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...