Postmodern View of Socioeconomy and Politics in Absurdistan - Literature Essay Samples

America: a land of freedom, opportunity, and prosperity; a country that highly advocates the amalgamation of conglomerating cultures. Ironically, however, in Gary Shteyngarts novel Absurdistan, the Russians transcend Americans in their pursuit for wealth, status, and size. The protagonist, Misha Vainberg, is a 30-year-old Russian heir to a post-Soviet fortune. Having spent 12 years in the United States, he considers himself â€Å"an American impounded in a Russian body (Shteyngart 14).† As he experiences life from one country to another, Misha begins to develop relationships with people of different race, culture, background. These relationships not only test his character, but also provide readers a microcosmic view of the controversies he encounters. The element of post-modernism presented in this novel alludes not to a cultural and intellectual phenomenon, but to a corrupt and devastating trend with unmarked boundaries. By intertwining self-conscious playful critique of pos t-modernism and experimental neo-realist deployment of perspective, imagery, language, structure, and tone, Shteyngart is critical of post-modernism as a socio-economic and political trend. By depicting Absurdistan and other post-Soviet countries as post-modern through the eyes of Misha Vainberg and his relationships with a mà ©lange of people, Shteyngart also opens the eyes of his readers to the world of political exploitations, grave gender issues, class disparities, and influences of American in modern day Russia. The novel opens with a prologue entitled â€Å"Where I’m Calling From.† The first person narrator welcomes his readers into what he refers to as his â€Å"book of love, a book about too much love (Shteyngart, vii).† From the inception of the prologue, the readers travel with this anonymous narrator from varying time and place. Together, they soar from the year 1972 to the twenty-first century, from â€Å"a small village populated entirely by so-c alled Mountain Jews† to â€Å"the land at the corner of 173rd Street and Vyse (Shteyngart vii).† As the narrator soars â€Å"away from the ancient rabbi†¦over flattened Chechnya and pockmarked Sarajevo, over Europe, and over and over and over and finally toward and toward and toward, toward the tip of the slender island (Shteyngart ix),† readers are reminded that this is not only a book about love, but a book about geography. This opening prologue is extremely crucial because Shteyngart introduces important elements of postmodernism that prove to be essential in understanding and interpreting the themes delineated throughout Absurdistan. According to Postmodernist Culture, one of the most striking preoccupations of modernist and postmodernist aesthetics is the question of time. Shteyngart utilizes this postmodern element of reducing time to a single element and flattening time into space to produce the effect of blurred clarity. By blending together the tim e of epic with contemporary time and forcing his readers to â€Å"view history and human life as an endless series of cycles (Connor 124),† Shteyngart is able to freeze time to the 2000s. By allowing his readers to traverse from place to place in this non-transient time, one can critique the reality that is being portrayed. In order to grasp the many realities present in Absurdistan, one must have a clear understanding of the narrator and the relationships he develops. Apart from the prologue, the novel commences with an over-the-edge, honest, account of the narrator. With a first person narration, he introduces himself as â€Å"Misha Borisovich Vainberg, age thirty, a grossly overweight man with small, deeply set blue eyes, a pretty Jewish beak†¦(Shteyngart 1).† Misha is not only unhesitant in relating his stories to his readers, but he also spares no details as he produces vulgar images from sexual encounters with women to an unsuccessful circumcision in a Hasid ic home. From the first person narration, it can be noted that this straightforward perspective of situations and people returns readers to realism. However, because Misha is not an omniscient narrator and is rather subjective in his story-telling, the reality presented is rather skewed. One can already see the mixture of paradoxical postmodernism and neo-realism. Similarly, as Misha recounts his relationship with his father, the element of post-modernism becomes critical in analyzing the corrupt trends in post-Soviet countries. As Misha speaks of his papa, there is a hint of sarcasm in his diction. In the chapter titled â€Å"Dedications,† Misha starts by saying â€Å"First I would like to fall on my knees in front of the INS headquarters in Washington D.C, to thank the organizations for all its successful work on behalf of foreigners everywhere (Shteyngart 14).† This sarcastic remark not only exudes a dash of bitterness he feels towards his papa for murdering an Oklahoma businessman, but it also contributes to the satirical and witty tone throughout the novel. Likewise, as Misha is writing his love letter to the generals in charge of the Immigration and Naturalization Service pleading to let him back in America, he emphasizes on having been educated at Accidental College, a renowned Midwestern institution for the young aristocrats where â€Å"the virtues of democracy are often debated at teatime (Shteyngart 15).† By doing so, Shteyngart mocks the American institution. According to Frederic Jameson, author of Postmodernism or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, the last few years have been marked by an inverted millenarianism in which forewarnings of the future have been replaced by senses of the end of ideology, art, social class. What once was the frantic economic urgency has now become â€Å"an increasingly essential structural function and position to aesthetic innovation and experimentation (Jameson 5).† Accidental Col lege is a symbol of absolute parody; it demonstrates the obliteration of a system. At Accidental College, students are taught that their dreams and beliefs would one day sway to their will. At Accidental College, Introduction to Striptease classes, Advanced Memoir seminars, and Overcoming Shyness and Facilitating Self-Expression lectures are taught in order to raise up leaders in the world. Through the utilization of sarcasm and pastiche, Shteyngart manifests to readers that not only is the socioeconomic reality postmodern even in the twenty-first century in the way that individuals have nothing to aspire to, it is also destined to fail because individual development and progress is nonexistent. More importantly, the analysis of Misha and his relationship with his papa continues to support Misha’s lack of individualism and independence. Aside from sending his son to attend Accidental College in America, Papa also insisted his son to be circumcised in New York. Any rational be ing would know that circumcision should be done at an early age, not when the child is already eighteen. Therefore, it can be inferred that the only plausible motive for Misha to become circumcised at his age is not for religious values and beliefs, but for social networking. The physical attribute of a circumcision is insignificant; rather, it is through this commonality of this Jewish tradition that brings the Jewish people together. Based on an article that examines the Jewish Social Network, author Rela Mintz Geffen writes that â€Å"proponents of networking meets the need of Jews wherever they are and enable them to climb on to the Jewish bandwagon as free riders.† In addition, it is understood that the concentration of Jews enables the â€Å"initiation, support, and maintenance of institutional life including schools, shuls, kosher food markets and the like† (Geffen 3). The very presence of these cultural markers acts to unobtrusively promote identity maintenance of non-affiliated and marginally affiliated Jews who are constantly reminded of their Jewish identity. This subtle yet pervasive effect is evident in cities like New York, where everyone in New York feels Jewish. For this reason, Misha’s father understands that in order for his son to be as successful wherever he goes, he must become circumcised. This act of circumcision is the gateway for social connections and opportunities amongst the Jewish community in places all over the world. These social networks, originally formed by his Papa and developed through the act of circumcision, prove to be critical as Misha is stranded in a tiny post-Soviet country of Absurdistan. In an act of desperation, Misha buys Belgian citizenship and a bogus passport in Absurdistan, a new country being forged out of a staged war between the Sevo and Svani peoples in a small territory between Iran and Russia. In order to survive, Misha must form relationships with the people he encounters. Through Shteyngart’s graphic satire, the American dream is depicted as experienced by famished, newborn democracies. In an article titled â€Å"Institutional Competition and Post-Soviet Transformation,† writer Aleksandr Libman comments that â€Å"economic openness and free relocation of capital and manpower have made post-Soviet countries active participants in global institutional competitions. The inefficient balance in Russia and many other countries, nonetheless, remains stable† (Libman 13). The reason for the erroneous and inefficient import of institutions comes from the predominance of peculiar relationships between authorities and the influence of informal institutions. It is ironic that the founding fathers of Absurdistan are actually gangsters who are secretly collaborating with an American corporation called Golly Burton. In fact, it is nearly impossible for Misha to discern between those who are morally just and those who are corrupt in Absurdistan. The trut h that Absurdistan has absolutely nothing is unfolded before Misha’s eyes; the bigger picture of Absurdistan is this: â€Å"There are supposed to be fifty billion barrels of oil reserves in the Absurdi sector of the Caspian. In truth, there isn’t one percent of that left. The Absurdis have been lying to the investors from the start† (Shteyngart 306). It is then Misha discovers that he’d â€Å"been had. Utterly. Completely. They’d use me. Taken advantage of me. Sized me up. Known right away that they had their man† (Shteyngart 309). It has been disclosed to Misha that a scheme was devised so that the United States government would pour in billions of dollars into Absurdistan. An orchestrated war is set at the top of the Hyatt hotel, where Ukrainian gunman were hired to bomb sections of Gorbigrad in front of an international crew of TV journalists. As this fabricated war continues, Misha realizes that things were much worse than they appeared. As thousands of dead or starving refugees lay in the streets, Misha lives and dines at a luxurious hotel. From the fabricated war to the harsh reality of the injured and the dead, these images are cleverly and beautifully paradoxical; they offer a provoking critique of the socio-economical and political reality of oil wars and war profiteering. Taking a closer look into reality, the company Golly Burton is a representation and a mockery of the United States corporation Halliburton. Halliburton Energy Services is a United States based oilfield service that operates internationally with over 70 other countries. In an expose titled â€Å"The Truth about Halliburton,† author Peter Elkind discusses the serious matter of oil wars and war profiteering. Halliburton had signed a $2.5 billion no-bid â€Å"Restore Iraqi Oil† contract that would have paid for the reconstruction of the entire country. Had the contract been fulfilled exhaustively, Iraq would have been able to expor t an abundant amount of oil from the northern oil fields. The truth, however, unfolded as oil fields were detected to be barely usable and access to international markets was severely limited. In fact, Halliburton failed to even dig and tunnel through the land since the underground terrain consisted of jumble of boulders, voids, and gravel, impossible for the kind of drilling Halliburton had planned. Therefore, it is apparent that there is a need for reciprocation; the relationships formed resemble a mutual form of giving and taken. Where the ruling class of Absurdistan is in love with the corrupt American company known as the Golly Burton, Golly Burton in turn is in love with Absurdistan for the money it plans on making when the infrastructure of Absurdistan is rebuilt. By creating an allusion of Absurdistan and intertwining it with a neo-realistic delineation of America, Shteyngart is able to juxtapose the harsh political reality represented in both worlds. By juxtaposing the two companies, Absurdistan’s Golly Burton and America’s Halliburton, and interweaving postmodernism parody with neo-realism, Shteyngart emphatically critiques the reality of deceit and corruption. Likewise, through postmodern elements of characters that appear to be contradictory and deceitful, language that is unreliable, and knowledge as an illusion, everything delineated in Shteyngart’s Absurdistan strives to be a United States replica in style, culture, and prosperity. Another main issue Shteyngart discusses in Absurdistan concerns the matter of women and gender disparities. Most, if not all, of the women depicted in the novel are conniving and promiscuous. Rouenna, Misha’s girlfriend, ends up cheating on him with a professor; Lyuba Vainberg, Misha’s father’s widow, ends up sleeping with Misha because they were both â€Å"lonely and lost (Shteyngart 83);† Nana Nanabragovna, Misha’s ‘mistress,’ is daughter to Mr. Nanabragovna, the man who deceives Misha into working for SCROD. Scattered throughout the novel are prostituting women, young and old, from the East and from the West. Although these women differ in where they are from, their social and economic status, and their race and nationality, Shteyngart chooses to represent them in one fashion. These women are generally described physically in explicit terms; their sexual occurrences are frequently depicted with obscene and crude images. By specifically utilizing phrases like â€Å"open crevice of her two-fisted ass† and â€Å"the warmth of her oral cavity,† Shteyngart is ultimately degrading the women as sexual objects. According to Linda Nicholson’s The Play of Reason, poor and working-class women, women of color, and lesbians have finally been exposed and are no longer confined to the domestic sphere, as false extrapolations from the experience of the white, middle-class, heterosexual women. By going to an extreme in his description of women and tying them to prostitutes and manipulators, however, Shteyngart critiques the social reality of Absurdistan. In an article titled ‘Post-modernism as the Decadence of the Social Democratic State,’ critic Gare notes that the postmodernism elements echoed throughout Absurdistan have â€Å"questioned all naturalism, foundations, universals, authority, the idea of autonomous subjects of ethics and politics† (Gare 2). Therefore, by utilizing the postmodern element that involves the demise of the ethical and a life without principles, the issue of gender expands into a bigger problem dealing with the injustice of the social system. In Absurdistan, women do not have social ladders to climb; in Absurdistan, a country that modernizes to be like America, all women are delineated as equal. Because everyone appears to be a crook, there is a certain level of predictability and monotony as well. The politics of gender and the Soviet paradox can be well understood in the article, â€Å"Neither Colonized, or Modern?† There appears to be a â€Å"Soviet paradox† that is evident in the combined and clashing operations of socialist paternalism that maintains and legitimizes women’s presence in the public realm (through work, political representation, and education) with an economy and nationalities policy that effectively stalls the process of social transformation. In fact, post-Soviet gender beliefs and ideologies do not represent national traditions but serve in â€Å"signaling a break from Soviet past and creating new imaginaries of the nation that enhance social solidarity in post-Soviet societies (Kandiyoti 603).† From prostitutes at the Hyatt and male ordering bribes to passport prostitution and online pornography, the issue of gender dissipates as the issue of class in relation to ethnicity and religion accumulates. Class violence caused by civil war is not due to a class difference but rather a religious and historical struggle for material dominance. By emphasizing postmodernism elements of parody and the absence of any single truth, Shteyngart demonstrates that the socioeconomic and political reality is still postmodern in the 21st century. The closing chapter to Absurdistan ultimately leaves readers with many unanswered questions. The question that looms over most readers asks whether or not Misha survives. Because the novel is framed around the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, one can see that Shteyngart is critiquing the war that is happening right now. This novel is themed around multiculturalism: different cultures being their own yet coming together. In Absurdistan, two groups of people have become enemies simply because of the footrest of the cross. They speak different languages and have different cultures, but they are integrated together, they live together, they are dependent on each other. By preserving their differences, though, there is no att empt to maintain or establish class differences. Therefore, with the September 11 framework, Shteyngart focuses on connecting people from different places of the world. This is a novel about civilians and local residence; this is a novel about people on the planes and people across the waters. More importantly, this is a novel about hope. As Misha closes his epilogue with â€Å"have faith in me. On these cruel, fragrant streets, we shall finish the difficult lives we were given (Shteyngart 333),† readers can cling onto hope in spite of the surrounding chaos because the arbitrariness and unpredictability of chaos is what will ultimately set everyone free. By intertwining the postmodernism ideology that there is no system with the reality of bedlam, there resides a sick and twisted hope in the inability to predict. â€Å"Post-modernity is the moral person’s bane and chance at the same time, where in a world with no god, one must stand up straight and confront Chaos (Oje ili 3).† Absurdistan is a novel of playful critique of post-modernism and experimental neo-realism. It offers offensive features of postmodernism -from obscurity and sexually explicit material to unconcealed languages of social and political boldness. Through the mixture of post modern elements like fragmentations and disorientations, disjointed time as represented by chapter division, failure of values and absence of absolutes, artful play, and knowledge as an illusion, with formal elements of tone, diction, and imagery, Shteyngart is able to strongly, yet subtly, critique the socioeconomic and political reality in modern day Russia. As we closely analyze the relationships the protagonist develops and take into consideration of post-modernism as a corrupted trend, we can finally see the world as it is: tainted with political exploitations, marred with gender and class disparities, and influenced by the culture and the mindset of American lifestyle. Works Cited Carter, John. P ostmodernity and Welfare: When Worlds Collide. Social Policy Administration 32 (1998): 101-25. Connor, Steven. Postmodernist Culture : An Introduction to Theories of the Contemporary. New York: John Wiley Sons, Incorporated, 1996. 124. Elkind, Pete. The Truth About Halliburton. Fortune 151 (2005): 8-23. Gare, Arran. Post-modernism as the Decadence of the Social Democratic State. Democracy Nature: The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy 7 (2001): 77-99. Geffen, Rela. Exploring Jewish Social Networks. Contemporary Jewry 23 (2002): 64-82. Jameson, Fredric. Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. New York: Duke UP, 1991. 5-19. Kandiyoti, Deniz. The politics of gender and the Soviet paradox: neither colonized, nor modern. 22 Nov. 2008 . Libman, Aleksandr. Institutional Competition and Post-Soviet Transformation (The Influence of Informal Institutions). 2007. 29 Nov. 2008 . Nicholson, Linda. The Play of Reason : From the Modern to the Postmodern. New York: Co rnell UP, 1999. 112. Ojeili, Chamsy. Post-modernism, the Return to Ethics and the Crisis of Socialist Values. Democracy and Nature: The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy 8 (2002): 397-421. Shteyngart, Gary. Absurdistan. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2007.

Teach for America - Profile on the Teach for America Program

What is Teach for America: Part of Americorps, Teach for America is a national program for new and recent college graduates where they commit to teach for two years in a low-income school teaching disadvantaged students. The mission of the organization according to their website is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nations most promising future leaders in the effort. Since its inception in 1990, 17,000 individuals have participated in this rewarding program. Benefits of Participation: First and foremost, participating in Teach for America is a service organization where new teachers can truly make a difference right from the start. Over the course of the two years of involvement, teachers recive five weeks of intensive pre-service training and then ongoing professional development for the course of the program. Participants receive the pay and benefits of a typical teacher for the region where they are working. The program also provides teachers with loan forbearance along with $4,725 at the end of each year of service. They also provide transitional grants and loans ranging from $1000 to $6000. A Little Bit of History: Wendy Kopp presented the idea for Teach for America as an undergraduate at Princeton University. At the age of 21, she raised $2.5 million dollars and began recruiting teachers. The first year of service was in 1990 with 500 teachers. Today over 2.5 million students have been affected by this program. How to Get Involved: According to their website, Teach for America seeks a diverse group of promising future leaders who have the leadership skills to change the prospects of students.... Those recruited do not have to have any prior teaching experience. The competition is stiff. In 2007, only 2,900 were accepted out of 18,000 applicants. Applicants must apply online, participate in a 30 minute phone interview, and if invited attend a full-day face-to-face interview. The application is long and requires a lot of thought. It is suggested that applicants spend some time preparing for the application process before submitting. Issues and Concerns: While Teach for America is in many ways an excellent program, there are some concerns of which teachers should be aware. While according to studies including a recent one by the Urban Institute, teachers who work with Teach for America are in fact more effective than their traditional counterparts. On the other hand in terms of the experience for teachers, some new TFA teachers feel unprepared to be thrown into such a challenging teaching environment. It is important for any potential participant to fully investigate the Teach for America program and if possible speak with those who have actually participated in it.

Social Learning Theory And Social Theory - 1133 Words

There are many theories in the field of criminology that seek to explain the reasons behind why people commit crimes. Social process theory is one such theory and asserts that criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others (Schmalleger, 2012). There are four types of social process theories including: social learning theory, social control theory, labeling theory, and dramaturgical perspective. This paper will explore two of the theories including social learning theory and social control theory. The paper will discuss social process theory and the history of its development, the theory’s importance to criminology, examples of the theory, and any positives or negatives associated with the theory. Theory and the History of its Development Social Learning Theory Social Learning Theory is the process that occurs through observing the consequences of others and by determining if such behavior is worth replicating (Wallace, n.d.) Basically this theory suggests that humans learn by watching others. Social Learning Theory was developed in the 1930’s by Theorists, Edwin Sutherland, Robert Burgess, Ronald L. Akers, and Daniel Glaser. These theorists developed the learning theory by recognizing patterns of criminal behaviors and the types of values that went along with criminals, the way they lived and communicated which they called differential association (Schmalleger, 2012.) Another theorist that has helped in the development of theory is Albert Bandura. BanduraShow MoreRelatedThe Theory Of The Social Learning Theory2061 Words   |  9 PagesThe act of learning is an innate characteristic belonging to people across the globe. Learning can take place in many different forms (reading, writing, speaking, listening, excellency in a particular skill, etc.) and settings, generalizing from one content area to another. It also occurs at varying rates across a diverse spectrum of populations and can be influenced by any number of factors including personalities, perceived abilities, societal values and environment. Some individuals acquireRead MoreThe Theory Of Social Learning Theory1955 Words   |  8 PagesThis essay will demonstrate a knowledge and understanding and discuss the concept of social learning theory, whilst taking into consideration and explaining the way children learn and develop. This essay will focus on the overall concept of this theory and will explore the work of the theorist Albert Bandura and how he contributes to the role of the adult and their understanding of social learning. This essay will then examine the work of Urie Bronfenbrenner in relation to the work of Bandura. UsingRead MoreSocial Control Theory And Social Learning Theory2007 Words   |  9 Pagesor bad, but we really don’t k now why we make those choices. There is a point in life when you choose to be deviant. Social control theory and social learning theory suggest what makes us do the deviant behavior and what makes it different from one person to another. They both have to do with the world around us, but have different views on how you portray yourself from that. Social control is how you interact with society, and it suggest that if you are close to society you will have good behaviorRead MoreObservational And Social Learning Theory Essay899 Words   |  4 PagesActivity #1: Observational/Social Learning Theory The purpose of this paper is to discuss the validity of the Observational/Social Learning Theory. I will investigate what the observational/social learning theory is and its use in an everyday classroom environment. I will also relate this learning theory to any relevant Saint Leo core values. What is the observational/social learning theory? The observational learning theory, sometimes called the social learning theory, states that an individualRead MoreExplain the Social Learning Theory1737 Words   |  7 PagesExplain the Social Learning Theory, making reference to two relevant studies. By Tanisha Sabhaney Behaviouristic theories of learning are essentially theories of conditioning and emphasize the role of reinforcement in learning. One of the mot predominant theories is Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, which assumes that. People learn through observing others’ behavior, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors which is called observational learning, that is an indirect form of learning known asRead MoreEvaluation of Social Learning Theory1634 Words   |  7 PagesEvaluation of Social learning theory In this essay, I will try to evaluate Social learning theory as originated by Albert Bandura. I am going to use three pieces of evidence, in a form of case studies, which have been done previously to support or contradict Bandura’s theory. I will demonstrate my knowledge of these studies throughout their analysis, trying to highlight their strengths and limitations. Albert Bandura, a 20th century American pszchologist, proposed a very important and probablyRead MoreSocial Learning Theory Essay1057 Words   |  5 PagesAlbert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory describes the process through which people acquire new info, forms of behavior, or attitudes from others firsthand or vicariously. The likelihood of a behavior presenting itself will rely on the amount of reinforcement it receives and the value that the individual associates to it. While some behavior may be rewarded, others may produce unfavorable responses. An individual will learn from the consequences of these actions and when a similar situation arisesRead MoreEssay on Social Control Theory vs. Social Learning Theory1979 Words   |  8 PagesSocial Control Theory vs. Social Learning Theory Abstract Social control theory and social learning theory are two theories that suggest why deviant behavior is chosen to be acted upon by some individuals and not others. Both take a different stance on the issue. Social control theory suggests people’s behavior is based on their bonds to society, if they have strong bonds to society they conform and if not they have a tendency to act out or become involved in criminalRead MoreBandura s Social Learning Theory969 Words   |  4 Pagesthat make the most sense in the world. Something like the social learning theory was overlooked. But it has provided such great insight as to why we do certainly in our lives. Bandura’s theory has paved the way to many studies and has open our minds to the possibility that we affect each other in a way we would not imagine. I believe that this theory can shape a lot of people s lives. I agree with Albert Bandura’s social learning theory by modeling and in this paper, I will present an argu mentRead MoreSocial Learning Theory and The Effect of TV Violence on Children2115 Words   |  9 PagesSocial Learning Theory and The Effect of TV Violence on Children In the United States children watch an average of three to fours hours of television daily (Cantor Wilson, 1984, p. 28). Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of todays television programming is violent. Studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may become insensitive to violence. Consequently, they tend to gradually

Wmc Vs Sap

Question: Prepare a report identifying the causes of failure and recommendations to adopt a new ERP system. Answer: WMC claims against SAP WMC has sued SAP and they have given plenty of reasons to believe that SAP is fraudulent software. On the other end, SAP didnt utter a single word and hence, there are possibilities that the claims of WMC against SAP are true. Few of the claims that WMC has made against SAP are as follows: - The ERP software was not tested before it was implemented at WMC and hence, the software didnt work as committed by the company. This software was used by small waste management companies and now, it isnt modified to meet the requirements of one of the largest companies. The software was used in small sized European firms. The operation in US waste management companies is different and complex than the European waste management companies. WMC claims that the demo which SAP presented to them was fake as the mentioned functionalities were absent in the software when it was implemented in the real environment. The company states that the professionals in European companies may not be great with technology but that is not the case with the US professionals and German professionals. There was a eighteen month contract between SAP and WMC. SAP promised to customize everything on SAP R/3 platform but the software was actually developed by some oracle based companies. A simple revenue management operation was not able to run when the software was first implemented at WMC. The professionals at SAP tried to make it work with plenty of codes but things didnt work. After considering the situation, SAP promised to rework on the situation and make things possible by 2010. WMC will have to wait till then and hence, they will have to make further millions of investment Risks of ERP implementation There are various risks associated with ERP implementation in the organization. These risks werent understood by WMC and hence, they had to suffer. Few of the risks that have created an impact on the ERP implementation at WMC are as follows: - ERP cannot be considered to be software that can be used without any modification. This is one of the biggest mistakes that WMC did. The purchase of ERP decision should be outsourced to a consultancy rather than that of making the decision themselves WMC should have hired people with experience to work full time on SAP rather than that training the existing resources. The top management should have given a lot of importance to this project. They should have stated to the employees that this project is of utmost importance. An appropriate business plan would have helped the organization to understand the benefits that they would have received from the implementation of software. The management should communicate with the employees on daily basis regarding what things should have been taken care and what the things that they should have taken care. What SAP should have done? SAP should have been careful in certain areas as that would have helped SAP to deliver what WMC was expected. SAP should understand the requirements of the customer before they start with anything. Few of the things SAP should have done so that WMC wouldnt have sued the SAP company are as follows: - SAP should understand that their work doesnt end at implementation. They should have allowed one professional from SAP to be at WMC so that queries can be answered and sorted immediately. SAP should look for ways by which they can justify that all the features mentioned in the demo is real What should SAP do now? The mistake is done but now, SAP will have to look for ways by which they can safeguard their reputation in the market. If SAP is able to prove that they have all the features that have been mentioned during the demo then the company can just relax but that is not the case now. SAP doesnt have anything to say and hence, there are possibilities that WMC is true. Few of the things that SAP can do so that they can safeguard the reputation that they hold in the market are as follows: - SAP should repay the money that WMC has invested in SAP implementation. WMC has made a huge investment and hence, they wont let go SAP. It is better that SAP makes the payment rather than trying to prove when they dont have anything to prove. To retain their reputation in the market, SAP should customize the ERP to meet their business requirements. For SAP is able to provide something that WMC requires then the organization will be happy. Going forward, now of the companies will doubt the capability of SAP. If SAP doesnt do anything then the future potential clients will doubt the capability of SAP and its software.