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Monday, September 30, 2019

Napoleonic Era

The French Constitution of the Year VIII was a nationwide charter that was adopted on the twenty-fourth of December, 1799.   Around that time, the French Revolution was coming to coming to an end.   It also marked the eighth year in the calendar of the French Revolution.   This constitution was well known for the innovation of the type of government branded as Consulate.   One of the premises of the constitution is to get the consensus of the general public to weigh on opinion for the masses. This constitution was responsible for fabricating the position of First Consul, a position which gave Napoleon Bonapart the authority of a tyrant (Connely, 2000). Effectivity This constitution was effective for a short time and was later amended into the Constitution of the year X, a constitution that made Napoleon Bonaprte the First Consul for the duration of his lifespan.   The constitution that succeeded was blatantly favored to Bonaparte as it did not come with a Declaration of Rights (cited in Crook, 2007). How Bonaprte amended the constitution and rose to Power The Constitution of the year VIII basically divides the French Government into three parts.   First of which is the senate; it is composed of 31 men with an age bracket of 60 and above.   The second is the Tribunate; which is comprised of 100 men.   Last the Core Legislatif; this division is formed by 300 legislators.   However, though the government has three divisions, the authentic power resides in the First Consul, much similar to the totalitarian concept of Julius Caesar’s rule, which is peace through tyranny (Connely, 2000). References Connely, O. (2000). The Frecnh Revolution and Napoleonic Era.   Texas: Harcourt. University of North Carolina Greensboro (2002). French History Timeline. Retrieved November 17, 2007 from http://www.uncg.edu/com/sources/dafein/civ/timeline.htm The Napoleon Series (1995-2002). Government and Politics.   Constitution of the year VIII.   Retrieved November 17, 2007 From http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/ legislation/c_constitution8.htm

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Lvmh in the Recession the Substance of Style

http://www. economist. com/node/14447276 LVMH in the recession The substance of style The world’s biggest luxury-goods group is benefiting from a flight to quality, but the recession is also prompting questions about the company’s breadth and balance Sep 17th 2009 | Paris | from the print edition * * Bloomberg â€Å"THERE are four main elements to our business model—product, distribution, communication and price,† explains an executive at LVMH, the world's largest luxury-goods group. â€Å"Our job is to do such a fantastic job on the first three that people forget all about the fourth. For decades LVMH's formula has worked like a spell: seduced by beautiful status-symbols, perfect shops and clever advertising, millions of people have swooned forgetfully towards the firm's cash registers. At Louis Vuitton, LVMH's star company, the model's pricing power has yielded consistent profit margins of around 40-45%, the highest of any luxury-goods brand. These days customers are finding it far harder to forget about price. The seriously rich, of course, are still spending freely.But much of the industry's rapid growth in the past decade came from middle-class people, often buying on credit or on the back of rising house prices. According to Luca Solca of Bernstein Research, 60% of the luxury market is now based on demand from â€Å"aspirational† customers rather than from the wealthy elite. The recession has quickly reversed the trend to trade up, and people are delaying expensive purchases. Bain & Company, a consulting firm, expects the industry's sales to fall by a tenth in 2009, to â‚ ¬153 billion ($225 billion).Some executives even expect a lasting shift in customers' preferences, towards discretion and value. Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH, believes that the whole industry needs to rebrand itself. â€Å"The word luxury suggests triviality and showing off, and the time for all that has gone,† he say s. Brands which sold â€Å"blingy† easy-to-sell products, milking old names, he says, will fare particularly badly in the new environment. LVMH, by contrast, has never taken such an approach, he says, instead emphasising quality, innovation and creativity.To underline these values, the group is going back to basics in its daily operations. â€Å"Before the crisis, we were putting a lot of energy into beautiful stores, but now we care a bit less about expanding our network and even more about design and price,† says an executive. A few years ago, for instance, at the height of the boom, one LVMH brand was putting diamonds all over its watches, so that it was almost difficult to tell the time. â€Å"Now we are getting back to what really matters, which is nice movements and design,† he says.For some luxury firms, the recession's effects have already been brutal. Private-equity firms and other outside investors which rushed into the industry at its peak have suffer ed most. â€Å"At the top of the market this industry was perceived as easy by outsiders,† says Mr Arnault. â€Å"You borrowed 80% of a target's asking price and hired a good designer, but the strategy has not been successful in several cases. † Lenders to Valentino, an Italian fashion house, are reportedly trying to renegotiate its debt. Permira, a private-equity group, bought the firm in 2007 in a deal valuing it at â‚ ¬5. billion. Permira has since written down its equity investment of about â‚ ¬900m by more than half. Prada Holding, through which Miuccia Prada and her husband control Prada Group, another Italian house, recently restructured its loans in order to defer payment to banks. Prada Group has denied that there are talks to bring in a minority shareholder. Two particularly weak firms, Christian Lacroix, a Paris-based ready-to-wear and haute couture label which used to be part of LVMH, and Escada, a German maker of luxury womenswear, filed for bankrupt cy earlier this year.Amid this turmoil, LVMH is performing relatively well (see chart 1). It has benefited from an established pattern in the luxury industry: when people have less, they spend what they do have on the best quality. Shoppers are going for fewer, classic items—one Burberry raincoat, rather than three designer dresses, or a single Kelly bag by Hermes, a French luxury-goods group, instead of four bags from various lesser designers. For this reason, says Yves Carcelle, chief executive of Louis Vuitton and president of fashion and leather goods for LVMH, â€Å"Vuitton always gains market share in crises. As reliable and sturdy as one of its own handbags, therefore, Vuitton is carrying LVMH fairly comfortably through the recession. In the first half of 2009 the group's revenues were about the same as a year before, though profits were 12% lower. Two divisions—wine and spirits, and watches and jewellery—were the worst affected: their revenues each fell by 17% and their profits by 41% and 73% respectively (see chart 2). Rapid de-stocking by retailers exacerbated the effect of falling demand.But the falls were offset by Vuitton, where revenue rose by a double-digit percentage, registering gains in every market. â€Å"It is incredible that in a downturn the consumer still buys so many Louis Vuitton bags, but she or he does,† says Melanie Flouquet, luxury-goods analyst at JPMorgan in Paris. Vuitton's performance, and the overall robustness of LVMH, a global conglomerate with more than 50 brands and revenues of â‚ ¬17. 2 billion in 2008, should allow it to take advantage of its competitors' weakness in the recession. In the next few years we expect several failures in the industry and good opportunities to acquire assets at attractive prices,† says Mr Arnault. Shareholders in the firm are particularly preoccupied by what he might buy and sell in the next few years. What explains Vuitton's resilience? Beneath the gloss of advertising campaigns, catwalk shows and each season's fleeting trends, Vuitton brings a machine-like discipline to the selling of fancy leather goods and fashion. It is the only leather-goods firm, for instance, which never puts its products on sale at a discount.It destroys stock instead, keeping a close eye on the proportion it ends up scrapping (which it calls the â€Å"destruction margin†). In 2005, when Maurizio Borletti, owner of several prominent department stores in Italy and France, was preparing for the opening of a refurbished La Rinascente department store in Milan, he recalls, the Vuitton people built a scale model of the building in their offices to understand customer flows and get the best positioning. â€Å"In this they're the most professional in the industry,† he says.Unlike most other luxury marques, Vuitton never gives licences to outside firms, to avoid brand degradation. Its factories use techniques from other industries, notably carmaking, t o push costs down ruthlessly and to allow teams of workers to be switched from one product to another as demand dictates. It has adopted methods of quality control, too: one quality supervisor came from Valeo, a French auto-parts supplier. The result is long-lasting utility, beyond show, which is valuable in difficult times. Owning shops gives Vuitton control over levels of stock, presentation and pricing.It was not therefore affected by the panicked price-slashing of up to 80% by American luxury department stores in the run-up to Christmas last year—a â€Å"catastrophe† for others in the industry, according to Mr Arnault. Although other LVMH divisions have been hit by outside retailers de-stocking during the crisis, Vuitton has managed its own inventory, with no competition for space from other brands. With a global network, says Mr Carcelle, the firm can move poorly selling stock to shops where it has performed better. The luxury of diversityVuitton's ability to offs et the steep falls in other divisions shows the value of the diversified conglomerate model in luxury goods. Richemont, the industry's second-largest company, has a less varied portfolio and greater exposure to watches and jewellery, demand for which has been especially weak. According to a recent trading statement, its sales fell by 16% in the five months to the end of August. A group structure also yields savings when negotiating deals for advertising space, property and credit-card fees. It helps to have a specialist beauty retailer, Sephora, and a chain of airport shops, DFS, to sell perfumes and cosmetics.When Vuitton develops watches, say, it can call on the talents of TAG Heuer. But LVMH's breadth also comes in for criticism. Although there is undoubtedly value in some diversification, some people ask whether 50-odd brands under one roof are too many. Vuitton, for instance, would doubtless like to see disposals of weaker brands as a result of the crisis, and a greater concent ration of resources on the group's key businesses. The group's executives devote the bulk of their attention to the most important of these: Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessy in drinks, TAG Heuer in watches, Christian Dior in perfumes and cosmetics, Sephora and DFS.The group has many smaller businesses, and these get much less attention in such a big group. LVMH does not disclose financial figures for individual brands, but at its presentation of first-half results the group's finance director replied to an analyst asking about fashion and leather-goods that a â€Å"handful† had lost money â€Å"somewhere†. There is speculation that Celine, a ready-to-wear clothing and accessories label, Kenzo, a fashion brand which analysts have long suggested LVMH dispose of, or Loewe, a Spanish leather-goods brand which has so far failed o win much of a following outside Spain and Japan, are among the less profitable. Nevertheless, the group can use the might of Vuitton to support its sm aller, upcoming brands. A department store, for instance, may be asked to take Loewe or Celine in order to get Vuitton. That often frustrates people at Vuitton, however, who would prefer to use the power of the brand for its own benefit, says a person who knows the company well. â€Å"They've never heard of another of LVMH's brands saying, ‘Either give this to Vuitton or I won't come',† he says.Apart from the synergy in watch design, Vuitton does not find that it benefits much from the rest of the group. The reason why LVMH has many small brands which aren't quite making it, says another person familiar with the company, is that Mr Arnault is an optimist who believes that every property can at some point be turned around. That can pay off: some years ago Mr Arnault halted the imminent sale of a make-up line. Thanks to the distribution muscle of Sephora, it has since turned into a bestseller in America.Investors, however, are nevertheless wary of what they see as Mr Arna ult's tendency to collect brands. The crisis has also underlined the fact that Vuitton dominates the group's results. Were it not for Vuitton, estimates one analyst, LVMH's sales would have fallen by 3% in the first half of 2009 and profits would have plunged by 40%. In normal times Vuitton contributes about half of the group's profits, and most of the rest comes from Moet Hennessy. In the first half of this year, however, Vuitton contributed an estimated 70% of profit.That leads some people to question whether LVMH is overly dependent on the leather-goods firm. â€Å"You can argue that there's nothing as good as Vuitton in LVMH's portfolio,† says Pierre Mallevays of Savigny Partners, who was formerly director of acquisitions at LVMH, â€Å"but that simply states the fact that LV's business model is the gold standard of luxury brands; no other brand in the world compares to it. † The biggest risk to LVMH is Vuitton, argues Ms Flouquet, since it accounts for such a big proportion of profits; the company depends on it, she says.The risk to Vuitton, in turn, is that it could fall out of fashion or lose its exclusivity in the eyes of consumers. So far there is no sign of fatigue with the brand. LVMH's senior managers have devised ways to refresh it. In the late 1990s, for example, Mr Arnault saw that there was a risk that as a maker of leather goods alone, Vuitton could be perceived as boring. In 1997 he hired Marc Jacobs, then a relatively unknown designer, to design a fashion line. The aim was to generate seasonal buzz and press coverage.Vuitton's senior executives at the time were against the idea, fearing that adding fashion could undermine a timeless image, but Mr Arnault's move proved successful. To avoid overexposure of its signature â€Å"Monogram† print, Vuitton has taken care to develop a wide range of products and other patterns. â€Å"We increase the number of product lines and we are careful to have several different colours and shapes,† says Mr Arnault. Thus Vuitton sells reasonably priced handbags—the smallest Speedy Bag costs â‚ ¬430 in Paris—but also wildly expensive custom-made luggage, reinforcing its exclusive image.Another effective tactic is to make limited-edition handbags which are hard to get hold of. Five or so years ago Vuitton depended to a large degree on one market, Japan. Most Japanese women owned at least one Vuitton product—and hence provided a large proportion of Vuitton's profits, which worried analysts at the time. Yet the Japanese market for luxury goods was souring. Spending on such items in Japan has fallen sharply since the end of 2005, according to a recent report by McKinsey, a consulting firm. Young women are more individualistic than their mothers, and are seeking out lesser-known brands. You used to see thousands of Vuitton bags coming at you in the Ginza shopping district but far fewer now,† says Radha Chadha, author of a book, â€Å"The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair with Luxury†. That reliance on one country is no longer so marked (see chart 3). Fortunately, Vuitton has since rapidly established a strong position in what it hopes will become another Japan: China. â€Å"The Chinese consumer is in a love affair with the Vuitton brand,† says Ms Flouquet. According to LVMH, in the first half of 2009 sales to Chinese people (at home and travelling) made up 18% of Vuitton's revenue.Despite widespread concerns about counterfeiting in the country, the Chinese are now Vuitton's biggest customer base after the Japanese. The key to the firm's success, says Mr Arnault, has been approaching the market exactly as if it were a developed market. â€Å"We treat the Chinese customer as being very sophisticated. † Many competitors, by contrast, have at times lowered their standards for shops in China, he says, using inferior furniture or positioning their stores poorly. Going into new markets and developing new product lines will enable Vuitton o continue producing double-digit growth for years to come, says Mr Carcelle. On every trip to mainland China—he makes five or six a year—he tries to discover a new city and meet its mayor. Mr Carcelle is also tackling other new frontiers: in October he will open a shop in Sukhbaatar Square in Ulan Bator. â€Å"Already if you go to an upmarket disco in Ulan Bator you will see a significant number of our bags,† he says. Vuitton's expansion into China, Mongolia and new product lines such as watches and shoes, suggest that the leather-goods firm will continue to be LVMH's main source of growth.However, it also means that the group may become more rather than less reliant on Vuitton. In theory, the answer could lie in strengthening some of LVMH's smaller names, such as Fendi, a fashion and leather-goods brand. But buying a big, established, global brand with potential for growth could be both a quicker and a sure r route. Or maybe that oneImagineChina A new collection? Analysts and bankers are convinced that Mr Arnault wants to buy the Hermes Group, a producer of leather goods and fashion which matches Vuitton for quality and design.Because Hermes is run so conservatively, says an investment banker who knows LVMH well, it is only a quarter of the size that it could be. â€Å"Mr Arnault would grow it while preserving its values,† he says. Earlier this year, there were rumours that LVMH would sell Moet Hennessy to Diageo, the world's biggest spirits group, which already owns 34% of the business. Such a sale could raise money to buy Hermes. Mr Arnault, however, refuses to be drawn into commenting. For the moment, such an acquisition is impossible, since the family which controls Hermes does not want to sell, and the firm is strongly defended against takeover.Nevertheless, says the banker, the family which controls it has several branches, all with different views. â€Å"It's a pressure cooker and some day it will blow up,† he says. Chanel, another closely held global luxury brand, could also make a desirable target for LVMH. Some people recommend a merger with Richemont, which, Mr Solca argues, would address LVMH's relative weakness in watches and jewellery. Any such deals, or selling Moet Hennessy, would radically change the balance of the group. â€Å"I would be surprised if LVMH sold Moet Hennessy. The business has high margins, high ashflow and it is well managed,† says Ms Flouquet. â€Å"They would probably only sell it if they had a large deal ahead. † Shareholders are nervous that LVMH will pay too high a price for a large acquisition. For this reason the group's valuation may not fully reflect its performance during the crisis. Such concerns are not likely to deter Mr Arnault, who has demonstrated his confidence in LVMH's prospects in luxury by raising his stake in the group over time: he owns 47%. If LVMH does go shopping, it will prob ably behave like one of its best customers: with price in mind, but willing to spend on enduring prestige.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Aristotelian Tragedy Macbeth

Many of Shakespeare’s plays follow Aristotelian ideas of tragedy, for instance Macbeth does a decent job in shadowing Aristotle’s model. Aristotle describes one of the most important elements of a tragedy to be a tragic hero. The tragic hero however must present certain qualities such as nobility and virtue. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth is a perfect example of a tragic hero. Macbeth begins the play coming home from battle, he is said to have fought with great courage and King Duncan himself awards him the title of the thane of Cawdor in reward for his bravery. The qualities make Macbeth a tragic hero as he possesses not only a noble title, but also the assets of a great warrior and hero. However, Aristotle emphasizes that if the tragic hero was as perfect as he seems than the audience would not be able to identify with him and this would not be considered a tragedy. Macbeth shows us his humanity very early in the play when he learns that Malcolm, Duncan’s son, will be the heir to the throne of Scotland. In response, Macbeth acknowledges that he himself should be awarded the crown and will not rest until royalty is his. Macbeth is an ambitious character, which is a quality that many humans can identify with. This ambitiousness is known as Macbeth’s tragic flaw. This leads to Aristotle’s next component of a tragedy, the tragic flaw. The hero’s tragic flaw must lead to the downfall of the character; his demise can be caused by no one other than himself. Macbeth’s ambitious personality leads him to become caught up in attaining power for himself. Macbeth’s ruthless behavior causes him to commit murder to Duncan in order to gain kingship. Even after his wish comes true, he continues to sacrifice the lives of others, including his close friend Banquo, to assure that he never loses his throne. However, Macbeth does not go unpunished as he suffers countless dreams and illusions that drive him to insanity. The loss of his wife also brings Macbeth to his final denouement. In the end, Macbeth is killed by Macduff; because of his arrogance he believed he was invincible even after being told his fate. Macbeth reaches his end through the same way he lived his life, through murder and deception. Many argue over the fairness of Macbeth’s life, but the goal of a tragedy in Aristotle’s view point is to strike fear and pity in the audience through harsh punishment upon the hero in extreme ways. Finally, Aristotle claims that in order for a tragedy to be effective, the fear and pity must be released from the audience through catharsis. First the tragic hero must gain some knowledge from his tragic life. Macbeth shows this self-realization in his ‘yellow leaf’ soliloquy when he expresses remorse for his actions. Also, in the end he knows he must fight until the end whether his fate is death. At this point the audience is cleansed of the emotions of the plot and the tragedy is finished. Macbeth is a primary example of a typical Aristotelian tragedy. It follows the structure necessary from the tragic hero, to his downfall and ultimately to the catharsis necessary for an original Greek drama. The aspects of this play are a perfect example of the tragedies of that era. Aristotelian Tragedy Macbeth Many of Shakespeare’s plays follow Aristotelian ideas of tragedy, for instance Macbeth does a decent job in shadowing Aristotle’s model. Aristotle describes one of the most important elements of a tragedy to be a tragic hero. The tragic hero however must present certain qualities such as nobility and virtue. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth is a perfect example of a tragic hero. Macbeth begins the play coming home from battle, he is said to have fought with great courage and King Duncan himself awards him the title of the thane of Cawdor in reward for his bravery. The qualities make Macbeth a tragic hero as he possesses not only a noble title, but also the assets of a great warrior and hero. However, Aristotle emphasizes that if the tragic hero was as perfect as he seems than the audience would not be able to identify with him and this would not be considered a tragedy. Macbeth shows us his humanity very early in the play when he learns that Malcolm, Duncan’s son, will be the heir to the throne of Scotland. In response, Macbeth acknowledges that he himself should be awarded the crown and will not rest until royalty is his. Macbeth is an ambitious character, which is a quality that many humans can identify with. This ambitiousness is known as Macbeth’s tragic flaw. This leads to Aristotle’s next component of a tragedy, the tragic flaw. The hero’s tragic flaw must lead to the downfall of the character; his demise can be caused by no one other than himself. Macbeth’s ambitious personality leads him to become caught up in attaining power for himself. Macbeth’s ruthless behavior causes him to commit murder to Duncan in order to gain kingship. Even after his wish comes true, he continues to sacrifice the lives of others, including his close friend Banquo, to assure that he never loses his throne. However, Macbeth does not go unpunished as he suffers countless dreams and illusions that drive him to insanity. The loss of his wife also brings Macbeth to his final denouement. In the end, Macbeth is killed by Macduff; because of his arrogance he believed he was invincible even after being told his fate. Macbeth reaches his end through the same way he lived his life, through murder and deception. Many argue over the fairness of Macbeth’s life, but the goal of a tragedy in Aristotle’s view point is to strike fear and pity in the audience through harsh punishment upon the hero in extreme ways. Finally, Aristotle claims that in order for a tragedy to be effective, the fear and pity must be released from the audience through catharsis. First the tragic hero must gain some knowledge from his tragic life. Macbeth shows this self-realization in his ‘yellow leaf’ soliloquy when he expresses remorse for his actions. Also, in the end he knows he must fight until the end whether his fate is death. At this point the audience is cleansed of the emotions of the plot and the tragedy is finished. Macbeth is a primary example of a typical Aristotelian tragedy. It follows the structure necessary from the tragic hero, to his downfall and ultimately to the catharsis necessary for an original Greek drama. The aspects of this play are a perfect example of the tragedies of that era.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Just War Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Just War Theory - Essay Example Orend observes that a state may also indulge in war for defending its territories to achieve internal and inter-boarder peace. Orend believes that for war to be justified, it must engage use of weapons and be well organized and arranged in advance before strike. Orend defines a just war as an intentional, actual organized and armed attack between aggressors. Just war theory is based on two points of view; classic and contemporary just wars. Schall reports that theorists like the Father Webster and Mr. Cole insist that for a war to qualify as just, it must base on classic concept and should not involve evil actions like fighting the perceived innocent and noncombatant individuals. Father Webster and Mr. Cole believe that a justified war should transpire through certain criteria. The contemporary concept of just war permits armed attack under the claims of self-defense by a country. The contemporary concept of just war recognizes permission granted for coercion to be based on the defen se of the individual state and the collective world. Contemporary concept of just war also proposes international support to the state subjected to attacks by the aggressor. The contemporary concept of just war argues that international community can merge to execute collective defense to a member state facing attack from internal militia who get support from foreign aggressor. The contemporary concept of just war advocates for use of military force in intervening cases that involve serious abuse of human rights (Johnson 33). This argument was passed to be a moral cause of just war waged against the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The contemporary concept of just war further argues that the just war should not be fought in a manner that exempts the attack and harm of the noncombatants. From this argument, the proponents of contemporary concept stood to rebuke the air bombing dropped during the war against Iraq, which harmed many noncombatants (Johnson 34). Contemporary concep t of just war allows the military troops to breach the laws of right conduct in war when overwhelmed by the opponent superior forces (Johnson 35). The Iraqi militia forces when resisting the new Iraqi government employed this principle of just war. The contemporary concept also justifies a war conducted against a state perceived to bear threats to the aggressor and the entire UN. This perception led to the collective synergy of the UN and Bush Administration in conducting disarmament attack against Saddam Hussein. The contemporary concept further argues that any killing conducted during war is wrong and can only be exceptional under sufficient justification. The classic concept argues that provoking just war is permissible to a political community that enjoys peace in its surroundings but faces danger of attack from the aggressors. A responsible political authority is permitted to use armed force as tool perceived to the only mean offering protection to citizens and ensuring peace i n a war threatened state. The classic concept of just war injustice and the threats linked to injustice are the basic moral problems that need to be addressed. The use of force in accomplishing just war is considered harmless under the classic point of view. The classic concept of just war argues that the measure of morality of force depends on the one using it and the reason behind the use of the force (Johnson 36). Classic concept justifies war when based on just cause and the right intention for provoking the war

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Kennedy Administrations Successful Handling of the Cuban Crisis Essay - 7

Kennedy Administrations Successful Handling of the Cuban Crisis - Essay Example The involvement of the USSR forced the USA to contemplate attacking Cuba through air and water strikes, but for legal reasons, decide to blockade further supply of the missiles by the USSR to Cuba. In response, the USSR argued that the blockade amounted to an act of aggression against another country, which would propel a nuclear war. This resulted to a negotiation talk being held between President John F. Kennedy and the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev (Kennedy & Schlesinger, 1999). Thus, these are the reasons that indicate that the negotiations by John Kennedy’s administration were successful: The negotiations in Cuban crisis were perceived as successful since they ended up creating a scenario where the USA was the winner. This is because; the USSR removed its missiles from Cuba, while the prestige of the USA military was preserved (Kennedy & Schlesinger, 1999). This occurred because; the world finally saw the USSR back down and withdraw its missiles from Cuba, while the removal of the USA missiles from Turkey was not made a publicly accepted demand, but was rather agreed upon silently between the Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the USSR ambassador (Kennedy & Schlesinger, 1999). This served to preserve the image of the military might of the USA. The negotiations reached a deal, where the USA was to stop any attempt to attack Cuba and remove its missiles from Turkey, in return for having the USSR remove its missiles from Cuba (Kennedy & Schlesinger, 1999). This was an act of mutual agreement that established equal treatment of all parties, through having both the USA and the USSR return all offensive weapons to their countries, and thus avoid involving other countries in their contest for supremacy, which would have ended up destroying the whole world through, a nuclear war. The negotiations are also considered successful since they helped the USA to adopt a safer option; that of a blockade, as opposed to the highly championed  military action that would have left the world devastated (Kennedy & Schlesinger, 1999).  

Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Analysis - Essay Example Other, preferably due to the desire to achieve their ambitions and goals in life, overlook the advices and warnings they receive in their day-to-day life, causing suffering to themselves and their families – they fail to shine. The film actual meaning is so twisted and open for a number of interpretations. The film heavily employs symmetry to evoke the mind of the audience in an interactive manner. To convey the intended messages, symmetry is heavily employed. Images, events, and characters in the film appear in twins and doubles. Additionally, in both scene-to-scene and person-to- person dialogue is increasingly repeated throughout the film. During the caretaker interview, Stutart Ullman, the manager of Overlook hotel informs Jack Torrance the probability of contacting cabin fever and that his family would be snowbound throughout winter. In addition, Jack Torrance is told of a former caretaker – Charles Grady who contacted cabin fever, went insane, and killed his two d aughters, his wife, and himself. Stutart Ullman to Jack Torrance about Charles Grady â€Å"†¦killed his family with an axe. ... Ullman but opts to overlook the warning and hence failing to shine as he previously thought when he accepted caretaker position to reshape his life (Crewe). We see Jack progressing deep and deep in the wilderness with his Volkswagen, an implication of a dark future ahead of him. The lighting in this scene is dark. The double effect in the film is evident upon Jack’s family arrival at the Overlook hotel when Danny encounters Dick Hallorann, the hotel’s head chef who realizes that Danny is a psychic just like him. Danny Torrance and Dick Hallorann are able to communicate mentally or telepathically. Dick Hallorann communicates with Danny telepathically and gives Danny a chocolate. Hallorann explains to Danny that he would communicate with his grandmother in a similar way. The ability to communicate telepathically is the ‘Shining’ gift possessed by Danny and Dick Hallorann in the film. The representation of most scenes between Danny and Dick in the film uses br ight lighting. This is arguably an implication that Danny is able to learn from Dick the bad things that have happened in the hotel in the past and that he has to rely on the shining talent to survive. Through the shining talent, Dick who is in Florida is able to learn of what is happening in Overlook hotel and comes to rescue Wendy and Jack. Other scenes in the novel duplicate as a result of the mirroring effect. One of the reflections with a moral lesson in the film is that of the encounter of Jack Torrance with a beautiful woman in the hotel room 237. When Danny claims to have encountered a weird woman in room 237, Wendy request Jack to explore the room. In his exploration of room 237, Jack sees a beautiful woman who he starts to kiss. However, Jack pulls back horrified when he sees the mirror

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Total quality management (TQM) is a systemic approach to productivity Essay

Total quality management (TQM) is a systemic approach to productivity enhancement - Essay Example Although, above stated definitions with relative explanation satisfy the introduction of TQM; International Standard Organization1 defines it as, "TQM is a management approach for an organization, centered on quality, based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction, and benefits to all members of the organization and to society." For an organization to implement TQM, it must maintain above stated quality standard in all aspects of its business. This requires ensuring that things are done right way the first time and that defects and waste are eliminated from operations. Globalization makes quality take place. As the companies get bigger, there is an increasing demand for Just In Time Management. This makes things move faster, while further approaching towards globalization while being responsible for the removal of tailback in manufacture along with resulting in high quality production. Therefore, it can be said that the impact of globalization on quality is positive. On the other hand, globalization has also brought some most important confrontations for quality2. The augmented struggle among organizations across the world is more forceful than before. This leads to the fact the producing the products at the lowest cost may win in the end; which implicates that the marketplace may only be motivated on price factor and not on all other factors which put in value to a product (Layne Gobrogg, journal article). When the marketplace grows to be sensitive to price only, service and quality suffer. Hence, what the world has seen in the recent times is exactly what has been discussed. Quality oriented textile industry in Pakistan has almost completely shifted to China which produces products at the lowest possible cost and minimal quality. This reflects the exact impact of how globalization affects quality, whether it be directly or indirectly. Traditional Management Styles vs. Quality Focused Management Styles: Total quality management has changed the traditional management style forever. Traditional style of management focuses on internal activities while assuming that products or services provided by organization are good in quality. However, total quality management focuses on the customer as the ultimate decider of the quality. Perhaps, the major difference between total quality management and traditional management style is the delegation of the authority with responsibility of the quality to the various levels of management, particularly to the middle level management. For this, TQM requires very high level of teamwork, unlike traditional style of management. Along with above stated differences, the other major difference is that TQM makes decisions on evidences of facts and figures, unlike traditional management style. Perhaps, this is the reason why TQM has been more successful than originally thought. Application of TQM: Before implementing TQM, top level management must have total faith in its implementation process3. TQM can be implemented in an organization through a step wise strategy. My strategy for Starbucks will be as following; 1. Appointment of a representative for coordinating the TQM implementation pr

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Knowledge Management- Group case analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Knowledge Management- Group analysis - Case Study Example Workers, particularly the scientists, are not willing to give up their current practices which they have been practicing since 20 years in the organization (Debowski, 2006). These employees were engaging in the behavioral evolutionary path to learning whereby past practices reflect current learning. Learning by doing was being practiced at an individual level through repetition of practices (Easterby-Smith & Lyles, 2005). A major inhibition to knowledge sharing in this case is significant hoarding of knowledge by new staff that places greater emphasis on individual performance on job as opposed to collective performance. Also, as per the social learning theory, these employees lack motivation towards knowledge sharing at an individual level by considering it as lowering rather than increasing productivity. Furthermore, there the lack of positive reinforcement to reward â€Å"learning† behaviors is evident. As per the behaviorism view, ignorance of behaviors leads to their exti nction (Phillips & Soltis, 2004). This shows how lack of ‘group’ rewards has contributed towards the extinction of knowledge sharing practices amongst scientists who are worried about securing ‘individual’ gains. ... A few key recommendations may be offered in view of the above. Knowledge management must be viewed as an integrated process with an alignment of the new technology, HR and practitioners (employees) (Jashapara, 2004). Hiring a consultant is not enough; there needs to be a systematic process involving interviews, questionnaires and behavioral research to understand the practical issues employees face. It seems at present that there is nil cross-functional communication as far as project teams are concerned. Hence, team members must gather after a project team is formed to discuss the way forward. Managers handling past projects must be encouraged to devote time to sharing their experience with the new project’s team so that they can learn from past mistakes. Furthermore, employees who work on â€Å"eight consecutive projects† must certainly not be categorized as temporary employees as this way the company loses their crucial contribution to knowledge creation. The organiz ational structure ought to be redefined with specific terms of service attributed to temporary and permanent employees. Additional staff also needs to be hired because some employees are simultaneously working on two jobs which increases stress and leaves little scope for knowledge sharing. Keeping in view the geographically dispersed nature of projects in Engineering Division, the development of Communities of Practice (COPs) is encouraged. Finally, there is little attempt towards learning from the best practices of other similar firms. There seems to be no benchmarking which compares the organization’s progress against that of others. Knowledge-oriented firms often operate in a

Monday, September 23, 2019

Describe how you understand ANOVA Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Describe how you understand ANOVA - Case Study Example In order to contain the error and compare all groups simultaneously, the Analysis of Variance or ANOVA may be used. The ANOVA is a statistical method that compares the variance associated with groups of scores and the variance associated with individual differences among scores in order to test the significance of the difference between groups (Guilford, & Fruchter, 1973). According the Bass (2007), the ratio of the variance between groups (which occurs due to differences in the treatments) and the variance within groups (due to individual differences) tells us the extent to which the total variance may be attributed to the treatments or group distinctions. The null hypothesis for the ANOVA is that â€Å"the means for each group are the same at a given level of significance†, while the alternate hypothesis states that â€Å"the means are significantly different from each other†. The alternate hypothesis is true when the variations in the treatment levels are not due to error or individual differences but due to the differences in the treatment levels. This concept is explained very well by Bass (2007). Although it is important that these criteria be met in order for the statistic value to be strong and reliable; a slight deviation from the ideal is acceptable as the ANOVA is quite a robust statistic. The ANOVA statistic is calculated as the F statistic, and is based on the F distribution of scores (Bass, 2007). If the calculated value of the ANOVA is equal to or higher that the F statistic presented at the stated level of significance; then we reject the null hypothesis. On the other hand, if the F value calculated is lower to the tabulated value, we accept the null

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Water Conservation Essay Example for Free

Water Conservation Essay INTRODUCTION: Water is essential for life on earth. Water is needed for growing food, keeping ourselves clean, generating power, controlling fire and most importantly to stay alive! This list is simply non-ending. This shows that water is an integral part of our daily life and we are heavily dependent on it. Water conservation: Refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation. Fresh Water Availability: * Two thirds of the surface of the Earth covered with water, so you might be thinking why it is a problem. It is because most human uses require fresh water with about 97.5% of the water on the Earth, salt water it leaves only 2.5% to be fresh water. Furthermore, two thirds of it is made up of ice frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining majority is groundwater with a very small fraction present above ground or in the air. * Access to safe drinking water has improved over the last decades in almost every part of the world, but approximately one billion people still lack access to safe water and over 2.5 billion lack accesses to adequate sanitation. There is a clear correlation between access to safe water and GDP per capita. * A recent report of 2009 suggests that by 2030, in some developing regions of the world, water demand will exceed supply by 50%. * Water plays an important role in the world economy, as it functions as a solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances and facilitates industrial cooling and transportation. THE CRISIS: * 97 % of the Earths water is salt water? * The percentage of the worlds total water is available to drink is less than 1 %. * Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes like domestic usage, industries, agriculture etc. * Over the years rising populations, growing industrialization, and expanding agriculture have pushed up the demand for water. * Efforts have been made to collect water by building dams, reservoirs and digging wells; some countries have also tried to recycle and desalinate sea water. * Water conservation has become the need of the day. * The method of recharging ground water by harvesting rainwater is gaining importance in many cities. * Water conservation can be done through what you do, not by what you know. * In the forests, water seeps gently into the ground due to vegetation cover. This groundwater in turn feeds wells, lakes, and rivers. Protecting forests means protecting water catchments. In ancient India, people worshipped Nature and one of them was Water. AT A STAKE: The importance of protecting our water resource cannot be overstated. Regrettably, in countries like Canada that are blessed with an abundance of fresh water, there is continuous misuse and abuse of the resource: household toilets that use 20 liters per flush when 6 liters would do, and to industrial plants and municipalities that use water bodies as convenient sewers. About 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water. Of that, only 0.3 percent is usable by humans. The remaining 99.7 percent is either unusable salt water or unavailable fresh water. And, most of the 0.3 percent is out of reach, locked up in icecaps and glaciers. Water is a commodity that is essential to life on this planet. Plants and animals need clean water to survive. Humans rely on finite supplies of freshwater to stay alive, without it people cannot live more than a few days. Almost everything we do uses water in some way. Unfortunately, all of earth inhabitants share 1 percent of all the water on earth. And with exploding human population growth, especially in poor countries, these finite supplies get quickly used up. The water we have now is all there will ever be. We cannot quickly produce more water. It can form on its own through the ecosystem but that takes centuries, whereas using up the earth’s water resources takes just a few seconds by turning on a tap. It is our responsibility to not only conserve water, but to make sure that it stays clean as well. According to the World Bank, as many as two billion people lack adequate sanitation facilities to protect them from water-borne disease, while a billion lack access to clean water altogether. â€Å"According to the United Nations, which has declared 2005-2015 the â€Å"Water for Life† decade, 95 percent of the world’s cities still dump raw sewage into their water supplies?† Thus it should come as no surprise to know th at 80 percent of all the health maladies in developing countries can be traced. Water wastage People waste water in their homes without even realizing it. We have become so accustomed to have a 24 hour supply of water to meet all of our needs from cooking, to cleaning, to drinking, that we sometimes forget that we do not have an infinite supply of water. Besides using renewable energy in the home to cut back on the use of electricity, we must also learn how to save our water supply. Here are a few tips on how to do so. †¢ The first thing you should do is check for leaks in taps, pipes, and dishwasher hoses which can cause over 2,000 liters of water per month to be wasted. Repairing any leaks will save you a ton of money and you will also be saving the environment. †¢ In the same way that you can buy renewable energy, you can also buy water efficient taps that will make the most of your water and will ensure that you are not wasting any while the tap is running. †¢ To save both water and energy, if youre not already using green energy, then you should wait until your dishwasher is completely full before running it. On average, dishwashers use approximately 40 liters of water per load, but thanks to features that some dishwasher have, you can specify that it is a light load, or rinse only, or air dry. All of these features allow you to save both water and energy. Goals of Water Conservation The goals of water conservation efforts include as follows: Sustainability: To ensure availability for future generations, the withdrawal of fresh water from an ecosystem should not exceed its natural replacement rate. Water efficiency: Water efficiency can be defined as the accomplishment of a function, task, process, or result with the minimal amount of water feasible, or an indicator of the relationships between the amount of water needed for a specific purpose and the amount of water used, occupied or delivered. Energy conservation: Water pumping, delivery, and wastewater treatment facilities consume a significant amount of energy. In some regions of the world over 15% of total electricity consumption is devoted to water management. Habitat conservation: Minimizing human water use helps to preserve fresh water habitats for local wildlife and migrating water flow, as well as reducing the need to build new dams and other water diversion infrastructure. Water conservation: Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation. Water Saving Tips * Monitor your water for unusually high use. Your bill and your water meter can help you to discover leaks. * Water your lawn and garden in the morning or evening when the temperatures are cooler, to minimize evaporation. * Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water. Reuse it to water the plants. * Check outdoor faucets, sprinklers and hoses for leaks. * Upgrade older toilets with water efficient models * Water can also be conserved by landscaping with native plants. * Shorten your shower by a minute you will save up to 150 gallons per month. Taps with low flow and high pressure can be used. * Put a weighted object in the toilet tank to displace water so less is used with each flush in conventional water closets. * Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher. EXTRA MEASURES: There is a gap between the seasonal availability of water and its equitable supply throughout the year. Accordingly the storage of water and passage through soils is very important. It is well known that about 70% area in this country is subject to varying degree of water stress. There are areas with heavy rainfall but water problems become predominant during non-monsoon periods. It is thus a matter of concern to create a redistribution system and requirements as and when it is needed. Although there are many methods for water management, the two important methods are mentioned as follows. Rain Water Harvesting: Rain Water Harvesting as a method of utilizing rain water for domestic and agricultural use is already widely used throughout the world. It is a method which has been used since ancient times and is increasingly being accepted as a practical method of providing potable water in development projects throughout the world. It has wide application also in urban and peri-urban areas where the reliability and quality of piped water is increasingly being questioned. Despite these facts the percentage of households using rain water harvesting in Zimbabwe both in urban and rural areas is remarkably low. Social solutions: water conservation programs are typically initiated at the local level, by either municipal water utilities or regional governments. Common strategies include public outreach campaigns, tiered water rates (charging progressively higher prices as water use increases), or restrictions on outdoor water use such as lawn watering and car washing. Watershed Management: A watershed is an area bounded by the divide line of water flow so that a distinct drainage basin of any small or big water course or stream can be identified. The rain falling over this area will flow through only one point of the whole watershed. In other words, the entire area will be drained only by one stream or water course. In this way we will have definitive water resource which can be assessed and analyzed for planning for the optimum utilization through ground water, wells, tube wells, small ponds, bigger tanks or reservoirs. Watershed management is very important for rainfall and resultant run-off. More than 900 watersheds of the flood prone rivers have been identified and are at present in operation. The development of delayed through propagation of water harvesting technology is also based on the concept of micro watershed. Himalayas are one of the most critical watersheds in the world. The damage to reservoirs and irrigation systems and misused Himalayan slopes is mounting as are the costs for the control measures during the flood season every year. The vast hydroelectric power potential can be harnessed from the Himalayas watersheds on a sustainable basis. The concept of water shed management has been extended to agro-industrial watersheds which take care of agro-industrial development. Awareness on Soak Pit: A soak pit is a covered porous-walled chamber that allows water to slowly soak in the ground. Pre-settled effluent from a collection and storage or treatment chamber is discharged to the underground chamber from where it infiltrates into the surrounding soil. Conclusion †¢ We must use our water wisely. Earlier water has been abundant resource and unfortunately was used carelessly. Today water is a precious resource to us and to future generations. Life wouldnt be the same without it. †¢ Water is one of nature’s most important gifts to mankind. Essential to life, the survival of all living beings depends on water.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Ethical Dilemmas Faced by KFC

Ethical Dilemmas Faced by KFC 1.0 Introduction There are many ethical dilemmas that an organisation face and one of the organisations which faces major dilemmas is the Kentucky Fried Chicken. Firstly, the main objective of this report is to provide a discussion about the dilemmas faced by KFC and the ethical dilemmas that the company encounters. Secondly, evaluate the relative importance of these dilemmas and how Kentucky Fried Chicken is currently dealing with them. Then introduce the Kentucky Fried Chicken ethical best practices and values. Last give recommendations and strategic options to Kentucky Fried Chicken. 2.0 The main ethical dilemmas facing Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC is the most popular fast food brands in the world. The company was found by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952. KFC now boasts of operating, franchising, and serving a worldwide chain of around 11,000 fast food restaurants that prepare, package and sell a menu of ready to eat foods. (Source: KFC office website: http://www.kfc.com/ ) With the development of the living standard of the people. People can found obviously, more and more people change the health and nutritional attitudes and behaviours. People more concerned with their health and figures than ever before. Obviously, the reason for this increased concern is because of the fact information be reported in everywhere and every reports and research about fast food has no nutrition. It is junk food. It can not eat much. and so on. This is a dilemmas for KFC have faced, because it has already gain the reputation of a fast food that continuously provides greasy unhealthy food; .The company should do something about potential increase of shareholder value. Being one of the most popular fast food restaurants and with millions of people patronising the products and foods offered by the company, it is important the company adheres to ethical standards specifically in terms of providing healthy foods. However, it has been observed that Kentucky Fried Chicken is using oil which contains Trans fatty acids. This kind of oil is noted to increase cholesterol and even increased the risk of having heart disease. As authorities discovered this, the case was being carried over by the consumer group centre for Science in the Public Interest and told the company to use healthier cooking products than the one they are using.( Source : Ethics Management KFC) China has large population. To KFC, it has a large market and has got great success in china. It happen a great important event ‘ADK. KFC use food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red in their new product called New Orleans Roasted Wing. Chinas health ministry found it and stops KFC using the food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. Let KFC use the safety food ingredients for cooking instead. ( Source: KFC Falls Prey to Sudan I) The shareholder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation in order to gain competitive advantage, reduce the cost. Kentucky Fried Chicken is using oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. Do the bad job; it is not act as supervisory role. The supplier supplies the oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. It price hikes for exorbitant profits. This kind of behavior was a fraud. The government agency in case of finding defects, take corrective action accordingly. Then let the company to use healthier cooking products instead. It is protecting the interests of consumers. 3.0 Evaluate the Kentucky Fried Chicken dilemmas and Kentucky Fried Chicken deal dilemmas 3.1 Elevate the Kentucky Fried Chicken dilemmas KFC use the oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red in their new product called New Orleans Roasted Wing. It influences the brand and brings some negative effect, such as: bad press, media report, even in some countries, people demonstrated for boycott Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken may have said that they are not using these kinds of oils and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red in their new product called New Orleans Roasted Wing to adhere to ethical standards of protecting the health of their customers. In order to increase international competitiveness and lead in competition than any other competitors, such as, McDonald, Subway, Pizza-Hut and so on. The traditional ethical stance of the company is to prevent actual problems on health and nutrition. However, there is an obvious lack for long term plans that will also maintain these developments even in years to come. Kentucky Fried Chicken should then realize that the company does not only have a responsibility to their current customers but to future generations as well. The scope of responsibility as cited in this discussion should include the provision of respect for others, honest and pure intentions as well as protection from harm. The management of the company should be responsible in maintaining that healthy and nutritional foods which future generations will need as well so as to survive. But Kentucky Fried Chicken realizes the gravity of the situation. It stopped use the kinds of oils and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red and take effective steps to plan a rescue operation for the dilemmas. The Kentucky Fried Chicken has its own principle. It is customer focus. The companys ethical stance should not be based on short term goals. The company is still encountering negative issues brought about by its negligent behavior. But these efforts do not directly address the problem. The company is still encountering negative issues brought about by its negligent behaviors. 3.2 Kentucky Fried Chicken deal dilemmas KFC though the media report, make a public apology for use the oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. KFC also make a promise for consumers in general. Never use the oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. It has promised a thorough investigation into the affair. KFC find a sound business firm to cooperation. Let the government agency reinspection.The firm dropped its supersizing options, and put a range of new healthy options on the menu, including salads and grilled chicken flatbreads and so on. Due to use the oil which contains Trans fatty acids, provide some negative effect, it make the consumer reduce. Overall sales are down. So KFC make the promotion, like produce economic suite, increase profits by reducing costs or distribute special discount voucher in public places also can download from KFC official website. 4.0 Kentucky Fried Chicken best practice s and Value Kentucky Fried Chicken often join the in public service activities and committed to its communities. Kentucky Fried Chicken in China often giving back to the community. From 1992 to 1997, the Kentucky Fried Chicken contributes funds for Chinese† hope project† every year. It has sponsored the One Million Peoples Love Movement and the 1 (family) + 1 (dropout) Help Movement, mobilizing the entire society to help dropouts return to school. From the 1996 to 1997, only two years, the collection of funds runs up to 2.5 million. (Source: KFCs community activities ) May 12th, 2008. The Sichuan province of China suffers an earthquake. Kentucky Fried Chicken contributes funds15.8 million through the China Charity Federation, Chinese Red Cross Foundation and China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation. Except the donate money, Kentucky Fried Chicken also offer the supply of some essential goods like purified water, bread, sunshade, health gauze mask †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦for earthquake in Sichuan . (Source: List of Donors of Sichuan earthquake ) Kentucky Fried Chicken contributes funds. One aspect is Kentucky Fried Chicken make contribute to social benefit. On the other hand, it will bring the intangible benefit to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Such as, join the public benefit activities, Brand name awareness will increase. Kentucky Fried Chicken has attracted a lot of publicity. For example: Kentucky Fried Chicken joins the public benefit activities, the media report, newspaper and internet will report the current events. People will know the best practice of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The Kentucky Fried Chicken behavior left public a very good impression. This is intangible benefit, intangible asset. Brand name awareness of Kentucky Fried Chicken was improved. Kentucky Fried Chicken buy the chicken, vegetables, bread, packing chest equipment and building construction materials from materials suppliers. Kentucky Fried Chicken evaluate and to train the related materials suppliers. The kind of behavior bring the tangible benefit to Kentucky Fried Chicken, It helps the materials suppliers improve the product quality. Kentucky Fried Chicken can use good raw material, make tasty food. 5.0 Recommendation to Kentucky Fried Chicken With the dilemmas faced by Kentucky Fried Chicken, the recommendation for the company should be able to use an ethical management strategy that will uplift the image of the company. 5.1 The way for creativity spread Kentucky Fried Chicken though the media, internet and other ways to uplift the image of the company. For example: The new advertising creative design is remarkable. In a short period of time, KFCs brand image will be into the minds of consumers. Looking back the past three years, Kentucky Fried Chicken ad is easily find, KFC more often reflect the image of its localization. Through nutrition, health, and thanksgiving brochures design, it has let the customer out from the â€Å"2005 Sudan incident† shadows. It is more of recognition of its brand and products. So it needs creativity of media to spread. In the market, it should confirm and locked on target customer. Though creative advertising, to achieve the product image and brand effectively increase and promotion. Kentucky Fried Chicken can advertising on bus. It can show the KFCs slogan an also can show the promotion information.   It should related peoples life. 5.2 Innovative promotions Sales promotion is an important market tool to enhance product sales. Meanwhile, we also can see that this was also an important way to show the corporate brand image. For example: In Malaysia, McDonald makes a promotion. It is Mc Value lunch 12 noon-3 pm, Monday-Sunday. It gets good effect. So when Kentucky Fried Chicken in the design of promotional programs, there must be new and unique. Let the consumer and media also can join it, the media reporting and dissemination initiative. The promotions plan can get the consumers allow. Corporate image and brand in their promotional activities have been further consolidated and increased. 5.3 Take effective measures Due to more and more people change the health and nutritional attitudes and behaviours. People more concerned with their health and figures than ever before. Obviously, the reasons for this increased concern is because of the fact information and KFC use the ingredients include hazardous substance. KFC should take effective measures. KFC can establish dietician department. Make the healthy and nutritious food and make the nutritional survey and food inspection report to the product. The dietician department also should to make a food safety inspection. In order let public set their mind at rest, KFC can invite the food inspector to food inspection. In respect to choice the suppliers, it cant careless .It should choice a sound business firm and prevent bad things from happening again. 6.0 Conclusion Business ethics is currently a very prominent business topic, and the debates and dilemmas surrounding business ethics have tended to attract an enormous amount of attention from various quarters. For a start, consumers and pressure groups appear to be increasingly demanding firms to seek out more ethical and ecologically sounder ways of doing business. The media also constantly seems to be keeping the spotlight on corporate abuses and malpractices. And even firms themselves appear to be increasing recognizing that being ethical (or at the very least being seen to be ethical) may actually be good for business. Ethical issues confront organizations whatever line of business they might be in. (Source; business ethics 2nd edition, author; Andrew Crane, Dirk matten.) In a word, it can be said that business ethical is very important to a business organization. It can help a business organization easily earning the respect of clients and win general acclaim. Contrary to the belief that social responsibility undermines businesses profitability goal, this actually help in generating profit through customer loyalty and good company image. For Kentucky Fried Chicken, the KFC Company must be able to ensure that the products that they offer are healthy and nutritional, so that it can make sure that Kentucky Fried Chicken can gain customer trust, loyalty, respect and the corporate image will be protected and developed.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

9-1-1: An American Emergency :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

9-1-1: An American Emergency When hijackers coordinated the take-over of four passenger planes on September 11, they sent out a 9-1-1. It was truly an emergency call. Emergency comes from emerge and emergence, from the Latin word for to plunge out--it means to rise from, to come out into view. We have listened to stories of rescue and sacrifice. We have watched First Responders, the Fire and Emergency Medical teams that are first on the scene of a disaster. We have recognized so many people as the heroes they are. But it's not over. There is plenty of emergency response work still to be done, over a long period of time, and this gives us all a chance to be heroes in our own way. It was an airport security emergency and an air traffic control emergency. It was a national security emergency. It was a crisis management emergency. It was a belief and reality emergency--days later, I heard people repeating "It's not real, it's not real" and "I can't believe it." It was a shock and grief emergency, and experts say the trauma will go on for months and years. Some people are already discussing rebuilding on the site in lower Manhattan, but who will want to have an office to do business on a mass grave? It was a political emergency, and the government mobilized. It was an intelligence emergency--why didn't we know enough to prevent it? It was a religious and spiritual emergency--how can we understand the purpose of death and destruction on this scale? It was a patriotic emergency-- how do we respond to an "Attack on America?" It was a peace and justice emergency--do we have a repertoire of response that does not take the form of violent retaliation and retribution? It was a democracy emergency--how do we preserve our principles in adversity? It was a tolerance and understanding emergency--how do we keep from turning against people from other religious and cultural groups, ethnic groups and nationalities that we identify with the criminals, the enemy?

The Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

The attacks by Communist forces inside South Vietnam's major cities and towns that began around the Vietnamese New Year (Tet) of 1 February 1968 were the peak of an offensive that took place over a period of several months during the Vietnam War. Gen. William C. Westmoreland, the American commander in Vietnam, believed the attacks to be a last "throw of the dice" by the losing side. The attacks that Americans dubbed the "Tet Offensive" were just part of what the Communists called a "General Offensive and Uprising," designed to jolt the war into a new phase. The offensive ultimately achieved the Communists' aim, but at a price many of them thought excessive. The offensive had long†term conceptual origins in Vietnam's August Revolution of 1945, in which the Communist†led Viet Minh had instigated popular uprisings in the cities to seize power from a puppet government Japan had installed before its defeat. Two decades later, as American commitment to the anti†Communist government in Saigon deepened in the early 1960s, the Communists looked to that earlier event for inspiration. Lacking the military power to inflict outright defeat on the American military, the Communists had somehow to destroy American confidence that â€Å"limited war† could eventually bring victory for the United States. By sending armed forces directly into the South's cities and fomenting rebellion there, the Communists hoped to pull down the Saigon government or facilitate the rise to power of neutralists who would demand the withdrawal of U.S. forces. Even if the offensive did not bring immediate victory, the Communists calculated it would all ow rural forces to disrupt the pacification program, destroy the American illusion of success, and induce the United States to enter negotiations in which Hanoi could bargain from a position of strength. The plan formally approved by the Communist Party political bureau in Hanoi in July 1967 recognized that American, allied, and Saigon forces constituted a much more formidable foe than the shaky regime the August Revolution had toppled in 1945. The offensive therefore actually began in September 1967, with artillery†supported assaults by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), supported from the North, on the U.S. combat bases located along route 9 just south of the demilitarized zone, and then with operations in the central highlands, to test American reactions. The tests revealed that the Americans would remain in defensive positions; and although PAVN troops would face devastating firepower, massing for attack on these positions in remote areas could lure significant forces away from population centers.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Essay --

Trading education to fish for their lives/ Choosing shores over schools Kumar*, 16 is among the many children in Pamban village of Rameshwaram who forego education and venture into the sea to earn a living for their families. While key decisions about sharing of waters between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen are awaited, the fishing hamlet of Anthoniar Nagar in Rameshwaram has children as young as 11 years accompanying fishermen in their country boats. At four feet tall, Kumar* is small for his age. After his father abandoned the family, he dropped out of school in class VIII and turned breadwinner of his family. â€Å"Nobody forced us to go fishing,† he said and introduced his friend Joseph*, a soft-spoken skinny boy of 11 who was almost a foot taller than him. Kumar* claimed that Joseph* willingly went fishing with his father to provide for his family of seven. â€Å"It’s been three years since I went to school,† said Joseph*. He said that the Indian Navy caught boats with children in them and that yet they went about 50-60 feet deep. â€Å"I don’t go to school but at least I earn for my fam...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Morality and Sacrifice

SACRIFICE â€Å"Sacrifice† is the surrender of a greater value for the sake of a lesser one or of a non value. Thus, altruism gauges a man’s virtue by the degree to which he surrenders, renounces or betrays his values (since help to a stranger or an enemy is regarded as more virtuous, less â€Å"selfish,† than help to those one loves). The rational principle of conduct is the exact opposite: always act in accordance with the hierarchy of your values, and never sacrifice a greater value to a lesser one. Sacrifice† does not mean the rejection of the worthless, but of the precious. â€Å"Sacrifice† does not mean the rejection of the evil for the sake of the good, but of the good for the sake of the evil. â€Å"Sacrifice† is the surrender of that which you value in favor of that which you don’t. If you exchange a penny for a dollar, it is not a sacrifice; if you exchange a dollar for a penny, it is. If you achieve the career you wanted, aft er years of struggle, it is not a sacrifice; if you then renounce it for the sake of a rival, it is.A sacrifice is the surrender of a value. Full sacrifice is full surrender of all values. If you wish to achieve full virtue, you must seek no gratitude in return for your sacrifice, no praise, no love, no admiration, no self-esteem, not even the pride of being virtuous; the faintest trace of any gain dilutes your virtue. If you pursue a course of action that does not taint your life by any joy, that brings you no value in matter, no value in spirit, no gain, no profit, no reward—if you achieve this state of total zero, you have achieved the ideal of moral perfection.If you wish to save the last of your dignity, do not call your best actions a â€Å"sacrifice†: that term brands you as immoral. If a mother buys food for her hungry child rather than a hat for herself, it is not a sacrifice: she values the child higher than the hat; but it is a sacrifice to the kind of mothe r whose higher value is the hat, who would prefer her child to starve and feeds him only from a sense of duty.If a man dies fighting for his own freedom, it is not a sacrifice: he is not willing to live as a slave; but it is a sacrifice to the kind of man who’s willing. If a man refuses to sell his convictions, it is not a sacrifice, unless he is the sort of man who has no convictions. Sacrifice could be proper only for those who have nothing to sacrifice—no values, no standards, no judgment—those whose desires are irrational whims, blindly conceived and lightly surrendered. For a man of moral stature, whose esires are born of rational values, sacrifice is the surrender of the right to the wrong, of the good to the evil. The creed of sacrifice is a morality for the immoral—a morality that declares its own bankruptcy by confessing that it can’t impart to men any personal stake in virtues or values, and that their souls are sewers of depravity, which they must be taught to sacrifice. By its own confession, it is impotent to teach men to be good and can only subject them to constant punishment.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Intense Personal Memories and Reflections

Intense personal memories and reflections have always been an inspiration to poets. Explore this concept with regards to the poems that you have studied referring to three poems in detail and at least three poems from your wider reading. The theme of reflections is something frequently explored in literature. It is truly a powerful force. It can bestow courage, feelings of warmth, and even overwhelm you and this is exactly what the below six poets did by manipulating their personal and emotional reflections to generate an emotive impact on us by using a variety of literary devices to present to us a ‘window’ into their pasts.Alice Walker (Poem at Thirty-Nine), U. A. Fanthorpe (Half past Two) and D. H. Lawrence (Piano) have all portrayed powerful emotional memories and reflections in their poems. â€Å"Poem At Thirty-Nine† was concerning a woman who learnt everything from her father and desired to do the simple things he did during his life although she was very pr ivileged to acquire an education hence she could better herself in life. â€Å"Follower† by Seamus Heaney was a poem that related to the admiration of their parent. Half-Past Two† evaluated the predicament of a young boy in an after school punishment for â€Å"Something Very Wrong† but he was instructed to remain in the schoolroom until â€Å"half- past two† but he did not understand the concept of time. â€Å"My Parents Kept Me from Children Who Were Rough† by Stephen Spender evaluated a childhood problem similarly to â€Å"Half-Past Two† where in this case, the title is self-explanatory. Piano† was a well-defined example of the author of the poem ruminating on his past life, but in particular, music of his childhood making him return to certain events forcefully but he realised how much he has transformed and the memories made him crave to return to the past. â€Å"Once Upon A Time† by Gabriel Okara also was a poem where the ad ult wanted to return to the past but in this poem, it was not for a childhood memory but a quality that was expelled from his mind during adulthood. D. H.Lawrence’s â€Å"Piano† was written in quatrains with 3 stanzas. The structure of 3 stanzas divided the poem into 3 different parts which made it organised and stanzas created a clear space in time. Through the usage of stanzas, the emotional contrasts between his dwelling in his childhood memories and the aftermath are much more distinct and easier to apprehend. With the change from the second to the third stanza, the persona’s memories of delight were juxtaposed with reality settling in where Lawrence’s language now was in the present.The poet used several poetic devices but one that triumphs was his distinct word placement and perfectly placed words and syllables. This portrayed the intensity of emotion in the poem since he knew the exact phrases and words to maximise the effect of presenting emotions in a sophisticated manner. A perfect example of this would be where instead of just saying â€Å"going back† or â€Å"train of thought† he used â€Å"vista of years. † Another example of this specific word usage was when Lawrence used the phrase â€Å"Till I see† which communicated the message in a more powerful manner than â€Å"I remember. The poet chose a particular phrase because he wanted to communicate exact images and not leave a lot of room for assumption since just using â€Å"I remember† or â€Å"going back† could be a range of memories. He also used phrases such as â€Å"A child† to refer to himself and he referred to his mother as â€Å"A mother† which made the poem impersonal but it was an attempt to make him detached from the memories and as if he almost didn’t distinguish his past self, seeing that he has changed so much. Lawrence utilised a variety of poetic devices such as sibilance, onomatopoeia and w hat I think to be his most effective and successful, his selective diction.The poet has effectively established an enthralling atmosphere for the poem by using sibilance. He used sibilance not just for an atmosphere creation but to add a sinister and harsh tone to a line: â€Å"In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song. † That was also another precisely chosen phrase. There were many examples of sibilance such as â€Å"Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;† and â€Å"†¦smiles as she sings,† where the â€Å"s† sounds similar to that of a whisper which portrayed. Now the intensity of his memory but now it’s beginning to emotionally hurt him.Also when the poet asserted â€Å"In spite of myself,† he was forced to reckon these moments, he referred to his masculinity. The â€Å"insidious mastery of song†¦ Betrays me back,† tricked him into the nostalgia of childhood, it forced him to â€Å"weep to belong,† since he didn’t want to revisit the past. He pulled himself out of recalling about the child he was with the phrase â€Å"In spite of myself† The poet used the words â€Å"Sunday† and â€Å"at home† which gave a sense of resting and peace but he used a contradictory metaphor, â€Å"winter outside† which meant the harsh world outside his safe home.As that stanza continued, you saw the theme of safety and comfort continues where he said â€Å"hymns in the cozy parlour. † The hymns show that the family was a God-fearing family and a parlour was where the best things in the house were and where guests usually were so that also shows a close knitted family and the sense of security between the family members. The poet also used onomatopoeia in â€Å"boom of the tingling strings† and â€Å"tinkling â€Å" since â€Å"boom† and â€Å"tinkling† described their own sound.Lawrence used a musical term in the final stanza â€Å"W ith the great black piano appassionato† which enhanced the impression on the reader. As the reader, â€Å"appassionato† was more impacting than loud since it was associated to music and it was more expressive. â€Å"Appassionato† added to the fact that to the character’s music didn’t matter anymore and that he’d rather be with his mother. The singer, his mother, was trying â€Å"in vain† which and continued where the mother singing was â€Å"clamour† so she comprehended that he was beginning to lose attention but her attempts to retrieve his focus we futile.He then used the pejorative term, â€Å"childish days† which tended to suggests immaturity but the â€Å"glamor† of those days makes him long for it. Also this extract â€Å"†¦ my manhood is cast/Down in the flood of remembrance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  shows that he wept like a child for the past therefore by his weeping; the gap between child and man, sentiment and masculinity, and past and present is abridged. Personally, I think anyone can relate to this poem because no matter who you are there’s that one moment in childhood everyone longs to return to and just like Lawrence, everyone sees it as a â€Å"glamor. â€Å"Once Upon A Time† by Gabriel Okara is related to â€Å"Piano† because within the poem, there was the desire to return to the past but in this poem, it was a conversation between a father and a son where the father was relating how actions of people were executed when he was young compared to the present and now the father (narrator) wished he could return to his original innocent state. Unlike â€Å"Piano,† â€Å"Once Upon A Time† was a free verse poem.The first three stanzas have the same general pattern where Okara starts by narrating the past and explaining how things used to be, but then he tells the negative reality, making the tone of the poem very sinister and bitter by using phrases s uch as â€Å"ice – block cold eyes† and â€Å"shake hands without hearts,† whereas in â€Å"Piano† there was a sinister undertone with the â€Å"insidious† sibilance. The mood of this poem for the majority of it was seriousness but at the ending, the mood changes to regret and you see how heartfelt the father’s desire to become like what he used to be. So show me, son, how to laugh; show me how†¦ I used to laugh and smile†¦ once upon a time when I was like you. † The repetition in that extract emphasised the genuineness of his regret. A simile that Okara used to express his regret was â€Å"†¦my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs! † which shows who remorseful he feels by using a poisonous snake to represent his teeth. So we see that just as how Lawrence wants to return to his childhood for the memories, Okara wants to learn from his past by letting his son teach him how to show his true feelings again. Poem at Thirty-Nine† by Alice Walker differs from Piano and Half-Past Two because it is a free verse poem. In free verse poems, you tend to get the memories that was most impacted on you so the reflection becomes more fascinating. Although this poem was written in free verse, there was still a distinct separation between the two sections of the poem. That was presented in the repetition of the phrase â€Å"How I miss my father† where the first time, it seemed like she was sighing of deliberation and remorse.This remorse can also be linked in with the phrase â€Å"though many of my truths must have grieved him before the end. † She now recognised that what she disclosed might have upset him but the second time was with an exclamation mark, instead of a sigh, it appeared to be more like a wail. At this point she recalled and missed her father and the fun things about him. Finally there was the stanza that concludes poem which told us that she has become the woman that her father wanted her to be.Walker used simple language that was never overstated or simulated in any way so without the use of the extravagant words; you can clearly perceive that this poem is coming from her heart. She used simple, short phrases and sentences such as â€Å"Writing slips and deposit checks† or â€Å"cooking, writing, chopping wood† which also gives you an impression of Walker attempting to communicate with the reader and not narrating a story. This is a significant contrast from the poem â€Å"Piano† because in piano, the entire poem was based on the perfect layout of words and syllables using complex vocabulary.This poem consisted of various literary devices such as similes, metaphors and the dominating symbolism. One simile used in the poem was â€Å"He cooked like a person dancing† which contrasts with the proceeding line â€Å"in a yoga meditation† but nonetheless the dancing showed that the father enjoyed cooking but he seems co ncentrated and contented with his actions. An example of a metaphor in the poem was â€Å"my brain light† which was an usual combination of words but the light can be ascertained to either be free from care, worry or stress and even meditation.Then, there was the many examples of symbolism but I think the most obvious would be â€Å"†¦tossing this and that into the pot; seasoning none of my life the same way twice;† this can be understood where she was carefree and she has a lack of concern and attention to details. The â€Å"seasoning† would be a symbol of her daily activities. Another symbolic phrase would be â€Å"cooking, writing, chopping wood, staring into the fire. † To me, I see those actions as symbols of independence where she was able to survive without relying on her parents. Chopping wood† shows that she’s not afraid of the gender boundary of the society then since women were looked down upon and they had little to no rights and it was the same for Black-Americans and Alice Walker had the privilege of being from both groups. She later became a racial and women’s activist. You could say that she is a modern woman, being able to be independent and fight for her beliefs. Any father â€Å"would have grown to admire† the woman she had become especially hers who had been a freed slave. â€Å"Follower† by Seamus Heaney was written in quatrains each of the six stanzas has four lines thus being a structured poem.This poem relates to â€Å"Poem at Thirty-Nine† because it focuses on admiration just like in â€Å"Poem at Thirty-Nine† The poem has multiple splits where particular stanzas focus on different people. Stanza one to three focuses on the expertise in the farm by his father. Evidence where this is clearly seen is â€Å"The horse strained at his clicking tongue† where you notice that with an effortless human noise and he controls the animals on the farm. A more obv ious example was just the two word sentence â€Å"An Expert† which just states that he was excellent at what he did.Then stanzas four to six, Heaney talked about himself being a nuisance on the farm and what made this apparent was that Heaney begins to use the pronoun â€Å"I. † â€Å"I stumbled†¦ / I was a nuisance, tripping, falling† where Heaney admits that he was, in fact, a nuisance, but there was a twist at the end of the poem where â€Å"But today†¦ It is my father who keeps stumbling†¦ Behind me, and will not go away. † And this was the ultimate theme of the poem – the relationship of the father and the son and how the role of being a farmer is reversed when you age.The mood of this poem was actually not one of bitterness but love between the father and son although that word was never mentioned in the poem. There were similes, metaphors, oxymoron and onomatopoeia used in this poem. â€Å"His shoulders globed like a full sai l strung† This simile stressed how Heaney admired his father’s strength. â€Å"The sweating team turned round† This was a metaphor for the father controlling his son’s future. One of the oxymoron examples were: â€Å"Polished sod† which highlights that you cannot have smooth mud, so Heaney cannot follow.Onomatopoeia: â€Å"Dipping and rising to his plod† accentuated Heaney as a young boy following his father, and also his father’s farming, the movement of the horse-plough. Reading this poem, people can relate to this poem because in everyone’s life, you eventually move up in life from the nuisance to the one who actually does the work and the same people who thought you we’re the nuisance to them, you now think they hinder you. â€Å"Half-Past Two† by U. A. Fanthorpe is a structured poem where each stanza has three lines each.The poem follows a chronological order where it began him in a classroom in his after scho ol punishment and it follows the events like a time lapse until the teacher dismissed him but then you notice that the poem ends on a philosophical note. In the first stanza, we saw evidence of there being a contrast in age in the lines being spoken by a narrator in third person and in brackets, the narrator in first person narrative. We saw evidence of this throughout the poem. For example, â€Å"He did Something Very Wrong†¦ (I forget what it was)† Everything spoken by the first person narrator was written in brackets but when he was relating the past events he writes freely. When Fanthorpe was reflecting upon his younger childhood; he could not tell the time so time existed for him in personal interactions and it was important times such as â€Å"Gettinguptime, Timeyouwereofftime, Timetogohometime, TVtime†¦ † and the concept of the â€Å"half – past two† was not understood by him. This poem, just like all the other poems, has a great amount o f literary devices such as personification, repetition and oxymoron. One example of personification was where he attempted to comprehend the concept of time as a child and the personified the clock â€Å"†¦ he little eyes, the long legs for walking,† but still he could not â€Å"click its language† which meant no matter how hard he tried to figure out the clock and how it works, all his attempts were unsuccessful. In stanza seven, he is in a moment of isolation – â€Å"Out of reach from all timefors† and away from the impact of time – â€Å"He’d escaped time for ever† which is comprehended as his escape from the world of time and in a fairy tale world where time has no existence. The poem from this point begins to slow down and becomes hypnotic where he was realising the routine of his life and how monotonous it was.It was as if he was falling into a trance of his regular daily life and this hypnotic stanza was achieved by the re petition of â€Å"Into† and we also see oxymoron where Fanthorpe says â€Å"†¦silent noise his hangnail made. † Then we see where he snaps out of the trance, it was as if he was slotted back into time where he was back into â€Å"teatime, Nexttime etc. † When the teacher said â€Å"I forgot all about you,† the incident the child saw as being â€Å"Something Very Wrong† and â€Å"wicked† as of little importance to the teacher. These â€Å"time† words increase the tempo of the poem like if it was back into the fast lane of life.The language of the poem now becomes more adult so it could possibly be when Fanthorpe has just got himself out of his reflections and back to present. Fanthorpe uses phrases such as â€Å"Clockless land forever† which refers back to a fairy tale where time does not exist and he not knowing time, allowed him just to live without fear of time being over. He also uses the word â€Å"Forever† whic h links back to â€Å"into ever,† a place where time was infinite and does not exist or cannot be measured. The poem ends from instead of being just a reflection; Fanthorpe personified ime â€Å"time hides tick-less waiting to be born† which can be comprehended as waiting for tome to be discovered as a concept which controls our life. This poem made me and I can assure anyone who is reading â€Å"Half-Past Two† they will realise, just like how I have, the extent of how these time periods control our life and without it, the world will either go into complete peace since it will be peaceful and there will be no need to rush or it would be a catastrophe where to world goes into uproar since people depend and base their lives on this concept of time. My Parents Who Kept Me from Children Who Were Rough† by Stephen Spender was a poem about a child who was protected from the outside world by his parents and the bullying children who roamed the streets. Spender's poem was divided into three verses of equal length, though the verse division seems more of a visual device than anything else. The lines are roughly the same length and have an irregular rhythm. It was similar to the poem â€Å"Half-Past Two† since it also involved a childhood predicament but in this poem, the parents assisted the child to avoid any severe danger to their son.Spender uses the pronoun â€Å"I† which makes the poem personal and you clearly see that Spender was reflecting on his own personal encounters. The poetic devices that I observed in this poem were alliteration, similes and enjambment on the first line of the poem. Alliteration was seen in â€Å"climbing cliffs† and the simile was seen â€Å"like dogs to bark at our world† which can be understood as people who attacked other peoples’ lives. In those poems, each and every one, reflections are a major part to the poets influence for the masterpieces of work. Poem at Thirty-Nine † and â€Å"Follower† we saw pure admiration and love pour out of those poems, even though some might be hampered in the sadness and remorse, the sensation of awe to the poets’ parents was still present. Piano’ shows its power to overwhelm a fully grown man and drive him to the point of tears. â€Å"Half-Past Two† was one of those amazing poems where if you begin to imagine what would it be like and your imagination just runs wild. Once Upon A Time† is another fantastic and usual piece of poetry where instead of having a child admire a father; Okara did the opposite and have the parent running to the child for wisdom which is a notable ironic twist that was very uncommon. â€Å"My Parents Kept Me from Children Who Were Rough† is one of those stories where there is just nonstop bullying and you think the person being bullied would never recover, in this poem we actually see the poet forgive his enemies which now makes me admire him for t hat bold move although the street children never paid any attention to him.Personally I believe in the power of memory. Through recollecting the past and reflecting upon it, I see what I can do to improve myself and be a better person. With it you can become happy but yet be pained by it and I have my regrets but those memories hurt, keep me awake at night and cause fits of depression. It is a normal part of life. Live with it, do not seek to dwell in the past and create more memories worth remembering.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Literature review- should marijuana be legalised? Essay

The legalisation of marijuana has long been a debated subject, and not only in Australia But all around the world. People’s views in this area vary greatly, with many reasonable arguments for and against the issue. In this report, past studies and literature will be reviewed providing an understanding into the possible consequences of legalising marijuana as well as the views and debates regarded to the issue. The organisation, Gallup has been examining America’s attitude towards the legalisation of marijuana since the late 1960’s. Their studies show that in the past Americans have been opposed to the issue, with just twelve percent supporting the drug’s legalisation in 1969. However, in 1977 this number increased to 25 percent, and in 2000 rose again to 31 percent (Carroll, 2005). According to a new study by Gallop, the amount of Americans in favour of marijuana’s legalisation today has now soared to a riveting fifty percent. Including people between the ages of eighteen and twenty nine most in favour of its legalisation, and people sixty five and older proved to be most opposed to it (daily mail reporter, 2011) A predominant question in the debate relating to the legalization of marijuana is whether consumption would rise and by how much. Many people are concerned that if the drug became legal it would become more accessible, affordable, and acceptable in society, making an increase in consumption a big possibility. Rand, a drug policy research centre, conducted a study that supports this argument. â€Å"Results from these studies suggest that regular use of marijuana will Increase both in prevalence and in terms of average level of use with a fall in the monetary price of marijuana and a reduction in the enforcement risk of using marijuana. The precise increase in use, particularly in terms of average quantities consumed among users, remains unclear because of inadequate analyses of conditional demand. However, it is clear that the number (prevalence) of regular users will rise in response to both (Pacula, 2010).† According to Rand there is still an uncertainty towards how much marijuana consumption will increase post-legalisation, however, their models suggest that numbers could increase by fifty to one hundred percent or more. This would depend on the retail price, availability, advertisement and the federal response (Kilmer, 2010). If more people are using the drug, more people will be open to the health disadvantages marijuana has on the human  body. The primary reason why marijuana has been illegal in the past is because the drug does have many adverse health effects. In the same way the government protects people on the road by making them wear seatbelts; they also want to protect members of society from falling to the consequences involved with consuming marijuana. The government does have a certain level of responsibility over the safety of society, which is why many people believe that marijuana should remain illegal. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has surveyed and conducted many scientific research projects, all showing that excessive marijuana use has a serious effect on a user’s memory, social skills and capability to be educated (buddy, 2006). Intensive use can also lead to many long term effects such as depression, anxiety and personality disorders as well as an increased risk of getting bronchitis, lung cancer and other diseases of the respiratory system (NSW Government, 2011). Despite these effects of marijuana usage, it has proved that marijuana is no more harmful than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco. Which brings into question, why should marijuana be illegal when alcohol and tobacco consumption is allowed? An investigation by the British Medical Association actually went on to prove that alcohol and tobacco are far more addictive than marijuana. In fact, the drinking of alcohol and the use of cigarettes result in more deaths per year than does the use of marijuana.(marijuana safety, 1999) † Alcohol is more toxic, more addictive, more harmful to the body, more likely to result in injuries, and more likely to lead to interpersonal violence than marijuana† (safer choice,2010) If marijuana were to be legalised it could provide a safer alternative to alcohol and more harmful drugs. Substituting these drugs with marijuana could be a successful approach to the battle against substance abuse. Amanda Reiman describes what she has found in her study about the substitution of other drugs with marijuana. â€Å"Substituting cannabis for alcohol has been described as a radical alcohol treatment protocol. This approach could be used to address heavy alcohol use in the British Isles – people might substitute cannabis, a potentially safer drug than alcohol with less negative side effects, if it were socially acceptable and available.†( Reiman, 2009) Similar studies in this area went on to suggest that legalising marijuana will decrease road  accidents. By viewing statistics in areas where the drug has been allowed, researchers have found that there was nearly a nine percent reduction in traffic deaths (science daily, 2011). Marijuana has actually proved to have many medical uses, although sometimes they are completely overlooked. In the past, many studies have shown the drug to have several beneficial effects, these include, effective pain relief as well as providing aid to the side effects of chemotherapy and the symptoms of AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, glaucoma and other serious illnesses.(co-ed magazines, 2010) In 1997, the National Institutes of Health published a report specifying the possible medical uses for marijuana. The report emphasized five areas of medical care that were most applicable. These included Stimulation of appetite and decreased cachexia, Controlled nausea and vomiting linked with cancer chemotherapy, Decreased intraocular pressure, pain relief and finally, the benefits in area of Neurological and movement disorders By allowing marijuana consumption the government would be providing many people with a cheaper and effective alternative for pain relief and other medical impa irments. Legalisation could also lead to further medical research and findings on the medical uses of the drug.( National Institutes of Health, 1997) ‘Though the benefits of medical marijuana are ignored by the federal government, many scientists seemingly agree that the benefits of marijuana from a medicinal standpoint heavily out weigh the risk when it comes to aiding patients’ (Gallagher, 2012) When looking at marijuana legalisation from an economic perspective many advantages are noted. a study lead by Dr. Jeffrey Miron reported that once legalised, If marijuana were to be taxed similarly to the taxation system used on alcoholic and tobacco products, Governments could be looking at annual savings and revenues of up to fourteen billion each year. This includes savings in areas like prohibition enforcement which is said to be around 7.7 billion dollars. Over 500 other economists are supporting Dr. Jeffrey Miron’s study and are calling for a debate considering the reason and basis behind marijuana prohibition. (Miron, 2005) Overall, views on the legalisation of marijuana vary greatly among the people of Australia and the world. Past literature and in depth studies have revealed many advantages and disadvantages in regards to the drugs legalisation. Society’s arguments  are centred around, the effects on marijuana consumption, health effects, health benefits, economic advantages and its harmfulness in regards to other legal drugs. Bibliography Vandaelle, I. (2012, Janurary 17). Majority of Canadians support legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana, new poll suggests. Retrieved 2012, from National Post: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/17/majority-of-canadians-support-legalizing-or-decriminalizing-marijuana-new-poll-suggests/ 10 Major Health Benefits of Marijuana. (2010, September 2). Retrieved 2012, from Coed magazine: http://coedmagazine.com/2010/09/02/10-major-health-benefits-of-marijuana/ Cannabis is The Answer To Booze Problems. (2011, October 16). Retrieved 2012, from imarijuana.com: http://www.imarijuana.com/tag/medical-cannabis-dispensary Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths, Preliminary Research Suggests. (2011, November 29). Retrieved 2012, from science daily.com: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129123257.htm Medical Marijuana Laws Reduce Traffic Deaths, Preliminary Research Suggests . (2011, november 30). Retrieved 2012, from The rational response squad: http://www.rationalresponders.co m/forum/30694 Record high: Gallup poll shows FIFTY per cent of Americans favour legalising marijuana. (2011, october 18). Retrieved 2012, from mail online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2050348/Legalisation-marijuana-50-Americans-favour.html Carroll, J. (2005, November 1). Who Supports Marijuana Legalization? Retrieved 2012, from GALLUP: http://www.gallup.com/poll/19561/who-supports-marijuana-legalization.aspx Debate on legalising marijuana . (n.d.). Retrieved 2012, from Hun pages: http://ange1ica1.hubpages.com/hub/Debate-of-Legalizing-Marjuana Gallagher, P. (2012, April 30). Are the benifits of medical marijuana being completely overlooked. Retrieved 2012, from Activist Post: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/04/are-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-being.html Kilmer, B. (2010, September). Insights on the Effects of. Retrieved 2012, from Rand: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/testimonies/2010/RAND_CT351.pdf