Outsourcings Benefits in Management

Table of Contents Introduction Overview of Outsourcing Reasons for Outsourcing Levels of Outsourcing The Benefits of Outsourcing Conclusion Reference List Introduction Outsourcing is the act of transferring some of an organization’s recurring internal activities and decision rights to outside providers, as set forth in a contract. Because the activities are recurring and a contract is used, outsourcing goes beyond the use of consultants. In other words, outsourcing can be defined as the process of shifting tasks and services previously performed in-house to outside vendors. As a matter of practice, not only are the activities transferred, but the factors of production and decision rights often are, too.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Outsourcing’s Benefits in Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Factors of production are the resources that make the activities occur and include p eople, facilities, equipment, technology, and other assets. On the other hand, decision rights are the responsibilities for making decisions over certain elements of the activities transferred. This paper looks at the reasons why most organizations outsource and the growth of outsourcing from the tradition to modern organizations. It also looks at the different levels of outsourcing and concludes by giving some of the benefits of outsourcing. Overview of Outsourcing Outsourcing is a management practice that has been going on for many centuries. However, it has gained popularity in the recent past and organizations are attempting to think about it as a new practice. It has certainly changed in shape and has taken a different form, although the concept remains the same. Although primitive prehistoric villagers would not have understood some terms like core competencies, outsourcing, and increase in productivity, the benefits were real and it is these that lie at the heart of many of t he modern arguments referring to outsourcing. Modern organizations are nurtured by the outgrowth in division of labor meaning that organizations employ different individuals with different skills, competencies, and attributes. These individuals are hired to perform specific functions in the organization (Manning et al 2008). In the last century, few organizations had attempted to do everything themselves. There were always some products and services that came from outside suppliers and were never made in-house, and the boundaries between the two were flexible. Many diverse firms engage in intensive outsourcing. As outsourcing continues to grow in importance, its nature and focus is evolving. In the past, it is only the manufacturing industries that engaged in outsourcing but it has now been accepted in almost all industries including the service industry. It has also become a cross-national and global concept; for instance, it is estimated that about 40% of the entire automobile pro duced in North America came from the US, and much of this offshore supply is outsourced (Brown Wilson, 2005). The nature of outsourcing is diverse. Some firms now outsource core production activities so extensively that they no longer engage in production, as traditionally understood.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Inbound and outbound logistics are being extensively outsourced also. Some firms are extensively outsourcing secondary value-chain activities such as information technology, accounting systems, distribution, and aspects of human resources. Despite its increasing importance, many firms do not have a clear understanding of the benefits and costs part of its destiny in the hands of other firms that are seeking to maximize their profits. Thus, while outsourcing is often described as an alliance, the contracting parties inevitably have conflicting interests. The strategic objectives of outsourcing that decision makers should seek are to maximize the net benefits of outsourcing relative to the in-house provision of value-chain activities. In practice, this can often be simplified to minimizing the total costs of any given quantity and quality of outsourced good or activity. However, costs must be viewed comprehensively. Costs consist of expenditures for the good itself and the costs associated with governing the outsourced transaction. This raises a number of fundamental questions relating to governance costs (Noreen et al 2011). Reasons for Outsourcing There are many reasons why organizations choose to outsource other than rely on the resources available within them. One of such reasons is to enhance effectiveness by focusing on what one can do best. Other organizations outsource in order to increase flexibility so as to meet changing business conditions, demand for products or services, and advanced technologies. Other reasons include but are not limited to the following: Transform the organization Customer satisfaction and increasing the value of products as well as of the shareholders Improve management and control (Barrar Gervais, 2006). Acquire innovative ideas Improvement of operations Reduce investments in assets Gain market access and business opportunities through the provider’s network Expand production capacity and sales volume Reduce costs and increase benefits (Noreen et al 2011). Employee career development Increase commitment and energy in non-core areas Levels of Outsourcing There are different levels of outsourcing which occurs in different levels of activities. Most of the common levels are individual, functional, and process. Individual outsourcing involves moving specific positions out of the organization. This could be the management position of a poorly performing function or a technical position, such as, an intelligent analyst or an auditor. These positions are difficult to fill when turnover occurs and therefore it is advisable to outsource before an organization is able to find the appropriate person to fill such as a post. Individual outsourcing occurs when a person fails to perform the activities assigned to him at the desired performance level, or according to the organization’s expectation (Manning et al 2008). Almost all organizations are structured on a basis of functional cost with specialized knowledge and key responsibilities. Processes can be defined as the flow of products or services within an organization. A single process is generated by linking similar activities to create an output that satisfies a customer’s needs.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Outsourcing’s Benefits in Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Processes defer from one organization to the other and it is upon each organization to determine its own processes. There are many contractors in the world who earn their income through outsourcing. IBM is one of these contractors that have been doing well in the business of outsourcing. In 2003 IBM decided to outsource its expertise to Visteon an auto parts manufacturer. This contract was estimated to earn the company over two billion dollars in a period of ten years (Hechlinger, 2003). The Benefits of Outsourcing Some of the benefits expected from outsourcing by investors include the following: 1. Creation of value for shareholders 2. Reduction of production costs by taking advantage of external supplier’s lower costs 3. Improvement of the quality of input by purchasing some superior capability from external supplier If a firm could easily imitate the cost or capability advantage of outside suppliers, it could produce the activity in-house. The acquisition of superior capabilities can also be thought of in cost-saving terms. However, it is usual in the business strategy literature to analyze each activity on the value chain in terms of the firm’s ability to lower cost or to improve quality. The contractor or supplier also benefits from outsourcing in terms of increased revenue, which he can use to diversify his activities. For instance, in the case of IBM and Visteon contract, IBM was expected to make large sums of money and also become a widely known contractor (Hechlinger, 2003).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To ensure that outsourcing is a cost-effective strategy, the costs of outsourcing must be compared to the costs of internal production of the activity. Production costs are those directly generated by the opportunity costs of the resources used to produce the good. There are a number of production cost rationales for outsourcing. The most basic is that internal production of the activity entails production at levels that are too low to be efficient, that is, to achieve minimum efficient scale. Many goods and services for which the organization has low unit demand exhibit significant cost lumpiness (Barrar Gervais, 2006). Just as a supplier can bring services to a locale within ones country, it can also bring one to new markets on other continents because of its global locations. The more places in the world a company can provide such presence the more opportunities one has to grow his global customer base. When considering a potential outsourcing in hopes of advancing into new mark ets, one has to make to determine the cost benefits of such endeavors. An estimate of potential revenue that would be received in the new capabilities has to be made and such estimate has to be reasonable. The estimated revenue has to be compared to the prices from suppliers in order to determine whether the new capabilities are cost effective. If a particular company is interested in going global, it has to look for suppliers who have the capabilities to take the company there. In order for the company to compete in the global market, it has to be available globally. Some facility labor relations conditions permit the use of in-house mechanics that are not bound by trade or craft union jurisdictional lines in performing operations and maintenance work. Contractors by and large, follow trade and craft union jurisdictional lines, hired by contractors are not better than those recruited for the facility’s in-house workforce. They lack the specific experience that the regular em ployees acquire in time at the facility, but they often compensate for this by bringing a greater breadth of experience to the job (Noreen et al 2011). Conclusion This paper has given a brief overview of outsourcing; what is meant by the term outsourcing, its growth, and how modern organizations are relying on outsourcing for most of their operations. It has also looked at the different levels of outsourcing and the good about this process to both the organization and the contractor. Outsourcing can deliver significant economies of scale by using standardized procedures and leading edge technology. Suppliers can perform finance and administration functions far more cheaply and efficiently than companies working on their own. This could include reduction in working capital, improvements in tax efficiency, and avoidance of capital expenditure. The services are also provided at an agreed cost which should also lead to a more accurate prediction of costs, and therefore more accurate bud getary control. A specialist provider can bring best practice and new investment in resources. Outsourcing financial operations can encourage business to be more innovative and focused on value creation. Reference List Barrar, P. Gervais, R. (2006). Global Outsourcing Strategies: An International Reference on Effective Outsourcing Relationships. Burlington: Gower Publishing Ltd. Brown D. Wilson S. (2005). The Black Book of Outsourcing: How to Manage The Changes, Challenges, And Opportunities. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Hechlinger, J. (2003, February 12). IBM Gets $2 Billion Outsourcing Job — Most Computer Operations Of Visteon To Be Taken Over As It Diversifies From Ford. The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), B3. Manning et al. (2008). A Dynamic Perspective on Next-Generation Off shoring: The Global Sourcing of Science and Engineering Talent Academy of Management Perspectives 22.3: 35-54. Noreen, E. W., Brewer, P. B., Garrison R. H. (2011). Managerial Accounting f or Managers (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. This research paper on Outsourcing’s Benefits in Management was written and submitted by user Artur0 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.

Marketing Channels Essays

Marketing Channels Essays Marketing Channels Essay Marketing Channels Essay Question: Should companies involve their marketing channels in the design of the promotional programs? What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so? When a company is looking at promoting a new or existing product or service, the involvement of their marketing channel during the design of the promotional program is key component. According to the text Excellence in Business (Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 417-418), a market channel is the network of firms that work together to get goods and services from the producer to the customer. When a company is designing is promotional program, or the manner it wishes to get information about its product to consumers, it has numerous factors and stakeholders to involve. Walk into any grocery store chain or look at any number of weekly advertisements and you will be able to see the same product advertised in numerous ways across numerous vendors. These various ways of advertising the same product across multiple vendors can also be referred to as a promotional mix. A promotional mix can be described as the blend of personal selling, advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, and public relations a company uses to reach potential customers. (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 487) When a company is developing a promotional mix and working with their marketing channels, it is important to understand the five elements of promotion. Excellence in Business (Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 487) describes the five elements as: 1. Personal selling which is in-person communication between a seller and one or more potential buyers; 2. Advertising, or the communication which targets a market from an identified sponsor using mass communication; 3. Direct marketing sends advertising directly to potential customers; 4. Sales promotions includes sponsoring promotional events and activities such as coupons, contests, etc. ; and 5. Public relations which is the non-sales communication between business and their consumers. The inclusion of marketing channels into a company’s promotional program can help increase the products presence in the market and help ensure a solid hold. When a company brings new products to market they can include any of the five elements of promotion in their stragegies. Including the marketing channels into the promotional program has its advantages, it can also have disadvantages. For a company to launch a new product they must be willing to weight the advantages and disadvantges of the promotional element to decide what is best for them. Below is a listing of some of those advantages and disadvantages. Personal Selling Advantage Message is tailored to customer Direct personal communication Highly flexible Disadvantage Relative high cost Advertising Advantage Large reach Stimulates demand by presenting a constant message Disadvantage Low to moderate cost Limited message flexibility Direct marketing Advantage Direct personal interaction with large reach Tailored messages to key groups Disadvantage Relative high cost Sales Promotion Advantage Large reach Disadvantage Can vary depending on promotion Only meets short ter m sales objectives Public Relations Advantage Large reach Disadvantage No direct cost Unvarying message While this discussion only takes a very broad looks at the inclusion of marketing channels in the development of a promotion program, you can see that while there are advantages and disadvantages, it is something that companies must consider. The ability to reach customers is growing as more and more products flood the market. Companies must work to keep the name in the spotlight in order to strive and turn profits. 2. Under the Practice Your Knowledge section on page 511 of your textbook, read the Handling Difficult Situations on the Job: Extolling a Better Way to Buy Insurance scenario and respond to the questions in the Your Task section. (40 points) This assignment should be at least one page long but no more than two pages. As with the assignment above, be sure to use the short-essay format and refer to the grading matrix as you prepare your assignment. When looking at a company such as the one described in the scenario (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 11) there are numerous factors to promoting the Web site and offered services that could help increase traffic. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, opined that to persuade an audience that your ideas (or in this case product) are better than somebody else’s, there are three appeals to persuasion: Ethos (creditability), Pathos (emotional), and Logos (logical). When looking at a logical (Logos) versus emotional (Pathos) ap peal to attract new business, you must understand the base difference between the two. When making a logical appeal to an audience, you are presenting facts and statements to the audience. In the case of attracting more businesses to join your Web site, the logical approach would be to show that you have more site hits than a competitor or are marketing on more car dealership Web sites, etc. Making a logical appeal to a consumer or business typically involves statements and supposed facts, rather that questions and theories. An emotional appeal can play on the hopes, fears, and desires of an audience. (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 99) Since these scenario deals with the selling of insurance, an example of an emotional appeal could deal with the disastrous financial effect of being hospitalized without insurance, this could include images of sad faces, graphics of budget spreadsheets with negative numbers, etc. If you were to begin trying to increase the marketing of the discussed Web site and tried to make logical and emotional appeals to various au diences, you must also understand the five promotional categories as described in Excellence in Business (Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 87). Below is a listing of the five categories and the potential emotional and logical effectiveness of each. 1. Personal selling – Highly effective in both emotional and logical appeals because you have direct personal face-to-face access with customer and the ability to have a highly flexible message. 2. Advertising – Highly effective in both emotional and logical appeals by constantly presenting facts/figures and/or emotional messages to large audiences at the same time through various means. 3. Direct marketing – Somewhat effective or emotional appeals, but highly effective for a logical appeal. Direct market typically involves non-personal contact with consumers, which could cause difficulty in creating that emotional appeal. 4. Sales promotions – Highly effective in both emotional and logical appeals. Companies have the ability to offer special promotions to buyers that if they do not like a product they will offer a full refund (emotional), to showing how their product is better than the other company through taste or cost comparisons (logical). 5. Public relations – Somewhat effective for emotional and logical appeals. Public relations exist to try and create a positive image of the company through non-sales techniques. An example would be a company that attempts to present positive stories about how they are helping the environment by decreasing their waste. This type of promotion may not have anything to do with an actual product, but people will remember the company because of the supposed help in cleaning up the environment, which is an emotionally charged topic. When looking at future ways to increase sales and visits to the Web site, the use of on-line ads and blogs could be huge. A company like the one described in the scenario could easily and effectively market themselves through the use of on-line ads by working with other Web sites, such as car dealerships or doctors offices, to place banners on their Web site. A banner or an ad which is displayed along the top of bottom of a Webpage, (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. 503) is an excellent, highly visible, tool by which to market a product or service to consumers. Banners can also track statistics of how many times somebody clicked on it to follow the link and from what landing page. Going back to logical promotion, this could be valuable information to make that type of connection to possible customers. Another proven valuable tool to any business is word-of-mouth advertising. In today’s Web based world, word-of-mouth advertising in an electronic setting is called a blog. A blog, or Web based log our journal (Excellence in Business; Bovee, Thill, Mescon; p. G-1) is a highly effective way for today’s consumers to share information about products and services with other like-minded people. Take just about any product out there and enter it into an internet search engine and you will likely comeback with thousands of postings with reviews about the product. In the end, there are numerous opportunities for an on-line business, such as the one described in the scenario, to increase their advertising and marketing through any number of means. Picking the right mix is important and must be carefully weighed to ensure you are reaching the maximum number of consumers with the minimum cost and effort.

The Innovation of Electric Cars and Its Commercial Impact Essay

The Innovation of Electric Cars and Its Commercial Impact - Essay Example The researcher states that the electric car industry started with the development of the first electric car models and has grown to a bigger and a wider industry today. The first people to develop the electric cars originated from such countries as the Netherlands, United States, and Hungary. They invented with the idea of using a battery to power a vehicle that enabled them to develop small-scale electric vehicles. In the 2nd half of the 19th century, the first practical electric car was designed the French and the English innovators. In the US, William Morrison was among the first people to come up with an electric car in 1890. The popularity of these vehicles started growing in 1900. In the same period, the electric cars occupied a third of all the vehicles on the road in the United States. The electric car industry before 1900 was composed of the few models of the ancient innovators. For instance, Ferdinand Porsche developed an electric car in 1898 called P1. Today, Ferdinand Por sche is the founder of a sports car company. Companies started having an interest in the industry in the year 1900 after many factors convinced many companies to invest in an electric car. Such factors included the ever increasing costs of fuel and the environmental pollution by the cars that used gasoline. Henry Ford, who is the founder of the Ford Company, produced an electric car called Model T that came as a blow to the auto industry because it cost almost the same as any other car. For instance, in the year 1912, cars using gasoline cost $650 while the Model T car cost $1750. Due to increased development and discoveries of the gas oil, the production of electric cars declined until the 1960s when it revived. The cheap prices of gasoline had also made the demand for electric cars decrease hindering other companies from investing in the industry. In the 1970s, the American Motor Company and GM Motor Company produced electric cars. This signaled the revival of the electric car ind ustry.

We were soldiers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

We were soldiers - Essay Example The General and his men were killed at the Little Bighorn Battle. An intuitive leader, Lieutenant Colonel Moore manages to accomplish the unfeasible despite being out-numbered by his enemy; Lt. Col. Moore refuses to surrender and ultimately proves victorious after forcing the Vietnamese troops to leave their headquarters. Lieutenant Colonel Moore uses a variety of supervisory techniques in leading his unit to conquest. The first technique that Lt. Col. Moore applies prior to him and his troops getting to the combat zone; is that of leading through example. A leader earns loyalty and respect after setting example so that others follow. This involves a leader practicing what he or she preaches. The night prior to their departure, Lt. Col. Moore conveys a speech to his unit at a party he had held, where he pledges that although he might not bring all his soldiers alive home; he would be the first to enter the battlefield and the last to leave. He adds that, dead or alive, he would not leave any person behind. He makes sure that each of his men is not left at the battlefield after the battle is over, true to what he had promised. During war, Lt. Col. Moore also leads through example many times; for instance, he refuses to surrender and performs other acts of heroism. The second supervisory strategy that is obvious in Lt. Col. Moore’s leadership is that of treating everyone with dignity and respect. In the same message delivered by Lt. Col. Moore to his men, he factors out that every man in his unit, despite his origin or race, is an essential participant of the troop. â€Å"†¦here in the States some men in this unit may experience discrimination because of race or creed, but for you and me now, all that is gone (Wallace n.pg).† By guaranteeing that everyone recognized this, Lt. Col. Moore was building assurance, self-respect and team cohesiveness that would go a long way in guaranteeing that his unit members trusted each other. Finally, Lt. Col. Moore is

Quality 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Quality 2 - Essay Example Earlier most goods and services were produces by the same person to meet quality. Production of a lot of brought many people to work at various production states to ensure quality products. In late 1800s businessmen like Fredrick Taylor and Henry Ford identified major limitation that affected mass production. Taylor instituted quality department that dealt with correcting errors and ensuring quality production whereas Ford traced on standardization quality to ensure all organization produced products fit for human consumption Arnaboldi, M., Azzone, G., Savoldelli, A. (2004). Execution of quality in organization was the duty of quality departments. This mainly did inspection to ensure products were defect free. In the second half of 20th centaury, quality was emerged as a profession and a managerial tool. Over the year's quality developed from simple control to engineering then to system engineering. Later in 1990s quality system emerged these are the quality management system and the total quality management Bryman, A., Stephens, M., Campo, C. (1996). Quality is a depiction of the culture, attitude and ethics of an organization that aims at providing quality services and goods to its customers to satisfy them. The cultural part calls for adoption of quality system aspect in all the operations of an organization, Bryman, A., Stephens, M., Campo, C. (1996). A quality management system (QMS) These are set of rules or policies necessary for planning production of services and products in the business. QMS incorporates various forms of internal processes within the business environment and offers a implementation approach.QMS enables the organization to identify measures, controls an improve the various processes with a business that contributes to prosperity of the organization. In short QMS assists organizations to identify defects and prevent them from happening (Hill Stephen, 1991) Quality management system helps the organization to; accomplish high reliability in the operations they are engaged in including providing quality products or services Decrease high costs of operations. increase competence and sufficient by humanizing the use of time and the available resources identifies and improves customer satisfaction Market the organization to the rest of the world. Discover other areas that they can engage in control growth more efficiently by making it easier to incorporate new employees frequently improve the products, processes and systems Total management quality (TQM) This is the process that ensures the totality of quality management in all departments within an organization. It entails planning, leading, managing and controlling. It called so because it ensures high output and meets the satisfaction of stakeholders including clients, suppliers and even employees, Bryman, A., Stephens, M., Campo, C. (1996). In general TQM aims at; Helping the management to make well informed decision that will help in the overall prosperity of the organization. Help the organization as a whole to meet the needs and desire of the customer by carrying out market research before it embarks on production. Ensuring that there is bottom top problem solving abilities. Participation of all the stakeholders of the organization in the operations to ensure everyone is at per with the organizations performance. Ensures on

Whether or Not Macbeth is Deserving of Pity in Shakespeares Play Macbe

In the last scene of â€Å"Macbeth†, Malcolm describes Macbeth as â€Å"this dead butcher† which could be argued is the best way to sum up Macbeth’s character. The word â€Å"butcher† implies slaughter and brutality. Macbeth is certainly guilty of butchery, the cruel, senseless killing of people. Malcolm uses the word â€Å"butcher† to provoke appalling memories of Macbeth’s deeds from the audience. But could Macbeth’s behavior ever be justified? Could Macbeth ever be pitied or even excused for the actions he took? Shakespeare chooses to have Malcolm describe Macbeth as â€Å"this dead butcher† for a reason. Clearly, Malcolm loathes Macbeth for killing his father and so his choice of language, such as â€Å"butcher†, will be biased. This will also sway the audience to dislike Macbeth, because Malcolm is the hero by saving Scotland. The audience would have wanted to be on the winning side, witch is undoubtedly Malcolm‘s. At this point in the play, I don’t think Shakespeare intended the audience to pity or excuse Macbeths deeds. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth started as a well-respected thane but as he rose to power, became a guilty murderer. However, Macbeth was influenced and tricked by many others in the play and I will explain why a case could therefore be made to defend him. The three witches, or the weird sisters, approach Macbeth on a dark day in a Scottish moor. Shakespeare uses the weather to suggest that the witches are evil. The scene, with thunder and lightening, reflects the witches thoughts- which are intent on creating trouble and stirring things up. The weather also predicts a stormy future for Macbeth. The setting, â€Å"A desolate place† immediately sounds eerie and spooky. This shows that the Witches plan to manipulate Macbeth from th... ...r all he has done. I feel strongly that we are meant to feel pity for Macbeth at the end of the play. I believe that the Shakespearian audience would not have excused Macbeth for the murder of the Macduffs but perhaps for the murder of banquoe, because it was torture for Macbeth to think becoming king was all for nothing if Banquo’s offspring succeeded the throne after himself. I do not think the audience are meant to regard Macbeth as just a â€Å"butcherâ€Å", because of the shame Macbeth clearly feels at the end. Although Macbeth is guilty of the deception of his best friend, his king, as well as his subjects, he can be excused because he was manipulated by many others in the play such as his wife and the witches. I feel that the actual play Macbeth is quite relevant for the 21st centaury. The moral is still significant today. The themes in Macbeth are relevant too.

Okonkwo as Morally Ambiguous Character Essay

â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe describes tribal life in the jungles of Africa and speaks about Ibo community before the arrival of a white man. The main character of the story, Okonkwo, can be described as morally ambiguous because, on the one hand, he is a man of greatness, although, on the other hand, such qualities as violence and gender discrimination are inherent to him. Certain aspects of novel, as, for example, his suicide at the end, show that his character is of ambiguous nature. Moral ambiguity is important for the overall theme of the story as the author is willing to prove that people are very rarely purely good or evil. Thus, Achebe tends to create characters that are more applicable for the readers, not to create moral standing images. (Leach, p. 1053) Okonkwo is morally dynamic character. On the one hand, he is sensitive to his family, children and friends, but, on the other hand, he attempts to rebel his father exhibiting the tendency to violence and power of physical strength. The author shows that his character is developed by the situation he is presented with. Thus, the character has to respond to swiftly changing situations and to act depending on them. In the beginning of the book we see that Okonkwo is respected and he is satisfied with his success. He works hard towards his goal to become rich and famous. He is a man of great physical and moral strength. The issue of moral ambiguity arises, when Okonkwo simply discards his father not respecting and following the qualities he exhibits. Lack of self-discovery and moral resolution shows ambiguous nature of the character. (Noromele, 200) The main character flaw is presented by Achebe as: â€Å"But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness†¦It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father†. (Achebe, p. 13) Okonkwo’s reflections about tribal order, family members and social status prove that Ibo society associates men only with strength. Okonkwo’s son by his first wife is described as a woman-like being a serious insult. After Ikemefuna’s death main hero can’t understand his sorrow asking himself: â€Å"When did you become a shivering old woman? † (Achebe, p. 62) The fear not to become fragile makes Okonkwo work hard accumulating material possessions and justifying his manhood – good harvest, wives and honors. His fear suppresses him to express the feelings of sympathy, gentles, empathy and compassion. Instead, he refers to violence to escape from frustrated emotions. For example, he prefers â€Å"wrestling during his youth and later becoming a renowned warrior†. (Achebe, p. 69) Achebe shows that Okonkwo is man of action rather than a man of thought. Okonkwo earns respect of villages due to his violence, but he doesn’t realize that violence will lead him to moral destruction, exile and ultimate death. Achebe illustrates that Okonkwo’s fear to become weak and fragile makes him commit numerous transgressions against social laws in community. Okonkwo beats his third wife during the Weak of Peace as the week is dedicated to the Earth goddess Ani. Achebe writes that Okonkwo â€Å"is not the man to stop beating someone half-way through, not even for fear of goddess†. (Achebe, p. 30) Okonkwo thinks that showing personal strength values more than displaying deference to goddess. The turning point in the story is when Okonkwo kills a young clansman at the funeral. He is exiled for seven years. When Okonkwo returns to his village, he sees the presence of white men and establishment of the new law. Instead of being supported to take revenge, Okonkwo faces hesitation and doubt realizing that the spirit of clan is dead. Summing up, Okonkwo is morally ambiguous character presented as a man of greatness, although being ready to violate social and natural laws. Okonkwo works hard to become rich and famous, but he permits violence and intolerance to justify his manhood. It is Okonkwo’s fear of weakness that leads him to moral destruction. In the end Okonkwo faces what he fears the most – weakness and inability to take action. In the image of Okonkwo the author shows that there are no purely good or evil personalities. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. London: Heinemann, 1958. Leach, Josephine. A Study of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart in mid-America. The English Journal, 60, 8 (1971): pp. 1052-1056. Noromele, Patrick. 22 March 2000. The Plight of A Hero in Achebe s Things Fall Apart. College Literature, available at http://www. highbeam. com/College+Literature/publications. aspx