Price Fixing Charges

Maersk International Strategy

Maersk International Strategy Executive summary Globalization, international trade and improved cooperation among countries have led to an opportunity for companies to diversify their operations in countries different from their country of incorporation. When venturing in other countries, there is need for strategic management policies since different countries need different management approach.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Maersk International Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Maersk Line company offers its services to clienteles from different parts of the globe thus it has to make strategic decisions in that effect. The company is faced with a number of challenges that may hinder its attainment of corporate goals and objectives, however with timely, quality and responsive decisions, the company is bound to prosper. It should have strategically managed human capital, an integrated supply chain management, and well developed marketi ng strategies. Introduction According to Martin, 2005, scientific innovation and inventions have changed the way business is done; they have facilitated globalization and international ventures. With the invention, some companies/individuals saw the niche of operation and engaged in the business of facilitating international trade; they are service providers in transport and communication; such companies include Maersk Line (Martin, 2005). When operating in the Diasporas, they have to ensure they have to ensure they put on strategies that will facilitate competitiveness and increased business; the strategies must be effective enough to meet the changes in the globe as well as cover the cultural differences in different countries (Nagle and Holden, 2002). This paper analysis the international strategies adopted by Maersk Logistics company to remain competitive in the international market. Brief history of Maersk Line The idea to have a logistic company was triggered in 1970 by an inc reased need in specialized packaging and transportation of good both locally and internationally. These lead to incorporation of Maersk Line in 1977 (Maersk Line official website, 2010). When incorporated it was named as Mercantile. It is an international logistics company, which had its initial presence in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Globalization assisted the company to reach international business where it engaged in cargo-freight business transport (shipping and plane services) and through acquisition of various companies internationally like international freight company; the company is able to command a large position of world logistic industry.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At the start of 21st century the company changed its name to Maersk Line Company. It has containers made to suit a certain cargo required to be transported and takes contracts to transport the good abroad. In some countries like USA, Australia, France and Finland, the company entered the markets through brokerage and take over’s. It had to wait until 2001 to enter Customers-Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C-TAP) in United States. The company does not have physical location in all countries of the world but accepts contracts to be made online for transportation of good. By logging in the company’s website one is able to contract for transportation of goods upon an agreement that is facilitated by user-friendly website. After the deal has been completed, monitoring of containers is done electronically to assist in return of empties. Other than engaging in packaging, the company has extended its services to shipping. It owns some ships which it transports cargo from one country to another. With increased trade, the company cannot have the time as well as resources to use traditional marketing strategies and convince its current base of custom ers of its services (Maersk Line official website, 2011). Maersk Logistics Company Mission statement The company has six missions that it aims at attaining they are: Understanding the needs of customers and ensuring that they are met. This is done through intensive research on modern logistics treads. Being the leader in logistic industry; this has been done through numerous acquisition that the company has embarked on Have a constant growth rate and remain competitive in the world of changing business treads. This is attained by approaching different counties and adopting policies that assure that the company remain competitive. Efficiency and cost reduction Personal motivation and development for its staffs Innovation in the era of changing business treads (Maersk Line official website, 2010). Maersk Logistics Company Vision statement The mission of the company is â€Å"We create opportunities for global commerce†. This is attained by developing a supply chain management that is aimed at giving the best service to their customers (Maersk Line official website, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Maersk International Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More International strategies The following are the international strategies adopted by Maersk: International marketing strategy The company is an international one specializing with logistics, to ensure that it has a competitive edge, the company adopts various marketing tools. One of the tools that the company has adopted is customer-company relation creation where it keeps track with companies that it has transported for and ensures that they create a relationship good enough that the company can offer them another contract (Hisrich, 2010). In so doing the company, ensure that it retains the customers that it gets at one particular time. Customer satisfaction is a marketing tool that the company uses. When contracted to pack an d transport ones good whether using its transport machinery or loading it to another companies ship/plane, it ensures that the work is efficiently done (Oster, 1994). The approach of international marketing of the company is one that ensures that it develops and maintains customer loyalty; after it has been contracted and made the delivery; it is its initiative to call back the customer and seek to know whether the products got to him in the right form and shape. This approach has seen the company develop and become one of the most liked and respected international company; they ensure they serve their clients in the best method possible. The approach of the company is referred to as personal selling for a good customer- company relation. The company employs a 4p (product, price, promotion, and place) marketing mix strategy (Marketing Teacher Ltd, 2000). Products The company has two king of service that it offers: packaging services and transporting services. To serve its customer r ight, the company ensures that it makes it packages affordable and available to all classes of people.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Those people who are using freight have their special package. Those using water has their package, small and large-scale customers are incorporated. To remain competitive the company aims at improving its service to attain more customer satisfaction and loyalty. Lately it invented computer cargo tracking system that is one such development. Price The company’s prices are dictated by the bulkiness and the weight that a customer products has. This ensure that there is equality and those customers who are transporting small portions of goods are charged proportionately to these products. The electronic payment system facilitate for quick payment for service given. Place The company has physical station is some countries however in those countries that it does not have offices there are brokers or the website assists customers to get services from the company. Promotions To advertise for its service the company uses internet based advertising strategy where it advertises its pro ducts over the internet to ensure that potential customers all over the world can have access to information that they can use to buy from the company. There are major trading companies of the world, which the company has recognized, and it does direct marketing of such companies. They include coca- cola, Dell and HP. it contacts them directly and offers special rates. Other than the companies, there are the clearing agents. Some countries like Kenya and Australia require that for clearing of good to take place, there must be a clearing agent (Maersk Line official website, 2011). Trade fair marketing The company participated in trade fairs in different countries. In so doing, it gets a chance to show case its products and get a close customer interactions. As an indirect way of marketing, the company has adopted social corporate responsibility in its countries of incorporation and in other countries. An example of corporate responsibility is transportation of refugee food free of ch arge. This has assisted the company to get a better reputation than its competitors. Supply chain management Maersk integrated supply chain management operated in two folds; it has to ensure that the materials that it requires for its business are available in the best form and it ensures that the logistics business it is offering to its clients is effective. The company has a well-developed supply chain management where it uses various monitoring tools to ensure that good on transits are controlled. Supply chain management operated by the company ensures that goods reach the destination country in good shape. Computers are used to assist in management of these. Currently the company has employed a cargo tracking technology: where a computer chip is placed on a container that can offer the company information about the where about of a certain container. This assists in advising customers who may call in to inquire of where about of their cargo. The chip, through the technology is t esting stage, offers information about the place, the longitudinal location of a certain container, the expected time of arrival and the ship that is carrying the commodity. This is in the efforts of ensuring that the company meets its customers’ needs more effective. More specific in the area of logistics, the company employs four approaches they are: Third-Party Logistics Services This is where the company after the supply of goods it ensures that the containers are returned in good form to them. This is reverse logistics. Multiple Countries Consolidation, Collaboration and Integration Model This is where company has collaboration with different countries that a cargo can be transshipped from one ship to another to facilitate more trade efficiency. Vendor Management Inventory, Warehousing and Distribution This ensure that the company extends its services to the country of destination by offering warehouse services before clearance of good s but this is limited for a c ertain period of time. Pack to Order, Repackaging and Combo Packing This is an extended service where packaging of goods is done according to customer’s specifications (Kerin and Peterson, 2009). Global human resources Management Management of Maersk understands that for a successful business, and then they need to have an effectively managed human capital. In response to this understanding, the company employs from an international labor market, when employing, the company posts its advert in its website and recommends everybody who meets its minimum qualification needs to apply despite the nationality that the person comes from. In offices, the company has the highest number of employees as the nationals of the particular country and ensures they are managed effectively. To manage an international human capital, the company undertakes numerous cultural intelligence surveys to know the best approach to handle the human capital. The employees of the company are highly motiv ated; to motivate them, the human resources department has put in place some motivational policies like adequate payments, holidays, regular appraisals, training, and development. When making decisions, it is the company’s policy to involve their staffs, delegate power and empower them for continuity in the business. As far as it aims at assisting other companies operate effectively in the international trade, the company ensures that it looks not its human capital welfare (Haberbeg and Rieple, 2001) Automation, innovation and invention To remain competitive and continue meeting customers’ needs, Maersk has resulted to aggressive use of technology to improve its business, reduce operating costs and to improve customer feelings with its products. In the transport and logistics industry, the company has to deal with a number of enquiries from different parts of the world as people inquire for their cargo whereabouts; they ensure that they have close linkage with the tran sporting cargo so as to advice their customers effectively; in the different time zones, the company has a 24 hours operating approach. Occasionally, the company keeps developing new products and approaches to the business; this improves the way business is operated in the company and ensures that a number of options to customers. For example, the company invented/innovated the business of container sharing; where it can accept customers who have agreed to use the same container; this makes the products more affordable. Another innovation that the company has employed is the use of mini-containers; under this innovation, it allows a customer to buy space in a container then if the container is not full; the company introduces another micro container in the main container with the same number like the one of the main container. When charging the containers, it charges at a reduced cost yet maintains efficiency and transparency (Fred, 2008). Good leadership and efficient internal proc esses Maersk Line Company has an effective leadership team; the team is divided into different department each given some tasks to handle from an international angle; however all the leaders are under the leadership of Eivind Kolding, Chief Executive Officer. The following are the other leaders with their departments: Name Department Headed Hanne B. Sà ¸rensen Chief Commercial Officer Lucas Vos Chief Process Officer Peter Rà ¸nnest Andersen Chief Financial Officer Peter S. Linnemann Head of Human Resources Lars Reno Jakobsen Head of Network Product Morten Engelstoft Chief Operating Officer (Maersk Line official website, 2011). All the leaders above are professional who have wide experience in their areas of operations; they handle the business from an international angle and ensures that they align the business processes with the needs of the global market. When they are making decisions, it is the policy of the company to involve their subordinates (Kerin and P eterson, 2009). Adoption of E-business approach One area that Maersk has done recommendable well is the use of e-business applications; it has adopted policies that allow international customer to trade with the business. They include: E-money transfer: this is where the company accepts deposits made through electronic money transfer as sales settlements and payments, some of the acceptable money transfers accepted by the company are PayPal, western union, electronic money transfers, and wire transfers E-marketing: the company has implemented a number of electronic marketing approach to ensure it can communicate effectively with its customers; some of the tools they use include online marketing, social network marketing and website advertising Customer relation management, Business intelligence tools and Data mining approach: the company has embarked on massive use of technology to interpolate data and come up with the right approach to satisfy their customers (Rakesh, 2005). Reco mmendations to improve the services of Maersk Company The company can be applauded for adopting an E-marketing strategy but more need to be done to ensure that it remains competitive in the changing logistics industry. Some of the areas that it needs to improve are in online businesses. The company’s website has limited information that require to contact the customer care desk online; this sometimes is discouraging since one has to wait for a long period of time before he gets a response from the site. The reason for this is that the call centers are only in the head office. What the company needs to do is to decentralize this service and make it available to its brokers and local offices. This will go a mile ahead in improving customer’s satisfaction and increasing loyalty. There are some countries, which are potential markets for the products, but the company has not entered these markets. It should ensure that robust marketing should be adhered to tap these markets . Computers are not always reliable and sometimes they have failed the company. This is when servers are down or in a repair process. This has hindered the delivery of services by the company. Upgraded technology should be adopted to ensure that there is a backup when a case of system failure occurs. Customer case-service method that DHL has adopted need to be adopted by Maersk; this is door-to-door delivery. The company’s service mostly ends up in a warehouse or at the port of destination. To ensure more customer satisfaction, there is need to adopt a door-to-door strategy where it can deliver products right to the consumers. This will assist the company command a more customer base and be the preferred choice of Logistics’ Company (Heaton, 2008). Although it has adopted a cargo tracking system, the system has taken long to mature. It is faced with an increased technological failure and is efficient to certain countries. The issue of centralization appears again. The system is monitored from the head office thus faces challenges of adequate monitoring; It should be decentralized and customers assured that they would get information about their cargo with precision. Today’s marketing strategy has taken a different approach, this is where alongside computerized marketing customer company relation are developed to ensure that it benefits from repeat customers. The same customers are opinion leaders to the company. Although the company targets the large importers with this service, more need to be done (Kurtz, MacKenzie and Kim, 2009) An action plan to implement the above recommendations Since the company is incorporated and doing fairly well the action plan to be adopted is a business re-engineering plan. This is a plan, which aims to touch all the internal and probably external strategies adopted by the company. It will involve developing strategy that start with the first interaction that a customer makes with a company to the point of del ivery. The process of improving is as follows: Internal strategies This involves ensuring that the company has the right experienced staffs that it can rely on. This is attained through training and employing quality staffs to pioneer its services. Other than head office employees, the company should ensure that all brokers and local branches have a pool of expertise. This should be continuous process. Technology and cargo tracking The company should employ a high level of modern technology especially in this era of computerized business strategies. It should ensure that its online marketing, e-advertising and E-commerce strategies adopted are of the right standards such that it can give adequate information to customers. This need to be improved almost immediately and keep updated always. All internal processes should be computerized to ensure that there is good communication between various departments and sectors of the company. This will facilitate a more understanding and bett er services. External service Door to door service The company should adopt a door-to-door marketing strategy where it will deliver its goods to customer at the closest point possible. This is likely to increase its delivery customer base. Research and development team With the change in the way businesses are conducted, there is need to adopt have a research and development team that is mandated with the task of advising the company on the route to follow as long as innovation and current business treads are concerned. Though the department is there, it should be more robust and include all view in all countries (Kerin, and Peterson, 2009). Conclusion Maersk Company is a logistic company situated in Hong Kong with branches and broker points in over 100 countries; the success of the company can be attributed to its effective international business management strategies. The company’s management has adopted policies that facilitate its international operations; the internatio nal strategies adopted are integrated supply chain management, e-business strategy, international marketing approach, and good leadership and strong internal processes. To keep-up with changes in international market, the company keeps innovating and developing its products and services. References Fred, D., 2008. Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Haberbeg, A. and Rieple, A.,2001.The Strategic Management of Organisations. Prentice Hall: London. Hisrich, R. D., 2010. International Entrepreneurship. London: Sage Publications. Kerin, R. A. and Peterson, R. A. ,2009. Strategic Marketing Problems: Cases and Comments. London: Pearson Education. Kurtz, L., MacKenzie, F. and Kim, S.,2009. Contemporary Marketing. New York; Cengage Learning Maersk Line Official Website. ,2011. Maersk Line [online]. Available at:  https://www.maersk.com/ Marketing Teacher Ltd., 2000. The International Market Entry Evaluation Process [online]. Available at:  https://w ww.marketingteacher.com/the-international-market-entry-evaluation-process/ . Martin, W. 2005. Why Globalization Works. London, Yale University Press. Nagle, T. and Holden, R. 2002.The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing. New York: Prentice Hall. Oster, M. ,1994. Modern Competitive Analysis. New York: Oxford University. Rakesh, J., 2005. International Marketing. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Bibliography/further reading Mentzer, J. T. ,2001. Defining supply chain management. Journal of Business Logistics, 22(2), 1–26. Newman, J., 2001. Modernising Governance. Belmont: SAGE Publications. Sadler, P. and James, C.,2003. Strategic management. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Schweyer, A. ,2010.Talent Management Systems: Best Practices in Technology Solutions for Recruitment, Retention and Workforce Planning. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Ward Jr., M., Glass, L. ,2008. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. National Petroleum News, 100(1),p. 24.

Operation MARKET GARDEN - September 1944 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Operation MARKET GARDEN - September 1944 - Essay Example With a lot of American, Commonwealth and British troops stationed in London, the unified Anglo-American command sought to find a way of entering Germany. Some of the Allied leaders believed that the entry into Germany could be done if it was launched from the south of the Europe through Italy into Germany. However, pressures from the bombing of London by periodic German airforce raids over Britain created a case for an urgent action to stop the Germans from bombing London. General Montgomery came under intense pressure by the British government to seek a military intervention across the English channel to mainland Europe. The Americans who overwhelmingly outnumbered the British and Commonwealth troops had command over the joint Allied command. They did not favour the direct invasion of Germany through the northern frontier. They supported an incursion through a weaker point in the German defence lines. With his influence and respect, Montgomery planned an operation meant to lead the Allies to enter German territory. This led to what became know as Operation Market Garden. In the operation, the Allied forces were to seize a series of strategic positions like bridges and cause a number of Allied troops to parachute behind enemy lines to lead to penetration. The plan of the operation was to break the Nazi frontier and liberate the rest of Europe by December 1944. However, due to large scale operational failures and the strong and efficient control of the frontier by the Nazis, the operation failed to live to expectation and it the Allies were forced to use a different approach several months later1. However, the operation came with so many important lessons that are relevant to modern military warfare. It can be applied to numerous situations and can be used to plot several hypothetical cases. The fact that there are numerous approaches and systems to the Operation Market Garden means that it could be evaluated and

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Business Strategy - Essay Example Earth Plc needs to focus more to the expectations of their most prominent stakeholders and to the processes in which its culture influences the type of strategy it adopts (Abele, 2008). Principal stakeholder analysis Identification of the interests of the different stakeholders Fisk (2008) emphasized there are different stakeholders in Earth Plc. The customers are interested in the financial statements of Earth Plc in order to determine if the company will stay open during the times when the customers will be buying their much-needed mining needs. The employees of Earth Plc are needed the company’s financial statements in order to determine if it is ripe to ask for salary and other wage benefit increases. A set of financial statements that indicates a loss trend will indicate that there is high probability the company will close shop in the foreseeable future. In this case, a majority of the employees will be forced to find employment in other greener pastures (other companies ). The managers are interested to get a copy of the financial statements in order to know if they have performed their duties and responsibilities in accordance with preset benchmarks. Basically, managers are given a profit benchmark. Here, the financial statements that indicate a loss is equivalent to a failing grade; financial statements that show a net profit is equivalent to a passing grade. The suppliers are very interested to get a copy of the company’s financial statements to determine if the company will stay long enough to buy their goods and services. Financial statements indicating a net loss would prod the supplier to seek other clients to replace Earth Plc because there is a strong indication the company will close shop in the near future. The creditors are interested to get a copy of the financial statements of the Earth Plc. The creditors will use the financial statements as a ground for granting or approving the company’s credit limit. A financial state ment that indicates a net profit will encourage the creditors to immediately approve the company’s credit limit application. On the other hand, a financial statement that indicates a net loss will show that the company may not be able to pay their maturing debts on time due to lack of available cash on hand. The labor union is interested to get a copy of the financial statements in order to determine if the company is able to grant salary and other wage benefit increases. The net profit will indicate that the company will not be able to stay long enough to grant the salary increases. In this case, the labor unions will allow the postponement of the salary and other wage benefit increases. The environmental protection agencies are interested to grab a copy of the company’s financial statements the agencies are interested to know if the company is complying all environmental protection statutes. The financial statements generally indicate if Earth Plc is regularly dumpin g its mining wastes into the crystal clear waters of the nearby river. The environmental protection agencies will not hesitate to penalize companies, especially Earth Plc, that do not use high smoke stacks to let polluting smoke be release at a level that is higher than the height of the average person; this will lessen the people from inhaling the hazardous exhaust smoke used to

A report on the care programme approach (CPA) within NHS Essay

A report on the care programme approach (CPA) within NHS - Essay Example The scope of this report is to appraise relevant Government initiatives in taking healthcare policies forward, with particular reference to the CPA to serve as a basis for improved service planning for the future. The Government in 1999, brought out a document named â€Å"Effective co-ordination in Mental Health Services: A policy booklet modernising the Care Programme Approach.† One of the observations made this is that â€Å"Mental illness places demands on services that no one discipline or agency can meet alone.† (2) This led to recognition of the need for a system to effectively co-ordinate health, social care and related services â€Å"to work in harmony to the benefit of the service user.† (2 ibid) A major milestone that accelerated the pace of integrated health care service delivery was the issue of a White paper named â€Å"Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services,† (3) in January 2006. This White paper sets the baseline for healthcare services in the country for the future. This report aims to bring out an appraisal on the implementation of strategies, objectives and goals relating to healthcare underpinned in various Government initiatives to make the CPA for mental health services more result oriented. This aim is accomplished through a critical study of documents released by the Government from time to time, on implementation of the policies and programmes and on monitoring these and accomplishments reported. The findings include understanding of the policies initiated in 1991 through significant reforms brought out on the CPA since 1999, taking forward the initial policies, formulation of National standards on mental health and various other reforms that influenced the healthcare Sector as a whole. Documents researched particularly include reviews of the progress and effectiveness of the policies programmes and initiatives and improvements accomplished. People of working age have a mental health

Marxism literary and the new criticism theory

Marxism literary and the new criticism theory Marxism literary theory and the new criticism theory are among many wide schools of theory with historical importance. These theories differ in their methods and conclusions as well as their text. Different theories complement and supplement each other in their goals, methods, conclusions and text. The present day literary theory dates back in the 1960s. Literary theory was at its highest peak in popularity in some of the leading universities in America such as John Hopkins and Yale. It is from these universities that the influence of literary theory started spreading and by 1980s it was being taught almost everywhere. During this time, literary theory was supposed to be an academically cutting-edge, and as a result the majority of university literature departments wanted to teach and learn theory and integrate it into their curricula. The goal of Marxist literary theories is to represent class conflict as well as to reinforce class distinctions through literature. Marxist theorists frequently champion writers who are sympathetic to the working classes and those whose works challenge the economic equalities in capitalist societies. In maintaining the spirit of Marxism, literary theories developing from the Marxist paradigm have sought Modern ways of understanding the relationship between literature and economic production as well as cultural production. Literary theory has drawn a lot of influence from the Marxism analyzes society. New Critics in their works usually include inherent moral dimension, and occasionally a religious dimension. For instance, New Critic may read a poem by Thomas Eliot for its level of honesty in expression of torment and contradiction of a serious exploration of belief in the present world. On the other hand Marxist critic might see New critics point of view as ideological instead of critical. They would argue that critical distance should be kept from the poets religious standpoint for the poem to be understood. New criticism theories look at literary works in the view of what is written and not upon the authors goals or biographical issues. In contrast, the Marxists emphasize themes of class conflict. Marxist literary criticism Marxist literary criticism is used to describe literary criticism influenced by the philosophy of Marxism. Twentieth century leading proponents of Marxist theory are also literary critics. They include, George Lukà ¡cs, Terry Eagleton, and Raymond Williams. Marxist theory has different goals. One of its simplest goals is literary assessment of the political inclination of a literary work, hence determining whether its literary form is progressive. According to Marxists legal systems, religious beliefs, and cultural frameworks are determined by social and economic conditions. Therefore Art should represent these conditions truthfully and also seek to better them. The popularity of Marxist aesthetics has reduced in nowadays consumerist society; however it continues to pose responsible questions. Marxist basis of evaluation is hard to establish although it is one of the vigorous and varied 20th century school of aesthetics. Marxist theory has not been able to explain how the political, artistic, and legal superstructure of a nation reflects in its economic constitution. Assumptions from its generalizations have been stunningly inaccurate. For instance the hypotheses with which Marxism explained the rise in living standards of capitalist working class; the Russian-Chinese conflict revolution in Russia; and the uprisings in Berlin. The fact that Marxism fails intellectually is a prove that it has weaknesses in literary criticism. Despite Marxist critism theories having weaknesses it is a good thing that it allows intellectual freedom. Sometimes the authors writing may have been influenced in some way by the state. For instance, the communist world was totally different from what writers were allowed to show. This means that the literary work of time could not be analyzed by simply looking at the authors goal as it is proposed by new criticism. Reading the literary work very closely and particularly the language used by the author would help to analyze the work more critically. In this case Marxism is very crucial because what people read that is what they practice. Some contemporary Marxists such Terry Eagleton have tried to rehabilitate or revise marx. She recognizes the fact that literary work like that of Shakespeare create value because by reading them we are made to think and get something out of them thus getting some values from them. This supplements new criticism theory that looks at the moral and sometimes the religious dimensions such as honesty. Georg Lukacs contribution In his contribution towards Marxism and literature, Georg Lukacs, maintained that the text contained in classic realist writings in describing events of ordinary occurrence and social conditions give a vivid picture of the entireness of a society and its evolution. He argues that the literature of naturalism shows the contradictions that exist in societies and within the individual in the context of a dialectical unit. He acknowledged the fact that realist novels present a partial image of a society. However, he also supported the idea that the value of a novel lies in its description of the nature of a society in a historic period. He also argued that any literary work does not reflect individual phenomena in isolation as modernist text depicts, but should be the whole process of life found in realism. However, Lukas was opposed by Bertolt Brecht, who argued that society is dynamic and hence reality also changes. This is why Bertolt maintained that modes of representation should cha nge accordingly. The methods and goals of representation are always changing in the quest to describe present-day realities. Raymond Williams contribution According to Williams, any literature potraying an ever changing culture has the counter-hegemonic and dominant ideology. Therefore Marxist criticism leaning towards Williams theories considers literature as an important vehicle for ideology. Williams believed that where there was no common culture, a cultural and literary tradition is founded on selections made in the present and shaped by value decisions and power interests. This way he deconstructed the idea that truth is integral in a literary tradition. This contribution complements the new criticism theory that seeks to understand moral dimension of every literary text. He also suggested the term structure of feeling for analysis of literature. Even though she acknowledges that the term cannot be equated to an ideology since it lacks specificity of class and it is not universal; the term gives the dimension of experience more emphasis. Structure of feeling supplements new criticism theory since it emphasizes the experience dimension. This means that the text is not subjected to critical interpretations but instead the primacy of the text is upheld. New criticism New Criticism as a school of thought of literary interpretation stresses the significance of studying texts as comprehensive works of art in themselves. They argued for upholding primacy of text other than analysis based on context. According to proponents of this theory literary texts are usually comprehensive in and of themselves. They elevate the purpose of criticism in academics such as in the maintenance of language and poetry at the same time helping their development. Criticism is very important as it forms an inherent part of social development. Majority of new criticism studies see the theory as one that focuses on close reading of structure, theme, technicalities and the message contained in the literary works. New criticism supplements the Marxism criticism theory in its objective. Marxism theory interprets every literary work on the basis of how it responds to social inequalities. Social development is therefore an inherent part of the Marxism theory. New criticism also gives some focus to social development though indirectly. New criticism theory expects that by focussing on criticism at the academic level, the same will trickle down to the society at large and hence leading to social development. Unreasonable assumptions of Marxism and new criticism One of the assumptions of the New Critics is that biographical and historical information is not important in the study of a literary text. This assumption restricts the reader so much and is often seen as excessively authoritarian. Historical and biographical information is necessary as it can create an experience dimension that can pass some values to the reader. In so doing social development occurs. Marxism emphasizes the use of historical and biographical information in analyzing literary works. Marxism assumes that a literary work is a reflection of the society that produces it. This assumption is not always true. Some literary works may have had some external influenced thus depicting a society in a way that people wants to see it and thus may not be a true reflection of the society. Since new criticism does not emphasis the historical and biographical information of text, but instead on close reading of structure, theme, technicalities and the message contained in the literar y works, it complements the Marxism assumption. Therefore the blend of both Marxism and new criticism can complement each other as mentioned above. Humanism Marxism does not put emphasis on the use of Marx ideology of class conflict for academics but instead for social development. Therefore proponents of Marxism criticism theory believe it is most useful in the humanist world outside the academy. As discussed earlier, the new criticism is so much focussed on academics and not the society. It is so restrictive to the reader and does not use biographical and historical information in analysis of a literary work. On the other hand, Marxism can be referred as being humanistic. It is humanistic because it empathizes with the victims of social inequalities. Marxism therefore seeks to analyse literary works using the Marx ideology of class conflict. The Marxists hope that by analyzing literary works using class conflict ideology, the reader will be able to recognize the inequalities existing in the society and thus can find ways of overcoming them and bring about an equal society. According to Patricia Waugh humanism is not only found in Marxism but rather in all theories. She sees theories as a means by which one can exercise crucial capacities of being human. One can reflect or be rational about life through a theory and in the process one can stand back to make second order judgements about the world and our behaviour in it. In conclusion, Marxism criticism theory and New Criticism are different in many ways. These differences are what complements and supplements each other. For instance, since New Criticism does not emphasize on the use of historical and biographical information in analyzing literary works, Marxism complements it. On the other hand, New Criticism supplements Marxisms structure of feeling by emphasizing moral dimension in the analysis of literary works. Raymond Williams a proponent of Marxism acknowledge values such as truth as integral to the literary tradition.

Movie Analyses Essay -- Film Essays

Movie Analyses There is more to movies than pure visual quality and simple, predictable plots. While a movie may be able to appeal to masses of people with pure visceral quality, most quality movies have more in the way of character interaction and establish of an environment that suits the movie. There are many qualities to judge a movie by, but it is best to find qualities that certain movies share in common to best judge the two. The three movies being compared and contrasted in this paper are The House of Games, Blue Velvet, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. To best analyze these movies, they will be looked at from three viewpoints: their use of both physical and emotional relationships, their use of surrealism, and their use of art and music. Before one can learn anything about the three movies, they need some type of prior knowledge of what the movies are about. One of the movies being discussed is The House of Games. This movie is about a con artist, named Mike, who draws in a psychologist, named Margaret, into a very complex con through building her trust in him through a sexual relationship. Neither Margaret nor the audience is given any real clues that the relationship between the two is a hoax, and at the end of the film, the audience is shocked to make the discovery that Mike had no real feelings for Margaret as he cons her out of a large sum of money. After realizing the falsity of this relationship, Margaret essentially loses her mind, and ends up killing Mike. The next movie gone over is Blue Velvet, a combination of small-town satire and a mystery that taps into a man's most twisted sexual urges. The film takes place in a small town called Lumberton consists basically of four characters: Jeffrey, a cl... ...ay from Tomas time and time again, and Tomas proves this when he flees to his second main relationship, between him and Tereza, after it seemed him and Sabina were about to fall in love. The second relationship just mentioned is basically the exact opposite as the first one. Although it began similar to Tomas’ relationship with Sabina, it evolved throughout the movie to become less and less physical, and more about love. This is basically Tomas’s main conflict throughout the whole movie: although he was truly in love with Tereza and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he was unable to connect the physical relationship with the emotional, and Tereza had trouble believing that he truly was in love with her. The main thing the movie is trying to say about relationships is that sex and love are not necessarily the same thing, though they are often connected.

Advanced Computer Logic

In any organization, it is best that the purchasing transactions be organized in order to reduce purchase transaction costs (About, Inc). The importance of considering the methods involved in purchasing transactions is underscored by the fact that these transactions form the majority of the expenses of an organization (About, Inc). Indeed, it has been noted that â€Å"[i]n a typical organization, 80% of the purchasing transactions represent approximately 20% of the total dollars spent (About, Inc).†Thus, Tom Camp and Eleanor should discuss about changing their procurement process because apparently, it does not serve the best interests of the company. The facts given show that the equipments it purchases have a high obsolescence rate due to differences in preference and orders.Thus, there is a need to streamline the purchasing process of the company and minimize the differences in suppliers and orders, which only cause additional cost to the company.It appears that this situat ion is appropriate for the application of systems contracting. A systems contracting arrangement is described as â€Å"an agreement between the buyer and supplier where the buyer places a blanket order with the supplier and the supplies are delivered to a special area on the buyer’s premises (About, Inc).†This arrangement ensures that the inventory records are in order and constantly updated (About, Inc).In a systems contracting arrangement, the supplier retains ownership of the goods while they are purchase orders are still being generated and the customer is billed at established periods only (About, Inc). This system allows the buyer that his inventory commitment is kept at a minimum (About, Inc).Thus, the buyer is left to deal with his personal concerns regarding maintaining its inventory, without a huge commitment to the seller (About, Inc).  Another option for the company is to adopt the theory of reverse auction, wherein a single buyer would choose from among many sellers so that the buyer could get competitive bids on their needed equipment. This is also an option that could mean savings for the company because only the winning bidder would provide the procured equipment, and the company would no longer concern itself with differences in orders from among the difference departments of the company.Moreover, this could reduce the obsolescence rate of the equipments because the competitive nature of the selection and procurement process would ensure that only the best equipment would be ordered.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works CitedAbout, Inc. â€Å"Four Methods to Reduce Purchasing Costs.† 2007. 4 Oct. 2007.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .

Beastiality essays

Beastiality essays This is the story of Danny and his dog Mike who face many dangers in the wilderness. You can learn from this that good can come from things you once thought were useless and change to This story takes place in the wilderness of the Wintapi. It is mostly in the woods and rough The main character in the story is Danny who gets caught in a snowstorm. The major-minor characters are Ross , which is Dannys dad , and Mike the dog. The conflict in the story is character vs. nature and character vs. man. Together, Danny and Mike face a snowstorm and then prove to all the people in the Wintapi that Irish setters are the Danny and Ross always thought of Mike as the runt of the litter. Even though he was the son of a champion , he was considered a muttonhead. It wasnt until Danny and Mike were stranded in the woods that Mike began to change. Before then , he was hard headed and didnt listen. Now after his experiences in the woods he begins to mature an live up to blood line. Ross knew he had it in him all along but now he just has to prove he is the best to all the people in the Wintapi. Mike is entered in a field trial against one of the best English setters around. After finding more birds , Mike is the winner of the test. Danny and Ross are very proud that they discovered the true Many people in the Wintapi thought that English setters were the best dogs around. But after Mike won the trial , the Irish setter name got all the credit and respect that it deserved. I thought The story was interesting because I like those kind of adventure stories. ...

MARIJUANA The Controversial Drug essays

MARIJUANA The Controversial Drug essays Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. Marijuana is often called by street names such as pot, herb, weed, boom, Mary Jane, gangster, reefer, or chronic. There are more than 200 slang Cannabis was acknowledged as early as 2,700 BC in Chinese manuscripts. Marijuana has been used as a medicine throughout the world since the beginning of written history. During this time, companies such as Lilly, Parke Daivis, Tildens, Squibb, and other major drug manufacturers, have made everything from sleeping elixirs, to stomach medicine from marijuana. These drugs were even knowingly prescribed for Since 1839 there have been numerous reports in favor of utilizing medical marijuana. In 1839 Dr. W.B. OShaugnessy, a respected member of the Royal Academy of Science, was one of the first in the medical profession to present the true facts concerning Dr. OShaugnessys report states clearly, that experience indicates the use of marijuana to be a beneficial analgesic, and to have anticonvulsant, and muscle-relaxant properties. He found it to be effective in treating rheumatism (inflammation or pain in muscles or joints), epilepsy, and spasmodic conditions. In 1860, Dr. R.R. MMeens, indicated to the Ohio State Medical Society, the usefulness of marijuana in treating tetanus, neuralgia (pain in the nerves), uterine hemorrhage, child labor, convulsions, asthma, bronchitis, and even postpartum psychosis. It was also noted for its affect as an appetite stimulant. This is desperately needed in modern medicine especially by cancer and aids patients to prevent them from literally wasting away. Many of these patients have indicated that no other remedy helps to stimulate the appetite as effectively as smoking a small quantity of marijuana. It was also noted that smoking the natural plant was significantly more ...

Robotics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Robotics - Research Paper Example This paper reviews the unethical implications related to the use of these lethal weaponry. It provides a platform of reasoning for the policy makers, the political class, military personnel, scientists and the general public on the impending consequences of replacing humans in war with robots. It evaluates both the adverse effects of rapid change from humans to remote controlled robots and lately, to automated robots capable of sensing, hearing, communicating, acting and the extend of their necessities. In the evaluation and analysis, the review attempts to center around the ethical implications surrounding usage of automated robots in the modern warfare. Introduction and background The use of automated robots has a long history which began in the late 1980s when researchers got involved in the investigations on the use of multiple mobile robot systems. Previously, most researchers have carried out research which mainly concentrated on distributed problem solving mechanism. The main areas of concern by then were multi- robot motion plan, architectures for multi- robot cooperation and cellular robot system. Humanoid robots were first used in factories. They were capable to carry out production work without human assistance. The use of mobile and remote controlled robots in the military began back during the World War II and the cold war. The Germans through Goliath tracked mines and Soviet teletanks (a soviet built robot tanker) were used. The predator planes or drones were first used by the CIA officials in collection of intelligence in a fantasy environment. The aerial robots could collect intelligence for the military officials. Traditionally, robots were regarded as a topic for fiction by scientists in warfare. The modern concept of use of robots in the warfare began to develop with the use of mechanics and the introduction of electrical power. As time went on and many soldiers lost their lives in the battle field, there arose need to automate robots so that they could take the role of humans. This was after the rise of issues of human rights in the 1920s, although with concern and focus on the aggressor. This is the time that humanoid machines were developed and the myth of use of robots forgotten. It was now a reality (Parker 1-10). Robots are now gaining momentum in the modern warfare, although their use dates far back in the 19th century. Automated robots are proving to be efficient in the battle field as they reduce human loses and can easily penetrate in dangerous zones and perform effective and efficient. It is now common that robots in form of unmanned air vehicles are widely used by the US in destroying their enemies. This is evident in the Middle East wars, for instance Iraq, Afghanistan and collection of intelligence in South Korea among other regions of the world. Today, the drones used in war are controlled by pilots on the ground but with technological advancement, the pilots will be able to dial in when needed by the rob ots to take a specific action. The officer would be like managers in the future as robots undertake their roles. This trend of deploying autonomous robots in the battled field is quite worrying with regard to the ethical use of these systems in conflicts. This technological advancement generates more questions that are unanswered. The central question rests on the principle of discrimination of the combatant, non combatants and the organizational structure of the

Home work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Home work - Assignment Example The Germans thus sought to gain from the political instability in the country by financing the numerous violence and coups. Americans thus decided to occupy the country in order to pacify the operations by instilling stability in the government a feature that would protect the interests of the American investors in the country. Haiti thus became a US colony with the American marines killing all the insurgents and replacing the Haitian constitutions in order to permit foreigners to own land in the country a previous taboo that only the Germans who had managed to intermarry with the local elite Haitian society could manage. While the American government sought to protect the interest of its citizens living in the country and its international trade, the idea to colonize the country forcefully and replace its constitution was unrealistic. By doing this, the American government despised the sovereignty of the country thus imposing its legislations on the foreign land. Question 2 Neoreali sm is the most effective theory that explains American involvement in the Vietnam War. The theory asserts that power is one of the most important factor in international relations. According to the theory, powerful nations can intervene in the affairs of another state by manipulating their institutions of power. The power in this context may infer economic or military and the United States of America enjoyed both a feature that compelled her to get involved with the war. The spread of communism threatened her economic power a feature that compelled her to intervene in a bid to contain the spread in the eastern bloc. The United States of America had several foreign interests in the country that was an entry point to the eastern market. Additionally, it needed to pass a message to the rest of the countries in the eastern bloc making them aware of its political and military might. Realism on the other hand also draws several relevance to American involvement in the war. The theory asse rts that self-interests are the sole drive of international politics. To validate the claim, the theory explains that humans are not always benevolent but greedy, self-centered and extremely competitive. To safe guard their interests, different states ascribed to equality and autonomy thus earning them equal roles to dialogue and resolve international issues amicably. However, the theory acknowledges the selfish nature of human and the desire to prove their might over the rest of the population. The United States of America that is the world’s strongest economy thus decided to exploit its economic and military might by invading Vietnam and starting a fight in order to contain the spread of communism. The war resulted in the deaths of millions of the locales and many other America soldiers and had serious financial implications on the country and her tax system. However, the US deployed all the financial and human capita to the foreign territory in order to prove her economic might to the eastern bloc (Devitt 22). Question 3 John Mearsheimer fosters offensive realism and explains lies that countries tell each other as a means of gaining control of security control globally. This thus becomes the best reason with which to explain American interests in the Syrian predicament. While the country through its leadership has used gas