The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Research Paper

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) - Research Paper Example FARC has waged war against the Colombian government for roughly four decades. At the start of the insurgency, the group had merely more or less 350 soldiers. Majority of these soldiers were the disgruntled and peasants, and they did not have the necessary advanced weaponry (Corrales & Romero 98-99). From this humble beginning, the group’s military capability has risen to roughly 18,000 combatants (Martin 214). Besides its assaults on Colombian economic, political, and military institutions, FARC has been deeply engaged in murder, extortion, kidnapping for ransom, drug trafficking, and other crimes (Hough 386). In fact, the organization becomes more popular for its deep involvement in illegal narcotics businesses than for its rebellious operations. However, its leaders remain devoted to its social revolutionary objectives and use terrorist methods to terrorize or pressure its political enemies. Even though FARC has been successful in taking over massive portions of Colombian territory, the group has been unsuccessful until now to overpower the Colombian armed forces in open combat (Lee 29). This paper discusses current efforts to combat FARC and speculates as to why they are still successfully active. The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, headed by Carlo Castano, is a conservative paramilitary organization created in 1984 to fight guerilla soldiers or insurgent groups in Colombia, like FARC. Its exercise of terrorism to abolish the support base of these guerilla militias has made it a dominant and feared army in Colombia (Martin 214). The country’s government since the 1960s has been combatting a number of radical terrorist organizations; the two biggest are the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the FARC (Hough 381). The operations and activities of FARC, alongside the narcotics industry, have given Colombia a quite infamous and perilous reputation. The Colombian army  The Colombian army raided a campsite owned by the FARC on the 26th of March 2012, taking the lives of 36 members of the organization and arresting three more.  

Speech as a Patriot Essay Example for Free

Speech as a Patriot Essay They ask everything from us but give nothing in return. For to long have they taken away from us. We need to stand up to them and declare independence for ourselves. In the words of Thomas Paine Man did not enter society to be worse off, or to have fewer rights, but rather to ave those rights better secured. We did not come here to pay taxes and subjected to these injustices, we came to build a life of independence. We need to fight back and take what is ours. We need to stand up to the British and show them that together we stand strong. As a whole we need to come together to fight this battle for independence. Again Paines words ring true in stating, Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it. We must fght for what we want, and if that means fighting a war against the British then so be it, e will carry that burden to fght for a free country. When we have independence we will have the right to our own government and our own democracy. We have a right to follow any religion along with the rights to our property, which includes paying taxes. We will have the right to many things that currently we have had taken away from use due to monarchial dictatorship of Britain. Paine also states, The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government. And right now the British government is abusing their power. They are using us, and we have done nothing. How long will this go on until we decide that enough is enough? We need to stand up to them now and claim what is rightfully ours. We have varieties of goods that we can trade in order to build our economy, however under the rules of the British we may only trade within their constraints. We have the potential to build up a strong and independent nation, as long as we sever ties with our dead weight mother. We have few numbers as an individual colony, but with the colonies combined to fight we have enough to beat the British. Paine states, It is not in number but in unity, that our great strength lies; yet our present numbers are sufficient to repel the forces of the world. The continent hath, at this time, the largest body of armed and disciplined men of any power under Heaven; and is Just arrived at the pitch of strength, in which no single colony is able to support itself, and the whole, who unite can accomplish the matter, and either more, or, less than this, might be fetal in its effects. We have distinct advantage in numbers as long as we unite as one, not to mention fghting on ur own soil gives us the upper hand in resources. If we refuse to let the British live in our houses, decline them food and leave them with nothing but the ship they came on we will force them back to where they came from. They have no power over us as long as we stand up and fight. The longer we sit submissive to their rules the harder it will be to tight bac k. We do not need them they need us. In closing I leave you with another quote from Paine fighting for independence is Nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense.

Issues with Balanced Scorecard: A Case Study

Issues with Balanced Scorecard: A Case Study I. â€Å"I think Fitzharrys Ltd’s financial statements are incomplete. a. They contain nothing about the company’s plans and budgets for the year to 31 December 2005, nor about performance since the year end. Its directors are failing in their duty to keep shareholders fully informed of the company’s current performance.† The most up to date records that are available are the records ending in 2004. Although they may not be entirely up to date for the complete benefit of the shareholders, they are the only records that we have to go on. However the results that we do have seem to paint a positive enough picture for us to be confident going forward. They show that Fitzharrys Ltd profit margin and other key indicators have risen inexorably over the past few years, giving Larkmead much to go on when looking at a potential purchase. The figures which we have so far are more than satisfactory, and therefore for us they do not pose a significant problem b. We know that the company has a great deal of goodwill represented by its established name, professional staff and loyal customers. Why does this asset not appear in the financial statements?† There are many possible good reasons as to why the company’s goodwill does not appear in the financial statements. Goodwill is in itself an intangible asset. Whilst there are ways of measuring goodwill, it is not one of the key indicators that we are looking at. It is true that the goodwill of the company may add to what we have to pay for Fitzharrys Ltd, however goodwill is very much an important asset which we will see the many benefits of in any merger. A merger destroys the target’s ‘old’ goodwill and creates ‘new’ goodwill to appear in consolidated books. As such I am unconcerned about the fact that goodwill is not represented on these statements, and feel that it will provide a bonus for Larkmead after any takeover. The fact that it does not appear in the financial statements is more likely than not due to the fact that goodwill is difficult to define in purely monetary terms. II.  I think its financial statements are wrong. The company increased its profit but its cash balance has declined in the year. How can this be correct?† The fact that its profits are up can be seen to be the most important factor. There are also several other factors to be taken into consideration, and I do not believe that these figures are necessarily incorrect. When a profit is recorded other changes on the balance sheet depend on revenue transactions and expense transactions. Often a transaction does not significantly affect the balances in an account as many other factors come into play as a result. The figures which are available are satisfactory and are enough to suggest that Fitzharrys Ltd would be a good investment. III.  The money Fitzharrys Ltd is owed by its customers has gone up by over 55% from 2003 to 2004, and this in a time of recession. Have they lost control over the situation? They may well be owed money; however they are a company who are paid in large by the public sector. Central and local government are not a high debt risk and we can be fairly confident that they will pay back the money which is owed to Fitzharrys Ltd. We will not need debt collection agencies to deal with any central government clients. The country was not in recession in 2003 and 2004, and therefore construction projects undertaken by the government or local councils were not unusual, and I am sure that Fitzharrys ltd had good reasons for accepting credit from these agencies. We can certainly be totally confident that the money will be paid back. Therefore in this case it is not fair to say that the management at Fitzharrys Ltd has lost control over the situation. On the contrary they have gained several good and reliable business contacts. We can be confident to the reliability of Fitzharry Ltd’s clients that the situation is not as bad as if the debtors were individual customers of dubious credit history. IV.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A similar thing has happened to its inventory – it has gone up by nearly 40% as well. Surely this must indicate a lack of management control?† The fact that Fitzharrys Ltd’s inventory has gone up by nearly 40 per cent does not necessarily indicate that there has been any loss of management control by the company. An inventory is a list of goods and materials which is owned by the company – in this case it will be made up largely of construction related stock. In a growing construction company it is only natural that the inventory on that companies books will also grow. In the case of stock which is held by the company, the stock is all produce that can be sold on by the company and therefore adds to Fitzharrys Ltd’s overall value and desirability. Any businesses which stocks too little inventory will then be unable to take advantage of large orders from any customers. It can be seen as generally good overall practice for Fitzharrys Ltd to have this large an inventory as it represents stock that can be used for the benefit of potential clients or, alternatively, can be sold at a profit. However I do share your concern about the level of inventory, at least to a certain extent as there are sometimes problems which an excessive amount of inventory can bring. For one thing there are many things which can be hidden by the account of inventory. Also, whilst it is an asset on the balance sheet, at the same time it is also money tied up which could be used for another purpose other than stock just sitting in a warehouse. Plus, it should be taken into account that a high inventory causes significant tax expenses, which is clearly not desirable. However looking at the overall picture I am unconcerned about this rise in inventory. It shows that the company is growing, can expect further business, and it does not in any way seem to indicate any loss of management control by Fitzharrys Ltd. V.  I may have to sell some of my shares in Larkmead plc. My stockbroker tells me companies like ours have a price/earnings ratio of about 11 to 1. What does this mean, and what does it indicate about the price I should sell my shares for?† Price/Earnings (P/E) Ratio is calculated as Market Value Per Share over the Earnings Per Share (EPS) of the company in question. A high P/E means that investors are expecting higher earnings growth in the future from that company. The lower the required rate of return then the greater the growth of earnings. The price earnings ratio tends to rise when the rate of return on surplus rises relative to the rate of growth of profitable investment opportunities. As bubbles inflate price-earnings ratios will rise above those predicted by fundamental analysis. Therefore in recent years many businesses may have experienced inflated Price Earnings ratios, and with the oncoming recession it could reasonably expected that the Price Earnings ratio will fall. In your case 11/1 translates as 11. In the same way as 49/7 calculates as seven – this is how P/E is calculated. 11 is just below what you might expect to be the average for a P/E ratio, and therefore will fetch a fairly decent total on the stock market. A balanced scorecard is a performance managing tool which is used for making sure that the various component parts of an organisation share one general overall shared goal. It is a highly effective way of assessing corporate performance. A balanced scorecard approach focuses not only on financial outcomes, but also on other key organisational factors, such as an organsiations’ employees and its customers. The balanced scorecard approach has been enormously successful and popular[1] since its introduction. It is estimated that by 2005 the Balanced Scorecard approach had been adopted by 44 per cent of the UKs top FTSE 100 companies[2] meaning that it has almost eclipsed the traditional focus on reported profitability by organisations The first individuals to put forward the balanced scorecard approach were Robert Kaplan and David Norton in the early nineties, although many of the practices that they set up had been in use for a while, with companies such as General Electric being pioneers in the 1950s. Kaplan and Norton were concerned with producing alignment in companies and suggested the use of the balanced scorecard approach, whilst they also suggested other methods such as Strategy Maps.[3] The strategic balanced scorecard is built up around central key perspectives – often four perspectives but occasionally up to five perspectives. These are the financial perspective, the customer perspective, the internal processes perspective, the perspective of innovation and improvement, and the employee perspective. The financial perspective was previously the only perspective which mattered in many organisational models, and the disproportionate focus on reported profitability was a problem. Hence the use of the word ‘balanced’ in the balanced scorecard, as the other perspectives provide a balance against the financial perspective, thus helping organisations to provide an effective overall strategy. Many of the benefits of balanced scorecards come from the implementation methods. There are typically four processes in implementing balanced scorecards. Firstly translating the vision of the organisation into operational goals. Secondly communicating that vision and linking that vision to individual performances of members of staff operating within the organsiational framework. Thirdly business planning, and finally receiving feedback and adjusting the strategy in accordance with that feedback. The balanced scorecard relies on key performance indicators such as customer satisfaction and overall equipment effectiveness. The balanced scorecard defines the strategic linkages to integrate performance across organisations, and aligns strategic initiatives. A balanced scorecard tends to have a set of goals which are linked to each of the four or five core perspectives. Once the goals linked to the perspectives have been decided upon then links are found between the goals across the various perspectives in order to join up the various component parts of the companies overall corporate strategy. These various links help to provide an effective overall joined-up corporate strategy. The role of the balanced scorecard is therefore to clarify strategy, to focus an organisation and to make the strategy easily operational. The balanced scorecard helps to promote an overall vision and it acts as an umbrella for a variety of often disconnected corporate programmes. Another advantage of the balanced scorecard is that it is not over-complicated, and it therefore does not result in confusion as to the meaning of the various perspectives and goals. In order to prevent any such confusion it is worth being cautious about setting an excessive number of objectives, as this can be a disadvantage[4], introducing confusion to a relatively simple system. A balanced scorecard is a highly desirable tool as it helps to provide an overall organisational performance, which is very much important in business. An example of an organistaion which naturally has an obvious overall strategy is a football club. Whereas at a football club everyone knows that your aim is to score goals and move up the league table, such clear aims do not necessarily exist in an organisation, particularly for individual employees working in that organisation who often only see there existence as within their little team. The aim of the balanced scorecard was to move away from this narrow perspective, and to create a broader vision where what the company is trying to achieve becomes more obvious for employees. A sporting analogy can often be successful in an organsiation As with football clubs, in business a simple goal is always most desirable. Progress needs to be communicated to individuals in a business, in a similar way to how they would in a football club. A balanced scorecard provides a methodology that turns the eyes of all employees in a single direction, and helps those at the top of the organisation keep in contact with those in the rest of the organsiation. The role of feedback in the balanced scorecard method is vital. The balanced scorecard is however not entirely without its critics. One criticism of balanced scorecards is that they are not based on any proven financial or economic theory, and that the relative youth of the theory means that few holes have yet to be picked in the scorecard. There is also a belief that positive feedback from balanced scorecards could be in part due to a sort of placebo effect from companies who are in thrall to the supposed wonder of balanced scorecards, and are incapable of looking at balanced scorecards with a critical eye. These criticisms will still take several years to be borne out, however it does seem at this time that those companies – both public sector and private sector – are very happy with the advances that the balanced scorecard has brought. As a result of this criticisms of the balanced scorecard approach are still very much few and far between. In conclusion a balanced scorecard is very useful in providing an overall organisational vision and organisational strategy. Through a balanced scorecard the often undervalued employees are included as part of an overall vision in an organsiation, and are helped to understand their overall role and their responsibilities. In this way corporate performance is assessed and feedback can in turn go back to the top of the organsiation so that improvements can be successfully implemented. The traditional focus on reported profitability lacks the subtlety of the balanced scorecard approach, which is perhaps why top organsiations in both the public and the private sector are increasingly using the balanced scorecard approach to the assessment of corporate performance. It certainly seems to be a highly successful mode of assessment, and any criticisms are yet to be fully fleshed out. By providing a framework of assessment which works this effectively, overall organisational goals can be more easily set out any implemented. Bibliography Kaplan, R.S. Norton, D.P. 1996, The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action, Harvard Business School Press, Harvard. Kpcke, Richard W., â€Å"Profits and Stock Prices: The Importance of Being Earnest†, New England Economic Review, 1992, p 26+ Maclean, Rob, â€Å"Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies†, Australian Journal of Management, Volume: 31. Issue: 2, 2006, p 367+ Stancil, John L., â€Å"Balanced Scorecard Diagnostics-Maintaining Maximum Performance†, Issues in Accounting Education, Volume: 21. Issue: 2, 2006, p 158+ â€Å"Kaplan Brings Balanced Scorecard to Brum†, The Birmingham Post, March 11 2005 Footnotes [1] Maclean, Rob, â€Å"Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies†, Australian Journal of Management, Volume: 31. Issue: 2, 2006, p 367+ [2] â€Å"Kaplan Brings Balanced Scorecard to Brum†, The Birmingham Post, March 11 2005 [3] Maclean, Rob, â€Å"Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies†, Australian Journal of Management, Volume: 31. Issue: 2, 2006, p 367+ [4] Stancil, John L., â€Å"Balanced Scorecard Diagnostics-Maintaining Maximum Performance†, Issues in Accounting Education, Volume: 21. Issue: 2, 2006, p 158+

Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I feel overwhelmed with emotions standing here before you this evening. It was only two years ago I remember sitting in this hot gym, on the hard bleachers, as many of you are tonight watching commencement. I was a newly single mother with three children. I had been homeless, had little education and did not have much self-esteem. Ron Wales, an attorney spoke at that commencement. Four months later he was shot and killed. I will always remember his enthusiasm and energetic presence when he spoke here that evening. It touched me deeply. He sent a strong message to "have a voice, take a stand in life, NOT letting life happen to you, but instead to be present in our lives." I took this message to heart. It gave me courage to NOT let the sadness of my divorce and loss of my home destroy my life. I now stand before you in my cap and gown, waiting to receive my Associate of Arts diploma and on my way to my next goal: earning a Master's degree in Social Work. All of us here this evening come from different backgrounds and will take different paths. Some of us will go on to a four-year college, for others we start new jobs, while some us will look for a new job. Whatever your circumstance, whatever your degree, remember YOU have a voice that no other has in this world. Your voice is important, and it needs to be heard. During my time, many students inspired and encouraged me to keep going in the midst of adversity. These students were international students, immigrants, single parents, families, young running start students and people retraining for new jobs. I wish I could share all their inspirational stories. What I can say now is, your lives speak volumes and I won't forget you. One particular student who stands out in my mind was a young blind man in my chemistry class. He put forth an incredible effort each day to get an education. I watched him learn molecular structures. I watched him labor over the assignments with a tutor. I saw him earn an A in the class. After the quarter ended, he told me he was taking a break from school because of the chronic pain he suffered from his eyes. A few months later, while I was with my daughter shopping in the University District, I saw him walking alone with a cane in the midst of traffic and crowds.

Peel Memorial Hospital Case Analysis Essay

Introduction Prior to the 1990s, generous government funding allowed Canadian health care facilities to provide excellent service and quality. In the early 1990s, increasing health care costs have changed government funding, requiring providers to be more financially accountable. In the mid-1990s, hospitals and regional health authorities across Canada were under siege from funding restraints, mergers and forced closures. At the same time, the healthcare industry was focused on delivering high-quality patient care and aligning the key stakeholders to the newly created vision. To evolve and to survive, Peel Memorial Hospital (PMH) implemented the Balanced Scorecard performance management system and that is the focus of this case study. Also highlighted are the value of and the benefits to be gained when best practices from the corporate sector are successfully adapted to the health care environment. History and Issues Peel Memorial Hospital (PMH) in Brampton Ontario lacked measurable targets and tired Mission Statement that tried to be all things to all people (Harber, 1998). Internal surveys revealed that employees were unclear on the organization’s strategic direction and the linkage of various programs and initiatives undertaken. In 1994, PMH embarked on a comprehensive Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) training program for all staff which was followed by a burst of departmental and interdepartmental improvement initiatives. The hospital management looked closely at whether time, money and energy were being focused on the key clinical and business processes. Meanwhile, the hospital employees wanted to know how the evolving program management structure relates to PMH’s move into a patient focused care model; how these organizational development initiatives tie in with PMH’s move to shared governance models for nursing and the professional discipline; and where the fit for CQI and new computer system were. Working with Xerox Quality Services, PMH identified the â€Å"balanced scorecard† solution as a good fit for PMH and an effective vehicle to further evolve the organization. In 1995, PMH adopted the balanced scorecard system to measure its performance. Performance Management System Analysis The use of balanced scorecard in hospitals as part of their performance management and strategic management system has increased substantially. These scorecards incorporated the concern of the hospitals’ stakeholders, focused on the hospitals’ processes, and included both financial and non-financial indicators for performance measurement. The balanced scorecard at PMH included six categories of business with 23 data elements that were the drivers of the performance results. At the center of the Integrated Management Model framework was the Patient and Community Focus. The other five categories of business were Management Leadership, Human Resource Management, Patient Care Process Management, Quality Tools and Information Utilization, and Performance Results, and their interrelationship was identified in the framework (Harber, 1998). â€Å"The first year of implementation included objectives that identified the need for corporate measurement tools such as patient and st aff/team satisfaction† (Harber, 1998, p. 60). During year two of implementation, the Integrated Management Model was streamlined to reduce the data elements. By now, PMH had become more adept at managing and understanding the causal relationship between performance indicators and performance results. It had a good idea of which performance results help to drive performance results in other areas. Although the development of the balanced scorecard was a major undertaking and the development of performance measures a challenge, the implementation of balanced scorecard at Peel Memorial Hospital was a success as the satisfaction level from patient rose from 89 percent to 95 percent and the staff satisfaction survey participation rose from 33 percent to 75 percent. Also, PMH achieved a better understanding of where to invest time and money  in learning objectives and the ability to relate mission and vision statements to performance. It also enables PMH to become the lowest-cost provider in its peer group. The balanced scorecard provided PMH the ability to translate the hospital’s strategic objectives into a coherent set of performance measures as well as to align the seemingly disparate elements with organizational objectives. Conclusion Mello (2011) says that performance management systems can significantly impact organizational performance and process. The achievement of organizational goals requires a sensible balance between managerial commitment to the strategic interests of a business and to the human interests of its everyday operation at every level. The successful in health care management will depend on organizations and top executives balancing quality and customer satisfaction with adequate financing and long-range goals. The balanced scorecard not only provides a framework for establishing performance measurement goals but also incorporates continued quality improvement throughout the organization. Today, more and more Canadian hospitals have adopted balanced scorecard as their strategic management system. References Mellow, J. A. (2011). Strategic Human Resource Management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Chapter 10, p. 438-454. Harber, B. W. (1998). The Balanced Scorecard Solution at Peel Memorial Hospital. Hospital Quarterly, p. 59-63.

CHief Matenge’s Character Sketch Essay Essays

CHief Matenge’s Character Sketch Essay Essays CHief Matenge’s Character Sketch Essay Essay CHief Matenge’s Character Sketch Essay Essay This assignment is based on Bessie Head’s authoritative novel. When Rain Clouds Gather. It gives an appraisal of one of the novel’s chief characters. Chief Matenge and in the procedure exposes him as an undoubtedly corrupt leader. This is supported by the many intertwined facts and citations that portray his character as such a leader and these are selected and presented from the novel. Byrne. Kalua. Scheepers and Kane ( 2012:100 ) provide the foundation for the reader’s understanding that Chief Matenge is a corrupt leader which in bend shapes the whole negative position of his personality when they describe him as stand foring the â€Å"Old Africa† at its worst – moral devolution. Traveling through the whole novel the reader battles and finally loses the conflict in happening anyplace where any positive impressions are associated with Chief Matenge. Bryne et Al ( 2012:100 ) present Matenge as a â€Å"villain. a bad individual who is openly corrupt† . He is beyond doubt the adversary and the adversary of Gilbert Balfour and Makhaya who by and large stand for good in the name of advancement and development in the novel. Head ( 1987:18 ) introduces Chief Matenge as Paramount Chief Sekoto’s â€Å"troublesome and unpopular younger brother† . This already gives the reader an thought of what kind of personality Chief Matenge has. This description of him sets the tone in the whole novel as he is farther described utilizing such adjectives and phrases as â€Å"overwhelming avariciousness† and â€Å"unpleasant personality† . ( Head 1987:18 ) . It shortly becomes evident that Chief Matenge’s brother. Paramount Chief Sekoto does non wish his ain brother. as the statement â€Å"nothing disquieted Chief Sekoto more than a visit from his brother. whom he had long classified as belonging to the insane portion of mankind† ( Head 1987:48 ) clearly shows. Paramount Chief Sekoto is said to hold ever sided with villagers who his brother invariably upset. Head ( 1987:18 ) nowadayss Matenge as holding a â€Å"devil† that drove him and would lessen after some chastising from Chief Sekoto merely to rouse its â€Å"clamouring and howling† a few months subsequently. Matenge’s evil is farther unfolded in the want of Chief Sekoto to destruct him for â€Å"all the household feuds and machinations he had instigated† ( Head 1987:20 ) . Ironically. Paramount Chief Sekoto was non what one would name a shining illustration of morality. Chief Sekoto. â€Å"although he was widely known as a good chief† ( Head 1987:19 ) merely like his brother Matenge â€Å"lived off the slave labor of the hapless and his lands were ploughed free of charge by the hapless. and he was washed. bathed and fed by the poor† ( Head 1987:19 ) . In bend Matenge besides strongly despised his brother Paramount Chief Sekoto. Head ( 1987:42 ) discloses this when she reveals his ideas about his brother who he in secret thought was â€Å"an amicable. pleasant dimwit of a brother in the supreme place. Matenge coveted is brother’s place of Paramount Chief. Matenge is referred to as â€Å"evil† countless times in the novel. Dinorego farther exposes this evilness or corruptness when he confides in Makhaya that he ( Matenge ) was the evil force detaining advancement in the small town. Dinorego reveals Matenge’s intrigues to â€Å"damage† and â€Å"delay† the starting of the farm and the cowss co-operative which are undertakings that are supposed to force development in the small town. Matenge is said to hold peculiarly sabotaged Gilbert Balfour on the cowss co-operative because he was personally profiting from purchasing the hapless villagers’ cowss at a low monetary value and doing immense net incomes by so selling them at a much higher monetary value. Matenge took advantage of the hapless villagers’ inability to engage railroad trucks to transport their ain cowss because they could non afford it. Matenge fought Gilbert Balfour’s cattle co-operative because it would set him out of concern. Matenge’s falsities and cunningness are clearly portrayed when he lies to the villagers that Gilbert wanted to enslave them. â€Å"Was it true they wanted to cognize. that Gilbert had in secret purchased land from the paramount Chief and was utilizing the name co-operative to enslave the people? That was what Chief Matenge had told them† ( Head 1987:35 ) . The reader would non waver to label Matenge as greedy and selfish. Head ( 1987:41 ) reveals that Matenge lived entirely ( before Joas Tsepe joined him ) in a â€Å"big cream-painted mansion† . The other villagers are said to hold lived in little and crude clay huts and were in fact non allowed to construct brick houses without permission from the Chief which was seldom given. if at all. Head ( 1987:41 ) goes on to advert that the cardinal small town where Matenge’s sign of the zodiac was situated contained â€Å"one really hapless general dealer’s store which supplied the villagers with the â€Å"bare necessities† wish sugar. tea and â€Å"cheap stuffs and shoes† among other points. The location of Matenge’s â€Å"big mansion† was besides in propinquity to a â€Å"three-roomed shack† which serves as the small town primary school. The jarring contrast of Matenge’s apparently epicurean life manner and his milieus nauseates the reader and speaks aloud of his hoggishness and selfishness. The reader can safely impeach Matenge of being a tribalist. Byrne et Al ( 1987:100 ) describe tribalism as the pattern of progressing one’s ain folk above others and judging other people on the footing of their tribal beginnings. Matenge is described as a â€Å"die difficult traditionalist† ( Head 1987:42 ) . He wanted things to stay the same. He is said to hold understood tribalism and that it was â€Å"essentially the regulation of the illiterate adult male who when he was in the bulk. feared and despised anything that was non a portion of the abysmal darkness in which he lived† . ( Head 1987:65 ) further portrays his disgust for other folks when he is said to hold dismissed Dinorego’s recognizing at some point with a â€Å"slight gesture of the caput which contained in it an heritage of centuries of disdain for the ordinary adult male. † His shaky and timeserving relationship with Joas Tsepe is another disclosure of Matenge’s lopsided and corrupt character. Joas Tsepe was besides corrupt and this is revealed in the patron that was shrouded in enigma who supplied him with money which enabled him to stay unemployed and to go every six months by air as a really of import individual. Matenge besides has xenophobic inclinations. His want to trail Makhaya out of the small town really much smelt of this. This is revealed when George Apple-by confides in Makhaya that Matenge wants him â€Å"removed† from the small town because he is a refugee. Refugees were by and large non liked in Botswana at the clip of the book’s puting when many came from South Africa running off from Apartheid. but Matenge’s peculiar hatred for Makhaya as a refugee and all like him comes out when he referred to him as a â€Å"South African swine who ever needs to run after his master† ( Head 1987:66 ) . mentioning to Makhaya’s shut association with Gilbert Balfour. To state Makhaya was exhaustively offended by this is an understatement for unbeknown to Matenge. he in secret formed ideas of slaying him. In decision Head ( 1987:43 ) could non hold summed up Chief Matenge’s character better when she described him as â€Å"the prototype of darkness with his long gloomy. melancholy. leery face and his ceaseless machinations. acrimonious green-eyed monster and hatred† . Makhaya besides equates him to several unsavory points such as a â€Å"lout. darnel. Canis familiaris and swine and he reckoned the â€Å"Matenges everyplace got themselves into a place over the poor† ( Head 1987:136 ) The reader agrees with Mma Millipede when she softly but unsuspectingly accurately predicts Chief Matenge’s death. She tries to quiet Makhaya after his dramatic brush with Chief Matenge where he is labeled a South African swine and says. â€Å"People who err against human life like our Chief and the white adult male ( mentioning to Apartheid in South Africa ) do so merely because they are more blind than others to the enigma of life. Some clip life will catch up with them and set them off for good or alteration them† ( Head 169:137 ) . In Chief Matenge’s instance. he was luckless to non endure the later of these anticipations. but the former. After he comes back from a instead long absence from the small town. he instantly gets back to what he knows best and biddings Pauline and six small town seniors to be tried. Unbeknown to him. the whole small town was excited that the twenty-four hours had arrived that they would confront their â€Å"persecutor of many years† ( Head 169:184 ) . Because Matenge was non anticipating a crowd. he panics. retreats into the house. and instead than confronting the crowd. commits suicide. and the reader discovers another concealed character that was skulking in Matenge all along. cowardliness. Not even his retainers stand by him at his clip of demand ; they beat a headlong retreat and leave him to cover with his issues entirely and his eyes are opened and possibly he eventually sees himself for the monster that he is. The saddest portion is non even his brother is quiet disappointed by his death. Chief Sekoto’s digestion is said to hold been â€Å"upset the whole day† by Matenge’s decease. Head ( 1987:189 ) . The reader is certain it is non because he is sorrowing for his brother but he is unappreciative of the dither and incommodiousness that the decease causes. Such is the destiny of the adversary of When rain clouds gather. The reader applauds Bessie Head on successfully making a fitting scoundrel who one can non assist but detest. SOURCES CONSULTED Byrne. D. Kalua. F A ; Scheepers. R. 2012. Foundations in English Literary Studies. Merely analyze Guide for ENG1501. Capital of south africa: University of South Africa Head. B. 1987. When Rain Clouds Gather. Heinemann.