Comparative methodological critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Comparative methodological critique - Essay Example apply the principles of scientific research and avoid proceeding to any initiative that will affect the study’s credibility, for instance the failure in appropriately citing the texts quoted from another study, the failure to inform the participants on the study’s scopes and its ethics – a fact that can lead even to the rejection of a particular study. This paper explores the various aspects of two studies that are based on different research methods: a qualitative and a quantitative one. As a sample of quantitative research, the study of Krishnan et al. (2005) under the title ‘A few good women – on top management teams’ has been chosen; the context of the qualitative research has been also examined through the study of Liff et al. (2001) under the title ‘Distorted views through the glass ceiling: the construction of women’s understandings of promotion and senior management positions’; it is proved that the two studies have been developed in the context of scientific research and therefore they’ve managed to meet their scope despite the delays caused because of failures in different phases of research in the context described below. Krishnan et al. (2005) have tried to examine the potential influence of gender diversity on organizational performance; a series of additional issues have been examined in the context of the study, like the level of gender diversity in modern organization, the environmental characteristics (which in this case refer to the demographic characteristics of the participants) and the role of women managers in changing the internal organizational environment. The reasons that Krishnan et al. (2005) chose the specific subject is the fact that gender has been proved in the literature to influence the performance of employees – as a result of the organization; the aspects of this problem need to be highlighted; despite the development of social and cultural values worldwide there are still factors, like the gender, that

Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Legalized Essay Example for Free

Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Legalized Essay The illegal use of anabolic steroids by professional athletes is often a hot button topic in the news. Steroids were banned due to the negative side effects associated with its use. Despite the ban, many athletes are suspected of illicit steroid use to enhance their performance. There is great cost associated with random testing to determine if such athletes use steroids. Anne Whitaker and Rosalyn Carson-Dewitt, in the article, â€Å"Point: Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Legalized†, make a somewhat effective argument as to why it should be legalized. This article provides an argument for the legalization of anabolic steroid use by athletes. The authors parallel the use of cosmetic surgery and unhealthy diet regimens by models and actresses and the use of steroids by professional athletes to stay at the top of their games. The authors provide factual information regarding steroids and the effects its use has on the body, followed by their opinion as to how legalization would benefit not only the sports world, but also society as a whole. Whitaker and Carson-Dewitt provide a number of facts regarding the characteristics of steroids, the effects of their use, and the history of its illegalization. They describe different methods for use: cycling (on and off use of a particular dose), stacking (taking multiple steroids simultaneously), and pyramiding (increasing and decreasing the dosage over time) (Whitaker and Carson-Dewitt, 2011). The authors go on to describe the physical effects of steroid use such as organ damage, stroke, cancer and high blood pressure (Whitaker and Carson-Dewitt, 2011). The authors then provide a timeline as to the banning of steroid use in various professional sports organizations followed by a national ban. It is the opinion of Carson-Dewitt and Whitaker that steroids should be legalized. They opined that legalization would have manifold benefits: increased safety and regulation of steroid use, decreased access and use of steroids by teenaged children; and reduction in the costs associated with testing. While, on the surface, these opinions seem to be logical, the arguments are not all supported by facts. The claim that legalization of steroids would reduce its use by teenagers, simply because they would be prescribed by doctors, is baseless. Teenagers would likely continue to access steroids through the same methods currently used. The cost of testing may or may not be reduced as regulation would still limit the amount of steroids to be safely used. Testing would still occur to verify that legal safe limits were observed. The factual information contained in the article is sufficient to provide a perspective from which to understand the authors’ argument. The authors fail, however to provide factual information to support their claims. This results in an argument that sounds plausible on the surface, but falls flat with any amount of critical thinking. For this reason, I believe the authors failed to make a compelling argument. References Carson-Dewitt, Rosalyn, and Whitaker, Ann. â€Å"Point: Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Be Legalized.† By: Points of View: Steroids, 2011.

E-Commerce Makes Life Better ! Essay -- E-Commerce Internet

E-Commerce Makes Life Better ! E-commerce means that the company runs their business online, not like the traditional business way. We have to go the shopping mall or store to get goods that we need, E-Business is the enabling of electronic communication between any two or more participants in a business relationship. It helps companies capture abroad business field, cost saving, and market opportunity. E-commerce is an important factor that is making people’s lives more efficient. This is the report according to the survey I did in IUP. Seven out of ten people say they prefer to buy goods from e-commerce. The reason is they said that it is convenient and time saving. According to the survey most of them agree that the service is fast. For an example, the delivery is fast. If you purchase something from e-commerce you will get the stuff within two weeks time. Beside that, the price is slightly cheaper than those goods in the shopping mall. But it depends on season, if you buy goods during the clearance season, such as New Year sale, summer sale or winter sales goods in the shopping mall probably will be cheaper than goods that offer in the e-commerce. Seven out of ten people prefer market form, which mean that you know the price and information. You can buy it on the spot. So it saves time compared to bid form. If you choose bid form to buy things, most of the time you can get it cheaper but it take a longer time. And you can’t confirm that you will get the product. So that the reason why most of them choose market form. In addition, the product quality more or less the same as the product in the shopping center. For the security aspect. I had to interview a girl. He... ...sides that, you also can learn other things from e-commerce. Such as we can learn more about the business cycle, and what consumer needs. So you know what kind of product that is suitable in that period of time. For an example, remote-control car and cameras are the best product to sell during the summer, because most of the people like to do outdoor activities, so that kind of product is easy to sell. In conclusion, e-commerce makes our life much more easier, because it saves time, we can get our goods with in a short period of time, other than that it connects to businesses around the world, we can buy goods that we can’t get from the local market. The last thing we also can get goods that are not available in the shopping mall and with the cheaper price. As I know, using e-commerce to shop online is the right choice for because it is so convenient.

Othello †It Ranks High or Low? :: Othello essays

Othello – It Ranks High or Low?  Ã‚        Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello has been given high marks by some critics and low marks by others. Let us elaborate on this problem in this essay.    In the volume Shakespeare and Tragedy John Bayley explains why the modern audience feels so exasperated when viewing this play:    But Othello is not freed by this sense of his own situation: he has been caught in it as if in a snare. And instead of being freed by the hero’s consciousness of things, and sharing it with him, we are forced to stand outside Othello’s delusion. The play grips us in its own artifice of incomprehension. And for most onlookers, nowadays, the sensation seems to be more exasperating than it is either thrilling or painful. (200-201)    The feeling of exasperation on the part of the audience is not universal. Lily B. Campbell in Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroes explains the factor that made Othello significant among the tragedies of its time:    The Moor goes to the task of killing his wife in the name of justice;    Thy bed, lust-stain’d, shall with lust’s blood be spotted.    And in the second scene, the scene of the murder, he cries again as he looks upon the sleeping Desdemona and kisses her:    Oh, balmy breath, thou dost almost persuade Justice to break her sword!    It is this insistence upon the passion which makes men try to take the place of God, and by private revenge execute the laws of God that makes Othello significant in the tragedy of its time. Othello sees his acts as the expression of justice, worked out in the most perfect balance of deed and punishment. (172)    If the justice aspect of private revenge gave the play popularity then, what gives it fame today? Othello would appear to have a beauty about it which is hard to match – thus ranking the play high. Helen Gardner in â€Å"Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune† touches on this beauty which enables this play to stand above the other tragedies of the Bard:    Among the tragedies of Shakespeare Othello is supreme in one quality: beauty. Much of its poetry, in imagery, perfection of phrase, and steadiness of rhythm, soaring yet firm, enchants the sensuous imagination. This kind of beauty Othello shares with Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra; it is a corollary of the theme which it shares with them.

Nazi Germany’s discrimination against the Jews throughout World War II Essay

As a result of anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany, a system of violent suppression and control emerged that ultimately took the lives of an estimated 6 million Jewish people Anti-Semitism is an opposition to, prejudice against, or intolerance of Semitic people, most commonly Jews. Anti-Semitism has existed throughout history, since Israel’s dispersion in 70 AD. In every land in which the Jews have lived, they have been threatened, violated and murdered, century after century. After Germany’s defeat in World War I, many Germans found it hard to accept their defeat. These Germans connived a theory that the citizens at home had betrayed them, â€Å"especially laying blame on Jews and Marxists in Germany for undermining the war effort† (http://www. historyplace. com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/ends. htm). This is the main reason that led to the extreme discrimination and removal of basic rights of Jewish people in Germany during the 1930’s and 1940’s, however, there were many other reasons including Christianity’s general hatred for Jewry. Jews were often the victims of Nazism. The first Jewish victims of the Nazi era were 8 innocent people who were killed in the streets on 1 January 1930 by Brownshirts. Soon after that, violence against Jews in the streets became common. Violence was an integral part of the Nazi programme†¦ Jews were molested in cafes and theatres, synagogue services were disrupted and anti-Jewish slogans became the daily calling card of Nazi thugs. (Gilbert,2001:31) One particular night of violence, known as Kristallnacht, is remembered with fear. During the night of November 9-10, 1938 thousands of windows were smashed out of Jewish businesses and homes, hundreds of synagogues were burnt to the ground, and more than ninety Jews were murdered. On March 9, 1933 the first Nazi concentration camp was opened at Dachau. On April 1, a boycott of all Jewish shops was put in place. It only lasted a day, because of threats of a counter-boycott in the USA of all German made goods. However, the expulsion of all Jewish people from Germany’s Universities and then the ‘Burning of the Books’ quickly followed the one-day boycott. The ‘Burning of the Books’ consisted of 20 000 books burned in a massive bonfire in front of the Berlin Opera House, and opposite the University of Berlin. The books that were destroyed were judged to be ‘degenerate’ and ‘intellectual filth’ by the Nazis, many being written by Jewish authors. Also during this time, Jewish scientists and intellectuals were dismissed from their positions, and Hitler was quoted as saying â€Å"If the dismissal of Jewish scientists means the annihilation of contemporary German science, we shall do without science for a few years†. In late 1939, the first ghettos were created in Poland. All Jews were forced to move into a designated area of a city or town, which was surrounded by brick walls topped with barbed wire, and guarded by armed men. SS General Heydrich ordered that the ghettos were to be located on railway junctions, or along a railway ‘so that future measures may be accomplished more easily’. Large numbers of people had to share small living quarters, and medical supplies and food were limited. The Jews could only bring into the ghettos what they could carry, and their luggage was searched and pillaged on their arrival. Life in the ghettos was hard, and death rates were high. Most of the deaths in the ghettos were by starvation or disease. In the two largest ghettos in Poland, Warsaw and Lodz, the death toll from starvation alone in the first twelve months after the creation of the ghettos reached approximately 42 000. In most of Western Poland, there were no ghettos. This was because General Heydrich had ordered Western Poland to be ‘cleared completely of the Jews’. Immediately after the Germans invaded a town, they rounded up all the Jewish people, made them dig large pits, then shot and buried them just outside the town. The ghettos were also referred to as concentration camps and slave labour camps. This was because while the Jews resided in the ghettos, they could be forced to work up to fourteen hours a day in some circumstances. Some were deported to separate concentration camps where they would work on farms in the country to maintain a food supply for the German war machine. Others who stayed in the ghettos worked for the Nazis in munitions factories making armaments, or for local businessmen who paid the government for the use of slave labour to work their factories. These Jews were mostly considered totally expendable, and were subject to minimal food rations, a lack of medical attention, and violent beatings. At least half a million Jews died as slave labourers. The extermination camps, or death camps were the sites for hundreds of mass murders. Men, women and children were deported from ghettos and concentration camps to these death camps and usually taken straight from the train to a gas chamber where they were gassed to death. A few hundred people were kept alive as slave labour to sort through the clothing and luggage of the victims. A small part of this labour force was known as the Death Jews. These Jews performed the task of removing bodies from the gas chambers and stripping them of anything of value. They then dragged the corpses to a crematorium where the naked bodies were burnt. Most of the labour forces were killed and replaced whenever a new group of deportees arrived. The most infamous death camp was Auschwitz, where mostly deportees from Western Europe and southwest Poland were taken. Lilli Kopecky, a deportee from Slovakia recalls arriving at Auschwitz: When we came to Auschwitz, we smelt the sweet smell. They said to us: ‘There the people are gassed, three kilometers over there. ‘ We didn’t believe it. (Gilbert,2001:77) More than a million Jews were murdered at Auschwitz alone. The Holocaust is probably the most infamous instance of anti-Semitism in History. The oppressive tactics of Nazi Germany took away all the rights of the Jews, and wiped out almost the entire race of Jewish people in Europe. If the Nazis had succeeded in what they came so close to doing, there would not be a trace of Jewry remaining in Europe today.

Police Brutality Essay Example

Police Brutality Essay Example Police Brutality Essay Police Brutality Essay Over the past five centuries, black people have endured violence in many different ways. Today, police officers use deadly, excessive force that leads to inexcusable assaults, beatings and shootings. This demonstrates the governmentÐ ¢s role in initiating and prolonging racial suppression and provides the explanation for police brutality to become a federal crime(Black Radical Congress, 3). In history, racist violence, police brutality, has been used to suppress the racial blacks and to preserve power and privileges for the white race. This was done for five primary purposes. First, it has forced black people into slavery or low wage situations. Secondly, to steal land and other resources. A 3-rd was to maintain social control. A fourth purpose was to eliminate conflict in politics, social life, and employment. Lastly, the fifth purpose was to unite white people across the ethnic, class, and gender boundaries. However, after the Emancipation, lynching became a prominent form of violence used against the blacks. The use of lynching was a means of controlling and putting fear into the blacks, making them afraid to go against anything the white man said or authorized. In the mid 1900’s, race riots and lawful executions began to replace the practice of lynching. This became the new method of social control and white supremacy could be controlled through racial discrimination. Harassment and discrimination are two other forms of violence, they have been practiced for many centuries and are still being practiced today as a means of control. The practice of police brutality has a strong affect on a main segment of the American population. Those affected are minorities and the elderly causing them to have strong hatred towards the whites in America. Police Brutality is abuse by law enforcement, where a police officer feels that because he/ she has a badge and a gun therefore it puts them above the law and they can use unnecessary force against another individual. Police Brutality is not a new issue; it has become more focused on recently due to some cases that have occurred in the past few years that have been highly publicized. The abuse used by police officers is a serious offense that violates a persons human and civil rights. These violations are seen nationwide to the inority community and are committed by various police officers that fail to receive punishment for their action. The Civil Rights Act â€Å"provides protection to those persons wronged by the misuse of power, possessed by the virtue of state law and made [it] possible only because the wrongdoer is clothed with the authority of state law†. There is a violation of the fourth amendment when innocent people become victims of police brutality. Many minoritie s are stopped because they are driving a luxury car. They are assumed to be either drug dealers or a criminal. The protection of the fourth amendment, however, is shrinking; it can only be used with the presence of a warrant (Meeks, 9). The presence of the warrant keeps from unlawful police searches and abuse to occur. Racial profiling is the more common form of police brutality. This is the most frequent violation of the fourth amendment. It is the tactic of stopping someone because of his or her skin color. Racial profiling mainly targets young Black and Latino men and is believed to be a justified form of law enforcement. In other words, it is a form of legal prejudice that occurs daily nationwide. Although, there are many questionable areas in racial profiling that cannot be avoided nor proven. First, it is difficult to prove, in a majority of cases there is no evidence and the police officers can claim the stop to be a routine traffic stop. An example of this is when a black person is pulled over for a traffic violation the type of vehicle is first determined and then their skin color. A majority of Blacks and Latinos drive either flashy or historical vehicles, this determines the ethnicityof the driver. Harassment takes place and no one can prove this but the victim and the police officer. Secondly, the courts have to acknowledge that racial profiling occurred and in most cases this is hard to prove. There are also other forms of racial profiling. In many professions, this type of profiling is used as a form as security. Taxi drivers and security personnel engage in profiling when they feel fearful or threatened. Taxi drivers use this type of judgment when refusing to pick up a customer at night and security guards use it to find suspects while working. Racial profiling is considered to be a profile used by police officers to identify suspicious criminal or violators of the law. A typical profile used is the CARD system. CARD is an acronym for class, age, race, and dress. This system is used to fit individuals into categories for means of identification. The problem with the CARD system is that many minorities fall into this category. This makes them primary targets and poses a problem for some of the white people that also fall into this category. Nevertheless, there are a few positive sides to profiling. For one, it can be considered to be a survival skill, allowing one to see if people are doing justice. Secondly, it puts people on an innate level. Profiling shows signs about people and certain criteria. Lastly, it is not considered to be racism. Police officers who use profiling use it as a tool because they think that they are color blind in certain situations. Police brutality also occurs in prisons where the prisoners are mistreated because it becomes a simple case of authority. Humans have their freedom to express their rights and police brutality violates their human rights. The main targets of police brutality are two third African American or Latino and the majority of the time the officer is white. There are five stages through which force can progress and lead to brutality: Verbal persuasion, unarmed physical force, force using non-lethal weapons, force using impact weapons and deadly force. Enforcement personnel should use the deadly force stage only when an officer’s life or another person’s life is in danger. By having the deadly force stage, the law permits someone to commit a murder, and justifies its use. Many law enforcement officials appear to have a tough exterior towards crime, but are very sensitive to crime on the inside. Police officers build up negative feelings towards certain races, sexes, or religions. Officers tend to get the impression that if one or a few people treat them with disrespect, than other people of that same sex, race, or religion will treat the officer in the same way. Another cause of police brutality and misconduct is the amount of stress that is put upon the law enforcement official. Law enforcement officials who are accused of police brutality are required to attend a civil court hearing with a judge and a jury present. Most of the time the jury will find the officers not guilty, or guilty of a lesser rime. This is true in the case of the officer who used an illegal chokehold on Anthony Bees, a twenty eight-year old Puerto Rican, after Baez’s football hit the patrol car. Baez was killed due to the force of the chokehold, but the officer was found not guilty. However, due to racism and society, the demand of tough treatment towards criminals will encourage police officer s to remain violent. The extent of police brutality can be improved through the training of police officers and racially integrated departments resulting in the decline of police violence. Many ways to correct police misconduct have evolved. Such corrections include sufficient training, recruitment, and integration. In recruitment, tighter screening and background checks could be used to avoid violence and racism to enter into the police force. By means of integration, the presence of more minorities can help to dissolve the hatred towards minorities in the society, giving affirmative action an opportunity to take precedence. Police officers should also be required to go to a class that re-teaches them how to act appropriate in an arrest and other situations. A majority of these police officers also feel as though they did not commit a wrongdoing and that they are innocent. One of the ways to curb police brutality is to implement new laws, to punish the wrong doers that may bring about the decrease in police brutality. Today, officers know that there are laws dealing with etiquette during an arrest, but many do not attempt to apply what they know, and let physical strength, and force overcomes them. Also, severe or reasonable consequences should be given to police officers who participate in police brutality. Suspension, verbal reprimands, an investigation, anger management classes, or the loss of their jobs are some consequences that should be given to violating officers. Although there has been some progress and education, training and integration with of the law enforcement population, the are still incidents of racial profiling and police brutality. With continued efforts and corrections of racial injustices, this type of abuse and punishment will lessen when the law moves more towards the justice for minorities.

Biography of Ho Chi Minh, President of North Vietnam

Biography of Ho Chi Minh, President of North Vietnam Ho Chi Minh (born  Nguyen Sinh Cung; May 19, 1890–September 2, 1969) was a revolutionary who commanded the communist North Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War. Ho Chi Minh also served as the prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He is still admired in Vietnam today; Saigon, the citys capital, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in his honor. Fast Facts: Ho Chi Minh Known For: Ho Chi Minh was a revolutionary who led the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.Also Known As: Nguyen Sinh Cung, Nguyen Tat Thanh, Bac HoBorn: May 19, 1890 in Kim Lien, French IndochinaDied: September 2, 1969 in Hanoi, North VietnamSpouse: Zeng Xueming (m. 1926–1969) Early Life Ho Chi Minh was born in Hoang Tru Village, French Indochina (now Vietnam) on May 19, 1890. His birth name was Nguyen Sinh Cung; he went by many pseudonyms throughout his life, including Ho Chi Minh, or Bringer of Light. Indeed, he may have used more than 50 different names during his lifetime. When the boy was little, his father Nguyen Sinh Sac prepared to take the Confucian civil service exams in order to become a local government official. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minhs mother Loan raised her two sons and daughter and was in charge of producing the rice crop. In her spare time, Loan regaled the children with stories from traditional Vietnamese literature and folk tales. Although Nguyen Sinh Sac did not pass the exam on his first attempt, he did relatively well. As a result, he became a tutor for village children, and the curious, smart little Cung absorbed many of the older kids lessons. When the child was 4, his father passed the exam and received a grant of land, which improved the familys financial situation. The following year, the family moved to Hue; 5-year-old Cung had to walk through the mountains with his family for a month. As he grew older, the child had the opportunity to go to school in Hue and learn the Confucian classics and the Chinese language. When the future Ho Chi Minh was 10, his father renamed him Nguyen Tat Thanh, meaning Nguyen the Accomplished. Life in the United States and England In 1911, Nguyen Tat Thanh took a job as a cooks helper aboard a ship. His exact movements over the next several years are unclear, but he seems to have seen many port cities in Asia, Africa, and France. His observations gave him a poor opinion of French colonials. At some point, Nguyen stopped in the United States for a few years. He apparently worked as a bakers assistant at the Omni Parker House in Boston  and also spent time in New York City. In the United States, the young Vietnamese man observed that Asian immigrants had a chance to make a better life in a much freer atmosphere than those living under colonial rule in Asia. Introduction to Communism As World War I drew to a close in 1918, leaders of the European powers decided to meet and hash out an armistice in Paris. The 1919 Paris Peace Conference attracted uninvited guests as well- subjects of the colonial powers who called for self-determination in Asia and Africa. Among them was a previously unknown Vietnamese man who had entered France without leaving any record at immigration and signed his letters Nguyen Ai Quoc- Nguyen who loves his country. He repeatedly attempted to present a petition calling for independence in Indochina to the French representatives and their allies but was rebuffed. Although the political powers of the day in the western world were uninterested in giving the colonies in Asia and Africa their independence, communist and socialist parties in Western countries more sympathetic to their demands. After all, Karl Marx had identified imperialism as the last stage of capitalism. Nguyen the Patriot, who would become Ho Chi Minh, found common cause with the French Communist Party and began to read about Marxism. Training in the Soviet Union and China After his introduction to communism in Paris, Ho Chi Minh went to Moscow in 1923 and began to work for the Comintern (the Third Communist International). Despite suffering frostbite to his fingers and nose, Ho Chi Minh quickly learned the basics of organizing a revolution, while carefully steering clear of the developing dispute between Trotsky and Stalin. He was much more interested in practicalities than in the competing communist theories of the day. In November 1924, Ho Chi Minh made his way to Canton, China (now Guangzhou). For almost two and a half years he lived in China, training about 100 Indochinese operatives and gathering funds for a strike against French colonial control of Southeast Asia. He also helped organize the peasants of Guangdong Province, teaching them the basic principles of communism. In April 1927, however, Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek began a bloody purge of communists. His Kuomintang (KMT) massacred 12,000 real or suspected communists in Shanghai  and would go on to kill an estimated 300,000 across the nation over the following year. While Chinese communists fled to the countryside, Ho Chi Minh and other Comintern agents left China entirely. On the Move Ho Chi Minh had gone overseas 13 years earlier as a naive and idealistic young man. He now wished to return and lead his people to independence, but the French were well aware of his activities and would not willingly allow him back into Indochina. Under the name Ly Thuy, he went to the British colony of Hong Kong, but the authorities suspected that his visa was forged and gave him 24 hours to leave. He then made his way to Moscow, where he appealed to the Comintern for funding to launch a movement in Indochina. He planned to base himself in neighboring Siam (Thailand). While Moscow debated, Ho Chi Minh went to a Black Sea resort town to recover from an illness- probably tuberculosis. Declaration of Independence Finally, in 1941, the revolutionary who called himself Ho Chi Minh- Bringer of Light- returned to his home country of Vietnam. The outbreak of World War II and the Nazi invasion of France created a powerful distraction, allowing Ho Chi Minh to evade French security and reenter Indochina. The Nazis allies, the Empire of Japan, seized control of northern Vietnam in September 1940 to prevent the Vietnamese from supplying goods to the Chinese resistance. Ho Chi Minh led his guerrilla movement, known as the Viet Minh, in opposition to the Japanese occupation. The United States, which would formally align itself with the Soviet Union once it entered the war in December 1941, provided support for the Viet Minh in their struggle against Japan through the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA. When the Japanese left Indochina in 1945 following their defeat in World War II, they handed over control of the country not to France- which wanted to reassert its right to its Southeast Asian colonies- but to Ho Chi Minhs Viet Minh and the Indochinese Communist Party. Japans puppet emperor in Vietnam, Bao Dai, was set aside under pressure from Japan and the Vietnamese communists. On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, with himself as president. As specified by the Potsdam Conference, however, northern Vietnam was under the stewardship of Nationalist Chinese forces, while the south was under the control of the British. In theory, the Allied forces were there simply to disarm and repatriate remaining Japanese troops. However, when France- their fellow Allied Power- demanded Indochina back, the British acquiesced. In the spring of 1946, the French returned to Indochina. Ho Chi Minh refused to relinquish his presidency  and was forced back into the role of guerrilla leader. First Indochina War Ho Chi Minhs first priority was to expel the Chinese Nationalists from northern Vietnam, and in February 1946 Chiang Kai-shek withdrew his troops. Although Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Communists had been united with the French in their desire to get rid of the Chinese, relations between the parties broke down rapidly. In November 1946, the French fleet opened fire on the port city of Haiphong in a dispute over customs duties, killing more than 6,000 Vietnamese civilians. On December 19, Ho Chi Minh declared war on France. For almost eight years, Ho Chi Minhs Viet Minh fought against the French colonial forces. They received support from the Soviets and from the Peoples Republic of China under Mao Zedong after the Chinese Communists victory over the Nationalists in 1949. The Viet Minh used hit-and-run tactics and their superior knowledge of the terrain to keep the French at a disadvantage. Ho Chi Minhs guerrilla army scored its final victory at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, a masterpiece of anti-colonial warfare that inspired the Algerians to rise against France later that same year. In the end, France and its local allies lost about 90,000 troops, while the Viet Minh suffered almost 500,000 fatalities. Between 200,000 and 300,000 Vietnamese civilians were also killed. France pulled out of Indochina completely. Under the terms of the Geneva Convention, Ho Chi Minh became the leader of northern Vietnam, while U.S.-backed capitalist leader Ngo Dinh Diem took power in the south. Vietnam War At this time, the United States subscribed to domino theory, the idea that the fall of one country in a region to communism would cause the neighboring states to topple like dominoes as well. In order to prevent Vietnam from following in the steps of China, the United States decided to support Ngo Dinh Diems cancellation of the 1956 nationwide elections, which would very likely have unified Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh responded by activating the Viet Minh cadres in South Vietnam, who began to wage small-scale attacks on the Southern government. Gradually, U.S. involvement increased, until the country and other U.N. members were involved in all-out combat against Ho Chi Minhs soldiers. In 1959, Ho Chi Minh appointed Le Duan the political leader of North Vietnam, while he focused on rallying support from the Politburo and other communist powers. Ho Chi Minh remained the power behind the president, however. Although Ho Chi Minh had promised the people of Vietnam a quick victory over the Southern government and its foreign allies, the Second Indochina War, also known as the Vietnam War, dragged on. In 1968, he approved the Tet Offensive, which was meant to break the stalemate. Although it proved a military fiasco for the North and the allied Viet Cong, it was a propaganda coup for Ho Chi Minh and the communists. With U.S. public opinion turning against the war, Ho Chi Minh realized that he only had to hold out until the Americans got tired of fighting and withdrew. Death Ho Chi Minh would not live to see the end of the war. On September 2, 1969, the 79-year-old leader of North Vietnam died in Hanoi of heart failure, and he did not get to see his prediction about American war fatigue play out. Legacy Ho Chi Minhs influence on North Vietnam was so great that when the Southern capital of Saigon fell in April 1975, many of the North Vietnamese soldiers carried posters of him into the city. Saigon was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City in 1976. Ho Chi Minh is still revered in Vietnam today; his image appears on the nations currency and in classrooms and public buildings. Sources Brocheux, Pierre. Ho Chi Minh: A Biography, trans. Claire Duiker. Cambridge University Press, 2007.Duiker, William J. Ho Chi Minh. Hyperion, 2001.Gettleman, Marvin E., Jane Franklin, et al. Vietnam and America: The Most Comprehensive Documented History of the Vietnam War. Grove Press, 1995.

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee essays

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee essays To kill a Mockingbird, an acclaimed novel, by Harper Lee is recognised throughout the world. Having read her novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960 soon after its publication, I was compelled to consider the novel in greater depth but was particularly intrigued to examine the character of Atticus Finch as a hero. Maycomb, a fictional town in the Southern States of America plays host to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird follows a lawyer and his family prior to and during a legal case to defend a black male, Tom Robinson, charged of raping a white female, Mayella Ewell. This occurs in a very white orientated town. Atticus Finch, Attorney and father of two children only plays a brief part in the opening chapter but as this epic novel progresses so does his importance. It becomes apparent that Atticus Finch, arguably the novels main character, is extremely well respected in Maycomb by the majority of its residents. If someone expresses a dislike towards him he will still try to do his best to love everybody. Atticus is a man of extreme integrity and some say that it is through his mouth that Harper Lee expresses her own morality, an opinion that I share. He represents a true gentleman; his conduct is always courteous despite any provocation whether privately or publicly. This is enhanced by the very carefully selected word choice. Atticus is able to use language stylishly when appropriate but he can also communicate very simplistically such as when in a moment of crisis he can talk straightforwardly, for example to Jem and Scout, to enhance understanding. Atticus is a devoted family man; he manages to care for his children without the help of their mother, who died. Harper Lee gives Atticus a very modern style regarding parenting (in comparison to other families in the 1930s i.e. principally he was a single parent). This could perh...

Presentation on Cost Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Presentation on Cost - Coursework Example Cost accounting information are mainly meant to permit the determination of unit costs and total product costs. Different organizations require different types of cost information. For instance, service organizations need cost information pertaining to the costs incurred for producing and providing services whereas manufacturing firms like Apple Inc, Coca Cola etc need information about costs incurred for manufacturing the products. Similarly, retail organizations need information about costs incurred for purchasing products for resale (Needles, Powers and Crosson, 2008, p. 808). These types of cost information are generally required by almost all the firms since they have multiple functions such as manufacturing, purchases and providing of services. Cost information is highly important for various managerial purposes such as ascertaining the actual costs, controlling the costs, determining the selling price, ascertaining the profitability and controlling on wastage. Similarly, cost information helps management provide a base for setting business policies, facilitate efficient information system and arrange internal auditing system. Cost information support various purposes such as planning, decision making, performing, evaluating and communicating (Needles, Powers and Crosson, 2008, p. 806). Financial management in both the manufacturing and service organizations use cost information to develop budgets, estimate income, manage total workforce and plan for the future. Cost information about product, process, function and financial transactions can help the management take managerial decision and plan for further activities and business functions. Managers in manufacturing companies use estimates of product costs in order to prepare budgets for labor, material, production and overhead costs. Another major purpose for cost information is performing by which managers find estimated cost of services with a view to mentor profitability and make decisions about vario us matters such as future business bidding, reducing negotiating expenses etc. With cost information, managers are able to predict gross margin, operating income and value of goods sold etc. This information are also useful for reducing selling prices and lowering selling prices for bulk purchases (Needles, Powers and Crosson, 2008, p. 806). Cost information supports managerial decision making, planning and performance. Planning for the future is primarily based on how costs are incurred now and how they will be in future. Planning is highly important for pricing and many other managerial decision making. Similarly, management can perform estimation, assessing, evaluation, cost control etc only if they gain sufficient information pertaining to costs of products, labor, materials, processing and so on. Cost Object A cost object is a business activity for which a separate cost measurement is desired (Drury, 2007, p. 28). More specifically, when management in an organization needs to k now the costs incurred for a specific activity, this activity is referred as cost object. The management may need to know the costs details of different activities such as purchasing, operating a machine, manufacturing a product, rendering service to

Analysis and discussion of the main crross cultural (star) Essay

Analysis and discussion of the main crross cultural (star) - Essay Example Tang and Ward suggests that management practices would help such organizations as Star supermarket to enjoy individual freedom, equal contribution, and division of labor. In addition, the staffing policy, communication aspects, and other host country’s concerns are crucial in ensuring the survival of the supermarket in this country. Mossler, (2004), asserted that the staffing policy is a managerial function implemented on recruiting and hiring of employees. It also involves in developing the required personnel for given vacancies in a company. Cultural Profile and Management Practices The culture and management practices of Shanghai where Star supermarket will be operating play a significant role in its entry and growth in operations. A cultural change initiative is crucial in the analysis. This approach would help the management of the Star supermarkets implement changes in all its levels of hierarchy. In addition, the adopted culture perspective is optimist because the manag ement’s plans are long-term with expected successful entry and survival in the market. The management of Star supermarket aims at succeeding in the new market, adapting to the diverse culture in Shanghai and eventually become profitable. ... The Chinese culture consists of several key concepts and values upheld by individuals in the country. The population values elaborate relationships and connections that promote trust and co-operation in everyday operations (WANG & GOODFELLOW 2003). The establishment of mutual respect and connection in business is crucial to its success. Furthermore, the concept of reputation and social status is fundamental to the success of a business. The business culture considers the aspect of appropriate allocation of respect to individuals as a means to create a reputation for a business (CHENG 2003). The Star supermarket management should consider gaining respect from the markets in China in order to attract respect and create loyalty among their customers. New entrants in the Chinese market are expected to understand the culture of the individuals in the diverse markets that revolve around relationships, responsibility, and obligations (DAHLES & WELS 2002). Workers and their Reception The wor kers in China are highly motivated and goal oriented. Consensus-oriented workers who make good teams in work places will welcome the management of Star supermarket. The country’s cultural emphasis is group oriented with all the personal interests sublimated to the good of the organizations they work. The workers also believe that standing out alone as a worker earns an individual negative publicity in a work place. Therefore, the workers keep low profile and work together to achieve collective objectives. Furthermore, the majority of the country’s employees tend to ask for detailed instructions regarding assigned tasks (WANG & GOODFELLOW 2003). Local

SOCIOLOGICAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

SOCIOLOGICAL - Essay Example These social topics are studied through complex theoretical and methodological frameworks that address the broad range of concepts like positivism and anti-positivism, social structure, individual agency, materialism, globalization, modernity, post-modernity etc. The social theories aid back to the ancient Greek civilizations. Social theorizing aided the Greeks in making sense of their lives, and in questioning the value and meaning of things around them. However, in the 20th century, social theories appeared as a distinct discipline and involved critical thinking in order to gain knowledge of social behaviours through posterior methods of discovery rather than apriority methods of tradition. In order to explain social phenomena, sociologists developed several theories. Sociological theories range from grand theories to middle range and highly specific micro range theories. It is extremely difficult to cover the aspects of these broad range theories, therefore in the later sections of this report; I will broadly give an outline of the dominant sociological theories and critically discuss two sociological theories in detail. i. Functionalism: functionalism is the oldest and the most dominant approach which has served as a building block in the development of sociology as a distinct decipline. Functionalist movement was most popular from 1940’s-1950 but reached its decline in 1960’s. Overall, this theory talks about two main aspects: Scientific methods should be applied to understand the â€Å"objectivity† of the social world. It says that social sciences can be learned in the same manner as natural sciences. Functionalists view this world as â€Å"objective real†. Therefore, they emphasized that scientific methods and statistical techniques can be applied to research social phenomena. However, the research should be value-free. It should not be affected by the values, principles and perceptions of the

The American Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The American Civil War - Essay Example The American Civil War Both of these developments saw the strengthening of the American nation and the consolidation of the North American continent under the federal American government. Similarly, a consolidated and expanding America was able to exert itself in the affairs of Latin America to its own benefits. In a comparable manner, America was able to carve out spheres of influence in Asia in order to protect its interests in the East. This essay will look into specific examples of American consolidation and expansion in the aforementioned regions between the American Civil War and the First World War along with the justifications presented by the American nation for such actions. The American Civil War needs to be considered foremost since the emancipation of the African Americans provided the burgeoning economy and the industrialising North with ready hand, cheap labour. Furthermore, the American Civil War was instrumental in abrading the South’s political power so that the centre of power shi fted to the North. The political structure of the nation was also strengthened given that the American Civil War proved that breakaway states would not be tolerated by the federation. In turn, this allowed the consolidation of the American nation on the North American continent. The consolidation of the American nation at home allowed America to eye the larger global stage for expansion. Before the 1890’s, the only major American territorial expansion was the purchase of Alaska from Russia in lieu of the Aleutian Islands. (Foner 711). However, the burgeoning industrial complex at home demanded an increase in exports, especially during periods of lowered consumption at home. America began to view the rest of the world

The rise and Fall of American Economics Term Paper

The rise and Fall of American Economics - Term Paper Example Considering that macroeconomics characteristically focuses on a nation’s economic performance including the manner in which the nation’s economy interacts with other economies globally, it is worth noting that the economy of the United States is not only the largest but also the most complex in the world history, with 87,600 separate government jurisdictions, approximately a hundred and fifteen million households, and thirty million profit organizations/businesses. The U.S. economy is therefore comprised of millions of decision makers who though acting with some autonomy, are all linked with the entire economy. The economy is dynamic – keeps continually renewing itself with new businesses, customers, foreign competitors, households and public official groups among others. Currency circulates throughout the U.S. economy, which facilitates the exchange of products as well as resources among the individual economic units – it is constantly in a circular flow (McEachern, 2008). Historically, just like other industrial market economies, the economy of the United States has gone through sporadic contraction and expansion periods. The rise and fall of the economy refer to the economic fluctuations relative to the economy’s long term growth tendency.... The rise and fall of the economy refer to the economic fluctuations relative to the economy’s long term growth tendency. These variations/business cycles vary in intensity and length, although some elements are universal to all. Usually, the fluctuations involve the whole nation and frequently several other world economies. Additionally, the fluctuations affect almost every economic activity dimension – not just employment and production (Hirschey, 2009). McEachern (2008) notes that the simplest way of comprehending the business cycle is by exploring its elements. He explains that in the 1920s and 1930s, the national Bureau of Economic research director carried out an analysis of business cycles and identified two phases of the economy namely â€Å"contractions† and â€Å"expansions.† He elucidated that the output of the economy declines during a contraction while it increases during an expansion. Prior to WWII, a contraction occurred – this was as severe as to be termed a depression. A depression is a sharp decline in the entire production of the nation going for over a year and accompanied by high rates of unemployment. When a contraction is milder, it is reffered to as a recession – characterized by a reduction in overall output over a period of at least six months or two consecutive quarters. Unlike prior to the world war II when the United States experienced both depressions and recessions, in the period after and until the year 2008, there have not been depressions; only recessions, which is an indication of an improved economy. The quarter-century after World War II appears more like a golden age for the economy of

The American Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The American Civil War - Essay Example The American Civil War Both of these developments saw the strengthening of the American nation and the consolidation of the North American continent under the federal American government. Similarly, a consolidated and expanding America was able to exert itself in the affairs of Latin America to its own benefits. In a comparable manner, America was able to carve out spheres of influence in Asia in order to protect its interests in the East. This essay will look into specific examples of American consolidation and expansion in the aforementioned regions between the American Civil War and the First World War along with the justifications presented by the American nation for such actions. The American Civil War needs to be considered foremost since the emancipation of the African Americans provided the burgeoning economy and the industrialising North with ready hand, cheap labour. Furthermore, the American Civil War was instrumental in abrading the South’s political power so that the centre of power shi fted to the North. The political structure of the nation was also strengthened given that the American Civil War proved that breakaway states would not be tolerated by the federation. In turn, this allowed the consolidation of the American nation on the North American continent. The consolidation of the American nation at home allowed America to eye the larger global stage for expansion. Before the 1890’s, the only major American territorial expansion was the purchase of Alaska from Russia in lieu of the Aleutian Islands. (Foner 711). However, the burgeoning industrial complex at home demanded an increase in exports, especially during periods of lowered consumption at home. America began to view the rest of the world

Paper about MSC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Paper about MSC - Essay Example This paper will attempt to describe marine science and the recent challenge or challenges the field of study is facing. Marine science is also known as oceanography or oceanology. As the term connotes, it deals with the study of the ocean and involves a variety of topics across several disciplines that can influence processes in the ocean world. There are four branches of the disciplines; namely, biological, chemical, geological, and physical. The first has to do with the interaction of marine organisms with their environment under the seas. Chemical oceanography is the study of the chemical properties of the sea. Knowing this is important because the seas and things in it help in sustaining life on earth. The chemical make-up of anything from the ocean that man comes into contact with will help society understand, for example, its effect on man. Geological oceanography, meanwhile, is that branch which concerns itself with the ocean floor as well as the tectonic plates of the earth. Lastly, physical oceanography studies the physical characteristics of the seas like waves, temperature, currents, tides , etc. Studying the ocean and all that is in it is not a new discipline. As mentioned in the introduction, humans were already exposed to the seas and oceans in prehistoric times although the observations were mostly for purposes of map making and fishing. Proponents include Juan Ponce de Leon and Benjamin Franklin who were responsible for identifying and naming, respectively, the Gulf Stream. Written accounts of their sea travels serve as information from explorers like James Cook, Louis Antoine de Bougainville, James Rennell, Sir James Clark Ross, Charles Darwin, Robert FitzRoy and Matthew Fontaine Maury and have helped in enriching the knowledge base about the ocean and marine life. The contributions of these explorers have enabled oceanographers after them to prepare properly for

A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies Essay Example for Free

A Thousand Splendid Suns Narrative Strategies Essay A Thousand Splendid Suns the reader would think its a happy novel, however theres nothing particularly splendid one would assume about the novel. From the very beginning of the novel the author, Khaled Hosseini inserts hints and foreshadowing to aware the reader that it will be an unhappy story. This is evident in the following illustration when Mariam breaks the sugar bowl , It was the last peice that slipped from Mariams fingers, that fell to the wooden floorboards of thekolba and shattered (Hosseini 2). Hosseini is generating depressing emotions in the novel by introducing words fell or shattered resembling failure or sin. The reader also gets introduced to the word Harami and other words, such as kolba and Jinn which are terms not identified by the author, so the reader must rely on the context to better understand what the word means. For example, when Mariam expresses the fear that the jinn has returned to her mother, the reader will assume that jinn is something bad. The use of these terms establishes the setting , but also signifies that some things cannot be translated remaining a mystery for the reader. In the novel , Hosseini makes the reader live, see and feel by portraying the experiences the characters are going through in the novel, and by writing from a third person point of view , he broadens the readers ability because the perspective of the characters is limited, sometimes Mariam, sometimes Laila, which works to great effect to attach the reader to both characters equally.

Benefits Of Nuclear Energy Power On Malaysian Society Engineering Essay

Benefits Of Nuclear Energy Power On Malaysian Society Engineering Essay A comprehensive energy policy study has been undertaken and in June 2009 the government decided formally to consider nuclear power. A Nuclear Power Development Steering Committee was set up, to plan and coordinate the nuclear power development program through three working groups. Late in 2013 was set as target date for the steering committees Nuclear Power Infrastructure Development Plan (NPIDP), at which point the government will decide whether to proceed. In May 2010 the Energy Minister said that nuclear power was the only viable energy option long-term. Under the NP Steering Committee are three bodies: Nuclear Power Program Working Group under the Malaysian Nuclear Energy Agency (MNA), the Nuclear Power Project Working Group under the utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), and a Legal and Regulatory Coordination Working Committee involving the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and the Energy Commission.   Prior to all this, in August 2006 the Malaysian Nuclear Licensing Board said that plans for nuclear power after 2020 should be brought forward and two reactors built much sooner. In July 2008 the government directed TNB to set up a task force to look at the feasibility of nuclear power. In September the government announced that it had no option but to commission nuclear power due to costly fossil fuel, and set 2023 as target date. It then sent a draft energy policy blueprint back to the Energy Commission as it was not comprehensive enough. As of early 2010 the government had a $7 billion budget to build a nuclear power plant, and in May the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water was told to find a suitable site so that the first unit could be in operation by 2021. The next step is the appointment of consultants to prepare feasibility study by late 2013, along with developing the regulatory framework, the soft infrastructure, and winning public support. Plus, In May 2010, the chairman of the Malaysian Nature Society recommended that the state of Sabah consider nuclear energy as an alternative to coal. Generally, most people do not prefer to use nuclear energy as the power source is due to the costly initial investment required to construct a nuclear plant. However, they do not think carefully on the benefit that we will achieve if we lessen the usage of fossil fuel as source of energy and move to nuclear energy. It is because nuclear energy is much cheaper. Even when oil and gas prices are lowered, electrical energy is competitive with fossil fuels. In fact, by using the nuclear energy, we can cover back the cost of building the nuclear plant in a just a short period as we should have save a lot of money from the usage of fossil fuels. Furthermore, we know that nuclear energy can supply larger source of energy from less amount of nuclear source which is mainly uranium. Not just that, nuclear energy prices are stable compare to oil and gas which is unstable and usually always increase due to circumstances such as political issues and world oil crisis. A country can purchase years o f uranium supply when the price is low as it does not required much space and can be easily stored until the time we need to use it.   From what have been discussed above, we should have realized that nuclear energy bring more benefits on economy compare to oil and gas and thus, it should be highly recommended to build a nuclear plant in Malaysia. Environment Apart from that, nuclear energy is also claims as a clean way to produce energy as it does not result in the emission of any of the poisonous gases like carbon dioxide or nitrogen dioxide. In todays world when pollution of the atmosphere is one of our main worries, an option such as this is definitely preferable compared to burning of fossil fuels which causes so much pollution. It can help to minify global warming by reducing the emission of Carbon Dioxide level in the surrounding far better than fossil fuels or also known as petroleum. According to international Energy Agency (IEA), that was examined to which energy sources can really help to lessen global warming by reduce Carbon Dioxide imitation, shows that from all the measures suggested, nuclear energy was found to have minimum effect on causing global warming. It is just about 10 percent! This result is even more remarkable to face the fact from International Energy Agency (IEA) that having no reservation to oppose nuclear en ergy. In comparison, coal and oil have Sulphur impurities that can cause smog and city pollution, but nuclear fuel is pure and free Sulphur. As nuclear energy produce electricity through the Uranium fission, not by burning of fuel, so that accordingly nuclear power does not pollute air. However, the use of nuclear energy application gives rise on many problematic because Carbon Dioxide emission must not be looked at solely of all risk. Hence, nuclear energy is not solution to all. This technology is still young and new. Lots of test and research should be done in order to find the greatest way in handling with its waste product, atomic fission, cooling method and etc. Until the scientists fine the correct method in controlling, handling and suitable materials to be used, it is recommended not to build up this energy sources as it very risky either in economic phase because it consumed quiet large investment of cash or especially bad effect to human being, other living organisms as w ell as our mother nature. Society There are many benefits of nuclear energy power on society in Malaysia and one of the benefits is that this power can produce vast amount of electricity that can be used on our country in a long term. The average amount of electricity that can be produced by a nuclear plan is 850 MW and about 439 nuclear energy plan around 30 countries that contribute on electricity production about 16 percent from the entire electricity around the world. Instead, there was a statement state by Mohammad Zamzam Jaafar, Head of Tenaga Nasional`s (TNB) nuclear unit said, Malaysia will hire Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPC) in order to assist Malaysia prepare fundamental feasibility study for Malaysias first nuclear plant. An agreement already construct by TNB. Actually, using the fission energy of Uranium and not by burning fuel does not pollute air. However, the use of nuclear energy can give us highly problematic matter because carbon dioxide emission must not be looked at independently of all r isk and problems. This technology is still young and lots of test and research should be conducted in order to find the greatest way handling with it waste product, atomic fission, cooling method and many more. Moreover, nuclear energy can produced high amount of energy unlike wind and radiant light from the sun or solar energy and it is the only logical option now instead of fossil fuels. This is nuclear energys benefit which is undeniable. When compared to the fossil fuel waste, the nuclear waste which occurs due to the production of nuclear power is not only small in quantity but also remains confined so as not to affect anyone in its surroundings. It has been proved that if a typical family of four uses nuclear power for all its needs then the waste produced over a period of a lifetime would be as small as a golf ball. Other than that, the availability of nuclear power is competitive compared to other sources of power like oil and gas since the cost of the nuclear fuel is a smal l part of the total reaction and therefore even if there is a slight fluctuation in the market the entire reaction need not be affected and one of the main benefits of nuclear power is that it is an extremely reliable source of power because most nuclear reactors have a life cycle of 40 years which can be easily extended further for 20 more years. That means that this form of power is virtually inexhaustible. Furthermore, by using nuclear power, it can be our biggest political advantages by the reduction of dependence upon foreign oil, most of which lies in the Middle East and Russia. It can also decrease the western democracies of foreign oil free and it can be further facilitated with nuclear power. Most of all, nuclear power is safe although we heard a few accident cause by this power but these are only sporadic incidents compared to the rate of accidents which occur in fossil fuel industries, coal mines and gas pipelines which have a history of eruption. A report from nuclear po wer conference, Shangri- La, state that gas currently makes up 60 percent of Malaysias energy mix, but by 2027, the gas fields expected to be depleted, so that it is vital for Malaysia to search another source of alternative energy in order to ensure the electricity to this country always continue and supplies to the society.

Freeganism: An Eco-friendliness Way of Living Essay -- Culture SubCul

The world is inhabited by numerous cultures consisting of different lifestyles. Freeganism is a subculture that is ordinarily unheard of. The characteristics are impressively diverse from those most would associate with everyday life. The capitalistic culture incorporates commodified food, organized structure, ‘hygienically clean’, easier accessible foods, and more individualization. On the other hand, a freegan culture is comprised of free food, a less organized structure, ‘dirty’ foods with a chance of being raw or rotten, slower food and lifestyle, and is more socially connected (Edwards and Mercer). Those living this standard of life are scavengers of the developed world, living off consumer waste in an effort to minimize their support of corporations and their impact on the planet. Grace Hutchins, a passionate supporter of this form of life, depicts it as dumpster diving to use resources that would go to waste, voluntary work that includes sharing huma n resources, such as time and skills, and finding ways to limit consumption and materialism in our own lives and those of others. A variety of reasons people choose to participate in the freegan lifestyle are more diverse than one would think. Uninformed bystanders may initially imagine the homeless scavenging bins to survive, but many members of the subculture dumpster dive with economic, political and environmental condition in mind. The primary purpose for most is to positively impact the environment by minimizing the amount of wasted food (Kurutz 3). By some, this act could be viewed as a symbolic, political act against capitalist overproduction and waste. Acquiring food from dumpsters can be for both individual consumption and the benefit of the surrounding community.... ...pollute the Earth with massive waste. Society has the choice between wasting life on working in order to purchase good which contribute to the destruction of the environment or living a ‘full satisfying life’, occasionally scavenging or working your self-sufficiency skills to obtain the necessities for contentment, eliminating waste, and boycotting everything. Works Cited Edwards, Ferne, and David Mercer. "Gleaning from Gluttony: An Australian Youth Subculture Confronts the Ethics of Waste." Australian Geographer Nov. 2007: 279-82. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. Einem, Eric. Personal interview. 19 Nov. . Hutchins, Grace. Personal interview. 21 Nov. . Kurutz, Steven. "Not Buying It." The New York Times 27 June 2009: 1-4. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. Thomas, Sean. "Do Freegans Commit Theft?" Legal Studies 30.1 (2010). Web. 13 Nov. 2010.

Online Travel Industry :: essays research papers

Online Travel Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Internet travel bookings have been very prosperous these past couple of years. During the first three months of 2005, Internet travel bookings grew about 20 percent in the United States from the year earlier. Companies like Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz are putting more emphasis on selling to corporations and expanding in foreign markets. Travel has become one of the Web’s most developed categories. According to comScore, â€Å"online leisure travel bookings reached about $51 billion last year, or 44 percent of all online sales. Roughly 30 percent of all travel bookings occur online, which is a far greater share than retailing stores.† Between 2001 and 2003, leisure travel bookings more than tripled,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  to $43 billion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the September 2001 attacks, the travel supplier industry had to take action in order to stay profitable. The industries tried desperately to reach consumers by offering discounted airfares and hotel prices, but the industry did not have enough money to support the advertising and marketing of these bargains and deals that they offered after the September attacks. The industry then turned to companies like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and Priceline in order to advertise their bargains. These companies became great allies to the suppliers by selling hotel and airline bookings at hefty prices.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to save even more money, the travel industry began to reduce the number of cut-rate rooms and airline seats they offered through travel agencies, while increasing efforts to attract customers directly to their Web sites, where they could sell their products commission-free.

The Manager as a Systems Thinker

Introduction Managing an organization is no easy job. There are a lot of factors that should be taken into account—processes, procedures, people, raw materials, and accountabilities among others. Given this complexities, managers tend to view their role as that of the maintenance officer trying to make everything run given the schedule and agreed upon goals within the organization. The complexities of the management process is even confounded by the difficulties in the communication process brought about by conflicting ideas and personalities of different people, as well as by new trends and issues arising in the society. In this regard, advances in telecommunications and other technologies also pose a challenge to the processes used to be followed by the manager in particular and by the organization in general. Problems and challenges occur in different areas of the organization in the same way that a machine may break down every now and then. Managers, however, in fixing these problematic areas, tend to focus only on the particular area where the problem occurred. The other extreme position is to focus on the big picture too much without going down to the level of the details and trying to understand what made such an area malfunction (Reed, 2006). The whole picture, however, is more than just the sum of the individual parts. When these individual parts come together to help achieve a goal or establish a process, they cannot be easily broken down into the component parts. As such, the system takes on a life of its own and may even dictate the future direction that the organization may take in the future (Ryba, 1996). The Role of the Manager Traditionally, managers are seen coordinators and a kind of director that monitors everything going on within the organization. If anything goes wrong, he should be there trying to fix things and making sure that they get back on track to make things going again. Such a role of the manager, however, is limited to trouble-shooting and monitoring. It does not capture the breadth and depth of what truly goes on in the management process. Thankfully a lot of authors have looked into a more holistic view of the manager. After all, the manager is not a firefighter that is only present whenever something or somebody is on fire. Rather, the manager also is a leader in the sense that he sees what is going on, and he foresees where the trends and circumstances are leading the organization. As such, the manager is a proactive leader that takes the necessary precautions and steps to ensure that the different aspect of the organization is ready to take on the challenges brought by the external and even the internal environment of the organization. The twenty-first century is the century that information and knowledge took center piece in the economy. Handling knowledge and information is now as important as managing the assembly line. In my own experience, management is more than just monitoring and implementing projects. Rather, a manager is also a thinker who takes into consideration the overall situation of the organization and how it can survive given the difficulties and challenges it is facing. The manager does some tweaks here and there but on the whole, he takes into consideration how the whole system can work better. Personal Experience of Managing Using Systems Thinking A recent personal experience in management occurred to me. The manager, although a friend of mine, was complaining about the low level of output from some members of the organization. Up to a certain degree, he was right. There were two people who were simply not meeting the standards that the company has set—these people did not meet their sales quota, which of course, affected the performance of the whole team. What the manager did was in step with systems thinking. Instead of going directly to the two persons and scolding them for their poor performance, he observed them keenly and tried to understand the situation. After several days of observing them and their work patterns, he also conducted informal chats with other members of the team regarding work processes and dynamics. By the end of the month, he called for a meeting to address the level of the performance as well as some of the issues that he was able to uncover. As it turned out, there were personal differences between the two persons and it was affecting their level of performance. The manager, however, did not only focus on that, but he also looked into the settings in the office and the way that work flows were designed. He elicited several suggestions for a more dynamic and responsive work flow from the team members. After that, he led the team members into a brainstorming of several ways of addressing the issue of performance. Had he asserted his authority right away, he would not have secured the participation of everyone. But because of systems thinking, the team was able to identify the root causes of difficulties and challenges. Â  

Essay against racial profiling in airports Essay

Stereotyping and discrimination based simply on a difference in race are two things that are continually discouraged yet continue even today in the most recent of times. Since the wake of September 11, racial profiling in airports has been heavily enforced in order to ensure the safety of Americans. In several instances, the stopping of virtually all Arab or â€Å"suspicious† peoples has proved to be advantageous in that those incriminated intended on causing harm to others. Furthermore, airport security has done a superb job in pinpointing the true terrorist, any person of a different race. This twisted view of justice must be recognized and must be stopped. The â€Å"random† stopping of people before and after they board a plane not only violates that person’s personal rights, but it creates an artificially induced hatred to a particular group of people as well as demonstrates the overall ignorance associated with racism. Racial profiling is the law-enforcement practice of singling out members of racial minorities as suspects. Heavily practiced in airports today, this procedure does much more harm than good. In suspecting Arabs or other minorities solely for the fact that they are of a different ethnic background strongly violates what our country stands for. Arabs and other minorities who once saw the United States as a place of freedom and equal opportunity now experience firsthand the true injustices it furnishes. Clearly, after September 11, individual rights took a back seat to what was promoted as the greater need of protecting America from further harm. In reality, Americans sought a scapegoat in an entire race of people instead of the few people who were involved. The sheer racism racial profiling constitutes clearly demonstrates the overall ignorance of those who find it to be a positive practice. By supporting racial profiling we are supporting racism, and by supporting racism, we are supporting hate. As this practice is becoming common procedure, entire groups of people are being discriminated against. This erroneous view of a complete race, induced by racial profiling, demonstrates the overall misconception and ignorance people have regarding people who are different from them. Labeling a particular group of persons as terrorists not only is unfair but it tarnishes the reputation of that entire race. By  practically making discrimination an acceptable action, it hinders Arabs and other groups from obtaining jobs and a respected status. Overall, racial profiling is merely another form of discrimination and a violation of individual rights. Its continued practice serves not to instill security in the minds of those that travel, but instead infuses hatred and fear towards those who are of Arab descent. The false sense of security it may produce in one person is merely a product of the unjustness it inflicts on another.

Why countries find it so difficult to agree climate change targets Coursework

Why countries find it so difficult to agree climate change targets. You should also offer potential solutions to the barriers that you identify - Coursework Example tes) while in the quest of strengthening their respective economic muscles, this has ensued to the present day’s adverse environmental effects (Berger, 2010). For instance, in Ukraine where climate change has adversely affected agriculture through persistent droughts (Lagutov, 2012, p. 78). Consequently, these droughts have yielded to crops’ failure, which in turn prompts the entire region’s populations experience food insecurity. This is a grievous predicament as the state’s economy somehow wholly relies on agriculture. Conversely, some scholars have contended climate alterations experienced in the region are favorable but not all parts of the entire state (Lagutov, 2012). Similarly, alteration in climate has led to heightened temperature levels in Japan leading to augmenting of Japan’s unnecessary morbidity and mortality (Ford & Berrang-Ford, 2011, p. 190). This is due to heat waves mainly associated with varied illnesses, which could have not bee n in existence if there were effective measures to shun climate degradation. Some of the illnesses associated with this climate mishap commonly experienced include cramps and heat exhaustion whereby the latter with delayed attention graduates to heatstroke, which augments the state’s mortality (Ford & Berrang-Ford, 2011). These alterations are adverse to numerous people especially those may be experiencing other chronic maladies. This is because extent of worsening of a given malady normally depends on one’s physical strength (Ford & Berrang-Ford, 2011). This is quite evident based on incidents that to date have remained in the annals of history as most grievous occurrences ever occurred and whose effects are still felt presently by varied life forms. These mishaps embrace Deepwater Horizon oil spill (Mexico), Chernobyl (Ukraine), Fukushima and Sayano-Shushenskaya power station (Russia) though some of the respective states contend their occurrence was due to inescapabl e structural failures. In the case of

Should the government continue repatriating (i.e., returning) Research Paper

Should the government continue repatriating (i.e., returning) Guantnamo detainees to other countries - Research Paper Example Since they were arrested without trial, this ruined their lives. 4. The cost of maintaining Guantanamo bay detainees is costly and repatriating them would assist American government save on costs. 5. Repatriation of Guantanamo bay detainees would help in restoring the broken relations between US and the Middle East nations whose citizens were seen as targets of Guantanamo. CON: No, the US government should not repatriate Guantanamo bay detainees because†¦ 1. Repatriation of Guantanamo bay detainees would put their lives at risk. 2. Repatriating Guantanamo bay detainees will create a new security risk to American citizens. 3. Since Guantanamo bay detainees are prisoners of war, they have to face international charges on the crimes they undertook. 4. Repatriating Guantanamo bay detainees would seem unfair to victims of acts of terrorism who feel that these detainees deserve justice. 5. Repatriating Guantanamo bay detainees would amount to giving freedom to unlawful combatants. As a result, it would deal a blow to war on terrorism. The handling of Guantanamo bay detainees was not done in a proper manner since they were arrested and detained without trial. As a result, the US government has suffered a lot in terms of its image being soiled as a human rights violator. Therefore, the repatriations of Guantanamo bay detainees will help US to put behind the problems concerning human rights violations. Moreover, it will also assist the United States in giving justice to the detainees since they were first illegally and denied trial.1 In most case, Guantanamo bay detainees were not found at fault and therefore they will be released as a way of serving justice unto them. Guantanamo bay detainees should be treated as human beings and thus their release and eventual repatriation would guarantee them freedom. For instance, the case of Latif who committed suicide in Guantanamo tends to tarnish the human rights record of the United States.2 The US government will also sav e on costs of handling Guantanamo bay detainees if they were to be repatriated. The American government will save a lot if they repatriate Guantanamo bay detainees and it also well also help in reducing costs on people who are neither guilty nor innocent of war crimes. Guantanamo bay detainees have suffered a lot under the US administration since their incarceration was done against international laws. The detainees were not treated humanely and therefore man people criticised the move by President Bush’s government in detaining prisoners. For instance, the repatriation of Guantanamo bay detainees has been applauded as a good move by Elisa Massimino who said that the release of the prisoners by President Obama would help the US reclaim its role as a nation committed to human rights and the rule of law.3 The detention of people in Guantanamo bay was illegal and it lead to the ruin of the lives of many people from different locations. As a result, the repatriation of Guantanamo bay detainees would

Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Criminal Justice - Essay Example Honestly, some of what I’ve seen have met my expectations while some have just not. What I’ve seen in the death row cell like it only accommodates one prison is expected for it is just like what I have viewed in movies. On the one hand, the sight of a secure cell and cell housing unit are also expected. However, when I have seen the open dorm housing unit, it is really something I have not imagined. Well, it is just that I have not visualized that prisoners can be housed as if they are just in a dormitory given that they are prisoned. In this kind of setting, the inmates are privileged to interact normally and closely to an open environment. Being an inmate housed in an open dormitory is really a benefit for being capable to interact to more people and also because they are situated in an open bay. And when you go outside the prison, its compound is really huge enough to see all its other buildings. On the overall, I can say that the Florida prison has an environment be tter than the other prisons and even far better than the slums in the third world countries. Through the virtual tour, I can say that the Florida prison is neat and orderly where prisoners can be treated fine enough as human beings. One among the prisons in Florida is the Main Detention Center. As Palm Beach County Sheriff Office states in its website, it happens to be the biggest building as it comprises a huge land area of 835,000 square feet and it is the most secured among the correctional facilities situated in a headquarter complex in West Palm Beach. This detention center is really huge enough to contain a total of 2,156 bed capacities including the beddings intended for services of infirmary and special management. In terms of population, Main Detention Center is housed with both males and females whose age can be adults or young adults. Majority of its prisoners are adult males who are not yet sentenced and are just about to go a court trial whereas the minority of the inma tes are adult females who are just their first time to be jailed and those who are in need of such particular medical or mental condition assistance. It is important to note that main detention center also accommodates the young female adult as well as the young adult males. Through the website of Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, it can be sensed that they have active participation on presenting services to their community through the Community Services Division. This division is further separated into four categories such as the Community Operations Bureau, Countywide Operations, Domestic Violence Unit and the Police Athletic League. Each group is specializing in a particular field in order to serve and protect the community. They all work together for the advantage of the community. In order to cut off the possibility of crime, the division of Community Operations Bureau of Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has ensured a number of law enforcement officers to be d elegated in each unit. Their preventive measures are dedicated to guarantee the value life among the citizens and as well as the advancement of its businesses. One among its services called Broken Star Fund is given to its dedicated workers together with their respective

Human Physiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Physiology - Essay Example Resistance to flow through a vessel is also inversely related to its radius raised to the fourth power. Even a small decrease in the radius of the vessel would result in a large increase in the resistance to flow. At any given point in time the most important factors governing the smooth functioning of the blood circulatory system are volume, pressure, resistance and flow. For the optimal functioning of the system it requires a specific and a pressure that is necessary and sufficient to ensure the flow of blood through all body tissues. The relation between pressure (P), resistance (R) and blood flow (F) is given by the equation, F = P/R. P precisely is the difference in pressure between the two ends of the system. In pulmonary circulation the total resistance is approximated at 0.12 PRU. In this case, the flow of blood is the same as systemic circulation. However the pressure difference between the two ends of the system is much less. According to Poiseuilli, a French physician, flow of blood is also affected by viscosity of blood. It explains the resistance to flow due to the friction caused by the molecules present in the blood. Blood being a non-homogenous fluid, more number of molecules is present resulting in greater friction and hence increased resistance to flow. Porth C.

Price vs Attributes Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Price vs Attributes - Annotated Bibliography Example Moreover, this article highlighted that the business professionals work to develop such strategic approaches and techniques, which are based on the notions of MNCs and that assist policy makers while making decisions concerning FDI and role of multinational organizations aiming to gain competitive advantage for the country. Concepts of MNCs help policy makers to develop attractive approaches for gaining FDIs. Researchers have noticed that positioning mapping techniques help identify and understand the viewpoints and concepts of the map managers belonging to different Southern European Countries including France, Spain, Italy, and Greece. This article insights the predicted ideal mix of these countries and the vital factors that contribute while MNCs examines a country’s position. The authors have also discussed those actions and strategies that should be adopted by a country to maintain its position for favourable FDI flow in the state resulting in a rapid growth of multinational companies. In this article, the author has shed light on the concepts and practices of marketing intelligence and planning. This article analyzes the factors, which should be consider foremost while making plans of pricing of global brands. In the light of author’s opinion, emerging technologies and scientific advancements in the field of business and marketing have created deep impact on structure and functioning of international market. Thus, before setting prices for the international products or services it is highly important to identify competitive forces in the market and other barriers of the international business environment. Surveys, samples, and examples from the industry help professionals to identify the market challenges and fundamental changes required to make during strategy management and implementation. This article argues that in some states

Country Analysis Report - Saudi Arabia Research Paper

Country Analysis Report - Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example Being a growing country, the government has launched strategies to encourage integration of the digital technology within the business sector. In this light, this is a potential market for ICT infrastructure. If Apple invests in this business sector, it is likely to benefit from high market demand, high customer loyalty, less competition and a stable market position. With a high bargaining power, the organization should expect more profits from this environment. These benefits are expected to last in the long term. The challenges that exist in this market sector cost of imports, delay in obtaining a license and high construction costs. In fact, this market is ranked as one of the hardest market for foreign investors to launch their products. This makes it quite hard for Apple Inc to launch its business plan in this market. Its ability to design a strategy that overcomes these challenges will determine its survival in this market. Numerous risks threaten business survival in this mark et. Existence of terrorism and political instability promises an unpredictable future within this market environment. Also, religious conflicts make it hard to predict consumer behavior in this market. On entry in this market, Apple Inc should be aware of these risk and devise plans to neutralize them. Altogether, Apple Inc should consider entry in this market as challenges and risks are inevitable in every market environment. Saudi Arabia Analysis Report Introduction In the 21st century, there is pressure for every business organization to push its operations in the international markets as a strategic plan to target more customers and optimize profits. Before developing an international investment plan, it is crucial to conduct a thorough environmental market scanning before choosing potential countries where business is viable. This process requires a clear identification of the opportunities available in the country, risk, difficulties and potential of the target country. This h elps a business entity to understand the nature of the new market, and decide whether it is worth to invest in this country. In addition, this helps the organization to devise the right market entry strategy to take advantage of the opportunities, neutralize risks and overcome difficulties associated with the new environment. Understanding the market environment goes way far in determining the success of the organization within the international market. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that are becoming potential investment market sectors especially in the field of technology. As the country struggles to absorb technology within its industry, there is potential for ICT business in this part of the world. However, this market has associated risks that pose threat to business survival in this industry. For Apple Inc, this market sector is a potential investment environment due to the demand of technology infrastructure that is building up in this country. Although Apple Inc produc ts are already trending in this market, there is need to develop a manufacturing plant in this country to take better advantage of this market. This report is a presentation of the image of the Business environment in Saudi Arabia. It presents the opportunities, benefits, risks and difficulties that Apple Inc would encounter in launching manufacturing operations in this Saudi Arabia. The ICT Potentials of

Coca-Cola Versus Pepsi-Cola Essay Example for Free

Coca-Cola Versus Pepsi-Cola Essay Summary In the late 1800s, American pharmacists started mixing fruit syrups and carbonated soda water, causing a new kind of beverages known as soda drinks. The most famous brands that started in the business are Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and Dr. Pepper; but the big long-lasting rivalry is until today between Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. In 1886, a pharmacist named Dr. John Pemberton made the formula of Coca-Cola and the drink was sold in at the counter of Jacob’s Pharmacy as a refreshing drink. Pemberton was a part owner of the pharmacy after he left, eventually, Asa Candler became the sole owner and had the rights to the drink. Candler sold the Coca-Cola syrup to pharmacies and started a big advertising campaign which gave Candler a strong sales force. In 1899 Candler granted the first bottling franchise, which eventually grew rapidly. Ernest Woodruff bought Coca-Cola in 1919 for 25$ million, Woodruff and his son worked on making Coke a convenient product that’s available everywhere. Woodruff made a great decision at the time of the beginning of World War II; he stated that every man wearing a uniform should get a Coca-Cola bottle for only 5 cents whatever it costs. This decision made Coke have a strong market-share in Asian and European countries; in the late 1950’s, Coca-Cola advertised as â€Å"Americans Preferred Taste†. Woodruff was influential in Coke’s strategic decisions until 1982. A pharmacist named Caleb Bradham invented the formula of Pepsi-Cola in 1893 in New Bern, South Carolina in 1893. Pepsi followed a similar path as Coke in the expansion, using franchisers to spread their beverage. The company faced bankruptcy many times due to the strong advantage that Coke had over Pepsi-Cola and the weak competition between the two companies at that time. In the period following WWII, Coke outsold Pepsi by a 10 to 1 ratio per unit; in that period many soft-drink producers started entering the market with a big variety of flavors other than cola flavor. Alfred Steele became Pepsi’s CEO in 1950, he believed that his company will take over Coke one day, Steele was a former Coca-Cola marketing executive, and he helped Pepsi a lot due to his wide knowledge about the rival which is Coca-Cola. In an effort to raise the company’s sales, Pepsi introduced new bottle sizes such as the 24-oz family bottle. 1955 Steele married an actress named Joan Crawford and sta rted a big advertising campaign; Alfred Steel’s motto was â€Å"beat coke† which led to increasing Pepsi revenues to over 300% between years 1950 and 1959. Through the years many soft drink companies joined the industry, but the difference is that these companies focused on tastes other than colas, such as 7UP which is a mix of citric flavors and soda, 7UP was first introduced in 1929; the introduction of 7UP led to an increase in the national market share. Coca-Cola continued to expand in the 1960s making Coke available internationally and in the United States. Coca-Cola started diversifying when it bought Minute Maid Juice Company; Cola-Cola also produced new products such as Sprite. Coca-Cola offered its soft drinks either in cans or glass bottles in 1961. Throughout the years in the 1960s and 1970s, Coca-Cola introduced different new products such as Sprite, Tab, Mr.Pibb, Fresca, and Mellow Yellow. Coca-Cola concentrated on international markets to spread the drinks, this strategy of spreading Coca-Cola internationally had matured the company and made the brand image much stronger than Pepsi. Donald Kendall, a former sales manager became Pepsi CEO in 1963, under Kendall Pepsi was renamed PepsiCo and started an unrelated diversification by opening restaurants such as Pizza Hut and producing snacks. Pepsi extended its line of products in 1964 by introducing Diet Pepsi and Mountain Dew; Mountain Dew has a similar taste to Sprite with was introduced by Coca-Cola. Pepsi tried to keep track with Coke in order to keep the competition even though Coca-Cola was more powerful than PepsiCo at that time. Pepsi became more aggressive and competition hungry in 1970 and 1971 when they employed experienced marketing executives. In the 1950s and 1960s the price of Pepsi was 20% less than the price of Coke, but still wasn’t able to reach Coke’s strength; with the strong advertising campaigns thanks to the experienced executives that Pepsi recruited, Pepsi was able to gain a stronger market-share for the first time in 1975. In 1974, Pepsi was the third largest-selling soft drink after Coke and Dr. Pepper. Researchers from Pepsi have shown that in a blind test the majority of consumers preferred Pepsi over Coke. This successful experiment which was called â€Å"The Pepsi Challenge† increased Pepsi’s market share and made it the number-two brand. After the great success that this challenge brought to Pepsi, Victor Bonomo, president of Pepsi USA in 1974, decided that the Pepsi challenge should be deployed I all market where Pepsi is weak. The spread of the Pepsi challenge led to an increase in Pepsi sales by 20% in the biggest cities of America. Pepsi launched the Challenge all over the nation in 1977, and after 3 years Pepsi brand was widely recognized in the U.S. and gave Pepsi an additional 1.3% market share lead over the rival Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola responded to the challenge by giving big discounts in certain markets where Coke has a competitive advantage over Pepsi and by stating that Coke’s bottlers are owned by Coca-Cola, but Pepsi bottlers are franchisees. Knowing that Coke and Pepsi is a standardized product, Coca-Cola used price as a market weapon to target Pepsi consumers. Coke tried to regain money lost that was a result of the huge discounts that the company kept on introducing, by selling franchisees the concentrate rather than the syrup they use in manufacturing the drinks. Roberto Goizueta became CEO of Coca-Cola in 1980, he introduced a 1200-word strategy statement, and the main aim of this statement is price discounting in order to regain Coke’s position in the market. Coca-Cola began to influence the ownership and management of the of their franchised bottlers, despite being committed to independent bottlers, they replaced bottlers in key markets that were not deemed sufficiently aggressive in selling their product. The CEO of Coca-Cola USA stated that the company had some role to play in the reasons the buyers purchase the product by offering in several instances to increase the numbers of their investments with the potential buyers. 2) Contribution The â€Å"Coca-Cola Versus Pepsi-Cola† case study was written to give the maximum amount of information to business-oriented individuals, it gave so much information about two of the most competitive companies throughout history; the paper illustrated the history of the two main soft drink companies and also talked about other companies that entered the industry. The irony is Pepsi and Coca-Cola were invented by pharmacists who are supposed to prescribe drugs to people and not give them beverages with high amounts of sugar and artificial tastes, the case explained how Pepsi and Coke changed people’s views of a beverage when the companies invented carbonated soda beverages. The paper explained in details the huge cola advertising war that started in the 1980s between the rival Coca-Cola and PepsiCo that caused a big revolution in the beverage industry and incentivized new companies to enter the industry and produce beverages with different flavors. The case explained the positioning of the two companies and showed the difference in the brand value of the companies. The case was great also in giving the comparative analysis between the two companies, giving the different products other than the main product that was first manufactured by the companies. The case also showed us how the companies implemented different strategies to increase revenues and to increase market share and gain the most competitive advantage. Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola SWOT analysis Strength: *Pepsi: Very Innovative, the broad portfolio of products, more flexible franchise network, aggressive marketing strategy. *Coca-Cola: One of the most valuable brands in the world, largest market share in the soft drink industry, and great customer loyalty Weakness: *Pepsi: Competition with Coke, higher prices than Coke, and lower net profit margin than Coca-Cola *Coca-Cola: Competition with Pepsi, relies on soft drinks, and lacks diversification Opportunities: *Pepsi: International expansion and growth in the bottled water industry *Coca-Cola: Reduce costs and increased demand for bottled water Threats: *Pepsi: Increased marketing campaigns by Coke and restrictions to sell in certain countries because Coke has control on them *Coca-Cola: Strong local brands in some countries and negative publicity Michael Porters 5 Forces on Pepsi and Coca-Cola Knowing that Pepsi and Coca-Cola have standardized products, I won’t need to talk about every company alone. The intensity of Rivalry between Competitors: Pepsi and Coke are historical competitors, in the 1980s; the rivalry between them was very ferocious, and the cola war occurred at that period of time to show which companies’ products taste better. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Suppliers have no power over Pepsi or Coca-Cola, it is very easy and cheap to buy all the ingredients to manufacture soft drinks, in fact, the competition between Pepsi and Coca-Cola’s suppliers is really strong because of the great and presence of all the material. In my opinion, Pepsi and Coca-Cola have power over their suppliers; this helps them in decreasing their costs a lot. Bargaining Power of Buyers: The power of buyers in the case of Coca-Cola and Pepsi is high, because the switching cost is low or even the same depending on the geographical segment; both companies try their best to gain customer loyalty, but Coke does it better by playing on its customers’ emotions in its advertisements. The threat of New Entrants: This force is low, the soft drink industry is very competitive if a possible new product enters the market, and it would be really expensive and hard to position in the very strong industry. Threat of Substitutes: This force is high, especially because of health trends that hit the community from time to time, bottled water and juice companies are working hard in order to gain a competitive advantage over Pepsi and Coke by showing consumers the bad effects and obesity that this soda beverage can cause to our health, this is causing a change Pepsi and Coca-Cola’s strategies and making them introduce diet beverages as mentioned in the case, or even causing the Pepsi and Coca-Cola to buy big companies that produce healthy beverages; as an example, Pepsi bought Aquafina in order to have an advantage over the competitor.