Machievelli Biography Essay

Machiavelli lived during the Renaissance era of the Medieval times. In this time period many concepts and ideas were being reborn, including the Christian faith. He lived during a time period in which the people of the time thought of the Black Plague as a symptom of judgment upon the sinfulness of the land. These same people began to scourge themselves in order to express their sorrow and therefore remove God’s judgment laid upon them. Although Machiavelli lived long after the fall of the Roman Empire, he lived in an Italy that had evolved into a war-torn battleground between the city state dynasties. There were conflicts between the French and Spanish for the control of land. Machiavelli lived in a time of growing political powers and a Christian community that was adapting and changing according to the claims of the Reformers. Machiavelli had a goal: he sought to create a dichotomy between ethical Christianity and the Ethical demands of political rule. The 15th and 16th century world focused on theologically reforming the Church. Many reformers of the time and before Machiavelli’s life, including the 14th century reformer John Wycliffe, wrote on how the papacy of the Church had grown far too powerful. During Machiavelli’s life St. Francis was teaching the commoners about Jesus, and the commoners began relating to Christ. The Church was not only effected by the reformers and the teachings of St. Francis, but it was also effected by itself; it was hurting itself. The church fought against the reformers, condemning them as heretics; the church was threatened by the words of reform. Machiavelli lived among the Christians and like many of the reformers he was seeking a reform between the Church and the State. Essentially, Machiavelli writes to prove that being a moral ruler and a person are two separate ideas, in the case of extreme circumstances and, like Luther, there are two kingdoms independent of each other. Machiavelli probably would’ve been considered a think tank of his time and he believed that a ruler, or anyone may publicly state that they are Christians yet exhibit no real conviction. In the eleventh chapter of The Prince Machiavelli argued that Ecclesiastical principalities were to be desired because the people who inhabited them were governed by their own religious laws. Machiavelli viewed these laws as tools, tools to prevent unruly citizens within the principalities rather than to enforce outside rules. Machiavelli idealizes an idea completely different from the church, that politics is something that deals with facts and not abstracts, that it is a challenge to the notion of both Pope Gregory VII and Pope Innocent III’s â€Å"Divine Right to rule.†3 Machiavelli realized that the divine right to rule theory is nothing but a religious idea that does not work with the present state of man. Machiavelli also understood that human corruption and sin is an unend ing problem that rulers need to deal with. Machiavelli continues by suggesting that being a moral leader does not mean that one is a good leader as good leadership leads to order, stability, and public good. He claimed that when order, stability, and public good are threatened a ruler cannot risk limiting their actions by piety or virtue. Machiavelli believed that morals stood in the way of success, that rulers need to learn how to not be good, and be willing to kill. While the religious leaders saw Machiavelli as non-Christian and destructive, Machiavelli states that leaders need to administer necessary evils in efforts to maintain order and stability within their rule, that humans can be predicted through reason. The Church saw his political agenda as lacking in Christian ethics; however, his political reform lines up with Christian thinkers and with Christian ethics of generosity, compassion, and even the golden rule as we see in Saint Augustine’s and St. Benedict’s writings. An initial consideration of Machiavelli’s thoughts on generosity, we notice that he believes it is good to be considered a generous person, but that it is dangerous to do so. Although sounding contradictory to Christianity, Machiavelli’s reasoning lies in the Christian idea of doing the most good for as many people as possible. Machiavelli argues that being generous requires that the ruler imposes new ways of revenue collection and therefore make his subjects hate him and lead to a guarantee that no one will think well of him.1 Machiavelli makes a similar case for compassion, in that it is better to be seen as cruel then it is to be viewed as loving, if necessary. He asserts that as the head of an army a ruler needs to â€Å"be prepared to be thought cruel.† The same Christian idea can be used to explain his argument as before. In the words of Star Trek’s Spock, â€Å"the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few†. Machiavelli states that its more compassionate to impose harshness on a few rather than make use of compassion and risk chaos to take place.2 If we look back to St. Augustine’s The City of God 4 we learn that rulers and people are dominated by their own selfish lust for power, whereas in the City of God, which Luther also makes notions of in his Doctrine of The Two Kingdoms, people serve one another in charity. Under this assumption we see that men do not serve out of charity, but rather serve in a situation of ‘do unto others as you would have done to yourself.’ Perhaps Machiavelli agreed with this view of Christianity. Machiavelli’s ruler never commits an act that they would not have done to themselves. I think the Machiavellian ruler loves their neighbor as much as themselves. Machiavelli sees the political field as a place for necessary evil. He believes, out of love, that some evil must take place in order to benefit the most people. Machiavelli saw the world he lived in as a two kingdom place, like Luther and St. Augustine did. He viewed human history for what it was, not what it could be; he saw people as evil and sick. Machiavelli’s picture of human history took into account the human equation, that we are sinful and therefore predictable, which he believes will lead to a better understanding of the future.

Austin vs Hart

Legal positivism is the thesis that the existence and content of law depends on social facts and not on its merits. The English jurist John Austin (1790-1859) formulated it thus: â€Å"The existence of law is one thing; its merit and demerit another. Whether it be or be not is one enquiry; whether it be or be not conformable to an assumed standard, is a different enquiry. † (1832, p. 157) The positivist thesis does not say that law's merits are unintelligible, unimportant, or peripheral to the philosophy of law. It says that they do not determine whether laws or legal systems exist.Whether a society has a legal system depends on the presence of certain structures of governance, not on the extent to which it satisfies ideals of justice, democracy, or the rule of law. What laws are in force in that system depends on what social standards its officials recognize as authoritative; for example, legislative enactments, judicial decisions, or social customs. The fact that a policy wo uld be just, wise, efficient, or prudent is never sufficient reason for thinking that it is actually the law, and the fact that it is unjust, unwise, inefficient or imprudent is never sufficient reason for doubting it.According to positivism, law is a matter of what has been posited (ordered, decided, practiced, tolerated, etc. ); as we might say in a more modern idiom, positivism is the view that law is a social construction. Austin thought the thesis â€Å"simple and glaring. † While it is probably the dominant view among analytically inclined philosophers of law, it is also the subject of competing interpretations together with persistent criticisms and misunderstandings.

The Last Supper by Leonardo Davinci

The Last Supper by Leonardo Ad Vinci The renaissance marked a point in time in which it was the most advanced society had ever been. The renaissance sparked a revolution in art. Artwork became more realistic. Although religious topics continued to be a dominant subject matter, artists used linear perspective, greater facial expressions, and three-dimensional techniques to make paintings more realistic. The Last Supper by Leonardo Ad Vinci, created during the Renaissance, exhibits many of those values from that period, including the portrayal of religious subjects and the use of a realistic style and respective.Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy (â€Å"Louvre†). Leonardo father was 25 and his name was San Piper and his mother was a peasant named Catering. After Leonardo birth, his father took custody and his mother went on and married someone else. Leonardo had ended up with a total of 17 half brothers and sisters (â€Å"Leonardo Ad Vinci Paintings†). He had access to many scholarly texts while growing up. He also grew up amidst Vine's long tradition of art (â€Å"Renaissance†). At the age of 15, Leonardo became an apprentice at Andrea del Overreach in Florence.Even though he was an apprentice, he was better than his master. In 1477, he left his apprenticeship and opened his own shop(â€Å"Renaissance†). Looking to make some money, he entered the service of the Duke Ludicrous Sports and duchess Beatrice detest of Milan in 1482. He spent 17 years in their service, painting, sculpting, and designing weapons, buildings, and machinery. During those years his artistic and scientific achievements peaked. While in the service of the Duke and the Duchess, he studied nature, aviation, thematic, and engineering, including designing the churches and fortresses.He also designed weapons, including tanks and submarines. In addition, he studied anatomy, producing many sketches of the human form. He was interested in so many things, that he usually didn't finish what he started. One exception to this is The Last Supper (â€Å"Renaissance†). In 1495, the Duke commissioned him to paint The Last Supper (â€Å"Leonardo Ad Vine's Life†). The painting is fairly big, measuring about xx Ft. It is a mural, which meaner it was painted directly on a wall. This mural was painted on a dining hall in a monastery in Milan, Italy (â€Å"Louvre†).He drew upon his skills as an inventor and decided to paint it on a dry wall rather than on wet plaster. This meaner that the painting is not a true fresco. A fresco requires the artist to work on the painting continuously until it is done. He instead used geese to seal the wall to give him more time to work on the project and not have to do so continuously. He preserved the painting with tempera, but his method did not work well. The painting began deteriorating soon after it was completed (â€Å"Louvre†).The painting, which took Leonardo three years to com plete, represents the scene of Jesus' last supper with his apostles as described in the Bible. At the supper, he told his apostles that one of them would betray him. The faces of the individuals in the painting exhibit their realistic emotions in response to this announcement. Each of the apostles react differently. Some were surprised and some look upset. The first group on the left consists of Bartholomew, James and Andrew. They are all surprised. The next group includes Judas, Simon, and John.In one hand Judas is holding the bag f silver that he received for betraying Jesus and in his other hand, he is reaching for a piece of bread which represents Chrism's body in the Bible. In the Bible Jesus said that the first man to share bread with him would betray him. Simon is holding a knife which foreshadows the incident when he chopped of a man's ear defending Jesus. John the one that looks like a women, appears to be fainting. The third group is made up of Thomas, James, and Phillip w ho all appear shocked.The fourth group consists of Matthew, Jude, and Simon who seem to be discussing the matter. The Last Supper uses perspective for a three-dimensional effect. Leonardo used one point perspective. This perspective involves all parallel lines converging in one place called the vanishing point. This method makes the picture proportional and places emphasis on the object at the vanishing point(Rival 2). Jesus' face is at the center of the vanishing point representing his importance. Additionally, the painting uses balance, grouping the apostles in four equal groups of three with Jesus in the middle.There were also three windows. Three represents the holy trinity (â€Å"Leonardo Ad Vine's Life†). Leonardo representation of The Last Supper differed from earlier portrayals of the meal in a number of ways. Earlier depictions did not include Judas in the group. He was always off to the side. In Leonardo version, he is including in the group, but placed in a shadow. Earlier paintings also put halos around the apostles heads, but Leonardo chose to make it more realistic and left the halos off.Finally, the perspective of Leonardo version improved on the odd looking perspectives used in earlier paintings such as the painting by Disco in which it looks as if the table is on its side. Leonardo The Last Supper is a good example of a Renaissance piece of art because it shows many Renaissance values like portrayal of religious subjects and the use of a realistic style and perspective. The painting is three-dimensional and the figures show realistic emotions. All the subtle secrets you can see in the painting are very fascinating. The Renaissance has been one of the most interesting and smartest times in mankind.

Constant head permeability Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Constant head permeability - Lab Report Example Permeability as defined above is the capacity of sample of soil to allow the passage of water through it. It is also referred to as hydraulic conductivity. The coefficient of permeability is the velocity of flow that is generated by the hydraulic gradient of unity as stipulated by Darcy’s law which is given by the formula: 6. The tamping device is then used to compact the soil layer. About 10 rams per layer are recommended in order to provide a uniform coverage of the surface of the soil. The process should be repeated until the soil layer is within the range of 2 cm. 10. The bottom of the outlet valve is opened and raised to a given height in order to achieve a reasonable steady flow of water. Enough time should be allowed for the pattern of flow of the water to stabilize. 11. The time taken to fill a volume of 750-1000 ml using the graduated cylinder and the temperatures of the water recorded. This process is repeated three times and the average time, volume and average temperature computed. From the foregoing, it is clear that the value of the coefficient of permeability has been determined using the constant head test and found to be 0.2333 cm/s. as indicated earlier that the constant head test is appropriate for permeability’s of soils where k>10 – 4 cm/s, this has been proven to be consistent with the results obtained. Constant Head Permeability Test in Sand, University of Texas at Arlington Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory Test Procedure. Retrieved from: http://www.uta.edu/ce/geotech/lab/Main/Soil%20Lab/08_Permeability/permeability_lecture%20note.pdf. Accessed on 15th April

Does Strurcture of Human Resource Managment Enhance Employee Essay - 1

Does Strurcture of Human Resource Managment Enhance Employee Creativity - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that human resource management has implied the development and advise on policies that relate to the effective use of personnel that is in an organization to ensure there is an achievement of goals in the organization through the available personnel. The human resource also ensures that there is the employment of the right balance of skills and experiences. The management can involve training and development of the opportunities that are available to the performance and achieving the business aims. There are factors in organizations through human resource management have used in enhancing creativity among employee. The factors include planning for employees, putting up strategies, and training. The article brings about the identification of many factors that may stimulate or suppress the innovative aspects of the employees. The factors that have been identified to affect the innovative aspects include leadership that is available in the org anization, organization culture, and design and investments that are made in other sectors of the organization. Innovation is an important aspect in the management of employees in an organization. Arguments that have been made by scholars that organization management should be made to motivate behaviors that ensure there is the successful implementation of the overall strategy. Human resource management has been identified as the core, which is critical in the attainment of innovative strategic goals and with the specific human resource that is designed to encourage creativity and innovative behaviors of employees in an organization. The argument in this perspective is that innovation and creativity in an organization should be an important goal that is to be achieved for all sectors of employees. The degree of creativity in employees, however, may differ. Structure of human resource in an organization is important in enhancing creativity.

Marketing in Microsoft Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing in Microsoft Company - Research Paper Example Marketing in Microsoft Company The company started as from 1975 and located in United States of America. The fact that technology has grown to a very high level, the company plays a great role of developing new versions of soft wares now and then (Scott, Lee, and Weiss, 2008). As a matter of fact, computers are used all over the world. They are used in companies, institutions and in many other fields. In industries such as business related, the company makes most of the products. Microsoft has provided a very good zone for those who wish to market their viral products. The company has been able to make it more profitable due to the marketing strategies it utilizes. Principle of marketing that Microsoft company uses Product As the main principle, a company’s product must provide the required value to expected clients. The softwares that are produced by the company are friendly to use. However, the soft wares are readily available to the customers. The products are unique and helpful to the users. However, the best thing about the products is that they are essential in any computer. This makes them a basic need for any computer user. However, they work well with most operating systems. The programs are made in such a way that they contain a lot of security. The company does this through ensuring that the security of their softwares is very high and very hard to be destroyed. The company targets at meeting the needs of all those computer users in different fields such as schools, hospitals, industries, companies. With the use of the soft wares, all the business enterprises are in a position to easier their workload and reduce costs. However, the company meets the main target of making profit. The quality of the product is ensured to be very high and the best. This makes the company’s products more preferred as compared to other companies. In terms of quality, statistics have ranked Microsoft Company as leading in several rankings (Scott, Lee, and Weiss, 2008). Pricing Measuring with the industries prices, a company must set competitive prices that will ultimately generate profits. In this reference, Microsoft Company’s pricing of its products is very standard in that depending on the quality and the target market. The prices are relatively low and affordable to those who earn very little. This makes the company have more customers since it m inds the welfare of all the customers. However, the quality of the product is what makes the company attract more customers (Scott, Lee, and Weiss, 2008). Placement The location of buying the products and manner of delivery matters in the marketing process. The company uses search engines to deliver its product to the customers worldwide. Search engines such as Google are widely used by the company for online marketing of its products. This mode of distribution ensures that any person who can access internet can get the product very easily without incurring any cost of traveling to the place where the company is located. This mode of delivery is the best since it ensures that the products are well distributed and readily available to the willing and potential buyers. The company uses the strategy of networking in order to reach more customers (Scott, Lee, and Weiss, 2008). Promotion Companies should ensure that potential customers are aware of the existence of their products especia lly innovations. Genuineness in promoting its products makes it friendly to the customers. It targets at ensuring that the communication between the company and the customers is

Annotated bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Annotated Bibliography Example She further studied at University of Colorado earning a B.S., M.S., and a Ph.D. and has nine honorary doctoral degrees (Watson, 2015). She has worked in various learning and health care institutions. She has written more than twenty books both individually and with her colleagues. Her particular interest is in nursing and human caring as demonstrated in her various publications and career practice (Watson, 2015). Watson’s book Human Caring Science: was originally published in 1988 and later edited in 1999. The book expresses her creative ideas developed through observations and her long time experience in the nursing profession. The tone of the book is earnest and friendly. She believes that human caring begins from the inside of a person and extends outwards to other persons in the community. Her publication has been reviewed by a reader and revised to reflect most proximate occurrence in the real life situation of nursing world. This also implies the book is widely read by people with a diverse professional background. This book was intended to elaborate the theory of nursing to academicians and health care practitioners involved in caring for the patients. Also, her message was intended to reach all people as caregiving is a worldwide task (Watson, 2015). Munhall is a psychodynamic therapist and psychoanalyst certified by the national board. She also provides counseling services. She holds the doctorate degree in psychoanalysis from Columbia university in New York. She has practiced for 23 years as psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy (Munhall, 2015). The Family, Health, and Fitness magazine voted her the â€Å"Best of Psychoanalysts this year. She is a full university professor. Her book â€Å"Nursing Research, fifth edition† was published in 2011. She published her first edition in 1986. The book contains broad information based her research findings and long-term experience of dealing with clients of

Technology and the Written Word Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology and the Written Word - Essay Example However, in the ancient world, writing was not practical for most due to technological limitations. Written language as we know it today is the product of thousands of years of technological advancement, not advancement in the language itself. From papyrus to typesetting to computers, the history of language is a history of technology. The situation is no different today with the introduction of new communication mediums like text messaging, email, and the internet, all of which have had significant effects on how we communicate and live in the community. From the technology we use to communicate in the modern world we derive a number of benefits, such as the ability to store, transmit, and link texts remotely from anywhere on the globe to anywhere else. However, there does seem to be, for some, a backlash of complaints against technological advancement and the drawback it has on global language use, including the objection that technology corrodes proper language use and forces soci al interaction through electronic means to be empty. In comparison with the benefits of technology on language, these costs of a technology-laden form of communication are slight, and it is a mistake to argue that technology is corrupting language when technology has been enhancing communication for the past five to six thousand years. The fact that all technology influences language is an undeniable fact. Technology is, as a matter of fact, a â€Å"means to extend man’s reach† (Moore, 2005), and this fact alone relates it to natural languages. To use an example, air-traffic controllers use radio communication to make airplane travel safer. It is derived from radar and weather-forecasting technologies and is sent to users of aircraft technology to transport people to locations they would never otherwise be able to reach, in order to speak to people face to face instead of over the phone. This interconnection of language and technology

Managing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing Strategy - Essay Example Introduction PESTEL is a model that considers the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental as well as legal aspect (Thomson & Strickland, 1998). It is considered as one of the models that can be successfully used particular for groups that are considered to be more private focused. Such groups may be victims of being oblivious to the effect of the external forces since their focus is laid on the internal forces. In studying the European Tour operation, PESTEL had been exhaustively practiced to arrive at the current status of the industry. Discussion According to the study, Political factors such as Government policies and trading policies were central to the growth. A case in point is the outcome of the competition authority clearance which witnessed the merger between Thomas Cook and the British Competitor MyTravel, an integrated international group. The economic situations and trends were also awakened the industry, where players like TUI responded to the actions o f Thomas Cook by the acquisition and merger with First Choice. These home economic situations and trends tighten the competition in the European Tour and Operation Industry. The economic situation was also concerned with the Industry specific factors where the Thomas Cook adopted flights that gave the customers choices of chartering plans rather than DO It-Yourself and thus assured security and good value for the vacationers. Economic factors such as interest rates also influenced the operations of players like TUI. This was witnessed where an anticipation of a sustained weakness of the pound against the Euro and the expected increase in unemployment made TUI to cut summer capacity by 27% to the British travelers in 2009. These economic factors also saw Thomas Cook undergo reorganization after experiencing continuing decrease in revenue. On consideration of the social factors, TUI got involved in low cost airline which was expected to get to the average families as well. TUI also go t itself different brands all over Europe and world at large to present different images in different environment, which they successfully did through travel agents as well as having there different brands of Tour operator selling not only fully packaged tours but also individual travels components. Competing Technological Development also shaped the tours operations in Europe. The observation that call centers and online bookings combined, in 2005 accounted for 25% of the sale gave an indication that technology had given the business of Tour operation a new face all together. This is also observed when online Travel Agencies are noted to have been moving quicker than the traditional Tour Operators who were seen to be going down the hill. The Literature also elaborates that tours operators no longer competes exclusively amongst themselves but face competition from online channels. The maturity of technology seemed to have played a very significant role in the development of tour ope ration in Europe. When it comes to environmental factors, clearly, Consumer buying patterns played a role in the determination of the progress of the industry the fact that a number of structural changes between US and UK. This was grounded on the understanding of the differences between the US markets and the European markets. The study notes that the Europeans take more vacations than Americans and that US travelers tend to be more independent and

Diversification of Portfolios in the Global Financial Market Essay

Diversification of Portfolios in the Global Financial Market - Essay Example The problem of domestic surplus also has its solution in the global market. With a greater number of buyers, investors will be able to sell what no one in their country will be willing to buy. Simply put, with more buyers and sellers now more interlinked with each other, globalization has given the financial market a global scope. With a greater scope arise complexities and more risks and seemingly ironic instances. As countries have become more interlinked, they begin to share similar reactions to economic shocks. While similar reactions may make it easier for market analysts to determine how the world will react to different economic shocks, the presence of varying political and economic systems in the global financial market make external and internal economic forces more unpredictable. Greater unpredictability simply means greater risks. Again, the simple solution to this risk is the placing of eggs into different baskets. One could argue that it is pointless to diversify portfol ios in a financial market where countries almost always react in similar ways. However, as Bordo (2000) explains, emerging markets are more susceptible to fluctuations, â€Å"bust and booms† he calls them, as the result of â€Å"open capital markets.† This implies that while one emerging economy may offer huge returns in a couple of days or weeks, investors still need to diversify their investments because it is difficult to determine how emerging economies will do in the longer runs. The disadvantages of portfolio diversification.

Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Euthanasia - Essay Example According to my survey, it is apparent that quite a number of people have little understanding of euthanasia and are adamant to embrace the practice. In an attempt to elucidate the opinion of the people and evaluate their propositions about euthanasia, a survey was done. The survey targeted twenty respondents who were required to answer fifteen questions based on the topic of euthanasia. To prevent any inconveniences to the respondents, the survey took approximately ten to fifteen minutes per respondent. The questions were framed in such a manner that one question led to a more deeper and specific question. The responses were brief, most of them having yes/no questions, while some required some brief explanations. No personal data was supposed to be provided in the survey forms in order to protect their confidentiality. The questions were brief, simple and clear so that the respondent clearly understands what the questions involved. Majority of the people interviewed have some basic understanding of euthanasia. Fourteen out of the twenty respondents could distinguish euthanasia and assisted suicide. The reasons given by the respondents about the differences were justifiable, a situation that demonstrated that they understood some aspects of the practice. The basis of assisted suicide as revealed by most of the respondents relates to a person wishing to die. In addition, it is not done to escape a painful and incurable situation. True to the fact that euthanasia is a controversial issue, most of the respondents believe that the practice is not ethically justifiable, nobody among the group stood for the ethical justification. However, lack of experience in having people who were willing to be euthanized among majority of the respondents revealed that, they didn’t really comprehend the magnitude of the situation facing these people. Only two among the twenty had an experience with an individual willing to be euthanized. Euthanasia is one of the practices th at are common in the media. A whooping majority, seventeen out of twenty respondents confessed having never heard or read about the practice in the media. This presents the situation as minor, because if it were a major issue many would have read about euthanasia in the print media and heard through the electronic media. Euthanasia does not appear to be one of the emerging issues neither is it a problem that has been given a lot of attention. However, the fact that a few individuals have heard and read about the practice is enough evidence to reveal that Euthanasia is not any strange around us. Death and pain are resented aspects according the findings of the survey. The majority of the people was of the opinion that life is extremely important and should be protected at all costs. A substantial majority of the people said they would prefer having a person who helps another in committing suicide be prosecuted. In addition, they would not support a death sentence for such an offender but they supported the argument of the legal system handling the case appropriately. However, considering the sensitivity of the cases presented, a majority are of the opinion that euthanasia should be made legal in some cases. This proves the understanding of the people about euthanasia and the opinion they have towards unbearable pain and

Conflict with Macbeth and World War Poetry Essay Example for Free

Conflict with Macbeth and World War Poetry Essay During this essay I am going to write about the many diverse ways in which conflict is presented in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Wilfred Owen’s Poetry of World War 1. I will be comparing the ways in which Macbeth and 3 poems written by Owen; Mental Cases, The Next War and Dulce Et Decorum Est, link with each other. Macbeth is a play written in 1606 by Shakespeare who wrote plays to entertain his audience. On the other hand, Owen was a soldier in World War 1 when he wrote famous poems; he wrote them to tell us about the tragedies of war and he expressed his thoughts and feelings about war and conflict. Owen’s poems are influenced by his own experiences of war. In Macbeth the conflict shown by Macbeth and the other characters, gives us an idea of how Macbeth’s rivalry between certain characters in the play depicted the whole play itself. For example, Macbeth’s conflict with King Duncan shows how Macbeth was such an easy target for the witches because they predicted he would be the next Thane of Cawdor which came true, then they predicted he would be the next King, but when Duncan announced Malcolm to be the next heir to the throne, Macbeth become insecure and had the thoughts of killing Duncan. â€Å"I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself† – Macbeth’s excessive ambition is like a horse that tries to jump too high but it falls on the other side of the fence, also Shakespeare uses a metaphor to describe Macbeth’s ambition as ‘vaulting’ like a horse. Shakespeare brings the idea of Macbeth killing Duncan to life. Similarly, Wilfred Owen presents the conflict in his poems in ways which he relentlessly unveils the full scale of the war’s horrors. For example, in Owen’s poem ‘Mental Cases’, the conflict the soldiers have with the violent conditions they had to live in, Owen presents the mental torment suffered by the patients in this poem. He uses the simile â€Å"like a wound† to show that their wounds are still fresh and present in their minds. The words such as ‘blade’ and ‘bleeds afresh’ suggest that they have be en brutally ripped open by the conflict happening in their minds. Owen’s poem ‘Mental Cases’ shows us the mental anguish the soldiers had to go through during the World War. He uses the simile â€Å"baring teeth that leak like skulls, teeth wicked† to describe the soldiers as skeletons because they’re half dead from fighting continuously in the war; this shows how the poems title ‘Mental Cases’ links with the whole concept of the soldiers being half dead because their minds have been taken over by  the trauma of the war. â€Å"Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles† – the use of violent imagery to emphasise the way in which the soldiers are continuously surrounded by gun-shots (‘batter of guns’) and dead bodies (‘flying muscles’). â€Å"Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh† – Owen uses a simile, also a personified phrase to highlight the way the soldiers wake up to constant violence around them. Wilfred Owen uses words such as ‘skulls’ to show that the soldiers were like skeletons; half dead. Also he uses ‘ravished’ to give more power to the poem, to demonstrate that the horrors have taken over the soldiers’ minds. This poem links with Macbeth due to the way in which Macbeth is mentally tormented because of the crimes he’s committed which are now acting upon him, just the way the patients are mentally tormented because of the tragic war. Shakespeare uses the personified phrase â€Å"art th ou not fatal vision sensible to feeling as to sight?† to accentuate that Macbeth can only see the dagger in his mind but it’s not really there. â€Å"Here’s the smell of blood still, all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten† – Shakespeare manipulates the use of the senses to show that Lady Macbeth is saying that there is no perfume of this world which shall ‘sweeten’ our sinful hands; which emphasises that Lady Macbeth still thinks about the murder of King Duncan. Shakespeare also uses the simile â€Å"that not look like inhabitants o’the earth† to show that the witches aren’t humans; they don’t belong to the earth. â€Å"If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well it were done quickly† Shakespeare presents the idea of past and present; to kill Duncan quickly would be better. â€Å"Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold† – Macbeth says to the ghost of Banquo; he has no marrow in his bones, his blood is cold. Shakespeare uses words such as ‘fatal’ to show the mental torment Macbeth is going through whilst h e sees the dagger in his mind. Also he uses ‘inhabitants’ to describe the way the witches look; they don’t look like they live on earth. In Owen’s poem ‘The Next War’ he presents the inner conflict of the war because the poem is based on the idea of not being afraid of death but getting used to the fact that death comes everyday to them. In the beginning of the poem Owen has written a quote from Siegfried Sassoon â€Å"war’s a joke for me and you, while we know such dreams are true† – this is an unusual sonnet because sonnets are usually on love and romance, but this one is on war. Owen uses personification like â€Å"out there we’ve walked quite friendly up to Death; sat  down and eaten with him, cool and bland† to emphasise that mostly all the soldiers are used to seeing people die and when death comes its normal for them. Also Owen describes death as ‘cool’ and ‘bland’ – these are oxymorons because they have an unusual perspective of war. â€Å"He’s spat at us with bullets and he’s coughed† – Owen u ses personification to show how death has tortured the soldiers. Owen uses many language techniques to bring the idea of welcoming death to the soldiers’ lives. Wilfred Owen uses words like ‘courage’ to emphasise the soldiers’ characters. Also he uses ‘green thick odour’ to represent the ‘odour’ as the poisonous gas that caused many soldiers’ deaths. This poem links with Macbeth because in this poem Owen talks about the courage these soldiers had and how they got used to seeing their men die all the time, however, in Macbeth, Macbeth is looked at as ‘brave Macbeth’ who has ‘disdaining fortune’ because he won the battle for Scotland and was looked at as a hero. â€Å"For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name – disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel† – Shakespeare describes Macbeth as a courageous warrior. However, during the play we find out that Macbeth has planned to kill Duncan, but then feels a slight regret in going fourth with the murder â€Å"we will proceed no further in this business. He hath honour’d me of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people†. In this scene, Lady Macbeth attacks Macbeths manliness and makes him feel like he less of a man â€Å"And live a coward in thine own esteem†. â€Å"But screw your courage to the sticking place† – Shakespeare uses a metaphor here to show the power in which Lady Macbeth has; she wants Macbeth to tighten his courage to the limit, so he can go fourth and kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth tries to convince him by calling him a ‘coward’ and unmanly. Macbeth is convinced enough to murder Duncan which eventually lead to his own down fall. ‘Dulce Et Decroum Est’ meaning ‘Die for Your Country’ is another famous poem of Wilfred Owen’s where it links to battlefield conflict and inner conflict. The poem is based on the whole concept of war, and how the soldiers fight for their country throughout the world war. â€Å"Bent double like old beggars, coughing like hags† – Owen uses two similes to describe the soldiers as ‘beggars’ and ‘hags’, due to the way they live in. â€Å"Men marched asleep† – this use of characterisation brings to life the way in which the soldiers were continuously marching during their days, and nights. Owen also uses an oxymoron to bring sarcasm into the poem  Ã¢â‚¬Å"of gas shells dropping softly behind† – gas shells are usually very loud and dangerous but Owen makes out the gas shells were ‘soft’. â€Å"As under a green sea I saw him drowning.† – a metaphor to describe the poisonous gas, and Owen’s persona of his friend drowning in the gas. â€Å"Guttering, choking, and drowning† – the use of onomatopoeia gives effect of the way in which Owen presents the conflict of the war. Owen also uses personified techniques to show the inner conflict of how the soldiers’ minds were taken over by the tragic war â€Å"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood† – the effect that Owen uses to ‘hear the blood’. Owen gives the impression that these soldiers are broken and describes them to be helpless. Wilfred Owen uses words such as ‘deaf’ from the gun shots and bombs and ‘blind’ from the tear gas and smoke; he uses pitiful language to reveal the reality of war. This poem links with Macbeth, because Owen talks about the way in which the soldiers die for their country and linking back to Macbeth, he fought a battle for his country. However, the soldiers in the poem are described as ‘beggars’ and ‘hags’, on the other hand, Macbeth is described as ‘brave’. Macbeth has a higher reputation because he had killed the enemy of King Duncan’s. Shakespeare describes the nature of war as if it is a game or a sport â€Å"doubtful it stood, as two spent swimmers that do cling together† – using the word ‘swimmer’ relates to sport and ‘doubtful’ makes them want to try harder and think of swimming where they are pushing the water away racing to the finish line makes the reader create a picture of Macbeth and Banquo slashing away with their swords creating a sea of dead soldiers and blood behind them fighting their way to glory. It is only at the end of the play that Macbeth finally discovers his fate; after being told that Macduff had been, â€Å"untimely ripped from his mothers’ womb†. Macbeth describes the witches as â€Å"Juggling Fiends† Macbeth is accusing the witches of deliberately juggling their words so that he could not understand them. This is a clever quote as Macbeth has just realised his life is in ruins, but the audience knew this earlier. The witches have changed Macbeth from a brave warrior to an evil, murderous, traitor, underlining the conflict of good and evil. â€Å"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes† – this quote is significant as it illustrates the change in Macbeth throughout the play, now even the witches consider Macbeth to be evil. However, when looking at the path of destruction that Macbeth has left behind him it isn’t very  surprising. Just one man driven by his ambition to be king has led to a chain reactio n of murders. There are many important conflicts in Macbeth, like the conflict between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, the conflict between the good which is represented by Macduff and the evil which is represented by Macbeth, and Macbeth versus himself, his inner struggle, and all of those conflicts lead to Macbeth’s down fall. Shakespeare gave a truthful, but interesting effect to show war and conflict in that time and age of Shakespeare. There are also many significant conflicts in the World War 1 which Wilfred Owen wrote about in all of his famous poems, like the conflict between the soldiers and death; the way in which the soldiers have to welcome death because it’s likely they will die. This conflict leads to the soldiers becoming mentally tormented. Owen always revealed the truth about war and conflict.

Benefits Of Technology Contribution To Developing Countries

Benefits Of Technology Contribution To Developing Countries In such fast growing economies, multinational companies are relying heavily on technology to maintain their competitive position in the global platform. To do so, multinational companies constantly expand into new markets and hence their success is partly determined by their ability to transfer technology to local companies (Chen (1996), Chung (2001)). Transfer of technology is a foremost strategy initiated by the multinational companies during their international expansion. Technology transfer is defined as the transmission of know-how to suit local environments, with effective absorption and diffusion both within and across countries (CHung (2001) and Tihanyi Roath (2002). Transfer of technology is not as simple as it looks it involves a series of complex procedures starting from the multinational companies capability of teaching, the local companies capacity of learning and the complex integration between the two companies (Griffith, Kiessling and Dabic, 2005). Technology gives c ompanies the competitive edge to strive and compete in the global world. It is integrated with every value adding activity of the company and helps in achieving these activities (Porter, 1980). Technology helps in improving and maintaining quality levels and competitive edge of the products. It also helps in reducing the productions cost and increase manufacturing productivity by improving efficiency (Gisselquist Grether, 2000). Every country (developing and developed) spends large amount of funds to attract foreign investments. This investment can be in terms of foreign direct investments in stocks of local companies or in terms of investing in the countrys properties real estate or opening up a manufacturing plant in the country. The reasons noted for such behavior by the governments of developing and developed country is to strengthen their economy and technology sophistication and upgradation. When a multinational company is operating in foreign (developing) country, it happens to brings in new technologies and ways of working to the local country. Thus helping the country to upgrade its technological know-how. In this paper, the author will first highlight the importance of technology contribution by multinationals and later evaluates the factors that will determine the whether or not the transferred technology provides benefits or is a disadvantage to the host country. The role of multinational companies as an agent of technology transfer for economic development of less developed countries is potential and very important (Bruce Peters, 1979). FOR MNCS: Keeping aside few instances that have taken place and the points noted against the multinational companies in less developing countries. We cannot ignore the fact that these multinational companies have played a vital role in technological and overall development of developing countries. Starting from transfer of technology to bringing new ways of managing business to improving productivity to making local business competitive in comparison to the world. The contribution of the multinational companies in less developed countries is noteworthy (Aswathappa, 2008). Multinational companies and developing countries have different goals, hence they should try to come together and find mutual goals and benefits. This could be in terms of resource identification, technology selection and advancement. It is known that the world is dependent on each other for few or more things. It is the developing countries that are dependent on multinational companies from developed countries for help in te rm of technological development and stronger economies. Similarly, the multinational companies are dependent on these developing countries for cheap labor and land. Their goal is mutual and hence by working together can realize benefits for each other. Against MNCS: There are many cases and instances which show that the multinationals technology contribution to developing countries is hardly suitable. Multinational companies develop technologies that are highly capital intensive whereas the technologies needed by the developing countries are labor intensive. Thus this makes the technology contribution as less suitable, also multinational companies charge heavily in the forms of fees, duties and royalties for the usage of their technology. Thus making the technology very expensive for the developing countries. On several occasions it has been noted that that multinational companies or foreign companies operating in developing countries are dumping technologies by using obsolete technology with the help of turnkey projects. It is also noted that multinational companies try to make local companies dependent on their technology and expertise and thus making revenues by contributing obsolete technologies. For example: Indian government did its best t o attract foreign companies and investment with a hope that these multinational companies would help reach its goal of having best technology around the globe and strong export hub. This goal of India is not yet been realized with the exports falling and the global financial crisis still showing some of its effect in India. Likewise, other developing countries have been disappointed at many occasions. Today the word green is associated with the global warming; many companies have gone green meaning they have taken the initiative to use eco friendly methods to minimize their impact on the environments. Developing countries attracted multinational companies with the hope of setting up Greenfield projects which would in turn help to maximize their manufacturing capacity. The goal is yet to be achieved. government of developing countries attract foreign companies in order to bring new technologies to country but these foreign companies in turn either acquire local companies or merge wi th them, thus keeping the country away from new technology and manufacturing abilities. Many less developed countries have now kept environment on their first priority. Countries are now becoming more concerned about the impact that multinationals create on the environment due to certain technologies that they use (Aswathappa, 2008). POTENTIAL FACTORS: It is also very important to note the factors that will determine whether the technology transferred will be of benefit to the developing country or not. Griffith et al., (2006) uses an environment strategy performance framework to identify the role of market (i.e. competitive intensity and market dynamics) and cultural environmental (national cultural distance and organizational cultural distance) factors on international technology transfer to developing countries. During a survey conducted to find out the direct efforts of market and cultural environmental factors on transfer of technology with 131 managers working in a subsidiary of multinational company. It was found that market dynamism factors were more influential market environmental factor than competitive intensity. Whereas national cultural distance was less influential cultural environment factor than organizational cultural distance. The report also highlighted a very important and pivotal relationship between transfe r of technology and subsidiary performance (Griffith et al., 2006) Summary Multinational companies are businesses that carry out operations across globe. They are the most active players in the world of international business they have been often charged on several grounds like taking advantage of poor countries, their interests override the interests of developing nations and they have a tendency to bribe the less developed country government to make policies and regulations favorable to them. It is widely known that each coin have two sides, there are pros and then there are cons, there is opportunity and then there is risk. multinational companies are very important in terms of technology contribution but then there are risks of obsolete technology, technology dumping, impact on environment etc. thus developing countryà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s government should list few factors that would help them to determine whether the technology contribution by multinationals is benefit to the host country or not. A research conducted by Gibson and Smilor suggests that there are four variables i.e. communication interactivity, cultural and geographical distance, technology equivocally and personal motivation play very important role in technology transfer within and between companies (Gibson and Smilor, 1991). In another research conducted by Rebentisch and Ferretti (1995), they found that four categories, Transfer Scope, Transfer Method, Knowledge Architecture, and Organizational Adaptive Ability, describe important elements of the transfer process. Transfer Scope describes the extent of embodied information being transferred. Transfer Method describes the approaches used to transfer the technology. Knowledge Architecture describes the structure and the interdependencies between the firms knowledge assets. Organizational Adaptive Ability describes an organizations ability to change its knowledge architecture over time.

International market analysis for Natura cosmetics

International market analysis for Natura cosmetics Natura Cosmetics Company was founded in 1969 as a small laboratory and cosmetics shop in Sao Paulo, Brazil by Luis Seabra; and it is the industry leader in the cosmetics, fragrances and personal hygiene market. Natura Company offers a full range of products with solutions for consumers various needs, regardless of age. It includes products for the face and body, hair care and treatment products, make-up, fragrances, bath products, sun protection products, oral hygiene products and product lines for children. In 1974, the company decided to follow direct sales operation and the strategy allowed to continue expansion at low to moderate cost. Then it becomes the industry leader in direct sale, surpassing even the giant the Avon Company. In 1982, it started its internationalization process when it arrived in Chile. Six years later, it added the Bolivian market. In 1994, it decided to pursue a new international business and opened in Argentina market. Besides, at the beginning of the 1990 s, the company focused on their stakeholders relationship, defined its beliefs and values. Thus, a recent annual report indicates that the companys direct sales in the region will reach a turnover in the order of US$ 500 million in 2012à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In the report, it is analyzed and consulted for the Natura Cosmetics international development as well as the relationship strategy, international strategy, learning and innovation, and the companys portfolio of domestic, regional and international market. CASE ANALYSIS Natura You work as an analyst for a specialist consultancy and have been tasked with producing an assessment of certain aspects of the Natura organizations international development, as set out in the case study Natura Cosmetic. In your answer to the four tasks set out below you are required to: evaluate the information contained within the case study provided; and make reference to relevant theoretical concepts/models derived from the lecture programme and/or your reading of recommended academic texts. You must not try to access, or include in your assignment, information or analysis drawn from any other resources than those noted above. You are permitted, however, to visit the Natura Companys website (see case study) in order to familiarize yourself with the company, its operations and products. Task 1: In his analysis of companies, that are successful (internationally), Perlmutter identifies: Effectiveness of an organizations relationship strategy; and Learning innovation As two key factors. Using examples from the case study; assess to what extent Natura supports Perlmutters theory. - Firstly, Johnson and Scholes (1993:10) state that Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term: ideally which matches its resources to the changing environment and in particular its market, customers or clients so as to meet stakeholder expectations. Stakeholder analysis aims to identify the stakeholders who are affected by the results of the companys project with the results success depending on the cooperation between the stakeholder and the project. It is important to identify all stakeholders for the purpose of identifying their success criteria and turning these into quality goals. It brings out the interests of the stakeholders and compares them to the purpose of the project. It relates each stakeholder to the project at hand, and points out potential conflicts to assign a level of risk or challenges to the projects success. It also helps identify existing relationships between stakeholders that can be influenced on build corporation and potential p artnerships to further champion the effort. And there are three types of stakeholders which available in Natura Cosmetic Co. Internal stakeholders: they include employees and managers. The company has employees and management team effectiveness with driving their company as a big family. The organizational culture of Natura is characterized by its openness, transparency and respect for its stakeholders. The managers always care how to make stakeholders interest and satisfy in order to make its operation effectiveness. Middle management is constantly challenged and empowered to assume new projects and loftier goals. Besides, their employees are important internal stakeholders of Southwest with high skills and experiences. They directly work with customers, so the company needs to motivate them. Moreover, the company usually has strategy for new talents who are developed in-house or hired from the outside, creating a diversified group of managers. Connected stakeholders: shareholders, customers, and suppliers. Shareholders are important because they are directly holding the share and they have voting right in businesss activities. They can buy their share or vote to change Naturas management if the company is not good in business, or bad treating them, and then it directs influence on their profits and interest in investment. In contrast, if the company is good performance, shareholders will get profitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ So, good relationship with shareholders is necessary for Natura to develop their business. Additionally, customers are the most important stakeholders because the company is not operating and survive without them. The company has various of customers as middle and upper class customer segments, both female and male, even childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, and they always make products to satisfy various of customers needs. In order to get profits, the company based on customers using services, so their services should be h igh quality to serve, to keep and attract customers. At the customers end, Naturas products are based on the well-being concept, which refers to the harmonious, pleasant relationship between oneself and ones body, combined with the concept of rewarding, empathetic relationships with others and with natureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Thus, the company believes this approach has contributed to strengthening relationships along the value chain. Moreover, in order to serve the customers needs, the company has sale force and consultant system. The relationships with the sales force are carefully maintained and the Naturas focus on sales allows consultants to place orders at any time and to place more than one order within the same sales cycleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Additionally, suppliers are one of connected stakeholder to help Natura doing business effectively. Operating in cosmetic market, Natura is required to produce the best quality of products as premium, high-margin cosmetics, personal care products, perfumes, creams or make upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Thus, it needs to have the best quality of ingredients, raw materialà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, so how to make close relationship with suppliers is important. Beside the self-produced material, the company has produced some products as soap bars, products containing aerosols which are outsourced to a third party. The company buys its raw materials from diverse suppliers, many of which have been partners with Natura for over 20 years. So good relationship with suppliers is essential for the company to operate and perform their business. External stakeholders: competitors (Avon, or other multinational companies), government or social community All the company must pay tax for government, so they are external stakeholder that the firm should have good relationship. Besides, competitors in the market are so important that the firm needs to focus on to compete in the market and to get strong position in the cosmetics market. Additionally, Natura produces cosmetics products that influence directly on the customers health, as results, the company needs focusing on the health community and build strong relationship with each other in order to get more successful in operation business. All of them are affected directly and indirectly to operations of the company, so focusing on them is very important for the company to achieve success in business because they have sufficient power to influence managements choice of strategy. In other side of Naturas operation business, they also focus on the key factor of learning and innovation. Learning is about work, work is about learning, and both are social. The social world is a rich resource, not a distraction (Brown Gray, 1995; Stamps, 1997; Wenger, 1996b). According to Lave Wenger (1991), it is believed that social practice is the primary, generative phenomenon, and learning is one of its characteristics. Thus learning should be analyzed as an integral part of the social practice in which it is occurring. Learning is not simply a transfer of knowledge, but a process of building understanding (Galagan, 1993). In the case of Natura, the company applies both learning and innovation for improving their products and their performance in business, competition in the cosmetic market and international market. It is innovated and developed the products in house on a continuous basis. The company has research and development centre in Brazil and abroad, it acquires pat ents and technology from universities and RD centre for innovating and improving their products. It also has the timeline for the creation and commercialization a new product ranges which is from six months to five years, and the timeline depends on the degree of innovation. Task 2: Using relevant theoretical models and with examples from the case study evaluate the companys internationalization strategy in the period 1982 2005. - Natura Cosmetics decides to go international market by undertaking field primary research, traveling abroad that leads to explore and understand different markets, trends and strategies internationally. Johanson Vahlne (1977) defined internationalization as a process in which the companies gradually increase their international involvement. They claimed that internationalization is the product of a series of incremental decisions. In other words, internationalization can be a process by which the companies both increase their awareness of the direct and indirect influences of international transactions on their future establish and conduct transactions with other countries (Beamish, 1990). Then an international strategy is a strategy through which the firm sells its goods or services outside its domestic market (Hill 378). One of the primary reasons for implementing an international strategy is that international markets yield potential new opportunities. Moreover, for international ization theories, it focuses on internationalization in networks, by which the company has different relationships not only with customers but also with other actions in the environments. According to Hollensen, S. (2007), there are some theories of internationalization as the traditional marketing approach, life cycle concept for international trade, the Uppsala internationalization model and the internationalization cost approach, dunnings electric approach, the network approach or the difference between cultural distance and psychic distanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Traditional marketing approach: It focuses on the companys core competences combined with opportunities in the foreign environment (Penrose, 1959; Prahalad and Hamel, 1990). It leads the company to possess a compensating advantage in order to overcome the cost of foreignness, and then identification of technological and marketing skills are the key elements in successful foreign entry (Kindleberger, 1969; Hymer, 1976). Life cycle concept of international trade: According to Vernons Product Cycle Hypothesis (1966), the companies go through an exporting phase before switching first to market seeking foreign direct investment (FDI), then to cost oriented FDI. The technology and marketing factors combine in order to explain standardization that drives location decisions. This hypothesis is that producers in advanced countries are closer to the markets than producers elsewhere; consequently the first production facilities for these products will be in the advanced countries. For the standardized products, the less developed countries may offer competitive advantages as production locations. The Uppsala internationalization model: Its model is developed by Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul (1975) and Johanson and Vahlne (1977). Based on this model, when the company faces with unknown markets, incomplete information, and being in a state of constant incertitude, the company develops in foreign markets by adopting a process which evolves by increments. The model suggests a sequential pattern of entry into successive foreign markets, coupled with progressive deepening of commitment to each market. According to this model, the company tends to intensify their commitment towards foreign markets as their experience grows, and psychic distance which attempts to conceptualize and measure the cultural distance between countries and markets (Hollensen, S. (2007)). The internationalization/transaction cost approach: Buckley and Casson (1976) expanded the choice to include licensing as a means of reaching customers abroad, in other words, licensing can reach customers abroad. However, in the perspective the multinational company would usually prefer to internalize transactions via direct equity investment rather than license its capability. The international involves two interdependent decisions as regarding location and mode of control and it is related to transaction cost theory. The internationalization and transaction cost (TC) perspective are both concerned with the minimization of TC and the conditions underlying market failure. Dunnings eclectic approach: Dunning (1988) discussed the importance of locational variables in foreign investment decisions. The eclectic means that a full explanation of the transnational activities of the companies needs to draw on several strands of economic theory. According to the model, the propensity of the company to engage itself in international production increases if three conditions if ownership advantages, locational advantages and internationalization advantages are being satisfied. The network approach: It means the international firm cannot be analyzed as an isolated actor; it has to be viewed in relation to other actors in the international environment. According to Johanson and Mattson, the relationships of the company within a domestic network can be used as connections to other networks in other countries. The different between cultural distance and psychic distance: According to Hollensen (2007), cultural distance refers to the macro cultural level of a country and is defined as the degree to which cultural values in one country are different from those in another country. And psychic distance is defined as the individual managers perception of the differences between the home and the foreign market and it is a highly subjective interpretation of reality. In the circumstance, Natura goes international through an agreement with an independent distributor in Chile in 1982. Based on traditional marketing approach, the company audits their resources which are core competence and provide distinctive competitive advantages. All the resources of Natura, such as: financial, RD skills, knowledge, experiences, sales and distribution channel or sale forceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are valuable, hard to copy, exploited and they are sources of core competences and competitive advantages in foreign environment. Beside, marketing capability has its greatest impact on the innovative output for the firm that has a strong resources and competences. Natura has strong RD which means the company with a strong RD base is the ones with the most to gain from a strong marketing capability. Furthermore, the most important determinant of its performance is the interaction of marketing and RD capabilities. And RD is one of the best internal factors which bring opportunitie s for Natura to do business in new market. For example, the company acquires patents and technology from universities and research centers in Brazil and abroad, and then they focus particular research efforts on skin care products and on the sustainable use of ingredients from Brazils biodiversity, launching their product lines. Besides, the employees are responsible for the local operation that means Natura has also strong human resources. Moreover, in the 1990s, the political and macro economic changes in Brazil and other South and Central American countries; and other Latin American countries experience growth rates and try to develop their commercial tines with Brazil, as a result, Natura decides to expand their business internationally. Additionally, following mass advertising, it creates a rising uniform trend in beauty concepts and demands in the region which leads a cultural emphasis on beauty and a better understanding of how to use beauty products. Further, Natura identifi es the technology and marketing skills on foreign market, such as in Argentina, the company tries to avoid risk, looks the ways to decrease costs and put advertisements in the major magazines stating, and then they build the good relationship with social pact (suppliers, employees and customers)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Besides, Natura builds brand equity, quickly developing a sizable network of consultants, managing and promoting their productivity as well as mastering logistics and distribution. (CEO, Alessandro Carlucci, quoted in the Harvard Business School case study: Natura: Global Beaty Made in Brazil, Sept, 2006). According to Uppsala model, Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul (1975) distinguish between four different modes of entering an international market, where the stages represent higher degrees of international involvement or market commitment: No regular export activities: Export via independent representatives Establishment of a foreign sale subsidiary: Foreign production or manufacturing units: The enterprises passes from one stage to another as it progressively acquires international experience. The internationalization process evolves between the development and knowledge of foreign markets and the growing commitment of its resources in the market. The Uppsala model is supported by many studies which have shown both small and large enterprises passing through distinct and gradual stages during the development of their international affairs (Johanson and Vahlne, 1990; Oviatt and Phillips-McDougall, 1994). From the case, during 1970s and 1980s, the Brazilian cosmetics and toiletries market is relatively closed to imports, and competitors are mostly multinational companies who manufactured mass market products locally, but some US based companies face with the instable political and hyperinflation in Brazil. As a result, until the early 1990s, it facilitates the growth of companies as Natura that are developing high quality products for local customers. Through direct sales, franchises or retail channels, Natura is widely known brand in the home market and high reputation. However, the most relevant competitor in the direct sales segment of Natura is Avon, and the company also competes global consumer products giants as Unilever, or Johnson Johnsonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The Brazilian cosmetics and toiletries market is one of the largest and most developed in Latin America, so the company faces with increasing competitive environment. That leads Natura to stimulate their capacity for developin g more technological advanced products and products tailored to the requirements of a broad range of consumers. They focus on their product development and marketing strategies as marketing and advertising campaigns, or sales channel, and then they also target products for target consumers. From 1982, Natura decides to expand their business internationally that starts in Chile, and expand more in other South, Central American countries, Latin American countries, such as: Mexico, Argentinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Natura uses direct selling and retail network or agents for distribute products in foreign markets. For example, in 2003, the company creates Naturas house concept that sale representatives could be in touch with the brand and could meet each other, exchange experiences, be trained through speeches and exhibitions, or test our productsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Besides, it is the place that can be seen as a middle ground between a pure direct selling model and a store chain. At the same time, the company has to introduce new marketing tools for developing their brand and rising consumers awareness. In French market, Natura opens a two storey flagship store in April 2005. The store is designed to be used as a place where Naturas beliefs and vision can be displayed. However, the stor e opens that means the company has to adopt a new sales model, and Paris store marked the first time that Natura devotes to the direct sale model, has opened a retail store. Thus, the Naturas expansion of international operation still deals with problems and it is difficult to control and manage their operations international markets. Task 3: Using relevant theory, argue the case either for or against Natura adopting a mode (or modes) of international market entry that differ(s) from the direct sales/distribution model employed. In international market entry, export is the most common mode which is typically used in initial entry and gradually evolves towards foreign based operations. It is organized in a variety of ways that depends on the number and type of intermediaries. In establishing export channels, the company has to decide that functions will be the responsibility of external agents and that will be handled by the company itself. (Hollensen, 2007). In the export mode, companies face two channel options as export directly to customers abroad or export indirectly with the help of an intermediary (Peng and York, 2001). As the direct mode is the most common path to companies internationalization and well-addressed in the extant literature, that focus on indirect means to internationalize. Indirect paths to internationalization are those whereby small firms are involved in exporting, sourcing or distribution agreements with intermediary companies who manage, on their behalf, the transaction, sale or ser vice with overseas companies (Fletcher, 2004). And cooperative export involves collaborative agreements with other companies that concerning the performance of exporting functions. In the case of Natura, the company bases on sale representative and uses 26 different delivery companies as well as the Brazilian postal services to transport products to it representatives. The company is through a nationwide network of 483,000 active sales representatives in Brazil and 36,000 agents in other countries. The agent represents an exporting company and sells to wholesalers and retailers in the importing country. Direct selling is defined as the sale of a consumer product or service, person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location, marketed through independent sales representatives. The sale representatives are also referred to as consultants, distributors or other titles. Naturas sale representatives are well trained, autonomous female salespersons with a no exclusivity contract, and the company has relationship with sales forces that mainly comprises middle class housewives selling to their friends, independent professionals, secretaries and staff personnel at all kinds of companies leveraging their in company contacts and maids selling to colleagues or employers. Natura concentrates on sales and sales force that allows consultants to place orders at any time and to place more than one order within the same sales cycle, with the company adapting its logistics and distribution arrangements and costs to meet requirement. (Natura Cosmetics). Natura uses agents and sale representatives in international market which cover rare geographic areas and have subagents assisting them. And its model is familiar with the local market, customs and conventions then have existing business contacts and employ foreign national. Additionally, the company uses agents that have a direct incentive to sell through wither commission or product margin, however, since the remuneration is tied to sales, it leads to reluctant to devote much time and effort towards developing a market for a new products. Moreover, the company can be lack of control and manage the market f eedback and their operation, if the agent is performing well and develops the market it risks being replaced by a subsidiary of the principal. (Hollensen, 2007) Thus, in the long term strategy, the company needs to consider any new entry mode decision. For more expansion in foreign market, Natura needs to focus on foreign sales, branch/sales and production subsidiary mode. Although its subsidiary mode is high initial capital for investment, high risk and also taxation problem, it is suitable for the company to full control and manages of their operation and reduces the transport costs. It means that the company will often keep a central marketing function at their home base, but sometimes a local marketing function can be included in the sale subsidiary. When the activities of sales are performed, all foreign orders are channeled through the subsidiary that than sells to their buyers at normal wholesale or retail prices (Hollensen, 2007). Other reason for Natura chooses sale subsidiary is that the company may take advantage of tax in the foreign market where income tax is low. In addition, this mode eliminates the possibility that a nationa l partner gets a free ride, and acquires market knowledge directly as sales subsidiary. And sale subsidiary is the possibility of transferring greater autonomy and responsibility to these submits that is being close to customers. It is also accessed to raw materials and labor as production subsidiary, elimination of duties as production subsidiary and market access as sale subsidiary. Task 4: Naturas production facilities are located in Brazil. Assess whether this decision is correct in terms of strategy and logistic distribution given the companys portfolio of domestic, regional and international markets. Naturas production facilities are located in Brazil that is correct decision in terms of strategy and logistic distribution for the companys portfolio of domestic, regional and international market. Based on 12C framework, it is used to identify and evaluate the key strategic challenges that Natura can be faced in foreign market for cosmetic products. The 12C framework includes the issues of culture/consumer behavior, channels, commitment, currency, communication, capacity to pay, caveats, contractual obligations, consumption, choices, concentration and country. The 12C is a tool which is used to identify the constraints when the company enters a new international markets. Each C will individually be used to evaluate the companys strategies. Then it is the way for Natura find out opportunities and challenges for their decision in term of strategy, logistic and distribution in expanding internationally. In the case of Natura, it is considered the C of country, cultural, commitment an d communication. Firstly, the companys home base is Brazil which is the largest market in Latin America and the worlds fifth most popular country. Beside, the GDP of Brazil is the worlds tenth-largest economy. So it is an increasingly attractive market for all business and one of the worlds fastest growing economies. And Brazil has also abundant natural resources with 4.6 million hectares of planted forest mainly located in the South. In the case of Natura, it is good for the company production facilities located in Brazil and their raw materials. The companys main operations are concentrated in an integrated production, logistics and RD centre situated on the outskirts of Sao Paulo where units for cosmetics, shampoos, consist of four production and fragrances, other facilities include a nursery, restaurant, shop and a sports compound. Besides, the manufacture of some products is outsourced to a third party. Additionally, the manufacture of Natura located in Brazil that has strong and widely network distribution in domestic and international. And the RD centre is one of the biggest and most advanced of its kind in Latin America, so it is easy for transportation to other neighbor countries. In other words, if the Natura builds manufacture in foreign countries as Argentina or Mexicoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, it will deals with the high costs and shipper problems at the present. Secondly, Natura considers to culture and consumer behavior. Brazil is South Americas most influential cultural and biggest democracies. The changes on political and macroeconomic in Brazil and other South and Central American countries leads to more understanding and emphasis on beauty and know how to use beauty products. . A large of the middle class population mainly involves in professions such as retailing, civil services and other skilled occupations. And Brazilian middle class has a predictable taste for beauty and other luxuries but when going shopping, they has more consciousness of status than middle class North Americans and Europeans with the concept to ordinarily serve others. Additionally, the economic policies as tax laws have been encouraged toward development of trade and investment. The export oriented industries will be exempted from non- tariff barriers with the purpose to add more incentives to exports, then the import duties have been condensed sharply. These are good things for Nature to export mode and production facilities location in the home base. Besides, some materials for production of Naturas products are outsourced, so imports of raw materials are exempted from usual tariffs. Lastly, for communication, it is important for Natura doing business and direct selling their products. At present, technology background is developing and is out-performed other South America and Latin American countries with the telecommunication policies. In Brazil, it is tenth in the number of broadband connection with the fifth largest mobile market in the world, and approximately 40% internet usage is for e-commerce which is expected to grow exponentially in the forthcoming years. Moreover, telephone is taken into account for the higher and the middle-income class. As a result, these are advantages for Natura to take order and selling their product effectively. However, in the future, the Natura can focus to their expansion and building manufacture in foreign countries as French because the decision to open in Paris was both rational and an emotional move. France has historically been a source of knowledge and raw material for our products as well as a source of inspiration (Natura Cosmetic) CONCLUSION The report has analyzed and assessed of certain aspects of the Natura Companys international development, its operations and products. Within the scope of this study, Natura Cosmetic has been a successful example of international market expansion and international development, it has become a leading cosmetics company in international market. However, the company is facing with seriously competitive in the cosmetics field market domestically and internationally. Further, the company should make improvements in its current product lines and the mode of international market entry and decision of strategies. It is necessary for Natura to improve its marketing strategy, advertising and promotion and distribution channels which enables the company to take the best advantage and opportunities of a sustainable competition.

Jazz Report Essay -- essays research papers

I attended the University Symphony Orchestra's "An Evening of Handel, Schubert, and Haydn" on Thursday, September 30, 2003 in the Daniel Recital Hall. The hall was much more crowded than I expected. At the beginning of the concert, the orchestra was seated on the stage; the men wore tuxedos, and the women wore black dresses or pants. The concertmaster came out to tune the orchestra, and then the conductor made his entrance and gave a brief description of the piece that was about to be played. George Frideric Handel's Overture to Music for the Royal Fireworks was composed during the Baroque era. It has a homophonic texture and its genre is a suite. There is a wide variety of instruments (aerophones, chordophones, and membranophones) used in this piece. Among the wind instruments (woodwinds and brass) heard were bassoon, oboe, French horn, and trumpet. The strings played included the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Finally, the percussion instrument used for this piece was the timpani. This movement is broken down into four sections by tempo: Adagio, Allegro, Lentement, and Allegro. The Adagio section begins with a slow introduction at a mezzoforte dynamic. This section is in a major key and set in quadruple meter. It has a wide range and an ascending melody. There are brief cadences and the section grows in a crescendo. The loudness and energy of this section holds the attention of the listener and creates a proud and joyful mood. The Allegro section begins...

God Has the Cure Essay -- Religion, God, The Church

Throughout the ages great thinkers and men with revolutionary ideas have been changing the world of understanding. During the Renaissance men like Vesalius, William Hervey, and Paracelsus revolutionize the understanding of medicine through the use of dissection and constant studying. However these men did not find change easy, the Christian Church was set in their ways and was reluctant to change. People where dying from unknown causes and the church had no answers. The Renaissance was a time for enlightenment and rebirth of new ideas, but the church inability to adapt and adopt the new discoveries and knowledge of medicine left society in the dark ages. The Church was not all prayers and hope when it came to medicine. They did believe in a set of ideas which came into effect, â€Å"3,000 years ago when Hippocrates and Galen created four humors: Blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile† (Dawson 8-9). These humors were what doctors used to diagnose patient’s illness based on the balance of each humor. If the patient felt ill, then the doctor would drain blood from the patient and send them on their way. Now medical science knows that blood is responsible for the curing of ailments and by draining that patient’s blood, they are even less likely to recover. The church agreed with Galen because, â€Å"His view was in line with the Christian belief that God had created human beings and therefore the human body must be a perfect creation† (Dawson 14). The church also agreed with Hippocrates because he had gathered his knowledge of human anatomy from the dissection of animals because, â€Å"The human body was seen as sacrilege and doctors faced legal and censure if dissection was attempted† (Kate 2). With this information patients of the Renaissanc... ... looking for hope and finding nothing from the church. The churches inability to change delayed the new understanding and medical advancements for thousands of years. Many questions arise when thinking about this time period, what would our world be like if the great thinker of the time were allowed to work freely? Would there be more cures for deadly disease? And how many lives could have been saved with this knowledge. Those questions will never be answered but the question still stand. The idea of religious freedom from education has been an issue even to this day. Seeing how it worked out for the Renaissance thinkers it will stay as an issue. When one is told what to believe and not to question, they should stop and ask why. Because faith is based on knowledge and knowledge is something that is acquired thought to constant questioning of old ideas.

Lessons Principals Must Learn Essay

Gary Hopkins compiled some of the lessons learned by school principals in his article â€Å"Principals Share Lessons Learned: Dealing With Student Discipline, Parent Involvement. † He has, however, like in other of his articles, failed to express his reason as to why write the article. Perhaps, and most probably, it was to share these lessons to other principals. Although some lessons may be self-explanatory, Hopkins has also failed to discuss in depth the lessons principals have learned. He had failed to incorporate reason and clarity to his articles. The current article in question may also have a wrong or inaccurate choice of title as some of the lessons discussed doesn’t involve sudent discipline and parent involvement. One lesson discussed in the article is that principals should focus on discipline among students. The principal who shared this lesson held that â€Å"big problems can be solved by tackling small problems† (Hopkins 2004). True enough, any small effort can really make a big difference. Perhaps discipline should be enforced by the teachers as well, not just by the principal, and must also involve themselves, not just the students. Teachers and school administrators are also models for the students, and they should act like it. Children will often think right and immitate what they see among their elders. Another lesson discussed is involving the parents in decision-making. It is, after all, for their sons’ or daughters’ interests whatever decision is made concerning the school. Involving the parents doesn’t necessarily mean asking for their approval or asking them individually. Asking for their opinion on a proper forum or informing them of something that concerns the school which may affect the students is sometimes enough. Read more:  Most Important Lesson Learned in Life Essay Other lessons that were discussed in the article includes being cautious in giving lectures to the children and being prepared when discussing issues with the parents. One principal advised to include classroom observations in a principal’s activity and to talk with students regarding school goals and ideals. Another advised to instill pride for the school when administering discipline. Lessons that does not fall under the category â€Å"Dealing with Student Discipline and Parent Involvement† includes lessons learned from keeping harmony and unity within school organization and, as with any other organization, lessons in politics. It is sad that even in educational institutions politics play a critical role in the activity of administration. One principal said that â€Å"politics, not students, come first† (Hopkins 2004). Seems that education is no longer a priority for most of the people. Perhaps one of the most important lesson that school admintrators must learn is according to Brian Hazeltine, principal at Airdie Koinonia Christian School in Canada: â€Å"we cannot fix everything as principals, but in every situation there is either a best course of action or a fair and reasonable one† (Hopkins 2004). What really is peculiar about these lessons is that they are common, applicable to any organization. The difference is that they came from principals who experience what may be experienced in some other organization, regarding people they deal with—teachers, students, and officials higher up. Another is that Hopkins fails to expound on the lessons learned, confine it with matters of school administration. The lessons included in the article are dull, lacking in details and essence. Furthermore, some of the lessons are off topic.

Comparing Poetry Essay

Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. Good morning Ms Linton and students, today I will be informing you on why you must choose these two poems for the poetry speaking contest. The poems I have chosen are ‘The Man from Ironbark’, by Banjo Patterson as well as ‘He Started the Cycling Craze’ by myself. Narratives help the readers enjoy and understand poetry as it is a way the poets can connect to their readers by using storylines that may relate to them or something that they enjoy. Storylines of narratives play a major role and without these the readers would not be able to understand what is happening in the story. The story line of ‘The Man from Ironbark’ is about a man who wants his beard to be shaved, so this man heads off to the barber. The barber pulls out a razor and starts to shave his throat. The man from Ironbark fears the barber is a murderer who wants to cut his throat. The storyline of ‘He Started the Cycling Craze’ is about a man who decides to buy a new bike so he goes off to the bike shop. He buys a bike then rides it home and on the way home he rode up the hill then started to roll back. Once he had rolled down the hill he ended up in the creek. Both of these storylines are different in their own way, but one similarity is that a man leaves his home, goes somewhere and in both poems they make a mistake. In all poems there is a difference, but some may be similar in one way or another. The difference between these two poems is that they both contain various poetry techniques and they are both based on individual topics. Each poet uses several techniques and have a different style of writing. In this case these poems are similar as one was re-written from a poem written by the author of the other poem. Every poem can have differences and similarities to other poems. In poetry the poets describe the characters and settings so that the reader can view the image in their head, here is a quote from ‘The Man from Ironbark’ ‘The barber man was small and flash, as barbers mostly are, He wore a strike-your-fancy sash, he smoked a huge cigar:’ This describes how the barber looks and what he is holding. In this part of the poem he is stereotyping barbers to that that they are both small and flash. This helps the reader imagine what the main character is seeing. And from ‘He Started the Cycling Craze’ ‘He started to roll down the hill swerving a tree, and almost being stung by a big fat bee, nearly at the lake he had to swerve a car’. This describes what the man on the bike is enduring and what he is seeing. By describing surrounding and what people look like, it allows the reader to create an image in their head of what is happening in the poem. In poetry the poets use poetic devices to make the poems more interesting, this helps the reader keep interest in what they are reading. In ‘The Man from Ironbark’ the poetic devices used include; rhyme, rhythm, repetition, imagery, alliteration, and metaphors. The rhyming patter is a,a,b,b,c,c and the rhythm is shown by the rhyme and the flow or the poem. An example of alliteration is ‘upon the newly shaven skin it made a livid mark. ’ As well as ‘brow grew black’. Imagery is shown in many parts of the poem but particularly when he is describing the barber. ‘The barber man was small and flash, as barbers mostly are, he wore a strike-your-fancy sash, he smoked a huge cigar. ’ The metaphor was shown when he referred to the man as a dog. The devices used in ‘He Started the Cycling Craze’ includes rhyme which is used in a pattern of ‘a,b,b,a’ as well as rhythm which is seen by the rhyme and flow of the poem. Alliteration was also used in the line ‘and almost being stung by a big fat bee. ’ Imagery was also used when describing what was on the road when he was swerving so that he didn’t fall off of his bike. Overall there are many different poetic devices used in poetry and this is shown through these poems. In summary poets use different techniques and devices in their poems so that the poem becomes for intriguing so the reader continues to read on. Devices are used in poetry so that the readers have something to laugh or cry about and are intrigued to read other poems by the poet. Storylines of poems are important as they help describe what is happening in the poem and the reader is able to understand what the characters are doing. To wrap up these two poems should be chosen for the poetry speaking contest as they use various devices and techniques which allows the reader to continue interest in the poem as it goes on.