The Effect of Methamphetamine-induced Neurotoxicity on Crime Rates free essay sample

Methamphetamine destroys the body’s neurological processes, leading to impulsive behavior and ultimately breaking the law. Over 56% of state prisoners committed their crimes while under the influence of an illicit substance (Mumola 1). Out of all crimes committed while under the influence of a drug in 2004, 64% of them were petty theft and property offenses, such as burglary or larceny. The use of methamphetamines causes neurotoxic effects on serotonin neurons, resulting in anxiety and mood swings which could spur an individual into committing non-aggressive crimes. Methamphetamines also behave as neurotoxins to dopamine, resulting in a deficit of the neurotransmitter (Kish 1679). Depletion of serotonin and dopamine in the brain cause symptoms of depression, obsessive compulsive behavior (such as the actions of the stereotypical â€Å"tweaker†) and anxiety (â€Å"Methamphetamine in the Brain†). After long term use, dopamine and serotonin-induced depress ion can lead the addict to commit acts of thievery in order to purchase more methamphetamines, which become the body’s main neurotransmitter release stimulant. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect of Methamphetamine-induced Neurotoxicity on Crime Rates or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Short term use of methamphetamines promotes paranoia, sleeplessness, depression and anxiety (â€Å"Short Term Use†). Further use of the substance causes these symptoms to become more severe, resulting in depression and a loss of functional social behavior (â€Å"Long Term Use†). Liz Sonneborn’s book, Frequently Asked Questions about Shoplifting and Theft, notes how many chronic shoplifters suffer from imbalances in serotonin levels, which cause depression and obsessive behaviors (31). Methamphetamines are psychomotor stimulants that flood neurotransmitter-receptors, tricking the mind into releasing a magnified high that, under normal circumstances, would only be experienced at a slight degree (â€Å"Methamphetamine in the Brain†). However, repeated administration of methamphetamines to lab rats shows that after long term use, methamphetamines significantly reduce the amount of serotonin and dopamine content and uptake in the body by acting as a neurotoxins (Cass 8132). Once methamphetamines become neurotoxins, the resulting depletion of serotonin and dopamine in the body cause severe depression when not high, as dopamine is responsible for the experiencing of pleasure and pain (Erickson). Methamphetamines also act as receptor desensitizers, actually reducing the number of neurotransmitter receptors and causing the addict to build a tolerance to the drug. Therefore, depression is stimulated because the individual experiences limited enjoyment when not on methamphetamines, and a progressive decrease of enjoyment while high. Depression further spurs theft (Khimm). An article by The Washington Post states the National Bureau of Economic Research discovered that non-violent theft is the only crime that can statistically be attributed to depression among adolescents and young adults. Depression of this level could be attributed to methamphetamine usage, and a study in 2004 showed that out of the 53% of state prisoners who regularly used drugs, 14.9% used methamphetamines, 36% claimed they continued usage despite emotional problems, such as depression, and 34% claimed to have an increase in tolerance to the illicit substance (Mumola 2). In the case of methamphetamines, this signifies that over a third of users continue using methamphetamines despite having severe depression. Furthermore, the 34% who showed an increase in tolerance would also be using higher dosages of meth, further shutting down their neurotransmitter receptors. Depression aside, dramatic decreases in serotonin levels have an inve rse relationship with impulsive behavior (Raine 96). Impulsivity has a significant effect on property crime (Zimmerman 69-70). In Gregory Zimmerman’s book, statistics show that an individual who exhibits normal impulsivity has a probability of 11% of engaging in property crime, such as burglary. However, when impulsivity rises by one standard deviation, the probability of engaging in a property crime increases from approximately 11% to 23%. One of the defining roles of serotonin is to mediate behavioral inhibition (Dalley 41). The decline in serotonin concentration and uptake causes individuals to less effectively correlate rewarded and punished responses. This means that whereas one individual may associate shoplifting with being fined or sued, an individual with decreased serotonin levels, due to methamphetamines, will identify the rewards of shoplifting and the punishments of being caught as two unrelated events. Along with causing the deterioration of users, methamphetamines also have an undeniable negative effect on the lives of others (Mumola 1). Methamphetamine causes the depletion of chemicals that naturally make people feel happy and replace it with feelings of depression and impulsive disorders (â€Å"Short Term Disorders†). The general lack of happiness caused by the use of meth results in higher crime rates, and although the crimes are generally nonviolent, they still detract from the safety of people’s homes and their rights to their property (Mumola 1). Works Cited Cass, Wayne A. GDNF Selectively Protects Dopamine Neurons over Serotonin Neurons Against the Neurotoxic Effects of Methamphetamine. Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience 16.24 (1996): 8132-139. Journal of Neuroscience. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. Dalley, J. W., and J. P. Roiser. Dopamine, Serotonin and Impulsivity. Neuroscience 215 (2012): 42-58. Science Direct. Web. 03 Oct. 2013. Erickson, Carlton. Dopamine- A Sample Neurotransmitter. Understanding Addiction. University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2013. Khimm, Suzy. Study: Teen Depression Linked to Higher Property Crime, but Not Violent Crime. Washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2013. Kish, Stephen J. Pharmacologic Mechanisms of Crystal Meth. Canadian Medical Association Journal 178.13 (2008): 1679-682. Cmaj.ca. Canadian Medical Association, 17 June 2008. Web. 03 Oct. 2013. Long Term Effects. In The Know Zone. Education Specialty, 2011. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. Methamphetamine in the Brain. In The Know Zone. Education Specialty, 2011. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. Raine, Adrian. Crime and Schizophrenia: Causes and Cures. New York: Nova Science, 2006. Google Books. Web. 03 Oct. 2013. Short Term Effects. In The Know Zone. Education Specialty, 2011. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. Sonneborn, Liz. Frequently Asked Questions about Shoplifting and Theft. New York: Rosen, 2012. Google Books. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. Mumola, Christopher J., Jennifer C. Karberg. United States. Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004. Ojp.usdoj.gov. Oct. 2006. Web. 03 Oct. 2013. Zimmerman, Gregory M., and National Institute Of Justice. Impulsivity, Offending, and the Neighborhood: Investigating the Person-Context Nexus. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest, 2009. Books.google.com. Google Books. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.

Essay on What is OrientalismEssay Writing Service

Essay on What is OrientalismEssay Writing Service Essay on What is Orientalism? Essay on What is Orientalism?  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Orientalism has been widely discussed in academic literature and the media sources. According to researchers, the nature of the Orient invites imagination due to the uniqueness of this concept (Ziauddin 1). Orientalism can be viewed as a positive concept that sets a high value on the role of the Orient nature in the life and development of the West (Said 203). The history of Chinese dynasties has direct link with the history of Roman Empire and the establishment of Orientalism as an ideology. American Orientalists are involved in the study and analysis of the Orient. According to Said, Orientalism calls for specific knowledge of people, places and civilizations (203). The study of Orientalism allows having a deep understanding of the West’s beliefs and views on the Arab in general and Islamic world in particular. As Orientalists are involved in the investigation of the roots of ancient Oriental tradition s and the nature of the artistic representation of the Orient in Western world, it is necessary to place emphasis on several aspects in the study of this issue (Ziauddin 21). This paper will give explanation of the concept of Orientalism and provide the information regarding the effects of Orientalism on today’s society. In order to explain the meaning of Orientalism, it is crucial to consider changes in the meaning of this term. Today, Orientalism is considered to an influential ideology that allows finding differences between East and West (Diken et al. 26). Researchers are focused on the study and analysis of powerful Oriental influences in different areas of today’s society, placing emphasis on the significant role of religious concepts and philosophies, for example Asian religious traditions and beliefs. Thesis statement: The meaning of Orientalism has been changed due to continuing effects of this concept on today’s society, including   powerful effects on attitudes, beliefs, images and knowledge found in various cultural and social activities: art, music, literature, and other elements of culture.The major goal of this research paper is to discuss the meaning of Orientalism and consider the continuing effects of this concept on the development of today’s society. The study will be narrowed down to the United States. The following issues should be discussed in this paper: background information about the concept of Orientalism, some differences in the definitions of the term â€Å"Orientalism†, some important facts from the history of Orientalism, the nature of American Orientalism and its continuing effects on today’s society.Background information about the concept of OrientalismIn order to discuss the meaning of Orientalism, it is necessary to consider the key facts about the concept of Orientalism. In fact, the meaning of the term â€Å"Orientalism† is closely connected with the history of this conce pt. Edward Said’s book Orientalism written in 1978 had a strong impact on the study of the origins of Orientalism and the â€Å"Third World cultural studies in Europe and the United States† (Dirlik 384). Said provides three different meanings of the term â€Å"Orientalism†, each of which is independent in its explanation (133).   Orientalism as a concept can be characterized as influential Western ideology. At the same time, it can be characterized as an academic discipline studied in educational institutions as a field of academic study, or it can be represented as a literary motif. Moreover, the concept of Orientalism has direct relation to the depiction of prejudiced interpretations (Kontje 56)  Some differences in the definitions of the term â€Å"Orientalism†The concept of Orientalism can be viewed as a controversial concept, which has been defined differently. To start with, the term â€Å"Orientalism† has been defined as an â€Å"ideolo gy, a set of prejudices that bolster a sense of European superiority over the East and thus implicitly or explicitly legitimate imperialism and colonialism, the exploitation of subjugated people deemed culturally or racially inferior to the dominant culture† (Kontye 56). Researchers suggest that the ideology of Orientalism may set certain limits to European way of thinking regarding the nature of the Orient. As a result, the ideology of Orientalism may exist as a set of ideas that fill social activities.Secondly, the term â€Å"Orientalism† refers to the academic discipline, which involves the study of Eastern culture, beliefs, values, religions, traditions and languages (Kontye 56). Generally speaking, Orientalism as the field of study is based on the application of the Christian traditions of West. According to Wesley Longhofer and Daniel Winchester, â€Å"Orientalism is considered to have commenced its formal existence with the decision of the Church Council of Vien ne in 1312 to establish a series of chairs in Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac in Paris, Oxford, Bologna, Avignon and Salamanca† (377). The historical development of Orientalism as an academic discipline is based on its increasing scope because it is a field with an increased geographical representation in a wide range of realities, including social realities, political and linguistic realities (Longhofer Winchester 377).Thirdly, the term â€Å"Orientalism† has been applied to art and literature as a theme for discussion (Kontye 56). The value of Orientalism is concluded in its artistic and artful techniques which make art and literature communicate important ideas. For example, the exhibition of Chinese ceramics from the Han Dynasty, such as houses and camels, reflects the values of historical period and the role of Confucianism in the establishment of Empire. In visual arts and literature of China, the ideas of Orientalism symbolize Chinese cultural traditions and b eliefs.  Some important facts from the history of Orientalism  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The origin of Orientalism refers to the so-called â€Å"western construction of knowledge about peoples in the Middle East and Asia† that was formed during colonial era (Merryfield Subedi 288).   Today Orientalism is part of human life. It affects practically all aspects of human activity. The history of Orientalism is long and interesting. At the end of the 15-th century, after the discovery of America, which provided the sea route to India, there was an increase in the development of economic relations between East and West. That period was marked by the development of the philosophy Orientalism as a new philosophical thought.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Additionally, in the early 19-th century the concept of Orientalism was applied to visual art. The term â€Å"Orientalism† was used to describe the unique features of the genre of painting, w hich was promoted by many French and British artists. They were focused on the representation of the Orient in their impressive art works, revealing the themes of the established Middle Eastern traditions and customs. Historians believe that the amazing works of many Orientalists not only embraced truly oriental expression, but also inspired them to develop the themes of the Orient in their further works. Researchers have found cross-cultural influences of artists (Merryfield Subedi 285). Various Indian, Chinese and Japanese traditions, values and beliefs were reflected in paintings, textiles, and ceramics, furniture, and architecture styles. Said reinterpreted these cross-cultural influences through the development and application of radical theory, which proves the fact that the depiction of the East influenced social and cultural life of people living in the West (Merryfield Subedi 285).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, the effects of Orientalism on soci ety had absolutely different forms. These differences depended on the cultures which were influenced by Orientalism. According to Said’s theoretical views, the discourse of Orientalism can be characterized as â€Å"basically homogeneous† discourse (Burke Prochaska 22). Said states that â€Å"Orientalism is the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient -dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient† (Said 3). The meaning of Orientalism is based on the above mentioned Said’s claim because it reflects the idea of supremacy of the West and its influence on the East. Said writes,Orientalism refers to several overlapping domains: first, the changing historical and cultural relationship between Europe and Asia, a relationship with a 4000-year-old history; second , the scientific discipline in the west according to which, beginning in the early 19-th century, one specialized in the study of various Oriental cultures and traditions; and, third, the ideological suppositions, images and fantasies   about a currently important and politically urgent region of the world called the Orient (90).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, the history of Orientalism highlights the role of cultural relationship between the West and the East. The Chinese dynasties  The nature of American Orientalism  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The nature of American Orientalism can be explained by the discourse that regarding the differences and different theoretical perspectives on the analysis of Western cultural practice and non-Western cultural practice that were enhanced by the effects of colonialism. Due to Said’s analysis of the West’s ideological domination over the East, it becomes possible to have a better understandin g of the nature of American Orientalism. The West’s construction of the East is based on the promotion of the specific style of thought that finds the obvious features of differences between the Orient and the Occident.As a matter of fact, the study of China’s history is aimed at finding the proper explanations of the origin of Orientalism and its effects on today’s society. China’s language, history, cultural traditions, values and beliefs give explanation to its tremendous growth as an Empire. Many critics pay due attention to the study of cultural traditions of non-Western societies, including Chinese society, in order to explain why these cultures â€Å"remained humanist, egalitarian societies that were ‘corrupted’ by colonist subjugation† (Kirkwood 42). American Orientalism reflects the influences of China because it was â€Å"built on European Orientalism and its negative depictions of Asians, but took a form that was specific t o and supportive of the United States emerging role as a worldwide moral and economic force† (Ion 274). In other words, Americans wanted to see Asia well-developed, highly civilized and Christianized. In the case of China’s dynasties, Orientalism was used to reflect ideologies of the nation. American Orientalism was closely connected with American progressivism and the idea of Manifest destiny. Due to American intervention in China, Orientalism become more progressive as China was converted into more Christian society. Prejudices caused by the growth of the ideas of Orientalism in the United States were caused by China’s humiliation (Ion 275). Orientalism became part of a powerful imperialist project based on the idea to make China similar to the U.S. and the West. According to researchers, the new form of Orientalism is based on the so-called sameness, as today â€Å"China is seen as in a process of haltingly but inevitably becoming the same as us: open, libera l, modern and free† (Vukovich 1).  The continuing effects of Orientalism on today’s society: the case of China  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been found that Orientalism was originated in the period of colonialism, but today the effects of Orientalism can be identified in any society as it â€Å"continues to shape attitudes, images and knowledge† (Merryfield Subedi 288).   Said highlights that use of specific methods of teaching that can be used to â€Å"overcome orientalist thinking through contrapuntal (a term from music meaning characterized by counterpoint) literature and histories that create new understandings and knowledge† (Merryfield Subedi 288).Generally speaking, the themes revealed by Orientalism, its principles and traditions are obvious in today’s society. Researchers, including sociologists and historians are focused on providing argumentation on existing differences between the cultural aspects of the East a nd the West (Diken Laustsen 26). The most important argument gives explanation to the continuing effects of Orientalism on today’s society is that the â€Å"relationship between the West and the Orient is not merely one of a difference between two elements within the same space† (Diken Laustsen 26). According to researchers, the Orient is characterized as a â€Å"fantasy space† because it is associated with human produced by fantasy. The criticism of Orientalism is caused by different styles and trends found in the art worked produced by the Asian artists and writers (Said 60). In the 20-th century, a wide range of cultural themes of the West were reflected in Asian art and culture. Moreover, Orientalism influenced cinema and theater, and photography.Chinatown that became a form of Chinese settlement that reflected Oriental ideas in the form of specific attributes of Chinese people. The framework of Orientalism involves the effects of internal colonization; th erefore, Chinatowns were shaped by the presence of colonialist attitudes. For example, Chinese decorative arts influenced the creation of visual images by American painters. Many elements of Chinese architecture, including pagodas Chinese-style pavilions, and impressive landscapes helped to create romantic Oriental visions.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effects of Orientalism on art and culture through images and language  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effects of Orientalism on art and culture, including literature, painting, music, theatre, cinema, and photography can be explained by the national cultural dialogue, which influences various elements of cultural development. The intense interest of Americans in the Orient, especially the Oriental culture and traditions contributed to the development of American Orientalist thought. For example, the popularity of the Arabian Nights among Americans influenced the growth of tourism industry.   Accord ing to historians, the United States entered Orientalism in 1850s-1860s by means of literature, painting, and music. Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad (1869) highlights the new development associated with Orientalism.In fact, the significant role of the Oriental culture was reflected in aesthetic and ethical discourse in the United States. The Oriental images were represented in Oriental landscapes. Sanford Robinson Gifford, an American landscape painter, reflected the effects of orientalism in his paintings: The Desert at Assouan (1869), Long Branch Beach (1867) and other art works. The works of American painters help to find the link between the Orient and the West through the cultural and historical imaginary (Ziauddin 35).Besides, Orientalism was found in music. Many composers were influenced by the Oriental ideas which can be found in various forms of Oriental music. The growing rate of Asian immigrants in the United States promoted the reflection of Orientalism in music .   It has been found that American popular music revealed increased de-masculinization, intensive role of exoticism, dehumanization and other elements of Orientalism. Due to musical representation of Asian immigrants, the difference between the East and the West became more obvious and clear for Americans. The Orient found in American music can be characterized as fantasy developed by the civilized world.   For example, Jerome and Schwartz’s song demonstrates the theme of Orientalism through the representation of local Chinatowns as â€Å"foreign entities within the U.S. borders† (Dirlik 127). In general, music industry was influenced by Orientalism and played an important role in the construction of national identity. Images and language in various art works contributed to the increased role of the Oriental ideas in art and culture.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effects of Orientalism on cinema  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The eff ects of Orientalism on cinema and film production can be explained by the increased representation of Asian culture and traditions in films, documentaries and television shows that were produced in the United States, especially Chinese culture. According to historians, â€Å"four major stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans emerged from the imagination of primarily white cultural producers in Hollywood: Yellow Peril, Dragon Lady, Charlie Chan and Lotus Blossom (Shah 1). The images of Asians were characterized as the images, which reflected both negative and positive stereotypes. Negative stereotypes proved the significance social control. Positive stereotypes proved the significance of the Orientalist thought (Shah 4). At the same time, China developed its own tradition of warriors’ depiction. This tradition was popularized in films, folklore and music. Orientalism in cinema and theater highlights the role of historicism. Zhang Yimou’s Hero reflects Orientalism thr ough historicism, as well as many other films (Diken Laustsen 122).

Definitions and Interpretations of Rhetorical Irony

Definitions and Interpretations of Rhetorical Irony To say one thing but to mean something else - that may be the simplest definition of irony. But in truth, theres nothing at all simple about the rhetorical concept of irony. As J.A. Cuddon says in A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (Basil Blackwell, 1979), irony eludes definition, and this elusiveness is one of the main reasons why it is a source of so much fascinated inquiry and speculation. To encourage further inquiry (rather than reduce this complex trope to simplistic explanations), weve gathered a variety of definitions and interpretations of irony, both ancient and modern. Here youll find some recurrent themes as well as some points of disagreement. Does any one of these writers provide the single right answer to our question? No. But all provide food for thought. We begin on this page with some broad observations about the nature of irony - a few standard definitions along with attempts to classify the different types of irony. On page two, we offer a brief survey of the ways that the concept of irony has evolved over the past 2,500 years. Finally, on pages three and four, a number of contemporary writers discuss what irony means (or seems to mean) in our own time. Definitions and Types of Irony The Three Basic Features of IronyThe principal obstacle in the way of a simple definition of irony is the fact that irony is not a simple phenomenon. . . . We have now presented, as basic features for all irony,(i) a contrast of appearance and reality,(ii) a confident unawareness (pretended in the ironist, real in the victim of the irony) that the appearance is only an appearance, and(iii) the comic effect of this unawareness of a contrasting appearance and reality.(Douglas Colin Muecke, Irony, Methuen Publishing, 1970)Five Kinds of IronyThree kinds of irony have been recognized since antiquity: (1) Socratic irony. a mask of innocence and ignorance adopted to win an argument. . . . (2) Dramatic or tragic irony, a double vision of what is happening in a play or real-life situation. . . . (3) Linguistic irony, a duality of meaning, now the classic form of irony. Building on the idea of dramatic irony, the Romans concluded that language often carries a double message, a second often moc king or sardonic meaning running contrary to the first. . . .In modern times, two further conceptions have been added: (1) Structural irony, a quality that is built into texts, in which the observations of a naive narrator point up deeper implications of a situation. . . . (2) Romantic irony, in which writers conspire with readers to share the double vision of what is happening in the plot of a novel, film, etc.(Tom McArthur, The Oxford Companion to the English Language, Oxford University Press, 1992) Applying IronyIronys general characteristic is to make something understood by expressing its opposite. We can therefore isolate three separate ways of applying this rhetorical form. Irony can refer to (1) individual figures of speech (ironia verbi); (2) particular ways of interpreting life (ironia vitae); and (3) existence in its entirety (ironia entis). The three dimensions of ironytrope, figure, and universal paradigmcan be understood as rhetorical, existential, and ontological.(Peter L. Oesterreich, Irony, in Encyclopedia of Rhetoric, edited by Thomas O. Sloane, Oxford University Press, 2001)Metaphors for IronyIrony is an insult conveyed in the form of a compliment, insinuating the most galling satire under the phraseology of panegyric; placing its victim naked on a bed of briars and thistles, thinly covered with rose leaves; adorning his brow with a crown of gold, which burns into his brain; teasing, and fretting, and riddling him through and through with incessant discharges of hot shot from a masked battery; laying bare the most sensitive and shrinking nerves of his mind, and then blandly touching them with ice, or smilingly pricking them with needles.(James Hogg, Wit and Humour, in Hoggs Instructor, 1850) Irony SarcasmIrony must not be confused with sarcasm, which is direct: Sarcasm means precisely what it says, but in a sharp, bitter, cutting, caustic, or acerb manner; it is the instrument of indignation, a weapon of offense, whereas irony is one of the vehicles of wit.(Eric Partridge and Janet Whitcut, Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English, W.W. Norton Company, 1997)Irony, Sarcasm, WitGeorge Puttenhams Arte of English Poesie shows appreciation for subtle rhetorical irony by translating ironia as Drie Mock. I tried to find out what irony really is, and discovered that some ancient writer on poetry had spoken of ironia, which we call the drye mock, and I cannot think of a better term for it: the drye mock. Not sarcasm, which is like vinegar, or cynicism, which is often the voice of disappointed idealism, but a delicate casting of a cool and illuminating light on life, and thus an enlargement. The ironist is not bitter, he does not seek to undercut everything that seems worthy or serious, he scorns the cheap scoring-off of the wisecracker. He stands, so to speak, somewhat at one side, observes and speaks with a moderation which is occasionally embellished with a flash of controlled exaggeration. He speaks from a certain depth, and thus he is not of the same nature as the wit, who so often speaks from the tongue and no deeper. The wits desire is to be funny, the ironist is only funny as a secondary achievement.(Roberston Davies, The Cunning Man, Viking, 1995) Cosmic IronyThere are two broad uses in everyday parlance. The first relates to cosmic irony and has little to do with the play of language or figural speech. . . . This is an irony of situation, or an irony of existence; it is as though human life and its understanding of the world is undercut by some other meaning or design beyond our powers. . . . The word irony refers to the limits of human meaning; we do not see the effects of what we do, the outcomes of our actions, or the forces that exceed our choices. Such irony is cosmic irony, or the irony of fate.(Claire Colebrook, Irony: The New Critical Idiom, Routledge, 2004) A Survey of Irony Socrates, That Old FoxThe most influential model in the history of irony has been the Platonic Socrates. Neither Socrates nor his contemporaries, however, would have associated the word  eironeia  with modern conceptions of Socratic irony. As Cicero put it, Socrates was always pretending to need information and professing admiration for the wisdom of his companion; when Socrates interlocutors were annoyed with him for behaving in this way they called him  eiron, a vulgar term of reproach referring generally to any kind of sly deception with overtones of mockery. The fox was the symbol of the  eiron.All serious discussions of  eironeia  followed upon the association of the word with Socrates.(Norman D. Knox, Irony,  The Dictionary of the History of Ideas, 2003)The Western SensibilitySome go so far as to say that Socrates ironic personality inaugurated a peculiarly Western sensibility. His irony, or his capacity  not  to accept everyday values and concepts but live in a state of  perpetual  question, is the birth of philosophy, ethics, and consciousness.(Claire Colebrook,  Irony: The New Critical Idiom, Routledge, 2004) Skeptics and AcademicsIt is not without cause that so many excellent philosophers became Skeptics and Academics, and denied any certainty of knowledge or comprehension, and held opinions that the knowledge of man extended only to appearances and probabilities. It is true that in Socrates it was supposed to be but a form of irony,  Scientiam  dissimulando  simulavit, for he used to dissemble his knowledge, to the end to enhance his knowledge.(Francis Bacon,  The Advancement of Learning, 1605)From Socrates to CiceroSocratic irony, as it is constructed in Platos dialogues,  is therefore  a method of mocking and unmasking the presumed knowledge of his interlocutors, consequently leading them to  truth  (Socratic  maieutics). Cicero establishes irony as a rhetoric figure which blames by praise and praises by blame. Apart from this, there is the sense of tragic (or dramatic) irony, which focuses on the contrast between the protagonists ignorance and the spectators, who ar e aware of his fatal destiny (as for example in  Oedipus Rex).(Irony, in  Imagology: The Cultural Construction and Literary Representation of National Characters, edited by Manfred Beller and Joep Leerssen, Rodopi, 2007) Quintilian OnwardsSome of the rhetoricians recognize, though almost as if in passing, that irony was much more than an ordinary rhetorical figure. Quintilian says [in  Institutio Oratoria, translated by H.E. Butler] that in the  figurative  form of irony the speaker disguises his entire meaning, the disguise being apparent rather than confessed. . . .But having touched on this borderline where irony ceases to be instrumental and is sought as an end in itself, Quintilian draws back, quite properly for his purposes, to his functional view, and in effect carries nearly two millennia worth of rhetoricians along with him. It was not until well into the eighteenth century that theorists were forced, by explosive developments in the use of irony itself, to begin thinking about ironic effects as somehow self-sufficient literary ends. And then of course irony burst its bounds so effectively that men finally dismissed merely functional ironies as not even ironic, or as self-evidently les s artistic.(Wayne C. Booth,  A Rhetoric of Irony, University of Chicago Press, 1974) Cosmic Irony RevisitedIn  The Concept of Irony  (1841), Kierkegaard elaborated the idea that irony is a mode of seeing things, a way of viewing existence. Later, Amiel in his  Journal Intime  (1883-87) expressed the view that irony springs from a perception of the absurdity of life. . . .Many writers have distanced themselves to a vantage point, a quasi-godlike eminence, the better to be able to view things. The artist becomes a kind of god viewing creation (and viewing his own creation) with a smile. From this it is a short step to the idea that God himself is the supreme  ironist, watching the antics of human beings (Flaubert referred to a blague supà ©rieure) with a detached, ironical smile. The spectator in the  theatre  is in a similar position. Thus the everlasting human condition is regarded as potentially absurd.(J.A. Cuddon, Irony,  A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, Basil Blackwell, 1979)Irony in Our TimeI am saying that there seems to be o ne dominating form of modern understanding; that it is essentially ironic; and that it originates largely in the application of mind and memory to the events of the Great War [World War I].(Paul Fussell,  The Great War and Modern Memory, Oxford University Press, 1975) Supreme IronyWith supreme irony, the war to make the world safe for democracy [World War I] ended by leaving democracy more unsafe in the world than at any time since the collapse of the revolutions of 1848.(James Harvey Robinson,  The Human Comedy, 1937) Contemporary Observations on Irony The New IronyThe one truth the new irony has to tell us is that the man who uses it has no place to stand except in momentary community with those who seek to express a comparable alienation from other groups. The one conviction it expresses is that there are really no sides left: No virtue to oppose to corruption, no wisdom to oppose to  cant. The one standard it accepts is that on which the simple manthe untutored non-ironist who fancies (in his dolt-hood) that he knows what good and bad should meanis registered as the zero of our world, a cipher worth nothing but uninterrupted contempt.(Benjamin DeMott, The New Irony:  Sidesnicks  and Others,  The American Scholar, 31, 1961-1962)Swift, Simpson, Seinfeld . . . and Quotation Marks[T]echnically,  irony  is a rhetorical device used to convey a meaning sharply different from or even opposite of the  literal  text. It’s not just saying one thing while meaning anotherthat’s what Bill Clinton does. No, itâ₠¬â„¢s more like a wink or running joke among people in the know.Jonathan Swift’s  A Modest Proposal  is a classic text in the history of irony. Swift argued that English lords should eat the children of the poor to alleviate hunger. There is nothing in the text which says, hey, this is sarcasm. Swift lays out a pretty good argument and it’s up to the reader to figure it out that he’s not really serious. When Homer Simpson says to Marge, Now who’s being naà ¯ve? the writers are winking at all those people who love  The Godfather  (these people are commonly referred to as men). When George Costanza and Jerry Seinfeld keep saying Not that there’s anything wrong with that! every time they mention homosexuality, they are making an ironic joke about the culture’s insistence that we affirm our non-judgmentalism.Anyway,  irony  is one of those words that most people understand intuitively but have a hard time defining. One good test is if you like to put quotation marks around words that shouldn’t have them. The quotation marks are necessary because the words have lost most of their literal meaning to the  new  politicized interpretations.(Jonah Goldberg, The Irony of Irony.  National Review Online, April 28, 1999) Irony and EthosSpecifically rhetorical irony presents few problems. Puttenhams drie  mock pretty well describes the phenomenon. One kind of rhetorical irony, however, may need further attention. There can be relatively few rhetorical situations where the target of persuasion is utterly ignorant of the designs someone has on himthe relationship of  persuader  and persuaded is almost always self-conscious to some degree. If the persuader wants to overcome any implicit sales resistance (especially from a sophisticated audience), one of the ways he will do it is to acknowledge that he  is  trying to talk his audience into something. By this, he hopes to gain their trust for as long as the soft sell takes. When he does this, he really acknowledges that his rhetorical maneuvering is ironical, that it says one thing while it tries to do another. At the same time, a second irony is present, since the pitchman is still far from laying all his cards on the table. The point to be made is that every rhetorical posture except the most naive involves an ironical coloration, of some kind or another, of the speakers  ethos.(Richard Lanham,  A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms, 2nd edition, University of California Press, 1991) The End of the Age of Irony?One good thing could come from this horror: it could spell the end of the age of irony. For some 30 yearsroughly as long as the Twin Towers were uprightthe good folks in charge of Americas intellectual life have insisted that nothing was to be believed in or taken seriously. Nothing was real. With a giggle and a smirk, our chattering classesour columnists and pop culture makersdeclared that detachment and personal whimsy were the necessary tools for an oh-so-cool life. Who but a slobbering bumpkin would think, I feel your pain? The ironists, seeing through everything, made it difficult for anyone to see anything. The consequence of thinking that nothing is realapart from prancing around in an air of vain stupidityis that one will not know the difference between a joke and a menace.No more. The planes that plowed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were real. The flames, smoke, sirensreal. The chalky landscape, the silence of the streetsall real. I feel your painreally.(Roger Rosenblatt,  The Age Of Irony Comes to an End,  Time  magazine, September 16, 2001) Eight Misconceptions About IronyWe have a grave problem with this word (well, in fact, its not really gravebut Im not being ironic when I call it that, Im being  hyperbolic. Though often the two amount to the same thing. But not always). Just looking at the definitions, the confusion is understandablein the first instance, rhetorical irony expands to cover any disjunction at all between language and meaning, with a couple of key exceptions (allegory  also entails a disconnection between sign and meaning, but obviously isnt synonymous with irony; and lying, clearly, leaves that gap, but relies for its efficacy on an ignorant audience, where irony relies on a knowing one). Still, even with the riders, its quite an umbrella, no?In the second instance,  situational irony  (also known as cosmic irony) occurs when it seems that God or fate is manipulating events so as to inspire false hopes, which are inevitably dashed (1). While this looks like the more straightforward usage, it o pens the door to confusion between irony, bad  luck  and inconvenience.Most pressingly, though, there are a number of misconceptions about  irony  that are peculiar to recent times. The first is that September 11 spelled the end of irony. The second is that the end of irony would be the one good thing to come out of September 11. The third is that irony characterizes our age to a greater degree than it has done any other. The fourth is that Americans cant do irony, and we [the British] can. The fifth is that the Germans cant do irony, either (and we still can). The sixth is that irony and cynicism are interchangeable. The seventh is that its a mistake to attempt irony in emails and text messages, even while irony characterizes our age, and so do emails. And the eighth is that post-ironic is an acceptable termit is very modish to use this, as if to suggest one of three things: i) that irony has ended; ii) that postmodernism and irony are interchangeable, and can be conflated into one handy word; or iii) that we are more ironic than we used to be, and therefore need to add a prefix suggesting even greater ironic distance than irony on its own can supply. None of these things is true.1. Jack Lynch, Literary Terms. I would strongly urge you not to read any more footnotes, they are only here to make sure I dont get in trouble for plagiarizing.(Zoe Williams,  The Final Irony,  The Guardian, June 28, 2003) Postmodern IronyPostmodern  irony is allusive, multilayered, preemptive, cynical, and above all, nihilistic. It assumes that everything is subjective and nothing means what it says. Its a sneering, world-weary,  bad  irony, a mentality that condemns before it can be condemned, preferring cleverness to sincerity and quotation to originality. Postmodern irony rejects  tradition,  but offers nothing in its place.(Jon Winokur,  The Big Book of Irony, St. Martins Press, 2007)Were All in This Togetherby OurselvesImportantly, the Romantic of today finds a real connection, a sense of groundedness, with others  through  irony. with those who understand what is meant without having to say it, with those who also question the saccharine quality of contemporary American culture, who are certain that all diatribes of virtue-lament will turn out to have been made by some gambling, lying, hypocritical talk-show host/senator overly fond of interns/pages. This they see as doing an inj ustice to the depth of human possibility and the complexity and goodness of human feeling, to the power of the imagination over all forms of potential constraint, to a basic ethics that they themselves are proud to uphold. But ironists, above all else, are certain that we must live in this world as best we can, whether or not it suits our own moral outlook, writes Charles Taylor [The Ethics of Authenticity, Harvard University Press, 1991]. The only alternative seems to be a kind of inner exile. Ironic detachment is exactly this sort of inner exilean  inner emigrationmaintained with humor, chic bitterness, and a sometimes embarrassing but abidingly persistent hope.(R. Jay Magill Jr.,  Chic Ironic Bitterness, The University of Michigan Press, 2007) Whats Ironic?Woman: I started riding these trains in the forties. Those days a man would give up their seat for a woman. Now were liberated and we have to stand.Elaine: Its ironic.Woman: Whats ironic?Elaine: This, that weve come all this way, we have made all this progress, but you know, weve lost the little things, the niceties.Woman: No, I mean what does ironic mean?(Seinfeld)

Business research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business - Research Paper Example Introduction It is important to understand the various concepts of a supply chain in order to comprehend sustainability in a business even further. The chain flows from the initial generator of the raw materials to the final person to benefit from the product, that is, the customer. In any business practice, risks are some of the most important aspects to recognize and the management of these threats helps in making the flow of work better and that of the products faster and thus the importance of carrying out research on how to best manage them. The research identifies three aspects of risk management ought to receive a high amount of attention. One of these is risk identification the other aspect to consider is that of risk assessment and then there is risk management. Problem Statement Occurrence of risks is one of the leading causes of business failure over the past few years. This is happens because of the poor management of the risks by the responsible teams. Managing risk in s upply chain management is very vital for the success of any company from the fact that in the unfortunate case of one of the risks occurring, all levels of the supply chain are affected, regardless of the point at which the product was during the risk occurrence (Conroe, 2008, 63). It is thus the duty of every player in the chain to ensure that recognition and evaluation of all risks takes place in an effort to put into place the important strategies to evade the risk. The research aims at showing the different levels of a supply chain and indulge deeply in the risks that each of the level managers go through. Moreover, there ought to be the identification of the two key classes of supply chain risks for the purpose of risk assessment. I chose management of risks in supply chain because I have had various experiences where companies languish from the amount of ignorance portrayed by their administration. An example of this is the BP case where there was the loss of a lot of the comp any’s credit from the oil spill that happened having the company in a recession for a few months (Adams, 2011, 473). The ignorance is mostly in terms of recognizing the source of the risks. Many are cases when companies fail due to the fact that the management thinks that the problem is a minor one and does not have much weight. However, I seek to change this notion in an effort to make people understand that each part of the chain has a role to play in either the success or the failure of the commodity they seek to establish. It all depends on the type of risk management. The issue at hand has had people always take risk management classes in an effort to solve the various arising matters that may have the company in a position to have a risk occurring. Research has shown that companies that do not take the steps end up regretting and consequently having a poor reputation due to customer dissatisfaction. Gaps in the research are in that it has been impossible to find cases t hat show immediate resolution of a risk taking place unlike the many present cases of risk occurrence. Risk Identification and Analysis Over the years, supply chain management has had its fair share of changes providing the need of every business to stay keen on its goals in this highly competitive 21st century. The study shows how the external and internal risks are vital for identification in any

Does the Development Process Simply Reinforce Gender Inequality Essay

Does the Development Process Simply Reinforce Gender Inequality - Essay Example According to Lemel and Noll, 1(2002) Gender inequality is widely regarded as being the unequal access to various material resources, privileges, power and status by women as compared to men. Gender inequality is commonly seen to have a number of various interactions with other inequalities such as age, class and ethnic based inequalities. This is seen to indicated that gender inequality happens to have a number of aspects which may include inequalities such as inequalities in wages and income, inequality as pertaining to there being differential access to a given labor market in addition to the labor market having a segregated structure2. Effects of Gender Inequality According to a recent IMF Global Monitoring report that sought to confront among other things the challenges of gender equality, gender inequality in resources, rights and voice can essentially be seen to surface in three key domains. These are in the household, in the society as well as in the markets and economy3. The report further indicates that while gender equality in the household between both women and men helps in changing the basic allocation of the house hold expenditures a factor that results in more resources being devoted to health and children’s education, gender inequality is seen to widely influence the general distribution of the various household tasks, this often results in a limitation of the women’s ability to not only work outside the homes but it also limits their control over fertility decisions. Gender inequality in the market is often seen to be largely reflected in there being unequal access to a number of resources such as labor markets, land, credit and new production technologies. Gender inequality in society is often expressed by there being a number of restrictions that are seen to actively limit women participation in not only civic but also political life. Globalization and the Reinforcement of Gender Inequality Although globalization in developing countries can arguably be viewed as having opened significantly more opportunities for women and has been key in providing women with paid employment in addition to creating a suitable channel that essentially serves to provide an avenue out of their currently restricted lives, it is the common belief of many that most of the work in the current new global economy is mostly exploitative, and in some instances, it actually tends to make life significantly more difficult as compared to before the surge in globalization was experienced. To further emphasize on this aspect Murray (2008)4 quotes a report from the Emory University that states that most critics happen to fear globalization as pertains to its integrati on of all countries into a common world society, the critics fear this will inevitably result in an exacerbation of gender inequality that might potentially harm women and especially so those in developing countries. A number of feminist researchers have managed to demonstrate that globalization is essentially not a gender-neutral process5. Globalization is seen to affect women and men differently under varying circumstances. According to Brock-Utne and Garbo, (2009)6, globalization tends to frequently reinforce the

Basic Needs Shanks Old Boss Failed to Meet Essay Example for Free

Basic Needs Shanks Old Boss Failed to Meet Essay According to Maslows hierarchy, which basic needs did Shanks old boss fail to meet? Explain why the needs have not been met. What could be done to meet these missing needs? The basic needs which Shanks old boss failed to meet are as follows: The need for self-actualization the desire to become more and more what one is and to become everything that one is capable of becoming. People who have everything can maximize their potential. They can seek knowledge, peace, esthetic experiences, self-fulfillment, oneness with God, etc. Emily Griffin from Flight 001 stated the ollowing: So its not that its better than nothing, but they do still recognize the contribution, even if Im not quite getting it right. This negative statement tells me that the self-actualization is a missing component within this company. She is completing a project Just to get it accepted and not maximizing her potential and her highest level of functioning. Emily should be able to move through the needs to the highest level provided they are given an education that promotes growth. Use the Expectancy Theory and/or the Equity Theory of motivation to explain how feeling nderpaid might affect the work of a Flight 001 associate and what a manager can do to increase the employees motivation. A Flight 001 associate that feels underpaid may form perceptions of what constitutes a fair ratio (a balance or trade) of inputs and outputs by comparing our own situation with other referents (reference points or examples) in the market place as we see it. In practice this helps to explain why people are so strongly affected by the situations (and views and gossip) of colleagues, friends, partners etc. in establishing their own personal sense of fairness or equity in their work situations. People need to feel that there is a fair balance between inputs and outputs. Crucially fairness is measured by comparing ones own balance or ratio between inputs and outputs, with the ratio enjoyed or endured by relevant (referent) others. If there is not a fair balance employees feel demotivated. Generally the extent of demotivation is proportional to the perceived disparity with other people or inequity, but for some people Just the smallest indication of negative isparity between their situation and other peoples is enough to cause massive disappointment and a feeling of considerable injustice, resulting in demotivation, or worse, open hostility. Some people reduce effort and application and become inwardly disgruntled, or outwardly difficult, recalcitrant or even disruptive. Other people seek to improve the outputs by making claims or demands for more reward, or seeking an alternative Job. A Manager can increase employee motivation with financial rewards pay, salary, expenses, perks, benefits, pension arrangements, onus and commission plus intangibles recognition, reputation, praise and thanks, interest, responsibility, stimulus, travel, training, development, sense of achievement and advancement, promotion, etc. Managers need to understand the Equity Theory and especially its pivotal comparative aspect to be able to appreciate and improve one persons terms and conditions to resolve that individuals demands. Equity Theory reminds us that people see themselves and crucially the way they are treated so they must be managed and treated accordingly. Based on Herzberg does Two Factor Theory, what hygiene factors can you identify that are being met within Flight 001 s work environment based on comments made by employees in the video? How are they being met? Is Flight 001 s work environment meeting any motivation factors? If so, which ones and how? The hygiene factor that are being met within Flight 001 s work environment are as follows: Working conditions, Company Policies and Interpersonal relations. Flight 001 has great working conditions for their employees and they pay attention to detail as far as letting their employees know that they are ot Just a number but as important as the any other employee where they are at a higher level of management and this also creates interpersonal relations between all employees and making them feel as adequate as the next. Due to the new baggage policy and charges customers want to bring more carryon luggage on the plane. The employees were informed and trained on how to react to this new policy in a positive manor to satisfy the customer. References http://stewardess. inhatc. ac. kr/philoint/general-data/maslows-hierarchy-of- needs-I . htm http://www. businessballs. com/adamsequitytheory. htm

Nathaniel Hawthorn :: essays research papers

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His father, also Nathaniel, was a sea captain and descendent of John Hawthorne, one of the judges in the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. He died when the young Nathaniel was four year old. Hawthorne grew up in seclusion with his widowed mother Elizabeth - and for the rest of her life they relied on each other for emotional solace. Later he wrote to his friend Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "I have locked myself in a dungeon and I can't find the key to get out." Hawthorne was educated at the Bowdoin College in Maine (1821-24). In the school among his friends were Longfellow and Franklin Pierce, who became the 14th president of the U.S. Between the years 1825 and 1836 Hawthorne worked as a writer and contributor to periodicals. Among Hawthorne's friends was John L. O'Sullivan, whose magazine the Democratic Review published two dozen stories by him. According to a story, Hawthorne burned his first short-story collection, Seven Tales of My Native Land, after publishers rejected it. Hawthorne's first novel, FANSHAWE, appeared anonymously at his own expense in 1828. The work was based on his college life. It did not receive much attention and the author burned the unsold copies. However, the book initiated a friendship between Hawthorne and the publisher Samuel Goodrich. He edited in 1836 the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge in Boston, and compiled in 1837 PETER PARLEY'S UNIVERSAL HISTORY for children. In was followed by a series of books for children - GRANDFATHER'S CHAIR (1841), FAMOUS OLD PEOPLE (1841), LIBERTY TREE (1841), and BIOGRAPHICAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN (1842). The second, expanded editi on of TWICE TOLD TALES (1837), was praised by Edgar Allan Poe in Graham's Magazine. In 1842 Hawthorne became friends with the Transcendentalists in Concord, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who also drew on the Puritan legacy. However, generally he did not have much confidence in intellectuals and artists, and eventually he had to admit, that "the treasure of intellectual gold" did not provide food for his family. In 1842 Hawthorne married Peabody, an active participant in the Transcendentalist movement, and settled with her in Concord. A growing family and mounting debts compelled their return to Salem. Hawthorne was unable to earn a living as a writer and in 1846 he was appointed surveyor of the Port of Salem. He worked there for three years until he was fired.

The Saga Surrounding Assault Rifles

Gun control has been a touchy issue in the United States since a long while back. There has been much debate over whether guns should be banned in the country, the ownership of which is actually grounded in the constitution. In this regard, lobbyists of both sides have been pushing hard for a long time. A particular issue that now seems to have arisen from the middle relates to banning assault rifles. By the second amendment, every citizen of the United States has the right to bear fire arms for his or her own protection as well as the possible need for a militia in times of war (Kopel 1999).This is a remnant of the country’s history which had to endure a revolutionary war against Great Britain, a massive civil war as well as the ever present issue of slavery which always seemed to require households to carry guns. Since then gun control has become a touchy issue. In this regard, a ban was brought into place on assault weapons in 1994 which saw the end of a ten year reign in 2 004 when the Republican president George Bush refused to extend it (Carter 2009). Now most people argue that it is military style assault rifles that should be banned and not handguns or those used for hunting and sport.Assault rifles such as AK-47s can be used to shoot multiple rounds of bullets at a rapid pace. The argument that is being made is that Americans have the right to bear firearms but the use of assault rifles is wholly unnecessary. With the use of standard guns, people can fulfill their desire to possess firearms for sport or for their personal protection but the availability of assault rifles creates a whole new pantheon of problems (Carter 2009). Rapid firing weapons allow criminals to shoot down civilians as has been illustrated in the case of Pittsburgh.They are used in school shootings, by gangs and drug mafias and can pierce through the protective clothing worn by police officers (Kazmer 2009). However, the solution has never been so simple as to ban the weapons outright. The National Rifle Association has been a strong opponent of this and is buoyed by strong support from some sectors of the public. The delicacy of the situation can be adequately represented by President Obama’s back step from his vociferous promises to continue with the gun ban during his campaign.Now in a recent trip to Mexico, he has pushed for the need to carry on the existing legislation and controls and make them work better (Powell 2009). This has been pleasing to many gun lobbyists as well but it speaks of the times we live in. The last president to bring about the ban lost office soon enough at the hands of dissident voters which is a testament to the thorny nature of the issue. Indeed gun lobbyists make their own points in favor of assault rifles as well. It is argued that there are always exceptions to the rule that are not being considered.There is a need for assault rifles by the public in some cases. Boat owners in the Gulf coast region have to frequen tly face harassment from drug smugglers who can easily dispose of innocent civilians with their rapid firing semi automatic guns. In this case, self defense is not possible without assault rifles. A store owner being faced with a hold up by a gang may need the rapid firing power of an assault rifle to fight off the multiple enemies who threaten him without which he may end up losing his money as well as his life.Rural farmers in many cases have to contend with bear attacks. These creatures are not easy to fend off with traditional rifles and handguns and assault rifles may be necessary for a farmer to defend his family in the rural wilderness (Kopel 1999). It is further argued that the everyday criminal makes use of hand guns mostly and does not indulge in the purchase of assault rifles which therefore do not threaten public security. Both sides continue to make strong points in favor of their cause.However what has to be distinguished now is that whether it is more important to pro tect a right that has been ingrained into the constitution of the country and to consider the needs of particular citizens or to lessen the number of deadly guns available in the streets that result in deaths of innocent people. In this regard, one has to consider the facts. While it is known that assault rifles may be necessary in some cases, they also prove to be a severe detriment to American society as well.In 2006, it was estimated that more than thirty thousand people died in the year due to firearms and therefore accounted for nearly twenty percent of all injury related deaths. Similarly in 2005, a teenager was killed with a firearm nearly every nine hours (Carter 2009). These deaths were caused primarily by assault rifles. It is necessary that the fundamental rights of the American people be defended. However, the issue is not just about rights but about something much deeper. It relates to the security and the good living of the American public.If keeping these assault rifl es open to the public does not give us a better society, what good is there to protect this right? Certainly freedoms should not be curtailed but should be defended to every last inch but if it compromises the very security of our children and our future, then it is a freedom worth relinquishing. The ideal solution would be banning assault rifles all together. However, if this can not be met, it requires at least that better controls and back ground checks be brought into place with regards to gun purchases.This would not only help to control the damage to some extent and protect the rights under the second amendment but may also help to lower the trafficking of these assault weapons to the drug cartels in Mexico which are armed through the United States. A better society is indeed worth fighting for and if compromises have to be made for a better future, it is perhaps prudent to make them now rather than let the bearers of our future suffer. Biblio

Determinants of Germany’s Economic Robustness

DETERMINANTS OF GERMANY’S ECONOMIC ROBUSTNESS: UNDERSTANDING THE SECRET BEHIND THE GERMAN ECONOMIC SUCCESS – A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY Germany is the largest national economy in Europe, the fourth-largest by nominal GDP in the world, and fifth by GDP (PPP) (2008). Since the age of industrialisation, the country has been a driver, innovator, and beneficiary of an ever more globalised economy. Germany is the world's third largest exporter with $1. 408 trillion exported in 2011 (Eurozone countries are included).Exports account for more than one-third of national output and the Germany’s strong export performance in goods or merchandise is also denoted by the term Exportweltmeister (world champion exporter). However, analysis of German’s economic history demonstrates that the country did not face constant growth throughout the years. It also had to face moments of recession just like other countries and its own past (reunification) appeared to have been a cause of G erman’s slow growth at times. Following are figures of German’s GDP throughout the last 3 decades which will help us to emphasise our statement.While the decrease in the year 1990s can be associated with the unification and the costs involved, that of 2010-2011, can be associated to the global recession that the world experienced then. Yet, even in the recession marred years, the German economy managed to stay stable as the world sixth largest country in terms of GDP (2009. ) Now, against the background of fragile global recovery and the intensification of the eurozone crisis, Germany has recorded strong GDP growth and a declining trend in unemployment. What's the secret of such a robust economy?Referring to Germany, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said in December 1989 at a Strasbourg summit â€Å"We defeated the Germans twice! And now they're back†. Although this statement was related to politics, it appears to be relevant in the economic context as w ell. As such, our study will consist of analysing more in details the secret behind this particular success or consistency and will also involve comparison of countries which also have more or less the same pattern of Germany but still cannot reach their level of development to underline what are those parameters which make Germany so unique. Current SituationGermany's economy is holding up better than expected amid the Eurozone's debt crisis, as robust demand from outside of Europe has helped offset weak activity on the continent. Several other factors contribute to Germany's solid macroeconomic position. Germany is the only major advanced economy which had lower unemployment rate in 2012 than it had in 2007. The level of German GDP has increased by a cumulative 5. 8% since the beginning of 2010, compared to 2. 3% for the eurozone. The monetary conditions set for the entire eurozone by the ECB are accommodative for Germany given the strong cyclical position of its economy.As a cons equence of safe-haven capital inflows, yields are also at extremely low levels. Furthermore, Germany has a strong net external creditor position and a large, albeit gradually declining, current account surplus. The German financial sector has stabilised since 2009 and liquidity is abundant in the current environment. However, meeting Basel III requirements will remain a challenge for German banks in light of modest profitability and still a high leverage. Since mid-2008, German banks have cut their total eurozone exposure by â‚ ¬332bn, a 30% fall, of which â‚ ¬187bn was withdrawn from Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, a fall of 44%.Despite this fast pace of deleveraging, the quality of the remaining assets may well deteriorate further as the recession deepens in the periphery. In its semi-annual economic outlook, the German central bank raised its forecast for domestic GDP growth this year to 1. 0% from 0. 6% in the December outlook due to better-than-expected first quarter g rowth that was largely the result of strong exports to emerging markets. The upward revision brings economic activity near its potential growth rate of 1. 25. Growth in 2013 is seen at 1. 6%, down 0. point from December's forecast due to a statistical correction resulting from the revisions for this year. The Eurozone crisis â€Å"may have left its mark, but the good structural condition of Germany's economy and the robust global economy have maintained the upper hand,† Still, the outlook remains â€Å"highly uncertain,† with risks stemming â€Å"overwhelmingly† from external factors. While weak Eurozone growth in the debt crisis has already been factored in to the forecasts, Germany's export-driven economy would be vulnerable to a â€Å"noticeable weakening† of conditions outside of Europe. Germany remains exposed to the systemic component of the crisis.A significantly deeper recession of its large eurozone trading partners could also push Germany into r ecession with negative repercussions for the fiscal stance as well. Furthermore, additional sizeable contribution to eurozone bail-out funds, on top of the EFSF guarantees, could push German debt level above 90% of GDP, close to the upper limit Fitch generally considers consistent with a ‘AAA' rating. Materialisation of these risks would put downward pressure on the rating. Germany has all the ingredients of a declining public debt path. The economy is growing, budget deficit is moderate and nominal interest rates reached record low levels.Nevertheless the longer track record serves as a warning sign. Despite the fiscal rules of the eurozone, the debt/GDP ratio had increased to 83% by 2010 from 55% in 1995. During the 13 years of monetary union, the German debt ratio declined in only five years and has been above the 60% reference value since 2003. PROBLEM STATEMENT The problem that leads us to undertake this research is simple. Observing the amazing performance of Germany in the international market even in the period of recession, one wonder how this can be achieved by them while the others are still struggling.It becomes apparent that there must be some particular reasons behind this success. Research Question/Hypothesis H1: There is something unique that make Germany successful in the international market. H2: There is a relationship between the implementation of new economic policies with the economic performance of Germany H0: There is nothing unique about Germany’s success. They work on the same policies as other countries. OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OVERALL OBJECTIVE By this study, we hope to underline the policies that led Germany to success and from this knowledge, have a better understanding of the strengths and weakness of a business environment.Overall, we aim to have clear knowledge about impact of business environment on performance of business undertakings. In the long term, we can use the technique used in this research to analyse any bu siness environment before setting up of any business firm. Also, we can advice other developing countries about implementing those policies which could benefit them considering their own business environment and also be on their path of development just like Germany. This research can be considered as a tool to determine business opportunities as well. SPECIFIC AIMS Understand the parameters that made the economy very strong in the market How is that amidst the gloom Germany continues to be the engine that drives the Eurozone economies, and also helping to bail out a few? How does the robust, high-tech manufacturing sector continue to be the export champion? What role do the academic system and â€Å"Deutsche Tugenden† play in the success? What is the special Trade School training system that creates highly skilled technical workforce? Take into considerations other macroeconomic indicators particular to Germany Understand how one can take advantage of the strengths and weakn ess prevailing in its environment * Have valuable and actual knowledge of economic concepts BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE 1. (Raymond J. Ahearn and Paul Belkin; the German Economy and U. S. -German Economic Relations 2010) By most standards, post-war West Germany registered impressive economic performance in the first decades of its existence. But beginning in the mid-1990s, the German economy has been on a much lower growth path, averaging about 1. 5% of GDP per year. Unemployment has also risen steadily.These trends, which have been exacerbated by a steep 5% decline in German GDP growth in 2009, raise questions about the long-term vitality and strength of the German economy. A number of factors help explain Germany’s declining growth rate. One factor has been the high cost associated with integrating the formerly communist East German economy into the Federal Republic since reunification in 1990. A second has been the growing cost of Germany’s generous social security and welfare programs and associated regulations which some believe may undercut incentives for work and entrepreneurship.A third is an economy that is more geared towards exporting than domestic investment and consumption. With declining economic growth and rising expenditures on social protections, Germany faces significant budgetary and resource constraints. A prosperous German state remains critical to both the U. S. and European economies. Difficulties Germany may have in regaining a stronger economic position are important concerns, affecting the U. S. -German partnership’s ability to mutually address and manage a range of bilateral, regional, and global challenges.The report therefore elaborates on these themes in three parts: the first section examines Germany’s economic performance in historical perspective and assesses some of the domestic factors that may be contributing to Germany’s less than optimal performance; the second discusses the reform challe nges facing Germany’s political leaders; and the third section evaluates a few salient U. S. -German economic policy differences and strains that seem to be influenced by Germany’s weakened economic situation. 2.Financial System Stability Assessment, report prepared by the Monetary and Capital Markets and European Departments and approved by Jose Vinals and Antonio Borges, June 20, 2011; results in the following main findings: The main findings of the FSAP are: * The German financial system is recovering from the global crisis, yet low profitability hampers many banks’ ability to build stronger buffers against the shocks that could hit the global economy and especially Europe; * Structural reforms are overdue.The Landesbanken require thorough restructuring and probably downsizing, but the imperative to loosen constraints and strengthen banks’ commercial orientation is more general; * The standard of financial sector regulation and supervision is high. The crisis showed that more timely information, additional on-site supervision, and follow up through forward-looking supervisory action are needed; and * The framework to manage financial crises has been enhanced significantly, particularly with the introduction of a new bank resolution regime.Deposit protection schemes need to be rationalized, and Germany should actively help efforts to develop mechanisms to deal with cross-border crises. Very interesting report, but emphasises on the financial sector of the country and its current scenario only. 3. Talking about articles with reference to the German’s secret for economic robustness, there are various available were the authors aim to point out these parameters which made Germany so powerful in today’s market. As such, an article from www. guardian. co. k goes on saying: â€Å"Germany invested heavily in its Bavarian science and technology base, identifying future growth sectors and building clusters of excellence to a ttract investment†¦ it's still â€Å"making stuff†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ While the British focused on becoming lawyers and money men, Germany continued to respect engineering and making things (not just money)†. Mr James Dyson, Author of Ingenious Britain, did not agree that this parameter was the cause behind the German success and responded to this statement by saying â€Å"In your coverage of the German success story, not a word has been printed on the German â€Å"housing market†.It is as if this were detached from the overall economic and cultural formula. Is it not a fact that Germany has a large, affordable rented sector with secure tenancies that deters a quick- housing-buck mentality? Does this housing culture not sustain investment in proper wealth creation (ie manufacturing) and thereby reduce the cycles of property boom and bust? † Well, Mr Olaf Plotner the dean of executive education at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin a nd author of Counter Strategies in Global Markets in his post in Forbes magazine also shares his views about the reasons to justify the German’s success.He goes on saying: â€Å"cooperation between unions and employers plays a major role in the success of German industry. But that’s just one part of a much bigger picture†¦ German businesses have been able to avoid the focus on the short-term shareholder that dogs so many large companies elsewhere because of an ownership structure that seems unique to Germany†¦ the companies give importance to uniting ownership and management. † As of now, we have already different views from different people as they all try to explain the German success. Well, these views are not the only one.According to Mr Richard Anderson Business reporter for BBC News, â€Å"Germany is a country whose inhabitants work fewer hours than almost any others, whose workforce is not particularly productive and whose children spend less t ime at school than most of its neighbours. But still, the German economy is so powerful†¦why? † Mr Anderson structured is study under three main headings. Euro bliss †¦. Germany has benefited greatly from the euro; Germany adopted a much weaker currency than would otherwise have been the case†¦ This has provided a terrific boost to German exports, which are cheaper to overseas consumers as a result†¦.Just as important are the relatively low levels of private debt†¦ German companies and individuals refused to spend beyond their means†¦ Germans are uncomfortable with the concept of borrowing money and prefer to live within their own means. â€Å"In German, borrowing is ‘schulden', [the same word for guilt. ] There is an attitude that if you have to borrow, there is something wrong with you,† Labour reforms †¦the Social Democratic government was able to use its close ties with labour unions to push for moderation in wage inflation.T he reforms laid the foundation for a stable and flexible labour market. While unemployment across Europe and the US soared during the global downturn, remarkably the jobless number in Germany barely flickered. German workers were simply willing to work fewer hours, knowing that they would keep their jobs because of it. Job skills And in Germany, there is fewer stigmas attached to vocational training and technical colleges than in many countries. Research Gap The read reports do not seem to treat with the actual factors behind the success, hence we believe into scope for our research.Since in these articles, the German economic history I study but then related to other topics just like in the case of US-German relationship or the study of the German financial markets. True that these reports will help us in our study and can be used as a basis, they surely permit us to look at the German’s economy from a different point of view. Most of reports seem to elaborate a lot on the n egative features of the economy, not that we intend to ignore the negative features but what we are trying to do here is to explain how despite these features, Germany is able to hold such a position in the global market.Specifically we want to pinpoint the special policies which allow this achievement and propose economic models to other developing countries in order to permit them to also achieve such a miracle. Thus, reading the articles, we can see there are already numerous parameters that each of authors believed to be the one behind the success of Germany. Our study will therefore constitute in analysing these factors and comparing the performance of Germany with that of other countries which also have this factor.We will also try to analyse the impact that the implementation the each factor had on the economy of the country. To emphasize on the relevance of this research, we can another article by in the New York Times which states: â€Å"Germany had the formula right all a long. † Hence, our study will be directed towards analysing all the various aspects that made the formula right and try to make it right in our business environment as well! RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Overview The research is a diagnosis research.In fact, a diagnosis research is one which is directed towards discovering what is happening, why it is happening and what can and is to be done about it. It aims at identifying the causes and helping to arrive at possible solutions. Diagnostic research probes into the reasons `why? and goes beyond the problems. Our research is directed towards giving us in-depth knowledge about the reasons which made Germany successful today and we are interested in knowing which of these can be used by other nations as well. Our study will be divided into the following chapters:Chapter 1: here we will deal with the introduction to the study and the aim and purpose of the same. The subject background will also be studied in this step. We intend to t race the economic history of Germany in this section from World War II till today; macro and micro economic variables will be explained and we can propose an elaboration on the economy theory that is followed by the country. Chapter 2: will be dealing with review of books, articles, research papers and journals published with respect to the topic and identification of the research gap.Chapter 3: will elaborate on the research design. Here the parameters that we aim to use in our research will also be defined. As such, the parameters that we wish to study are as follows: 1. GDP, 2. Debt to GDP ratio, 3. Unemployment, 4. Household debt, 5. Inflation, 6. Commodity price swings 7. Foreign trade – imports/exports, net surplus, 8. Social spending, 9. Education, 10. Healthcare, 11. Pension funds, 12. Manufacturing vs. agrosectors, 13. Private & Public undertakings, 14. Patents 15. Innovation, 16. Mittelstand 17. Housing prices, 18. Real estate, 19.New firms reg. 20. Firms winding up , 21. New investments, 22. Banking, 23. M & As abroad, 24. Fuel prices Chapter 4: the data collected will be analysed and interpreted I this chapter Chapter 5: appropriate findings can be drawn from the data processed and conlusion will follow Population and Study Sample Our study will require interaction with economic experts and other industry-related experts who will give us insight and information about the various policies that are prevailing in Germany and their impact on the economy. Sample Size and Selection of SampleHere, we can select purposive sample and we will require snowballing as a technique as well since our study is very particular and one expert might put us into contact with another of his colleagues. Sources of Data The main sources of data will be secondary but experts’ insights in terms of interviews will constitute our primary data also. Collection of Data The secondary data will collected by visiting websites, reading books, analysing research papers, articles and other thesis. The primary data is collected by mean of interview. Data Analysis StrategiesThey will be use of regression analyse the percentage change that the implementation that each parameters did on the economy They will also be use of correlation to analyse the data from other countries which implemented each particular parameter. First, we will have to analyse each of these parameters in the German environment and then compare the German performance with other countries’ which have the same potentiality. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE STUDY STRENGTHS * There is important number of secondary data available for the research making the researcher job simpler. The study of this topic will lead to actual application of various economic concept hence, better understanding of economics as a subject. * Study of business environment being the first step for any project development, this project has important scope for the researcher. WEAKNESSES * The study being s omehow dependent on secondary data, there is chances that these might not be relevant leading to false conclusions. * There might be a possibility that these policies which made Germany so successful cannot be transferred to any other country. In which case, our

Pfizer and the Challenges of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry

Pfizer and the Challenges of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry Identification The case of Pfizer is one of the most interesting studies in the pharmaceutical business. One major reason is that it almost fell into near-death situation, a paradox considering that its mission is treatment of diseases. What happened to this once the biggest global pharmaceutical firm? Who or what was responsible for this fall?Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Pfizer and the Challenges of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Pfizer has been a leading drug company, involved in manufacturing of new medicines to treat popular human diseases, like cardiovascular and metabolism diseases. Half of its total revenues were attributed to prescription drugs. Pfizer’s mission and goals were to provide cutting edge research and development in the different operating segments, from product development to the patient’s therapeutic stage, which encompass the productâ €™s life cycle. Pfizer also became actively involved in biotechnology with the acquisition of some biotechnology firms. It has been said that the life-blood of a pharmaceutical firm is in research and development (RD). Although this has to be corrected, since RD is sometimes the â€Å"killer† of a pharmaceutical firm, Pfizer became a leader in the industry because of its RD centers in many parts of the world. These centers created blockbuster drugs and produced profits, but just as many also caused losses for the firm. The fact is Pfizer had many problems – the usual and unusual problems which pharmaceuticals face in the course of inventing new medicines for new diseases, recovering the costs for inventing and pre-testing those medicines, maintaining the hold as the leader of top pharmaceutical firms, among others. Pfizer lost profits by inventing one drug after another; the main causes were the usual ones – side effects, human safety concerns, etc. The caus es were internal and external ones – a scenario all managers abhor and would love to close shop. Analysis and evaluation From its financial report for the year then ended 2012 (2012 Financial Report, 2012), Pfizer had total revenues of $58.986 billion. The medicines that were originally manufactured in Pfizer’s manufacturing plants, ranging from the Lyrica and Viagra to the Primarin family, produced those revenues.Advertising Looking for case study on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some of the products lost their momentum along the way, creating a negative impact costing millions of dollars in research and development and in the pre-clinical testing and actual testing processes. A recapitulation of the expenses and income generated from the invented/manufactured medicines is shown in Appendix 1. The calculations in this attachment were rounded off to provide simplicity in the figures. The overall performance showed that revenues went down in 2012. Appendix 1 shows that Pfizer had an operating profit margin of $0.67 billion, which is short of saying that this is what (or how) the company got from its invested money without charges. The amount is rather low if we have to consider the resources that the company had spent and exerted. The explanation in the financial report stated that the losses were due to the negative impact made by its major product, the Lipitor, amounting to $7.7 billion, equal to 12% of the total revenues for the year (2012 Financial Report, 2012, p. 15). The financial report made mention of the negative impact of the manufactured drugs, and the decrease of sales of the drugs (2012 Financial Report, 2012, p. 2). Kindler announced the dismissal of 10,000 employees, mostly from European branches and RD centers. Those who were retained came from the US branches. This is because the United States and North America have largely contributed to the a nnual revenues. US Per capita spending on pharmaceutical products is 728, which is larger than the European countries even those from France and Germany. SWOT Analysis Strength Pfizer’s assets have been earned and built through the years: it has adequate financial resources to counter the tides of weak sales or any downturn. Its strength lies in its standing in the industry – it is a recognized leader. Its commitment to RD is also well recognized as it spends millions to invent and manufacture medicines for emerging diseases. The period of Kindler’s entry in the company was described as slow growth – the company was in the verge of a sharp decline from all its sales of the various manufactured drugs, to include the Lipitor. But Kindler’s entry was seen as strength because of the changes he introduced which produced positive results.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Pfizer and the Challenges of the Global Pharmaceutical Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Weakness The drug Lipitor was a problem; a paradox because they used to call it a blockbuster. At first, Lipitor contributed to the firm’s sales, reaching up to US$13 billion, equal to 40% of Pfizer’s total profit. The firm developed another medicine called â€Å"Torcetrapib†, believed to be the successor of Lipitor, but the drug also created a problem in the human safety aspect. Opportunity From the case analysis and perusal of the 2012 Financial Statement, we can conclude that Pfizer is capitalizing on the manufactured drugs for the various diseases. These drugs are the lifeblood of the company. While some drugs made some setbacks, most of them are selling good and have provided profits. The expired patents still earned profits for Pfizer considering that it has rights to the sale of generic drugs. Threats As it has always been said, there’s strong competition in the ph armaceutical industry. Firms compete to introduce new drugs and manufacture patented drugs and generic drugs. Pfizer is strongly competing with GSK, Sanofi-aventis, Novartis, JJ, which are giants in their own right. Before a drug is introduced in the market, firms already compete to manufacture and own the patent for the still undeveloped drug. Discussion of alternatives The inside and outside factors provided a negative environment for Pfizer. There were many changes that Pfizer had to deal with; one concerned price setting. For example in 2005, the German government reduced the prices for all types of drugs. This paved the way to reimbursing the medical expenses of those who took Lipitor. The drug’s price also had to be reduced. The price reduction and the reimbursement produced a negative impact on Pfizer. Price continued to pressure in other parts of Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom whose government issued the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRC) which set profit ceilings on all kinds of drugs. It created a unified reaction from the different pharmaceutical firms, while others considered it ‘extortion’. Pfizer was very much affected by the price scheme. The invention of drugs, to include research and development, pre-clinical testing and testing, and manufacturing, takes about ten to fifteen years. When it is introduced in the market as a safe drug, a considerable amount of time, money, and resources of the company have already been spent. When the drug has to be withdrawn from the market because of safety issues, the investing firm will already have lost millions of dollars. But this is not to say that it losses every time it manufactures medicines. Return of investment also provides millions, if not billions, of dollars.Advertising Looking for case study on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pfizer introduced innovations to counter the negative image and also to minimize unnecessary costs and increase profits. The alternatives were said to be revolutionary because they were introduced by a new brand of management, that of Kindler. But the innovations proved to be effective, even if it cost firing thousands of jobs. Regarding its products, it appears that Pfizer will continue to earn profits from the manufacture of medicines. This is its prime source of revenues and will continue to be so in the future. Recommendations/Implementability Pfizer had to continue this strategy of convincing doctors to prescribe branded medicines to their patients because this is where most of their profits for drugs come. Moreover, Pfizer has been promoting their drugs through advertisements and the Internet. This year, Pfizer promoted vaccination in Ireland. Although it was a marketing strategy, it was also part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility. Health care for children i s one of Pfizer’s primary goals. Kindler’s goals have become Pfizer’s mission – health care for the different segments the firm has targeted. Research and development has been very much improved ever since the company has streamlined, modified the corporate structure and introduced changes and innovations, particularly in the RD centers all throughout the world. By continuing the changes in the area of RD and the focus on the five segments, Pfizer will continue to recover the losses and regain the leadership in the pharmaceutical industry. Competition continues in this industry, but focusing on servicing and providing health through the introduction of new medicines, this firm will continue to recover and maintain the lead. Pfizer’s drugs have helped the ageing population and the fight against cancer and AIDS which formerly had no cure. However, by continuing on their cutting-edge method in RD and the operating costs in the millions and dollars, it may affect the firm’s goal of increasing profits. The goal of service to humanity has to continue but it may affect profits. Kindler’s aim was to minimize losses in the RD areas by conducting collaborative efforts with other companies. In short, Pfizer had to focus on transparency by opening to the public and acquiring more acquisitions. Kindler motivated the new sales force to boost sales. But all these efforts tended not to help Pfizer. When Kindler announced the dismissal of thousands of employees, the stock market negatively responded with a sharp fall. References 2012 Financial report. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.pfizer.com/sites/default/files/annualreport/2012/financial/financial2012.pdf Appendix 1 Goods sold = $12 billion (Lyrica, Celebrex, Viagra, and others) 6 billion (Norvasac and the Primarin family) Total Sales = $18 billion (for the various medicines manufactured) Cost of goods sold (expenses) = $11.3 billion Gross profit margin = Sales – Co st of goods sold Sales = $18 billion – $11.3 billion $18 billion = $0.372 billion (margin provided to cover operating expenses) Operating profit margin = 12.08 billion 18billion = 0.67 billion Net profit margin = Profits after taxes Sales = 12.08 – 7.64 18 Net profit margin = $0.25 billion Taxes Taxes on income = $2.56 billion Discontinued ops. = 5.08 billion Total taxes = $7.64 billion Return on total assets = Profits after taxes total assets = 4.4 billion 58.986 billion = $0.074 billion

A Comparison of Mac OSX Tiger and Microsoft Windows Vista Essay Example for Free

A Comparison of Mac OSX Tiger and Microsoft Windows Vista Essay ? Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s Mac OSX are one of the most prominent Operating Systems in the world. Both have millions of Active users and are considered as major rivals. Both Operating systems have their specific advantages as well as some disadvantages. Both operating systems have evolved throughout the time in a specific manner and has managed to create their own identity. This paper will compare the latest releases of both software giants i.e. â€Å"Microsoft Windows Vista† and â€Å"Mac OSX Tiger†. A Comparison of Microsoft Windows Vista and Mac OSX Tiger: Mac OSX Tiger 10.4x is the latest release of the OSX series of operating systems released by Apple Corps. This version was released in spring 2005. Like its predecessors Tiger’s foundation is laid on the Unix Kernel â€Å"Darwin†. The Unix foundation has made Tiger more secure and reliable than its non Unix rivals like Microsoft’s Windows. There are no known Viruses, Worms or Spywares which can force Tiger to compromise . Vista’s predecessor Windows XP has been under attack by the hackers and viruses since its release for the first time which compelled Microsoft to fix the loopholes in the form of service packs. That why its successor Vista has been developed with security in mind. Though Vista seems to be more secure than XP or other earlier Windows releases but it has not achieved 100% immunity against viruses and worms. Apple has maintained a policy of releasing new versions roughly after every 18 months. Due to this approach the changes and innovations made in the new versions were not that prominent to confuse the users. On the contrary Microsoft has not released any new version after the release of Windows XP in 2001. Thus the change in Vista is more dramatic than change in Tiger. Speaking about the GUI and its features Tiger and Vista share many similarities. Because Tiger is a couple of years older than Vista seems to draw many features and ideas from Tiger. Some notable similarities are in icons. Vista has also change the names of â€Å"My Documents† and â€Å"My Computer† folder to â€Å"Documents† and â€Å"Computer† same as in Tiger. The term Vista Aero Interface is very similar to Tigers Aqua interface in terminology. The buttons and other interface details have the same shiny round look as in Tiger. Tiger’s most amazing feature is its spotlight search technology which is borrowed by Vista in such a way that even the search button is identical to it, only the magnifying glass turns on the opposite side. But along these similarities Vista is more advanced and sophisticated than Tiger in a number of ways. Vista provides a more sophisticated file previewing technology not found in Tiger. It can even preview text files. Moreover Vista’s folder give the preview of the files located inside them a feature not found in Tiger. Moreover Vista can scale icons and previews up to 128 by 128 pixels. Regarding file management and searching Vista and Tiger share many similarities. Vista’s new file searching technologies are very similar to Tiger’s spotlight technology, but Vista goes further ahead and provides the facility of adding meta data in Internet Explorer directly. Vista provides multiple fields for searching and adding meta data a feature not available in Tiger. Vista has also borrowed the idea of Tiger’s smart folders renaming them as virtual folders. But Vista has also developed some advanced file management features not found in Tiger. Vista provides a new backup system which record changes in the backed up files time to time and save them in a protected folder. Vista has also developed a feature available in Mac OSX since its earlier times. OSX has the ability to create any document in PDF. Vista on the other hand has given support to change any document in Metro an universal XML document format. Regarding networking Vista is far more superior than Tiger. This is basically because Vista is more compatible to Microsoft servers than Tiger. Vista has also provided the facility to connect to a project on the network and send presentations to it. Vista is also introducing Ipv6 protocol, a feature which is available in OSX since Panther. Vista also has a better support for RSS feeds, Weblogs etc. Media Center is a feature which can certainly be called the pride of Microsoft in the world of Desktops and operating systems. Because neither Tiger nor any other competitor such accomplished media center facitlities as provided by Microsoft. The feature first introduced in Windows XP Media Center edition has shown further enhancements and innovations in this regard. Though Vista is a major innovative change for Windows users many new features introduced in Vista are not that new in the world of desktops. Tiger and some other operating systems have introduced them a couple of years ago. But Vista has gone further beyond. There are many features and advances in Vista which are not found in any operating system currently. Security is the key problem thats why Vista provides more sophisticated security features than Tiger. Vista also has the advantage of the largest number of software support which Tiger doesn’t. But Tiger has support of open source softwares thanks to its Unix foundation. One can conclude that each operating system is superior to its rival in some characteristics and lacks some features found in the other. References James Fallows (2006), Microsoft Reboots: A Preview of the New Versions of Windows and Office, The Atlantic Monthly. Volume: 298. Issue: 5 The Atlantic Monthly Magazine J.V. Bolkan (2005), Facing the Future: Computer Hardware Is Getting a New Set of Standards. Find out How They Will Affect Your Future Purchases, Learning & Leading with Technology. Volume: 33. Issue: 3, International Society for Technology in Education. Royal Van Horn (2006), The Perfect Computer and Web Browser Updates, Phi Delta Kappan. Volume: 88. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2006. Page Number: 7, Phi Delta Kappa, Inc A Comparison of Mac OSX Tiger and Microsoft Windows Vista. (2017, Mar 13).