agreed with Nelly (2002) that human resource managers who are not mindful about employees turnover do not carry out exit interviews and instead concentrates on employing new employees. The study hence concluded that conducting exit interviews could help human resource management in pharmaceutical to effectively manage high employee turnover rates. The table shows that a low standard deviation was obtained in all questions, indicating that the answers given were accurate. A low variance in all the questions shows that the respondents answered the questions in a similar way and hence the responses given were reliable. Reward Program The study sought to find out competitiveness of the reward program.73% of the respondents felt the reward program was not competitive and it was one of the reasons that influenced employees to leave. This agrees with Nzuve (2007) that absence of competitive rewards in the organization lead to low level of employee motivation that influences most employee to leave the organization hence increasing the rate of employee turnover.85% of the respondents indicated absence of competitive reward programs in the organization contributed to high employee turnover while 15% felt otherwise. As can be observed from the table a mean of 1.27 and 1.85 was obtained in the two questions indicating that organization lacked competitive reward programs and absence of competitive reward programs contributed high employee turnover rates. Work place Environment An overwhelming (80%) of the respondents felt their work environment was not conducive while 20% felt it was conducive. The majority 80% felt that the work environment contributed to employee turnover. Using Likert Scale where 5 -very large externt4-large extent, 3-moderate extent, 2-small extent and 1- not at all, majority of the respondents (60%) stated that work place environment contributed to employee turnover to a very large extent, 20% large extent, 10% moderate extent and 5% small extent and not at all respectively. A mean of 1.20 indicates that organization work place environment was not conducive, a mean of 1.80 shows that work place environment contributed to high employee turnover rate and a mean of 4.25 indicated that work place environment contributed to employee turnover to a large extent. A low variance and a low standard deviation demonstrate that the answers given by the respondents were accurate. Regression Analysis A regression equation to show the relationship between the independent variables and dependant variable was derived Y = a + bX1 + bX2 + bX3 + bX4 + e=r2 The values for b0, b1, b2, b3 and b4 are  .569, .330, .095, .160 and .132 therefore the equation Y = .569+.330+.095+ .160 +.132 This indicates that there is a strong relationship between, employee retention, exit interviews, reward program, work place environment and employee turnover. A coefficient of .330 indicates that application of effective employee retention strategies reduces employee turnover by 0.330,a coefficient of .095 indicates application of exit interviews reduces employee turnover by 0.095. A coefficient of.160 presents that application of effective reward programs reduces employee turnover by 0.16. A coefficient of .132 indicates that conducive workplace environment helps to reduce employee turnover by 0.132. Conclusion Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that employee retention strategy was a major factor that greatly contributed to high employee turnover rates in the organization. The study also found out that one of the critical parameter of collecting data form the exiting employees, exit interviews were not regularly conducted whenever employees left the organization. And this hampered the organization human resource management to identify the core reasons that influenced employees to leave the organization. Lack of competitive reward program greatly contributed to high employee turnover rates in the organization since the organizations reward package was not competitive and also lacks the elements of totality in its reward system. Finally it can be concluded that the organization working environment was not conducive to most of the employees and this contributed to high employee turnover. This is expected since; laboratories like workshops are characteristically identified with the workplace environments which they offer. Recommendations Employee turnover should not be left to be handled by the human resource department alone rather it should be looked at as part of the overall business strategy since human capital is one of the major factors of production. This way , factors that are causing employee turnover will be handled and top management level and action will be taken to minimize employee turnover. Thus the study suggests the need to investigate on the role played by the top management in the alleviating employee turnover investigation as necessary. The study also recommends the need for the managements to be vigilant with their exit interviews so as to get insights of why the employees are leaving while redoubling their efforts in streamlining the motivation package.

Essay on Irony in Twelfth Night -- Twelfth Night essays

         Realizing that her disguise has produced unexpected results, Viola makes an allusion to the Gordon knot in order to describe the perceived difficulty of extricating herself from the confusion. Viola, in the act of reinterpreting herself as a man for the main purpose of protection, has found herself the body from which other characters can derive their own interpretations.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I am man,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My state is desperate for my master's love:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I am woman (now alas the day!)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What thriftless sighs shall poor Olivia breathe?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   O time, thou must untangle this, not I,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is too hard a knot for me t'untie. Viola.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (2.2.35-40)    Just as easily as a soft "chev'ril glove" may be turned inside out, especially when it is pulled off to uncover the hand, Viola's position in the play, in relation to the other characters, can be seen as one that leads to a flexible play of ideas that reveal multiple meanings, contradictory or otherwise.    This essay will show how the ironic positions of the main characters, in relation to Viola, in Twelfth Night contribute and then undermine the comic theme of the play, and finally, with certain dramatic license, reinstate it, thus complicating positions of evaluation at certain points in the play.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Twelfth Night, one finds that the combined romantic and comic aspects of the main plot stem mainly from the theme of mistaken gender identity. In dealing with this theme, it is necessary to note that Viola's disguise as a man is assumed to be opaque by the aud... ... Grief, Karen. "Plays and Playing in Twelfth Night". Bloom (47-60). Kreiger, Elliot. "Malvolio and Class Ideology". Bloom (19-26). Nevo, Ruth. Comic Transformations in Shakespeare. London: Methuen & Co., 1980. Osborne, Laurie E. The Trick of Singularity: Twelfth Night and the Performance Editions. Iowa City: U of Iowa P, 1996. Rosenberg, Marvin. "Subtext in Shakespeare". Thompson, Marvin, and Ruth Thompson, eds. Shakespeare and the Sense of Performance. Newark: U of Delaware P, 1989. (79-90). Shakespeare, William. The Arden Edition of the Works of William Shakespeare: Twelfth Night. Ed. J. M. Lothian and T.W. Craik. UK: Methuen & Co., 1975. Thatcher, David. Begging to Differ: Modes of Discrepancy in Shakespeare. New York: Peter Lang, 1999. Vickers, Brian. Appropriating Shakespeare: Contemporary Critical Quarrels. New Haven: Yale U P, 1993

Mexican Religion Shapes Culture Essay

Mexican Religion Shapes Culture Throughout the world, the expansion of religion has significantly influenced the development of humanity in many different ways. Religion is an organized collection of belief and cultural systems with world views that relate humanity to spirituality and moral values (dictionary.com). Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to explain the origin of the Universe and give a convincing meaning to life. It was Hernan Cortes who first brought the Catholic Church to Mexico in 1521. His expedition, which included a friar named Bartolome de Olmedo and a priest named Juan Diaz, was mandated to convert the Indians into Christians. After the Spanish conquest, Mexico became colonized which, was helpful in the attempt to influence indigenous people to take on Catholicism. Religion has impacted Mexican societies through their culture, their surroundings and architecture, and their families. Roman Catholicism was established as the dominant, but not official, religion of Mexico. Today, about 89% of Mexicans still identify themselves by this division of Christian religion. The 2000 census reported that Mexico had some 101,000,000 Catholics among the population aged five and above. This equates to about 91% of their total population, making it the second largest Roman Catholic country in the world. The Catholic Church is the world’s largest Christian church, and is its largest religious grouping. Catholicism influences people in many countries, and in Mexico this influence is no less apparent. Though not everyone in Mexico is Catholic, religion seems to maintain a social order. Mexican Catholics take the many rules of Catholicism very seriously. In the article â€Å"The Catholic Church in Mexico: Triumphs and Traumas†, Shep Lencheck claims, â€Å"As of this moment the Church remains a unifying force in the private lives of Mexicans. It is the one constant in the changing and sometimes chaotic Mexican scene† (Lencheck 1). Thus, Catholicism is an ever present aspect in the lives of many Mexicans. Statistics show that almost 50 percent of Mexico’s population attends weekly mass at their local church. This weekly mass isn’t the only Catholic part of Mexican culture. Many ceremonies, including baptisms, confirmations, and weddings revolve around the Catholic Church. These events become more than just a religious ceremony but they are turned into a social event or community celebration with family and friends regardless the religion professed. A perso ns journey through religion is celebrated and all events from baptisms to weddings come with a party where religion is integrated into the social lives of many. The majority of society is scared to act upon certain sins in fear of the unknown (Hell). In the Catholic religion it is believed that sins of great evil are mortal sins-which bring the dire consequence of going to hell if unrepented for. In the bible a fear of God is clearly demanded, â€Å"The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them,† (Psalm 25:14) This states that in order to be a good Catholic, one must have a fear of God. This fear is instilled in Catholics from the moment they join the religion. They are told that in order to guarantee themselves eternal life they must have a personal covenant relationship with God. Part of this relationship includes following the rules of the religion to ensure a pathway to eternal life. Sin can also be viewed as anything that violates the ideal relationship between an individual and god. If one does not believe they will also receive consequences, â€Å"Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ† (Matthew 13:41) So whether you believe or not, committing sins leads to the ultimate punishment. This fear of Hell keeps many Catholics from breaking their covenant with God. The Catholic Church holds great power over their followers. As its own arbiter, the Catholic Church accepts no authority as being higher than itself. In the mid 1960s, Mexico experienced a population growth that instantly became a problem. The increasing population added to social inequalities and put pressure on job creation and emigration. In â€Å"Latina Sexuality, Reproduction, and Fertility as a Threat to the Nation.†, author Leo Chavez explains the population boom in Mexico. Mexico’s high fertility rate was the result of an unusually pronatalist cultural tradition, which meant that Mexicans placed an abnormally high value on having children. Because of machismo and Marianosmo, the argument went, men are dominant and women were submissive, and having more children increase the social status of both. Motherhood is viewed as an essential purpose for a woman’s existence. (Chavez 535) These trends in procreation were very strong in the Mexican culture. The church had their own reaction to this population boom and in 1972 the Catholic Church called for reduced family size, and has promoted family planning clinics and education programs. This shows how the Catholic Church rules over everything, even things as uncontrollable as social trends. No matter where you go, you will always see some sort of solicitation about religion. It could be door to door solicitation, over the radio, on television, advertisements on billboards, or even on clothing. No t only is religion everywhere and impractical to avoid, most of the solicitation revolves around begging. More specifically, in the late 160Os, the brothers and mothers of the church would travel throughout the neighborhoods soliciting funds for their masses, sick comrades, and the like. In Nicole Von Germeten’s work called Black Blood Brothers: Confraternities and Social Mobility for Afro- Mexicans, she shows how public solicitation was a prominent feature of Afro-Mexican Catholicism during the seventeenth century, The comrades petitioned support on a large scale, dispatching numerous members to diverse locations consistently each week and on religious holidays. These initiatives proved remarkably lucrative. For instance, records for the Incarnation and Saint Biaises, a sizable seventeenth century Black confraternity of Valladolid, indicate that begging accounted for nearly all of the funding for the group’s activities. (Von Germeten, pp. 111) Their success is exceptional, which is common among the institutions, which points to the generosity of the colonists and to their respect for the organizations within the Catholic faith. The Mexican people were involved in the creation of the Catholic Church in Mexico from the beginning. They supported the church and provided the funds for the religion to grow within their cities and surroundings. Whether a house is small and rural or large and urban, crosses, rosaries, and small candles honoring Jesus or Our Lady of Guadalupe decorate most homes in Mexico. Icons such as these are mainly used for worship and have great significance to Catholics. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a recognized symbol for all Mexican Catholics and was used in the struggle for independence against the Spanish. â€Å"The most important icon of Mexican national culture is the Virgin of Guadalupe, which illustrates the pervasive influence of Roman Catholicism in the national culture. She is viewed as the â€Å"mother† of all Mexicans. The dark-skinned Virgin is the Mexican version of the Virgin Mary and as such represents national identity as the product of the mixing of European and Meso-American religions and peoples.† (everyculture) This icon represents Mexico as a whole and shows just how large an influence Catholicism has had on Mexico. With the display of icons such as the Lady of Guadalupe, the home becomes an expression of the religion of the family. There are about 5000-7000 churches in the entire country. Even in the Prehispanic Period, Mexican architecture focused mainly on places of worship including the pyramids and temples of the indigenous. Catholicism has found its way into the architecture of many cities in mexico including Mexico City. One of the most visited b uildings is The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the outskirts of Mexico City. This Church has become such a facet of Mexican Architecture that, according to The Catholic News Agency, even our former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has visited the shrine, â€Å"During her recent visit to Mexico, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unexpected stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a bouquet of white flowers ‘on behalf of the American people,’†(CNA). This Catholic Church is a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as a very popular tourist and religious attraction. The Shrine welcomes tens of thousands of visitors annually. Religion has integrated itself so deeply into Mexican architecture that most tourist attractions are religious based. The strength of the family unit is intertwined with the practice of religion and in the eyes of most Mexicans, family is valued greatly. Family is the essence of Mexican life. Most families are very closely knit and it is not unfamiliar to see three or more generations living together in the same household. But religion is what holds these families together so tightly. Country Facts points out how religion holds the Mexican family together, â€Å"The Mexican people are quite religious and they have important religious events the whole year round on which the families get together to celebrate. Amongst the important dates for the Mexican families are the 12th of December which is known as the Nuestra senora de Guadalupe. The 24th and 25th of December are important dates according to the Christian traditions.†(Country Facts 2) The biggest holidays for Mexican families are religion based. Families get together to celebrate their religion and also to celebrate their family. Religion and family go hand in hand in Mexico and these events are used to keep even extended family as closely knit as possible. Mexican families sometimes make pilgrimages to The Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe. A pilgrimage, defined by The Modern Catholic Dictionary, is a journey to a sacred place undertaken as an act of religious devotion. Its purpose may be simply to venerate a certain saint or ask some spiritual favor; beg for physical cure or perform an act of penance; express thanks or fulfill a promise. In The Houston Chronicle, journalist Dudley Althaus reports on Mexican pilgrimages, â€Å"tens of thousands of Mexico’s Roman Catholic faithful will travel narrow and hazardous two-lane highways through central Mexico’s cold highlands to the Basilica of The Virgin of Guadalupe.† (Althaus). Most who embark on this journey do not do so alone. Many families will make a pilgrimage together in order to prove their faithfulness or to ask for a blessing for the family. Families who make a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe do so for different reasons. The upper classes trave l out of tradition, and the poorer classes more likely do so for specific material requests for themselves or others. Prayer has played a vital role in religion for many years throughout history. Mexican families will often pray during meals or privately in their separate rooms before bed. A few reasons why they pray is because it is very relaxing, because they want to thank God, and some even pray solely because they want something. In the Catholic religion praying is crucial for a close, personal relationship with God. One Bible verse states: †Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened† (Matthew 7:7-8 NAB). Prayer has a positive impact on family unity and connectedness, which Mexicans are universally drawn to. This belief in prayer resounds in the heart of every Mexican, convinced that it is a source of strength and protection. Religion has impacted Mexican societies through their culture, their surroundings and architecture, and their families. Roman Catholicism was established as the dominant, but not official, religion of Mexico. Today, about 89% of Mexicans still identify themselves by this division of Christian religion. Throughout the world, the expansion of religion has significantly influenced the development of humanity in many different ways. WORKS CITED Baxamusa, Mufaddal H., and Abu Jalal. Does Religion Affect Capital Structure?. Rochester, Rochester:, 2013. ProQuest. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Carrigan, Henry. â€Å"Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States.† Publishers Weekly 244.30 (1997): 67-. ProQuest. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. Lorentzen, Lois Ann. â€Å"La Llorona’s Children: Religion, Life, and Death in the U.S.-Mexican Borderlands.† The Americas 62.3 (2006): 474-5. ProQuest. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. â€Å"THE ARTS: Diego Rivera; Art and Revolution; Cleveland Museum of Art Premieres Retrospective.† The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Jun 18 1999: 6-. ProQuest. Web. 10 Apr. 2013 . Ramirez, Margaret. 2000. RELIGION / Exploring issues, answers and beliefs. Los Angeles, Calif. Tribune Publishing Company LLC Von Germeten, Nicole. (2006a) Black Blood Brothers: Confraternities and Social Mobility for Afro-Mexicans. FL: University of Florida Press. â€Å"religion.† Dictionary.com Unabr idged. Random House, Inc. 17 Apr. 2013. .

Case Study Ashley Johnson, The Sole Owner Of Johnson...

Ashley Johnson is the sole owner of Johnson Real Estate, hereby referred to as â€Å"JRE†, which is a sole proprietorship (LLC) that lists and sells real estate in West Virginia. Ashley’s husband James is the president of JRE and is the day to day operator. Besides James, there are two employees: office manager Joan Rogers and receptionist Doris Chambers. The realtors are contracted sub-agents that personally collect commission checks at the end of each month. These realtors receive 65% of the commission granted to the broker, the rest is deposited into JRE’s checking account. Ashley noticed discrepancies in the commission receipts from closings and the actual bank deposits in the year of 20X9. The previous year there were no problems. JRE has not been audited for the past three years due to rapid growth. Ashley filed a report with the local prosecutor, a family friend, and requested a thorough investigation, which resulted in the prosecutor’s office contr acting an accounting firm to complete the financial examination. The prosecutor’s office assigned special agents Thomas and Longworth to the case. The prosecutors are Gina Conrad and Barry Morton. Joan Rogers has been employed by JRE since December 2001. She has two employed children that have both graduated from college and live in apartments. She has a mortgage, three credit cards (balances under $3,000), two automobile loans, and student loans for her children on her debt. Her husband, William, is a laboratory manager at aShow MoreRelatedMarketing Management130471 Words   |  522 Pagessupply/demand issue), advertising (well developed by 1900), or in most cases were simply not yet explored (e.g., customer purchase behavior, importance of distribution partners). Lead by marketing scholars from several major universities, the development of marketing was in large part motivated by the need to dissect in greater detail relationships and behaviors that existed between sellers and buyers. In particular, the study of marketing lead sellers to recognize that adopting certain strategiesRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pagesexposure to marketing pr inciples, if not to marketing practice. The intended market of the book comprises the following segments: âž ¡ Students reading for degrees involving marketing (especially MBA candidates and senior undergraduates following business studies programmes) âž ¡ Students of The Chartered Institute of Marketing who are preparing for the Marketing Planning paper in the CIM’s Diploma examinations âž ¡ Marketing practitioners who will benefit from a comprehensive review of current thinking in the fieldRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pages2000 (the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany, the surge of globalization from the mid-1990s) and afterward (9/11, or the global recession of 2008) when one could quite plausibly argue that a new era had begun. A compelling case can be made for viewing the decades of the global scramble for colonies after 1870 as a predictable culmination of the long nineteenth century, which was ushered in by the industrial and political revolutions of the late 1700s. But at the same timeRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pages†¢ United States Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis, Third Edition Roxy Peck, Chris Olsen, Jay Devore Acquisitions Editor: Carolyn Crockett Development Editor: Danielle Derbenti Assistant Editor: Beth Gershman Editorial Assistant: Ashley Summers Technology Project Manager: Colin Blake Marketing Manager: Joe Rogove Marketing Assistant: Jennifer Liang Marketing Communications Manager: Jessica Perry Project Manager, Editorial Production: Jennifer Risden Creative Director: Rob Hugel Art