Recycling Behavior Among University Students

Recycling Behavior Among University Students The purpose of our study is to find the factors affecting multimedia students to recycle. We have four independent variables which are health consciousness, health consciousness, rewards convenience, and one dependent variable which is students recycling behavior. What appears unavailable is documentation on critical issues involved and how to address them. This paper, therefore, examines the attitudes portrayed by students towards recycling. We used survey questionnaire to collect data from 100 respondents. The government and the community can use our findings to find ways to make people recycling more and save energy. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Chapter Overview This chapter clearly provides much insight into the importance of the current research. It begins with a quick study on the background of the research. It includes the question in detail and how to get to the answer or solution. There will be an interpretation of what this study is all about and also the scope of the study. This chapter will finally conclude with a brief overview of the research. Background of the research Recycling is a much needed thing in order to keep this planet from turning into a trash dump. A lot of people feel that recycling is a waste of time and insignificant, but it takes less than a minute to throw a paper in a recycle bin just like it take a minute to open a wrap and eat a sweet. But they should know that whatever recycling they do can make a difference for instance one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a T.V for 3 hours, a single glass jar saves enough energy to light a light bulb for 4 hours.    So for everything you recycle it does save energy.   In Malaysia tones of waste are produced, 19000, and all them end up in landfills and there are 230 landfills in Malaysia. And 80 percent of this landfills will be filled in two years, which is really bad because if the landfills reach that capacity in only two years, what capacity would they be in another two years to come?(David Gutierrez, December 2010) What people believe is that not many things can be recycled; maybe years ago it could be believed to be true but not today. Nowadays anything can be recycled; paper can be bound into newspapers, manuals, school books and paper boxes, metals like aluminum, sauce cans and tins, plastics, glass, beverage cartons etc. And there are companies in Malaysia that encourage recycling and they provide recycling machines SMIC (M) Sdn Bhd which provide recycling services of waste, Nikkhsin Sdn. Bhd. Which recycles Aluminum Claddings Automotive Engines : Export Automotive Parts Accessories : Export Disposal Services Garbage Disposal Service, Lian Hong Trading, Kent Soon Recycle Centre Sdn. Bhd, Ganapathy Metals, GMS Purna Impex and Edar Bagus. Mentioned above are the recycle centers that could be found in Malaysia. Recycling is a lesson that one should be taught in a young age, but I shows that most people know about recycling when they are old enough to understand and able to make their decisions. MMU would find ways in which to get through to the students and how the students respond to the information is up to them, thats what our research would be mostly looking, how Multimedia students respond to the education given about recycling. Recycling  does not cost anything, it takes only a little extra time, and one can make an amazing difference to the world. In many regions  recycling boxes  are not provided which people can use to collect recyclable materials for collection at the same time as their domestic waste. 1.3  Objective The research question and also the objectives are established in order to provide a sense of direction on the topic that is being investigated. The research question of this study is to find out: What are the factors affecting MMU students to recycle? The main objective or the reason why we are doing this research is for us to examine the To determine problems faced by students in recycling? To identify factors affecting students to recycle 1.4 Scope of study In accordance of the topic we are studying which is recycling; since this topic is wide we have to narrow it down to the students studying in Multimedia University. The main focus of this study is to find out the effects of recycling, as in the positive of recycling and also the negative of recycling among the students. This study is limited to students only. The geographic scope is limited to the country of Malaysia. These limits nevertheless offer a reasonable base and rationale for the scope of study. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey which was completed by students with the intention of measuring the effects of recycling among students in MMU. Organization Research This part is going to make more factual information by using the following chapter that are given by the textbook and also an order from our perspective lecturer/tutor. Chapter 1: The research is lead by studying the effects ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which are related to the research objectives and justifications. And it may lead us to a conclusion why recycling is important to our environment and also to our health. Chapter 2: This chapter is going to present a review of the definition of recycling and ways to increase education relating to reuse reduce and recycle, basically programs adopted by MMU to encourage its students to recycle. Chapter 3: This chapter will present the research methodology that was employed in the research, it clarifies how we get the data, and analysis this raw data to organize it into a useful and easy way to make others fully understand it. Chapter 4: The major findings and insights that are emphasized by us in this research which are to discover the basic reasons why some students recycle while others do not recycle at all, and the effectiveness of the programs that were offered by the university in encouraging recycling. Chapter 5: This is the final chapter, conclusion from the research findings and discussions. And also it highlights the limitations associated with the research and a proper recommendation for future research in the specific area, because nowadays everything can be recycled therefore there wont be any excuse students will give for not recycling and many programs provided to learn about recycle and how to do it. 1.6 Justification for Research Looking at the fact that not so many people do not recycle, and thats because the majority do not know anything about recycling , it could that some of them do not know the importance of recycling and finally some will want to recycle and because of lack of resources that will be hindered. That is why we do this study to find the answer to all those questions and to put the 3R perspective .into use. This 3 concept are the main purpose of the recycling which is 3R. From this perspective, we intend to study the recycling behavior among the MMU students. Nowadays, almost all universities is applying environmental friendly concept. Due to this concept, we are looking deeply into these experiences, to learn from the MMU undergraduates and start revealing how the students can inform us to move into the realm of wide-spread institutional transformation. The reason we agreed together to have recycling as our project is mainly because nowadays almost all universities in the world had organize several campaigns about the recycling. MMU also joined in organizing campaign relating to environmental friendly. For example, MMU Convocation 2010s ConvoFests theme is green. Hence, our objective is to know how actively MMU undergraduates feel towards environmental-friendly concept. Apart from it, we will use survey method to gather information that needed by collecting raw data from MMU undergraduates. For the importance, recycling no doubt is really vital nowadays. This is because this will affect the industry future and the environment. At current, we are mainly focused on the undergraduates in the university. If we found out that undergraduates are actively involved in this field, shows that in future there would be more people involved in recycling. This will contribute to environmental-friendly. Our study will benefit a lot of people mostly the government and the community in the vicinity will be benefited. The government will be benefited in terms of the fact that now the environment will be less polluted thus more industries will be built,   The more materials recycled, the less energy is expended to create new materials, the more resources conserved and the more trash and pollutants are kept from entering the environment. Recycling helps to keep water and air clean, saves the wildlife and keeps trash off the streets.   Recycling also helps to control Municipal Services Fees by reducing the total amount of trash to be taken to landfills. And the community will be benefited in terms of clean air to breath and less trash in their streets, good health will also be a benefit to the community because the trash now is recycled rather than being thrown all over. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 definition of recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution by reducing the need for conventional waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production. Or plainly it is returning an item back to its original condition so that it can be reused. Recycling behavior includes environmental consciousness, health consciousness, rewards and convenience. Some of these attributes can be measured objectively while others, in our case, are measured according to students perception. Recycling is so important to the welfare of our community.Majority students already know that recycling helps conserve natural resources, and also know that recycling saves space in our landfills. On the other hand, few know that recycling waste products conserves water, energy, trees, and helps reduce pollution in our drink ing water and air. But for some products its crucial to conserve them example conserving energy by way of recycling is a crucial environmental benefit because it takes far less energy to make new products and put them into working order using recycled waste than it does to make them from entirely new material. In dealing with students more reinforcement should be taken into consideration, like ways to encourage them to recycle, and research shows that rewards work for students. Nevertheless, it seems hard to match the evidence that the reward reinforcement is one of the most effective promotion techniques (Geller et al., 1975; Witmer and Geller, 1976; Luyben and Bailey, 1979; Hamad et al., 1980; Vining and Ebreo, 1990; Needleman and Geller, 1992. 2.2 Definition of students recycling behavior From todays perspective, modern recycling behavior would appear to have commenced in the seventies, when households were exhorted to save paper, cardboard, metals and other materials in an attempt to combat the energy crisis (Ackerman, 1997). The recycling drive involved not only a general urge to take action and reduce wastefulness, but also more specific reactions to the spread of litter, and to the threat of pollution from landfills. Hence, it seemed logical to assume that recycling was not only a high involvement form of behavior but also that there would be many differences between recyclers and non-recyclers (Lansana, 1992). The recycling behavior of students differs with every student, some recycling because they fill it is important in their lives and some of them do not recycle because they see no need to recycle. Recycling behavior is considered as a high commitment since it is considered a environment conduct and in addition the predominant environmental literature emphasizes the idea that individuals who are reluctant to recycle, or who neither recognize the importance of, nor express interest in, recycling waste are the same individuals who are most interested in extrinsic stimuli such as prizes, gifts and financial rewards (Vining and Ebreo, 1990; Oskamp et al., 1991; Dahle and Neumayer, 2001) the study explains that some students recycling behavior is encouraged by rewards or extrinsic value rather than recycling because it is the right thing to do. Study shows that students who behave (focus on external reinforcement) that way have less information about recycling. To be more specific, the response to the reward technique is explained by pointing out that consumers have not assimilated good enough knowledge and evaluations, such as ecological conscience (Bohlen et al., 1993); beliefs ab out recycling (Scholder, 1994); ecological concern (Dunlap and Van Liere; 1984; Bohlen et al., 1993); a favorable attitude toward recycling (Biswas et al., 2000) and recycling involvement (McGuiness et al., 1977; Black et al., 1985. 2.3 factors affecting students to recycle There are lots of factors that affect students to recycle; some factors can be controlled while others cannot be controlled, these factors include collection method (segregated or mixed materials) ,space for collection and storage of reusables and recyclables ,geographical location, particularly in relation to markets for reprocessing materials ,size of institution and volume of recyclable material ,other important factors include local authority facilities, charging structure and support  only to name a few. In fact, consumers learning requirements regarding recycling are easily satisfied since beliefs about recycling have already been acquired by the average citizen and the waste-collection system has reached a high standard of convenience which reduces its perceived cost (Ackerman, 1997). Study shows that educating students about recycling could help also, the factors given above could all exist but when students do not know anything about recycling then everything becomes vague. Education on recycling in fact is one of the major factors affecting recycling, the knowledge gained by students through that education can help them choose whether they want to recycle or not. The question is whether or not recycling continues to be of the high involvement category, and if it is not, whether to assume that responders and no responders to the reward technique display significant differences in terms of knowledge and evaluations. To understand this seemingly paradoxical framework it must be appreciated that nowadays recycling is often not high involvement behavior, since recycling has long since become part of contemporary culture and is no longer regarded as a novelty (Rogers, 1995). 2.4 Relationship between recycling and students behavior Nevertheless, according to recent research, the high involvement decisions model is not the only one which is valid for explaining both ecological (Hartmann et al., 2002) and recycling behaviors (Ratneshwar et al., 2003) and it therefore seems possible to represent recycling behaviors by using other hierarchies of effect (Diaz and Beerli, 2004). Such approaches are based on the fact that (1) much previous evidence points to the existence of associations or correlations, and not of cause and effect relationships, in recycling adoption models (Schlegelmilch et al., 1996) and (2) no works have been found that contradict the protocol of classic effects. Basically the above writers explain that there is a difference between recycling and the behavior of students or their attitude. Some students or in this case majority feel there is an importance in recycling and they want to learn more about recycling because they will like to recycling in the future. But because of less education given about it they Havre no choice but not to recycle. Another group is those students with negative attitude; they feel there is no need to recycle because is none of their business to recycle but some of them need a nudge or a push for them to recycle. And to push students to recycle is through extrinsic benefits or rewards, they need that for them to change their attitude towards recycling, and research shows that rewards are a good way to make students recycle and they respond to that more than anything else involved. According to Petty and Cacioppos elaboration likelihood model, the individual is not motivated to think about recycling but about the promised reward. Therefore, responders engage in recycling via the so called peripheral route and thus show little interest in recycling itself (Young, 1984; Katzev and Pardini, 1987; Vining and Ebreo, 1989).The predominant environmental literature emphasizes the idea that individuals who are reluctant to recycle, or who neither recognize the importance of, nor express interest in, recycling waste are the same individuals who are most interested in extrinsic stimuli such as prizes, gifts and financial rewards (Vining and Ebreo, 1990; Oskamp et al., 1991; Dahle and Neumayer,2001). CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This chapter explains about the design and research method. Firstly, research question has been identifying by the review, hypotheses and theoretical framework. The dependent variable of the research is recycle behavior while the independent variables are; environmental consciousness, health consciousness, rewards/ incentives, nearness or convenience. Second part of this chapter, it will discuss the hypothesis development. 3.2 Research Framework Environmental consciousness STUDENTS RECYCLING BEHAVIOUR Nearness/convenience Rewards/incentives Health consciousness Based on the theoretical framework, it have total of 4 independent variables which will be analyzed towards one dependent variable in this study. The dependent variable which is, Recycle Behavior would be affected in a positive or negative manner based on the independent variables influences. 3.3 Hypothesis Development Hypothesis 1: H0= Environmental Consciousness does not influence Recycle Behavior. H1= Environmental influences Recycle Behavior. Hypothesis 2: H0= Health Consciousness does not influence Recycle Behavior. H1= Health Consciousness influences Recycle Behavior. Hypothesis 3: H0= Rewards/ Incentives does not influence Recycle Behavior. H1= Rewards/ Incentives influences Recycle Behavior. Hypothesis 4: H0= Nearness or Convenience does not influence Recycle Behavior. H1= Nearness or Convenience influences Recycle Behavior. Dependent Variable Dependent Variable is a variable that can be change by the Independent variables or the variable that is being measured in an experiment. Recycle Behavior is our study dependent variable. A habit had by the people to process used material into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful material. It saves a lot of sources. (Environmental Assistance Office (EAO), Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center, UNC Charlotte, 2009). Independent Variable Independent and dependent variables are related to one another. The Independent part is what you, the experimenter, changes or enacts in order to do your experiment. The dependent variable is what changes when the independent variable changes. The dependent variable  depends on the outcome of the independent variable. From the study we have 4 Independent variable; Environmental Consciousness, Health Consciousness, Rewards/ Incentives, and Nearness or Convenience. Environmental Consciousness: mean that there is no better measure of environmental responsibility than direct observation of young people, over a significant period where people are minimizing their environmental impact, reducing consumption and reusing and recycling materials. (Bill Hampel and Roger Holdsworth, 1996). H1= Environmental Consciousness influences Recycle Behavior. Health Consciousness: recycle behavior relationship for health consciousnesses is for good health. (Debasmita Chanda, 2006) Example: To have a better life environmental with less pollution problem. H1= Health Consciousness influences Recycle Behavior. Rewards/ Incentives: the expectation of reward when you to do the recycle. Example: Jenny take the 1kg of the tin to recycle, there have a return of RM 3 for the 1kg tin as the reward. H1= Rewards/ Incentives influences Recycle Behavior. Nearness or Convenience: Convenience was determining when students will recycle or not. (Environmental Assistance Office (EAO), Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center, UNC Charlotte, 2009) H1= Nearness or Convenience influences Recycle Behavior 3.4 Data Sources We are collecting our study data sources through the internet. Variable Name Description Sources Recycle Behavior A habit had by the people to process used material into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful material Environmental Assistance Office (EAO), Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center, UNC Charlotte, 2009 Environmental Consciousness there is no better measure of environmental responsibility than direct observation of young people, over a significant period who are minimizing their environmental impact, reducing consumption and reusing and recycling materials Bill Hampel and Roger Holdsworth, 1996 Health Consciousness recycle behavior relationship between the health consciousness for good health Debasmita Chanda, 2006 Rewards/ Incentives the expectation of reward when you to do the recycle Nearness or Convenience Convenience was determining when students will recycle or not Environmental Assistance Office (EAO), Infrastructure, Design, Environment, and Sustainability (IDEAS) Center, UNC Charlotte, 2009 3.5 Data Collection Method Data collection is simply how information is gathered. There are various methods of data collection such as personal interviewing, telephone, mail and the Internet. There are several data collection methods, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Data was gathered through questionnaires. The items for the questionnaire have formulated according to the questionnaire design. A questionnaire is a set of the question which to record the respond of the answers. According to this research, we decide to use questionnaires that we personally administer to suit the topic of our study. Through the knowledge, we know that questionnaires are popular means of collecting data, but difficult to design and often require many rewrites before an acceptable questionnaire is produced. A questionnaire is composed of questions or statements. A way to learn how to write questionnaires is to look at other samples of questionnaires. Questionnaires may be designed to gather either qualitative or quantitative data. Quantitative questions are more exact then qualitative. Any question must be carefully crafted, but in particular questions that assess a qualitative measure must be phrased to avoid ambiguity. Qualitative questions may also require more thought on the part of the participant and may cause them to become bored with the questionnaire sooner. In general, we can say that questionnaires can measure both qualitative and quantitative data well, but that qualitative questions require more care in design, administration, and interpretation (Schmidt, H. J., 2000) Our study is finding out the recycle behavior among the student, therefore we have formulated the questions to the student in MMU. 3.6 Questionnaire Design Our questionnaire has been distributed to the student in MMU. The questionnaire has been divided into three parts: Part A, B, and C. As Part A of the questionnaire is focus on the personal detail of the student, however the second part is look on the student frequency of recycle. Part C is the independent variables of the study. 3.7 Sampling Method Sampling is the act, process, or technique of selecting a suitable sample, or a representative part of a population for the purpose of determining parameters or characteristics of the whole population. From the study, we decide to use convenient sample as our sampling method. A convenience sample results when the more convenient elementary units are chosen from a population for observation. 3.8 Sample Size We are selecting our study sample size is 100 of MMU student. We felt it was the best and was suitable for the population this is so because in research it has been stated that a sample size between the range larger than 30 and less than 500 is appropriate. The smaller the group size, the harder it is to be certain that the normal curve assumptions have not been violated (Todman and Dugard, 2001). Sample size is one of the four inter-related features of a study design that can influence the detection of significant differences, relationships or interactions (Peers, 1996). 3.9 Unit of Analysis In our study we are interested and gather the information of MMU students. In case of our research we will be focusing to collect the data from the MMU student. Unit of analysis of our research is an individual. 3.10 Pilot study This study is conducted among 4 random students to find out whether it is easily understand by the respondents. The study also knows the recycle behaviour of the respondent. It helps the young generation to create a better future and save the resource to re-use. This study was very successful, because all students understand the questionnaire without confusing when the respondent questioning. The only issue through the study is some of the questions are quite like similar, but meanings of the questions are difference. 3.11 Data analysis Techniques Once the questionnaire is completing gather, the data is done according to the dissertation. We are using SPSS software through the computer to do the data analysis. Regression and correlation analysis was applied to analyze data. The data after the analysis we show it in the table in the next chapter of this. CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Introduction We have distributed 100 copies of questionnaires for our survey. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. Frequencies for each demographic variable were computed. We are using Cronbachs Alpha to assess our reliability (Cronbach, 1951; Hayes, 1998). Higher Alpha coefficients indicate higher scale reliability (Santos, 1999). In addition, Nunnally (1978) suggests that scales with 0.70 Alpha coefficients and above are considered acceptable. Demographic Profile of Respondents Respondents for this study are typically undergraduates of Multimedia University (MMU). As described in Table 4.1.1, majority of the respondents are male (54%), their age is between 21-30 years old (65%). Apart from that, they are taking undergraduate program in MMU (94%), and their income is below RM1000 (59%).Most of them are Malaysian (85%). Besides the race of Chinese (31%), from the Faculty of Business and Laws (79%), are single (99%). From the Table 4.1.2, generally, Majority of the MMU student are recycling (80%). Most of them recycles every month (45%), recycles for years (50%). In Addition, mainly for them to recycle is to save the environment (90%). Most of them recycle plastics (72.5%). For MMU students, they often (29%) recycle in campus. For those who are not recycling, (85%) of them will start to recycle. TABLE 4.1.1 GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE SAMPLES DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE Variable Frequency Percent (%) Gender Male 54 54.0 Female 46 46.0 Age Below 21 years old 35 35.0 21-30 years old 65 65.0 Education SPM / STPM / equivalent 5 5.0 Diploma / Degree / equivalent 94 94.0 Master / Doctorate / equivalent 1 1.0 Income RM1000 and below 59 59.0 RM1001-RM2000 30 30.0 RM2001-RM3000 9 9.0 RM3001 and above 2 2.0 Nationality Malaysian 85 85.0 Non-Malaysian 15 15.0 Ethnicity Malay 37 37.0 Chinese 31 31.0 Indian 19 19.0 Others 13 13.0 Marital Single 99 99.0 Married 1 1.0 Faculty FOSEE 1 1.0 FBL 79 79.0 FIST 10 10.0 FET 8 8.0 Others 2 2.0 Table 4.1.2 PORTRAYS AN OVERVIEW OF THE SAMPLES DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE Variables Frequency Percent (%) Do you recycle? Yes 80 80 No 20 20 If yes, How often do you recycle? Every day 9 11.3 Every week 23 28.8 Every month 36 45 Every year 12 15 How long have you been recycling? Days 3 3.8 Weeks 7 8.8 Months 30 37.5 Years 40 50 Why do you recycle? To save the environment 72 90 For fun 4 5 For tradition (my family does it) 4 5 Others 0 0 What do you recycle? Plastic 58 72.5 Paper 5 6.3 Cardboard 8 10 Cans 6 7.5 Bottles 3 3.8 Others 0 0 If you dont recycle, will you start? Yes 17 85 No 3 15 If you ever lived on campus before(i.e. dorms), how often did you recycle when you live campus? Never 12 12 Rarely 19 19 Often 29 29 Always 23 23 I have never lived on campus or recycling was not available 17 17 4.2 profile of respondents Figure 4.2.1 shows the gender of respondents, and according to the pie chart the most respondents are males with 54% secondly is females with 46%.Reason being that the study way conducted inside the university and Multimedia University is dominated by males than females. Figure 4.2.2 shows the age of respondents, and according to the pie chart the most respondents are those who age from 21-30 . The second largest age of respondents are those whose age is below 21 . Basically all of the respondents age from 21-30 the reason being that all of the respondents are students as the research was conduted in MMU. Figure 4.2.3 illustrates the Educational level of the respondents; most of the respondents of the questionnaire survey are doing degree the reason being most of the students in Multimedia University are from Secondary school and they are not at that satge of doing masters or doctorate yet. is shown by the pie chart just a few number of respondents are doing SPM or they already did their them. F

Marriott Corporation: Business Overview

Harvard Business School 9-282-042 Rev. September 15, 1986 Marriott Corporation The idea of repurchasing shares was no stranger to Bill Marriott by January 1980. Almost five million shares of common stock had been repurchased on the open market by Marriott Corporation during 1979 at a total cost of $74 million and an average price of $15. 16 in the belief that they were undervalued—a belief that still was not fully reflected in the market price. At $19 5/8, the stock was selling at only six times cash flow per share; and its price/earnings ratio of nine was a far cry from historical multiples as high as fifty times as recently as 1973.Its low price seemed to offer once again an obvious opportunity to benefit shareholders. However, the proposal to repurchase 10 million of the 32 million still outstanding shares aroused some uneasiness. If successful, it had the potential of enhancing Marriott's EPS and of increasing family and management control from 20% to 29% of outstanding sh ares. However, it represented a move that was almost entirely financial—one that would run the debt well above the levels advocated before the Board of Directors only two years earlier.The repurchase would also necessitate renegotiation of restrictive covenants in existing loan agreements. Lastly, the huge size of the proposed program would require a tender price of $23 1/2, a hefty premium of $4 over the current market price. All of this seemed somewhat out of character for a corporation known for caution and stability. Background Marriott Corporation was founded as a nine-seat A Root Beer Stand in Washington, D. C. , in 1927 by J. Willard Marriott. Mr.Marriott had a gift for anticipating, or helping to create, trends in public eating habits. Shortly after the first stand opened, a second was built, and soon a chain of Hot Shoppes was underway. In 1934, industrial cafeterias were opened at a General Motors plant in Georgia and at the Ford Motor Company plant in Virginia. In 1937, the airline industry was revolutionized when Mr. Marriott established an airline catering service, providing box lunches from a Hot Shoppe next to the old Hoover Airport, on the site of what is now the Pentagon. Seven years later, Mr.Marriott led the company into the hotel field, opening the Marriott Twin Bridges just over the Potomac River from Washington. It became known as a motor-hotel and helped to revolutionize the lodging industry, for it offered a drive-in registration desk, a restaurant on the premises, and a convention center. By 1964, there were 77 restaurants, 4 hotels, and 9,600 employees generating total sales of $85 million. This case was prepared for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation.Copyright  © 1981 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www. hbsp. harvard. edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. 1 282-042 Marriott CorporationBill Marriott assumed the presidency from his father in 1964 and initiated further diversification into theme parks, cruise ships and international host services. In 1967 the company acquired the Big Boy Restaurants franchise based in the Los Angeles area. A year later, Marriott opened its first Roy Rogers Roast Beef Sandwich outlet, which would grow into the Roy Rogers Family Restaurant chain. Since 1964, growth was little short of phenomenal. From sales of $85 million 16 years earlier, sales in 1979 exceeded $1. 5 billion.Operations expanded to 476 company-operated restaurants, 55 hotels and resorts, a cruise ship line, two theme parks , and 66,000 employees. (See Exhibit 1 for financial information on Marriott's various businesses. ) Hotels (35% of sales)—Marriott Hotels was one of the world's leading and most successful operators of hotels and resorts. By 1980, more than 23,000 rooms were offered through 55 hotels and resorts located primarily in the U. S. Approximately 70% of company-operated rooms were owned by outside investors and managed by Marriott under agreements averaging 70 years in length.These management agreements contributed approximately $40 million to operating profits in 1979—profits that tended to rise with inflation. Contract Food Service (32% of sales)—Marriott operated almost 300 contract food units, providing a wide range of food service capabilities to a variety of clients. It was the world's leading supplier of catering services to airlines, with 62 flight kitchens serving domestic and international air travelers. The Food Service Management Division also managed rest aurants, cafeterias, conference centers and other facilities for over 200 clients, including business, health care, and educational institutions.Restaurants (25% of sales)—Marriott's Restaurant Group consisted of 476 company-owned units offering a variety of popularly priced food in 46 states. Roy Rogers fast food restaurants and Big Boy coffee shops accounted for 92% of the total units. Theme Parks and Cruise Ships (8% of sales)—The two Great America theme parks, located in Gurnee, Illinois, between Chicago and, Milwaukee, and in Santa Clara, California, were opened in 1976. Both parks combined a wide variety of thrill and family rides, live musical productions and stage shows, arcades and games, merchandise and food.The attractions were set in five authentically recreated areas of America's past and have strong appeal for the entire family. The Sun Line fleet, consisting of three vessels, offered luxury sailing in both the Aegean/Mediterranean and Caribbean cruise ma rkets, and was widely recognized as the leader in quality in the Aegean market. Past Performance Marriott had always been a strong performer in profit terms. Over the entire 25 years ended 1979, there were only two down years and only three other years in which earnings per share grew at less than a 15% rate.Profits doubled on average every 3 to 4 years. A major return on investment improvement program, initiated in 1975, accelerated the earnings growth. The program consisted of three parts: (1) the sale or liquidation of $92 million of marginal assets, including land, 38 restaurants, a security services business, 2 European airplane flight kitchens, and a travel division, (2) a major effort to turn around the Sun Line operation and to develop volume in the recently opened Theme Parks, and (3) the shift of Marriott's hotel strategy from ownership to leasing and management contracts.The shift in the hotel strategy reflected management's belief that its comparative advantage was in ho tel development and management, and not in long-term hotel ownership. 2 Marriott Corporation 282-042 The results were dramatic. Net income as a percentage of sales rose from 3. 1% to 4. 7%. The company's return on average equity improved from 9. 5% in 1975 to 17. 0% in 1979. Earnings per share soared from 69? to $1. 95. (See Exhibit 2 for a summary of Marriott's historical performance. ) Profitability—An Elusive NotionWhile the trend in profitability seemed clear and encouraging, the actual level was a matter of debate and uncertainty for Marriott, as well as for American business in general. Double-digit inflation cast doubts on the usefulness of numbers based on historical costs, and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) recently issued guidelines which required firms to present, beginning in 1979, supplemental financial information that reflects the effects of general inflation. Marriott even though they reported these adjustments as required by Financial Account ing Standards No. 3 felt the numbers were misleading since they only adjusted for general inflation. Marriott also reported a second method of adjusting for inflation which they called Current Value and which they explained in the annual report: The Financial Accounting Standards Board has recently addressed the problem of financial reporting during inflationary periods. However, each industry and company is impacted differently by inflation and the choice of measurement must reflect the specific situation. Current Value is the best method for tracking Marriott's economic performance, and it differs from either historic costs or the present FASB definition.According to Current Value accounting, the value of shareholders' equity increased by $125 million in 1979 alone, and the increase would have been $199 million more if not for the $74 million share repurchase. (See Exhibit 3 for Current Value Figures). Current Value accounting differs from historic cost accounting in four areas. F irst, it values most fixed assets on a discounted cash flow basis, net of anticipated future capital requirements, thereby eliminating the valuation distortions caused by conventional depreciation accounting.In contrast with manufacturing facilities, Marriott's high-quality building structures, properly maintained, do not physically wear out at the depreciation rates assumed by industry accounting standards. In fact, Marriott's real estate assets actually increase in value during inflation, as demonstrated by actual property sales. For example, Marriott's Essex House Hotel is 50 years old, yet it remains one of America's finest real estate values due to its location in New York City and its excellent maintenance program.Second, Current Value reports an improved measure of annual economic profit— Discretionary Cash Flow—which disregards accounting depreciation and substitutes the actual required capital expenditures made for maintenance of property, plant and equipment. Third, Current Value accounting recognizes the annual gains in purchasing power from repaying debt in cheaper, inflated dollars. Accounting convention charges the inflation component of interest against current earnings, but does not reflect the benefits of debt.Fourth, Current Value reflects the gains from holding debt borrowed at comparatively low interest rates. According to Marriott's calculations the current value price per share of Marriott's stock was $27. 83 versus the historic book value of $12. 88. Prospects Stock price, of course, is based on more than book or replacement value; it is also based on future earnings potential. Marriott's prospects for growth and profitability seemed excellent. Marriott's major chain competitors were not expanding on an ownership basis and only selectively on 3 282-042 Marriott Corporation management basis; and independents were unable to obtain financing for new hotels without a chain affiliation and a management contract from a successful national operator. This presented management with a major opportunity to accelerate the planned annual hotel room growth to 20%-25% per year. There were already over 50,000 hotel rooms, representing nearly 100 properties, in the development â€Å"pipeline. † This was 2 1/2 times the current number of company-operated rooms. Management was optimistic about the future and expected profitability to improve from an aftertax return on assets of 6. 6% in 1979 to 8. 7% by 1983.Furthermore the company seemed ahead of schedule in achieving its goal of a 20% ROE by 1983. Main contributors would include a continued buildup of attendance at the two Theme Parks and a continued shift from hotel ownership to outside ownership and Marriott management contracts. All management contracts provided at a minimum a constant percentage of hotel profits, and most new contracts would provide Marriott with an increased share in profits after achieving certain targeted levels. Financial Policies Marri ott's success seemed certain to present management with a problem of too much cash and underutilized debt capacity. . . a situation almost totally the reverse of what Gary Wilson, chief financial officer, found when he joined Marriott as treasurer in 1974. At that time, he found a company with a high debt burden, heavy debt repayments due to short maturities, and access to only a limited number of funding sources. Wilson immediately went to work at broadening the potential lenders, opening up the commercial paper market, refinancing with longer maturities, and reducing the total debt load from 55% of total capital in 1975 to 41% at year-end 1979.His financial policy guidelines won approval by the board of directors in 1978 and included the following: 1. Maintain senior funded debt to total capital in the 40%-45% range; maintain this ratio including capitalized financing leases below 50%. 2. Maintain the P-1 Moody's commercial paper rating, as it lends credibility to Marriott's claim of prime credit worthiness and impacts the availability and rate of its commercial bank and privately placed bond debt. Among the 500 companies with P-1 rated commercial paper and rated bond debt, only one has a bond rating of less than â€Å"A. â€Å") 3. Position the company further in the domestic, unsecured, long-term, fixed-rate bond market as the principal source of future debt financing. 4. Issue no convertible debt or preferred stock. In addition, while Marriott had begun paying a cash dividend in 1977 and had increased it twice, the firm's policy was not to increase payout substantially as explained in its Annual Report: 5. The company has a good record of reinvesting cash flow at high returns.Marriott will continue this reinvestment strategy, so that shareholders should profit through share appreciation taxed at advantageous capital gains rates, rather than through higher dividends taxed at ordinary rates. Too Much Cash By 1979, Marriott's four-year-old program of impro ving its returns through hotel management fees and the divestiture of low return operations was working so well that it was producing an embarrassment of cash-flow riches. The company was rapidly moving in the direction of unused debt capacity, which Wilson deemed â€Å"imprudent† in an inflationary environment. 4 Marriott Corporation 82-042 By 1983, the debt to capital ratio would fall to roughly 20% if the projected excess cash flow, $125 million over the 4-year period, were merely used to pay down debt while the equity base continued to grow through the retention of earnings. Wilson explained his dislike for low debt ratios: I'm a great believer in prudent leverage. Many other companies aren’t. But in the next decade, inflation will make them come around to my viewpoint. Leverage is attractive for a very simple reason. Capital, which is the stuff by which investments are made, is comprised of two components—equity and debt.Equity in the case of Marriott costs about 17% after tax; that is, the investor expects to earn 17% on an investment in Marriott's stock. Debt costs only about 5% after tax. Given an investment that earns 10% after tax, it is evident that the more debt that I have in my capital structure, the lower will be the cost of my capital, and the more return I will have left over for the holders of my common stock. Since debt is so cheap relative to equity, it would seem attractive to use as much debt as possible in a capital structure. In fact, if cost were the sole criteria for selection, one would use 100% debt.This brings us to the second component of the determinants of capital structure and that is coverage. Debt unlike equity has a fixed interest charge that must be met or the equity holders' investment will be jeopardized. It is common to speak of the firm's ability to meet its interest payments in terms of coverage, or the number of times the pretax cash flow from the firm meets the interest charges. Coverage is proba bly the most important quantitative measure used in the rating of debt instruments by rating agencies; as coverage rises, so does the bond rating.Highly rated firms also tend to have low debt ratios which are more representative of the fact that these firms tend to be exceedingly large, in mature industries, with limited reinvestment opportunities, rather than demonstrative of prudent financial policy. It can be reasonably argued that growth companies should be positioned in the triple-B range or lower, as opposed to the higher ranges. The firm's annual report expanded on this theme by stating: Maintaining excess debt capacity is inconsistent with the goal of maximizing shareholder wealth for three reasons; (1) Unused debt capacity is comparable to unused plant capacity.Fully utilizing this capacity maximizes shareholder's returns. (2) High proportions of debt reduce a company's weighted cost of capital and increase the real returns to shareholders. (3) Debt-financed real estate pro vides distinct advantages in an inflationary environment. Repurchase of 10 million shares would, with one move, eliminate Wilson's concern. In fact, it would push the debt ratio back above the 1975 high and also above the policy guidelines passed less than two years before. Further, it would result in interest coverage of less than three times—well below the six times deemed necessary for an â€Å"A† rating. See Exhibit 4 for pro forma statements based on the proposed share repurchase. ). Bill Marriott's Concerns Bill Marriott had great respect for the judgment of his financial team. However, a $235 million debt issue used to repurchase 10 million shares would put Marriott's debt ratio well outside the range of other food and lodging firms, and would necessitate renegotiation of several restrictive covenants under existing loan agreements. (See Exhibits 5 and 6 respectively for financial information on competitors and for information on restrictive covenants. ) Repurch ase also seemed to 5 282-042 Marriott Corporation be a negative move. . . a cutting back of resources . . . . very different from the tone of aggressive expansion of operations. Maybe Finance was right about the potential leverage benefits; maybe the proposal to repurchase all shares held outside of the family and management was more than jest. But was it obvious that paying a premium of $4 per share to bring in 10 million shares was wise? What was the correct price for Marriott's stock and would a repurchase help increase it? The Street certainly seemed divided on the attractiveness of the stock at $19 5/8. (See Exhibit 7 for a summary of the forecasts and opinions of several leading analysts on Wall Street. 6 Marriott Corporation 282-042 Exhibit 1 Sales Summary of Operations by Principal Business Segment (dollars in millions) 1975 $238 256 268 – 14 $776 1976 $281 289 296 64 17 $947 1977 $335 342 317 72 24 $1,090 1978 $408 388 347 76 31 $1,250 1979 $535 480 377 84 34 $1,510 Hotel group Contract food Restaurants Theme parks Cruise ships and other Total Operating Profit Hotel Group Contract food Restaurants Theme parks Cruise ships and other Total Interest (net) Corporate expenses Income before taxes $33 19 22 – (3) 71 23 8 $40 $38 19 20 15 1 93 27 13 $53 $54 21 26 10 4 115 30 16 $69 $66 23 28 12 5 134 24 15 $95 87 32 29 17 6 171 28 20 $123 Net Assets 1978 Hotel Group Contract food Restaurants Theme parks Cruise ships and other Corporate Total $304 99 162 161 32 69 $827 Employed 1979 $372 124 175 158 32 31 $892 Capital 1978 $63 11 34 9 0 22 $139 Expenditures 1979 $81 20 45 6 1 5 $158 Depreciation 1978 1979 $15 8 12 9 2 1 $47 $16 8 15 9 1 2 $51 7 282-042 Marriott Corporation Exhibit 2 Summary of Historical Performance (dollars in millions, except per share amounts) 1975 1976 $ 947 32 3. 4% $ 326 378 48% 3. 0 10. 4% $ . 86 0 8. 95 13. 54 36. 5 14,765 52,900 1977 $1,090 39 3. 6% $ 366 370 45% 3. 3 11. 1% $ 1. 04 . 03 10. 02 11. 75 36. 15,383 56,100 1 978 $1,250 54 4. 3% $ 419 310 38% 5. 0 13. 9% $ 1. 43 . 13 11. 40 12. 13 36. 7 17,987 63,600 1979 $1,510 71 4. 7% $ 414 365 41% 5. 4 17. 0% $ 1. 95 . 17 12. 88 17. 38 32. 1 20,956 65,700 Sales Net Income % of sales Shareholders' equity Senior debt and capital lease obligations % of total capitala Times interest earnedb Return on average shareholders' equity after taxes Earnings per sharec Cash dividends per share Book Value per share Year-end market price Number of shares outstanding (millions) Company-operated hotel rooms Employees $ 776 24 3. 1% $ 264 406 55% 2. 7 9. 5% $ . 69 0 7. 68 15. 46 34. 4 12,987 47,600 Total capital is defined as total assets less current liabilities. b Times interest earned is calculated by dividing earnings before interest and taxes by interest expense net of interest on projects under construction. c Fully diluted earnings per share based upon the average number of shares outstanding for the year. 8 Marriott Corporation 282-042 Exhibit 3 Current Value Statement (dollar figures in thousands) Changes in Shareholders' Current Value Equity for 1979 Current value, December 28, 1978 Increase in current value of assets Discretionary cash flow Reduction in current value of debt Cash dividends Purchase of sharesCommon stock issued Current value, December 28, 1979 Change in current value during 1979 Change in current value during 1979 before cash dividends, share repurchase and issuance of new common stock $ 767,719 77,227 99,123 25,287 (5,776) (74,187) 3,810 $ 893,203 $ 125,484 201,637 Shareholders' Equity Historical Cost Non-monetary assets (primarily plant and equipment) Less: net monetary liabilities Senior debt and capital leases Convertible debt Other monetary liabilities Shareholders' equity, December 28, 1979 $ 927,287 365,279 26,918 121,587 $ 413,503 Current Value $1,356,244 320,736 20,718 121,587 $ 893,203 282-042 Marriott Corporation Exhibit 4 Pro Forma Financial Statements Based on Repurchase of 10 Million Shares of Common Stoc k, Funded with a $235 Million Debt Issue (dollar figures in millions, except earnings per share) Year Ended December 28, 1979 Actual Pro Forma Earnings before interest and taxes Interest: existing debt $235 million in new debt Profit before tax Income taxes Net income Average number of shares (millions) Earnings per sharea $ 151 28 – $123 52 $71 36 $1. 96 $151 28 31 $92 36 $56 26 $2. 14 Consolidated Balance Sheet, December 28, 1979 ASSETS Cash & Mkt.Securities Accounts receivable Inventories Other Total current Net fixed assets Other Total Actual $ 21 100 47 10 $ 178 825 77 $1,080 Pro Forma $ 21 100 47 10 $ 178 825 77 $1,080 LIABILITIES & EQUITY Short-term loans Current portion, longterm debt Accounts payable Accrued liabilities Income taxes payable Total current Senior debt Capital lease Subordinated debt Other liabilities Equity Total a Fully diluted based upon the average number of shares outstanding for the year. Actual $ 4 10 72 80 22 $ 188 341 24 27 86 414 $1,080 Pro Fo rma $ 4 10 72 80 22 $ 188 576 24 27 86 179 $1,080 10 Marriott Corporation 282-042 Exhibit 5Financial Information on Competitors Holiday Inns $17 1/4 1. 75 9. 9 3. 50 4. 9 . 66 17. 50 Marriott Stock Price January 1980 1979 epsa P/E Ratio 1979 Cash Flow per share a Price/Cash Flow Dividend per share Book Value per share Avg. Annual Growth (1974-1979) Sales Earnings Return on Equity, 1979a Total Long term debt % Book Capital Times Interest Earned Rating of Senior debt Beta a Estimated Hilton $29 1/2 3. 75 7. 9 4. 80 6. 1 1. 09 14. 91 McDonalds $ 44 4. 70 9. 4 6. 80 6. 4 . 51 23. 69 Disney $ 45 3. 50 12. 9 4. 80 9. 4 . 48 29. 75 $19 5/8 1. 95 10 3. 80 5. 2 . 17 12. 88 18. 7% 23. 4% 17% 45% 5. 4 NR 1. 25 6. 2% 41. % 26% 24% 15. 0 NR 1. 30 2. 45% 11. 4% 9% 33% 5. 6 BBB 1. 45 21. 6% 22. 9% 20% 50% 5. 2 A 1. 05 13. 1% 18. 7% 12% 0% – NR 1. 15 Note: Yields on 91-day Treasury bills, 5 yr. Treasury notes and 30 yr. Treasury Bonds were 12. 5%, 10. 4%, and 10. 1%, respectively, as of Janu ary 1980. 11 282-042 Marriott Corporation Exhibit 6 Selected Restrictive Covenants Under the $40 Million Loan Agreement Dated 1977 With Six Life Insurance Companies, 8-3/4% Rate, Due in 15 Equal Annual Installments Beginning December 15, 1983 1. Total book assets shall be at least 155% of the sum of consolidated funded debt plus consolidated capital leases.Funded debt shall mean all indebtedness having a final maturity of more than one year. 2. Consolidated net working capital shall be at least equal to $6 million. 3. Consolidated senior funded debt shall be less than the sum of 66 2/3% of consolidated net hotel assets plus 50% of all other consolidated assets. 4. Consolidated tangible net worth shall be maintained at all times in an amount of least equal to the sum of $240 million plus 25% of consolidated net income for the period from July 31, 1976. Tangible net worth shall mean shareholders' equity minus all intangible items. 5.Net income available for fixed charges for the past year shall have been at least 175% of pro forma annual fixed charges. Net income available for fixed charges shall mean EBIT plus the imputed interest in all capital leases. Source: Casewriter 12 Marriott Corporation 282-042 Exhibit 7 Summary of Forecasts and Opinions of Several Leading Analysts from Major Investment Firms Firm A Est. 1980 eps Est. 1983 eps Est. 1980 return on equity Est. 1983 return on equity Est. long-term eps growth Riskiness of stock $1. 95 3. 00 14% 14% 15% average Firm B $2. 20 3. 80 16% 17% 20% average Firm C $2. 0 3. 25 14% 15% 16% average Firm D $2. 10 3. 60 15% 16% 20% low Firm E $2. 15 3. 25 15% 15% 15% low Avg. $2. 08 3. 38 14. 8% 15. 4% 17. 2% – Recommendation Long-term Hold Long-term Buy Long-term Hold Hold Long-term Hold – Marriott and Market Information Marriott Return on Equity Earnings per share Dividends per share Price/Earnings (Average) Market value/Book value (Avg. ) Standard & Poor's Industrials Return to Equity Earnings per shar e Dividends per share Price/earnings Market value/Book value Interest Rates (Year-end) 91-Day Treasury Bill 5-Year Treasury Note 30-Year Treasury Bonds 7. % 7. 2% 8. 0% 5. 3% 7. 4% 8. 0% 4. 4% 6. 2% 7. 3% 6. 3% 7. 5% 8. 0% 9. 6% 9. 3% 8. 9% 12. 5% 10. 4% 10. 1% 14. 8% $9. 69 4. 72 10 1. 4 12. 3% $8. 55 3. 78 11 1. 4 14. 5% $10. 68 4. 25 11 1. 5 14. 6% $11. 57 4. 96 9 1. 3 15. 2% $13. 12 5. 35 8 1. 2 17. 1% $16. 08 6. 04 7 1. 2 1974 10. 6% $ . 70 0 18 2. 1 1975 9. 5% $ . 69 0 17 1. 6 1976 10. 4% $ . 86 0 17 1. 8 1977 11. 1% $1. 04 . 03 12 1. 2 1978 13. 9% $1. 43 . 13 10 1. 3 1979 17. 0% $1. 95 . 17 8 1. 2 13

Noting

CONTENTS Page 1. 0 2. 0 3. 0 4. 0 5. 0 6. 0 7. 0 8. 0 9. 0 10. 0 11. 0 UGC Act, 1956 as Modified upto the 20th December, 1985 UGC Inspection of Universities Rules, 1960 UGC Rules regarding Fitness of Universities, 1974-88 UGC Returns of Information by Universities Rules, 1979 UGC Fitness of Institutions for Grants Rules, 1975 Recognition of College in Terms of Regulations, 1974 Framed under the UGC Act.UGC (Establishment and Maintenance of Institutions) Regulations, 1985 UGC Regulations, 1985 regarding the Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of the First Degree UGC Regulations, 1991 regarding Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers in Universities and Colleges List of Degrees specified for the purposes of Section 22 of the UGC Act.UGC Rules, 1996 regarding Fitness of Health Sciences and Medical Universities for receiving grants 1 23 25 37 39 41 43 46 57 62 73 THE UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION ACT, 1956 Considered a leader, a statesman, and a humanist, William Jef ferson Clinton's genius exemplifies many characteristics of the Age of Modernism and Pluralism in Western culture. The Age of Modernism and Pluralism is said to be a culmination of the previous two major periods in human history.Modernism has the â€Å"quest for an authoritatively-rational aesthetics, ethics, and knowledge indicative of the Enlightened Period† (â€Å"PostModernism†, 2005), and the higher ideals of respect for people's rights and liberty brought forth during the Romantic period. Former president Bill Clinton's contributions to social and civil reforms in the United States, his support of the spread of democracy throughout the world, and his previous and ongoing support for the humanities constitute this nomination for the 20th Century Genius Award.

Heroism in Beowulf Essay - 1449 Words

Superman, Spiderman, and Batman are heroes! They possess the two traits that are needed in western civilization to be considered a hero: wisdom and fortitude. These modern heroes have wisdom and fortitude. Did Beowulf possess these traits? Beowulf shows he is a hero through both his wisdom and fortitude throughout his adventures. Beowulf is a great hero because he possesses both wisdom and fortitude. Wisdom is one of the traits of hero, but what is wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to make the right judgment, the right decision, because the situation is fully understood. A wise person has a complete understanding of the situation and makes the soundest decision for the best result. The connotation for a wise person is a person that†¦show more content†¦Grendel was most likely on high alert before killing those few men, but after he was relaxed and just enjoying another senseless night of killing. Beowulf’s waiting for Grendel to relax gave him a key advantage in their fight. Equally important, waiting for Grendel to kill some of his men allowed Beowulf the chance to see how Grendel operated. As a result, Beowulf gained another advantage in this fight. Beowulf shows his wisdom in two other ways in this same battle with Grendel. For instance, Beowulf fights with only his hands (Beowulf 48). Countless warriors have tried to defend themselves against Grendel with swords and shields. Beowulf knows this and knows that not once has Grendel been touched by a blade. So, Beowulf fights with only his hands in this great and terrible battle. Beowulf does not rely on any weapon or anyone besides himself and it works wonders for him. Beowulf also makes another strong strategic decision. He never releases Grendel’s arm (Beowulf 48). If Beowulf had released the monster’s arm there is no doubt he would have died. Beowulf would have been ripped apart by Grendel’s sharp claws. Instead, Beowulf proves his battle wisdom and never lets his grip slip off of that arm until it is severed from Grendel’s body. Beowulf shows that he has that trait of being able to use his wisdom in battle during his fight with Grendel. Likewise, Beowulf shows his wisdom in his battle with the dragon. Beowulf’s battleShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Heroism In Beowulf1139 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Beowulf† is the oldest surviving poem in Old English Literature. It is an epic poem, which is a narrative poem typically revolving around heroism. The poem emphasizes repetitively on how Beowulf is a hero. He saves countless people from countless monsters, three of which are the main antagonists in the poem – a demon, the demon’s mother, and a dragon. But is saving innocent lives the only factor to justify and determine a person’s heroism? Throughout the story of Beowulf, the author makes appealsRead MoreExample Of Heroism In Beowulf726 Words   |  3 Pagesmany texts that we studied, I espec ially enjoyed, Beowulf, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, and Morte D’Arthur. To begin, in the text, Beowulf, there was a theme of heroism which made the story one of my favorites. Beowulf is an outstanding hero who is willing to give up his life to save everyone. He has insane battles against scary monsters that no one else could even survive. In fact, those monsters raid the cities and eat people. In Beowulf, it states, â€Å"the monster’s scorn of men is so greatRead MoreTheme Of Heroism In Beowulf748 Words   |  3 Pagesof riches is often prefigured as an inclination towards greediness. However, in Beowulf, the collective reverence for wealth plays a defining role in the acts of heroism and manifestation of power. In fact, the poem oftentimes professes the idea of wealth and glory, most cherished, as an embodiment of strength and obedience among cultural values. Throughout the poem, Beowulf, is characterized by his acts of heroism in the Anglo-Saxon society. He not only possesses the values of strength and braveryRead MoreHeroism and Leadership: Beowulf1382 Words   |  6 Pagesselflessness to his tribe, personal valor, and ability to survive despite the toughest opposition. Heroism and leadership are characteristics that brought my fellow men to abide by my side despite the situation, which in response led me to become such an aspiring leader, and in the end a hero – the demonstration to attain glory through brawls. Traditions, natural laws, and religion are descriptions of my heroism and leadership. In medieval literature, heroes are defined to be courageous, valiant, courteousRead MoreTheme Of Heroism In Beowulf1544 Words   |  7 PagesBeowulf demonstrates the qualities and traits of being an ideal hero. In the poem it explores Beowulf ‘s heroism in two distinct stages which are youth and age. Beowulf has three separate and very difficult conflicts that involve Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. When you are viewing these major encounters with the three different people Beowulf demonstrates the importance of heroic code. There is a much clearer division between Beowulf’s adolescent heroism as a warrior as well as in onesRead MoreThe Importance Of Heroism In Beowulf1073 Words   |  5 PagesBeowulf is a classic, epic story which theme focuses on good versus evil, â€Å"Beowulf is essentially a heathen poem† (Bodek) said F.A Blackburn because it consists of elements drawn from Anglo-Saxons culture before they were converted to Christians. It is tidily divided into three parts; The battle with Grendel, The battle with Grendel’s mother and the battle with the Dragon. The poem deals with Germanic forebears, the Danes, the Geats and the Swedes. This story features a super-strong warrior BeowulfRead MoreGrendel and Beowulf Heroism1584 Words   |  7 PagesIntentions and Heroism A building is ablaze and a crowd of people stare helplessly from the streets, listening to screams coming from within. A single person runs in to rescues whomever he or she can find. Whether or not that person emerges with a child in their arms, empty handed, or not at all, does nothing to alter our societys perception of their heroism. Todays society would classify such an action as heroic, regardless of outcome, for one reason: intentions. During Anglo-Saxton timesRead MoreThe Characteristics Of Heroism In Beowulf857 Words   |  4 PagesHeroism Essay What really defines a hero? Beowulf has been known as one of the greatest heroes in Anglo Saxon history: Strong, brave, and a great leader who will lay his life down for his people. Heroes now, show many of the same qualities, but can come in many different shapes and sizes, some even in the shape of a kitchen sponge. Beowulf’s stories depict epic quests across new and foreign lands. He goes on these quest either to keep his people safe from monster, or earn fame and glory throughoutRead MoreTheme Of Heroism In Beowulf740 Words   |  3 PagesThe theme of Beowulf is heroism. Beowulf himself represents the heroic ideal because of his features, strength, and courage, but also because of his intelligence and honor. Beowulf is proud of his strength and great his honor. When Beowulf goes to Heorot, waiting for Grendel, he refuses to keep a weapon. He believes in himself that he can defeat the monster who has devoured many men without using any weapons. It turns out that Beowulfs intelligent approach was right. Glory is also one of the themesRead MoreHeroism : Beowulf And Cuchallain928 Words   |  4 Pagesqualify to be called a hero, many people have done some heroic things at some point in their life; Beowulf and Cuchallain demonstrated heroism through their actions. A hero in the medieval times is considered to be someone that is a noble character that fights for his honor or the honor of his kingdom or community and also someone that is willing to risk his or her life for the greater good. Beowulf was a brave man that volunteered to fight a monster that was terrorizing the people of Herot. He heard