Compensation trends in the United States Essay Example for Free

Compensation trends in the United States Essay The current trend of globalization, technical revolution and competition, has had dynamic impact on the compensation trends worldwide, as well as within United States. The whole ladder of compensation from agriculture to Information technology has seen an upsurge in compensation. The economic conditions, the political support and the globalization have played an important role in setting the curve for this trend. There is greater awareness, increased skill, enhanced efficiency and wider range of choices. The human resource has become a more valued, competitive and specialized force affecting the future of economy and industry. They have the bargaining power, and capacity to mould the pattern of growth in every arena of service, research, education, health and industry. â€Å"The RAND Corporation, in a report prepared at the request of the U. S. Department of Labor, says three trends will shape the labor force and employment relationships in the coming years: a slowing in the growth rate of the workforce, an acceleration in technological advances, and continued globalization. † (RAND, 2004) â€Å"The Emerging Trends in Human Resources† looks into many trends which would affect the future compensation package for people in United States. He categorizes them in workplace trends which would affect the employers and employees with better technology, higher health insurance, outsourcing, aging and other factors. Demographic factors like growth, retirement and aging. The organizations will need to respond with more strategy to retain and recruit new employees as well as train and upscale them. The political emphasis on economy, growth and outsourcing will guide the future trend dramatically. The trends of the society will dictate the nature of the work force and the balance of the compensation. International trends like expansion of businesses globally, rise of Asian market and emerging off shoring giants like India, china, Philippines and others add more to the competitive edge. (Greene, 2006-2007) Most companies have turned to total rewards and pay-for-performance programs as a vehicle for maximizing return on investment and employee potential. Variable pay is now a major part of compensation design for nearly 80% of U. S. companies, according to our Salary Increase Survey. Having the best people is more important than ever, especially in a business environment focused on value creation. In fact, many experts believe that attracting, motivating, and retaining the best talent is one of the greatest obstacles to growth over the next decade. Smart companies are finding ways to get the most from their investment in compensation and rewards without sacrificing the ability to compete for talent. (Hewitt, 2007) According to the report, titled, The 21st Century at Work: Forces Shaping the Future Workforce and Workplace in the United States. (RAND,2004) These trends have important implications for vital aspects of the future workplace and workforce and for the U. S. economy. These trends will affect the size, makeup, and skills of the labor force, the kinds of work and its settings, and worker compensation. Understanding these trends will help workers, employers, educators and policymakers make informed decisions that reflect changing realities. (RAND,2004) There is tremendous promise in the rise of competitive compensation package in most fields with better opportunities for growth in Unites States. The demand for skilled human resource will pave the way for next decade in business, healthcare, services, engineering, IT, and many other fields. This is the period of strategic planning, wide range compensation and timely rewards. Work Cited (2-23-2004). RAND Report Predicts Trends in Labor Force. Retrieved February 23, 2007, from BLR Compensation BLR. com Web site: compensation. blr.com/display. cfm/id/153659 Greene, Keith J. (2006-2007). HR SPHR. Retrieved February 23, 2007, from SHRM Web site: www. fmi. org/humanresources/Emerging_Trends_Presentation. pdf Rothberg, Deborah (29-AUG-2006). Study: Skills Shortage Boosts Salaries. Retrieved February 23, 2007, from e WEEK Careers Web site: www. careers. eweek. com/article/Study+Skills+Shortage+Boosts+Salaries/18739 _1. aspx (2007 ). Compensation Rewards. Retrieved February 23, 2007, from Hewitt Web site: www. hewittassociates. com/Intl/NA/en US/OurServices/ServiceHRC. aspx? cid=2402

Biography of Alexander Hamilton Essay -- Hamilton Founding Father Bio

Biography of Alexander Hamilton Summary Alexander Hamilton was most likely born on January 11, 1757, although the exact year of his birth is unknown. Hamilton was born on the Caribbean island of Nevis or St. Kitts to Rachel Fawcett and James Hamilton, but he spent the majority of his youth on the island of St. Croix. His formal education as a child was minimal. When his mother died in 1768, Hamilton took his first job as a clerk in the offices of merchant Nicholas Cruger, keeping Cruger's business records, and coordinating business efforts between the merchant ship captains, government officials, and planters. Cruger and a local Presbyterian minister, Reverend Hugh Knox, recognized Hamilton's genius and persuaded him to leave St. Croix for New York City. Alexander left the island in 1772, never to return again. In New York, Hamilton attended several preparatory academies and schools to prepare himself for college. He interviewed with John Witherspoon of the College of New Jersey, which is now known as Princeton, but eventually enrolled in King's College, which is now known as Columbia. In 1776, Hamilton withdrew from King's College and joined a local New York militia to fight in the American Revolution against the British. During his first year of service, Hamilton served as an artill... ...entirely out of the political world after his resignation, but his involvement in politics after the late 1790s did his cause more harm than good. In the election of 1800, for example, Hamilton inadvertently split the Federalist Party to allow his rival, Thomas Jefferson, to become President of the United States. In 1804, Hamilton wrote a series of essays against another rival, Aaron Burr that was partly responsible for Burr's loss in that year's New York gubernatorial race. Burr blamed Hamilton for his loss and challenged Hamilton to a duel in which he shot Hamilton. Hamilton died the next day on July 11, 1804, at the age of forty-seven.

Black & Decker Case

1)Why is Makita outselling Black & Decker 8 to 1 in an account which gives them equal shelf space? †¢Trade is asking for advertising allowances and rebate money on products, profitability in the Tradesmen segment is near zero. †¢The B&D brand in the Tradesmen segment may be regarded as â€Å"weak† due to the fact that B&D dominated the consumer segment. †¢The â€Å"heavy do-it-yourselfers† may have a misconception on the quality/reliability/durability of B&D professional line. These individuals make a living from using these tools and simply cannot risk the aforementioned features. )Why are Black & Decker's shares of the two professional segments — Industrial and Tradesmen — so different? Wouldn't you expect them to be similar? †¢Tradesmen segment is growing faster than the industrial segment. B&D did not initially capture or dominate the tradesmen segment, hence the share differential. †¢Decision influencers in the industrial segm ent viewed B&D as a high-quality brand. Similarly, the consumer segment regarded B&D as a strong brand which helped B&D attain the #1 position in the marketplace. This did not spill over to the tradesmen segment, which needs more differentiation. Strong influencers in outlets such as â€Å"Home Depot† educate the consumer to â€Å"stay away from B&D†. 3)What, if anything, do you learn from Black & Decker's consumer research? †¢B&D uses very similar branding strategies for their tradesmen and consumer segments. †¢Brand perception is the main issue with B&D strategy for capturing a larger market share. †¢Durability/Quality issues are not substantiated. Blind tests of B&D products in the tradesmen segment reveal that B&D products are comparable to other major competitors’ products. In some instances, B&D products are elected as leaders in their product categories. )Joe Galli's objective is â€Å"to develop and gain corporate support for a viable pro gram to challenge Makita for leadership† in the Tradesmen category (p. 1). To gain support, the minimal share objective would have to be â€Å"nearly 20% within three years, with major share ‘take away' from Makita. † How realistic is this? †¢This is realistic due to the fact that there are a number of negative perceptions of Makita’s products including â€Å"arrogant & dictatorial†. The problem is that no single brand dominates all the product categories in the tradesmen segment.This means that product selection may be circumstantial and mostly influenced by tradesmen in-store influencers etc. †¢Currently, B has ~9% market share, meaning that it would have to take ~11% market share from Makita who has ~50% market share. Makita has the most to lose in this industry segment. †¢Since, B is financial strong and is not making much money in the tradesmen segment, the financial risk would be limited. 5)If you think Galli should pursue a â₠¬Å"build share† strategy, what actions do you recommend? Does the DeWalt idea have any merit?How about the subbranding option? †¢Gallie should pursue a â€Å"build share† strategy but only under a different brand. Choosing a different brand name such as DeWalt that already has positive resonance in the tradesmen segment would not only disassociate the current perception of B within that segment, but could help reduce B risk of â€Å"embarrassment† in the other two segments in case the DeWalt brand fails. †¢The sub branding option still carries the B brand with it. At this point in time the tradesmen segment is not a new & emerging market, but a well developed growing market.Sub-branding at best could help drive some product categories, but not the overall brand as a whole. †¢The yellow color choice would help the DeWalt brand truly stick out from the competition. Currently, the most exotic color in the tradesmen segment is teal – Makita†™s color. The yellow color choice would less likely backfire since yellow is a familiar job site color associated with safety. 6)Be specific about what you would do and remember you have at least three audiences to please: the consumer (the Tradesman), the retailer, as well as Nolan Archibald and Gary DiCamillo. Consumer oIntroduce DeWalt brand with yellow coloring oOffer rebates and incentives †¢Retailer oIntroduce DeWalt with limited supply to generate â€Å"pull† oPromote demonstrations of products that demonstrate superiority oMaintain existing B line as a benchmark for DeWalt’s success oSlowly phase out B and replace with DeWalt oOffer volume discounts to large retailers such as Lowes and Home Depot, since this channel is the fastest growing one †¢Bosses oPresent above and maintain sub-branding exit strategy

Florence Nightingale s Play Breaking Social Norms

Genre Analysis During the Victorian time period roles regarding gender, education, the work force, and politics were all set and rarely had any changes made to these predisposed ideologies. By conducting an analysis of the time period using a variety of genres, it became apparent that Florence Nightingale’s role in breaking social norms was a starting point for the revolution of women. It is also evident that her actions are still influential in today’s society. Using two different sources, I compared both themes and techniques used to portray the purpose of the article and video. The first genre typography, is used to present the role that women during the Victorian time period, ranging from education to prostitution. While the video’s iconography genre’s purpose was to educate about Florence Nightingale’s role and what she accomplished in her lifetime. By using several types of genres I compared the roles of Victorian women to Florence Nightingale and her counter actions of the time period, and the impact made then and its relevance today. Structure and Delivery The structure for the typography, which was an article is written in paragraph form, structured by each topic being separated in bolded lettering and ranging in a large variety of topics. The iconography genre, which was a video is short only providing vital information needed to know about Florence Nightingale and her impact on breaking social norm. The information for the article is shaped in this way, toShow MoreRelatedethical decision making16006 Words   |  65 Pagesbioethics, and how is it important to the community nurse? 2. What is the ethics of virtue, and what part do virtues play in the practice of nursing? 3. What is meant by principle-based ethics? 4. How does Kant’s deontological approach differ from Mill’s utilitarian approach? 5. What role does each of the four major ethical concepts— beneï ¬ cence, nonmaleï ¬ cence, autonomy, and justice—play in community nursing practice? 6. How can health care resources be distributed in a fair manner? 7. How doesRead MoreHistory of Social Work18530 Words   |  75 PagesInstitute of Social Sciences Compiled by S.Rengasamy-History of Social Welfare / Social Work Contents History of Social Welfare/ Social Work ..........................................................................................................................3 The need to understand history of social work .............................................................................................................3 Framework to understand History of Social Welfare / Social Work .....Read MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesworld? How can companies renew and sustain those factors in the face of the business slowdowns and major fluctuations that challenge the longterm continuation of profitable earnings? As we continue to experience the twenty-first century’s economic, social, and political churning, how will these driving factors be influenced by the brutally competitive global economy in which organizations do not have any particular geographic identity or travel under any particular national passport? What will be the

Nike Ethical Dilemma - 954 Words

Ethical dilemma is an issue involving moral principles with no right or wrong. There will always have debates on whether one matter is considered being right or to some people’s perspective, it might be wrong. Take for example in Singapore, many people will be against the idea of abortion as it is the same as murder. However, there are also some who are not against the idea. In fact, abortions were considered legal so long the pregnancy does not exceed 6 months. It actually depends on one’s conscience and moral to how they look at the matter. In this paper, the ethical issues we will be covering will be on Nike child labour. NIKE inc, a well-known brand in the market that specialize in sporting goods has been reported that the†¦show more content†¦Therefore, Nike does not seem to be morally wrong in the continuation of partnership with the manufacturer in Pakistan. Take a look from another perspective, Nike may be morally wrong for the partnership with these suppliers. As everyone is aware, children should be receiving proper education when they are young and not working. Nike action has not only tarnished their images but as well sending a message globally, in supporting the use of children as labour in these developing countries should Nike continue to engage these manufacturers. It is definitely an ethical dilemma in a business situation with the strong reasons on both sides on the employment of these manufacturers. Nike has to make a decision somehow. 2. Proposed Solution The proposed solution was to implement a manufacturer selection system where Nike could place emphasis on the labour selection, specifically, the age group. The purpose of the selection systems was to ensure that no children were to be use in these manufacturing factories. Terms and condition will be stated in the agreement contract where Nike has the rights to take legal action against manufacturer when contract were breach. Nike should also closely monitor the labour situation by conducting regular checks at factories so as to ensure that the standard sets were follow. Auditor and representative from Nike could conduct surprise check on these factories with goals to prevent or reduced manufacturer fromShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Dilemmas Of Nike1327 Words   |  6 Pages This paper will discuss the company Nike. Nike has had many ethical issues, which will be addressed. The ethical dilemmas that Nike faced will be evaluated under two ethical frameworks. The whistleblower part that was played in exposing Nike will be analyzed. This paper will evaluate whether Nike used marketing or public relations successfully when trying to repair the damage caused by the reported lapse in ethics. The company Nike operates in over 50 different companies. ThisRead MoreNike Inc. And The Ethical Dilemma Essay2155 Words   |  9 Pages Abstract This paper delves into the well-known Nike Inc. and the ethical dilemma they have been struggling with for years, including the history as well as their efforts to address the issue. While they are have already found ways to try to turn their company around, this paper discusses multiple alternative options as well as the top recommendation and form of application for management to take. With analysis, evaluation, recommendation, and application, this case study will also focus on theRead MoreEssay Nike- Ethical Issues1454 Words   |  6 PagesEthical Case Analysis: Nike Introduction Nike was established in 1972 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. These two men were visionaries. The goal for Nike was to carry on Bowerman’s legacy of innovative thinking by helping every athlete reach their goal or by creating lucrative business opportunities that would set the company apart from any competition. This included providing quality work environments for all who wereRead More Challenges of a Global Business Essay1176 Words   |  5 Pagesactions on not knowing about it or on the subcontractor or supplier. It is inevitable to avoid ethical issues when conducting global business. This is mainly because of differentiation of foreign laws, regulations, and policies. Among those there are also culture and language barriers that contribute to the origin of ethical dilemmas. More than anything cultures is one of the primary reason for why ethical issues come up amongst all others. Globalization is criticized for its practice of unethicalRead MoreEthical And Ethical Challenges Of Organizations1536 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"A major problem we identify in business is that organisations are designed as profit making mechanisms and have no interest in the good of society† (Bartlett Preston, 2000). Companies always want to have an ethical advantage over other companies but only for the profit. With globalisation and technological advances, it can put a stress on some companies as they always need profit and market share to be successful and grow. â€Å"Individual managers (tone at the top) play an essential role making sureRead MoreThe Ethical Issues Nike Is Facing Based On Cross Cultural Settings Essay1983 Words   |  8 Pagesmost valuable brands in sports industries (Forbes, 2016), Nike Inc.’s strong brand portfolio makes it a dominant market position in this field. However, Nike has been accused of using sweatshops in developing countries to produce its products, which has largely influenced its brand reputation among the public (Newell, 2015). By outsourcing its product lines to reduce the cost of products, multinational corporations such as Nike is facing ethical challenges in terms of setting up factories in developingRead MoreNike Ethics and Human Violations1308 Words   |  6 PagesLike other large corporations, Nike looked to expand their operations outside North America. Many companies do this because of the law and wage demands of the United States making overseas operations very appealing. Employment laws are scarce and labor is cheap in most third world countries and can be easily become targeted by giant corporations such as Nike. In the beginning, Nike probably selected countries like Indonesia and Vietnam because of the vast poverty level and wage demand given theRead MoreAuret van Heerden is the President of the Florida Labor Association1034 Words   |  4 PagesIt describes its mission as promoting adherence to international and national labor laws†. (Wikipedia, 2014). The speech given by Auret van Heerden highlight issues with supply chain such as child labor, human rights abuses and the huge ethical and moral dilemma this presents to us all as consumers and as fellow human beings. In 1996 President Clinton convened a meeting at the White House which was attended by industry, human rights NGOs, trade unions, the Department of Labor, in which a task forceRead MoreNike Business Ethics2700 Words   |  11 PagesNike Ethical Dilemmas Ethical Audit Report Table of Contents Nike Ethical Dilemmas 1 Ethical Audit Report 1 Executive summary 2 Purpose of the Report 2 A Snapshot of Nike’s Business Ethics 3 Ethical Dilemma’s Facing Nike 4 Nike’s Best Ethical Practices 7 Conclusion 8 References 9 Executive summary As globalization increases the scope of the Multinational Companies (MNCs) to penetrate the market both for cost effectiveRead MoreInternational Business Ethics And Ethical Issues Within International Organizations1113 Words   |  5 Pagesbecome socially responsible and ethical global citizens? What I am here to tell you today is that with the correct organisational procedures, internationally renowned businesses are able to become socially responsible and ethically recognised. However when international organisations have unseemly and immoral behavioural standards, generating ethical global citizens is out of the question. Today international business ethics have a number of open questions and dilemmas, which are characterized by the

The Database Dilemma Essay - 3843 Words

The Database Dilemma Personal privacy today is a controversial and complex topic, which is influenced by a number of factors. There is an integral role that databases play in this highly debated topic. The fact that many people now carry out their transactions electronically is another important factor. There is also pressure on personal privacy for increased national security around the world to combat terrorism. In addition, personal privacy is even threatened by commercial factors and the Internet. Personal information can consist of anything from a home address, telephone number, social security number, income, credit card history, etc, any piece of information that can be tied to a distinct individual. Once personal†¦show more content†¦Databases allow us to easily store and retrieve data in a purely digital format. The strength of this is that large amounts of data can be stored and retrieved with minimal effort on the part of the user. Opposed to manually flipping through files, one can quickly pull up the requested data through a computer program. Many systems that were conventionally paper and file based have been converted to a digital format which are now stored in one or more databases. Databases can be used by businesses for managing accounts, inventory, personnel information, customer information, and any other record keeping needs. Phone companies have extensive databases for keeping track of customer’s calls for monthly statements, likewise with mobile phone companies. Banks transactions are all recorded in databases. The DMV has records of all drivers and motor vehicles. IRS databases contain income related information of everyone in the country. Ultimately, databases are everywhere. One can only wonder how many records relating to you are stored across what is now a forest of databases. The New Consumer During the past decade, we have undergone enormous changes in the way that we conduct business. ATM check cards, credit cards, and preferred customer cards are the most common buying tools today. Check, or debit, cards are ATM cards that function just like cash. Customers can now make payments with their check cardsShow MoreRelatedCultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper1583 Words   |  7 Pagesvalues. When these values are in disagreement, an ethical dilemma occurs. This article attempts to explain how personal, cultural, and organizational values play significant parts in decision-making. In addition, the foundation of ethical dilemmas can often be traced to conflicting values. This paper will also briefly discuss how ethical dilemmas can be mitigated. A practical approach for understanding how ethical dilemmas occur, how dilemmas can be prevented, and how to make ethical decisions canRead MoreEssay on Cultural Values And Personal Ethics in Business1497 Words   |  6 Pagesvalues. When these values are in disagreement, an ethical dilemma occurs. This article attempts to explain how personal, cultural, and organizational values play significant parts in decision-making. In addition, the foundation of ethical dilemmas can often be traced to conflicting values. This paper will also briefly discuss how ethical dilemmas can be mitigated. A practical approach for understanding how ethical dilemmas occur, how dilemmas can be prevented, and how to make ethical decisions canRead MoreHow Does Ethical Training Help Nurses Handle Difficult Ethical Dilemmas While Providing Quality, Patient Focused Care? Essay1097 Words   |  5 PagesHow does Ethical Training Help Nurses handle Difficult Ethical Dilemmas While Providing Quality, Patient-Focused Care in Nursing? Nurses are a critical part of the healthcare workforce. They are required to make tough ethical decisions. Without the right ethical training, nurses may experience moral distress, which in turn undermines their ability to make a morally correct decision (Grady et.al. 2008). Consequently, the quality of care provided to patients is significantly compromised. HoweverRead MoreCultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper1129 Words   |  5 Pages As an example, as an individual, a persons ethical guidelines might require honesty, integrity and respect. If that individual works for a company that does not necessarily operate under those same tenets, the employee may well face an ethical dilemma. This paper looks into how personal values, organizational values and ethical values come into play in the decision-making process. Personal Values Ones personal values are acquired early in life and they tend to remain fairly steady. PersonalRead More DNA testing Essay927 Words   |  4 Pagesrape and murder and consequently had a large impact on many past cases. However there are many disadvantages to DNA testing, such as a challenge of accuracy, the costs of DNA testing and the possible misuse of DNA. The prospect of a national DNA database in Australia has been heavily criticised with complaints of invasion of privacy and stigma against those with terminal diseases. Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA as it is most commonly known, is a strand of molecules found within the cell nucleus ofRead MoreData Mining Of Personal Data1608 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many ways to find information about customer preferences, the most effective being a process called ‘data mining.’ Data mining is â€Å"obtaining detailed, real-time customer information via internal databases† (Morris Pharr, Invasion of privacy: A dilemma for marketing research and database technology, 1992, p. 11). A relatively new practice, data mining for marketing has increasingly brought the business and information technology fields together. 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RecentRead More Organ Donation: A Right or a Wish Essay1015 Words   |  5 Pagesorgans after death, even if they have a driver’s license and have been denoted a donor by the DMV. From the case above, the family refusing to donate their daughter’s organs creates an ethical dilemma with conflicting principles of patient autonomy and fidelity. Along with ethical principles, I see a dilemma between legal rights and moral values. Legally the parents have the right to make the decision for their minor child, but morally the nurse sees what the decision should be in order to provide

Ethno

Ethno-Graphics and the Moving Body Essay In Evans-Pritchard’s classic monograph on Nucr religion (1956) there is a photograph illustrating a wedding dance, the caption under which reads, ‘Movement in the Wedding Dance’ (fig. 1). This photograph raises an impor tant anthropological question: where is the movement? Rather than single out Evans-Pritchard for unwarranted criticism, I intend to use this as an instructive example; a clear instance of an interesting yet serious stumbling-block with regard to Western ways of ‘seeing’ or not seeing human body movement. It is not uncommon to find actions reduced to a position or to a sequence of positions in this manner, such that a scries of photographs, sketches, diagrams, or positions of limbs plotted on a two dimensional graph are presented as records of movement.1 In this article I suggest that such a conception of move ment and its attendant practices have had the unintended effect of removing the medium of bodily movement itselffrom serious con sideration as a compo nent of social action. This has compromised anthropological inquiry by distorting our understanding of ways of knowing and being that do not evince the kinds of philosophical and religious biases against the body that can be found throughout the history of Western philosophy and within social theory. Freund (1988) and Turner (1984) suggest that the curiously disembodied view of human beings that has permeated the social sciences until recently stems in part from a revolt against a biological imperialism which, as feminist critiques have shown, was not without its political uses as a means to justify sexist and racist assumptions about ‘human nature’ (Birke 1986). Such a stance was also part of the effort to establish an autonomous social scientific discourse. Ironi cally, acceptance of the deeper philosophical assumption of a mind-body dualism was shared with biological determinism: social science assigned mind priority over body and severed it from its embodied form, while biologism assigned priority to the organism (Freund 1988: 839). Perhaps it is now the case that we arc about to enter a ‘paradigm of embodi ment’ (Csordas 1990). Recently, there has been a virtual explosion of literature on ‘the body’, much of it stimulated by the work of Foucault2, although in anthropology this explosion also represents renewed interest in a long-standing, if relatively minor, anthropological tradition.3 This attention is part of a radical reconstruction of classical precepts about the nature and role of person and agency and the dualistic thinking that has not only separated body from mind, but also created oppositions between subjective and objective, mental and material-behavioural, thinking and feeling, rational and emotional, and verbal and nonverbal. Recent interest in the body has centred primarily on the physical body as cultural construct: on its regulation and restraint, as metaphor and machine, represented by such topics as the medical body, the sexual body, the civilized body, the decorated body, the political body and the body as social text. This focus should come as no surprise, perhaps, given a virtual cult of the body in contemporary Western societies, with fetishes ranging from fitness to fat con trol, and from politically correct body types (Pollitt 1982) to political dissidents’ use of fashion as a non-vocal rhetoric (O’Neill 1972). These varied explorations all seek an adequate account of the embodiment of persons and should be fruitful for anthropology because, at the very least, they draw attention to the ethnocentricity that has until recently permeated our spoken-language-ccntred approaches to systems of meaning.5 However, in these developments there remains one major lacuna: the human body as a m oving agent in a spatially organized world of meanings. While Turner (1984) has brought to our attention the long-standing absence of the body in social theory and its submerged, furtive history in the West, those who specialize in the anthropology of human movement note that in Turner’s book, as with those of Armstrong, Foucault, Freund, Hudson, Martin and others, ‘the body’, albeit a social and cultural one rather than a biological or mechanistic entity, nevertheless remains a static object. Absent, on the whole, are accounts of persons enacting the body, that is, using physical actions in the agcntive produc tion of meaning; actions that may be either out of awareness through habit, or highly deliberate choreographies.6 It seems important that wc attempt to con nect these interesting discussions to the moving body to the person as physical actor in the social world so that an anthropology or sociology of the body develops which truly transcends Cartesian lim itations rather than simply re states, however interestingly, some of the results. It is precisely here that theoretical choices play a crucial role, so I shall first set forth certain fundamental theoretical assumptions in order to clarify the meaning and rationale of the perspective that follows. Specifically, this will reveal how the intention to make the actions of a moving agent central to a definition of embodiment (and therefore to social action) has meant choosing the new realist philosophy of science espoused by Ð Ã °Ã ³Ã ³Ã'‘ over the existential phenomenology of Merleau-Ponty. Only when grounded in Hand’s notion of causal powers do Mcrlcau-Ponty’s suggestions for embodiment remain fruitful. If Bourdieu can be considered the heir of Merleau-Ponty’s position, and his work an attempt to go beyond it, it is not clear that he has been successful. Bourdieu’s (1977) notions of‘habitus’ and ‘hexis’ have been important sensitiz ing constructs because they draw attention to the role of bodily practices a nd spatial organization in social action. Problematic, however, is a residual Cartesianism that keeps any involvement with thought and language separate from ‘bodily praxis’. In addition, the false nominalization of ‘the habitus’ sets up a Durkheimian region of social causation that violates the logic of causal powers, because it separates the power from the particular and allows causal power to be located separately either inside (e.g. ‘the unconscious’) or outside, in a mysterious social realm separate from the action of people (see Harrc Madden 1975; Ð Ã °Ã ³Ã ³Ã'‘ 1984). Giddens’s (1984: xxii) tripartite division into ‘discursive consciousness’, ‘practical consciousness’ and ‘unconscious’ remains problematic for similar reasons (sec Farncll 1994a). Ryle’s (1949) distinction between ‘knowing how’ and knowing that’ avoids this kind of mcntalist rheto ric when ref erring to those aspects that are out of focal awareness through habit, and to skills that are not normally put into words. Human body in space EssayThe person is a substantial being who is causally empowered to author dialogues with other authors. Such a conception of substance and cause is important to an anthropology of physi cal being and of human movement: this transcendence of the Cartesian material/non material dichotomy forges a view of human beings as embodied because they are personal agents in the utilization of action signs and words. In order to avoid the current theoretical stalemate summarized in, it is useful to reinterpret Merlcau-Ponty in terms of the new realist perspective.15   Merlcau-Ponty’s major shift was to take the Cartesian T think’ and convert it into ‘I can’. If left there, however, we would only have the aforementioned opposition between the intellectualist and the phenomenological perspectives (current terminology would label these as the objectivist and subjectivist posi tions respectively). Merleau-Ponty’s ‘I can’ is itsel f ambiguous but need not be interpreted in such a way that we are left with an opposition. ‘I think versus I can’ (according to Merleau-Ponty) is actually ‘I think versus I feel, experience, sense’. If, however, I can’ is interpreted according to the new realist perspective as indicating our natural capacities and powers for all kinds of action (thinking, feeling, talking and enacting the body) it remains useful. Clearly, Merleau Ponty reduced this general power of‘I can’ to one specific power of feeling as experience. Figure 3 summarizes several ideas around this theme. We now have three perspectives, rather than an opposition between a fallacy and its correc tive. A person can think objectively and talk about her own or anyone else’s body; a person can feel and talk of her bodily experiences; and a person can enact the body (i.e., move) and thus vilk’jrom her body. The point is that none of these positions removes the mov ing body from the person as agent: bodies do not move and minds do not think people do. My approach takes as its point of departure an interpretation of the Mcrlcau-Pontian ‘I can’ as ‘I can act’. In this way, instead of a stand-off between two opposing perspectives in which one is labelled a fallacy and the other the only alternative we now have three genuine agcntive alternatives, different kinds of linguistic practices with their appropriate rhetoric and purposes. The ‘I can’ is not in opposition to ‘I think’ but an indicator of our natural capacity to be socially, personally, and physically empowered through membership in a culture to engage in all kinds of semiotic practices.