Classical composer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Classical composer - Essay Example in the fourth year of his age, father, for a game as it were, began to teach him a few minuets and pieces at the clavier.†(Deutsch pp.  454–462) He was about five years old when he begun making his own music which he played to his father who annotated them. Recognizing the special abilities of his children, Leopold devoted more time to teaching his children. He was a loving father as he was an exacting teacher. Wolfgang, though, found pleasure in learning. He â€Å"was motivated to make progress even beyond what his father was teaching him. His first independent (and ink-spattered) composition, and his initial ability to play the violin, were both his own doing and were a great surprise to Leopold.† (Deutsch pp.  452–453) At that point, Leopold started to consider ambitious plans in his mind. Partly perhaps out of parental pride, partly perhaps out of duty as he did not doubt his children’s talent were God-given, he set forth to bring his young prodigies on tour to the courts of Europe. Wolfgang was six when in January, 1762, his father brought them to the nearby Munich court of Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria. It was Wolfgang’s first exposition. The following three years were hectic for the young Mozarts. Leopold Mozart took his family to a long concert tour to the courts of Munich, Mannheim, Paris, London and The Hague. This foreshadowed the eight more years ahead of traveling Europe.. It was during these travels and performances when the young Wolfgang also met other musicians and got acquainted with their works. A prolific writer, Mozart wrote many of his music during that period of travel. â€Å"Most composers created music at the point of a pencil, writing and erasing over and over until they got down what they wanted.   Mozart, however, created exclusively in his head; then he wrote it all out once, once only, never erasing a note.†Ã‚  (Shepherd, pg. 5) Following their final return to Salzburg in 1773, Mozart, who was seventeen then, was

Country Living Versus City Essay Example for Free

Country Living Versus City Essay The traffic is bad, work is hectic, and people do not seem to have enough time to talk to each other about little things (Is Country Living Healthier Than City Living, 1997). Yet, living in the city continues to have its own charms. One of the main reasons why a huge number of people choose to live in cities as compared to the country side is that the city offers more and better opportunities to earn money. Moreover, cities are known to have finer and a greater variety of schools as well as health care facilities. No wonder, cities can become overcrowded. There is just too much to do in cities, and plenty of people wanting the kind of stimulation offered in these places, as compared to the country, where life can be dull and boring, and there is usually only one cinema house to cater to the interests of all. The population of the country is also not as big. Hence, only those who do not mind seeing the same people over and over again may want to choose the country over the city. Regardless of the range of our interests, country life offers fewer opportunities to stimulate the intellect. There may be few if any bookstores, little or no diversity in terms of the population, in addition to very few recreational spots in the country. On the contrary, people living in the city are exposed to countless people from different corners of the nation and the world at large; these people also have easy access to many bookstores, recreational spots, as well as airports and other modern conveniences. Hence, city living as compared to country living may broaden the mind as well as our interests in life. People in the city may also tend to be smarter than people from the country seeing that city living offers greater opportunities to stimulate the intellect. COUNTRY LIVING VERSUS CITY LIVING Page # 2 Individualists probably do not miss the sense of neighborliness and the sense of community that people in the country are typically acquainted with. For individualists, it is most important to develop themselves, and this development would not feel complete without the amenities that only the city offers (Is Country). Even so, the city is known to have more crime than the country. People are coming to the city from all around the nation and the globe, after all. When these people do not find jobs in the city, they may very well turn to crime. Nevertheless, cities remain overcrowded because law enforcement is recognized as a genuine way to deal with the threat of crime. People do not give up on city living even if country living might be safer. One advantage of country living is, of course, the extra space that people see around themselves. When Professor Robert Cummins visited his hometown in the country, he remarked: â€Å"Id forgotten how much extra space youve got †¦ and on the main street theres hardly any traffic around so basically Ive got most of the shops to myself. † People living in the city tend to love the extra space that the country offers, especially for their vacations. However, they can easily become agitated in the country after a while, missing the stimulation of the city. Moreover, people from the city do not feel that they miss out on the so-called â€Å"community spirit† of the country (Is Country). This is because the city dwellers have developed their own community spirit in the city. They may give to charities, for example, or visit orphan homes. They may join different societies and clubs. After all, there is no dearth of human beings in the city. For anybody who wants to develop a sense of belongingness in the city, it is possible to do so any day. COUNTRY LIVING VERSUS CITY LIVING One disadvantage faced by country dwellers is that â€Å"everyone knows your dirty laundry. † According to Professor Cummins, â€Å"People do become overly involved in one anothers lives and for some people this can be a great source of irritation (Is Country Living). This problem does not exist in cities, seeing that there are far too many people around for an individual to dwell on the negative emotions of a few. Finally, although country living may feel more relaxed than city living, the reality of human life is that people do fall sick at one time or another, and â€Å"another country negative is that health services are pretty thin. † According to Phoebe Bull, who moved from the city to the country to get married, â€Å"I phoned to go to the dentist here, booked in two months ago and November 25 is the next date I can go — its just unbelievable and doctors are the same† (Is Country Living). No wonder, cities are still overcrowded. It is definitely more practical to live in the city. Water taxi man, Ric Fletcher from the city, agrees: Things open 24 hours a day, you can find a restaurant or a cafe anywhere. Youve got the opera, theatre, cinemas, a great choice of night life and live venues you can go to where youve got top-class acts playing pretty well all year round. † COUNTRY LIVING VERSUS CITY LIVING Page # 4 References 1. Is Country Living Healthier Than City Living? (1997). Nine MSN. Retrieved from http://health. ninemsn. com. au/article. aspx? id=118615. (17 March 2007).

divorce decree :: essays research papers

[divorce caption]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  FINAL DECREE OF DIVORCE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On ______ the Court heard this case. Appearances   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Petitioner, *{{______}}*, *[appeared in person and through attorney of record, [name]*{{[name]}}*, and announced ready for trial.]**[did not appear in person but has agreed to the entry of this order as evidenced by Petitioner's signature below.]*   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Respondent, *{{______}}*, *[appeared in person and announced ready for trial.]**[appeared through attorney of record, [name]*{{[name]}}*, and announced ready for trial.]**[appeared in person and through attorney of record, [name]*{{[name]}}*, and announced ready for trial.]**[although duly and properly cited, did not appear and wholly made default.]**[waived issuance and service of citation by waiver duly filed and did not otherwise appear.]**[has made a general appearance and has agreed to the terms of this judgment to the extent permitted by law, as evidenced by the signatures of Respondent and attorney for Respondent appearing below.]**[has made a general appearance and was duly notified of trial but failed to appear and defaulted.]* *[*[*[  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also appearing was ______, appointed guardian ad litem of the child[ren] the subject of this suit. ]**[  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also appearing was ______, appointed attorney ad litem of the child[ren] the subject of this suit. ]**[  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also appearing was ______, appointed amicus attorney for the child[ren] the subject of this suit. ]*]**[  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also appearing was ______, appointed attorney ad litem for *{{______}}*, who received process by substituted service but did not otherwise answer or appear. ]*]*Record *[  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The making of a record of testimony was waived by the parties with the consent of the Court. ]**[  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The record of testimony was duly reported by *[______, ______]**[the court reporter for ______]*. ]*Jurisdiction and Domicile   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Court finds that the pleadings of [Petitioner/Respondent] are in due form and contain all the allegations, information, and prerequisites required by law. The Court, after receiving evidence, finds that it has jurisdiction of this case and of all the parties and that at least sixty days have elapsed since the date the suit was filed. The Court finds that, at the time this suit was filed, *[[Petitioner/Respondent] had been a domiciliary of Texas for the preceding six-month period and a resident of the county in which this suit was filed for the preceding ninety-day period.]**[Petitioner was domiciled in another state or nation and Respondent had been a domiciliary of Texas for the preceding six-month period and was a resident of this county in which the suit was filed.]* All persons entitled to citation were properly cited. Jury *[  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A jury was waived, and questions of fact and of law were submitted to the Court.

African Transformation from 1865-1920

The Progression of African Americans from 1865 to 1920 America has changed, as a whole, throughout this time period. There have been many different presidents, elections, wars and other world issues. These factors contribute to the drastic change in America and to the American people. African Americans have gone through many different changes other than those of the other races. With the end of the Civil War, African Americans went through a lot of change with the end of slavery.Throughout this essay I will explain the legislature, economic, philosophies, leaders, movement of people and other factors that contributed to the drastic change of the African American people between 1865 to 1920. In 1865 Reconstruction stared after the end of the civil war. Even though President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Slavery did not officially end until congress passed the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery. Freedmen were no allowed to be citizens until 1868 when congress passed the 14th amendment.The 14th amendment also allowed blacks the right to equal protection under the law. The first Supreme Court Interpretation of the 14th amendment was in the Slaughterhouse Case. This case extended the 14th amendment to all citizens. Even with the end of slavery and the right to citizenship, African Americans still didn’t have an easy life. With the end of slavery African Americans faced the issue of not being able to vote or in some not being allowed to own land.The Black codes, which laws were passed by state legislatures to suppress blacks and put them is form of slavery that was legal at the time. To fix the problem of blacks not being able to vote, congress passed the 15th amendment, which made it legal for blacks to vote. Even with the right to vote blacks were suppressed by and scared out of voting be the Klu Klux Klan which used tactics such a lynchings to scare blacks of voting. Ida B. Wells was a black journalist who exposed lynchings in the U. S.L iteracy test and poll taxes were also tactics used by white surprimisist to get blacks not to vote. Even with black codes and the KKK, this time period of Reconstruction was still a successful time for freedmen. They had three amendments passed in that addressed a few of the problems they faced. The blacks had come a long way from the end of the Civil War; they had gotten a lot of rights. Although they got many rights now they were at a large disadvantage to the whites. Blacks could not go to school because they had work or even were not allowed to go.Because of this disadvantage blacks could not get the same jobs as whites because they did not have the same education. There were two main leader of the movement to get blacks better education and jobs, but the two of them had completely different views of how to get what they wanted. The first was Booker T. Washington, who believed that blacks should not push for what they wanted and that they should prove their selves to get the sam e education and jobs as whites, this is also called gradualism. African Americans disliked this because they thought that their equalization was being put off.He believed that they should not rock the â€Å"Racial Boat†. The Second was W. E. B Dubois, who believed the exact opposite of Washington. He believed that the blacks could force the whites to give them what they wanted. He also believed that they should not what for the whites to give it to them he thought that blacks should push and force them to give it to them. Dubois also published the book of essays called The Souls of the Black Folks (1903). The blacks also ran out of labor in the South and choose to migrate to the North were there was an abundance of jobs.This sudden movement of blacks from the South to the North started the Great Black Migration. This era after reconstruction was a very successful time for freedmen and brought about great change not only in the lives of African Americans but also in the lives of all Americans. After slaves were free the US tried to start the Back to Africa Movement. This movement was brought about to try to get freedmen with African decent to go back to Africa and their homeland. For blacks that did not want to return to Africa there were very few options for them if they choose to stay.The first main problem was should they stay in the South or go somewhere else to find shelter and a job. The next problem was to find a job. To replace the slaves plantation owner implemented share cropping. Share cropping was a form of paid slavery that gave the families that choose to work on the plantation as share croppers a plot of land to farm and a place to live. The share croppers would give a large portion of what they had farmed to the owner of the land and they would get to keep a small amount of what they had harvested for themselves to live off of.For those who had joined the Union army during the Civil War, they had to try to get what they were promised whic h was forty acres of land and a mule to plow it. Though promise was rarely met this was an option for some freedmen who choose to stay in the U. S. To help freedmen get what they needed such a job, food, or education the Freedmen’s Bureau was started. This bureau was started to help get recently freed slaves on their feet after the Civil War. Former slaves had a hard time finding jobs but they did it anyway.During reconstruction the Southern Democrats wanted to get rid of the collation of Republicans that controlled the post war south. The Bourbon Democrats that want to oust this collation of freedmen, carpetbaggers, and scalawags were known as Redeemers. These Redeemers did not get their way until reconstruction ended in 1877. With the end of reconstruction man freedmen were scare by the rumor of the reinstitution of slavery and the fact that the leaders of the old south were back in control meant that discrimination would run rampant.With this in mind they fled to the north and west most settling in Kansas. These freedmen who fled were known as exodusters. The Democratic Party regained the political power of the South. This total political power of the Democratic Party was known as the Solid South. During the time period of the Solid South, blacks were greatly discriminated upon. Freedmen who held office during reconstruction were stripped of their political position. To suppress blacks, white surprimisist implemented Jim Crow laws.Jim Crow laws were a set of laws passed by state legislatures in witch in some cases pulled the African Americans Right to vote. The term Jim Crow comes from a show that was put on to show a stereotypical black. In this show whites would wear black and pain themselves and then act as they thought blacks were. They would act stupid and show the idea that blacks were not equal to whites. In most states a grandfather clause was put into the state constitution which stated that if your grandfather had voted before the civil war than you could vote even if you were illiterate.This clause was meant to keep blacks who could not pass the literacy test from voting and allowed for the whites who failed the literacy test a way to vote. Under the Jim Crow laws the thought of â€Å"Separate but Equal†. This basically meant that as long as the state gave blacks the same conditions as whites it was ok to segregate them. The first major time the idea of â€Å"Separate but Equal† was challenged was in the case of Plessey vs. Fergusion (1896). In this case Homer Plessey was accused of sitting in the whites’ only car of the East Louisiana Railroad y and refused to leave.Plessey was seven eighths white and one eighth black, an octoroon. Even though he was just on eighth African American he was still consider black by Louisiana law and thus required to sit in the colored car of the train. The courts stated that Louisiana could not regulate railroad that went between two or more states but that they co uld regulate railroads that were only within the state. Both the state and federal Supreme Courts ruled against Plessey. It was not until the ca of Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) the â€Å"Separate but Equal† would no longer be the law of the land.During this time of Separate but Equal the type of segregation that took place was de jure segregation which meant to be segregated by law. This differs from today in that even though the law does not permit segregation in still happens by custom which is de facto segregation. W. E. B. Dubois organized a group that meet on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Because they meet at Niagara Falls they came to be known as the Niagara Movement (1903). They meet to discuses to problems facing blacks on a political and social level. They also discussed ways to fix the problems that faced the blacks.This movement was made of only blacks. The Niagara Movement led to the creation of the NAACP, which was made up of both blacks and whites a nd also fought for the solutions to problems facing blacks and whites on a political and social level. The Niagara Movement was thought to be more radical than that of the NAACP. Booker T. Washington; the president of the Tuskegee Institute, the first all black collage; was the architect of the Atlanta Compromise which stated that blacks would work week in and week out and summit to white political rule in exchange for basic education and due process.W. E. B Dubois used the term the Talented Tenth to show the 1 out of 10 blacks who will rise to be a leader of his or her race. He argued that blacks needed a more classical education rather than a vocational or industrial education. Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican political leader that founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, African Community League, and the Black Star Steamship Line. The Black Star Steamship Line was shipping line that was supposed to facilitate the transportation of goods and eventually African Americans th roughout the African global economy.The Black Star Steamship Line derived its name from the white star line which was a key factor to the success of the back to Africa movement. Garvey thought he could simulate the success of the White Star Line. The Universal Negro Improvement Association founded the newspaper Negro World which had a front page editorial from Garvey and poetry and articles of international interest of people of African Ancestor. These men and there association were civil rights leaders that shaped the African American world.

Alvar Alto Design Theory Paimio Sanatorium

The figurehead of modernism and leader of bringing architecture back to the human scale that once was, Alvar Aalto is now an architectural inspiration to us all. Aalto did not use his architecture as a learning tool but more as a gesture toward the emotional and physical needs of man. His architecture was meant to enrich the lives of those it served. Aalto focused on context in site in relation to the human body. Forms, light and shadow were inspired by the Finnish forests Aalto grew up near.When he was a child he made drawings of the landscape that influenced his later built projects in their relationships to horizons and vertical connections, sections and ground plan. He brought us buildings that involved form, light, and color, along with many other attributes all over the world including the Viipuri Library, the Paimio Sanatorium, and even Mt. Angel Library here in Oregon. Functional Room Functional Design The rooms in the patients' wing are arranged on the north side of the corr idor.By siting the rooms on one side only, Aalto was able to bring natural light into the corridor and give the patients the feeling that they were in control of the space. Aalto studied the angle of the sunlight in conjunction with the heating system. Sun blinds were fixed outside the windows to cut down solar gain. The whole building was designed in every aspect to make the patients confinement tolerable and to assist in their healing. Their room's were designed with a horizontal person in mind.The source of heat comes down from the ceiling, one wall was lined in absorbent insulation to make acoustics more restful, and the window frames in the rooms were timber to reduce condensation and be warmer to touch. the washbasins were designed to run silently and had to be hygienic and easy to clean (unsuccessfully in practice). The pipe work was concealed in the walls, whereas prior to this pipes were usually surface-fixed. Aalto had his own ideas about the ceilings for example. The ceil ing of the room should be the colour of the sky,† The lighting came from a wall mounted uplighter out of the patients sight where it was diffused throughout the room. Since the ceiling was painted in darker tones, the ceiling area reflecting the light had to be painted a lighter one. The door handles were created with as much methodical attention to detail. They were designed so coat sleeves or pockets couldn't get caught and they had rounded edges in case patients should happen to knock into them. Rose cellar In the Sanatorium death was an everyday reality, so naturally there was a mortuary on the site.The Rose Cellar, as the mortyary was called, disappeared into the terrain and took its name from the roses covering the mound of earth in front of it; only the holes drilled into the wooden door in the form of a cross gave a clue as to the use of the building. The mortuary is a light, whitewashed concrete vault lit by a roof light. A black-painted wooden catafalque rests on the brick-red floor and the partition that divides the curved vault has an abstract painting by Aalto and the Turku artist Eino Kauria. Viper hall The nurses' home, known as the ‘hall of vipers', was designed and built in 1060-63.It is a two-storey, four-part building, with each part joined to the next by an drawn-in linking element. It departs from Aalto's 1930s buildings mainly in that, instead of a flat roof, it has a pitched roof and the detailing does not focus nearly as much on metal. The name is derived from the fact that the building wriggles gently across the terrain. Stairs Tuberculosis was treated with fresh air, so that sun beds suitable for external use were needed. They emerged as the result of some specialist design work, as did the ‘winter sleeping bags' made of sheepskin that were part of the sun beds.The whole interior of the building is pervaded by health giving light, most powerfully in the stair cases, where sun spills down huge areas of glazing. Where the effort of climbing was incorporated as part of the healing process. Tree section Aalto believed that â€Å"the health of every person depends to a great extent on his submission to the conditions of nature† This came from the fact that medicine was not advanced enough to heal alone, so healing came from being take out of the crowded, disease infested cities where the sun, space and breeze of the country would help heal.The flat finnish landscape made a stepped section unsuitable, the roof terrace is then used for treatment for summer and winter alike stretching the entire length of the patient ward, where the healthier patients could go and take in the spectacular views across the vast forest, each sun-deck beneath was cantilevered to take in the sunshine, like the branches of a tree. Organism for Healing The health of every person depends a great extent on his submission to the condition of nature.The outer buildings are module starting with the head physicians house the y grow and multiply like they are a dividing organism until you get to the patients ward and the rooms are almost exponential in comparison. The building is designed to be a organism for healing, each room is catered to the patient with the use of sun, greenery, and space it helps them in their healing process. Forest The Patients rooms looked out over an unhabited forest which is visually brought into the building as posts, vertical lines, windows and columns.The pine forest was a powerful source of healing and hope for the finish patients, it is also therapeutic to the community who's collective soul deeply embraces the protective wood's and tree's. It is hard to imagine the impact the sanatorium must have had on patients. The dedication to serving their needs manifested in every detail and the optimistic uplifteing quality of it's light filled spaces. Symmetry as parts (medical and proper man) vs. Asymmetry as a whole (natural and living) The plan of the building is laid out in d ifferent sections.Each section is symmetric or on a central axis. The building as a whole does not have a central axis but is asymmetrically in balance. Sort of like a human body that is being treated for a certain condition. The focus is put on parts of the physical body, but as a whole the body makes up a person or a human being. Technology is manmade – human creating a function from natural sources Aalto liked to use materials in their natural state in his buildings. He also liked to take advantage of how modern technology could assist the daily needs of the people in his buildings.In the Sanitarium, he created manmade elements made from elements close to their natural state as a gesture towards to needs of the patients, doctors, and nurses using the spaces. Plasticity and Fluidity (like natures organic forms) Throughout the Paimio Sanitarium, certain spaces have a plastic form that is almost like a landmark in that area of the building. These forms seem to mimic the organ ic forms that can be found in nature like the curve of the terrain on the hill, or the edge of the tree creating a fluid line that separates its branches from the sky.They are found in the central stair of the tower and the overhang above the entrance to the building. Facing the Sun During this time there were not any antibiotics or specific medicines for the treatment of tuberculosis. The best treatment for the condition was dry climate, greenery, fresh, clean air, and a lot of sun. With having a south facing slope it makes sense to position the patients' rooms and the roof terrace to face the sun. A Landscape representing time – modern, ancient, and current. This picture really represents a lot of different times in the culture of the area.The pastures and fields in the foreground represent the current lives of the citizens of Paimio – they are healthy, providing resources and going about their daily lives. In the middle ground there is the forest- it is natural grow th and holds a sort of history in the culture of the people. Then, rising above it all is the Sanitarium – a modern piece of architecture at the time that still stands as a landmark. Architecturally, it was a glimpse into what would be in the future and functionally it was a humble reminder of the hard times.Conclusion. The solution Aalto created for solving the needs of people to fit in with their comfortable natural state while gaining the positive effects of the industrialization at the time was to give people the creative freedom to make their spaces unique to themselves and their needs. He wanted people to remember their individualism. Finding the potential value in humans and emphasizing their common needs became Aalto's main purpose in architecture in his later years. This can be seen in his public buildings as well as in his churches and houses.Aalto believed that people should live a democratic and individualistic lifestyle. He called for the humanization of all thin gs including his architecture. It was important to address how humans move and travel through space and also how they inhabit it. The needs of the user were considered. In all of his projects, Aalto stressed meaning of the project to the client as well as to himself. He looked at the perspectives of the users and found ways to enhance those perspectives, for example the chairs in the Sanatorium were designed to make it easier for the patients to breathe.His architecture was meant to enrich the lives of those it served. In the Paimio Sanitarium in particular, Aalto's attention to psychological spaces enhancing the quality of life for the users, relation to the other buildings in the area, having a form that follows the function, and specific detail in the technical equipment made it all come together to create a well designed approach to the site and the people that dwell within it in a beautiful piece of modern architecture.

Free Essays on The Slave Trade

At the end of the 14th century Europeans started to take people from Africa against their will. Initially they were mainly used as servants for the rich. The Europeans justified the taking of slaves by arguing that they were providing an opportunity for Africans to become Christians. By the 17th century the removal of slaves from Africa became a holy cause that had the full support of the Christian Church. When Spanish and Portuguese sea-captains began to explore the Americas they took their African servants with them. Some of these Africans proved to be excellent explorers. The most important of these was Estevanico, who led the first European expedition to New Mexico and Arizona. The people living in the Americas resisted the attempt by the Europeans to take over their land. One of he most important struggles took place in Cuba in 1512. The Cubans, led by Chief Hatuey, were eventually defeated by the superior weapons of the Spanish. It is estimated that over a million people lived in Cuba before the arrival of the Europeans. Twenty-five years later there were only 2,000 left. Large numbers had been killed, while others died of starvation, disease, committed suicide or had died from the consequences of being forced to work long hours in the gold mines. After the arrival of the Europeans there was a sharp decline in the local population of most of the islands in the Caribbean Sea. This created a problem for the Europeans as they needed labour to exploit the natural resources of these islands. Eventually the Europeans came up with a solution: the importation of slaves from Africa. By 1540, an estimated 10,000 slaves a year were being brought from Africa to replace the diminishing local populations. British merchants became involved in the trade and eventually dominated the market. They built coastal forts in Africa where they kept the captured Africans until the arrival of the slave-ships. The merchants obtained the s... Free Essays on The Slave Trade Free Essays on The Slave Trade At the end of the 14th century Europeans started to take people from Africa against their will. Initially they were mainly used as servants for the rich. The Europeans justified the taking of slaves by arguing that they were providing an opportunity for Africans to become Christians. By the 17th century the removal of slaves from Africa became a holy cause that had the full support of the Christian Church. When Spanish and Portuguese sea-captains began to explore the Americas they took their African servants with them. Some of these Africans proved to be excellent explorers. The most important of these was Estevanico, who led the first European expedition to New Mexico and Arizona. The people living in the Americas resisted the attempt by the Europeans to take over their land. One of he most important struggles took place in Cuba in 1512. The Cubans, led by Chief Hatuey, were eventually defeated by the superior weapons of the Spanish. It is estimated that over a million people lived in Cuba before the arrival of the Europeans. Twenty-five years later there were only 2,000 left. Large numbers had been killed, while others died of starvation, disease, committed suicide or had died from the consequences of being forced to work long hours in the gold mines. After the arrival of the Europeans there was a sharp decline in the local population of most of the islands in the Caribbean Sea. This created a problem for the Europeans as they needed labour to exploit the natural resources of these islands. Eventually the Europeans came up with a solution: the importation of slaves from Africa. By 1540, an estimated 10,000 slaves a year were being brought from Africa to replace the diminishing local populations. British merchants became involved in the trade and eventually dominated the market. They built coastal forts in Africa where they kept the captured Africans until the arrival of the slave-ships. The merchants obtained the s...

Strategic Analysis of WRSX Group The WritePass Journal

Strategic Analysis of WRSX Group Introduction Strategic Analysis of WRSX Group IntroductionPhrase one. Analyzing the strategic positionPhrase Two. Making Strategic ChoicesPhrase Three. Analyzing the strategic actionsConclusion Reference Related Introduction Phrase one. Analyzing the strategic position In this stage, is analyzing the strategic position of WRSX Group. By using the PESTEL framework we can analyse the many different factors in a firms macro environment. PESTEL analysis is a useful tool for understanding the â€Å"big picture† of the environment, in which you are operating, and the opportunities and threats that lie within it. By understanding the environment in which you operate (external to your company or department), you can take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the threats. (Ghemawat, 2008). The Five Force frameworks will response to the industry analysis. Five Forces is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development. It is consisted of five key factors; entry barriers, buyer power, supplier power, substitute competitions and industry competitor. (Johnson and Scholes, 2009) The SWOT is useful when we are analyzing the internal environment of WRSX Group. It is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. (Strengths: characteristics of th e business or team that give it an advantage over others in the industry. Weaknesses: are characteristics that place the firm at a disadvantage relative to others. Opportunities: external chances to make greater sales or profits in the environment. Threats: external elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business). (David, 1995) For the current situation of whole industry of advertising, it is under high level competition. A considerable numbers of agencies live in this industry. The range of their scale is quite widely, it covers large international agencies to small local business firm even only two people involved. Meanwhile, lots of business opportunities in advertising. Under the whole world economic is increasing background, firms are comfortable to put budget on advertise part. Generally speaking, the advertising industry is trend to maturely and prosperously. However, lots of elements could be influence advertising industry. The industry trends to mature, then the problem come out, which is market shrink. New media develops. Due to the outstanding advantages of it, whole advertising industry has to move the core to new media filed. Competitive advantages in advertising industry mainly deriving from creative innovative capability, range and breadth of services or products. The creative innovate capability is the most important for any agency in advertising industry due to it is the key thing to clarify differentiation of products or services what they are supply . At the same time, this is also a significant factor to attract clients. The key stakeholders in the WRSX Group, expects a long – term global brand developments and achievements. In somewhere, conflicts may exist different stakeholder groups. (Johnson and Scholes, 2009, p.106 ) Currently performance of WRSX Group is relatively successful. However, some aspects should be enhanced. The attraction Retention: WRSX Group scores highly on its market research capability and its understanding of market segments and channels, also scores highly in terms of its creativity and innovation, but not in USA. The breadth of services matches the industry average. The Leadership Capability: some offices perform well but others perform badly in terms of Management of Operations, Information Management and Administration. This is the reason for why its score of this below industry average. Management of Risk: the WRSX Group has performed well in management of Financial Risk, but it has dropped below average due to some acquisitions have not been perceived as financially astute. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Previous analyses have shown high scores for WRSX Group in terms of its ethical stance and its social profile but lower for corporate governance. After the discus sing processing in the presentation group, some of strategic issues are find out. The first one is relation to marketing. The revenue of WRSX Group in Asia Pacific has some problems due to the WRSX Group does not focus on the new media and digital media filed. It leads to lose attraction to clients. The second one is the financial problem. The WRSX Group get high level staff costs, while the revenue is not good enough to support this behavior. The third one is the management issue, including the corruption, the weak leadership capabilities and the bad procurement. The WRSX Group losing talent people in firms, which influence the creation and reputation. The awful acquisitions make WRSX Group losing financial supports to develop brand value. Broadly speaking, the WRSX Group has matched average score in advertising industry. Meanwhile, there are something above have to enhanced or revised, which aim to achieve the global brand development of WRSX Group. Phrase Two. Making Strategic Choices In this stage, is analyzing the strategic choices of WRSX Group. The current strategy of the WRSX Group is in some aspects. For the marketing, the exits market of WRSX Group indeed need develop, which aims to enhance the capability. Meanwhile, lots of new thing are waiting for the WRSX Group to achieve as well. The choice of opening new markets, such as new media or digital media field could be excellent for WRSX Group. (Johnson and Scholes,2009) For the WRSX Group, it defines itself as a creative advertising agency in the industry. So the WRSX Group the group should keep and attract the experienced staffs who equipped high level innovation and creativity. The talent and quality staffs are not enough to make sure the WRSX Group goes well. The situation of weak leadership capability of WRSX Group has to be improved. The weak awareness of leadership could be the reason for some awful acquisitions what the WRSX Group did. The money losing release pressure to WRSX Group’s financia l. For the financial part, control the costs and the budget for acquisitions should be done immediately. Meanwhile, keep its revenue also indeed. It is able to make sure the whole agency goes well. It is the foundation of enhance the WRSX Group’s buying power, increase its reputation and develop new market. Generally speaking, the strategic gaps of WRSX Group have list above, it focus on several aspects which are the future and exist marketing development, the human recourse issue about the weak leadership capabilities lack of talent people in group and the cost and budget problems response to finance. In this stage, in order to evaluate our strategic choices, also shrinking the gaps which mentioned, the group members analyzed about suitability, acceptability and feasibility aspects of the WRSX Group.(Johnson and Scholes, 2009) While some problems in implementing the choice we are making at this stage. They are in different levels. In corporate level, the group should focus new market or new field developing, meanwhile, enhance the attraction of WRSX Group is necessary as well. While in the business level, revise the leadership issue should be done, and risk management should be consideration. Whether or not to open new markets in international market should be make the choice. The result of us for this aspect is developing the Chinese market as the new market for the WRSX Group. Another aspect, talent and experienced people are losing in the New Work office of WRSX Group. This influences the creative quality of the WRSX Group. There still have some risks for the WRSX Group. Those risks are linked to the problems which are presented in the phrase one. The reputation risk links to the talent and experienced people losing, the whole team creative capability is influenced; the financial risk links to the weak leadership capability, some bad acquisitions losing money. Phrase Three. Analyzing the strategic actions In this stage, is analyzing the strategic actions of WRSX Group. Based on the results what we got from previous two stages, there are four options of action picked up from six of them. The four options are Managing Generation Y: delivering the Doughnuts, Sustainability policy, exploiting the digital opportunity, Expansion into China. After those actions taken, the share price increased from 2.28 GBP to 2.50 GBP. The revenue, profit and PBIT index increasedas well. The assumption brought out on the task which is hoping the share price increased due to the right decisions what we made. However, some disagreements are appears in the processing of pick up those options mentioned above. The most outstanding problem in discussing is disagreement of the definition of some options. Every group member presents their own opinions and awareness of each option. After that, compare with every member’s presentation, then pick up the agreements and disagreements. For the disagreement, group members discuss about them again. The reasonable word should be come out when the member presenting. At the end, the final decisions were made by the majority opinion of group members. For the personal decisions degree of certainty, it might be seven or eight degree on a scale of one to ten. But other members also keep some common opinions with me. This is reason for why the degree in high level. After each group meeting and seminar, lots of resources and results come out for the WRSX Group. It is able to use these resources to obtain more achievements, response to financial and social relationship part. The WRSX Group equipped experienced and talent staff, whom equipped excellent innovation and creativity capabilities to produce or supply services. However, this is not including the New York office due to some talent and experienced people quit the WRSX Group. All in all, the WRSX Group still obtained high level reputation in this industry. At the meantime, the WRSX Group doing well about market research, which is rely on understanding its market parts and methods. As the consequences of it, many spaces for the group are able to develop. For instances, set up the Chinese market as the new market for the WRSX Group. For global advertising market, the United States occupied most percent of it. However, in the global advertising market in general downward trend, China, Russia a nd some other advertising market showed vitality. For Chinese advertising market, it is continuous developing with high speed in last decade. In 2010, the turnover of Chinese advertising industry is 200.41 billion Chinese Yuan. Increased by 14 billion Chinese Yuan compared with 2009. Meanwhile, the Chinese advertising industry is not mature. It is an opportunity for WRSX Group to establish the branch in China, or looking for a local agency as a corporate body. This point is analyzed in previous part. Another is that the WRSX Group should consider about the opportunities in new media or digital media aspect. Some reasons, the digital media is the main trend in the near future, which based on the internet, mobile phones and etc. Two, it can attract the potential clients, especially the young generation. For this part, the online media develops with a high speed in last decade. It obtains numbers of outstanding advantages. There are two main of them, one is generally low cost than ads on traditional media. Another one is more widely audience range it can reach. As the consequence of those, lots of firms want to spent more budgets on digital space. Meanwhile, it proves this digital space definitely is a more and more huge market in future. The WRSX Group have supplier relationship in various offices, so that, they are able to offer their clients the digital services. There are some methods to developing this business. One is developing itself capability for digital space, or otherwise relying on external providers to deliver this service to WRSX clients. However, the suitable way for WRSX Group is combine two of them. Due to the WRSX is not named by the top agency in the world. Not so strong capability to developing it individually. So, this could be the most suitable way for WRSX to do this field business. So it is better for the WRSX Group to explore the advertising of digital media or new media field. At the end, balance the short-term (three-year plan, etc.) a nd the long-term achievements (mission, company objectives, etc.) of the WRSX Group should be done. Conclusion After studying this strategic management module which is â€Å"understanding the strategic position of organizations, strategic choices for the future and turning strategies into action† (Johnson and Scholes, 2002), based on the WRSX Group case study. Learn a lot, for example, some classic strategy tools – PESTEL, Five Forces, SWOT etc. I am clear about what is the aims and objective of those tools (PESTEL, firms macro environment. Five Forces, the industry analyzing. SWOT, analyzing the internal environment); which elements are involved in those tools (PESTEL, policies, economic, society, technological, environment, legal. Five Forces, entry barrier, industry competitors, substation competition, buyer power, supplier buyer. SWOT, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats); what is the function of each element in those tools. Another is, I learn about the strategy has different levels; two basic levels are corporate level and business level. In another aspect, this is a group work study. So that, I have learn lots of technology about team work capability. Taking the right actions when group members encounter disagreements in meeting or seminar could be better. I learned use logical method to finding out the right actions. Well communication ability is necessary for me in the future. All in all, after this semester study, I have practiced and enhanced personal communication skills, while learned knowledge of strategic management. Reference David, Fred R, (1995) Strategic Management , Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Ghemawat, P. (2008) Strategy And The Business Landscope, Beijing: Peking University Press Johnson, G, Scholes, K, (2002) Exploring Corporate Strategy, Prentice Hall, Johnson, G, Scholes, K, Whittington, R (2009) Fundamentals of Strategy, Prentice Hall,

History of the Olympics - 1972 Olympic Games in Munich

History of the Olympics - 1972 Olympic Games in Munich The 1972 Olympic Games will probably be best remembered for the murder of eleven Israeli Olympians. On September 5, a day before the Games were to begin, eight Palestinian terrorists entered the Olympic Village and seized eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team. Two of the hostages were able to wound two of their captors before they were killed. The terrorists requested the release of 234 Palestinians that were being held in Israel. During a failed attempt at rescue, all of the remaining hostages and five of the terrorists were killed, and three terrorists were wounded. The IOC decided that the Games should go on. The following day there was a memorial service for the victims and the Olympic flags were flown at half staff. The opening of the Olympics was postponed one day. The decision of the IOC to continue the Games after such a horrific event was controversial. The Games Went On More controversies were to affect these Games. During the Olympic ​Games a dispute arose during the basketball game between the Soviet Union and the United States. With one second left on the clock, and the score in favor of the Americans at 50-49, the horn sounded. The Soviet coach had called a time-out. The clock was reset to three seconds and played out. The Soviets still hadnt scored and for some reason, the clock was again set back to three seconds. This time, Soviet player Alexander Belov made a basket and the game ended at 50-51 in the Soviets favor. Though the timekeeper and one of the referees stated that the additional three seconds was completely illegal, the Soviets were allowed to keep the gold. In an amazing feat, Mark Spitz (United States) dominated the swimming events and won seven gold medals. More than 7,000 athletes participated, representing 122 countries.

Inseparability of Markets and Regulations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Inseparability of Markets and Regulations - Essay Example As such, it protects healthcare consumers by ensuring that the services provided to them are satisfactory and efficiently meet their tastes and preferences. Through licensing, the board controls competition and deviant practices within the medical field. It also safeguards consumers’ interests by guaranteeing that medical costs are within the conventional standards and affordable level (Lee, 2009). GCMB has a board of directors that comprises of 15 voting members and an ex-officio chosen by the governor. Its current chair is Richard Weil. Among the 15 voting members, 11 are physicians with Doctor of Medicine grades, 2 are dynamically practicing physicians with Doctor of Physiotherapy degrees, and 2 members are consumer members, who main role is to represent the interests of healthcare consumers (GCMD, 2014). GCMB represents the cultural diversity prevalent in Georgia. The board members are drawn from different regions within the state and represent the various social, economic, and political interests of a diverse population. The board is a fair representation of the community it is serving since it has incorporated the interests of different groups into its mission, goal, and objectives. However, the board still faces a challenge in regulating medical practitioners due to increased misconducts in the medical sector and the diversity of the field of medicine. New trends in medicine have too posted a challenge for GCMB (Lee, 2009). For instance, lethal injection practices and physicians participation in executions have proven to be hard to control. The incentives offered to the board are not enough to finance its activities and the cost of providing the licensing services has upsurge posing a challenge to the relevance of

Relationship between strategic and financial planning Assignment

Relationship between strategic and financial planning - Assignment Example lves one of the following: raising or lowering an organization’s activities, responding to changing customer demand and preferences, countering competitors, technological adjustments and responding to globalization (Chorafas, 2007, p. 5). While Starbucks takes the initiative of expanding its business outside the United States, there will be an obvious need to adjust its financial resources. This will directly reflect on its financial plan. In a business world guided by the principles of competition, Starbucks should strive to have sound financial planning to raise its competitive advantage and prevent underperformance now that it aims market outside the United States. Its strategic planning should be aimed at producing innovative and high quality products and services. This will immensely contribute on easing the strains, which may be experienced in financial resource planning. Financial risk is a factor related to strategic and financial planning that any able organization needs to thoroughly plan around. Chorafas advises that an organization should strive to attain a low cost of staying in business (Chorafas, 2007, p. 22). Losses or insufficient profits will reduce funds available to cater for expanded Starbucks’ operation expenses such as production cost and payment of employees. This threatens Starbucks’ financial stability and jeopardizes its further expansion and

Central Asian Politics - The US and the EU in Central Asia Essay

Central Asian Politics - The US and the EU in Central Asia - Essay Example The most fundamental of these concern the issues of security, geopolitics and the energy potential of the region. Security In the area of security, Central Asia was catapulted to international prominence after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in America. The incident has underscored how political and economic difficulties of distant states could have repercussions in the very U.S. soil. The conflict and the authoritarian regimes the dominate Central Asia is also becoming an increasing concern for the European Union. In a white paper, for instance, it has been expressly stated that the conflicts and despotic regimes in the region could harm European interests, first in terms of security (as with the case of the US) and, secondly, in its interest in Central Asian energy resources. (Melvin 2007, p2) Failed states like Afghanistan became breeding ground of terrorists that could attack America and Europe and their interests all over the world. Central Asia is significant in this r egard. First, it is predominantly Muslim and many policymakers fear that states undergoing political and economic underdevelopment could be a fertile area for religious extremism. John Negroponte, the former director of National Intelligence, underscored this when he testified before the US Congress that, â€Å"Central Asia remains plagued by political stagnation and repression, rampant corruption, widespread poverty, and widening socio-economic inequalities, and other problems that nurture radical sentiment and terrorism.† (Blank 2007) The case of uprising in the Uzbek city of Andijon demonstrated the actual expression of the grim projections by analysts. The crisis began when a band of armed men stormed a jail and freed several prisoners. Soon, however, people started to join the fray, apparently seizing the opportunity to air grievances against the government. Wary of a full-scale uprising, the government ordered its soldiers to shoot the protesters. Hill and Jones stresse d that â€Å"there is legitimate disagreement over the number of citizens that were in the square and even the number injured and killed, but it is clear†¦ that government forces fired indiscriminately.† (p112) Fearing international reprisal, Uzbekistan closed itself up by rounding up and jailing oppositionists, expelling international media and human rights watchdog from the country and closing a U.S. military base. This experience could prove to be a dangerous precedent for the other Central Asian states, which are also facing similar socio-political difficulties. There is also the perennial challenge of the tribal/clan conflict in Central Asia. Ethnic differences and fragmented nationalist aspirations have consistently destabilized the country since their independence. The proximity of Central Asia to Afghanistan aggravates the situation further in the American perspective. What this means is that the region is highly at risk of being influenced, infiltrated or co-opt ed by the Taliban. This is in addition to the fact that foreign policy orientation could shift towards China and Russia, as in the case of Uzbekistan. Geopolitics Another important aspect in the Central Asian importance to America and Europe is its strategic location. It is bounded from all sides by global players that are significant in the respective foreign policy orientations of both. For instance, there is Russia to the north, China to the east,

Analysis of leadership in a healthcare organization Term Paper

Analysis of leadership in a healthcare organization - Term Paper Example Should the organization focus on reducing medical errors or developing leaders first? Should they focus on financial sustainability or create a process of leadership development? In many instances, health organizations address issues which are most pressing before they deal with issues with long term impacts, such as in the case of leadership. Moreover, leaders are faced with complicated internal dynamics between administrations and clinicians, physicians and nurses, pharmacists and physicians (McAlearney, 2006), etc. which in turn, makes it difficult to implement new policies. In a research conducted by Ann McAlearney (2006), it was discovered that many health practitioners realize that the industry is lagging in the case of leadership development. ... There is a need for leaders who can represent the medical community and the patient population – leaders who can â€Å"respond to multiple stakeholders and meet performance goals across multiple dimensions of effectiveness† (McAlearney, 2006, p. 967). The question now is: what kind of leader can motivate people to work together towards a common goal? Literatures on management and leadership refer to transformational leadership based on idealized influence (charisma) may be an appropriate style. What is charismatic leadership? Bud Haney (2012) calls charismatic leaders, the beacons of positivity, â€Å"charismatic leaders impact others with the power of optimism†¦To get team members to go the extra mile and engage with their work† (p.18). Meredith Babcock-Roberson (2010) shares the same view, but adds: â€Å"a [charismatic leader] provides clarity when the situation is unclear, resolves shortcomings and motivates change by articulating a strategic visionâ₠¬ ¦[they] communicate high performance expectations, exhibit con?dence, take risks that oppose the status quo, and emphasize a collective identity†¦[they set] personal examples and [make] personal sacri?ces† (p. 314). A charismatic leader’s is able to bring people to work together by providing his subordinates a clear view of the group’s vision and the role of each individual in the achievement of such vision. Because the emphasis of charismatic leadership â€Å"is on people of vision who are creative, innovative, and capable of getting others to share their dreams while  playing down self-interest; and who are able to cooperate with others in reshaping the strategies and tactics of the

Causes and Effects of Poverty in Society Research Paper

Causes and Effects of Poverty in Society - Research Paper Example Causes and effects of poverty are interrelated and problems associated with poverty never occur alone. The deficiency of income for sustainability may be inherited and the vicious cycle of poverty results to the passing of these problems from one generation to another (Blau 265). Due to tensions in the social circles, nations stand threatened due to the resulting income inequalities which could result to a country being destabilized. Poor housing, unsafe work environments as well as diseases related to food and water results from the lack of enough money ((Blau 272). Socially, poverty results to high infant mortality and death rates, increased diseases related to hygiene and diet, increased crime rates as people devise survival ways to face poverty and finally increased homelessness. Politically, nations face increased risks of war, mass emigration, genocide as well as terrorism (Blau 276) Step 6: Summarizing Sources Deaton, A. Health, inequality and economic development. Journal of Economic Literature 41: 113. 58, 2003. Print Deaton (58) discusses the mechanisms which are associated with inequality and health as well as review evidence on the effects of the existing income inequality on people’s mortality. ... Parents experiencing hard economic times are very strict as well as become erratic followed by issuance of demands and resulting to insulting their children not to mention administering corporal punishment (Duncan 98). Poor families are trapped the poverty cycles for as many as there exists many disadvantages which collectively work in a circular process making it impossible for individuals to break the poverty cycle (Duncan 105. This is because the poor lack resources to get them out of the poverty, such as finances, quality education, or social connections. Individuals who are poverty-stricken experience disadvantages as a result of their poverty and in turn increases their poverty. This would mean that the poor remain poor throughout their live (Duncan 86). Step 8: Integrating Sources The cause of poverty is as a result of inequality in the income distribution and this leads to deficiency in meeting the basic needs. Another cause of poverty is lack of quality education which is no t able to secure well paying jobs for people or is unable to start income generating activities (Deaton 58). Therefore, the lack of any work to do for individuals eventually results to poverty. Corruption is another contributing factor to causing poverty as it robs the poor to pay the rich off their corrupt activities. Corruption may deprive individual equal opportunities to work competently as the corrupt always have their way even on securing of jobs. Unforeseen circumstances such as the natural calamities may also cause poverty due to the property damage experienced. Finally, a strain on the natural resources due to overpopulation also causes poverty in

Innovating the process of Custom-made Thobe by the use of technology Essay

Innovating the process of Custom-made Thobe by the use of technology - Essay Example Being custom-made, the thobe is highly unique for each customer. This is particularly true in the recent years where the process of buying a thobe has changed from just having to choose a fabric and take the size measurements, to advanced levels of specialization that are inherent in the modern process. Today a customer has to choose the color, fabric material, sleeves, collar, number of pockets, design and button style. This whole new and continuously updated process expanded the thobe market, increased the number of thobe stores and designers, and most of all, increased the need to buy thobes more frequently. In addition, these differences in styles and colors forced each customer to buy more than double the number he usually buys each year. Now he can have a different style for every occasion: work, formal look, in house, family and friends. The customer must first select a place to make his costumed thobe. This is usually done by random selection or based on advertisements or recommendations from other people. The customer then picks the fabric material, fabric colors, as well as other details including button shape and size; the shop’s staff records these specifications manually. Next, the customer goes through the measurement process where a staff from the shop makes size measurements using a measuring tape. Finally, the customer makes a down payment. Each tailor shop operates independently and relies on its own resources. For example, each tailor shop has their own garments, fabric, and staff who take body measurements. There are also tailors who work on the orders in the production facility, and some shops have their own exclusive and branded designs. The body size measurement process can be very time consuming for customers, especially when there are a lot of them waiting their turn. In many cases, new customers know how long the process could take. Therefore, if there are a number of customers being served, they are most

Causes and Effects of Poverty in Society Research Paper

Causes and Effects of Poverty in Society - Research Paper Example Causes and effects of poverty are interrelated and problems associated with poverty never occur alone. The deficiency of income for sustainability may be inherited and the vicious cycle of poverty results to the passing of these problems from one generation to another (Blau 265). Due to tensions in the social circles, nations stand threatened due to the resulting income inequalities which could result to a country being destabilized. Poor housing, unsafe work environments as well as diseases related to food and water results from the lack of enough money ((Blau 272). Socially, poverty results to high infant mortality and death rates, increased diseases related to hygiene and diet, increased crime rates as people devise survival ways to face poverty and finally increased homelessness. Politically, nations face increased risks of war, mass emigration, genocide as well as terrorism (Blau 276) Step 6: Summarizing Sources Deaton, A. Health, inequality and economic development. Journal of Economic Literature 41: 113. 58, 2003. Print Deaton (58) discusses the mechanisms which are associated with inequality and health as well as review evidence on the effects of the existing income inequality on people’s mortality. ... Parents experiencing hard economic times are very strict as well as become erratic followed by issuance of demands and resulting to insulting their children not to mention administering corporal punishment (Duncan 98). Poor families are trapped the poverty cycles for as many as there exists many disadvantages which collectively work in a circular process making it impossible for individuals to break the poverty cycle (Duncan 105. This is because the poor lack resources to get them out of the poverty, such as finances, quality education, or social connections. Individuals who are poverty-stricken experience disadvantages as a result of their poverty and in turn increases their poverty. This would mean that the poor remain poor throughout their live (Duncan 86). Step 8: Integrating Sources The cause of poverty is as a result of inequality in the income distribution and this leads to deficiency in meeting the basic needs. Another cause of poverty is lack of quality education which is no t able to secure well paying jobs for people or is unable to start income generating activities (Deaton 58). Therefore, the lack of any work to do for individuals eventually results to poverty. Corruption is another contributing factor to causing poverty as it robs the poor to pay the rich off their corrupt activities. Corruption may deprive individual equal opportunities to work competently as the corrupt always have their way even on securing of jobs. Unforeseen circumstances such as the natural calamities may also cause poverty due to the property damage experienced. Finally, a strain on the natural resources due to overpopulation also causes poverty in

Finland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finland - Essay Example he largest lake in this country, holds the record of being the fourth largest in the all of Europe (see Statistics Finland http://www.stat.fi/index_en.html). As to its landscape, more of the areas of Finland are flatlands with few hills. Today, this country is one of the most progressive nations in Europe. Most of the areas of Finland are covered with forest trees (see Statistics Finland http://www.stat.fi/index_en.html). The culture of Finland is a mixture of indigenous heritage defined by its Nordic and European culture (see CIA World Fact Book). According to CIA World Fact Book, the culture of Finland has been strongly influenced by the adjacent countries of Sweden and Russia. The traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics are said to be the primary source of inspiration for the music of Finland (see CIA World Fact Book). Accordingly, the Karelian culture is said to be the purest expression Finnic culture (see CIA World Fact Book). In the field of visual arts, handicrafts and architecture, Finland has gained a reputation for its handicrafts and industrial designs (see CIA World Fact Book). Like many countries in Europe, Finland as its share of ethnic groups. According to the CIA Work Fact Book, 93.4% of people living in Finland are Finns or the natives of Finland, 5.6% are Swede 0.5% are Russian, .03% are Estonian, 0.1% are Roma or Gypsy and 0.1% are Sami. Based on the 2009 edition of the CIA Work Fact Book, the emigration rate of Finland is at .06 migrants /1,000 population. Since majority of the people in this country are Finns, the official language in Finland is Finnish while the second official language is Swedish (see Statistics Finland http://www.stat.fi/index_en.html). Other languages spoken in Finland are Russian, Estonian, Finnish Romani, Finnish Sign Language and Sami language (see Statistics Finland). According to Statistics Finland, there are three Sami languages spoken in Finland. These are the Inari Sami, Northern Sami and the Skolt Sami (see

The relationships between happiness and money Essay Example for Free

The relationships between happiness and money Essay The Relationship between Money and Happiness If money doesn’t buy happiness, what does? Many people believe that having more money is going to make them happier in life, but does money really provide true happiness? After reading the passage â€Å"Yes, Money can buy happiness,† by John Tierney, explains that people are more often to be happier when they spend money on others rather than spend money on themselves. In my opinion many people believe having more money will make their lives happier and free of all worries. In my life money has provided food, clothing, and shelter our basics needs in life but I came to a conclusion where my satisfactory is not enough. I complain that I need more money and that it will solve all the solution to my problems. But in reality money is never going to be enough to buy my happiness in life, because the more we have the more we need and want. For example, I went shopping to the citadel outlets with my family, less than a few hours I spend about four hundred dollars. I looked at other people and I wish I had more money to spend in order to feel enjoyment and more satisfaction. Then, I look into my partner eyes and say to him, I realize with money you can become selfish, destructive and greedy but on the other hand it can help you discover a world you never knew because we all know money can open the doors to many objects in life. Such as, having the opportunity to explore the world, to have all the materials in life. Furthermore, I do agree that buying does bring happiness to everybody in that moment. After, that I disagree it would bring 100% happiness in life because money does not buy love, passion, pureness, and what life is all about. In the end it all depends on your approach to life and how you see money and the relationship with it.

Construction Of Real Numbers

Construction Of Real Numbers All mathematicians know (or think they know) all about the real numbers. However usually we just accept the real numbers as being there rather than considering precisely what they are. In this project I will attempts to answer that question. We shall begin with positive integers and then successively construct the rational and finally the real numbers. Also showing how real numbers satisfy the axiom of the upper bound, whilst rational numbers do not. This shows that all real numbers converge towards the Cauchys sequence. 1 Introduction What is real analysis; real analysis is a field in mathematics which is applied in many areas including number theory, probability theory. All mathematicians know (or think they know) all about the real numbers. However usually we just accept the real numbers as being there rather than considering precisely what they are. The aim of this study is to analyse number theory to show the difference between real numbers and rational numbers. Developments in calculus were mainly made in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Examples from the literature can be given such as the proof that Ï€ cannot be rational by Lambert, 1971. During the development of calculus in the seventeenth century the entire set of real numbers were used without having them defined clearly. The first person to release a definition on real numbers was Georg Cantor in 1871. In 1874 Georg Cantor revealed that the set of all real numbers are uncountable infinite but the set of all algebraic numbers are countable infinite. As you can see, real analysis is a somewhat theoretical field that is closely related to mathematical concepts used in most branches of economics such as calculus and probability theory. The concept that I have talked about in my project are the real number system. 2 Definitions Natural numbers Natural numbers are the fundamental numbers which we use to count. We can add and multiply two natural numbers and the result would be another natural number, these operations obey various rules. (Stirling, p.2, 1997) Rational numbers Rational numbers consists of all numbers of the form a/b where a and b are integers and that b ≠  0, rational numbers are usually called fractions. The use of rational numbers permits us to solve equations. For example; a + b = c, ad = e, for a where b, c, d, e are all rational numbers and a ≠  0. Operations of subtraction and division (with non zero divisor) are possible with all rational numbers. (Stirling, p.2, 1997) Real numbers Real numbers can also be called irrational numbers as they are not rational numbers like pi, square root of 2, e (the base of natural log). Real numbers can be given by an infinite number of decimals; real numbers are used to measure continuous quantities. There are two basic properties that are involved with real numbers ordered fields and least upper bounds. Ordered fields say that real numbers comprises a field with addition, multiplication and division by non zero number. For the least upper bound if a non empty set of real numbers has an upper bound then it is called least upper bound. Sequences A Sequence is a set of numbers arranged in a particular order so that we know which number is first, second, third etc and that at any positive natural number at n; we know that the number will be in nth place. If a sequence has a function, a, then we can denote the nth term by an. A sequence is commonly denoted by a1, a2, a3, a4†¦ this entire sequences can be written as or (an). You can use any letter to denote the sequence like x, y, z etc. so giving (xn), (yn), (zn) as sequences We can also make subsequence from sequences, so if we say that (bn) is a subsequence of (an) if for each n∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ we get; bn = ax for some x ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ and bn+1 = by for some y ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ and x > y. We can alternatively imagine a subsequence of a sequence being a sequence that has had terms missing from the original sequence for example we can say that a2, a4 is a subsequence if a1, a2, a3, a4. A sequence is increasing if an+1 ≠¥ an ∀ n ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢. Correspondingly, a sequence is decreasing if an+1 ≠¤ an ∀ n ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢. If the sequence is either increasing or decreasing it is called a monotone sequence. There are several different types of sequences such as Cauchy sequence, convergent sequence, monotonic sequence, Fibonacci sequence, look and see sequence. I will be talking about only 2 of the sequences Cauchy and Convergent sequences. Convergent sequences A sequence (an) of real number is called a convergent sequences if an tends to a finite limit as n→∞. If we say that (an) has a limit a∈ F if given any ÃŽ µ > 0, ÃŽ µ ∈ F, k∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ | an a | < ÃŽ µ n ≠¥ k If an has a limit a, then we can write it as liman = a or (an) → a. Cauchy Sequence A Cauchy sequence is a sequence in which numbers become closer to each other as the sequence progresses. If we say that (an) is a Cauchy sequence if given any ÃŽ µ > 0, ÃŽ µ ∈ F, k∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ | an am | < ÃŽ µ n,m ≠¥ k. Gary Sng Chee Hien, (2001). Bounded sets, Upper Bounds, Least Upper Bounds A set is called bounded if there is a certain sense of finite size. A set R of real numbers is called bounded of there is a real number Q such that Q ≠¥ r for all r in R. the number M is called the upper bound of R. A set is bounded if it has both upper and lower bounds. This is extendable to subsets of any partially ordered set. A subset Q of a partially ordered set R is called bounded above. If there is an element of Q ≠¥ r for all r in R, the element Q is called an upper bound of R 3 Real number system Natural Numbers Natural numbers (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢) can be denoted by 1,2,3†¦ we can define them by their properties in order of relation. So if we consider a set S, if the relation is less than or equal to on S For every x, y ∈ S x ≠¤ y and/or y ≠¤ x If x ≠¤ y and y ≠¤ x then x = y If x ≠¤ y and y ≠¤ z then x ≠¤ z If all 3 properties are met we can call S an ordered set. (Giles, p.1, 1972) Real numbers Axioms for real numbers can be spilt in to 3 groups; algebraic, order and completeness. Algebraic Axioms For all x, y ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ , x + y ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  and xy ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ . For all x, y, z ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ , (x + y) + z = x (y + z). For all x, y ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ , x + y = y + x. There is a number 0 ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  such that x + 0 = x = 0 + x for all x ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ . For each x ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ , there exists a corresponding number (-x) ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  such that x + (-x) = 0 = (-x) + x For all x, y, z ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ , (x y) z = x (y z). For all x, y ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  x y = y x. There is number 1 ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  such that x x 1 = x = 1 x x, for all x ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  For each x ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  such that x ≠  0, there is a corresponding number (x-1) ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  such that x (x-1) = 1 = (x-1) x A10. For all x, y, z ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ , x (y + z) = x y + x z (Hart, p.11, 2001) Order Axioms Any pair x, y of real numbers satisfies precisely one of the following relations: (a) x < y; (b) x = y; (c) y < x. If x < y and y < z then x < z. If x < y then x + z < y +z. If x < y and z > 0 then x z < y z (Hart, p.12, 2001) Completeness Axiom If a non-empty set A has an upper bound, it has a least upper bound The thing which distinguishes à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  from is the Completeness Axiom. An upper bound of a non-empty subset A of R is an element b ∈R with b a for all a ∈A. An element M ∈ R is a least upper bound or supremum of A if M is an upper bound of A and if b is an upper bound of A then b M. That is, if M is a least upper bound of A then (b ∈ R)(x ∈ A)(b x) b M A lower bound of a non-empty subset A of R is an element d ∈ R with d a for all a ∈A. An element m ∈ R is a greatest lower bound or infimum of A if m is a lower bound of A and if d is an upper bound of A then m d. If all 3 axioms are satisfied it is called a complete ordered field. John oConnor (2002) axioms of real numbers Rational numbers Axioms for Rational numbers The axiom of rational numbers operate with +, x and the relation ≠¤, they can be defined on corresponding to what we know on N. For on +(add) has the following properties. For every x,y ∈ , there is a unique element x + y ∈ For every x,y ∈ , x + y = y + x For every x,y,z ∈ , (x + y) + z = x + (y + z) There exists a unique element 0 ∈ such that x + 0 = x for all x ∈ To every x ∈ there exists a unique element (-x) ∈ such that x + (-x) = 0 For on x(multiplication) has the following properties. To every x,y ∈ , there is a unique element x x y ∈ For every x,y ∈ , x x y = y x x For every x,y,z ∈ , (x x y) x z = x x (y x z) There exists a unique element 1 ∈ such that x x 1 = x for all x ∈ To every x ∈ , x ≠  0 there exists a unique element ∈ such that x x = 1 For both add and multiplication properties there is a closer, commutative, associative, identity and inverse on + and x, both properties can be related by. For every x,y,z ∈ , x x (y + z) = (x x y) + (x x z) For with an order relation of ≠¤, the relation property is a. we can claim that < b. if not then since < a and > b we would have > b a. John OConnor (2002) axioms of real numbers Theorem: The limit of a sequence, if it exists, is unique. Proof Let x and x†² be 2 different limits. We may assume without loss of generality, that x < x†². In particular, take ÃŽ µ = (x†² x)/2 > 0. Since xn→ x, k1 s.t | xn x | < n ≠¥ k1 Since xn→ x k2 s.t | xn x†²| < ÃŽ µ n ≠¥ k2 Take k = max{k1, k2}. Then n ≠¥ k, | xn x | < ÃŽ µ, | xn x†²| < ÃŽ µ | x†² x | = | x†² xn + xn x | ≠¤ | x†² xn | + | xn x | < ÃŽ µ + ÃŽ µ = x†² x, a contradiction! Hence, the limit must be unique. Also all rational number sequences have a limit in real numbers. Gary Sng Chee Hien, (2001). Theorem: Any convergent sequence is bounded. Proof Suppose the sequence (an) ®a. take = 1. Then choose N so that whatever n > N we have an within 1 of a. apart from the finite set {a1, a2, a3†¦aN} all the terms of the sequence will be bounded by a + 1 and a 1. Showing that an upper bound for the sequence is max{a1, a2, a3†¦aN, a +1}. Using the same method you could alternatively find the lower bound Theorem: Every Cauchy Sequence is bounded. Proof Let (xn) be a Cauchy sequence. Then for | xn xm | < 1 n, m ≠¥ k. Hence, for n ≠¥ k, we have | xn | = | xn xk + xk | ≠¤ | xn xk | + | xk | < 1 + | xk | Let M = max{ | x1 |, | x2 |, , | xk-1|, 1 + | xk | } and it is clear that | xn | ≠¤ M n, i.e. (xn) is bounded. Gary Sng Chee Hien, (2001). Theorem: If (xnx, then any subsequence of (xn) also converges to x. Proof Let (yn) be any subsequence of (xn). Given any > 0, s.t | xn x | < n ≠¥ N. But yn = xi for some so we may claim | yn x | < also. Hence, ( Gary Sng Chee Hien, (2001). Theorem: If (xn) is Cauchy, then any subsequence of (xn) is also Cauchy. Proof Let (yn) be any subsequence of (xn). Given any s.t | xn xm | . But yn = xi for so we may claim | yn ym | Hence (yn) x Gary Sng Chee Hien, (2001). Theorem Any convergent sequence is a Cauchy sequence. Proof If (an) a then given > 0 choose N so that if n > N we have |an- a| < . Then if m, n > N we have |am- an| = |(am- a) (am- a)| |am- a| + |am- a| < 2. We use completeness Axiom to prove Suppose X ∈ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ , X2 = 2. Let (an) be a sequence of rational numbers converging to an irrational 12 = 1 1.52 = 2.25 1.42 = 1.96 1.412 = 1.9881 1.41421356237302 = 1.999999999999731161391129 Since (an) is a convergent sequence in à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  it is a Cauchy sequence in à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  and hence also a Cauchy sequence in . But it has no limit in. An irrational number like 2 has a decimal expansion which does not repeat: 2 =1.4142135623730 John OConnor (2002) Cauchy Sequences. Theorem Prove that is irrational, prove that ≠¤ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  Proof We will get 2 as the least upper bound of the set A = {q Q | q2 < 2}. We know that a is bounded above and so its least upper bound b does not exists. Suppose x ∈ , x2 0 be given. Then k1, k2 s.t | xn xm | < ÃŽ µ/(2Y) n, m ≠¥ k1 | yn ym | < ÃŽ µ/(2X) n, m ≠¥ k2 Take k = max(k1, k2). Then | xn xm | < ÃŽ µ/(2Y) | yn ym | < ÃŽ µ/(2X) n, m ≠¥ k Hence, | xn yn xm ym | = | (xn yn xm yn) + (xm yn xm ym) | ≠¤ | xn yn xm yn | + | xm yn xm ym | = | yn | | xn xm | + | xm | | yn ym | ≠¤ Y | xn xm | + X | yn ym | < Y(ÃŽ µ/(2Y)) + X(ÃŽ µ/(2X)) n, m ≠¥ k = Hence, (xn yn) is also Cauchy. 5 Conclusion Real numbers are infinite number of decimals used to measure continuous quantities. On the other hand, rational numbers are defined to be fractions formed from real numbers. Axioms of each number system are examined to determine the difference between real numbers and rational numbers. Conclusion of the analysis of axioms resulted to be both real numbers and rational numbers contain the same properties. The properties being addition, multiplication and there exist a relationship of zero and one. The four fundamental results are obtained from this study. First concept is that the property of real number system being unique and following the complete ordered field. Second is that if any real number satisfies the axioms then it is upper bound, whilst rational numbers are not upper bound. The third being that all Cauchy sequences are converges towards the real numbers. Finally found out that all real numbers are equivalence classes of the Cauchy sequence. Appendices List of symbols à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ = Natural number à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚  = Real number = Rational number ∈ = is an element of = There exists = For all s.t. = Such that

City of Alexandria, Virginia Budget Fiscal Year 2011 Essay -- Local Go

The City of Alexandria is recognized as one of the best places to live and do business on the east coast. In 2004, the Alexandria City Council adopted a Strategic Plan for 2004 thru 2015 with the vision of maintaining the city’s vibrant, diverse, historic, and unique neighborhoods. Their mission is to maintain financial stability, provide excellent services that are valued by the customers, and engage the entire community as it plans for the future (City of Alexandria, 2010). In fiscal year 2009, the City of Alexandria received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its annual budget. To receive this prestigious award, the city must meet program criteria as a policy document, as an operations guide, as a financial plan, and as a communications device (City of Alexandria, 2010). To maintain the city’s vision, the City of Alexandria continues to conform to program requirements through the city’s Strategic Plan. This paper will discuss in detail the c ity’s long term financial sustainability, by analyzing the city’s legislative guidance, budget outline and overview, revenue fund sources, employee reductions and the Capital Improvement Program overview. The budget does a good job of outlining its overall goals and changes from the previous year. The City of Alexandria’s budget is set by the legislative guidelines (City Charter) required for the City Council to follow. The City Council provides general provisions to the City Manger to prepare and submit the annual budget to the City Council. The City Manager’s responsibility is to submit a general budget, a capital budget, and an explanatory budget message in the form and with the contents provided by the Charter, and the responsibility of the City Council is to es... ...proved%20Budget%20in%20Brief.pdf Capital improvement program overview (2010, May 3). City of Alexandria Virginia. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/FY2011ApprovedBudget-CIP%20Overview.pdf FY 2011 approved budget (2010, May 3). City of Alexandria Virginia. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/FY2011ApprovedBudget-TotalDocument.pdf Legislative references (2010, May 3). City of Alexandria Virginia. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/FY2011ApprovedBudget-LegislativeReferences.pdf Mikesell, J. (2011). Fiscal administration: Analysis and applications for the public sector (8th ed.). Boston Revenues overview (2010, May 3). City of Alexandria Virginia. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from http://alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/FY2011Approved-TotalRevenuesSection.pdf

Annual Report Summary

As a huge worldwide company. Coca-Cola uses colorful images, where youth with smiling face holding the company's product to show the positive energy it is sharing throughout the world to its investors, the descriptive and powerful wording in its paragraphs under each part of its report, where it provides detailed explanation about its performance in the preceding year to make its message more convincing and understandable for Investors, and lastly the company provides colorful graphic representation of its data to make it easier for an Impatient reader, who prefer to extract key message quickly.Coca-Cola Company illustrates its performance by the colorful and positive images to show the positive energy it is sharing throughout the world to its investors. The youth, with happy faces holding the company's products represent different nationalities showing that Coca-Cola performs worldwide and shares happiness throughout the world. As it stated on the second page of the report, the comp any's key strategy Is to be bonded with Its customers and share experiences related to their product and the images, the company uses, shows visual Image of Its strategy.The creativeness and positive mages are the best attention catcher, because most investors skim over the report and the colorful images would be a key tool to get attention of such investors. It also shows to investors how the company shares happiness with its customers. The images, where illustrated youth, shows that the company has a bright future. These all serves as a key to attract Investors, who always look for positives. However, the Images will not be enough for some investors and they may prefer to go over the report and in this case, the strong verbal techniques will come to play.Coca-Cola sees the descriptive and powerful wording in its paragraphs under each part of its report, where it provides detailed explanation about its performance in the preceding year, to make its message more convincing and under standable for investors. The company provides an information about its performance by using numerical data and simple, but powerful words. Its positive and friendly tone makes Its reader to think about the company positively and the evidences given In each part makes the information the company sharing reliable.The company chooses powerful words and always talks as â€Å"we†, which shows the strong connection between its people. The positive and detailed tone serves as driven tool for investors and most investors look for easy to read and convenient to use information. In addition, the most Investors work with numbers and they risk their money relying on those according to those numbers they can predict the future too. So, the numbers in addition to words serves as an evidence to compel the investors. The company achieves investors' satisfaction by this feature.Lastly, the company provides colorful graphic representation of its data to make it easy for impatient reader, who p refer to extract key messages quickly. In the â€Å"Operating Groups† section of the report, the many uses visual graphs and colorful maps with numbers to show important data about its operations. There is also the images of products with pie diagrams to present the selling performance of each product throughout the world. As a worldwide company, Coca-Cola gives detailed information by using data and graphs about its performance in 2012 in its international market.As we know, most investors do not want to read the report word by word. They prefer to understand and get needed information quickly, in one glance. The graphs, maps and diagrams, the company provides, serves as powerful tool on this. The investor can open needed section and see all data needed by observing graphs and diagrams. This strategy benefits Coca-Cola by catching the attention of impatient investors and drives their attention to the company. They can skim over the data and check the graphs and they will get the information they need in a quickest way.Coca-Cola uses colorful images, where youth with smiling face holding the company's product to show the positive energy it is sharing throughout the world to its investors, the descriptive and powerful wording in its paragraphs under each part of its report, where it provides detailed explanation about its performance in the preceding year to make its message more convincing and understandable for investors, and lastly the company provides colorful graphic representation of its data to make it easier for an impatient reader, who prefer to extract key message quickly.I think Coca-Cola uses the most significant and beneficial strategies to drive the investors' attention to the company. The colorful images, strong wording, and descriptive graphic representation of its performance in its Annual report for 2012 makes it interesting and entertaining for its reader.

Is the term ‘Green Logistics’ an oxymoron Essay

Is the term ‘Green Logistics’ an oxymoron? An oxymoron is a term in which contradictory words appear in conjunction with one another such as bitter sweet or a deafening silence. In an attempt to answer this question we must first define what the term ‘Green Logistics’ means. When the term is broken down into its composite parts ‘logistics’ is simply defined by Murphy and Wood (2011) as the part of the supply chain which plans, implements and controls both the forward and reverse flows of goods, services and information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in an efficient and effective manner. However, the term ‘green’ is much more equivocal when defined in a business sense. In 1996 McDonagh and Prothero proposed that there are several dimensions of ‘Green’ which not only cover ecological, sustainability and conservation issues but also political, corporate social responsibility, fair trade and equali ty matters. Since these topics are very broad it is hard to define ‘Green’ in a logistics sense. As a result of this uncertainty over the definition of ‘green’, it is helpful to look at the definition of ‘Green’ on a consumer product level. Ottman (2006, p.24), suggested that while all products inevitably have some effect on the environment, ‘Green’ products are those which aim to minimise this impact by conserving energy and resources and limiting pollution and waste. This definition builds on Reinhardt’s (1998, p.46) view that a ‘Green’ business â€Å"creates products that provide greater environmental benefits, or that impose smaller environmental costs, than similar products†. When we combine these definitions we can view ‘Green Logistics’ as the activities which facilitate the forward and reverse flows of goods, services and information through a supply chain in a way which is not only efficient and effective in achieving organisational goals but also aims to minimise the environmental impact and promote sustainability. When we define and consider ‘Green Logistics’ this way, I believe the term is not an oxymoron and when aligned with an appropriate higher level corporate strategy can actually a major competitive advantage for organisations who are able to achieve it. The body of this essay will provide practical examples of organisations who are successfully using the concepts of ‘Green  Logistics’ to not only minimise environmental impacts but also create and maintain a competitive advantage against competition. One concept which is becoming more prominent in ‘Green Logistic’ networks is the  practice of reverse logistics. Reverse logistics can be simply defined as goods flowing backwards through the supply chain from the consumer to the producers and suppliers. Tompkins (2010) provides multiple ‘Green’ benefits which arise from practicing reverse logistics such as increased sustainability throughout the supply chain and reduced waste product s, as well as producing an increased level of customer service through after-sales support. An example of reverse logistics in practice is the South Australian Government’s policy of paying 10 cents for every glass, plastic and tin container returned to collection depots. By doing this the Government is able to facilitate the recycling of materials which ultimately has a positive benefit on the environment. This provides a clear example of how logistics processes can be ‘Green’ by promoting greater environmental benefit than similar products existing in different logistics chains. An Australian Associated Press article revealed that in 2010, 80 percent or 49,800 tonnes of all containers are recycled in Australia which reveals both obvious environment and financial benefits arising from the practice of green logistics. Another common and relatively simple way for organisations to ‘Green’ their logistics processes while also reducing financial costs is to redesign their logistics chains with increased considerations for route optimisation and collaboration throughout the supply chain. Blanco and Cotrill (2013) make apparent one example of this through a case study of the agricultural cooperative Ocean Spray (based in New Jersey with a distribution centre in Florida) and competitor Tropicana who is based in Florida with a distribution centre in New Jersey. Tropicana’s third party logistics provider approached Ocean Spray and suggested that instead of Ocean Spray delivering to their distribution centre via road, they make use of Tropicana’s rail links between the two cities and utilise the empty train carriages returning from New Jersey to deliver to their distribution centre in Florida. This agreement allowed Ocean Spray to lower both their logistics  costs and environmen tal emissions and saved Tropicana the cost and emissions associated with returning empty rail carriages to Florida. Apart from the physical movement of goods, a firm’s logistics operations also incorporates warehousing strategies. The storage of goods may be overlooked when considering the environmental impacts of logistics chains. Figure 8.1 taken from McKinnon et al. (2013) shows the increasing usage of warehousing and its associated impacts. McKinnon et al. (2013) also proposed three ways in which firms can reduce the environmental impact of warehousing practices. Firstly firms should improve the energy efficiency of the lighting  and particularly heating methods used in warehouses (as shown in figure 8.4. McKinnon, 2013). Secondly, firms can harness green energy to generate energy from low carbon emitting or renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and biomass. Finally, and most importantly, firms should design sustainability into their warehouses, meaning that the buildings not only produce green energy more efficiently but also use less of it. If an organisation is successful in doing this it is able to not only fulfill the logistical goals of operating efficiently and effectively but also minimise impacts on the environment. While reverse logistics, route optimisation and energy efficient warehousing strategies are only a small example of ‘Green Logistic’ practices, which also include environmental packaging considerations, paperless order processing and improvements in vehicle energy efficiency, these practices may be ineffective in achieving ‘Green’ outcomes unless the corporate strategies of the organisation also align. Reinhardt (1998) suggests that for an organisation to establish environmentally friendly practices as a competitive advantage it must first consider whether this strategy is viable in the industry in which it operates. If a firm does consider environmental product differentiation an option it must then ensure customers are willing to pay for environmental quality, establish and convey the environmental benefits of its product and finally these benefits must be defendable against imitation competition. Only then can an organisation enjoy the benefits of a growing green trend in consumption (Peattie, 2010). If this is strategy alignment is adopted and maintained by an organisation, then ‘Green Logistic’ practices can provide substantial competitive advantages for the organisation while reducing impacts on the environment. Modern organisations can no longer afford to view ‘Green Logistics’ as an oxymoron and perhaps Henry Ford’s (1903) famous oxymoron â€Å"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business† may be more applicable. References: Blanco, E & Cotrill, K, 2013, ‘Delivering on the promise of green logistics’, MITSloan Management Review, December 2013. McDonagh, P & Prothero, A, 1996, Green management: A reader, The Dryden Press, London. McKinnon, A. Browne, M. Whiteing, A. 2012, Green logistics: Improving the environmental sustainability of logistics, Kogan Page, London. Murphy Jr PR & Wood, DF 2011, Contemporary Logistics: International Edition, 10th edn, Pearson, Boston. Ottman, J, 1997, Green marketing: Opportunity for innovation, TC / Contemporary Books, Lincolnwood. Peattie, K, ‘Green consumption: Behaviour and norms’, Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Vol. 35, Issue 1, pp. 195-228. Reinhardt, F.L. 1998, â€Å"Environmental product differentiation: Implications for corporate strategy†, California management review, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 43-73. Tompkins, J, 2010, ‘Reverse logistics is not the reverse of logistics’, Material Handling and Logistics, November 2010. ‘Big jump in container recycling in SA’, AAP General News Wire, July 22, 2010.