Death Of A Salesman :: essays research papers

1. The book Death of a Salesman is a play about a salesman who wants to be well liked by everyone. The title of this book fits the book because there are two salesmen who die in the book. The two salesmen who die in the book are Dave Singleman, who was well liked by everyone, and Willy Loman who was the main character. The book is about a traveling salesman named Willy Loman who has a wife named Linda and two kids named Biff and Happy. The theme of the book is that the most important thing in the world is to have personal attractiveness and to be well liked. 2. Willy Loman is a sixty-one year old man who is a traveling salesman for the Wagner Company. He had worked for the same company for thirty-four years. Willy’s last name is a pun on the word low-man which is symbolic of the kind of person he is and the things he has accomplished. He has nothing and owns nothing and he would be considered a low man in the world status. Willy develops a maxim that states the most important thing in the world is to be well liked. Willy is not well liked so he often lies to his family telling them that he is very important to the New England area. He also pushes his kids very hard to be well liked so he can live vicariously through them. 3. Biff Loman his Willy’s oldest son. Biff is thirty-four years old and was once a high school football star. He spent fourteen years of his life presumably somewhere out west trying to “find himself.'; Willy caught his father having an affair with Miss Frances and quickly developed a lack of trust for his father. Willy throughout the play seems to be opposed to his father, but there are many similarities between the two. There views on life tend to be the same and also their values are the same. This is found out when Willy sends his son to steal wood from a construction site to prove to Ben that he is a fearless character. Biff’s willingness to perform the task shows that their values are the same. Happy Loman is the youngest son and was often overshadowed by his brother. Happy works at a department store and has his own apartment. Happy was deprived of attention as a kid because his brother got all the attention.

Feline Companionship in Cat in the Rain Essay -- Cat in the Rain Essay

Feline Companionship in Cat in the Rain I chose to write about Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain" in part because it is one of the few of his stories I have read which has an "ending." There is a specific event at the end of the story which wraps up the story's events and gives the reader a sense of finality not found in most of Hemingway's short works. Written in his characteristic sparse style, "Cat in the Rain" is seemingly simple in plot and character, but a careful reading reveals deeper meaning behind its elements. The American wife's quest to save a kitty from the pouring rain becomes a more complex statement about her frustration and her isolation from human comforts. I think the portrayal of the wife captures these feelings which many women can recognize. In the first paragraph, the theme of isolation is introduced, as the author tells about the American couple on foreign soil with no friends or acquaintances. He also describes the beautiful park below the window and the many people who come to enjoy it, only to add that it is now raining and the wife may only look out the window and dream. The wife soon sees the poor cat, getting drenched in the rain and feels sympathy for it. Her reading husband is indifferent to her discovery, except to volunteer half-heartedly to get the cat (most likely to keep her from complaining). The woman can not seem to connect with her husband, who treats her almost like an annoying child, as much as with the pathetic cat outside. As she ventures out of the room to rescue the cat, she first passes the hotel-keeper in his office. In a series of parallel phrases, the author describes the hotel-keeper, or padrone, and what the woman likes about him. This passage sho... ...he husband's complacency about his wife and her desire for respect, admiration, and emotional fulfillment. A related but more direct contrast is between the husband and the padrone, who represent the status quo and the desires of the wife, respectively. In the final few paragraphs, Hemingway mentions that it is getting dark outside, and later that "it was quite dark and still raining in the palm trees" (170). Then, just before the maid comes to the door with the cat, a light comes on in the square. The amount of light seems to correlate with the hopes of the wife and the chance she has to change her situation. The light near the end is a signal for the arrival of the cat, a gift from the hotel-keeper. The reader is left to wonder whether the woman will demand more respect from her husband now that she has experienced a feeling of importance and self-worth.

Conformity in Psychology Essay

Introduction Imagine yourself in the following situation: You sign up for a psychology experiment, and on a specified date you and seven others whom you think are also subjects arrive and are seated at a table in a small room. You don’t know it at the time, but the others are actually associates of the experimenter, and their behaviour has been carefully scripted. You’re the only real subject. The experimenter arrives and tells you that the study in which you are about to participate concerns people’s visual judgments. She places two cards before you. The card on the left contains one vertical line. The card on the right displays three lines of varying length. The experimenter asks all of you, one at a time, to choose which of the three lines on the right card matches the length of the line on the left card. The  task is repeated several times with different cards. On some occasions the other â€Å"subjects† unanimously choose the wrong line. It is clear to you that they are wrong, but they have all given the same answer. What would you do? Would you go along with the majority opinion, or would you â€Å"stick to your guns† and trust your own eyes? This is the situation in conformity. People tend to conform in situations such as that stated above either by a desire to ‘fit in’ or be liked (normative) or because of a desire to be correct (informational) or simply to conform to a social role (identification). This study is going to be focused on human beings, their tendency to conform and the reasons why they conform. Conformity in psychology Conformityis the act of matching attitudes, beliefs and behaviour to group norms. It is the type of social influence involving a change in belief or behaviour in order to fit in with a group. . Norms are implicit rules shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others and among society or social group. People tend to conform when in small groups and/or society as a whole. It is as a result of subtle unconscious influences or direct and overt social pressure. People could even conform when they are alone i.e. eating or watching television. This change is in response to real (involving the physical presence of others) or imagined (involving the presence of social norms and/or expectations) group pressure. According to Crutchfield (1955), conformity can be defined as â€Å"yielding to group pressures† which could take the form of bullying, criticism, persuasion, teasing etc. Conformity is also known as majority influence (or group pressure). It is often brought up by a desire to ‘fit in’ or to ‘be liked’ (normative) or because of a desire to be correct (informational), or simply to conform to social role (identification). Though peer pressure could manifest negatively, conformity can have a bad or good effect depending on the situation. Driving on the correct side of the road could be seen as a beneficial conformity. Conformity influences  formation and maintenance of social norms, and helps societies function smoothly and predictably via the self-elimination of behaviours seen as contrary to written rules. In this sense, it can be perceived as (though not proven to be) a positive force that prevents acts that are perceptually disruptive or dangerous. The term conformity is often used to indicate an agreement to the majority position, brought about either by a desire to ‘fit in’ or be liked (normative) or because of a desire to be correct (informational), or simply to conform to a social role (identification). There have been many experiments in psychology investigating conformity and group pressure. What affects Conformity? Culture Berry studied two different populations: the Temne (collectivists) and the Inuit (individualists) and found that the Temne conformed more than the Inuit when exposed to a conformity task. Bond and Smith compared, (1996) 134 studies in a meta-analysis and found that Japan and Brazil were two nations that conformed a lot whereas Europe and the United States of America did not as much. Gender Societal norms often establish gender differences.There are differences in the way men and women conform to social influence. Social psychologists, Alice Eagly and Linda Carli performed a meta-analysis of 148 studies of influenceability. They found that women are more persuadable and more conforming than men in group pressure situations that involve surveillance. In situations not involving surveillance, women are less likely to conform. Eagly has proposed that this sex difference may be due to different sex roles in society. Women are generally taught to be more agreeable whereas men are taught to be more independent. The composition of the group plays a role in conformity as well. In a study by Reitan and Shaw, it was found that men and women conformed more when there were participants of both sexes involved versus participants of the same sex. Subjects in the groups with both sexes were more apprehensive when there was a discrepancy amongst group  members, and thus the subjects reported that they doubted their own judgments. Sistrunk and McDavid made the hypothesis that women conformed more because of a methodological bias. They argued that because stereotypes used in studies are generally male ones (sports, cars†¦) more than female ones (cooking, fashion†¦), women are feeling uncertain and conformed more, which was confirmed by their results. Size of the group Milgram and his colleagues found that if one individual stops and stares at the sky, only 4% of the people would stop as well and 40% would look at the sky, whereas if fifteen confederates do it, those numbers become respectively 40% and 90%. Psychologist view on Conformity Jenness (1932) was the first psychologist to study conformity. His experiment was an ambiguous situation involving a glass bottle filled with beans. He asked participants individually to estimate how many beans the bottle contained. Jenness then put the group in a room with the bottle, and asked them to provide a group estimate through discussion. Participants were then asked to estimate the number on their own again to find whether their initial estimates had altered based on the influence of the majority. Jenness then interviewed the participants individually again, and asked if they would like to change their original estimates, or stay with the group’s estimate. Almost all changed their individual guesses to be closer to the group estimate. Another experiment performed on conformity was the Sherif Autokinetic Effect Experiment. Sherif (1935) Autokinetic Effect Experiment Aim: Sherif (1935) conducted an experiment with the aim of demonstrating that people conform to group norms when they are put in an ambiguous (i.e. unclear) situation. Method: Sherif used a lab experiment to study conformity. He used the autokinetic effect – this is where a small spot of light (projected onto a screen) in a dark room will appear to move, even though it is still (i.e. it is a visual illusion). It was discovered that when participants were individually tested their estimates on how far the light moved varied considerably (e.g. from 20cm to 80cm). The participants were then tested in groups of three. Sherif manipulated the composition of the group by putting together two people whose estimate of the light movement when alone was very similar, and one person whose estimate was very different. Each person in the group had to say aloud how far they thought the light had moved. Results: Sherif found that over numerous estimates (trials) of the movement of light, the group converged to a common estimate. As the figure below shows: the person whose estimate of movement was greatly different to the other two in the group conformed to the view of the other two. Sherif said that this showed that people would always tend to conform. Rather than make individual judgments they tend to come to a group agreement. Conclusion: The results show that when in an ambiguous situation (such as the autokinetic effect), a person will look to others (who know more / better) for guidance (i.e. adopt the group norm). They want to do the right thing but may lack the appropriate information. Observing others can provide this information. This is known as informational conformity. Types of Conformity Man (1969) states that â€Å"the essence of conformity is yielding to group pressure†. He identified three types of conformity: Normative, informational and ingratiational. Harvard psychologist HerbertKelman (1958) distinguished between three different types of conformity: Compliance, Internalization and identification. ï‚ §Compliance is public conformity, while possibly keeping one’s own original beliefs for yourself . Compliance is motivated by the need for approval and the fear of being rejected ï‚ §Identification is conforming to someone who is liked and respected, such as a celebrity or a favourite uncle. This can be motivated by the attractiveness of the source,[11] and this is a deeper type of conformism than compliance. Internalization is accepting the belief or behaviour and conforming both publicly and privately, if the source is credible. It is the deepest influence on people and it will affect them for a long time. Although Kelman’s distinction has been influential, research in social psychology has  focused primarily on two varieties of conformity. These are informational conformity, or informational social influence, and normative conformity, also called normative social influence. In Kelman’s terminology, these correspond to internalization and compliance, respectively. There are naturally more than two or three variables in society influential on human psychology and conformity; the notion of â€Å"varieties† of conformity based upon â€Å"social influence† is ambiguous and indefinable in this context. For Deutsch and Gà ©rard (1955), conformity results from a motivational conflict (between the fear of being socially rejected and the wish to say what we think is correct) that leads to the normative influence, and a cognitive conflict (others create doubts in what we think) which leads to the informational influence. Informational influence Informational social influence occurs when one turns to the members of one’s group to obtain and accept accurate information about reality. A person is most likely to use informational social influence in certain situations: when a situation is ambiguous, people become uncertain about what to do and they are more likely to depend on others for the answer; and during a crisis when immediate action is necessary, in spite of panic. Looking to other people can help ease fears, but unfortunately they are not always right. The more knowledgeable a person is, the more valuable they are as a resource. Thus people often turn to experts for help. But once again people must be careful, as experts can make mistakes too. Informational social influence often results in internalization or private acceptance, where a person genuinely believes that the information is right. Informational influence seems to be what happened during Sherif’s study. Normative influence Normative social influence occurs when one conforms to be liked or accepted by the members of the group. This need of social approval and acceptance is part of our state of humans. In addition to this, we know that when people do not conform with their group and therefore are deviants, they are less liked and even punished by the group. Normative influence usually results in public compliance, doing or saying something without believing in it. The experiment of Asch in 1951 is one example of normative influence In a reinterpretation of the original data from these experiments Hodges and  Geyer (2006) found that Asch’s subjects were not so conformist after all: The experiments provide powerful evidence for people’s tendency to tell the truth even when others do not. They also provide compelling evidence of people’s concern for others and their views. By closely examining the situation in which Asch’s subjects find themselves they find that the situation places multiple demands on participants: They include truth (i.e., expressing one’s own view accurately), trust (i.e., taking seriously the value of others’ claims), and social solidarity (i.e., a commitment to integrate the views of self and others without deprecating either). In addition to these epistemic values, there are multiple moral claims as well: These include the need for participants to care for the integrity and well-being of other participants, the experimenter, themselves, and the worth of scientific research. Deutsch & Gà ©rard (1955) designed different situations that variated from Asch’ experiment and found that when participants were writing their answer privately, they were giving the correct one Normative influence, a function of social imp act theory, has three components. The number of people in the group has a surprising effect. As the number increases, each person has less of an impact. A group’s strength is how important the group is to a person. Groups we value generally have more social influence. Immediacy is how close the group is in time and space when the influence is taking place. Psychologists have constructed a mathematical model using these three factors and are able to predict the amount of conformity that occurs with some degree of accuracy. Baron and his colleagues conducted a second eyewitness study that focused on normative influence. In this version, the task was easier. Each participant had five seconds to look at a slide instead of just one second. Once again, there were both high and low motives to be accurate, but the results were the reverse of the first study. The low motivation group conformed 33% of the time (similar to Asch’s findings). The high motivation group conformed less at 16%. These results show that when accuracy is not very important, it is better to get the wrong answer than to risk social disapproval. An experiment using procedures similar to Asch’s found that there was significantly less conformity in six-person groups of friends as compared to six-person groups of strangers. Because friends already know and accept each other, there may be less normative pressure to conform in some situations.  Field studies on cigarette and alcohol abuse, however, generally demonstrate evidence of friends exerting normative social influence on each other. Minority influence Although conformity generally leads individuals to think and act more like groups, individuals are occasionally able to reverse this tendency and change the people around them. This is known as minority influence, a special case of informational influence. Minority influence is most likely when people can make a clear and consistent case for their point of view. If the minority fluctuates and shows uncertainty, the chance of influence is small. However, a minority that makes a strong, convincing case increases the probability of changing the majority’s beliefs and behaviours. Minority members who are perceived as experts, are high in status, or have benefited the group in the past are also more likely to succeed. Another form of minority influence can sometimes override conformity effects and lead to unhealthy group dynamics. A 2007 review of two dozen studies by the University of Washington found that a single â€Å"bad apple† (an inconsiderate or negligent group member) can substantially increase conflicts and reduce performance in work groups. Bad apples often create a negative emotional climate that interferes with healthy group functioning. They can be avoided by careful selection procedures and managed by reassigning them to positions that require less social interaction. All these are illustrated in the table below: Normative ConformityInformational Conformity †¢Yielding to group pressure because a person wants to fit in with the group. E.g. Asch Line Study. †¢Conforming because the person is scared of being rejected by the group. †¢This type of conformity usually involves compliance – where a person publicly accepts the views of a group but privately rejects them.†¢This usually occurs when a person lacks knowledge and looks to the group for guidance. †¢Or when a person is in an ambiguous (i.e. unclear) situation and socially compares their behavior with the group. E.g. Sherif Study. †¢This type of conformity usually involves internalization – where a person accepts the views of the groups and adopts them as an individual. ComplianceInternalization †¢Publicly changing behaviour to fit in with the group while privately disagreeing. †¢In other words, conforming to the majority (publicly), in spite of not really agreeing with them (privately). †¢This is seen in Asch’s line experiment. †¢Publicly changing behavior to fit in with the group and also agreeing with them privately. †¢This is seen in Sherif’s autokinetic experiment. Ingratiational ConformityIdentification †¢Where a person conforms to impress or gain favor/acceptance from other people. †¢It is similar to normative influence but is motivated by the need for social rewards rather than the threat of rejection, i.e., group pressure does not enter the decision to conform.†¢Conforming to the expectations of a social role. †¢Similar to compliance, there does not have to be a change in private opinion. †¢A good example is Zimbardo’s Prison Study. Source: Mann, L (1969). Social Psychology. New York: Wiley. Sherif, M. (1935). A study of some social factors in perception. Archives of Psychology, 27(187) . However, perhaps the most famous conformity experiment was by Solomon Asch (1951) and his line judgment experiment. Solomon Asch’ Paradigm/Experiment The Asch experiment or paradigm It is closely related to the Stanford prison and Miligan experiment, in that it tries to show how perfectly normal human beings can be pressurized into unusual behaviour by authority figures, or by the consensus of opinions around them. The Asch paradigm was a series of laboratory studies published in the 1950s that demonstrated a surprising degree of conformity to a majority opinion. Solomon Asch attributed his research on group conformity based on an experiment he had as a child while growing up in Poland. It was Passover and he stayed up late to participate, his grandmother set out an extra glass of wine on the table and when he asked who the wine was for, his uncle answered him that it was for the prophet Elijah. Asch was â€Å"filled with the sense of suggestion and expectation† and believed that he even saw the level of the wine slightly decrease. At the beginning of the Second World War (WWII), Asch began studying the effects of propaganda and indoctrination at Brooklyn College. According to the Encarta dictionaries, propaganda means â€Å"misleading publicity: deceptive or distorted information that is systematically spread†. Indoctrination on the other hand is simply â€Å"to cause to believe something: to teach somebody a belief, doctrine or ideology thoroughly and systematically, especially with the goal of discouraging independent thought or the acceptance of other opinions† Social Pressure and Perception In 1951 social psychologist Solomon Asch devised this experiment to examine the extent to which pressure from other people could affect one’s perceptions. In total, about one third of the subjects who were placed in this situation went along with the clearly erroneous majority. Asch showed bars like those in the Figure to college students in groups of 8 to 10. He told them he was studying visual perception and that their task was to decide which of the bars on the right was the same length as the one on the left. As you can see, the task is simple, and the correct answer is obvious. Asch asked the students to give their answers aloud. He repeated the procedure with 18 sets of bars. Only one student in each group was a real subject. All the others were confederates who had been instructed to give two correct answers and then to some incorrect answers on the remaining ‘staged’ trials. Asch arranged for the real subject to be the next-to-the-last person in each group to announce his answer so that he would hear most of the confederates incorrect responses before giving his own. Would he go along with the crowd? Solomon Asch far right – real subject – third from right. To Asch’s surprise, 37 of the 50 subjects conformed themselves to the ‘obviously erroneous’ answers given by the other group members at least once, and 14 of them conformed on more than 6 of the ‘staged’ trials. When  faced with a unanimous wrong answer by the other group members, the mean subject conformed on 4 of the ‘staged’ trials. Asch was disturbed by these results: â€Å"The tendency to conformity in our society is so strong that reasonably intelligent and well-meaning young people are willing to call white black. This is a matter of concern. It raises questions about our ways of education and about the values that guide our conduct.† Real subject leans forward to get a better view of the lines being displayed. This particular individual insisted that â€Å"he has to call them as he sees them† and disagreed with the consensus over each of ‘staged’ trials. Why did the subjects conform so readily? When they were interviewed after the experiment, most of them said that they did not really believe their conforming answers, but had gone along with the group for fear of being ridiculed or thought â€Å"peculiar.† A few of them said that they really did believe the group’s answers were correct. Asch conducted a revised version of his experiment to find out whether the subjects truly did not believe their incorrect answers. When they were permitted to write down their answers after hearing the answers of others, their level of conformity declined to about one third what it had been in the original experiment. Apparently, people conform for two main reasons: because they want to be liked by the group and because they believe the group is better informed than they are. Suppose you go to a fancy dinner party and notice to your dismay that there are four forks beside your plate. When the first course arrives, you are not sure which fork to use. If you are like most people, you look around and use the fork everyone else is using. You do this because you want to be accepted by the group and because you assume the others know more about table etiquette than you do. Conformity, group size, and cohesiveness Asch found that one of the situational factors that influence conformity is the size of the opposing majority. In a series of studies he varied the number of confederates who gave incorrect answers from 1 to 15. The subjects’ responses varied with the level of ‘majority opinion’ they were faced with. He found that the subjects conformed to a group of 3 or 4 as  readily as they did to a larger group. However, the subjects conformed much less if they had an â€Å"ally† In some of his experiments, Asch instructed one of the confederates to give correct answers. In the presence of this nonconformist, the real subjects conformed only one fourth as much as they did in the original experiment. There were several reasons: First, the real subject observed that the majority did not ridicule the dissenter for his answers. Second, the dissenter’s answers made the subject more certain that the majority was wrong. Third, the real subject now experienced social pressure from the dissenter as well as from the majority. Many of the real subjects later reported that they wanted to be like their nonconformist partner (the similarity principle again). Apparently, it is difficult to be a minority of one but not so difficult to be part of a minority of two. Some of the subjects indicated afterward that they assumed the rest of the people were correct and that their own perceptions were wrong. Others knew they were correct but didn’t want to be different from the rest of the group. Some even insisted they saw the line lengths as the majority claimed to see them. Asch concluded that it is difficult to maintain that you see something when no one else does. The group pressure implied by the expressed opinion of other people can lead to modification and distortions effectively making you see almost anything. Conclusion and Comparison Public conformity vs. social influence The Asch conformity experiments are often interpreted as evidence for the power of conformity and normative social influence. That is, the willingness to conform publicly in order to attain social reward and avoid social punishment. Others have argued that it is rational to use other people’s judgments as evidence. Along the lines of the latter perspective, the Asch conformity experiments are cited as evidence for the self-categorization theory account of social influence. From that perspective the Asch results are interpreted as an outcome of depersonalization processes whereby the participants expect to hold the same opinions as similar others. Social comparison theory The conformity demonstrated in Asch experiments is problematic for social  comparison theory, which predicts that social reality testing, or informational influence, will arise when physical reality testing yields uncertainty. The Asch conformity experiments demonstrated that uncertainty can arise as an outcome of social reality testing. Relatedly, this inconsistency has been used to support the position that the theoretical distinction between social reality testing and physical reality testing is untenable. REFERENCES 1.^ Hogg, M. A.; Vaughan, G. M. (2005). Social psychology. Harlow: Pearson/Prentice Hall. 2.^ McLeod, S (November 2011). â€Å"Conformity†. Simply psychology. 3.^ Aronson, E; Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M. (2007). Social Psychology (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-233487-7. 4.^ Hogg, M. A.; Vaughan, G. M. (2005). Social psychology. Harlow: Pearson/Prentice Hall. 5.^ Baron, R. S.; Vandello, J. A. & Brunsman, B. (1996). â€Å"The forgotten variable in conformity research: Impact of task importance on social influence†. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 71 (5): 915–927. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.71.5.915. 6.^ Asch, S. E. (1955). â€Å"Opinions and Social Pressure†. Scientific American 193 (5): 31–35. 7.^ Guimond, S (2010). Psychologie Sociale : Perspective Multiculturelle. Warve:: Mardaga. pp. 19–28. 8.^ Asch, S. E. (1952). Social Psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:: Prentice Hal. 9.^ Asch, S. E. (1955). â€Å"Opinions and Social Pressure†. Scientific American 193 (5): 31–35. 10.^ Kelman, H. C (1958). â€Å"Compliance, Identification, and Internalization: Three Processes of Attitude Change†. Journal of Conflict Resolution 2(1): 51–60. 11.^ Kelman, H. C (1958). â€Å"Compliance, Identification, and Internalization: Three Processes of Attitude Change†. Journal of Conflict Resolution 2(1): 51–60. 12.^ Deutsch, M; Gà ©rard, H. B (1955). â€Å"A study of normative and informational social influences upon individual judgement.†. Journal of abnormal psychology 51 (3): 629–636. 13.^ Hogg, M. A.; Vaughan, G. M. (2005). Social psychology. Harlow: Pearson/Prentice Hall. 14.^ Sherif, M (1936). The psychology of social norms. New York: Harpe. 15.^ Hogg, M. A.; Vaughan, G. M. (2005). Social psychology. Harlow: Pearson/Prentice Hall. 16.^ Schachter,, S (1951). â€Å"Deviation, Rejection, and communication.†. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 46: 190–208. 17.^ Hodges,, B. H.; Geyer, A. L. (2006). â€Å"A Nonconformist Account of the Asch Experiments: Values, Pragmatics, and Moral Dilemmas†.Personality and Social Psychology Review 10 (1): 2–19. 18.^ Deutsch, M; Gà ©rard, H. B (1955). â€Å"A study of normative and informational social influences upon individual judgement.†. Journal of abnormal psychology 51 (3): 629–636. 19.^ Latanà ©,, B (1981). â€Å"The psychology of social impact†. American Psychologist 63 (4): 343–356. 20.^ Forgas, J. P.; Williams, K. D (2001). Social influence: Direct and indirect processes. The Sydney symposium of social psychology.. New York:: Psychology Press.. pp. 61–76. 21.^ McKelvey, W.; Kerr, N. H. (1988). â€Å"Differences in conformity among friends and strangers†. Psychological Reports 62 (3): 759–762.. 22.^ Urberg,, K. A.; Degirmencioglu, S. M.; Pilgrim, C. (1997). â€Å"Close friend and group influence on adolescent cigarette smoking and alcohol use†.Developmental Psychology 33 (5): 834–844. 23.^ Moscovici,, S. N. (1974). â€Å"Minority influence†. Social psychology: Classic and contemporary integrations.. Chicago:: Rand McNally. pp. 217–249.. 24.^ Felps, W; Mitchell, T R.; Byington, E (2006). â€Å"How, When, and Why Bad Apples Spoil the Barrel: Negative Group Members and Dysfunctional†.GroupsResearch in Organizational Behavior 27: 175–222. 25.^ Berry,, J W. (1967). â€Å"Independence and conformity in subsistence-level societies†. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 7: 415–418.. 26.^ Bond,, M. H; & Smith, P. B. (1996). â€Å"Culture and Conformity: A meta-analysis of studies using the Asch’s (1952b, 1956) line judgement task†.Psychological Bulletin 119: 111–137. 27.^ Reitan,, H; Shaw, M (1964). â€Å"Group Membership, Sex-Composition of the Group, and Conformity Beha vior†. The Journal of Social Psychology64: 45–51. 28.^ Applezweig, M H; Moeller, G (1958). Conforming behavior and personality variables. New London: Connecticut College. 29.^ Beloff,, H (1958). â€Å"Two forms of social conformity: Acquiescence and conventionality†. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 56 (1): 99–104. 30.^ Coleman,, J; Blake, R R & Mouton, J S (1958). â€Å"Task difficulty and conformity pressures†. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 57(1): 120–122. 31.^ Eagly,, A. H; & Carli, L. L (1981). â€Å"Sex of researchers and sex-typed communications as determinants of sex differences in influenceability: A meta-analysis of social influence studies†. Psychological Bulletin 90 (1): 1–20. 32.^ Eagly,, A. H. (1987). Sex differences in social behavior: A social role interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. 33.^ Reitan,, H; Shaw, M (1964). â€Å"Group Membership, Sex-Composition of the Group, and Conformity Behavior†. The Journal of Social Psychology64: 45–51. 34.^ Sistrunk,, F; & McDavid, J. W (1971). â€Å"Sex variable in conforming behavior†. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 17 (2): 200–207. 35.^ Milgram,, S; Bickman, L. & Berkowitz, L. (1969). â€Å"Note on the drawing power of crowds of different size†. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 13 (2): 79–82. 36.age-of-the-sage.org 37.McLeod, S. A. (2007). Simply Psychology; Conformity in PsychologyConformity in Psychology. 38.Martyn Shuttleworth (2008). Asch Experiment. Retrieved 17 Apr. 2012 from Experiment. Resources: http://www.experiment-resources.com/asch-experiment.html

Effectiveness Of Leadership At Mcdonalds Management Essay Essay

I had the opportunity of working at a McDonald’s chain of restaurants after completion of my undergraduate studies. I was able to observe the role played by members of a team, their team work and leadership of the Manager of the restaurant. I would like to analyse the leadership styles practiced, evaluate the effectiveness of leadership at McDonald’s restaurant and make recommendations indicating how leadership and team work can go hand in hand to improve the performance of the organisation. The first McDonald’s opened its doors to customers in the UK in 1974. Currently, over 2. 5 million people in the UK place their trust in McDonald, expecting that the multinational would provide them with food of a high standard, quick service and value for money. Models and theories that will be discussed in the later portions of this essay are Adair’s Leadership Model and Maslow’s theory of hierarchy which will be applied to McDonald’s. Leadership styles such as autocratic, democratic and persuasive are also discussed to find out which of the three is the ideal model for McDonald’s. A team is a collection of individuals who are interdependent in their tasks, who share responsibility for outcomes, who see themselves and who are seen by others as an intact social entity embedded in one or more larger social systems (for example, business unit or the corporation), and who manage their relationships across organisational boundaries (Susan Cohen and Diane Bailey, 1997). A team is defined as a small number of people, with a set of performance goals, who have a commitment to a common purpose and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable (Katzenbach & Smith 1993). There are several factors that influence the success of a team. Team members must have the required skills and attitudes and must create an ambience in which everyone can work with devotion. There should be transparency within the team which is possible if there is effective system of communication between all members. All members of the team must have set responsibilities and must be aware of what is expected from them. In this way all members of the team will be accountable. All members must have harmonising skills and must coordinate among themselves to eliminate any uncertainties or reservations. Members of a team must genuinely appreciate the efforts of fellow members. An effective leader is one who does the right things. Leaders can effectively develop and lead teams if they have the ability to create and communicate a vision what the organization should be. They should have the ability to communicate with and gain the support of all team members. They should have the perseverance to head in the desired direction under bad conditions and create the suitable culture to obtain the needed results. Levine, R. (2000) is of the opinion that leaders need to focus on moving people and organisations forward by increasing the competency of staff and the co-operation of teams in order to improve the organisation. Leadership is related to motivation, interpersonal behaviour and the process of communication. Leadership is important in attempting to reduce employee dissatisfaction (Crow M. 995). The responsibilities of the Restaurant Manager or the team leader at McDonald’s are to set targets, plan budgets, maintain and control stock, recruit, train and motivate a team, create and drive marketing campaigns and build and foster customer relations. Leaders ate McDonald’s restaurants do not lay down any fixed rules on how quickly individuals of a team can progress. Opportunities are given to team members to become managers if they perform well. For this to happen, the crew member must contribute to the success of the team. The management style adopted by team leaders at McDonald’s is to create outlets which are fun places to work. This is called â€Å"team-building†. Leaders at McDonald’s foster accountability and understand the social responsibility culture and incorporate these activities into their businesses. In fact the team leaders have all the characteristics that were used by Stogdill (1950) to define leadership. The characteristic include: traits, behaviour, influence, interaction patterns, role relationships and occupation of an administrative position; articulating visions (e. g.  Bill Gates), embodying values and creating environment for the things that can be accomplished; entities that perform one or more acts of leading; the ability to affect human behaviour so as to accomplish a mission and Influencing a group of people to move towards its goal setting or goal achievement. (Stogdill, 1950) The McDonalds Model is that of Adair’s Model which is called action-centred leadership. This is a constructive model according to which the leader inspires others by their own enthusiasm, commitment and the ability to communicate enthusiasm to people (Adair, 1993). Teams were developed by team leaders so that a common task could be accomplished. Adair (1993) identifies three different approaches to leadership which can be called leadership functions (1) accomplishing the task, (2) maintaining the team and (3) meeting the individual needs of the team members. Adair believes that leaders are not born but emerge from situations. The leader who emerges can adopt any ‘style of leadership’ that warrants the situation. According to Adair a leader is one who has certain innate characteristics which are required to perform his/her role. A leader according to him must have personality and character. Adair quotes Harold Macmillian, â€Å"that a man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man that nobody trusts†. His leader must have integrity, a wholeness and a moral sense. According to Adair, the three functions of meeting the demands of the task, maintaining the team and meeting the needs of individual team members must be kept in balance and none of them should be neglected. The team leader areas of responsibility must include qualities and competencies such as (a) to behave with the highest level of authenticity and integrity by building a trusting relationship with all team members; (b) to be committed fully to the development of the team; (c) to be open and communicate, but must practice good listening skills; (d) be willing to share perceptions, assumptions and views openly with team members; and (e) to allow team members to work independently but in a self-organised manner. Team leaders must take time required to do the work and support team’s efforts and also reflect on its actions. They must maintain and practice accountability and at the same time have a good working relationship with the team members. They should always be ready to monitor and evaluate how the team functions. They should clearly state the purpose of work without being ambiguous or complex. They must try to experiment and share experiences without blame. They should also provide coaching and mentoring support to the team (Barry Stevenson, 2004). The organizational structure of McDonald’s Corporation is centralised but that of its retail outlets is different. In McDonald’s outlets the employees work as a team to ensure that customers’ requirements are taken care of in a short period of time. Besides the manager the rest are all attendants who take orders and deliver as fast as they can. There is division of labour among members of the organisation, and the co-ordination of their activities are directed towards the goals and objectives of the organisation. Structure is the pattern of relationships among positions in the organisation and among members of the organisation. Structure makes possible the application of the process of management and creates a framework of order and command through which the activities of the organisation can be planned, organised, directed and controlled. Structure defines tasks and responsibilities, work roles and relationships, and channels of communication (Mullins and Laurie. J, 2008). At McDonald’s the span of control of the manager is narrow. The span of control refers to the number of subordinates working under the supervisor. So if there are five subordinates working under the supervisor or manager, the span of control is five. If the span of control is narrow there are certain advantages (Jenkins and Tessa, 2000). One of the merits is that there is tight control over subordinates and the manager is able to closely supervise the daily operations resulting in better co-ordination. Managers have time to think and plan and they are not burdened with too many problems. A narrow span of control reduces delegation and managers are able to do more work. On the contrary, a flat organisation implies a wide span of control. Theorists are of the opinion that tall organisation structures are inefficient, despite the advantage of a narrow span of control (Robbins, Stephen P, 2007). One can learn to use leadership approaches to develop high-performing teams and individuals at McDonalds. Team leaders were aware of the importance of team building and used suitable tools and techniques to help teams reach their full potential. McDonalds Crew Members are responsible for customer service, food preparation and cleanliness and hygiene. Crew members will be asked to work in any of these areas depending on the individual’s preferences. I worked as a Customer Service Crew member and my job entailed taking orders and delivering meals to customers at the counter. I learnt to be courteous and polite as I was responsible for maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. The responsibility of the Food Preparation Crew Members was to prepare and cook McDonald’s menu. The teams are self managed and all team or crew member works with team spirit. There is a sense of respect for each other. However it can be said that most crew members do not understand the organisation strategy as they do not have access to this information. The communication between crew members is informal which enables every individual to maintain good harmony within retail outlets. The crew members at McDonald’s are committed because their needs are met by the team leadership. The leadership has developed an ideal and committed team which can be easily motivated. A committed and motivated team is always successful. Larson and LaFasto (1989) studied to understand the characteristics of successful teams and found that all the highly effective teams always had the characteristics such as a clear, elevating goal, a result-driven structure, competent team members, unified commitment, a collaborative climate, standards of excellence external support and recognition as well as principled leadership (Larson and LaFasto, 1989). From this finding it is evident that effective teamwork has a strong relationship with motivation. According to Maslow’s theory the hierarchy of human needs are classified into five levels. This theory advocates that the higher level needs of an individual will become motivating factors only when the lower level ones are satisfied. The five levels starting from the lowest hierarchy to the highest level, are: Physiological – At McDonald’s the motivating factors of the crew members are salary, over time, daily lunch/meal and transportation facilities. Safety – The next important factor is safety which includes elements such as job security, medical insurance and sick leave. Social – There is very good interaction among crew members and customers. This has resulted in excellent teamwork. Self-esteem – Crew members are motivated as the team leader/manager has full confidence in their abilities. They have reputation because of the McDonald’s brand equity. They are recognised and appreciated by fellow colleagues, subordinates, and supervisors. Self-actualization – The crew member reach their full potential when all his needs are taken care off (Maslow, 1987). The disadvantage that I observed was that subordinates are unable to make any decision. They have to always obey and listen to the orders of the manager. However the crew members (team members) had flexible schedules. There were team members from various parts of the world working together. They had different backgrounds and different interests and all worked together to make an ideal work force. In fact there was diversity. I would like to now give a detailed account of my observations on leadership styles and its impact on teamwork in McDonald’s restaurants. The leadership style practised in McDonald’s restaurants is autocratic and therefore crew members are not involved in any decision making. It is also a fact that suggestions from crew members are not welcomed as most of them are new. Crew members are young and work in these restaurants during summer vacations and therefore cannot offer ideas to the leader. Crew members are young and therefore motivated if they are paid wages on time and given extra benefits such as lunch and transportation. This motivates the crew to work in spite of the autocratic leadership. Autocratic style of leadership doesn’t fulfil the self esteem requirements reflected in Maslow’s hierarchy. However at McDonald’s crew members get self respect and also respect each other. McDonald’s will not adopt another style of leadership as the management fears that a persuasive or democratic style will not deliver the goods, viz. , delivering quality food on time to its customers. I would like to compare persuasive and democratic styles of leadership with that of autocratic leadership before arriving at a conclusion: which one of the three styles will ideally suit McDonald’s and at the same time have an impact on team work. Persuasion is one of the requisites of all leaders by which act they can move people toward a new situation. Persuasion does not include rational arguments. A leader can use persuasion as a tactic to gain the support of diverse groups of people using basic human emotions. It is normal that persuasive strategies may provoke team members and some of them may oppose ideas or suggestions. The democratic leadership style or participative style encourages employees to be a part of the decision making allowing more participation of teams in the decision making process.

Robin Hood Case Analysis and Strategy Recommendations

ROBIN HOOD Case Analysis and Strategy Recommendations Case Analysis Robin Hood and his band of Merrymen is the subject of this case study. In this study I found, Robin Hood’s main problem was the increasing size of his band. Initially, he had hoped that strength lay in numbers and the more Merry men he had, the better it would be for him to effectively fight against the sheriff’s administration. He did not put enough thought into curbing the number of people being recruited.The dilemma occurred when the increasing number of men had made the band a corporation. The more men were recruited into the organization, the less face to face interaction Robin had encountered with each of his men. This would make it hard for him to enforce rules and regulations using his old ways because vigilance was not present with the new recruits. Moreover, the capacity to fund the increasing number of people became very scarce. Supplies needed to be obtained from outlaying villages. This is a very clear consequence of any expanding organization.A formal structure needed to be enforced and a chain of executive party needed to be established so as to monitor the increased number of people in the organization. The initial mission of the band, â€Å"Rob the rich and give to the poor† was no longer effective to the band. The funds obtained from the outright confiscation of the rich were no longer accommodating the increasing number of the people in the band. The mission statement had to be revised to accommodate the changing ways of the organization.New strategies also need to be introduced to meet the fund requirements of the band. Moreover, there needed to be a revision to the objectives of the band so as to limit the number of people being recruited. This, in my opinion, is a primary concern that needs attention. Robin Hood’s proposal to run a policy of adopting a fixed transit tax to whomever passed through the Sherwood Forest seems feasible but the Merrym en’s concern of jeopardizing the allies’ support in their fight against the Sheriff is also relevant.Recommendations In my opinion, Robin Hood’s first priority should be to appropriate structure and organization in the band. He needs to allot someone in charge of curbing the number of new recruits and seek other ways of finding provisions for his men. Once all this is done, he needs to take the great risk of assisting the barons in their mission to rescue King Richard and restore back in power. By doing so, Robin will have gotten his revenge and will not have to require the band’s presence any longer.

Advantages and disadvantages of job security Essay

Is government in Mauritius legalized training? With over 20 years innovation in information technology services and training for enterprises in Mauritius, the region and internationally, FRCI is today a leader in the ICT sector. FRCI is structured around 5 areas of expertise, all geared towards the same objective; customer satisfaction. FRCI was recognised as Microsoft 2010 Country Partner of the year for Mauritius and received numerous Microsoft awards for the West, East and Central Africa (WECA) region : 2012 & 2011 Best Learning Partner, 2011 Best Virtualisation Partner and 2010 Best Enterprise Software Advisor. Historically, with the exception of the air wing, the armed forces have been poorly trained and suffered from low morale. Beginning in the late 1980s, the government began to establish a military training infrastructure. On May 16, 1987, the first noncommissioned officers (NCOs) passed through a three-month refresher course at the SPDF NCO Training School. At the graduation ceremony, Chief of Staff James Michel told the NCOs that a new career development program would give each of them â€Å"an equal opportunity to develop his career and rise up the promotion scale to the highest ranks.† On May 7, 1988, the SPDF, supported by the People’s Militia, conducted a simulated offensive at the Grand Police Military Training Center. The troops covered offensive and defensive military tactics, weapons training, field communications and engineering, first aid, map reading, and other military subjects. On June 2, 1990, officials opened the Seychelles Defence Academy, which provided training courses for the SPDF, the People’s Militia, and the police. Despite these efforts, the SPLA and the navy wing have failed to improve their capabilities. Personnel suffer from low morale, poor qualifications, and ineffective combat skills. Training is legalized in various aspects in Mauritius so that to help the country to attain economic growth and to be effective in the market, the following aspects are shown below, namely: 1. Training in education 2. Training in construction 3. Training in information technology 4. Training in defense 5. Training in health care 6. Training in development 7. Training in dealing in the international market 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Is training really a necessity? How do you find the true benefit of your training? I wish I could tell you it was glamorous and exciting. With the right attitude it can always be exciting, but it is hardly glamorous. The most important aspect is patience. You won’t find the benefits overnight. It may take a couple of years before you really understand. However, your understanding keeps growing from that point. Training is exciting if you look for the Basic Principles. I see many students (even high ranking) who know the movements but don’t understand principles such as body shifting and turning, balanced motion, focus on abdomen and proper breathing. In order to maximize your training experience I would like you to do one thing. Don’t just look on the surface at what you are doing. Dig deeper and try to understand the real meaning. I guarantee you will be amazed at the treasures you will discover. Training is the process through which you find it – whatever it is you are looking for. The color of your belt or the number of stripes doesn’t mean anything. It is the process of training that is important. Training is your journey. The destination is up to you . Training is probably the most important decision a new registrant can make, because it will dictate if this individual will be in the industry in two years from their point of entry. Basing a decision to join a brokerage based on commission structure alone is a short-sighted decision, but sadly this is all too common. If an individual truly wants to be successful in real estate they need to be trained properly. They need to ensure that the person offering the fundamental training is licensed and has had practical hands-on experience. There are lots of stories about the quality of  training, and the depth and knowledge of the individuals doing the teaching. Some are good, but many are weak or hollow at best. Due diligence on the training front is an absolute requirement for all new registrants. The registrants need to ensure there is substance, relevancy and credibility to the training programs being offered. More importantly, research the actual trainers providing the course materials – remember, you get what you pay for. A good rule of thumb: if it is free, you are probably wasting your time. Surina Hart, the director of education for Right At Home Realty (RAH), who heads up RAH University, says, â€Å"Having taught the OREA courses, I have become intimate about the training the registrants receive and the gap that exists before that registrant completes their first deal. The problem is many registrants feel that upon completion of the registrant courses they are ready to sell, and I can tell you they are not yet in that position.† â€Å"Inadequate introductory training is a key factor in why so many individuals leave the industry after only two years in the business, not to mention the negative impact they have on the public who are interacting with them.† We need to continue learning, expanding and developing our core skills, on top of taking the required continuing education courses. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 In which countries are training legalized in developing, less or under developed countries? Differences in training in developing countries can be traced to the experiences of colonization, industrialization, and advancing technology. Since decolonization after World War II, developing countries have had to cope with depleted primary resources and unprecedented and unexpectedly rapid industrialization. Industrialization has taken the form of technology transfer, which has contributed to the loss of indigenous technologies. The developing world is becoming aware that the key to its development lies not in transfer of capital-intensive technologies designed for use where labor is comparatively scarce, but in industrial development that uses those technologies that advance the socioeconomic objective of development. Training and development efforts in developing countries should nrelate to an industrialization that uses technologies appropriate to specific environments. From a developing country’s perspective, training and development have an important role in developing the capacity to use and control appropriate technology. Training and development must be dynamic and focus on an understanding of the respective country’s culture in its transition from a low to a higher technology base. Implementation problems include cultural and linguistic diversity of the audience, poor communication, and limited or out-of-date instructional materials, facilities, and training and development personnel. A visit was made to Washington, D.C., to see Dr. Allan McKelvie, who has spent many active years in the voluntary Organisation, CARE/Medico, and who was responsible for starting the voluntary programmes in Indonesia, Jordan and Tunisia. In these programmes surgeons from the United States, Canada, Australia and elsewhere visit developing countries for periods of one month each to develop the orthopaedic services and train the local surgeons and doctors. Dr. McKelvie is also very active in orthopaedic surgical training programmes in the United States, and has a considerable interest in helping in the training of orthopaedic surgeons from developing countries. The relative needs of the developing countries of the world were discussed, and the realistic methods by which the standard of treatment of the patient crippled by orthopaedic diseases or trauma could be improved in over half the world’s population. The following points were agreed upon as being important: 1. Orthopaedic Surgeons. In developing countries surgeons should be trained either in their own countries or in suitable centres in other developin countries. Little good would come of training them in sophisticated centres in developed countries, apart from short courses in specialised types of orthopaedics. Surgeons from developing countries who are trained in centres in Europe and North America often cannot adapt to simplified procedures on returning to their own countries. In addition, many never want to return to their own countries, while others are dissatisfied after their return. It is therefore essential that certain orthopaedic centres in developing countries, with the facilities, staff and patients suitable for training surgeons from other developing countries, should be assisted and recognised by the major orthopaedic associations in the developed countries of the  world. 2. Type of Training Required. Dr. McKelvie felt that the standards of training in developing countries should be much lower than those of developed countries, in order that the maximum number of orthopaedic surgeons should be trained. In Uganda a very different approach has been used. It is felt that it is essential to have a nucleus of well trained ortho-paedic surgeons with international recognition in order that they can in future train other surgeons to a recognised high standard. The problem of training as many doctors and staff as possible is overcome by running courses of variable length from 3 days to 6 months in duration for other doctors and for general surgeons. In addition a large number of orthopaedic assistants (male nursing assistants with 1-2 years’ additional training in all the simple practical aspects of orthopaedics excluding actual operating) are trained. This method has worked well to date in Uganda. 3. Publications on Training. It was agreed that there was an urgent necessity for books, slides and films devoted to the realistic management of orthopaedics and trauma in developing countries. A booklet was also required on the manufacture of simple appliances and artificial limbs suitable for developing countries. 4. Training of Orthopaedic Ancillaries. In addition to orthopaedic assistants, orthopaedic technicians, physiotherapists, rehabilitation workers and nurses should be trained as far as possible in developing countries. Only a small selected ftw of these should visit a developed country for further training and then only for a specialised course. 5. Assistance from Developed to Developing Countries (a) Staff. CARE/Medico orthopaedic surgeons only spend one month at a time on a rota system in a developing country. They teach and do clinical work, but do not take any part in policy making or administration. (b) Many leading surgeons in developing countries, however, feel that a surgeon should spend at least oneyear, and if possible two, in order to be of real value, especially if he has never worked in a developing country before. This is because it often takes 3 to 6 months for a surgeon to re-orientate his management of patients to that which is economicaly realistic to a developing country. The same will apply to orthopaedic technicians and physiotherapy teachers, but in these cases it is essential that the teacher is flexible and realistic in his or her approach. A teacher, for instance,  who will only make calipers and artificial limbs out of imported parts from a developed country at an exhorbitant cost will do more harm than good in a developing country. Financial Assistance. This is required for secretarial and research assistance and for the preparation of books, booklets, slides, films and reprints for teaching purposes. Large sums of money are spent on transport and emoluments and even capital expenditure for buildings by developed countries in developing countries. A small fraction of this amount would achieve many times the good on an international rather than a national scale by distributing teaching aids so necessary for improving standards of orthopaedic care. The amount actxa~ly available is often negligible. There appears to be a universal reluctance throughout the world to help direct6v in the dissemination of knowledge. As a result of this, the lack of communication between countries, except at the highest level, is little short of appalling.

Pepsi’s Strategy in Entering India

PepsiCo had been trying to enter the Indian market for quite some time with no success. In 1988 Pepsi received a letter from George Fernandes, the General Secretary of one of the country's leading political parties, Janata Dal. He wrote, â€Å"I learned that you are coming here. I am the one that threw Coca-Cola out, and we are soon going to come back into the government. If you come into the country, you have to remember that the same fate awaits you as Coca-Cola. † This scared PepsiCo a bit knowing that their rival was forced to leave the country in 1977 after the Janata Dal came to power.PepsiCo had to think of a way to get in without facing the same consequences Coca-Cola had to face. In May 1985, PepsiCo joined with one of India's leading business houses, the R P Goenka (RPG) group, to begin operations in the India. The company, along with the RPG group company Agro Product Export Ltd. , planned to import the cola concentrate and sell soft drinks under the Pepsi label. Pe psiCo's decision linked its entry with the development and welfare of the state was aimed at winning the government over. The fact that Punjab boasted a healthy agricultural sector played a role in PepsiCo's decision.Coke and PepsiPepsiCo claimed that it would play a central role in bringing about an agricultural revolution in the state and would create many employment opportunities. It promised to create 50,000 jobs in the nation. Pepsi began by setting up a fruit and vegetable processing plants at Zahura village in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district. The plant then was focused on processing tomatoes to make tomato paste. Pepsi had a tough time convincing farmers to work for the company. Its experts from the US had to interact extensively with the farmers to explain how they could benefit from working with the company.