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

Coca cola - Essay Example One such brand that can be sold to people in having health benefits are product lines from the well-known Coca Cola Company, which boasts of more than 3,500 and continuously increasing number of products, and gains further brand strength due to its strong involvement with consumers through various media collaborations, well-established corporate social responsibilities, and continued expansion to many markets around the globe (The Coca-Cola Company, 2013). Coca-Cola’s placement in the security level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs comes as the result of combining a strong brand image along with health benefits apart from satisfying customers’ physiological needs such as food and water, which in turn gives it an edge over other food and beverage brands which may only advertise or give an impression of fulfilling basic physiological needs. While Coca-Cola may well be one of the well-established or the most-trusted brand targeting the customer demographic, various re asons for motivational conflicts or cognitive dissonance can arise among its customers. One of the biggest possible conflicts could happen to health-conscious consumers, who are fully-informed of the high-sugar content of most of the flagship carbonated drinks of the brand, as well as the use of artificial or alternative sweeteners originally-aimed at them. In addition, the issue of obesity among the said target demographic and even among consumers outside this group of people can also be affected in purchasing the product due to health reasons (e.g. physician instructions to reduce carbohydrate and sugar intake). These customers may become dissuaded to keep buying the product or reduce their consumption due to health reasons, despite being satisfied with their previous purchases, creating a conflict between their beliefs and what the product represents (Akers, 2013). Thus, while the brand may keep most of its loyal customers, other potential and past customers may not be easily sha ken to keep on buying or consuming the product as they once did before encountering motivational conflicts in its purchase. In order for the brand to keep afloat, it must be able to provide something for customers who become dissuaded as a result of conflicts between the product’s content and their rationalized choices (Akers, 2013). This can either be done through marketing of health-conscious choices in drinks, or alternatively creating a product line showing an image of health and wellness. One thing that marketers can do is to present all of its products to consumers through advertisements using images of health and wellness, although at present such strategies may not be effective in the long-run due to the rise in meticulous and thoughtful consumers. Another stronger option to increase sales and consumer involvement with the product is to create a product line that targets the health-conscious consumer demographic. Marketable products may include carbonated drinks but i nstead of using alternative sweeteners, the product has lesser sugar content than the original product. Another example of a product for the health-conscious consumer is a wide selection of natural fruit juices, which also has less sugar added in comparison to other competitor products. By adding alternatives to pre-existing choices health-conscious consumers have more options in buying their beverages within the Coca-Cola product line associated with lesser motivational conf

Report on NatWest Bank’s Creativity and Innovation Essay Example for Free

Report on NatWest Bank’s Creativity and Innovation Essay NatWest Bank is a member of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS Group). In 1968 National Provincial Bank (est.1833) and Westminster Bank (est.1836), fused as National Westminster Bank. Jointly, these banks could outline their history back down the centuries through a ancestry of influential constituents, since the 1650s. The declaration totally astonished the public, but to both banks the benefits were obvious the merger enhanced balance sheet strength, created opportunities to streamline the branch networks and enabled greater investment in new technology. The statutory process of integration was completed in 1969 and National Westminster Bank commenced trading on 1 January 1970, with the three-arrowheads symbol as its Logo of the company with 3,600 branches, established a wide range of new services, including the banks first credit card, Access, in 1972, and computer-linked cash dispensers, Servicetills, in 1976. Deregulation in the 1980s, culminating in Big Bang in 1986, also encouraged National Westminster Bank to enter the securities business. County Bank, the Groups merchant bank, acquired stockbroking and jobbing firms to create NatWest Investment Bank. In the mean time, the International Banking Division appeared to offer international banking services to large companies and to focus on expansion in the USA, the Far East and Europe. In the 1980s new services were developed such as telephone banking and touch- screen share dealing to assist the governments privatisation programme. The 1980s also saw the National Westminster Home Loans established in 1980 and the Small Business Unit in 1982. The Switch debit card extended the electronic transfer of money to point of sale in 1988. In the 1990s financial services markets world-wide underwent huge variations and in response the bank refocused its activities, exiting from a number of markets and adopting the title of NatWest. In March 2000, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group completed the acquisition of NatWest in a  £21 billion deal that was the largest take-over in British banking history. NatWest ranks fifth in the world and is now part of a financial services group which is the second largest bank by market capitalisation in the UK and in Europe. (NatWest 2006) Read more: Essay About National Westminster Bank Creativity and Innovation of the Bank: With granting a muscular competitive encourage to innovation, creativity and efficiency, it always attains lead on rival firms. Innovation is a driver of productivity growth. Novel products, processes and methods of working can relent efficiency gains and quality improvements not only within the innovating firm, but also within other firms that recap or institute on the innovation within their own firms. There are a number of reasons why the rate of innovation is likely to fall below socially optimal levels, and smaller innovating firms may face particularly severe barriers to innovation. The key constraints are: †¢ Limited access to risk capital: The informational impediments to free- functioning markets for SME finance were discussed earlier in this chapter, but it is particularly difficult for potential lenders or investors to assess likely risk and returns accruing to future research or to the implementation of unproven innovations. Newly-established innovating firms often m ake a loss and face severe cash-flow constraints in their early years. †¢Difficulties appropriating the full benefits of innovation: Whilst a competitive environment will provide the best general incentive for firms to innovate, firms need to be confident that they can reap the rewards of their innovation. This is why the intellectual property regime allows firms to prevent, for a limited period, their competitors from copying their innovations. This is a necessary reward for the costs of RD, and helps to encourage innovation. Nevertheless, the internal return to innovation may still be modest relative to the industry-wide benefits that arise once the innovation can be replicated by other firms. †¢ Inability to diversify risk: While larger companies may have a large portfolio of innovative activity, innovation in smaller firms may be concentrated on a single product or process, and the cost of undertaking the necessary RD may be very large relative to the overall financial assets of the company. Accordingly, where SMEs are risk-averse, they will be discouraged from investing in innovative activities with uncertain returns. Assembling the enterprise confront will rely on the innovation and creativity of entrepreneurs themselves, but the Government must also provide the right condit ions and the necessary support for successful enterprise. (Cosh and Hughes 2000) The NatWest Group has a total of 6 UK banking licences and licences from several other authorities. There are two principal costs linked with getting to the position where a bank is in a position to obtain and maintain its banking licence: 1) Implementing a reporting system that satisfies the requirements of the regulators. In addition to standard financial reports these would include implementing the systems to monitor and report capital adequacy, liquidity, credit risk, and interest rate risk etc. 2) Ensuring that there is the necessary infrastructure in place to satisfy individual regulatory requirements on operational areas such as money laundering, advertising and sales of financial products. There are also noteworthy sunk costs in coping with the provision of creativity infrastructure. To replace the existing branch and service centre network and administrative buildings is a major project in its own right and in addition to the costs of such physical assets, which are on the balance sheet it would be necessary to handle the stipulation of such facilities. Costs would also be involved in the provision of such items as HR policies, for example the sunk costs associated with setting up employee benefit programmes, such as pension plans, stock options, bonus schemes, car schemes, health care etc. The same tactic has been adopted and this turns up at an total expenditure of  £ [255] m. This is probably a conservative estimate. Over the period 1996 to 2000 NatWest incurred expenses of around  £ [13] bn in respect of its Retail Transformation programme, which was only a modification of part of its existing infrastructure rather than creation of a totally innovative one. (RBSG, 2002) NatWest depends entirely upon the qualities of innovation, and suffer more acutely from the rapidity of transform. Whether in presentation, writing, the visual arts or advertising, the progress of new ‘product’ is at the heart of all doings. Without this self- generated action, there is not anything to put up for sale. The sector therefore has a specific and challenging manufacturing process or value chain which, at each stage, demands different talents. At the raw development end of production (ideas generation, creating, training) there is a need for concepts, leading edge ideas and formulations, creativity, innovation and initiative customer orientation. Problem solving is paramount. At the moment of production (turning ideas into products, locations for production) – this first set of aptitudes is still important but must be supplemented by: _ï€  Intelligence, understanding of the market, industry foresight and strategic view; _ï€  Effective management o f resources; _ï€  Ability to develop and manage relationships with partners, explore new connections and collaborations with suppliers. The merger of the Royal Bank of Scotland (BoS) and Halifax to form HBOS resulted from increasing competitive pressures in the financial sector. Since about 1980, with the decline of heavy industries and growth of a service economy, like other clearing banks, BoS was obliged to expand further into small business lending and new retail products (e.g. residential mortgages, financial services, credit cards, etc.). Competition was exaggerated by banking deregulation, which led to the growth of a secondary banking sector, the transformation of many building societies (including Halifax) into banks, and new amalgamations into ever-larger banks (as cited in Leyshon and Thrift 1993). During this period there was increasing concern in the Scottish banking community about the potential for takeovers to erode a distinctive Scottish banking sector (as cited in Saville 1996: 717-40), which had been partly maintained by an historical ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between the English and Scottish banks to limit their presences in each other’s markets. In September 1999, BoS surprised The City of London by making a  £20.85 billion bid to take over NatWest Bank, in effect striking first in an environment where further bank mergers seemed inevitable. Many in the financial press were quick to point out that under these new terms, BoS and other Scottish banks could not expect to have the ir future ‘independence’ protected. In late November the Royal Bank of Scotland, BoS’s main competitor in Scotland, made a successful counter bid of  £25.1 billion. The City now anticipated a takeover of BoS, compelling BoS to keep pace with the Royal Bank. BoS and Halifax began merger negotiations in April 2001, and the new banking group, HBOS, began trading on the stock market on 10 September, 2001. The Halifax was the dominant partner in the merger, being about twice the size of BoS in terms of number of employees and market value at the time of merger, and supplying key organizational leadership, including the CEO. The core rationale of the merger was that it brought together Halifax’s substantial mortgage lending income and BoS’s expertise and placement in the corporate banking world to create new business opportunities for the merged organisation. It also saw the dislocation of BoS’s rather conventional, cautious and habitual banking ethos by the more modern, competitive and market driven ethos of the Halifax organisation. Thus the merger was experienced by staff as an encounter between two different corporate cultures, and two different national cultures, at the same time. By ‘the ideology of change’ it specifies an ideological condition that corresponds closely with Therborn’s conception of modernity. With this phrase I want to dire ct attention not so much to a set of ideas and beliefs about change, but more to a disposition, or attitude toward change. I mean to suggest a normatively charged attitude in which established ways of doing things are devalued and innovation and change is positively valued in principle, regardless of the particulars of any given situation. It is, in a sense, a ‘presumption of guilt’ in regard to the old, and ‘presumption of innocence’ in regard to the new. This attitude is deeply naturalised, so that the imperative and positive value of change is widely regarded as self-evident, and not easily questioned. Thus rather than the great social critiques and political programmes associated with the formation of modernity, I mean to invoke a routinized and normalized aspect of established modernity—seen in the way political parties and governments promote themselves through promises of reform, in the way corporations and public institutions are constantly restructuring in order to ‘modernize’ and keep pace with their competitors, and in the way consumer-citizens in capitalist society come to expect scientific and technological advances that will increase knowledge and improve commodities and services, while fashions in popular culture rapidly replaces one another. The ideology of change is mundane, relentless common sense. Some problems of ‘innovation and creativity’ lay with the organization and its leadershi p, rather than personnel, the exhortation to embrace change was ultimately being translated into a message of personal moral reform. In this way the ideology of change, while meeting resistance, percolated down to beleaguered selves seeking some greater purchase on their state of affiars. (Hearn 2006) HRM Strategic Milestones in NatWest: During 1990–91 County NatWest, an investment bank, asked all its business units, including its personnel department, to set up strategic milestones for a five-year period. Their performance was to be measured against those milestones at specified target dates. The requirement to produce strategic milestones as an input to the bank’s five-year marked an important watershed in defining the contribution of personnel to the business at a strategic level. It forced the department to reflect on the nature of that contribution. Senior management of the bank duly authorised 18 separate strategic milestones. The milestones were consistent one with the other, and overall addressed issues that consultation within business units and across the three personnel teams had shown to be critical to business success. Each milestone was assigned to a designated individual and was incorporated into his or her own targets of performance. Quarterly reviews on progress, involving the whole department, were subsequently held to ensure that the milestones were on target. The operational tasks that a centralised TD planning process involves seek to ensure that: TD considerations are taken fully into account when business strategy is formulated. They form part of a human resource plan within the wider business plan. At business unit/divisional level there are policies to ensure people are trained and developed in line with the needs of the business. At the individual level TD is an integrated part of daily routine and procedures, helping people to achieve performance standards and behavioral objectives and building up the kind of workforce needed in terms of productivity, quality and flexibility. TD staff operates a collaborative approach to planning at every stage in order to ensure a high level of buy-in from line management and other stakeholders. (Harrison 2001) Conclusion: NatWest Bank had recently a remarkable triumph over the competitors on November 15 2006 in the 12th Annual Convention- CCA Excellence Awards categorized for â€Å"Best Customer Focus: Financial Services† (details available on http://www.ccai.org.uk/events). The Bank is the second giant bank in the entire Europe (after Deutsche Bank) and incredibly progressed in a very short span of time (as discussed in the historical background). NatWest’s creativity and innovation â€Å"line of attack† led the bank to the stature of success. Chinua Achebe (1930 ), Nigerian novelist, poet, and essayist rightly says: â€Å"Contradictions if well understood and managed can spark off the fires of invention. Orthodoxy whether of the right or of the left is the graveyard of creativity†. (Anthills of the Savannah) References NatWest; A History, (2006), NatWest Bank, available on http://www.natwest.co.uk/aboutus.htm/ accessed April 29 2007. Cosh and Hughes, (2000), Tackling Market Failures, British Bankers Association. Jonathan Hearn, (2006), National Identity, Organisational Culture, and the Ideology of Change in Scotland, BSA Annual Conference, Scottish Study Group. Rosemary Harrison, (2005), Producing and Implementing LD Strategy, CIPD Publications. Appendix A: NatWest Glossary AER Annual Equivalent Rate. This shows what the interest rate would be if interest were paid and added to your account each year. APR Annual Percentage Rate. The interest payable on what youve borrowed is added up along with other charges (e.g. arrangement fees) and then expressed as an annual rate of charge. The APR helps you compare the true cost of borrowing, for example for a mortgage. The APR takes into account all fees and charges applied to the mortgage as well as the monthly payments over the life of the loan. arrangem ent fee a fee to cover administration. arrears money that was due to be paid but has not been paid. When you are behind in payments, you are in arrears. assets your money, property, goods and so on that have a financial value. assurance a policy that you pay for, and that pays money to your next of kin when you die. bankers draft a cheque drawn on the bank (or building society) itself against either a cash deposit or money taken directly from your own bank account. A bankers draft is a secure way of receiving money from someone you dont know and where a cash is inconvenient. Bankers drafts are commonly used for large purchases such as homes and cars. base rate the interest rate from which lenders set their rates for lending and savings products. Its usually based on the base rate set by the Bank of England. capital money that youve invested or borrowed (e.g. to buy a home). It doesnt include the income or profit you get from an investment, or the interest you have to pay on a loan or mortgage. CHAPS Clearing House Automated Payment System. This is a system that enables money to be transferred from one bank account to another on the same day. chip and PIN a system to reduce card fraud. A chip and PIN card has a smart chip that holds your four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). When you pay in a shop with a chip and PIN card, youll be asked to enter your PIN into a keypad instead of signing a receipt. This PIN is the same number that you use to withdraw money at a cash machine. cleared balance/cleared funds includes credits (cheques and cash) that have completed the clearing cycle. You can only withdraw or transfer money to another account with money from your cleared balance. The cleared balance is updated during the day as you make payments into and out of your account. clearing cycle the process that your cheque goes through when you pay it into your account. A cheque wont be cleared if, for example, the person who gave it to you doesnt have enough money in their account. credit card allows you to borrow money to pay for goods and services without using cash or cheques. credit balance the amount of money in your account. credit limit the maximum amount of money that you may borrow. debit card allows you to pay for goods and services without writing cheques or using cash. The money is taken directly from your current account (you dont borrow the money as with a credit card). Some debit cards can also be used to guarantee cheques. debt an amount of money that you owe to a person or company. Direct Debit an instruction from you to your bank or building society allowing someone to take money from your account. The amount of money taken can vary, but you must be told the amounts and dates beforehand. Direct Debits allow you to pay bills automatically from your account on a regular basis. discounted rate a variable rate that is set at a fixed percentage amount below the lenders standard variable rate for a period of time. At the end of the period, the mortgage goes back to the lenders variable rate. EAR Effective Annual Rate. This is the amount of interest charged on an overdraft and is stated as an annual rate. Unlike the APR, the figure does not include any fees or charges. Equity (in property) the difference between how much your property is worth the balance of your outstanding mortgage and any other debts secured on the property. Equity release a way of releasing extra money by borrowing against the equity in your home. ERTF Exchange Rate Transaction Fee. This is a fee that you pay when withdrawing foreign currency from a cash machine or when paying for something in another currency (e.g. when youre on holiday abroad). The foreign currency is converted into pounds sterling (using the banks exchange rate) and a fee for doing this is added. fixed-rate interest an interest rate that stays the same throughout an agreed period. flexible mortgage a mortgage that allows you to make overpayments and underpayments on the mortgage without penalty, and, in some cases, to take payment holidays. gross the whole amount before any deductions (such as tax or fees) are made. gross interest rate interest before income tax is deducted. Insurance policy a policy that you pay for, and that pays money to you to cover possibilities such as theft, damage to property, loss and so on. interest the amount that you pay when you borrow money. Its expressed as a percentage rate over a period of time. interest-free no interest is charged on money that you borrow. interest-only mortgages a loan on which you only pay the interest element. The amount of capital you owe remains the same throughout the term of the mortgage and is due to be repaid at the end of the term. interest rate the rate at which you pay back interest, expressed as a percentage of the amount you borrow. investment something you put money into that will provide income in the future (such as savings) or gain in value so that you can sell it at a higher price later (such as a house). loan money that you borrow (e.g. to buy a new car) on condition that you pay it back. lifetime mortgage a type of equity release product for the over 60s, which allows you to release money by borrowing against the value of your home. There are no monthly repayments, instead the interest is added to the loan and the whole amount is repaid when you die or move into long-term care, usually from the sale of the house. This means more interest will build up than with a conventional mortgage. mortgage a loan to help you buy property on condition that the company giving you the loan has certain rights, including the right to sell the property if you dont pay back the loan. net the amount after deductions (such as tax or fees) are made. net interest rate the rate payable after the lower rate of income tax is deducted. (NB the rate of tax may vary, so a net rate is usually only given as an example.) nominal annual rate the rate of interest that would apply if the interest were not added each year and if there were no inflation. overdraft borrowings from your current account. overpayment higher or extra mortgage payments that you make (usually to pay off your loan or mortgage early). p.a. per annum, which means each year. payment holiday a period of one or more months when you dont make repayments on your loan or mortgage, although interest continues to accrue during that time. PIN Personal Identification Number. This is the four-digit number that you enter into a cash machine when you want to take out cash, and that you use when you pay with your chip and PIN card. Never give this number to anyone, or write it down. rate the percentage interest rate charged by a lender. remortgage replacing a mortgage with a new one (from your existing or a different lender), without moving home. You use the money you borrow for the new mortgage to repay the old one. repayment method the means by which a mortgage is repaid. The two main repayment methods are interest only and repayment. repayment mortgage a loan where you pay back some of the capital as well as interest each month. The amount you owe is gradually reduced. return the profit you get, for example, when you invest money. share a unit of ownership in a company. share certificate shows the amount of ownership. share dealing the process of buying and selling shares. standing order a method of making regular payments directly from your bank account. Its a fixed sum and you tell your bank when to start and stop paying it. stock another term for share. transaction each time you pay money into or take money out of your account, its called a transaction. unarranged borrowing an overdraft that is higher than your bank or building society has agreed to. uncleared balance the amount of money in your account including all the uncleared items in your account and any items paid in during the day. underpayment a loan or mortgage payment that is less than the amount that you should normally pay for that month. variable-rate interest the interest rate that you pay on your loan or mortgage and that rises and falls roughly in line with a stated index, such as the base rate set by the Bank of England. (NatWest , 2006, available on http://www.natwest.co.uk/glossary.htm/)

The Plague of Cheating and Internet Plagiarism :: Journalistic Essays

Internet Essays - The Plague of Internet Plagiarism Not all thieves lurk in dark alleys and parks. Some sit with their faces lit by the glow of their computer monitors, copying, pasting, and printing. It may seem like just another helpful source of information, but the Internet has taken the theft of "intellectual property" to a new level. Part of the problem is that most students don't really know the exact definition of plagiarism or its consequences. Some say that using someone else's ideas without attributing them is a form of theft, but most people don't think of it as a serious crime. For teachers, Internet plagiarism has been especially problematic compared to "theft" from other sources. This is because it is so difficult to locate the origin of Internet material. To counter student plagiarism, Internet services designed to detect copied material have emerged to aid teachers. One Internet company, TurnItIn.com, has developed a system for detecting material plagiarized from the Internet. Teachers can upload student works onto the site, which searches for similarities to material from all over the Web. The teachers receive an "originality report" within a few days. To utilize this new technology, a few teachers at this high school are having students submit their papers on disk as well as on paper. "The threat of using [these programs] will stop a lot of students. They will be afraid they'll be caught. Unfortunately, fear is what works," English teacher Judy Grear said. English teacher Barbara Swovelin said, "With all the info that's on the Internet, it's understandable that we go to it to get information. It's understandable that people would use it as a resource. The legal and moral issues come in when students use it improperly." A main concern is not only the use of a few plagiarized sentences, but of entire papers. "Paper mills" like SchoolSucks.com and Evil House of Cheat are some of the most popular sources for pirated papers. Sites like these, which have achieved fame and notoriety among slackers everywhere, were the motivation for TurnItIn.com and similar sites. In addition to such blatant "cut and paste" plagiarism, most teachers agree that students must be wary of the theft of ideas. One plagiarism-detection program, Word Check, asserts through their Web site, "Whether you agree or disagree on how information should be used or reused in digital form, one thing is clear: protecting intellectual property from theft and infringement is the number one security issue.

Harverd Case Roche

Advanced Corporate Finance Final Case: Roche 1 2 Reasons for Roche’s 100% ownership of Genentech Since Roche and Genentech both operate in the pharmaceutical industry, but still have their own specialty, they can benefit from a partnership. Roche owns a majority stake in Genentech since 1990 and since 2007, it owns 56% of Genentech. Genentech was founded in 1976, their focus lies on biotechnology in which they are the second largest firm of the world. Genentech had become an important part of Roche’s business representing 24% of Roche’s pharmaceutical product sales in 2008.In July 2008, Roche made public that they’d want to acquire the remaining 44% of Genentech. For Roche this acquisition beholds several benefits, but of course also several risks. These benefits and risk are stated below. Benefits First of all since Genentech, in terms of revenue, is the second largest firm in biotechnology in 2007, a full acquisition will strengthen the market positions of both companies. Genentech experiences an expanding growth in sales (see exhibit B), so both companies notice more and more direct competition of each other in several U.S. markets. A merger of Roche and Genentech would take away the direct competition and create new opportunities and strengths which would give them the opportunity to excessively work together on a world wide scale. Secondly, the acquisition beholds a great cost reduction. Roche managers believed there was increasing duplication of effort and facilities at the two companies and, thus, opportunities to create value by cutting costs and streamlining operations.They identified that annual savings realizable over five years would be between $750 million and $850 million, most of which would be in manufacturing, General &Administrative and commercial operations. Another benefit of Roche owning 100%, a merge of the two companies would give Roche access to all the intelligence of Genentech. The concerns about property ri ghts blocked the flow of information between researchers at the two companies. By the merge, they can share their intellectual property, which might facilitate product development and research.Thus the constraint between Roche’s and Genentech’s R&D efforts would disappear. Since the R&D pipeline of Genentech grew stronger by the day in the ten years before the announcement (see exhibit A, B and C), a merge would be a big advantage to Roche. Finally, since the beginning of 2007, the free cash flow of Genentech grew largely. Roche could not access Genentech’s cash directly under the present ownership structure. If a merge occurred, Roche would gain full access to the cash of Genentech.Because expectations are that Genentech’s cash flow will remain high, full access to this cash would have many advantages to Roche, like repaying the debt made by the acquisition. Risks Besides the benefits, there are also several risks involved with the takeover. First, the t akeover would cost $44 billion, which partially would have to be loaned. The management wasn’t sure that Roche would be able to raise the required debt funding given the state of the financial markets. In the middle of the financial crisis, banks weren’t very keen in arranging bridge loans to finance such acquisitions.As a result of this, even if they were able to manage in getting a bridge loan, this would be very expensive. Secondly, it is very hard to value the benefits to Roche in taking over Genentech. One of the causes of a misvaluation is that synergies tend to be mispriced. On top of that, Genentech was waiting on test results of their cancer drug Avastin, wich were to be expected in April 2009. If the acquisition would take place before this date, Roche bears the risk that the drug is rejected. Which would result in a drop in value of Genentech.The risk that Roche takes by waiting on the test results is that, if the test results tend to be positive, stock pric e of Genentech would increase, making a deal substantially more expensive and thus making it even harder to finance it. Finally, there is a big chance of losing a lot of the human capital of Genentech. Genentech has become famous for its strong working culture. This is partially because of the fact that most of the minority shareholders are Genentech employees. By taking over Genentech, Roche risks destroying the old culture and as a result, losing the employees to other firms.Acquisition of Genentech by Roche would bring synergies to both companies. The several risks that are involved, are mostly being compensated by the benefits to Roche. The high debt can be repaid by the large amount of cash of Genentech, the risk brought by the uncertainty of the test results can be reduced by letting independent firms estimate Genentech’s stand alone value, and the employees can be compensated for the loss of their share in Genentech in another way, e. g. by developing a strategy which maintains the important current working culture. Both companies would increase in strength

Hitler

Adolf Hitler and The National Socialists: A Case Study in Political Constructivism ABSTRACT Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party gained and maintained power by adopting the philosophy of constructivism and applying it to political leadership. The Nazi leader took advantage of every situation which made his approach to morals and politics dependent on the climate of public, national, and international opinion at the time. This situational relativist approach can be considered constructivist in nature. Therefore, by selectively exploring the coups of Hitler and his henchmen the constructivist, unstructured nature of National Socialism will become apparent. By Mark Mraz Mark Mraz is an assistant professor of education at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. He holds a PhD in C& I Social Studies Education from The Pennsylvania State University. Mark teaches social studies methods and foundations courses at Slippery Rock. Prior to coming to the University, He taught history and social studies for 29 years at the St Marys Area School District in St. Marys, Pennsylvania. Assistant Professor of Education Slippery Rock University Secondary Education Department 208D McKay Hall Slippery Rock, PA 16057 Email:mark. [email  protected] edu Phone: 724-738-2288 0 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1126363 Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists: A Case Study in Political Constructivism Introduction Adolf Hitler and his national socialist movement gained and maintained power by adopting the philosophy of constructivism and applying it to political leadership. The Nazi leader took advantage of every situation which made his approach to morals and politics dependent on the climate of public, national, and international opinion at the time. An example of this contrived policy can be seen in the Nazi’s attempt to create a religion, the Reich Church. However, the general German public adhered to their Christianity and Hitler was forced back down when faced with severe prevalent resistance, thereby allowing the people to keep their religious beliefs (Goldenhagen). Undoubtedly, this situational relativist approach can be considered Constructivist. Therefore, by exploring a selective array of the major coups of Hitler and his henchmen; the constructivist unstructured nature of National Socialism is apparent. According to Hitler, in one of his many private diatribes to his inner circle of disciples, the ultimate goal of his whole policy was quite clear. Hitler’s employment of Machiavellian tactics can be seen as implied constructivism. Hitler stated: Always I am concerned only that I do not take a step from which I will perhaps have to retreat, and not take a step that will harm us. I tell you that I always go to the outermost limits of risk, but never beyond. For this you need to have a nose more or less to smell out; â€Å"What can I still do? † †¦ In a struggle against an enemy, I do not summon an enemy with force of fight. I don’t say: â€Å"Fight! † because I want to fight. Instead I say , â€Å"I will destroy you! And now. Wisdom, help me to maneuver you into a corner that you cannot fight back, and then you get the blow to the heart. (Rosenbaum, 382). This passage suggests that Hitler had a goal in mind but the means to the end 1 Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1126363 involved a series of constructed scenarios to back his opponents into a position of weakness by giving them no room to maneuver. This is exactly what he did when he took over Austria, the Rhineland, and Czechoslovakia. Hitler harangued, browbeat, and got a vast territory without firing a shot. This weaving and bobbing like a prize fighter on the world stage of geo-politics is dangerous for both the winner and loser. Because the relativity of the circumstances can be misconstrued as vital to the national interest.. This situational contrived metaphysics of the whole history of the National Socialist Workingmans Party’s rise to power can be interpreted as Machiavellian. Machiavellianism, is by its very â€Å"Realpolitik-politics void of ethics† nature is a process that is constructivist due to the solipsistic beliefs of its adherents always laboring for the welfare of one’s state at the cost of others countries. This ultimately leads to means that are built to real goals by situational circumstance and contrived ethics. According to Claudia Koonz, Professor of History at Duke Univesity: Hitler was a keen judge of his constituency’s desires and needs, which allowed him to fashion his state around principles of secular racism which were void of religion. Basing their notions of ethical behavior on the civic virtues of the ethnic Germanic community and hatred of outsiders, the national socialists; had an amoral compass (Koonz). This moral construction, based on underlyin g prejudices was seen by the majority of Germans as being proper and ethical, are another example of the constructivist philosophy of the Third Reich. Hitler and his disciples gave the masses what they wanted security from outsiders. Many Germans were xenophobic about Bolshevism and other alien ideologies; that if adopted would destroy the socio-political cultural fiber of Germanic Teutonic society. All 2 ideas counter to the Nazi Utopia of Aryan supremacy in all socio-cultural-geo-political spheres were perceived by the masses as a threat or a wart on the body politic which had to be removed. Thus creating a surgical mind set about the elimination of undesirable Non-German elements in society. This whole outlook of the reign was conditioned by this contrived metaphysics which made murders out of learned people who under normal circumstances would be humane. Constructivism as a Philosophy in Theory and Practice Constructivism is a philosophical perspective that contends that all truths or facts are â€Å"constructed. † Therefore, truth is contingent on situational, social experience and individual perception. Constructivist philosophy in education holds that pupils are not passive vessels of knowledge, but actively involved in the creation of knowledge through their experiences. The adherents to this philosophy believe that truth is made or invented, not discovered or learned (Ozmon). So if one would take this philosophy to the extreme, it would be easy to extrapolate that truth can be contrived to fit the need of the moment. Indeed a tactic, employed by the national socialists, was to learn from their experiences and invent the truth to fit the circumstances. This certainly was the case during the unsuccessful beer hall putsch of November 8-9, 1923. During the Nazi’s failed attempt to take over the government of Bavaria by force, Hitler gave several speeches to his followers acting like they had effectively made a coup and won the day. When in reality, they had lost, some were killed and Hitler and his entourage went to prison (Hitler). Out of this experience, Hitler stipulated that his goal was the same, to gain control of the government, but the means were different. The unsuccessful attempt to take over by brute force was replaced with legal constitutional 3 means to gain control. Hitler from then on used democracy to destroy the representative government in Germany. He would work the system to his advantage (Gordon). According to the British Historian, Bevin Alexander, even though Hitler was not aware of Sun Tzu, he subscribed to his axiom: â€Å"The way to avoid what is strong is to strike what is weak (Alexander, ix). † Between 1933 and 1940, the Fuehrer avoided the strong and attacked the weak with great triumph. Hitler and the Nazi’s had the uncanny ability to become protean when the circumstances called for it. He also had a huge talent for spotting and taking advantage of the insecurities and vulnerabilities of his opponents. Using these abilities, which might be called Machiavellian logic or simply constructivism, Hitler gained the upper hand in every situation beginning with his elevation to chancellor in January of 1933, and ending with the capitulation of France in July of 1940. However, after the invasion of Russia in July of 1941, he abandoned his constructivist geo–politics in favor of all out pursuit of a policy detrimental to his own country. Because of his hatred of Bolshevism and Jews, Hitler invaded Russia. He had been allied with Stalin and had gotten enormous amounts of oil as well as other raw materials needed for war from the Russians. The invasion put an end to these supplies. The Nazi’s gravely miscalculated the extent to which the Russians were fanatical about their land and not Communism. This â€Å"love of mother Russia† led to the most tenacious fighting in human history. Hitler was on the cusp of ultimate victory when in late 1940 and 1941 he changed that policy, and began to strike at the major powers of Britain, Russia, and eventually the United States. Hitler’s constructivist theory of â€Å"kicking in the 4 oor and the whole thing will collapse,† was a grave misinterpretation from which there was no retreat and deadly consequences (Alexander). Nazi Geo-Political and Socio-Cultural Coups as case studies in Constructivist Leadership During every phase of the development of the Nazi Reich, Hitler would ally with potential enemies to get what he wa nted. When Hitler was appointed chancellor, he was the head of a coalition government that contained people he did not like from both the left and the right politically. However, in a constructivist style all his own he embraced the arrangement to get to power (Evans 2005). Once Hitler became chancellor, he derailed all efforts for any opposition to gain a majority in parliament and on that pretext argued the demise of Reichstag representation. His own party had lost the majority so he was arguing to dissolve his own government. Hitler’s persuasive opinions caused President Hindenburg to acquiesce to the chancellor’s wishes and he dissolved the legislature. New elections were scheduled for early March, but before that could take place, the Reichstag building or the German Parliament burned down (Bullock). It is believed that Hitler’s confederates started the fire and blamed it on Communists. Once there was a perceived threat, the Nazi’s evoked Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution which enabled the chancellor to do away with the civic liberties of the people to protect the nation from fanatical threats from either the left or right. By doing this, the Nazi’s gave the impression that they were the stable element in society and not reactionary radicals, which they actually were. Then as the prize fighter metaphor suggests he simply weaved, bobbed, and counterpunched his way to the Enabling Act. This act fused the office of chancellor and president together giving Hitler dictatorial control of Germany by legal means (Evans 2005). Another episode of Machiavellian constructivist philosophy would be the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939. Hitler hated the Soviet Union and Communism. But he hated the thoughts of a two front war more. In chameleon-like fashion Hitl er courts his most hated enemy in friendship to get what he wants, no counter-attack by the Soviet Union to save Poland. Once he consolidates his Eastern frontier by agreement with the Russians, he hits the Western Democracies (Bullock). Where constructivism really becomes apparent is when one looks at the â€Å"Final Solution. † The Nazi leader stated that if there were no Jews it would be necessary to invent them because the masses need a tangible, concrete enemy and not an abstraction (Fuchs). Since the war many historians have developed various historiographic theories for the policies that led to the Holocaust. Two historical schools of thought have developed: the functionalists and intentionalists. The intentionalists hypothesized that there was a plan for the genocide of the Jews since 1924 (Dawidowicz). Functionalists, also known as structuralists believe that the holocaust was the product of the structural rivalry within the Nazi government and it was functional circumstances that lead the Third Reich from deportation to destruction of the Jews (Browning). Hitler’s actions from 1933 to 1941 involved a policy for forced deportation and exile of Jews. This seems at odds with the planned extermination theory. If he had that plan in mind why would he allow them to leave? One would think he would keep them locked up till he could get the death camps functioning (Framer). 6 Accordingly, a clarification of lexicon may be in order. The functionalist and structuralist schools contend that: 1) Hitler was actually a weak leader who was dependent on governmental and party organizations. 2) Rivalry between four power groups: army, economy, state administration, and Nazi Party/SS lead to constructivist policy making (Browning). The opposite school of thought is the intentionalist which believes that: 1) Hitler was a strong leader and implemented his will. 2) Hitler had a long term plan primarily driven by ideology which he carried out (Marrus). Both interpretations have obvious flaws. The functionalists-structuralists paradigm overlooks the popularity of Hitler, as well as deliberate policy and put too much emphasis on the power and independence of various governmental agencies. The intentionalists ideas put too much emphasis on Hitler’ leadership and his development of a precise plan on paper which he ollowed from the 1920s onward. In recent years, there has been a synthesis of ideas on the Holocaust and a merging of the intentionalitists and functionalists interpretations which suggests that the policy that became the â€Å"Final Solution† was both a top down and bottom up structural construct that involved no master plan (Kenshaw). Clearly the functionalists and the synthesizers are in esse nce saying that the National Socialist policies can be seen as constructivist in that they developed more as a function of the state rather than from coherent plan devised in 1924. Hans Mommsen and Martin Broszat, historians, believe that the National Socialist State was not a modern government but a feudal state with under lords vying for power against others for Hitler’s approval. Accordingly, they contend that Hitler was a reactionary responding to situations rather than taking the lead in formulating policy. 7 Hitler had basic knee jerk reactions to problems that arose and this lead to the development of policy in a piecemeal approach. In addition, Hitler hated paper work so he formulated an idea and let an underling run with it to see what would happen. This constructivist, open ended approach permitted him to leave the minutiae of administrative paper work to others (Framer). His leadership style of constructivism caused a monumental degree of latitude for underlings from different institutions and different paradigms to develop policy. This leeway caused the innate conflicts to emerge within competitive governmental structures which lead to confusion and overlapping authority within the political system (Goldhagen). One can make a case that Hitler and his party developed situational ethics and along with it situational politics. These politics involved ideological ends with no means in place. So the function of the state was to develop the means to give them the end they had in mind as conceived by Hitler. Therefore by combining various historiographical schools of thought, functionalism, structuralism, intentionalism it is plausible that one gets constructivism. Lastly, there are the synthesizers who contend that both interpretations are correct but have flaws. It is my contention as an historian that Hitler was in total control but used a Machiavellian form of leadership that called for bold unches on the world stage. He had an overall goal in mind but no means to reach the goal. So using Machiavellian tactics and applying a constructivist philosophy he was able to successfully get what he wanted by a piecemeal approach, while letting underlings fight out the details at lower levels. This allowed him to take all the credit when things went right and to spread all the blame when things went wrong. 8 Works C ited Alexander, B. (2001). How Hitler could have won the world war II; The fatal errors that led to nazi defeat. New York: Three Rivers Press. Browning, C. R. (2000) Nazi policy, jewish workers, and german killers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bullock, A. (1962) Hitler: A study in tyranny. New York: Penguin Books. Dawidowicz, L. S. (1975) The war against the jews. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. Dobry, M. (June 2006) â€Å"Hitler, charisma and structure: Reflections on historical methodology. † Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions. 157-171. Draper, R. (February 8-22, 1999) â€Å"Decoding the holocaust. † The New Leader, 14-15. Evans, R. J. (2003) The coming of the third reich. New York: Penguin Books. Evans R. J. (2005) The third reich in power. New York: Penguin Books. Farmer, A. (September 2007) â€Å"The unpredictable past, hitler and the holocaust. † History Review, p 4-9. Flew, A. (1979) A dictionary of philosophy. New York: Gremacy Books Fest. J. C. (1973) Hitler. New York; Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich. Fuchs, T. (2000) A concise biography of adolf hitler. New York :Berkley Books. Goldhagen, D. J. (1997) Hitler’s willing exceutioners: Ordinary germans and the holocaust. New York: Vintage Books. Gordon, H. J. (1972) Hitler and the beer hall putsch. Cambridge: Princeton University Press, 1972 Hitler. A. (1975). Mein kampf. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Kenshaw, I. (2000) The nazi dictatorship: problems and perspectives of interpretation New York:Oxford University Press Koonz, C. (2003) The nazi conscience. Cambridge: Bleknap Press of Harvard University Press. Marrus, M. R. (1987) The holocaust in history. London: University Press of England. 9 Ozmon. H. A. (2003) Philosophical foundations of education. Columbus: Prentice-Hall. Rosenbaum, R. (1998) Explaining hitler: The search for the origins of his evil. New York: Basic Books. 10

Death of a Salesman Essays

Death of a Salesman Essays Death of a Salesman Essay Death of a Salesman Essay was therefore quite a radical challenge to make at the time, as unlike nowadays, people did not constantly self-analyse on a national and individual level. The dream is the villain of the play. Willys desperate nocturnal attempt to grow vegetables in the garden further compounds to this idea, as it signifies not only his shame at not being able to provide for his family, but also symbolises the concept that pursuing the dream is a fruitless affair altogether. Consequently, if the American Dream is the villain, Willy Loman cannot be deemed a typical tragic hero because it is the society he lives in that predetermines his downfall from the very beginning. Some critics have even gone as far as saying that Death of a Salesman cannot be deemed a true tragedy because of this, but rather a social drama 8 according to Brenda Murphy. This is because it is questionable as to whether Willy Loman has any control over his destiny at all, as although he is in command of his body and actions, the American Dream has polluted his mind to such an extent that he can barely grasp reality. Indeed, his frequent hallucinations at inappropriate moments emphasise this: Pull myself together! What the hell did I say to him? My God, I was yelling at him! Also, Miller often uses language through out the play to foreshadow Willys death: these arch supports are killing me , tired to death etc. It is almost as if Willy is predicting his own ends; he is precariously ready to drop or give up on life throughout many sections of the play. This self-pity is not an admirable quality and is therefore more befitting to a victim than a tragic hero. Interestingly, another interpretation of Willys character is that he is a tragic villain. This is because he selfishly disregards the dreams of his family in order to fulfil his own. Biff, for example, is not a businessman at heart and is content with the simple necessities of life (Why am I trying to become what I dont want to be? ). However, his father constantly makes him feel guilty about this and frequently refers to him as a lazy bum. Also, in declining Charleys job offer Willy Loman casts his familys needs aside because it does not live up to his ideal job. Although the term villain may be a bit harsh, it is certainly true that the shortcomings of his personality make Willy a harder character to sympathise with than Sophocless Oedipus for example. In this way he could be considered neither a hero nor a victim, because a tragic victim generally needs to arouse high compassion amongst audiences. To conclude, it seems as if the character of Willy Loman is most accurately described as an anti-hero. This is because, although he is the protagonist of the play, he lacks many of the traditional qualities of a true tragic hero; Miller has subverted this stereotype in creating Willy Loman. More importantly however, audiences would certainly not wish t to be like him in any way, although there are undoubtedly aspects of Willys personality that we can relate to. As Joyce Carol Oates suggests: For all his delusions and intellectual limitations Willy Loman is all of us. Or, rather, we are Willy Loman, particularly those of us who are writers, poets, dreamers; the yearning soul way out there in the blue. 1 Nevertheless, Willy does still possess some of the attributes of Aristotles typical tragic hero as previously mentioned, which means he cannot be considered a total victim either. The only certainty is that critics will continue to ponder over Willy Lomans character for years to come. Bibliography: 1. ) Oates, Joyce Carol. Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman, Michigan Quarterly Review, Fall 1998. 2. ) Moss, Leonard. Arthur Miller, 1967. 3. ) Salitt, D. The Character of Willy Loman, 2000. 4. ) Swietek, F. Death of a Salesman: Tragedy? , 2003. 5. ) Carson, Neil. Arthur Miller, New York Grove Press,1982. 6. ) Miller, Arthur. Tragedy and the Common Man, 1949. 7. ) Adams, James Truslow. Epic of America, 1931. 8. ) Murphy, Brenda. The Tradition of Social Drama,1997.

Free Essays on Family Relationships Within

Jane Austen is a writer of romance and drama with a sense of social satire. She has displayed her view of family rituals and social customs of the Victorian era in most of her works (â€Å"Sense and Sensibility†). Her views of relationships were developed through frequent travels and extended visits to London and an ill-fated love for a young Irishman (Tomalin). In the book Sense and Sensibility Austen explores the customs of courtship, marriage, and lineage. There were several families illustrated in the book Sense and Sensibility and the relationships within each family were quite different. Three of these families will be described throughout this paper: the Dashwood family, the Ferrars family, and the family of Colonel Brandon. The first family depicted in the book Sense and Sensibility is the Dashwood family. The Dashwoods are basically the main family of the book. It is â€Å"a story about the Dashwood family, who loses everything when Mr. Dashwood falls suddenly ill and dies unexpectedly†(Cierras). The relation between Mrs. John Dashwood (Fanny) and Mrs. Henry Dashwood (Mrs. Dashwood) is that Fanny is the wife of Henry Dashwood’s son with his first wife, John. Their relationship is not very close. John promised his father to take care of Ms. Dashwood and his three sisters. To do that he was going to give them three thousand pounds a year, until Fanny talks him out of it. She wants as much of the inheritance from Henry’s death as she can get. She talks him down from three thousand a year to fifty pound gifts every now and then. She says, â€Å"I am convinced within myself that your father had no idea of your giving them any money at all†(Austen 10). Marianne and Elinor Dashwood are the two main characters and the focus of the novel. Originally the title of the novel was going to be Elinor and Marianne. So, respectively, they represent the title, Elinor is Sense and Marianne is sensibility (Hill). â€Å"As sisters, the two gi... Free Essays on Family Relationships Within Free Essays on Family Relationships Within Jane Austen is a writer of romance and drama with a sense of social satire. She has displayed her view of family rituals and social customs of the Victorian era in most of her works (â€Å"Sense and Sensibility†). Her views of relationships were developed through frequent travels and extended visits to London and an ill-fated love for a young Irishman (Tomalin). In the book Sense and Sensibility Austen explores the customs of courtship, marriage, and lineage. There were several families illustrated in the book Sense and Sensibility and the relationships within each family were quite different. Three of these families will be described throughout this paper: the Dashwood family, the Ferrars family, and the family of Colonel Brandon. The first family depicted in the book Sense and Sensibility is the Dashwood family. The Dashwoods are basically the main family of the book. It is â€Å"a story about the Dashwood family, who loses everything when Mr. Dashwood falls suddenly ill and dies unexpectedly†(Cierras). The relation between Mrs. John Dashwood (Fanny) and Mrs. Henry Dashwood (Mrs. Dashwood) is that Fanny is the wife of Henry Dashwood’s son with his first wife, John. Their relationship is not very close. John promised his father to take care of Ms. Dashwood and his three sisters. To do that he was going to give them three thousand pounds a year, until Fanny talks him out of it. She wants as much of the inheritance from Henry’s death as she can get. She talks him down from three thousand a year to fifty pound gifts every now and then. She says, â€Å"I am convinced within myself that your father had no idea of your giving them any money at all†(Austen 10). Marianne and Elinor Dashwood are the two main characters and the focus of the novel. Originally the title of the novel was going to be Elinor and Marianne. So, respectively, they represent the title, Elinor is Sense and Marianne is sensibility (Hill). â€Å"As sisters, the two gi...

Leopold and Loebâ€Murder Just for the Thrill of It

Leopold and Loeb- Murder Just for the Thrill of It On May 21, 1924, two brilliant, wealthy, Chicago teenagers attempted to commit the perfect crime just for the thrill of it. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnapped 14-year-old Bobby Franks, bludgeoned him to death in a rented car, and then dumped Franks body in a distant culvert. Although they thought their plan was foolproof, Leopold and Loeb made a number of mistakes that led police right to them. The subsequent trial, featuring famous attorney Clarence Darrow, made headlines and was often referred to as the trial of the century. Who Were Leopold and Loeb? Nathan Leopold was brilliant. He had an IQ of over 200 and excelled at school. By age 19, Leopold had already graduated from college and was in law school. Leopold was also fascinated with birds and was considered an accomplished ornithologist. However, despite being brilliant, Leopold was very awkward socially. Richard Loeb was also very intelligent, but not to the same caliber as Leopold. Loeb, who had been pushed and guided by a strict governess, had also been sent to college at a young age. However, once there, Loeb did not excel; instead, he gambled and drank. Unlike Leopold, Loeb was considered very attractive and had impeccable social skills. It was at college that Leopold and Loeb became close friends. Their relationship was both stormy and intimate. Leopold was obsessed with the attractive Loeb. Loeb, on the other hand, liked having a loyal companion on his risky adventures. The two teenagers, who had become both friends and lovers, soon began committing small acts of theft, vandalism, and arson. Eventually, the two decided to plan and commit the perfect crime. Planning the Murder It is debated as to whether it was Leopold or Loeb who first suggested they commit the perfect crime, but most believe it was Loeb. No matter who suggested it, both boys participated in the planning of it. The plan was simple: rent a car under an assumed name, find a wealthy victim (preferably a boy since girls were more closely watched), kill him in the car with a chisel, then dump the body in a culvert. Even though the victim was to be killed immediately, Leopold and Loeb planned on extracting a ransom from the victims family. The victims family would receive a letter instructing them to pay $10,000 in old bills, which they would later be asked to throw from a moving train. Interestingly, Leopold and Loeb spent a lot more time on figuring out how to retrieve the ransom than on who their victim was to be. After considering a number of specific people to be their victim, including their own fathers, Leopold and Loeb decided to leave the choice of victim up to chance and circumstance. The Murder On May 21, 1924, Leopold and Loeb were ready to put their plan into action. After renting a Willys-Knight automobile and covering its license plate, Leopold and Loeb needed a victim. Around 5 oclock, Leopold and Loeb spotted 14-year-old Bobby Franks, who was walking home from school. Loeb, who knew Bobby Franks because he was both a neighbor and a distant cousin, lured Franks into the car by asking Franks to discuss a new tennis racket (Franks loved to play tennis). Once Franks had climbed into the front seat of the car, the car took off. Within minutes, Franks was struck several times in the head with a chisel, dragged from the front seat into the back, and then had a cloth shoved down his throat. Lying limply on the floor of the back seat, covered with a rug, Franks died from suffocation. (It is believed that Leopold was driving and Loeb was in the back seat and was thus the actual killer, but this remains uncertain.) Dumping the Body As Franks lay dying or dead in the backseat, Leopold and Loeb drove toward a hidden culvert in the marshlands near Wolf Lake, a location known to Leopold because of his birding expeditions. On the way, Leopold and Loeb stopped twice. Once to strip Franks body of clothing and another time to buy dinner. Once it was dark, Leopold and Loeb found the culvert, shoved Franks body inside the drainage pipe and poured hydrochloric acid on Franks face and genitals to obscure the bodys identity. On their way home, Leopold and Loeb stopped to call the Franks home that night to tell the family that Bobby had been kidnapped. They also mailed the ransom letter. They thought they had committed the perfect murder. Little did they know that by the morning, Bobby Franks body had already been discovered and the police were quickly on the way to discovering his murderers. Mistakes and Arrest Despite having spent at least six months planning this perfect crime, Leopold and Loeb made a lot of mistakes. The first of which was the disposal of the body. Leopold and Loeb thought that the culvert would keep the body hidden until it had been reduced to a skeleton. However, on that dark night, Leopold and Loeb didnt realize that they had placed Franks body with the feet sticking out of the drainage pipe. The following morning, the body was discovered and quickly identified. With the body found, the police now had a location to start searching. Near the culvert, the police found a pair of glasses, which turned out to be specific enough to be traced back to Leopold. When confronted about the glasses, Leopold explained that the glasses must have fallen out of his jacket when he fell during a birding excavation. Although Leopolds explanation was plausible, the police continued to look into Leopolds whereabouts. Leopold said he had spent the day with Loeb. It didnt take long for Leopold and Loebs alibis to break down. It was discovered that Leopolds car, which they had said they had driven around all day in, had been actually been at home all day. Leopolds chauffeur had been fixing it. On May 31, just ten days after the murder, both 18-year-old Loeb and 19-year-old Leopold confessed to the murder. Leopold and Loebs Trial The young age of the victim, the brutality of the crime, the wealth of the participants, and the confessions, all made this murder front page news. With the public decidedly against the boys and an extremely large amount of evidence tying the boys to the murder, it was almost certain that Leopold and Loeb were going to receive the death penalty. Fearing for his nephews life, Loebs uncle went to famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow (who would later participate in the famous Scopes Monkey Trial) and begged him to take the case. Darrow was not asked to free the boys, for they were surely guilty; instead, Darrow was asked to save the boys lives by getting them life sentences rather than the death penalty. Darrow, a long-time advocate against the death penalty, took the case. On July 21, 1924, the trial against Leopold and Loeb began. Most people thought Darrow would plead them not guilty by reason of insanity, but in a surprising last-minute twist, Darrow had them plead guilty. With Leopold and Loeb pleading guilty, the trial would no longer require a jury because it would become a sentencing trial. Darrow believed that it would be harder for one man to live with the decision to hang Leopold and Loeb than it would be for twelve who would share the decision. The fate of Leopold and Loeb was to rest solely with Judge John R. Caverly. The prosecution had over 80 witnesses that presented the cold-blooded murder in all its gory details. The defense focused on psychology, especially the boys upbringing. On August 22, 1924, Clarence Darrow gave his final summation. It lasted approximately two hours and is considered one of the best speeches of his life. After listening to all the evidence presented and thinking carefully on the matter, Judge Caverly announced his decision on September 19, 1924. Judge Caverly sentenced Leopold and Loeb to jail for 99 years for kidnapping and for the rest of their natural lives for murder. He also recommended that they never be eligible for parole. The Deaths of Leopold and Loeb Leopold and Loeb were originally separated, but by 1931 they were again close. In 1932, Leopold and Loeb opened a school in the prison to teach other prisoners. On January 28, 1936, 30-year-old Loeb was attacked in the shower by his cellmate. He was slashed over 50 times with a straight razor and died of his wounds. Leopold stayed in prison and wrote an autobiography, Life Plus 99 Years. After spending 33 years in prison, 53-year-old Leopold was paroled in March of 1958 ​and moved to Puerto Rico, where he married in 1961. Leopold died on August 30, 1971, from a heart attack at age 66.

On Designer Babies and the Concept of Children as Property Essay

On Designer Babies and the Concept of Children as Property - Essay Example The relationship between parents and children are very different between the relationship between owner and property. Whereas the owner of a property generally has real right over it, in that he can do anything he wishes to do with it, the same cannot be said in regards to children. We cannot legally dispose of them or any part of their body, either by selling them for adoption or by forcing him to undergo unnecessary surgery. Even when the parent himself is at the brink of death, the child cannot be compelled to donate his organ so as to ensure the success of any organ transplant that would save his father or mother. The child cannot be used as a means to benefit his family, his parents, or even society in general, if the act required of the child will be to his disadvantage. Even when the act required is to the child's advantage, if it is not essential and basic to his survival as a person, he cannot be forced into it. You cannot force a child to take a nap if he does not want to. You can beg him, as is often the case, but this would still entail voluntary assent on his part. Unlike property, a child has a mind and a will of his own, and is awarded specific rights as children and as individuals. Children enjoy a dual role, that of being their parents' child and that of being a separate individual. I think that it is the existence of this dual role that draws the line between what parents can and cannot do with their child. As your child, he can be scolded for not eating his green peas. As an individual, he cannot be forced to eat the green peas. All the rights of an individual are enjoyed by the child, and these are tempered only by your rights as a parent looking after the good of your ward. You are allowed certain privileges that are not enjoyed by people not his parents, but these privileges do not supersede the basic human rights that extend to all individuals. These "privileges", also, are awarded with the presumption that they will be used with the child's welfare in mind. If this presumption is violated, parental rights can be withdrawn by the sta te such as when children are withdrawn from the custody of their parents. With property, on the other hand, the owner can do whatever he wishes to do with his property for as long as his acts do not endanger the rights of other individuals. This basically means, that if you could place your house in such a location that setting fire to it would not involve the risk of harming other people and their property, then you are quite free to go ahead and burn your house. The relatively new development of "designer babies" places a unique strain on the principle of children as not being the property of their parents. Whereas we would be quick to object if a parent sets his daughter for an involuntary appointment with a plastic surgeon, we are a bit lost when the alterations are made while the child is not yet born. It's a difficult dilemma because it forces us to specify the point when a child already enjoys his rights as an individual person. Coming from a time when abortion of the fetus is generally legalized, then we could not help but say that the object that is being exposed to genetic engineering at that point does not as

Why do uae nationals don't use public transportation Research Paper

Why do uae nationals don't use public transportation - Research Paper Example In light of the recent calls to ban the use of private means of transport for people from lower economic classes in Abu Dhabi (Oueiti, 2014), it is clear that there are issues to be looked into surrounding the issue of transportation. This essay will look into some of the reasons as to why nationals of the UAE avoid public transportation and some of the proposed remedies for the situation. The main forms of transport in the countries of the UAE are buses and trams Olson, 2012). Different countries in the UAE are all facing similar issues with their public transport system. That is, most of the nationals prefer to use private transport for commuting. As a result, officials report that there is congestion on their roads (Ruiz, 2013). Policy makers have because of this been forced to take drastic measures to encourage more commuters to make of the public transport system. For example, in Dubai, parking fees imposed on drivers of private cars have been raised (Bouyamourn, 2014) to discourage drivers from taking their cars to work. Apart from this is the ban on private transport for poor nationals in Abu Dhabi, also meant to encourage citizens to use public transport. One of the reasons for the poor use of public transportation is the poor state of buses in the region. The main issue is the fact that the air-conditioned bus shelters are in dilapidated states. As such, many are completely out of order and closed down, while some have inadequate power (National Editorial, 2014). Given the fact that the UAE experiences hot summers, this presents a problem with commuters, who do not want to suffer from excessive heat. Commuters that use public transportation have cited this as the main disadvantage of the system. In addition to this, the minimum standards of buses desperately need to be raised; commuters complain of unhygienic conditions. These factors make it hard to attract new users to the public

Law of Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Law of Evidence - Essay Example This is the case with Carrie, because she has admitted under cross examination that she had made one prior false complaint of rape against another man. Therefore, in the interest of preserving fairness and equity to the defendant in the case, the Judge may have to issue a warning to the jury to exercise caution. Moreover, the content of his warning should also take into account the fact that she has made a prior false complaint. Therefore, the judge may warn the jury to exercise caution and may suggest to the jury that they look for supporting evidence before arriving at a decision basely solely on Carrie’s evidence. (b) If Carrie had indeed been raped, she would have mentioned it to her friend Eva whom she saw first after the incident, but her response when Eve asked if she was all right was â€Å"sure, why not?† This further substantiates the grounds that Carrie is an unreliable witness The prosecution is likely to argue against the issue of a Manjukola warning. They are likely to state that the entire question of corroboration warnings which purportedly allowed protection for defendants was done away with by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994. The reason for this was the complexity they brought into judicial proceedings and their tendency to confuse judges. Therefore they are likely to argue that Carrie’s interests will be compromised and the jury will be unnecessarily prejudiced through the issue of a Manjukola warning which is not necessary. 2. The two major issues that arise with this scenario are (a) Stefan’s silence in Court especially in connection with his alibi which could establish innocence and (b) the need for protection of the young witness Ingrid who has been threatened. Stefan will be treated as a competent witness for himself but not as a compellable witness. Therefore, he will be

Outsourcing in Electronics Manufacturing - Does it Work Research Paper

Outsourcing in Electronics Manufacturing - Does it Work - Research Paper Example In fact the majority of organizations (i.e. multinational or national) at the present contract or outsource their business services for instance call center  services, electronic mail services and  payroll. In addition, these services are divided among different companies that are well experienced in providing services and facilities. However, these organizations are sometimes located out of the country (Thompson, 2011; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005). In this scenario, the outsource manufacturing expansion is as a great deal a return to essential competencies as it is an attempt to reduce operating expenditures. In addition, the enhancement of external knowledge has been particularly apparent in electronics manufacturing, which has basically turned into the shape of an outsource business model. Additionally, from circuit boards that present a wide variety of services and functionalities to wireless communications units to the insertion of micro electromechanical (MEM) sensors in a plethora of problem-solving and diagnostic devices, to a greater extent refined devices and electronic components are being contract manufactured. Hence, it allows electronics manufacturers to pay attention to what they do best at the same time as addressing the clinical needs of customers (Teng, 2012). In the past few years, there has been extensive progress in outsourcing in electronics manufacturing. We have seen that, a lot of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have adopted this modern trend in order to quickly and cost efficiently enter into new marketplaces. In addition, by teaming with a knowledgeable partner, an OEM could considerably reduce the time as well as operating expenses implicated in developing new services and products like that Microsoft did in its launch of the Xbox (Delattre, Hess, & Chieh, 2003; Teng, 2012). This paper presents a detailed analysis of some of the important aspects that are associated with outsourcing in electronics manufactur ing. The basic purpose of this research is to analyze how outsourcing in electronics manufacturing offers advantages and support for business cut down overall cost and enhance potential profitability of the business. This paper will present an overview of outsourcing with respect to the electronics industry and also present a critic, whether or not outsourcing in electronics manufacturing helps the business. Outsourcing within the Electronics Industry All through the world, businesses, manufacturing and industries outsourcing is not a new idea or trend for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). It is basically a â€Å"make v/s buy† assessments and decisions that have been around for businesses and manufacturing industries for a long time. In fact, it is not easy to find out a business that completely manufactures its own electronic items and products currently. However, it is also a fact that the outsourcing is relatively a new idea for electronics manufacturers industries (Delattre, Hess, & Chieh, 2003; Teng, 2012). In addition, an amazing flow in electronics manufacturing outsourcing actually started in the mid 90s and sustained throughout 2000s. All through this evolutionary period, a large number of huge technology original equipment manufacturers were getting their manufacturing policies to benefit from the wave of outsourcing substitutes that were easily accessible to them, to both improve the quality of their products and minimize asset and operating expenses. In

Thomas Hobbes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Thomas Hobbes - Essay Example Only societies and governments stop this from being a constant state. This is a sort of fiction, since Hobbes points out that this has never actually happened in history. However, it helps to explain why people in countries often suffer from mistrust, violence and criminality. This ‘state of nature’ is central to Hobbes’ view of the world. This reason this is not a reality is because it is blocked by fear and reason. Reason is how man knows how to escape from the state of nature and this is how the natural laws are created which allow man to live in peace. Hobbes then develops his ideas on the ‘laws of nature’. This works against the destructive nature of the ‘state of nature’ and helps man to maintain peace and stability. These laws are instinctive to man and are obtainable though natural reason and philosophy. The first law is the law of peace and divides into the seeking of peace and the right to defend ourselves from violence in order to maintain peace. The second law is connected to peace and states that we give up certain rights, such as murder, in order to avoid continuous warfare. People mutually give up their rights and this becomes a contract, which is the foundation for moral obligations. The third law, therefore, requires us not just to make such contracts, but to respect and keep them. These first three laws are the essential way in which continuous war can be avoided. Hobbes then outlines a number of other associated laws which contribute to maintaining peace. All these laws can be summarised as avoiding actions which an individual would not want performed against themselves. God ultimately rules over these laws. Hobbes then explores how the contracts work. There are two different types of person who can be involved in a contract – natural and artificial. Hobbes defines a natural person as one who uses their own words. An artificial person, rather, is one who uses the words of

Preschool Observation Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Preschool Observation Project - Essay Example 3. The three physical features that made me determine that John was a preschooler were his talkative feature, attentiveness, and his profanity behavior. I realized that he was talkative by the way he said many and different things in a short period. His attentiveness was evident by the way he paid attention to questions and enjoyed discussing serious issues. His profanity was evident by the way he used silly words most of the time. 4. According to my observation, John was in good health. This is arguably true because his height and weight fit for a child of his age. Nevertheless, although he was slightly bigger than others, this could be attributed to hormonal differences that differ from one person to another. On the other hand, I was convinced that his psychological well being was fit. I concluded this because for the duration not less an hour, I closely watched and monitored his behaviors as he interacted with other pupils. At one point, he played a role of a football referee and his conduct was normal. He even tried to resolve a misunderstanding between two players. As for his nutrition, I could see him eat comfortably his lunch meal. However, I observed that he had small injury on his face, but being at his age, I took it to be normal because such injuries occur when children of his age are playing. 1. According to what I observed from John, there were some gross motor skills involved. For the time that I observed John, I observed him running, throwing, and skipping. When they played hind and seek game, John used to run when hiding from the seeker. He threw stones at some targeted destinations to hit a marked ground as required by the game they were playing. Skipping was also evident most of the time when they were playing. 1. During the one hour that I observed John, I could see him use his fine motor skills well. I observed that John could easily use the spoon to feed himself, tying his she races, and drawing some shapes. During

Thomas Hobbes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Thomas Hobbes - Essay Example Only societies and governments stop this from being a constant state. This is a sort of fiction, since Hobbes points out that this has never actually happened in history. However, it helps to explain why people in countries often suffer from mistrust, violence and criminality. This ‘state of nature’ is central to Hobbes’ view of the world. This reason this is not a reality is because it is blocked by fear and reason. Reason is how man knows how to escape from the state of nature and this is how the natural laws are created which allow man to live in peace. Hobbes then develops his ideas on the ‘laws of nature’. This works against the destructive nature of the ‘state of nature’ and helps man to maintain peace and stability. These laws are instinctive to man and are obtainable though natural reason and philosophy. The first law is the law of peace and divides into the seeking of peace and the right to defend ourselves from violence in order to maintain peace. The second law is connected to peace and states that we give up certain rights, such as murder, in order to avoid continuous warfare. People mutually give up their rights and this becomes a contract, which is the foundation for moral obligations. The third law, therefore, requires us not just to make such contracts, but to respect and keep them. These first three laws are the essential way in which continuous war can be avoided. Hobbes then outlines a number of other associated laws which contribute to maintaining peace. All these laws can be summarised as avoiding actions which an individual would not want performed against themselves. God ultimately rules over these laws. Hobbes then explores how the contracts work. There are two different types of person who can be involved in a contract – natural and artificial. Hobbes defines a natural person as one who uses their own words. An artificial person, rather, is one who uses the words of

Law Synopsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Law Synopsis - Essay Example Justice Holmes of the Supreme Court began his ruling by giving a brief overview of the case. The Porto Rican leadership based the case. The Porto Rican leadership intended to introduce a bill that would enable the locals to dig deeper in their pockets while paying tax. It prompted the appellant to file a case to stop the implementation of the tax collection bill. The appellant succeeded in temporarily preventing the implementation of the bills when the District court gave an injunction on 31ST of March 1925. It directed the Porto Rican government to put on hold all the plans they had regarding the introduction of the bill while the case was being listed to before the court. Following the court injunction, the hearings for the case began on 7TH April 1925 at the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal reversed the ruling that had been made by the District Court thereby giving green light to the Porto Rican authorities to begin the implementation of the tax collection bill. The preparations by the Porto Rican government were nonetheless, put on hold when the Court of Appeal upon listening to further hearings temporarily suspended any preparations for the introduction of the bill and in the process transferring the case to the Supreme Court. The Act of September 14TH, 1922, c 305 allowed the Court of Appeal to transfer the case to the Supreme Court.

Compare and Contrast Poems by John Donne and Michael Drayton Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast Poems by John Donne and Michael Drayton Essay The poem, To his coy mistress is very much Carpe Diem but the poet Andrew Marvell who wrote it was influenced by both Metaphysical and Classical types of poetry, the way in the beginning of the poem he seems to talk about things in a very slow way, walking, time slowing down to try to woe the women in a much quicker, the poem also shows a lot of Petrachan influences as when Andrew Marvell says Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze and Thy beauty shall no more be found. The poem is very much more in use of words that show the women in which the poem is talking about as being a goddess as I said earlier; this seems to play a large part in the poem. poem which is also very Carpe Diem is, to the virgins, to make much of time, this poem uses irregular (starvea) stress and unstressed words, but does have a regular amount of feet throughout the poem. The poem The Flea is very different to the other two before, it is a metaphysical poem which is much more interesting, it uses a much more dialectic view of wooing a women. It uses the fact that as a flea has bitten both the poet and the women of whom he is in love with, that it means that there are three lives all together in one and that him and his love almost more than maryed are. The structure of the poem uses the end of each paragraph as a conclusion for what it has just been stating. The poem uses imagery as it describes the two lovers together in the Flea with its dark walls of Jet referring to the colour jet black as there is no light in the Flea. At the end of the poem it shows that the women is wanting to kill the flea and he is comparing himself to the flea and saying that the flea is innocent because all it has done is take a tiny prick of blood from her and is it really worth the fleas life. The poet is using the idea of persuasion on the women by using the flea as an example. When it comes to the conclusion of the last paragraph it shows the poets persuasion again for that by the women killing the flea it has taken a small bit of life away rom her as it bit her and took some of her blood. The poet is much more different to the previous poets also as his persuasion has much more of a point to it, and uses a more intelligent argument against the women. The next poem was Song. To Celia, this is a classical poem which emphasises carpe diem is interesting. The poem is not in a common dialectic structure, it does have a felling that the poem is mainly based on the, fast, quick, instant love at the start of the poem. The poem involves a very large part at the end of an affair scene where Ben Johnson writes Of a few household spies? Or his easier ears beguile, this is speaking about the servants of the house in which the women which the man is involved with stays at, that they will only have to trick the servants from seeing them together. The structure of the poem is done using rhyming couplets and a trochaic tetrameter, the poem can be related to, to his Coy Mistress as it is also Carpe Diem. The poem, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love; this poem is a very stereotypical one as it portrays an idealised view of the country, it shows a much pastured view of the countryside. The poem is trochaic and it keeps a steady a,a,b,b pattern. The poet obviously did not have any view of the country and was probably a city person. The poem speaks about him and his love being whisked away into the countryside to live there in peace, with beds of roses for his love. The view of country is very much like a place that would be very hard to find in life; it is a much idealised view. The poem Sonnet is a very strange one; it does not have a set pattern for its rhythm and is very staggered. It involves the poet explaining all the different ways in which he loves the women in speaking. It uses classical influences with the poem having no persuasive felling to it. The poet uses Petrachan factors as the poet says about he loves all the aspects of the women, her breath, loving her freely, and purely.

Death of a Naturalist is concerned with growing up and loss of innocence :: English Literature

Death of a Naturalist is concerned with growing up and loss of innocence Death of a Naturalist† is concerned with growing up and loss of innocence. The poet vividly describes a childhood experience that precipitates a change in the boy from the receptive and protected innocence of childhood to the fear and uncertainty of adolescence. Heaney organises his poem in two sections, corresponding to the change in the boy. By showing that this change is linked with education and learning, Heaney is concerned with the inevitability of the progression from innocence to experience, concerned with the transformation from the unquestioning child to the reflective adult. The poem opens with an evocation of a summer landscape which has the immediacy of an actual childhood experience. There is also a sense of exploration in â€Å"in the heart/Of the townland;† which is consistent with the idea of learning and exploration inevitably leading to discovery and the troubled awareness of experience. To achieve this Heaney not only recreates the atmosphere of the flax-dam with accuracy and authenticity, but the diction is carefully chosen to create the effect of childlike innocence and naivety. The child’s natural speaking voice comes across in line 8; â€Å"But best of all†. The vividness of his description is achieved through Heaney’s use of images loaded with words that lengthen the vowels and have a certain weightiness in their consonants; â€Å"green and heavy-headed Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods.† The sound of the insects which, â€Å"Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell† is conveyed by the ‘s’ and ‘z’ sounds but also, importantly, acts like a bandage preventing the spread of decay. The images of decay, â€Å"festered†, â€Å"rotted†, â€Å"sweltered† and â€Å"the punishing sun† do not seem to trouble the boy in this first section (although they do prepare us for the second section and the loss of innocence); he takes a delight in the sensuousness of the natural world. The onomatopoeic â€Å"slobber† effectively conveys the boy’s relish for the tangible world around him. We can further see how he views this world by the words â€Å"clotted† and â€Å"jellied†; to the boy the frogspawn is like cream and jam, something to be touched and enjoyed. In section two everything changes. This change is marked by differences in tone, diction, imagery, movement and sound. The world is now a threatening place, full of ugliness and menace. However, it is not the world that has changed so much as the boy’s perception of it. There is still a strong emphasis on decay and putrefaction, but now it is not balanced by images suggesting the profusion of life. The sounds are no longer delicate (line 5), but are â€Å"coarse†, â€Å"bass† and

Benjamin Franklin :: Biography Biographies Benjamin Franklin Essays

Benjamin Franklin In his many careers as a printer, moralist, essaylist, civic leader, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, and philosopher, Benjamin Franklin Became both a spokesman and a model for the national character of later generations of Americans. After less than two years of formal schooling, Franklin was pressed into his father's trade. At the age of 16, Franklin wrote some pieces in a courant,"Silence Dogwood." Though penniless and unknown, Franklin soon found a job as a printer. Aafter a year he went to England, where he became a master printer, sowed some wild oats, astonished Londoners with his swimming feats, and lived among the famous writers of London. In 17227, Franklin began his career as a civic leader by organizing a club of aspiring tradesmen called the JJunto, which met each week for discussion and planning. Franklin began yet another career when in 1740 he invented the Pennsylvania fireplace, later called the Franklin stove, which soon heated buildings all over Europe and North America. He also read treaties on electricity and and began a series of experiments with his friends in Philadelphia. Experiments he proposed, first tried in France in 1752, showed that lightning was in fact a form of el! ectricity. Later that year his famous kite experiment, in which he flew a kite with the wire attached to a key during a thunderstorm. His later achievements included formulating a theory of heat absorption, measuring Gulf Stream, designing ships, tracking storm paths, and inventing bifocal lenses. In 1751, Franklin was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly, causing the beginning of nearly 40 years as a puublic official. At home from 1762 to 1764, Franklin traveled throghout the colonies, reorganizing the AAmerican postal system. He also built aa new house on Market Street in Philadelphia, now reconstructed and open to visitors, and otherwise provided for his family. From April 1775 to October 1776, Franklin served on the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety and in the Continental Congress, submitted articles of confederation for the united colonies, proposed a new constitution for Pennsylvania, and helped draft the Decclaration of Independence.

Commercialization of the Navajo Sand Painting Practice

For the West, art has traditionally been considered as the mark of civilization, in so far as humanity is able to capture and render the essence of beauty and preserve this through their â€Å"artwork.† ( Gilbert, 1982; Errington, 1994; Witherspoon, 1977)   Indeed, art may even be a purely Western construct â€Å"since textiles and jewellery, clothing and cosmetics (to mention only a few of the contexts where aesthetic choices operate) are not usually considered by us to be Art with a capital ‘A'.† (Gilbert, 1982: 168) The understanding and appreciation of non-Western â€Å"art† has therefore been problematic for many scholars, given that branding such cultural products and practices as such carries with it the enthnocentric connotations of the Western definition which usually defines â€Å"art† based on the value system of Western culture (Gilbert, 1982: 167-168; Errington, 1994: 203; Clifford, 1988:221) that, as Robbins (2005) points out, has become more and more concerned with the accumulation of material wealth and the derivation of fulfillment from the consumption of products (Robbins 2005:20) and where the perception of beauty is lamentably static. (Witherspoon, 1977:152) Critics have likewise noted that â€Å"art† in the West has often connoted being â€Å"art by intention,† which are produced and valued to be perceived for their beauty and for the monetary value that they carried.(Errington, 1994: 201) This is distinguished from what is considered as â€Å"art by appropriation† or the things that were produced for purposes other than art but are appraised to be of high value with antiquity or the possession of an indigenous or unique identity, thereby alienating them from the culture that produced them. Witherspoon (1977), for instance, emphasizes the importance of defining indigenous behavior, institutions, and practices within the context of their culture or at the very least, â€Å"against the backdrop of their view of the world or their ideological frame of reference.† (Witherspoon 1977:4) This includes confronting the fact that these cultures often evolve or even change with their exposure to other cultures and vice versa. The dilemma over the treatment and definition of non-Western art is illustrated, for instance, in efforts to preserve Navajo sand paintings so they could be sold and collected (Errington, 1994: 203). The sand paintings which were originally used in Navajo religious rites and healing ceremonies have been described as â€Å"true masterpieces of art† for their â€Å"instinctive awareness of the basic principles of design, colour harmonies, and contrasts.† (Foster, 1963:43) Ironically, the sand paintings were created by the Navajo not for art’s sake but as an integral part of religious healing ceremonies to locate and reestablish of an individual in his or her right place in the the universe and thus cure his or her illness. These paintings often utilized colored sand, cornmeal, and other bits of material to depict the Navajo’s vision of the cosmos and to symbolize their socio-economic life and other cultural elements.(Robbins, 2005: 14; Foster, 1963: 43) Foster (1963) notes that the Navajo was able to make over a thousand designs from symbols and patterns that were unique to them, and how, after the sand painting had been painstakingly drawn, the shamans would proceed to rub parts of the design on the individual who was to be cured while praying through chants. For the Navajo people, the sand paintings were indeed relevant not only as a religious tool but also as a source of magic. Horrified by the fact that these intricate sand paintings were often destroyed by being sat on or rubbed off during the healing process and thrown out afterwards, â€Å"concerned† individuals found ways to keep these intact using glue and other materials. (Errington, 1994: 203) This concern to preserve the end product of a cultural practice for its artistic or aesthetic value, however, contrasts sharply with the Navajo’s concept of beauty that lies more in the creative process that is inextricably linked with their way of life itself. Thus, beauty for the Navajo lies not in the sand painting that has served its purpose in curing a community member’s illness but in the entire religious ceremony where the sand painting is but a small component. The careless tendency to preserve or collect â€Å"art† from other cultures therefore engenders the superimposition of   another culture’s value systems and assumptions of meaning on the cultural practices or even the products of cultural practices (Errington, 1994: 205). This is especially true in the case of the sand paintings, where the preservation enabled them to become â€Å" durable and portable, able to be moved to new locations, and hung on the walls as â€Å"art†Ã¢â‚¬  (Errington, 1994:205). With this transformation from a religious and highly significant part of Navajo tradition to a home or museum artifact, the Navajo sand painting tend to lose its significance as it became divorced from the culture that produced it. Thus, the Navajo sand painting seem to have lost its meaning as it became more and more commercialized. Approriated as art, the practice became insignificant insofar as the culture and the community that practiced it disintegrated, devoiding sand painting of its ritual meaning and significance. Works Cited: Clifford, J. (1988). The Predicament of Culture. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Errington, S. (1994). What became authentic primitive art? Cultural Anthropology, 9(2). Foster, K. (1963). Navajo sand paintings. Man, 63. Gilbert, M. (1982). Art: the primitive view. The British Journal of Aesthetics, 22(2). Robbins, R. H. (2005). Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Witherspoon, G. (1977). Language and Art in the Navajo Universe. Michigan: University of Michigan Press.