Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Poor Richards Almanac Essay - 531 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;First published by Benjamin Franklin in 1732, â€Å"Poor Richard’s Almanack† was a guide to both weather forecasts and wise sayings. Franklin used the pseudonym Richard Saunders in writing the text, which became an annual publication up until 1757. Response to the almanac was tremendous, and it sold as many as 10,000 issues a year. Second only to the bible, â€Å"Poor Richard’s Almanack† was one of the most popular and purchased publications in colonial America. The almanac stressed the two qualities Franklin found to be essential to success, industry and frugality. Benjamin Franklin wrote this in hope of having a positive effect on the colonies. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Franklin wrote â€Å"Poor Richard’s Almanack† as†¦show more content†¦Overall, these sayings changed many of the colonist’s lives, and made them think about how they were conducting their lives. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Besides its many proverbs, the almanac contained forecasts for weather in the colonies. These forecasts were based on the different weather patterns that Franklin predicted, and because they were only predicted, they were not always accurate (Giblin 26). The forecasts proved to be very helpful to the farmers and plantation workers when determining the kind of seasons the crops would have. Weather played a very important role in the lives of the early colonists, and the almanac provided a means for people to arrange their lives according to these weather forecasts. Although not the most important part of the almanac, the colonists were always discussing the accuracy or imprecision of Franklin’s predictions. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In conclusion, by writing and publishing â€Å"Poor Richard’s Almanack,† Benjamin Franklin made an enormous contribution to the American public. It provided informatio0n on many topics that people had not addresses publicly ever before. It also predicted the weather forecast, which was very helpful for many ofShow MoreRelated`` Wise Men Learn By Other s Harms : Fools By Their Own Essay1489 Words   |  6 Pages28 November 2016 Poor Richard’s Almanac â€Å"Wise men learn by other’s harms; fools by their own† (Franklin). Benjamin Franklin insists that wise people learn from others and their mistakes while fools learn from their personal understandings. The purpose of Poor Richard’s Almanac was to teach people things from another person’s experiences. Poor Richard’s Almanac was written by Benjamin Franklin under the pseudonym of Richard Saunders. It was written as a yearly published almanac in 1732 and was finallyRead MoreSocial Issues In American Literature972 Words   |  4 PagesFranklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack. One of the main purposes of this almanac was to actually help the average citizen in achieving prosperity. Franklin like Crevecouer, uses a persona in his writings. The persona that is used by Franklin is that of a poor farmer (Poor Richard), which helped to connect with Franklin’s target audience, which was the common American citizen. This style of writing con trasts with Crevocuer because instead of making observations about the corruption of America, Poor RichardsRead MoreBenjamin Franklin : American Innovator1869 Words   |  8 Pagesa decade of his arrival in Philadelphia Franklin had began publishing several works, including and most notably, the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard s Almanac (Clark). â€Å"Poor Richard s Almanac made Franklin famous throughout North America and helped to make his name known for the first time to thousands of ordinary readers† (Clark 46, 47). The Almanac, again published under a pseudonym, was chalk full of scientific data and social commentary. It combined Franklin s humor, wit, and humanistRead MoreThe Way Of Wealth By Benjamin Franklin980 Words   |  4 Pagesauthor so great pleasure, as to find his works respectfully quoted by others (n.p).† His goal in the essay is to answer a question he has heard the public talk about. â€Å"Must a man afford himself no leisure (n.p)?† T he essay resonates from the Almanac â€Å"Poor Richard† by Saunders, it goes into detail about the multifarious paths a person questioning leisure time may have. Franklin takes the time to explore his mind and answer the public’s question. He begins to answer by saying, â€Å"Employ thy time well,Read MoreThe Birth Of Benjamin Franklin1014 Words   |  5 Pageshelp young working men with self-and-civic improvement (Quick Biography). He also became a member of the Masons and was socially active. By 1733, he started the writings of Poor Richard s Almanac. These almanacs were created under another alias, Richard Saunders. Many of Franklin s famous quotes came from these almanacs. In the A few of these quotes are, Well done is better than well said (Benjamin Franklin.PBS) or one of his most famous A friend in need is a friend indeed! (Benjamin FranklinRead MoreEssay on Ben Franklin: Early Life1685 Words   |  7 PagesQuaker merchant by the name of Thomas Denham offered him a clerkship in his store in Philadelphia, he decided to return home (#5). Returning to Philadelphia in 1726, he soon owned a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, and began to print Poor Richards Almanac. In the Pennsylvania Gazette, a citizen asked editor Franklin the following question: If A found out that his neighbor B was sleeping with his wife, was he justified in telling Bs wife, and persuading her to seek a little revenge with ARead MoreBenjamin Franklins Influence on America444 Words   |  2 Pagesthat day and the suffering he saw around him led him to try to resolve some new problems. Benjamin Franklin started out as a runaway with only one skill: printing; before long he found a way to provide important information to the public through his almanacs, he became a respected leader in his local community and in the scientific community, and later in his life he played an important role in American Revolution, With a lot of hard work and a commitment to helping others Benjamin Franklin became oneRead MoreEng Questions 2 Essay1148 Words   |  5 P agesname as a cover so that he could get his writings published without his brother knowing. Poor Richard’s Almanac was the name of a series of issues that Franklin created with numerous sayings that became well known and respected. Poor Richard served to get Franklin involved in public life on a more formal basis since it was the reason many people knew his name. I believe that both Silence Dogood and Poor Richard were autobiographical to some extent because they allowed Franklin to express his ideasRead More Benjamin Franklin Essay1332 Words   |  6 Pagespublish the Poor Richards Almanac under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. Although most people knew that he was the one that wrote it the Richard Saunders character repeatedly denied this. Some of his famous quotes from this publishing were A penny saved is two pence dear which translated means a penny saved is a penny earned. Also the quote Fish and visitors stink in three days remains a common quotation in the modern wor ld. Benjamin Franklin sold about 10,000 copies a year of his almanac. In 1764Read MoreThe Ideas Of Regeneration Of Time And Calendrical Rites1548 Words   |  7 Pagesof creation. This is how this idea of regeneration connects to the Aztec, but how do calendric rites connect to them? This connection can be formed when looking at how Aztec viewed the passage of time, which includes the 52 year cycle. As said by Richard F. Townsend â€Å"The arrangement of time governed all important activities of individual life as well as the scheduling and performance of state-organized events.† (The AZTECS, page 122) ; meaning that the Aztecs were given important meaning to the passage

Monday, December 16, 2019

World Cities and Sustainable Development Free Essays

World Cities and Sustainable Development Subject: Sub-divided units in Hong Kong ( 1487 words ) Hong Kong has been celebrated for its sky-high belongings monetary value which has been a concern to both the policy shapers and the populace in recent old ages. Apart from the unaffordable belongings monetary values, Hong Kong besides faces societal issues like the sub-divided units, accidents such as the 2011 Fa Yuen Street fire [ 1 ] and the prostration edifice at Ma Tau Wei Road [ 2 ] in 2010 have roused public consciousness towards the issue. In this essay, I will foremost explicate the relationship between lodging and sustainable development. We will write a custom essay sample on World Cities and Sustainable Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now Then I will present the jobs of sub-divided units in Hong Kong and its influence on residents’ quality of life. Finally, I will measure the key challenges faced by the Hong Kong Housing Authority in turn toing the lodging jobs. Sustainable lodging dramas an of import function in sustainable development. Harmonizing to theSustainable Housing Policyissued by the United Nations Human Settlements Program ( UN-Habitat ) in 2012, lodging is one of the basic standards to mensurate the quality of life of people, which besides connect to environmental, societal, cultural and economic facets in the community [ 3 ] . The construction of lodging creates a great influence on both the current and future coevalss due to the life-long lastingness of edifices. Housing besides requires a considerable sum of natural resources, such as H2O, electricity, land and edifice stuffs as input, where lodging produces sewerage, municipal solid waste and other sorts of pollution that create negative impact to the natural environment. Hence, sustainable lodging is the key to travel a measure frontward sustainable development. UN-Habitat defined sustainable lodging as ‘genuinely sustainable houses are those that are inclusive and low-cost for all†¦and yet affordability is non plenty, because the alleged low-cost place can non be considered sustainable if they create negative impacts on the environment or societal life.’ [ 4 ] Harmonizing to the US-based consultancy Demographia, Hong Kong ranks the first among 360 metropoliss for the ‘most unaffordable’ lodging for the 4th consecutive twelvemonth. Hong Kong’s one-year average family income is merely one-fifteenth of the average place monetary value, therefore being rated as ‘severely unaffordable’ . [ 5 ] In 2013 Policy Address [ 6 ] , lodging jobs ranked foremost in the government’s precedence, particularly aimed at helping the grassroots into public lodging and in-between category households to home ownership. [ 7 ] However, the job could non be solved nightlong, the increasing figure of sub-divided units suggested that the authorization failed to help the grassroots and in-between category households in run intoing their basic demands to alleviate the poorness job. After the Fa Yuen Street fire and the collapsed edifice incident at Ma Tau Wei Road, safety of sub-divided units has raised the public concern. Among all lodging jobs, the state of affairs of sub-divided units is critical. The life environment of these sub-divided units are by and large little in size, but are poplar because of their affordability. Harmonizing to a research conducted by the University of Hong Kong, about 63 % of sub-divided units occupants lived at units which country are less than 160 sq. pes, where the smallest unit is about 70 sq. pes. Respondents reviewed that they were discontented about their life environment, particularly in fire safety, air circulation and security. Over two-third of the respondents stated that there were jobs such as H2O escape, home base exposure, concrete spalling and mussy electric wires, which imposed psychological force per unit area to them as they were worried about the building’s construction of their units particularly after the incidents. [ 8 ] The study besides stated that occupants were worried about their security in the sub-divided units, approximately 44 % reviewed that stealing occurred in their unit, followed by robbery ( 33 % ) , drugs covering ( 29 % ) , incendiarism ( 25 % ) and sex discourtesies ( 22 % ) . In footings of societal life, merely 5 % of occupants were familiar with their neighbours and maintained a friendly relationship with each other, while 60 % of respondents were non familiar or did non acknowledge their neighbours. At the same clip, approximately 77 % of occupants did non fall in or affect in any community activities. [ 9 ] Over half of the sub-unit occupants reflected that their greatest want is to acquire a public lodging colony, one-third wished to better their life environment. Furthermore, the greatest concern of the occupants is the sanitation job of the life environment, followed by security and the safety of the building’s construction. In footings of psychological well-being, occupants reflected that they were worried about the lifting rent and frequently felt laden due to the narrow and bantam life status. These jobs of sub-divided units have been earnestly impacting the residents’ quality of life as they struggled hard to keep a life. [ 10 ] Furthermore, the bulk of occupants felt detached, unhappy and have low sense of properties to the society as they seldom communicate with each other and rarely involved in their community, which would impact their physiological well-being. In footings of life environment, they were discontent about the sanitation and safety jobs, and the bulk wished to travel into the public lodging every bit shortly as possible. There are three challenges faced by the Hong Kong Housing Authority in turn toing the job of sub-divided units. First, Hong Kong faces the job of limited land supply. Presently 23 % of land has been development, and 7 % is allocated for residential land usage. The deficit in land supply will further take to the lifting monetary value of belongings monetary values. [ 11 ] To turn to this job, renewal is frequently used since the 1970s. [ 12 ] In 2013, development curate Paul Chan Mo Po even suggested constructing estate by uncluttering an country in the state park [ 13 ] or construct places on the golf nine site, [ 14 ] these steps and suggestions faced strong expostulation in the society. Second, the authorities failed to command the belongings monetary values. Under the sky-high belongings monetary values, the authorities eventually attempted to interfere the market by presenting the dual cast responsibilities to relieve the state of affairs. [ 15 ] However, the program failed to command the belongings monetary values and the belongings monetary values in Hong Kong reached new highs in August 2014, entering the highest belongings monetary value in Hong Kong’s history. [ 16 ] Third, the job of ‘sub-divided units’ jobs involved the work of different governments and the division of duties is non clearly defined. Therefore, different sections may decline to take the duties. The job non merely related to edifice and fire safety, but besides other issues such as edifice direction job, urban reclamation job and lodging job. [ 17 ] Sustainable lodging should non be measured merely in footings of affordability, and should means more than a roof over one’s caput. A sustainable lodging system should be able to supply abode with: equal basic substructure, privateness, infinite, handiness, safety, security, dependability, sanitation and waste-management installations, suited environmental quality, accessible location to make basic installations and work topographic point, accessible and equity transit system, while all these standards should be brought with low-cost monetary value. [ 18 ] These factors are what Hong Kong presently lack and should be taking into history in doing lodging policies and determinations. Mention â€Å" 2011-12 Policy Address – Policy Address. †2011-12 Policy Address – Policy Address. 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.policyaddress.gov.hk/11-12/eng/p190.html gt ; . â€Å" 2013 Policy Address by Chief Executive ( 3 ) . †2013 Policy Address by Chief Executive ( 3 ). Hong Kong Government Press Release. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201301/16/P201301160282.htm gt ; . â€Å" State Park Carve-up the Worst of All Land Options. †South China Morning Post. 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1311176/country-park-carve-worst-all-land-options gt ; . â€Å" Easing of Double Stamp Duty Another Example of Leung ‘s Failed Housing Policy. †South China Morning Post. 16 May 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1512772/easing-double-stamp-duty-another-example-leungs-failed gt ; . â€Å" Land Utilization in Hong Kong. †Land Utilization in Hong Kong. Planning Department, 16 July 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.pland.gov.hk/pland_en/info_serv/statistic/landu.html gt ; . Li, Yiu-wa. â€Å" Public Rental Housing for Young People. † ( 2012 ) .HKU Scholars Hub. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //hdl.handle.net/10722/174578 gt ; . Li, Yvonne. â€Å" Hong Kong Ranks World ‘s No 1 for ‘most Unaffordable ‘ Housing. †Property. South China Morning Post, 22 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/1410730/hong-kong-ranks-worlds-no-1-most-unaffordable-housing? page=all gt ; . Mok, Siu-fan. â€Å" Searching for Improvements: An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Public Rental Housing Policy in Hong Kong since 1998. †HKU Scholars Hub. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //hdl.handle.net/10722/131428 gt ; . Ngai, Edward. â€Å" Defying Gravity: Hong Kong Property Prices Reach New Highs. †The Wall Street Jorunal. China Real Time Report RSS, 8 Aug. 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/08/08/defying-gravity-hong-kong-property-prices-reach-new-highs/ gt ; . â€Å" Paul Chan Should Revive His Plan for Homes on Golf Club Site. †South China Morning Post. 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1308854/paul-chan-should-revive-his-plan-homes-golf-club-site gt ; . â€Å" Reclamation Is One Option. †South China Morning Post. 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1221671/reclamation-one-option gt ; . South China Morning Post. Police release more images of fire suspects. 5 December 2011. Print Sustainable Housing for Sustainable Cities. Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Human Settlements Programme ( UN-Habitat ) , 2012. Print. Wong, Man-kin, James. â€Å" Domestic Sub-divided Unit of measurements in Urban Areas in Hong Kong: A Study of Policy Problems and Solutions. † ( 2012 ) .HKU Scholars Hub. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //hdl.handle.net/10722/184387 gt ; . Youth Hong Kong Editorial Team. â€Å" Housing Dilemmas – Give the Young a Future. †Education Post. 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.educationpost.com.hk/resources/youth/140117-housing-dilemmas- give-the-young-a-future gt ; . Yuen, Ming, and Joy Lu. â€Å" HK Building Collapse Kills Three ; Two Missing. †HK Building Collapse Kills Three ; Two Missing. China Daily, 30 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-01/30/content_9401882.htm gt ; . â€Å" ? ·Ã‚ ±? °?aY-a?ˆe?Sâ€Å"a?-a °?ec †c ©Ã‚ ¶ . † a? ¤eˆsa?Sa ±Ã¢â‚¬ ¹a?†¹a†¹Ã¢â€ž ¢a §Ã¢â‚¬ aâ€Å" e?„a?†¹c §?aâ€Å"a ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¡a ·?aa °?c µÃ¢â‚¬Å¾ . e ¦Ã¢â€ž ¢ a ¤Ã‚ §a ­?c §Ã‹â€ aeˆ?ac †c ©Ã‚ ¶a? ­aa?S ?†?c ­-aaa?ˆâ€ °eâ„ ¢?a†¦Ã‚ ¬a , 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2014. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.cityu.edu.hk/hkhousing/r A ; c/ssp_last.pdf gt ; . 1 How to cite World Cities and Sustainable Development, Essay examples

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Debut Albums and Various Journeys free essay sample

Winners never quit and quitters never win. This sentence always sticks in my mind through every day of my life. When I embark on various Journeys in my life, there must be a time at which I feel like giving up. It could happen anytime, either at the start of the Journey or Just before I am about to make that huge break-through that I have been putting so much effort in to achieve. However, I always keep in my mind that it is better to fall than to quit, because I am never a quitter. Last year I had a test in physical education and I was required to do high Jump. Never been good in sports, I worried that I would fail the test because the pole seemed so high that it is impossible for me to Jump over it. Though, I believed in myself that I would beat my fear and Jumped over the pole. We will write a custom essay sample on Debut Albums and Various Journeys or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Unexpectedly, I did the first Jump well. Then the height was increased to 1. 5 m. My fear got bigger, but to quit at that time would be a ass. Hence, I ran and Jumped over it. My heart was beating very fast that time. Then I landed smoothly on the mattress and I felt very relieved. After the height was increased again to 1. 75 m I slipped and failed the Jump, but I am glad because I had tried my very best and I did not fail that test. From that point forward, I choose to believe in myself and do my best in everything even though I may fail instead of quitting.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Peets Coffee and Tea Application of Machiavellis Ideas in Enhancing Business

Company Profile Peet’s coffee and tea is a corporation found in San Francisco Bay and mainly specializes in coffee roasting and retailing. Alfred Peet established the organization in 1966 and it has been expanding year after another following his able leadership.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Peet’s Coffee and Tea: Application of Machiavelli’s Ideas in Enhancing Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He established a small coffee roasting business that with the solely purpose of sourcing funds to cater for his expenses implying that he was never optimistic of forming a large organization that has the potential to compete with the market leader. The company was strategically situated, a factor that contributed to its growth since it served the students from the University of California. Currently, the organization has several branches across the country, with the major ones in California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Illinois. The management has been keen on exploiting the market in order to achieve the financial objectives. The administration appreciates the fact that students are likely to consume coffee products and it has always ensured that it negotiates with various university bodies as regards to the opening of the coffee shops and outlets. However, the organization does not have the capacity to compete with other market leaders, such as Starbucks because of its narrow focus. Unlike Starbucks, it only concentrates on coffee and tea production and retailing. This makes it a California company, with few stores and outlets across the country. This paper argues that the ideas of Machiavelli on the prince could be applied successfully to enhance business in the organization. In other words, Peet’s coffee and tea has the potential of outsmarting the market leaders, such as Starbucks by simply borrowing the views of Machiavelli. In the Prince, Machiavell i was of the view that the leader has to apply all available tactics in order to achieve greatness for the city-state. Based on this, the leader can choose to be cunning, diplomatic, persuasive, or destructive, as long as the major goals are achieved. This means that the end will always justify the means since the ultimate goal will clarify the path in which a leader followed. In this case, Peet’s coffee and tea has to employ all available strategies to outmuscle the market leaders, such as Starbucks. This paper looks at various aspects of Machiavelli’s views as far as gaining and maintaining power is concerned.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More World’s most popular leaders, including Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Mussolini, and Napoleon applied Machiavelli’s ideas successfully, even though some of them never modified the assumptions to suit their environm ents. Peet’ coffee and tea is encouraged to adjust the views to be consistent with the business environment in which it operates. Since Machiavelli’s ideas relates to rising to power without moral or legal consideration, the organization has to borrow a few productive ideas, but it should not import them wholesomely. For Machiavelli, Peet’s coffee and tea will have to apply tricks, such as murder, betrayal, unfaithfulness, pitilessness, and impiousness to achieve the objectives. However, all these would definitely lead to the collapse of the organization and it may as well attract legal tussles. Through Machiavelli’s techniques, the organization will simply gain power, but it would be difficult to achieve glory (Scott and Kesten 118). Opponents of Machiavelli’s views are of the opinion that ethics must be considered when engaging in leadership and business implying that murdering some people to take over their wealth is immoral (Benner 89). Kantian theory of ethics suggests that any action has to be universal meaning that the majority has to support it or subscribe to it. Additionally, Kant opposed the view that human beings could perhaps be used as the means to an end. On the other hand, utilitarianism tends to support the views of Machiavelli since a negative action can be taken to salvage the interests of the majority. Therefore, Peet’s coffee and tea should be aware of the general ethical standards and business codes of ethics when applying some of these ideas. Qualities of the Leader Machiavelli presented the qualities of a good leader with the capability of taking the organization to a different level. He talked about virtue, which has a stronger meaning as compared to the modern meaning. For him, virtues could mean a talent, expertise, power, dynamism, vigor, resourcefulness, bravery, or strength of mind. In this regard, virtue is an important quality in leadership that the prince has to acquire if he is to gove rn the city in the most appropriate way. In the same way, the entrepreneur and the business manager need some of these qualities since they enable them to offer superior services to several stakeholders.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Peet’s Coffee and Tea: Application of Machiavelli’s Ideas in Enhancing Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The management of Peet’s coffee and tea should employ some of these features since they are compatible with any business objective. Apart from virtue, Machiavelli talked about other three features of a good leader that enable him or her to maintain power. Any leader should be stingy instead of being generous because bigheartedness does not allow people to note the difference, even though the leader might have brought several changes (Mulcaster 66). However, generosity is only applied when it is determined that it can achieve the immediate objective. Peet’s coffee and tea has failed to achieve its main objective of gaining a competitive advantage because of laxity. In the global market, companies that have explored this feature effectively have succeeded in being the market leaders. One such company is Microsoft because it always hoards products to control the prices, a technique that accountants refer to as cookie jar, which is effective in gaining competitive advantage. Another important feature for the leader is discipline whereby he noted that it would be far much better to be feared than to be loved. Even though this would be challenging to apply in Peet’s coffee and tea, any manager has to study its viability. Finally, the leader has to be truthful, but can be applied only if it is a means to an end. Several leaders have applied deception to realize organizational ambitions, with Ian Telford, the internal entrepreneur at Dow Chemicals, being cited as an example. The leader spread rumors about a project that ended up being successful. It should be noted that the features of a leader that Machiavelli suggested are only used to achieve power, but they are shrewd and treacherous because they do not consider morality. Acquisition of Power through Individual Ability and Freedom The qualities discussed in the above section help a leader in the organization to execute his or her duties professionally, but this cannot be achieved without self-confidence and self-being. This means that business managers should always be concerned with their health physically, emotionally, and psychology since any lapse can result in serious problems that could bring the operations of the business down.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The political climate in Italy at the time was characterized by competition and selfishness, which is the same as the current market that forces organizations to engage in zero-sum games. In this case, the political leader in the Italian society had to do things without relying on another person because no one was to be trusted. Peet’s coffee and tea has to instruct its managers to concentrate on delivering the core objectives and this can only be realized when each leader moves in to deal with the situation personally without relying on the juniors. Machiavelli gave an example of King David who refused to be given additional weapons to engage Goliath in a fight. Based on this, Peet’s coffee and tea should accumulate adequate resources to enable it fight for its rightful place in the market instead of relying on external forces, such as recession and government regulations. Furthermore, Machiavelli recommended the recruitment of mercenaries in fighting the enemy becaus e they are highly trained and dangerous enough to destroy the opponent (Machiavelli 8). In the same way, Peet’s coffee and tea should have close confidants who would swing into action to deliver the expected goals when conditions are extreme. Machiavelli noted further that the activities of mercenaries in Italy made the country lose its position as the most powerful country in the continent. In this case, Peet’s coffee and tea should not rely too much on other companies, including those contracted to supply and distribute goods, but instead it has to come up with ways that would enable it sustain market competition. Regarding the workforce, the management has to empower each employee to develop loyalty since devoted employees would be willing to die for the organization (Gladwell 12). The Role of Favor in Maintenance of Power In the tenth chapter of his book, Machiavelli talked about the nature of human beings by noting that they prefer conferring orders as opposed to receiving them meaning that they are naturally appetitive. He discussed the forfeited cities of Germany in the chapter, an idea that can be borrowed to strengthen the performance of Peet’s coffee and tea. In this regard, it is factual that any organization is likely to cope with the changes in the external environment provided the management has the support of the workforce. Borrowing from the views of Machiavelli, the organization has to cater for the needs of all employees, including provision of security and basic needs (Gunnthorsdottir, McCabe, and Smith 46). For instance, employees should be assured of their jobs to prevent any anxiety that comes because of loss of employment. The organization has to devise some of the strategies that will attract employees to work hard towards realization of major goals. Peet’s coffee and tea has to formulate and implement this strategy since major competitors are already doing it. For instance, the owner of Starbucks, Howard Sch ultz, introduced health benefits meant to cater for the health needs of employees (Hill and Gareth 26). This had an effect because many hard working and reliable employees agreed to sign long-term contracts. Opportunity and the External Surrounding Machiavelli appreciated the role of luck in enhancing leadership since some people might possess all the features of a good leader, but they might not be successful in leading the organization to higher places. Even though a leader might achieve power through luck, such leadership is usually temporary, as it would be difficult to maintain it. In fact, this is applicable in the business environment because a company should be able to fight for its place instead of relying on unpredictable circumstances to manage competition. Luck presents itself because of opportunities and it is suggested that any slightest chance has to be utilized maximally. Many leaders in the world have succeeded without necessarily relying on fortune, but they explor ed opportunities that presented themselves during their tenures. Similarly, a number of organizations have been successful in the global market because of seizing any slightest chance. Once an organization is given an opportunity, it has to come up with strategies that would enable it expand and maintain the market. Peet’s coffee and tea has several chances that it has to exploit to outsmart market leaders, such as Starbucks. For this to happen, its leaders should possess certain personal and interpersonal qualities, which are critical when it comes to executing duties. Through these qualities, they have to create opportunities and exploit them to gain an advantage in the market (Whelan 88). For instance, Peet’s coffee and tea has to employ technology in its operations, especially in marketing of products since the social media is the new channel of information distribution. It should be remembered that the views of Machiavelli should never be implemented wholesome bec ause they were not meant for business. In fact, business principles were non-existent at his time and social corporate responsibility was not developed. In the modern society, the organization has to observe strict business ethics if it has any ambition of being the market leader. Works Cited Benner, Erica. Machiavelli’s Ethics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Print. Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point. New York: Little Brown, 2000. Print. Gunnthorsdottir, Anna, McCabe, Kevin, and Smith, Vernon. â€Å"Using the Machiavellianism instrument to predict trustworthiness in a bargaining game†. Journal of Economic Psychology, 23.2 (2002), 49-66. Hill, Charles, and Gareth, Jones. Strategic Management Theory: an Integrated Approach. New York: Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Machiavelli, NiccoloÌ€. The Prince. New York: Sovereign, 2012. Print. Mulcaster, Walters. â€Å"Three Strategic Frameworks.† Business Strategy Series, 10.1, (2009): 68-75. Print. Scott , Armstrong, and Kesten, Greene. â€Å"Competitor-oriented Objectives: The Myth of Market Share†. International Journal of Business, 12.1 (2007): 116–134. Print. Whelan, Frederick. Hume and Machiavelli: Political Realism and Liberal Thought. New York: Lexington, 2007. Print. This essay on Peet’s Coffee and Tea: Application of Machiavelli’s Ideas in Enhancing Business was written and submitted by user Maximilian Duke to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Executive Privilege essays

Executive Privilege essays The term executive privilege is defined by the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition (2001) as the "exemption of the executive branch of government, or its officers, from having to give evidence, specifically, in U.S. law, the exemption of the president from disclosing information to congressional inquiries or the judiciary." That's a fairly broad definition because there is no explanation of what information need not be disclosed, and, in fact, determining that has often been a matter for the courts. The same source notes that claims of executive privilege are usually invoked to protect confidential or diplomatic operations and may also be involved to protect the private discussions between the president and his close aides. Although the courts have been inclined to support claims of executive privilege, those claims are often not honored when it is a case that is or might become criminal, such as that of President Richard M. Nixon invoking executive privilege after the Watergate break-in. Another area that often causes the courts to refuse claims of executive privilege is when an investigation is leading toward an impeachment, as with Bill Clinton. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2001) The way the claim of executive privilege is being used during the Bush administration makes it seem that the concept is little more than the Fifth Amendment for those in high political office regarding what they've done that the American public might have a legitimate need to know. In short, the way it has been invoked lately has made it appear that the administration wants some protection from self-incrimination. While many observers note that the Bush administration operates in secrecy, a report a year and a half ago in Presidential Studies Quarterly noted that "even before September 11, 2001, the administration had sought to limit press and public access to some information, includin...

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Brief History of the Pledge of Allegiance

A Brief History of the Pledge of Allegiance The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was written in 1892 by then 37-year-old minister Francis Bellamy. The original version of Bellamy’s pledge read, â€Å"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic, for which it stands,- one nation, indivisible- with liberty and justice for all.† By not specifying to which flag or which republic allegiance was being pledged, Bellamy suggested that his pledge could be used by any country, as well as the United States. Bellamy wrote his pledge for inclusion in the Boston-published Youths Companion magazine – â€Å"The Best of American Life in Fiction Fact and Comment.† The pledge was also printed on leaflets and sent to schools throughout the United States at the time. The first recorded organized recital of the original Pledge of Allegiance took place on Oct. 12, 1892, when some 12 million American school children recited it to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus. Despite its widespread public acceptance at the time, important changes to the Pledge of Allegiance as written by Bellamy were on the way. Change In Consideration of Immigrants By the early 1920s, the first National Flag Conference (source of the U.S. Flag Code), the American Legion, and the Daughters of the American Revolution all recommended changes to the Pledge of Allegiance intended to clarify its meaning when recited by immigrants. These changes addressed concerns that since the pledge as then written failed to mention the flag of any specific country, immigrants to the United States might feel that they were pledging allegiance to their native country, rather than the U.S., when reciting the Pledge. So in 1923, the pronoun â€Å"my† was dropped from the pledge and the phrase â€Å"the Flag† was added, resulting in, â€Å"I pledge allegiance to the Flag and Republic, for which it stands,- one nation, indivisible- with liberty and justice for all.† A year later, the National Flag Conference, in order to completely clarify issue, added the words â€Å"of America,† resulting in, â€Å"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,- one nation, indivisible- with liberty and justice for all.† Change in Consideration of God In 1954, the Pledge of Allegiance underwent its most controversial change to date. With the threat of Communism looming, President Dwight Eisenhower pressed Congress to add the words â€Å"under God† to the pledge.   In advocating for the change, Eisenhower declared it would â€Å"reaffirm the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future† and â€Å"strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.† On June 14, 1954, in a Joint Resolution amending a section of the Flag Code, Congress created the Pledge of Allegiance recited by most Americans today: â€Å"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.† What About Church and State? Over the decades since 1954, there have been legal challenges to the constitutionality of the inclusion of â€Å"under God† in the pledge. Most notably, in 2004, when an avowed atheist sued the Elk Grove (California) Unified School District claiming that its pledge recital requirement violated his daughter’s rights under the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses. In deciding the case of Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, the U.S.  Supreme Court failed to rule on the question of the words â€Å"under God† violating the First Amendment. Instead, the Court ruled that the plaintiff, Mr. Newdow, did not have legal standing to file the suit because he lacked sufficient custody of his daughter. However, Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Clarence Thomas wrote separate opinions on the case, stating that requiring teachers to lead the Pledge was constitutional. In 2010, two federal appeals courts ruled in a similar challenge that â€Å"the Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the Establishment Clause because Congress’ ostensible and predominant purpose was to inspire patriotism† and â€Å"both the choice to engage in the recitation of the Pledge and the choice not to do so are entirely voluntary.†Ã‚   Pledge of Allegiance Timeline September 18, 1892: Francis Bellamy’s pledge is published in â€Å"The Youths Companion† magazine to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. October 12, 1892: The pledge is first recited in American schools.  Ã‚   1923: The original wording â€Å"my Flag† is replaced by â€Å"the flag of the United States of America.† 1942: The pledge is officially recognized by the U.S. government. 1943: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that requiring a person to say the pledge is a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.   June 14, 1954: At the request of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Congress adds â€Å"under God† to the pledge. 1998: Atheist Michael Newdow files suit against the school board of Broward County, Florida to get the phrase under God removed from the pledge. The suit is dismissed. 2000: Newdow files a lawsuit against Elk Grove Unified School District in California arguing that forcing students to listen to the words under God† is a violation of the First Amendment. The case reaches the Supreme Court in 2004, where it is dismissed. 2005: Joined by parents in the Sacramento, California, area, Newdow files a new lawsuit seeking to have the phrase under God from the Pledge of Allegiance. In 2010, the 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals denies Newdow’s appeal finding that the pledge does not represent a government endorsement of religion, as prohibited by the Constitution. May 9, 2014: The Massachusetts Supreme Court rules that because reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is a patriotic, rather than a religious, exercise, saying the words â€Å"under God† does not discriminate against atheists.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Wheatley Park Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Wheatley Park Hotel - Essay Example Consultations with all the stake holders was emphasised to garner why the hotel continues to suffer unremitting losses. The status of the facilities and equipment used in the hotel was also considered as there were complaints that the facilities were not well maintained. The loyalty of the employees was also ascertained to determine whether there was a tendency of negligence and lack of endeavour among the long serving staff. Other stakeholders consulted included the suppliers, contractors and most significantly the customers whereby the latter were encouraged to openly comment on their visit with a special emphasis on long time clients. From my consultations with the stakeholders and professionals in various fields of hotel and construction business, we have come up with a report that we hope will reverse the negative trend currently prevailing at Wheatley Park. The synopsis is that a substantial reinvestment or injection of funds is required to renovate the rundown facilities while converting others into money making ventures. In terms of employee relations, a revamping of the operations and motivation is required through staff training. The hotel policies also need to be changed to reflect the expected new position. As a the new CEO, my brief is to ensure the hotel’s reverses its slow sales and development and resume its rightful place as a reputable, profitable enterprise that will regain and enhance its former glory in the hospitality business. Am therefore obliged to use my considerable experience acquired from working at all levels of the hospitality industry initially at Grand Cosmopolitan, London Regency, and lately at the Midlands Court hotel to initiate a series of reforms as outlined below that will lead to a change of fortunes at Wheatley Park Hotel. The Wheatley Park is prime a 100 bed roomed country hotel situated on the outskirts of Oxford.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Design and Operation of Logistics Systems Assignment

Design and Operation of Logistics Systems - Assignment Example Savings in logistics cost accrue from reduced inventory levels, making it possible to close facilities, thus, promoting centralisation of distribution. It further reduces the need to keep stock at many warehouses, thus, bringing a shift in the role of such facilities from stock keeping to distribution (Higginson & Bookbinder 2005). Management of Gerrard Laboratories was also thinking on the same lines by planning to close Cologne facility not just because it could serve the Cologne warehouse customers from the Brussels plant at Belgium but because the competitor company was serving the European market with fewer warehouses than Gerrard Laboratories. Serving the Cologne customer base from the Brussels plant, the largest and the oldest one, from the management and manufacturing perspective seemed more pertinent as the Brussels manufacturing plant had been producing 25 items out of the total 35 products. The given situation indicates that it is more practical to serve the Cologne area f rom the Brussels plant. From sales operations perspective also, Gerrard’s 90% customers had been retailers; only 10% formed the industrial customers. Further, there was no seasonal change in the demand of the company products. Hence, it is expected that Gerrard should manage distribution to hospital customers satisfactorily from the Brussels plant. Another aim of distribution centres has been to attend to customer needs, which a great number of researchers have analysed. Increased communication and transportation have further minimised the requirement of warehouses and distribution centres (Higginson & Bookbinder 2005). Examining Gerrard on the communication and transportation parameters for client servicing, Gerrard has been handling its logistics functions on traditional practices. Other than its own 4 plants and 14 warehouses, it had been sharing warehousing space of 23 other grocery products and services companies, not wholly occupying the total offered space. So far the practice of one-shot billing system with variable cost of manufacturing coming to 80% of the total cost could be a reasonable ratio but annual or maximum period of 2 years for contract renewal with the warehousing service providers could be the deterrent; it carried the impending risk of increased inventory cost annually. That’s why Gerrard senior management had been focussing more on closing the Cologne facility (Case Study). Financially, it would be a good decision to close the Cologne warehouse as shipments from Netherland to Brussels would not be charged with any additional freight rate. The new weighted-average rates for taking the goods from Brussels plant to the Cologne customers through another trucking company are quite competitive as the trucking company has expressed its desire for reducing the rates for less-than truck loads (LTL). It has offered 100 square meters of its Cologne terminal space for transit storage without charging extra, which is a big plus-point. The local delivery rates for TL per case would come to â‚ ¬0.58 and for LTL only marginally higher. Rate for at least 40% shipped goods would be highly competitive. Gerrard would be in a position to save revenue on this count and also by getting goods delivered via the Netherland without incurring extra cost in comparison to goods delivered v

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Extra Credit for Reflective Essay Essay Example for Free

Extra Credit for Reflective Essay Essay My writing is nowhere near what I would consider good. I am the only one to blame. As I previously stated in other class assignments, I dropped out of high school in the middle of ninth grade. Ever since then, I never did any sort of writing, unless it was for work. Instead of working on my writing and education in general these past 6 years, I have been ignoring the fact that being educated will get me further in life and help me live more comfortably. What pushed me get back into school was the birth of my daughter as well as my interest in becoming a police officer. Aside from my horrible credit history, I knew from the start that my writing needs improvement if I even want to get through the screening process for new hires. In class, I realized how much there is to writing certain texts. Specially with essays, there was terms mentioned that I was not thought with or I just simply forgot about them. Learning grammar was of great help to me as I see grammar as my biggest weakness when it comes to writing. I specifically remember the presentation about proper usage on the apostrophe, because I was guilty on using it incorrectly with plural nouns. What I would have liked, however, is that grammar should have been taught not by the students, but by the professor. Some of the presentations seemed very important and essential to writing but they were not all clear to understand. Others had good information but it was hard for me to keep interest as the speaker read line after line of text of what seemed to be copy and paste definitions. Aside from that minor flaw, I thought the class was good overall. I just wish I had more free time so I can take  another class that supersedes this one. If I get thru the hiring process, I will have to be a good writer as police officers have to generate many accurate reports throughout their work day. Since incorrect grammar can completely change the meaning of something, I do not want it to be my weakest link when it comes to my law enforcement career. Especially since being a bad writer is correctable. Whether I take another class or buy a  book on grammar, I will attempt to improve it. Even if its a little at a time. As long as I am moving forward and not backwards, my future looks brighter than before I got back into school.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Spanning Two Decade?s:The 50?s to the 60?s Essay -- essays research pa

Spanning Two Decade’s: The 50’s to the 60’s Similar? Or Distinctly different? â€Å"The postwar years are remembered as a time of affluence, consumerism, conformity, and stability, a time when American enjoyed an optimistic faith in progress and technology.†(Heretta, pg.779) These words best describe the decade that Americas experienced in the 1950’s. It was age of dad’s always-right attitude and a culture that was family centered. The standard of living for American’s was the best in the world. The times just looked to perfect lives were lived to privately. This private enjoyment was centered on the family, leisure, and consumerism. Soon everyone tried to become to â€Å"Leave it to Beaver† type of family and culture exploded. The explosion is what everyone considers to be the 1960’s. Kids that grew up in the fifties were becoming teenagers. The pressures from their parents turned the sixties generation onto conceptual thoughts and radical behavior. This affected the ideals of politics, racial/gender discrimination, a nd family values. The differences between the fifties and the sixties are extremely evident but you must closely sort through the decade to find the definite similarities. The similarities and differences come in many political values, and behaviors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What does the word â€Å"consensus† refers to? â€Å"It is the conformity to social norms, authority, and the status quo.† (Henretta, pg. 790) It best refers to the decade of the 1950’s, where families were attempting to escape into â€Å"old home grown† households, away from the Red Scare, and out of the corporate jungle. To do this, these families flocked to the suburban area. Early in the fifties a massive â€Å"Baby Boom† occurred. With the high birth rate the need for churches caused the ideas affluence, consumption and conformity to swell in importance. With the war in the past, the fifties generation looked towards the church. Families started to make Sundays a priority in their lives. â€Å"Church membership rose from 49 percent of the population in 1940 to 69 percent in 1960†(Henretta,792). All denominations from Catholics to Jews rose in membership. Even separation between church and state became less define when in 1956 they added â€Å"In God We Trust† to coins and â€Å"Under God† in the pledge of allegiance. One of the major use of religion was not only to reach savior but also to help deal with th... ...onfidence. From Washington's perspective, the principal threat to U.S. security and world peace was monolithic, dictatorial communism emanating from the Soviet Union. Any communist, at home or abroad, was, by definition, and enemy of the United States. Drawing an analogy with the unsuccessful appeasement of fascist dictators before World War II, the Truman administration believed that the United States and its allies must meet any sign of communist aggression quickly and forcefully. This reactive policy was known as containment. The idea of containment was very similar to the McCarthyism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fifties and sixties signified two decades of affluence, consumerism, and conformity while wading through the changing of society . Teenage counter-culture, religion, politics, communism, and social views became pivotal views of expression during this time. You must observe all these assets to draw a valid conclusion of your own, but to collected facts that have been presented have graciously swayed one way. The difference between is the fifties and the sixties are extremely evident, but you must closely sort through the decade to find the definite similarities.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Internet mini case Essay

Williams-Sonoma (WSM) was a specialty retailer of products for the home. The company’s products were sold through two channels: the retail channel and the direct-to-customer channel. The retail segment comprised four retail concepts: Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and Hold Everything. The direct-to-customer segment sold though eight retail catalogs: Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Bed + Bath, PB Teen, Hold Everything, West Elm, and Williams-Sonoma Home (which incorporated elements from the previously separate Chambers) as well as through four e-commerce sites. The catalogs reached customers throughout the United States, and the four retail businesses operated 522 stores in 42 states and Washington, DC. The retail segment accounted for 58.9% of total sales; the direct-to-customer segment accounted for 41.1% in fiscal 2003. Charles E. Williams, Director Emeritus of the company in 2003, founded Williams-Sonoma in 1956 to offer high-end culinary and serving equipment in an upscale retail environment. The company entered the direct-to-customer channel in 1972, with the introduction of its flagship catalog, â€Å"A Catalog for Cooks,† which marketed the Williams-Sonoma brand. In 1983, the company internally developed the Hold Everything catalog to offer innovative and stylish storage solutions for home and home office. The success of the catalog led to the opening of the first Hold Everything retail store in 1985. In 1986, the company acquired Pottery Barn, at that time a marginally successful retailer and direct-to-customer merchant featuring a large assortment of casual home furnishings and accessories including furniture, lamps and lighting fixtures, rugs, window treatments, linens, dinnerware, and glassware. In 1989, Williams-Sonoma created Chambers, a direct-to-customer merchandiser of high-quality, premium-priced linens, towels, robes, soaps, and accessories for bed and bath. This case was prepared by Professor Maryanne M. Rouse, MBA, CPA, University of South Florida. Copyright  © 2005 by Professor Maryanne M. Rouse. This case cannot be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder, Maryanne M. Rouse. Reprint permission is solely granted to the publisher, Prentice Hall, for the books, Strategic Management and Business Policy – 10th and 11th Editions (and the International version of this book) and Cases in Strategic Management and Business Policy – 10th Edition by the copyright holder, Maryanne M. Rouse. This case was edited for SMBP and Cases in SMBP – 10th Edition. The copyright holder is solely responsible for case content. Any other publication of the case (translation, any form of electronics or other media) or sold (any form of partnership) to another publisher will be in violation of copyright law, unless Maryanne M. Rouse has granted an additional written reprint permission. In early 1999, the company launched both its Williams-Sonoma Internet wedding and gift registry web site and its Williams-Sonoma e-commerce site. Later that year, the company launched a separate Pottery Barn Kids catalog to offer well-made, stylish children’s furniture and decorative accessories. (Pottery Barn Kids was one of the first concepts to market in what is expected to be a major growth segment during the next decade, as birthrates in the United States. are expected to surpass rates achieved at any time in the past 30 years. Birthrates among older women are soaring, and older moms tend to be wealthier and more willing to splurge on their children.) Pottery Barn Kids stores were opened adjacent to Pottery Barn stores across the United States, and by September 2004, there were 78 stores. Edward Mueller, Williams-Sonoma CEO, expected Pottery Barn Kids to be the primary growth vehicle for the company over the next several years. Williams-Sonoma launched its Pottery Barn web site and created a separate Pottery Barn Bed + Bath catalog in 2000. In 2001, the company added a Pottery Barn Kids web site, and a Pottery Barn online gift and bridal registry, and it opened five new retail stores in Toronto, Ontario. In line with its related diversification growth strategy, Williams-Sonoma tested a new catalog in summer 2002, under the West Elm brand. This new brand targeted young, design-conscious customers seeking to furnish first homes/apartments/lofts with quality furniture and accessories at affordable price points. West Elm product categories included furniture, decorative accessories, and an extensive textiles collection. In 2003, Williams-Sonoma expanded its catalog mailings for West Elm, added a web site, and opened its first retail store. Williams-Sonoma launched PB Teen with a catalog and web site in late April 2003. PB Teen was intended to fill the market space between Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids with hip, exclusively designed furniture, rugs, lighting, bedding, and accessories promoted with its catalog, interactive web site, special sales campaigns, and contests. The company’s newest concept, Williams-Sonoma Home, was introduced in third quarter 2004 to tap into what company Chairman William H. Lester noted had been an empty space between the Pottery Barn demographic and designer home furnishings. Lester hoped to position this brand extension as an upscale furniture concept that would be more classic and less fashion-forward than Pottery Barn. Dave DeMattei, Williams-Sonoma’s President of Emerging Brands, noted that the look of casual elegance was â€Å"aspirational,† using an industry term for a product that helps a consumer trade up without necessarily spending top dollar. This new home collection, put together by Steven Brady, former President for Home Design at Ralph Lauren Home, featured down-plumped sofas ranging from $2,200 to $5,800 and $3,000 leather headboards as well as crystal lamps, cashmere throws, and the upscale linens formerly featured in the company’s Chambers catalog. (The company planned to fold the Chambers catalog into the Williams-Sonoma Home catalog.) Although some industry watchers questioned whether consumers would be willing to buy somewhat pricey furnishing sight-unseen, the company’s alliances with decorators, who would get trade discounts, were expected to help overcome initial resistance. The first Williams-Sonoma Home retail stores were expected to open early in 2 005. Retail Stores As of September 2004, Williams-Sonoma operated a total of 522 retail stores located in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario: 242 Williams-Sonoma, 176 Pottery Barn, 82 Pottery Barn Kids, 7 Hold Everything, 1 West Elm, and 14 outlet stores. The company leased rather than owned its retail space. As of September 2004, the company’s gross leased square feet totaled 4,292,000, with 2,705,000 â€Å"selling† square feet. Lease terms ranged from 3 to 23 years. The average square feet per retail location increased from 7,660 in 2002 to 8,200 by August 2004, as the company replaced older, smaller Pottery Barn stores with larger stores carrying a wider variety of merchandise, including furniture. Direct-to-Customer Operations The direct-to-customer segment sold a variety of products through eight catalogs and e-commerce web sites. The company sent its catalogs to addresses from its proprietary customer lists as well as to names it received in exchange (or purchases) from other mail-order merchandisers, magazines, and other companies. The direct-to-customer business complemented the retail business by building customer awareness of the brand and acting as an effective promotional vehicle. Williams-Sonoma also used its catalogs and e-commerce sites as a cost-efficient means of testing market acceptance of new products. As of 2004, of the eight merchandising concepts, the Pottery Barn brand and its extensions had been the major source of sales growth in this segment for the previous several years. A good deal of Pottery Barn’s success was attributed to its ability to create a â€Å"lifestyle brand.† A brand gained â€Å"lifestyle† status via style, innovation, and appeal to customers who wanted to lead a particular style of life; in short, it allowed the company to reach a higher level in terms of the connection it made with the customer. Facilities/Locations Williams-Sonoma leased centralized distribution facilities in Olive Branch, Mississippi (2,152,000 square feet), and Memphis, Tennessee (1,515,000 square feet), and call centers in Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, and Camp Hill, Pennsylvania (approximately 36,000 square feet in each location). Distribution centers served both the company’s retail locations and fulfillment operations. The company also leased office, warehouse, design/photo studio, and data center space in California, New York, and Florida. In February, Williams-Sonoma purchased headquarters offices in San Francisco. Suppliers The company’s sourcing strategy included relationships with manufacturers in over 40 countries. Approximately 58% of merchandise purchases were from non-U.S. vendors, most of which were located in Europe and Asia. Substantially all of the company’s foreign purchases of merchandise were negotiated and paid for in U.S. dollars. Any event causing a sudden disruption or delay of imports from foreign vendors, including the imposition of additional import restrictions, restrictions on the transfer of funds and/or increased tariffs or quotas, or both, against home-centered items could increase the cost or reduce merchandise availability. No supplier accounted for more than 4% of Williams-Sonoma’s total purchases. Finance In fiscal 2003 (fiscal year ended February 1, 2004), Williams-Sonoma reported a 16.7% increase in net revenues over the prior year, the highest pretax operating margin and earnings per share in the company’s history and an increasing return on assets. Williams-Sonoma’s profit for the quarter ended August 1, 2004, jumped 55% as sales surged at the company’s Pottery Barn and outlet stores. Revenue for second quarter 2004 increased 19%, to $689.6 million, with direct-to-customer sales up an impressive 27%. Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids drove second quarter retail growth with same-store sales increases of 10.2%; however, same-store sales at the company’s Williams-Sonoma stores slid 1.6%. The closing price for Williams-Sonoma stock on October 14, 2004, was $36.33. (Note: Williams-Sonoma’s annual and quarterly reports and SEC filings are available via the company’s web site, www.williams-sonomainc.com, and www.wsj.com ) The Industry The specialty retail business was highly competitive and characterized by a number of challenges, including: Anticipating and quickly responding to changing consumer demands Maintaining favorable brand recognition and effectively marketing products to consumers in diverse market segments Developing innovative, high-quality products in colors and styles that appealed to consumers of varying age groups and tastes Competitively pricing products and achieving customer perception of value Providing strong and effective marketing support Specialty retail exhibited the low entry barriers characteristic of fragmented industries, barriers that may be all but eliminated with the increased popularity of the Internet. Favored products for online shopping included computers, books, CDs, electronics, toys, and housewares. Over time, industry analysts expected catalog retailing to merge with e-tailing as web sites become electronic catalogs. For successful companies with strong brand names, the combination of stores and web sites would be a powerful one; however, expenditures for e-commerce sites would hurt profitability in the short run. Competitors Williams-Sonoma’s specialty retail stores, mail-order catalogs, and Internet web sites competed with other retail stores, other mail-order catalogs, and other e-commerce web sites that marketed similar lines of merchandise. The company competed with national, regional, and local businesses as well as traditional furniture stores, department stores and specialty stores. The substantial sales growth in the direct-to-customer industry within the past decade had encouraged both the entry of new competitors and an increase in competition from established companies. Direct competitors included such national companies as Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, Pier 1 Imports, and Bombay Company, as well as regional companies such as the Door Store, Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium, Home Elements, and Expressions. Crate & Barrel A counterculture story of the 1960s, Crate & Barrel opened its first store in Chicago’s Old Town in 1962 and mailed its first catalog in 1967. Privately held Crate & Barrel prided itself on designing beautiful store displays that were difficult to copy and worked diligently to find products from smaller, out-of-the way factories that made beautiful products that consumers could afford. Although the company had significantly fewer brick-and-mortar locations (84 retail and outlet stores) than the Williams-Sonoma retail concepts with which it competed, Crate & Barrel marketed nationwide via its catalogs and web site. Restoration Hardware Restoration Hardware grew from just 20 stores in 1997 to 104 at the end of 2001, barely 37 behind Pottery Barn in brick-and-mortar locations; however, the company had had a difficult time managing growth. Its aggressive expansion between 1998 and 2000 cost it two years of profits and sank the value of its stock to as low as $.50 a share in December 2000, from $37 a share in 1998, the year it went public. The closing price for its stock on May 19, 2002, was $10.19. Both Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn sold high-dollar, vintage-style furniture and home furnishings and had many other characteristics in common, including significant growth in direct-to-customer sales. Industry observers estimated that while Pottery Barn targeted the wealthiest 20% of Americans, Restoration Hardware targeted the wealthiest 10%. Whimsical nostalgia had been a big seller for Restoration Hardware for several years, with such items as retro tools, steamer chairs that could have come straight from the set of Titanic, shot glasses decorated with optometrists’ eye charts, and down-filled â€Å"foot duvets† proving hugely popular with shoppers. Restoration Hardware’s not-so-secret weapon in the battle for upscale customers could well have been Gary Friedman. In spring 2001, Friedman, who managed Pottery Barn’s explosive growth in the 1990s, was named CEO of Restoration Hardware after having been passed over for the top job at Williams-Sonoma. Pier 1 Imports Pier 1 Imports comprised three chains of retail stores operating under the names Pier 1 Imports, The Pier, and Cargo. Products offered included a wide variety of furniture, decorative home furnishings, dining and kitchen goods, bath and bedding, and other specialty items for the home. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2004 (fiscal 2003), it operated 1,015 Pier 1 stores in the United States and 68 Pier 1 stores in Canada, and it also supported 8 franchised stores in the United States. In addition, it operated 29 stores located in the United Kingdom under the name The Pier and 40 Cargokids stores located in the United States. Pier 1 also supplied merchandise, and it licensed the Pier 1 Imports name to Sears Mexico and Sears Puerto Rico, which sold Pier 1 merchandise in a store-within-a-store format in 20 Sears Mexico stores and in 7 Sears Puerto Rico stores. The Bombay Company The Bombay Company’s retail stores and catalog emphasized classic traditional furniture, wall decor, and accessories. Furniture included both wood and metal ready-to-assemble furniture designed for the bedroom, living room, dining room, and home office. Functional and decorative accessories included lamps, jewelry, baskets, candles, scents, ceramics, frames, and desktop items. Wall decor included prints and mirrors. On January 31, 2004, the company operated 415 stores in 42 states and 56 stores in 9 Canadian provinces, as well as 46 outlet stores. The company viewed the outlets as an opportunity to increase sales to a different customer base, to assist in the orderly clearance of merchandise, and to further capitalize on its strength in designing and sourcing proprietary products. Accessories, the broadest category offered by the company, accounted for 43% of sales in 2003, while large furniture accounted for 31%, and ready-to-assemble products 14%, with wall decor accounting for the remaining 12%. Door Store The privately held Door Store operated nine retail locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Its products included contemporary and traditional case goods and upholstered furniture; it competed with both Pottery Barn and Hold Everything. The company’s product strategy was to anticipate trends in furniture and to make quality furniture available to style-conscious customers at â€Å"prices almost too good to be true.† The Door Store also marketed via its web site and shipped nationwide. Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium This privately held franchise kitchen and housewares concept, with headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, had store locations in regional and upscale malls in Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. In addition to retail sales, the company marketed nationwide via catalogs and its web site. The Rolling Pin competed with Williams-Sonoma. Other Competitors Other competitors across retail concepts included local and regional furniture and specialty stores, department stores, and direct-ship manufacturers. Williams-Sonoma’s expansion from the kitchen into the rest of the home with its flagship brand via the new Williams-Sonoma Home concept was expected to reorder a landscape dominated by traditional retailers such as Ethan Allen and Room & Board and by â€Å"tastemakers† such as Martha Stewart for Bernhardt and Ralph Lauren Home.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Organizations Aims and Objectives Essay

Introduction In this assignment I have been asked to explain how functional areas contribute to fulfil the organizations aims and objectives. I will have to relate this task to two organizations. My two chosen companies are ASDA and Tesco. First I will describe what aims, objectives and functional areas are. I will then describe four functional areas. Finally I will set two targets for each company and describe how functional areas contribute to achieve these two objectives. Definition of: Aims are long term goals. Aims can be achievable through objectives. An aim is where a business wants to be in the future. Objectives provide a business a certain and clearly defined target. Objectives will also have an impact on the staff they might get more motivated. Functional areas are there to run the business each department has their own part to play in the business. The functional areas are also known as departments for e.g. HR (Human resources), Administration, IT support etc. Four functional areas 1. ICT It solves any technical faults in the computers and also takes care of all software’s running in the company. This department also provides security in the business, so it has to take care that no one else can see their files, projects etc. So this department does everything with computers and technology. 2. Human Resources This is also a major area in a business, this departments takes care of employing new staff, not only does it to do this but it also takes care about the welfare of the employees in their environment. This whole department takes care of every employee and holds record about them. This department works with all other departments as they have employees. 3. Customer Service Another important department, this is a crucial department as it ensures that customers are happy, it helps to fill up customer needs and provide answers to their questions, and this department satisfies customer needs.  This is an important department as they are handling customers if the customers aren’t happy that would lead to a bad impression on the business as no one would come to it. 4. Finance This department acts like the bank of the business, it keeps an eye on the financial status of the business, and it also makes monthly/annual reports of the financial status of the company. It keeps track of accounts and what is happening. It also keeps an eye of where the money is going and from where the money is coming. It keeps track on all transactions. ASDA ASDA Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, toys and general merchandise. ASDA Stores Limited was founded as Associated Dairies & Farm Stores Limited in 1949 in Leeds. ASDA is the second largest chain in the UK after Tesco. 1. Increasing the sales of last year by 10% by September. Finance will have to contribute to this objective. The reason why it would be finance is because they keep track of all the transactions and they also set the prices of each product. They might have to increase or decrease the prices or expand their availability on products. They need to make sure that ASDA will keep on making profit. The Research and Development department could also help to achieve this objective because would most probably find unique products to be made and they also research of what is getting sold well and they always look to improve their products by researching and developing their products. 2. To have high motivation amongst staff. Human Resource department would have a huge impact on this target because they have to deal with the staff daily. The human resource department could look after the staff and provide them with everything what’s needed. They are also there to solve their problems and discuss any matter with them if necessary personally. They will also talk about their progressing towards the company and they get the opportunity to move up in the business. Human  resource will provide a happy working environment. Tesco Tesco is a global grocery and general merchandising retailer which has its headquarters in the United Kingdom. Tesco which is Britain’s biggest supermarket started in year 1919 when Jack Cohen started to sell surplus groceries from a stall in east London. Tesco offers a wide range of products such as grocery, household products, and insurance. 1. Tesco aims to achieve a market share of 75% by December. Customer service department could help to fulfil this certain aim, because they do represent the image of the company.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

SWOT analysis In Elken Essay Example

SWOT analysis In Elken Essay Example SWOT analysis In Elken Paper SWOT analysis In Elken Paper One factor that leads Elken Company to be success in the firm is because of its strengths. Strengths are those competitive advantages that create the benefits to achieve the needs of its target markets. One of the strengths of Elken is that Elken Company has a strong network of distributor and it has a wide network of business in Asia-Pacific. These involved Asia-Pacific countries are Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong and India. Elken is expanding the business globally. In order to compete with the competitors, Elken can expand the business to the whole Asia countries and Europe-countries such as United Stated of America. The stronger network of distributor Elken has, it will be more benefits to Elken because it will be harder for the competitors and new entrants to compete with Elken. Another strength of Elken is that Elkens employees are cooperative and well disciplined. They are all ready to help the customers by providing them exemplary. In order to satisfy the customers needs and demands, the Customer Services Department staffs are trained to provide fast and quality services. Elken Company had trained professional technicians to provide the RO Water Purification services to its customers. These professional technicians are able to provide speedy installations and services to the customers. Other than that, the Elkens distributors and members are positive thinking and they are moving towards the same direction to achieve the Elkens goals. To accrue the wealth and rewards that Elken offers, the distributors and members put in efforts in the jobs and contribute themselves to the company. They are willing to face difficulty and challenges, and accept changes. They are willing to make improvement and skills development, so that they can increase their job performance. Elken Company had a lot of research and development activities on the Elken products. It always upgrades and expands the range of products with the aim of continually improving the lives of consumers. In order to improve the quality of the products, Elken can has the RD center with many different types of sophisticated tools and technologies, and recruit more creative experts for the products development. In addition, Elken Company had established Narisia Sdn.Bhd and its own manufacturing plant, Elepac Sdn.Bhd. Narisia Sdn.Bhd established to manufacture the Reverse Osmosis technology since 1998 to assure the desired quality of products. The Bio Pure R.O Water Purification System used the component parts produced by the worlds leading manufacturers. With these factories, Elken saved lots of operating cost in its business. Elken Company sells variety of products and services. It allows different range customers with the unlimited products and services. Many of the Elken products have been conferred prestigious awards by quasi-government bodies and associations; certified by international accreditation organization; and clinically proven by reputable institutions. Elken had an online website. This online website allows customers to browse and get information about Elken. It shared the company vision, milestones of success with the consure through the Internet. It also promotes its products through the website. By the way, it also included information about benefits of joining Elken, and the career opportunities offer by Elken. To improve the effectiveness of customer services, Elken had included the business addresses and the contact numbers into the website, so that it allows the consumers to have easier referencing, and it lets the consumers to find out the Elkens Head Office in their countries. Weaknesses Weaknesses are the restrictions of Elken might face in the development or implementation of the marketing strategy. Elken needs to acknowledge the weaknesses and handle it without procrastination. One of the weaknesses of Elken is that some of the products of Elken are expensive. The high price of Elken product may cause the consumer to purchase other products from the competitors. To overcome this problem, Elken should have better marketing planning, and reduce the costs for product development but in the same way maintaining the products quality. To allow the customers to purchase the products in a lower price, Elken can encourage the customer to join and become Elkens members, thus, inform them that there is special offer for Elkens members, and Elkens members are allow to purchase Elkens with a discount. Besides, Elken does not fully utilize its own website homepage. It does not include some important customer services into its online system. The online website only allows the consumers to get the company background information, products details, and some of the company news. It should included some online purchasing service into the online website. Competitors are encouraging people to join their direct sales business too. They offer many different types of rewards and benefits to their members. Competitors can offer similar benefits as Elken offers to its employees and members. To compete with the competitors, Elken should always improve its compensation and incentive strategies. Elken can always inform all the people around the world about the benefits of joining into Elken. Elken can motivate and incentive the employees by offering different types of compensation and benefits. Other than that, Elken should have some seminars to let the employees to share their experiences and how they succeed in their jobs in Elken with the new employees and customers. Opportunities Opportunities are the favorable and beneficial conditions that could generate rewards for Elken. Elken needs to find the potential opportunities in order to continue to grow within the marketplace. One of the opportunities of Elken is that they can improve its online customers services by included some features such as online catalogs, online purchasing service, online consultations, online applying Elkens membership, online appointments booking on the installation and maintenance services for RO Water Purification System, and online points checking. With all these features, it can increase the effectiveness of current customer services. By recruiting more quality, professional and potential employees, Elken can allows online recruiting system. With this online recruiting system it allows Elken to recruit experts and quality people from different places and countries. Since the people and consumers are concerning the healthcare problems nowadays, Elken can have chance to develop and sell more healthcare products. They can have RD to analyze and find out the needs and demands of the consumers todays. For instance, Elken can introduce and sells some massage and spa products since the consumers nowadays are concern about stress and pain reduction issues. With this chance, Elken can also produce and sell products to different category of consumers. They can produce products for children, teens, adults and the old individuals. Since Elken is a well-known direct selling company in Malaysia, it allows Elken to takes this chance to open more outlets and stores in Malaysia. Besides the head office in Kuala Lumpur, outlets in Johor, Sarawak and Sabah, it also can open stores and outlets at different locations, such as Pahang, Kedah, Penang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Perak, Melacca, and Negeri Sembilan. It can expand its business all over in Malaysia. Technologies trends are keep on changing. This had lead Elken to take the chance to improve its IS and IT in the company frequently. It leads Elken to use the computerized database and inventory system to keep track of products, stocks, employees and its members details. By using computerized database and inventory system, it allows Elken to have easier referencing on the products information, products stocks, and employees and members details. It also saves costs for storing the details. Besides, the changing of technology trends also had caused Elken to be aware of using new technology to produce the products. The using of new technologies helps Elken in producing and developing of products. With this opportunity, it allows Elken to increase the production and productivity and producing better quality products. Threats Threats are the conditions or barriers that may prevent Elken from reaching its objectives or harm to it. The Threats are such as the population shifts, changes in purchasing preferences, new technologies, changes in governmental or environmental regulations, or an increase in competition. One of the threats of Elken is that there are many competitors in the industry. The number of competitors are keep on increasing. The competitors of Elken are such as Amway and Cosway. To gain competitive advantage in this industry, Elken needs to improve the quality and variety of products by using advanced technology tools in product development and have more RD for the development of more creative and higher quality products. With the more variety of high quality products, it will allow consumers to purchase the products based on their personal preferences. Competitors sell the products with lower prices. These may influence the consumer buying behaviors. Elken should make their products price more reasonable, and have promotions to the consumers. Other than that, Elken can educate the consumers that when purchasing the products, besides consider of products prices, they should also consider of the product quality as well. Elken can educate the consumers on choosing the suitable products based on their needs and demands. Elken can also introduce and promote their products by using some critical slogan to attract the consumers. By adding more unique features on the products, the Elken customers will feel that is more valuable and benefits on purchasing Elkens products. Nowadays, there are a lot of companies and organizations provide online purchasing services and online consultation service to the consumers. To increase the effectiveness of customer services, Elken should allow its customers to enjoy the online purchasing services. Online purchasing allows the customers to make orders and purchase Elkens products via the Internet at anytime. It easy and it also saves times and costs. Customers no need to spend times and cost to travel to the Elkens stores in order to purchase Elkens products. To allow the customer to purchase the suitable products based on their needs, Elken can provide the online consultation services to consult the customers. Elken can recommend the suitable Elkens products to the customers based on their problems and needs. For instance, Elken can recommend the customer who is facing overweight problems to use Dr Diet slimming products.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

5 Reasons to Support Your Local Community Theater

5 Reasons to Support Your Local Community Theater When I was still in my teens, a friend was directing a community theater production of Once Upon a Mattress, a musical retelling of They desperately needed a spotlight operator, so I obliged. On opening night, as I sat up above the audience, I watched as the people chatted anxiously. I witnessed their hushed awe as the stage manager lowered the houselights. Then, after the curtains were drawn, and the opening number began, I spotted one energetic performer after another. After that night, I was hooked on plays. I didn’t simply fall in love with theater because of its entertainment value. That evening I learned that community theaters benefit not just the audience but the entire community. So, why should you support your local playhouse? Here are a few ideas to consider: Nurture New Artists: Many successful actors, directors, writers, and choreographers have launched their careers in humble, small town playhouses. Just by attending and applauding, audiences give up-and-coming stars the positive feedback they need to continue their artistic pursuits. Also, many community theaters offer classes for children’s productions. The stage develops confidence and responsibility within young performers. In my experience, I have seen the shyest of children improve her communication skills. When I directed children’s shows for a local civic light opera, I met a seven year old girl named Megan who only spoke in whispers; she didn’t have any friends at the beginning of rehearsals. However, the choreographer noticed that she moved very gracefully. We gave her a special dance solo. It boosted her self-esteem. Soon, she was an outgoing, talkative, and friendly part of the cast. Share Valuable Skills: Community theaters need more than just cast members. Anyone that can sew a costume, paint a backdrop, build a staircase, or edit a sound effect is a desirable addition to the company. Novices of a particular skill, such as construction or lighting, can increase their ability by working alongside veteran craftsmen. Likewise, experts can enjoy sharing their knowledge and passing their craftsmanship to the next generation.    Advertise Locally:    Small business owners should financially support playhouses, and not just for altruistic reasons. A good thirty minutes before a show, most audience members spend their time thumbing through the program, inspecting the actor bios. It’s the perfect opportunity to advertise. Theater goers are essentially a captive audience while they scan through the program. Small business can use this time to reach hundreds of potential customers. Ad space is relatively inexpensive and will help the performing arts thrive.    Socialize with New People:    Whether you work as an assistant director, a chorus member, the star of the show or a stagehand, one thing is certain: you will meet new friends. There is something exhilarating about putting on a show. It brings people close together; it tests their skills, and it enlightens audiences. Many lifelong friendships and relationships have been formed while practicing sword fighting, stage-kissing, or falling through a trap door. There is a strong bond with all who band together to put on a play. We become friends because we work as one to tell as story.    Be Part of the Storytelling Process:    Plays are an ancient form of storytelling. It’s a creative ritual still very much alive despite the age of  Youtube. Most community theaters produce time-tested classics such as Man of La Mancha, Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Some are light hearted; some are deep and profound. All offer a message to the audience. Classic and contemporary plays speak to us because they explore what it means to be human. Those who participate in the storytelling process can feel proud knowing they are spreading a positive message to their community. So go audition. Offer up your skills. Advertise in the program. Contribute your time and energy. And by all means, go see a show! You’ll become a part of the vibrant, long-cherished tradition of the theatrical storytelling. â€Å"The powerful Play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.† Walt Whitman

Saturday, November 2, 2019

A Petition to The President Of The United States Research Paper

A Petition to The President Of The United States - Research Paper Example This is not limited to the adversaries, but the future of Americans owing to their lack of adequate information (Gabor 52). Hence, the scientists besides their recognition of the president’s power, regarding its usage, they are using their expertise stand to dissuade him from applying it in attacking the Japanese. Since, they are acquainted with the impacts to their adversary where in retaliation, Japanese will hit back to the detriment of the common people who are unaware. Consequently, yield to utter destruction of both the property and human life (Gabor 51). This is ethos approach where its argument emanates from expertise the experts possess besides then foreseeing adverse effects that would befall Americans (Brown, Mullen & Mullen, 2009). Szilard, Leo and Cosigners efforts meant to dissuade atomic power application entailed emotional approach (pathos). This is evident when by their stating, â€Å"We feel, however, that such an attack on Japan could not be justified in the present circumstances† (Szilard & Cosigners, 1945). This aroused the president’s concern regarding to what the state had done by attacking, and destroying Japanese’s cities and planning to continue if it fails to comply with instituted conditions. Hence, somehow incline withdraw the state’s stand concerning the Japanese verdict of utter destruction. This is because of the experts’ displeasure regarding the whole idea of annihilation, which according it will result to their detriment once the adversary decides to adopt the similar method. Additionally, the emotional approach (pathos) coupled with tone evident in the work, unveiled the adverse effects if America maintained its verdict, which moved it to termination a ction of the atomic use. This is via prompting the president to reflect on the previous decisions that the state had taken by enacting a law that forbid it from utilizing atomic bombs. The arguers in this essay are trying to have the president’s attention regarding the devastation that would yield from the inception of the state’s verdict of utter annihilation of Japanese (Szilard, 1960). Since, the America would then bear the responsibility of marshalling in the era of devastation globally where it is inclusive. Besides, it has the power to either make the world be at peace or disrupt it by using atomic power against its already enacted law. Besides minor aspects meant to dissuade the president from using the atomic power, the arguers of this literature comprehensively utilize the skill of appealing. Primarily, this is via acknowledging that the decision regarding either to use or not lies with the president. The arguers contented that, the president possessed utter p ower as the Commander-In-Chief meant to sanction the application of atomic power on Japanese (Szilard & Cosigners, 1945). Additionally, the tone is that of a junior addressing a senior person from an advisory perspective, where the authority lies with high-ranking individual (Bernstein 40). This perspective owing to its non-authoritative nature and urging have made the literature attain its intention

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Tactics of the Ku Klux Klan Used During Post-Civil War Essay

The Tactics of the Ku Klux Klan Used During Post-Civil War Reconstruction - Essay Example The political and social realities of the South immediately after the Civil War made it an ideal environment for the transformation of the KKK. It was quickly reborn at a convention of delegates in Nashville, TN. A constitution was drawn up and Nathan Bedford Forest, a former slave trader and Confederate general was elected Imperial Wizard. Due to the secretive and covert nature of the organization, there was a lack of centralized control and any person who wished to dress in a white cape and hood and "dispense justice" could claim affiliation with the KKK. There were several methods used to intimidate and frighten African Americans and those sympathetic to their cause during Reconstruction. They ranged from threatening words to assault and lynching. The main goal of the KKK at this point was to threaten the black man into either not voting, or voting as the KKK would like them to vote. Testifying for a Joint Select Committee to inquire into the condition of affairs in the South directly after reconstruction, two white men, two black men and one black woman all were witness to or victim of acts of terrorization by members of the KKK organization. In particular, the testimonies of the two black men, Elias Thomson and Mervin Givens list atrocities in the form of physical assault on their persons by members of the KKK. Mr. Thomson testified to being taken from his home out into the yard and beaten because he had voted for Claudius Turner. When asked by the KKK what his reasons were, Mr. Thomson said. "I thought a good deal of him; he was my neighbor. Because I thought it was right" (Thomson 15). The KKK then proceeded to tell him he was wrong for voting, threatened to hang him, and then whipped him soundly. After his testimony, questions were asked of him by the Ohio Senator, Philadelp Van Trump. Mr. Van Trump asked Mr. Thomson pointed questions, even rudely interrupting his answers to openly mock his speaking style. It was clear that Mr. Van Trump was trying to discredit or make Mr. Thomson seem to falter by the general absurdity of his questions. Questions including if the KKK was trying to intimidate colored people, why did they make you promise not to tell anyone of their visit (Thomson 16-17) After testifying that he was whipped until his short was torn from his body, Mr. Mervin Givens faced Senator Van Trump's particular brand of questioning. Mr. Givens said that the reason he was beaten was his voting preference. Mr. Van Trump asked why Mr. Givens was testifying now, and if he thought that those three men (the committee) could change anything. Mr. Givens calmly replied that they could get help. Mr. Givens' testimony shows that although the black community was living in fear of the KKK, they were still able to stand up for their rights when they felt a change was possible. The KKK might be making them extra wary, but they were not losing hope. The two white men -Samuel Poinier and D.H. Chamberlain- were not physically assaulted in any way. Samuel Poinier was a prominent Republican newspaperman and testified to receiving threatening communications ordering him to leave the county and signed by the KKK (Thomson 16). He also mentioned having witnessed, or heard of attacks on black men and women in his county,