Analysis Of Richard Rodriguez s A Stranger And Strange...

Comparative Analysis Over the past month, we have been studying the concept of reading and writing in different communities. To assess this, we have read two different texts. Richard Rodriguez’s the achievement of desire†, from his autobiography â€Å"Hunger of Memory†; and Lucille McCarthy’s â€Å"A Stranger in Strange Lands: A College Student Writing across the Curriculum† from â€Å"Research in the Teaching of English†. Both answer key questions regarding what it takes to become a great reader and writer, however, from the reading that I have done, each one only answers one part of the question. Rodriguez’s main focus is in the aspect of reading, whereas McCarthy mainly focuses on the writing portion. Both do a decent job of analyzing and putting forth a view of how they believe a person can best perform in these environments. This then allows us to use their concepts and create our own version, based on their points of view. But why should we care? Most people at this level of academia will have developed a system of writing that works for them, and will have a difficult time breaking from it if they’re process doesn’t meet the criteria that Rodriguez, and McCarthy put forth. The reason it’s so important is because of implications these ideas have. Both authors put forth concepts that are indirectly related to one another and that are highly beneficial to all who will apply them. They will force you to conform to new environments in order to succeed, this in turn will make you moreShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work , please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturersRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesLeadership Chapter 2 Organization Strategy and Project Selection 1.4 Projects and programs (.2) 1.4.1 Managing the portfolio 1.4.3 Strategy and projects 2.3 Stakeholders and review boards 12.1 RFP’s and vendor selection (.3.4.5) 11.2.2.6 SWAT analysis 6.5.2.7 Schedule compression 9.4.2.5 Leadership skills G.1 Project leadership 10.1 Stakeholder management Chapter 11 Teams Chapter 3 Organization: Structure and Culture 2.4.1 Organization cultures [G.7] 2.4.2 Organization structureRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesSimon Fraser University v Acknowledgments For the 1993 edition: The following friends and colleagues deserve thanks for their help and encouragement with this project: Clifford Anderson, Hellan Roth Dowden, Louise Dowden, Robert Foreman, Richard Gould, Kenneth King, Marjorie Lee, Elizabeth Perry, Heidi Wackerli, Perry Weddle, Tiffany Whetstone, and the following reviewers: David Adams, California State Polytechnic University; Stanley Baronett, Jr., University of Nevada-Las Vegas; Shirley

Alcohol as a Gateway Essays - 779 Words

Alcohol and heavy drinking throughout Canada plays a distinctive role in instigating other key addictions. Drinking and consumption abuse can be linked strongly to the abuse of illicit drugs. Binge drinking should be seen as a gateway or portal to the development of poly-drug users. As the gateway drug theory suggests, routine use of less harmful drugs, in this case alcohol, will lead to risk of abusing more serious drugs. Alcohol is so readily available and like any other psychoactive drug it can be very addictive. More than 600,000 Canadians are dependent on alcohol, and nearly 200,000, on illicit drugs. Alcohol consumption needs to be portrayed as a more dangerous activity. The possible risk factors in alcohol consumption can be†¦show more content†¦By establishing the patterns of heavy drinking we can then begin to see correlations with other sorts of rebellious behavior and risky activity. Binge drinking has been identified as a gateway to other illicit drugs. There is a strong link between alcohol consumption and the gateway drug theory. The gateway drug theory suggests that the routine use of less harmful drugs or substances may lead to a future risk of abusing more serious hard drugs. It has been found that alcohol precedes the use of cannabis as well as other drugs. Alcohol is the starting point in a vicious cycle. Cigarette and alcohol use is associated with the likelihood of marijuana use; marijuana use is in turn associated with the likelihood of other drug use. A study of a British Columbian sample group showed â€Å"43% of the sample reporting simultaneous use of both alcohol and marijuana on the previous weekend and 14% reporting simultaneous use of alcohol and cocaine† (Stockwell et al, 2007). Alcohol and drinking is observed as a fairly low risk activity among students; however, with the possible relationship to hard drugs, alcohol should be viewed m ore cautiously. It is becoming increasingly rare for those who use hard drugs to not have used alcohol or cannabis first. It seems that universities and youth culture are breeding alcoholics. Our culture is so focused on partying with a constant competition of who can be theShow MoreRelated†¢Legalizing Marijuana Is Beneficial For A Person’S Mental717 Words   |  3 Pageslegalized for that reason. †¢ Marijuana is not a gateway drug Marijuana should not be considered as a gateway drug and therefore should be legalized. Marijuana is not a gateway drug because it is beneficial for the treatment of opiate addicts, the use of marijuana will decrease if decriminalized, and marijuana are not involved in the factors that lead to hard drug use according to different researches. Firstly, marijuana should not be considered as a gateway drug because it is beneficial for the treatmentRead MoreJaclyn Larsen. Mr. Gregory. Period 2. February 12, 2017.1749 Words   |  7 PagesGregory Period 2 February 12, 2017 The Gateway Theory: On Marijuana Within the last few years there has been a nation wide drive towards the legalization of marijuana. This year, it has finally been taken off the list of gateway drugs. A number of states have seen the legalization of marijuana as a gateway to medical benefits. Whereas other states are still skeptical of some of the unknown factors of marijuana. So how was the decision made that marijuana is not a gateway drug? It simply came to the endRead MorePreventing Substance Abuse Among Schoolchildren And Help Them Develop Effective Gang And Violence Resistance Techniques1445 Words   |  6 Pagesconducted indicating that application of the D.A.R.E components does reduce drug use in youths. The secondary objectives of D.A.R.E are as follows: acquiring the knowledge and skills to recognize and resist peer pressure to experiment with tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs; enhancing self-esteem; learning assertiveness techniques; learning about positive alternatives to substance use; learning anger m anagement and conflict resolution skills; developing risk assessment and decision making skills; reducingRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?849 Words   |  4 Pagesmarijuana should be legalized for the general public as a recreational drug. Although some believe that marijuana is harmless, and that it has beneficial medicinal uses, marijuana should not be legalized because it decreases one s motor skills, it is a gateway drug, furthermore, it negatively affects the minority population. First thing s first, some,some critics believe that marijuana has various practical uses;however, with insufficient studies done these cannot be proved. If marijuana was legalizedRead MoreIs There A War On Drugs?949 Words   |  4 Pagesscientific or medical information. It was based on the race. Cannabis is nothing like what people thought in the 1900s. Cannabis has countless medicinal purposes that far outweigh its negatives. (Drug WarRant) First people consider cannabis as a gateway drug. An opinion that says the cannabis isn t harmful, but it will lead to the use of harder drugs like cocaine and heroin. People who use cannabis have a strong connection with the use of other drugs. According to the National Institute on DrugRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1384 Words   |  6 Pagesmarijuana use and its legal status are slowly shifting across America. What was once viewed as a dangerous gateway drug is slowly being legalized across the nation for medicinal and recreational purposes. Alcohol is often used as a comparator to marijuana for good reason. Banning alcohol was attempted before and it was not successful. Marijuana is currently progressing through a similar phase alcohol went through during the Prohibition Era. Four states, including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and AlaskaRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?911 Words   |  4 Pagesmarijuana as the primary substance of abuse increased from thirty-two to sixty-five percent between 1993 and 2003 (U.S Drug 66). Therefore, more young children ages twelve through seventeen entered treatment in 2003 for marijuana dependency than for alcohol and all other illegal drugs combined (U.S. Drug 67). With this in mind, not only are children at risk for becoming dependent on marijuana, but they are also at risk for not doing well in school (National 74). According to John Hawkins, a columnistRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1230 Words   |  5 Pagesmakes an individual violent, although there is not much data to support the allegation. I use to agree with the government and others stance on the subject matter, but I now feel that there is not much difference between Alcohol and Marijuana. As with any substance, whether it is alcohol, drugs, cigarettes or food there is a chance for addiction to occur. However, it should be an individual’s free will to make their own personal decisions. Marijuana use to be grown in fields right next to other cropsRead MoreLegalize Marjuana: Lots of Benefits for the People Essay771 Words   |  4 Pagespeople than in four large states combined! The thought of arresting that many citizens for something so harmless is ridiculous. Marijuana should be legalized because it would increase national revenue, it has medical benefits, and it less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. What could our country do with 42 billion dollars? Perhaps the U.S Government could feed the poor or make higher education affordable. Those are just two of the many good causes that need funding from the American Government; howeverRead MoreThe Legalization of Marijuana Essay868 Words   |  4 Pagesrecent study at Harvard estimated that â€Å"marijuana legalization would yield tax revenue of $2.4 billion dollars annually if marijuana were taxed like all other goods and $6.2 billion annually if marijuana were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol or tobacco† (Miron ____). The money raised from this tax could be used to improve schools, roads, and public parks. In the end, legalizing marijuana would be a great benefit to the economy. Second, legalizing marijuana would help people who

Comparing Disneys(r) Beauty the Beast and Mulan Free Essays

In my opinion, the role of Disney has remained unchanged for over a period of 30 years. Their main values still remain the same: good triumphs over evil and everyone lives happily ever after. Beauty the Beast, a classic, and Mulan, a contemporary, both share these values as well. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Disneys'(r) Beauty the Beast and Mulan or any similar topic only for you Order Now I will now compare the 2 animated feature films. Both the films have the same narrative structure. They follow the Todorovs’ theorem: Equilibrium – Disruption –Journey – Test – New Equilibrium. * They both start off with an establishing shot of the heroines and introduces them through a musical score. In B B (Beauty the Beast), we see the establishing shot of Belles’ house + town and the camera zooms in to Belle. In Mulan, we see something similar. We see Mulan introduced by an establishing shot and then the camera zooms in on her. She then introduces herself and her life/aspirations through a musical score. In Mulan, we also see that Mulan is introduced through the same way. However, we don’t directly start off with a song describing her but later on we do hear a song brewed after her visit to the matchmaker. * Both the heroines are very bright, intelligent and brave. They are also unconventional and don’t conform to societies’ view of a woman. In B B, we see Belle, during the opening song/introduction, reading a book and then makes her way to the library. Through her conversation with the librarian we learn that she’s really keen on reading and this is the only way she gets in touch with the person that she wants to be. So the librarian gives her this book as a present. â€Å"It’s my favorite! Far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise †¦ Oh, thank you very much!† Also, during the introduction song, we hear the villagers’ views’ on Belle and her lifestyle. We hear the fat woman saying about how beautiful Belle is and that she’s very bright also. But she’s wasting her life on books and she should get married rather. We then see 3 village girls pumping water out of a water-pump. As we can see, they all look the same; they all have blonde hair and blue eyes. Typical. This is purposely set to show Belle in contrast to the â€Å"normal† girls, hence, proving my point. In Mulan, we see her running through a list of characteristics. Her father is also praying to his ancestors to help her find a husband and bring honour to the house. This establishes her uniqueness from the other girls as well. Later on when she goes to the matchmaker, she hides the characteristics in order so that the matchmaker wouldn’t see it. This also shows that she doesn’t conform with the women of her time and is more manlike. Later on in the film, we see where the Huns are charging at Shang Li and his band of soldiers, which includes Mulan. We see a pan-shot of the Huns charging down the mountain. Shang Li and his men have only one rocket. We see him, Shang Li, then trying to fire the rocket into the Hun army whilst saying, â€Å"we’ll take out as many as we can†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is a typical Chinese soldier. Mulan snatches the rocket away and runs away from the men. She then fires the rocket at the peak of another mountain, which is to the right of the unsuspecting, charging Huns. This causes and avalanche and buries the Huns under a thick blanket of snow. However, the leader of the Huns reaches Mulan and slashes her with his sword before also being buried in the snow. This scene shows that she’s brave and also intelligent. She uses her brain to cause the Huns more damage then Shang Li would, with his version of â€Å"fight till death†. * Both the heroines are prepared to sacrifice their lives for their father and, indeed, do. In B B, when Belle’s father is locked up in the beasts’ castle, she goes out venturing to find him. She tells the horse to revisit its’ footsteps and take her to the place where her father is. In due time, she enters the dark, scary castle. She finds her way to the dungeon, in a great co-incidence, she finds her father locked in. Also, at that moment, the beast reveals himself. (This also proves my previous point that she’s brave because she didn’t run away or sth like that†¦). Anyway, she interacts with the beast and asks him why did he imprison her father and to let him go cause he’s sick. The beast refuses and tells her that he’s his prisoner and will do as he pleases. She then offers him herself in lieu of her fathers’ freedom and safe return back home. The beast accepts. The same is the case in Mulan. She sacrifices herself when the emperor’s messenger declares that a man from each house should join the army to defend against the Huns. * All of the males in both films are portrayed in a negative image. In B B, we see Gaston in the beginning musical score/introduction, introduced as arrogant and self-centered. We first see him as he shoots down a goose, which was regarded to be very manly in those days, and start to song about him and Belle. He says that she’s the only one fit to marry for him as she is the only parallel to his beauty and that she’s very lucky that he’s selected her. He’s a stereotypical hero; massive build, handsome, arrogant and fancied by all the girls in town. He’s a parody of the heroes out there. But further on in the film, when Belle refuses to marry him, he vows to make her marry him through any means. This â€Å"evil† statement is also supported through the music. Also, after Belle shows the mirror to the townspeople to prove that her father is telling the truth, he uses his preplanned scheme to try and force Belle for the last time to marry him or he’ll make the hospital take his father away to the mental institute. In Mulan, we see Shang Li portrayed as a hero as well; brave and fearless, a good leader, wise and captain of his military squad. But, he isn’t as bright as Mulan is, as I have explained above in my 2nd point. Also, we see the other 3 men that Mulan hangs around with. They’re dirty, sweaty and ill mannered. * Both the heroines find the â€Å"their man† in the end of the film, the best man. In B B, we see Belle in the end with the former â€Å"beast† who has now turned back into the prince he was with all his wealth and splendor. She gets him rather than the Gaston, who is also handsome and praised by everyone in the village. In Mulan, at the end of the film we see Shang Li approach Mulan’s father, supposedly, to ask her hand because we hear the emperor commenting to him about the â€Å"once in a lifetime† opportunity he has at hand, which chiefly means ‘marry her’. Also, they live happily ever after. In B B, we see the Belle and the prince dancing in a ballroom, smiling and kissing. Also, the close-ups underline this. Mrs. Pots sings a romantic song, which also reflects the atmosphere. In Mulan, Mulan is reunited with her family and all is forgiven. Shang Li also comes into the scene, to marry her supposedly. Then the camera zooms out and reveals the picturesque scenery implying the happy atmosphere also. Similar beginnings and endings. Both Mulan and B B start off with a similar equilibrium, then along comes a disruption and causes a change in their lives, because they go on a journey of self-discovery. Ends in ‘happily ever after’ mode. (REF: Todorov’s Theorem) How to cite Comparing Disneys'(r) Beauty the Beast and Mulan, Papers

Energy Crisis free essay sample

Energy crises The growing menace of electricity and gas load shedding, combined with constantly rising electricity gas tariffs has mushroomed into a grave national crisis. It has not only been affecting the trade and industry, development and construction, education and administration gravely, but has also seriously impeded the progress of the whole national life. In spite of higher authorities’ claims of narrowing the gap between energy demand and supply, the ground situation is showing a discouraging picture. The power short fall has crossed the 5000 figure. Unless immediate remedial masseurs are lunched on footing, Pakistan would lead to even deeper crisis. Causes of energy short fall: few of the basic causes of energy short fall are under 1- failure of the last regime to increase electricity: The basic cause of energy short in Pakistan is the failure of last military regime to increase the supply of electricity to keep pace with the growing demands. While the installed capacity had increased by 53 % from 1994-99 from 11,320 MW to 17,400 MW; it increase only by 12 % between 1999 to 2008, to 19420 MW . Under utilization of the existing generating capacity: secondly, an equally serious cause is the under utilization of the existing generating capacity. The availability of hydel electricity goes down in winter by 60 %, but unfortunately, the actual generation of electricity from thermal plants has also declined sharply, thus rising demand and supply gap to around 5000 MW. 3- Circular debts: One of the main reason in the serious short fall of thermal electricity is the problem of â€Å"circular debits†. In 2007, the government did not compensate the power companies for the subsidy that was being provided to the consumers. The power companies in turn could not pay the oil and gas companies, reducing their liquidity to import the furnace oil that was needed to generate electricity. This problem has not only continued, but presently it has turned grave crises. Presently, the power companies in debt of about 100 billion rupees to the oil and gas companies. Therefore oil and gas companies provide insufficient oil and gas to the power companies that has resulted in energy short fall. . The repeated cutting down in Public Sector Development Program: At the present, according to Planning Commission Report, the government has conceded playing a key role in prolonging economic recession in the country by repeatedly cutting down the Public Sector development Program (PSDP) that resulted in energy and water shortage in the country. The Report states that Rs. 208 billions were approved for Diame r Basha dam by the National Economic Council (NEC), the government reduced it by 100 billion rupees. The government has delayed the exploration of the Thar Coal Project, inspite of the repeated demands for funds allocation for the said project by Samar Mubarak Mand. Many other new projects regarding energy production are suffering from haltage. All these have resulted in intensifying the present energy crisis. In the country. 5. Other factors: Some other chronic factors that contribute to the present energy crisis are as under; (i) Line loss: very heavily line loss in the transmission and distribution because of old and poorly managed transmission system. The line loss in Pakistan is about 20 % as compared to 8 to 10 % in other countries. (ii) Large scale of theft of electricity: there is a large scale of that of electricity as clearly revealed by the growing difference between units generated or purchased and those paid for. (iii) Wastage of energy by industrial sector: there is a huge wastage of energy by industry which consumes 30 % of the total electricity due to the less efficient system and other practices. (iv) Over use of energy by transport sector: transport sector consume 28 % of the total energy. This over use of energy is due to the old and poorly tuned engines. (v) Domestic wastage: Domestic wastage is about 45 % of the total electricity. Here too, there is a wistful and unnecessarily use of lights, air conditioners and large scale illumination on different occasions. (vi) General wastage: excessive use of electricity in government offices, roads and park illumination have also contributed to the worsening energy crunch. (vii) Corruption and lack of political will in the concerned energy department: have also helped the energy short fall to rise to such a disturbing heights. B) Effects of energy crunch: 1) Routine life: Badly affected the routine life in Pakistan 8-10 hours laodshedding in cities, 12- 18 hours in rural areas. Affected seriously the domestic life, offices, hospitals and education. 2) Industries: Many industrial units have closed and many shifted their installation to Bangladesh. This poor industrial production has ultimately affected the GDP of Pakistan. Downsizing of the workers in industries. Many workers turned jobless. The buying capacity of people has reduced sharply. Rise in the price of commodities. ) Market: Markets are closed early due to the load shedding. Secondly production cost of commodities have raised. 4) Agriculture: the agricultural land that is dependent on tube well and dug wells, its yielding capacity has sharply reduced due to load shedding. As crops do not get water in time. 5) Strikes and agitation: Due to load shedding many strikes have occurred across the country, destroyed government installations. 6) Low Natio nal growth: load shedding has affected the national growth badly. Less progress or no progress at all in all walks of the country. Ultimately, less GDP growth rate. C) Measures: Three kinds of measures should be taken; 1) immediate measures: Firstly, the problem of circular debt should be solved on proiority basis, in order to enable the power companies to clear their debts. Secondly, the agreement of importing electricity from Iron and Tajikistan needs to be implemented in a quick fashion. The Pak- Iron gas pipe line project needs to be completed on the earliest dates. 2) Mid term plan: First, all the gas and inefficient WAPDA plants should be replaced by more efficient and combined cycle plants.

Wuthering Heights Themes Essays - British Films,

Wuthering Heights Themes In the novel "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bront?, many relevant themes were portrayed. In this essay, I will be discussing the five most poignant themes, which in my opinion are "Good versus Evil","Revenge", "Status & Education","Love" and "Selfishness". I feel that all these themes are equally important, and in the following paragraphs, I will attempt to discuss their impact on the reader and to the novel as a whole. Emily Bront? developed the main characters very vividly. From the beginning of the novel, I was aware of a sense of spirit, feelings and emotions. As the novel unraveled, I began to emphasize with the innocent victims (Hareton, Linton, Cathy, etc.), and I had a clear vision of what was happening in the homes and between the two families. It was very clear to me why Heathcliff and Edgar became so hateful and vengeful; however, I felt very angry at the cycle of abuse and misery that continued through the generations. It seemed like nobody in either family was ever able to find peace and harmony, and everybody who ever had any ties to the families were affected and displayed certain attitudes and emotional afflictions. I think the overall theme is that good eventually overcomes evil (or love is stronger than hate). In addition, with the emphasis on spirituality and death, the reader's focus turns to the role of God in determining the happiness or misery of our eternal soul. It was very frustrating to read about the pain and abuse the characters were inflicting on each other, It was evident that the Pg. 2 prejudices and attitudes of the first generation were being passed down to the next. Young Cathy, Linton and Hareton were all subjected to and expected to conform to the anger, prejudices and attitudes of their families. The animosity between the two families was being forced upon the children, and therefore could have continued forever. However, it was very enlightening when Cathy and Hareton were finally able to become friends and then marry. The love that had been repressed for so long, beginning with Catherine and Hareton, was finally given a chance to blossom. This turn of events gave me hope that good can overcome evil, and love can be attained even in the most evil environments. Revenge is the most dominant theme of the second half of the novel. Heathcliff first believes that if he can avenge the death of Catherine, he will somehow grow closer to her. However, the exact opposite occurs. When Heathcliff gives up on his plan for revenge, he is soon reunited with Catherine in eternal bliss. Ignorance and Education were very prominent in the beginning of the book. Especially when Heathcliff was first introduced to the family. He was a poor orphan, with little or no education. The rest of the family at Wuthering Heights treated him like a second-class citizen. Heathcliff was resented, mocked and abused if he attempted to improve himself in any way. When Heathcliff returned to Wuthering Heights, the abuse Heathcliff suffered obviously scarred him, so the cycle of abuse continued when he inflicted worse treatment on Hareton Earnshaw. He forced him to work in the home as a common servant, belittled him, and psychologically abused him by constantly badgering him. When the Linton's are introduced to the reader, it is readily apparent that the family has a higher social status and is more educated than the residents at Wuthering Heights are. Pg. 3 Even though I wouldn't consider "Wuthering Heights" to be a romantic novel, love was a very important theme. Bront? addresses the bond between Catherine and Heathcliff in a spiritual and supernatural manner. Their love is spiritual rather than physical, and although they seemed to be soul mates their love was never appeased. As children, Catherine and Heathcliff had a bond that grew out of similar needs. They grew up protecting and trying to shelter each other from the abuse from Hindley, and consequently they developed an eternal friendship, love and affinity. They were soul mates even as children. Bront? expands the notion of eternal love, by creating a supernatural aspect in the story, and this is masterfully illustrated when Heathcliff contacts Catherine's spirit after she dies. Their souls are eternally joined, and Heathcliff cannot live in this realm without her, only their souls joined together make one. Heathcliff eventually dies because he has to reunite his soul to Catherine's. Selfishness was first introduced when Mr. Earnshaw brought Heathcliff, home to Wuthering Heights. In the beginning, Heathcliff was treated equally as a

Is the UK still a two

Is the UK still a two Background The United Kingdom is made up of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which form a constitutional monarchy with the Monarch being the head of state, and the prime minister being the head of government. Under this constitutional framework, the regional governments of Scotland and Wales, the executive of Northern Ireland, and the UK government exercise their respective executive powers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is the UK still a two-party system? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, the UK government exercises the legislative powers in collaboration with the two chambers of the legislature, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Furthermore, the Northern Ireland, the Scottish, and the Welsh assemblies do also exercise their respective legislative powers. Moreover, the judiciary is independent of the legislature and the executive, and the Supreme Court of the UK forms the highes t court (Ingle 3). Conversely, the UK political party system is made up of several political parties in which two major parties, the Conservative and the Liberal parties, control parliamentary politics and government business. In addition, the Labour party has since replaced the Liberal party as the second major party in the UK. Therefore, over the past few years, the parliamentary politics in the UK show the dominance of the Labour and the Conservative parties in forming either coalition or minority governments. Here, the two major parties have been enlisting the support of other nationalist or third parties to form the working majority (Bartle and Allen 4). As a result, the UK has other parties alongside the two major parties such as the Liberal Democrats, which was born out of the Liberal party joining forces with the Social Democratic Party in 1988. Other nationalist parties in the UK include Plaid Cymru in Wales (1925), the Scottish National Party (1934), the Democratic Unionis t Party (1971) and the Ulster Unionist Party in Northern Ireland (Ingle 5). Therefore, it is arguably correct to describe the British political party system as a two-party system because this has been the case scenario in Britain since the 18th Century through the post-war era (Webb 3). However, since the 1960s, several changes in the history of the British party system are notable, and therefore, the notion that the UK is made up of a two-party system is equally questionable. For instance, in the recent past, most third parties in the UK have shown the willingness to take up more seats during elections, and in some occasions, there has been an obvious change in electoral behavior. Additionally, the regional support for the Labour and Conservative parties is also declining significantly (Webb 4). As a result, this essay presents discussions for and against the notion that the UK is still made up of a two-party system.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The classic two-party system in the UK According to Webb (3), a party system is an integral part of the settlement involving the political and institutional aspects of parliamentary politics. Here, the party system is classified relative to the arithmetical criterion such as two-party or multi-party systems. On the other hand, the party system can be classified according to the level of cooperation between different parties in the system. As a result, parties can interact at the legislative, electoral, regional, and executive arenas, and in so doing, the interactions between political parties create several political authorities and jurisdictions (Kelly 7). As a result, the notion that the UK is made up of a two-party democracy depends on the level of political party interaction and the arena upon which the political interaction is based. That said, the original two parties, which constituted a two-party s ystem in the UK were the Conservatives and the Liberals (Bassett 23). In the 19th Century, the Liberals appeared to be the major governing party in the UK before the party begun an extended period of decline especially after the victory of 1906. As a result, the original two-party system underwent dramatic changes particularly through the rise of the Labour party to replace the Liberals as the second major party. Furthermore, the Liberals’ dominance weakened due to the partition of Ireland and the divided support of the Irish people who had to choose between supporting the Labour Party and the Liberals. Consequently, by 1929, the political party system in the UK was made up of three parties (Robins and Jones 34). However, it is correct for one to argue that the political party system in the UK is a classic two-party democracy in the period from 1945 to 1970. During this period, the two major parties in the UK played a central role in the understanding of the political party s ystem in the UK, which is a majoritarian democracy (Denver 588; Webb 8). Here, the existence of other parties in parliamentary politics of the UK is overshadowed by the fact that the two major parties receive most of the votes during elections, and that these parties control the government business in parliament. Additionally, the nature of electoral behavior can be described as disproportionate because the first-past-the-post system of voting that has been in place since 1945 encourages and sustains a two-party democracy in the UK, and thereby making it unlikely for other third parties to be recognized (Blau 431).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is the UK still a two-party system? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Furthermore, the first-past-the-post electoral system denies the third parties the chance to receive national support, and as a result, these parties enlist the support of regional political jurisdictions, which means that their chances of forming the working majority in parliament depend on other major parties (Clarke et al. 123). Conversely, studies show that the Labour and the Conservative parties favor the first-past-the-post electoral system despite the efforts made by the Liberals to have the UK adopt a three-party system that gives all the three parties the opportunity to form the government relative to the number of seats held by a certain party (Johnston et al. 143). As a result, the first-past-the-post system has given either of the two main parties an added advantage of receiving the majority votes except in 1974 when the Labour Party received a narrow victory. Despite receiving a small majority vote, the Labour Party continued to dominate the UK parliamentary politics through 1977 because the party enlisted the support of other third parties particularly through the Lib-Lab pact that saw the Labour and the Liberal parties forming a coalition government (Sanders 13). Conve rsely, apart from the first-past-the-post electoral system, the likelihood of either the Liberal or the Welsh and Scottish Nationalist parties dismantling the two-party system in the early 1950s was challenged by the lack of enough resources and well known candidates (Field 196). However, in 2001, the Liberal democrats and the nationalists managed to produce candidates for most of the contested seats. As a result, the move by the third parties to produce their own candidates against those of the Conservatives and the Labour Party has had a significant impact on the two-party system in the UK. Here, the supporters of third parties had a choice to make in terms of voting for either of the two main parties or none particularly when the party of their choice failed to produce the preferred candidate in a particular constituency. As a result, the third parties almost doubled their support and votes against the two main parties in the period from 1950 to 1997. However, vote sharing betwee n the third parties and the two main parties in the UK shows a little or no impact at all on the dynamics of the two-party system because the Conservative and Labour Parties still maintain unwavering dominance relative to the overall number of seats held by the two parties in the parliament to date (Whiteley et al. 354). Furthermore, the two-party system in the UK has been linked to certain aspects of electoral behavior and class alignment. Here, the two main parties enjoy political dominance because they represent the working and the middle classes (Mughan 195). Conversely, the Liberal democrats and the nationalists do not enjoy any class representation, and thus they are said to be politically disadvantaged. This electoral phenomenon is known as class alignment.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result, to control more votes and political power, the Labour party and the Conservatives must enlist the support of the majority of the working class and a considerable percentage of the middle class (Whiteley 581). That said, most studies show that the period from 1950 to 1970 was an era of class alignment whereby the strong link between electoral behavior and class status appears to have denied other third parties the opportunity to make a significant impact in the parliamentary politics (Bassett 45). During this period, the two main parties received the highest percentage of votes from the two main classes because the parties represented class interests and values. Furthermore, the Conservatives and the Labour Party had several strong-holds such as South-East England for the Conservative Party, and the North of Wale and England for the Labour Party (Denver 590). As a result, other unrepresented constituencies played a central role in deciding the electoral outcomes because the degree of support for the two main parties was marginal or more balanced. However, since the 1970s, the connection between the electoral behavior and class status has been weakening but very much intact because of another political phenomenon known as partisan de-alignment. Through partisan de-alignment, the Conservative Party managed to receive the highest support of the working class in the period from 1979 to 1992 especially after the government formed by the Labour Party became consistently incredible (Clarke et al. 126). However, the extra support for the Conservatives begun to decline in 1992 after the Labour Party regained its credibility, and the victories of the Labour Party in 1997 and 2001 can be attributed to the shift of the middle-class support from the Conservatives to the Labour party. Therefore, it is probable that the dominance of the two main parties in the UK is still intact though weak. The rise of the multi-party system in the UK Despite that the two-party system is still intact in British politics to date, the electoral behaviors and voting tactics relative to the support for the two main parties have changed in different aspects. For instance, the notion that the two main parties will take the first or the second positions in most constituencies is no longer feasible. Moreover, the Conservative Party’s popularity in some political jurisdictions such as Scotland is on the decline due to the emergence of the strong support for Liberals and nationalists. Additionally, considering that the Conservative Party was the most famous political party in Scotland, and the second best in Wales until the 1950s, it is probable that the Conservatives have lost the Welsh and Scottish support because the party has failed in many ways to represent the people of Scotland and Wales (Kelly 54). Moreover, the intensified calls for devolution in some political jurisdictions further ruined the dominance of the Conservatives. However, during Margaret Thatcher’s reign as the Prime Minister, the Labour Party survived losing out on majority votes while the Conservatives lost almost all seats in Scotland and Wales. Here, the Welsh and Scottish people supported the Labour Party because the party stood for the devolution agenda in the two regions, and therefore, through the combined support from the Liberal Democrats and other Nationalist Parties, the Labour Party survived the storm, and went ahead to regain power and political dominance at Westminster (Denver 596). On the other hand, the Liberal Democratic Party enjoys the support from most regional political jurisdictions as the second best party in parliamentary politics. In some of these regions such as England, the existence of three competing parties makes it difficult for one to clearly define the political party system that is in place (Webb 15). For instance, in the recent past, there has been evidence of a two-party system in England whereby the electorate chooses bet ween either the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives or the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats instead of the usual trend of Labour and Conservatives (Sanders 15). Furthermore, in more balanced or marginal political jurisdictions, the battle for majority votes can either be three-way or four-way. For example, in Scotland and Wales, which have their respective regional assemblies, there is evidence of proportional representation of four different parties in parliamentary elections (Johnston et al. 154). Therefore, proportional representation of political parties in some regions of the UK shows that third parties have almost regained the support of different social classes, and as a result, their influence in parliamentary politics cannot be ignored. Furthermore, most Liberal Democrats propose that introducing electoral reforms in the UK will not only end the era of social class-oriented party representation, but it will also rid the UK of unpopular policies by single parties that pretend to represent the interests of the majority of voters (Field 200). In addition, the popularity of a two-party system in the UK has declined significantly due to tactical voting. Here, tactical voting entails the various techniques used by most third parties to challenge the dominance and governance of the two major parties (Robins and Jones 56). As a result, tactical voting has been used to replace unpopular governments and ineffective opposition parties in the UK for many decades now. However, the most spectacular show of tactical voting appears in 1997 whereby the Labour Party enjoyed a clean sweep of majority seats despite the Liberal Democrats claiming a reasonable number of parliamentary seats. In addition, the Conservatives suffered a disastrous blow during the 1997 elections because the party lost almost all the seats in some regions where the tactical voting technique was successfully executed (Sanders 20). Subsequently, the Labour Party was also affected by tactical voting in 2005 whereby most voters failed to support the party because they felt that the Iraq war was unwarranted, and thus the voters were out to punish the political elite. Consequently, other third parties gained from tactical voting with the Liberal Democrats obtaining a historical tally of 62 parliamentary seats in 2005 (Denver 604). Thus, it is probable that the majoritarian system of a two-party democracy is weakening, and it will soon come to an end. Relative to the discussions above, it is arguably correct to state that the UK is still made up of a two-party system despite that the system’s popularity is weakening due to proportional representation of political parties, which threatens to replace the two-party system with a multi-party system. However, in some regions such as Scotland and Wales, the two-party system has been completely replaced by a four-party voting system whereby the Labour Party is still the dominant party, and the Liberal Democrats together with other Nationalist parties assume the second place while the Conservatives are trail in the last position (Bartle and Allen 45). Furthermore, the two main parties in the UK can no longer form the government on a minority vote, and thus, the two parties depend on the first-past-the-post system to form the working majority in parliament. Through the first-past-the-post system, which manipulates the balance the seats held by a particular political party and the total votes cast to favor the dominance of the two main parties, the influence of other third parties in politics at the national level is still overshadowed (Blau 453). Therefore, the first-past-the-post electoral system gives the impression of the existence of a two-party system in the UK to date. For instance, in the period from 2005 to 2010, there is evidence of a return to the traditional voting tactics despite the emergence of new and powerful party leaders. And in the 2010 elections, the Conservatives demonstrated their d ominance in British politics despite the popularity of the Liberal Democratic leader increasing suddenly (Bartle and Allen 65). Furthermore, Scotland shocked many by supporting the Labour Party as opposed to the Liberal Democrats, and in other regions, the support for the two main parties was almost the same as in the past years. Therefore, the probability that a two-party system is still intact in the UK is relatively high despite the electorate expressing concern over the credibility of the two main parties in delivering popular policies relative to the ever changing political and economic environments. Conclusions The essay presents the discussions for and against the notion that the UK is still made up of a two-party system. The foregoing discussions show that the Conservatives and the Labour party have been enjoying political dominance over the years with the period from 1945 to 1970 being characterized by a classic two-party system. Furthermore, the two-party system has been i n place parallel to the existence of other third parties such as the Liberal Democrats and the nationalists, which are at a political disadvantage because they lack enough resources and candidates who can make a national political impact. However, the period from 1970 to date has been marked by the emergence of strong support for third parties against the two main parties. Therefore, despite that the third parties have failed to replace the two-party system with a multi-party system, the parties have made a significant impact in British politics in terms of encouraging proportional representation of most political parties in some political jurisdictions in the UK. However, the first-past-the-post electoral system is still intact and in full support of the two-party system, and thus more needs to be done in terms of encouraging electoral reforms to counter or replace the two-party system in the UK. Bartle, John and Allen Nicholas. Britain at the polls 2010. London: Sage Publications Ltd, 2010. Print. Bassett, Reginald. Essentials of parliamentary democracy. 2nd ed. London: Charles Birchall Sons Ltd, 1964. Print. Blau, Adrian. â€Å"A quadruple whammy for first-past-the-post.† Electoral Studies 23.3 (2004): 431-453. Print. Clarke, Harold, Stewart Marianne, and Zuk Gary. â€Å"Politics, economics and party popularity in Britain, 1979-83.† Electoral Studies 5.2 (1986): 123-141. Print. Denver, David. â€Å"The results: how Britain voted.† Parliamentary Affairs 63.4 (2010): 588 606. Print. Field, William. â€Å"Policy and the British voter: council housing, social change, and party preference in the 1980s.† Electoral Studies 16.2 (1997): 195-202. Print. Ingle, Stephen. The British party system: an introduction. 4th ed. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print. Johnston, Robert, Pattie Claire, and Johnston Lan. â€Å"The impact of constituency spending on the results of the 1987 British general elections.† Electoral Studies 8.2 (1989): 14 3-155. Print. Kelly, Richard. Changing party policy in Britain: an introduction. UK: Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1999. Print. Mughan, Anthony. â€Å"General election forecasting in Britain: a comparison of three simple models.† Electoral Studies 6.3 (1987): 195-207. Print. Robins, Lynton and Jones, Bill. Half a century of British politics. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997. Print. Sanders, David. â€Å"Pre-election polling in Britain, 1950-1997.† Electoral Studies 22.1 (2003): 1-20. Print. Webb, Paul. The British party system. London: Sage Publications Ltd, 2000. Print. Whiteley, Paul, Sanders David, Stewart Marianne, and Clarke Harold. â€Å"Aggregate level forecasting of the 2010 general election in Britain: the seats-votes model.† Electoral Studies 3.1 (2010): 354-361. Print. Whiteley, Paul. â€Å"Evaluating rival forecasting models of the 2005 general election in Britain-An encompassing experiment.† Electoral Studies 27.4 (2008): 581-588. Pr int.

Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communications - Essay Example However, photographing something appropriates the object as well. In comparison and contrast to documenting the past and linking it to the present and future through words, photography has a lesser manipulative element, leading to better expectations of authenticity. Photographs are not necessarily statements about the world as much as they are pieces of the world itself, miniatures of reality that is accessible to all. Photographs have become a constant means of experimentation, at the hands of the earlier artists who tried to use it as an effective medium, of the modern consumerist specialists and of those who document history and culture through them. The best means to popularize and preserve photographs is through publishing them in a book. But this would restrict the option to order them in accordance with the viewer’s preference. It also leads to a situation where quality time is not spent on viewing them, or where they are discarded altogether. Using photographs innovatively for the public was carried out by the movie Si j’avais quatre by Chris Marker. But the problem with such films is that they don’t provide photographs as collectibles. Since photographs furnish evidence, it had been used for political purposes as well. The Paris police has used photographic evidence in the murderous roundup of Communards. Photographs also justify an act, providing proof that it has happened. The relation photographs have to reality is more innocent and accurate than other mimetic objects. While painting and prose are narrowly selective interpretation, photography can be considered narrowly selective transparency. However, the elements of taste and conscience attribute an interpretative aspect to photographs. When someone aspired to attain a specific mood or message through photographs, the photographer’s view is transposed to the object photographed. Photography differs from painting due to its utilitarian aspect. In the early

Comparative Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Comparative Business Law - Essay Example The negligence was recognized in the famous case Donoghue v Stevenson1. [Peter De Cruz, Comparative law]a It is illustrious case law on tort of negligence; this case is also called as "the snail in the bottle case". Though this case originates from Scots the House of Lords declares that the principle applied in this case apply to the world in common law jurisdiction. This case is fountainhead of the tortious principles say duty to care, breach of duty and causation of loss which are to be established for claiming liability of negligence. In this case the Session court rejected the appeal of the plaintiff on two grounds a) there is no privity of contract between the plaintiff and the manufacturer defendant; b) the product was not a dangerous product and there is no fraudulent misrepresentation from the defendant. It was appealed to the House of Lords by the plaintiff, arguing on the principle of privity of contract. The plaintiff counsel arguing for the removal of the protection provided for the manufacturers under the privity of contract under common law. The defendant side argued on wisdom of the Scottish judges in the mouse case, to prevail. Lord Atkin applies the 'Neighbourhood Principle', which says that a person will owe a duty of care not to injure a person or persons that can be foreseen reasonably which would be affected by the acts or omissions, in case where an established duty of care does not exist. The object of this principle is to provide the remedy against the suppliers of consumer products for tort, where there is no privity of contract. Lords MacMillan and Thankerton supported the opinion. Lords Tomlin and Buckmaster opposed this opining that it would be difficult to carry on the trade it becomes the law since they say that the principle of wide proposition. Remedies in Common Law The basic remedy that the common law provides is the damages. Damages such as liquidated damages, which is a predetermined or estimated value for breach of a contract; Compensatory damages, these damages awarded by the courts where any loss is caused due to a breach of contract or due to an action of a person, it is awarded to put the aggrieved party in the same position had there been no breach of contract or such action; Non Compensatory damages, the courts in certain cases awards non compensatory damages, when it do not aim to compensate the plaintiff, such damages are exemplary, contemptuous and nominal. [Benjamin Andoh and Stephen Marsh]d The remedies in Common law such as damages suffer with certain limitations. The common law puts some limitations and the entitlement of the plaintiff over the damages such as remoteness of damage, causation, duty to litigate, contributory negligence and impecuniosities. [Benjamin Andoh and Stephen Marsh]e Remoteness of damage: Damages will not be avoided where the loss is too remote (Re Polemis and Furness Withy & Co. Ltd.) and which is not foreseeable (Overseas Tankship (U.K.) Ltd. v Morts Dock

How a Country Benefits From International Trade Essay

How a Country Benefits From International Trade - Essay Example International trade, otherwise known as free trade removes the barriers that limit the country’s surplus. This has a great benefit on both the producers and the consumers. It has been seen to be the catalyst of the growth of many economies. Formulated by David, Ricardo, the law of comparative advantage was a pivotal development of the theory of absolute advantage previously developed by Adam Smith. As opposed to the theory of the absolute advantage, Ricardo believes that comparative advantage is enough to make trade possible and desirable. Today international trade is done without much hindrance. There is the removal of tariffs and import quota which we identify as protectionism. The removal of tariffs and quota can practically increase the consumer surplus as they allow domestic consumers to enjoy foreign products at lower costs. The reduction in the producer surplus brought by the entrance of foreign producers through importation can be outweighed by the gains of the domestic consumers, thus increasing the total surplus. Aside from the enjoying lower prices, consumers also benefits from the variety of products available to them through trade. Importation also provides greater choices for the consumers. Some of the practical benefits from international trade are the following: â€Å"enhances the domestic competitiveness, takes advantage of international trade technology , increase sales and profits, extend sales potential of the existing products, maintain cost competitiveness in your domestic market, enhance potenti al for expansion of your business, gains a global market share, reduce dependence on existing markets and stabilize seasonal market fluctuations†

The Macro Perspective On Basf Chemical Company Commerce Essay

The Macro Perspective On Basf Chemical Company Commerce Essay To start, here is the macro perspective on BASF Chemical Company. BASF is one of the leading chemical companies in the world, like this BASF is influenced by many political and economical factors. Different laws and regulations determine the production of the company. Moreover, the technological factor has hardly influence in this area of chemical production, where the innovations are leading force. In addition, the main mission of the company is to create chemistry for the sustainable future. Consequently, BASF Company has a lot of strategic methods to achieve its goals. This report has some objectives. To start, one of the main objectives of the report is to analyze BASF Company. To show the strengths and opportunities of the company`s future development. On the other hand, this report presents the weaknesses and threats of the company, for which it gives advice to make BASF more successful. In other words, this report aims to gives advice to BASF Company how to improve its internal and external situation. The following information was collected for this report. For collecting of information were used two main research methodologies. First, secondary research was done on micro and macro environment of BASF Company, for which the main source was used internet. Second, the primary research was done by conducting an interview with Mrs. Sengel, who is member of Executive Board of the company. The report has the fallowing structure. In chapter two, BASF Company and its product line are shown. In chapter three, the project`s description and aim are explained. Chapter four of the report is the Theoretical Framework of the report, in which the McKinsey`s seven S model, PEST analysis and SWOT analysis are theoretically described. In chapter five and six, PEST analysis and McKinsey`s seven S model are attached to collected information. PEST analysis is used to analyze BASF`s eternal environment, while the McKinsey`s model is used to analyze BASF`s internal organization. In chapter seven, is shown SWOT analysis based on the collected information. In chapter eight the conclusions based on the analyses are drawn. In chapter nine, recommendations for company improvement are given. In chapter ten, this report is critically appraised. 2. Company description 2.1 General Company Information Here is general information about BASF Company. BASF is the leading chemical company, which chemicals are used in almost all industries. The production of the company is separate in six different segments: Chemicals, Plastics, Performance Products, Functional Solution, Agricultural Solution and Oil Gas. BASF like an International company has 70 global and regional business units around the world. The department in Germany is thoroughly oriented in produce of Performance Products. BASF combine economic success, social responsibility and environment protection. The main mission of the company is to create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASFs 111, 141 employees, located all over the world, help the company to achieve its goals. BASF is market oriented in four main areas: Europe, North America, South America and Asia. In 2011, the most sales are made in Europe and company`s annual turnover amounted to 73, 5 billion Euros. 2.2 Product Description Germany`s department of BSAF has a broad range of products. The main segment is called Performance Products, which includes the fallowing product lines: Dispersions and Pigments, Care Chemicals, Nutrition and Health, Paper Chemicals and Performance Chemicals. The product portfolio of the company in this segment includes vitamins and foods additives, ingredients for pharmaceuticals and for hygiene, home and personal care items. Examples are products for hair care, sun and decorative care, body care, facial and oral care. The company does not offer products to the final client. BASF develop and sale molecules, catalysts and ingredients to the other companies which use this things for manufactures of products for final client. These things are not end- product; they are intermediate products which go to other steps of the production process. 3. Project description This chapter will give project description. The chapter will be separate in tree sub chapters, which will describe project description, project aim and research approach. 3.1 Project description This sub chapter will show the project description. To start, BASF is one of the leading chemical companies on the world market. In this market there is a big competition. Firstly, the future opportunity for the company is to create new products. Secondly, to find new market`s possibilities. Thirdly, one of the most important things in this branch is innovation. On the whole, to achieve its goals, BASF have to understand its own strengths and weaknesses. 3.2. Project aim The purpose of this sub chapter is to explain the project aim. For this project was collected information about external and internal environment of BASF Company. The aim of this project is to understand the company`s situation based on McKinsey 7S analysis, PEST and SWOT analysis and based on it to give recommendations about BASF`s future development. Furthermore, to show BASF`s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In other words, these are most important factors which describe present situation and future possibilities for one organization. 3.3 Research approach To start, for analysis of BASF Company`s present situation are used two research methods. First, the primary research was done by conducting an interview with Mrs. Sengel, who is member of Executive Board of the company. This information is used for internal analysis of the company. Second, the external environment is analyzed by secondary research method. This includes McKinsey 7S analysis and PEST analysis. Thirdly, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are described with use of SWOT analysis. In conclusion, all of collected information is used to give recommendations of the company, about its future development. *The world can be seen in the Glossary 4. Theoretical framework The purpose of chapter four is to show the theoretical framework of internal and external analysis. Hence, the real companys situation will be shown. First, in sub-chapter 4.1 will be shown the internal analysis- McKinsey 7S model. The model include seven elements, which are separated in so called hard S`s Strategy, Structure and Systems and four so called soft S`s Shared Values, Skills, Staff and Style. Second, in 4.2 will be discusse the external PEST analysis. In other words, Political, Economic, Socio-cultural and Technological factors that influence the company will be include. Finally, in 4.3 SWOT- overview of the company will be given. 4.1 Internal analysis Figure 1: McKinsey 7S model 7S.gif Source: 7S strategy software In this paragraph will be shown the so called hard S`s of McKinsey 7S model. Firstly, Strategy describes actions and plans of an organization to achieve specific goals. The external environment influences the company and its strategy. Thus the enterprise prepares to adapt on changes and to determine the right place among customer and competitors. Secondly, Structure describes the hierarchy of the company. It shows the relationships between the people which work in the organization. It can be seen on the organization chart. It always depends from the business strategy, form the business internationalization, size and diversity. The third S from so called hard Ss is Systems. Systems are all procedures which company uses to operate every day. This includes internal and external procedures. Systems are directly related to the Structure and Strategy of the company, because they describe the main practices of the organization to achieve its goals (Cuypers 2010, 3-9). The soft S from McKinsey 7S model, which will be given in this paragraph includes Shared Values, Skills, Staff and Style. Peters and Watermans (1984) argued that shared Values in 7S analysis determine the core guiding principles of the company. Moreover, it refers to what an organization stands for and believes in. Understanding the Shared Values of the company is the easiest way to find the main ideas and goals of the enterprise. To achieve these goals helps Skills. Skills are the unique abilities of the company. Skills describe the capacity and quality of the company in contrast with the competitors. It refers to the learned capability of staff within the company. Very important here is quality of the products and services within the organization. These things are related with the Staff and Style of the company. Staff refers to the number and type of people employed by the company. However, staff describes the processes used to manage the careers of employees. It is related to the Style, because it is directly dependent on the human resources system that manage the way staff is encourage, reward and motivate. Style is the work culture. It is describe the main way in which senior managers run the organization. It is related to the system that influences the procedures in the company. The most important things that style describes are how managers allocated their time, beliefs and their leadership skills. The main factors are the size and the structure of the organization which determines how different departments inside of the company are managed (Spencer, 2011). 4.2 External analysis In the first place, every organization depends on the political factors. Political factors include government regulations and legal issues. The political factors define the structure of the company and the rules under which the company must operated. It depends on the structure, because in the different countries the trade restrictions, tariffs, tax policy and employment laws are not the same (Oxford University Press, 2004). The second factor which directly influences every kind of company or organisation is the economic factor. The economic environment consist different factors, for example income and income distribution, current and project economic growth, inflation and interest rate. This environment can offer to the company both opportunities and threats. Understanding of economic environment determined the company development (Oxford University Press, 2004). Thirdly, the company is influenced by social factors. This lifestyle trends and demographic changes determined the consumer behavior. The main purpose of every company is to understand which exactly are the consumers wants and needs. If social-cultural changes are clear, it is easier for the company to developing strategies and practices to achieve its goals (Oxford University Press, 2004). Finally, in these days, one of most important factors which influence the company is technological environment. This is the most dramatic and the fastest development factor. These are forces that create new technologies, products and market opportunities. In the world of technology, the company has to be open and prepare for new opportunities (Oxford University Press, 2004). 4.3 SWOT According to Berry, the SWOT analysis is an extremely useful tool for understanding and decision-making for all sorts of situations in business and organizations. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (Berry, 2012). Strengths are internal capabilities that may help the company to reach its objectives; in contrast weaknesses may interfere for that. This includes understanding of the internal environment or the situation inside of the company or organisation. The factors which determined the straightness and weaknesses of the company are tend to be in the present. Factors are relating to products, pricing, quality, staff and processes within the company. With understanding of these factors the company may understand the unique selling proposition and how to improve it (Berry, 2012). Opportunities and threats are related with the external environment which shows the situation outside of the company or organisation. Here, the factors tend have to be in future. Factors here are relating with markets opportunities fashions, trends, seasonability, politics, society, competitors and every other external factor which influence the company. With understanding of opportunities company is able to exploit the external factors to its advantage. Threats are negative factors that may challenge the company`s performance (Berry, 2012). 5. External analysis This chapter explains the external environment analysis PEST. The chapter is divided into four sub charters. Firstly, sub chapter 5.1 will give the Political factors, which influence the BASF Company. Secondly, 5.2 illustrate Economic factors. Thirdly, 5.3 show Social factors. Finally, sub chapter 5.4 analyzes Technological factors which influence the company. 5.1 Political factors There are some political factors, which influence BASF Chemical Company. One of these factors is a common initiative for a sustainable chemicals industry has launched by European Union in 2005 year. This factor has a positive effect on BASF, because the mission of the company is to create chemicals for sustainable future. This political factor gives opportunity to the company to make more innovations with collaboration on European Union. The negative political factor for the company is unfavorable political environment. In European Union there are different laws and regulations about Genno- modified products and some molecule products. For these reason USA is more favorable market for these kinds of products (Thomas, 2005). 5.2 Economical factors One of the results from present credit crisis is reduced consumption of customers. This is strong factor, which influence BASF Company. It makes the future more unstable and precariously. Only the best companies with the best products could keep their market`s place. The second economic factor which influences BASF is increasing energy prices. It is negative because it could damage chemicals industry competitiveness further. On the other hand, there is increasing competition from new economic powers, such as China. To avoid these negative factors, BASF Company could orientate to different markets, such as Africa and Middle East (Thomas, 2005). 5.3 Social factors In chemical`s industry is very complicated to find new well educated faces. The reason is the fact that young people choose other careers in different branch. Young talents in chemical`s branch, which are well educated require very high remuneration and good working conditions. BASF Company is working to improve matters. Flexible working time is one of decisions of the problem. On this way could be attached qualified labour (Thomas, 2005). 5.4 Technological factors For BASF Company the technological innovations are very important. The main reason is that technological innovations gives opportunity to the company to make products better, and to add new products in company`s portfolio. The company is focus of solutions for sustainable future, and definitely innovations are the key point for it. At all, the global technology platforms act as partners in product development (Thomas, 2005). 6. Internal analysis 6.1 McKinsey seven S framework To start, for BASF like as world`s leading chemistry company is very important to strengthen its position on the market. To achieve this goal, company has to focus their business on customer`s needs and demands. In chemistry market, and for company, which do not produce product for the final consumer is required to focus on innovation, to create new products and functionalized materials, and to find new solutions for more sustainable future. These things are very important too, for the other aim of the company, which is to increase year`s profit with average four percent per year, and to grow two percentage points faster than global chemical production (Interview, Appendix 1) (BASF, 2012). The structure of BASF Company is a Matrix structure. The Matrix organizational structure divides authority both by functional area and project area. In BASF there is Board of Executive Directors which consist eight members. They are responsible for the management of the company. The Board of Executive Directors regularly reports to The Supervisory Board. Supervisory Board consist 12 members, six shareholders representative elected by the Annual meeting and six members appointed by the representative body of the employees. Every country and every different department in BASF Company has a chief, who are supervise from the Chairman of the management board Kurt Bock (Interview, Appendix 1) (BASF, 2012). The company systems are very important for the business and for good done work. BASF has an own marketing department in every country where the company is located. In addition, they have supporting marketing agency outside the company, which helps them to develop the motives and the way BASF wants to present itself to the customers. Like a chemicals company, BASF use only trait media for advertising home personal care magazines or euro- cosmetic magazine, which are special magazines for cosmetic market. To exist and to be successful a big company like BASF is necessary to have fixed rules and good communication between different departments. Primary method within the company to discuss the problems and development in the market are manager`s meetings. The complicated structure of the company determined the need from daily meetings of the leader figures in the organization, much that the other companies (Interview, Appendix 1) (BASF, 2012). One of BASF`s goals is to make rules and system more common in the different countries. The leader style in the company allows to employees to share their ideas about innovations. Every idea on issue placed by some of employees is consider, but the main decision is always taken by The Supervisory Board. In the same time, the management style is people oriented, one of the most important things for the company is to understand consumer needs, and to create values for them (Interview, Appendix 1) (BASF, 2012). BASF is company with almost 200Â  000 employees. Every day in Germany for BASF works 54Â  000 employees. They work in different departments but the responsibility for their work is taken by managers of every department. There are a lot of frameworks and guides which are coming from the central department, and which are common for every employee. The employees have to respect the rules and framework given by the main department. Rewards and warnings in the company depend from Human Resource Department. There is not something special within the company, they fallow the legal system. Every employee has a set of target which is called employee dialogue. This makes management style in the company open for ideas from employees. Employee dialogue gives opportunity to employees to talk about the goals which they are achieving in the year and to share new ideas. The incentive system in the company is connected with reward as money bonuses for well done job (Interview, Appendix 1) (BASF, 201 2). BASF Company, as company which do not produce product for the final customers, it is very important to makes products better, healthier and safer than competitors. The reason is that the end consumer never seen and could not understand that BASF Company is better than competitors, and cannot contrast them. The most important thing for the company are innovations, this is the only way that company can be unique and distinctive from competitors. The Company spending a lot of money every year to make research, which helps to find new opportunities for development. In the same time, the company makes everything possible to have products which are already developed and to make them successful on the market. The main question for BASF is to understand better than competitors what are exactly consumer`s needs and to be ready to satisfy these needs on time (Interview, Appendix 1) (BASF, 2012). The core value of BASF is to create chemistry for sustainable future. To achieve its goals BASF tries to be a company with innovative products, intelligent solution of problems and good service departments. The company strives to be the world most widespread supplier in the chemical industry and to generate high return of its assets. It wants to reach these intentions without harming the environment and nature (Interview, Appendix 1) (BASF, 2012). 6.2 Interconnection of the seven S To start, for BASF like as world`s leading chemistry company is very important to strengthen its position on the market. For achieve its goal for the Company is necessary to make its products better than competition and to has high quality of its services. For this helps The Matrix organisational structure and the management style of BASF, which is people oriented oriented to understand customers needs. The company is focus on innovations and every decision for a new idea is taken by The Supervisory Board. For the company`s success is important to have good communication between the different departments and to have fixed rules. In BASF this is achieve with regular meetings of The Board of Executive Directors. The company strives to be the world most widespread supplier in the chemical industry and to generate high return of its assets. For these goals, company has to employ highly qualified staff. Moreover, the leader system of the company is focuses to encourage the employees to share their new ideas. For this, the company use so called Employee dialogue. On the other hand, the company has to invest in researches. The RD department is responsible to find new market opportunities for BASF. The main mission of BASF is to create chemicals for sustainable future. For this goal helps the good organisation structure, cooperation between departments. On the other hand, very important are employees and the way they are managed. Very important are innovations and the style of the company. All of these things determined the current situation of the company and its future position and development of the market. 7. SWOT overview First, BASF Company is one of the leading chemicals company in the world. This factor gives chance to the company, to manage the big part of the market and to have hard influence on smaller chemicals companies. Moreover, as so international and big company BASF has a lot of production sides around the world. One of the company`s strengths are production sides, so called Verbund sides. These sides have really good conglomerates of the production. This conglomeration allows, every kind of product produced within the company, to be used in the most efficient way. Different materials produced in one department of the company, can be used in another one, which means that the BASF Company produce raw materials which use in its own production. Besides, this allows to the company, to produce a lot of different materials and products, to make innovations in this sector and to create more value for the customers than competitors (YouSigma 2011). Second, BASF Company has a huge profit in the last year. Nevertheless, in the last few years is observed declining earnings in several business segments, which is one of the company`s weakness. There are several reasons about this fact. The firs reason, is one of the company threats, is the Economic slowdown in the European Union Region, which is due of the present credit crisis. The credit crisis in these days covers and influence, both small and in the same way huge companies like BASF. The other reason is that people in European Union have possibility to choose between hundred different products. Here the competition is really strong and the market in Europe is developed till maximum. One of company opportunities is to rising commodity chemicals market in regions like Africa, Asia Pacific and Middle East. These are the growth regions of the future, for almost every kind of industry, because the growth rate of profit in future in European countries would not be so high. The other o pportunity for the company is always to develop new products and new ideas (YouSigma 2011). Figure 2: SWOT analysis table Location of factor Favorable Unfavorable Internal Strengths Leading chemical company Concept of Verbund Variety of products Weaknesses Decrease earning in some countries Less expenditure for RD External Opportunities Product innovations Expand the business in Africa, Asia and Middle East Threats Laws and regulations Economic slowdown in European Union 8. Conclusion BASF is international company, which is leader in chemical market. The company production is separated in six different departments and its market is oriented in four main regions. The department of the company which is located in Germany is oriented primly in production of Performance products products for personal care. Moreover, the main mission of the company is to keep its position on the market and to create products for sustainable future. For understanding the present situation of the company was collected information, based on it was made analysis for internal and external environment of the BASF Company. In this report, BASF Company was analyzed. For this analysis were used McKinsey 7 S model for internal environment of the company. The weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats were analyzed based on SWOT analysis of BASF. Based on these analyses it was found that the company has well conducted Matrix Structure and good working management style. Nevertheless, global company like BASF is difficult to manage and demand strict rules and frameworks for the employees. On the other hand, the company produces intermediates, which are used from other manufacture companies to produce final products. For these reason, the final customer is not always informed for the quality of BASF`s products. This is the main fact, that one of the most important things for the company is innovations. Certainly, the innovations and development are the company`s main mission. For this mission helps quality R D and marketing department. The conglomeration of the different departments is one of company`s strength. For understanding of BASF`s external environment was used PEST analysis. It was found that, there are different political, economical, social-cultural and technological factors which influence the company. One of negative factors is different laws and regulations, which limited the production of Genno- modified products and some molecule products in European Union. In the same way, negatives factors which influence the company are increasing price of the electricity in these days, and increasing competition from countries such China. But at the same time, the European Union gives opportunity for innovations, which is positive political factor for the company. In conclusion, the company is focus to produce products and to find solutions for sustainable future. Understanding of internal and external environment is the main factor for achieve its goal. 9. Recommendation In this report BASF Chemical Company was analyzed. Based on these analysis was determine the opportunities, threats, strength and weaknesses of the company. Moreover, the internal and external environment of the company was analyzed. Based on this information, this report gives recommendations of BASF how to take advantage of its opportunities. Firstly, BASF Company can be better than competition if it makes more innovations. This is possible with collaboration of RD and marketing department. The company has to be open for new ideas and to search for people who are useful for it. Moreover, the opportunity for the company is to rising commodity chemicals market in regions like Africa, Asia Pacific and Middle East. On this way, BASF will continue to develop the business and to retain its position on the market. Secondly, one of BASF`s mission is to make its management systems more common for every company`s department in the world. For this mission the company has to create more strictly rules and frameworks, which a common for every employee. Furthermore, BASF have to keep the good communication within departments. Finally, BASF Company have to invest more in research about customer`s needs. This is the best way to strengthen its position on the market. The most important thing for one company is to know exactly customers demands and to make everything possible to create products better than competitors. 10. Critical appraisal Firstly, the information collected for the external environment of the company PEST analysis, was very less. There were not interview questions about PEST analysis. For this reason, was very difficult to determine the current external environment of the company and factors which influenced it. Secondly, BASF Company is huge company for which is easy to find a lot of information. It is difficult to determine which of the information is really important. Moreover, the time for writing the report was limited and the interview was conducted late. It is very difficult with so much information to find the right source. To close, it is necessary to be more prepare with the information for this kind of report.

Effective Communication Used by Benevolent Leader, Queen Elizabeth I :: European History

Effective Communication Used by Benevolent Leader, Queen Elizabeth I Persuasion is a difficult skill to master. One has to take into account the ideologies held by the audience and how those relate to one’s own intentions of changing minds. In order to encourage her troops to fight courageously in defense of England, Queen Elizabeth I utilizes Aristotle’s principles of effective communication that include logos, pathos and ethos in her Speech to the English Troops at Tilbury, Facing the Spanish Armada. The first principle that Queen Elizabeth I introduces into her speech is logos, as she uses reason and inference to assure her soldiers of her faith in their resolve to fight for the good of England. She warns her soldiers that she has been told to â€Å"take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery.† This warning is from a source that is concerned with not only her safety, but also the safety of her subjects and, despite that concern, she claims that it is the tyrants who should be fearful. Since she has â€Å"placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my subjects,† she has no reason to worry because she is not a tyrant like her enemies. As a result of investing and drawing her strength from the people of her kingdom, Queen Elizabeth I has little to fear unlike the tyrants who cannot trust their own armies. The trust that she has placed in her armies to protect the kingdom leads to the use of the second of Aristotle’s principles of effective communication. Queen Elizabeth I uses pathos to appeal to soldiers through their emotions by reminding them that she is on the field with them to die for her subjects (them), just as she is asking them to die for her. She is not on the battlefield with them for her own amusement; the Queen is determined to â€Å"live or die amongst you all, to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom† and this appeals to the soldiers’ sense of duty.