Research And Profile Of Wal Mart, Inc. - 2006 Words

Financial accounting reports, to include balance sheets and income statements provide accountants and the general public a snap shot of a company’s overall financial condition and possibly their future financial position. This financial information is very important to business owners, executive managers, private investors and employees. The information contained in a company’s financial report has several important uses. Managers and senior leaders of a business can take extrapolated financial data from the income statement which details monthly earnings as well as the company’s liabilities and equity position. This information can then be used to analyze and forecast future annual budgets. Additionally information obtained in these multiple types of reports can also be used to proactively predict trends that may have a negative financial impact on company’s future operations. On another note a company’s financial reports are used by lending instit utions to determine their ability to receive and repay loans used to finance business operations. I looked at many different companies to research when I reviewed the final week five paper requirements. I decided to research and profile Wal-Mart, Inc., as I spend much of my monthly food allowance at Wal-Mart personally, and would like to see and understand just how financially stable this company appears on paper. As I analyze Wal-Mart’s financial data I will illustrate and explain the importance of the horizontal analysisShow MoreRelatedNetflix : A Case Study By Sayan C.e. Carroll And David Spencer1519 Words   |  7 Pages NETFLIX A summary of the case study by Sayan C.E. Carroll and David Spencer Introduction In late February 2005, Netflix, the pioneer of the video rental business, faced a threat when Wal-Mart and Blockbuster attempted to copy their business model by launching their own online DVD rental service. 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Submitted to the Teesside University For fulfillment of the Assignment on Cross-Culture Management By MIDHUN JOSE Student Number: J9185582 Abstract Wal-Mart, the biggest retailer in the world, started its globalization with nine countries in Asia, Europe and South America. With its attempt to penetrate hypermarket culture in every country which it enters, many severe problems come into picture. In 1997 Wal-Mart continued its strategy ofRead MoreWal-mart case analysis. This paper includes SWOT/TOWS analysis, PEST analysis, environemental scan and strategic analysis.5493 Words   |  22 PagesCURRENT PERFORMANCE Wal-Mart is the worlds number 1 retailer, with more than 4,800 stores, including 1,475 discount stores, 1,750 combination discount and grocery stores (Wal-Mart Supercenters in the US and ASDA in the UK) and 540 warehouse stores (SAMs Club). Nearly 75% of its stores are in the US, but Wal-Mart is expanding internationally. Wal-Mart is the number 1 retail in Canada and Mexico. The company also owns nearly 38% of Japanese supermarket chain SEIYU. Wal-Mart generated a solid performanceRead MoreThe Wal Mart Essay1768 Words   |  8 PagesSam Walton is the originator of the Wal-Mart Stores in 1962. It has its central command situated in Bentonville Arkansas. Wal-Mart Store is an American – universal retail organization, that runs vast stockroom and departmental stores. It is positioned as the biggest private manager around the world, having utilized more than two million individuals. It is situated in more than 50 states in America. The organization s administrations are offered in around 15 nations around the world. It has aroundRead MoreCorporate Research : Wal Mart3661 Words   |  15 PagesCorporate Research Paper Wal-Mart Linglan Gu Introduction Risk management and offshore borrowing are some of the activities undertaken by multinational companies to help seal loopholes of foreign exchange risk. 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Challenges of hr prospects free essay sample

Abstract Human resource element works towards the Vision, Mission and Goals of an organization. The three roles of HRM in any organization are transactional, transformational, and transitional. The challenges faced by human resource managers in India are naturally evolving with the ever-transforming scenario in corporate India. Some of the major challenges which HR faces in India today are discussed hereunder. Key words: Challenges, Human Resource, Talent, changes. Introduction Human resources are the life blood of an organization. Despite the application of technology in modern business management, human resources are still relevant and most adaptive resources of the organization. The essential attribute of HR assist the enterprise to make rightful decisions and respond effectively to the threats and opportunities within the environment of the organization. Thus the enterprise depends highly on its HR for success and survival. The management of HR is complex and problematic because the individuals as workers hardly adapt or voluntarily embrace the objectives of the organization. As individuals, the employees have needs, aspirations, motivations, desires and interests which influence their behaviour at work. Human Resources Management and Planning are useful tools employed in harmonizing the needs of the employees with the goals and objectives of the organization on a continuous basis. The Challenges of Human Resource Management in a Globalised Economy The competitive pressures faced by the modern day enterprise for survival and success due to globalization and liberalization will continue to create room for future demand for organisational excellence. The new, global, complex, and often chaotic world of the Multi- national Enterprises requires a new strategic focus and new capabilities from HR just as it does from other management functions. Today’s top 10 Human Resource Management Challenges Due to the fluctuating economy as well as local and global advancements, there are many changes occurring rapidly that affect HR in a wide range of issues. In the Survey of Global HR Challenges: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, disclosed the following top 10 human resource management challenges: Challenges % of Companies 1. Change management 48% 2. Leadership development 35% 3. HR effectiveness measurement 27% 4. Organizational effectiveness 25% 5. Compensation 24% 6. Staffing: Recruitment and availability of skilled local labor 24% 7. Succession planning 20% 8. Learning and development 19% 9. Staffing: Retention 16% 10. Benefits costs: Health welfare 13% Facing Modern HR Challenges Head on: The proliferation of technology and changes in the business environment have increased the importance of human resources in the modern world. The major challenges facing human resources arise from this elevation of human resource activities to a core strategic function. Managing Globalization It is important for an HR Manager to study people management practices before implementing new practices which are global in nature. It has become a challenge for the HR to educate its workforce on how globalization can be leveraged and how an individual employee benefits or is affected by it. Instead of thrusting new practices upon them, it is ideal to study the existing practices which are in place. Developing Leadership Skills It is not just about knowledge, experience and expertise it is also about developing the right soft skills to give shape to the future leaders. Since the global economic and industrial scenario is very volatile and dynamic, what is required now is a skill set in the workforce which distinguishes them as team leaders. Finding and Retaining Talent The primary challenge facing human resource is to have the right people ready at the right time at the right place. The human resources of an enterprise, hitherto considered as just another resource such as land or capital, are now the key differentiator among firms, and as such the most critical source of competitive advantage. The increased competitiveness among firms ensures that finding new ways to increase the level of talent in the organization remains the key challenge facing human resources. Retaining existing talent is easier than hiring new employees. Possible interventions include custom-made compensation packages and fringe benefits, job enrichment, autonomy, better working conditions, and more. Ensuring Employee FIT Ways to ensure employee-organization fit include selecting employees based on the ability to do the job hiring employees who value teamwork and who can work with other employees hiring employees whose personal values and outlook match organizational values and culture Firms have 7. 5 percent higher revenue growth, 6. 1 percent higher profit growth, and 17. 1 percent lower turnover compared to firms that do not adopt this strategy. Ensuring Employee Competence The dimensions of HR challenges in this regard include: Understanding the employee’s innate skills and competencies and providing employees with opportunities to apply these skills for the benefit of the organization Skill enhancement of the workforce to promote adaptability, resilience, and agility Adopting a market driven approach. Adopting a Bottom -Line Oriented Approach Another major challenge facing human resources is to integrate its functional activities with the company’s strategic goals. This entails taking a bottom-line oriented approach while making decisions or framing policy. The key role of human resources in overcoming such challenge includes: Devising and implementing various motivational approaches, heralding a shift from performance-oriented pay to results-oriented remuneration or gain-sharing. Changing employee mindset from a process-oriented approach to a customer-oriented approach. Initiatives such as Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, and the like play a major role in this regard. Managing Diversity Managing diversity ranks among the most underestimated challenges confronting human resource. The dimensions of workplace diversity include age, ethnicity, gender, physical abilities, race, sexual orientation, educational background, geographic location, income, marital status, religious beliefs, parental status, and experience. A key challenge facing human resources is to manage and retain such diverse talent. The dimensions of workforce diversity challenge include: Reconciling the corporate culture to accommodate diversity and individual sensitivities Thinking globally and acting locally, by being responsive to the culture of the region, adapting to the societal requirements of host societies, and complying with local labor legislations. Managing Change Change is the only constant in today’s business environment, forcing organizations to keep pace with such changes constantly and rapidly to exploit new opportunities. Change takes the shape of organizational restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, right sizing, implementing outsourcing, providing telecommuting opportunities for employees, and the like. Focused change intervention increases productivity, improves organizational communications, improves process efficiency, improve quality, and raises employee morale. The challenges related to change for human resource management include: Helping employees overcome resistance to change by convincing them about the bigger picture Provide leadership for the change processes Ensuring stability of systems and processes during the change process Equipping employees to deal with the changed realities. Conclusion The role of the HR manager must parallel the needs of the changing organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptable, resilient, quick to change directions, and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR professional must learn how to manage effectively through planning, organizing, leading and controlling the human resource and be knowledgeable of emerging trends in training and employee development. References

Life Is a Smorgasbord

Summary The narrator of this article avoided making early decisions in life because of his fear of failure. The decisions that he had made were not very fulfilling. He claims his life is like an enormous menu that does not offer a sampler plate. He says he cannot make an order of fear, saying that his stomach might be filled and never get a chance of tasting other things on the menu. He therefore prefers side orders that are never satisfying.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Life Is a Smorgasbord specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the narrator affirms that he has learned the trick, which is to make assured choices that are varied but sufficient to fulfill his desires in life. He points that there is no adequate time in one’s life to experience even a fraction of all the incidences on the Earth, hence the need to make decisions on time. According to him, there is a need to make few choices on the menu that he can really enjoy and commit to so that when he passes on, he will have lived a fulfilled life. Essay Just like a hotel menu that has different delicacies listed, some expensive and some quite affordable, life offers things that we may or may not afford. However, the kind of life one leads largely depends on the decisions one makes. Some live unfulfilled lives because they make mistakes in their decisions or they live a life that is not theirs. It is important for an individual to live his or her life. We are the sole makers or breakers of our lives. Therefore, when we are making decisions pertaining to our life, sobriety is a virtue of great essence. This is because one wrong decision made may have long term undesirable effects on one’s life and worst still could cost one his or her life. Any decision we make shapes our life because we consciously or unconsciously follow it. For instance, a frustrated jobless father who cannot cater for his family may decide to seek solace in alcoholism. Such a decision could frustrate him even more because the person may not have logically analyzed the negative and positive aspects associated with that choice. In order to make a precise decision of what is important in one’s life is an explicit process that has various steps to be followed. First and foremost, we must realize the power that decisions wield in our lives. One decision made elicits a chain of actions. When one decides to drink a bottle of beer, the decision may lead to the person taking another and before one realizes he or she has become an alcoholic. Therefore the first decision will always be critical and determines the expected outcomes in a person’s life. The next step is setting your priorities right. We should start from the most basic needs all the way to basic wants. For instance, when one is faced with a dilemma of either pursuing a master’s degree or buying a car, such a tight spot calls for rational decision makin g. Based on facts, one should be able to decide what is more important. If the focus is on building a career for oneself, the best option should be furthering education.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another important step involves timely decision making. Many a time we consume too many resources before making a conclusive decision simply because we are uncertain and fear what may happen afterwards. We therefore end up in a rigorous exercise of evaluating pros and cons, cautious planning and extensive consultation. This course of action consumes a lot of time and in the end we may never make the decision or it maybe too late. One should learn to follow the gut instinct when making a decision. This will most likely make one to have confidence in the decision making process compared to a person who dwells all day planning to make a decision. Moreover, one should learn from his/her pa st experience. It is worth noting that sometimes mistakes are inevitable when making a decision however, instead of cursing oneself it is important to learn from the mistake. So that in future you can make proper and sound decisions free of mistakes. Also in determining what is important in our menu of life, one should have a flexible approach. For example, if one decides to acquire a house for the family, it is good to decide which option is the best. One may decide to either engage construction workers to build it or buy a ready one by mortgage. More important is that one should be objective when making a decision. For example, in choosing a career to pursue one should decide what course to undertake in college, based on one’s ability and aspirations. One ought to avoid extrinsic influences that may derail him or her from achieving one’s ambitions in life. These influences include pressure from parents to pursue a course that one does not desire. The choice one makes should be influenced by one’s decision. It would be irrational to make a choice without deciding what you want. For instance, people end up losing lots of money through impulse buying simply because they never planned on what they wanted to buy. Some people also end up in miserable relationships or marriages due to the fact that they never took time to choose their life partners. In addition, it is advisable to make some savings for a rainy day. Life is not always smooth; it has ups and downs. Bottom line is, if one is to live a fulfilled life, critical and timely decision making should influence the choices that one makes in life. It is also important to make certain choices that one is capable of fulfilling rather many choices that one cannot commit to. The prime factor is to always follow your instincts and listening to your heart when making key decisions in life. This essay on Life Is a Smorgasbord was written and submitted by user Ezekiel V. 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.

Marlowes Presentation of Mephistopheles Essays

Marlowes Presentation of Mephistopheles Essays Marlowes Presentation of Mephistopheles Paper Marlowes Presentation of Mephistopheles Paper Marlowe portrays ten Idea that Mephistopheles is trapped by Lucifer (and hell) and that he will never reach beyond them both. Through using this apostrophe, we also gain a sense of the gothic element of eternity- Mephistopheles will never be free of his suffering. Mephistopheles, further on in the play, emphasizes this idea and describes hell as Where we are tortured and remain forever Hell hath no limits and issues yet another striking warning to Faustus -which he chooses to ignore- whilst Marlowe continues to blur this life and the afterlife with his descriptions of Faustus inevitable fate. Some critics have considered Mephistopheles to be warning Faustus, O Faustus, leave this frivolous demands, which strike a terror to my fainting soul and hush consider Marlowe to be portraying him as a friend who is himself struck at the thought of Faustus suffering the same fate as he. Later on in the play, when Mephistopheles returns from Lucifer, he honestly tells Faustus that, as with ambitious earthly monarchs, Lucifer aim is territorial expansion and warns Faustus that he will receive more than he bargained for. The idea of Mephistopheles striking friendship, which on the surface appears genuine, is also explored when Faustus requests a wife. However, Mephistopheles cannot oblige and tries to put him off l Ritchie, talk not of a wife. In the sixteenth century, there were no civil marriages and so the word Wife carried with it the association of the Church and holy matrimony. He instead substitutes a devil dressed like a woman, with fireworks and by doing this it could be suggested that he is warning Faustus that he will be denied the blessing of a lifetime companion and only have superficial relationships with courtesans if he embarks upon a deal with Lucifer. We can also gain a sense of friendship from Faustus view, he refers to Mephistopheles as sweet and although this is can be noninsured to be an oxymoron, Faustus is consistently clear about his portrayal of Mephistopheles. On numerous occasions he seeks comfort in Mephistopheles, When Mephistopheles shall stand by me, what God can hurt thee Faustus? ND in both this example and Faustus final words Ah! Mephistopheles, strikingly, one finds that Faustus is only able to renounce God and accept his fate, when Mephistopheles is there to guide him. This interpretation, however, can also be understood in terms of Mephistopheles and his striking devilish characteristics and thus him being a manipulative temp ter. This supports the idea that the play is written in the form of a morality play which were popular in England around the late Middle Ages and which told stories about the progress of the soul and humanity relationship with virtue and temptation. As Faustus experiences the staying of blood when he attempts to sign his contract with Lucifer, it is Mephistopheles who brings a chafer of coals to liquefy the blood once more. He even goes on to state O what will not I do to obtain his soul? Which suggests both desperation and deceit. When Faustus consequently species a diving message Homologue, Mephistopheles distracts him from repentance and tempts Faustus with political power, symbolized by crowns, and wealth and luxury, symbolized by rich apparel. It also is interesting that once Faustus has signed the contract, Mephistopheles contradicts his earlier descriptions of heaven and tries to reassure Faustus that heaven is not such a glorious thing as he imagines in an attempt to stop him from repenting. Although Faustus wants to learn by experience, and asks to see Rome, Mephistopheles distracts him by suggesting some fun at the popes expense- justly corrupting Faustus Teller Telling. I Nils travel Detonator pushes Faustus to believe that he is too far gone for forgiveness from God and thus further exemplifies the striking, manipulative characteristic within Mephistopheles. He also urges Faustus to commit the ultimate sin (suicide) by handing him a dagger in hopes that he will die and so put himself beyond hope of salvation. It is actions like these which seem to contradict any ideas of friendship between the two characters, however, because Mephistopheles is influenced ultimately by Lucifer, Marlowe may eve been trying to suggest that if Mephistopheles werent so corrupt and tortured by hell, he would maintain his previous attitude and continue to warn Faustus. This can also be supported by the idea that Faustus was condemned from the very beginning of the play. When Mephistopheles does warn Faustus of hell, Marlowe uses anaphora and repeats the words me and l when describing all of the things he will do with his new powers. This shows Faustus to completely disregard Mephistopheles warning (despite no manipulation from Mephistopheles) and the responding sentence structure in a sequence of clauses shows Faustus to be gushing and completely, selfishly caught up by the gothic element of being driven by some all-consuming passion. Marlowe further developed this idea by using references to the sin gluttony, for example words such as sweet, glutted and surfeits. This serves to give the impression of a gorged renaissance ideal, which few people of the era were considered to be, and thus demonstrates to the audience that by knowing too much, one can lose their sense of Judgment- again making Faustus ate appear inevitable- for instance when he perceives the seven deadly sins to feed my soul and describes O how happy I were then as opposed to feeling repulsed and fearing them. Farm supported this idea and suggested that Mephistopheles appears because he senses in Faustus magical summons, that Faustus is already corrupt, that indeed he is already in danger to be damned nonetheless. And so, if Faustus is shown to be in danger to be damned nonetheless, Mephistopheles cannot be considered as a striking tempter; he was merely doing his Job.

Economic Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic Theories - Essay Example His theories helped to establish the foundation to capitalism. Adam Smith postulated that markets were capable of regulating themselves without any external intervention. He introduced a new approach of measuring national wealth using income as opposed to the king’s treasury (Derek, & Steven, 2003). According to him, income was a product of land, labor and capital, and that the income is divided among capitalists, laborers and landlords, in form of interest, rent and wages. Smith’s theory had some limitations, despite helping to revolutionize the economic thought at the time. David Ricardo identified the weaknesses of Smith’s theory and opted to rectify them and incorporate them in his own theory. Among the things he agreed with Smith’s theory include the use of income to measure a country’s wealth. He also agreed with Smith’s view of free markets. He however built his economic thoughts on the three main factors of production; land, capital a nd labor, that had been identified by Smith (Derek, & Steven, 2003). Ricardo introduced other new ideas in his theory to build on Smith’s ideas. He for instance introduced the idea of international trade as the best way to help the local markets. He introduced the concept of comparative advantage in international trade. Comparative advantage suggests that countries only produce those products that they have a higher comparative advantage and import those which they cannot produce efficiently. b). Marx’s opposition to Capitalism Karl Marx was one of the most vocal thinkers to be opposed to Capitalism. He saw capitalism as just any other historical stage that would eventually end and be replaced by Socialism. According to Karl Marx, capitalism introduced classism in the society. The society was made up of the capitalists who were the land owners and owners of factories and the working class, whom provided labor in the lands and factories owned by the capitalists. He iden tified that these two main classes had differing interests that were the source of conflicts in the society. The capitalists’ main objective is to get profit and increase their wealth through minimizing their costs, including offering low wages to their workers (Derek, & Steven, 2003). The working class on the other hand strives to maximize their wages. These two compete g interests will lead to conflicts in the society that would eventually lead to a decline in the capitalist system and create ground for socialism. Marx was opposed to the capitalist system because of the instability it would create in the society where the working class would be left dependant on the capitalists who owned massive resources. According to Marx, leaving wealth to a few private individuals would create imbalance in the society and preferred socialism which would take the wealth from individuals and eradicate classes and ensure equality of all people in the community. The labor theory of valu

Critique of Academic Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critique of Academic Journal - Essay Example However, this diversity's gradual move into the normal corporate field has brought with it a few negative outcomes (Kelan 2009). It makes it harder to deal with instances of subtle discrimination against women (Calas and Smircich 2006). This diversity simply eliminates the more obvious types of gender discrimination while allowing the attitudes that support such practices to go unchallenged (Gill 2007). For instance, women are usually exempted from the networking that takes place among the men in the workplace, as well as from working on with the business’s most prominent lawyers (Nentwich 2006). When women are confronted with such situations in an era that has actually had laws passed to support their functioning in the workplace, they are likely to think that they are the ones who are either too arrogant, or cold, and thus are not easy to approach for workplace friendships (Johns, Schmader and Martens 2005). They are not likely to suppose that the reason for their being left out of things is because they are women (Crump, Logan and McIlroy 2007). Critique Gender fatigue is constructive because it alerts the society that even with the existing laws and regulations that encourage women to work; women are still not treated in the same way as men in the workplace (Lewis 2006). For instance, in a recent research conducted in a business environment, it was established that male workers ignore what might appear to be gender discrimination because they equate their calmness in such instances with showing tolerance or acceptance (Bailyn 2003). Female workers, on the other hand, feel that if they work harder, they will be able to change the minds of sexist employers (Blau, Brinton and Grusky 2006). In such cases, it can be pointed out that ‘gender fatigue’ is an appropriate explanation for such pusillanimous behavior on the part of workers (Ely, Meyerson and Davidson 2006).   Elizabeth Kelan’s article on gender fatigue appears to bring up a n authentic problem that might actually be one of the reasons contributing to the continuing inequality that women experience in the workplace. The fact that her survey participants indicated that they had heard of cases of discrimination showed that such cases still exist even in an era in which many people feel that the goals of women being permanently accepted in the workplace have been sufficiently addressed. The fact that the workers being surveyed mentioned that instances of gender discrimination usually happen in singular episodes and not as a whole also contributes toward the ‘gender fatigue’ theory. If the incidences of discrimination against women happened in bulk, the opposition would have been more vocal. However, instances where some women are discriminated against and not others are not as visible and can cause doubts to arise when reported.    On the other hand, gender fatigue the article by Elisabeth Kelan on gender fatigue states that the workers that she used in her study were not only convinced that their companies were gender neutral, and were examined on merit. These contributors also quoted statistics on sexism from the previous one or two decades. This means that the situation may have changed in the last few years; and that if gender inequalities still exist, the

Of Mice and Men Characters Review Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Characters Review Essay John Stienbeck was born in California in 1902. He went to University but could not afford to stay. After he left University he needed money to live so he done many jobs such as Waiter, Broke horses for the Army and he was also a Ranch Hand. In the end he wanted to be a writer so that he could highlight the conditions of the poor in America. In the 1930s America was suffering from depression. The change of climate in America meant that a lot of farming land was destroyed so farm owners employed migrant workers, which were paid very low wages and kept in very poor conditions. People were only employed when there was work on the farm. Most of the workers were solitary people with no homes or families. Loneliness plays a big part in this story. Stienbeck uses two main words in this story, Soledad and Solitaire. He uses these words because they both have something in common with loneliness. Solitaire is a one-player card game that all the ranch hands played. Soledad is the name of the main town in the story, the name means Lonely in Spanish. Throughout the story George always uses the quote guys like us are the loneliest guys in the world. Candy Candy is one of the lonely people in this story. He is old and disabled because he has only got one hand, this was due to an accident with a machine on the farm. Candys job is a swamper. A swamper is basically a cleaner, he tidies up the ranch. He does this job because no one else was prepared to do it, and because he is old and he needs money and somewhere to live. Candy will be doing this job until he cannot work no more due to his age, which will be very soon. Candy had a dog. The dog was old, smelly and on its way to the grave. The dog had no teeth so it could not eat and was very much like Candy. The dog was shot and Candy feels this will happen to him when he cannot work anymore. George has a travelling companion called Lennie, George and Lennies dream is to own a ranch. George tells Candy about his dream of owning the ranch. This changes Candys life because Candy believes that they will own a ranch of their own and be able to do what they want. He now had hope for the future and that he would live with his friends and have security and would die a happy man. Candy works for Curley who has a wife. Curleys wife is killed by Lennie. When Candy finds Curleys wife laying on the floor, he gets very angry and start swearing at her saying that she had ruined his life forever because Lennie will now be killed by Curley and this will mean that they will not be able to own their own ranch. When all the ranch workers leave Candy feels sorry for Curleys wife because she was lonely and was never able to go out anywhere and needed someone to talk. Candy says poor bastard because he feels sorry for her. Candys future now has been ruined because he is too old to work at the ranch and he will soon be sacked and will probably die a homeless man. Candy was put in the story to add a bit of variety among the characters. Crooks Crooks is another lonely person in the story. He is a coloured man living in a racist society and he is also disabled. His job is a Stable Buck, this is someone who looks after the horses and cleans out the stables. Crooks is treated very badly by the other ranch hands because he is coloured and the ranch hands are white. He is not allowed to go into the bunk house and he is not allowed to join in activities they do. They also make him sleep in the stable with the horses. Crooks has a very bad life in the story because he just stays in the stable and does not get to socialise with the other ranch hands. His room is just a small area in the stables with all his possession over the floor in his room unlike the ranch hands who have small boxes over their beds for their possessions. Crooks has many possessions such as magazines, a hairbrush, a flannel, soap and other small personal items. This shows that he is a very clean man and he taught himself how to read and write. When Lennie enters into Crooks room he acts very violently at first. Crooks says, you got no right to come in my room. This heres my room. Nobody got any right in here but me, later in the conversation Crooks starts confusing Lennie by saying things like spose George dont come back no more. Spose he took a powder and just aint coming back. Whatll you do then. This starts to upset Lennie. Crooks tells Lennie about his childhood. His childhood was remembered as him playing with white children when there was no racism in America, but his dad hated him playing with white children because in the end the white children would grow up hating black people. Crooks only has one dream in life and this is to live in a non-racist society, like when he was a child playing with the white children. When Lennie tells Crooks about his dream about the ranch, Crooks says your nuts. I see hundreds of men come by on the road and on the ranch with their bindles on their backs and that same damn thing in their heads. Nobody never gets to heaven and nobody never gets no land, its just in their head. When Curleys wife entered Crooks room he reacted in a very angry way because he did not like her. She always insulted them and Crooks had had enough of this, he says, I had enough. You got no right coming in a coloured mans room. Even after saying this Curleys wife threatened him, then Crooks just backed away and went silent. Now he has no future because he will just be living in a racist society, scared and lonely. I think Crooks was put in this novel to add a glimpse of racism in society. Curleys Wife Curleys wife is one of the loneliest people in this story. She wears long dresses, has long blonde hair, would always have her fingernails painted and would always eye up the ranch hands. This shows us that she is a slut. She does not have a name in this story because she does not have any independence and she is owned by Curley. Curleys wife is lonely because she has no one to talk to because Curley is always too busy, he has no time for her, every week he goes to the whorehouse, she does not love him and he does not love her. Curley treats her very badly; he has no respect for her. Her life on the ranch is very bad because she just stays at the ranch with no one to talk to. Most of the time she goes around the ranch looking for Curley but she is not really looking for him she just wants to chat to people. She had no respect from anyone, just like all women in the 1930s. The only reason she married Curley was to get away from her mum because her mum did not let her do her own thing. Curleys wifes dream was to get away from the ranch and be in the pictures or theatre. She once had the chance to do this but her mum stopped her going. In the end loneliness kills Curleys wife because as she had no one to talk to so she decided to talk to Lennie and this is what caused her death. I think Curleys wife was put in this novel to add a woman in the story as she was the only one in the story. The American Dream The American Dream meant a better life for George, Lennie and Candy because they would live on their own ranch and not have anything to worry about. The dream would also mean companionship for Candy because he would not be lonely anymore because he would have George and Lennie to be with. In the end no ones dreams come true because loneliness ruins their lives. Loneliness kills Curleys wife, it gives Candy no future or security and for Crooks it gives him no hope because he will always be living in a racist society.