Edward Hallet Carrs Arguments In What Is History?

Edward Hallet Carrs Arguments In What Is History? Introduction This essay attempts to review Edward Hallet Carrs (1892-1982) arguments in his book What is History? According to Carr, history is a continual process of interaction; a dialogue between the historian in the present and the facts of the past and the relative weight of individuals and social elements on both sides of the equation. Advocating the adoption of a suitable philosophy to the approach of writing history, in terms of selecting, distinguishing and interpreting historical fact, Carr elucidates that great history is written when the historians view of the past is illuminated by insights into the conditions of the present. In addition to continually asking why, the historian also needs to project into the future. This essay attempts to understand Carrs views on objectivity, truth and narrative in the arguments put forth in his book What is History? and the assessment of his arguments by other historians. H.E. Carrs Arguments on What is History In his arguments on What is History? Carr sets out the following premise. History is a continual dialogue between the past and the present; an interaction between the historian and his facts. Establishing the criteria for selecting historical fact, Carr argues that fact itself is insufficient and must be correctly and truthfully interpreted. To arrive at a correct interpretation and factual account of history, a historian must continually question why and whither, as history in essence is change. Carr also underlines the fact that historians, as individuals, cannot be divested from the society they live in. A proper philosophy to the approach of history is thus essential for the historian. Each era or century has its own interpretation of what history is. As a social process, history is an interaction between the past and the present and between the society of today and yesterday. History according to Carr contains a corpus of ascertained facts and these are available to the historian in documents. He however asserts that fact without accurate interpretation is ineffectual. To understand this, one has to first distinguish historical fact from other facts in the past. Carr discusses historical fact in light of the Empirical or Common Sense View of History. There are certain basic facts that are the same for all historians and which form the backbone of history. These facts, however, form the raw material for the historian, rather than history itself. The necessity to verify the truth of these basic facts rests on a priori decision by the historian. Whilst accuracy of such facts is a necessary, a historian must also rely on the auxiliary sciences of history archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics, chronology amongst others. A historian like any other scientist must continually ask the question why. The question whither also assumes importance, since the line of demarcation between pre-historic and historical times is eclipsed when people cease to live only in the present and become consciously interested in their past and future. However, Carr also reveals that as a social being the historian is naturally and inclined to be selective of the facts he chooses. Our picture of the past has been preselected and predetermined for us by people who consciously or unconsciously imbued a particular view and saw those facts as worthy of preserving. Carr likens history to an enormous jigsaw puzzle with many missing parts. A lacunae in the historical facts of 5th century Greece B.C has arisen due to one sided view of Greece from the Athenian citizen. Hardly any information is available on how it looked to other citizens like the Spartan, Corinthian, Theban or even a slave. The 19th century fetishism of facts was complemented by an equal fetishism for documents. However, none of this means anything unless the author has actually deciphered and processed the facts found in these documents before making use of them. Carr defines the method the historian makes use of facts as the processing process. The Stresemanns Vermà ¤ch tnis volume is one such illustration of the selectiveness of historians. Sometimes mere fact about the past is transformed into history. For example while the Battle of Hastings 1066 is an important historical event, it is the historian who decides the whether the inclusion of Caesars crossing of the Rubicon is a relevant historical fact. Or the mention of the murder of a ginger bread vendor at Stalybridge Wakes in 1850 is equally relevant. Their status as historical facts will depend on their interpretation. Correct and truthful interpretation of historical fact is equally important stresses Carr. Facts are like fish swimming about in a vast and sometimes inaccessible ocean. What the historian catches will depend largely on which part of the ocean he is fishing and what fish he intends to catch. The ancient or mediaeval historian may be grateful for the large winnowing process which has over the years put a manageable corpus of facts at their disposal. The modern historian on the other hand has the dual task of discovering a few significant facts and discarding the insignificant ones as unhistorical. Each historian belongs to his own age and is bound to it by the conditions of human existence. An understanding of the past can be achieved by an insight into present conditions. The choice of words for example democracy, empire or war, are connotations linked to the historians specific time in history. Similarly, over the years, a change in the balance of power, world wars and other movements have also influenced historical writing. French history in the latter twentieth century was deeply affected by the Russian Revolution of 1917. Carr advises historians that equal importance should be given to the date and publication of writing as the name of the author when commencing on a study. Carr states it is imperative that the author should neither dwell solely on the past nor disassociate totally from it, but master and understands it, as the key to understanding the present. The reconstitution of the past in the historians mind is dependent on empirical evidence, but is not in itself an empirical process as facts do not speak for themselves. The process of reconstitution governs the selection and interpretation of facts. This indeed is what makes them historical facts. The facts of history are never handed down to us in a pure form clarifies Carr. They are always refracted through the mind of the recorder. When a historian takes up a work of history, the authors first concern should not be with the facts, but rather an understanding of the historians who wrote it and their back ground. To appreciate the work of the English Liberal Historian, Trevelyan England under Queen Anne, one must interpret it against the background of his traditional Whig historian lineage. To appreciate the thoughts behind peoples action, Carr exhorts historian to cultivate an imaginative understanding of the minds of people they are dealing with for a correct interpretation of historical fact. Historians must necessarily cultivate an objective approach to history asserts Carr. The duty of the historian to respect fact cannot be overshadowed by the obligation to see that the facts are accurate. The historian must seek to bring into the picture all known or knowable facts, relevant in one sense or the other to the theme and the interpretation proposed. History is meaningless in a static world affirms Carr. History in its essence is change reveals Carr. It is meaningless in a static world. A society which loses its belief in its capacity to move into the future will quickly cease to concern itself with its progress in the past. History can be accurately written by those who find and accept a sense of direction in history itself. Whilst writing history, two processes must go hand in hand input and output, states Carr. Working historians must stop and reflect what they are doing. The historian can thus effectively mould facts to his interpretation. Speaking from his own experience, Carr reveals that the process of reading and writing are simultaneous exercises for him. The writing is added to and subtracted from as he goes along. He found that his reading was more guided and directed by the writing as he went along. Assessment of Carrs Arguments Since its publication in 1961 E.H. Carrs What is History? the book established itself as a classic reference on the subject.  [1]  Yet despite its widespread recognition, many inner flaws and contradictions have surfaced, sparking several debates on Carr supposition of What is History? Whilst rejecting the crude and rigid re-constructionist stance of the empiricist, Carr as a political constructionist historian has failed to visualise the post modern challenge to the distinction between fact and fiction in historical narrative and the influence of root metaphors.  [2]  His epistemological position is revealed through his scepticism about the nature and status of historical knowledge and sociology of knowledge. (Alan Munslow). Over the years there have been disagreements about Carrs contribution to the analytical philosophy of history, shadowing the distinction between re-constructionism and constructionism.  [3]   Authors Anders Stephanson and Rendall Germain in their appraisal conclude that Carrs answers to the questions he has set about history are in themselves unsatisfactory. Another writer, Keith Jenkins underlines the futility of Carrs empirical-analytical concept particularly in light of the post modern challenges.  [4]  Carr devalues his currency of re-constructionist theory, by his ultimate acceptance of the epistemological model of historical explanation as the best method to create and evaluate historical thought.  [5]   Exploring Carrs epistemological claim to radicalism and his insistence that a historian cannot divorce himself from the outlook and interests of his age, Historian Alan Munslow, highlights the fact that today with greater awareness of the weakness of representation, reference and inductive inference, a larger part of historical writing is based on the supposition that we cannot know any absolute truths about the past. Whilst acknowledging Carrs attention to the discursive nature of historical facts, Historian Alex Callinicos refutes Carrs opinion that the importance of empirical evidence diminishes since the facts of history are refracted through the mind of the historian.  [6]  Rather this premise gives rise to the question of the historians subjective bearing on the facts. Carr drops his objectivist anchor when he argues that Historian Collingwoods logic of sceptical position leads to the idea that there is no certainty in historical meaning and that the discourses of historians, or what Carr termed as total scepticism, like something spun out a human brain, suggests that there could be no objective truth in historical writing.  [7]  Supporting his own belief in the power of empiricism, Carrexplicitly rejected Nietzches notion that historical truth is defined by fitness of purpose. This misguiding percept excludes the possibility that one interpretation is as good as another.  [8]   While confirming the necessity of a continual interaction between the historian and his facts, Carr was unwilling to acknowledge that the written historical fact could possibly be a work of fiction.  [9]  He overlooks the reality that new evidence and new theory can offer new interpretations. Carrs epistemological theory of knowledge argues that the past is known from its evidence and remains so whilst being introduced in the historical narrative.  [10]   For example, Carrs argument that facts are a priori decision of the historian, and that the historians influence on and the arrangement of these facts is what constitutes historical meaning. However, this gives rise to the risk of subjectivity and the outcome may not be an accurate representation of the evidence.  [11]   Carr pulls back from relativism which his own logic has thrust him into. Aware that he is running a post empiricist wind, he rejects Collingwoods demand for the emphatic and constructive approach and cites another historian who accepts the model of dialogue between past and present, while keeping an objective point of view. This profile of a historian is affirmed by the American Commentators Joyce Appleby, Lynn Hunt and Margaret Jacob who repacked Carrs position as practical realism.  [12]   Carr uses his objectivist angle to underplay the problems of historical form.  [13]  He does this by arguing that the standard for objectivity in history is the historians sense of the direction in history, which means the historian selects facts not on personal bias, but on the ability to choose the right facts, or, in other words, that he applies the right standard of significance.  [14]   Carrs objective historian is one who has the ability to see beyond the inadequate vision of his own position in society and history and at the same time has the ability to visualise the future to give him a more in depth and enduring understanding of the past.  [15]   The objective historian is also one who penetrates most deeply into the mutual method of fact and value, who recognises that facts and values are not necessarily in opposition to differences in standards emerging from disparity of historical fact, and vice versa. An objective historian also understands the boundaries of historical theory. Carrs insists that the objective historian should develop the habit of reading and interpreting the evidence at the same time. However, appropriate social theory precludes presumption or series of connected presumptions, of how people in the past acted intentionally and related to their social contexts.  [16]   Conclusion In his book What is History? H E Carr lays out the premises for conducting a correct approach and philosophy to writing history. History according to Carr is a continuous dialogue between the past and present and a continual interaction between the historian and the facts, for a correct interpretation and accurate recording of facts. It is constantly changing. It is important therefore for the historian to develop a proper philosophy of history before undertaking a study, where historical fact, the criteria for selection of, and their factual interpretation are of vital importance. Carrs arguments about objectivity and his epistemological theory of knowledge have been widely criticised by empiricist as well as the social theory historians. His failure to visualise post modern challenge to the distinction between fact and fiction in historical narrative and his inclination towards post-empiricism despite his claims to radicalism have reduced the currency of his re-constructionist theory.

macbeth :: essays research papers

Shakespeare draws an amazing psychological portrait of a man who became a villain by means of ambition, desire and an imbalance of good and evil. â€Å"Macbeth† is a play composed of the disintegration of a noble man’s world. The play begins by offering the audience Macbeth, a war hero, with a high regard from Duncan, the king of Scotland. By the end of the play Macbeth transforms into a universally despised man without a place in the social community. Shakespeare draws an amazing face of a man made to be a villain by ambition, desire and an imbalance of good and evil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth, unhappy and unsatisfied with his social position, caused his feelings to snowball into the ambition that led him to the murder of Duncan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which O’erleaps itself And falls on th’other† (Act 1 sc. 7 pg 41) By using an aside, Shakespeare allows Macbeth to reveal his ambitions. And uses Macbeth’s ambition to create irony, in that his ambition was what brought him to power, yet it also leads him to his tragic downfall. Ambition is what allowed Macbeth to become more powerful, and helps him to overcome obstacles and come closer to his final goals. It is this ambition that is the direct cause of the tragic incident of Duncan’s death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The encounter with the three witches summons Macbeth’s innermost imaginative desires, eventually pointing him in the direction of Duncan’s murder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Art thou not fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?† (Act 2 sc. 1 pg 53)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Here Macbeth’s imagination precedes his rational thought, he is stolen in the grip of his fantastical imagination. It is as if the dagger is actually pulling him towards his desires to murder Duncan, rather than being persuaded by an actual inner passion for that motive. Shakespeare uses this scene to demonstrate to the audience that Macbeth’s conscious act of knowing that his desires are immoral and still acting upon them proves him quite the villain. This symbolism brings the audience to savor the play’s hidden meanings and also allows for leeway in the interpretation of the plot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth’s inability to balance the forces of good and evil cause him to reach an insecure state of mind, causing him to make many malicious decisions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"But let the fame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer,

Monsoosn

Monsoosn is a typical seasonal wind in low altitude climate that changes direction between winter and summer season. Monsoon wind typically flow from the geographical land in winter season carrying cool dry air (dry phase), and to the land in summer carrying warm moist air (wet phase), causing a sweeping change in the rain and temperature patterns of the area.The â€Å"monsoon† word is derived from the Arabic word mausim, meaning changing season. Initially the word monsoon was used to describe winds in the Arabian Sea, but with the passage of time it is employed for seasonally changing wind systems all over the world. The difference in the heating of land and water surface results in pressure difference between land and ocean. (Roger G. Barry, Richard J. Chorley, 1998)In the winter to maintain the energy balance between land and water heat is transferred by land- sea breezes. This pressure difference gives rise to monsoon. In winter season the air over the land area is colder than over the oceans, generating a large high pressure area over the Siberia, leading to air movement across the Indian Ocean and South China, causing clear skies for South Asia and East. While the exact opposite phenomenon occurs in summer.In summer monsoon of Southwest Asia wind starts blowing from the ocean the continent with wet shower patterns. The air over the continents land is much warmer than over the oceans, resulting in moisture laden wind movement from the ocean towards the continent. When this humidified air unites with comparatively dry west air flow crossing over the mountains, it starts rising till reaches its saturation point with the development of heavy showers and thunderstorms. (Roger G. Barry, Richard J. Chorley, 1998)The most prominent pattern of monsoon system is seen in eastern and southern Asia; however it has also been prevailing in Australia, West Africa and the Pacific Ocean. A small scale monsoonal system exists in the southern United States called Nort h American, Mexican or Arizona Monsoon. Between July and September the North American monsoon is circulating over southwest North America bringing remarkable increase in rain showers in normally arid regions of Arizona, New Mexico and northwestern Mexico. The west or northwest winds with similarities to the original Southwest Asian monsoon turn more south or southwest having monsoonal circulation brings moisture from Pacific Ocean, Gulf of California and Gulf of Maxico.The monsoon is an important aspect of atmospheric circulation. It brings humid air from over the oceans traveling across the land to the mountains being lifted up due to day time heating from the sun, finally causing thunderstorm and turning out into rain over the land. The large areas in the tropics and subtropics are under the influence of monsoons. In highly populated areas of the world like Asia or India, the monsoon is vital for agriculture for harvesting land and thus the food production. From time to time a str ong monsoon circulation has been seen bringing flood or if the monsoon is late in a specific year, it has been seen causing droughts.A very interesting phenomenon similar to monsoon occurs in smaller spatial and temporal scale, the mountain and valley breezes. The reason behind their occurrence is the same as that of monsoon. During the day the valley and area around it becomes warm heating the air from scorching sun which makes it less dense with a propensity to rise and a gentle upslope wind occurs.This upslope valley wind if carry enough humidity may cause showers and even thunderstorms in warmest part of the day or early afternoon. Exactly opposite to this phenomenon at night slopes cool down quickly causing the air around to cool and blow down from the mountain to the valley forming some sort of gravity wind named mountain breeze. Technically speaking nay kind of down slope wind is called Katabatic or fall wind which is best used for considerably stronger wind than mountain bre eze. (Peter Combs, 2000)The monsoon season prevails from June to September, and is liable for widespread rain leading to flooding across India and Bangladesh. This is a very common phenomenon in this region of world happening time and again. Noticeable monsoon effects are recorded in the history of meteorological study in past.Bangladesh is a low-lying, poor nation of 144 million people, where seasonal floods and cyclones due to monsoon kill hundreds every year. A powerful cyclone in 1991 killed 139,000 people along the coast with a record worst in a decade monsoon rains. (Peter Combs, 2000)In June 2007 heavy rains swept across southern India’s Karnataka state western Maharashtra state killing 38 people. This sweep had also caused flooding and wild storms that had hit also the neighboring Pakistan where 228 people were killed in a week.â€Å"Hundreds of people died last year in South Asia in floods and landslides which are common during the monsoon season. But officials in I ndian and Bangladesh say that this year's flooding is the worst they have seen in over a decade. â€Å"Some 400,000 houses were damaged in floods in 18 of the state's 24 districts,† the chief minister of the Indian state of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, told AFP news agency†. â€Å"Flood waters are continuing to rise in Bangladesh and eastern India, swamping large stretches of land and affecting millions of people.† http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/On August 23 in 2005 hurricane Katrina had developed. It was the one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. Atlantic monsoon season had brought damage in a large extent of the north-central Gulf Coast. Severe loss of life and property had occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana due to flooding of vast area. The hurricane caused much more devastating destruction across the entire Mississippi coast and into Albama as far as 160 km from the storm’s center.New Orleans has a long history of natural disasters being geographically positioned in a region frequently hit by hurricanes. In the year 1915 a category four hurricane had caused Lake Pontchartrain to overflow killing 275 people in the same area hit badly by the Hurricane Katrina.Hurricane Betsy with category three occurred in 1965, flooded half of New Orleans and submerged up to 20 feet in some areas, and left 60,000 inhabitants homeless.Hurricane Camille hit the Mississippi Gulf near to New Orleans in 1969, once more causing destructive flooding in the area and displacement of people. As recorded by National Weather Service report monsoon season throughout 1995-2004 have brought 13.6 tropical storms, 7.8 hurricanes, 3.8 major hurricanes.References:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/Peter Combs. Clouds and Climate Change; Focus, Vol. 46, Spring 2000Roger G. Barry, Richard J. Chorley. Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate; Routledge, 1998

Essay on Thomas Aquinas’ Theory of Christianity Theology...

Thomas Aquinas’ Theory of Christianity Theology is Science Thomas Aquinas claims Christianity is a science with the use of the writings of Aristotle on scientific knowledge. Aquinas also makes the claim that theology, or the study God, is a science accepted through Revelation. Faith provides ammunition for Aquinas to state that believers of Christianity have the affirmation of God already inside of them. This claim considered that divine writings were inspired by God. Aquinas stated, The principles of any science are either in themselves self-evident, are reducible to the knowledge of a higher science are the principles of sacred doctrine. Once these documents had God’s authority approved by faith, they became indemonstrable knowledge,†¦show more content†¦This provides a standard in which a person could live their lives in a godly manner. A critique that could be levy against Thomas Aquinas’ assertion is that the Holy Scripture in the Christianity religion is the word of God. There are other religions that claim that their doctrine is divinely inspired also. So this would allow other religions to claim the same absoluteness of authority on indemonstrable knowledge as Christianity. For example, the Koran and Torah were also said to be inspired by God. The question arises of which doctrine is the definitive Scripture that God attended for us to use. Thomas Aquinas is going to pick his religion holy doctrine over the other ones due to his faith in Christianity. Another issue with Aquinas argument leads to a discussion that John Dewey brought up in â€Å"The Process of Scientific Thinking of the possibility of indemonstrable knowledge being mistaken or misinterpreted. Even if Scripture is absolute, people’s perception of the doctrine can be fallible. Thomas Aquinas makes a strong argument for theology being a science. He demonstrates how a follower of Christ and a nonbeliever could use a scientific method to come up with absolute proof with axioms provided by Holy Scripture. A problem could takes place when someone misconstrues the word of God and forms absolute beliefs on incorrect interpretation of Scripture. Theology leaves no wiggle room for improvement once an absolute syllogismShow MoreRelatedSt. Thomas Aquinas And The Catholic Church1682 Words   |  7 Pages Luther Vs Aquinas Nick Pascuzzi TH 3000 Dr. Campbell 11/21/2016 â€Æ' St. Thomas Aquinas, was born near Naples, Italy, in 1225. Educated in the Dominican Order in Paris and Cologne, he devoted his life to the knowledge of God. He died in 1274, was canonized in 1323. In 1567 he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church (NCE 14:13-29). Martin Luther, was born on the 10th of November in 1483 in the Holy Roman Empire. 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North Whitehead, Monsignor Luigi Guissani, and Charles Hartshorne have contributed significant bits of Theology as the Roman Catholic Church, perhaps a century late, has finally come to a difficult crossroads about the creation of the world: Should the Vatican alter (no pun intended) modify Church Dogmas, which are infallible snippets of doctrinal teaching, or ignore rapidRead MoreRelation Between Science and Religion Essay4079 Words   |  17 Pageson What is the Relation between Science and Religion William Lane Craig Examines several ways in which science and theology relate to each other. Back in 1896 the president of Cornell University Andrew Dickson White published a book entitled A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom. Under White’s influence, the metaphor of â€Å"warfare† to describe the relations between science and the Christian faith became very widespread during the first half of the 20th century. The culturally

Structuralism And Functionalism Of American Psychology Essay

Description This lecture podcast discussing structuralism and functionalism in the development of American psychology must have a road map for how I will chart this brief course through such a brilliant history with characters as large as Lady Liberty. Therefore, I will begin by discussing the historical nature and foundational construct of structuralism, functionalism, the process of change for American psychology to be where it is today, and finish with a summary. I will also make available the paper and references that accompany this lecture. Since I am limited with time constraints I will get started. Lecture The historical underpinnings of American psychology came by way of Francis Bacon and John Stuart Mill philosophy, Charles Darwin evolutionary biology, Chauncey Wright evolutionary psychology, and Wilhelm Wundt volunteer psychology generally (Green, 2009; Wright, 1873). From these philosophical and biological contributors came two major schools of American psychology, namely structuralism and functionalism (Green, 2009; Caldwell, 1899; biological terms; see Boucher, 2015, pp. 384-385), which emerged as competitors of thought on how to describe and explain the human mind and behavior specifically (Angell, 1907; Caldwell, 1899; Green, 2009; Green, Feinerer, Burman, 2013). The conceptual reality of this debate between the two schools is foundational and must be understood to build the proper picture of how American psychology has established itself as a â€Å"marker† byShow MoreRelatedThe Historical History Of American Psychology Essay1091 Words   |  5 PagesThe historical un derpinnings of American psychology came by way of Francis Bacon and John Stuart Mill philosophy, Charles Darwin evolutionary biology, Chauncey Wright evolutionary psychology, and Wilhelm Wundt volunteer psychology generally (Green, 2009; Wright, 1873). 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Group Decision-Making, Leadership, Influence and Power...

Group Decision-Making, Leadership, Influence and Power: Illustrations from the Film â€Å"12 Angry Men† Stephen Pulla 804 859 874 BMGT 310 April 20, 2012 Victor Rosochalsky â€Å"The cognitive evaluation theory is contradictory to reinforcement and expectancy theories† There are three motivation theories that will help increase an individual’s motivation to perform better at certain tasks. The three theories of motivation are the Expectancy theory, the Reinforcement theory and the Cognitive Evaluation theory. Although that each of these theories has different techniques of motivation they are not contradictory to one another. Looking at the each of theories from my life experiences†¦show more content†¦If the group gets a good mark the next time that student is working with a group they will believe that they don’t need to put in an effort and still will receive a good mark. In this situation it is reinforced that the outcome will be a good mark. This theory however does not take into consideration that the student may want to do the work because they may want to learn. The expectancy theory would prove that in college my efforts that I put into my schoolwork will help me achieve a passing grade, that grade will get me a diploma and that the diploma will help me get a good job after college. If i believe studying hard an participating in class will get me a good grade then I will behave that way. Being a college student you have to believe that getting good grades will help you in the long-run to get a better job in the future. Without believing this I wont be motivated to put in the extra effort for better marks. Looking at the above examples of my own life experiences I do not agree that the cognitive evaluation theory contradicts the expectancy and the reinforcement theory. These examples all have a similar behaviors they also can be explained by other theories. 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Smart Mart Strategic and Analysis

Question : Describe the strategic and ethical choices specific to Smart Mart, Engage issues under conditions of strategy implementation and evaluation, Apply relevant tools and techniques of strategic analysis for Smart Mart, Apply principles of decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, Justify or substantiate strategic choices, decisions, or intent, and Recommend a course of action for Smart Mart. Answer : 1.0 Strategic and Ethical Choices for Smart mart The company started its journey from 1978 by Liam Van de laye. The main business of the company was very much concentrated into one very specific area that is providing healthy organic food products to the community. They remain very much focused into this segment. It has been observed that the over the years the market dynamics have changed. Therefore, the business policies of the companies have changed. In modern business segment, most of the retail consumers are focusing in the adoption of the organic foods. Therefore, in this condition the Smart mart have the most lucrative option to promote its business in large scale. The main reason behind this is the organic food is their key functional area. However, all the other competitors will also change their focus in the organic food segment. This shift in policy will not take much time for the competitors to promote their organic businesses. Therefore, the adoption of the Organics 2.0 strategy will work very smoothly for the company. Through this strategy, the company will remain able to get the insight data of the market. This market insight will help the company to gain the competitive advantage over its nearest competitors. It has been seen that most of the other companies collects the product through using the others supply chain. Therefore, it will be very much viable for the company if they use their own supply chain to ensure that the quality of the product does not degrade (Rasouli and Timmermans, 2014). Company is operating with the organic foods with a long year of experience. Therefore, the major ethical issue will be, with the increasing competition within the sector the company should not shift their focus to deliver the non-organic foods or lower graded organic foods to the consumers. 2.0 Issues under consideration of strategy implementation and evaluation The major considerable issues that should be kept under the prime consideration will be Market Expansion Production process control Return on Investment Market expansion will be one of the most futuristic decisions made by the company. According to Gaughan (2011) it is very much required to have a considerable visibility to gain the maximum advantage from the market. Therefore, as the trend of organic food is growing very fast the company with its strong brand name should expand its reach within the market. However, to grow their market the company should go with the acquisition strategy. The main advantage of this strategy is that it will help the company to gain the visibility with a single deal. If the company wanted to have their own establishment to increase the visibility, it would take time and would take growing investment. This could have a adverse effect on them. The production of the organic food process should be kept under strict quality control because their brand name has developed on it. Therefore, to maintain the image of the company the company should implement a strict monitoring on the supply chain of the company. On the production issue, the company should implement the use of bio fuel so that the pollution level decreases. However, to get the better return on investment the company should increase the product offering ranges and needs to redesigning of the pricing of it so that it become very much accessible to the common consumers. It has been observed in the retail market that the mass markets have received much better values for their investments rather than the niche marketers. Therefore, to get better return on investment the company should increase its product offering and need to review its pricing policies to attract the most of the customers under their belt. 3.0 Application of the relevant tools and techniques It is very much necessary to have an analysis of the internal and the external environment to get a glimpse of the strategic market dynamics. Therefore, the SWOT analysis will provide the internal image of the company and the Porters five forces analysis will help to understand the external competitive environment of the company. SWOT analysis: The major Strength of the company is the long-lived brand image in the organic food sector. Other than this, the other strength of the company is the self-owned supply chain, which ensures the optimum quality of the offering. However, to gain the competitive advantage the company should expand its business through acquisition and should increase its product offerings (Gaughan, 2011). The major Weakness of the company is the lower brand visibility of the company and the lower product offering with a high-end pricing. This lower brand visibility over the year affected the growth of the business for the company. On the other hand, the limited product range and higher pricing is restricting the growth of the company in the mass market. However, the major Opportunity for the company is that with its higher brand value the company will remain able to expand in the consumer market. However, to become a mass marketer the company must have redesign its product offering range and pricing policies (Rasouli and Timmermans, 2014). The major Threat for the company will be the growing number of competitors and maintaining the quality of the products through owning the self-owned supply chain. Therefore, to overcome these threats the company should increase its market reach very rapidly with its rapid expansion policy (Stevens, 2010). Porters Five Forces Analysis The porters five forces model for the company will be discussed through the following table: Forces Outcomes Strategic Choices Bargaining power of the suppliers The supplier bargaining power will increase as the number of competitors will increase. Therefore, to minimise the impact from this the company should focus in developing own SCM of the products. Bargaining power of the Buyers The bargaining power of the buyers will be higher as the most of the retailers are moving towards the organic. The company should expand its product offerings and should make the pricing competitive one so that the product comes within the reach of the mass markets. Thereat of substitute products The thereat of the substitute products is low because only a few products are available in the organic category. The extension of the food products range will help the company to deal with this issue. Threat of new entrance The threat of the new entrance is very high because there is no market entrance barrier for the other companies. Expansion and the product range expansion will help the company to handle the issue. Industry Rivalry The industry rivalry is very high due to the increasing number of retailers coming up with new business ideas. Constant review of the external business scenarios will help to resolve the issue (Kamin, 2010). Table 1: The Porters five forces analysis of the company 4.0 Principles of Decision-making under conditions of uncertainty According to Burls and Sandercock (2011), the decision-making under condition of uncertainty can be termed as structured or methodical, disciplined approach in context to decision making. Therefore, in that case probabilistic analysis can be the core for compiling logical reasoning. Therefore, Smart Mart can implement the decision-making concept under uncertainty in order to make effective strategic decision. On the other hand, risk and opportunity can be proactively managed so that expected goal can be achieved. The management of Smart Mark can employ Expected Utility Theory. As per Rasouli and Timmermans (2014), the theory explains that a decision maker can make a selection between prospects of uncertain and risky by weighing against the values of expected utilities. Therefore, in order to select the concept for store, the Smart Mart can apply decision-making process to gain best value from uncertainty. On the other hand, the store managers of the company not in favour to change the concept of store, as the managers believe that that store concept is doing fine. Apart from that, people from other department have a view that if the concept is not modified then it can be tough for Smart Mart to battle their competitors such as Big-Box Mart. Therefore, CEO of the company can take decision by comparing the expected utility values of the store concepts. If the store concept is scaled up to a level of supermarket concept then it can provide more utility value in comparison to other concepts thought that is to be niche player or carrying the operation with existing setup (Malyshev et al. 2010). Moreover, scaling up the store to next level can help the Smart Mart to tackle its major competitors and provide good services to people. On the other hand, it i s not clear whether the market will accept the change or not therefore, the decision falls under uncertainty. 5.0 Justify or substantiate strategic choices, decisions or intent In order to gain the leadership position in the area of organic food market, Smart Mart has to develop strategic that can meet all the requirements of market and consumers. Therefore, as per the case, the under mentioned points can be strategic choices, decisions and justification Enhance Customer Service: Smart Mart has to provide superior and quality customer service to their consumers in their stores. The employee in the store has to be full time ready to deliver quick assistance to customers and solving their queries. For instance, in order to improve customer service, the company can include more number of billing counters so that customer does not have to stand in queue for long time (Stevens, 2010). Therefore, it can deliver good customer experience. Thus, the company has to provide full satisfaction to the customers in order to sustain in the market and gain market share. Mergers and Acquisitions: This strategic choice can be effective for Smart Mart to perform efficiently in the market. According to this strategic, the company can fall into negotiation with other industry or can acquire small industry to gain market benefit (Gaughan, 2011). This strategy can help the company in decreasing the percentage of competition and it can make company to remain more focused on the firm that is being purchased. Further, it can be helpful for Smart Mart to increase their footprints across the nation and company can increase their customer base. Technology: The Company can employ advance technology such as internet or online shopping. This would help in building customer circle and providing quick service to customers. On the other hand, the company can be able to increase its visibility in the market with their range of organic food. Moreover, it could help in building relationship with customers and it can help the company in gaining loyal customers (Kamin, 2010). In the case of intent, it is clear that company is focused on repositioning the company in the organic food market. The company wants to increase their market share and provide quality and healthy food to people that free from chemicals or preservatives. Therefore, it can help Smart Mart to gain competitive advantage against their competitors and earn better profit and sales. 6.0 Recommend a course of action for Smart Mart In order to improve the operation, the Smart Mart can follow the mentioned suggestions. The company may need to decrease the level of debts or liabilities so that company can generate better cash inflow which can be invested in profitable venture. Moreover, the operational expenses have to be checked. Therefore, company has to be decreased the cost of production and cost from unnecessary research and development. Smart Mart has to focus on the marketing and promotion in order to engage pool of customers. The company can release TV commercial to make people aware about their stores. On the other hand, the company can give discount to the customers for one month that will help in building image of the company in the organic food market. Therefore, company may need to invest the portion of their income in the promotion as it will help in increasing the sale of the company. The decision regarding the store concept has to be taken soon in order to scale up the business process. As it will help in increasing the profitability of the company and on the other hand, company can gain competitive edge to give tough challenge to their competitors. Therefore, it will help in performing superiorly in the organic food market. The management of the company has to hire more efficient and productive employees that can increase the performance level of the company with minimum wastage. Moreover, the company can generate more creative ideas that can be helpful for the future prospect of the Smart Mart. Therefore, company can register growth in the business and operations. The company can use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc. to communicate with the customers and let them know about the special offer given in the stores. This will help in increasing the brand value of the company and company can be able to sustain for long in the market. Reference List Burls, A. and Sandercock, J. (2011). Decision-making under conditions of uncertainty-what can we learn from palivizumab?. Acta Paediatrica, 100(10), pp.1302-1305. Gaughan, P. (2011). Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructurings. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Kamin, M. (2010). 10 steps to successful customer service. Alexandria, Va.: ASTD Press. Malyshev, V., Piyavsky, B. and Piyavsky, S. (2010). A decision making method under conditions of diversity of means of reducing uncertainty. Journal of Computer and Systems Sciences International, 49(1), pp.44-58. Rasouli, S. and Timmermans, H. (2014). Applications of theories and models of choice and decision-making under conditions of uncertainty in travel behavior research. Travel Behaviour and Society, 1(3), pp.79-90. Stevens, D. (2010). Brilliant customer service. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall.