Natura A case of Open Innovation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2442 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Natura à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" A case of Open Innovation Introduction Natura was born as company in 1969. The great values to justify the creation of this company were two: cosmetics and relationships. The main slogan since its creation is Well Being Well. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Natura A case of Open Innovation" essay for you Create order This is the concept that its products and services must reflect how is important to them is always offer goods to promote well-being and health style of life that guide its business plan and strategies. The guide values are: humanism (respect and stimulate human and Individualism to build diversity and to contribute with the society), Balance (harmony and natural dynamic), Transparency (no discrimination or ambiguity. Look quality) and finally Creativity, that means to Natura always establish challenge to its employees and partners to dare to innovate. They want to achieve an innovative relations with the continuous development and improvement in order to have new and innovative knowledge. (Management Innovation Exchange, 2012). All concepts is based on helping customers and partners to have a healthy life building relationships that connect you with your own body with the environment and with others. This mindset guides the development of good and services, the network relatio ns and the corporate strategies that seek for a behavior aligned with welfare, sustainable and local culture. The companyhas approximately 7000 employees, a system of consultants as sales partners that already reaches a number of 1.6 million and more 5000 suppliers. The company also maintain contractors and more than 32 communities that working in the agro-extractive. This is thebiggest Brazilian company of the beauty industry and has operations in Latin countries as Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and France. The company also completed the acquisition of a Australian cosmetics company called Aesop to explore a new market niche related to urban environment in order to achieve new markets which the company did not achieve yet. (Natura, 2014). Open Innovation Model à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" External Creation and Commercialization Many approaches have been tried for companies in the most diverse industries over these last decades in order to innovate and achieve its goals. In this last generation, after the 90 decade, the companies had realized the challenge of creating speed to market at the same time to achieve the unique solutions demanded by customers. How could the companies achieve faster development and efficiency? They were needing to challenge their business model as fast as they could. For this reason Open Innovation came as a great solution to develop the business speed and efficiently. At that time the companies had operated with a close innovation model, using this to keep their competitive advantage. However they realized that without a model to allow them to share knowledge, capabilities and specialty with others they could not achieve a meaningful innovation. (Ahmed Shepherd, 2010). To apply Open Innovation the companies are not ceasing the internal RD activities. However they will need to develop new capabilities to search and access to external knowledge and technology as much as they can in order to promote the integration betw een the internal and external research. We may consider an innovative company that has implemented at least one innovation in its path or it has stimulated through open innovation research, technical knowledge or technological improvement in partnership with scientists, professionals, entrepreneurs and suppliers. (OECD, 2005). Natura has been example of innovative company that has adopted open innovation as a way to lead innovative processes inside and outside the company walls. The company has a long story of innovation. In 1976 it was pioneer in the use of collagen in its cosmetic products. However the company was using Close Innovation model until 2003 when they started to apply Open Innovation as strategy to its selling distribution method and to integrate innovation as internal culture. (Natura Campus, 2014). They believe that good ideas can come from anywhere, inside and outside the organization. The focus was a radical innovation, for this reason they invested in an open innovation approach developing partnership with universities, academic research and technology centers called STCs, doing partnership with national companies and entrepreneurs also with international institutions. Natura Campus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Starting the Open Innovation Model The goal was creating a space of collaboration and build relationship to integrate the innovation culture through all company and to deliver innovation using partnership in order to produce RD, new knowledge and a continuous process of innovation. They established partnership with universities launching Natura Campus program to consolidate it. The program was developed with the objective to change the internal culture and to apply Open Innovation model. The production of knowledge through RD had served as base to apply this innovation process internally. In 2014 Natura Campus was consolidate as a space for collaboration and relationship building partnership with science and technology c ompanies and entrepreneurs, aggregating everyone, national and international partnerships, to work together to build shared value. (Natura Campus, 2014). The Natura Campus has been developed by promoting the connection of networking to strengthen the innovation system. They use to promote workshops for interaction and offer opportunities of development in a global network of science, technology and innovation. Also they stimulate communication with specialized blogs that contribute to identify science opportunities. Innovation ecosystem is the focus of the research and development which has resulted in innovative products called Ekos and launched in 2000 by Natura, resulting in a great well successful case of innovation. Natura Campus has counted with an open channel to receive ideas and to promote new opportunities for partnerships in innovation. (Natura Campus, 2014). Nowadays Natura Campus has more than 280 partners collaborating to the innovation development and the com pany has invested 2,8% of its total budget to this space of research, integration focused in produce innovation. (Natura Campus, 2014). Types of Innovation As previously studied we can consider innovation as an implementation of a new idea or the development of existent product or service, or process, a new marketing method or a new organizational method in business model, workplace organization or external relations. These are called the four types of innovation. (OECD, 2005). Innovation has been the main value of the Natura that is integrated in all company. They understand innovation as something that goes beyond product development. To them innovation is multidisciplinary vision that is present as a new concept to develop the business strategy, search for new opportunities and to create new model to logistics operations. (Natura Brazil, 2014). Natura has one focus regarding the development of its products: cause a flow of Well Being Well experiences for its customers . It has been the most important value to guide all business strategy and to align the internal RD and the externals partnerships. (Natura Brazil, 2014). Innovation might be implementation of one or more types of innovations. The main types of innovation are the product, process, marketing method or organizational method. In order to have an innovation case at least one of these four topics must be new or significantly improved to the company. Main type of innovation Natura Ekos We study the differences between invention and innovation. Innovation is the implementation and commercialization of the invention of a product or service. (West Borges, 2010). Therefore to be considered an innovation is need that product or service displays a high degree of novelty, being new at least one of these elements: to the company, to the market or even a new product in the world. (OECD, 2005). Natura has sustainability and innovation as a value to doing business. They sought to ado pt a business model that achieves a balance between economy, society and environment always seeking for novelty and improvement. The result they hope to achieve is being a company that encourages transformation of partners, suppliers and customers mindset. Through this principle aligned with the vocation for innovation the company began a trajectory of research, learning and working together with traditional communities of the Brazilian Amazon forest to get raw material for production of totally innovative goods and create a sustainable network of extraction of natural resources. This new model has emerged called Ekos product line. (Natura Ekos, 2014). The product was launched in 2000 with the focus in booster and reveal the Brazilian multi culture and bring a social and sustainable program attached in the product concept. The brand started an innovation pattern regarding to aggregate a new product around the concept of biodiversity, health and still a business model that incl udes a social project. (Natura Ekos, 2014). We will study through the main types of innovation and their characteristics, applying for Natura case. Product innovation To be characterized as a product innovation company needs to bring to market a new or significantly modified good or service of their characteristics and uses. This innovation could include technical specifications, new technology or new uses or combination of existing knowledge and technology. (OECD, 2005). Focusing on the quest to create a new model of product the company has launched the Natura Ekos line in 2000 The concept behind the product was based on achieve an environmental conscience inspired by nature environment aligned with good relationships between people. (Natura Ekos, 2014). The product is considered highly innovative because all the research has been directed to the traditions, cultures and Brazilian biodiversity. The line is wide and offers products for men, women and children for both showers, hydrating skin, hair care and all kind of wellness. The raw material used had never been produced in the standard offered by Natura, just being used by indigenous and natives of the northern region of the country in communities handmade processes. Natura improved and developed new products using this local raw material and started a huge commercialization to domestic and international market. (Natura Ekos, 2014). However the innovation of online Ekos not stopped since its launch. Each year a new launch or improvement of products was conducted. To name a few in 2008 a major innovation occurred when a technique was developed that allowed to create ever smaller particles leaving the formula of some products in the most effective skin hydration. In the same year was released products based on cocoa that has outstanding characteristics in hydration of all body. (Natura Ekos, 2014). Process innovation When the company implements a new means of production or delivery method also when it includes a significant changes in technical aspects, equipment or software. Typically process innovation occurs to reduce the unit costs of production or delivery or to produce a new or improved product. (OECD, 2005). Natura Ekos line brought great innovation in order to get raw material. The whole process was created so that the values ÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹of sustainability and social consciousness were the main driver of production and relationship. Right from the start there is a team of social scientists, psychologists, economists, biologists and managers of Natura conducting an innovative and special work: they take care of the relationship with the twenty-six groups of small farmers throughout Brazil and harvesting the raw material as fruits, roots, seed among others and which are used in the elaboration of products. (Natura Ekos, 2014). Marketing innovation The new concept of marketing innovat ion says that an implementation of a new method involving significant changes in product design or packaging, product promotion, product placement or their price can be considered a case of marketing innovation. When the changes occur in the product form without alter the productà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s use or characteristics it is called a new product design. Product placement is the first use of a different media such movies or TV shows. When the company introduces a new sale channels to sell its goods and services to customers it is called product process. And finally we have the product price that is a new strategy to differentiate the product or service introducing a new price in the market. (OECD, 2005). The Natura Ekos line around the concept of environmental consciousness and contact with nature has always brought an innovative product design that reflects this idea. However other innovations occurred since its launch. In 2010 inspired packaging were created in the traditio n of the bottles of the popular markets and commemorative popular parties of the country. (Natura Ekos, 2014). Moreover in 2011 the company relaunched the Ekos brand with significant changes both new products as new design of already existing products. The plastic containers are 50% recycled after consumption and 40% of paper are recycled after consumption, helping to preserve the trees. The packs of refills are made with what they call à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"green plasticà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ from sugar cane, a renewable source and it does not pollute the environment. (Natura Ekos, 2014). The Natura focus is achieve a product design totally aligned with their values and that can put together ethic and design. Conclusion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" One case of Organizational Innovation The implementation of a new organizational method in the way of doing business, a radical change or a significant improvement in the workplace or in labor relations by establishing best practices can be consi dered an organizational innovation. (Fagerberg, Mowery Nelson, 2005). The Natura understand that innovation is a process that must permeate all its activities. It is not only new products or new process instead it is the core of the company. This value can be expressed by the creation of products and the way to develop process and strategies, but also their commercial model, management system and all relationships with employees, partnerships and customers. This principles and practice led the company to be elected the 8th most innovative company in the world by Forbes Magazine in 2011. (Management Innovation Exchange, 2012). The idea à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Well being Wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"bem estar bemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ originally in Portuguese) is the main idea that deliver the company to produce goods that will help people to adopt a balance life, preserving the environment and investing in great relationships. More than look for profit the Natura Company is seeki ng for a greater well-being for all. (Management Innovation Exchange, 2012). References 1 Ahmed, P. Shepherd, C. (2010). Innovation management: Context, strategies, systems and processes. Pearson Education. Chapter 5. 2 Fagerberg, J., Mowery, D. C., Nelson, R. R. Eds. (2005) The Handbook of Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 3 Management Innovation Exchange. (2012) Innovation in Well-Beingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ the Creation of Sustainable Value at Natura. Retrieved from https://www.managementexchange.com/story/innovation-in-well-being 4 Natura. (2014) Sobre a Natura. Retrieved from https://www.natura.com.br/www/a-natura/sobre-a-natura/ 5 Natura Brazil. (2014) Cosmetics Leader in Brazil. Retrieved from https://www.naturabrasil.fr/en/about-us/cosmetics-leader-in-brazil 6 Natura Campus. (2014) Sobre o Programa. Retrieved from https://www.naturacampus.com.br/cs/naturacampus/sobre 7 Natura Ekos. (2014) Valores da Marca. Retrieved from https://www.naturaekos.com.br/valores-da-marca 8 OECD (2005) Oslo Manual. Guidelines for Collecting and Interpreting Innovation Data. Paris, Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Publications. Chapter 3 9 West, J. and M. Borges (2010). Contrasting innovation creation and commercialization within open, user and cumulative innovation. Academy of Management. Montreal. Aug 9-10 Page 1 of 11 Student: Sergio Dantas de Souza Lecturer: Ana Marsanasco Total words: 2.257 Number: 14.870

The Lifecycle of a Star Essay - 1338 Words

‘There are more stars than all of the grains of sand on earth.’(Star Facts, 2005:1) Looking up at the sky on a vibrant night, the vision is naturally lit one with millions of vivacious, glistening stars. The tenacity of this essay is to explore the lifecycle of a star, thence, signify its manifestation in the universe. A fundamental part of our universe is stars. Hence, these miniature luminous forms are essentially very immense in magnitude and it is merely due to their substantial distance from Earth that they appear so trivial. Scientifically, a star is a ball of hydrogen and helium with sufficient mass that it can endure nuclear mixture at its core. A huge, shining ball of plasma, whose lustre is an outcome of thermonuclear fusion are†¦show more content†¦The transportation of energy from the core of the protostar to the visible surface layer of the star begins in a circular motion (as a gas). As a result, this stage connects the gas temperature inside the protostar to the gas density-this enables it to have a polytropic structure. As a protostar emits, it shrinks in scope to produce the energy that replaces the discharged energy. This shrinkage increases both the self-gravity and pressure at the protostar’s core correspondingly. This balance produces a connection between the temperature of the protostar and the gravitational resistance of the star. Eventually, as the radius of the star shrinks, the temperature will surge to the factor that it reduces, thus, its density will further increase. However, the visible layer of the star doesn’t become affected in terms of increase in temperature because its location is set by the skill of light to spontaneously escape from it. Thence, the protostar begins to become more opaque, less luminous, and as an outcome the radiation of light decreases. 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Types of Sensors Free Essays

Types of Sensors Sensor technology is a growing form of technology that has caught everyone’s attention in the recent times engineers have been continuously working on new forms of sensors for incorporating different features into a technology. A sensor is nothing but a special converter that helps in measuring the physical quantity of an object and then converts the same into a special signal to be sent to the technological devices. Sensors facilitate the sending and receiving of these special signals for carrying out different activities. We will write a custom essay sample on Types of Sensors or any similar topic only for you Order Now If you look at some of the major technologies these days including the mobile phones or the laptops, you would find out that they all are making use of some form of sensor in order to do their job. We would here discuss some of the major types of sensors usually used. There are special sensors that are devised and used especially for acoustic, sound and vibration purposes. There are numerous devices like the hydrophone and microphone which act as sensors and are mainly used for the purpose of transmitting sound and vibrations from one object to another. These sensors are usually employed in devices that need to transmit and transfer sound and other vibrations. Sensors are not only used for sound or vibrations but they are also commonly used for different automotive and transportation devices and mechanisms. Some of the commonly used automotive sensors include defect detector, mass flow sensor, oxygen sensor, parking sensor and speed sensor. The names of these sensors clearly define their purposes and applications. The chemical industry is also full of innumerable sensors, which are used for different applications. There are special carbon dioxide sensors that help in detecting the presence of carbon dioxide in a given space. Other than that, holographic sensor, infrared point sensor, olfactometer, oxygen sensor and smoke detectors are some of the common types of sensors that are used for industrial and other technological applications making use of different chemicals. Electric current and magnetic sensors are also commonly used at different places and for different purposes. There are special sensors installed for detecting radio directions and even voltage fluctuations and changes at times. Engineers are trying to monitor the environmental changes and developments all over the world right now. And hence the environment and weather sensors have also become so popular and common. Not only can the environmental sensors detect rain, snow or soil oisture they can even be used for making people aware and precautious of the forthcoming events. In addition to these sensors, there are several other types of sensors like velocity, navigation instruments and optical light and pressure sensors. These sensors make technologies much more beneficial and more useful for the people in all ways, giving them better use of the devices. Reference link: http://classof1. com/homework-help/engineering-homework-help How to cite Types of Sensors, Papers

Narrative Essay About a Dangerous Situation free essay sample

Im going to talk about a time when I was in a dangerous situation. When I was ten years old two guys mugged me, they threatened me with a gun and I was so scared I remember thinking they were going to hurt me or even kill me. My father had a restaurant and he needed smaller bills to give change he could not leave the restaurant, so he sent me to buy some groceries. On my way to the groceries store two guys told me to come closer I refused and walked away as fast as I could, they came after me and grabbed me from my arms. I can clearly remember them saying What do you have? Give me all that you have or we will hurt you. I did not respond to them I was so scared that I could not do it they started to drag me to a near dumpster. We will write a custom essay sample on Narrative Essay About a Dangerous Situation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I remember I thought that would be my end. Seems like it was not my time to go, because a man saw what was happening and ran to help me, he yelled at the muggers and they panicked they grabbed my cellophane and ran, they did not find the money my father gave me, because hopefully I had hidden it on my socks Just in case ND my precaution was worth it.The man asked me if I was k I was still In shock trying to assimilate what Just happened but I replied yes, thank you, he took me to my fathers restaurant and told him what happened, my father hugged me and thanked the man for saving me. Being mugged was probably the scariest situation I have ever experienced. I was a 10 years old kid who did not know if he was going to return to his home or see his parents again. I never want to live that experience again and I would never wish that to anyone.

The red room Essay Example

The red room Paper This intensifies their brutality and hardens their image to the reader. Also, H.G. Wells goes into no discussion about their lives, this way he keeps them very impersonal, even in human at the same time. Another main similarity is that the two pieces are both written by two very accomplished authors. H. G Wells past accomplishments are well known, The Time Machine (1895) The War Of The Worlds (1898) both imparticular. These also reflect his passionate interest in science. His passion for science first began as he intended to become a science teacher after he had obtained a degree. Sadly, illness prevented this, so he incorporates science (fiction) into some of his novels. This novel is based on horror; very inconsistent to his futuristic novels mentioned above. The genre, horror, is still well liked today by millions and Wellss The Red Room is a prime example of this genre. Until the end, the short story is very different to his previous scientific novels, when the reader is led to question the belief in an evil presence; this ties in with Wellss scientific, practical approach to life. George Orwell has a lot in his life to reflect in his novels, this is partly why he was so successful. In 1936 he fought against the fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War, as he was a firm believer in socialism. Orwell has had a first hand view of war and its negatives, so when it comes to descriptive writing, he makes full use of his experience of hardship. He came out of the war badly injured. He wrote the descriptive novel 1984 in 1948 after what he had seen and heard from the Second World War, this was his main influence. The book was written as a contemporary warning to mankind and if they did not fight against dictatorships this is what may lie in the future, where absolute power is unchallenged. We will write a custom essay sample on The red room specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The red room specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The red room specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer While there a far less important differences between the two stories then similarities, there are still some easily identifiable differences between the two authors writing. Firstly, Winston is not alone in the room 101, with a guard and mainly the imposing OBrien acting in the scene. Whereas in the red room the narrator was the single person who entered. The difference between the two is that in the Red Room, a different category of fear is introduced, with the narrator being the only person it makes for an exasperating being alone type of horror, not knowing what is lurking. So in the Room 101, there are people, this makes a fear where the victim does not know how or when something will inflict upon him, but he knows it will. The twist of the fear is also a large difference; in The Red Room the fear is of something in the mind. The minds pressure believes it to be something supernatural, when really fear itself was defeating it, and this was the real twist in the story that fear can break down a persons mind. The Room 101s fear is that of something real, a natural fear that cannot be overcome despite what he may try (rats in Winstons case). Therefore again pushing his mind to all fearful conclusions. The Red Room was set in the present, yet 1984 is set in the future. This difference may imply that the authors adopt different writing preferences. Wells may like to write stories of fiction at present. Orwell has chosen his to give a warning, therefore it has to be written in the future. The times that these were written (The Red Room before 1900, 1984 20th century) indicates that the tension filled style chosen for the stories has lasted, and has been interpreted in different ways as the time has past. The final noticeable difference is that they are different types of story, the Room 101 is an extract form the novel 1984, whereas The Red Room is a complete short story. The difference is that the short story holds a complete story showing all aspects of fear and tension from beginning to end. So in this story the author concentrates on one particular type of fear because it is a shorter story. The extract shows different types of fear that can be expanded on, as the novel is far bigger. Therefore the focus is on the intensity of the fear- Winstons intolerance and hatred of rats. The two texts are incredibly tension filled reading. They are fun yet comprehensible, which makes for a diversity of writing. I particularly enjoyed the 1984 extract. The reason for this is as I read it, it felt as though I could easily imagine Winstons position and how he felt. To know your worst fear is about to be inflicted upon you yet you cannot do anything about it except listen to the remorseless OBrien drag on the remaining minutes of your life by explaining your fate in a cold manner. It seemed to me that OBrien had a very important role that helped the fear and tension become more intense and realistic. It is not a surprise as Orwell has had many successes, with his popular and respected style of writing. Whilst I enjoyed 1984 more, I still appreciate the impressive story, The Red Room by H. G Wells. He too showed that his style of writing is very intricate, as I enjoyed the story from beginning to end. Elements such as nameless people, long narrow darkened corridors etc. all make up for a sinister setting that is pleasant to read.

Use French to Talk About the Tour de France

Use French to Talk About the Tour de France Whether you love cycling or just watching competitions like the Tour de France, youll want to learn some French cycling terminology. Here are the top French cycling-related nouns, verbs, and idiomatic expressions. Essential Tour Terms le cyclisme:  cycling, biking Le Tour de France:  the Tour de France (literally, tour of France)Note that tour  is one of those French nouns with two genders.  Le tour  means the tour.  La tour means the tower. Using the wrong gender, in this case, could cause confusion. La Grande Boucle:  The Big Loop (French nickname for the  Tour de France) Vive la France!  :Go France!  Yay France! Hurray for France (roughly)   People and Riders un autobus: a group that rides together to finish within the time allottedun commissaire:  referee who travels by carun coureur:  rider, cyclistun cycliste:  rider, cyclistun directeur sportif:  managerun domestique:  support riderun à ©chappà ©:  breakawayune à ©quipe:  teamun grimpeur:  climberun grupeto:  same as autobusun peloton:  pack, bunchun poursuivant:  chaserun rouleur:  smooth and steady riderun soigneur:  riders assistantun sprinteur:  sprinterla tà ªte de course:  leader Cycling Styles    bloc:  riding all out, as hard and fast as possiblela cadence: pedaling rhythmchasse patate:  riding between two groups (literally, potato hunt)la danseuse:  standing up Equipment un bidon:  water bottleun casque:  helmetune crevaison:  flat, punctureun dossard:  number on riders uniformun maillot:  jerseyune musette:  feed bagun pneu:  tireun pneu crevà ©:  flat tireune roue:  wheelun và ©lo de course:  racing bikeune voiture balai:  broom wagon Tracks and Courses une borne kilomà ©trique:  milestone (literally, a kilometer marker)un col:  mountain passune cà ´te:  hill, slopeune course:  raceune course par à ©tapes:  stage raceune descente:  downward slopeune à ©tape:  stage, legla flamme rouge:  red marker at one kilometer from finishhors catà ©gorie:  beyond classification (extremely difficult)une montagne:  mountainune montà ©e:  upward slopeun parcours:  route, courseune plaine:  plains, flat landune piste:  trackune route:  road Standings and Scoring la bonification:  bonus pointsune chute:  fall, crashle classement:  standingscontre la montre:  time trialla lanterne rouge:  last riderle maillot pois:  polka dot jersey (worn by best climber)le maillot blanc:  white jersey (worn by the best rider under 25)le maillot jaune:  yellow jersey (worn by the overall leader)le maillot vert:  green jersey (worn by points leader / best sprinter) Cycling Verbs accà ©là ©rer:  to acceleratesaccrocher :  to cling, hang on toattaquer:  to attack, charge  aheadchanger dallure:  to change pacechanger de vitesse:  to shift gearscourir:  to ridedà ©passer:  to overtakedà ©raper:  to slip, skids à ©chapper:  to break awaygrimper:  to climbprendre la tà ªte:  Ã‚  to take the leadralentir: to slow downrouler:  Ã‚  to ride

Merger For Success In The US Airline Industry Research Paper

Merger For Success In The US Airline Industry - Research Paper Example Prior to regulation, there were no reports of airline bankruptcy. However, since deregulation in 1978, bankruptcy has become commonplace.    Between 1978 and 2001, nine major airlines inclusive of America West, Braniff, Continental, Eastern, Pan Am and TWA and more than 100 smaller carriers declared bankruptcy or liquidated its assets (Kaps, Hamilton & Bliss, 2012). The irony is that deregulation was thought to be appropriate on the basis that previous concerns about distorted competition and monopolies had been unfounded (Kaps et. al., 2012).   As Kaps et. al. (2012) explained, government officials believed that the dynamics of the market would facilitate operations â€Å"approaching pure market competition without governmental economic regulation† (p. 7).  Prior to regulation, there were no reports of airline bankruptcy. However, since deregulation in 1978, bankruptcy has become commonplace.    Between 1978 and 2001, nine major airlines inclusive of America West, Bra niff, Continental, Eastern, Pan Am and TWA and more than 100 smaller carriers declared bankruptcy or liquidated its assets (Kaps, Hamilton & Bliss, 2012). The irony is that deregulation was thought to be appropriate on the basis that previous concerns about distorted competition and monopolies had been unfounded.   As Kaps et. al. explained, government officials believed that the dynamics of the market would facilitate operations â€Å"approaching pure market competition without governmental economic regulation†.† (p. 7). The terror attacks of September 11, 2001 introduced greater difficulties for an already struggling airline industry (Wensveen, 2011). Losses to the US airline industry following the September 11, 2001 amounted to an estimated US$17.7 billion. However, it has been argued that the failures in the airline industry cannot be entirely attributable

Despite unprecedented expenditure into the NHS in England, Essay - 1

Despite unprecedented expenditure into the NHS in England, inequalities in health are widening for some outcomes. Discuss - Essay Example et information from a need-based formula that provides equal access level to health services for the population at the same risk, so as to prevent or minimise avoidable risk. The health department is the one that allocates resources to the NHS. The NHS develops a formula for distributing the funds to the neediest PCTs. Many of these PCTs do not receive their full allocations, hence, the need for the quick action by the government so as to ensure that PCTs receive the right amount it requires. Health inequality has become a key issue in England. The heath department is responsible for resource allocation to the NHS. Despite the improved health of all groups of people in England, health inequalities between social classes have widened by a bigger percentage over the recent years. The rich people’s health is improving at a drastic rate as compared to that of the poor. Health inequality is not only among the financial social classes, but also exists amongst the elderly, the mentally ill and those with disabilities. All these groups of people have been found to receive worse health services than the normal population (Earle and Sharp, 2007). The causes of health inequalities are normally complicated or intense they may include mostly lifestyle factors such as nutrition, exercise among others and also broader determinants such as housing poverty, education to name just a few. How ever there are those inequalities that are UN avoidable. These originate from three broad variations: the quality of health services, access to health services and services beyond the control of health systems, for example, wealth lifestyle, (Bourdieu 1999), genetics (Earle and Sharp, 2007)among others. It is evident that most population suffering these health inequalities does so in all the three accounts, they access poor health services moreover they suffer external disadvantages. A poor quality health service for the disadvantaged population is mostly a management problem. The right

Security Management in Maritime Organisations Case Study

Security Management in Maritime Organisations - Case Study Example TT Club aims at providing practical security measures which are limited to particular countries while the objective of the ISPS code is to establish an international maritime security framework. With the mutual coordination of contracting and local governments of shipping port facilities, the ISPS Code provides a complete theoretical solution to maritime possible threats and risks. One of the main reasons for comparing the TT Club manual with the ISPS code is to determine the extent to which the implementation of International Convention for the safety of Life at Sea adopted on December 12, 2002 made possible and followed. Other reasons to follow the ISPS Code are to list out all those possible threats which have never been considered before. The Club is a maritime Insurance company which provides all kinds of transport insurance to 80 countries of the world while the ISPS code targets all the shipping ports throughout the globe. TT Club provides pro-active determination of loss at some cost to its business members, but is limited to 80 countries. Another reason for comparing both the manuals is that the ISPS code is applied to all passenger and cargo ships (3.1) and one cannot ignore the fact that TT Club as an Insurance company is limited to provide maritime Insurance. Therefore it is obvious that TT Club would not take into account the hidden real world pro blems. Let us begin with the functional requirements of both the manuals. The TT Club manual is published with a view of preventing loss at the utmost. Moreover it serves as 'loss prevention guide'. The best evidence for calling it as 'loss prevention guide' is that it avoids security threats by avoiding computerised systems at the utmost. On the other hand, the ISPS Code is all about security of ships and ports and presents all techniques of preventing threats and risks and follows the functional requirements of the port (1.3). Ship Security Plan (SSP) containing Audits According to the ISPS Code 16.58, it is the responsibility of the SSP to conduct regular or updated audit reviews with the help of Company Security Officer (CSO) and Ship Security Officers (SSO) whereas the TT Club Manual suggests that Audit surveys are not limited to the responsibility of any particular person. However the main concern for both the manuals behind conducting audits i.e., ISPS code and TT Club Manual is to assess security at all levels to determine vulnerable access points. According to Security Level 1 of Section 7 of the Ship Security which sets appropriate controlling, monitoring and supervising access to different areas of the ship including deck, cargo and ship's stores, TT Club manual takes hold and observes all access points of the ship. These include all kinds of used and unused gates, access to the port facilities, and physical and logical security threats. Security Levels of the ISPS Code The security levels are set by priorities of their associated risks. Like level 1 is the normal level which is usually followed by the ships and ports. Security level 2 is applied in a condition which in addition to the threat exposure is experiencing a critical risk. Therefore the level is applied as long as the risk is there. Similarly level 3 entail exceptional threats, which usually do not occur in

Dell Business Information Strategy

Dell Business Information Strategy XECUTIVE SUMMARY The business information strategy helps a business in identifying ways and means of sharing information across the organization and across all the departments of the organization. This report highlights the business information strategy at Dell, a well known computer manufacturing company. The industry has been led by the major players like IBM, Compaq, Intel, Lenovo, HP, Apple, Microsoft, Dell, Sony, Samsung, LG, etc. The top two manufacturers of computers apart from Dell are Apple and Microsoft and they pose a stiff competition to Dell and the market is led by the top two to three manufacturers. After comparing the financial performance of Dell, IBM and Apple Inc, it can be said that the level of operations of Dell is much lower as compared to Apple Inc and IBM. Some of the recommendations made to the companies in the manufacturing industry are as follows Focus on quality of products, adopting innovative manufacturing processes, improved customer support, competitive pricing, improved supply chain, etc. The strategy for Dell would be to adopt an innovative manufacturing process thereby helping it to stay competitive by bringing in a change and by manufacturing technologically advanced products. This technological change will have an impact on almost all the aspects of Dells business, like management, information needs, business locations, staffing requirements, employee training, etc. INTRODUCTION The strategy in a business organization plays a key role, be it a business strategy, marketing strategy, HR Strategy, or business information strategy. The business needs information at all levels and the success of the business can be directly attributed to the level of information that can be accessed by the employees of any business. A business should strive hard to provide information to the employees, as it is likely to improve the performance of the business as a whole. The business information strategy helps a business in identifying ways and means of sharing information across the organization and across all the departments of the organization. This report highlights the business information strategy at Dell, a well known computer manufacturing company. INDUSTRY SECTOR ANALYSIS Computer manufacturing industries differs somewhat from other manufacturing industries in the way of production and mostly workers make up a relatively very small proportion of the workforce. Computer manufacturing industry is considered as most innovative industry. With the moving trend, improving technology and increase in technological innovation, this industry creates its own identity and drives much of the industrys production. This industry is also considered as a place for technological as well as innovative advancements. This is the only manufacturing industry which requires maximum number of engineers, technicians, and many other technical assistants who can take the research and development work further. In addition to manufacturing, it also requires promotion of products manufactured by the different segments of the industry that requires more eligible marketing as well as sales executives or workers. U.S companies in this industry manufacture as well as assemble the compo nents manufactured in foreign countries, in order to take advantage of lower cost of production and regulatory and favorable environments. Most of the electronic products include different intermediate components that are needed to be purchased from various manufacturers. So these companies that produce intermediaries and goods mostly locate themselves nearby to industry so that the companies can receive their intermediate products in very less time in order to lower down their inventory costs. Most the computer manufacturing companies in this industry are very large and many are relatively small. The computer manufacturing industry has also had its share of impacts of the recent financial crisis. The computer manufacturing industry was also going through a transformational crisis. The sales of the major players have decreased considerable and the profits have also declined. In fact, some of the manufacturers have incurred losses from their operations during the crisis. Moreover, the industry has been very competitive in the recent past with more and more medium level manufacturers entering the global markets. The low cost computers manufactured by the Indian and Chinese manufacturers have increased the level of competition in the industry. There have been various influences on the computer manufacturing industry over the last few years or so. The influences were due to the increase in the number of computer manufacturers, use of latest technologies, rapid decrease in the cost of manufacturing mainly due to the outsourcing of components manufacturing ton countries like India a nd China. Overall, it can be said that there are various challenges faced by the computer manufacturing industry and it is likely that the future is going to more challenging for the manufacturers, as they compete hard in order to attract and retain the market share. Market Leaders The Computer manufacturing industry has experienced an increase in the number of computer manufacturers over the last five years or so. But the industry at large has been led by the major players like IBM, Compaq, Intel, Lenovo, HP, Apple, Microsoft, Dell, Sony, Samsung, LG, etc. The top two manufacturers of computers apart from Dell are Apple and Microsoft and they pose a stiff competition to Dell and the market is led by the top two to three manufacturers. In spite of the top manufacturers holding larger shares in the market, the market is wide open for all the other manufacturers. So, the open market makes it all more important for the manufacturers to adopt effective strategies in order to achieve competitive advantage and sustain the competitive advantage with a view to increase the sales revenues, profits, market share, and also to increase the wealth on the investors. The competition in the industry has been very stiff and thus it made the computer manufacturers to increase their product line and also to adopt innovative manufacturing processes to come up with latest and innovative products. The computer manufacturing industry or market leaders have also adopted innovative strategies to stay competitive and increase the market share, thereby leading to the organizational success. The important point to remember here is that Dell is also one of the market leaders in the computer manufacturing industry and it also poses stiff competition to the other competitors in the industry. Comparative Performance of Competitors The comparative performance of some of the major computer manufacturing industry leaders gives us an insight into the level of competition that exists among the top competitors and also the position of Dell in the overall computer manufacturing industry. The revenues of Dell for the year 2009 were $61.101 Billion and its operating income was $3.190 Billion, whereas its Net Income was $2.478 billion. The Net income, Operating Income and also the revenues have all shown an increase as compared to the year 2008, which shows that there has been an improvement in the performance of Dell over the last one year or so. The revenues of IBM for the year 2009 were $95.757 Billion and its operating income was $17.012 Billion, whereas its Net Income was $13.425 billion. The Net income, Operating Income have increased and the revenues have shown a decrease as compared to the year 2008, which shows that there has been an improvement in the performance of Dell over the last one year or so with respect to the profitability, but it has lost some part of its market share, as compared to its performance during the year 2008. The revenues of Apple Inc for the year 2009 were $42.91 Billion and its operating income was $11.74 Billion, whereas its Net Income was $8.24 billion. The Net income, Operating Income and also the revenues have all shown an increase as compared to the year 2008, which shows that there has been an improvement in the performance of Apple Inc, over the last one year or so. Revenues ($ bn) Operating Income ($ bn) Net Income ($ bn) Dell 61.1 3.19 2.48 Apple Inc 42.91 11.74 8.24 IBM 95.76 17.01 13.4 The above table shows the financial performance of Dell, Apple Inc and IBM. The above graph shows the financial performance of Dell, Apple Inc and IBM. After comparing the financial performance of Dell, IBM and Apple Inc, it can be said that the level of operations of Dell is much lower as compared to Apple Inc and IBM. So, it suggests that Dell has to adopt innovative strategies in its operations at all levels in order to compete with its competitors. The positive that goes with Dell is that it has been improving its performance and the rate of growth is much better than some of the other industry leaders. Current Technology used in the Computer Manufacturing Industry In the past, the computers used to be so big, even bigger than the refrigerators, but now-a- days, the computers are as small as a PDA, which can fit into a palm of human beings. So, this has been possible mainly due to the advanced technology and continuous advancements of technology that has been adopted in the computer manufacturing industry. The latest technology has reduced the size of the computers, hard disks, etc, without comprising on the quality, in fact with better quality and durability for the customers. These computer manufacturing companies have their own research and development departments, so as to continuously look for new ways of manufacturing the computers. The technology plays a key role in the success of any product and computers are no different. The better technology helps the manufacturers in manufacturing latest computers. The technology used by the computers has been so much helpful for the people. The technology used in computer manufacturing has been helpful in other industries as well. These latest technologies made it possible to use computer in almost all the aspects of human life. Future Technology that can be used in the Computer Manufacturing Industry The future of the technology and the advancements in the technology looks to be more effective, as there is a lot of scope for improvement and advancements in the technology. The future technology can make it possible to produce much smaller computers with better features, and better performance, as compared to the performance of the computers manufactured today. With the advancements in technology, almost anything is possible. The things that look impossible today are becoming possible and a reality tomorrow. So, with the advanced technology anything is possible. The technology is surely going to play a key role in the computer manufacturing industry. If one company adopts a latest technology then the other competitors must adopt it or come up with something innovative on their own, otherwise, they will lag behind and may not be able to compete in the industry. So, the continuous changes in the technology keep the computer manufacturers on their toes, to make quick decisions and adopt effective and innovative strategies to produce high quality computers, mostly a low costs. (Buzzel, 1987). Recommendations for the companies in the Computer Manufacturing Industry based on the Sector Analysis to stay competitive in the industry Innovative Manufacturing Processes The companies in the computer manufacturing industry needs to stay competitive and they can do so, by adopting innovative manufacturing processes. The old and out dated manufacturing processes are not going to help the companies in staying competitive. With a view to achieve competitive advantage, most of the companies are adopting innovative strategies. The competitive advantage once achieved needs to be sustained in order to stay competitive. The competitive advantage can be achieved and sustained by adopting innovative manufacturing processes. (Parker, 1989). Focus on the Quality The companies should always look to improve the quality of the products at all times. The low quality products will not be helpful in staying competitive for long. In order to attractive in the market and also stay competitive, a computer manufacturer needs to focus on the quality of the products regardless of the internal issues. A low quality product will survive for long in the market. (Swan, et.al, 1976). Improved Customer Support The customer support and after sale service by the companies can be helpful in staying competitive. If the questions of the customers are not answered properly, then it is likely that the customer will be attracted by other companies with better customer service. So, in order to stay competitive, the companies should look to improve their customer support service. (Gale, 1992). Competitive Pricing Gone are the days, when the manufacturers were the price makers, now-a-days, in fact, the customers are the price makers. In other words, the customers look for the prices from various manufacturers and finally purchase a product from the manufacturer with the most economical price, so if a manufacturers pricing is not competitive, then the manufacturer will not stay competitive. So, the companies should price their products competitively. (Gale, 1992). Improved Supply chain for Quick Delivery The supply chain often helps a company in staying competitive in almost all the industries and the computer manufacturing industry is no exception. The effective supply chain ensures quick and efficient delivery of products to the customers, whereas, an ineffective supply chain is the main reason for the failure of any company to stay competitive. Thus, an improved supply chain can help a company stay competitive in the market. (Parker, 1989). BACKGROUND OF DELL The company selected is Dell and it deals with the manufacturing of computers and its components, and it comes under the computer manufacturing industry. Computer manufacturing companies are mostly considered as electronic manufacturing companies and these companies produces products like computers, its peripherals, equipments related to communications, and many more products similar to these products. These products can be used at many places like offices, schools, industries, colleges, as well as homes. These products are also used for military as well as government establishments. In addition to all this different computer peripherals or different components are built in into many industry products. Dell has been a well known manufacturer of Computers, mainly Desktops, Laptops, Notebooks, and PDA. Dell has emerged as one of the largest manufacturers of computers. Dell competes with the industry leaders and with the best in the industry. Dell grew as a computer manufacturing company in the year 1980s and 1990s, and it also became the largest computer manufacturer at one point of time. Dells core business was to sell Desktops, Laptops and Servers, etc. Dell also sells some other electronics products, which it acquires from its suppliers around the world and sell them under the brand name of Dell. The operations of Dell have increased significantly over the last few years and have been competing with the best in the business. CURRENT SITUATION ANALYSIS The current situation analysis of Dell helps us to analyze the situation and also the various factors that affect the operations of Dell. Following are the components of situation analysis. Customers Dell serves a wide range of customers ranging from individuals, small business to large multinational companies. Dell also supplies computers and other devices to the government organizations in various countries. Its customers are spread all across the world, making it a truly global company. The global customers of Dell also points out the presence of Dell, which all across the world. So, it is satisfying a large base of customers and thus there is lot of scope for increasing the customer base of Dell Costs The costs of any company play a key role in the profitability and success of any company. Higher costs lead to low income or losses in some cases, so it is always better to reduce the cost of manufacturing and also the other indirect costs. Dell manufactures most of the products on its own and it also acquires some of the products from suppliers around the world, with a view to reduce costs. This helps it in pricing its products competitively, thereby helping it to stay competitive in the market. Competitors Some of the competitors of Dell are well known companies around the world. The competitors of Dell include Microsoft, IBM, Apple Inc, HCL, HP, Sony, LG, Samsung, etc. These competitors are well known companies with a wide range of products and a wide base of customers, which also helps them to mark their presence all over the world. The competition is very stiff in the computer manufacturing industry, with the presence of these popular global brands. STRATEGY FOR DELL The strategy for Dell would be to adopt an innovative manufacturing process thereby helping it to stay competitive by bringing in a change and by manufacturing technologically advanced products. Change Required Dell needs to bring about a major change in the size of its desktops and laptops. Dell can manufacture sleek laptops like Apple, Inc, and thus would be able to compete with Apple Inc. It would also give Dell an advantage over its competitors. Moreover, it gives Dell an opportunity to increase its market share by serving a new base of customers with its sleek products. This can be achieved only by adopting a technology like Apple Inc, or even a better technology than Apple Inc. Impact on Management This change is likely to impact the management at Dell. The impact of the technological change would require dell to bring about a change in the way the management at Dell operates. There may be a need to include a new of level of management or to remove an existing level of management positions based on the requirements. With a change in the organisation with regards to the structure or the technological changes, the management also needs to change, as per the requirements. So, it can be said that the change in the products to be manufactured, is likely to bring about a change in management. Thus, it can be said that there is an impact of this change on the management. Impact on Business Location Dell might need to start its manufacturing units to manufacture sleek products, or else it can use the existing manufacturing facilities to manufacture such products. With a change in the computer manufacturing technology, Dell has to expand its operations by starting manufacturing units in new business locations. Dell might need to change it business from location to another considering its impact on the operations. Most of the manufacturing companies are starting their manufacturing units in countries like India and China, so Dell might consider India and China, as a proposed location to start its manufacturing units to manufacture sleek laptops, and small sized desktops. Impact on Information needs of management The management needs an upgraded information system, so as to provide an accurate and updated information at all levels, as and when required, (Malhotra, 2008). The information needs of the management at Dell are also likely to change, with a change in the technology and operations of Dell. So, depending upon the information needs, the information system should also be upgraded, so that it provides required information to the management at all levels, which could ultimately help in achievement of the objectives of Dell. Impact on Staffing Plan As discussed earlier, Dell might need to hire additional people to manage its new processes of manufacturing sleek laptops. The staffing plan is also likely to change with a proposed change in the technology. Some employees might need to be transferred from one position to another, and some others might be needed to be hired, depending upon requirement. The proposed technological change at Dell is also likely to impact the staffing plan at Dell; therefore, a new staffing plan has to be developed, considering its operations. Impact on Training Dell also needs to provide adequate training and education to its employees with a view to upgrade their skills and improve the productivity and efficiency. The training and development of employee should be given highest priority, as the highly developed employees enhance the productivity and performance of the organisation as a whole. With a technological change, there will impact on the training provided at Dell. There are likely to be new training programs, to suit the needs of the new business development i.e. incorporating the proposed technological change. CONCLUSION Finally, it can be concluded by stating that the business information strategy plays a key role in the success of an organization. It also plays an important role, when an organization intends to bring about any change in its operations, because, a major change is possible only with the free flow of information. Dell can manufacture sleek laptops, by bringing about a technological change and also a change in its manufacturing process. The impacts of such a change can be seen on the current management, business locations, information needs of management, staffing, training, etc. The strategic level of management needs to adopt innovative strategies to achieve the objectives of Dell. The strategic management plays an important role in the success of any organisation, so the key policy changes or developments take place at the strategic level of management. The tactical level of management needs to follow the policies developed by strategic level. Finally, the operational level is responsible for implementing the policies and achieving the final objectives.

Minority Report: Film vs. Short Story Essay -- Movies Comparison Compa

Minority Report: Film vs. Short Story Mutant humans, nicknamed precogs, have visions of future crimes. An entire police force is dedicated to interpreting these visions and catching the future criminals before they commit these foreseen crimes. Commissioner John A. Anderton was the creator of this institution called Precrime in New York City and has a strong pride in his work. Everything had seemed to be a success, there had not been a murder for five years, but it all starts to fall apart when the precogs have a vision of Anderton committing a murder of a man he has never met before, named Leopold Kaplan. The commissioner believes he has been set up by a young man, Ed Witwer, who will be taking Anderton’s place when he retires and also possibly his wife, Lisa. Anderton goes on somewhat of a quest to find out who is behind all of this. Through his quest he discovers that the strongest precog, which is the female named Donna, sometimes has different visions than the other two male precogs. These are cal led minority reports, and Anderton finds that he does not have one. He finally finds who is behind his setup, and it is Kaplan, a retired Army General and the man he is supposed to murder. Kaplan had a plan to bring down the Precrime system by keeping Anderton from killing him even though the precogs had envisioned that Anderton would kill Kaplan. In the end, Anderton does kill Kaplan to prove the system still works and Precrime continues (Dick, 1987). This concept of Precrime was created in a short story entitled The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick. Fourty-six years after Dick wrote this story in 2002, Steven Spielberg directed the film Minority Report based on Dick’s story starring Tom Cruise. There are many dif... ... gave necessary information about them to the movie audience. Emotion was brought in with the kidnapping of Anderton’s son and that event being used to drive him to murder was a concept that everyone could relate to. The action of Anderton running from his capture and unfolding who was behind his downfall kept getting better and better, he went as far as removing his eyes and kidnapping a precog. The film followed the same basic structure of the story, but changed certain parts and involved twists to make the story enticing to the variety of audiences across the globe. Bibliography Dick, Philip A. The Minority Report: And Other Classic Stories. New York: Kensington Publishing Corp., 1987 Minority Report. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton. Twentieth Century Fox, DreamWorks, 2002.

Long-term Negative Effect of Breatharianism

A reason behind I became a breatharian is to maintain a slim figure, living healthy, and happy. Unfortunately, any of those my wish doesn’t come true. That’s why I decided to inform the vice squad for further investigation into the organization. The breatharian diet neither includes food nor water. However, after seeing several YouTube video and commercial on flyer, I was convinced by the specious way to live life. Once I enrolled, I came to know many things, for example, some of the main people of the organization not even follow their own instruction which is not to eat or drink. I would like to share my personal experience and that is I am completely unsatisfied with diet plan and even their promises. They said to me that, â€Å"if you live only on light and air, you became healthier and happier more than you are right now. † Nevertheless, just following there instruction I became ill. I had to visit an emergency room of hospital twice a month. Now, I am suffering from high blood pressure. That’s just my experience. One of my friends also enrolled in this program and she is suffering from renal disease. I want to submit this report against the organization, because I feel their only purpose is to make money out of people like us. They are making this money by enrolment and seminar fees. In addition to that, after one month experience of being part of their program, I feel that they not follow their own instruction. I saw one of them eating outside the Taco Bell. The diet plans they provide are dangerous and lead many lives in danger. After all it’s our moral duty to save local citizen. It’s my humble request to take a step towards the organization.

of mice and man essays

of mice and man essays The book that I have read that has really stayed with me is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I really enjoyed reading it which is unusual because I usualy don't enjoy reading to much. There was something about George and Lennie's friendship that really made me think. Seeing how they were and how they shared life was really intresting. George didn't have to bother with Lennie, he could have abandoned him and gone on his own way. But he did not do that, he stayed with Lennie watching over him almost like a parent to a child. Even though Lennie always got Georege in trouble, George never stoped loving him and always stood by him. The friendship they shared went beyond what was transparent they each shared a dream and both knew they ment the world to each other. I felt that if these totaly different people could get along and look out for each other, why can't we get along with people who are different than us. They made me realize that I could learn something from how to treat people who are differnt than me. What I also liked about it was the way they never stopped trying to reach their dream. This made me think that if they could work hard for there dream why can't I. It showed me that it does not matter were you come from or what you do, it is okay to dream and work as hard as you can to reach For all it shows for friendship and loyalty it also shows how sometimes you have to do things you never thought you would do. For example in the end when George is forced to shoot Lennie in the head you would never have thought he would do that, but you can see that under the circumstances he had no other choice. He only had two choices let the other people get to him first and watch them torture Lennie while he died a long horrible death or do it himself and get it over quick were Lennie did not know what hit him. This is also t...

The Operating Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales Budget of Compact

The Operating Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales Budget of Compact The Operating Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales Budget of Compact Fittings Plc – Coursework Example Report: Introduction: The report analyzes the operating ment, balance sheet, sales budget, purchase budget and cash flow ment of Compact Fittings Plc for the period of July 2011 to December 2011. a) Pricing policy that has been used in the preparation of the budgeted figures: The pricing policy is to charge mark-up over the cost per unit at which the goods were purchased. This mark-up is 25% in this case. The cost price on which this mark-up is added doesn’t directly take into account the other expenses like wages, rent , other expenses and depreciation. The costing therefore is more like variable costing than absorption costing. The wages, rent and other expenses have been calculated as percentage of sales. The depreciation is calculated on the basis of written down value method. The costs of the goods are expected to increase in November and December. These costs increases are passed on to the customers in the form of a proportionate increase in selling price. The selling price has been calculated by adding a 25% mark-up over the per unit cost price. From July to October the cost price per unit has been kept at  £ 14.4 per unit. Cost price per unit ( from July to October ):  £ 14.4 per unit Add 25% and selling price per unit will be : 14.4 + .25 * 14.4 =  £ 18 per unit. The sales of each month from July to December has been calculated by adding up the cash sales ( 75% of the total sales for the month) and the cash received for the credit sale of the previous month. For instance, the total sales of August are  £ 110,250. 6000 units are expected to be sold in August. At selling price of  £ 18 per unit, this will be equal to: 18*6000 = 108,000 75% of this will be cash sales i.e. .75 * 108,000 = 81000†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦i The sales of July are expected to be 117000. 25% of these sales are expected to be made on credit, cash for which will be realized in the next month of August. So this is equal to: .25 * 117000 = 29250†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.ii Total sales of August : i + ii = 81000 + 29250 = 110,250. Similarly the sales of other months have been calculated. After October, in the months of November and December, it is expected that the cost per unit will rise to  £ 15.2 per unit. Therefore selling price per unit for the month of November and December has been estimated at: 15.2 + .25 * 15.2 = 19 per unit. The price increase in the costs of goods has been passed on to the customers. The total sales in the operating statement of the six month period - from July to December- have been calculated by adding up the total sales of the six months. From the sales of July, the 25% cash received for the cash sales of June have been removed. Similarly in the sales of December, the 25% credit sales for which cash is expected to be received in January have been added up. Total Sales for the six month period = 124,650 + 110,250 + 110,700 + 119700+ 134, 625 + 150,100 – 36900 (cash for credit sales in June, received in July) + 38475 (cash received in January for the credit sales in December) = 751,600 The costs of sales have been calculated by adding up the opening stock at the beginning of the six month period with the purchases made during this period. The closing stock was then deducted from them, because this stock was not sold and became part of the current assets of the company. The company makes monthly purchases. For every monthly purchase, 50% of the amount is paid in cash by the company. The remaining 50% payment is made in the next month by the company. For example, the purchase of July is  £ 102,240. 6000 units were purchased in July at the cost of  £ 14. 4 per unit. This is equal to: 14.4 * 6000 = 86400†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.i The total purchase of July also includes the 50% cash payments made for the purchases made in the month of June. The purchases made in the month of June were 118, 080. 50% of them were made on credit, payments for which were made in July. So the total value of purchases made in July is: 50% of 86400 + 59040 (for cash payments made for the purchases of June ) = 102,240. The purchase cost per unit is expected to rise to 15.2 per unit for the months of November and December. The total purchases have been calculated by adding up the purchases of the six months. From the sales the cost of sales are deducted for calculating the gross profit. Gross profit is equal to: Sales – Costs of goods sold = 751,600 – 599,280 = 152, 320. From the gross profit, wages, rent, expenses and depreciation have been deducted for calculating the net profit. The wages have been estimated to be 5% of the total sales made. The expenses are estimated to be 2% of the total sales made by the company. Rent is estimated at 5% of the total purchases made by the company and not the cash purchases only. The depreciation has been calculated on a written down basis. The rate of depreciation for motor vehicles is 10%. The Net Book value of motor vehicles on 30/06/2011 is 153000. For six months, depreciation at the rate of 10% per year will be equal to: .05 * 153000 = 7650†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦i An addition of 9600 worth of motor vehicles was made in the month of September. This was charged for three months at the rate of 10/3= 3.3% or .33. Therefore total depreciation for the three month period on the additional motor vehicle of 9600 is equal to: 9600* .33 = 320†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.ii Therefore total depreciation on motor vehicles for the six month period is equal to i + ii = 7650 + 320 = 7970 The net book value of plant & machinery on 30/06/2011 was 220,000. 10% depreciation for six months is equal to: .10/ 2 * 220,000 = 11000. †¦.iii Additions worth 50,400 were made to the plant & machinery in the month of November. Depreciation was charged on this at the rate of: 10*2/12* 50,400 = 857†¦..iv Total depreciation on the plant and machinery = iii + iv = 11000 + 857 = 11857 The depreciation on the fixtures has been calculated in a similar way. b) Policy with regard to purchases and stocks and ways in which they can be improved: The company makes monthly purchases. For every monthly purchase, 50% of the amount is paid in cash by the company. The remaining 50% payment is made in the next month in the company. However the purchases for each month include the cash payments made only. This includes 50% cash payment made for the purchases of that month and 50% cash payment received for the credit purchases of the previous month. Compact Fittings Plc. should improve on this policy. The purchases of each month should include only the purchases in that month. It shouldn’t matter whether the purchases were made in credit or cash. We are following here the accrual method of accounting and not the cash basis of accounting. The closing stock for each month has been calculated in the following way: Opening balance in the beginning of the month + Purchases made during the month – Units sold. The closing stock at the end of the six month per month is equal to the closing stock at the end of December. This is equal to 2500 units. These 2500 units are valued at the increased purchase price of  £ 15.20 per unit. The closing stock is therefore worth: 25000 *  £ 15.20 =  £ 38000 The opening stock for the six month period is the closing stock of June. This is equal to 3000 units. This has been valued at the prevailing cost in June i.e.  £ 14.40 per unit. Therefore the opening stock is valued at: 3000 * 14.40 = 43200. The valuation of opening and closing stock is therefore done on the basis of last in last out (LILO). This seems to be the right policy for valuing the opening and closing stocks and it should be continued in the review. References: Gitman, Lawrence, 2003, Principles of Managerial Finance, 10th edition, Addison-Wesley. Weston Fred, Brigham Eugene ,1972, Managerial Finance, Dryden Press, Hinsdale Illinois. Prasanna Chandra, 2006, Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management. McGraw-Hill I.M.Pandey, 2000, Financial Management, Vikas.

Literary criticism over madness and symbols in Edgar Allan Poe short Essay

Literary criticism over madness and symbols in Edgar Allan Poe short stories - Essay Example As he tells his frequently bizarre and frightening tales, Poe presents his readers with symbol-rich imagery and descriptions based on binary oppositions to help build the suspense and horror of his tale. As Mowery explains, binary oppositions are things such as hot and cold, male and female, dark and light. â€Å"It is in the subtle shifts in our expectations of the character that tension and conflict are developed† (1997). This concept is frequently illustrated in terms of the madness that comes upon characters as they experience deep feelings that had potential to overwhelm. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† â€Å"The Black Cat† and â€Å"Ligeia,† Edgar Allan Poe uses madness and symbolism to convey love and hate. Poe employs two primary objects in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† to illustrate the cause of his narrator’s madness. The old man’s eye is the first of these symbols to appear within the text of the story. As the narrator attempts to explain why he felt led to murder, he says, It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture – a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – very gradually – I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever. (156). Basic medical knowledge to the modern reader quickly identifies this condition as symptoms of a cataract, a film that gradually creeps over the eye of an elderly person, eventually rendering him or her blind while also changing the color of the eye to a pale bluish color. It is this encroachment that seems to so bother the narrator,

History of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History of China - Essay Example The Second United Front involved alliance of KMT and CCP in Second Sino-Japanese war and it suspended the civil wars in China from 1937 to 1946. Kai-Shek viewed Chinese Communists as a threat, and true to his perception, they kidnapped him and compelled him to the truce with communists. This resulted to the two parties suspending the fighting to focus on Second United Front that fought against the Japanese. The actual cooperation between CCP and KMT remained minimal. The two parties still vied for territorial advantage in China. This resulted to major clashes, and Kai-shek demanded evacuation of New Fourth army from CCP. This weakened CCP in central China and ended any substantive cooperation between the two. However, in Japan, CCP absorbed KMT forces and made them into puppet forces. Eventually, CCP gained full control of North China. Therefore, the Second United Front became less successful than the first one since it led to the weakening of the KMT in North China and CCP in Centra l China. The two groups never worked as an alliance (Dirlik, 2000). Reasons for Failure of Chiang Kai-Shek in Destroying the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) The victory of CCP over the reactionary Chiang Kai-shek’s power marked a monumental change within the Chinese history. The events were unexpected since CCP came to power through reactionary program of the ‘revolution by stages’. First, the strategy of countering the Stalinist strategy of conquering cities using peasant armed forces alone enhanced the overthrowing of bourgeois Kuomintang regime. During this period, the urban population persistently fought for the oppressed and exploited and brought about an armed insurrection. This led to confusion among the Chinese Comrades of the traditional conception and facts (Taylor, 2006). Second, the Chiang’s regime was completely rotten since it was established amid bloodshed of second Chinese revolution defeat. This made it hostile to people using Asiatic method s. The regime could have only protected itself from imperialist powers since it represented the bourgeoisie of Orient. Therefore, it used all reactionary influences in resisting the masses, and consequently, it was unable to fulfill the bourgeoisie democratic tasks. After the failure of non-defensive policy, Chiang government had to fight the Japanese, and this revealed their incompetence where they lost several cities. Such acts stirred dissatisfaction among people reflected through demonstrations and unrest of the peasants (Taylor, 2006). After Japanese defeat, Chiang’s government became corrupt looting all the public property and engaged in extravagant dissipation and luxury. This inflamed the masses’ fury and provoked large scale demonstrations. Chiang hoped to use his military in exterminating CCP. He hoped to defeat CCP due to advanced warfare and the large army. However, his army remained isolated and divided due to mistreatment from their leaders. This shifted even the attention of those people who supported it (Dirlik, 2000). Relationship between Chiang Kai-Shek and the United States Prior to Second World, War, most powerful influences originated from American imperialists. It intended to uphold Chiang’s government and monopolize the Chinese markets. This dispatched significant military equipment to the government in China. This made Chiang

Response Scenario Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Response Scenario Paper - Essay Example It is in this regard that this paper aims to formulate and detail a response plan to immediately address a chemical spill. Given a scenario where a toxic chemical spill occurs in a manufacturing company at day time, exposing the day shift composed of more than 1,000 people, this essay would detail a response plan to address this incident and detail plans to prevent future occurrence. At day time when more than 1,000 personnel work at a manufacturing company, a toxic chemical spill suddenly occurs. According to Pollution Issues (2007), â€Å"one of the most common concerns over chemical accidents and hazardous materials spills is acute, or short-term, toxicity. Acutely toxic contaminants, such as cyanide and chlorine released from hazardous materials spills, pose an immediate threat to public health. For example, a chemical accident in which chlorine gas or cyanide gas is released would likely result in widespread deaths as the plume, or toxic cloud, moved through a populated area. Another class of toxicity is chronic, or long term. One of the most common types of chronic toxicity is exposure to carcinogens that may result in cancer twenty to thirty years after the time of the spill.† (par. 11) The immediate response to this scenario would determine the number of lives that would be saved. In this regard, the following should be the response plan: observe and assess the nature of the spill, stop or contain the spill (if it is safe to do so); call for assistance (if needed); and cleanup using appropriate means. As given in the scenario, it is a toxic chemical spill. By toxic, it means â€Å"a material containing hazardous contaminants above the maximum allowable safe concentration is toxic. Examples include used photo fixer (toxic for silver), some used dry cell batteries (toxic for mercury), sludges and sometimes liquid from water-based parts washers (toxic for lead, benzene, or both) and automotive

Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Inequalities of Race and Ethnicity Essay With more than six billion people in this world, with a huge variety of human shapes, colors and sizes can race really be defined? As people spread across the world. Mixing among each other creating new kinds of faces there is no true race. But people such as Hitler believed that the Aryans where the superior race responsible got the cultural achievements in Europe and that they has to stop racial contamination that would come from breeding with inferior races by destroying them. Which caused the slaughtering of those deemed inferior: Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, slaves, and people with disabilities. It didnt stop here, youd think the world would try to make a difference but as Hitler era was fading, the ethnic cleansing by Serbs in Bosnia, the mass killings of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994 were and are stilling taking place years after Hitler. What these people failed to see is that there is no pure race. People show such a mixture of physical characteristics ? in skin color, hair textures, body shapes, eye color, height, weight and so on that there can not be a pure race. Our characteristics follow endlessly together, the mapping of genome system shows that were strikingly homogenous. Although large groups of people can be classified by blood type and gene frequencies they still cannot be classified as a race. The idea of a race in far from a myth, its embedded in our culture, it is part of our everyday lives. Sociologist D. S. Thomas observed that if people define situations as real, theyre real in their consequences in other words, people define situations as real, theyre real in their consequences in other words, people act on beliefs, not facts. As a result to that we will always have people like Hitler who feel that killing people that they believe is inferior is perfectly fine.Incidents such as the above still happen in todays world but they are hidden from the public eye, what isnt hidden and does continue toady seems as if no one is trying to make a difference is prejudice and discrimination, a war that will never stop. Prejudice can be defined as a prejudging of some sort, discrimination on the other hand can be defined as an action, and unfair treatment directed against someone on basis of their age, sex, height, origin, marital status, education, income, religion, etc, but when its due to race we usually call it racism. Why are people prejudices? The common sense answer is that people may have had a negative experience with a member of the other group. But Psychologists such as Eugene Hartley (1946) made studies showing that its more than just an old incident, his studies showed that prejudice against all other groups as well. Social scientists have developed several theories to explain prejudice; there are two types of theories, Scapegoat, and the Authoritarian Personality. People who are unable to release there stress to the source usually tend to release it on other people and they tend to find someone to blame their mishaps on and this usually becomes their scapegoat, often a racial, ethnic, or religious minority that they unfairly blame for their troubles. The other theory is The Authoritarian Personality Theodor Adornos term for people who are prejudice and rank high on scales of conformity, intolerance, insecurity, respect for authority, and submissive to superiors. Sociologists find these theories to be inadequate, they stress that the key to find prejudice is from the outside not form within. Sociologists focus on how some environments foster prejudice, while other discourages it. Sociologists have a few theories; Hitler used Functionalism, he hired Fritz Hippler, a Nazi intellectual was put in charge of the entire German film industry and he was told to create anti-Semitist, and he did by producing movies that compared Jews to rates, that their breeding would contaminate their pure breed. You can see that prejudice is functional and it creates in-group solidarity, and destroys human relationships. Conflict Theory- a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups competing for scarce resource. Symbolic interactionism examines how peoples labels affect perception and create prejudice. When we apply a label to a group we tend to see its members as all alike, this leads to stereotyping and discrimination and may even create a depicted behavior. Symbolic interaction shows that were not born to a race, and ethic group where we lean beliefs, values; we learn to perceive them negatively or positively. If discrimination is common in our groups, we learn to practice it commonly. Discrimination is like a learned skill if you practice it enough you wont even realize you using it. William Julius Wilson, a sociologist, argues that social class has become important that race is determine the life chances of African Americans. Prior to the Civil War African Americans were excluded from everything that could help you advance in life and become wealthy. As African Americans moved out of the inner cities, as legislators began opening doors for African Americans, as a result they were able to get better paying jobs, live a middle-class life, but those who were left behind in the inner cities they were trapped in poverty. I believe that people choose their way of life, yes it is true that things may be harder for an African American or a Latino person, but things are hard for everyone in their own individual ways. I do believe that in todays world things arent based on race in some places yes but as from what I see I believe its based on your social class, who you are, who you know, where you work, and how much money you have, thats what I believe matters in todays society. Although sociologists like Charles Willie, states that even African Americans do the same work as whites, whites average higher pay than African American, he argues that it racial discrimination not social discrimination. He states that we need to provide more jobs for the people in the inner cities; with more jobs theres more hope in inner cities and an anchor to a responsible life. But being richer for an African American is still a problem because certain people start assuming things for example an African American person driving a new car a cop tends to find reason to pull them over, just to make sure the car isnt stolen. Both sociologists have a strong point of view, but I also do have my own view in prejudice and discrimination. In todays society minority groups have a better chance to achieve their goals, for example everyone can attend the same college, travel the country, eat in the same place and even be best friends with someone of a different ethnicity, while this is taken for granted I honestly think its a beautiful thing. Prejudice and discrimination is a war that will be fought through out ones life regardless, of their race, color, size, height or social status. As we flash back we see that discrimination has always been around in all different forms. We, as the human race need to focus on not judging people before we know them for who they are. Today, there are so many type of people in the world that stereotyping are always incorrect. If everyone in the world had respect for one another we would live in peace and be able to let others believe in what they wish and except everyones differences. If we teach our children and change our ways, sometime in our future we will be closer to accepting that a mans character is based upon content of his soul, not his color, ethnicity, or their religion.

Sibling rivalry and birth order

Sibling rivalry and birth order SIBLING RIVALRY AND BIRTH ORDER INTRODUCTION Sibling rivalry and the power of birth order are as alive today as it was in the Old Testament, even though there have been many centuries between the time of the Old Testament and today. While birth order doesnt cause sibling rivalry by itself, the fact of the matter is that it can definitely affect sibling rivalry (Parenting Magazine). What follows is a comparison between siblings in the age of the Old Testament with siblings of the world today. This study will demonstrate that the centuries have done little to produce substantial change or progress. Todays siblings continue to struggle in their efforts to get past jealousy, resolve conflict and fulfill their desire for power. Sibling Rivalry and the power of birth order are as alive today as it was in the Old Testament. Although there have been years between the Old Testament and todays families episodes of rivalry, there are similar reasons for its prevalence today. While birth order doesnt cause sibling rivalry by itself, the fa ct of the matter is that it can definitely affect sibling rivalry (Parenting Magazine). I want to compare Old Testament siblings with siblings of the world today. I will unfortunately compare there has not been much change or progress through the decades. We still encounter not only sibling rivalry, but also adult, friend, and co-worker rivalry. There seems to have been no improvement in our abilities to get past jealousy, conflict or the need for power in our society. The biggest cause of sibling rivalry in children and in adults is jealousy. It may be that one sibling is moresuccessful in an area, such as their career, than another sibling. Or, it could be that one sibling has more positive experiences in relationships than the other. While competition is not always a bad thing, if one sibling constantly feels as though they are behind their sibling in one way or another it will lead to sibling rivalry. (Parenting magazine) I. BIRTH ORDER A. Firstborn society also places favoritism towards oldest siblings, natural born leaders, rule-conscious, exacting, conservative, organized, responsible, jealous, fearful, high achieving, competitive, high in self-esteem and anxious often pressured to succeed on the other hand, youngest siblings often idolize the first born, putting the first born in a position of leader of the children of the family B. Middle born tends to be forgotten never truly in the spotlight so can be natural mediators they avoid conflict, often have many friends and highly loyal to peer groups they may become a fighter of injustice or they may have trouble finding their place C. Youngest baby of the family, outgoing, entertainer out of all the siblings the youngest has the least aversion to risk often an endearing and delightful friend The study confirmed older siblings had distinct advantages, and that birth order was more important than gender in shaping sibling relations. (Horin) Although the advantages of the older siblings seem to have a proportional advantage to other siblings in todays society, we find that God had favor over the younger siblings. Gods choice of the second born is a recurring theme in the Hebrew Scriptures. The eldest is passed over for the fathers blessing and inheritance, leaving his or her descendants filled with resentment and hatred. We have to wonder though if the birth order of the Old Testament brothers was a factor in their relationships as well. Not much has changed in regards to peoples personalities of greed, vanity, sin and power. Then I would tend to believe that birth order did play a factor in relationships in the Old Testament. II. Cain and Abel In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain was the first son of Adam and Eve. He was a farmer while his brother, Abel, was a shepherd. The two brothers had each brought a sacrifice to God (Genesis 4:3-4). God rejects Cains field offering but has regard for Abels offering of an animal sacrifice (Genesis 4:5). Although both offerings were considered appropriate sacrifices, God was more pleased with Abels. Perhaps he believed Abel had a better heart in his giving than Cain (Genesis 4:7). Cain became angry with Gods favoritism and he killed Abel (Genesis 4:8). God confronted Cain about his brother, judged him, and pronounced a curse upon him, driving him out to the land of Nod, which was east of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 4:9-16). It doesnt state how the two brothers relationships were to each other before this event or the family dynamics with their parents. Genesis does not mention if they were always at odds from earlier days or if it came later after they became adults. But it does show th at even from the onset of time we have had the desire to succeed and be better than the others. It shows how we often displace our anger towards the wrong people too. Because of Cains anger toward God he killed Abel. III. Ishmael and Isaac In the story of Ishmael and Isaac, Ishmael was Abrahams first son. His mother was Hagar, Sarahs Egyptian handmaid. Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah his wife. Abraham and Sarah did not have a son to make a great nation of the childless Abraham (Genesis 17:4). Even though God had promised them an heir, Sarah felt that God had restrained her from bearing a child (Genesis 16:1-2) and took matters into her own hands. In unbelief, Sarah offered to Abraham her maid Hagar (Geisler). Hagar was promised a son named Ishmael, meaning God hears, because of her affliction (Genesis 16:9-11). Abraham and Sarah received him as the son of Gods promise. They both laughed in disbelief when the birth of Isaac was announced (Genesis 17:17). God promised to make Ishmael the father of twelve princes, from which would become a great nation. But the covenant would be established with Isaac (Genesis 17:20-21). Believing Ishmael was mocking Isaac she wanted Hagar and Ishmael to be cast out. At the insiste nce of his wife, Abraham expels his Ishmael and his mother Hagar, from his camp after Ishmael behaves inappropriately with his half-brother, Isaac (Genesis 21:9-21). Ishmael married an Egyptian and fathered 12 sons and a daughter. He was the half brother of Isaac and wasEsaus father-in-law.He is also considered the prophet of the Muslims, inheritors of Ishmaels legacy. Once again God favors the second born, Isaac, not Ishmael, inheriting the blessings of the covenant. I do speculate on how things would have possibly been different if Sarah had just trusted God instead of taking matters into her own hands. Even now we try to do the same thing; we forget or fail to keep our trust and faith in God. In regards to Ishmael and Isaac they were born to two different mothers. This undoubtedly made a hedge between them from the onset. Having two different mothers, from two different backgrounds surely made the difference. Even though Abraham loved both of his sons, the mothers of the boys were of two different statuses and backgrounds. The conflict between the mothers had to appear to the sons somewhere during their upbringings. From the very beginning, it would have been hard for harmony to be achieved due to Sarahs jealousy and Hagars different background and the rivalry between the two. I think it is important here to see that the sibling rivalry between the two focused more on the mothers rivalry between each other, than the actual relationship between the sons. It appears that not just personalities between siblings can cause rivalry. But, perhaps rivalry within the family causes rivalry to be imminent between children. We must realize the impact of our actions to our children an d those around us. IV. Esau and Jacob Just as the blessings and promises of God pass from Abraham to Isaac, they must also pass from Isaac to his son. But Isaac had twin sons, Esau and Jacob (Geisler 46). When Abrahams son Isaac was grown he married Rebekah. He pleaded with God that his wife might bear children (Genesis 25:21). The children struggled together within her, when she inquired of God he said that there were two nations in her womb. They shall be separated from your bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:22, 23). As a result, she bore twin sons, Esau the hairy one and Jacob supplanter. Jacob was described as grabbing Esaus heels upon birth, as if trying to come out first and become firstborn. Esau became a hunter, and Isaac favored him. Jacob was more of a settler and farmer and was favored by his mother (Genesis 25:24-28). Jacob was also crafty and took advantage of Esaus extreme hunger one day. He bargained with his older brother to exchange his birthright for some lentil stew. Possession of the birthright secured for Jacob a double portion of the inheritance (Genesis 25:28-33). Although Esau was Isaacs favorite son, he displeased his father by marrying two Hittite women who were not descendants of Abraham. This made life extremely difficult for his parents (Genesis 26:34-35). Near the end of his life, when it came time for Isaac to give his blessing on Esau, he is deceived into blessing Jacob instead (Geisler). Rebekah overheard his instructions to Esau. She encouraged Jacob to deceive the blind old man by disguising himself as Esau and taking his brothers blessing. The deception succeeded, and Isaac gave Jacob the blessing of the firstborn. When Esau appeared to receive his blessing he was too late. He was very bitter against Jacob because of what had happened. After this, Esau was so angry that Jacob left for Haran. Twenty years later Esau generously forgave his brother and the brothers were reunited (33:4-16). Two decades later a rich and prosperous Jacob returned with his family. Esau and Jacob finally made peace before Isaac died. Even before they were born Jacob and Esau were in a battle for supremacy. But unlike Ishmael and Isaac they were twins from the same mother. Twins we tend to believe are closer because of similar genes. They are known to act alike and know what each other are feeling or thinking at times it is said. In Jacob and Esaus case this was not true. They seemed to try to battle it out even before birth. During their upbringing we see that their relationships with their parents may have played a role also. Jacob was more favored by this mother and Esau was favored more by his father. I find it interesting to see how the family dynamics of children may be influenced by the favoritism of their parents. Along with their personalities and how children are molded by which parent they are favored by in regards to male or female. V. Joseph and his Brothers Joseph was one of twelve sons of Jacob. He was the first born son of Rachel (Genesis 30:22-24). Jacob also had four sons by Rachaels sister, Leah (Genesis 29:31-35) Leah then bore sons five and six, Issachar and Zebulun, followed by a daughter, Dinah (Genesis 30:14-21). She gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob and Bilhah bore him Dan and Naphtali (Genesis 30:1-8). At this point Leah gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Zilpah brought forth Gad and Asher (Genesis 30:9-13). Joseph was the favorite of his father, since he was the son of Jacobs old age (Genesis 37:3) and the firstborn son of his favorite wife. Because he showed his favoritism so openly that the other sons became jealous of Joseph. Josephs brothers hated him. Plus, Joseph was a bit of a show off and a tattletale, acting as his fathers spy in their eyes. Their jealousy and envy towards Joseph only got worse when Jacob gave Joseph a ground-length, long-sleeved, multicolored robe (Genesis 37:3-4). The animosity of his brothers increased even more when Joseph revealed to them he was having dreams where his brothers would one day bow down before him (Genesis 37:5-11). Because of this, when Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers and the flocks near Shechem, his brothers tricked him and sold him to a caravan of traders going down to Egypt (Genesis 37:25-28). Josephs brothers then took his robe, dipped it in goats blood, and brought it back to Jacob, who was overwhelmed with grief (Genesis 37:31-35). Joseph went on to live out his visions from God and attained a high position in Egypt. He eventually faced his brothers again during the famine, and reveals his identity to them (Genesis 42-44). Joseph forgives his brothers after realizing that they will no longer sacrifice a brother for their own means or gains (Genesis 44:18-34). This sho wed Joseph that his brothers were changed men from their past dealings with Joseph. Josephs relationship with his brothers was one of resentment by his brothers a story of tragedy and deception. It shows a group of brothers having sibling rivalry over one brother. The dynamics of the family shows the partiality of Jacob over Joseph in comparison to the other brothers. This favoritism was not hidden by their father and shows the dangers of favoritism and the extent of how dangerous rivalry can become. VI. Amnon and Absalom Amnon was the son of King David and Ahinoam (2 Samuel 3:2). Absalom was the son of King David and his wife Maacah (2 Samuel 3:3). Thus Amnon and Absalom were half-brothers, likeAbrahams sonsIshmaelandIsaac. Absalom was a handsome young prince known for his long, thick hair (2 Samuel 14:25-26). He had a beautiful sister Tamar; Amnon brought shame upon Tamar by forcing himself on her and then refusing to marry her (13:1-20). Absalom allowed his dejected sister to live with him in his house, believing that his father King David would punish Amnon for what he had done. After two years of waiting, Absalom plotted his own revenge after his father did nothing to Amnon for his behavior towards Tamar. Absalom gave a feast for King David and his princes at his estate in the country. King David did not attend, but Amnon did; Absalom got him drunk and then had his servants kill Amnon (2 Samuel 13:26-28). Afraid of King Davids anger, Absalom fled across the Jordan River to King Talmai of Geshur, the father of Absaloms mother (2 Samuel 13:29-39). After three years hiding far away from home, Absalom was called back to Jerusalem by Davids general, Joab. After two years he was back in full favor with the king (2 Samuel 14) and began plotting ways to gain the throne for himself. He worked to make the people think well of him, while also lowering peoples opinion of his father, the king (2 Samuel 15:1-6). Eventually, Absalom planned a rebellion against King David, gathering the people who wanted him to be king together in Hebron. After Ahithophel, one of King Davids wisest counselors, joined Absalom, the prince announced that he was now king. By the time news of Absaloms conspiracy reached him, King David was unable to do anything but flee from Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15). When it finally came down to the battle between King Davids men and Absaloms men, Joab slew Absalom. He found Absalom hanging from an oak tree by his hair and slain him, even though King David had asked that Absalom not be harmed (2 Samuel 18). The story of Amnon and Absalom shows that rivalries often drive people to destroy one another. Amnon and Absalom were like Ishmael and Isaac being of two different mothers also. From early on they were against each other due to Amnons crime against Tamar. In addition, King David showed a pattern of defending his sons even though he knew they had done wrong. He seemed to turn his head at all the wrong times. This may be due to King Davids sins of his past. King David had unwittingly pronounced a fourfold judgment on himself in his responses to Prophet Nathans parable (Geisler 119). I wonder if he had been more of a role model in the sense of not sinning with Bathsheba that it would have changed any outcomes of his sons. The consequences of King Davids sins brought greater sorrow on him than had he died himself (Geisler 119). No matter what his sons had done, as all parents do, he continued to love them in spite of their troubles. How many times have we as parents never realized at the time the influences we have over our children. It is the perfect lesson of the do as I say and not as I do. King David did not act out in hypocrisy, but he did live in a sinful lifestyle at times. Allowing our sinful nature to be so prominent sends a message to our children that its okay. We must be a role model and teacher for all. Summary In summary I believe birth order played a part in each of the sons personalities. Although, Gods plans are more significant than the birth order process, sibling rivalry, family dynamics, or personalities and his plans follow through. . Throughout the Old Testament we see the same characteristics of rivalry, power; desire and resentment come to a head in each of these families. We see anger being taken out on the wrong people, as in Cain and Abel, where the anger was directed toward Abel, instead of God. We read of many forms of deception in several of the Old Testament families. Whether you could say that the oldest had more power than the other siblings, in terms of the personalities and birth order, it did not seem to matter in the end. God had a plan that would be implemented no matter what the circumstances were. Some people trace the hostility between Israeli and Arab to the rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael. Todays bloody disputes over territory spring from Gods promise of a land for his people (Knowles). The tragedy of strained relations between Islamic and Judeo-Christian countries is a part of everyday life. One need only pick up a newspaper or check the news story of the day via television, radio, or internet to learn of the latest violent attack. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, three of the worlds great religions, have their roots in the Middle East. All three religions revere Abraham as a common ancestor. Yet all three have had bloody interchanges throughout history. How and why did Abrahams children become such a dysfunctional family? Where is God in these family feuds? Even if there was a way to get past human characteristics of jealousy, power, conflict and self-centeredness, we would not be able to get past the differences in religious beliefs. When there is no ability for us as a society to come together as a whole then there is no way to rise above the problems.