International HRM A Case Study of Apple Inc.

Abstract International human resource management has become a necessary undertaking in many multinational corporations. Globalization, a major driver of international trade, is one of the factors behind this development. Success in international ventures is significantly driven by the input of expatriates or international assignees.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International HRM: A Case Study of Apple Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this paper, some issues relating to these assignees were highlighted. They include such issues as the various aspects of pre-departure training, recruitment, and selection criteria. Staffing strategies were also reviewed in this study. The author of this paper proposed a system of measuring return on international assignments. The topics mentioned above were analyzed in the context of Apple Inc., a top ranking multinational corporation. The success of this organization is one of the reasons why it was selected for this study. Key words: International human resource management, international assignees, multinational corporations, Apple Inc. International Human Resource Management: A Case Study of Apple Inc. In the recent past, there has been an increase in the number of multinational corporations operating in the world. Such companies are heavily investing in the global market. A number of factors have influenced the growth of these organizations. They include dynamics of international trade, amalgamation of the financial markets, and human migration. Other factors include speedy movement of capital as a result of globalization. All these factors have facilitated trade on the international arena. Human resource management entails the activities carried out by organizations to effectively utilize their human resource. Consequently, effective human resource management at the global level is a major determinant of success in international trade.Advertisi ng Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Human resource development at the international level has largely focused on the formulation of effective and highly skilled workforce. By doing this, individual employees and the organization at large can realize their ultimate goals of serving customers. Apple Inc. is a competitive global company in the communications and electronics industry. It is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of communications and media devices. It is also involved in the manufacture and distribution of digital music players and portable computers. The company has operations in different parts of the world. It has an elaborate international human resource management system. The current study addresses the element of international human resource management with regards to Apple Inc. Various aspects related to management of personnel in this organization are review ed. They include, among others, training of employees, deployment across the world, and return on investment. The author of this paper holds that effective management of human resource at Apple Inc. has contributed to the success of the organization. International Human Resource Management and Apple Inc.’s Experiences Components of Pre-Departure Training Overview. According to Avril and Magnini (2007), pre-departure training provides expatriates with the knowledge and skills required to survive following their immediate arrival at the destined country of work. Essentially, employees going to work in another country require information on various aspects of the host nation before they leave home. Some of the things they need to know include the culture and customs of the host country. They also need to be aware of the language and dress code appropriate to the new environment. In addition, international assignees need information on business etiquette in the new country (Avril Magnini, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International HRM: A Case Study of Apple Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Information on verbal and non-verbal communication, taboos, rules, decision-making techniques, and business management structures should be provided to international employees during pre-departure training. Culture and customs of the new country. Training on host country’s customs is essential in ensuring that the expatriates adapt to the local culture. It is noted that business operations would be negatively affected if the behavior patterns of the new employees conflict with the cultural expectations in the host country. For instance, a US citizen working for Apple Inc. may be deployed to Saudi Arabia. Such an employee should be aware of how Saudi nationals regard alcohol. In addition, female employees would be expected to conform to the societal expectations with regards to t heir dress code. Language. Language is an essential component of communication in international business. Expatriates and inpatriates require more than just basic knowledge on the host country’s language for effective execution of their assignments. In addition, they should be aware of non-verbal communication techniques. Such awareness would facilitate communication in foreign countries. Business etiquette in the new environment. Business etiquette may vary between countries. In some parts of the world, governments regulate business policies. For instance, such elements as tax policies, power distance, and human resource management may differ from one country to the other (Katz Seifer, 1996). An expatriate manager at Apple Inc. would be required to understand the variation of such policies. Failure to comply with the new rules and regulations would most likely jeopardize the operations of the corporation in the host market. Business management structures and decision-making techniques. Different countries adopt different approaches in relation to business structures and decision-making techniques. For instance, decision making in high-power distance cultures differs with that in low-power distance communities.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As such, a manager working for Apple’s branch in Korea should be aware of the best approach to adopt in directing employees. The same applies to a German employee working in Africa, where decisions usually come from the top management. Rationale for Utilizing the Pre-Departure Training Components Managers are expected to effectively handle employees from different cultural backgrounds. The ability of such managers as far as the employees are concerned affects the profitability of the company. People from different countries express their nationality and dress codes differently. The approach used by international assignees when dealing with certain problems may also differ. Such issues as the need to interpret actions and comments, predict behaviors, and resolve conflicts may arise. As a result, focusing on the various components of pre-departure training would harmonize Apple’s operations with the reality in the host country. Performance Assessment among Expatriates In troducing assessment. Assessing the performance of expatriates is a major element in international human resource management. The performance can be reviewed using a number of criteria. Such criteria include determining strategy implementation and attainment of competitive advantage. According to Caligiuri (1997), there are three criteria commonly used in evaluating expatriates. They include completion of foreign assignments, performance on the foreign assignment, and cross-cultural adjustment. The criteria apply to all employees irrespective of the operations of a particular organization. Completion of foreign assignments. It is an important behavioral measurement. It is used in reviewing the results of tasks assigned to foreign employees. Success under this criterion is determined by the ability of the employee to complete their assignment without seeking for transfer to another country (Caligiuri, 1997). Premature termination translates to failure in relation to the performance o f the expatriate. In most cases, premature termination occurs when the expatriate requests for transfer to home country before completion of the assignment. The assignee may also be requested to return home before they have completed their work. Cross-cultural adjustment. Adjustment to foreign culture also determines the success of the assignee (Caligiuri, 1997). Inability to adjust to the host country means failure in the assignment. Successful adjustment indicates that the employee is psychologically comfortable working and living in the new country. Adjusted assignees are comfortable with the local culture. On their part, maladjusted employees find it hard to survive in the new environment. The failed employees may prematurely terminate their assignments (Suutari Brewster, 2000). Performance on the foreign assignment. Multinational corporations expect their employees to adjust culturally and remain in their foreign posts. In addition, the expatriates are expected to successfully execute their assignments. According to Caligiuri (1997), a large number of maladjusted foreign employees fail to achieve the envisaged outcomes in their work. There are various measures of performance with regards to foreign assignments. They include establishing working relationships with the locals. Others include transfer of information and the language and cultural proficiency of the foreign employee (Caligiuri, 1997). The measures are in relation to the benefits of expatriates to the multinational corporation. Recruitment and Selection Strategy for Apple Inc.’s International Assignments According to Suutari and Brewster (2000), international assignments entail three discrete phases. The first is the pre-assignment stage. It involves the selection and preparation of employees for deployment. The second is the ‘actual’ assignment. It involves the ‘actual’ stay of the expatriate in the new country. The last is the post-assignment stage. It is als o commonly known as repatriation. Recruitment and selection of expatriates is a multifaceted process. It takes into account both personal characteristics and interpersonal skills. Caligiuri (1997) postulates that most international organizations use knowledge of company systems and technical competencies in the selection process. The strategy is the most suitable recruitment and selection criteria for Apple Inc. It is noted that measuring relevant cross-cultural and interpersonal abilities is a difficult task for many organizations. In addition, most expatriate postings rely on personal recommendations. Such recommendations are derived from either line managers or specialist personnel (Suutari Brewster, 2000). As such, Apple should rely on the proposed recruitment and selection policy. The strategy would reduce chances of failure in the assigned job. Staffing Alternatives for Foreign Operations There are several approaches used in resolving the issue of human resource in relation t o international assignments. The strategies include ethnocentric and polycentric staffing approaches. Others are regiocentric and geocentric staffing strategies (Dowling, Welch Schuler, 2004). The ethnocentric approach involves filling all the key positions in the organization with local experts. The polycentric approach, on the other hand, proposes the use of host country’s nationals in managing subsidiaries. However, in this approach, key positions in the corporation’s headquarters are held by nationals of the parent country (Dowling et al., 2004). The regiocentric approach is a mixed staffing strategy. Here, executives are transferred between regions. Operations of the company are divided according to geographical regions. Apple should adopt the geocentric policy to address its staffing needs. The approach disregards the nationality and location of the candidate. It is appropriate for Apple Inc. since the corporation has a vast international experience and a global structure that is well developed. Importance of a High Quality Mentoring System for International Assignees Mentorship refers to a form of developmental relationship. In this case, an experienced employed assists less experienced members of staff in performing their tasks. The mentors can function as guides in the exploration of career interests. They provide support to international assignees deployed by multinational organizations. Mentoring systems for expatriates can be formal or informal. The former describes established procedures and specified targets. The latter, on the other hand, is initiated whenever the assignees seek advice from their superiors or from external professionals. A high quality mentoring system is very important to any multinational organization. It determines the success or failure of foreign employees. In most cases, the programs provide the management with an opportunity to support the assignees. The support is especially important during departure or r epatriation phases of the assignment. As such, the programs are powerful means of strategically retaining valuable employees with international experience. High quality mentoring programs also help the employees to adjust to their new environment. It improves their productivity and overall performance in their new posts. In addition, the programs provide continuous communication on changes in the company and the state of affairs back at home. As a result, the expatriates can effectively cope with transfers, expatriation, and repatriation. The current global economic meltdown has led to cost constraints in most organizations. As such, it is important for organizations to have the right people at the right place. High quality mentorship programs are very essential in the management of talent and employees. To this end, Apple Inc. employees should always have a mentor irrespective of their position in the foreign country. The mentors should supervise the assignee with a view to support their development. They should assist the new employee for a given period of time. Prior to the assignment, the employee must undergo an extensive pre-departure training. The training will help them settle down in the host country. Measuring Return on Investment in International Assignments Every business undertaking requires a mechanism to determine its subsequent return on investment. The same applies to international assignments in multinational organizations. The companies should analyze the profitability or importance of international assignments to the parent organization. Studies conducted with the aim of measuring return on investment with regards to international human resource have focused on numerical results of foreign deployments. In most cases, the costs and returns associated with the investment are used to determine its profitability (Caligiuri, 1997). To determine Apple Inc.’s return on investment, one should take into consideration a number of factors. The various aspects of international human resource management would help in assessing the profitability of foreign employees. The factors include identification of the assignment’s purposes, cross-cultural training costs (Dowling et al., 2004), and compensation. In addition, performance management and repatriation outcomes should be factored in. Calculation of return on investment would eventually be ascertained by analyzing the financial and non-financial costs and benefits of the venture. The costs and benefits are then linked to the expenditure incurred with regards to the assignment. Conclusion International human resource management differs with domestic management of employees in several ways. Managing employees at the international level is characterized by different labor markets, varying management practices, and dynamic labor laws. Economic and other cultural barriers make international management of human resource a complex affair. Managing international employees may differ from one organization to the other. However, according to this author, the underlying principles are similar in all organizations. As a result, effective management of assignees and their related assignments is a major determinant of the success of these international ventures. References Avril, A., Magnini, V. (2007). A holistic approach to expatriate successes. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 19(1), 53-64. Caligiuri, P. (1997). Assessing expatriate success: Beyond just â€Å"being there†. New Approaches to Employee Management, 4(1), 117-140. Dowling, P., Welch, D., Schuler, R. (2004). International human resource management: Managing people in a multicultural context (4th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Southwestern College Publishing. Katz, J., Seifer, D. (1996). It is a different world out there: Planning for expatriate success through selection, pre-departure training, and on-site socialization. Human Resource Planning, 19(2), 32-47. Suutar i, V., Brewster, C. (2000). Making their own way: International experience through self-initiated foreign assignments. Journal of World Business, 35(4), 417-436. This essay on International HRM: A Case Study of Apple Inc. was written and submitted by user Ramon A. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Notebook essays

The Notebook essays The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is a very believable story with believable conflict throughout. The main conflict is Allie having to decide if the love and passion she had for Noah as a teen was still there and if it was stronger than the love she had for her fianc, Lon. But I also want a happy ending without hurting anyone. And I know that if I stayed, people would be hurt. I wasnt lying when I told you that I love him. He doesnt make me feel the same way you do, but I care for him.... She knew who she loved more; there was no doubt, but what would the people that she cared so much about think if she chose to be with Noah? ...I wanted two things. First, I want you. I want us. I love you and I always have... The conflict makes this story move along. Dialogue is used in The Notebook to make the story more believable, also. The dialogue is very realistic. It sounds like a normal, flowing conversation with real emotion. Do you love Lon? Yes, I do. I love him, too. Dearly, but in a different way. He doesnt make me feel the way Noah does. No one will ever do that, her mother said, and she released Allies hand. The dialogue makes you feel as if you are a part of the story. It is heartfelt and clever. The point of view in The Notebook is third-person omniscient. The author lets you know what the characters are thinking or feeling through dialogue and thought. Nicholas Sparks paints a picture with his dialogue almost as well as he does with his Imagery. Imagery is a key element in this story because it keeps you entertained. It paints a picture for you to see in your mind. Peaceful silence descended on them. An osprey cried somewhere in the distance. A mullet splashed near the bank. The paddle moved rhythmically, causing baffles that rocked the boat ever so lightly. The breeze had stopped, and the clo...

The Write to Santa Program in Canada

The Write to Santa Program in Canada More than 6,000 Canada Post volunteers, both staff, and retirees help the Jolly Old Elf with Canada Posts Write to Santa program. Every year, over a million children from all around the world, take advantage of the program by writing to Santa and receiving a personal reply. Letters are answered in the language in which the letter was written, including Braille. Requirements for Letters to Santa Via Canada Post All mail should include a full return address so Santa can answer. Be sure to mail your letter so it gets to Santa before December 14.  Santas mailing address is: Santa ClausNorth PoleH0H 0H0Canada No postage is required for letters to Santa from Canada. However, from other countries, you will need to mail them with the appropriate postage for your country to deliver the envelope to Canada where Santa and his helpers can receive it and reply. Canada Post asks parents to make sure letters to Santa do not include treats for Santa, like cookies. For the fastest delivery to Canada from other countries, its best to use standard sized envelopes and ensure you have placed the correct postage. Santa does not have an email address, according to Canada Post. You will need to send him paper mail. Receiving a Reply From Santa If you send your mail from Canada by early December, you should receive a reply in the mail by December 14, according to Canada Mail. If you dont get a reply, send another letter before December 14. Mail sent by December 14 should have a reply back to your child by December 24. Replies to other countries may take longer as they are dependent on the delivery by the mail systems of those countries.   Getting Creative With Your Childs Letter to Santa Santa and his helpers are happy to see your childs wish list. But you can enliven your letter with pictures, drawings, funny jokes, and stories telling about your childs favorite games, sports, friends, pets, and other details. This helps  brighten the mail and make it easier for Santa and his elves to craft a personal response that will delight your child. It can be a fun experience to help your child write the letter and explore what excites them and what they find most interesting in their lives. Tips for Teachers In order for Santa to write the best letters, his elves need some information about each child. Teachers may check with Media Relations at Canada Post to find templates and checklists to complete a class package of letters to Santa. Yearly requirements and tips are often released in mid-November.   To make sure your students get a response before schools and daycares break for the holidays, mail your classroom letters by December 8. Note that this date may change from year to year, depending on where weekends fall and the volume of letters experienced.

Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Exam - Assignment Example You will NOT be able to save the exam and return to it at another time; you must complete it in one attempt. Be sure to submit it when you are finished! If you have any questions about aspects of the exam, please take note of these and you are welcome to e-mail me after you have completed the exam. Further, if there are any exam questions that are unclear, please take note of these as well and I will ask about this in the class. Often when a hazard event occurs, other hazards are triggered by the initial event. These are known as secondary hazards. Which of the following is an example of a hazard that can potentially follow wildfires? A wildfire that caused over $4.4 billion (unadjusted) damage and burned a significant amount of tropical rain forest for which loss calculations were attempted in terms of impacts on global carbon contributions occurred in which place? c. Create an emergency plan for you and your family, which particularly includes arrangements for contacting one another in the face of a disaster, but does not necessarily address school and work situations. Wildfires are a relatively common hazard throughout the U.S., occurring every year and in various regions. There is a distinct seasonality to this threat, although it is possible to have an event outside of the season. Which best describes wildfire season in Colorado? We have talked about how important risk communication can be in saving lives and reducing injuries. Which of the following statements BEST describes the role of risk communication in reducing the hazard threat to people? d. The urban-wildland interface is not of particular concern when considering wildfires because so many places are now creating and enforcing building codes that reduce the threat of fire to buildings. While the focus of this class is on hazards geography and geography is one of the main disciplines contributing to hazards research, many disciplines actually contribute directly to

Organization Culture Development and Success of the Organization Essay

Organization Culture Development and Success of the Organization - Essay Example The intention of this study is organization culture as a USP or â€Å"Unique Selling Point† of a firm that differentiates itself from its counterparts. Organizational culture means the way human resource in an organization acts and performs its duties. The culture in an organization is usually developed by top leadership which is translated to the production workers or managers at the lower level of the hierarchy. Any organization that fails to develop a unique culture fails to communicate its value to its customers and hence loses its vividness in the eyes of its customers. In the 21st, the concept is more important than ever before because of the intensive competition by firm. Not only the firms in the same country are fighting for a same job, but outsourcing has included the foreign firms also in the fight for a job that comes to the market. In the midst of so heavy competition, it has become increasingly important for firms to â€Å"Break through the clutter†. No fi rm can break through the clutter or become vivid unless it has something other than that the conventional competition is offering. Many firms, as a result, have increased their focus on organizational culture. Many are trying to develop a culture that will help them gain an edge over their competition. Organizational Culture, apart from helping an organization in all of these, also help helps an organization in developing the ideal characteristics of its workforce overtime without having to incur the heavy training expense that also entails loss of productivity and may lead to boredom and job turnover. It is also suggest by organizational behavior experts to develop a long term strategy based on an organizational culture in order to achieve firm’s targets and goals. The long term strategy can be supplemented by incorporating several training regimes that are used to make sure that the organizational culture has been properly engraved into the conscience of the workers and eve ryone in the organization is following the same culture that is yielding synergy and resulting in achievement in difficult tasks and goals which are not possible unless everyone in the organization is following the same culture. (Jin, Drozdenko, & Bassett, 2007) Organizational Culture leads to more efficiency in the organization. In fact, organizational culture improves the efficiency because it gives the sense of direction to employees and tells them how they are supposed to act in a variety of situation. This reduces their response time and helps them focus on the customer satisfaction more that leads to very satisfactory results. This increases organization wide efficiency of the human resource and all the staff in the organization allocates more time to core competencies. This also increases job satisfaction which leads to customer satisfaction and towards profitability of the organization. (Denison & Mishra, 1995) Organizational Culture also affects the knowledge management pra ctices of an organization. Knowledge management is extremely important for an organization as concluded by Toyota Motor Company, UNIX, Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz. One cannot imagine an organization to achieve success if it does not pay any heed to the technology development and knowledge management flows within the organization. It is extremely difficult to assume the success of the organization without the technology factor playing its part. Hence, indirectly organizational culture plays an important role in the development of an organization and its technology management and knowledge management practices which are now considered vital for the success of the organization. So much so that even the large organizations are making their old staff who seemed incompatible to technology are training them to make them work on the technology of the new era. Of course all of this is not possible without organizational cu

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay The characters of the King and the Duke are most likely the most important after Huck and Jim in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. These two men come into Hucks story in chapter nineteen when he leaves the Grangerfords, a family who is fighting a continuous and everlasting war against their neighbors, the Shepherdsons. Huck sees the King and the Duke being chased by some dogs, and he decides to take them aboard the raft, which Huck and Jim are using to travel down the Mississippi River. Huck eventually realizes that the two men that he helped are con artists. Towards the end of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the two phonies are tarred and feathered by a mob who was finally able to catch them. The punishment of the Duke and the King was suitable because the scams they performed were sickening, and they obviously were not bothered by what they did. Mark Twain shows his disrespect for the two imposters through Hucks first impression of them, and how he reacts to the small scams they carry out. The appearance of the King and the Duke is negative from the moment he sees them. His impression of the King is that He had an old battered-up slouch hat on, and a greasy blue woolen shirt, and ragged old blue jeans britches stuffed into his boot-tops, and home-knit galluses? no, he only had one. He had an old long-tailed blue jeans coat with slick brass buttons flung over his arm, and both of them had big, fat, ratty-looking carpet bags. (Page 120) This impression The two of them go on to make up stories how one is actually the Duke of Bridgewater and that the other is the rightful King of France. Huck later comments that It didnt take me long to make up my mind that these liars warnt no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds. (Page 125) The next day, the Duke and the King go into the town of Pokesville, where they go to a town meeting in the woods. The King tells the people at the meeting that he is an ex-pirate of the Indian Ocean who has found his true path and wants to dedicate his life to converting other pirates to this true path of life. Everyone cries for him, and he ends up collecting $87. 75 for this scam and a jug of whiskey. Another time, the Duke decides to perform a low comedy to the people of Pokesville called the Royal Nonesuch. At the bottom of the handbill, it says that women and children are not admitted, in attempt to get a large group of men to come. The people feel cheated because the Duke and the King only act a small skit and then leave. The following two nights, the show is sold out but on the third night, Huck realizes that the crowd has rotten eggs and cabbages stuffed in their pockets. He tells the Duke and the King, and they are able to escape with a total of 465 dollars. At supper, the king and the duke fairly laughed their bones loose over the way theyd served them people. (Page 152) The scams that the two frauds performed showed how low-down and rotten they actually were. Huck is hurt by the following two greedy cons that the King and the Duke pull off. The first was one where they found out that a man named Peter Wilks had died and they pretended to be his long lost brothers in order to steal the inheritance from the three Wilks daughters. They actually stooped this low just to gain some money. They only thought of themselves without even considering future of the girls who were relying on them to take them back to England and care for them. Obviously, the plan of the King and the Duke was that once they collected enough money, they would just abandon the three, orphan sisters. This was the reason that their plan failed. Once they received six thousand dollars in gold, they wanted to stay longer to make more money. Eventually, the real brothers of Peter Wilks came, and everyone realized that the King and the Duke were just impostors. Mark Twain showed his disgust for these men through Huck when he said, It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race. (Page 162) Another instance in which the Duke and the King displayed their gluttony was when they sold Jim to Mr. Phelps in order to make forty dollars. Even after Huck and Jim had done so much to help the crooks, they stabbed them in the back. Then, Huck found out that they were going to the bar with the money they made from every scam and that they were getting drunk. This crushes Huck especially because he is so emotional and has such strong morals. After all this long journey, and after all wed done for them scoundrels, here it was all come to nothing, everything all busted up and ruined, because they could have the heart to serve Jim such a trick as that, and make him a slave again all his life, and amongst strangers, too, for forty dirty dollars. (Page 211) The reader really sees for the first time with the Wilks scam and what the Duke and the King did to Jim how dishonest they really are. The ending of the Duke and the King was appropriate because they were such horrible people. All the cons that they pulled off were more than enough for them to deserve a tar and feathering even though Huck did not believe so. Well, it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals, it seemed like I couldnt ever feel any hardness against them any more in the world. (Page 230) The King and the Duke had outraged every town in which they performed a scam. They had to run from the people and dogs following them before Huck and Jim helped them, after the Royal Nonesuch, they had to flee from the mob, and the mob at the town where they tried to rip off the Wilks, they were almost lynched. If they felt that they were brave enough to try to scam all those towns, they must have known that they would have to face the punishment if they were finally caught. The Duke and the King deserved what they got because they cared for no one but themselves. The tar and feathering that the con artists received was a reasonable punishment because they were so greedy, and in their actions they showed that they had no morals or conscience. What was even worse was that they used the money that they stole poorly. They went and wasted it all every time just to get drunk. They were also the reason for slowing down Huck and Jims adventure down the Mississippi River because they were forced to stay with the King and the Duke. The characters of the King and the Duke were despicable and self-absorbed.

The Love Poems of Rich, Marvell and Campion :: Adrienne Rich Andrew Marvell Essays

The Love Poems of Rich, Marvell and Campion Adrienne Rich’s â€Å"Twenty-One Love Poems,† which explore the nature of lesbian love, differ strikingly from classic love poems written by a man to a woman, such as Andrew Marvell’s â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† and Thomas Campion’s â€Å"There Is a Garden in Her Face.† Rich’s poems focus on the â€Å"us† aspect of love, the concept of two strong, yet imperfect women facing all oppositions together, while the love poems written by men are far more reverent, almost worshipful of their subjects. The lesbian poems have a sense of love being â€Å"real†, a connection based on far more than physical attraction, whereas the men’s poems focus on an idealized view of the woman: beautiful, pure, distant. The women in Marvell and Campion’s poems are lovely faà §ades, storybook figures without any real depth or imperfections. Perhaps the lesbian love poems could be seen as less eloquent, or less flawlessly romantic, bu t the romance in them is found in the genuine nature of the love. Rich is doubtlessly writing about experiences she has had, real people she has loved, whereas Marvell and Campion could ostensibly be writing about any beautiful, but otheriwse characterless, woman that they’ve seen. The stress that Rich places on the two members of the couple as equals is a striking contrast to Marvell’s and Campion’s poems, in which the female subject is placed on a pedestal and kept at a distance. There is little sense of a real-life relationship between the man and the woman. The men’s poems are mere descriptions of the woman and their love for her, with little discussion of how they interact, or how they may feel about her personality. Rich, however, creates an atmosphere of â€Å"us against the world†, writing â€Å"I touch you knowing we weren’t born tomorrow, / and somehow, each of us will help the other live, / and somewhere, each of us must help the other die† (Rich 237). Certainly, this discrepancy is at least partially a product of the different eras in which the poems were written; Campion and Marvell were writing in the 16th and 17th centuries, respectively, while Rich’s â€Å"Twenty-One Love Poems† was written in the mid-1970’s. Victorian and Elizabethan culture dictated that the woman be far more removed from the often vile realities of life – revered, but not seen as an equal partner in a relationship. Sexuality would not have been a topic to be openly discussed.

The Global Oil and Gas Industry Essay

Oil industry is a very complicated industry. Oil is very valuable and needed in every aspect of life. The world economy depends on entirely. This industry has gone through many challenges in history. It began as early as 15th century. During early years, there were firms that specialized in producing, refining and selling the oil products. These firms enjoyed monopoly. Later on, states decided to take ownership of the oil fields. The oil supply chain is composed of three levels. There is upstream that is involved with the exploration and production of oil. There is midstream that is involved with storage and transport of the crude oil. Then there is downstream that is concerned with refining the crude oil into its constituents and then distributing them o the consumers. At all these levels, many actors are involved.The key actors are the government and the oil companies. The three main types of oil companies are the integrated oil companies, the national oil companies and the indepen dent companies. Politics has a direct effect on the oil supply chain. Wars also impact the oil industry negatively. Key words: Oil Industry, world economy, oil supply chain, actors in the oil industry, politics and war, Oil is a very crucial resource in the world (Inkpen, 2010, 1). Undoubtedly, it is the only resource that runs the world economy according to Inkpen (2010, 3). There is no economic activity that would run without it. Consider transporting of goods and services from one place to another. Oil must be available for the transport to take place. Consider the heavy machines that are used in factories in the process of manufacturing of products for sale. It is a fact that all these machines would stop running in the absence of oil. It is sensible to state that there is nothing that can remain stable in the absence of oil. In other words, the whole world would literally come to a standstill without oil. In other words, because of its importance, the entire world is affected by anything that concerns oil. In the oil supply chain, main actors play a part. These actors are encountered from the point of oil exploration to the point of oil processing and consumption. They control many aspects of the oil. Besides, they make important decisions regarding oil. Their decisions have far reaching consequences even at the level of the consumer. Historically, oil resource has been subjected to stringent control by these powerful actors. In this paper, the historical background that surrounds actors in the oil supply chain as well as the future of the oil industry is brought to light. History             Oil has been used over a longlong time. It started being used in 15th century. Its management has undergone numerous changes over time. Initially, oil sector all the way from exploration to processing was done privately by companies. Slowly by slowly, the national government started getting engaged in the matters of the oil sector and taking a share of ownership of the sector. Presently, national governments have taken over the control of oil resource. Oil fields have been classified as sate resource and, therefore, should benefit the government. It is worth noting that the struggle to achieve the principle of state power over the oil resources has not been a simple one. In Mexico, the state managed to claim state ownership of oil fields in 1917. In addition, it was able to gain autonomous control over the same in 1938. The UK prepared an Act called Petroleum Act of 1934. It is this Act that provided the guidelines for reclaiming oil resources into state ownership .However, in the US, the process of converting oil fields into state owned resources has been slow. In the recent past, the state allowed private individuals to have absolute control over the oil fields if they were within their territory. The state only owned what was present in the federal land. Nevertheless, this has changed because as at present, the state has taken over the ownership of oil fields and converted them to state properties. Ownership of oil fields notwithstanding, transport, distribution and processing of oil has undergone tremendous changes. Strong organizations have come up to control the entire supply chain of the oils. In simple terms, production and supply of oil has created a very sophisticated network. Political shades also crown the industry. Powerful actors control this fundamental resource. Therefore, oil industry is a very dynamic industry (Inkpen, 2010, 1). Actors in the Oil Industry             There are many actors in the oil industry. These actors are responsible for everything that happens in the oil industry. They are in charge of oil exploration, oil excavation, distribution and even refining before reaching the final consumer. It is important to state that the same actors also are involved in setting up prices for the oils. They control the volume of supply as well as its reliability. They dominate the upstream, the midstream and the downstream of the supply chain. At the upstream, the activities taking place are exploration and production of the oil. At the midstream level, the main activities taking place are storage and transportation of the oil. The downstream level of the supply chain is characterized by refining of the oil, distribution and consumption. The actors are mainly the states and powerful firms. These actors are powerful and the decisions that they make have far reaching consequences. They include the states that exercise their powe r as landlords of the oil resources in the nations that produce it, as champions and as regulators. They mostly dominate the upstream level of oil supply chain. Firms play a part in the integration of the oil resources. Usually, they are created by the oil producing state or states that are main importers of oil. They can also be formed by representatives from several states that share a common element such as oil production. Firms mostly dominate the midstream level of oil supply chain where they exercise their power on the storage and transport of crude oil. They also exercise power at the downstream level where they control refining processes, distribution and prices for the end consumer. In short, the oil supply chain is a very complicated network. This network has brought nations together because of shared common goals. In the subsequent paragraphs, each actor in the oil supply chain is analyzed and its impact in the supply chain assessed. States as oil landlords             It has already been stated that national governments are in control of oil resources. These states are especially those which are principle producers of oil. Some of the states that have autonomy in the oil sector are UK, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Mexico among others. These states are interested in generating revenues for the government. They set conditions under which the firms that will operate within their territory abide to. For instance, in the UK, the national government, through the Crown, issues licenses to firms that are interested in the search and production of oil and gas. The state has absolute power in deciding who to access the oil resources with regard to domestic and foreign firms. Political dimensions and considerations have a great role to play. The state also gives directions on which resources are available and which should not be accessed. In addition, the state determines the impact of resource extraction to the environment and gives an appro priate direction. It has the power to halt a process that has already begun if it is deemed that the negative impact in the environment cannot be controlled. It is also the role of the state to determine what the government stands to gain in any deal with a firm. It also champions local employment. In a nutshell, oil resources in the world within national territories are subjected to national political considerations in that nation. Therefore, oil firms have to contend and sing to the tune of the oil-producing states. Similarly, states that import the oil must create a good rapport with the exporting state in the political sense. States as national champions             States also participate in National Oil Corporations as investors. Most of the top class oil companies are owned by state. These national oil companies dominate the world oil reserves and production. They are involved in determining the volume of oil production by the state. States opted to getting involved in the oil companies in order to make their oil companies have a superior bargaining power internationally. For example, in the Middle East, the government found it necessary to participate actively in the oil companies in order to survive in the international competition by the international companies. In 1972, Iraq made Iraq oil company a national company. Moreover, OPEC ruled that the governments in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE should have at least 25% share in the oil companies. With time, the shares rose and by around 1980, they were 100% (meaning that the national government had taken over the oil company). These are just a few examples to show how states have decided to dominate the oil sector at all points. As far as exporting is concerned, national oil companies have a greater bargaining power. They can also access a wider market than private companies. Thus, it is to the benefit of the exporting country to consider nationalizing oil companies. In addition, states that import oil have national oil companies. Nations like South Korea, India and China have expanded their national oil companies overseas so that they can have access to the oil reserves easily. It is important to note that national oil companies in the importing states have an upper hand when it comes to striking deals with the exporting states. Hence, there is every need for these national oil companies. The deals that are struck at the level of national oil companies are very strong. Furthermore, nationalizing oil companies has helped stop unhealthy competitions among the oil companies. States as regulators             States also play a role as regulators in the oil sector. They set and impose conditions regarding oil production as well as consumption. It is the duty of the government to ensure that oil production does not compromise the environment to the extent that the lives of the people are endangered. For instance, pollution should be kept in check at all cost in the course of production. Furthermore, the rights of the consumer should not be compromised. The government should not watch passively as consumers get exploited by the business people. Moreover, the state imposes taxation on the oil products hence influencing the prices of these products. This way, the government can get revenue from the sales of the oil products. Through taxation, the state regulates the rate of oil consumption. The state also sets regulations and conditions that are meant to protect the rights of the workers. This is a fundamental role of any caring government. Its people should be respected. These conditions are imposed on the firms that are operating within the borders of the state. In short, the government sets out conditions on whether a firm will set out to explore for oil and under which conditions. This influence on the production of oil gives the state an upper hand in as far as its oil resources are concerned. Coupled with political objectives, the state can impose restrictions on the oil companies operating both within the boundaries and overseas. For instance, the US government suspended all dealings with Libya until 2004 over allegations to links to terrorism. Therefore, oil companies in the US could not operate at all in Libya. Similarly, the US government has restricted any of its companies from dealing with Sudan. The Major Industry Players Integrated Oil Companies             Integration is very important in the oil sector. One of its key benefits is to ensure uninterrupted oil supply (Inkpen, 2010, 5). Also integration reduces price fluctuations. The reason for this is that integration helps companies achieve economies of scale and attain geographical diversification. The economy of scale is achieved since there is less competition. Also the market is favorable. In addition, there are fewer fluctuations in prices and this makes the firms stable. They can make better predictions and forecasts in the market. Without the integration, there would be stiff competition that would drive some companies out of market. Geographical diversification is looked at in two aspects. First, the sources of oil are diverse. That means that there are numerous geographical locations where oil is sourced. Integration makes it easy to aces all the locations. Secondly, the consumers of the oil are diversified in terms of geographical location. Integration mak es it easy to reach all these customers. Firms like Exxon, Shell and Total have made their mark in the world. Others are BP, Chevron, ConocoPhilips and ENI. Together, they are referred to as the â€Å"Seven Sister†. They are among the largest world’s companies. They are the largest in terms of both capitalization and array of products that they produce. These firms have direct control at the upstream level and the downstream level of the oil supply chain. They have too much of influence regarding the oil prices. Nationalization of the upstream sectors of oil supply chain curtailed their influence at that level. However, their dominance downstream has not been shaken. Besides these giants in the oil industry, state-owned companies also play a part in the network. They are large companies that are involved with the production, refinery and sales. Their strength is measured in terms of the refinery capacity and the volume of sales. These firms are, therefore, critical in the oil supply chain. National Oil Companies             These are new in the industry according to Inkpen (2010, 7). They have taken over the oil market and grown in leaps and bounds. They are ranking in top ten in the oil sector. These companies have the support of the government. They are not affected by the local politics. In addition, they are getting priority when it comes to carrying out explorations, production and distribution of oil products in the country. They also enjoy an upper hand in negotiations. Upstream independents             This is another category of actors that are involved in the oil industry as part of the oil supply chain. They are referred to as upstream independents because they do not own any assets downstream (Inkpen, 2010, 8). They are concentrated at the production level and their work ends there. These actors have helped remove the monopoly of the oil industry giants. In addition, due to their activeness, they have led to increased oil production. They have explored more and more sources of oil. These are actors that are actively involved in exploration of oil in Africa. For example, Tullow Oil is one of the largest oil companies that is independent working in Africa. The US government is strongly encouraging these independent companies to continue with their work because they are helping increase the world oil capacity. With the increase in the oil volume, the prices of the oil products remain low and the consumer can access it affordably. It is important to state that t he independent oil companies are gaining ground so fast at the upstream level. It appears that in the near future, explorations and production of the oil may be their domain. The consumer will benefit with an increase in the oil production because not only will it be affordable, both frequent oil crisis will be a thing of the past. Oil crisis causes escalation of the prices of all other products even those which are basic for human survival. However, the independent oil companies may not compete favorably with the state-owned companies due to capital restrictions. Nevertheless, their impact is being felt. Their contribution in the oil industry cannot be underestimated. Problems facing the giant oil companies             There are two major problems facing the giant oil firms. First, they are finding it difficult to survive in the prevailing conditions. The emergence of companies that are owned by the state has been a great blow to them. These companies that are owned by the state are given exclusive rights by the state in terms of exploration and production of oil as well as getting support to carry out downstream activities which include refinery and distribution. They are financially stable. They are not affected adversely by the political objectives. The second problem is that the giant firms are losing grounds to the independent companies’ oil production. Since these firms had heavily invested in the oil production sector, they are presently running into losses. For any oil company to stand firm in the oil industry, it must have ability to locate new oil reserves. New oil reserves serve to replace the exhausted oil reserves that have been used in the previous production. The ability of the company, whether integrated or independent, to acquire new reserves is a measure of its commercial strength. For the integrated firms, this ability has diminished. The fact that there are restrictions imposed by the states on foreign firms accessing their oil reserves makesit even harder for the integrated oil firms to replace their reserves. If the problem persists, it can reach a point that the firms can run out of business. Political dimensions also limit the ability of the integrated firms in acquiring new reserves. It is within the mandateof the state to control the firm’s activities within its territory. Therefore, state control, coupled with the domestic political atmosphere reduces the ability of the foreign integrated oil firms to grow. The se problems are likely to persist into the future and these giant oil firms are likely to surrender. The role of politics in the oil sector             Accessing oil reserves in another country is not an easy task. The National Oil Corporations, the integrated firms as well as the independent firm need to negotiate with the state from which they want to access the oil resources. The negotiations are to do with the terms and conditions of the access. Politics is at the core in these negotiations. Economic power of the firm is assessed in order to gauge the negotiation atmosphere. The state that has the resource plays hard to grant access to the foreign firms. Politics surrounds the negotiations. As the states restrict equity participation by firms that are foreign, the integrated firms and the National Oil Corporations are left with no choice but surrender. Oil sector and wars             Oil is a very precious commodity. It is an expensive commodity by the same measure. The reason why this is so is its scarcity. It is limited to some areas and absent in others. Those that are privileged to have this resource enjoy its benefits. Those that lack it remain to covet. Judging by its value, oil runs the economy of the world. There has been a series of wars intimated to be due to oil resources. In Nigeria, there was a civil war that was threatening to tear the country apart. The reason for the war was emanating from the poor management of the oil resources by this country. Sudan has already split into two nations. Currently, there is South Sudan and Sudan. The split resulted from an unending war due to oil resource that is in the country. Surprisingly, even after the split, the two nations are in quarrels. In Nigeria, the civil war that broke out in 1967 disrupted oil production greatly. The struggle was aimed at forcing Nigeria to acquire equity stakes in the foreign companies, such as Shell, that operated in Nigeria. Nigeria has achieved this goal but has not gained absolute control of the operations (Frynas and Mellahi, 2003, 8-11). These are a few illustrations to demonstrate that oil has been the cause of both civil and even international wars. Future of the Oil Industry             There are advancements that are taking place in the oil sector. New discoveries of oil reserves are making the sector thrive. However, as many oil reserves become available, the prices of the oil products will be going down. This will benefit the consumers. The producers of the oil will suffer losses due to low prices. It is a bitter truth on the side of the nations that rely on oil but good news to the consumers. There are negotiations that are being carried out between states. These negotiations are among the members of OPEC. They are looking for a solution to the decreasing oil prices. One of the options they are thinking of using is decreasing the amount of oil being produced in their countries. However, this is unlikely to happen because not all countries can agree to limit the quantity of oil produced. In addition, mergers and acquisitions are taking shape in the oil industry (Inkpen, 2010, 15).increased advancements in the technology make exploration and pr oduction of oil easier and faster according to Inkpen (2010, 15). Finally, advent of new and alternative sources on energy may reduce the dependence that is put on the oil as a source of energy. The national oil companies are likely to expand more. As the reserves get exhausted, it is likely to be harder in the future to do exploration (Inkpen, 2010, 17). Conclusion             Oil supply chain is a very sophisticated network. Many actors are involved in the activities that regard oil supply chain. The supply chain has three levels which include the upstream, the midstream and the downstream. At each level, there are many actors in charge. For a long time, integrated firms had had absolute control on all the aspects of the oil sector. Lately, National Oil Corporations that are supported by the states have emerged. These are becoming stronger than the integrated firms in the control of the oil production, refinery and distribution to the consumers. Besides, states have come out strongly to control this valuable commodity. First, the states have emerged as landlords and, therefore, owners of the oil resources. Secondly, they have emerged as the champions in the business taking part in the production and distribution of the oil products through National Oil Corporations. Thirdly, they have come out as regulators of the oil firms. They make conditions to be followed by the firms that work within their boundaries. The future of the oil sector is encouraging as more oil fields are being discovered by independent firms. References Frynas,  J.  G., &Mellahi,  K. (2003). Political risks as firm-specific (dis)advantages: Evidence on transnational oil firms in Nigeria. Thunderbird International Business Review. Inken. (2010). The Global Oil and Gas Industry. Bridge-Le Billion.(2012). Oil Capture. Flatau,  J. (2007). Supply chain analysis of olive oil in Germany. Giessen: ZEU. Groznik,  A., &Trkman,  P. (January 01, 2006 A case study of supply chain management in oil industry.).Iti 2006.. New York. Hull,  B. (2002). A structure for supply-chain information flows and its application to the Alaskan crude oil supply chain. Logistics Information Management.doi:10.1108/09576050210412639 Laftah,  Z., Aziz,  T.  Z., &Bogle,  I.  D. (2007).Identifying added value in integrated oil supply chain companies – a case study.doi:10.1016/S1570-7946(07)80151-9 Kaufmann,  R.  K., Dees,  S., & Mann,  M. (2009). Horizontal and vertical transmissions in the US oil supply chain. Energy Policy. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2008.09.052 Source document

Book Review of A National Party No More

The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat by Zell Miller In A National Party No More Senator Zell Miller writes a non-fiction book that is something of a memoir of his political life as a lifelong Democrat and as well as being a diatribe against the Democratic Party. In 2002 the Democratic Senator Paul Coverdell from Georgia died suddenly and the Georgia Governor Roy Barnes asked Zell Miller to fill in until November of that year and then to run for the position to serve the time remaining in the late senator's term of office. When Miller went to Washington D.C. he claims that he had hoped that he would find Washington to be â€Å"the place where great issues of the day are debated and solved, and great giants walk those hallowed halls.† Instead he discovered what Washington D.C. was not at all like he had hoped and this angered him â€Å"on behalf of Americans† (Miller 8). In his career Miller has served the State of Georgia as an administrator of a number of â€Å"vital agencies, as an assistant to two governors, as head of the State Democratic Party, as Lieutenant Governor, and then as Governor† (Miller introduction no page number). He also served in the Georgia State Senate from 1965-1969. He failed in his attempts to run for the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia. In addition Miller served in the U.S. Marine Corps and has taught at four different colleges. It is worth noting that the majority of these positions are executive positions not legislative positions so serving as Georgia's United States Senator put him into a relatively unknown form of government where he lacked extensive experience and none on the national level. It appears somewhat incongruous that a marine would be a lifelong Democrat since military personnel currently tend to lean toward the Republican Party. Although Miller served only three years in the Corps it is clear that his experiences affected him greatly because he has written a book Corp Values: Everything You Need to Know I Learned in the Marines.† Miller's book was occasioned by his experiences in the U.S. Senate beginning in 2000, in combination with his advanced age. Miller was born in 1932 according the reverse side of the title page. The book was published in 2003 so Miller was 70 or 71 at the time his book was published. This is certainly not an issue of itself, but one wonders if Miller would make the same claims he had entered the same Senate at the age of forty or fifty. Miller alludes to this when he writes that he has â€Å"arrived at a station in life where I hear the whistle of that moral policeman we all have to answer to . . .† (Miller 1). He takes the occasion to advise â€Å"members of my Democratic Party and other politicians who are so far out of touch with regular Americans to ‘shape up'† (Miller 2). This position, that tacitly assumes he is correct while other party members who disagree with him are wrong, is strongly reminiscent of an elderly gentleman on the brink of retirement who climbs on a soapbox to â€Å"straighten out† the next generation. This is not to say Miller does not make some good points, he just does not prove them nor give the reader sufficient information to determine if Mill is correct. The book suffers significantly because it has no notes, no bibliography and no index. Consequently the reader has no opportunity to check either the statements Miller makes as being either true or false. Many of his claims are supported by anecdotal evidence based on his memory of what happened throughout his career. Miller calls himself a Conservative Democrat, an unusual designation, but not an illogical one. Despite this he is known to have been a supporter of President George W. Bush and announced in 2003 that he would support the Presidents re-election. He spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2004 in support of the President. Such actions hardly indicate a lifelong Democrat. Miller criticizes the Democrat Party because the leaders, he claims, have ignored the opinions of Conservative Democrats in the South, about one-third of the U.S. population, and have told them to â€Å"go to hell† (Miller 9). He appears to assume that all Democrats in the South are Conservative Democrats because he is one and that they all agree with him. He fails to mention the non-conservative Democrats in the South and seems to assume there are none. Miller concludes the Democrat leadership disagrees with Southern Democrats on the critical issues of â€Å"capital punishment, late-term abortion (even with a lot of pro-choice people), trying juveniles as adults, national defense, and the teaching of values in school† (Miller 3). Miller's reasoning process is suspect for a variety of reasons. First, it is not clear that these are the critical issues, at least on a national level. Capital punishment has been left up to the states and should not be regarded as a national issue, as are abortion laws as long as laws do not restrict a woman's right to control of her own body. Trying of juveniles as an adult does not seem to be a national issue either nor should it be. The current system presumes juveniles will not be tried as adults unless there are significant overriding reasons for doing so. The decision of where to try a juvenile is judged on a case-by-case basis which is as it should be. As far as the teaching of values as a national issue, it is clearly an important issue that impacts people throughout the country, but the Federal Government has no basis to determine what values should be taught. Miller seems to have completely forgotten the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution that reserves to the states any powers not delegated to the federal government and not prohibited to the states shall be a state power. It is apparent that many of these critical issues are state issues. National defense clearly is a national issue, but federal taxes, the deficit, Medicare, and Social Security benefits are as well, but Miller doesn't mention these issues. Miller's has a rambling and folksy writing style that slips from story to story and slides from point to point in a chaotic fashion that defies linear analysis. He chooses his anecdotes by cherry picking stories that will reinforce his position even if they are not related to the Democratic Party; on page 145 Miller quotes The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Winston Churchill, and Rodney King on the same page in support of a chapter entitled â€Å"Give to Bigotry No Sanction.† Certainly a case can be made for citing Rodney King, but the other two sources were clearly not written in support of civil rights in the United States. To his credit Miller admits mistakes he has made during his career. He points out that during 1964 he had â€Å"proclaimed that there should be an ‘investigation of Communist infiltration in the civil rights movement.' What an idiot!† (Miller 143). This is remarkably refreshing given the current climate of politicians who consistently hide what they have done and deny they have done it until they are proven to have done it when they will admit and ask for forgiveness. On the other hand this begs the question as to just how much credence one ought to place in the writings of a self-proclaimed idiot. Miller claims that the Democratic Party no longer represents the majority of Americans and has become distinctly too liberal in relation to the United States' population as a whole. This is an interesting position. Miller does not claim the leadership is wrong on issues, just that they disagree with Southern Conservative Democrats such as himself. This leaves the possibility open that the leadership is correct and the membership is wrong, but Miller fails to allow for this possibility. If this proves to be the case, it appears that Miller is advocating that the Democratic Party concern itself, not with the correct solution, but with gaining power again. A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat is largely not successful. His conclusion has merit but his treatment of the issues is inferior. The lack of references is a major weakness that could be easily corrected. Miller's failure to move in a linear, logical fashion in favor of using a disjointed, episodic style greatly reduces the effectiveness of Miller's writing. Rather than being the scathing indictment he hopes to provide that will help the Democratic Party, Miller's book feels more like a farewell by a statesman whose party has evolved while he has not. His gloom and doom predictions for the Democratic Party made in 2004 proved him incorrect since the Democratic once again gained the majority in both houses. Although Miller makes some interesting points that have validity, his book should be read with circumspection. Works Cited Barnes, Fred. â€Å"Zell Miller Endorses Bush.† 29 Nov. 2003. The Daily Standard. 20 April 2007. Miller, Zell. A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat. Atlanta: Stroud and Hall Publishing, 2003. â€Å"Text Of Zell Miller's RNC Speech.†Ã‚   01 September 2004. CBS News. 20 April 2007   ;http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/01/politics/ main640299.shtml;.

the civil war1 essays

the civil war1 essays During the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865, over 620,000 accounted soldiers were killed. Known as the "the first modern war", historians generally agree that the reason for this was because this was a time of transition for the military. Armies and Navies were still using tactics where they would gather large forces of firepower to bear on the enemy. At the same time, weapons were being developed which were accurate and lethal well beyond any arms of the earlier conflicts. As a result of these two conditions many more casualties were sustained. Add to that the lack of medical knowledge of disease and infection and the numbers truly began to grow. This paper is an overview of the types of weaponry that was used during this time. Artillery generally falls into three basic categories; guns, howitzers and mortars. The main difference between them being the trajectory of the round fire. A gun has a high muzzle velocity and a very flat trajectory. Normally a gun is used in a direct fire mode where the target can be seen and penetration is desirable. Good targets for a gun would be things like brick or earth forts, ships, buildings, and targets in tree lines. Howitzers have a somewhat lower muzzle velocity and arc their shells onto a target. They are used in both a direct fire and indirect fire mode. Keep in mind with the limited range of the pieces available during the Civil War there was no indirect fire such as we know it today. Targets were generally always within the line of sight of the artillery men. This is especially useful when an enemy is concealed behind a prepared position or the artillery men desire to have a shell explode over an enemy's head. The air-burst does less damage to hardened targets such as masonry walls, and redoubts, but causes many more human casualties due to the shrapnel covering a large area. Mortars have a very pronounced arc of flight. They h...

Avon Company Product Analysis

Avon Company Product Analysis Avon is a cosmetic company created to conduct business on enhancing women’s beauty. This brand is now a global leader with massive growth and high revenues. Being the world’s largest direct seller, Avon has captured a large market in more than hundred countries with millions of the sales representatives across the globe. The product line of Avon is quite large in spatial extent; it includes beauty products, fashion jewellery, clothing etc. This brand is giving the grounds for expectation and is achieving the solid status in the market. Avon is transacting with many countries and selling their brands in the regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific (Avon Company, 2010) map-marketFigure 1. COMPANY BACKGROUND Avon was established in America in 1886 with distinctive approach of selling womens cosmetics with the name of Avon calling.This idea of business was initiated by David McConnell from newyork.The main merchandise of business was not perfum e and creams but at the age of sixteen mcconnell started to sell books through door to door selling.He found out he was not able to entice the consumers to buy the books so he initiated the campaign by offering free gifts as perfumes which he produced with the collaboration of the pharmacist.Subsequently this turned out to be an incentive that became a mainline product for avon and the books were abolished, paving the way for Avon cosmetics’ existence. The door to door selling was made specifically to specification and later by 1887 Mcconnell hired around 13 women representatives. Moreover with the passage of time the company began to grow and the name was changed from california cosmetic company to Avon Products, Inc. Presently it ranks first across the nation in cosmetic industry with high revenues. MACRO ENVIRONMENT PEST ANALYSIS POLITICAL As avon is based in U.S we have to focus on the realtionship between both UK and US which is uniquely close and they share enormous tra de and economic relations. Both are top trading partners of each other hence the business relations of both the countries are strong and have wielding power. Also the trade bonds and affiliations are strengthened (U.S foreign policy, 2010) Avon uses its websites to market its products worldwide they have to follow the copyright policy of the United Kingdom. UK Government recently came up with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) conditions in order to protect consumers which are buying online and have no direct control with the seller. These Regulations are only applied to the consumers that purchase goods or services from a business and not if it is business-to-business purchases, land sales, vending machine purchases, and purchases made via auctions. Whereas to give distinguishing characteristics to the company such as trademark, one needs to get legal documents which gives permission to do something. (IPO, 2010). Avon completely defends and shields its trade mark so the con sumers can shop without difficulty and with safety. (Avon products, 2002) No one is treated in a different manner on the basis of their genders, age and religion. Every Employee may it be a male or female engaged in business if does not get their rights and employers fail to equally balance them can be fired and dismissed

Identify the spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation evident in Essay

Identify the spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation evident in the ending of Frankenstein & its significance in the work as a whole - Essay Example I sickened as I read. ‘Hateful day when I received life’†! (126) Monster is the creation of human arrogance. A scientist, with his discovery, interferes in the work of God. He doesn’t realize how weak the human shoulders are to own this heavy responsibility. When humankind begins to utilize the freedom of thought and action graced by God improperly, tragic consequences are bound to happen. The scientist wishes to escape the responsibility to nurse the monster and it has no option but to turn destructive. Monster’s obsession is fully realized in the last chapter. Upon the death of Frankenstein, the monster exclaims, â€Å"That is also my victim! In his murder my crimes are consummated; the miserable series of my being is wound to its close† (211). The cycle or revenge and death have merged into eternity. The monster is now in a position to act as per its free will, even in choosing death. It has gained freedom of action. By birth, the monster is as innocent as any child. The moral dilemma in the story is on two counts. After i nterfering in the function of God, by creating the monster, Victor walks away from his responsibility of looking after it. Once the monster stands alive in front of him, insecurity seizes him and he runs for his life. Not caring for one’s offspring is a serious moral lapse. The encounters of the monster with the humankind end in chaos and frustration. Having denied love by its creator, it looks for solace elsewhere, only to be disappointed at every stage. This un-fructified love proves to be twice-cursed! By evading the monster and running to save his own life, Frankenstein ruins his life as well as that of the monster. The uncared for and neglected monster seeks revenge. This is the moral issue. The nature of the Gothic novel is, there should be a transgressor, and in the end, one should pay for the act of transgression. Victor pays for his