Polar Sports Inc.

Polar Sports dominates the ski fashion wear market and has managed to stay profitable in an industry that has a lot of challenges. The firm uses unique production processes to manufacture high quality products which attract diverse consumers in the market.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Polar Sports Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the main challenges it faces is that it has to contend with high labor and operational costs which are likely to affect its future financial performance in the industry. In addition, some of its competitors manufacture their products in Asian countries which have cheap labor costs and as a result, they are likely to gain a higher market share in the long run. SWOT Analysis Strengths The firm has a strong financial position. It has efficient distribution systems that allow it to supply products to customers quickly. It has a strong brand. Weaknesses Its future perfo rmance may be negatively affected by high costs. It has to contend with unpredictable market forecasts and future risks. Opportunities It can focus on expansion into other markets. It needs to develop new product lines that appeal to new consumers Threats Its future profitability forecasts may be affected by low prices from its competitors. Unsustainable hiring labor practices. The seasonal sales volumes have helped the firm to maintain its competitive position in the industry. However, if the firm opts to go for level production, it may be able to attract new customers from other market segments and this will result in higher sales volumes. However, some of its brands may lose their appeal due to overexposure and this may have a negative effect on its long term prospects in the industry. Even though this approach is likely to change the firm’s operations in the short term, it may be forced to change its supply chain processes to avoid antagonizing its suppliers and dist ributors. The firm’s has a wide sales network which it can utilize to strengthen its financial position. However, it should not adopt a level production format for all its products because this approach is likely to expose it to different marketing risks. Wholesalers take close to two months to pay for their products. This situation may have a negative impact on performance during periods when the firm is unable to attain positive revenues from other sales channels. The firm has low debts and this shows that it has a positive borrowing capacity which can help it acquire more funds for expansion. However, it needs to use both seasonal and level production formats to safeguard the value of its brands in the market. Some of the potential courses of action the firm should look at include:Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Increasing its sales channels Developing more products Using online sales and payment systems to reduce distribution costs Increasing sales in foreign markets to grow its operations. The firm needs to find out consumer purchasing patterns and lifestyles to come up with a more effective production format. This approach will help the firm to find out the amount of profits or losses it is likely to experience after moving from seasonal to level production. In addition, the firm needs to find out how its cash flow situation is likely to be affected by this shift. The firm should also find out if it will be able to get adequate cash inflows to help it execute its crucial functions without any disruptions. Moreover, the firm needs to estimate quantities of products it needs to sell in the market to attain its long term objectives. Lastly, Polar Sports Inc. needs to assess the impact of this shift on consumers’ brand perceptions and if it is likely to affect their loyalty towards its products. The key criteria that would influ ence my decision are: brand value, market performance of each individual product, financial implications and internal operations of the firm. The above named criteria will determine if the firm will be in a position to reduce costs to sustain its positive performance in the industry. I would use both level and seasonal production approaches to safeguard the firm’s cash flows and to deal with different types of potential risks in the market. The seasonal approach would be used for all products when the firm registers high sales volumes from September to January. On the other hand, the level production approach would be used for specific products that are always in demand throughout the year to increase sales revenues. The firm needs to invest in more effective data gathering techniques to find out how consumers purchase its products in the market. It also needs to invest in systems that assess existing and future demand of its products. This will help the firm to plan the exac t quantities of products to be manufactured to satisfy market needs. The firm also needs to consider using foreign manufacturers for some of its products to reduce high production costs which are likely to become unsustainable in the long term. I would ask the lender to look at the sales and revenue figures for the past four years. During this period, the firm has managed to register good results from its operations. This case study on Polar Sports Inc. was written and submitted by user The Watchers to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Financial Globalization in Modern Business

Financial Globalization in Modern Business Introduction Globalization can be defined as a force or a process that connects more and more people across heretofore-impermeable economic and social boundaries. This means that people become connected across large distances with the assistance of information technology and human transport. This process can also be seen as the advancement of human co-operation across national boundaries, therefore making the world a global village.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Globalization in Modern Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Globalization is a term that is often used to explain todays world. Its terminology has gradually been accepted by the greater public and various scholarly personalities have integrated it as a vocabulary it into their field of research. Globalization has also increased the inclusiveness and the unification of economic systematization, global relations, and has led to a trend of doi ng business in different organizations (Suder, 2007). Proponents of big businesses look at globalization as a blueprint of a straightforward policy agenda that promotes economic growth, increased trade, and integration into the global economy. Therefore, from this perspective, globalization is viewed as unequivocally benevolent and corporations are seen to be leading the way towards spreading the benefits of globalization around the world. Globalization as a trend of doing business The American way of doing business has co-opted globalization into commercial Americanization of and by non-American firms. Post World War 2 saw many American companies expanding into foreign markets while also seeking some mystical formula for success in Japanese management techniques. Asian, European, African, and Latin American firms quietly and gradually learned, refined, and adopted the U.S. business models and practices the American way, while consumerism was still capturing Americans hearts and min ds (Mott, 2004). American businesses have successfully penetrated world markets by largely relying on adding local flavor to a product that has proven successful in home markets such as the McDonalds model of globalization. To expand market penetration into commercial success, U.S. firms have uniformly presented instrumental reason and standardization to integrate those markets into a global economy. Those firms that have succeeded at going global have recognized that the American model is as deep as it is broad and as local as it is global. The successful firms have learned to adapt to local tastes, identify what appeals to or offends the local customers, and change cultural and political climates even while standardizing.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The managers of these organizations are therefore periodically required to maintain a delicate balance between acting locally and thinking globally. This line of thought has led to companies in smaller countries such as Nestle in Switzerland and Heineken in the Netherlands, recognize that their domestic markets were too small to sustain much growth and therefore moved into the international arena, with controlling market costs and reducing labor costs being on their main agenda. The European Union (EU) has also played a significant role in the international business environment by signing trade agreements with different strategic partners, and this has led to the globalization of many of its corporations. The EU has intensive trade agreements with the U.S on integration, business dialogue, and dialogue between consumers, trade unionists and environmentalists, which talks about competition law and recognition of technical standards. The agreement further implies on scientific and technological co-operation, on extradition, on mutual legal assistance, and the cooperation on satellite navigatio n systems (Suder, 2007). The managers of these corporations will therefore be forced to redesign their organizations to act according to these agreements. The trading power of the member states is embodied by its role as the worlds leading exporter of goods. Member states also enjoy comparatively sound GDP on a country-to-country basis. Such an agreement has assisted the EU member states to penetrate the U.S market through their various corporations, and as compared to other trade powers globally, Europe benefits from an exceptional business environment. This can be seen through the following table; Table 1.0 Worldwide exports of the EU Country Percentage of total Percentage of total EU-15 Trade EU-25 trade USA 21.0 % 23.3 % Switzerland 6.5 % 7.4 % China 5.8 % 6.5 % Japan 5.6 % 6.4 % Russia 3.9 % 5.3 % (Suder, 2007) Implications of globalization towards organizational behavior The environment of business has changed at an unprecedented rate, and the understanding an d addressing of this environment has been left to top managers of these businesses. The most significant source of change today that is impacting many organizations is the increasing globalization of organizations and management. The primary concerns are the employee and managerial behavior in an organizational setting.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Globalization in Modern Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More a) Human (employee) behavior towards organizational globalization Most organizations do tend to take an international out-look with the globalization of its companies. Firstly, cultural and national boundaries do not necessarily coincide. Some areas of Switzerland are very much like Italy, other parts like France, and still other parts like Germany. Similarly, within the U.S there are large cultural differences across the West coast and the East coast. This therefore sets the stage for behavior al variance across cultures on the international management of these organizations. Employees in companies based in Japan, the U.S, and Germany are likely to have different attitudes and patterns of behavior, therefore behavioral patterns are likely to be widespread and pervasive within an organization. Secondly with culture being a major cause of this variation, the shared values often taken for granted, that help people in a group or organization may conflict with the organizations policies (Mott, 2004). Although the causes and consequences of behavior within organizational settings remains quite diver across cultures, organizational structures still appear to be increasingly similar. The managerial practices at a general level may be more and more alike, but the people who work within organizations still differ noticeably and this may affect organizational effectiveness. b) Managerial role towards Organizational Globalization Individual variations in people from different culture s shape the behavior of managers and their ability to manage, just as with employee variations. In general these differences relate to managerial beliefs about the role of authority and power in the organization. For instance, due some culture variations, some managers may tend to believe that the purpose of an organization structure is to let everyone know who his or her boss is, in relation to medium to high power structures. Also to some financial managers language barrier may hinder them from doing international business, for their lack of understanding what other foreign competitors are doing, and so they may need a guide to capital markets or a translator (Mott, 2004). These barriers may hinder managers from taking the right approach in important decisions within an organization.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Implications of globalization towards world economy Globalization is good for market exchange, for businesses, and also to those who have a propertied stake in the economy and also good for consumers. The rise in efficiency that globalization engenders does increase consumers options and reduces the price of some goods and services, this therefore means that the average consumer has more spending power and access to better variety of products. Foods such as corn, mango, tomatoes, strawberries and avocado, do not have to be eaten seasonally due to its availability or not, as today, grocery stores are ripe with all varieties of fruits and vegetables year-round. All this has been made possible due to the trend of organizational partnerships, globalization has therefore given consumers access to perpetual growing seasons. Apart from making this positive step towards strengthening world economies, globalization has been seen to favor wealthy nations, especially the economic elites in tho se countries, as well as the well-to- do in less well-off nations. The poor have been exploited across the board and they do not share in the wealth generated by globalization from above. In reference to international management, most organizations tend to be bias when it comes to employing and do give high positions to one of their own, and the local communities where such organizations are situated, tend to go at loss. Similarly, power is linked to globalization from above while a relative lack of power is linked to globalization from below. Executive Summary Through fortunate or unfortunate historical events, we have seen here how globalization progressed and rose amid these occasions, such as the World War 2 period. Also through innovations in the information technology sector, globalization has been driven across the international waters and territories, therefore bringing a climate of business and investment. It has also led to signing of major international trade agreements s uch as the one between the U.S and EU, which has not only impacted the economies of the two regions, but the world at large. Although globalization has taken a master concept in the world today, it has also attracted critics with powerful attacks against it with concerns of national interests being a major issue. Despite all these concerns, globalization is not an accident and will not be easily stopped. It is the result of long-standing policies between different nations and organizations, and this has seen the United States and other countries create a strong integrative force in the global economy. Many countries and communities have utilized and embarked on the opportunities created by globalization, and this has led to the increase and rise in their economies. Although in some areas it has led to insecurity and lack of control to their economies, which they once had. The model of globalization has also risen on issues concerning cost manipulation on certain products from these companies due to the control which they have on the markets. However, globalization has the potential of raising collateral profits which may help sustain economic growth in the long run. Due to the rapid growth of globalization, some corporations may imply some indirect methods of channeling their businesses, which may have a negative impact on various economies. Major differences are also observed in international management and relations within organizations and culture variations do tend to leave a dent towards globalization. Manager- employee relationship leaves a lot to be desired with concerns of employment biasness being rampant. Managers have a hard time accessing the organizations new global perspective and therefore have to address the local concerns which may take them precious time, this will make their decisions and assertion of power quite cumbersome. Despite these challenges, globalization has opened up doors for international interaction with new and innovative idea s being shared. Conclusion A massive cloud and attitude of openness is required in matters dealing with financial globalization. The effective gains made by globalization can only be sustained and progressed if lawmakers in different countries come up with laws that will expose and cub any malicious acts that various organizations may convey when conducting their businesses. These laws can be better achieved if different trade organizations and partners have a mutual understanding on the same. These agreements and laws should not be seen to favor a particular country or trading bloc, and the minority countries, or people should not be exploited in the process. In relation to international management, various organizations should also come up with an induction course for managers so that they may adapt and learn the local cultures and environment for better relations with employees and locals. The attitude of globalization as a trend of doing business has created an open market and n ew opportunities that if well managed can have a positive economic and social impact to the greater society. References Mott, W. H. (2004). Globalization: People, Perspectives, and Progress. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN-0275979172, 9780275979171. Suder, G. (2007). Doing Business in Europe. London: SAGE Publications. ISBN-1412918464, 9781412918466.

Texas and The Death Penalty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Texas and The Death Penalty - Research Paper Example Being represented by the right lawyer determines the chances of providing adequate evidence to ascertain one's innocence or guiltiness. Opponents of death penalties argue that some people may end up being killed while they are innocent if the trial is not fair or if the accused person’s counsel lacks expertise. This has raised the issue of the appropriateness of death execution for punishing offenders since the trial process may result in conviction and murder of innocent individuals (â€Å"American Civil Liberties Union† Web). Another issue surrounding the death penalty is diversity inconsistencies such as racial and gender. There have been arguments that the number of African Americans sentenced to death and executed is higher as compared to other races. Additionally, there are perceptions that cases where the victim is black rarely lead to death row while those involving white victims often lead to death rows. Such statistics have led to questions regarding the evenhandedness of the justice system when dealing with capital offenses. On the issue of diversity, there is a problem regarding the role of gender in determining the penalty. In most cases, capital offenses involving men are likely to lead to the death penalty as compared to those involving women. At times, this has created the notion that the justice system favors women suspects (â€Å"American Civil Liberties Union† Web). Another issue surrounding the death penalty in Texas is whether the punishment serves its purpose. Legal punishment is designed to correct the perpetrator of the crime and or deter others from committing such crimes.  

Consumer Law in United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Consumer Law in United Kingdom - Essay Example The paper tells that very many companies today use awkward tactics to make sales. These range from closing down sales that they let to run for as long as possible, to the special offers that do not really exist. Nonetheless, some of the offers they usually make are quite genuine. However, the way the sales are made to the customers usually leaves the customers perplexed and wondering what the salespersons are aiming. A sales man or woman may stay for very long, up to hours waiting for a customer or client to make a subscription and then go ahead to tell the customer that his or her income depends on the client paying up. No sound for alarm, though, because ever since 26th may 2008, laws have been put in place with the aim of militating against such practices. Consumer protection from unfair trading regulations 2008 (CPRs) have made it possible for the protection of consumers from exploitation, and unfair treatment through misleading omissions, misleading actions, or other aggressive practices that businesspersons engage in. Misleading actions according to the consumer protection regulations are such practices such as marketing or advertising goods that do not really exist in the first place. Businesspersons also offer also usually make advertisements of items that they do not really have enough of in their stock. This means they create excess demand for the little goods they have in their stock. This practice of advertising a commodity with no aim of meeting its demand is a misleading action on the part of the traders and sales persons. The consumer protection regulations also prohibit traders from lying about the goods they have, or marketing them to consumers as another product, in order to gain credibility. In any case, a trader has signed a code of practice, he or she should stand by it and obey it to the later, failing to do so; failing to follow the code of practice may result for charges on the grounds of breach of the Consumer Protection regulations (Wo odroffe 82). Misleading omissions on the other hand, applies to the act of traders being very economical with the truth about their products, or deliberately leaving out information that customers need in order to make decisions that are well informed. Under these consumer protection regulations, it is the responsibility of the traders to make sure information about the products they sell reaches the consumers and customers at the right time. Timeliness is important in business. This ensures that information gets to consumers when they really need it; and not very late, that they can no longer use the information (Sealy 54). The aggressive practices are the sales tactics that really influence the process of decision making of consumers and customers in general. ThiAQAs means that the traders who ‘force customers’ to make decisions through threatening behavior, and do not give consumers breathing space, will be, under the regulations of consumer protection, committing an offence. In practicing these consumer protection regulations on traders, it is not just enough to demonstrate the deed. The accuser has to show that the consumer’s decision was indeed, influenced by the practice the trader is guilty of doing. The new rules set out by the United Kingdom to govern consumer protection against traders who are rogue came into effect in 2008. For the first time in the history of the United Kingdom, traders will not be allowed to trade unfairly to their customers. This does not mean that they will be restricted from making their own profits as they would; they are only required to follow the guidelines stipulated by the consumer

The Development of Ballads Essay Example for Free

The Development of Ballads Essay Ballads have been in evidence since the seventh century and have been popular ever since. They travelled around the globe as people emigrated, picking up stories of historical significance on the way. Their main purpose is to entertain, being sung or recited, often accompanied by music. Their distinctive poetic form told appealing tales of heroism, hardship and adventure often in dramatic terms. They were also a means of spreading news, to a largely illiterate population in an easily understood narrative way. Ballads follow a distinctive recipe, elements of which can be seen in all ballads. They use quatrains, which are four line stanzas. An example of this can be seen in the ballad, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followd free We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea In this verse you can see a regular A B C B rhyming scheme, which means that lines two and four rhyme with a bouncy rhythm. Ballads told simple stories to entertain audiences such as in The Twa Corbies where two ravens having a conversation. The ballads would build up to a climax where the main event of the story would happen. In the ballad Sir Patrick Spens we read lines like: Drinking the blood red wine And When the sky grew dark, the wind blew loud, And angry grew the sea This automatically suggests to the reader that there is a going to be a murder as it is setting the scene for one. It was vital that the balladeer maintained the interest of his audience by using dramatic yet simple imagery. He had to paint the scene in words to engage the imagination of the audience. The symbolic use of colour is used to create atmosphere. Red often symbolises blood or royalty, for example, the ballad Sir Patrick Spens reads: Drinking the blood red wine which creates tension and a thick atmosphere. White symbolises good so black obviously symbolises evil. In Johnie Armstrong it reads Goodly steeds were all milky white this tells us that all Johnie Armstrongs men rode white horses which helps to portray him and his men as the good guys. The audience would have recognised the inference of what the colours meant. Ballads told tales with simple themes, for example Johnie Armstrong tells a Robin Hood style story of an honest outlaw who is betrayed by a treacherous Scottish king. Other themes explored in ballads capture lives of adventure and hardship. Keeping things simple was important, as most of the listeners would have been peasants living in small communities often impoverished and with little way of escaping hard lives. Hearing tales of larger than life characters at least temporally diverted them from their own circumstances. Sometimes audience participation was encouraged for example in the Twa Corbies where the narrative breaks from third person to first person: The tane unto the tither did say, Whar sall we gang and dine the day? I imagine the scenario either where two or three balladeers working together took roles within a spoken or sung ballad or where one balladeer hopped between storyteller and actor. In either the audience may have been invited to supply lines making the ballads more of a lively improvised story. This would have been great fun moving the action from performer to the audience and back again. The characters depicted were bold but shallow leaving the audience with a two dimensional representation which told of what the characters did but not of how they felt. There was little attempt to flesh out any subtleties of characterisation. Action and events moved the story line not any depth in the characters. In the beginning of the border ballad Johnie Armstrong he is described as being a bold outlaw. We are told that he came from Westmerland, on the Scottish border. He came from poverty, had neither land or rent coming in and alot about what he possessed in terms of men, horses and weapon, but not much about him as a man. The ballad of Johnie Armstrong is a good example of a border ballad. A border ballad focused on the conflict between the Scottish and the English. The ballad is clearly written from an English viewpoint, describing Johnie as proud, brave and heroic. The words faire Westmerland are the first indication that this is written from an English perspective. The band own white horses (white symbolising good) and are described as being a goodly sight for to see. On the other hand, the Scottish king is portrayed as being deceitful and double crossing tricking Johnie and his men to their deaths. Another type of ballad is the broadside ballad. These were an early form of newspaper recording local events and news told in narrative form. What distinguished them was the fact that for the first time they were fixed in print and sold at fairs for a penny, becoming the earliest written ballads. Two examples of these are Mary Cummings and Charlotte Dymand, these poem were not really in the right period but in the right style. The ballad of Mary Cummings is the story of a crime of passion. It a sensational tale of love, abandonment, revenge and violent murder eventually finishing with the hanging of an unrepented jilted bride. It depicts a tragic heroine with the themes of love and death dramatically portrayed. The language is graphic: The mother slithered to the ground, The fathers eyes went white We are given the picture of the hopeful girl in her bridal gown on a spring morning that becomes the murderess cursing the groom and his parents. The line the pain in Marys Mind gives a clue that she is becoming deranged. The images are all of things fading: The sun that glittered down, the sun slid out of sight. The audience would have been able to grasp the cruel irony that the bridal gown is to become the shroud of death. Instead of a husband she is to meet the dark lover i. e. devil; she has renounced her religion. The whole ballad evokes a sense of the eagerness for marriage being replaced by an eagerness for death. As people travelled from place to place they took the basic ballad recipe with them as well as the ballads. Ballads can be found all over the word: Sir Patrick Spens is a traditional Scottish ballad; Young Hunting is an eighteenth centaury ballad, perhaps with earlier Danish parallels and Ballad of Sixty-Five is a traditional Jamaican ballad. This proves that ballads have travelled all over the globe, appealing to worldwide audiences for many centauries. The Ballad of Sixty-Five tells a story of historical significance to many Jamaicans; a group of slaves in Jamaica march to their governors house demanding there right and are eventually hanged to make a public spectacle. It had the opposite reaction making other slaves believe that they could stand up for themselves: Paul Boyle died but his spirit talked, Anywhere in Jamaica that freedom walks. The poem has examples of patois, which is native Jamaican dialect. You can wuk like a mule but de crop still bad It also has an A A B B rhyming scheme to it and a Calypso rhythum, which shows how the basic ballad recipe can be varied as it travelled. Ballads are an ancient form of communication; they have been around for centauries keeping almost the same recipe throughout. They told tales of historical importance as well as stories just to entertain. They have been popular ever since they begun and although they are not still in there original form we can see element derived from ballads in modern day song.

Zero Emissions Technology :: essays papers

Zero Emissions Technology Zero Emissions Technology: Current Technologies and Future Developments in Electrostatic Precipitators  Abstract Zero Emissions Technology is a company located in New Durham, NH. They develop new technologies targeted at coal fired power plants. They have recently developed a new air emissions technology that will meet current and pending air pollution regulations. Their product, Electro-Catalytic Oxidation Technology, allow the combined removal of particulates in the air waste stream. The new technology can be retrofitted onto existing electrostatic precipitators (ESP), according to the industry, is not as expensive as other air pollution control technologies. The Electro-Catalytic Oxidation Technology also has many technological advantages to more conventional ESPs.  Zero Emissions Technology (ZET) is a company who develops new technologies in air pollution control technologies to meet the demands of new regulations on air emissions. In the past, their focus has been on air pollution control technology for large stationary sources, such as coal fired power plants. In the future, their research will be to discover new technologies not only for air pollution, but also in water and solid waste. (ZET, 1999). Zero Emissions Technology has developed a new technology that focuses on the combined removal of particulates for coal fired power plants. Electro-Catalytic Oxidation Technology is a product by Zero Emissions Technology (ZET). This new technology that ZET is has developed will enable the combined removal of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), mercury (Hg), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from the flue gas of coal fired power plants. This new technology will collect at least 70% of NOx, 50% of SO2, 70% of mercury (Hg), and 90% of PM2.5 in a single unit that can be retrofitted into the last fields of existing electrostatic precipitators (ESP) (ZET, 1999). This will allow coal fired plants to meet new air emission requirements with minimal impact on their generating costs. It can be retrofitted into the last fields of existing ESP. Electo-Catalytic Oxidatin Technology uses a proprietary gas discharge technology to convert NOx and SO2 to acid mists, and to oxidize elemental mercury. It also uses advances in wet ESP technology to remove acid mists and other fine particles without saturating flue gas. The Electr o-Catalytic Oxidation system consists of three sections: gas converter, condensing wet ESP, and acid recovery (ZET, 1999). The Gas Converter is used for the electrical oxidation of NOx, SO2 and Hg. As the flue gas enters the Gas Converter, it is exposed to a high voltage discharge which creates ionized species to oxidize pollutants.

The Conflicts Between Siblings

English 102 10/29/2012 The Conflicts between Siblings In the story â€Å"Sonny’s blues†, the Sonny’s brother is the narrator and main character; his name is never mentioned throughout the story. He and Sonny are the two brothers with a big difference of their ages. They don’t spend too much time with each other since they grow up. They have different world. The narrator is a high school algebra teacher and family man. Sunny is through his brother’s eyes, as a quiet, introspective person with a tendency to withdraw inside himself. Sonny is also described by the narrator as wild, but not crazy.He takes drugs which led him to jail. He wants to be a musician because of his passion for jazz. The narrator wishes his brother to have a regular and stable job as himself, but doesn’t work unsteadily as a musician. Sunny doesn’t finish school, so he is hard to find a job which is same as his brother’s thought. He doesn’t have too ma ny work choices like other black youths during the years. Sunny and his brother have different life styles. The narrator promises their mother to take care of Sunny, but he thinks he does not do it well. They have different philosophy and different understanding of career paths.After the narrator’s daughter dies, the narrator and Sunny talk to each other. The narrator finally understands of Sonny’s pursuit of music. In the story â€Å"Everyday use†, Dee is oldest daughter of â€Å"Mama† and sister to Maggie. She is a educated, worldly, and deeply determined girl; she gets everything what she wants. Maggie is the younger daughter who stays with Mama while Dee goes to school. She wants to stay with her mother because she is an unintelligent and unattractive girl. Dee wants to escape from the village, and she always dresses herself attractively.Dee is successfully to have better education and opportunity to see the world. Maggie gets stuck because of her shy character. Dee is an independent girl, and Maggie is a dependent girl. They have different understandings of the life. Dee feels embracing about Maggie and their mother by different attitudes to the world, physical appearance, and their education. The conflicts between two sisters are not solved in the story. In both of the stories, sibling rivalry, conflicts of their relation and burden responsibility of one to the other are the similarities, and solution to their conflicts is the difference.Sibling rivalry through out of both stories. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, the narrator wishes his brother have consistent life same as his. He thinks he is older than Sonny, so he has more life experiences. He should take care of his brother because Sonny has dealing with drugs. â€Å"That last conversation between Baldwin's narrator and his mother suggests that he should be his brother's keeper, but the narrator has failed miserably at that duty, which is apparent in the telling op ening sentence of â€Å"Sonny's Blues†: â€Å"I read about it [Sonny's arrest] in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work†.If the narrator had to rely on a newspaper report to become aware of Sonny's trouble, he could not have been keeping his promise to his mother to care for his younger brother. Sonny did not even bother to call his older brother after the arrest. † (THE BIBLICAL FOUNDATION OF JAMES BALDWIN'S â€Å"SONNY'S BLUES† Page6 by James Tackach) The narrator doesn’t know sonny is not a kid anymore. Sonny chooses to be a jazz musician is not an impulsive decision since he has grown up. Sonny wants to escape from the Harlem, so he is not the young man who messes up his own life.In the â€Å"Everyday Use†, the sibling rivalry still exists. Even though, Maggie is a compliant girl, Dee still wants to beat her from everywhere. She is a strong-minded girl and leads Maggie around by the nose. In their family, Dee represents educational, fashionable, self-confident person, but Maggie is a diffident, low-pitched, awkward girl. Maggie values the family quilts for their sentiment and usefulness. She learned how to quilt from her grandmother and aunt who made the quilts. Her mother has been saving the quilts for Maggie to use after she is married.The quilts are meant to be used and appreciated every day. Maggie hints that she sees the quilts as a reminder of her grandmother and aunt when she says, â€Å"I can’t remember them without the quilts†. The conflicts of brothers and sisters relationships are the major points in both of the stories. In the â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, Sonny always against his older brother, he gives up from the school, he takes drugs like other black youth around the neighborhood. When he decides to be a musician, his brother thinks he will be the same as their father who is a drunken corrupt man died when Sonny was fifteen years old.There is a big gap between two brothers. Sonny leaves their house, drops out of school, and joins the navy. They both get back from the war and live in New York for a while. They would see each other intermittently, and whenever they meet they would fight. Because of these fights, they do not talk to each other for a very long time. After the narrator talks about Gracie and her polio affliction, the narrator decided to write to Sonny. It seems that the narrator could better understand his brother now. In the â€Å"Everyday use†, Maggie and Dee have unique personalities. Dee values the family quilts.She thinks the quilts as priceless objects to own and display. Dee believes that she can appreciate the value of the quilts more than Maggie. Maggie is nervous about her sister’s visit. In fact, Dee's arrival makes Maggie so uncomfortable that she tries to flee to the safety of the house. When Maggie is unable to confront Dee about the quilts, she gives them to Dee because she used to never winning anything, or ha ving anything reserved for her sister. In both stories, the older siblings burden responsibility to the youngers. Sonny’s brother thinks he has responsibility because of the promise to her mother.He tries to talk to Sonny about the life style and career choices. He asks Sonny what he wants to do, and Sonny replies that he wants to be a jazz musician and play the piano. The narrator does not understand this dream and doesn’t think it is good enough for Sonny. They also try to figure out his living arrangement for the remainder of his high school career. The subject leads to an argument. Sonny calls his brother ignorant because the narrator doesn’t know who Charlie Parker is. Sonny argues that he does not want to finish high school or live at Isabel’s parents' house.However, they find a compromise. Isabel’s parents have a piano, which Sonny can play whenever he wants, provided he goes to school. Sonny agrees with the idea. He stays at Isabel’s house and goes to school sometimes. When he gets home, he constantly plays the piano. He goes to Greenwich Village, and hanging with his jazz friends who are most likely doing drugs. Once Isabel’s parents find this out, Sonny leaves their house, drops out of school, and joins the navy. The narrator objects to his brother to be a jazz musician because he loves his brother.He doesn’t want Sonny waste time to an unstable job and stay with druggies. Even though he misunderstands Sonny’s choice, he performs the responsibility by his thought exactly. Dee is a progressive model for her younger sister. She wants to increase the life quality of the family. â€Å"She washed us in a river of make-believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessarily need to know. Pressed us to her with the serious way she read, to shove us away at just the moment, like dimwits, we seemed about to understand. †(page279) Dee tries to make the family better.She wants her mother and sister to have more education. She knows her younger sister’s personality. She tries to stimulate her sister, and led Maggie escape from the village to the city, but Maggie wants to stay. Dee is done the best she can in her knowledge. In contrast, the solutions of their conflicts are different. Sonny and his brother get closer at the end of the story. By playing jazz, Sonny is able to ease or relieve his suffering from the childhood. They go to the jazz club in Greenwich Village. He hears Sonny play the piano. It makes him understand that Sonny has the soul of the music.The narrator realizes how revered Sonny is there. The narrator sends a cup of scotch and milk up to the piano for Sonny, and they share a brief connecting moment. His brother finally understands that Sonny is able to turn his suffering into something worthwhile by playing the piano. Dee and Maggie are not lucky like the two brothers. Dee still keeps her own style and Maggie too. There is no sol ution for the conflicts of their sibling relationships. Maggie is content with her simple life, while Dee wants to have fine things. Maggie is nervous and intimidated by Dee, who is bold and selfish.Maggie values the emotion of the family quilts, while Dee wants to display them as a symbol of her heritage. The case is solved by their mother, but the contradictions between two sisters are still there. In the two stories, the conflicts of siblings are the most attractive events. The narrator and Sonny don’t have too much conversation because they have really different ages. When the narrator has a job, Sonny is still a kid. Sonny is not old enough to understand the things which his brother worries about. Since Sonny grows up, he knows what kind of job he wants.Unfortunately, his brother still thinks Sonny just wants to play but not to work. Finally, they solve the problems by the communication and understanding. The two sisters’ conflicts come from their opposite charact er. Dee looks forward to a rich life and gains attention from other people. She doesn’t want to stay at an old house without a real window. Maggie is afraid to leave her mother and where she used to live. She decides to be a house girl. In conclusion, the problems from siblings are because of the less understanding to each other. If they build up more connections and trust each other, those problems are easily to get rid of.