Technical Analysis of Financial Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technical Analysis of Financial Markets - Essay Example I shall keep a target of $470 as it is the major resistance level for this. RSI - Relative Strength Index Model has the most effective results as in the past this method has yielded the best results in terms of identifying the trends and making profits. The other methods are not so effective to guide the investor for making the right trading strategy. Thus using the RSI model it would be advisable to go long on Q.CRB as it is close to its support level and has good potential for good returns. Also its RSI is around 40 which is an indication that it is a good buy. One can look for decent returns around 20-30% gain in a time span of 3 months and shall keep a stop loss of $210, which is major support for Q.CRB. One shall also keep a filter of $200, as this is being suggested by the weekly charts the turning point for the stock. Thus to conclude, It is advisable to use the RSI model for any investment decision. Out of given commodities investing in Q.CRB is advisable, by buying at the current levels and keeping a time horizon of three months. A return of 20-30% can be expected. References: htt

How do Bad Debts Affect the Profits of Bahrain Duty Free Essay

How do Bad Debts Affect the Profits of Bahrain Duty Free - Essay Example The company is one of the greatest retail companies situated in the airport of Bahrain and it is worth for every individual to come and spend some time in this award winning duty free outlet. The company has been acclaimed internationally among the airport retail industry backed with an array of awards for the purpose of executing outstanding performance within the retail duty free industry. The company being located centrally between gates 14 and 15 on the departure concourse of the airport the duty free shopping in Bahrain duty free provides an extravagant shopping experience to the customers with international brands, prestigious brands and world class retail section highly known for its diverse types of products and also deemed as one of the finest airport facilities shopping all over the globe (Shopping and Eating, Bahrain International Airport). But despite of this reputed stature the company faces huge losses and one of the major reasons can be attributed to the bad debts affe cting the profit margins of the Bahrain Duty Free Complex. I have concentrated on secondary resources for providing relevant answers to the question. However the resources on the bad debt affecting the profitability of the company is limited although I have made a rigorous search for answering the questions by taking proxies of bad debts as outstanding loans, non performing loans, losses, fall in accounts receivables and several other key words for relating the same and answering the question. Procedure I have decided to write the topic on the basis of different secondary sources which are given in the following tabular representation. Annual Report 2011, Bahrain Duty Free Annual Report 2010, Bahrain Duty Free Article- UAE’s non-performing loans to peak in 2012 Article- UAE’s non-performing loans to peak in 2012 Book- Internal Revenue Service Tax Information Publications, The Service, Volumes 1-2; Volume 20001 Loopholes in national legal system Now I will move into the discussion of the paper. A business bad debt is a form of loss which generates from the worthlessness of a debt primarily from two main areas. Firstly it comes from creation or acquiring within the trade or business or secondly is closely related with the trade or business when it becomes partly or totally worthless. The bad debt of a corporation is always business bad debts. A debt is related closely to the trade or business if the primary motive for the purpose of incurring debt is a business reason (Taxpayer Information Publications, 342). Bahrain Duty Free (Duty Free) played dominantly in the market within the time span of 1991 to around 2000. Then the company encountered a massive drop in the year 2001 with a drop of around 20.9% in the net earnings post 9/11 attacks. Sales declined with an increase in the operating expenses. The company encountered a massive decline of around 8.1% in the net profit in comparison with the previous years. The second half of the year has also no t been different for the Bahrain Duty Free. With the outbreak of 9/11 attacks the global aviation industry became crumbled and the Middle East have been no exception. With the declining number of passengers as well as jeopardized global economic conditions which has been exacerbated by the attacks of 9/11 pushed heavily on the line of growth of the company. There has also been a drop of 20.9% drop in the net earnin

Impact of Internationalisation of Business Markets

Impact of Internationalisation of Business Markets This report aims to analyse and discuss the internationalisation of business and global marketing issues. It also analyses the influence of global marketing environment on the marketing activities of the firm. In order to prepare this report, there has been a use of various Academic textbooks and journals. Over the past thirty years, internationalisation of the firm has been the most frequently researched topics in international marketing (Fletcher 2001). It has been used to describe the outward movement or increasing involvement in a firms or larger groupings international operations (Fillis 2000). In general, Internationalisation refers to the increasing importance of international trades, international treaties, international relations, alliances, etc. Firms undertake international operations due to various reasons (Lam and White 1999). Some internationalise due to the fact that their competitors or customers have been globalised (Ohmae, 1990), whereas others are pushed by the idea of multinationalism as a symbol of success and progress (Gerlinger et al. 1989). The firms use a stepwise approach along with an organisational continuum, in order to develop the international operations. The Uppsala School views internationalisation as having four stages while it has also been modelled with five and six. Although the number of incremental steps may differ, there is general agreement that with each subsequent step comes increasing involvement in international operations. However, due to increasing globalisation, chaotic market conditions and technology effects, it is believed that such stepwise advancement is not generally exhibited in SMEs and that alternative modelling of microenterprise behaviour is needed in order to account for emerging modes of behaviour (Fillis 2000). Definition of Internationalisation: There are many possible definitions of Internationalisation, some referring to the whole economy of the home or internationalising, country, some referring to specific sectors of the economy, and some referring to MNEs themselves (Kumar, N 1998). Calof and Beamish (1995: 116) denotes Internationalisation as the process of adapting firms operations (strategy, structure, resources, etc) to international environments. Whereas, Welch and Luostarinen (1988), Rao and Naidu (1992), Easton and Li (1993) and Johanson and Vahlne (1993) has defined internationalisation as a process by which firms increase their involvement in international business activities. From the above-proposed definitions, it can be concluded that Internationalisation is a process in which the firm gradually increases its international involvement. Complexity and challenges in Internationalisation: Internationalisation is a process which is very complex and challenging by nature. There have been various factors which have made internationalisation as a complex process. The most important factors are uncertainty in formats, formula and markets, the high degree of operational flexibility required and there need to be the high rate of formula innovation in order to get a success in internationalisation (Dawson, J. 2003). Uncertainty in Formats, Formula and Markets: As being an international market for the internationalising firm, it is very uncertain. The firm faces huge competition from the local markets. These all factors make internationalising for the firm very challenging. High degree of operational flexibility required: In order to perform a successful internationalisation process, there needs to be a high degree of operational flexibility, which will give an advantage to the internationalising firm over the local firms. Need of high rate of formula innovation: In order to gain an advantage over the local firms, the internationalising firm has to be very active in terms of innovation. As the competition will be high for the internationalising firm there needs to be a rapid innovation of the formula. Uppsala Internationalization Model: The Uppsala Internationalization Model was originally developed by Johanson and Vahlne (1977, 1990). This model, also known as the incremental theory of internationalisation, shows that enterprises gradually increase their international involvement according to the development of their knowledge about foreign markets and operations. Camuffo et al. (2007) enhanced this model by adding technological knowledge and customer-supplier interaction as important determinants of the process, stating that cross-border expansion into a neighbouring country might shorten the time required to accumulate knowledge and to control the facility in the target country (Reiner, G. 2008). The Uppsala model has described the internationalisation of a firm as a process of experiential learning and incremental commitments which lead to an evolutionary development in a foreign market. Johanson and Vahlne formulated this approach in 1977, referring to empirical observations on Swedish manufacturing firms from their studies at the international business department of Uppsala University. One of the basic assumptions of the model is that the lack of knowledge is an important obstacle to the development of international operations (Johanson Vahlne, 1977: 23). Hence, the Uppsala model has dealt fundamentally with knowledge acquisition and learning. It has been observed that the absence of market-specific knowledge has forced the many manufacturing firms to develop their international operations in small steps, undertaking incremental commitment decisions and moving at the beginning to psychically close countries in order to reduce the market uncertainty (Johanson Vahlne, 1977 : 24). Uppsala model is based on four core concepts: market commitment, market knowledge, current activities and commitment decisions. These four concepts are then divided into state aspects and change aspects. The two state aspects are market commitment, which is the resources committed to foreign markets, and market knowledge, which is the knowledge about foreign markets and operations possessed by the firm at a given time. The two change aspects are current activities and commitment decisions. The latter are the decisions to commit resources to foreign operations (Johanson Vahlne, 1990). Drawback of Uppsala Internationalisation model: The Uppsala model has been criticised for being partial and deterministic (Hollensen, S. 2007).The first criticism is based on the fact that Johanson and Vahlne 1977 rely on only one construct- experiential knowledge as one of several constructs, including the decision making process of the firms management. On the other hand, the internationalisation process model does deal with how other factors are handled in the process (Blomstermo, A. 2003). The criticism that the model is deterministic has to do with the incremental development of experiential knowledge and its manifestation in the visible stage model. Researchers provide empirical evidence that shows that firms do not always start with occasional exports and end up with a production company abroad (Newbould, Buckley and Thurwel 1978).It has also been argued that the model does not take into account interdependencies between different country markets (Johanson and Mattson, 1986) Advantages of Uppsala Internationalisation model: After analysing the Uppsala Internationalisation model it was found that there have been very few advantages. The only advantage associated with this model is that it explains the internationalisation process. In comparison to all the other models of internationalisation this has been highly criticised (Madsen, K. 1991). Macro-environment Forces: Whether its an international banking organisation, a university or a manufacturer, no organisation exists within a vacuum. It is very likely competitors, to be subject to international, national and local control, obliged to comply with national or European pollution fluctuations in the fortunes of the global economy (Brooks, I. 2004). Factors that influence a companys or products development but that are outside of the companys control. For example, the macro environment could include competitors, changes in interest rates, changes in cultural tastes, or government regulations etc (Hill, C. 2009). Macro- environmental forces influencing Internationalisation process: The various outside influence on a firms decision to go international are as follows: Export Agents Governments Chamber of commerce Banks etc. Unsolicited international orders are one major factors influence the firm to begin exporting. In United States, such orders have been found to account for more than half of all cases of export initiation by small and medium-sized firms. Another major influencing agent may actually be a competitor. Just as firms respond to competitive pressures from other companies, statements by executives from other competing firms may serve as change agents (Czinkota, M. 2007). Export Agents: Export agents as well as export management firms generally qualify as experts in global marketing. They are already dealing internationally with other exportable products, have overseas contacts and are set up to handle other exportable products, have overseas contacts and are set up to handle other exportable products. Many of these trade intermediaries approach prospective exporters directly if they think that their product have potential markets overseas (Hollensen, S. 2007). Governments: In nearly all countries governments try to stimulate international business through providing global marketing expertise (export assistance programmes). For example, government stimulation measures can have a positive influence not only in terms of any direct financial effects that they may have, but also in relation to the provision of information (Welfens, P. 2001). Chambers of commerce: Chambers of commerce and similar export production organizations are interested in stimulating international business, both exports and imports. These organizations seek to motivate individual companies to get involved in global marketing and provide incentives for them to do so on. These incentives include putting the prospective exporter or importer in touch with overseas business, providing overseas market information, and referring the prospective exporter or importer to financial institutions capable of financing global marketing activity (Hollensen, S. 2007).. Banks: Banks and other financial institutions are often instrumental in getting companies to internationalize. They alert their domestic clients to international opportunities and help them to capitalize on these opportunities. Of course, they look forward to their services being used more extensively as domestic clients expand internationally (Czinkota, M. 2007). Common Customer needs: In general, standardization is less likely with services that with goods. Within services, the potential for standardization is greater the less the provider is involved in the delivery because this increases the extent to which customer needs are likely to have more features in common. Scale Economies: These are driven by the opportunity to spread fixed costs. With services, such economies are more likely to come from standardised processes than from a physical concentration of activities (Blythe, J. 2005). Competition Drivers: These often occur because the service provider finds it necessary to go international in order to protest its position in the domestic market, especially if costs can be lowered. If the service providers do not take this step, then there is an increased risk that firms in the international market may use that market as a base from which to internationalise their operations (Toyne, B. 1989). Information Technology drivers: The ability to centralise information hubs on a global basis is a motive because it strengthens the firms competitive position. For example: Rupert Murdochs involvement in satellite TV in order to monopolise sports coverage (Brown, L. 2004). Apart from the above-mentioned drivers, there are some more drivers of internationalisation such as Revolution in information and communications systems, globalisation of financial markets and also improvements in business travel (Blythe, J. 2005). Conclusion: From the above discussion and findings, it can be concluded that Internationalisation is a process in which the firm gradually increases its international involvement. It has been also found that the internationalisation is very complex by nature. Various models of internationalisation have been proposed till date, out of which the most famous model is Uppsala approach model of internationalisation. However, it was found that there have been various drawbacks in this model such as, being partial and deterministic, not taken into account interdependencies between different country markets etc. From the discussion of the influence of various macro environmental forces on internationalisation, it can be concluded that there is an increasing number of influence on the firms to go for industrialisation.

A womans view Essay -- essays papers

A womans view A Women’s View There are a lot of specific cultural values that have been taught to women by society since birth. The three essays, â€Å"I Want a Wife† by Judy Syfers, â€Å"How the Superwoman Myth Puts Women Down† by Sylvia Rabiner, and â€Å"An Open Window On My Private World† by Jane Elizabeth Lemke are all written by women who share their experiences with us. The three essays explore the value of self, power, control, and life. First of all, in the essay, â€Å"I Want a Wife†, Judy Syfers exposes the meaning of â€Å"wife† presently in our society. Her argument is based on the premise that all wives are completely devoted to their husbands and are willing to tend to all their needs and satisfy them completely while working, being a good mother, and remaining gorgeous. Syfers reveals her definition of a wife in a very sarcastic and frustrated manner. Also, the style of the whole paper is very ironic. Almost as if she is screaming, she concludes her essay with, â€Å"My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?†(pg.648, 11). The cultural values portrayed in this essay are the value of control and the value of wanting to be loved. The value of control is portrayed in our society by the husband having the control and power over his wife. Because o f that control, t...

Conflict Resolution Assignment

Finally they do the same job therefore there s a possibility of workplace competition causing conflict. Although the most obvious sign of the conflict is the argument between the colleagues there may have been signs before this. Unfortunately there is not enough background information given about the history, however it could be speculated that someone could have left the role before John and therefore was unhappy in their role and relationships at work. I would hope as a manager would have been able to identify and resolve this conflict before it got to this stage.However the role might also be new, if this is the case Mike eight be used to working on his own and therefore might feel he does not need any help. This could have included a meeting that turns into a stand- off or angry emails to each other. However due to Mikes personality the conflict could have been harder to discover – for example, Mike have withdrawn from contact with John however from John perspective this i s normal behavior from Mike. Any change from normal behavior could be a sign of conflict or an issue therefore would consider this as a sign.Sign of conflict ;When John finally appears, Mike tells him he's not going to cover for IM anymore and there is an argument. The cost of this conflict might already be taking place through a loss of productively, motivation and them not willing to work for each other. John stating ‘Just do your Job' could be a sign this is already hipping. Dealing with employee conflict in a timely manner is important to maintaining a healthy work environment preventing the situation getting worse resulting in staff sickness or even one member of staff leaving.By spotting signs of conflict early, you have a better chance of identifying the cause, reaching an agreement, resolving the conflict. It is important to deal with the situation rather than the person, be a calming presence and that you try to build mutual respect and understanding between Mike and John. Being courteous to each of them and remain constructive. Sometimes it might be better to speak to them individually to get the facts before exploring the options together and negotiate how they are to work together.Through this process active listening is important to understand both Johns and Mikes position as well as them understanding each others. My role would be to Restate, paraphrase, summarize. This verbal approach is called the â€Å"Interest-Based Relational (FIR) Approach†. This will be particularly important in John and Mike's situation because it respects individual differences and focuses on the mutual problem rather than the person. It is important look at the circumstances, and think about the style that may be appropriate.Then use a process to resolve the conflict. The Thomas-Killing Conflict Resolution model could be used to do this. It is important understand a person's natural style. From the information in the narrative John is likely to take a compe ting approach this is assertive and uncooperative an individual pursues his own concerns at the other person's expense. This approach is unlikely to be effective for John to use because it is a power-oriented mode where John holds no rank. However it is an approach that could take as a middle manager with supervision responsibilities.This is not an approach I would initially take, but could do if other methods fail. The other approach could be to be accommodating, the individual neglects his own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person. If any of the party did this it is not likely to resolve the issue. The accommodating party might feel the situation has not been dealt with and the conflict still remain. Mike had been Avoiding the issue for a while which had caused anger to build up and the argument to erupt.If took the same approach due to the differences in value and personalities they are not likely to resolve the issue themselves and the problem is not likely to go away. A more appropriate approach might be to collaborate to work with others to find a solution that fully satisfies their concerns. For example Fijian arrives late John might agree to stay on later. The final option could be to compromise. For example an agreement might be made where John arriving 5 minutes late is not an issue, but John might agree not to arrive 20 minutes late.Thus finding a middle ground. Having an open discussion with Mike and John might help identify other problems that need to be resolved, but also promote understanding and motivate them to work more efficiently. It is important to keep a close eye on the situation including having formal one to one meetings, receiving feedback from other employees, but also ensuing they value each other's difference to the extent they can work with each other threaten to improve the work environment and the performance of the business.

Interpersonal communication Essay

The book basically talks about the different ways on how to win friends and become popular. Dale Carnegie gives different tips on how to make different people like you, and how to make others accept and believe in what you are thinking. Carnegie basically makes it easier for readers to understand more effective relationship styles. Carnegie used to teach general public speaking. However, he realized that such wasn’t enough for effective business and felt that his students lacked the skill of simply making friends with new people, which is why he made a book on how to make new friends and other relational issues. Dale Carnegie also felt that he lacked such skills himself. So this is a two way experience for him, both teaching and learning at the same time. Digging in to the deeper purpose of creating such book, the Carnegie Institute of Technology made a study which showed that a financial successful person owes 15 percent to their technical knowledge and the rest to â€Å"skill in human engineering-to personality and the ability to lead people† (Carnegie, 1964). Another reason was that, it is easy to find applicants who had the perfect skills for their jobs- engineering, medicine, accounting, you name it, there are plenty of skilled professionals out there. However, there are not a lot who possess such skills and at the same time have the ability to have effective interpersonal communication and relational skills, which is why Dale Carnegie developed a book which serves as a manual for those who lack such skills. Lastly, there is a need for a book which basically serves as a guide for dummies on how to get other people to like them and how to find more friends. Becoming an effective leader is also a part of what the book teaches, and is what readers will get out of reading it. During the first part of Dale Carnegie’s â€Å"How to Win Friends and Influence People†, he talks about the basic styles and techniques that you can handle people. He basically had three principles in this topic. The first principle is to work with people without criticizing, condemning or complaining. It is important for aspiring leaders to omit such acts because people will not follow a leader who does not listen to what they are saying. The second principle says to â€Å"give honest and sincere appreciation† (Carnegie, 1964). According to Carnegie, flattery is always effective. Of course, everybody wants to feel good. It is so effective in fact that â€Å"Even Queen Victoria was susceptible to flattery† (Carnegie, 1964). However, the negative thing with flattery is that, it is fake and insincere. What Carnegie suggests is for us to give out something positive and honest- which is called appreciation. There is always something positive in everybody, and that is what every effective leader needs to look for. The last principle is to get from other people the â€Å"eager want†. Carnegie mentioned that, we should not talk about what we want, because nobody else will listen to us. Instead, we should talk about something we know others would like to talk about. This will definitely get them interested, especially in doing something for you. Part two of the book discusses the different ways to get people to like you. The first principle tells us to become genuinely interested in other people. Carnegie used his dog as an example or even just dogs generally. They did not study psychology to know how people could like them. They simply liked people genuinely, which is why people liked them back. If you like someone, it becomes almost impossible to resist liking you back. If you genuinely like other people, then you will be welcome anywhere you go (Carnegie, 1964). The next principle is fairly easy and sounds quite simple. However, it is forgotten most of the time, and people forget the magic that it does. One word: Smile. Carnegie mentioned that the smile that people wear on their faces is far more important than what clothes they wear. And the saying â€Å"actions speak louder than words† is very true. Smiles are very important because they say â€Å"I like you, you make me happy. I am glad to see you. † (Carnegie, 1964). This can be proven when babies smile and everybody around them melts. It is the same thing with adults, as long as smiles are genuine. Third principle for people to like you is the simple gesture of remembering the names of the people you meet. It always isn’t a good impression to ask for people’s names the second time around, much more the third. Remembering names are so important in fact that when you â€Å"Remember that name and call it easily, and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment† (Carnegie, 1964). However, when you forget one name, it will give you a bad impression and will work to your disadvantage. The last three principles of the second part of Carnegie’s work are all connected to each other. First is to â€Å"be a good listener and encourage other to talk about themselves†, next is to talk about the other person’s likes and interests and not talk about you. And the last, is to â€Å"make the other person feel important, sincerely†. These three are very important because if you only care about yourself and talk only about what you feel is interesting, and act like you are the only important person in the world, then no one will want to neither talk nor work with you. In fact, no one will even want to see you. Being egotistic and self centered will not do a person any good in this world. (Carnegie, 1964) Part three of dale Carnegie’s book is How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking. Principle one talks about arguments. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it†, this is what Carnegie (1964) thinks about arguments. This is very true as, while you think you are good in winning arguments, you will never know when you might find someone who is better than you. And people always admire those who walk away from trouble. To sum the third part up, it simply says that you are to respect the way others think, a nd acknowledge their opinions. Even though you do not believe in what they are saying, you must let them speak out, because your opinion is not the only important one. Others should feel like they have a say in things, before they will believe in what you are saying. It is just a matter of reciprocity. â€Å"If we know we are going to be rebuked anyhow, isn’t it far better to beat the other person to it and do it ourselves? † (Carnegie, 1964) It is always good to admit your mistakes. Owning up to your mistakes makes people admire you more, and believe that you are actually human. In the same way that you are never to tell someone that they are wrong just because they do not agree to what you think and they have their own opinions. The first thing that you will need to get from others is respect, and the only way to get that is by showing respect to them first. For the last principles, it just says that in order to get people to believe in the way you think, you must believe in theirs as well. So in conclusion for the third part of the book, it simply means that you have to respect other people’s views, opinions and ideas in order to get them to believe yours as well. Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment. This is the last part of Dale Carnegie’s book. Being a leader is never easy. It may look like the easiest part of a job because you get to tell others to do the job for you. However, more responsibilities come with being a leader, such as all the different decisions that should be made. Carnegie mentions that a leader should develop an attitude that praises and appreciates the people that work for him. Another major thing that leaders should develop is before telling others what they have done wrong, tell something that they have done right first because â€Å"It is always easier to listen to unpleasant things after we have heard some praise of our good points. † (Carnegie, 1964). One more important thing for leaders to do is to â€Å"talk about your mistakes before criticizing the other person† (Carnegie, 1964). This is important, as it will not make the others feel so inferior to you as a leader. Leaders should be more humble than the rest because once superiority complex works its way in, the system will stop working. Becoming an example is another one of the most important things that a leader should follow. Encouragements are also one of the best things to do, most especially after some criticisms. I used to believe that I could communicate to others fairly well. I had a lot of friends and people liked to be around me. But after reading Dale Carnegie’s book, I have realized that I was not that effective and that there are still a lot of areas that I need to improve in. First of all, I criticize, condemn and complain a lot. I lack giving out appreciations as well. Most of the time I am self centered and whenever there are conversations I engage in, I mostly talk about topics that I prefer without even considering whether or not the one I’m conversing with is interested with what we are talking about. I also lack the heart of admitting my mistakes quickly. I sometimes tell people that they’re wrong directly, even just for not sharing the same opinion as I do. I even have the tendency to always get into arguments, even when I have the chance to avoid or get out of it. I am not comfortable in talking about my mistakes as I feel embarrassed and want to bury them in the past. One of the things that I know I am strong at is remembering a person’s name. Carnegie has mentioned that this will make people feel very important, which means I have made a lot of people important already, just by this gesture. Although I talk a lot, I make it a point to let others talk as well. I believe I am a good listener, which makes people look for me when they need someone to talk to. I am very free in giving out encouragements, as long as I feel the people are down in whatever they are doing. Even in the littlest improvement a person makes or adjusts, I notice it and give them praise. I give out constructive criticism as well, and is open to taking some for myself from others. So all in all, I have a lot more to work on, even though I have some positive traits that I already carry with me. Reading on will definitely help me improve in different aspects. I have asked my father, brother and mother to give me a peer analysis in my communication skills and my different ways of dealing with other people. They have more or less the same answers and I will only generalize and summarize the answers that they have given. They have mentioned that I criticize and condemn other people a lot may it be directly or even behind their backs. My brother told me that I judge immediately anything I see that does not pass my so called standards. Carnegie believes that this should be avoided in order to find more people to like you, to have more friends. One thing that they appreciate about me is that I give a lot of encouragements to people. They feel that this is when I am most effective when dealing with people. Even my father told me that he appreciates it when he sees me encourage different people. He also mentioned that he has seen how this affects the different people I am dealing with, and can see the changes that such encouragements have brought about. My mother mentioned that I do not easily admit my mistakes. She said that I even reason out to my actions, even if I already know that what I did was wrong. As much as I hate to admit this, it is nothing but the truth. I find it hard for me to say that I was wrong, mostly because of pride. They all agreed to one thing however, and that is I only like to talk about things that I like, and that I do not even ask them what they want to talk about or what they are interested in. This is one of the things Carnegie has mentioned that should not be around when we want to have more friends or when we want people to like us. Again, I can see that there is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to relationships and communication. The first thing that I want to remove from my negative attitude is the inability to admit when I am wrong or I have made a mistake. I think this is the first thing that would turn other people off from wanting to talk or become friends. I believe for me to be able to do this, I must lower down my pride. This will not be easy, and will take a lot of time. But if I want to improve my lifestyle, then this will definitely have to be the first thing off my negative list. The next thing I must make a move on is towards removing the act of always criticizing other people. It has almost become automatic for me to do this, as I easily judge people even at the first look or impression. This has cost me a lot of friends and friendships that might have started. I think the way to start taking this negative act from me is by always thinking positively and giving other people a chance- a chance to show their true selves. Being judgmental has always been a problem and will be a bigger problem if I do not act up on it immediately. Being less self centered and egotistic will be very important if I want to start new and stronger relationships with other people. These are only some of the things that I think I need to change. Dale Carnegie has helped me realize a lot of things. His work has definitely taught me a lot of things; things that are essential in day to day living. After all, no one can live alone. Friends and relationships with people will help us live more harmoniously and Dale Carnegie’s â€Å"How to Win Friends and Influence People† has taught me how I can have more friends and develop friends a lot easier.