Thomas Nagel, death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thomas Nagel, death - Essay Example There are a number of arguments that have been presented in the written work by Nagel concerning the death being an ultimate loss. However, the major aspect that has been well evaluated by the author through rhetoric is the understanding of death being an ultimate loss or the perfect end of an existence. Herein, one can notice that there is strength as well as weakness of the claim concerning death in the written piece. Firstly, the author has appointed two hypotheses to evaluate the subject matter from various perspectives. The appointment of such an approach has rather allowed the author to bring differing viewpoints in contrast1. In such a way, the author has been extremely successful in allowing the readers to understand the context of discussion. It is one of the ways through which the literature gap could easily be understood. As a matter of fact, the weakness of the argument is in terms of pathos. The author has not been able to make an effective use of pathos that could have allowed better back up to the claims and information presented. For instance, the author asserted that life itself is meaningful and one can notice that if there is no evil or good then it, there remains certain value. In order to present a counter crime, the author has weakened the position by asserting that the loss cannot be accounted. On a closer analysis of the pointers and claims presented by Nagel, it comes to understanding that he has brought a very profound debate. There are a number of critics who can consider the hypothesis to be overly presented within the context. The usage of counter arguments as presented by the author surely presented death to be the end of existence but it does not formally answer the questions. In simpler words, the claims and arguments within the article rather leave more questions to be answered. For instance, the understanding of the article by Nagel has been closely underpinned for further research by

The Rocking Horse Winner Essay Example for Free

The Rocking Horse Winner Essay In D. H. Lawrence’s offsetting story The Rocking Horse Winner, there are a number of intriguing characters presented to us. None, however, are quite as thought provoking or as clearly defined as Paul’s morally culpable, denatured mother, Hester. In a story full of viscous, confusing characters, Hester is directly and indirectly characterized as being a loveless, spiteful, greedy woman, who abides to the philosophy that luck coincides with prosperity. The first indicator of Hester’s personality is found by examining her relationship with her offspring, for although she has mothered and raised multiple children it is also shown that the relationship between mother and child is anything but maternal. Her neighbours and friends praise her, for they think that â€Å"she is such a good mother. She adores her children,† (Lawrence, 307) but that she herself and her children knew that was far from the truth, because â€Å"they read it in each other’s eyes,† (307). Hester’s character can further be analyzed as you observe her relationship concerning her dependence on luck, for â€Å"it’s what causes you to have money,† (308). She is living in the constant dissatisfaction of having insufficient funds to continue on her frivolous lifestyle, despite her inability to maturely address their current financial situation. Instead, she quickly draws parallels between their financial crisis and her husband simply being â€Å"very unlucky,† (308) rather than continuing to work towards a more stable situation. On top of treating the family’s financial dilemma maturely, the greed in her that seems to be one of the key causes to their strife is outlined indirectly through the course of events that take place after she learns about the five-thousand pound grant that she will have trickled down to her over the next five years. After learning of this, she immediately goes into town to talk to their lawyer, â€Å"asking if the whole five thousand could be advanced at once,† (315). Despite the kind gift from her child, she is driven to the point of desperation by her addiction to money, and this swell fortune only added more fuel to the fire, as the house’s whispers of â€Å"There must be more money! † (315) continued to grow. All in all, Hester’s two main relationships, that with her family and that with luck and money accurately characterize her as a loveless, greedy woman.

Impact of Macroeconomic Policies

Impact of Macroeconomic Policies Table of Contents (Jump to) The expansionary monetary policy decisions of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) during the six months after the global financial crisis (GFC) escalated in September 2008. 1. Executive Summary 2. Monetary Policy of Australia after GFC 2.1 Arguments in Support of policy Decision 2.2 Arguments against the policy decision 3. Conclusion References The expansionary monetary policy decisions of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) during the six months after the global financial crisis (GFC) escalated in September 2008. 1. Executive Summary The assignment is based on the Global Financial Crisis 2008 and its impact on the Australian economy. The assignment covers the main reason behind the GFC and the response of Australia’s reserve bank regarding the expansionary monetary policy to fight the Global financial Crisis. Later assignment also has the arguments in support and against the policy decision. Later it is concluded by following the evaluation outcomes. 2. Monetary Policy of Australia after GFC The global Financial Crisis of 2008 was considered as the worst financial crisis since year 1930 by several economists. It leads to the total collapse of many large financial institutions, the rescue of many banks by the government and major downfall of the world’s stock market (Williams, 2012). Due to the crash of the global share market, the Australian Dollar also collapsed. The net wealth of Australia was declined and the unemployment was increased considerably. There was a wave of uncertainty that swept the entire economy of Australia. . As per the data, the average of the household debt was increased from increased from $A190 billion in 1990 to $A1.1 trillion in year 2008 (ABS, 2009). The direct impact of the Global crisis 2008, in Australia was: The decline of Australian Dollar from 0.98 to 0.60 The decline in the summative value of the households between 13 to 14 % The significant decline in the household consumption The increase in saving of household from 1.2 % to 8.5 % Increase in rate of unemployment from 4.1% to 5.8 % The Australian government was very prompt to take the action against the situation in order to reduce the impact of the Global Financial crisis 2008. The reserve bank of Australia decided to loosen the monetary policy for one year with the aim of rectifying the loss of big business and consumers that occurred due to Global Financial Crisis. Under this policy the RBI made the considerable reduction in the interest rates and increased the money supply in market. This led to overall consumption in the market of Australia (Green et al., 2009). The cash rate as also reduced by the reserve Bank and it lead to overall 4 % drop within the months of policy formulation. The monetary policy had the following effects on the Australian economy: It showed the positive result in dealing with Global Financial Crisis and prevented the Australian economy from recession lead to an apparent recovery The investment and consumption levels were increased and the unemployment rate was decreased that showed the favorable national output and aggregate demand (Gregory, 2008) The impact of the expansionary monetary policy and the fiscal led to a positive impact in relation to the level of Gross Domestic Product growth rate of 0.9% in December 2009 quarter from -0.8% in December 2008 (Rotheli, 2010) As per the treasury reports of Australia, without implementation of the expansion monetary policy the gross domestic product of the economy would have been accounted to 0.7 percent (ABS, 2013). 2.1 Arguments in Support of policy Decision The monetary policy regulated by reserve bank of Australia played a significant role in fighting with global financial crisis. The monetary policy helped the Australian economy to fight the severe inflation conditions. In the beginning of the global financial crisis, the conservative monetary policy was formulated and implemented in response to the substantial decrease in the aggregate demand and the declining of the global financial market circumstances. The Australian government took the conventional monetary action with determination and speed. The target national funds rate was slash rapidly from five hundred and twenty-five points in September 2007 to zero till twenty five points in December 2008 (ATO, 2009). The other countries also followed this path by decreasing the interest rates on an average by 330 points in the developed countries and 300 points in developing economies. In the current situation Australia is one of the major four developed economies with official interest rates above 1 % (ABS, 2010). According to the world standards, Australia responded reasonably to the Global Financial Crises through a good combination of government stimulus, responsive policies of reserve bank, resources boom and prudential standards that were pre-existing. 2.2 Arguments against the policy decision There are many weak points in the monetary policy by the Reserve bank of Australia. There were many discrepancies that were exposed later. The arguments against the policy decision include the following points: There was no uniformity in the prices of Australian stock market and this anchored the inflation expectations. The implementation timing of the monetary strategies will be dependent on recovery pace and the return of normal conditions of the financial markets (Lunn, 2008). The policy raised the concerns about the fiscal stability in international market The policy was not able to deal with the major problem of unemployment in Australia. The unemployment figures of Australia during the Global Financial crisis were at 6.5 percent as compared with the United Sates was over 10 percent. In the current situation, the current unemployment rate in Australia is 5.3%. Consequently they have improved and recovered from the crisis but did not move in the required rate (Eslake, 2009). 3. Conclusion For determining the Australia’s economic condition there are many factors that must be considered. This report focused on the major factors of the policies implemented by the Australian government to reduce the impact of Global Financial Crisis. The Australian government was very prompt in taking the action against the losses of Global financial crisis. It is noted that the policies and procedures of the Australian government helped them to recover fast and they are much ahead of other developed nations. Australia responded reasonably to the Global Financial Crises through a good combination of government stimulus, responsive reserve bank, resources boom and prudential standards that were pre-existing. Even though the current situation of Australia has not reached the level of pre GFC situation, but still it regained mush better than the other developed nations like United States of America. References ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2009)Australian Social Trends4102.0. Available at: www.abs.gov.auaccessed 18/4/10. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2010)Labour Force, Australia6202.0 Available at: www.abs.gov.auaccessed 18/4/10. ATO (Australian Tax Office) (2009)Commissioner of Taxation Annual Report 2008-09 Available atwww.ato.gov.auaccessed on 11/02/09 ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2013)Labour Force, Australia6202.0 Bloxham, P. and Kent, C. (2009) ‘Household Indebtedness’The Australian Economic Review, Vol 42(3): 327-39. Debelle, G (2008) ‘A comparison of the US and Australian housing markets’BulletinJune 2008 RBA Available at:www.rba.gov.au/publicationsAccessed 18/4/10 Eslake, S. (2009) ‘The global financial crisis of 2007-2009: An Australian perspective’ Economic PapersVol. 28(3): 226-238 Green, H. Harper, I and Smirl, L. (2009) ‘Financial Deregulation and household debt: the Australian experience’The Australian Economic ReviewVol. 42(3) Gregory, R. G. and P. Sheehan (2008), ‘Poverty and the collapse of full employment’, in R. Fincher and J. Niewenhuysen, (eds.), Australian Poverty: Then and Now, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 103-26 Lunn, Stephen (2008).Life gap figures not black and white.The Australian(News Limited). Retrieved 7 December 2010. Paletta, Damian; Lucchetti, Aaron (2010). Senate Passes Sweeping Finance Overhaul. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 22, 2010. Rotheli, T. (2010) ‘Causes of the financial crisis: Risk misperception, policy mistakes, and banks’ bounded rationality’The Journal of Socio-Economic39(2010): 119-126 Valentine, T. (2009) ‘Alternative Policy responses to the global financial crisis’EconomicPapersVol. 28(3): 264-269. Williams, Carol J. (2012).Euro crisis imperils recovering global economy, OECD warns. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 23, 2012. Williams, R. (2009) ‘Household debt: Is it a liability?’The Australian Economic ReviewVol.42(3): 321-32

Comparing Social Expectations in Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club and Huckleberry Finn :: comparison compare contrast essays

Social Expectations in Joy Luck Club and Huckleberry Finn       Of the many novels written in recent history, perhaps two of the most of these society expectant novels are Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, and Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn. These books present the views of society very well, yet at the same time, differentiating very much from each other.    In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, a boy takes an incredible voyage down the river, representing life's journey. This voyage takes Huck Finn through many places, and demands him to make good moral decisions along the way, regardless of what society thinks. In the process of the story, Huck Finn learns that although society is usually correct in his eyes, he must learn to make decisions that he knows deviate from the values of society, yet he also learns that his decisions are morally correct.    In a different perspective, The Joy Luck Club sheds an different light on societies expectations, partly because of the different ethnicities involved in these two stories. The societal demands on the characters in the Joy Luck Club are very different from the ones expressed in Twain's novel. While the characters in The Joy Luck Club are Chinese immigrants, the characters involved in Twain's novel are White Americans, with the exception of Jim, the Black slave Huck learns to befriend. In critiquing these two novels, one notices that these two novels are in fact very different from each other, especially so in the aspects of societal expectations.      In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, the main conflict that comes up is that of the issue of slavery. The society in this novel does not even consider slavery to be wrong, while Huck Finn continues to shun slavery more and more, as the book unfolds. This very belief Huck Finn beholds is evident, with his ever growing friendship with Jim, a slave in the novel. While society sees Jim as property, Huck can discriminate, and sees past the societal ploy for ethical mistreat on another human being, more specifically on an entire race. In this same novel, other societal expectation are present, and noticeable. This is evident through Huck's education. Society expects him to be educated, while Huck resents this all the while (Twain 20,21). In this expectation of Huck by society, there can be found no wrong.

Coca-Cola Versus Pepsi-Cola Essay

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

How Does the Bfg Function?

The BFG is a book about a little girl from an orphanage named Sophie who is lying awake in bed one night and sees a giant walking the streets. She tries to hide once she has seen him but it is too late. He takes her out of her room and runs back to his cave. At first she is worried that he is going to eat her but he is not that type of giant. He is known as the Big Friendly Giant and eats disgusting vegetables that taste like rotting frogs. His main idea of fun is catching dreams and blowing the happy ones into children’s bedrooms at night.The other nine giants however are man eating giants and they go to different countries every night to eat people. They take them from their homes while they are sleeping and eat them. Sophie thinks these other giants need to be stopped but they are a lot bigger and meaner than the BFG. In the end she does come up with a plan to mix up a dream to tell the queen of England what is going on with these giants. Sophie and the BFG create a dream t hat tells the queen all about the bad giants and what they do at night and about her and the good giant.When the queen awakes Sophie is on her windowsill to confirm the dream and to help create a plan of action. After a very interesting breakfast during which the BFG is sitting on a piano piled with other things for his chair and a ping pong table on top of four grandfather clocks for his table then the queen invites the heads of the military in to create a plan. They decide to catch the giants while they are sleeping and carry them off with helicopters.In the end the bad giants are forced to stay in a huge pit and they are fed the disgusting vegetables that the BFG was forced to eat before. The BFG gets a nice huge house next to the castle and Sophie gets a little cottage next to him and the BFG writes a book about his experiences, which as we find out in the end is the BFG, the book we just read. Personal Notes: This is a really fun and quick book. Easy to read and grabs the reade r’s attention. I really liked the parts where Dahl makes up new words for things.I think it creates a sense of wonder in the children. I remember when I used to read his books and they included words that weren’t really words that this was fun. I never mistook them for real words or used them in school, that might make me look funny, but I loved the way he used them just the same. I think that is very applicable in a book about things that don’t really exist, man eating giants, it helps the reader appreciate that these things aren’t real and adds imagination to it.

Free Essays on The Battle Of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was â€Å"one of the deadliest battles ever fought on North American soil† (Internet Resource 4). More soldiers fought and died in the Gettysburg Battle than in any other battle in America. There were â€Å"more than 2,000 land engagements of the Civil War† (Internet Resource 4), but Gettysburg ranks supreme. Although the Battle of Gettysburg did not end the war, nor did it start the Civil War, it still remains the most important battle of the war. The Confederate army carried Generals and Commanders far more experienced and enhanced when compared to that of the Union. John Buford was the commanding officer for the Northern union at Gettysburg. Within six months of his having played a key role in the opening of the battle of Gettysburg, John Buford died from typhoid fever. Robert E. Lee was the great, powerful Southern confederate General and he decided to move the war north. He planned to obliterate the railroad bridge at Harrisburg, then "turn my attention to Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington as may seem best for our interest."(Internet Resource 4) After the extensive march north, Confederate troops were spread out all the way from Chambersburg, through Carlisle, and into York. Towns across southern Pennsylvania were being "explored"(Internet resource 4) for greatly needed supplies to carry on the Southern offensive. While looking in Gettysburg, Pettigrew's brigade looked around and eventually found Bufordâ₠¬â„¢s cavalry on the ridge one mile west of the town. The Battle of Gettysburg began after that sight on July 1-3, 1863 when Confederate troops attacked the Union cavalry division on McPherson Ridge, just west of town. Out-numbered, the Union forces managed to hold, and even force the Confederate troops back, after the much needed addition of John Reynold's infantry division. They triumphed until late afternoon, when they were overwhelmed by supplementary southern troops, and driven a... Free Essays on The Battle Of Gettysburg Free Essays on The Battle Of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg was â€Å"one of the deadliest battles ever fought on North American soil† (Internet Resource 4). More soldiers fought and died in the Gettysburg Battle than in any other battle in America. There were â€Å"more than 2,000 land engagements of the Civil War† (Internet Resource 4), but Gettysburg ranks supreme. Although the Battle of Gettysburg did not end the war, nor did it start the Civil War, it still remains the most important battle of the war. The Confederate army carried Generals and Commanders far more experienced and enhanced when compared to that of the Union. John Buford was the commanding officer for the Northern union at Gettysburg. Within six months of his having played a key role in the opening of the battle of Gettysburg, John Buford died from typhoid fever. Robert E. Lee was the great, powerful Southern confederate General and he decided to move the war north. He planned to obliterate the railroad bridge at Harrisburg, then "turn my attention to Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington as may seem best for our interest."(Internet Resource 4) After the extensive march north, Confederate troops were spread out all the way from Chambersburg, through Carlisle, and into York. Towns across southern Pennsylvania were being "explored"(Internet resource 4) for greatly needed supplies to carry on the Southern offensive. While looking in Gettysburg, Pettigrew's brigade looked around and eventually found Bufordâ₠¬â„¢s cavalry on the ridge one mile west of the town. The Battle of Gettysburg began after that sight on July 1-3, 1863 when Confederate troops attacked the Union cavalry division on McPherson Ridge, just west of town. Out-numbered, the Union forces managed to hold, and even force the Confederate troops back, after the much needed addition of John Reynold's infantry division. They triumphed until late afternoon, when they were overwhelmed by supplementary southern troops, and driven a...

Education and Society Essay Example

Education and Society Essay Example Education and Society Essay Education and Society Essay Education an instrument of social progress? Julia Suhorutsenko Tartu 01. 01. 2011 I would like to start my essay with the questions: what is the social progress? How can education help promote social progress? The social progress is the higher raise of the standard of living of a certain society. From that point education could provide its individuals a better understanding of how the society functions as a whole and what their roles are in that society, which could lead to economic, security, and material advances.At any given stage of society, the intelligence and moral character of its individual members limits social organization. It is obvious that the progress in human society depends upon the relation between one generation and its successor. As new life comes into society, it improves the character of the life of the society. Several thinkers propose two possible ways of bringing about such improvement: first, through the selection of the hereditary elements in society, elim inating the unfit and preserving the more fit; but, such a scheme of artificial selection could be too complicated.The second method is the improvement of the individual character through education and training. Similarly the natural instincts and tendencies of individuals may be greatly modified by training, the habits and hence the character of individuals can be artificial formed and controlled through education. Education is, then, the great means of controlling habit and character in complex social groups, and as such it is the chief means to which society must look for all substantial social progress.It is the instrument by which human nature may be apparently indefinitely modified, and hence, also, the instrument by which society may be perfected. The task of social regeneration is essentially the task of education. Therefore the main reliance of society in all forward movements must be upon education. So, how the ideal educated person should look like? This is a topic that h as been discussed for years. In determining what being educated means we must first explore the definition of education.The Webster dictionary defines education as â€Å"the process of providing schooling for, training by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession. † An educated person is someone who has grown up under a traditional educational system, in which he has attended school and finally got a degree from the university in which he has applied to his profession. But, who influences our ideas and beliefs and what is the purpose of the education in forming the character of the new individuals in the society? How to decide what knowledge should be passed on to the next generation and how should it be taught?Aristotle explained, â€Å"Every acorn has the potential to be actualised as a giant oak tree, but for a variety of reasons not all acorns fulfil their potential of becoming an oak tree and too few humans attain the ideal o f becoming rational contemplative beings. Aristotle believed that nurturing the acorn at the right time in the right way could enhance the acorn’s chances of fulfilling its inherent potential. In comparison an educator, by appropriately exposing human beings to the great minds struggling with the perennial problems of humankind can enhance the human being’s natural desire to know. (Philosophical Documents in Education, pg. 34). Aristotle believed the ultimate goal of education was to support humans in finding their unique role in their society. That is equivalent to teaching people trades and skills. But it does not give individuals a broad understanding of the world they live in. Aristotle’s notion that when engaged in contemplation a person has reached their potential should dispel any notion that a person would be happy for the rest of their life in one skill or trade. Constant contemplation would create a thirst for more knowledge that the training of a skil l would not quenched.Similarly the theorist Rousseau also saw the child early in life as an empty receptacle, waiting to be filled. He was the first to introduce the concept of child centred education and he believed that â€Å"by properly educating future generations, a society could be created that resolved the conflict between individual needs and societal demands†. (Philosophical Documents in Education, pg. 73). To Rousseau nature was the key, he believed that â€Å"natural, or primitive humankind, has, through the impulses and instincts of nature, the ability to learn about and live within the world they inhabit.Rather than enhance or support this natural ability, advancement in the art and sciences has tended to deny and thus alienate modern beings from this natural capacity. Rousseau thought we should educate future generations in accordance with the laws or restraints of nature. † (Philosophical Documents in Education, pg. 75). Dewey was different from other th eorist in many ways he is significant because of his thought about informal education. His belief that education must engage with and enlarge experience has continued to be a significant strand in informal education practice.He went beyond all theorists ideals mentioned earlier. â€Å"Dewey defines education as a continual process of reconstruction of experience. At heart, the educated person is a sense maker, that is, one who can wrest as much meaning as possible from her or his experiences. † (Philosophical Documents in Education, pg. 101) His idea was that children came to school to do things and live in a community that gave them real, guided experiences, which fostered their capacity to contribute to society. â€Å"Also, his concern with interaction and environments for learning provides a continuing framework for practice.Last, his passion for democracy, for educating so that all may share in a common life, provides a strong rationale for practice in the associational settings in which informal educators work. † (John Dewey: Philosophy of education). At its most basic level of definition, education is nothing more than the teaching of ideas. The early stages of schooling we learn mainly social skills and a basic knowledge, needed to broaden ours social horizons and permit us to do our independent choices in future.As our age and skill level increases, the learning becomes more based upon our interest, leading to the final formation of the intelligent person with his own opinions, ideas and beliefs, a new citizen of the progressive society. But at the same time the quality of education that we receive depends upon many issues and one of them is the society itself and the ideas that are believed in this society. Sometimes the students are only taught what particular society sees fit to teach them. This ideology has an astound effect when used as controlling propaganda.The quality of education is not only the skill that is provided, but also t he attitude. The skills that are learned are definitely important, but the determination and attitude learned is priceless. The communists came up with the idea of equality for everyone. Every person gets the same schooling and education. This concept cannot possibly work. Every person is different, everyone has a place in society, and work hard physically or mentally all of their lives. Inevitably, a society consists of different classes of people, and each class is essential to the survival of all.The gap between the classes can never be eliminated, but by educating people maybe it can become smaller. Many philosophies have been adopted by our society and make up our thoughts about what the role of education in the social progress is. Hence, we can see that throughout history renowned philosophers put forward diverse ideas about the concept of education and principles of the modern society, depending on the particular historical epoch and social circumstances. The ability to impro ve ourselves, is one of the strongest inherited abilities.Without the consistent development of the human race, life would be nothing more than survival. And in my opinion, education is definitely one of the most important tools that a society possesses. The right implementation of this tool is one of the greatest ways of assuring the quality of life within a society. Philosophical Documents of Education by Tony W. Johnson and Ronald F. Reed John Dewey: Philosophy of education infed. org/thinkers/et-dewey. htm Prepared by Mark K. Smith © Mark K. Smith 2001 Websters Online Dictionary websters-online-dictionary. org/

Air and Water Pollution Paper

Carbon oxide and Nitrogen oxide are one of the many air pollutants this world is having problems with. As for carbon oxide and nitrogen oxide they fall into the category of a primary pollutant, or as so I believe. The reason for why I believe this is because when nitrogen oxide is let out and exposed into the air it can harm the growth of our plants and crops which results us to lose quantities of our food being grown. Also if nitrogen oxide is inhaled it can cause health complications such as asthma.It is a harmful gas that’s created when chemical interactions such as nitrogen and oxygen are combined together and in some cases it can become life threatening. Carbon oxides are the gases produced my carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that’s extremely poisonous and if exposed to it in any way or matter in can begin to reduce the bloods ability to transport oxygen. Carbon dioxide is associated with global warming because carbon dioxide is made up of fossil fuels such as gasoline; methane and propane containing mostly carbon in it.When these fuels are burned, they react with oxygen and produce carbon dioxide which is exposed out into the air which in conclusion leads to the pollutant letting sun lights heat and energy in but doesn’t let that same heat energy out. Nitrogen oxide is a harmful gas that is extremely harmful for not only humanity but earth as well. Nitrogen oxide effects both the ozone layer and on our global warming problem. Once the nitrogen oxide has made its way into the ozone layer, the atmosphere slowly decreases into the stratosphere where the shorter wave length UV rays destroy the nitrogen oxide.Carbon dioxide is a supplement to global warming by consuming energy and heat from earth, trapping it and preventing its release into space. Like carbon oxide is a Greenhouse gas, it effects and influence the climate on earth by increasing carbon oxide levels straightened to supply absorption  and  emission  of  thermal infrared. High levels of nitrogen oxide can be very dangerous to not only humans but animal life as well and it can be fatal. The lower levels of nitrogen oxide can cause damage to the delicate lung tissues in our body. For animals this can cause lung dieses which looks to be like emphysema to humans.Through the ozone layer, long term exposure to nitrogen oxide on animals leads to repertory infections. Plants are surrounded and feed off of nitrogen oxide; it has been seen in many plant activities. The gradient of nitrogen oxide can also guide the pollen tube to its destination located in the ovule. Some of the main contributors of water pollution are factories, oil spills, house hold chemicals and waste treatment facilities. Factories and large industries take a big part in water pollution because, most factories use very large amounts of clean fresh water to wash away waste and any harsh chemicals the factory is discarding.The waste-bearing water, or effluent, is discharged into streams, lakes, or oceans, which in turn disperse the polluting substances. The majority of lakes, rivers, and oceans all are polluted because of the basic everyday uses such as fishing, swimming, as drinking supplies such as juice and alcohol, which can result in harming the sea life. Oil spills caused by large boat rips in the body and oil drills in the middle of the ocean have caused a lot of damage to our sea. Birds can die if they get oil caught into their feathers, the birds natural instinct its to lick and clean itself and when it does it will be poisoned.Animals may surface and some come to la nd to avoid the oil spills but eventually die from hypothermia because their body temperatures will begin to lower, and those exposed in the water will also die once the oil has entered into their lungs or liver. This is why we must be careful and avoid polluting water not for our own benefit but for our wild life’s benefit too.

My single father Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My single father - Essay Example When I was nineteen, I came across one such situation. I always had strained relations with my father. We never got along very well. I felt that my father despised me. Anything and everything that I did was an insult and problem to him. He never wanted to listen to me or look at me. We never had a normal relationship that a child has with his father. 26th November 2010, my grandfather passed away. It was a dull, gloomy and a lonely day for me. I was inside my hostel when my younger brother called me and informed me that our grandfather had passed away. I had to leave for my father’s house so I drove hurriedly. I came along with a bouquet in my hand. It was the first time in my whole life when I saw tears in my father’s eyes – he was just like a helpless person. Never had I seen my father so stressed, depressed, and aggressed. I went into the room where my grandfather slept still and silent and beside his corpse was my father sitting stunned. I entered in and plac ed the flowers near my grandfather’s corpse upon which my father looked towards me. I could see helplessness in his eyes. My dad held me by the arms and pulled me towards himself and hugged me tightly as if he did not want to leave me ever again. The day passed and my grandfather was finally buried in the graveyard. My father forced me to stay the night at his house. Later that night I was unable to sleep so I came out of my room and went outside. I sat on a bench. Approximately 5 minutes might have passed and my father came out and joined me. He had two mugs of hot chocolate in his hands. He came and sat beside me. He handed me a mug and said that he still remembers that I loved hot chocolate. He kept one of his hands on my shoulder and it felt like he was not my father but a very dear friend of mine. He told me that he was sorry for happened in my childhood. He gave me a very valuable lesson that I can never forget. That night it seemed like my father had changed his stance from a father to a friend. He told me that there were thousands of things that he wanted to tell my grandfather but could not share with his father. He told me that when he saw his dead father he wanted to complain his heart out to him but he could not as it was useless and pointless. He told me that his father always treated him the way he treated me. He did not intend to do so but his experiences as a child made him a heartless man. But today he had realized that it was useless because of the damage it had caused to a father-son relationship: It was completely futile. He realized that his young days were over but ruining my days will do no advantage to him. He told me stay as I had not seen him since a long time. He assured me that we will live like a happy family. After all, I was one of the few close people alive; my mother and grandparents had already passed away. I could see that my father had realized what had been done wrong. It was time for me to understand and make things better between us. This day has been a memorable one, not because I had lost my grad father but because I had revived one of the most valued accords – one’s relationship with his father. I realized that my father loved me and he had brought me up very well despite his hard

Changes and trends in the external market for Crown Hotel and Casino Assignment

Changes and trends in the external market for Crown Hotel and Casino - Assignment Example re process of formulating a workable strategic management plan for understanding changes and trends in the external market and how to address challenges that may arise. Over the past, the Casino and Hotel industry has grown in spite of competition from other companies and online gambling sites. Income is estimated to increase by rough a compound annual 2.8% over the last five years through 2014-2015. A greater per capita betting outflow has been instrumental in terms of financial performance, with customersindicating high demand for more gaming services. Additionally, the increase in discretionary income levels has further played an essential role for revenue growth. This is attributed to its customers having spent more money on non-essential services such as casino gambling services. Political factors play an essential role as companies such as the Crown Hotel and Casino strive to gain competitive advantage in the present intricate market. Government policies remain a major challenge for Crown since government decisions affect the daily running of business at Crown. These policies attempt to control how Crown should carry out its gambling services to a diverse range of consumers from different countries. For instance the government of China has been against excessive gambling and limiting gambling opportunities for Chinese citizens in their own country may prompt them to venture into gambling in other parts of the world such as Australia thus an increase in Crown Hotel and Casino business owing to its prestige and big image. In many organizations, political factor licensing plays a significant role in determining the success of Crown. According to Business review weekly: BRW, Casino is believed to raise 18% of Australia’s $19 billion from gambling industr y alone (2001, p 2). However, it is essential to highlight on how they are run and regulated. In this regard, Crown Casino has gone under the radar since it focuses on gambling in pubs and clubs. It raises

PRESENTATION'S REPORT ON GALATIANS( 3;28) THE ARGUMET SORUNDING THE Essay

PRESENTATION'S REPORT ON GALATIANS( 3;28) THE ARGUMET SORUNDING THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN CHURCH LEADERSHIP - Essay Example To underscore my theme, I quoted Richison’s (2000) work which postulates that Christ’s redemptive work not only saves all (male and female), but also gives people the will to work for God. Because of this, there is no room for gender discrimination, since men and women are justified. I also made reference of Johnson’s (1997) work, wherein he argues that the cause of feminist Christians is misguided since Galatians 3:28 and other scriptural passages in the New Testament are indicative of, and in support of gender parity. Particularly, Johnson shows that cases that feminists take as scriptural references that act as vestiges of gender discrimination are actually instances which have been taken out of context. I also point out that and concede to Davis’ (2013) postulation that God only qualified functional differences of the sexes: He defined the roles that men and women have to play, in the society, but did not intend them to treat each other as unequal. Because of this, it is wrong to say that God in the Scriptures sanctioned gender inequality. I ended up with the standpoint that in respect to Galatians 3:28, women should be allowed to discharge leadership roles just as men, since men and women are equals. Likewise, the reason I drew for their equality is their being in possession of inherent qualities that espouse them to leadership duties, calling and responsibility (Lind, 2013). From the presentation, I learnt that Christians, regardless of their sex, can identify with Christ. This is because, I realised that the concept of servanthood emanated from Christ Himself who was also the perfect servant. The Bible in Exodus 21:6 and Deuteronomy 15:17 speak of an individual who makes himself a slave out of his own volition and his ear is pierced (or opened) with an awl. Later on, Psalms 45 confirms that the slave in Exodus 21:6 and Deuteronomy 15:17 is a foreshadowing of Christ, the servant of God. To underscore this standpoint, Isaiah 53 also refers to

Behavioural Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Behavioural Studies - Essay Example The development of motivation theory goes in the direction of individual approach to every employee. Abraham Maslow was the first to point to the fact that money and benefits aren’t the only factors motivating people. Frederick Herzberg and his colleagues carried out a broad research examining the factors contributing to job satisfaction and excellent performance of employees. As a result of their work Herzberg formulated the Motivation-Hygiene Theory or Dual-Factor Theory. Herzberg distinguished two types of separate factors. The first type are motivators resulting in job satisfaction, while the second type are hygienes, which simply prevent dissatisfaction. The motivators include: achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, and advancement. The hygienes are: company policy and administration, supervision, working conditions, salary, interpersonal relations, status, and security. If applied effectively, hygienes may prevent dissatisfaction, but do not provide a gua rantee of employees’ long-term satisfaction. If applied poorly, they result in negative feelings about the job. Motivators contribute to psychological growth and development on the job. They are associated with the concept of self-actualization and involve a challenge and opportunity to get pleasure of achievement and feeling worthwhile. If a manager wants to motivate people, it is necessary to concentrate on the job itself and not only on working conditions, provide opportunities for growth and development. However, this theory cannot be applied to all the employees. The practice shows that many people are quite satisfied by good working conditions and do not strive for further development. Moreover, people’s needs and goals change with time and motivators may be different in different situations, conditions and time periods. Victor Vroom argued that to make employees happy and satisfied with a job it is necessary

Bullying Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bullying - Term Paper Example This paper provides an insightful analysis of bullying. More emphasis is conferred about the important of bullying as a judicial legislative and public policy issues. In addition, the paper analyzes the direct impact of bullying on education. Finally, the paper addresses the trends in litigation as well as the relevant bullying laws. The United States Department of Health and Human Services defines bullying as the unwanted aggressive behavior involving power imbalance (Fried & Fried, 2011). One salient feature about bullying is that it is repeated, or has the ability to be repeated. The power imbalance can be real or perceived. It may include physical strength, peer support, popularity, status, or access to hurtful information. There are many forms of bullying. Verbal bullying includes taunting, teasing or threatening harm. Relational bullying of the other hand may include spreading rumors, humiliating and malicious excluding. Thirdly, physical bullying includes hitting, pushing or spitting. Other forms of bullying include sexual harassment, hazing, and bullying based on perceived sexual orientation. According to Swearer, Espelage & Jimerson (2010), bullying is characterized by two major components, imbalance of power and repeated harmful acts. It involves verbal, non-verbal, or physical attacks or intimidation that is often directed towards a victim who is not able to properly defend himself or herself. There are widespread concerns about school violence and bullying in the recent years. There is overwhelming evidence that ascertains that bullying adversely affects student’s sense of security. Scholars recommend that the most effective way of averting bullying in schools require utmost commitment by school administrators. Existing statistics reveal that the most bullying incidences occur in schools. There are also numerous cases of bullying that occur on the way to or from the school, on

PRESENTATION'S REPORT ON GALATIANS( 3;28) THE ARGUMET SORUNDING THE Essay

PRESENTATION'S REPORT ON GALATIANS( 3;28) THE ARGUMET SORUNDING THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN CHURCH LEADERSHIP - Essay Example To underscore my theme, I quoted Richison’s (2000) work which postulates that Christ’s redemptive work not only saves all (male and female), but also gives people the will to work for God. Because of this, there is no room for gender discrimination, since men and women are justified. I also made reference of Johnson’s (1997) work, wherein he argues that the cause of feminist Christians is misguided since Galatians 3:28 and other scriptural passages in the New Testament are indicative of, and in support of gender parity. Particularly, Johnson shows that cases that feminists take as scriptural references that act as vestiges of gender discrimination are actually instances which have been taken out of context. I also point out that and concede to Davis’ (2013) postulation that God only qualified functional differences of the sexes: He defined the roles that men and women have to play, in the society, but did not intend them to treat each other as unequal. Because of this, it is wrong to say that God in the Scriptures sanctioned gender inequality. I ended up with the standpoint that in respect to Galatians 3:28, women should be allowed to discharge leadership roles just as men, since men and women are equals. Likewise, the reason I drew for their equality is their being in possession of inherent qualities that espouse them to leadership duties, calling and responsibility (Lind, 2013). From the presentation, I learnt that Christians, regardless of their sex, can identify with Christ. This is because, I realised that the concept of servanthood emanated from Christ Himself who was also the perfect servant. The Bible in Exodus 21:6 and Deuteronomy 15:17 speak of an individual who makes himself a slave out of his own volition and his ear is pierced (or opened) with an awl. Later on, Psalms 45 confirms that the slave in Exodus 21:6 and Deuteronomy 15:17 is a foreshadowing of Christ, the servant of God. To underscore this standpoint, Isaiah 53 also refers to

Bullying Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Bullying - Term Paper Example This paper provides an insightful analysis of bullying. More emphasis is conferred about the important of bullying as a judicial legislative and public policy issues. In addition, the paper analyzes the direct impact of bullying on education. Finally, the paper addresses the trends in litigation as well as the relevant bullying laws. The United States Department of Health and Human Services defines bullying as the unwanted aggressive behavior involving power imbalance (Fried & Fried, 2011). One salient feature about bullying is that it is repeated, or has the ability to be repeated. The power imbalance can be real or perceived. It may include physical strength, peer support, popularity, status, or access to hurtful information. There are many forms of bullying. Verbal bullying includes taunting, teasing or threatening harm. Relational bullying of the other hand may include spreading rumors, humiliating and malicious excluding. Thirdly, physical bullying includes hitting, pushing or spitting. Other forms of bullying include sexual harassment, hazing, and bullying based on perceived sexual orientation. According to Swearer, Espelage & Jimerson (2010), bullying is characterized by two major components, imbalance of power and repeated harmful acts. It involves verbal, non-verbal, or physical attacks or intimidation that is often directed towards a victim who is not able to properly defend himself or herself. There are widespread concerns about school violence and bullying in the recent years. There is overwhelming evidence that ascertains that bullying adversely affects student’s sense of security. Scholars recommend that the most effective way of averting bullying in schools require utmost commitment by school administrators. Existing statistics reveal that the most bullying incidences occur in schools. There are also numerous cases of bullying that occur on the way to or from the school, on

Various Factors of the External and Internal to Organization Essay Example for Free

Various Factors of the External and Internal to Organization Essay The internal environment of an organization refers to events, factors, people, systems, structures and conditions inside the organization that are generally under the control of the company. The companys mission statement, organizational culture and style of leadership are factors typically associated with the internal environment of an organization. As such, it is the internal environment that will influence organizational activities, decisions and employee behavior and attitudes. Changes in the leadership style, the organizations mission or culture can have a considerable impact on the organization. The External Environment The external environment are those factors that occur outside of the company that cause change inside organizations and are, for the most part, beyond the control of the company. Customers, competition, the economy, technology, political and social conditions and resources are common external factors that influence the organization. Even though the external environment occurs outside of an organization, it can have a significant influence on its current operations, growth and long-term sustainability. Ignoring external forces can be a detrimental mistake for managers to make. As such, it is imperative that managers continually monitor and adapt to the external environment, working to make proactive changes earlier on rather than having to take a reactive approach, which can lead to a vastly different outcome. Changing for the Internal Environment To better understand changes in the internal environment, lets look at the following example. After graduating from college, Cassandra decided to buy an existing tanning salon in her community. Before Cassandra purchased the salon, it was in terrible financial trouble. Many of the employees complained about the general managers leadership style, and the staff were often confused about what products and services they offered at the salon because the manager continuously implemented his next bright idea with little warning, most of which were complete failures. Cassandra knew that if she was ever going to be able to bring any level of success to the salon, she needed to make several changes to the internal environment of the tanning salon. The first thing Cassandra did was to fire the existing manager because of his ineffective leadership style. She replaced the manager with someone who practiced a leadership style that was better aligned with the company and its employees. Next, Cassandra spent time developing a clear mission of the company and communicated the new mission to all employees. Over the next several months, Cassandra spent time getting to know her employees and worked hard to foster a culture that was positive and rewarding. All of these changes made by Cassandra were necessary due to the internal forces that were pushing for change, and with the help of her employees, Cassandra was able to bring the much needed changes to the internal environment of the company. Changing for the External Environment If we return to the example of Cassandras tanning salon, we can also find some external forces that required additional change at the tanning salon. If you remember, one of the major issues the staff was having with the previous general manager was his continuous changing of products and services at the salon. What his staff did not know was that he was trying to respond to external factors relating to changing customer demands. As a result, Cassandra spent time talking to her customers to find out what they really want in a tanning salon and was sure to make any changes necessary to accommodate those demands. Additionally, because of the struggling economy, Cassandra needed to ensure her pricing was affordable to her clients and comparable to what her competition was offering for similar tanning services and products at their salons. Lesson Summary Lets review. The internal environment of an organization refers to events, factors, people, systems, structures and conditions inside the organization that are generally under the control of the company. The companys mission statement, organizational culture and style of leadership are factors that are typically associated with the internal environment of an organization. The external environment are those factors that occur outside of the company that cause change in organizations and are, for the most part, beyond the control of the company. Customers, competition, the economy, technology, political and social conditions and resources are common external factors that influence the organization. In order for managers to react to the forces of internal and external environments, they rely on environmental scanning. Environmental scanning refers to the monitoring of an organizations internal and external environments for early signs that a change may be needed. Environmental scans allow managers to use the knowledge gained during the scanning process to decide what steps, or changes, Answer: If there is anything that is stead fast and unchanging, it is change itself. Change is inevitable, and those organizations who do not keep up with change will become unstable, with long-term survivability in question. There are things, events, or situations that occur that affect the way a business operates, either in a positive or negative way. These things, situations, or events that occur that affect a business in either a positive or negative way are called driving forces or environmental factors or forces. There are two kinds of driving forces; Internal driving forces, and external driving forces. Internal driving forces are those kinds of things, situations, or events that occur inside the business, and are generally under the control of the company. Examples might be as follows  · organization of machinery and equipment,  · technological capacity,  · organizational culture,  · management systems,  · financial management  · employee morale. External driving forces are those kinds of things, situation, or events that occur outside of the company and are by and large beyond the control of the company. Examples of external driving forces might be, the industry itself, the economy, demographics, competition, political interference, etc. Whether they are internal or external driving forces, one thing is certain for both. Change will occur! A company must be cognizant of these changes, flexible, and willing to respond to them in an appropriate way. External driving forces can bury a business if not appropriately dealt with. The question is, how does a business know what changes are occurring so that they can deal with them in a positive way. OK, thats the next issue. In order for a business to succeed and gain the competitive edge, the business must know what changes are indeed occurring, and what changes might be coming up in the future. I guess you might call this forecasting. Thus, critical to the business is what we call informational resources. It is the collection and analyzation of data. Some examples of critical information might include the following: * Competition (what are they doing?) * Customer behavior (needs, wants, and desires) * Industry out look (local, national, global) * Demographics (the change populations, there density, etc.) * Economy (are we peaking, or moving negatively) * Political movements and/or interference * Social environment * Technological changes * General environmental changes * Government interference (laws, regulations, policies, ect.) The above are just some issues organizations must be on top of. Well its never easy, but organizations that are successful include all of the above (and more), to develop the appropriate tactics, strategies, and best practices, to ensure successful out comes.

The Manufacturing Process At Almoiz Sugar Mills Marketing Essay

The Manufacturing Process At Almoiz Sugar Mills Marketing Essay Introduction Al-Moiz Sugar Mills Limited incorporated in 2004 as a limited company and certificate of commencement of business was granted in 2005. The Head Office of the company is located at Gulberg III Lahore whereas the factory unit is located on Chashma Road in the D.I.KHAN District Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The company is recognized in the local and international market as a fine quality producer of white refined Sugar, Molasses and also holds a substantial share in the market. The company is also engaged in the export of white refined sugar to Afghanistan and molasses to Euro countries and is contributing to the national economy in the form of foreign exchange. The company has strong corporate clients including Engro and Pepsi. This is the only Pakistani company with state of the art technology and is one of the very few mills in Pakistan that is providing Wapda with electricity. The sugar mills basic plant machinery was acquired and installed by The Heavy Mechanical Complex Taxila (A State Engineering Company). Other equipment such as turbines and gearboxes etc were imported from Germany and United Kingdom. Currently the plant is working at the crushing capacity of 1oooo MTCD and company is keen to increase it to 12000 MTCD. The sugar mill has a state of the art technology which is the latest technology in Pakistan. The mill produces sugar by using both sugar cane and sugar beet as a raw material.The company is committed to invest in IT with an eventual target of implementing ERP system. AL-MOIZ Sugar Mills Limited is one of the significant units of Almoiz group of industries. The company is principally engaged in the business of manufacture sales of white refined sugar molasses (as a byproduct), Crushing of sugarcane, Sugar beet raw sugar in to white refined sugar. Manufacturing Process The manufacturing process at Almoiz Sugar Mills comprises of the following steps Main Competitors Products White refined sugar: Major business of the company is to produce white refined cane sugar of intermission standard and from the erased cane and three different components are achieved that are fibber, pith and moisture. Molasses: This is a by product and it is sold to molasses contractors. One of the allied concerns, reliance commodities (pvt) limited is the main buyer of the molasses of al-moiz sugar mills limited and also the main buyer of molasses from whole the country. Reliance commodities (pvt) limited is the main exporter of molasses in pakistan. Baggase This is also a bye product of the company. Baggase is used as source of energy fuel for sugar industry for juice heating. And also used for making medium density fiber board (mdfb). Baggase is sold to the baggase contractors. Mud Mud is also the by-product of the company. It is sold to the mud contractors. This is used in making chocolates and other products. Electricity Al-moiz sugar mills also produce electricity on large quantity. The mill does not only fulfil its own energy requirements but is able to product surplus electricity which is supplies to wapda. Departments at the Factory Site Departments at the Head Office The strengths and Weaknesses of the company are as follows Strengths Attractive salary packages for employees on the site Top management. The CEO of the company is a Stanford Graduate and is a man of great vision Friendly and cooperative working environment Financial resources Agricultural assistance to the local farmers State of the art technology Corporate Social Responsibility Weaknesses Lack of skilled persons available in the region where the mill is located Shortage of residence available for employees on the site The site is prone to being affected by the flood and has been affected by the floods that occurred in the past Unavailability of modern facilities on the site Number of accidental reports are increasing Turnover rate is high Weak organizational policies Poor GSM services on the site Literature Review Sugar Industry in Pakistan JCR-VIS Credit Rating Company Limited, (2011) described the sugar industry ranked the fifteenth largest globally and the second largest after textile industry with 86 operational factories across the country with an installed capacity of 7.0 million tons of sugar annually. It directly employed over 30,000 personnel. JCR-VIS Credit Rating Company Limited, (2010) described the industry as the driving engine of the rural economy after agrarian economy in many countries. They also stated the sugar industrys cyclical nature as harvesting of sugar cane was dependent on weather as well as the availability of adequate water. Khushk, Memon Saeed described the Pakistan sugar industry as uncompetitive in nature due to low sugarcane yield per hectare and low content of sucrose ranging between 7-9 percent however they also described the sugar industry from a growers perspective as competitive since the growers were of the opinion that the sugar crisis was artificially created by mill owners with the motive of keeping sugarcane prices below support prices and reaping abnormal profits. (Shaukat) described Pakistan as the fifth largest country in the world in terms of area under sugar cane cultivation, eleventh by production and sixtieth in yield. The author also described the sugar industry in Pakistan as the second largest agro based industry with 81 sugar mills with annual crushing capacity of over 6.1 million tons. The author also mentioned that the Sugar industry is mostly located in the rural areas of Punjab and Sindh. A small percentage of total production is produced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Previously, Punjab was partly dependent on supply of sugar from Sindh however after the establishment of some large scale units in Punjab the Province became self-sufficient in the commodity. (Rizvi) described Pakistans sugar industry as mostly owned by politicians. The author also mentions that majority of the sugar mills were setup with the help of Development Financial Institutions normally trapped with the working capital crisis. Consequently, some of the mills were closed and it was feared that some more sick units would close down. The author also mentions the collapse of sugar mill being a loss of national assets, reduction in the sales tax revenue and an increase in unemployment. Awareness of consumers towards branded products Aaker (2000) was of the opinion that brand awareness was a remarkably durable and sustainable asset that provided a sense of familiarity especially in low- involvement products. It also provided with a sense of presence, commitment and substance. It was very vital to recall at the time of purchase. Besides the conventional media there were other effective means to create awareness such as event promotions, publicity and sampling. Chen (2001) stated that though brand awareness was a necessary asset however it was not sufficient for building strong brand equity. In this view a brand could be well known because it had inferior quality. Ramasamy et al. (2005) reported that, the buying behavior was vastly influenced by the awareness and attitude towards the product. Television commercials were said to be the most important source of information, followed by retail outlet displays. Consumers formed an opinion about a brand on the basis of various product features. A large number of respondents laid emphasis on quality and were of the opinion that price is an important factor while other respondents attached importance to image of manufacturer. Purchase Behavior of Consumers Results of the study conducted by Joshi (1993) in Dharwad on food purchasing habits and consumer awareness among rural and urban housewives indicated that majority of the urban respondents purchased sugar (69.00%) on monthly basis. Rural respondents purchased sugar (71.00%) once in week. Both rural and urban respondents purchased groceries (99.00% each) from retail shops. Price, quality and weight of the products were the important factors considered by both rural and urban respondents while purchasing of food items. Nagaraja (2004) opined that, buying behaviour is very much influenced by experience of their own and of neighbour consumers and his family. Above all, the quality of the product and its easy availability were the primary and the vital determinants of his buying behaviour. Consumers were influenced by touch and feel aspect of any promotional activity. Shivkumar (2004) showed that the consumer, irrespective of income groups, was mainly influenced by the opinions of their family members to purchase. Consumers were also influenced by the dealers recommendation, followed by advertisement. Brand Preference Kubendran and Vanniarajan (2005) described the change in consumption pattern a result of change in food habits. If income and urbanization increase among consumers, the percentage of income spent on consumption increased. Branded products were preferred my urban consumers. The major factors influencing buying decisions were accessibility, quality, regular supply, door delivery and the mode of payment. Narang (2006) claimed that, a buyer does not stick to one brand when it comes to purchasing a food item. They should be able recall different brand names when they go for purchase. Repetitive advertising can be used to aid brand recall. The product should appeal to the consumer. Kim-Hyunah et al. (2005) concluded that brand preference and brand image had considerable positive effects on brand loyalty. Thus, the companies should strive to strengthen brand loyalty through building brand preference and brand image. Brand loyalty led to increased customer visits. Low and Lamb Jr. (2000) maintained that known brands tend to exhibit multi-dimensional brand associations, consistent with the idea that consumers have more developed memory structures for more familiar brands. Consumers might be willing to expend more energy in processing information regarding familiar brands compared to unfamiliar brands. Padmanabhan (1999) conducted study on brand loyalty, which revealed that the price of the preferred brand, efficiency of the preferred brand and influence of advertisement significantly influenced the brand loyalty. Factors Influencing Brand Preference In a study conducted by Sarwade (2002) it was observed that the factor which influenced the purchasing decision as against the quality of the product was its price. Another interesting finding was that the company image and brand image were not totally considered by the households. Kubendran and Vanniarajan (2005) described the change in consumption pattern is due to changes in food habits. If income and urbanization increase among consumers, the percentage of income spent on consumption increases. The urban consumers prefer mostly branded products compared to rural consumers. The most significant factors influencing buying decisions were acceptability, quality, regular supply, door delivery and the mode of payment. Vincent (2006) elicited that quality was an important factor that draws consumer towards branded products. Branded products were accepted as good quality products. People do not mind paying extra for branded products, as they get value for money. Media is a key constituent in promoting and influencing brand. External environmental analysis Sugar Industry in Pakistan Sugar is the important sector of Pakistans economy. Sugar industry plays a vital role for development of any countries. In Pakistan this industry play a significant role for economic development. Its share in the large scale industry is 19.25% and in GDP is 1.98%. Sugar industry contribution to the government exchequer in federal excise duty 17.34% History At the time of partition in 1947 only seven sugar mills, existed in the territories of Pakistan, 5 in East Pakistan now known as Bangladesh and only 2 in West Pakistan now known as Pakistan. These two sugar mills namely Rahwali Sugar Mills and Frontier Sugar Mills established in 1936 and 1938 had a capacity of 5000 tonnes each of producing white sugar. During 1954-56 three more sugar mills were established with a capacity of 10000-15000 tonnes. By 1955-56, the sugar production capacity in Pakistan was around 45,000 tonnes. With an abrupt change in the economic activities and urbanization, the demand for white sugar was on the increase. This was attributed to the manufacture of soft drinks, confectioneries and bakery products etc. The number of sugar mills was also on the increase to meet the demand. Major Players in the Sugar Industry The major players in the sugar industry are Current Scenario The sugar industry is the second largest in the country after the textile industry. Currently there are 83 sugar mills operating in Pakistan. In Pakistan normally season starts in November and ends in April. Out of the 83 sugar mills present in the country 76 Sugar Mills are operating having crushing capacity of 361,300 tons of cane per day (TCD). Seven Sugar mills extended capacity but they are unable to utilize. Based on 160 days season these sugar mills have a total crushing capacity of 58 million tons of sugarcane capable to produce 5 million tons of refined sugar and 3 million tons of molasses. Also the weekly sugar production is conveyed to the government via Pakistan Sugar Mills Association. The environmental analysis can be classified into two major types of environments that a firm has to face. They are micro and the macro (mega) environment. These are discussed in detail below. Macro Environment Technological Environment Almoiz sugar mills position as far as the technological environment is concerned is pretty strong as of now. It uses the state of the art technology and can produce sugar using sugar beet as a raw material other than sugar cane. Other than sugar production the firm is also engaged in electricity production and is a supplier of electricity to wapda. Socio-cultural Environment The impact of societal changes, life styles and culture on Almoiz sugar mill is significant. There has been a shift in the life style, for example the type of stores customer prefer to shop from, the type of packaging they prefer sugar in. Consumers are becoming more health conscious they prefer to go for low calorie versions and are very concerned about hygienic conditions of the sugar and the shop that sugar is purchased from. Economic Environment The economic environment of Pakistan is not very stable and it continues to fluctuate every now and then. With the rise in interest rates and double digit inflation in the country, it has practically become impossible for the consumers to buy the same number of products as they used to buy a few years ago, thus the purchasing power of the consumers has sharply gone down. Political Environment The political scenario of Pakistan is the biggest threat to a business. Changing tax rates, rebates, labor strikes and the instability in general makes it difficult for Almoiz sugar mill to cope up with these changes and thus it can hamper future operations and thus profitability of the entire business. Legal Environment The legal system of Pakistan is generally not very strong and in case of a problem, a company can involve itself into years long legal implications and trials. Micro Environment Suppliers Almoiz has divided its suppliers into two zones Factory Zone: 73 % of sugar cane during the cane season is obtained from the factory zone i.e. 640,000 M .Tons Outer Zone: 27% of sugar cane during the cane season is obtained from the outer zone i.e. 240,000 M. Tons. The outer zone comprises of areas including Indus road, Bypass, Bhakkar and Mianwali. Market Demand There is a great deal of demand for sugar in households. Sugar is used in very house it may be directly consumed or may be indirectly consumed in other products such as beverages and Confectionery items such as sweets, lollipops, candy bars, chocolate, cotton candy and other sweet snack items. Competition Almoiz sugar mill has many competitors with Chashma sugar mill and Layyah sugar mill being the its two immediate competitors. The competitors also offer the same range of products with white refined sugar being the core product and several other by product including molasses however there isnt any sugar mill that generates its own electricity as Almoiz sugar mill. Skill Level of Workforce Workforce and the people in the company is the biggest asset of an organization. In the case of Almoiz sugar mill the workforce plays a very important role in the organizations productivity. The location of the factory is in Dera Ismail Khan and due to the instability in the region finding skilled workforce in that area is very hard. Hence attractive salary packages are given to attract skilled workforce from other regions of the country to come and work for Almoiz sugar mill. Marketing Intermediaries Marketing intermediaries are involved especially when it comes to sugar distribution to retailers and wholesalers. A high level of intermediary involvement makes communication difficult and increases the dependence. Porters Five Forces Model http://www.12manage.com/images/porterfiveforces.gif Porters five forces model basically gauges the intensity of competition within its industry. The collective strength of all these forces combined determines the ultimate profit potential of the industry where profit potential is measured in terms of the long-run return on investment of capital. Threat of New Entrants If someone from a political or influential background wants to set up a sugar mill they have the financial resources to obtain the machinery and contacts needed to obtain a license to start up a sugar mill. So entry into the sugar industry is not hard. There are 83 sugar mills in Pakistan out of which 76 Sugar Mills are operating. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Almoiz has a diverse range of suppliers as mentioned earlier. It has separate categories of suppliers based on distance from the factory site. Thus giving the suppliers a low bargaining power. Bargaining Power of Customers Customers have the option of switching to other sugar producers since barely one or two sugar mills have done something to distinguish themselves from other competitors in terms if having a brand name or packaging. People dont even take into consideration the brand or sugar mill name while purchasing sugar they just purchase whatever is easily available. Threat of Substitute Products Almoiz has many direct competitors. Currently there are 83 sugar mills in the country out of which 76 sugar mills are operating. The competitors also offer the exact same range of products with white refined sugar being the core product thus making the threat of substitute products high. Also other substitute products such as canderal are available for consumers who want to go for a sweetener with less sugar content Porters Generic Strategies According to this strategy, in order to cope up with competition, firms adopt three generic strategic approaches to gain competitive advantage. Overall cost leadership entails the firm to make all or possible attempts to achieve the lowest costs in production and marketing. Differentiation approach lays emphasis on achieving class leadership by providing unique characteristics to the product/service. Focus strategy attempts to serve a narrow strategic target effectively and efficiently. Thus, on the basis of these three strategies, Almoiz sugar mill follows the Overall Cost Leadership Strategy. By being the low cost leader, it increases its efficiency at all levels thus gaining a significant market share. An illustration is shown below: External Factor Analysis Summary Opportunities Entering International Markets Expanding corporate clients Technology Government and industrial projects. Minimization of cost by properly utilizing the by-products. Organic sugar Threats Seasonal Variation in sugar cane Political Instability Natural Calamities The region in which the mill is located is very risky in terms of stability Competitors in the same region can attract the skilled resource of the company by offering them a better package External Factor Weight Rating Weighted Score Opportunities Entering International Markets 0.05 3 0.15 Expanding corporate clients 0.15 4 0.6 Technology 0.03 4 0.12 Government and industrial projects 0.13 4 0.52 utilizing by-products 0.07 3 0.21 Organic Sugar 0.14 3 0.42 Threats Seasonal Variation in sugar cane 0.14 4 0.56 Political Instability 0.09 3 0.27 Natural Calamities 0.07 3 0.21 location of factory 0.13 2 0.26 Total 1 3.32 Competitor Analysis The following are the main competitors of Almoiz Sugar mills Layyah Sugar Mills Layyah Chashma sugar Mills D. I. Khan Chashma Sugar Mill (D.I.Khan) The mill was set up by the sponsors of the Premier Group in 1991. Technical and other assistance is provided to the sugarcane growers, in addition to the development of 150,000 acres of land for the cane supply. The mill production stands at 18,000 tons per day, the largest in Pakistan.   In the financial year 2010, the Company was declared a subsidiary of The Premier Sugar Mills Distillery Company Limited, under the directions of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.  . The factory is located in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The company has the following strategic goals Providing Customer Satisfaction by serving with superior quality production of white sugar at lowest cost Ensuring Security and Accountability by creating an environment of security and accountability for employees, production facilities and products Expanding Customer Base by exploring new national and international markets and undertaking product research and development in sugar industry Ensuring Efficient Resource Management by managing human, financial, technical and infrastructural resources so as to support all our strategic goals and to ensure highest possible value addition to stakeholders. Products White Crystaline Sugar White Crystalline Sugar Molasses Molasses Bagasse Bagasse Layyah Sugar Mills (Layyah) Layyah Sugar Mills is a project of The Thal Industries Corporation Limited having its registered office at 23 Pir Khurshid Colony, Multan. The company was incorporated on September 07, 1953 under the companies Act 1913 (Now Companies Ordinance 1984) as Public Limited company limited by shares. Its shares are quoted on Karachi and Lahore stock exchanges in Pakistan. The company is engaged in production and sale of white refined sugar. Layyah Sugar Mills was set up by the Thal Development Authority (Defunct) with a capacity of 1200 TCD in 1954, which was enhanced, to 2000 TCD in 1979-80 and further to 2700 TCD in 1990-91. It was the first sugar mills installed and commissioned in Punjab after existence of Pakistan. After privatization the new management, by taking some drastic measures, enhanced the crushing capacity of sugar mills from 2700 TCD to 3500 TCD in year 2001. In 2002; Company undertook BMR Expansion to add new mills tandem of 4000 Tons Crushing/Day . In 2002-2003; Undertook second phase of  BMR Expansion to increase in crushing capacity and synchronize the process house with the mills house to 6700 Tons Crushed/Day (TCD),  successfully  completed during the crushing season 2002-2003. Due to which  capacity of sugar mills has been increased from 6,700 TCD to 9,300 TCD.   Financial Analysis Liquidity Ratios Year 2011 2010 2009 Almoiz Chashma Layyah Almoiz Chashma Layyah Almoiz Chashma Current Ratio 0.96 0.96 1.12 0.76 0.87 1.08 1.00 0.72 Quick Ratio 0.35 0.22 0.79 0.36 0.52 0.58 0.55 0.22 Inventory to Net working Capital -13.50 -19.63 2.81 -1.62 -2.69 6.08 213.06 -1.80 The  current ratio  is a  financial ratio  that measures whether or not a firm has enough resources to pay its debts over the next 12 months. It compares a firms  current assets  to its current liabilities. The current ratio is an indication of a firms  market liquidity  and ability to meet creditors demands. Acceptable current ratios vary from industry to industry and are generally between 1.5 and 3 for healthy businesses. If a companys current ratio is in this range, then it generally indicates good short-term financial strength. Almoiz has a current ratio of less than 1 for the year 2011 as well as the year 2010 where as in 2009 the current assets of Almoiz are slightly more than its current liabilities therefore the ratio is above 1 in 2009. Out of the three sugar mills the value of current ratio for Layyah sugar mill indicates good financial strength as compared to Chashma and Almoiz sugar mills. Quick Ratio is an indicator of a companys short-term liquidity.  The quick ratio  measures  a companys  ability to meet  its short-term obligations with  its most liquid assets. A higher quick ratio  indicates a  better position of the  company. In the years 2010 and 2011 Layyah sugar mills has a higher quick ratio where as in 2009 Almoiz has a higher quick ratio. Inventory to Net Working Capital measures  a firms  capability  to finance its  inventories  from its available cash. Layyah sugar mill has a better capability to finance its inventories from available cash as compared to Almoiz and Chashma sugar mills. Leverage Ratios 2011 2010 2009 Leverage Almoiz Chashma Layyah Almoiz Chashma Layyah Almoiz Chashma Debt to assets 0.70 0.71 0.81 0.65 0.68 0.80 0.65 0.82 Debt to equity 2.28 2.43 4.22 1.89 2.12 3.94 1.86 4.48 Long Term Debt to equity 1.34 0.83 1.47 1.38 1.35 1.96 1.45 2.30 TIE 1.08 1.37 1.65 0.12 2.16 1.82 0.02 0.68 Debt to Assets is A metric used to measure a companys financial risk by determining how much of the companys assets have been financed by debt. Layyah and Chashma sugar mill have a higher debt to assets ratio as compared to Almoiz sugar mill. Debt to Equity is a measure of a companys financial leverage calculated by dividing  its total liabilities  by  stockholders equity. It indicates what proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets. Almoiz sugar mill has a lesser debt to equity ratio as compared to Layyah and Chashma sugar mill. Long term debt to equity is a way to determine a companys  leverage. The ratio is calculated by taking the companys  long-term debt and dividing it by stockholders equity. The greater a companys leverage, the higher the ratio. Generally, companies with higher ratios are thought to be more risky  because they have more liabilities and less  equity. Overall for all the three years Layyah sugar mill has a higher debt to equity ratio as compared to Almoiz and Chasma sugar mill. Times Interest Earned (TIE) is a metric used to measure a companys ability to meet its debt obligations. It is calculated by taking a companys earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and dividing it by the total interest payable on bonds and other contractual debt. It is usually quoted as a ratio and indicates how many times a company can cover its interest charges on a pretax basis. Failing to meet these obligations could force a company into bankruptcy. In 2009 Almoiz has a very less TIE ratio Chashma and Layyah have higher TIE ratio than Almoiz sugar mill. Profitability Ratios Profitability 2011 2010 2009 Almoiz Chashma Layyah Almoiz Chashma Layyah Almoiz Chashma GPM 0.12 0.12 0.13 0.03 0.12 0.11 0.05 0.09 NPM 0.008 0.02 0.025 -0.022 0.05 0.018 -0.217 -0.05 OPM 0.106 0.10 0.11 0.013 0.10 0.08 0.005 0.08 ROA 0.006 0.025 0.046 -0.015 0.104 0.040 -0.072 -0.062 EPS 0.16 4.9 12.23 -0.35 10.78 7.9 -7.59 Gross Profit Margin is a financial metric used to assess  a firms financial health by revealing the  proportion of money left over from revenues after accounting for the cost of goods sold.  Gross profit margin serves as the  source for paying additional expenses and future savings. The GPM for Almoiz sugar mill has increased from 2009 to 2011 and in 2011 it is almost the same as Layyah and Chashma sugar mill however in between it dropped down to 0.03 in 2010. Net Profit Margin is very useful when comparing  companies in similar industries. A higher profit margin indicates a more profitable company that  has better control over  its costs compared to  its competitors. Almoiz sugar mill has a negative NPM in 2010 and 2009 since it faced a net loss and in 2011 though it didnt face a loss but the NPM is still less than that of its competitors. Operating Profit Margin is a measurement of what proportion of a companys revenue is left over after paying for variable costs of production such as wages, raw materials, etc. A healthy operating margin is required for a company to be able to pay for its

Sparta :: essays research papers

In the 7th Century BC a new era of warfare strategy evolved. Before this new strategy, foot soldiers (known as hoplites) engaged in battle in the form of one mob for each army which on the command of their generals runs at each other and proceeds to hack blindly at the enemy with little to no direction other then to kill the enemy in front of them. This proved to be very messy and the tide of battle depended mostly on emotion and size of an army. In the name of strategy and organization, the phalanx was developed. A phalanx is simply defined as a line formation with its width significantly larger then its depth. The depth of the phalanx is a variable which some suggest was decided by the army itself rather then by the leaders of the army. The smallest depth appears to have been that of one man deep. However this was a unique occurrence which is widely believed to be fictitious. The largest depth is that of 120 men deep which was fielded at one time by the Macedonians. On average, the depth of the phalanx appears to be about eight men deep. During the time of Alexander the Great, the phalanx was believed to be eight men deep, but some argue that it evolved into a sixteen man deep phalanx. The Spartans purposely varied the depth of their phalanx so to confuse the enemy about the number of soldiers fielded. The phalanx proved to be a very valuable weapon for the military at that time. Armies which did not adapt to the phalanx formation were quickly slaughtered. The use of the phalanx allowed the Greeks to win the Persian Wars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Many historians believe that the development of the phalanx led directly to social changes occurring throughout Greece during the time of the phalanx's implementation. The phalanx formation allowed men to participate in the military who otherwise could not have because a much smaller investment in weapons and armor was needed to participate in the phalanx. The combined increase in the number of those participating in the army and the increase in importance of the common foot soldier lead to the common man being increasingly treated better by the ruling classes. Eventually this may have led to the invention of democracy. The most noticeable difference between ancient Greek and modern warfare is the amount of "intelligence" information. Today our military maneuvers are almost exclusively reliant on information we get from satellites, scouts, or spies in the opposition. The ancient Greeks totally ignored this area of military strategy. Countless tales of armies meeting each other by chance or armies passing within miles of each other