Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller - 688 Words

Throughout the novel, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, it is very evident that the author embodies his perceptions of the American Dream through his character’s identity. We see how the life of an insignificant man unravels and creates chaos for his wife and eldest son Biff, while also seeing an unhealthy relationship develop between the two. Yet, despite the negative connotations that the novel presents to its readers, Death of a Salesman can be interpreted as a rhapsody of human nature instead of a tragic chronicle. Within the pages of this infamous novel, we see that Miller develops the concepts of liberation, individualism, and the American Dream. Through these concepts, we see how Willy Loman, our protagonist and Biff Loman, our antagonist, struggle with the pressures of an American socio-cultural driven era. Firstly, the ideology of liberation is bluntly scattered within the pages written by Miller. From the personal description of Biff’s younger years in hig h school to Willies ambition to become a wealthy salesman, the sense of wanting to achieve greatness is evidently present. We see that both of these characters are constantly attempting to remove the shackles of conformity through their efforts of wanting to leave a â€Å"thumbprint† for others to admire over time. Willies long life dream of wanting to be a successful sales man proves this statement; this character lives his entire life laboring to create a better future for his son and wife so that they couldShow MoreRelatedDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1387 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican play-write Arthur Miller, is undoubtedly Death of a Salesman. Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949 at the time when America was evolving into an economic powerhouse. Arthur Miller critiques the system of capitalism and he also tells of the reality of the American Dream. Not only does he do these things, but he brings to light the idea of the dysfunctional family. Death of a Salesman is one of America’s saddest tragedies. In Arthur Miller’s, Death of a Salesman, three major eventsRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller888 Words   |  4 PagesDeath of a Salesman† is a play written by Arthur Miller in the year 1949. The play revolves around a desperate salesman, Willy Loman. Loman is delusioned and most of the things he does make him to appear as a man who is living in his own world away from other people. He is disturbed by the fact that he cannot let go his former self. His wife Linda is sad and lonely; his youngest son Biff is presented as a swinger/player while his eldest son Happy appears anti-business and confused by the behaviorRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1573 Words   |  7 Pagesrepresents a character with a tragic flaw leading to his downfall. In addition, in traditional tragedy, the main character falls from high authority and often it is predetermined by fate, while the audience experiences cathar sis (Bloom 2). Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is considered to be a tragedy because this literary work has some of the main characteristics of the tragedy genre. In this play, the main character Willy Loman possesses such traits and behaviors that lead to his downfall, and theRead MoreDeath of Salesman by Arthur Miller972 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play Death of a Salesman by the playwright Arthur Miller, the use of names is significant to the characters themselves. Many playwrights and authors use names in their works to make a connection between the reader and the main idea of their work. Arthur Miller uses names in this play extraordinarily. Not only does Miller use the names to get readers to correlate them with the main idea of the play, but he also uses names to provide some irony to the play. Miller uses the meanings of someRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1628 Words   |  7 PagesArthur Miller wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning play Death of a Salesman in 1949. The play inflated the myth of the American Dream of prosperity and recognition, that hard work and integrity brings, but the play compels the world to see the ugly truth that capitalism and the materialistic world distort honesty and moral ethics. The play is a guide toward contemporary themes foreseen of the twentieth century, which are veiled with greed, power, and betrayal. Miller’s influence with the play spreadRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller949 Words   |  4 PagesDeath of a Salesman can be described as modern tragedy portraying the remaining days in the life of Willy Loman. This story is very complex, not only because of it’s use of past and present, but because of Willy’s lies that have continued to spiral out of control throughout his life. Arthur Miller puts a modern twist on Aristotle’s definition of ancient Greek tragedy when Willy Loman’s life story directly identifies the fatal flaw of the â€Å"American Dream†. Willy Loman’s tragic flaw can be recappedRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller846 Words   |  4 PagesA Dime a Dozen The Death of a Salesman is a tragedy written by playwright Arthur Miller and told in the third person limited view. The play involves four main characters, Biff, Happy, Linda, and Willy Loman, an ordinary family trying to live the American Dream. Throughout the play however, the family begins to show that through their endeavors to live the American Dream, they are only hurting their selves. The play begins by hinting at Willy’s suicidal attempts as the play begins with Linda askingRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller Essay2538 Words   |  11 PagesSurname 1 McCain Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course: Date: Death of a Salesman Death of a salesman is a literature play written by American author Arthur Miller. The play was first published in the year 1949 and premiered on Broadway in the same year. Since then, it has had several performances. It has also received a lot of accordances and won numerous awards for its literature merit including the coveted Pulitzer for drama. The play is regarded by many critics as the perfectRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller2081 Words   |  9 Pages#1 â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller is a tragedy, this play has only two acts and does not include scenes in the acts. Instead of cutting from scene to scene, there is a description of how the lighting focuses on a different place or time-period, which from there, they continue on in a different setting. The play doesn’t go in chronological order. A lot of the play is present in Willy’s flashbacks or memories of events. This provides an explanation of why the characters are acting a certainRead MoreDeath Of Salesman By Arthur Miller1475 Words   |  6 Pagesto death to achieve their so- called American dream. They live alone and there is no love of parents and siblings. They may have not noticed the America dream costs them so much, which will cause a bigger regret later. In the play Death of Salesman, Arthur Miller brings a great story of a man who is at very older age and still works hard to achieve his desire, which is the American dream. Later, he no tices that his youth is gone and there is less energy in his body. Willy Loman is a salesman, who

5 Key Terms Of Dramatism Example

Essays on 5 Key Terms Of Dramatism Coursework Reflection Discussion: 5 Key Terms of Dramatist In investigating the semantic dimensions of language, the five primal terms of dramatists are the best tools to use. However, from the real life experiences, there exist ambiguities in analyzing a situation using these terms. There exists a great variance in the analysis of different situations and thus the ambiguity. Besides, the interrelationships among these terms are eminent as it is revealed by encounters in the real world.When the five terms of dramatist are used to analyze a situation, the interrelationship between these terms is apparent. It is because some terms have to work together in forming a common ground or substance for a given situation (Burke XIX). For instance, dancing in a church can be considered inappropriate, whereas dancing in a wedding is granted. In this context, the scene, and the act have a strong relationship. The interrelationship is used as the ground for justifying the appropriateness of an act, given the prevailing scene.The terms also bring forth ambiguity when used in the analysis of situations. In fact, the social and political trends surrounding a given situation act as the sources of ambiguity (Burke XVII). For instance, one can consider voting as an act and the voters as the agents during an election. From a differing point of view, the votes and voters can all be seen as the agents of a politician or even part of the scene through which he or she gets into office. Also, war brings out the point of ambiguity clearly in the sense that; during a military officer regards war as scene because it inspires the nature of his training, another person views war as an agency because it is a means through which an end, victory, is achieved. Without doubt, different situations deserve different analysis when using the five key terms of the dramatist.Work CitedBurke, Kenneth. A Grammar of Motives. Berkeley, CA: Univ. of California Press, 2000. Print.

Burger King Beefs Up Global Operations Free Essays

This great fast food franchise was founded in 1954 by James Mclamore and his partner David Edgerton who are basically two very successful businessman in the fast food industry. Actually it’s because they had the knowledge of how to run restaurants successfully that they were able to make a great history of Burger King. The first outlet was created in Miami, Florida and at that time the restaurant we all know today was not called Burger King. We will write a custom essay sample on Burger King Beefs Up Global Operations or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was called Insta Burger King because they wanted to emphasize the fact that their food was done instantly so they could eat on the go. A Burger King franchise is expensive and you’d be surprised that although it is expensive almost 90% of franchises are not run by major enterprises. In fact many of them are run by family businesses and independent owners. ISSUE : Should Burger King develop and strategy where a greater percentage of it’s restaurants are company owned vs. franchised?Analysis : Yes – Answer (Why) : †¢Improved control over operations at the retail level. †¢Franchising provides both a legal and institutional structure allowing detailed control over the individual unit’s marketing and operational programs. If you believe that it is critical for each unit’s success (as well as that of the system as a whole) that each unit follow recommended marketing and operational guidelines, franchising provides one of the strongest methods of achieving that objective. †¢Ownership mentality.Similar to a dealership, but with more emphasis in franchising, particularly where being a business owner (not merely dealing with one product line among many) and is more likely to devote time, attention and capital to growing the business, following the approved system and not walking away from occasional b usiness challenges. As one observer put it: â€Å"The best fertilizer for growing a business is the owner’s foot firmly planted on the premises. † †¢Protect the Burger King image. †¢Building the Burger King reputation. †¢Greater loyalty to Burger King coporation. Company, wide marketing and support. †¢Easier franchise sales (both individual units and area development arrangements). †¢ Clustering units to achieve dominant local presence. †¢ Easier retail sales for franchised and company-owned units. †¢ Fewer â€Å"breakaways† from the system. †¢ Regional and national market penetration, with establishment of dominant market share †¢ Easier access to lenders and other financing sources. †¢ Easier access to desirable locations and favorable lease terms. †¢ Increased barriers to entry by competitive concepts. Analysis : No – Answer (Why) : Loss of franchise revenues in crisis risk to the Burger King corporation.†¢Although not unique to franchising, the franchise model (when well managed) often incorporates valuable strategic options including franchisee input and creative participation by franchisees. Since all of the participants are part of a single â€Å"system† with a common identity, franchisees are more likely to participate in initiatives for the expansion and proper operation of the entire enterprise, sometimes producing new ideas as well as alerting the franchisor to operational non-compliance problems created by other fr anchisees in the systems. Franchising provides both a legal and institutional structure allowing detailed control over the individual unit’s marketing and operational programs. If you believe that it is critical for each unit’s success (as well as that of the system as a whole) that each unit follow recommended marketing and operational guidelines, franchising provides one of the strongest methods of achieving that objective. Both among prospective owners and with the consuming public, franchise systems generally have a superior image over other distribution approaches, particularly if there is uniformity as to retail presentation, marketing methodology, operational compliance, etc. , precisely the things which are easier to achieve within a franchise framework. †¢ Higher initial franchise fees. †¢ Higher royalty levels. †¢ Ability to leverage brand identity and require Franchisees to finance marketing campaigns. †¢ Greater value when the Franchisor goes public or otherwise realizes the value attached to the brand.CONCLUSION : The history of Burger King shows that the founders wanted to create a warm feeling for the customers when they arrive in their restaurant and what better way of doing that than by handling the management over another family? It has been a little bit over 50 years now since its first outlet in the corporation is still running very strong. With a new competitor it becomes even harder and harder to create your own franchise and there is absolutely no sign of Burger King slowing down. How to cite Burger King Beefs Up Global Operations, Papers

Training and Development Program and Benefits †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Training and Development Program and Benefits. Answer: The group members would meet after every two months to develop and learn new skills that could add to their personality and make them an all rounded professional. The members of the group are required to be present on time and any delay could have severe consequences. If some emergency comes up, the members must inform the training manager so that the meeting could either be rescheduled or adjusted accordingly. The members must not try to offend the other members by their behavior and conduct and must show respect to their team members. Communication Strategies The communication strategy would be developed and created by the training manager. The training manager would be responsible to plan and develop a training and development program for the group members. After thorough research, it was evaluated that role play could be the best activity for the employees, which is likely to enhance their communication skills, public speaking skills and overall personality. A role play could involve several activities including working collaboratively with co-workers, handling disgruntled customers, conducting interviews, employee assessment and many more activities. Role would trigger the critical thinking aspect of the employees that would also help them to develop their problem solving skills. Following are the activities that could be used to enhance the skills and abilities of the group members. The group members must be equipped with the manners and etiquettes of working within a team. They should be able to positively interact with the other members in an organization (Dyer, 2007). This is required because an organization is likely to be encountered with issues and errors and the entire team must work collectively to work towards a common goal and resolve the problem (Barrick et al, 2007). The group members would be given a role of manager, team leader and executives who work within an organization. They would be handled an issue that is being faced by the organization for which they would have to make collective efforts to resolve it. For instance, one of the group members is manager, one is team leader and the other two executives. Now there happens to be an error within one of the project work that the team was handling for the past six months. All of the four members have gathered to resolve the issue collectively. The members would be able to learn how to tackle a critical situation calmly and patiently without offending the other team members of the group (Jehanzeb and Bashir, 2013)). One of the most difficult tasks of an organization is handling the angry customers especially those customers who have been unsatisfied with the services of the firm (Gruber, 2011). The activity would give the members to a real time problem and help them to realize their true potential. The team members would be designated the role of manager, customer care and customer who work for an organization. The task would be to handle one of the unsatisfied customers who have had very terrible experience with the companys products. The customer has called the customer care team to show his dissatisfaction with the services of the company. The customer care is now required to handle this angry customer who would off course be yelling at him. The customer service team must handle this critical issue very effectively by first of all calming down the customer and then offering him some offer or complimentary services (McColl-Kennedy, Sparks and Nguyen, 2011). The customer service team must under stand when to pitch in their manager if the situation is out of control. Interview is an integral part of an employees professional life. Every professional consistently prepares himself/herself for the interview by learning the latest industry trends. Interview involves several activities including curriculum vitae, formal dress up and preparing for questions. Thus, interview session would be conducted to prepare the team members with the latest industry trends. They would also learn how they should handle critical questions that are being asked by the HR to confuse the interviewee (Cumming and Worley, 2014). Apart from this, the activity would prepare the candidates to conduct interviews by interviewing each other. One of the members (leader) would be appointed as an HR of a company and would ask questions from the other team members. Giving Employee Evaluation Employee evaluation is an integral component of an organization that needs to be handled very effectively otherwise it could affect performance of an individual (Macwan and Sajja, 2014). A manager must be able to give evaluation of an employee without offending or hurting his sentiments. The role of the manager is to provide a direction to the employees by setting goals and objectives for tenure (Shields, 2015). The goal must be realistic and should be able to arouse a sense of common purpose among the individuals (Griffin and Moorhead, 2011). Thus, a manager must be able to evaluate the past performance of an individual so that he/she can hand him over future responsibilities that would boost his/her performance and would ultimately increase the productivity of the organization. Thus, a scenario would be created for the group members wherein they would be working for a fictitious organization and would be given the designation of manager and executives. The manager would be briefed about each and every employees performance so that he can present their evaluation. Further, the manager would also be responsible for developing goals and objectives for the organization and give a presentation in front of the other group members. Thus, the activity would give a real time experience to the group members by giving them exposure to a scenario (Aguinis and Kraiger, 2009)). The manager would be able to learn goal setting and presenting it to the employees. He would also be able to learn how to present the weaknesses and strengths of an employee without offending him/her. One of the team members would be appointed as the group leader who would actively handle all the group activities ranging from setting schedule to time table. The leader would also be responsible for making arrangements for the activity. The leader appointed would be responsible, detail oriented and would have effective communication skills so that he can convey the message to all the team members (Northouse, 2012). Process for Identifying and Dealing with Conflict Conflict Resolution Process Conflict is likely to arise within a group due to different thinking process of individuals. Conflict occurs due to clash of ideas and thoughts within a group. Conflict is considered healthy for a group but needs to be handled effectively so as to not waste energy, time and other resources of the organization (Tjosvold, 2008). There would be times when tension would arise within the group due to clash of opinion. During the meeting, the people may enter into debate and argument regarding the activities to be conducted. Since every member is looking forward for his/her personal gain due to which he/she is likely to enter into an argument. There could be clash regarding the distribution of roles in the activities conducted and every member would want to play the role of manager (Behfar et al, 2008). In order to prevent this conflict, the team leader could step up and make everyone understand that ever group member would get a fair chance to demonstrate his/her potential strengths and s kills. Each and every member would be able to play the role of manager through different activities. This would prevent the conflict by satisfying the other group members and also giving them a fair chance to play each and every role. There are overall four activities that would be conducted for the group. Every activity would be conducted after a time interval of one month so that the members get some time to learn from the previous activity. The first activity is Working Collaboratively With Coworkers that would be conducted to make the members understand the true potential of team work. The second activity is Handling Disgruntled Customers that would be conducted 30 days after the first activity. The third activity is Conducting Interview that would also be conducted after a months duration after second activity. The fourth activity Employee Evaluation would be conducted 30 days after the third activity. Activity 1 Working Collaboratively With Coworkers Day 1 Activity 2 Handling Disgruntled Customers Day 31 Activity 3 Conducting Interview Day 61 Activity 4 Employee Evaluation Day 91 References Aguinis, H. and Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and teams, organizations, and society.Annual review of psychology,60, pp.451-474. Barrick, M.R., Bradley, B.H., Kristof-Brown, A.L. and Colbert, A.E., 2007. The moderating role of top management team interdependence: Implications for real teams and working groups.Academy of Management Journal,50(3), pp.544-557. Behfar, K.J., Peterson, R.S., Mannix, E.A. and Trochim, W.M. (2008). The critical role of conflict resolution in teams: a close look at the links between conflict type, conflict management strategies, and team outcomes.Journal of applied psychology,93(1), p.170. Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G. (2014).Organization development and change. Boston: Cengage learning. Dyer, W.G. (2007).Team building. US: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Griffin, R. and Moorhead, G. (2011).Organizational behavior. Ontario: Nelson Education. Gruber, T. (2011). I want to believe they really care: How complaining customers want to be treated by frontline employees.Journal of Service Management,22(1), pp.85-110. Jehanzeb, K. and Bashir, N.A. (2013). Training and development program and its benefits to employee and organization: A conceptual study.Training and Development,5(2). Macwan, N. and Sajja, P.S. (2014). A Linguistic Fuzzy Approach for Employee Evaluation.International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering. McColl-Kennedy, J.R., Sparks, B.A. and Nguyen, D.T., 2011. Customer's angry voice: Targeting employees or the organization?.Journal of Business Research,64(7), pp.707-713. Northouse, P.G. (2012).Leadership: Theory and practice. California: Sage. Shields, J., Brown, M., Kaine, S., Dolle-Samuel, C., North-Samardzic, A., McLean, P., Johns, R., Robinson, J., O'Leary, P. and Plimmer, G. (2015). Managing Employee Performance Reward: Concepts, Practices, Strategies. Cambridge University Press. Tjosvold, D. (2008). The conflict?positive organization: It depends upon us.Journal of Organizational Behavior,29(1), pp.19-28.

Approaches To Environmental Ethics And KantS Principle Essays

Approaches To Environmental Ethics And Kant'S Principle 1. All of the three approaches to environmental ethics use Kants principle to various extents. The differences between them lie in their individual definitions of moral categories. Its like looking at the same slide under three different powers on a microscope. Each approach relies on Kants principle to protect the interest of that which they deem worthy. Baxters anthropocentric approach clearly states that our obligations regarding the environment are to be determined solely on the basis of human interests. Our welfare depends on breathable air, drinkable water and edible food. Thus, polluting the environment to the extent that it damages the air, water and land is unacceptable because it damages public welfare. Animals and plants are considered non-rational beings and are therefore not considered in the same moral category as humans. However, Baxter does not approve of mass destruction of these objects because people do depend on them in many ways and they should be preserved to the degree that humans depend on them. Clean air and water are good for plants and animals, too, so they will benefit from humankinds attention to environmental ethics, but their preservation will in no way take precedence over any human interests. We change the power on the microscope to look at Rollins argument for a sentientist approach. With this view, the moral category includes all sentient beings, not just human beings. Rollins believes that any being possessing an awareness of the senses that does not involve thought or perception has intrinsic value and is an end-in-themselves. He contends that animal interests must also be considered when determining our environmental obligations. Thus, we might have a moral obligation to preserve some natural habitat that is of no value to human beings if its destruction would harm some non-human beings. Another adjustment to the microscope, and we can examine Leopolds biocentric opinion of how environmental ethics should be governed. His approach enlarges the moral category to include soils, waters, plants and animals and claims our obligation is to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. Philosophers Devall and Sessions further define the biocentric view with the concept of deep ecology. Devall and Sessions argue that the well-being and flourishing of human and non-human life have value in themselves. These values are independent of the usefulness of the non-human world for human purposes. (503) 2. Autonomy and liberty have almost the same definitions and I believe that both Nielson and Hospers were trying to convey the same point, but at the same time have different views of the two shown by the context they used them in. Nielson states, An autonomous person is a person who is able to set her ends for herself and in optimal circumstances is able to pursue those ends. (359) In Hospers explanation of his second classification of human rights, the right to liberty, he states there should be no laws compromising in any way freedom of speechThere should be no censorshipby government. (353) Comparing these two interpretations, we see that both are essentially stating that a person has the right to do anything they please, and in the case of liberty, the right not to have interference by the community or the government. The difference can be seen clearly by using the employee example. Nielson claims that workers have the right to do what they want and Hospers declares that they ha ve the privilege to work and the owners have the final say about what the workers do. Hence, in the eyes of these two authors, autonomy is inherent whereas liberty is earned. Anyone can be autonomous whereas if a person doesnt respect other peoples rights then they will not earn the right to liberty and freedom. The idea of freedom and liberty seem to embody the same principal. Nielson declares Freedom does not only mean being autonomous; it also means the absence of unjustified political and social interference in the pursuit of ones ends. (359) Therefore, if one is autonomous they have the rights to live their lives to their accordance. To have liberty and freedom, however, one can live their life to their choosing, but must not negatively infringe on another persons life. 3.

Advertising strategies of Pepsi-Cola

Advertising strategies of Pepsi-Cola Advertising strategies of Pepsi-ColaPepsi-Cola, produced in 1898, has had relatively successful history with the American society. According to an article titled "Coca-Cola," "Coke lost market share to competitor Pepsi-Cola, produced by PepsiCo, which for the first time topped Coca-Cola in sales" (par. 3). In 1954 an array of advertisements came about beginning with the slogan "The Light Refreshment" which later on incorporated "Refreshing Without Filling". After viewing an array of advertisements from this time period, it is clear that these slogans intended to appeal to upper class, wealthy individuals and women who were concerned with their weight. According to a web article entitled "The Evolution of Pepsi: From Sophistication to Sexiness," "At Pepsi's beginning, the marketers targeted the American woman's concern of enhancing her sophisticated and feminine appeal, reflecting America's idealized notion of beauty" (Reimer, Humble, Seldin). However, in 1984 Pepsi launched their new advertisement tactic "Pepsi.Seldin's, 419 Lafayette St., Utica, N. Y.The Choice of a New Generation" which greatly incorporated the use of sex appeal. Pepsi's main reasoning for this seems to have been that they believed that the society was transforming into a more sex driven place, therefore, incorporating sex would increase product sales. Pepsi's advertising has been geared toward the idea of wealth, weight loss, and the use of sex appeal in order successfully gross large sales for their product, however, they have done so by deceivingly making faulty promises that their product cannot keep.A specific advertisement with the "Light Refreshment" slogan from the year 1960 displays a male and female who appears to be very classy and wealthy. The male is sitting in front of the piano and the female is lustfully pointing her finger towards the male while holding a glass of Pepsi in her hand. One noticeable symbol in the advertisement is the...

Practice week Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Practice week - Assignment Example The evaluation and designing of data gathering tools has resulted in the collection of the following data on the problem of physical inactivity among the youths. The United Kingdom department of Health and Human Services recommends that young people between the ages of 18-25 should participate in at least sixty minutes of physical activity. However, this is not usually the case because only 18% of young people within this age are those who are active physically. 29 % of young people of this age have a record of attending physical education only in institutions of learning while the rest do not attend any form of physical fitness exercise (Humphreys & Ruseski, 2007, p. 541). Lack of physical activity affects academic achievement of a person such as concentration and attentiveness in classroom. 34% of academic mischievous individuals results due to lack of physical activity. According to Humphreys and Ruseski (2007, p. 544), physical inactivity influences overweight and obesity and increases the risks of one getting diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, high blood pressure, poor health status and arthritis. Over 60 % of deaths and diagnose cases of the above conditions among affected individual has its roots from lack of physical activity. Physical inactivity influences and raises the chances of a person dying prematurely, developing diabetes, dying of heart diseases and colon cancer (Humphreys & Ruseski, 2007, p. 545). 58 % of problems and general deaths in hospitals arising from the above conditions have their causes traced from physical inactivity. From the data gathering and information collection, 77% percent of individuals between ages 18 and 25 years reported not to have participated in a free-time physical activity during the previous fourteen days. Instead, only 15.1% have participated in not more than sixty minutes of any

History of US Army National Guard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

History of US Army National Guard - Essay Example In 1636 Massachusetts followed in the footsteps of Virginia and established laws for militia on 13th December at the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Dutch settlers in America also formed an organization on the similar lines as the English militia and named it the Burgher Guard. However, in 1653 the Dutch and the English engaged in a conflict over land. Such conflicts would arise time and again but in 1964 the British captured Amsterdam and the Burgher Guard surrendered and was then transformed to foot soldiers under the leadership of Captain Nicholas Bayard. The militia of each colony was responsible for its own funding and upkeep, thus the militia of each colony was vastly different from one another on basis of military equipments and substantial training. The militia assisted the Continental army during the Revolutionary wars and though it is believed that the militia had no crucial role in the winning strategy, it steadily gained importance. The Continental Congress passed its own f irst Militia Act on 18th July, 1775 while New York coded its own Provincial Militia Act on 22nd August, 1775. Federalists were of the opinion that instead of a militia regiment, fully trained and professional soldiers should be hired. But, no one paid attention to their arguments. In fact in 1776, New York’s militia was reorganized into two divisions. The first division included all the Manhattan (present New York) units while the Second division included the rest of the units. Again in 1789 the U.S constitution was signed and soon after in 1792 the U.S. Militia Act was passed. Both these steps proved that U.S supported the idea of including citizens in the military. Though such measures showed the firm belief that the Government had in the militia’s ability, but for some time the ability could not be tested because there was no such need. But, soon enough the militia got an opportunity to display its skills to safeguard the interests of the U.S. The British and the Fr ench were engaged in wars between themselves which interfered with the sea-trading rights of the U.S. The goods ship of several U.S. merchants were seized by the Europeans illegally At last the U.S congress had no other choice but to propose the Embargo Act in 1807 on the recommendation of President Thomas Jefferson which was finally passed as law on 22nd decenber,1907. On12th February, 1808, New York successfully passed the Act of Defense of the Northern and Western Frontiers, to protect its own interests. This increased hostility among the countries and in June, 1812. U.S declared war on Great Britain. This war, known as the War of 1812, continued for almost three years. However, here again the militia had no substantial role in the victory, because the militia was poorly funded and lacked good equipment and leadership. Yet, the U.S won because of the fact that Britain had no interests in the war and was fighting it almost for show. In fact all of Britain’s resources were e ngaged in war with France. Even after defeating France in the wars, Britain had no interests in the War of 1812 and again engaged herself with the colonization of the Eastern parts. The U.S had won the War but Britain did not acknowledge the defeat and offered peace to U.S on 11th February, 1815. The treaty of peace was signed on 20th

Logistics Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Logistics Management - Essay Example You are a consultant who has been asked to write a report that discusses what logistic management would involve for clothing manufacturing firms sourcing in the Pacific Rim. The objectives of the report are to explain with reference to the literature the logistics requirements for getting the supplies from the Pacific Rim to Australia, write an action plan that lists the steps of logistics management, describe each of the steps by stating what will be done and why it will be done, and discuss the constraints of logistics management in meeting the clothing firms' sourcing needs. This is to be accomplished thorugh writing an academic report; providing an executive summary, introduction, and conclusion; using the report as a way to demonstrate knowledge of the course content, including the textbook and additional readings that have been utilized, using appropriate headings, using 8 references, using minimal direct quotes, using text referencing and a reference list; and ensuring all aspects of the marketing guide are satisfied. Global sourcing is a procurement strategy aimed at exploiting global efficiencies in production. While a global sourcing process is usually initiated as a mechanism of exploiting cross-geographic arbitrages (simply put, identifying cheaper global sources), it is now a standard step in the global expansion of firms. Global sourcing advantages extend to identifying alternate supplier sources, utilizing buffer capacities and taking advantage of specific geographical talent pools (Wikipedia 2008). The textbook containing this case study also encompasses the entire concept of the supply chain. The supply chain can be defined as: A supply chain, logistics network, or supply network is the system of organizations, people, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer. Supply chains link value chains. A typical supply chain begins with the extraction of raw material and includes several production links, for instance; component construction, assembly and merging before moving onto several layers of storage facilities of ever decreasing size and ever more remote geographical locations, and finally reaching the consumer. Many of the exchanges encountered in the supply chain will therefore be between different companies who will seek to maximize their revenue within their sphere of interest, but may have little or no knowledge or interest in the remaining players in the supply chain. (Wikipedia 2008) The purpose of this report is to discuss what logistics management would involve for clothing manufacturing firms sourcing in the Pacific Rim. In doing so, the purpose is to explain with reference to the literature the logistics requirements for getting the supplies from the Pacific Rim to Australia, write an Action Plan that lists the steps of logistics management, describe each of the steps by stating what will be done and why it will be done, and discuss the constraints of logistics management in meeting the clothing firms' sourcing needs. Given in the case study is that: Global sourcing has become a widely

Nigerian Financial System Overview

Nigerian Financial System Overview The Nigerian financial system is made up of two sub sectors; the formal and the informal sub sectors. The formal sub sector comprises of the regulatory bodies, money market, capital market, foreign exchange markets, insurance companies, brokerage firms, deposit money banks (DMBs), development finance and other financial institutions. As at the end of March 2010, there were 24 deposit money banks(DMBs), 5discount houses(DHs), 941 microfinance banks(MFBs), 107 finance companies(FCs), 101 primary mortgage institutions(PMIs), 13 pension fund administrators(PFAs), 5 pension fund custodians(PFCs), 1 stock exchange, 1 commodity exchange, 1621 bureau-de-change operators(BDCs), 690 securities brokerage firms, 5 development finance institutions(DFIs) and 73 insurance companies. The informal sub sector includes self-help groups, financial cooperatives and credit associations. It is imperative to know that there is a weak relationship between the informal sub sector and the formal sub sector (financial stability report, 2010) Discount House Sub Sector Overview: Discount Houses in Nigeria were first established in 1993. They were licensed to commence operations with just three discount houses as players. Their number later increased to five and their foundation can be linked to Great Britain, which is generally regarded as the origin of discount houses. These institutions evolved to provide a link between the banks and the Bank of England by serving as a channel for the interchange of banks funds as well as providing access to the Bank of England as a lender of last resort (Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, ) and in like manner discount houses in Nigeria are to act as intermediaries between the Central Bank of Nigeria and other licensed banks in Nigeria in Open Market Operations transactions (Revised Guidelines for Discount Houses, 2004). There are five discount houses in Nigeria wholly owned by consortiums of banks and other financial institutions as allowed in the Discount House guidelines 2004 by the Central Bank of Nigeria. However the maximum permissible equity holding for any single investor in a discount house is 40% (Revised Guidelines for Discount Houses, 2004).These Discount Houses are named as follows: Associated Discount House Limited (ADHL), Consolidated Discount Limited (CDL), Express Discount House Limited (EDL), First Securities Discount House Limited (FSDH) and Kakawa Discount House Limited (KDHL).They fall under a common umbrella referred to as Nigerian Discount Market Association. They are presently not listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The Discount House sub sector is highly regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria requiring of them their daily, weekly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports showing the state of their affairs. Their daily operational activities include the injection and the withdrawal of funds by the Central bank of Nigeria from the money market through them (Ezirim and Enefaa, 2010) of which they must invest 60% of their deposit liabilities in government securities at any point in time (Revised Guidelines for Discount Houses, 2004). By this a balance is maintained in the economy thereby guarding liquidity. Apart from this function, the discount houses also facilitate the issuance and sale of short term Government securities, provide discount/re-discount facilities for treasury bills, government securities and other eligible financial instruments, accept short-term investments on an intermediary basis from banks and wholesale investors and lastly provide short term financial accommodation to banks (Revised Guidelines for Discount Houses, 2004). Services and Financing of the Discount Houses Discount Houses offer a wide range of financial products to Banks, Non-Bank Financial Institutions and the general public. The main services include: (a) Securities trading which includes buying and selling of: Treasury Bills, Treasury Bonds, Government Bonds, and Commercial Bills; (b) Accepting short-term investments from banks and providing short-term accommodation to banks; (c) Short-term financial intermediation through the acceptance of funds and simultaneous investment of the funds in: Commercial Papers, Bankers Acceptances, Government Securities; (d) Providing personalized wealth management to high net-worth individuals through a network of investment managers, financial consultants and other specialists; (e) Effective portfolio management on both discretionary and non-discretionary basis through the provision of medium to long term investment management services to: Pension funds, Private clients, Employee Schemes, Trustees of family settlements and charities; and (f) Providi ng Business Solutions in: Financial Arrangement and Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Privatization, Business Assessment, Business Structuring, and Data Resource and Management (Revised Guidelines for Discount Houses, 2004) The Sources of funds for discount houses in Nigeria include: (a) Equity Paid- up Capital and Reserves. (b) Call money and short-term borrowings of not more than three years maturity. (C) Call money placed by banks with discount houses shall form part of the specified liquid assets of the respective banks for the purpose of the liquidity ratio requirement. A discount house that is short of funds may: (i) obtain from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) an overnight advance against acceptable collateral. However such an advance shall not exceed 20 percent of the total assets of the discount house and shall not in any event be granted if the discount house has exceeded the borrowing limit as prescribed by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); (ii) sell short-term bills and/or other securities to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) shall provide rediscounting facilities for treasury and other eligible securities; and (iii) enter into Repurchase transactions with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) using eligible securities(Revised Guidelines for Discount Houses, 2008) The Discount House Sub-Sector Environment: The discount house sector is greatly influenced and controlled by environmental forces; global and domestic. The global economic environment shows that the global economic crisis appeared to have eased off in the latter part of 2009 but general optimism is being replaced with pessimism of a double dip recession, as fears grow that governments and policy makers around the world might be forced (due to pressure or mistakes) to remove monetary and fiscal props, too soon. So even though developed economies are gradually beginning to come out of the general recession, the situation is still delicate (First Securities Discount House, 2009). In emerging market economies, growth has been robust but inflationary pressures are strong and on the rise. The negative impact of the political crises in the oil-producing Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on oil prices and the disruptions and destructions associated with the earthquake and tsunami in Japan have added to uncertainty about the sustainability of global economic recovery and growth%( Central Bank of Nigeria communiquà © No 75, 2011). This has great implications on the discount houses with Nigeria being a developing and emerging economy and the effect of the global crises is strongly felt with a probability of increases in the international interest rate. The domestic economic environment is being characterised by a fluctuating inflation rate which has significant impact on interest and lending rates. It has been a herculean task trying to bring down the inflation rate to a single digit as proposed and rather the rate rose from 11.1% as at March, 2011 to 12.8% in April, 2011(Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, 2011). This inflationary rise still has a tendency to heighten further as a result of the general increase in global and food prices. The operating economic environment is full of challenges as there are array of issues. In March 2011, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank increased MPR from 6.5% to 7.5% maintaining interest rate corridor of +/-2% around the MPR. By this, the Standing Lending Facility Rate (rate at which CBN lends to Banks and Discount Houses as bank of last resort) became 9.5% and has remained so. On the other hand, the Standing Deposit Rate (rate at which Banks and Discount Houses place excess funds with the Central Bank of Nigeria) remained at 4 %. Also the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was projected to grow by 7.43 per cent in the first quarter of 2011 making the outlook for 2011 to be generally good, given the expected improvement in the oil economy and the growing emphasis on the development of non-oil sector and key infrastructure (Central Bank of Nigeria communiquà © No 75, 2011). Finally on the political scene, the year 2011 being an election year for Nigeria, there are a lot uncertainties associated with the electoral process and the election results and this could affect the discount house sub sector and the Nigerian economy as a whole and it is projected that the effect of these uncertainties will result in higher exchange rate risks with lower reserves and high spending-currency devaluation possible and that Inflation will remain over 10% with implications for demand, input costs and projects(Resource and Trust Company Limited, 2011). Competitiveness In The Discount House Sub- Sector The discount house sub sector is just a small sector in a large financial sector with just a few players who are almost of equal standing; hence, there is strong competition among the services providers which have led to innovation, efficiency and the upgrade of competitive advantage by the players. The provision of specialised personalised services allowable within the scope of the discount house guidelines. Example is the personal pension plan developed by Consolidated Discount Limited which was created as a way of preparing clients to be less vulnerable to loss of earning capacity after retirement (Consolidated Discount Limited, 2009). Also Associated Discount House Limited in conjunction with the Debt Management Office (DMO) of Nigeria organized an awareness seminar on 12 February, 2009 to enkindle the interest of retail investors both local, international and in the diasporas in Federal Government of Nigeria Bonds (Associated Discount House Limited, 2009). Opportunities In The Discount House Sub- Sector Without gainsaying, there are opportunities in Discount Houses businesses (if not many) which gives them an edge over banks and other specialised banks. As earlier inferred, discount houses are allowed to offer certain unique financial services which puts them almost in the same stand as banks and even much more but they cannot be referred to as banks and one of the reasons is because there is minimum paid up capital imposed on the regular banks which amounts to N25,000,000,000.00(Twenty five billion naira) only at any point in time. For the discount houses sub sector, the minimum paid up capital shall be N1,000,000,000.00(One billion naira) only or as may be prescribed by Central Bank of Nigeria from time to time (Revised Guidelines for Discount Houses, 2008). There is a revised Guideline for year 2008 which also relaxes the ownership of Discount Houses to now include non-financial institutions and individuals. This revision provides the opportunity for Discount Houses to grow their capital base to enable them to explore new areas of business and boost their profitability (Kakawa Discount House, 2009). Discount Houses have sizable support from the Central Bank of Nigeria being the lender of last resort facility. Discount Houses are able to offer highly attractive pricing on Treasury Bills and other risk-free government debt instruments because of the significant concessions available to them from the Central Bank of Nigeria Discount Houses are tightly regulated therefore danger signals (if any) are easily detectable. Being specialist institutions, Discount Houses are proactive in managing money market trends to the advantage of their clients. Unlike other deposit taking institutions, the financial assets acquired by Discount Houses are of the finest quality with little or no credit risk (Express Discount House Limited). Threats To The Discount House Sub- Sector Naturally the discount house sub sector is faced with its own threats and challenges as from inception, discount houses operated in an environment that could termed as unusual or abnormal. There was a distress situation in the banking sector which was at its peak and most banks patronized discount houses in order to ensure the safety of their funds, but with the return of orderliness and calm, discount houses patronage by banks reduced. Rather, the interbank and foreign exchange markets seem to have provided more attractive trading options for the banks, to the detriment of the discount houses. Licensing of additional discount houses to make the total number of discount houses 5 proved to be a challenge as it had an adverse effect on the total turnover of the discount house sub sector, following the initial boom from the year of operations of 1993 where total asset stood at N9,600,000,000.00(Nine billion, six hundred million naira) only which dropped significantly to N3,400,000,000.00(Three billion, four hundred million naira) only in 1995 following the entrance of a new entrant into the market. With these happenings, licensing of new discount houses might still impact on the sub-sector further negatively. Their narrow scope of operations has also proven to be a major challenge for the Discount House sub sector being a specialised bank is inhibiting a lot of opportunities for expansion (Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, 2010). Finally, from the inception, discount houses had the exclusive right to conduct Open Market Operations transactions (OMO). Open Market Operations (OMO) is an indirect monetary policy technique that is used to control the level of money supply. It involves the sale/purchases of money market instruments in the open market; these instruments being Nigerian treasury bills (Ezirim and Enefaa, 2010). With the Central Bank of Nigeria opening up the window to banks as well, the discount house sub sector lost the sole right of Open market Operations. Conclusion In spite of all the challenges and threats faced by the Discount House sub sector, the Discount Houses are still are very vital part of Nigeria as an emerging economy and just the existing players in the market are not enough to keep a balanced financial sector and the economy as a whole. In the light of the fact that the Central Bank of Nigeria as the major regulator keeps on revisiting and revising the guidelines of the Discount House sub sector, there is hope yet still for growth, expansion, innovation and maximum output which should encourage new players to participate. Part 2 Strategy Overview Strategy is a plan or blueprint of what an organisation intends to achieve and how to go about it. Artto, Kujala, Dietrich and Martinsuo (2008) define strategy as a firms goal to attain a desired position in its competitive external environment. This is in line with Kenneth Andrew (1987) school of thought that views strategy from the corporate angle where he views corporate strategy as the nature of decisions a company takes which reveals its short and long term goals, how it plans to go about achieving these goals and how its outcome will affect all stakeholders and community at large. There is a popular belief that an organization that fails to plan or strategise, plans to fail and Goold (1996) goes on further to share his own view when he says that matured businesses can easily become staid and resistant to change. Usually this behaviour leads them to a decline and the only way it can regain its position is through strategy or change in strategy. This resolve usually involve the p ursuit, accomplishment, and maintenance of competitive advantage in its industry (Varadarajan and Clark cited in Morgana and Strong, 2003). Whittington (2001:10) summarises it all when he says strategy is all about thinking better and thinking differently and claims that a good strategy means doing something different from every other person. But there are pitfalls to strategy as Mintzberg (1994) puts forward the question; is a climate conducive to strategic planning necessarily one conducive to effective strategic thinking and acting? He claims that there are underlying issues which affects the ability of plans to make head way and emphasizes that these issues are neither technical nor analytical but rather human (Abel and Hammond cited in Mintzberg, 1994). But Smith and Reese (1999) argue that as long as there is a fit or alignment between operational elements and business then there should be no pitfalls where he defines fit as the degree to which operational elements match the business strategy. Alternative Approaches to Strategy: Similarities and Differences There are various approaches to strategy but Whittington (2000) classifies strategy into four approaches: the Classical, Evolutionary, Processualist and Systemic. He further analyses each approach as follows: The classical approach sees strategy as a process of rational deliberation, calculation and analysis, intended to achieve long-term benefit and that good planning is what it takes to master internal and external environments. The Evolutionary approach analyses strategy from the point of view that rational long term planning is often irrelevant and that successful strategies only emerge as the process of natural selection. The Processualist approach sees long term planning as basically pointless, but they are not overly pessimistic about the fate of businesses that do not somehow optimize environmental opportunities as they see inability or failure to think up and carry out the perfect strategic plan is hardly going to deliver any serious competitive disadvantage. Finally the Systemic approach to strategy proposes that the objectives and practices of strategy depend on the particular social system in which strategy- making takes place in other words organizations strategic planning is basically influenced and controlled by the social system in which it operates. Meaning the demographic setting of the organizations environment needs to be taken into consideration when strategizing. In analyzing the similarities and differences of these approaches, their style or processes and their end result is paramount. In comparing the classical and evolutionary approaches to strategy, Whittington (2001:2) posits profit maximization as the natural outcome of strategy-making. This he made in reference from the point of view of their end result which is profit or return on capital. These approaches associate profitability with strategy and believe the higher the level of strategy employed, the higher and better the profit generated. This view is shared by (Friedman and Baumol cited in Vining and Meredith, 2000) where they argue that the only appropriate goal or strategy in any organisation is to maximize profit and that any other goal is considered inappropriate. As much the classical and evolutionary approaches are similar in terms of profit maximization being their goal; they differ in style and processes. The classical approach adopts a style of rational planning (Whittington, 2000:11) whereas the evolutionary approach lacks confidence in rational planning where they argue that no matter the level or intensity of strategy, the outcome is usually driven by market dictates and how well a manager is able to perform and that investing in long term strategies can be counter productive (Whittington, 2000: 19). In this instance, the evolutionary approach can be compared with the Processualist approach to strategy in that they also do not believe in rational planning. This view is shared by Peppard 1995, who argues that in a claim to gaining competitive advantage, management develop strategies with seemingly superiority above others which is just a way of them being seen to be doing something and not necessarily hope to achieve anything by their strategies. By this claim, peppard tries to show that rational planning is just an act which is not necessarily relevant to the overall performance of the organisation but it is something that is done for the corporate image. His view is supported by Cyert and March ( cited in Whittington 2000:22) who argue that firms can plan in such a way that major strategy sessions could be cut off and yet still deliver just enough to keep everyone satisfied. Although the processualist approach is similar to the evolutionary approach in terms of processes and style, that where all their similarity ends because in terms of outcome. The Processualist approach can be compared with the systemic approach of strategy whose school of thought sees not only profit maximization but other outcomes as a an end result of strategy (Whittington 2000: 21 27). Werther Jr and Chandler (2005) argue that firms are continuously appraised in terms of both the financial and social benefits that result from their corporate actions or strategies. The systemic approach proposes that firms differ according to the social and economic systems in which they are embedded (Whittington, 2000:27) thereby viewing strategy as being guided and controlled by the environmental forces in which they operate. In the same spirit, the processualist advice against striving after unattainable ideal of rational fluid action, but to accept and work with the world as it is (Whittington, 2000:21). Finally, the systemic approach can be compared with the classical approach in that they both believe in rational planning and do retain faith in the capacity of organizations to plan forward and to act effectively within their environment'(Whittington 2000:26). This view is shared by Casadesus-Masanell and Ricart, (2010) when they opined that strategy is a high-order choice that has profound implications on competitive outcomesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. and strategy should contain provisions against a range of environmental contingencies, whether they take place or not and Stallwood (1996) maintains that strategy is necessary but insists that whatever strategy is used must be appropriate and simple enough for it to become adopted by an organization without necessarily having to change after its initial usage. Conclusion Strategy can be seen as a means of avoiding [perhaps] costly and damaging warfare (University of Leicester, 2009:90) and it is quite clear that all the approaches of strategy have their own benefits even though they are similar and also dissimilar in their own unique ways. Therefore which ever method adopted should be seen to add to an organizations performance and must be duly analysed and deliberated on ensuring it is in alignment with the organizations goals and objectives before adoption.

The Marshall Plan Essay -- George C. Marshall The Marshall Plan Essays

The Marshall Plan First and foremost, a great deal of Europe’s success would not have happened without its initial aid from the United States. After helping destroy so much of the continent, the U.S. pumped billions and billions of dollars back into the European economy through The Marshall Plan. It was named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who said â€Å"The world of suffering people looks to us for leadership. Their thoughts, however, are not concentrated alone on this problem. They have more immediate and terribly pressing concerns where the mouthful of food will come from, where they will find shelter tonight, and where they will find warmth. Along with the great problem of maintaining the peace we must solve the problem of the pittance of food, of clothing and coal and homes. Neither of these problems can be solved alone. (DeLong)† In the first two post-World War II years the U.S. contributed through this plan, about four billion dollars a year to relief and reconstruction. The Marshall Plan continued these flows at comparable rates and was a multi-year commitment. From 1948 to 1951, the U.S. contributed $13.2 billion to European recovery. $3.2 billion went to the United Kingdom, $2.7 billion to France, $1.5 billion to Italy, and $1.4 billion to the Western-occupied zones of Germany (DeLong). An astounding $15.5 billion had been provided to Europe before the Marshall plan was enacted (Wegs, 66). The availability of Marshall Plan aid gave European countries a pool of resources that could be used to cushion the wealth losses sustained in restructuring. Countries that received large amounts of money from the Marshall Plan invested more. Countries could buy the amounts of coal, cotton and petroleum needed (all of these were in short supply) when needed because of Marshall Plan aid. Great Britain used the Marsh all Plan aid to retire public debt (DeLong). The Marshall Plan did have strings attached however. Countries had to agree to balance government budgets, restore internal financial stability, and stabilize exchange rates at realistic levels. Marshall plan aid was available only if Europe was committed to the "mixed economy" with the market playing a large part in the mix (DeLong). On their own, some countries were able to rebuild or repair slightly damaged factories and warehouses. Contrary to popular belief, factories... ...re slow to get into the automobile production game. They refused to merge with other companies, instead vying to produce many kinds of automobiles, none of which got a great deal of market share. None until the Mini came along, breaking from old traditional large British cars, creating a new craze (Wegs, 77-78). Not all was utopian forever in Europe though. All good things generally come to an end, and in the 1970s, the economy began to flounder. But for nearly twenty years, the western portion of Europe rebounded from nothingness, surged in no time, flourished for many years, became a major player in the economic world once again, and truly rose like a phoenix from the ashes of war. Works Cited DeLong, J. Bradford, The Economic History of the Twentieth Century: Slouching Towards Utopia? (University of California at Berkely and NBER: http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/TCEH/Slouch_Present19.html , 1997) . Kindleberger, Charles P., â€Å"The One and Only Marshall Plan,† National Interest, Vol. 11, 113-115. Wegs, J. Robert and Ladrech, Robert, Europe Since 1945: A Concise History, 4th ed. (Boston: St. Martin’s Press, Inc., 1996) 3, 12, 45-47, 65-79.

British Airways Swot Analysis Essay

Introduction The growing competency in the airline industry is also subjected in the different economic uncertainties. Due to the high risks in the globalization, the confidence of the business leaders is lowered. This can be caused by the different constraints and challenges that create a great impact in the industry. The recession in most of the developed and successful countries is difficult to assess and the recovering period is not in sight. British Airways stays in the top of the competition and continuously providing the basic services that a world-class airway can offer. However, the influence or the impact of the various economic uncertainties creates a great challenge in the organization. From the different perspective on competition of the propellers, the marketing environment of the organization is bound to change which results in an analysis of the organization’s economic factors. The British Airways expects that due to the tope of the economic challenges, the organization should stay competitive in the industry. Therefore, different theoretical aspects are created in the study to support the aim of the organization in fulfilling their dreams for success. SWOT Analysis British Airways is one of the largest service industries that well managed the operation with an interesting collaboration with the technological innovations. The aim of the organization is to increase the number of customers through delivering the quality of service and satisfaction. Albeit bothered with the challenges in the nature of their business, the airway is still committed to serve in a very ideal way for safety travel. Strengths The most basic strength of the British Airways (BA) that served the entire organization for years is to deliver an adequate solution for travelers in a most safety and satisfying way (Chan, 2000). Aside from the use of various marketing strategies on the world-wide web, the airline marketing and service are performed by most of the females. Prior to the equal labor for both genders, it is considered as the strength of the organization for most of the females are trained to speak in various dialects. It is an advantage for the airways to accommodate various races and at the same time, commit itself to deliver the equal rights in terms of labor (Whitelegg, 2002). Weaknesses The world-wide marketing answer of the BA is entirely prioritizing most of the demands of the clients. But in their strategy in a low cost-ticket can be risky in a long run of the business. Offering the low prices for tickets may not appear harmful in the business but definitely, if the business has greater expenditure over the revenues, there will experience drastic losses (Binggeli and Pompeo, 2002). The creation of the low-cost carriers can weaken the services of some areas because the allotted budget will not satisfy the proposed use of service (Berry, Carnall, and Spiller, 2006). Opportunity The organization’s idea about â€Å"managing the people first† is a tremendous opportunity for their employees. The leaders can create a department wherein most of the people can concentrate on the various marketing strategies such as promotions to enhance the competitiveness of the organization in the industry (Gowler, Ledge, and Clegg, 1993). Another opportunity that the organization may find is their advantage in the use of the quality technologies. Through the innovative ways of the management, the organization can rely on their information systems wherein the strategic marketing and related works can be performed. Through the use of the Internet, the customers can experience the efficiency in online booking and can facilitate the continuous growth of the organization. Threats One major contribution of the BA threats is the increased competition among the airline industry. Through the different competitions, there is a vast option for the customers and most of them choose the best price and service that is fit on their budgets. Through the development of the different explorations, there is a view for the merger and acquisitions (Culpan, 2002). The alliance in the airlines is popular in which the strategies are bind together and the sole action of the organization is limited. Conclusion The British Airways should learn the appropriate on the presented analysis to avoid the drastic changes in their business’s performance. The strategy of the organization to deliver the right service on their customers is a great  advantage because they are aiming for the customer’s satisfaction. But the organization should provide additional strategy to avoid the possible losses. With the appropriate collaboration of the marketing strategies, the BA can create more room of opportunities and strengths that can deliver the entire organization into a great success. References: Berry, S., Carnall, M., & Spiller, P., (2006) â€Å"Airline Hubs: Costs, Mark-ups and the Implications of Customer Heterogeneity’ in Lee, D. (ed)†, Advances in Airline Economics, vol. 1, Competition Policy and Antitrust, Elsevier, Cambridge, USA. Binggeli, U., & Pompeo, L., (2002) â€Å"Hype Hopes for Europe’s Low-Cost Airlines: Europe’s Most Successful No-Frills Carrier Are Making a Lot of Money. But as They Mature, They Will Have Problems Expanding†, The McKinsey Quarterly. Chan, D., (2000) â€Å"The Development of the Airline Industry from 1978 to 1998: A Strategic Global Overview†, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 19, No. 6. Culpan, R., (2002) â€Å"Global Business Alliances: Theory and Practice†, Quorum Books, Westport, CT Gowler, D., Ledgge, K., & Clegg, C., (1993) â€Å"Culture and Commitment: British Airways by Heather Hopfl’ Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management†. London: Paul Chapman Publi shing Whitelegg, D., (2002) â€Å"Cabin Pressure: The Dialectics of Emotional Labor in the Airline Industry†, The Journal of Transport History, Vol. 23, No. 1 Read more: http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2010/03/an-analysis-of-british-airways-marketing-environment.html#ixzz14VGZrJmz

The relationship Between Catherine and Eddie Essay Example

The relationship Between Catherine and Eddie Essay Example The relationship Between Catherine and Eddie Essay The relationship Between Catherine and Eddie Essay Essay Topic: Black Dog of Fate ACT I Section 1: Pages: 5-15 * Pg. 5: C and E have a v. close relationship, and C is v. excited to see him and is v.childlike. * E is v. protective and treats her like a child, is v.paternal I thinks its too short aint it? is v. concerned about the male attention shes getting. * E is v. complementary about her and is v. aware of her appearance. * Pg.6: Shes v. keen for his approval, and is almost in tears when he doesnt. * He wants to keep her as his baby, but he also notices how she is walking wavy. * In his mind she is special- you aint all the girls * He is so responsible for her almost like a surrogate father. * She is v.innocent. * He wants to keep her in the house away from other men. This is why he often contradicts himself. He calls her a baby or a Big girl whenever it suits him. * Pg.9: she is v.excited and expects him to approve about the job. * She wants to repay B and E for taking her in. * E feels upset because he wasnt consulted about the job before she agreed to it. He wants it to Be a patriarchal family * He wants the Best for her but his feelings are v. intense. * He thinks of her as his and wants things for her that he never had thats not their way I wanted it. * Pg. 11: he is emotionally moved that he calls her the Madonna, this is symbolic because he does in fact idolise her. * He feels in saying yes to the job; he is letting her go. * Her reaction to this is almost childlike as she runs up to him and hug him. * Pg.15: E is v.emotional- a childish one and a knowing fear- his feelings are so deep and he knows that she will leave him forever. * The reality is impossible to contemplate he wants for her to know that he is proud but he doesnt want to let her go. * She is constantly doing things for him and is almost like his possession. Section 2: pages: 16-22 * Pg. 17: there is an instant attraction Between Rudi and C hes practically Blonde. * Not v. sophisticated, v. naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. All feelings are at the surface. * Pg.18: E starts to address Marco only. * Pg.19: E is still asking for coffee C ignores him and asks Rudi if he is married, then repeats that he is Blonde. * Pg.20: C asks if Rudi likes jazz and he starts singing paper doll * Paper doll is symbolic of Katy Being torn in two. * Pg.21: C is enthralled by him. * E can see the attraction, so he makes a plausible excuse for him to stop singing. * He embarrasses her by calling her Garbo as in Greta. This angers, as well as embarrasses her. At the Beginning she only wanted Es approval now show wants rudis attention. * Pg.22: E laughs her off and explains to the cousins that they all want to be actresses. * When Rudi says that he likes sugar it is symbolic of C as in he likes her. * Es face is puffed with trouble. Section 3: pages 22-24 Es points about Rudi * Pg.22: hes not supposed to be out parading himself. * He distracts her from her stenography. * Pg.23: he sings on the ships. * People call him paper doll and canary. * Accuses him of dying his hair. After the cinema- E and B * Pg22: E is v.anxious and is waiting on the street. * All his reasons are plausible. * Pg.23: he gets insulted when B accuses him of being attracted to C. * Pg. 24: E wont talk about their relationship so he goes. Section 4: pg.26-29 * Pg. 26: when C comes home she is v. bubbly and excited. She is practically spilling. * Pg. 27: she hits him playfully, but he carries on being stern. This the last time she will ever touch EDDIE until his death. * He tries to tell her that she is changing while it is really he. She is still being v. affectionate, he is being mean. * I use to come home he is still holding onto the past. * Youre running from his perspective she is running away. * Like a lost Boy his surroundings are changing, he is v. vulnerable. * She is blushing; she probably wouldnt have felt so embarrassed of Edie earlier on in the play. * He is describing his feelings in a v. selfish way- my heart, dont make me cry * Pg. 28: C is v. naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. She considered that Rudi could be using her. * E continue to call Rudi that. * By the end of the scene on pg. 29 C is repulsed By E. She swears at him, which she would never have done so Before. Section 5: pages 31-35 * Pg.32: E goes to Alfieri to stop the marriage legally. * Alfieri describes his eyes like tunnels. Meaning they were dark, long and could only see in a straight line in front of him. He can only see Rudi stealing C. * Pg.35: in his speech E shows how much he cares for C. He wanted her to have a Better life. He feels that she has been stolen from him, just like a possession. * This is unconsciously revealing to Alfieri his true sexual desires about C. the love in him as grown too much. * He thinks that Rudi is violating his pure and innocent Madonna. * Alfieri tries to put it into words when he says there is too much love, But when his point is overlooked, he puts it more simply- she cant marry you can she E? * Miller uses the word furious to described E to show that his desires are in fact at a subconscious level. * Alfieri pauses so as to give time for E to think about it. * E is a longshoreman who doesnt let his feelings out. * In Alfieris speech he predicts the outcome of the play. He can see the inevitability of the tragedy. There is an ominous feeling hanging over them all. Section 6: pages 36-41 * Pg.36: E glances at C in disbelief of whatever has just been said. She protects her Rudi by saying that it is true. * Es v.aggressive. His resentment of Rudi is v. noticeable. * Pg.37: E tries to be jokey about the women in Italy sleeping around but his in fact being quite rude. * When Rudi tries to defend his culture E uses it as a way of explaining himself. * Pg.38: He talks in the third person to make it sound general But he is so obvious Both B and Rudi answer Back referring to Rudi and C. * Marco tries to be co-operative. * Pg.39: C tries to rebel by asking Rudi to dance. Rudi tries to be polite to E and refuses, but B encourages him. * E tries to fight back by asking if it is a new record- implying he has been wasting money. * Pg.40: throughout his speech E is constantly twisting a newspaper which eventually tears. In this speech he tries to prove Rudi is a homosexual. * After this speech he Becomes v. friendly, But starts to drop hints that he is a real man- telling B to make his coffee nice and strong. * Pg.41: E then starts to Box Rudi to relieve some of his aggression. * Rudis gentle retaliation to his punch is to ask C to dance. * Marco also realises this and asks E to lift up a chair. He tries to keep it light and jokey but E knows his true meaning. ACT II Section 7: pages 44-48 * Pg.44: C is afraid of E, she would never have been scared of him before. She knows that loving Rudi is hurting E and she doesnt know what his anger and hurt could result in. * Rudi crosses over to the rocker, which has generally been associated with Es authority. * He is angry he doesnt like the way E is treating C. * Pg.45: C and E Both thought that the future was going to Be happy, But now C knows that doing something that is so natural (loving Rudi) means hating E. She is confused her natural instinct is to please E. She has an instinctive recognition of something she cant intellectually handle. * Pg.46: the way C speaks is like a wife. Over the years, the family has evolved and the relationship Between E and cat has intensified while B has been pushed out. Her empathy is greater than it should be. * E has pushed her into believing that she could be a Better wife than B. * Pg.47: in kissing Rudi he is showing the audience that he has no morals left. Section 8: pages 48-50 * Pg.49: E is so driven through his pain, suffering and anger, he is doing what he thought he would never be able to do. In betraying the cousins he is betraying himself, he is violating his own moral code. Es main morals are to Be loyal and honest to your family, and of course to take revenge. So E does know that in Betraying them he is liable to be killed by the cousins. He is in a state of instinct and desire and has lost control of everything rational. Section 9: pages 52-58 * Pg.52: E sees cat as a possession, no sense of what C wants. * B- I told you 100 times gives us a sense of the history, how long all of this has Been going on. * Pg.53: C still loves E at this point, even though he has changed so much. He is destroying the very person he loves so much. He knows Rudi leaving will tear her up. * In the start there was an automatic closeness Between C and E, and B was almost pushed out, now B is trying to bring them Back together. You cant hate someone so intensely until you have loved him or her with the same intensity. * Pg.54: E lost his sense of confidence, trying to pursuade C, not so dogmatic. C is now the assertive one. Rudi has Been the catalyst of her Breaking away, * C appears almost Business like- in control knows what she wants. * E panics when he hears that the cousins have moved in with other illegal immigrants- a more public arena. Mess with somebody elses family, revenge issue. * Pg.55: e has done the worst possible thing, betrayed them all. C life is made so unhappy by this action of a man that she looked up to, loves and respected all her life. * C is now almost like the animal, desperate to hold onto r. tremendous change, a woman in love, fighting for her future, trying desperately to save the man she loves. * Pg.56: e- what are you accusing me? defensive reaction. Even though e has done the worst thing, Bs instinct is to run towards him, rather than away. B doesnt reject him but c does. This shows who the true wife is. * At the beginning of the play, e tells and foresees his own fate with the VB story. * B loves the sinner hate the sin- unconditional love. * Pg.57: Rudi is almost carrying the sobbing c out on to the street. Visual sign of the intense relationship. Section 10: pages 58-60 * Pg.59: c desperately trying to pursuade Marco not to hurt e. to hell with Eddie! c expressing exactly what e had said himself at the beginning of the play. She wants m to forget about e, hes meaningless. * Rudi stands bail, wants to be an American, wants to stop revenge code. * What motivates Marco is the love for his family. Section 11: pages 60-64 * Pg.60: B desperately, wants to go to the wedding, but in eddys mind it is black and white. If b goes to the wedding and supports c their marriage is over. Totally fixed in this irrational state. * E is now furious at Marco for taking his name has almost forgotten about Rudi, he wants to revenge the insult. Even though it is himself who took his name. * B stays by e. great moral dilemma, shes always known that something bad would be the outcome of his love for c. * Pg.61: C not only swears at e but challenges him. Her utter and pure hatred towards him is shown when she compares him to a rat in the rubbish. * This scene is the total opposite of the start of the play where everyone was happy; e is now throwing tables at c. * Pg.62: b has always known that e has loved c and to try and stop someone from dying she puts her feelings into words. * Pg.63: e and c are both disgusted. He actually physically cannot hold all these emotions in his head. He has never fully understood his feelings and now that they have been put into words he feels in agony. The idea of him wanting to violate his Madonna breaks every value he has ever held dear. * As in all classical tragedies this is Es moment of recognition. * Death is the only answer so he goes out in defiance calling for his name- the only thing he has left. He knows he is defeated but carries on. * Es feelings for c are so intense he has destroyed himself. Love is usually a positive emotion but when it is so intense and passionate it takes over. * Pg.64: Es death has ruined all their lives. Cathie and Rudi will have to get married with it hanging over them. Marco will go to prison and then back to Italy, b wills b the widow of a horrible man in a neighbourhood that never forgets. * Cath forgives him in his death. * She is so confused in a few moments so much has happened she is guilty, in disbelief and in turmoil.

Acadia National Park essays

Acadia National Park essays At first, Acadia National Park was only a monument. In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson named 6,000 acres Sieur de Monts National Monument. Soon, many citizens donated time and money to the park. In 1919 President Wilson signed an act changing the monument to a national park. The main reason that Acadia National Park was established was to protect the areas scenic values, the rocky coast, its islands, and the plants and wildlife. This park is unusual because it wasnt made on public lands, or bought with public funding. It was made because of the money the private citizens donated. John D Rockefeller Jr. alone built the carriage roads and bought the park more than 11,000 acres, which is about one third of the Acadia National Park has 35,000 acres of rocky seacoast, islands, forests, mountains, and lakes. Everything is open to the public to enjoy. there are over 120 miles of hiking trails. The trails range from short, sea level walks, to the extremely steep precipice trail. The trails are all connected together, so the hikers can visit a few mountains peaks in one trip. 57 miles of roads are open to bicyclists, horseback riders, and carriages. There are also 27 miles set aside for a scenic drive through Acadia has a huge history. The name Acadia was French before it turned into English and then American. Its first name was Mount Desert Island, named by the French explored, Champlain. Champlain had the first boating mishap on the rocky shoreline. He was sailing his boat near the shore when his got stuck on the rocks. Until the Civil War, This shorelines ledges and fog were hazards to sailors. Fours automatic lighthouses now run in the area of Egg Rock, Bass Harbor Head, Baker Island, and Great ...

Conceptualizing internationalization Strategy Case Study

Conceptualizing internationalization Strategy - Case Study Example cate that businesses internationalize, and are better placed to serve customers in countries oversees, and also gain novel ideas on products, services and business methodologies. This piece shall assess the case of Chabros International Group: A World of Wood as an international group and the challenges it has had in the course of carrying out business. According to Farah (2010), Chabros Group went through a downfall that saw a drop in its sales. With the help of the top management, there was need to revive the company immediately to avoid its collapse. Since the company had experienced losses in the countries that it had already ventured into, it would be important if the company tries to restart in another country, most preferably Morocco (Farah, 2010). This is for the reason that, in the countries that it had already operated the company was slowly losing its pride and fame as the leading producer. In an event that another company comes in to replace what it had already started, chance are that, the new company would make more sales and grab a huge percentage of the clients that Chabros had already won (Farah, 2010). This would be attributed to the fact that clients would have lost faith in Chabros and its consistent supply of products, and will probably try their luck in the new producing company. Morocco would be the best destination for Chabros Company to restart its operations. In the work compiled by Farah (2010), Morocco would be the best destination for Chabros to restart as it has minimal chances of facing local competition as there are few sellers of veneer, and there is a big market served by imports. The country is also not going through a recession, and its currency, Dirham, is linked to the Euro; thus, a reduction of Chabros exchange risks (Farah, 2010). With specialized technical know-how, capacity to consistently supply the market with quality products, well conversant with EU’s production measures and Morocco having a positive perception of

World event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

World event - Essay Example Immediately after the storm hit Myanmar, which had been classified as a major natural disaster, the immediate death toll numbers were broadcast across the world, creating a sense of urgency toward helping the victims as well as a sense of empathy for their situations. This empathy came not only from me as a concerned citizen, but from different nationalities at each side of the globe. Offerings for food, support, clothing and water were immediately decided by national leadership, however initially these tokens of assistance were refused by Myanmar's leadership. In fact, Myanmar rulers (who were in control of the government due to an unauthorised series of uprisings) made it clear to the global community that any attempts to deliver assistance items to Myanmar citizens would meet with an appropriate, violent response. Finally, leaders of Westernised countries managed to create a minor collaborative effort with Myanmar leadership by agreeing to bring airplanes and ships loaded with food into the country, quickly, to ensure that the citizens of the country were able to survive in harsh environmental conditions. What appeared to me to be the most unique situation during the immediate negotiations for disaster aid was that Myanmar's leaders would have rather put millions of citizens at risk of starvation or disease than to risk the chance of their regime being removed from power by stronger national forces. Seemingly, to prevent this, Myanmar's government closely monitored the incoming behaviors and actions of international disaster aid coalitions to make sure that no global force was able to remain in Myanmar for a split second longer than the offloading of cargo machines took. Over a period of several months, citizens of Myanmar were presented, using various television and print media channels, struggling to simply rebuild the modest and meager dwellings they had always been forced to live in. I watched as the world stood relatively helpless to assist these people, as it did not take long for Myanmar forces to refuse the entry of any further international aid. Instead, citizens were forced to create their own, broader sense of personal community just to survive, using their own limited resources to attempt to rebuild some sense of life as it had been before the natural disaster. As a student entering the academic world, witnessing events such as this particular disaster remind me, truly, of how far the world must progress in order to become the global community which is often presented in various textbooks and media outlets. Media often illustrates the growing use of the Internet across the world to remind us all that we have obligations to those people who are not necessarily as advanced or privileged as others in the Westernised world. Simply through the design of complicated trade routes, mass media, and the growing internationalisation efforts of various country industries, the world has become a much smaller place and, at the same time, affords tremendous opportunities for the future in terms of sustaining long-term international relationships with various global citizens. What adjusted my thinking most notably was the fact that Myanmar seemed to have no contingency plan for taking care of its people, which clearly

Text analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Text analysis - Essay Example ing at his background, and experience on matters dealing with fashion, we can therefore denote that Malcolm Barnard is highly qualified to write a book on fashion. Fashion Theory, a reader is a very popular book by Malcolm Barnard. This book traces the beginning of fashion in the 15th century. From this book, we can denote that Barnard took an interest in the study of fashion, carefully analyzing the trends of the fashion industry for over the last 30 years. This book contains a collection of surveys, and essays and contextualizes the manner in which a range, and a number of disciplines have developed theories for purposes of explaining the complexity, astonishing variety, and the beauty of fashion (Barnard, 2007). Themes that Malcolm Barnard covers in this book include gender and social identity, communication, consumption, erotic, and individualism. Barnard Manages to collect information from a variety of important writers and experts on fashion, identifying the ideas that they stand for, and theories that these writers advocate for (Barnard, 2007). For example, Barnard brings forth the ideas of Edward Sapir, who wrote on Fashion in 1931. This is found in chapter three of the book, which is titled Fashion and History. This chapter traces the emergence of fashion from the periods of 1760, to 1937, through a fashion circle referred to as the recurring cycle (Barnard, 2007). From this article, we can denote the fashion industry is not a recent issue, and it has evolved over a period of time. From this chapter, we can also denote that fashion occurs in a recycled manner, that is the fashion trends that occurred in the 15th century, can be reflected in the 20th century (Barnard, 2007). This observation by Barnard is right, and it is still depicted in the modern times. Take for example the Afro Hair style which was popular in the 1970s, to 1980s. During the 1990s, this hairstyle no longer became popular; however, in the periods of 2000s, people are starting to

The Purpose Of Education Essay Example for Free

The Purpose Of Education Essay The world is run by those who are educated and successful. Education is the key to success in life. It is very important for everyone. The role of education is to prepare students for college, prepare for work and help students how to socialize. It allows you to do things that you are not able to do without an education. The role of education is to prepare students for college. During four years of high school, students have many teachers, coaches and role models. School helps students to learn and  develop their skills from the teachers, or the outside environment through experience from their friends. Thinking about college, there’s so much to consider when it comes to getting ready for college: where to go, what to study, how to apply, how to pay for it all, and more. However, the role of education helps students learn a basic level to prepare for a higher level of demonstrated competence in mathematics, science, etc. The quality of education offered to students through statewide and districtwide standards for academic subjects. The public education is to prepare young people learn a basic financial education. The public education is to prepare on how to conduct themselves in college In addition, the role of education is to prepare students for work. The mission of education, as we all know, is to help prepare students for the future. An important element of that preparation involves the development of career skills. Students should be able to communicate ideas and thoughts through writing and speaking. Students learned how to organize something. It helps to Tuan Tran Yon Hui Bell INRW-0305-035 September 21, 2014 get something done better. Students will learn math, science etc. Those will help them prepare for work. Finally, Education helps students how to socialize. They will learn how to respect older people. Treating people with respect makes the world a much more pleasurable place for everyone. Be polite and good manners when you are a kid, practicing good manners is a way to be respectful of other people. These customs function as a way to keep society running smoothly. Education helps students know, care about, and act on core ethical values such as fairness, honesty, compassion, responsibility, and respect others. Students will study and discuss core ethical values Education is important for everyone. The role of education is to prepare students for college, prepare for work and help students how to socialize. It helps you with better future, education is a positive tool. We need to create the conditions for students to grow and develop.

Are Humans Naturally Bad Or Good Philosophy Essay

Are Humans Naturally Bad Or Good Philosophy Essay I believe that humans are naturally bad because our base mentality is one of evil. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, human beings fought unnecessary wars, tortured prisoners, raped, murdered, and pillaged. Not surprisingly, all of that still occurs in todays society. The world we live in is an essentially bad one. Radical vigilantes bomb cities, open fire in crowded places, and incite disastrous riots every day. From looking at the world around us and seeing our degeneration, it is ludicrous to believe that we are naturally good. Although the evolutionary process has instilled a modicum of civility and humanity in us, we are still naturally evil beings. Thomas Hobbes recognizes the evil nature of humans and paints a very blatant picture of it in Leviathan. He states that laws were devised for the sole purpose of keeping our evil nature in check. Without them, our base instincts would resurface and chaos would reign supreme. That is why Hobbes was in favor of authoritarian governments; they were necessary to keep us under control. Basically, they are needed to protect us from ourselves. Hobbes also states that our true natures arise in times of strife. For example, in war-torn countries, civilians kill and steal form each other in order to survive. Self-preservation is one of the most natural of human compulsions and we will do anything to survive. Hobbes also asks an interesting question to those who believe that human are good. He asks that if humans are so benevolent in nature, then why do we lock our doors at night and guard our possessions? By doing so, we are unconsciously recognizing the evil nature of humans. Hsun Tzu also maintained that mans nature is inherently evil. He believed that humans are born evil, but it is a teachers responsibility to educate them and reign in those evil instincts and eradicate them. Although he has valid points, it is still unrealistic to think that mans naturally evil instincts can be curbed so easily. Those suppressed instincts that have been stored away in the annals of the human psyche will resurface eventually. It is also unrealistic to think that one can make man good simply by means of education. If anything, education leads to evil because it has the power to corrupt. Those who oppose Hobbes and say that humans are naturally good are, frankly, idealists. The Chinese philosopher Mencius states that humans are naturally good and that ones circumstances influence their nature. The idea of ones circumstances influencing their nature is ridiculous. One may be unfortunate enough to be born into less than favorable circumstances, but it is up to that person to overcome them. Yes, one can become embittered and callous by their debilitating situation, but to say that their circumstances influence their nature is to give a justification for bad behavior. Attributed to Plato, the idea that love can make one good has become another idealistic opinion for many. Plato stated that love is one of, if not the most, natural emotions that humans have, thus we are naturally good because love itself is good. While love is a very fulfilling emotion that can lead to change within a person, that change is not always for the better. Love has led to wars, murders, and the destruction of kingdoms, throughout history. For example, Helen of Troy and the iconic war fought over her. Her love for a foreign prince led to the deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians and the complete destruction of an empire. Another example is Henry VIII and his love for Anne Boleyn. He divorced his queen, broke with the Catholic Church, and tore his country apart in order to marry his mistress. Perhaps the most common examples of how love can change a person are domestic violence cases. In simpler terms, love often leads to recklessness, irrationality, impairment of j udgment, and, in some cases, bad behavior in an individual. In 20th century opinions, the idea of Nature vs. Nurture was believed by some. Nature meaning that we are born with whatever behavior we exhibit, and nurture meaning that our culture has the ability to mold us into what we are. The scientist Edward O. Wilson stated that if the process of natural selection has determined our biological functions, then natural selection must have determined the operations of our brains. Basically speaking, he believed that humans are born with whatever nature they possess, therefore validating my argument that we are born evil. At the opposite end of the philosophical spectrum, the anthropologist Ruth Benedict wrote that ones culture and its social norm has the ability to mold that individual into a good or bad being. Once again, the concept of ones surroundings influencing their nature is introduced. Benedict basically gives the same justification for bad behavior that Mencius gave thousands of years earlier. In conclusion, humans are inherently evil in nature because it is our base mentality. Sadly, it is a part of us that is unchangeable and, try as one might, it cannot be quelled by education or instruction, nor can it be influenced by our culture or surroundings. We are born the way we are, and we must accept it.