Wednesday, July 31, 2019

A Clean Well-lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway Essay

â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† by Ernest Hemingway â€Å"A Days Wait† by Ernest Hemingway â€Å"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber† by Ernest Hemingway â€Å"Indian Camp† by Ernest Hemingway â€Å"Soldier’s Home† by Ernest Hemingway Ernest Hemingway has presented us with some of the best literature of the 20th century. He has been recognized in recent times as one of the greatest writers of all time, and the effect his work has left upon us is compared with that of Shakespeare’s. His great success could be due, in part, to the fact that characters in his literature lead lives which mirror his own in many ways. Literary critics have dubbed these parallels â€Å"code heroes,† and have presented guidelines as to what lifestyles they lead in Hemingway’s stories. I wish to show similarities in the presence of these certain, uniform traits that are common among Hemingway’s code hero in the stories, â€Å"A Cle an Well-Lighted Place† and â€Å"A Day’s Wait,† both by Ernest Hemingway. The specific elements that make up a code hero are as follows: (1) â€Å"Eat, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow you may die.† (2) â€Å"When you’re dead, you’re dead.† (3) â€Å"Avoid death at all cost, but don’t be afraid to die.† (4) â€Å"Always be disciplined, never show emotion.† (5) â€Å"Grace under pressure.† (6) Nada concept – a code hero is not comfortable at night. They become most active during darkness, because they fear it and try to avoid it at all times. In the short story, â€Å"A Day’s Wait,† the presence of code hero traits is evident in the thoughts, words, and actions of Schatz, the main character in the story. Schatz is a small child who believes that he is going to die, yet he does not fear it. Instead, the boy lies in bed and takes it. He understands that death is an accepted reality rather than a worrisome end for a code hero. Schatz forces himself to be strong for his father. He tells him, â€Å"You don’t have to stay in here with me, Papa, if it bothers you.† Schatz continues to prove himself as a code hero by constantly stifling any emotion that he is feeling. He never once shares with his father the immense turmoil that is present within himself. When his father asks him how he feels, he simply replies, â€Å"Just the same, so far.† This is an adequate reply for a Hemingway code hero because he always feels the presence of an undying peace that is control. He knows that he must exhibit an unyielding grace  under pressure. Schatz epitomizes all of these characteristics, and not only because his coded behavior is undeniable, but because he is not a soldier at the front or a man with a crippling injury which no longer allows him to enjoy life, he is only a boy of nine years. Schatz displays a grace that most adults can not fathom. He is determined to show an emotional strength that is beyond his years. As with most of Hemingway’s code heroes, Schatz is aware of the awkward feeling in which darkness presents. His father tells him to go to bed several times, but Schatz knows that he must remain conscious and enjoy his last hours of life. If he allows himself to pass onto a vulnerable state that is sleep, he knows that he may not wake up. â€Å"I’d rather stay awake,† he tells his father in the uneventful way in which only a code hero can. The old man in the short story â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† also understands what it takes to be one of Hemingway’s elite. He drinks every night until he is drunk, because he knows that tonight may be his last. He knows that the world is a constant struggle and that he must be victor, lest he lose the game. For once the game is lost, it is not an easy task to play again. In the world of a code hero, there are no rewards for second place. Once the old man is done, he knows that he can never return in the glory which he once enjoyed. But he does not fear this. That would not be the style which suits him. In fact, we learn that the old man welcomes death, â€Å"He hung himself with a rope.† He possesses an advantage above those who fear death. He feels that he would be happier in death than in life. The old man proves to us that he is unhappy, but he cannot show this. He remains dignified in his agony and understands that it would not be â€Å"sporting† to end the game this way. His respect comes from playing the game well, for he is a code hero. Even in the drunken stagger that he must fight every night during his long walk home, he is collected, a decorated soldier who proudly fights the good battle. â€Å"The waiter watched him go down the street, a very old man walking unsteadily but with dignity.† The old man, as all code heroes must, also denies the presence of darkness. Hemingway uses particular code elements more than others in certain stories, and this is no  exception. The short story â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place† is completely based on the nada concept. The narrator explains the old man’s need for a lighted place in order to somehow prevent the unbearable loneliness in which he refuses to succumb to. Hemingway, in his genius, understands this need in all of us. In his representation of this light, he triggers the same feeling of warmth that the old man has grown to depend on. The old man goes to that place in his childhood in which he remembers the freshly washed countertop, the warm, fluorescent glow of a grandmother’s kitchen at night just before bedtime. Just like all of us, he does not want to go to bed. He longs to be awake and in the presence of that security. Many similarities are seen between the code heroes of Schatz, in â€Å"A Day’s Wait,† and the old man from â€Å"A Clean Well-Lighted Place.† Both possess a quality which allows them to view death differently. They are able to see a larger picture in which they play the game well, but when they are through they must accept the fact that they cannot go back. This ability to view death is what allows Schatz to accept an early end, and also what gives the old man the strength to stare his maker in the eyes and kick the chair out from underneath himself. Both Schatz and the old man are able to eliminate the emotions which complicate all of our lives. In the possession of this trait, both characters are able to focus completely on the task which is at hand. Schatz knows that he must be strong for his father, so he can waste no time on feelings. The old man also knows that he has another purpose in life than to promote charity. He is called to live a life worthy of a code hero’s recognition. He is called to play the game better than anyone else until the end no longer permits him to. These characters both force themselves to carry on a dignified existence. Schatz knows that wailing and carrying-on do not exist in the world of a code hero. He knows that the only way he can face death is with the same attitude that he faced each day of his existence. To give up now would be losing the battle. The old man also knows how to lead a life of dignity. â€Å"I wouldn’t want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing. Not always. This old man is clean. He drinks without spilling. Even now, drunk. Look at him.† It is evident to the waiter that the old man is somehow controlled by an invisible force, an internal force, which does not allow him to give any impression except one of control, one of grace. Lastly, these two code heroes share a respect for darkness. This respect incorporates everything that darkness represents. They cannot fear darkness, for it is not in the nature of a code hero to fear anything, but they also cannot forget the feeling that darkness gives them. In the short story â€Å"A Day’s Wait,† the obvious observation must be made that the boy never once allows himself to become vulnerable in the unreadiness which is sleep. The old man is so uncomfortable with this vulnerability that he lives out darkness underneath a ceiling light in a cafÃÆ' © booth. Schatz and the old man are examples of Hemingway code heroes at their best. In each short story that Hemingway’s pen has graced, we see a character who can be considered heroic in a way specific to themselves and to Ernest Hemingway. However, it is when these single characters are presented in the light of a comparison that it is possible to see just exactly what Hemingway was trying to accomplish in developing each of them.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Deutsche Brauerei Essay

Deutsche Brauerei was founded in 1737 and has been in the Schweitzer family for 12 generations. The company produces quality beer and has won awards over the years and is owned entirely by 16 uncles, aunts and cousins. In 1998, Deutsche Brauerei expanded into Ukraine. Despite the Russian debt crisis, the popularity of Deutsche’s beer increased its sales greatly and within three years of launch, Ukrainian consumers accounted for 28% of Deutsche’s sales. Furthermore, most of the unit growth in sales during that time period was also contributed by Ukraine. In an attempt to market the beer even more aggressively, Lukas hired Oleg Pinchuk, a marketing guy who understood the Ukrainian markets and had previous experience of marketing beer for a major Ukrainian beer producer. In the following report, we aim to evaluate the past and prospective financial performance of the company, dividend policy and to critique its liberal credit and inventory policies. An appropriate compensation scheme will also be recommended. Adoption of a Compensation Scheme for Oleg Pinchuk It is our belief that Oleg Pinchuk does deserve an increase in his compensation package to provide incentive for him to stay and provide future results. His strategies for setting up infrastructure in the Ukraine have been fundamental to the company’s sales growth. We are also concerned that some of his current policies may not be profitable and are taking on too much risk as the economy shows signs of a recession. Also, we highly recommend that the design of the compensation package be changed as it currently creates a large agency problem. In 1998, Deutsche Brauerei employed Oleg Pinchuk as the Company’s Sales and Marketing Manager. Previously Pinchuk has worked for a major beer producer in the Ukraine giving him invaluable insight into the industry and environment. The main goals he was placed with was to market Deutsche Brauerei’s beer more aggressively while taking advantage of the large opportunities existing in Central and Eastern Europe. â€Å"Our beer almost sells itself; discount pricing and heavy advertising are unwarranted. The challenge is getting people to try it and getting into a distribution pipeline. † Pinchuk quoted. Initially in 1998, Ukraine had no beer distributors, presenting a large problem – the company had no means of distributing the product amongst ustomers. Distributors in the Ukraine had no capital and could not receive financing from banks to set up their business because they had no collateral, low profits, negative cash flows and were seen as a high risk. They were also not able to bear the credit terms that were currently implemented on the German distributors . This is where Pinchuk’s strategies have been essential for our expansion into the Ukraine. Pinchuk, on a small budget, managed to organise five distributors and set up warehouse arrangements. He relaxed the credit policy for the Ukraine distributors from 2% 10, net 40 to 2% 10, net 80 – essentially financing their business and making it possible for them to set up and operate. Carrying a substantial part of the distributor’s inventory also took pressure and costs away from the distributors while making it possible to respond rapidly to changes in demand. These strategies have increased customers in the Ukraine from 0 to 211, with even more expected in 2001. For Oleg’s strategies to be implemented, the business has required large working capital investments. Particularly in accounts receivable where days in receivables is nearly 90 days. We believe that Pinchuk’s analysis of the return on investment has been overstated because he hasn’t taken into account the investments in inventory and capital expenditure that would also be needed. Exhibit 3 shows our adjusted analysis of the return that the business is receiving after taking into account changes in inventories and capital expenditure. We assumed that 85% of changes in inventory and 90% in capital expenditure were attributed to investment in the Ukraine. These assumptions are explained in the exhibit. Our results still produce a high return of 42% in the year 2000 which is much higher than the cost of financing long-term debt at 6. 5%. Notably, these investments are risky and the company needs to compare the return to their risk adjusted cost of capital for the Ukraine and not the cost of financing the debt to see if it is worthwhile. Exhibit 4 gives a good analysis of how these policies have affected the business’ performance and situation. Although sales growth has been consistently large, operating profit margin has decreased overall since his strategies were implemented. Return on equity and net assets have increased and in the year 2000 were 10. 3% and 8. 4% respectively. This is a good result for the business and shows efficient management of assets. It seems that Pinchuk’s strategies were possibly harmful to the business by decreasing the profit margin and taking on a lot of risk. It is our belief that the credit policy should not be relaxed and could even be tightened to less than 80 days. Unfortunately, reducing risk by tightening the policy would be accompanied by a decrease in sales. Although Pinchuk’s strategies have been potentially damaging, we do believe that he deserves an increase in his salary for expanding the company despite facing difficult conditions. His current compensation package is a base salary of EUR40,000 plus an incentive payment of 0. 5 % of sales growth. The current compensation package provides Pinchuk with an incentive to pursue projects that are risky to the company like extending large credit to distributors who are unable to pay it back. This would increase sales, thus increasing his salary, but would have a negative effect on both profits and the company. His incentive payment needs to be aimed more at collection and profits rather than sales growth. Our recommendation is to increase his base salary to EUR50,000 and have his incentive payment tied to annual profits (0. 6% of the annual increase in profits). However, in our recommended financial plan for 2001, there is a projected net profit of EUR 2,712,000. This is a decrease in profits from the previous year and would imply that Pinchuk would receive no incentive payment for 2001. Hopefully this would motivate him to increase the following year’s profits by revising his marketing and collection strategies. Analysis of Dividend Declaration Traditionally, DB pays out 75% from earnings as dividends each year to shareholders. At the moment, the company has a cash shortage as it is holding high levels of inventory and is extremely relaxed in credit terms for their Ukrainian distributors. Paying out dividends at 75% would mean increasing debt in order for the company to fund their proposed investment in a new plant. This would add strain on the already huge short-term debt that they have taken on. The possibility of a financial downturn in 2001 adds to the uncertainty of an increase in profits as projected in the financial plan. Guaranteeing that the company will pay out EUR698,000 in dividends might be too risky. Rather than rely on more bank borrowings, Deutsche Brauerei should retain more earnings to cover their bank borrowings and to also finance their future investments and projects. In addition, should there be a financial crisis, the retained earnings would help to cushion the impact from the crisis. As most of the shareholders are older members of the Schweitzer family, and are retirees who depend on the dividend payout, reducing the dividend payout might cause some upset. However, paying out a dividend percentage of 75% is causing more harm to the company. By reducing this percentage to 60%, the company is able to retain 40% of their net profits for reinvestment and financing future projects. These retained earnings would also help ease the problem of their current cash shortage. Dividend Payout| 50%| 60%| 75%| | 2001| 2002| 2001| 2002| 2001| 2002| Net Income| 2712| 3439| 2712| 3439| 2712| 3439| Dividends| 1356| 1720| 1627| 2063| 2034| 2579| | | | | | |   | Retention of Earnings| 1356| 1720| 1085| 1376| 678| 860| The table above shows the changes in retained earnings according to the changes in dividend percentages – the higher the dividend payout, the lower the retained earnings. It is recommended that, in the first quarter of 2001, the company should pay out the same amount of dividends which the shareholders received in 2000 (EUR 546, 500). It should be explained that if the forecast for 2001 is correct, and there is no financial crisis, the shareholders can expect a larger dividend payout in the next quarter. From our recommended financial plan (i. e. net profit is EUR 2,712,000), paying out dividends of 60% would mean that the shareholders can expect to receive a payout of EUR 406,800 in the second quarter. Analysis of Deutsche Brauerei’s 2001 Financial Budget One of the main concerns for Deutsche Brauerei’s financial budget for 2001 is its heavy reliance on short-term debt financing. This is mainly due to operating strategies, policies, large sales growth, dividends and capital expenditure being financed through working capital. These have all attributed in draining the company’s cash and causing the business to finance the investment through working capital using short-term borrowing. The overall reliance on debt financing has stayed around 42% (debt/total capital ratio, Exhibit 4). The main borrowing used by Deutsche Brauerei has been short-term debt, so the company has incurred a large cash drain. Short-term debt requires fast repayments to be made and normally charge a higher interest rate than what is charged on long-term debts. Short-term bank borrowings have increased dramatically from 1997 to 2000 and are projected to increase further in 2001 and 2002 (Exhibit 1). As for long-term debt, it has been steadily decreasing since 1997, further showing Deutsche Brauerei’s heavy reliance on short-term debt as their main source of financing. The 80-day credit policy given to Ukraine distributors has resulted in large increases in sales and accounts receivables. Exhibit 4 shows a large growth rate in sales and receivables mainly from the Ukraine. In 1998, accounts receivable in the Ukraine were EUR 424,000 and by 2000 have dramatically increased to EUR 6,168,000. In comparison with Germany, the Ukraine accounts receivable has grown at an extremely large rate. This is mainly due to the fact that most of the new Ukrainian sales are on credit. The credit policy gives distributors 80 days to pay, but in reality, in 1999 and 2000, the days in receivables was 85. and 87. 1 respectively. The fact that it is taking such long periods of time to receive cash from sales is forcing Deutsche Brauerei to finance working capital in other ways such as short-term borrowing. The company also holds a large amount of inventory for the Ukraine distributors. This requires extra investment in inventory and that this inventory is held for longer . This results in it taking even longer to receive cash from our investment, thus increasing the already stretched cash conversion cycle. Exhibit 1C shows that Deutsche Brauerei’s inventories have been steady right up until 1999 and have approximately doubled. The large dividend payout ratio has also resulted in the increased use of short term financing. Although the business has substantial profits to pay out these dividends, the cash is already tied up and these payouts have required more short term financing. The business’ 25% plough back ratio is not sufficient for reinvestment, requiring even more future borrowing to pay for capital expenditure. Capital expenditure of EUR 7 million has been forecasted for both 2001 and 2002, requiring even more short-term borrowing. To prevent large cash drainage in the upcoming years, Deutsche Brauerei needs to re-evaluate their debt financing choices. Long-term debt should be considered as an alternative to short term debt. Not only will this decrease the strain on the company’s cash, it will also allow for the investment in a new plant and equipment for 2001 because of the availability of funds. Long term debt can also be used in 2002 as a source of financing for the proposed new warehouse. Since the cost of the warehouse is considerably high (EUR 6. 8 million), it would be unwise to finance it using short term debt, thus, long term debt would be the appropriate choice. Proposed Amendments to 2001 Financial Budget: To produce more accurate predictions for the coming year, there are some amendments that need to be made to Pinchuk’s forecasts and assumptions. Firstly, in Pinchuk’s financial plan, sales growth in Germany and Ukraine were projected to be 3% and 45% respectively. Germany’s growth is believed to be a fair representation but the predicted sales growth for the Ukraine seems to be overestimated. New projects initially have large growths per year but they also decrease rapidly. In 1999, actual sales growth for the Ukraine was 312% but in 2001, Ukraine’s actual sales growth was 47%. Therefore, for the year 2001, it is believed that sales growth should decrease to a figure considerably less than 45%, for example, 30%. Also, the operating margins seem to be optimistically high at 7%. An average of the operating profit margin from the past 4 years is 6. 88%. This is possibly still too high in comparison to Germany and Ukraine’s operating margins of 6. 10% in 2000. Our recommendation is to use 6. 1% again for 2001 because you would not expect operating profit margin to increase if the predicted global recession occurs. We have also changed the dividend payout policy to a recommended 60% as explained earlier in the dividend declaration section. Increasing the credit policy in the Ukraine to 90 days could be seen as a very risky strategy to pursue especially with the current signs of a global financial crisis. Sales would increase in terms of accounts receivable but the company already stands to lose a lot of money if distributors start to default. A financial crisis would cripple the distributors in the Ukraine and they would be forced to default their accounts. It is suggested that the policy should be left at 80 days to prevent that potential loss. It is also suggested that allowance for doubtful debts should be increased from 2% to 6% to account for the potential recession. As mentioned earlier, it would be wise to tighten the policy rather than let it increase to 90 days in 2001. A sensitivity analysis on allowance and net profit was undertaken in Exhibit 2C, the purpose of this analysis is to determine how net profit would change given our assumption for the allowance of doubtful debt. Pinchuk assumed in his projections that the allowance percentage for the year 2001 is going to be 2%. However, it is believed that this is a considerably low percentage and should be increased to 6% to account for the potential recession as mentioned above. Our sensitivity analysis yielded the following results, in 2001 – if the allowance percentage is set at 2%, then net profit would be EUR 3,083,000. On the contrary, if the allowance is set at 6%, net profit will decrease to EUR 2,712,000. We believe that this decrease will account for the potential recession that may strike in 2001. The company is also advised to take on some long-term borrowing as well as reducing their investment in working capital. This will reduce the reliance on short-term borrowing. It is believed that the firm should get a long-term loan of EUR 14 million because under our assumptions, it would reduce short term borrowings to EUR880,000 which is significantly less than the firms forecasted cash of EUR12 million. This would get rid of the firm’s short-term borrowing reliance and greatly enhance the firms liquidity. Exhibit 2D shows a sensitivity analysis of the effect of changing the quantity of long-term debt and the effect dividend policy has on short-term borrowing required in 2001. Keeping the current dividend policy of 75% and under the assumption the firm borrowed EUR 14 million, short-term borrowing would be EUR 1,292,000. Reducing the payout to our recommended ratio of 60% would reduce short-term borrowing to EUR 881,000. Reducing the ratio to below 30% would eliminate the need for short-term borrowing in 2001. Though due to the large quantities of cash the firm has, eliminating short-term debt completely is redundant. Exhibit 1A shows our forecast of Deutsche Brauerei’s income and balance sheet for 2001. We believe that net income for 2001 will be just over EUR 2,712,000 which is about EUR 1 million less than Pinchuk’s forecast. We have incorporated all our suggestions of policy changes including a long-term loan which will help finance the planned capital expenditure for 2001 as well as fix the current cash problem. Recommendations for Deutsche Brauerei Firstly, in regards to a compensation scheme for Oleg Pinchuk, it is recommended that his base salary of EUR 40,000 to EUR 50,000. Also, instead of having his incentive payment be 0. % of sales growth, it is suggested that the incentive payment be 0. 6% of annual growth in profits. This implies that Pinchuk might need to reconsider his marketing and collection strategies. However, it is believed that this would give him the motivation to increase profits every year and this is beneficial to both him and the company. After our analysis on dividend payouts, it is recommended that the company reduce the dividend payout ratio from 75% to 60%. This would enable the company to retain more earnings for future investments and also to cover their short-term borrowings. This also improves their current cash shortage situation. Lastly, it is recommended that several changes be made to Pinchuk’s proposed financial budget for 2001. Instead of a predicted growth rate of 45% for sales in the Ukraine, it is recommended that a more conservative figure of 30% is used. Also, instead of using an operating margin of 7% for both Germany and Ukraine, an operating margin of 6. 10% should be adopted for 2001. In addition, instead of relaxing credit terms from 80 days to 90 days, the company should keep it at 80 days and aim to reduce that in the future. It is also advised that the company take on a long-term loan of EUR 14 million for the building of the warehouse. Lastly, it is recommended that the allowance for doubtful debts be increased from 2% to 6%. These proposed changes take into account the possible recession that may take place in the coming year. Overall, Deutsche Brauerei has been successful in its expansion into the Ukrainian market despite difficult conditions. With slight changes to their current strategies, the company has the potential to achieve even greater success.

Monday, July 29, 2019

A Study on the Worlds Educational System

A Study on the Worlds Educational System A number of similarities as well as differences exist between the K-12 education system in the United States and the 8-4-4 system in Kenya. The similarities are such as the age at which children enter into school. In both countries children enter school approximately at the age of five or six. Also, the initial grade of commencing education is termed as kindergarten in both countries. In addition, one has to spend twelve years both in primary and high school education level before qualifying for tertiary education which may be in the universities or colleges despite the difference in the grading system within the twelve years. Another similarity between both systems is that one can access the K-12 or 8-4-4 education from both private institutions as well as public institutions. Moreover both systems enjoy funding from the state governments as well as federal and local government but those attending private institutions are self- sponsored that is they have the responsibility of payi ng their tuition fees to the institutions. Also in both systems one has to perform at a certain set average standard at the examinations provided in each level in order to qualify for the next level. In both systems students traditionally proceed from one level to the subsequent one as a â€Å"class† upon the completion of each academic year. In both countries it is compulsory to enroll in to the education systems after attaining the minimum required age and the parents or guardians who fail to abide by this law risk been prosecuted in accordance to the laws of the countries. However these laws are much more strict and effective in the United States as compared to Kenya where laxity has been observed in the enforcement of the compulsory education laws leading to a very dismal enrolment of children in schools especially in the parts of the country inhabited by the pastoralists’ communities. Nevertheless, in both countries there is no a compulsory level of the education system which one should go up to before leaving the education system. One is free to undertake his or her studies up to primary level, high school level or even college or university level in accordance to his intellectual capabilities as well as financial strength. In both countries student loans and scholarships are provided in the university level to enable students meet their tuition costs as well as other related costs such as those incurred while undertaking research projects (Brint in the primary and high school level the school year usually starts immediately after the customary summer recess that is in August and sometimes in September while in Kenya the school year commences in January immediately after the New Year festivities. In the U.S, students have only six hours of schooling per day while in Kenya students spend almost ten hours in school on a daily basis. In the 8-4-4 system, students in primary and high school level break for holidays three times per year while i n the K-12 system students have only one long holiday which is slated during the summer season. Another difference between the systems is that in the K-12 system, primary education takes only five years while in the 8-4-4 system it takes eight years. In the K-12 system; upon graduating from primary school, one proceeds to middle school before proceeding to high school while in the 8-4-4 system one directly joins high school upon completing primary education. In the U.S each state governs the public education unlike in Kenya where the public education system is governed by the central government. In Kenya, one is free to obtain admission to any public school of his or her choice within the country while in the U.S the right of entry to a certain public school is mostly granted on the residential basis. Also the grading scale used in the 8-4-4 system is quite different from the one applied in the K-12 system. The rate of enrollment into the K-12 system is quite high as compared to the 8-4-4 system. Besides, teacher employed in the primary level in the K-12 system are graduates of early childhood development degree program while in the 8-4-4 system majority of primary school teachers possess only a certificate from a teachers training college (Herbst, 1996)

Book review Literature Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Book - Literature review Example The publishing home of the book is Polity Press that has tagged the book under review to be one of their widely sold and acclaimed books. The author, Peter Nolan, who is a professor of Chinese Development, has brought many jigsaw puzzles together to inform the masses about the impact that Chinese economy had on its social and political status quo. Before understanding the impact that the book has on the readers and the amount of knowledge that the book successful shares, it is significant to know the subject matter that it discusses. Chinese economy has happened to be the most effective one. It is merely because that every bond, factory or other mineral resources are being bought by the Chinese economy. Nolan has connected the buying and investment patterns of China to create a strong argument concerning the secret behind the success of China. Readers can find as if they are being lectured in a classroom of the University of Cambridge as the author (professor) Nolan himself combines every possible detail regarding the success and spread of Chinese market (Nolan, 2012). As a matter of fact, the author has tried to create a comparative stance for the readers. For instance, the author has provided a clear view of operations conducted by different economies of the world. At one point, the readers would find out the debt amounts that a Chinese economy had to pay for not being self-sufficient. In a comparative manner, Nolan discusses the manner in which the Chinese economy has arranged cheap vendors and producers. Later on, these resources were spread throughout the world. The data that has been plugged in different sections of the book to provide higher credibility has been skimmed from major databases such as United Nations organs for economic programs, etc. There are a number of past studies and event details that were cited in bulk by the author (Lane, New York). It is an evident fact that if something is

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Case Study - The Scent of Difference Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study - The Scent of Difference - Essay Example Reference should be made primarily to the self-efficacy theory of Bandura (Steers et al. 2010, p.295). The above theory is based on the view that ‘motives are meaningful only if they are given to individuals who believe that they are able to succeed’ (Steers et al. 2010, p.295). In the specific case, Indian workers believe that they can respond to the demands of the work, as much as their American counterparts but their salary is too low so that there is no incentive for Indian workers to keep their performance at high levels. In other words, Indian workers believe to their capacities in regard to the tasks assigned to them but they are not treated fairly. If Indian workers would not feel confident for their skills they would have no problem with the highest rewarding of American workers. Therefore, self-efficacy in the particular case leads to the development of tensions between the two social groups, Americans and Indians. Another theory that would help to understand t he tensions appeared in Source One would be the theory of Reasoned Action, as developed by Fishbein and Azjen in 1980 (Larson 2009). The particular theory promotes the idea that the actions of each individual are highly influenced by the plans he had made in advance but also by his beliefs in regard to the action involved (Larson 2009). The above condition is commonly known as behavioral intention, showing the interaction between the human behavior and the intentions/ attitudes of each individual (Larson 2009). In the specific case, the managers of the organization have fired the American workers because they were old and were compensated with high salary. Therefore, the particular decision has been resulted by the plans of the firm to reduce its costs without taking into consideration the risks involved with the appearance of a new culture in the workplace. In this context, the theory of Reasoned Action can be used for highlighting the emphasis by the firm’s leaders on the a chievement of a particular target, the reduction of costs, and the lack of any concern for the potential cultural conflicts in the workplace. At this point, reference should be made to the social identity theory which states that in order for a social group ‘to achieve a positive social identity a group must be distinguished from other groups in regard to certain positive values’ (Tajfel 2010, p.209). If there are no such values, then tensions will appear between the particular group and the other social groups in its environment. It should be noted that conflicts among social groups are most likely to be caused because of the following two reasons: a) differences in culture and traditions, b) conflicting interests (Tajfel 2010, 302). In other words, because of the important differences in regard to the social identities of the two social groups, of Americans and Indians, tensions in Source One can be characterized as unavoidable, unless appropriate actions would have b een taken by the firm’s managers and leaders The Intergroup Contact theory of Allport (1954) could be also used for explaining tensions in the workplace. The specific theory proposes the idea that ‘there can be no harmony within a group if the intergroup contact is low’

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Nike Case Study on their Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nike Case Study on their Supply Chain - Essay Example People from various places across the globe have different tastes for different products hence the need to satisfy these as a way of gaining competitive advantage globally. The other competitive priority for Nike is the need to be cognisant of the changes in consumer behaviour. Consumer wants and needs are different from various parts of the globe hence the need to make an effort to identify and satisfy these so as to be able to remain viable. The cost advantage is another competitive priority for Nike. This is seen as a strategy that is meant to bring goods of an acceptable quality to the market with comparatively lower production costs than its competitors (Strydom 2004). This is achieved through careful and effective management of the cost drivers for the business where it seeks to be a low cost producer while at the same time retaining competitive advantage (Strydom 2004). The other competitive priority that can be adopted by Nike is differentiation. According to Porter (1985:120), differentiation is â€Å"the process when the company provides something unique that is valuable to buyers beyond simply offering low price.† Thus, differentiation strategy is mainly concerned with identifying unique features about a particular product that have a broad perceived value in the market. 2. Nike should reduce product proliferation in an attempt to reduce their supply chain complexity and costs. Product proliferation suggests that there is a rapid growth of a particular product which may be counter-productive as far as demand and supply are concerned. According to the law of demand and supply, when there is high demand the price is likely to go up and this means an increase in the production of new products where costs are likely to be recovered while at the same time an increase in supply will lower the prices (Kotler 1999). Oversupply of products can result in

Friday, July 26, 2019

Investigate the BMW Automobiles - one of the global companies Essay

Investigate the BMW Automobiles - one of the global companies - Essay Example Social media has provided a platform for marketers including BMW to have a voice as well as a way to communicate with customers. It has furthermore provided a way to personalize brands and help spread out the brand message in a conversational and relaxed mode. BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) a Germany manufacturing company that specializes in automobiles, motorcycles, as well as engine making was founded 96 years ago and has operations worldwide with divisions and manufacturing plants in more than 13 countries on all five continents (Robson, 2008). BMW and Honda are two different companies targeting very different clientele. BMW generally invests a lot in technology 85% of their investments is in technology as their target market are the affluent buyers which in turn helps BMW maintain its incredible high margins. Honda, on the other hand, is more focused on price tags and mass production of vehicles to maintain or even make profits. Furthermore, it can be said that customers of Honda can upgrade to BMW status while BMW customers very rarely downgrade to Hondas. Since BMW invests heavily in technology, with the use of their e-marketing strategy, which incorporates social network applications with the likes of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in order to reach a high number of people at fairly low costs. BMW’s use of social media allows for multimedia as well as interactive communication with numerous customers thus allowing better marketing (Mbwette, 2013). While Honda, on the other hand, has less than 50% investment in technology but rely mostly on pricing and TV commercials to make sales in the various countries that Honda sells because the Honda company is generally reluctant on spending money especially to do with promotions. Regarding BMW, the general overall impressions are impressive their business model is great, everything

Thursday, July 25, 2019

The use of Mobile Phones in Marketing Coursework

The use of Mobile Phones in Marketing - Coursework Example A majority of these text messages are personal. However, businesses – particularly small businesses – can use SMS to their advantage. However, the mobile is increasingly more versatile and afros diverse ways in which it can be used by business enterprises 2. Using SMS to Advertise If you have a new product, service, offer, announcement, etc, you can effectively target your customers by sending them a SMS. Most of the latest mobile phones allow you to send a single text message to multiple recipients. The only disadvantage is that many of these phones have a maximum recipient number of around 10 (at the very most). However, in older mobile phones sets, the message has to be sent to multiple customers by choosing and sending them one by one, which takes much time. However, messages can also be sent using the personal computer just as it can be done using a handy mobile phone. The messages can be sent simultaneously to multiple recipients by using software that is availabl e freely n the internet. In this respect, this is similar to sending email messages by accounts like Yahoo or Google. This is particularly useful in case the mailing list is large. Essentially, the software acts similar to an email account allowing recipients to reply to you (this can even be delivered in the style of an email if required). 3. Mobile marketing Mobile marketing is a term used to refer to any one of two distinct categories of ways of adopting marketing suing mobile technology. Thus, one is the relatively new, yet common utility of mobile phones for marketing purposes. Here, there is a so called horizontal telecommunication convergence where the mobile phone plays a key role in garnering clientele or business for the enterprise. Another way that the term mobile marketing is used is actually as a more traditional utility and in this case, marketing is affected in a moving fashion; for example, technology road shows or moving billboards. However, although there are vario us definitions for mobile marketing, no commonly accepted definition exists. Mobile marketing is broadly defined as "the use of the mobile medium as a means of marketing communication" or "distribution of any kind of promotional or advertising messages to customers through wireless networks" (http://www.a1vm.com). A more specific definition would be the definition of mobile marketing as the use of interactive and wireless media so as to provide customers with time and location sensitive, as well as personalized information that can promotes goods and services or even ideas, for creating value for all stakeholders of the business (Blackett, 2011). As recently as in November 2009, the Mobile Marketing Association  updated its definition of Mobile Marketing as follows: Mobile Marketing is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network (Mobile Marketing Association, 2009). Commonly, mobile marketing is also known as wireless marketing. However the term does not imply that it is necessarily mobile. For instance, a consumer’s communications with a website from a desktop computer at home, with signals carried over a wireless local area network (WLAN) or over a satellite network would qualify as wireless but would not be termed as mobile communications. Again, the increase in use of smart

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Responding to classmates' work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Responding to classmates' work - Essay Example The whole reference about Palestine Liberation Organization, bombings, shootings and suicide all refer to the routine lives which the western world does not understand. Thus MIA, like other artists all over the world, uses the entertainment platform to educate the audience about their problems which they cannot through any other means. I would like to say that culture and identities are all created to keep one's own interests in check. Since the resources in the world are scarce, people had to create their own identities to stamp their names on a particular resource to keep it safe from others. Thus my belief is anti-Tomlinson that 'cultural identity is a victim, not product, of globalization'. As a rationalist I believe that everybody selfishly thinks about oneself and protects ones resources. Having British accents in the movie is a sign that the 'universe parallel to our own' will have people that are just like the people in UK thus showing enforcing the superiority of the UK. Now since the flow of information is universal due to globalization, it is even more important for people to protect their own interests. Thus cultural or group identities are indeed becoming ever more meaningful as entities themselves. Globalization is a worldwide phenomenon yet the western world is involved in it than the eastern.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Liberation Movements for Minority Groups in the 1960s Article

Liberation Movements for Minority Groups in the 1960s - Article Example Blacks had long been accorded numerous rights during the Emancipation of Proclamation, but those rights were yet to be implemented in the practical sense (Foner 49). After the Second World War, veteran soldiers of black origin and other like-minded social activists like Martin Luther King Jr. joined hands in a fight against oppression. Black civil rights movement continued through the 1950s and early 1960s, after which African Americans gained their constitutional rights to vote and own property. Women Liberation Movement After successful civil rights movement by the minority blacks in the US, other groups were to build their basis on strategies used by the African Americans in demanding other equal recognition. In this context, we will evaluate the feminist liberation movement and establish the manner in which the black civil rights struggle influenced women in their feminism campaigns. Prior to the 1960s, women in America enjoyed limited to no economic opportunities as compared to their male counterparts. Society operated with the philosophy that women should remain at home taking care of children while men go to work. With respect to social aspects, women were branded symbols of sex and beauty. American society advocated for charm and physical attractiveness as the only qualities used to define women’s worth (Weisner and William 34). With respect to political context, most women, especially from the black and other minority groups were not counted as eligible voters. They could neither parti cipate in general elections nor vie for political positions.

The Cruciable by Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free

The Cruciable by Arthur Miller Essay The crucible is a play set in the town of Salem in 1692, in was written by Arthur Miller who saw similarities between the Salem witch hunts and the McCarthyism which gripped America in the 1950s. Both showed how hysteria, paranoia and malice could be the driving force for evil persecution and also the true power of false accusation. Arthur Miller throughout the play tries to create many themes and messages. I believe that this was done to make people think about what was happening in America at the time. The first theme is the idea of self interest and reputation. These two themes feature heavily throughout the play. Salem is a Christian society where not going to church is looked down upon and where all the villagers believe the Good News and that you should love thy neighbour. Yet underneath their niceties they seek to attack each other. Giles Corey did state several times that he has been to court over allegations of missing cows and other such accusations. Giles himself talks to Danforth about a case Danforth father tried Ysee, I had a white mare that time, and this fellow come to borrow the mare. The case that Corey talks about happened thirty-five years ago which shows that there had been a hatred brewing in the town for some time. Giles also continues to go on about how Thomas Putnam constantly goes after his neighbours land. Proctor and Putnam have a small debate over whether Proctor timber belongs to him. Putnam: What lumber is that youre draggin, if I may ask you? Proctor: My lumber. From out by my forest, by the riverside. Putnam: Why, we are surely gone wild this year. What anarchy is this? That tract is in my bounds, its in my bounds, Mr Proctor. This quote clearly shows that Putnam is in constant confrontation with his neighbours overland. Giles believes Putnam tells his daughter to cry witchery on George Jacobs (an elderly Jewish man) so that he could buy the land that by law George Jacobs had to forfeit. These undercurrents through the Salem community raise question with the audience. Such as will Putnam get away with? Who may be accused next? They build up tension leading to the court room scene (act three) it in these events that creates drama and tension by making the audience ask question about the climax and ending. At the end of act two there is an argument, this argument is the catalyst for the events of act three. It starts when Elizabeth Proctor (Johns wife) is taken away due to allegations made by Abigail Williams. John then says to his maid Mary Warren that he will not let his wife die for him. She replies, I cannot, and theyll turn on me. John Proctor replies exclaiming All our pretences are ripped away we are only what we always were, but naked now. This is a powerful statement and leads back to what I was mentioned earlier. John is simply saying that hidden underneath their Christian guise they were all out to get each other, everyone was trying to get land and destroy families. Earlier in the act John asserts that We are what we always were in Salem. The people are still the same, their evil thoughts and misdoings have always gone on but they were concealed to protect something of value; their reputation. John may also be talking about himself and his affair with Abigail, he knows what he did was wrong, but concealed it for the sake of his reputation. The people of Salem did not change overnight; they are now just seen through a different light. The third act takes place in the vestry room of the Salem meeting house, which is now being used as the anteroom of the General court. A new character is introduced, Judge Danforth; a proud man who is to the point. At the opening of act three Giles Corey challenges Putnams motives for accusing his neighbours of witchcraft. The audience will remember that Giles Corey spoke to Hale (a witch doctor form Beverly) about his wifes preoccupation with reading. He said I tried and tried and could not say my prayers. And then she closes her book and walks out the house, and suddenly mark this I could pray again! Martha Corey (Giles wife) is now being charged due to allegations made by the group of girls of which Putnams daughter is one of. Giles believes that Putnam is telling his daughter to cry witchery on the people of Salem so that Putnam can buy their land once it is forfeited. These attacks at each other within the Salem community show a different side to the Puritan community. Puritans believe in the purity of worship and doctrine. This doctrine includes all of the Ten Commandments. Two of the commandments from the audiences point of view have clearly been broken. 8) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. 10) You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour. Clearly Putnam by telling his daughter to cry witchery for his personal gain is breaking his own beliefs. When confronting Putnam, Giles said he had heard it from an honest man. The day his daughter cried out on Jacobs, he said shed (Putnams daughter) given him a fair gift of land. Giles predicament comes when Judge Danforth asks Giles for the name of his man. Giles is then struck that the Judge should ask for the name, but Danforth persists. Giles doesnt want to give the name because the last time he gave it was his wifes and she may hang. The writer here tries to get the audience to attach themselves to Giles as he is a man of eighty just trying to get his wife back. Giles even though he states that he has been thirty-three times in court in his life seems lost and confused under the authority of Danforth. The audience will feel sorry for him and give their sympathy. It is a clever technique to draw the audience in and engaging them. The viewer will want to know what happens to Giles and most especially Putnam who by now will have gained the audiences mistrust. The other two men who accompany Giles to the court are John Proctor the main antagonist of the story and Francis Nurse. Both of these men have also had their wives detained due to allegations from the court and the girls. Francis Nurses wife was accused of being a witch due to the prompting by the Putnams. She is a highly respected Salem woman. Her helpful nature and willingness to make any sacrifice in the cause of truth makes her almost saintly in the eyes of the community. The audience will be surprised to see that she has been accused of witchcraft and will want to know her fate as well as the other womens. Francis in order to save his wife tells Judge Danforth the girls, sir, the girls are frauds. Danforth studies Francis and the audience will be hanging on the next word he says as it is his decision as to whether the girls will, in the end, get away with it. Danforth replies to Francis Do you know who I am, Mr Nurse? This question is important as it shows how important pride is to Danforth. If it becomes known that he was deceived by a group of young girls his judgement may in the future be questioned. Arthur Miller then raises the tension is the scene may bringing in the character of Mary Warren, who is described as near collapsing to the ground, head bent and eyes to the floor. The viewer will be asking themselves what has she got to say and how will it affect the proceedings. Hale says to Danforth I think you must hear the girl, sir, she- but he gets cut off by Danforth and Danforth begins to question Mary. In the beginning she wont speak, not helped by the frustration of John Proctor. The tension builds, but Mary keeps her mouth shut and so John answer for her that she never saw any spirits. The sentence ends with an exclamation mark. This is there for the actor to realise that he has to really emphasise this sentence as it is a pivotal point in the play. It is where people start to fight back, but nobody knows who will win. Danforth tries to calculate his choices and eventually agrees to hear the girl out. She tells Danforth that it was all pretence, but Parris the parish priest wont stand for it and so turns to Danforth and in a sweat spits Excellency, you surely cannot think to spread so vile a lie in open court. The audience will question why Parris know so for the hanging of the witches yet before he was adamant that there were no witches in Salem. Danforth then leaves Mary alone and begins to question Proctor, Have you ever seen the Devil? this interrogation is important as the audience knows that Proctor is a lecher but they also know Danforth doesnt know this and so they will be eager to find out if this information comes to light. During the interview Danforth and Proctor start to argue with each other about the innocence of those condemned to hang. Danforth and Proctor are both strong minded individuals and this battle is a battle of wills Proctor wont back down for the sake of getting back at Abigail (the girls he had an affair with). Danforth then tells Proctor that his wife sent a claim to him that morning that she was pregnant. Proctor says that Elizabeth his wife will never lie, so she must be pregnant. Danforth then gives him a choice as his wife will be safe for a year due to her condition. Proctor carries on regardless trying to save the wives of his friends. Hale then begins to plead with Danforth to hear this from a proper lawyer and that the claim was a weighty one and should be discussed properly. He states that he has signed away the lives of several people and that he wants to get to the heart of the matter. Hale disobedience raises question as to how the scene will go on and where Hale loyalties now lie. He is an honest man and does not want the blood of several people on his hands. Danforth then brings in Abigail and the other girls. He questions Abigail as to the truth of the allegations, but she denies. The attention then turns back to Mary who is asked if she were pretending before could she please do it again. Mary tries and tries but is unable to faint. This is because in the courtroom the girls acted together and through hysteria fainted. But now Mary is on her own and is all flustered. Danforth says it is because there are no afflicting spirits loose. But Mary still denies it. Danforth then asks Abigail to search her heart and be honest but she lies without thinking. The audience will now be hooked due to the tension building between Mary, Danforth and Abigail. They want to know if he honestly believes her lies or not. Abigail pretends to be freezing cold as soon as she is questioned to draw the attention away from the accusations put against her. She then calls to God to make it stop, Oh, Heavenly Father, take away this shadow! The exclamation at this point shows how much emphasise she is putting in to the performance, after all she is acting for her life. When she calls heaven Proctor decides that he has had enough and calls her a whore Danforth demands to know why he calls her this and Proctor admits that he has known her, sir. I have known her. Danforth shocked by this confession address Abigail with the evidence You deny every scrap and tittle of this? The language that Danforth uses shows his utter horror. He asks Abigail if she denies it all every last bit. It is like him giving her, her last chance to confess or else. More than anything it is a threat. Danforth then calls for Goodwife Proctor, and reaffirms his belief with John that Elizabeth had never told a lie. Danforth tells both Abigail and John to turn away from Elizabeth and to not signal to her or say anything. He then tells Goody Proctor to enter. He begins to question her on the release of Abigail as there servant. He asks her For what cause did you dismiss her? and In what way dissatisfied you? He is trying to lure Elizabeth in to a trap. Until eventually he asks her straight out Is your husband a lecher! the language used here is very specific and important as if she says yes she is condemning her husband but if she says no then she is letting Abigail get away with it. The audience will be anticipating her answer as they know that John has already confessed, but realise that she doesnt know that. This is made even worse by the irony that earlier John said his wife would never lie and so to save her husband she must do the thing that she never does. The tension is high as this is the climax of the story will she or wont she? Elizabeth lies and states that Proctor is not a lecher. The audience will be in shock and will want to know what is going to happen to the characters now. Hale states to Danforth that is a natural lie and starts to attack Abigail with accusations, but she starts to pretend again. Saying she sees a bird that is Marys spirit sent to hurt them. The tension builds as Danforth continues to buy into their performance. Mary who is know so scared of the gallows due to Abigail and the other girl acting as if Mary were attacking them; starts to break down and declares that she loves God and that Proctor is the Devils man! The children who are all now hysterical after their sudden performance welcome Mary back in to their group, while the adults turn their attention to Proctor. Danforth now feeling the full extent of his power again asks John What are you? John is beyond speech in his anger You are combined with anti-Christ, are you not? I have seen your power; you will not deny it! What say you, Mister? The audience will anticipate Proctors frustration. John soon replies, breathlessly I say I say God is dead! At this point the audience will know that Proctor has sealed his faint and that he has also committed blasphemy. The clever use of the exclamation mark shows to the extent at which Proctor is angry with the court. He has lost everything and is now utterly selfless. Hale ends the scene with I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court! Hale quitting the court show to the extent at which he is embittered by the court. Danforth shouts after Mr Hale! Mr Hale! his wisdom now seems useless and this victory to Danforth now seems like a defeat. The audience will now be expectantly waiting for the consequences of the actions in scene three.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Shakespeares linguistic choices Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares linguistic choices Essay How effective are Shakespeares linguistic choices in conveying the power struggle between Katherine and Petruchio?  This essay will study the text The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. It is a play written in London in 1592 and published in 1623. The play is set during the Jacobean era (1420-1600). The purpose of the play is to entertain an audience. The secondary purpose may be to inform a modern audience about power and roles of men and women in the Jacobean era. During this period of time, a persons power was shown by the language they used, so the more quick-witted and articulate a person was in conversation the more social power they held. Shakespeare uses various linguistic features in conveying the power struggle between Katherine and Petruchio. Throughout the play Petruchio belittles Katherine and damages the face she presents of herself in an effort to tame the shrew. Kath. A joint-stool. Pet. Thou hast hit it. Come, sit on me. The face that Katherine presents is not that of a typical woman. She is very vituperative and unwilling to conform to societys expectations of marriage. And by using this sexual innuendo to counter her insult, Petruchio performs a face threatening act. He reminds her of his intent to marry her and the fact that to him, she is just another woman. The utterance Come, sit on me, is an imperative. By using this Petruchio is suggesting that he feels he has enough power over her to be able to order her around. This damages her positive face of self-image, but she counters this insult in an effort to preserve her face. Kath. No such jade as you, if me you mean. The noun jade refers to a worn out horse. This connotes he is infertile and thus insulting his manhood. This insult is also a face-threatening act as it damages Petruchios positive face. He thinks he is man enough to be the one to tame the shrew but by saying this Katherine is telling him he is not. Both characters use face threatening acts to attempt to gain power of the exchange. Petruchio also uses connotation to damage Katherines face. Pet. Alas, good Kate, I will not burden thee! For, knowing thee to be but young and light. The adjective light connotes sexual promiscuity again reminding her that he sees her as a woman he can easily woo contrasting with the strong women she sees herself as. The adjective young connotes that she is naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and therefore not able to match his wit, allowing Petruchio power over the exchange. Petruchio uses a pun to make fun of Katherine. Pet. For dainties are all Kates. The pun is on the word cates. These are a form of delicate food. This connotes the idea that Kate is delicate and lady-like. This riles Katherine as, as well as using the name that she does not like he is seeing her as the opposite she sees herself and by seeing through her faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade he knows how to gain power over her. The repetition of her name also serves to make fun of her. Pet. You lie in faith, for you are calld plain Kate, And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate the curst; By repeating her name in these noun phrases he is showing he doesnt care that she does not like the name, and shows that her sharp tongue has no affect on him, allowing him to maintain the power between them, and eventually to tame the shrew. The repetition of her name also gives the utterance a steady rhythm which serves to make Petruchio seem more intelligent as he seems to have control of his speech and words. Katherine uses metaphor to insult Petruchios intelligence. Kath. Asses are made to bear and so are you. The ass is typically seen as a stupid animal so this noun is suggesting that he is stupid. The verb phrase to bear which means to carry something, connotes the idea that Petruchio is little more than muscle. This gives Katherine the power of the exchange as it is in fact Petruchios intelligence that makes them equal and by insulting this she is suggesting that he is inferior. She also reminds him of the fact that she is equal to him in intelligence and power. Kath. Too light for such a swain as you to catch. Katherine turns the adjective light around to connote that she is more quick-witted than Petruchio, whereas he had used it to say she was sexually promiscuous. This shows that they are of equal power and are able to feed off of each other to maintain the power balance. In contrast Petruchio tries to use compliments to break Katherine down. Pet. Say that she frown, Ill say she looks as clear as morning roses newly washd with dew. Say she be mute and will not speak a word, then Ill commend her volubility. The lexical fields of nature give the play a lexical cohesion. The noun nightingale and the phrase roses newly washd with dew are things that are generally seen as beautiful and by comparing Katherine to them, Petruchio is suggesting that she is also beautiful. This makes it seem as though he sees in her, things that nobody else can see and as he can see through her he can stay on her conversational level and maintain the power balance. The use of the infinitive verb in these sentences is a form of ellipsis. Say she be mute. This is another form of covert prestige as Petruchio uses non-standard forms whereas Katherina is expected to use standard forms and correct tenses. This again shows, according to Jacobean society men were more dominant than women and suggests Petruchio is confident that he will have power in the exchange.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Cold Chain Prospects in India

Cold Chain Prospects in India A cold storage chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of warehouse and distribution activities which maintain a given temperature range. It is used to help lengthen and make sure the shelf life of products such as marine products, frozen, fresh agricultural produce, photographic film, pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals. The chain needs to begin at the production/farm level (e.g. harvest methods, preprocessing, Pre-cooling) and cover up to the consumer level or at least to the retail level. A well managed cold chain reduces spoilage, retains the quality of the perishable products and guarantees a cost efficient delivery to the consumer given adequate attention for customer service. The main characteristic of the chain is that if any of the links is missing or is weak, the whole system fails. The Cold chain logistics and supply chain management systems infrastructure generally consists of: Pre-cooling facilities Refrigerated Carrier Cold Storages Warehousing Packaging Information Management systems (Traceability and Tracking etc.) Fig: Outline of a typical Cold Chain Some Snaps of cold storagesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Global Situation Analysis Today shippers of perishable products face an array of challenges in getting their products to market in the most efficient and cost effective manner, but lack of capacity in the logistics and warehouse service industry isnt one of them. The need for temperature controlled storage systems for storing both food and non food is increasing in many traditional and emerging markets worldwide. The producers and retailers are moving to emerging markets like Latin America and Asia, along with the changing preferences and tastes of customers in older market places, is having a strong impact on the logistics industry. This has led to high levels of investment by logistics companies and their associated suppliers as they have: They have gone for acquisition or entered into alliance with local companies for getting access to these markets They have established cold storage enabled operations in the areas to serve the growth in affluence of local consumers Simultaneously, demand for perishable products from these emerging markets is increasing, with a higher level of both perishable food and non food products being transported to the more traditional western markets of the US and Europe. This is causing problem on the already jam-packed shipping routes .Increasing volumes are leading to congestion issues at major ports of the world. Cold chain industry is showing tremendous increase in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Brazil. Total capacity for these countries for 2008 is 6,350.32 million cubic feet (179.82 million cubic meters).The industry is growing globally at approximately 15 percent (IARW Report 2009).The growth rate for China and India are higher compared to global average. Both have almost doubled their capacity in last ten years A phenomenal transformation is currently occurring that may significantly affect a multi-billion dollar global cold chain industry. The projected annual wastage of perishable products worldwide is 35 billion dollars. There are enormous opportunities for companies to distinguish themselves in the market place through effectively leveraging the upcoming technologies that improve logistics and supply chains. Most agribusinesses and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies are not just considering process improvements of their logistics and supply chains but they are investing in and overhauling the entire business model and strategies to survive in the continuously changing competitive environment. Especially for manufacturing and retailing companies handling temperature sensitive food and non food products, the substantial challenges may be emphasized by the additional cold-chain logistics involved with effectively preserving and handling these products. Other converging and substantial problems such as fierce competition, strict government regulations and global standards for product identification, security, and tagging; and the need for enhanced traceability to improve quality and operations are influencing important transformation in the Retail and CPG industry. The implications of resisting these changes and other related upcoming challenges are potentially lost delivery channels and a weakened competitive position. By allowing information computing power available anywhere and anytime, companies can more quickly adjust to these challenges and the continuously changing external environment. Apart from this, they can considerably improve what they deliver, how they operate, and potentially their profitability. Indian Situation Analysis The Indian cold chain industry is very large and estimated to be around Rs 10,000 to 15,000crore, which is growing at a rate of about 20-25 percent and is expected to touch Rs 40,000crore by 2015.It was about a century ago this Industry came into existence. In India majority of cold storage facilities are under-utilized or completely unused for most of the year. There is a large gap of around 60% in cold storage infrastructure and 80% in mobile cold storage facilities like refrigerated trucks and rail wagons. By the year 2012, the cold chain industry expects to see a huge capacity addition as there is an expected increase in the cold storage investment. Current status of cold storages in India: The cold storage infrastructure in India was built way back in 1960s mainly for potatoes and potato seeds and even the investments in cold storage were very less during that time. Nationwide provider of cold storage facilities is nonexistent at that time. The number of cold storages in India is about 5316 and the total capacity is around 23333694 mTs. The number of Private sector cold storages in India account for 4820 with a capacity of 222343607mTs, cooperative sector 363 numbers with 989445 mTs, Public sector account for 133 numbers with a capacity of 100642 mTs. The existent cold storage facilities mainly serve the potato products. There is a lack of facilities such as cold storage vegetable, cold storage fruits, cold storage tamarind, cold storage fish, cold storage meat, and cold storage milk and dairy products.. Cold storage services are available for only 10% of the produce. In India Transportation of fruit and vegetables through cold chain is almost negligible, whereas in US it is around 80-85% in the US and for Thailand it is around 30-40%. In India, due to the current inefficiencies in the supply chain around Rs 1 lakh crore worth of fruits and vegetables are wasted every year. Cold chain in India -Reality: Modern Post Harvest Management is non existent Lack of World Class Integrated Cold Supply Chain Across the Country and also Isolated Stores without Logistics Support Using Services of Cold Stores with Archaic Storage Technology The cold storage facilities are used mainly for low value products like potatoes The present cold storage facilities lead to Loss of quality and hence value of the perishables The duration time for storage largely influenced by the market imbalances India cold chains potential and opportunities: India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world which contributes for about 10% of the total fruit production in the world. India is the largest producer of fruits (32mT anually) in the world, which is about 8 per cent of the global production; India is also the second largest producer of vegetables in the world (first being China), producing around 71 mT anually, which is about 15% share in the world market. The key area in India is Food processing and it processes about 1.3% of its total fruits and vegetable where as it is 80% in USA, 70% in France, 80% in Malaysia and 30% in Thailand. To become a top exporter and processor of fruits and vegetables, India needs a high quality cold chain. Due to lack of cold storage facilities and energy infrastructure about 40 percent of the fruits and vegetables grown in India (40 mT worth $13 billion) gets wasted every year, which is huge enough to feed countries like Brazil and Vietnam. The reason for this huge wastage is the wide gaps that are existing in the cold chain and there is no well equipped cold chain for the preservation of fruits and vegetables. The Infrastructure for Cold chain is not existing for the produced capacities and same is the case with storage, also these close storage facilities are not available close to the farms, in addition to these the transportation (temperature controlled) is also inefficient. So it is important to establish world class cold storage logistics, which play a crucial role in reducing the global foods shortage by eliminating wastages, which would provide us enough scope to feed many parts of the world. The major initiatives which government of India has taken to improve this sector are Allowing 100% Foreign direct Investment Provided full excise duty exemption on cold chain refrigeration equipment (consisting of compressor, condenser units, evaporator), which reduced the costs substantially by around 16%. These policy initiatives taken by the government have signalled the existing cold chain majors in India to setup their own back-end logistics. Existing Players in India The Leading Cold chain companies in India with established cold chain infrastructure are as follows: Container Corporation of India (Concor), Indraprastha Cold Chain, Glacio Cold Chain. Bulaki Deep Freeze Snowman Refcon Carriers Kausar Gatia Gateway Distiparks R.K. Foodland Adani Group Future Group Bharti ITC Reliance Godrej Tata Cochin. Mumbai, Delhi International airports Aditya Birla Group Apollo Everest kool Solutions The existing players are taking major steps in expanding their capacities, which are as follows: Snowman and Kausar, two major names in the cold chain Industry have been bought over. Gatia ,a logistics company in Hyderabad acquired Kausar India, Gateway Distiparks, the Transportation logistics major acquired a controlling stake in Snowman Frozen Foods.The Future Group has carried backward integration, from food retailing to storage and transportation; with the launch of Future Logistics. Ahmadabad based Adani Group revamped its cold chain logistics facilities recently. Major players like Bharti, ITC, Reliance, Aditya Birla Group, Bharti the Godrejs, the Tatas and the Future Group has announced billion dollar investments which offer a ready market for third-party cold chain logistics players. Apart from the Global giants and the Indian corporate the airport infrastructure companies and the railways are also planning to build refrigerated warehouses and perishable products cargo centres across the country in capture the share in the booming retail sector. The major airports like Cochin International Airport, Mumbai International Airport, Delhi International Airport and Greenfield international airport projects such as Bangalore and Hyderabad are also setting up refrigerated warehouses for perishable cargoes next to the airports and started to tap the cold chain market. Cochin International Airport is building a state-of-the-art centre for perishable cargo, which can handle about 40,000 million tonnes perishable cargo annually and which would help the farmers of the state who are cultivating such products.Apollo Everest Kool Solutions, which is a joint venture of Spire Group and Apollo has plans to set up at least 15 temperature-controlled warehouses in India. The other major companies showing interest in cold chain market in India include Snowman Frozen Foods (sold out), a joint venture between, Nichirei Logistics Group, Mitsubishi Corp Gateway Distiparks. Fresh and Healthy Enterprises has set up a 100 per cent subsidiary for cold ch ain logistics with an initial capacity of 12,000 tonnes at Rai in Sonepat, Haryana and has further plans to expand it to over a dozen cold storages in the near future, Apollo-Everest Cool Solutions a joint venture formed by the Delhi-based Apollo Tyres and the Spire Group of Canada have plans to construct 15 temperature-controlled warehouses in India with an investment of $250 million; Adani Agrifresh one of the Top retail chain sold its retail business to start a cold storage supply chain for fruits and vegetables in over a dozen top cities of the country. Cold Chains in Different Industries Special features of Indian Cold chain market for important product segments are given in the table below. Product Characteristics Potato Amounts upto 90% of existing cold storage capacity Chocolate High outsourcing demand. Seasonal-Large variation in peak and non-peak demand. No dominant player among service providers Poultry All the market is captured by Snowman and RK Food-both pan India players Fruits Vegetables Predictable, Stable and High demand throughout the year. No dominant player in the market. Market dominated by Domestic players. More than 60% demand met by small/ local/regional players Dairy products (Butter Cheese) High demand throughout the year. Major players not very active Significant share of small players Ice Cream -Seasonal High demand in peak season High growth 35% demand shared by small players The major products are Potato, apple which contributes Rs 16050 million to the cold chain market. Other products are: Segment Value(Million) Imported Fresh Fruits Vegetables 1.67 Exports By sea (Seafood, Meat, Poultry, Fruits Vegetables) 46 Chocolate Industry 2 Dairy Industry 2.67 Meat Poultry (domestic) 1.33 Ice-cream Industry 4.9 Processed potato 4.45 Emerging segments (flavoured milk/yoghurt) 13.33 Cool Chain Transportation 40 Source: Global AgriSystem Ltd Cold Chain in Pharmaceutical Industry In the pharmaceutical supply chain, the chain members have different requirements to meet for material handling, warehousing, storing, packaging and distributing the pharmaceutical products which are sensitive to the environment. The ideal pharmaceutical cold chain should be capable of dealing with changing product portfolios, the requirements for Good Storage and Distribution Practices, current regulatory trends, quality management, risk assessment factors, and temperature monitoring. Pharmaceutical cold chain trends: Manufacturers are being held responsible for any defects in the product in cold chain management. E.g. determining, maintaining and monitoring temperature levels during shipment. The management and control of environmental factors across the supply chain is being given greater emphasis. E.g. Vacuum packaging , Transportation choices in cold chain, etc. Temperature control and monitoring is being employed to reduce the risks and increase efficiency. 36% of all major and critical defects registered by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency during 2003/2004 were related to the control and monitoring of storage and transportation temperatures. Heightened priority of patient safety due to the presence of multiple uncontrolled variables in the distribution process, developing an appropriate temperature and humidity monitoring program is essential to protect the quality of environmentally sensitive pharmaceutical product and ensure patient safety. Increased Importance of the Pharmaceutical Cold Chain In 2003, out of the $400 billion products, 10% were biopharmaceuticals. The biopharmaceutical markets compound annual growth rate(CAGR) was 21% which was notably more than the roughly 11% CAGR of the traditional pharmaceutical market in the period 1999 to 2003The biopharmaceuticals are highly sensitive to temperature. This increases the importance of the pharmaceutical cold chain. The standard procedures normally followed in the cold chain are: Information of shipping configuration and the type of packaging used, should be declared. In the labeling part, the storage rules and particular precaution that should be taken should be included. Mode of transportation should be approved by respective authorities. The finished products in the shipment are verified to check any tampering or damaging of the containers. The manufacturer should obtain the evidence that the requirements for shipping e.g. temperature control have been fulfilled. Some important aspects of Pharmaceutical cold chain are: Some leading logistics companies and carriers which have sophisticated infrastructure e.g. electronic tracking, online export documentation provide can assists the shipping party. In cold chain, the use of refrigerated warehouses, refrigerator trucks, refrigerated containers, refrigerated ships and refrigerator cars is common. Another important facility required is the insulated shipping containers or other specialized packaging. The role of Temperature data loggers and RFID tags is to help monitor the temperature history of the warehouse or truck etc. and also the temperature history of the product being shipped. They also help in determination of the remaining shelf life of product. The key part is documentation. There are set of rules for each step in the chain to maintain proper records. Incomplete or Inaccurate paperwork in customs can lead to delays. So all the established protocols should be followed e.g. number of copies and other information details. Quality Management Process (QMP) and Risk Assessment Process (RAP) Factors to be considered for the QMP may include but are not limited to the: Organization, roles and responsibilities, process, trained resources, implementation plan, compliance change control, on-time delivery of right product, quality metrics, continuous enhancements, and monitoring customer satisfaction. Areas to be assessed in RAP include: Compliance with regulations, guidances and quality standards product profile, physical and chemical stability environment (temperature Mapping, temperature control, temperature and humidity monitoring), mode of transportation (ground, air, sea), shipment destination (domestic, export), package (primary and secondary), people (standard operating procedure, training, communication, documentation, recognizing, addressing, correcting adverse events, and change controls). TMS- Temperature Monitoring System The determining factor of a temperature monitoring system (chemical, mechanical or electronic) is the amount of information required. Generally the temperature monitor equipment is the main part of the Cold chain system. If the suppliers are having the infrastructure for high quality checks, the firm may use more complex, precise and sophisticated temperature data loggers which provide all the relevant information in prescribed format. The data includes record of temperature and humidity including time and date as well as specific identification. All equipment used for recording, monitoring and maintaining temperature and humidity conditions should initially be validated and thereafter calibrated on a regular basis. The certifications are provided by the leading suppliers in the industry indicating the grades about the quality required for the monitoring. Cold Chain in Floriculture Industry Flowers are perishable in nature. It is observed that small temperature differences can bring about very significant flower quality changes. There is a negative effect on the useful life of the flowers with the increase in temperature in transportation. It is further affected by increase in the duration for which the flowers were exposed to such high temperature. In India, due to inadequate cold-chain management, the postharvest losses are very high. The estimated losses are 40%, depending upon the commodity at various stages. Flowers should be cooled to temperature ranging in 330 F to 410 F without any delay. Higher temperatures not only reduce the useful-life but also increase the respiration-rate. It is found that the respiration of cut flowers increased exponentially with increase in storage temperature. Proper cold-chain management of flowers improves the flowers marketability. Cold storage enables quality stems to be held for longer periods before sale and ensures that the flow ers still have a good shelf life(called as vase life ) when they reach the market-place. Cold Chain in Dairy Industry: Amul Case Study Life cycles of various product lines of Amul are different, for example products like milk, lassi and flavored milk needs to be refrigerated from procurement, processing to end distribution stage. Milk is procured from regional cooperative societies or contract procurers. Pasteurization, refrigeration and packaging are done in regional centers itself. These centers are fully owned by Amul in some places and outsourced in other places. Thirty to forty SKUs of packaged milk, flavored milk and other similar products are supplied in plastic crates filled with ice for end mile distribution to the nearest market i.e. different parts of cities, suburbs and even to rural areas. Since crates are small loading and unloading is done manually, so it does not require complex equipments. Empty crates are brought back as a part of Reverse Logistics for next day dispatching of milk. For ice creams, Srikhand, Butter and other such products High-Tech refrigerated transportation system is used. Amul is first mover in India for tetra packed milk products. It sells these under the brands Amul Sakthi and Nutramul. It has also introduced products like cold coffe, butter milk and Lassi in tetra packs. These have a life span of six months to one year. These do not require cold storage facilities and delivered in corrugated boxes in combination with stretched plastic. Amul has the largest cold storage network in India (more than 18000 facilities). Challenges Issues Cold storage industry is facing following challenges 1. Lack of Uniform Technology standards: There is lack of uniform electronic and bar code standards. International standards vary widely, and domestic standards are almost as disparate, creating unnecessary paperwork and profit-eating delays. 2. Consolidation: The trend toward consolidation sprung from the growing tendency for warehouses to act as shipping venues, as well as the entry into the market by warehouse holders. Though consolidation spurred overall industry growth, smaller warehouses have struggled to compete with larger industry players. 3. Capital Investment and Technology: The cold chain Storage and logistics is a capital-intensive industry (investment for refrigeration equipments and real estate) with a large capacity cold storage chain has a high payback period of around five years.    4. Incumbency advantages independent of size: Existing players like Snowman have built expertise by operating in this industry for longer periods in time use imported hi-tech equipment, which new entrants find difficult. 5. Economies of scales: It is a largely untapped, fragmented full of unorganized small size players. No player has achieved economies of scale and thus a new a new entrant with deep pockets can enter this industry and still be at a major cost advantage. 6. Human Capital and Domain Skills: It requires skilled human resources for operating and controlling the cold storage facilities. Lack of technically qualified employees is also one of the hindering factors for Indian cold storage industry. 7. Lack of logistical Support: Small land holdings remain a challenge because it requires multiple farm gate collection centers. Also Fragmented cold chain industry has not encouraged the growth of cold logistics for horticulture produce. Standard refrigerated systems are inefficient and poorly designed. Also, domestic market for fresh perishable produce is underdeveloped. 8. Uneven Distribution of cold stores: Available capacity is mostly focused on single commodities. Problem of financial viability is also their due to seasonality. Other pertinent issues are 1. Erratic power supply 2. High operational costs and low yield models. 3. High insurance/ Risk coverage premiums. 4. Large gap in demand supply conducive to small unorganized service providers. 5. Government tax and commercial regulations. Role of Government Government policy acts as a catalyst in this industry. Following are the salient features of Government policies for cold storage sector: 1. Encourages Investments Agri food is identified as priority sector. 2. Encourages organized sector- ECB route opened, Import duty relaxed. 3. Liberalizes Marketing Norms- Focus on increased retail, improved supply chain. 4. Rationalizes Tax Laws- Moving towards uniform VAT/GST. 5. Provides Grants and subsidies- VG funding, Grants, Infrastructure status 6. Eases foreign investment- 100% FDI in food sector. ECB for cold chain. Government of India Initiatives 1. Excised waved on FV, meat preparations, ice-cream, other RTE food mixes. 2. Automatic approval for 100% foreign equity in processed food items. External commercial borrowing opened (except in beer, alcohol etc.) 3. Priority lending status; Duties reduced on imports; Zero service tax on installations. 4. EOI floated for 30 mega food parks- allocated US $ 1.02 billion by 2012. Objective of the scheme is to provide backward and forward linkages as well develop reliable and sustainable supply chain. 5. GOI initiating National Highway Development Program and partnering with Indian railways to establish cold chain infrastructure. Indian railway is planning to invite private parties to run refrigerated container trains for transporting agricultural products across the country. 6. Integrated food law(FSSA) notified and ready for implementation. 7. Task force on Development of cold chain established and national centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD). In Budget 2011- Cold chain Industry Industries like fertilizer and cold-storage chains will benefit, with capital investment in fertilizer being treated as infrastructure investment. Hyderabad based express distribution and supply chain solutions provider Gati logistics has said the endowment of infrastructure status to cold-storage chains logistics in the Budget will help in realizing its plans to build cold storage units across the country. Gati is setting up 10 cold storage plants across the India at an investment of about Rs 200 crore in the coming four years.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Julius Ceasar Flattery :: essays research papers

Flattery will get you nowhere. At the beginning of the story this quote might appear to be false, but as the story unfolds it only leads to the down fall of all involved. Throughout Julius Caesar, both friends and enemies use flattery and manipulation to obtain their goals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first main use of flattery is used by Cassius on Brutus in Act 1, Scene 2 and in Act 2, Scene 1. Cassius tries his hardest to force Brutus to join the revolt against Caesar, but Brutus resists, stating his loyalty and faithfulness to Rome. However, after Brutus accidentally blurts out, â€Å"I do fear the people choose Caesar as their king.† Cassius continues his pursuit to convince Brutus to join the conspirators. He thinks the best way to flatter Brutus is by talking about how noble the plebeians view him. Cassius chooses to send Brutus a letter supposedly from a Roman citizen. It boldly states â€Å"Brutus, thou sleep’st. Awake, and see thyself! Shall Rome, etc. Speak, strike, and redress!† These words persuade him to join the conspirators because he prides how high the public views him and does not want to let them down. Cassius swayed Brutus by complementing him and saying the people depend on him. Without flattering, his nobility Bru tus would probably never have joined the conspirators. In Act 2 Scene 2, there is thunderstorm outside and Caesar’s wife is having a nightmare about her husband’s death. She dreamt that smiling Romans were washing their hands in Caesar's blood. When she awakes, she tells Caesar who tries to calm her by sending the augurers to make a sacrifice. However, the results of the sacrifice do not comfort him, â€Å"They could not find a heart within the beast.† When Decius Brutus comes to take him to the senate, Caesar declares that he will stay home. Caesar tells him about Calphurnia's dreams; Decius Brutus cleverly gives them a flattering interpretation by â€Å"This dream is all misinterpreted. It was a vision fair and fortunate. Your statue spouting blood in many pipes, in which so many smiling Romans bathed, signifies that from you great Rome shall suck reviving blood.† Decius also says that the members of the senate are planning to crown him today, but they might rethink it if the found out he stayed at home due to his wife’s dreams. Decius toyed with Caesar’s pride by flattering him; he caused Caesar to change his mind and go to the senate to be murdered.

Genetics Engineering :: essays research papers

Genetics Engineering   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hollywood has been showing it to us for years. Frankenstein, The Six Million Dollar Man, Jurassic Park, etc.; the list goes on. All these movies show man's instinct to create. This fiction of playing God in recent years is becoming a reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1952, deoxyribonucleic acid was discovered(Dewitt, 1994). The spiral staircase molecule, DNA. DNA is the building block of life. This block holds the code for every aspect of any life on the planet Earth. DNA decides whether one life will be a plant or rhinoceros. DNA also carries the information that tells how smart, creative, bossy, shy, athletic, or any other description you can think of. The secret code of DNA would prove to be invaluable. This is the reason the Human Genome Project has been started. Scientist around the world are using super computers to crack the code. This 15 year project is predicted to end by the year 2005(Dewitt, 1994). That is only 10 years from now. What does that mean to the average Joe?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well, today we already live with genetically engineered items. The FDA has approved bioengineered tomatoes that ripen without rotting(Dewitt, 1994). Entire herds of cattle are now being injected with a growth hormone(BST) so that they will produce more milk than ordinary cattle(Dewitt, 1994). Also drought resistance grass that needs no moving.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scientists will soon be able to collect DNA from endangered species. This DNA could be used to clone more condors, bald eagle, mountain gorillas, and many other animals. Totally extinct animals may be recreated as well, i.e. Jurassic Park. Imagine having your own dodo bird or pet triceratops.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many types of diseases will be cured. Just take out the gene that giving you the problem. Pure panacea. As soon as a baby is born his or hers parents will know everything about him or her. If they will be artistic. Will she get breast cancer? Will he be tall or short? Is he a genius. Ten years from 2005, these questions won't even have to be asked. Made to order babies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Made to order babies?!? Is this where we are headed? It's only a matter of time before a president's hair clippings are swept up at a barbershop and then used to detect what diseases he has or is susceptible to. The rich may one day be able to obtain â€Å"immortality† by cloning themselves. I couldn't picture three Donald Trumps all thinking the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is even a darker side to this. Governments may decide to create super soldiers. Killing machines with top physical and mental prowess. This was the dream of Adolf Hitler himself.

Friday, July 19, 2019

The Atomic Bomb :: American America History

The Atomic Bomb Background of the Atomic Bomb It was during the Second World War that the United States became a world power, thanks in a large part to its monopoly on atomic weapons. The atomic bomb is a weapon with great explosive power that results form the sudden release of energy upon the splitting, or fission of the nuclei of such heavy elements as plutonium or uranium. This new destructive force wrecked havoc on two Japanese cities and caused the end of World War II. It also saved thousands of American lives because a ground invasion of Japan was no longer necessary. The decision to create the bombs was that of United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt under a secret military project that was called The Manhattan Project. The Beginnings of the Manhattan Project In 1939, after German dictator Adolf Hitler invaded Poland, German scientists shocked the scientific world when they announced that they had split uranium atoms by man-made means for the first time. Upon hearing this news, a nuclear physicist, Leo Szilard, was convinced that a chain reaction of this process could be used as a weapon to release an awesome burst of power. Szilard knew that this knowledge was now in the wrong hands of the enemy Germans. On a July day in 1939 Szilard and his associate, Edward Teller, drove to the Long Island home of Albert Einstein to alert him of their findings. Einstein used his political influence by immediately writing a letter to President Roosevelt explaining the consequences of the Germans creating an atomic bomb. His letter read, "I believe, therefore, that is my duty to bring to your attention that it may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium by which vast amounts of power and large quantities of new-like elements would be generated. A single bomb of this type, carried by a boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port, together with some of the surrounding territory." Two months passed before Roosevelt finally read the letter. He ordered a committee of scientists and military officers to meet Szilard and Teller to determine whether America was capable of building a nuclear bomb. In 1940, Szilard and Teller were granted a mere $6,000 to begin experiments in nuclear fission. The duo enlisted the help of the winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1938, Enrico Fermi.