People and organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

People and organisations - Essay Example They were based on Taylor’s scientific management processes which emphasised close supervision. However, more advanced studies such as the Hawthorne studies found out that specialisation created boredom, low productivity and high turnover. Furthermore, modern organisations operate in a global competitive climate which requires them to be flexible enough to adapt quickly to changes. As such, modern organisations now rely on contingency factors to structure organisations and teamwork to motivate workers. The organisation culture also plays an important role in defining how employees experience their work and how organisations are operated. The paper will discuss how two organisations differ in the way they are operated and how people experience work. This will be achieved by looking at their approaches to teamwork and teamworking, approaches to organisation structure and design, and the organisation cultures. Biogenia plc is a world-leading business dealing with crop-protection products (herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides) with 15000 employees in over 80 countries and has manufacturing facilities in 10 countries. Its activities are grouped into four functional areas but employees also work in cross-functional teams. The company is driven by innovation and employs highly qualified employees from diverse backgrounds. It also offers room for development through training courses and sponsoring education. It is also engaged in community activities by offering sponsorship. Sleepeasy Hotels on the other hand, is a mid-market hotel chain offering services to traveller and city-break tourists. Each hotel is headed by a manager who is responsible to the head office and manages day-to-day activities of the hotel. All the hotels perform similar functions such as reception, bar tending, room-cleaning, and cooking according to standard procedures and routines. Each manager recruits employees with assistance of central Human Resource function; some room-cleaners ar e permanent while others work part-time. The chain has a culture of performance management and review and disciplinary procedures. Approaches to Teamwork and Teamworking According to Forsyth (2009 p. 351), â€Å"teams are groups but not all groups are teams.† Some organisations work as a group to accomplish organisational goals while others form teams for specific purposes which are aimed at accomplishing the organisational goals. He points out the difference between groups and teams in that, teams require more collaboration and coordination in addition to having multiple members, interdependence and sharing of collective goals (p. 352). Each member is also assumed to possess unique knowledge, skills and abilities that he/she contributes to the effectiveness of the team. Classical organisations stressed individual work hence complex division of labour and specialisation but contemporary organisations have realised the need to utilize teamwork to achieve goals as well as trans mission of skills and knowledge between individuals’ hence organisational learning and increased motivation. Sleepeasy is an example of a classical organisation as each employee is responsible for his/her work which is monitored closely by a supervisor. The room-cleaning employees are supposed to attend 4 rooms in an hour failure to which disciplinary action is taken. For Biogenia, even though workers belong to a functional area they also belong to a cross-functional team. As observed by Forsyth (2009) teams come in different forms and perform different functions depending on organisational needs. Cross-functional or project teams comprise of members from different functional areas or departments, have different backgrounds and areas of expertise. These teams may

The Clock Essay Example for Free

The Clock Essay A ‘clock’ is an instrument used to specify, record, and manage time. The word ‘clock’ comes from the French word â€Å"cloche† meaning bell, came into use when timekeepers were kept in bell towers in the Middle Ages. Historians do not who or when mankind â€Å"invented† a time-keeping device or a â€Å"clock†. Probably thousands of years ago when someone stuck a stick in the ground and saw a shadow of the sun move across the ground, known as the sundial. (Cummings, 1997-2012). After the Samarian culture left little knowledge behind, the Egyptians were next to divide their day in two parts. A vertical stick, or obelisk that is used to cast a shadow is known as a sundial. They were used as early as 3500 B.C.. Another shadow clock or sundial, possibly the first portable timepiece, came into use around 1500 B.C. to measure the passage of hours. As the sun moves from east to west, the shadows predict the time of the day. They also showed the years longest and shortest days when the shadow at noon was the shortest or longest of the year. The Greeks used a sundial called â€Å"pelekinon†. These sundials are marked to predict time accurately throughout the year. They built a more accurate sundial based on their knowledge of geometry. An ancient Egyptian sundial from the 8th century and a Greek sundial are still in existence today. Water clocks along with sundials are known to be the oldest time-measurements devices. The bowl-shaped outflow is the simplest form of a water clock and is known to have existed in Babylon and in Egypt around the 16th century BC. Other regions of the world, including India and China, also have early evidence of water clocks, but the earliest dates are less certain. Some authors, however, claim that water clocks appeared in China as early as 4000 BC. (Cowan, 1958) Ctesibius or Ktesibios or Tesibius (Greek: ΚτÎ ·ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¯ÃŽ ²ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š) (fl. 285–222 BC) was a Greek inventor and mathematician in Alexandria, Ptolemaic Egypt. (As of 2008, 1768–2010) He improved the clepsydra in the 3rd century by B.C. by which water that dripped into the container raised a float that carried a cursor to mark the hours. He attached a toothed rack with a float switch that when raised would turn a wheel where he installed mechanical signing birds and bells to signify certain hours of the day such as noon or midnight. In the 16th century A.D.  clepsydras were used by Galileo to time his experimental falling objects. A candle-timepiece is also of ancient origin. No one knows exactly when it originated. It was used to measure the transitory of time by marking intervals along the span of the candle. Ancient Egyptians used tallow, an animal substances to make candles. The Romans were the first to use a wick inside of a candle. Beeswax was used to make candles during the middle ages, however it was very expensive. It was said that the Romans and the Chinese would use candle-timepieces as alarm clocks. They would stick a nail in a certain point of the candle depending on the desired time. Whenever the candle wax melted down to the nail, the nail would then fall onto a tin pan and make a noise. An hourglass or sand clock was a commonly used time device. Its consist of two glass compartments connected by a narrow neck containing an certain amount of sand that slowly trickles from the bottom chamber to the lower in a set amount of time, often one hour or so. Hourglasses were very popular on board ships, as they were the most dependable measurement of time while at sea. Unlike the clepsydra, the motion of the ship while sailing did not affect the hourglass. The fact that the hourglass also used granular materials instead of liquids gave it more accurate measurements, as the clepsydra was prone to get condensation inside it during temperature changes. (Balmer, (Oct., 1978)). In the early-to-mid -14th century A.D., large mechanical clocks begin to appear in towers of several large Italian cities. These clocks were weight driven and very inaccurate. One of the first clocks to strike the hour was in Milan in around 1335 A.D. These clocks only had one hand, the hour hand. In 1510, a man by the name of Peter Henlein, a locksmith and clock maker of Nuremburg, Germany, invented the spring driven clock. He is often considered the inventor of the watch. (Dohrn-van Rossum Dunlap, 1996). In 1557, the minute hand was invented. However, it wasn’t until the invention of the pendulum in the late 1600’s that the minute hand became useful. As electricity was introduced, clocks began to use an electrical impulse to operate the dials of a master clock. The electrical current replaced the spring and weight as a power source. The piezoelectric effect given by the quartz crystals was discovered by the  Curie brothers, Pierre and Paul-Jacques Curie in 1880, but wasn’t applied into a clock until 1929. This effect exhibited by certain crystals generating a voltage when subject to an electric field, induced an electric potential to nearby conductors, therefore powering the clock. These clocks can have an accuracy of one second every 10 years. Along with these inventions, Charles Dowd introduces the idea of time zones in 1870 dividing the United States by meridians one hour, and 15 degrees apart using Greenwich, England as zero meridian. In 1883 the railroads adopt the four time zones for the continental United States. And in 1918 the United States Congress passes the ‘Standard Time Act’, authorizing The Interstate Commerce Commission to establish standard time zones within the United States, and establishing daylight saving times. Finally, In 1949 The National Institute of Standards and Technology built the first atomic clock, using ammonia. A second is formally defined as 9,192,631,770 vibrations of the cesium atom. Atomic clock NIST-7 has been the main atomic time standard for the United States, and is among the best time standards in the world.

college essay :: essays research papers

Æ’Â ´Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€¢Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€"ƒÙƒÞƒÙƒÃ ¤Ã†â€™Ãƒâ„¢Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ¸Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ¾Ã†â€™nƒßƒÃâ€"Æ’nÆ’Â ½Ã†â€™Ãƒ ©Ã†â€™Ãƒ £Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€¢Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ"Æ’Ãâ€"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The definition I would place upon myself would consist of what I look like on the outside and what I feel and believe on the inside. In my opinion they way you look and how you dress and present yourself is hyped up a lot in the world today. What you wear has such an impact on how someone thinks about you.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I personally don ¡Ã‚ ¦t wear the GAP, Abercrombie & Fitch, or Old Navy clothes not because of the people who wear them, or because I don ¡Ã‚ ¦t want to be considered  ¡Ã‚ §trendy ¡Ã‚ ¨, I just don ¡Ã‚ ¦t wear them. I will go into the stores to look for something to buy, and I just never seem to find anything that I like. Stores I most often shop at are Pacific Sunwear, DEB, and Aeropostle. The style I guess you could categorize me into would probably be skater/ glam, at least that ¡Ã‚ ¦s what my dad would call it. My personal style does represent me in a lot of ways it ¡Ã‚ ¦s clean cut, yet edgy, and it ¡Ã‚ ¦s full of color, not a lot of black and white in my wardrobe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Appearance wise I ¡Ã‚ ¦m pretty much the same way as I am with my wardrobe. I love to play with make up. I like a lot of color. I love to play up my eyes; on occasion I will load up the eyeliner. My role model for clothing and make up is Gwen Stefani, the lead singer of No Doubt. She has such an awesome style; she just seems to be so together and knows what she wants. I love that! Sometimes I feel that way about myself, but it ¡Ã‚ ¦s just not as often probably.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The location of which I live isn ¡Ã‚ ¦t what you would expect the inside of my house to look like. At least that is what I think personally, only because my family lives in an apartment in downtown Auburn, Maine. From the outside it isn ¡Ã‚ ¦t anything fancy, and then once you step in through the front door, you ¡Ã‚ ¦ll be amazed how a little decorating can go a long way. Having my parents divorce in 2000 meant downsizing our house so it was hard on me. No matter where I live it ¡Ã‚ ¦s always home, and that I am very thankful for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My family is something I cherish dearly. My father is a very close friend of mine he is somebody I can talk to about anything with, even things most kids usually get all nervous about when it comes to telling their parents mostly my dad just lets me know his opinion, (which sometimes I may not like) and that ¡Ã‚ ¦s about it.

Relationships and Marriage - Couples Should Live Together before Marriage :: Free Argumentative Essays

Couples Should Live Together before Marriage I've heard on numerous occasions that one of every two marriages ends in divorce. Although I believe this estimate to be high, there is no question that divorce has become a common occurrence in today's society. I think the biggest cause of divorce is people getting married too soon. Couples should live together before they marry. People become enveloped in a sort of euphoric haze when a relationship first begins to take a serious turn. The object of your affection seems to be perfect in every way and can do no wrong. You want to spend all your time with this person; often neglecting anything you enjoyed pre-relationship. In effect, you lose your individual identities and become Siamese twins (thus the term, "joined-at-the-hip"). Thankfully, this stage in a relationship is only temporary. However, many couples mistake this hormonal surge as the sign that this is the one-and-only person they could spend the rest of their lives with. When the haze dissipates, only the strong relationships survive. If each couple contemplating marriage during this phase were to move in together first, the perspective the couple would gain on their relationship would prove whether [or not] their feelings were deeper than pure physical attraction or lust. It may sound clichà ©d, but you truly do not know someone until you live with that person. When a couple lives together, the comfort level between the two gradually increases until nothing is sacred. Little quirks that a person tries so desperately to keep hidden eventually come out into the open. Sometimes these quirks are too much for a person to live with; other times it is a combination of many that push them over the edge. Maybe you could deal with dirty clothes on the floor, but how about a total disregard for all household cleanliness? Living together before marriage clears the air and reduces the possibility for major surprises that could lead to marital strife. Sex is another issue that tends to cause problems in marriages. Of course people can have sex and not live together, but the sharing of a bed each and every night certainly facilitates the activity. At the risk of sounding promiscuous, one should "test the waters before jumping in." Sexual compatibility is extremely important in the satisfaction and happiness of a marriage. Sometimes compromises can be made on behalf of each individual, but it would be better to know if a person was incapable of satisfying you sexually before nuptials.

Narrative Using the Hobbit Essay

It was a fine spring morning according to Prince Reno of Lorien, who was to set off with his seven most trusted friends-the dwarf brothers Korin and Gorik, the three mighty elf leaders loki,Lorin and Algain and two of the finest Dalish Warriors Phalarix and Cagaris-on a quest. These eight men together were very powerful throughout the land, no-one could match their wisdom and might. Prince Reno’s quest was to avenge his father’ death meaning he had to kill the evil enchantress Sirenia. He was walking away from his life of luxury and riches in order to do so, also meaning he gave up his right to be crowned king. It took them many days to be in a viewing distance of the Mountains of Lorencia, and at the very heart of the mountain was Sirenia’s fortress. It would take them three days to reach the mountains and another two to get to the fortress so they rested up that night and set off the next morning. Two days later it was unfortunate when Lorin died and that they got lost. They buried him and then Reno remembered an enchanted compass he had which would take them on the shortest but most dangerous path so they all took a vote and decided to use it. Upon arrival at the mountains they encountered a horrifying and disgusting site of three gigantic hob-goblins protecting the path to Sirenia. As soon as they saw the hob-goblins they attacked and if it weren’t for Korin sacrificing himself none of them would have survived. Prince Reno knew this might have been the last few days of his life, he knew that two people had already died throughout this quest and that there may be many deaths to come. As they approached the fortress they found a quick entrance to sneak in through, they crept through the fortress to Sirenia’s quarters but she knew they were coming and had turned into her demon dragon form but Prince Reno used this to his advantage as he had an enchanted blade covered in the poisonous blood of the blue and red fire-snape and started slicing and slashing at Sirenia waiting for the poison to kick in, as he watched his friends die brutally and then it happened, Sirenia dropped dead and Prince Reno knew that it was time to flee, finally being at peace knowing his father’s killer was now dead.

Essay about schendlers list

Essay about schendlers list Essay about schendlers list Scheduler’s list Released in 1993, scheduler’s is a film that tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saves the lives of over a thousand Polish Jews during the Holocaust in World War II. This film portrays many themes, all of which are evoked due to the factual historical event of the Jewish Holocaust which occurred in Germany during WWII. The exploration of the themes of hope, use and misuse of power, the nature of evil and courage makes this film prominent over others. Spielberg’s purpose in making this film was to raise awareness of the horror experienced by the victims during this era and to inspire today’s and future generations to understand the impact of such prejudice. Question The film ‘Schindler’s List’, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel Schindler’s Ark, by Thomas Kennelly, gives us an insight into the corruption and destructive capabilities of humans. This film portrays many themes, all of which are evoked due to the factual historical event of the Jewish Holocaust which occurred in Germany during WWII. The exploration of the themes of hope, use and misuse of power, the nature of evil and courage makes this film prominent over others. Spielberg’s purpose in making this film was to raise awareness of the horror experienced by the victims during this era and to inspire todays and future generations to understand the impact of, and end, such prejudice. As such, we are presented a human story, the subject matter of which

Using Technology to Clone

Using Technology to Clone Cloning can be a very sensitive subject. It seems that it's a battle between science and ethics. Does the ladder outweigh the former or vice versa? Maybe a few definitions will shed some light on the subject. Cloning is to create a genetic duplicate of an individual organism through asexual reproduction, as by stimulating a single cell? (Webster's 211). "Parthenogenesis is reproduction of organisms without conjunction of gametes of opposite sexes." (Webster's 800). Cloning has its medical uses, but do the ethical implications outweigh the advantages? The goal of genetic engineering is that every child be born strong, healthy, and well suited to make its way to the world. If genetic engineering would be used in this way the world would probably be a place of less disease. Sure it may be unethical to do some tests on humans, but without them medical progress would come to a halt. Cloning might also directly offer a way of curing diseases or a technique that could extend means to acquir ing new data for the sciences of embryology and how organisms develop as a whole over time.Twin SistersScience has been trying for years to come up with cures for genetic diseases and so far haven't really come up with anything that is truly helpful. On the other hand, with the technology of genetic engineering scientists may finally be able to start to understand the causes of diseases and to develop possible treatments and even prevention. For instance, the most studied disease is Cystic Fibrosis. Although, we have not found a cure yet, science might be getting close to coming up with a way of preventing Cystic Fibrosis. Science has made some major discoveries in the past forty years. In the 1960's two French scientists by the names of Jacques Monod and Francois Jacob...

What Would You Do Professor Ramos Blog

What Would You Do â€Å"When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dawn of the Dead 2004). Dawn of the Dead (2004) I chose the modern zombie for my evaluation because of the sheer intensity of which is displayed in films such as 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead. Their insatiable appetite, hording, endless athleticism, in most cases having their only weakness being great trauma to the head, and need to spread their disease to the population; zombies are the most volatile and frightening monster that I can think of. With the modern versions of zombies appearing in Dawn of the Dead, I would easily rate this monster a 4.5 (out of 5) overall. With inspiration from the ‘Godfather of the Dead’, who was George A. Romero, Zack Snyder directed the 2004 horror film, Dawn of the Dead. Romero’s 1978 version truly set the standard for what the zombie apocalypse would become in film, and the few years following the 2004 version, it further raised the bar on how truly frightening the genre would become. While the movies would lack in a lot of the ‘jump-scares’ and unpredictable elements, the zombie horror genre had become an interactive one, giving it horror in its own way, leaving long-lasting images of ‘what if?’. Zombies running, Dawn of the Dead (2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It’s 2004, and you’re in the sixth grade. Your dad comes home from one of those fabled video rental stores, and upon his arrival, you look at an ominous, yet subtle cover of a DVD, bearing the silhouettes of a large group of people walking with the sun in the background, obscuring the faces, and large words plastered Dawn of the Dead. At the time, I only figured that zombies were the ‘pet rocks’ of the horror genre, disregarding them as slow-walking and boring monsters whose purpose was to fulfill an insatiable appetite that could easily be ended by a protagonist’s strike that took little effort and calculation. The DVD my parents played on our boxy and classical JVC-brand television left me arrogantly expecting calm walks in the park, believing that a protagonist with a gun could easily mow down the seemingly countless, slow undead. The Man Comes Around, by Johnny Cash plays with an intro. With the subtle music playing with a series of shocking news clips within the movie, the legendary country singer utters biblical and apocalyptic references within the lyrics. The calmness of the music is paired with images of pandemonium and the unknown, bringing me to a rude awakening. My arrogance towards the classic versions of the undead quickly turned into fear, as the final lyrics were sung for the intro: And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts. And I looked, and behold a pale horse. And his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him. (The Man Comes Around, Johnny Cash, 2002) Dawn of the Dead (2004). Actors left to right: Ving Rhames, Sarah Polley, Inna Korobkina, and Mekhi Phifer. My arrogance towards zombies truly preceded me when I was a kid, but this movie left me with nightmares. However, as frightening as they were to me after understanding Zack Snyder’s vision of the 1978 same-named classic by George A. Romero, the same fear piqued the curiosity of personal storytelling, leaving me to spend hours at home and in class, writing about hypothetical apocalyptic events with myself and my friends as the protagonists of a zombie apocalypse. The movie itself revolves around a diverse group of survivors, seeking refuge in an empty mall. While their resources are plenty, they also understand that there are only finite provisions that would only prolong a seemingly inevitable death, realizing also that they also die and reanimate after being bitten by one of the infected. They have to find a way to defend themselves and figure how to escape the hell that has suddenly invaded their lives. â€Å"Fear of the Monster is Really a Kind of Desire† (Monster Culture (Seven Theses), J Cohen) is one I found to be relatable with the idea of embarking on challenges regarding a hypothetical apocalypse where the undead has conquered humanity. I believe the fascination is similar to the feeling of gambling, where you’re given a series of possibilities, where every choice leads to survival or inevitable death, and where the survivors inherit the Earth, where you’re only restricted to your own wit and strategies of survival. The movie felt claustrophobic, but not in the same way that I felt watching other iconic horror films, such as Friday the 13th or Halloween, where there was truly no running from masked monsters, such as Jason, Freddy, or Michael. Although they are equally deserving of respect, the reason that Dawn of the Dead has such a strong impact is because the scenarios give a fighting chance for the individual watching the movie, and brings an interacti ve imagination, where the world is the playground, rather than just Elm Street or Camp Crystal Lake. Instead of remaining a linear story, we realize that it becomes a long series of ‘what would you do?’ scenarios. Art by: Jean-noel Lafargue. Photo representing a zombie within Haitian Voodoo. Folklore involving the undead have been a massive part of most cultures since the beginning of documented civilization. Burial sites of some Greeks were found to have had large rocks pinning their bodies down, with the intent of preventing the dead from rising. Practitioners of Voodoo have also been known for creating toxic concoctions that would give a patient the appearance of being undead, though they do not resemble how we would see zombies in modern popular culture, nor would they be decomposing. (History, 2017). For a long time, we’ve endured the fear of the undead, also being mentioned within Biblical texts, but none of those mentioned in history have been shown to be what modern culture represents zombies as. Many also believe The Bible to have been a source for the imagination of the modern undead we see in movies in the 1900s. With the surge of zombie enthusiasts appearing in the wake of 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, and many other modern zombie h orror films, many have taken to fan fictions, video games, and Halloween YouTube mob pranks. The craze is understandably one of the most mischievous, but the psychological horror that comes from the idea, not just the movies, have been one that has created much fear of the undead from many. Though the craze has died in the 2010s, I still believe that the most frightening monster this world would ever witness would be the modern zombie we see in the aforementioned movies. The intensity and profane levels of mindless cannibalism and violence, coupled with a pathogen that infects others, as well as their unsuspecting and never-ending athleticism makes them one of the most formidable monsters in the history of entertainment. The only reason I gave modernized zombies a rating of 4.5 out of 5 was simply because zombie movies themselves are not all that frightening to me. Although these films are not scary at first, they leave a sense of despair and hopelessness. If the dead were to walk t he Earth, it would be easy to say that we’d all be doomed, and while it would be the end of civilization, the survivors would be the fortunate who inherit the Earth, if the undead eventually die. What would you do if you woke up to this chaos? Annotated Bibliography Cohen J. Monster Culture (Seven Theses). Print. 1996. Jeffrey Cohen goes in-depth with how ‘monsters’ are in human society, explaining the different ways monsters are integrated with us in culture. How it plays on modern fears, desires, and perception are some few examples he explains in regards to how we’re affected, and how we see ‘monsters’. History of Zombies. National Geographic. YouTube. 2015. https://youtu.be/i12Hdo1q0I8. Since civilization has existed, zombies have played a role in history, referenced biblically, as well as in modern culture. The way we view zombies in modern society is far grimmer than what we viewed in earlier history. This video gives us a good look at the history of zombies, and what life we’ve given them in popular culture. Snyder Z. Dawn of the Dead. Movie. 2004. George A. Romero’s remake of the 1978 horror brings a modern perspective on the zombie apocalypse, maximizing the fear and pandemonium with a heightened intensity, with zombies that are far more violent and explosive in their actions than we’ve ever seen. Zombies that can run, have unheard-of strength, and a dead-end story that leaves the ending up for grim interpretation. This is the zombie apocalypse we fear the most. Vervaeke J, Mastropietro C. Zombies in Western Culture: A Twenty-First Century Crisis. Cambridge Open Book Publishers. eBook. 2017. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=nlebkAN=1548737site=ehost-live Modern film-making has spawning countless kids to write stories, creating the award-winning series The Walking Dead, and leaving us almost romanticizing the apocalypse, despite how awful it would be. Why is the zombie apocalypse so appealing? Drezner D. Metaphor of the Living Dead. Social Research. Vol 81, Issue 4. 2014. web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0sid=a8c1f534-28e3-4791-b4e9df28c87a9113%40sessionmgr103bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9hAN=102354689 Zombies have become huge in modern society, again spawning popular works, and bringing work back from the vaults of George A. Romero, â€Å"The Father of Zombie Film†. With this academic research, we look into the similar aspects of the zombie apocalypse, and how similar it is from how we might look at modern politics, culture, and society as a whole. Khan S. Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse. CDC Public Health Matters Blog. 2011. Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse As just a parody, the CDC is one of the many government organizations that have created a hypothetical guide on what to do in the event of a zombie apocalypse. They cover a lot of the history and methods on how to maximize your survival with basic supplies and tactics.

Modern vs. Postmodern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modern vs. Postmodern - Essay Example Modern architecture works to reduce the embellishments and decorations of earlier trends to a minimum, to reduce the form of the structure to a minimum, to reduce external influences on the designs, or perhaps to accomplish a combination of all of these. A better understanding of what might be meant by the term modern architecture can be found through an examination of the artistic movements that occurred in the mid-1900s that applied to architecture. Modernism was â€Å"the name given to the new forms that appeared in all of the arts – in paintings, sculpture, architecture, music and literature† (Pile 323). Malcolmson describes it as a reflection of the search for â€Å"a better place for all citizens at all social levels after the appalling carnage of the Great War† (410). Modernism in Gold’s view was â€Å"developed in the background of war, revolution and social dislocation† (21). It was the search for a utopia which combined the artistic and ae sthetic movements important to the common man while providing curved, comforting spaces for the traumatized citizens of the post-war age. According to Barr (1954), modernist architects had followed the trails of Art Noveau which depended on curvilinear and organic forms. Modernism emerged in art and architecture as the composition of forms started to articulate into asymmetry, grouped shapes, and flat colors. The common themes of modern architecture include the master plan which was a layout of structures in geometric harmony with the boundaries of different zones of land use within its surroundings. The interiors were characterized by the lifestyle of the owners and depiction of every day activity (Gold 1998). Early modernist architects looked to their past for inspiration and trends, while later ones developed original and radical ideas of form. The Bauhaus designers were driving contributors to the art of employing straight lines and the inventive use of materials in household it ems, but the four drivers of the modern architectural movement were Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright (Barr 220). The designs of these men have been held as the epitome of logic, clarity of structure, use of space as fluid planes, and surfaces as fine materials. Mies van der Rohe’s grand but mystical skyscraper designs and Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye denoted the age of the citizenry. Among these men, Le Corbusier was perhaps the most influential for later development of the modern age. He is largely considered the pioneer of modernism. He was also a pioneering urban planner whose vision encompassed the building of high rise structures in open spaces developed for individuals. His logic was based on humanitarian logic, and revolved around equality, fundamental needs regardless of cultural background and the right to comfortable and accessible dwellings. Le Corbusier based his architecture and design philosophy on collective a nd family life (Le Corbusier Le Grand 2008). He developed three layers of needs to address man’s need for dwellings. First is the pure physical need for living space. To satisfy this aspect, Le Corbusier felt the building needed to consider the need for sun, space and vegetation within living spaces as the logic for construction. The second level of need was psychosomatic

Essay on the subject Cultural and Ethical Values

On the subject Cultural and Ethical Values - Essay Example ed upon, and they consist of the following: "having a just cause, being a last resort, being declared by a proper authority, possessing right intention, having a reasonable chance of success, and the end being proportional to the means used" (Moseley, 2009). One can clearly see that although these principles are commonly accepted, they are open for interpretation and extrapolation. They allow a certain amount of flexibility and do not provide a strict ethical framework, as the principles and the interpretations of them can be quite vague at times ("Catholic Just War", n.d). Possessing a just cause is the first principle and probably the most important one, and it is very intrinsic as it stems from the very definition of a just war. It is commonly held that initiating an act of aggression is an unjust thing, and gives the attacked party the right to defend itself and initiate a counter-strike. The latter will be declared as a just war, as it is merely a response to the aggression being performed by the first party. However, the very concept of aggression is quite open-ended, as it can refer to a violation against territory, an insult which represents aggression towards the national honor, a trade embargo, etc. be that as it may, if an act of aggression has been committed and recognized as such, the party to whom the act had been done has the just right to react to it as they choose, and this will be considered as just (Johnson, 1984). What this means is that self-defense against an act of aggression is basically the only sufficient reason for a just war. But this can also be expanded to cases in which the first party has not yet attacked but it is clear that this is his intention and that hell be doing so soon. This is referred to as a preemptive strike, and is relevant to some other principles for a just war. Another principle for a just war which is also very much connected to the situation of a preemptive strike is being a last resort. This addresses the

Brief a case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Brief a case - Essay Example Once the work under the second contract was completed the defendant called the plaintiff’s computer operator once monthly to enquire as to how the computer system was working and asked for the claim number had been arrived at. The software program modified by the defendant contained insurance claims by the plaintiff’s clients and each claim was identified by a specific number. As it turned out the computer system crashed when it reached claim number 56789. The crash had been orchestrated by the defendant who had been losing clients. The defendant had deliberately and secretly entered a â€Å"conditional statement† in the plaintiff’s software program which directed the program to stop working when it reached claim number 56789. Satisfied that the plaintiff had already paid the defendant more than enough money for his services, the plaintiff hired another expert to fix the problem. It was this expert who discovered the conditional statement entered by the de fendant. In any event, the second expert fixed the plaintiff’s computer and was paid US$7,000 for his troubles. The plaintiff subsequently sued the defendant for breach of contract with respect to the second contract. The plaintiff sought compensatory and punitive damages against the defendant. Specifically, the plaintiff sought US$18,000 in punitive damages and US$7,000 in damages, the amount paid to the second expert to remedy the problem deliberately created by the defendant. RULE: As a general rule in the law of contract, punitive damages are not awarded. However, under breach of contract claims, punitive damages may be awarded where the award is necessary for deterring â€Å"morally culpable conduct† (Halpin v Prudential Ins. Co. 48 N.Y. 2d 906). Although the plaintiff specifically requested punitive damages, punitive damages can be awarded even when it is not

Leadership and Managment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership and Managment - Assignment Example pend largely on the acceptance and diffusion of policy ideas (p.502).† It is important to note that prior to our new reform, all the stakeholders have been used to the previous work arrangements. Supporting Doetter and Gotze’s insight, it will be ignorant of us to assume that the employees and other members of the staff will easily adapt in the new system. Our goals might be hindered in the process and it is a common understanding that those goals are the only reason the new reform is being launched. Compatibility issues may occur in form of difficulties in the working relationships (Daly, Speedy & Jackson, 2004). The new arrangement brings with it new tasks and specialization, plus, of course, greater higher levels of seriousness in what we do as an organization. In the meantime, the preexisting work relationships will certainly become destroyed. That might not rhyme so well with the workers. Adapting to virtually new masters and supervisions in the fields that did not carry much weight before will bring slowness in terms of implementation of the new working policy. In the meantime, workers will be demoralized and hence low productivity will ensue. The Department of Health (2013) and NHS Employers (2013) underpins the necessity of engaging employees in working as a team. However, in our case, such processes might prove to be tougher than we expect especially now that we behave new employees some of whom are from completely different disciplines. Diversity policy The fact that new policy comes with some shortcomings (Bassett, 2012) is one that we must live with. The introduction of new employees some of whom are from different disciplines can easily compromise governance into ensuring that all arms of management work to their best levels and towards fulfillment of... This paper approves that in terms of compatibility and coordination, new workers may find it difficult to adapt to the new environment while the old workers may find it hard to accommodate the new changes in the reform agenda. The result is slowed productivity of our organization, tainting of its name and fame due to unimproved services and loss of costs in terms of costs of hiring new employees. If not well managed, diversity may breed hate among workers which will sabotage coordination, productivity and thus the performance of the company altogether in that order. Insubordination is an already recognizable phenomenon in our organization. This is different from the conflict of personalities. It is the process of demeaning others because they are inexperience or are not learned as one. This paper makes a conclusion that there will be the need to sensitize the entire workforce and the key stakeholders of the new reform necessities. To this end, it will be vital to conduct major inclusive workshops to explain that the new changes are the most effective for the attainment of the goals of our organization. During such inclusive workshop, it will be necessary and possible to coin in the importance of diversity – we are there not to compete but to learn and complement each other. The problem of insubordination is sensitive and if addressed appropriately, it may be termed as rude. Therefore, it may be embedded in the issue of diversity. But first we must come up with a comprehensive employee behavior and policy as an in-between help.

Discuss the major factors behind the rise and decline of the Ancient Essay - 2

Discuss the major factors behind the rise and decline of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization - Essay Example Socialism played a pivotal role in the growth of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Karl Wittfogel, author of â€Å"Oriental Despotism† inferred that socialism laid the foundation for all primitive civilizations (Karenga 99). Socialism is an ideology, which advocates for public ownership in favor of privatization of a country’s economy. Ancient Egyptian civilization flourished under a centralized system of government charged with the responsibility of mobilizing the country’s resources. For example, the government oversaw the erection of permanent structures such as the pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. In addition, Egypt’s strategic geographic location endorsed agriculture within the region, which translated into a reliable and stable source of food for its population. Ancient Egyptians capitalized on the flooded Nile River, which supplied water to sustain the irrigation of arable plains in the region. Under the government’s supervision, the h arvest was stored and controlled rations distributed to the population. Moreover, surplus harvest became a trade commodity boosting trade within the region. Growth was not limited to the economic sector only. The use of written words and symbols became a tool for the preservation of Egyptian culture whereby, scholars created permanent records of significant events. These served as reference points for future generations. Finally, the pharaohs (for example, Tuthmosis 1 and his grandson Tuthmosis III) secured the region’s borders by forming strategic alliances with their neighbors such as Assyria and Canaan (Hine et al 35). Historians remain divided regarding possible reasons, which contributed to sudden decline of the ancient Egyptian civilization. However, they all concur that the civilization collapsed during the end of the eighth dynasty after the long reign of Pepy II. It is estimated that Pepy II held the throne for ninety years. His sons were eager to rule in his stead

Leadership and Managment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership and Managment - Assignment Example pend largely on the acceptance and diffusion of policy ideas (p.502).† It is important to note that prior to our new reform, all the stakeholders have been used to the previous work arrangements. Supporting Doetter and Gotze’s insight, it will be ignorant of us to assume that the employees and other members of the staff will easily adapt in the new system. Our goals might be hindered in the process and it is a common understanding that those goals are the only reason the new reform is being launched. Compatibility issues may occur in form of difficulties in the working relationships (Daly, Speedy & Jackson, 2004). The new arrangement brings with it new tasks and specialization, plus, of course, greater higher levels of seriousness in what we do as an organization. In the meantime, the preexisting work relationships will certainly become destroyed. That might not rhyme so well with the workers. Adapting to virtually new masters and supervisions in the fields that did not carry much weight before will bring slowness in terms of implementation of the new working policy. In the meantime, workers will be demoralized and hence low productivity will ensue. The Department of Health (2013) and NHS Employers (2013) underpins the necessity of engaging employees in working as a team. However, in our case, such processes might prove to be tougher than we expect especially now that we behave new employees some of whom are from completely different disciplines. Diversity policy The fact that new policy comes with some shortcomings (Bassett, 2012) is one that we must live with. The introduction of new employees some of whom are from different disciplines can easily compromise governance into ensuring that all arms of management work to their best levels and towards fulfillment of... This paper approves that in terms of compatibility and coordination, new workers may find it difficult to adapt to the new environment while the old workers may find it hard to accommodate the new changes in the reform agenda. The result is slowed productivity of our organization, tainting of its name and fame due to unimproved services and loss of costs in terms of costs of hiring new employees. If not well managed, diversity may breed hate among workers which will sabotage coordination, productivity and thus the performance of the company altogether in that order. Insubordination is an already recognizable phenomenon in our organization. This is different from the conflict of personalities. It is the process of demeaning others because they are inexperience or are not learned as one. This paper makes a conclusion that there will be the need to sensitize the entire workforce and the key stakeholders of the new reform necessities. To this end, it will be vital to conduct major inclusive workshops to explain that the new changes are the most effective for the attainment of the goals of our organization. During such inclusive workshop, it will be necessary and possible to coin in the importance of diversity – we are there not to compete but to learn and complement each other. The problem of insubordination is sensitive and if addressed appropriately, it may be termed as rude. Therefore, it may be embedded in the issue of diversity. But first we must come up with a comprehensive employee behavior and policy as an in-between help.

Separation of Powers Within the United Kingdom Constitution Essay

Separation of Powers Within the United Kingdom Constitution - Essay Example The English government has three branches which include: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The U.K is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch is the executive head of state while the Prime Minister is the head of government. Additionally, the Executive includes cabinet ministers, civil service, the police and the armed forces. The Executive formulates and implements government laws. The legislature, formally the â€Å"Queen in Parliament† is responsible for making laws. The judiciary is supposed to be free from parliament and the executive and is responsible for resolving conflicts between institutions of the state, individuals and the state and individuals, immune from criticism. Separation of powers, strengthened by the rule of law and parliamentary sovereignty is highly emphasized in the English Constitution. There would be no liberty if the same man or the same body exercised those three powers. The powers of the three arms of government generally overlap. The British Constitution does not strictly separate the powers. This is mainly due to the complexity and the interrelated nature of the functions of the state. A solid example of overlap between the three branches is the position of Lord Chancellor who is a member of the Cabinet, the head of the judiciary and also chairs the House of Lords when they sit as a legislature. The Constitutional Reform is currently reforming this role to highlight SOP. However, some argue that such a position acts as a bridge between the executive and the judiciary. ... However, some argue that such a position acts as a bridge between the executive and the judiciary. The executive and legislature have great connections in exercise of their powers. According to Bagehot (1867) that relationship is the â€Å"efficient secret of the English Constitution.† Overlaps are evident as seen when ministers sit in parliament and perform legislative functions; and the executive tends to control MPs to vote in a certain way. The government is usually made up of the party with the majority of seats in the House of Commons, which means that the executive has great control on legislative decisions. The Prime Minister, cabinet and bureaucracy determine the legislative agenda and the cabinet. Also, many judicial officers such as the Attorney General and the Lord Chancellor are appointed by the government. The executive generally dominates especially in cases where the government has a firm majority in the House of Commons to the extent that it is assured of winn ing major votes in the House. In Britain, a government of national majority coalition draws its political leadership in dominant control of authoritative decision making; and national public policy. The legislature may interfere in executive roles when government loses a vote of confidence and through Acts of parliament which may affect executive decisions. There is an overlap between the Judiciary and the Executive in that the Lord Chancellor who is the head of Judiciary also sits in the cabinet. In this case a member of the Judiciary finds himself in the cabinet. Again the Lord Chancellor chairs the House of Lords when they sit as legislature. In this instance a person who heads the Judiciary also chairs the proceedings of the legislature. There is

MLE Assignment Essay Example for Free

MLE Assignment Essay 1. Ethically, is brain death not as final as cardiac death? Why or why not? Brain death is final. There is no coming back from it, ever. Neurons die, and the brain ceases to function. Permanently. With cardiac death, we can sometimes use medication or electricity to resume heart function. A systole (no electrical activity in the heart) can sometimes be reversed if the underlying cause of the problem can be treated (such as severe electrolyte abnormalities, or severe hypothermia). 2. How does the Prudent Person Rule apply in this case? The prudent rule or reasonable man law dictates that a person act in a manner that is consistent with the skills, logic, resources, and knowledge that an average lay-person may have. In medicine, it would apply to a patient in that they are required to take all steps that are reasonable and prudent to affect a positive outcome in their treatment. In other words, you would be expected to follow doctors orders, do all routine follow up and home therapy, use reasonable judgments and so on. So the answer here is, yes this does apply to the case because this young girl came into the hospital for a simple surgery removing her tonsils, adenoids, and extra sinus tissues. And was shortly determined brain dead after beginning to bleed profusely, and went through cardiac arrest, meaning the serious dysfunction of an organ. 3. In your opinion, could this tragedy have been prevented? If so, how? In this case I really don’t know the specifics of this particular case, because there are so many missing pieces between the pre-op and post-op that I’m unsure of how this actually happened to determine if this tragedy could have been prevented. In some cases the parents have to be completely informed as to the ramifications of a situation before making a final decision.

Analysing The Significance Of The Treaty Of Westphalia Politics Essay

Analysing The Significance Of The Treaty Of Westphalia Politics Essay The 350th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia in 1998 was marked by a flurry of conferences and publications by historians, but it was largely ignored in the discipline of international relations (IR). This oversight is odd because in IR the end of the Thirty Years War is regarded as the beginning of the international system with which the discipline has traditionally dealt. Indeed, the international system has been named for the 1648 peace. Firstly, for some time now, this Westphalian system, along with the concept of sovereignty at its core, has been a subject of debate: Are the pillars of the Westphalian temple decaying? or Are we moving beyond Westphalia?  [1]   In this debate, Westphalia constitutes the taken-for-granted template against which current change should be judged.  [2]  We contend, however, that the discipline theorizes against the backdrop of a past that is largely imaginary. We show here that the accepted IR narrative about Westphalia is a myth. Then we cover the introduction, theoretical aspects of the Westphalia states, the arguments if the elites actually enjoy substantial autonomy in both domestic and foreign affairs of third world countries or not,( it effects) how it is misleading and then the conclusion. Introduction Westphalia is a term used in international relations, supposedly arising from the Treaties of Westphalia 1648 which ended the Thirty Years War. It is generally held to mean a system of states or international society comprising sovereign state entities possessing the monopoly of force within their mutually recognized territories. Relations between states are conducted by means of formal diplomatic ties between heads of state and governments, and international law consists of treaties made (and broken) by those sovereign entities.  [3]   The term implies a separation of the domestic and international spheres, such that states may not legitimately intervene in the domestic affairs of another, whether in the pursuit of self-interest or by appeal to a higher notion of sovereignty, be it religion, ideology, or other supranational ideal. In this sense the term differentiates the modern state system from earlier models, such as the Holy Roman Empire or the Ottoman Empire.  [4]  We define both domestic and foreign affairs because these are key words to understanding our question and why these two key words are important to third world countries and their elites as below: Domestic policy, also known as public policy, presents decisions, laws, and programs made by the government which are directly related to issues in the country.  [5]  It is a set of laws and regulations that a government establishes within a nations borders. It covers a wide range of areas, including business, education, energy, health care, law enforcement, money and taxes, natural resources, social welfare, and personal rights and freedoms.  [6]   Domestic policy decisions usually reflect a nations history and experience, its social and economic conditions, the needs and priorities of its people, and the nature of its government. Domestic policy is a frequent source of disagreement among people of different backgrounds and philosophies. People who hold conservative beliefs, for instance, will likely stress order, security, and traditional values in domestic policy. People who hold more liberal beliefs, on the other hand, will likely emphasize equality and government efforts to help the needy, and many broad domestic policy issues are similar for nearly all countries of the world. For example, all governments are expected to provide education, law and order, and other basic services for their citizens. However, the specific goals and objectives of domestic policy vary depending on each nations needs and capabilities. Most wealthy democracies, for instance, spend substantial sums of money on domestic programs. Many poorer countr ies have difficulty devoting resources to such essential areas as education and health care. A nations form of government largely determines how its domestic policy is formed and implemented. Under authoritarian governments, a ruling group may pursue its domestic policy goals without the input or consent of the people being governed. But in democratic societies, the will of the people has a much greater influence. However, a countrys foreign policy, also called the international relations policy, is strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals in international relations. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries. In the recent time, due to the deepening level of globalization and transnational activities, the states will also have to interact with non-state actors. The aforementioned interaction is evaluated and monitored in attempts to maximize benefits of multilateral international cooperation. Since the national interests are paramount, foreign policies are designed by the government through high-level decision making processes. National interests accomplishment can occur as a result of peaceful cooperation with other nations, or through exploitation. Usually, creating foreign policy is the job of the head of government and the foreign minister (or equivalent). In some countries the legislature also has consider able over sigh.  [7]   The Theoretical Approach to theWestphalia State System. Does a discussion of the Treaty of Westphalia, promulgated in 1648, rightfully fall under the parvenu of a social science journal? The question arises because of the rather uneasy relationship between historians and social scientists. If one were to search the various history departments across the United States, for example, some are organized under colleges of social science and others under humanities. This ambiguity stems from the belief that there are fundamental assumptions in the modern practice of history that are largely incompatible with the tenets of social science but historians are certainly not adverse to borrowing liberally from their theories and practices, and vice versa. (1) Nearly despite themselves, however, historians have much to offer current debates about the future of the modern state system and its alleged origins in the Treaty of Westphalia.  [8]   The Treaty of Westphalia is used by social scientists as the foundation of several theoretical schools. Both realist and neo-liberal theories of international relations use the Westphalia state system as one of their most fundamental assumptions (though, of course, with different intentions). (2) Theorists of nationalism also consider the settlement of some significance. By linking religious identity to state identity, they argue, Westphalia was part of a long-term process that led to the ideology of nationalism in the nineteenth century and the primary identification of most ordinary Europeans with their nation-states. (3) The term has been used so often that most introductory political science texts treat its use as axiomatic. (4) The historical origins and context of the term, on the other hand, are generally not deemed of sufficient import to convey.  [9]   Historians view Westphalia quite differently. The Treaty of Westphalia itself was not the only agreement concluded at the peace negotiations held in the town of Muenster in 1648. In addition, the Treaty of Muenster, recognizing the independence of the United Provinces of the Netherlands and ceding territory to France, and the Treaty of Osnabruck, granting Sweden its spoils of victory, also came out of what is more properly called the Settlement of Westphalia. Many of the precepts ascribed to Westphalia, such as state sovereignty and enforcement and regulation of international law, come from these two treaties rather than the Treaty of Westphalia itself. (5) The treaty ended the Thirty Years War, which had physically devastated much of the Holy Roman Empire, and marked the twilight of the power of the Holy Roman Emperor and the rise of powers such as France, the Netherlands, and, briefly, Sweden in the latter part à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [10]   Arguments that state elite of third world countries enjoy substantial autonomy in both domestic and foreign affairs are misleading are below: Land is one of the most fundamental components of agriculture, urban and industrial development. In sub-Sahara Africa just like the rest of the third world, ambitious land reforms have become commonplace over the past three decades as one government over the other have sought to free up land resources to meet national priorities. Whatever form it has taken, land reform often signifies only a single element in a large trend involving the expansion of the state at the expense of others, oftentimes competing of social authority.  [11]  State intervention in policy arena like land tenure is just one aspect of a large trend involving the wholesale expansion of the state in Africa. In past research, attempts have been made to connect this development to a coherent class or bureaucratic authoritarian strategy, with a primary focus on emergency of an autonomous. However, most evidence seems to confirm that the extension of the public sector has consisted of patchwork on initiatives desig ned primarily to satisfy the desperate interests of well placed individuals, called the state elites, their families and other favored groups. There has been little coordination, accounting, or planned use of resources and the state has been described as predatory rather than productive.  [12]  For example, the land question and Zimbabwes current crisis of governance appear to be intimately related. However, an extensive survey of the population in the mid-1990s ranked land access very low on the list of priorities when compared to employment creation.  [13]  Please show how the African elite are limited in implementing land policies that are their own by giving examples of Zimbabwe, where land reforms aimed at indigenous Zimbabweans also owning land was met with resistance and blackmail from UK etc. In south Africa big chunks of land still owned by white minority while the Black are crowded in Soweto slums. In Kenya the ahigh lands most fertile for commercial agric owned by the white settlers. In Uganda the land tenure system inherited from the British colonialists still pose a night mare, big chunks of land to the few royals (mailo akenda) 900,000 sq miles to the king and a few royals, the lost counties land of Banyoro being freely given to Buganda as reward for cooperation and punishment to Bunyoro etc. Collecting taxes, policing and administering justice are among the most basic functions of government and its elites. Historically, states were in large part formed around interactions between government agencies and subjects/citizens over these issues.  [14]  It is around the same issues that public officials have the greatest license to exercise coercion against citizens. There are powerful sensitivities about the character of the agencies that perform these functions, and strong reactions against any hint of commercialism in their governing principles. Tax-farmer, like mercenary, has long been a term of disparagement.  [15]  It is then no surprise that suspicion has attended the rapid spread of (semi-) autonomous revenue agencies (ARAs) in Latin America and in Anglophone Africa over the past two decades.  [16]   The task of collecting taxes has been taken from ministries of finance and given to revenue agencies that have some autonomy from central executive power and from rules governing public service recruitment, remuneration and procedures. In consequence, tax collectors, who are anyway often perceived as corrupt and privileged, generally have achieved very substantial increases in their formal salaries. Popular reaction has sometimes been adverse. President Museveni was probably speaking for many Ugandans when, in 2000, he described the Uganda Revenue Authority as a den of thieves.  [17]   However, in the eyes of a few academics and external observers, the introduction of revenue agencies has been seen as a step on the road to privatization of the revenue collection process. The establishment of an autonomous revenue authority, with staff paid at rates similar to those in comparable private sector jobs, does indeed seem to parallel the process of putting state agencies on a commercial footing as a prelude to privatization. In Anglophone Africa, and most third worlds, revenue raising will remain a core state function, controlled by the top political leadership. The creation of ARAs has improved relationships between tax authorities and larger corporate taxpayers, and increased, at least marginally, the capacity of governments to raise revenue.  [18]   Several African states have implemented democratic and liberal constitutional reforms during the last two decades. Regime change, the ending of decades of autocratic rule, and the emergence of independent courts are among the important changes produced by these reforms. Yet Africas constitutional moment has not received the scholarly attention it deserves. With the notable exception of South Africa, African nations continue to lie largely outside the mainstream of contemporary comparative constitutional discourse.  [19]  In Uganda for example, the first constitution of Uganda was abrogated in the year 1966 by state elites just after the independence of the country. In 1995 the Republic of Uganda promulgated a new constitution. The powers of the president which were initially limited are further increased by these amendments. The constitution of this African country declares Uganda as a Presidential Republic. A number of National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy are included in the constitution of Uganda. The constitution is the ultimate rulebook for all operations of the State and its various agencies. The president in directly answerable to the parliament that is indirectly responsible to the people.  [20]   Domestically, there are threats from the state, institutional bureaucrats and academics themselves to academic freedom and to the institutional autonomy of universities in most Third world countries especially in South Africa. The situation is more complex than is often perceived. The generally disappointing post-independence history of academic freedom and autonomy in Sub-Saharan Africa is drawn upon to illustrate the perils that may accompany too eager an embrace of the state by intellectuals in South Africa in confronting persisting racial inequities in institutions of higher learning.  [21]  We must say here that these are purely domestic policies enjoyed by state elites autonomously. A case study of Tsinghua University, one of Chinas most influential universities, which has special national significance and strong political ties to the state. Recalling three chapters in the past century of Tsinghuas history, gives an interpretive understanding of how the intertwined relationship between academia and officialdom has acted as a double-edged sword in shaping the Universitys autonomy. It shows an interesting interplay between the university and the state, revealing the mechanisms of the states control over the university, and the strategies adopted by the university to gain relative freedom. In the context of China, an individual university can contend with the states power to strive for its own autonomy.  [22]   To bring understanding closer, the intertwining of academia and officialdom is often perceived as a threat to university autonomy. In the modern Western university system, the concept of university autonomy emphasizes the power of a university or college to govern itself without outside controls.  [23]  Autonomy, along with academic freedom, is defined as intrinsic to the nature of the university, and a precondition if a university is to best fulfill its role and responsibilities toward society.  [24]  The intertwining of academia and officialdom, however, implies external political influence being brought to bear on education. A great deal of research has addressed diverse aspects of the relationship between academia and officialdom, including, for example, the use of the educational system as a channel for the socialization and circulation of elites. The development of school networks by political elites for recruitment purposes, the involvement of political forces in the a ppointment and promotion of professors, and the political alliance between the university leadership and government officials, including alumni in powerful governmental positions.  [25]  Hence this clearly shows that state elites enjoy autonomy of their domestic policy in Third World Countries. Poor leadership of state elites and bad knowledge generation are behind the illusion that African developmental challenges are exotic and difficult to resolve, an illusion exploited by paternalistic outsiders who talk about us as if we were infantile and incapable of the simplest tasks of self-government.   The default cry of Africas political, intellectual and business elite is to assert that when faced with the complexity of achieving social, economic and political transformation is to call for a continental government to rule all of Africa, a so-called United States of Africa.   It is the religion of the African intelligentsia, the rainbow-over-the-horizon promise of the politicians. Uganda, the third big East African partner, has been an autocracy since independence; the voices of Obote, Amin and Museveni have displaced the voice of the Ugandan people.   They purport to act in the name of the people, but no one can know what the policy leanings of the people are, because th ey have never had a chance to express their thoughts through politics. Something is broken in Africa, something that has been broken for a long time now, something we need to fix, something our elite are avoiding by misdirecting our attention to the daydream of a single continental government.   We will not get to our dream Africa by creating a continental platform for the relentless rent-seeking that hobbles us in our local and national communities.   We need to unleash the entrepreneurial energies, political and economic, of the varied peoples of Africa.   We cannot continue this way, not if we want to actualize all of our aspirations and our domestic policies. Industrialization by state elites in Third World Countries domestic policy is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from a pre-industrial society into an industrial one. It is a part of a wider modernization process, where social change and economic development are closely related with technological innovation, particularly with the development of large-scale energy and metallurgy production. It is the extensive organization of an economy for the purpose of manufacturing. Countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean in the late 20th century found that high levels of structural differentiation, functional specialization, and autonomy of economic systems from government were likely to contribute greatly to industrial-commercial growth and prosperity. Amongst other things, relatively open trading systems with zero or low duties on goods imports tended to stimulate industrial cost-efficiency and innovation across the bo ard. Free and flexible labor and other markets also helped raise general business-economic performance levels, as did rapid popular learning capabilities. Positive work ethics in populations at large combined with skills in quickly utilizing new technologies and scientific discoveries were likely to boost production and income levels and as the latter rose, markets for consumer goods and services of all kinds tended to expand and provide a further stimulus to industrial investment and economic growth. By the end of the century, East Asia was one of the most economically successful regions of the world with free market countries such as Hong Kong being widely seen as models for other, less developed countries around the world to emulate. A similar state-led developing programme was pursued in virtually all the Third World countries during the Cold War, including the socialist ones, but especially in Sub-Saharan Africa after the decolonization period. The primary scope of those projects was to achieve self-sufficiency through the local production of previously imported goods, the mechanization of agriculture and the spread of education and health care. However, all those experiences failed bitterly due to a lack of realism: most countries didnt have a pre-industrial bourgeoisie able to carry on a capitalistic development or even a stable and peaceful state. Those aborted experiences left huge debts toward western countries and fuelled public corruption. However, in this discussion, we still hold the view that the elites in third world countries do not enjoy their full state autonomy to make independent domestic policies and are misleading. Developed or powerful countries of the world like America, Britain, France among others who were at times colonial powers, continued to influence both the domestic and foreign policies of third world countries because they are poor, dependants, weak, underdeveloped among others. In this view, matters of trade, finance, investment, foreign aid among others have been shaped by developed countries making it worse for less developed countries in the face of the current globalization and the evil empires (Multinational) which are normally stronger than third world countries, international organizations, global institutions of the IMF, World Bank and the IMF. Globalization concerns have taken a far more positive path since the 1999 Seattle protests. Activists have begun to realize that it is the world governments who are the backbone of international organizations such as the G8, the World Bank, and the IMF and that efforts must be directed toward both the organizations and the member governments in order to achieve policy objectives. In July 2005, on the eve of an important G8 summit in Scotland, a massive music festival was organized to express public support for issues such as debt relief, aid for Africa and cooperation on cutting greenhouse emissions. Almost as if in response, the G8 heads of state announced important initiatives in these areas.  [26]   With respect to trade issues, many of the third world countries have created the greatest recent resistance to the global pressure to reduce trade barriers through World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. The main problem relates to agricultural products. Many of these countries have experienced a severe downturn in their domestic agricultural acreage because local producers cannot compete with agricultural exports from major countries such as the United States. They have persuasively argued that it is not a fair playing field because in Europe, Japan and the United States, agriculture receives sizeable government subsidies. Third world countries cannot afford to similarly subsidize their own domestic agricultural industries.  [27]  The matter came into focus at the WTO summit in Cancun, Mexico in September 2003. Mid-level developing countries such as Brazil, South Africa, India and China objected to any progress on reducing tariff barriers in general until the agricultural pro blem was resolved and the talks collapsed. At the subsequent WTO summit in Geneva, Switzerland in July 2004, a breakthrough was reached. The deal, approved by all 147 members, will cut rich countries farm subsidies in return for developing countries opening markets for manufactured goods. The implementation of the agreement presents obvious internal political challenges in the developed countries.  [28]   In matters of loans, the World Bank is an organization affiliated with the United Nations for the purpose of making loans to developing countries which are guaranteed. The bank is self-sustaining and has maintained a profit on its lending activities. The bank is owned by the member nations which include virtually all nations with the exception of Cuba and North Korea. Voting on bank policy is based on capital subscription. Seven countries, United States, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, Canada, Italy and France, have 45% of the voting power. The United States is a 17% shareholder. Many loans now issued by the World Bank involve structural adjustment conditions which generally require countries to devalue their currencies against the dollar; lift import and export restrictions; balance their budgets and not overspend; and remove price controls and state subsidies.  [29]   International Monetary Fund (IMF), The IMF is closely affiliated with the World Bank. It is also owned by virtually the same member nations as the World Bank and has a similar shareholder and voting arrangement based on the size of each members economy. The IMFs primary responsibility has been to maintain stable currency exchange rates between countries. The IMF also issues loans designed to help countries restructure their economies to increase exports and draw foreign investment. Countries that take out such structural adjustment loans give the IMF influence over their economic policies and foreign affairs as well.  [30]   Structural Adjustment Policies are economic policies which countries must follow in order to qualify for new World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans and help them make debt repayments on the older debts owed to commercial banks, governments and the World Bank. Although SAPs are designed for individual countries but have common guiding principles and features which include export-led growth; privatization and liberalization; and the efficiency of the free market.  [31]   SAPs generally require countries to devalue their currencies against the dollar; lift import and export restrictions; balance their budgets and not overspend; and remove price controls and state subsidies. However, anyone must remember that evaluation makes their goods cheaper for foreigners to buy and theoretically makes foreign imports more expensive. In principle it should make the country wary of buying expensive foreign equipment. In practice, however, the IMF actually disrupts this by rewarding the country with a large foreign currency loan that encourages it to purchase imports.  [32]   Balancing national budgets can be done by raising taxes, which the IMF frowns upon, or by cutting government spending, which it definitely recommends. As a result, SAPs often result in deep cuts in programmes like education, health and social care, and the removal of subsidies designed to control the price of basics such as food and milk. So SAPs hurt the poor most, because they depend heavily on these services and subsidies. SAPs encourage countries to focus on the production and export of primary commodities such as cocoa and coffee to earn foreign exchange. But these commodities have notoriously erratic prices subject to the whims of global markets which can depress prices just when countries have invested in these so-called cash crops.  [33]   The term Structural Adjustment Program has gained such a negative connotation that the World Bank and IMF launched a new initiative, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Initiative, and makes countries develop Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP). While the name has changed, with PRSPs, the World Bank is still forcing countries to adopt the same types of policies as SAPs. SAPs has caused a lot of protests and strikes around the world for example in December 1990 students at Makerere University protest cutting of stationery and travel allowances arising from a World Bank-imposed SAP. Police fire into a crowd of protesting students, killing two. Other countries are Sudan, Benin, Jamaica, Trinidad, Venezuela,Russia, Nigeria, Niger, Mexico, Jordan, Zaire, Zambia among others.  [34]   Globalization and Competitive Markets in Third World Countries. Nowadays, globalization is playing an important role in the worlds economy. There are many viewpoints involving the concept of globalization but a common one is that globalization is the integration of national markets through international trade an

The main differences between poems are described by Metaphysical and Classical. :: English Literature

The main differences between poems are described by Metaphysical and Classical. The main differences between poems are described by Metaphysical and Classical. The most famous metaphysical poets would be John Dunn and Marvell, and then the most famous classical poets would be Marlowe and Johnson. Metaphysical being the more interesting makes use of arguments to persuade this can also be described as dialectic. Then Classical is more "Carpe Diem" (Seize the Day) being simpler and with all the verses being the same and in a Starvea (irregular) and an example of this is the poem To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time. The poem, To his coy mistress is very much Carpe Diem but the poet Andrew Marvell who wrote it was influenced by both Metaphysical and Classical types of poetry, the way in the beginning of the poem he seems to talk about things in a very slow way, walking, time slowing down to try to woe the women in a much quicker, the poem also shows a lot of Petrachan influences as when Andrew Marvell says 'Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze' and 'Thy beauty shall no more be found'. The poem is very much more in use of words that show the women in which the poem is talking about as being a goddess as I said earlier; this seems to play a large part in the poem. Another poem which is also very Carpe Diem is, to the virgins, to make much of time, this poem uses irregular (starvea) stress' and unstressed' words, but does have a regular amount of feet throughout the poem. The poem seems to be stating to a woman that she should not wait at all and get married in her youth when she still can, it is speaking as though the women has no other option than to get married in her youthful times. The writer, Robert Herrick, is using the sun also as a use of time saying to hurry before the sun sets and it will be too late for the sun and the women marrying times are gone. The poem The Flea is very different to the other two before, it is a metaphysical poem which is much more interesting, it uses a much more dialectic view of wooing a women. It uses the fact that as a flea has bitten both the poet and the women of whom he is in love with, that it means that there are three lives all together in one and that him and his love almost 'more than maryed are'.

Brave New World By Alduos Huxley :: Free Essay Writer

Brave New World By Alduos Huxley Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a book full of meaning and purpose. Even though it was written in 1932 and wasn’t completely accepted at the time, today people accept it as a work of written genius. The book starts off as telling of mans destiny in the future. It is so far into the future that it isn’t even on the time scale of BC or AD, it is AF. There are no parents, no relatives, and no family history. Children are test tube babies in which they are grown and â€Å"born† in a building and live there and learn until they are old enough to leave and live their own lives. The babies are categorized as Alpha’s, Beta’s, Gamma’s, Delta’s and Epsilons. Alpha’s and Beta’s are high class while Gamma’s Delta’s and Epsilon’s are low class and work at factory like places. The people work to make the babies and to make the society a happy place to live in. The only culture that lives on is English; dead languages are everything else like French and Polish. The only society that still lived on was the Indians. Huxley seemed to make his novel a little debauched. The people in the town took a drug called soma and had sex casually. There were even meetings where a group of people would get together, take soma, say rhymes like â€Å"orgy-porgy† and have an orgy. For the time period this book was written, casual sex was not something accepted by the majority of people. This is one reason why the book wasn’t liked. The way Huxley started with the characters Bernard and Lenina made it seem like something big was going to happen to them at the end. Bernard was kind of a rebel from his society by not wanting to take soma and have sex with a different girl every night. And Lenina was the girl of Bernard’s fancy, who he wanted to be with, but Lenina agreed with the consumption of soma and having sex all the time. When Bernard and Lenina went to New Mexico for a holiday, they met some Indians or â€Å"savages†. But for some odd reason they met two English or â€Å"civilized† people there. A woman was left there by a man who was now England’s Director, and she got pregnant with his baby, John, who had a tormented childhood from the Indian children for his race and his mother who still lived with the civilized idea of casual sex, which the Indians did not.

Fahrenheit 451 Equality Essay

Why is equality impossible? In both Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut, the government’s try to suppress freedom by calling it equality. Both the characters, Guy Montag and Harrison Bergeron try to oppose their government’s idea of equality. They show that there will always be individuals who rebel, are not the same, and try to start their own society to fight against the government. In these readings, both authors, Bradbury and Vonnegut, suggest that equality is unattainable because there will constantly be individuals that challenge the idea of people being the same in everyway possible. Even as the government concealed knowledge in both readings, individuals rebelled in order to obtain knowledge. Harrison Bergeron challenged the government, all while he wore a tremendous pair of earphones that mentally handicaps intelligent people. Nonetheless he refused to sit still and live his life like everyone else in the world. Instead he wanted to be emperor of the world and fought until his death trying to achieve his vision. Harrison proclaims on television, â€Å"‘I am the emperor! †¦ Do you hear? I am the emperor†¦ Even as I stand here†¦ crippled, hobbled, sickened- I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! ’†(Vonnegut 3). Despite the fact that Harrison is only fourteen years old and carried three hundred pounds, he rebelled against the government on account that he loathed the world he currently is in. This shows that even if the government forces people into being equal, people will rise up and rebel against them. In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag also rebelled against his government. He was not allowed to read or owned books since it was against the law. Knowing this, Guy still rebelled by smuggling books home from his fireman job. Bradbury writes, â€Å" Without looking at [the book, Guy] dropped it to the floor†¦ He kept moving his hand and dropping books on the floor†¦When he was done he looked down upon some twenty books lying at his wife’s feet† (65-66). Though Guy was a fireman and books for a living, he began to doubt and rebel against his government’s idea of equality. As the government burnt books, citizens that normally obeyed the law began to rebel against it and collected books. This shows that even people who enforce the law might rebel against it, if they begin the doubt it. No matter how hard the governments try to suppress knowledge, everyday citizens who want knowledge will find a way to obtain it. Even in the world where everyone is allegedly equal, there will be people that are above others. In â€Å"Harrison Bergeron†, everyone in the world is the same, no one is prettier than anyone else and no one is smarter than anyone else. This is untrue because Diana Moon Glampers, the United States Handicap General, is able kill people. Vonnegut writes, â€Å" Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicap General, came into the studio with a double- barreled ten-gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor† (Vonnegut 4). Even though everyone is supposedly equal, the Handicap General has more power than everyone else. She holds the power of life and death in her hands because she is not the same as the other citizens. This shows that there will always be someone that has more power than the rest; thus proving that people will never be perfectly equal. In Fahrenheit 451, the government prevents any person to possess more intelligence than the rest of the population. People who try to gain more knowledge through books are sent to an asylum and their books are burnt to the ground. Montag asks, â€Å"‘ I-I’ve been thinking. About the fire last week. About the man whose library we fixed. What happened to him? ’ [Beatty answers] ‘They took him screaming off to the asylum’† (Bradbury 33). When people try to learn more than others, the government makes sure that they are removed so that no one is smarter than anyone else. Even though they send people in possession of books to an asylum, it does not stop people who want to obtain knowledge from collecting books. This shows that no matter how much the government tries to enforce equality, there will be people that strive to obtain knowledge. No matter how much censorship is used to make everyone the same, certain individuals will always have more knowledge and power than others. As people disagreed with the government’s idea of equality, they band together and form their own society. In â€Å"Harrsion Bergeron†, Harrison Burgeron wanted to start his own empire. He disagreed with the current government and wanted to rule the world. Harrison Bergeron states, â€Å"‘I am the emperor! †¦ I am a greater ruler than any man’†(Vonnegut 3). This shows that Harrison Burgeron wants to create his own world. He opposes the government’s law and plans on creating a different society before he was shot down. Harrsison Bergeron shows that even in the most controlled world, humans who want difference will try to make their own world. When Guy Montag ran away from the society he knew, he encountered a group of people that opposed the way the government works. This group thought that books and knowledge are important unlike the government. Granger says, â€Å"‘We’ll pass the books on to our children, by word of mouth, and let our children wait, in turn, on the other people’† (Bradbury 153). Granger and his group felt that books are important and that individual knowledge is more important than everyone being perfectly equal. They thought that the world is not ready for their knowledge. By having their own group with different ideas from the government’s, they have started a society where people can appreciate books instead of burning them. They have created a society that directly contradicts what he government is trying to accomplish. When people do not agree with the government, they will band together and form a society hoping to overthrow the law. Equality is an unachievable idea due to the fact that there are people who will rebel, be smarter or more powerful than others, and people that band together to form their own ideal society. The more a government forces their citizens to be equal, the more likely people will oppose what the government is doing. In both â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† and Fahrenheit 451, the government tries to censor the amount of freedom and knowledge every individual has, by calling it equality, but people had still rebelled against the government. Both stories show that equality is a truly impossible because certain individuals will always challenge what equality truly is.

Swot Apple Case Study

While competitors do everything they can to keep costs down, Apple does what It can to make Its products deferent. In 2007, for the third year In a row, Apple was named as The Most Innovative Company by Businesslike. ; Strong leader. CEO Steve Jobs is â€Å"a legend for his design sense†. He is essential to the promotional aspect and public relations of Apple, especially when it comes to the pod. He is the â€Å"public face and champion of the brand†. He is also an expert when it comes to talking with the press, maintaining relationships with magazine editors, and creating new relationships.Jobs has the ability to think of Ideas that he is extremely passionate and energetic about and is always ready to share that idea to gain exposure. * Customer relationships (responsiveness to customer feedback). This ties into Steve Jobs' strong leadership as he takes action in response to customer feedback to show that the brand is listening and concerned. * Brand Exposure. Part of Apple's marketing strategy is Its retail stores. Apple has opened more than 200 retail stores located worldwide.Apple's retail stores contributed an estimated $200 million, 15 to 16% of Its profits during the past two years. The reasoning behind the stores is the belief that the more people can touch an Apple product and see also offer free group workshops, personal training, and personal assistance for Apple customers. * Strategic partnerships with well-known brands: Apple has created marketing agreements with Volkswagen of America, Burton Snowboards, Nikkei and Struck. This ties into consumer confidence as well as exposure through marketing partner advertisements. * Product design and features.Products that show superior qualities, that are easy to use and that have a high quality format, but mainly that show a clear product differentiation. * Strong financial performance: throng sales and potential growth, strong cash flows, an increasing net income, decreasing debt and controlle d inventory. Weaknesses * Profit per song is low: Even though tunes is simply used as a means to boost the sales of pods, phones and Apple TV's, Apple makes only approximately 10 cents per * Unpopular Apple TV features: users are not able to download a movie from song. Tunes directly to their TV; they have download it to their PC first. Apple TV requires a HDTV, but the movies that can be downloaded are of such low resolution that the picture looks fuzzy and old-fashioned, and lastly, it has no DVD drive. Hard time finalizing contracts with move studios because of pricing disputes. * Struggle with maintaining good supplier relationships. Many companies have expressed frustration working with Apple because Steve Jobs is very clear on his vision for his products and can tend to be controlling. Incompatible software in computer and digital music format. * 1% of the global cell phone business. Opportunities * Brand exposure through retail stores. * International growth and expansion. Ap ple is pursuing opportunities to sell the phone globally. It already has partnership agreements with cell phone carriers in France, Germany, and Great Britain. It has also entered the Middle East and Africa regions, ranking fifth next to Monika, Research In Motion, ETC, and Motorola.Apple is also trying to penetrate the Japanese market since it is one of the world's largest and most demanding mobile phone markets with almost 100 million mobile phone users. * Expansion in product line. Apple is trying to expand its product line to include media and software in addition to hardware. * Expansion in customer base. Apple is also trying to reach many different consumers rather than its traditional of tech- savvy consumers. Improvements in compatibility. * Improvements in strategic partnerships.Apple needs to search for more strategic partnerships and better its relationships with its suppliers so effective agreements can be reached. * Growth in new user segments Threats * Competitors' thr eats. Realizations sought a price war with Apple by dropping the price to $0. 49 per song and $4. 99 per album compared to Apple's price of $0. 99 and $9. 99 respectively. Realizations also launched technology called Harmony, which allows Realizations users to translate songs purchased from Relapse music to be played on Microsoft formats.Wall-Mart launched its own online music store and is currently the number one music retailer in the nation, followed by * Technology and entertainment industries are constantly and rapidly tunes. Changing so Apple has to find a way to keep its reputation related to innovative design. * Threat of start-up companies and competitors. The risk of new entrants is high in the player and music service businesses as well as in the mobile phone market, particularly from large, established consumer electronics companies, such as Cassia, Sony and Toshiba (for players) or from on-line companies like Yahoo andMicrosoft or retailers like Virgin Music (for downloa ds). Given the attractiveness of these markets, new competitors are likely to enter because of low barriers to entry. The notable acceptance and profit made by RIM's Blackberry demonstrate the potential of new entrants to increase rivalry. Due to the success of the phone and the Blackberry, other producers will undoubtedly attempt to imitate their appealing features and functional applications in order to create customer value and compete effectively with their own smart phones.In addition, Apple's exclusive use of Cingular/AT;T does not prevent the phone service provider from entering potentially harmful agreements with the company's competitors, such as its threatening relationship with rival Palm. * Apple's dominance and relative power in the music industry (as well as Jobs' reputation for control) may build resistance among film producers who are accustomed to maintaining their own levels of control over content. * Price sensitivity.The company's entrance into the mobile communi cations industry with the introduction of its phone has placed Apple in another highly competitive industry, where several large, well-funded, and experienced competitors operate. Price sensitivity on the part of consumers is very strong, and rivalry is especially fierce in this market. * A close look at Apple's competition reveals that the company is confronted by aggressive opposition in all areas of its business.The markets for consumer electronics, personal computers, related software and peripheral products, digital music devices and related services, and mobile communication devices are intensely competitive. They are characterized by rapid technological advancements, which have substantially increased the abilities and use of PC's, digital electronics, and mobile communication devices. As a result, a variety of new products with competitive price, feature, and performance characteristics are being introduced into the marketplace. Price competition in Apple's main product mark ets has been particularly fervent. Continuous downward pressure on Apple's margins as it is common for competitors selling personal computers based on other operating systems to aggressively cut prices and accept lower product margins to gain or maintain market share. * Other than price, key competitive factors in the computing market include product treasures, relative price/performance, product quality and reliability, design innovation, availability of software and peripherals, marketing and distribution capability, service and support, and corporate reputation.As the industry and its customers become more reliant on Internet connectivity, alternative (even substitute) devices are becoming increasingly smaller, simpler, and less expensive than traditional PC's. These devices compete for market share with Apple's desktop and content providers to offer integrated solutions that produce more value or exclude Apple from access to content.