Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Tools And Techniques In Environmental Analysis Commerce Essay

Tools And Techniques In Environmental Analysis Commerce Essay Strategic management is also called institutional management. It is the art and science of making, implementing and evaluating cross-functional decision making that helps an organization to achieve its long-term objectives. In this process the organizations mission, vision and objectives are discussed and developed. After these objectives are developed, the policies, plans, with respect to projects and programs, are designed, and then resources are allocated or budgeted to implement them and achieve the objectives. (wikipedia n.d.) Strategic management consists of a set of activities that come under setting goals and over the process of putting together tactics to achieve these goals and objectives. How strategic management is carried out depends on the organizational structure of the company. The Board of Directors, the management team as well as other stake holders of the company can be involved in these activities that fall under strategic management. Strategy can be defined as unified, comprehensive and integrated plan that relates to the strategic advantages of the firm to the challenges of the environment. It is designed to ensure that the basic objectives of the enterprise are achieved through the proper execution by the organization. (Jauch and Glueck 1988) Formulating a strategy for achieving an objective or a set of objectives is a combines three main processes which are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ By analyzing the situation, self-evaluation and competitor analysis: both internal and external, both micro-environmental and macro-environmental. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ After this assessment, objectives are set. These objectives should be parallel to a time-line; some are in the short-term and others on the long-term. This involves creating vision statements (which is the long term view of a possible future), mission statements (which is the role that the organization gives itself in society), overall corporate objectives (both financial and strategic), strategic business unit objectives (both financial and strategic), and tactical objectives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ These objectives should be studied along with the results of the situation analysis and a strategic plan can be formulated. The plan provides the details of how to achieve these objectives. Environmental analysis is a process that begins from identification of environmental factors, assessing their nature and impact, auditing them to find their impact to the business, and making various profiles for positioning. All the decisions taken by the organization and the impact of these decisions depend on the organizations internal and external environmental factors. These environmental factors should be carefully analyzed before taking any decisions. Environmental analysis is made up of the processes of scanning, monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting the business situations and variables of the environment. Scanning is done to get information from the environment. Monitoring is done to check the nature of the environmental factors. Analyzing requires data collection and the use of tools and techniques. Forecasting is a method to find the future possibilities based on the past results and present scenario. (Business Environment Analysis n.d.) Different types of methods, tools, and techniques are used for environmental analysis. Some of the major methods of analysis are Scenario Building, Benchmarking, and Network methods. Scenario building gives an overall picture of the total system with the factors which affect it. Benchmarking is to find the best standard in an industry and to compare the ones strengths and weakness with the standard. Network method is to assess organizational systems and its outside environment to find the strength and weakness, opportunity and threats of an organization. Some of the techniques of primary information collection can be Delphi, Brainstorming, Survey, and Historical enquiry. Delphi technique collects independent information from the experts without mixing them. Brainstorming is information collection technique being open minded without criticizing others. Survey is to design questions and to ask them to the participants whereas the historical enquiry is a kind of case analysis of past period. Analysis tools can be statistical such general descriptive tools as mean, median, mode, frequency or tools can be inferential as ANOVA, correlation, regression, factor, cluster, and multiple regression analysis. (BADU 2002) SWOT Analysis A scan of the internal and external environment is an important part of the strategic planning process. Environmental factors internal to the firm usually can be classified as strengths (S) or weaknesses (W), and those external to the firm can be classified as opportunities (O) or threats (T). This is called SWOT analysis. (QuickMBA n.d.) The SWOT analysis provides information that is helpful in matching the firms resources and capabilities to the environment in which it operates. The SWOT Matrix A matrix of these factors can be constructed. This matrix will be helpful in developing the strategies for the firm. The SWOT matrix (also known as a TOWS Matrix) is shown in the next page: SWOT / TOWS Matrix Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities S-O strategies W-O strategies Threats S-T strategies W-T strategies S-O strategies pursue opportunities that are a good fit to the companys strengths. W-O strategies overcome weaknesses to pursue opportunities. S-T strategies identify ways that the firm can use its strengths to reduce its vulnerability to external threats. W-T strategies establish a defensive plan to prevent the firms weaknesses from making it highly susceptible to external threats. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OR EXTERNAL AUDIT The organizations should adapt themselves and their strategy to the external environment which is constantly changing. The external environment is also called macro environment. These forces of the external environment cannot be controlled and can be analyzed using a variety of tools and techniques such as Environmental Scanning and PEST analysis. Environmental Scanning Environmental scanning is defined as the process that seeks information about events and relationships in a firms environment, the knowledge of which help top management chart the firms future. In this process, the external environment is divided into sectors or areas such as political, economic, cultural, technological and further analysis such as Pest analysis can be done after scanning the environment. Information is collected by monitoring and forecasting any changes that occur to the variables of the environment that have been identified earlier. This collection of information helps the organizations to find out where they are lacking and what exactly they need which helps them in formulating the strategies. (Acar 1995) Environmental scanning is used to gather information from the environment. PEST Analysis A PEST analysis looks at the Political, Economic, Social and Technological drivers or the external forces that affect the organization. It is most useful when used together with other tools such as the SWOT analysis. Political Factors These factors may have direct or indirect impact on the organizations operation. Decisions made by the government may have an effect on the business. The political arena has a big influence on how organization operates. Economic Factors Economic factors such as the market prices and market cycles affect the purchasing power and behavior of the consumers. Sociological Factors These factors include the demography, lifestyle, cultural aspects of the consumers. These factors have a big influence on the consumer needs and wants. Sociological factors also affect the size of potential markets. Technological Factors Technological changes play an important role in shaping how organizations operate. Technological factor is very important to gain competitive advantage. Technological innovation can also improve the production efficiency, quality and speed. New technology is changing how organizations operate. Porters Five Forces Analysis Porter identified the following five forces model of competitive strategy: The threat of new entrants and the appearance of new competitors The degree of rivalry among existing competitors in the market The bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of suppliers The threat of substitute products or services which could shrink the market The strength of each of these forces varies from industry to industry, but taken together they determine long-term profitability. These five factors affect the strategy of the organization. It is important to analyze and study these five forces to be able to craft a successful strategy. To be successful, the organization must respond effectively to the pressures of these five forces. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS The resources, strengths, behaviors, weakness and distinctive competences are major components of the internal environment of an organization. An organization uses different types of resources which help them achieve their objectives and the way in which they utilize their resources can be the source of their strengths or weaknesses. This can also be defined as organizational capability which is used to develop the strategies and objectives which the organization can achieve and these should not unrealistic according to its capabilities. Some of the components of the internal environment of an organization are: Organizational Resources These are all the tangible and intangible inputs used in the organization to create outputs in the firm of product or services through a transformation process. Organizational Behavior The behavior of an organization demonstrates is the result of forces operating internally which will determine the ability or constraints in the usage of resources. Competency Competency of an organization is the ability to do what its competitors cannot do or the ability to do better than what they can do. This concept is used for strategy formulation. CONCLUSION It can be seen that the analysis of the environment is critical to the success of the decisions that managers have to make which have widespread impact on the functions and processes of the business.

Monday, January 20, 2020

College Athletes Should be Compensated Essay -- Argumentative Persuasi

College Athletes Should be Compensated    Eddie is a poor boy growing up in a bad neighborhood. He's not too much different from any other boy, except for one thing. He is the most physically gifted athlete that the world has ever seen. His father is in jail and his mother has to work two jobs. Just because there was no way to go to college and impress the pros, the world missed out on watching the greatest athlete that may have ever walked the earth. Everyday, people like Eddie are forced to drop out of school early because of financial trouble. It is also true that a large percentage of student-athlete recruits are from the low middle to lower class families. If more of these recruits had financial help from the school, they could continue their college education, instead of dropping out early. There is no way to tell how much excitement has been missed by not seeing these genuine athletes perform. There is a certain amount of dedication that goes in to college sports, and these NCAA slaves should be compensated for their work. Pay college athletes, it's the right thing to do. One problem athletes have is paying for tuition. The tuition in schools is quite expensive. For example, it costs about $5,000 dollars per semester to go to the University of Las Vegas. If athletes were paid they could pay for tuition and many other financial problems that kids face in college. They could use the money for gas, food, laundry, and clothes. This is why a lot of students drop out, because they are sick and tired of having no money. Paying the hard working athletes would give a reward to the dedicated kids that give up their lives to play for the school. Some people say that athletes can get a job in their spare time that pays well en... ... DeVenzio, Dick. "College Athletes should be paid" Opposing Viewpoints. Laura K.Egendorf. San Diego, Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1999.    Goperlud III, C. Peter. "Stipends For Collegiate Athletes: A Philosophical Spin on a Controversial Proposal" University of Kansas School of Law 5 Dec. 2002 <http://www.law.ukans.edu/jrnl/goplerud.htm>    Johns, Keith. "College athletes sell products but never see the profits" The Summer Post 8 Dec. 2002 <http://132.235.238.184/archives/072596/atoddkj.html>    Martinez, Mark. "Show Them The Money! Do what's right &emdash; give college players their due." Student.com-The College Site 3 Dec. 2002 <http://www.student.com/article/pay>    Shea, John. "What effect has big money had on college athletics?" University of Pennsylvania 8 Dec. 2002 <http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/current/features/1994/061694/bigmoney.html>

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Chinese Modernist fiction Essay

Chinese Modernist fiction is very complicated in terms of imagery and literary expression used by the author, as well as in terms of dual or multiple meanings of the works, but in general they express the mood of the epoch. Mu’s stories are to great extent experimental and vary between purely proletarian fiction and ‘dialect’ writings that express really deep thoughts through internal monologues and the use of dialogue as a tool of changing the characters’ self-perception or their impressions about their environment (MacDonald, 2004). Mu Shiying’s prose is often called â€Å"New Sensationist† (Xin ganjuepai) style of writing short stories whose plot often develops rapidly, whereas the picture the author has drawn at first remains unchengeable(MacDonald, 2004). â€Å"The name â€Å"New Sensationist† was derived from the Shinkankahu ha, a group of Japanese avant-garde writers from the 1920s and 1930s. However, the evidence is against the actual existence of a group of writers who called themselves â€Å"New Sensationist† in China† (MacDonald, 2004, p. 797). Nevertheless, Mu’s short story entitled â€Å"Five in a Nightclub† gives a number of sensational experiences, which this essay is designed to discuss. The first scene of the short story describes the intrinsic human need for material resources, the main drive of the business world: â€Å"Men with blood-shot eyes milled about the gold exchange. [†¦] The speculators devolved into brutes. The wind blew the reason from their minds and the steel from their nerves† (Shiying, 1992, p. 5), so that the first perception of Shanghai refers to the psychological tension between the people, who have suffered a lot from the adversities, brought about by life. The first episode represents the pace of Shanghai life: a person can lose their fortune or become rich in one moment, so the description of instability and nervousness refers to the lack of control over the situation, as if the participants were obedient marionettes in the hands of the powerful and malicious force. The second scene, depicting a young man, scornfully rejected by the girl he loves, also refers to the whims of fortune and more precisely –explains the sensation of hope; this feeling appears hovering or hanging over the place where Zheng Ping is waiting for his darling. The words he sent to the girl yesterday are, as he realizes, written to describe his today’s situation: â€Å"Stranger, O stranger! / Yesterday I was your slave. Today you say I’m a stranger†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Shiying, 1992, p. 6). Importantly, there is a notable contrast between the first paragraphs, in which the author describes the character’s romantic thought, his illusionary closeness to the object of his strong feeling, and his disappointment and sorrow at the end, when â€Å"Zheng Ping’s hair turned white† (Shiying, 1992, p. 7). Fragments rapidly change one another. The short passage about a young woman, who has lost her beauty over the recent years, points to the perception of human body as machine that can be used: â€Å"Youth A – â€Å"Isn’t it Daisy Huang? She was the toast of the town five years ago! † Youth B – â€Å"Amen. She was quite a dish! †Ã¢â‚¬  (Shiying, 1992, p. 8). Accordingly, human beings do not belong completely to themselves, as they should always try hard to meet the requirements, imposed by society, especially those related to appearance and beauty. Ji Jie, the character, described in the next episode, is also lost in his self-identity and self-perception, so that he even fails to comprehend his real nature and the sense of his being in this world. Another character, battered cruelly by life, is Miao Zongdan, a clerk, who has been working hard for his career development and who receives a letter of dismissal. This episode is very similar to the first one, in which the sudden turning-point can ultimately change the individual’s life, destroy their desires, aspirations, ambitions – just like a high wave of tsunami that covers the person’s life. The first chapter of the short story therefore provides an overview of the psychological lives of certain dwellers of Shanghai, whereas the other people, surrounding them, remain indifferent, so that the average inhabitant of Shanghai is a ‘small person’, incapable of managing their fate. On the other hand, they should cope with their problems without any support from outside. The second chapter narrates about a typical Saturday night in Shanghai, or the bright underground life, heated by neon, alcohol and cigarettes: â€Å"Red streets, green streets, blue streets, purple streets†¦ City clad in strong colours! Dancing neon light – multi-coloured waves, scintillating waves, colourless waves – a sky filled with colour. The sky now had everything: wine, cigarettes, high-heels, clock-towers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Shiying, 1992, p. 10). Human mores become increasingly more relaxed at this time, and people are about to do unusual things, as such conducts are not likely to happen in the daylight. In the third chapter, Shanghai is described in merely two colors: black and white, that symbolize purity and dust, but flow together into a single glamour of the night club. In addition, one can note a mixture of different cultures in nightclub settings: the club itself is designed in European style, as the idea of night amusements in such settings derives from this continent, whereas the customers are Chinese; and the dancers who entertain the visitors are â€Å"Russian princesses† (Shiying, 1992, p. 11). This pre-arranged chaos influences the characters almost magically: their dreams seem to come true. The idea of saving night resembles the fairy tale theme: at daytime, the characters remain ugly beasts, whereas at night they turn into young and attractive princes and princesses, who become rich and are as a result surrounded by their admirers. In this sense, night is remedy against all daily troubles, as they all are resolved or fixed very quickly and naturally, as if the natural force that throws the characters into the depth of adversity and misfortune calms down at night – this magic conversion can be compared to black and white colors, which seem to be the major imagery in this place: â€Å"By the white tablecloths sit men dressed in formal evening attire: layers of black and white: black hair, white faces, black eyes, white collars, black ties, white starched shirts, black jackets, white waistcoats, black pants†¦black and white†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Shiying, 1992, p. 10). The author seems to recognize only extremes, rather than the â€Å"golden middle† that balances the positive and negative forces and protects human psyche from excessively strong feelings and emotions. The city, in turn, also experiences a kind of transformation: whereas at daytime it looks like a huge technocratic monster that has only concrete and asphalt inside and is inhabited by people, who hurt each other with their apathy and indifference; at night it alters into a real paradise, filled with the radiance of happiness, kindness and friendliness. Noticeably, the characters in the night club interact with one another very dynamically and seem united by this atmosphere of common joy and relaxation. Nevertheless, this illusion of amusement seems unrealistic after the events, which took place in the afternoon; in spite of the miraculous healing of all human hardships, it contains the after-pains, which give the idea of the possible return of all daily problems once this wonderful night comes to its logical end. The depiction of the common excitement only reinforces the reader’s expectation of the future negative events, which will take place in the following morning or afternoon and shatter this positive emotional atmosphere. As for the characters in the nightclub settings, they are described as fragments, successfully integrated in an entity, as all of them manifest their self-confidence in almost the same way. For instance, Daisy re-gains her youth and beauty, so that nobody recognizes her, except her companion, Junyi, a gold baron: â€Å"†I’ve never been more sane in my life! † said Daisy, who had regained her composure. Suddenly she laughed again: â€Å"I will always be young. Oh, Junyi, let’s make a real night of it! † Daisy pulled Hu Junyi out onto the dance floor† (Shiying, 1992, p. 12). Later, Zheng Ping enters the club, looking drunk and happy because this time he has another girlfriend and therefore seems protected from the negative remembrances, which can be caused by Nina’s presence. Similarly to Daisy’s case, Zheng experiences a very short loss of nerves, but finally retakes self-control and focuses on his new girlfriend. Although Miao’s problem is not solved yet, he also joins the party and soon becomes drunk and happy. Whereas at first, Daisy and Hu’s joy seems natural, later the company is gradually falling into absolutely inhuman and unexplainable ecstasy that can be caused only by the overuse of spirits: â€Å"Everyone laughed with her – open mouths, open mouths, open mouth†¦ gaping holes that with every passing moment seemed less human† ((Shiying, 1992, p. 14). The characters have already joined to the nightclub atmosphere, primarily – because all of them have come with partners, so that they are no loner lonely and miserable. Ji Jie, despite the demonstrative happiness of the other four persons, is slowly sinking in the marsh of his own thoughts, in his hard mental work. Nevertheless, he is no longer depressed, as his visit to the club will probably allows him to find his identity and understand himself better. Moreover, he is described by the customers as a happy person: â€Å"Customer D – â€Å"He who has nothing to do after dinner and who can come here to break matchsticks is a happy man†. Customer C – â€Å" Even the drunkard with him is happy! He’s the guy who spilled the drink after badging in here. A while ago he was picking fights, now he’s telling jokes! † (Shiying, 1992, p. 18). Towards the end of the night the delight of the five characters begins to disappear, and the sensation of this night never seems to come again, as the problems, experienced by the five persons at daytime, are becoming more real. The sixth character, Jonny, later gets to know that her wife and newborn son are dead, but he is not allowed to leave the work and must continue entertaining the visitors with his music. The five personalities, who seemed cheerful to craze in the evening, are now described as â€Å"popped balloons† (Shiying, 1992, p. 20). All the characters later reconcile themselves to the fact that they are losers in this life, only Hu Junyi kills himself. His death is a milestone, after which the other characters open their true faces and confess to their tiredness of living. The night was nothing more than an attempt to repair the shattered lives, whose pieces turned out so small that it was impossible to paste them together. To sum up, the new perception of Shanghai is presented as never-ending rolling down, a journey through the severe daily reality and exaggeratedly euphoric night parties, which, however, quicken human degradation. Whiteness and blackness are never to mix together in Shanghai, so that its dwellers are fated to swinging between the two extremes, which are pain and delight. Either sooner, or later, the life of this small person will be shattered by the large city, as the short story narrates. Works cited MacDonald, S. The Shanghai Foxtrot by: Introduction. Modernism/modernity, Vol. 11 (4): pp. 797-807 Shiying, Mu. Five in a Nightclub, Renditions Spring 1992, pp. 5-22.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Family Dynamics Of Hispanic Families - 976 Words

Family Expectations Familismo. Latino parents expect their children to prioritize family needs over individual needs. Understanding the values within the Latino family is crucial to analyzing family influences on education. Furthermore, understanding Latino cultural values and analyzing how these values either are or aren’t replicated in the high school setting is crucial to understanding the success of the first†generation Latinain and out of high school. Cultural values which define the family dynamics of Latinos are: familismo (the value of family), comunidad (the value of community), and personalismo (the value of relationship), which are understood as presenting a sense of validation, mentorship, and cultural mirroring when transferred to the university setting (Castellanos Gloria, 2007). Comunidad or community is defined as a sense of responsibility for one’s community and is closely related to familismo, which is a sense of caring for and being responsible to one’s family and prioritizing family needs over personal ones (Castellanos Gloria, 2007; Sy Romero, 2008). Marianismo. In a culture strongly influenced by gender construction, marianismo is a value that emphasizes the self†sacrifice females must make while also stressing the importance of the family caretaker role Latinas are expected to fulfill in the family (Sy, 2006; Stevens, 1973). The female experience in the Latino family is of particular importance as Latina women have historically been raised toShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Immigration On The New Country1280 Words   |  6 Pages III. Literature Review Amongst current events, immigration is one of the hotly debated topics of today. It’s will be a determining factor in the current U.S. presidential race. Hispanic/Latino immigrants are one of the fastest growing demographics in our populations and consideration of political value due to their impact on and to the economy. Their ethnicity makes them the subject of random criticism and plays a role in how well they assimilate into the US. How they are perceived and treatedRead MoreThe Issue Of Marriage And Divorce1490 Words   |  6 Pages Marriage and divorce has always been a tricky subject for many couples, the fear of rejection, starting a family or hurting their other counterpart can come to play in many situations throughout their relationship. Traditionally marriages were known to be a sacred bond between two individuals. This bond can be between two heterosexuals or two individuals of the same sex. On May 17th, 2004 Massachusetts became the first state to allow all same-sex marriages (Dinno 2013). In Canada same-sex marriagesRead MoreWomen During The Hispanic Culture Essay995 Words   |  4 PagesWomen in the Hispanic culture grow up with strong ties to their values, norms and how they were raised by their families. Parents instill a â€Å"machismo† and familism ideology into the upbringing of these women (Fuchsel, 2012). â€Å"Machismo† is a term to describe what is acceptable and expected of men (Fuschel,2012). Familism is, â€Å"the subordination of the personal interests and prerogatives of an individual to the values and demands of the family† (dictionary.com). An example of â€Å"machismo† is that it isRead MoreAnalysis Of The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation1177 Words   |  5 Pageshigher than the national number. Top 3 reasons why these number persist according to Banking in Color results: Not having enough money, not trusting banks, and feeling that the account fees were too high, too unpredictable. Trust Family dynamics do matter among Latino families. They very much connected with tradition and heritage, and speak their Spanish language, and look after each other. While some studies showed that between generations tend to get away from their language and their heritage thisRead MoreEffects Of Obesity On Children s Children926 Words   |  4 PagesThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), showed obesity among Hispanic children was 22.4% in 2011-2012 (â€Å"Childhood Obesity Facts,† 2015). According to a recent report conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Hispanic children are at a heightened risk for obesity and comorbidities associated with obesity (Pulgaron, Patino-Fernandez, Sanchez, Carrillo, Delamater, 2013). Obesity in Hispanic children predisposes children and adolescents to bone and joint-relatedRead MoreHispanic Groups in the United States1260 Words   |  6 PagesRunning Head: HISPANIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED STATES Hispanic Groups in the United States Harley D. Palmer ETH 125 September 5, 2010 Dr. Carol Grant Hispanics in the United States have a history rooted for centuries. Many different cultures make up this group dubbed ‘Hispanics’, each with their own identity, culture, and struggles. However, they do group together in a common fight to gain a more stable and positive foot hold in the U.S. Mexican Americans seem to have the strongestRead MoreHeritage Assessment1503 Words   |  7 PagesOF HISPANIC, ASIAN AND The Heritage Assessment of Hispanic, Asian and African American Families B.Cohran Grand Canyon University The Heritage Assessment of Hispanic, Asian and African American Families The Heritage Assessment Tool (HST) is used to â€Å"investigate a given patient’s or your own ethnic, cultural, and religious heritage†¦it can help determine how deeply a given person identifies with a particular tradition†. (prenhall.com). This assessment of 29 questions based on family, socialRead MoreThe Importance Of A Hispanic Woman During The 30 s For Bereavement Therapy Essay1279 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction Case Summary I began to see a hispanic woman in her late 30’s for bereavement therapy because she lost her son in a car accident 10 months ago. This client was referred to me by another therapist that was leaving the clinic and had seen her for a couple months prior. There was already an assessment done and diagnosis of Depression Unspecified 296.30 and a V-code of V62.82 Bereavement in her file. After several sessions with the Mother she disclosed past personal trauma going backRead MoreEssay on Professional Communication: Cultural Sensitivity1283 Words   |  6 PagesCommunication Cultural Sensitivity Paper No culture is growing at a faster pace than the Hispanic population, surpassing African Americans as the largest minority population in the United States. The Hispanic population increased from 35.3 million to 50.5 million in 2010. The intention of this paper is to increase the awareness and understanding of cultural competency and cultural sensitivity toward the Hispanic culture. Cultural competency cannot be overemphasized as it plays an imperative roleRead MoreHow Can We Minister More Effectively By Young Latino Catholics And Help Them Increase Their Participation774 Words   |  4 PagesCatholics under the age of thirty in the U.S. are Hispanics (according to the 2013 Pew Research Center survey of Hispanic adults) it would certainly seem that increasing Hispanic teenagers participation in the Church would be beneficial not just for Hispanic families and communities, but also for the future Church in general. To effectively minister to Hispanic teenagers, an understanding of what is happening in their lives is crucial. Indeed, family plays a big part, but what we often neglect is