Thursday, November 28, 2019

Magicians Nephew Essays - British Films, The Chronicles Of Narnia

Magician's Nephew The play I decided to do my play synopsis was "The Magician's Nephew". The play was adapted from the Narnia Series written by C.S. Lewis. The play took place in the Eighteen Eighties in London England, and other magical places. The main characters of the play consist of, Digory, Polly, Aunt Letty, Uncle Andrew, Aslan the Ruler of Narnia, and Queen Jadis. There are also other characters but that are not as important. They come in toward the end of the story. These characters are, Bear, rabbit, bird, Monkey, and other animals. These characters are the follower's of Aslan. In the first scene, takes place in Uncle Andrew's attic. He is a magician and the attic is where he does all of his tricks. Digory is staying with his Aunt and Uncle because his mother is very sick so they are taking care of her. Uncle Andrew had been working on these magic rings that take you to another land. He was working on the rings when he heard this noise. It was Digory and his friend from next doors Polly crawling around in the passageways of the house. They end up in the attic with the Uncle thinking it is an abandoned house next door. The uncle shows Digory and Polly the rings he had made. Each ring took you to a different place. He tried the time travel rings on Polly and she disappeared into another world. Digory got scared and told the Uncle to bring her back. The only was he could bring her back, was with a green ring, which she had forgotten. Digory had to go after Polly to give her the ring and for them both to come back safely. In the second scene, they end up in a land that was cold and had no sun. There was a figure on the throne that looked to be frozen in time. Polly begged for them to go home but Digory wanted to explore. He saw a bell that said "Adventure's ring this bell and you will have a adventure you will never forget". Digory rings the bell and the queen that was frozen awoke. The queen, who was frozen named Queen Jadis, told Digory and Polly that she once ruled the land but killed everyone off. Polly tells the queen that Digory uncle is a great magician. The Queen once to go back to there time at once so she can take over London and take over his uncle's powers. The children refuse and she goes after them. They touch the green rings to go back but the Queen grabs on Polly's hair just the time that they disappear. The queen ends up going back to Digory and Polly's time in England. In scene three, Digory, Polly and the evil Queen Jadis end back up in Digory uncle's attic where his magic spells are. The Queen realizes she is in London and starts planning to take it over. She starts yelling for her servants to come and help her take a bath. She makes so much noise Digory Aunt Letty comes upstairs to the attic to see what is going on. She sees the queen and the children have to tell the story of how they disappeared to another world and she ends up coming back with them. Aunt Letty tells her she needs to be quiet because some one is seriously ill in the house, which is Digory's mother. Aunt Letty then tells Digory that someone had brought his mother a basket of grapes but she wouldn't eat them. She says the only fruit that will save her is the "Fruit of Life." that is in another world. Digory wants to go to the other world and find this fruit so his mom can live. Queen Jadis is still in the attic yelling that she is going to take over London. Polly grabs a ring and Digory grabs Queen Jadis and then grabs Polly's hand and they disappear into another land. In scene four, Digory, Polly, and Queen Jadis end up in the land of Narnia. By accident they end up bringing along Uncle Andrew. Its ends up that Narnia is a New World that has just begun. As they try to figure out where they are they see a lion named Aslan walking towards them. The lion is speaking. As he speaks, what he says appears out of no where. He would talk about birds, rabbits, and other animals and they would

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Civil Disobedience essays

Civil Disobedience essays What rhetorical strategies were applied by Martin Luther King Jr. in Letter from Birmingham Jail and which of those was likely most important in influencing the readers of that time? In Birmingham, Ala., in the spring of 1963, King's campaign to end segregation at lunch counters and in hiring practices drew nationwide attention when police turned dogs and fire hoses on the demonstrators. King was jailed along with large numbers of his supporters, including hundreds of schoolchildren. His supporters did not, however, include all the black clergy of Birmingham, and he was strongly opposed by some of the white clergy who had issued a statement urging the blacks not to support the demonstrations. From the Birmingham jail King wrote a letter of great eloquence in which he spelled out his philosophy of nonviolence. This essay, entitled Letter From Birmingham Jail demonstrates Kings exceptional literary prowess by his mastery of several rhetorical strategies to persuade. Kings rhetorical strategy to influence his audience in Letter From Birmingham Jail is that of a three-pronged approach. In an effort to aid in King's goal to alter societal structure, its evils, and its balance of power, he attempts to appeal to the logical, emotional and as well as spiritual side of his critics. Kings first presents an appeal to our logic or reasoning. He does this by effectively showing a direct relationship between the reasoning for his position against segregation and its resulting actions of passive resistance by those oppressed by it. Dr. Kings appeal to our logic is most evident when he gives the reasoning for his statement "I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Klu Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice" *. He dedu...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Take one contemporary film of your choice and critically analyze how Essay

Take one contemporary film of your choice and critically analyze how it might be considered postmodern - Essay Example Post-modernist films are characterized by self-referentiality, pastiche, intertextuality, and parody (Hill 2000, p.93). The features of post-modernist films may be identified in a film’s plot, casting/characterization, form, or visual theme. Post-modernist films may also play like a collage of stereotypes and tropes and may mix different types of media. A closer analysis of the film Kick Ass helps to identify its integrated postmodernist traits. The film Kick Ass provides a fine parody of superhero films and the genre. The film comments ironically on the superhero genre and the conventions it encompasses. It has spoof written all over it. Frederic Jameson (1988, p.15), identifies both the use of Pastiche and parody as a significant characteristic in post-modernist art. He notes that â€Å"one of the most significant features or practices in postmodernism today is pastiche† (Jameson 1988, p15). He notes that both pastiche and parody involve the mimicry of other styles and particularly the stylistic twitches of other styles. In her article, Linda Hutcheon argues that post-modernism main interest is parody. She references the use of parody in postmodern architecture to stress her point by stating â€Å"parodic references to the history of architecture textually reinstate a dialogue with the past and inescapably with the social and ideological context in which architecture is and has been both produced and lived† (Hutcheon 1986, p.181). Kick-Ass pokes fun at the entire superhero genre. The film encompasses its parody through the humor it employs within key stages that demystify the invincibility of a superhero. For example, the film parodies from the superhero film Spider-Man. While Spider-Man is able to take giant leaps across buildings, Kick-Ass almost attempts to do the same but inescapably gets terrified and retaliates. Unlike in other superhero films where the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Marketing plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Marketing plan - Research Paper Example UAE hold a population that is among the top earners and top spenders on grooming in the world. It has the largest cosmetics and grooming market among the Gulf countries and men’s grooming has transformed from a niche market to an unavoidable business segment in the past 10 years and holds further growth in the next 5 years. While the prime driver of men’s grooming market is shaving products, research suggests that skin care and hair care for men are expect to grow big in the near future. The male grooming products market of the UAE is currently a $56.16 million (208 million UAE Dirhams) business, which is expected to grow to $84 million by 2018. As per the official 2010 estimate, the UAE male population of 6,161,820 outnumbers the female population of 2,102,250 by almost 3:1. Among the male population, 92% consists of expatriates, mostly young people from emerging countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh, who today are no longer stereotyped as blue-colla red workers. In fact, Asian expatriates make up 44.6% of the total number of entrepreneurs in the UAE and of late, the pay rate differences between Asian and western expatriates are reportedly diminishing. In fact, Asian expatriates contribute about 63% of total consumer expenditure of the UAE The lucrative men’s grooming market is currently dominated by large multinationals such as L’Oreal, Nivea and Unilever. However, the market has so far gone largely untapped as these organisations operate by importing and selling their products through regional branches. Evidently, even in its current status, there is a huge business potential in men’s grooming in UAE. This report discusses the marketing plan of Arome de l'Emir, a proposed business that wishes to provide world-class hair care, skin care, shaving kits and fragrance products primarily to the young Asian male expatriates of the UAE. The goal of Arome de l'Emir is to be a pioneer business in the men’s gr ooming and lifestyle products market that enjoys high customer loyalty and brand recognition and delivers high value. However, the report highlights the many advantages, disadvantages, challenges and threats that Arome de l'Emir would face on its path to achieve its goals. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 4 Business Strategy 5 Business Goals 5 Mission statement 6 Internal and External environments 6 Market needs and opportunities 9 Marketing Strategy 11 Segmentation / target market 11 Intended Positioning 12 Product Analysis 13 Place (distribution network) analysis 14 Integrated communications analysis 15 Pricing analysis 16 Ethical Issues and Social Responsibilities 16 Conclusion 17 References 18 Business Strategy Business Goals Arome de l'Emir is a proposed business that wishes to have presence in men’s grooming. It will provide world-class hair care, skin care, shaving kits and fragrance products for the young male expatriates and citizens of the Uni ted Arab Emirates. It strives to bank in on the huge untapped male health and beauty market and be a market leader in the UAE in this business. Arome de

Monday, November 18, 2019

How Has Hooliganism (Spectator Violence) Permeated The World Of Essay

How Has Hooliganism (Spectator Violence) Permeated The World Of English Soccer - Essay Example The activities or manner is now known as soccer hooliganism which began in England near the beginning of 1950's (Giulanotti, 1994, Pp 12-13). In other European countries, parallel models of behaviour appeared about fifteen or twenty years later, near the beginning of 1970's. Italian fans fashioned a mainly obsessive variety of football support known as Ultras, who are now a chief force in the Italian sport and are widespread in a some other EU states. Football hooliganism is extremely complicated to describe, mostly for the reason that the media have been tremendously supple and undefined in assigning the "hooligan" tag to diverse occasions. The majority to mean disarray or confusion concerning football enthusiasts sees football hooliganism. Frequently this engages illegal actions and in the majority - but surely not all - cases takes place either at or just earlier than or after a football contest. Much football-throng chaos is impulsive, but a lot is set by bunch of criminals or gangsters who connect themselves to football societies and assemble to meet, and clash, from other societies (Crawford, 2004, Pp 42-43). It is frequently stated that hooliganism at football competitions turn out to be much more widespread in the 1970's and 1980's, with extra details of range of violence at contests. Nevertheless, yet again it is hard to know whether the quantity of chaos amplified or whether the rising media attention in, and exposure of, throng's chaos has destined it is reported faraway more often. Fundamental Problems Of Hooliganism Hypothetical explanations of football spectator hostility dwell in four different categories. First, there is the early on approach which accentuates that hooligan activities is a representative effort by blue-collar fans to reinstate some power over a game which they feel gradually more estranged from. Second, there is the ethogenic approach, which sees football watchers fighting as a custom appearance of mannish violent behavior. A third clarification, the planned segmentation approach focuses the implication of lower working class group arrangements and premature socialization as the key to perceptive the models of violent behavior shown by football hooligans. A concluding group of approaches see football viewer's chaos as a way of recompensing for the defeat of society sourced by post-war business and municipal expansion. This analytical research supplies a critical evaluation of some key features of the outcomes of comebacks to racism within British football. Other three features are recognized as: the conflation of racism with hooliganism'; the responsibility of antiracist operations within the sport; and the refutation of the trouble of racism within football sport. It is disputed that even as some of these interferences are praiseworthy, a common flaw is a malfunction to understand the environment and forcefulness of diverse racisms. This worry reflects more universal debates about the need to theories the intricacy and variety of the notion of racism and to recognize its opposing temperament. Writers in the past have stressed out the significance of touching away from extraordinary outsets of

Friday, November 15, 2019

Literature Review discussing British Petroleum’s environmental effects

Literature Review discussing British Petroleum’s environmental effects Societies today, more than ever, are faced with more complex and environmental problems with the proliferation of technological advancement as human populations mounts. It is paramount for large energy companies to balance the needs of stakeholders  [1]  and demonstrate their intent of environment stewardship. In BPs strategy on their corporate website, they state their goals for value creation while producing affordable energy that is secure and doesnt damage the environment  [2]  . In other words, this means progressing forward through the expansion of their energy production while bearing in mind the impact of their activities on the environment. This, in essence, illustrates BPs stance on sustainability and their environmental awareness. Policy of environmental awareness in British Petroleum Environmental awareness is defined as a broad philosophy and social movements with respect to the environmental conservation concerns and improvement in the state of the environment. It ties in with the responsible initiatives that demonstrate a corporations commitment to key environmental and safety issues. Recently, BP has came under the spotlight following the April 2010 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig which killed 11 people and caused one of the worst oil spills in history  [3]  . Given its status as one of the worlds largest energy providers, this catastrophe has brought about a lot of clout over BPs environmental and safety practices. Subsequently, this led to exhaustive investigation that revealed inadequate controls and incompliance with major aspects of offshore drilling safety. As a result, BP announced its commitment to continue working with government officials and other operators to identify and boost industry-wide safety measures  [4]  . Nevertheless, BP publicizes a sustainability report annually to demonstrate their sustainability efforts in action while aligning themselves to their environmental policy. BPs policy follows a fundamental belief that it can make a difference in the world  [5]  . It strives to be the local energy company by the production of energy with minimal impact on the environment. New initiatives have been launched to incorporate benefits to the local community and help in establishing its position as a responsibility energy provider. For example, BP has invested around $1billion  [6]  annually in low-carbon energy in the last 5 years, putting them well positioned in reaching their commitment of $8 billion  [7]  by 2015. In light of climate change, BP showed recognition to the significance of climate change. Its environmental policy embraces legislation changes and aligns the firms sustainability actions to ensure environmental stewardship. This includes stringent protocols imposed to ensure that all projects and operations are designed and conducted in accordance with legal and internal environmental standards  [8]  . For example, BPs major operating sites today are all certified under the international environment management system standard ISO 14001  [9]  , demonstrating the huge strides in minimizing their environmental impact. According to BPs sustainability review report 2009, it demonstrates BPs awareness of their responsibility as a major energy provider to manage the environmental impacts of energy production and consumption. They have led a programme of action that have since brought about reduction of 7.9 million  [10]  tones of greenhouse gas emissions from their operations. BP actively seeks out new environmental technologies and methods to reduce the environmental impact of providing energy  [11]  . For instance, it has developed technologies such as wide azimuth tower streamer (WATS)  [12]  that enables BP to discover reservoirs previously obscured and maximize recovery and efficiency of their exploration activity. Initiatives taken by BP to Sustainability Issues BP operates according to strict internal control systems that extend from board-level policies to operational process to ensure businesses conduct their business responsibly  [13]  . Over the years, they have progressed significantly in their environmental sustainability issues. Sustainability is defined as the capacity to endure. At BP, this definition is extended to include the renewal of assets, creation and delivery of better products and services that meet the ever-changing needs of society, attracting successive generation of employees, contribution to a sustainable environment and retain the trust and support of their customers, shareholders, and the communities in which they operate  [14]  . Initiatives for Climate Change With greenhouse gases rising at an ever increasing rate, governments are urged by the risk of climate change to introduce new measures to limit emissions. On this front, BP has outlined emissions assessments to enforce the most efficient environmental methods. This is executed through their proprietary framework for both developed and developing countries to commit to identify mitigating action and quantify emission targets  [15]  . In addition to that, the BP website  [16]  offers a myriad of environmental tools to provide transparency and insight into BPs environmental efforts and allow individuals to assess their own carbon footprint and lifestyle  [17]  . ISO 14001 and Environmental Sustainability BP follows the ISO 14001 environmental management standards and publishes a sustainability review to track its environmental sustainability issues. In the fiscal year of 2009, the organization has launched several initiatives in light of environmental sustainability. Notably, one of these initiatives is BPs stance and support on carbon pricing. They firmly believe that the provision of carbon price will make energy conservation a more attractive venture and encourage investments in alternative energy space to cut down the carbon usage in organizations. Moreover, BP has designed a plan of action in their environmental sustainability efforts by optimizing their own operations towards a more energy efficiency model and had led in the creation of new products to lower customers carbon footprint  [18]  . Their drive in the former has saw the inception of projects such as the reducing flaring and venting, process optimization projects and waste heat recovery. This initiative will bring about a total reduction of about 7.9 million tonnes of carbon usage. In the latter, BP has worked in collaboration with Ford to engineer advanced Castrol lubricants  [19]  that sole advantage bring improvement in fuel efficiency and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, BP has placed emphasis on building its low-carbon energy portfolio with substantial investments in biofuels, wind power and solar photovoltaic systems. Initiatives in the public domain Besides these programmes, BP is active in its participation of policy debate with its push to drive climate change at international and national levels. For example, they have signed the Copenhagen Communiquà © to demonstrate their support in the private sector call towards a long term ambitious, robust and equitable global deal on climate change  [20]  . These measures have paved the way in BPs efforts to measure the environmental sustainability issues. Last but not least, BP has been a generous contributor in research programmes in particularly on climate change and low-carbon options. These include several high profile research such as the Carbon Mitigation Initiative at Princeton University  [21]  , its collaboration with Chinese Academy of Science on the Clean Energy Facing the Future programme  [22]   as well as the Energy Initiatives launched at MIT and Caltech. BP Commitment to Health and safety measures BP is committed to seek out improvements in its safety performance through the implementation of procedures and processes in pursuit of their mission statement of no accidents and no harm to people  [23]  . In light of the 2010 Gulf oil spill disaster, BP has came down upon a lot of scrutiny with respect to its safety practices. As a result, the organization announced its commitment to continue working with government officials and other operators to identify and boost industry-wide safety measures  [24]  . Improvement and Initiatives made In wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, BP announced its decision for an overhauling reorganization that would give safety a higher priority. This first measure implemented saw the creation of a new safety division  [25]  that would preside over the companys operations. This division will use a systematic approach to seek improvements in safety performance through promoting safe operations and upping their efforts on process safety. BP is also shifting away from the use of contractors in light of the accident which caused 11 deaths of rig workers. Despite outsourcing certain functions to contractors, BP is still the company that is solely responsible for the accidental damages. On top of these changes, BP is currently assessing its executive bonus scheme that puts more weight to financial and operational targets. This new restructured bonus schemes would take into account more on key safety measure to align employees objectives to its safety practices. This will help improve the health and safety practice by perpetuating its safety culture to yield results. For example, BP reviews employee views on various dimension of safety with the Pulse plus survey  [26]   to achieve continued progress in integrating safety into their business. Furthermore, BP has launched an internal safety awards to foster pride in attaining BPs values. This recognition on the importance of safety across all aspects would further elevate BPs profile of safety  [27]  and help rebuild the trust in BP. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and British Petroleum Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis  [28]  . Today, CSR is more relevant than ever, in particularly for a large energy company such as BP that engages in the exploration and production of oil. CSR is often debated as the appropriate actions that companies should take that goes beyond its philanthropic efforts and delves further into the fundamental question of how companies produce their goods and provide their services  [29]  . At BP, CSR is recognized as the primary responsibility to maximize the value of the firm and operation of the company in accordance with the norms and values of its shareholders  [30]  . This broad notion as defined by BP reflects its concern about the operating environment, its license to operate within it, which provides the impetus for BP to undertake a broader role in societal affairs  [31]  . BPs CSR practice and Workforce Welfare BPs CSR involvement goes well beyond than just minimizing its emissions. According to the corporate website, BP is involved in their contribution to policy debate, supporting research and development for newer, cleaner technologies in power and transport  [32]  . Besides that, this also includes the consideration of building business skills of the local people through community based development programmes, supporting education and giving aid to local organization. In the instance of building business skills, BP has ran a range of programmes designed to build the skills and impart knowledge on supply chain management to geographical locations like Azerbaijian, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago. This programmes helps accomplish a win-win situation for both parties, providing local companies with the expertise and know-how while enabling BP to source goods and services locally. This sharing of technical expertise extends to local governments where BP draws from their expertise and glo bal reach to support local governments in the development of their economic sustainability. For example, BP funded an EU-based think tank, to consult the Azerbaijian Ministry of Economic Development on macroeconomics analysis, economic planning and policy formulation  [33]  . BP is also active on supporting education, investing in resources to build strengths in management education. A case in point is the post-graduate degree in energy law in Angola that BP played a vital role in the development and financing, while working alongside governments, state oil company and academia  [34]  . They have offered educational resources such as books, classrooms, teachers training and management training. BP have delivered immunization exercises for the Tangguh community and educated the local residents on reproductive health and personal hygiene. Their active involvement resulted in a plunge in malaria prevalence from 23% in 2000 to less than 1% in 2009  [35]  . As a result of BP CSR practices, many of these communities and villages have been provided with better facilities such as rainwater harvesting systems and villagers are able to substantial improvement in their workforce welfare. BP Building a sustainable talent pipeline BP has a clear understanding that people are fundamental to the success of business operation. Over the years, they have focused their efforts on building a sustainable talent pipeline  [36]   where they recruit graduates and trained them from the ground up to progress their career into roles that could help maximize their contribution to the business. Cross culture and Diversity Cross culture issues simply refers to the issues that involve dealing of two or more different cultures  [37]  . BPs understanding of cross culture issues can be reflected in their commitment to build a diverse organization, where people of different cultures are embraced to foster an environment that is collegial and respectful. They firmly value a multicultural workplace and embed diversity and inclusion across the organization. BP runs a global diversity council where diversity plans are established and tailored accordingly to each strategic performance unit (SPU). Here, the diversity plans sets specific targets and organizes networking events for affinity groups whereby certain sub-sets of employees can network and exchange experiences. For example, BP currently has the BP Womens International Network; the BP Pride group for homosexuals; BP Global Reach Group; BP Gray Matters and the US-based BP Asian, African-American and Latino networks  [38]  . The availability of such affinity groups demonstrates BPs understanding of cross cultural issues and practice of diversity. Within these affinity groups, members come together to discuss key issues and learn from each other. These groups would provide them with an informal setting to build their network and gather contacts. The BP Womens International Network, for example, is a global network with a sole purpose of connecting women and encourage women to stay with BP to fulfill their career goals  [39]  . This openness of BP with its core focus on diversity and inclusion is certainty a strategy that will enable its success in the 21st century global marketplace  [40]  . It leverages diversity exemplified by gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, sexual orientation and identity, religion, and tribe, among other things-while preparing itself for the future by continuing to diversify its employee base  [41]  . Ultimately, BPs diversity practice will inevitably help spur innovation, creativity and a deepened awareness of diversity and inclusion concepts  [42]  . Comparative analysis with key competitors In this task, I will seek to do a comparison of BPs equal opportunity and diversity practice with its key competitors such as Shell and Conoco Phillips. BP At BP, the equal opportunity and diversity practice consists of three basic tenets which are (i) fair treatment and equal employment opportunity; (ii) respectful, harassment-free workplace; and (iii) privacy and employee confidentiality  [43]  . These tenets strive to draw from BPs diversity as strength to create an environment that fosters mutual trust whereby diversity and inclusion are valued. BP follows a policy that fair treatment, courtesy and respect are entitlement given to every employee and would show no tolerance for offensive and belligerent behavior. The last tenet is a rule that protects the confidentially of their employees personal information. Royal Dutch Shell Similarly, Shells motto is to embed diversity and inclusion (DI). They firmly believe that this would help create a stronger future for Shell and help achieve their aspirations. Shell defines the management of DI to involve addressing the factors of difference and fully capitalizing on the potential contribution of all employees to continue to build their leadership in place. At Shell, DI is seen as a competitive advantage that will enable Shell to cultivate a competitive culture  [44]  . On the equal opportunity front, Shell also emphasizes their position as an equal opportunity employer that strives to recruit based on technical and competencies. ConocoPhillips At ConocoPhillips, a similar stance on diversity is taken where the company strives to represent and reflect the global communities in which we live and work  [45]  . They stand by the creation of an inclusive environment that respects contributions and differences of every individual  [46]  . Here, the same catchphrase of Diversity and Inclusion encompasses the creation of a multicultural work environment, together with an inclusive culture to ensure individuals contributions and differences are respected and valued  [47]  . In terms of equal opportunity aspect, ConocoPhilips wholly supports the principle of equally opportunity in employments and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified individuals  [48]  . Conclusion To conclude, this report examines the many responsibilities that falls on a large organization like British Petroleum (BP). Given its status as one of the worlds largest energy providers, BP has demonstrated their sustainability efforts in action while aligning themselves to their environmental policy. Over the years, they have launched several initiatives to tackle their sustainability issues and progressed significantly in their environmental awareness. This includes initiatives for climate change, imposition of ISO 14001 environmental management standards and initiatives in the public domain. In the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, a comprehensive overview of their safety practices and social responsibilities initiatives are examine. This details the contribution and improvements made in the improvement of workforce welfare in geographical locations such as Azerbaijian, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago. Finally, this segues to a discussion on the cross-culture issues at BP and its practice of diversity. The last bit of the report is a comparative analysis of the equal opportunity and diversity practices in BP and across its key competitors.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

snow faliing on cedars racism Essay -- essays research papers

In a community of â€Å"five thousand damp souls† (Guterson 5) as described by David Guterson in his novel, Snow Falling on Cedars. A community that concentrated a variety of ethnicity, among them was both Whites and Japanese. As a result of the racial differences, racism has came into existences and have impacted the life of both children and adult in that isolated island called San Piedro. It is responsible for the internment of Kabuo, Hatsue, and their families, the breakup of Hatsue and Ishmael, Kabuo's loss of his land, and perhaps for his indictment for murder. Before the war years, Kabuo's father, Zenhichi made an illegal agreement with the victim's father, Carl Heine senior. It was an agreement to an eight-year â€Å"lease-to-own† contract. Money changed hands, land was promised and terms were set. Unfortunately, the war came and the Japanese Americans were sent away to internment camp. Nothing was quite the same at wars end. When the Miyamoto has returned to claim their land, they had found out that the victim’s mother, Etta, cheated them. She sold their seven acres of strawberry land to another farmer, because of lack of the last payment during their removal. This disreputable action she took, was caused by her racist thoughts that she had toward Japanese. This has been demonstrated out in her conversation with her husband, she said, â€Å"We’re not such paupers as to sell to Japs, are we? For new clothes? For a pouch of fancy pipe tobacco?† (Guterson 119). Because of her being racist, it had cost the land of the Miyamoto and raised tension between the two families and created a motive for Kabuo to commit murder to Etta’s son as for revenge and to release his anger. Snow Falling on Cedars opens up in the middle of Kabuo Miyamoto’s trail. A trail that deals with a first degree murder case, that Kabuo was being accused of murder of a white fellow fisherman by the name of Carl Heine. In this murder case, racism has played a very important role in affecting the judgement and outcome of the trail. As being Japanese, Kabuo has been placed under a very unpleasant circumstance. The evidences founded had lead the investigator, Sheriff Art Moran to believe that Kabuo was somehow suspicious. Together with the judgement made by the coroner of the wound on the victim’s head, which was predominantly affected by his racist thought toward Japanese.... ...their son and daughter to date or have interracial marriage. Despite the racial differences and their parents' disapproval, they still carry on their relationship in behind their parents’ back. But as time goes, their relationship could no longer be sustained. The exposure of the secret letter that Ishmael wrote to Hatsue had led to the end of their relationship. When Fujiko, Hatsue's mother discovered the letter, she told herself, "She would put an end to this business." (Guterson 227). As a matter of fact, racism has played a big role in the novel. It has affected the life of Hatsue, Ishmael, Kabuo and their families, and it is responsible for the loss of Kabuo’s seven acres of strawberry land, and made Kabuo being accused of the murder of Carl Heine. If the people were not racist, things would not have happened as the way it has been. The murder trail of Kabuo would have never taken place. Hatsue and Ishmael would have been a happy couple together. As for Kabuo himself, he would have inherited the strawberry field and continue on to be a farmer like his father. But this is how things are in this world. Nothing is perfect. There is always a negative side to everything.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

John Lewis Christmas Marketing Campaign Essay

This year’s advert, entitled â€Å"The Journey†, hopes to do as well if not better than its predecessor. The ? 6 million campaign created by Adam+EveDDB tells the story of a snowman who travels across rivers, mountains, roads and cities to get the perfect gift for the snowwoman who stands with him in the garden. * The advert could’ve been seen on channel 4 just before Christmas and then it was easily accessible on internet(facebook, youtube, etc). John Lewis also was running a snowman hunt, with six snowmen figures hidden around stores. If customers find them all they could win a price, including a  £10,000 holiday, Sony laptop, spa days and gift hampers. John Lewis has also run social media activity including competitions to win a holiday to New Zealand, where the ad was filmed, and for a family to get their garden ‘snowed up’ for Christmas day. John Lewis hopes to make a â€Å"confident statement† in its Christmas marketing this year through its TV, press, outdoor and in-store activity as well as the Annual, a glossy print title that brings together its Editions magazine and Christmas catalogue into one publication for the first time. The Twitter campaign uses the hashtag #snowmanjourney to track its experiential campaign that is photographing the snowman in different towns around the country. John Lewis has also press released many articles regarding their Christmas advert, in store sales, and competitions. John Lewis P&R department has also write a book that tells the story of the snowman and his journey which is also part of the high profile Christmas campaign, short afterwards the book became one of the most selling books for children. John Lewis has attributed a lift in its crafts offering to its Christmas ad campaign. Items on sale include a ‘Knit Your Own Snowman’. * The campaign was created to persuade more and more customers to come in the store and buy gifts for their loved ones during Christmas time. John Lewis’s advert also delivered strong Christmas, and warm feeling to the viewers so they are also creating the brand. They want to tell and insert John Lewis’s brand in many people’s life. Craig Inglis the Marketing Director at John Lewis said â€Å"the campaigns are not just an investment in making people feel Christmassy, they have commercial effectiveness at eart. † Adverts starring the character proved a big hit – with more than three million views on YouTube. * The target market were people who had families, people who lad loved ones, relatives, and people who had someone one special in their lives, because Christmas it is all about spending time with the loved ones, giving them gifts and have a great time. Also they targeted at other organ ization’s customers for example Marks&Spencer, Boots, etc. Also people who wanted to their bedrooms as they had big sales in their home department. Sales figures Sales for the retailer are up 7. 6% year on year for the week ending 17 November with a strong performance in electrical and home technology driving the growth with a 22. 2% jump in sales. In the five weeks over Christmas John Lewis recorded a 44. 3 per cent rise in its ‘Click and Collect’ service, which allows shoppers to buy products online and then collect them from one of the group’s Waitrose supermarkets, compared with figures from 2011. Total web sales reached ? 684. 8 million in the five weeks to 29 December. Electrical and home technology sales were up by 30. 9 per cent on 2011 with tablets being the retailer’s star festive performer. Fashion and beauty sales rose 10. 4 per cent with home products increasing by 6. 2 per cent. In the last full week before Christmas John Lewis posted sales of ? 157. 8 million, a rise of 26. 5 per cent from last year. A record ? 31. 7 million was then taken on 27 December, the start of the retailer’s clearance sale. Conclusion Overall I think the Christmas campaign has been extremely successful. The reason why I am saying this is because comparing the sales figure from last year and this year they achieved a record this year by stepping over the ? 150 million revenue. Also looking at the promotional mix they have done pretty well again, as we have new products which are the snowman book and the snowman toys, sales offers in their stores at certain products. Their PR department did very well as they came with articles just before launching the advert letting people know when and where will they be able to see the advert. The personal selling was great as well as when going to the check out they would ask the customers if they found everything they need and also if they would be interested in buying the snowman book, etc. Direct marketing was great as well as there was a twitter account where you could fallow the snowman’s adventure, and competitions on Facebook and in store. An improvement I would say it would be that maybe the customers where interested in more sales promotions and more direct marketing would convince customers to buy more products and come to John Lewis more often. Although the Advert did cost a huge amount of money that is nothing compared to the ? 157. 8 million revenue they made last year. Another reason why I think that the campaign was successful was that the advert they made has been voted as the year’s most favourite TV advert. And finally the last reason why I am sure that the campaign was extremely successful was that none of the directors of John Lewis expected a record breaker sales figure.

Friday, November 8, 2019

AstraZeneca Financing Analysis The WritePass Journal

AstraZeneca Financing Analysis Introduction AstraZeneca Financing Analysis ). Based on AstraZeneca’s figures, it has a gearing of 58%, as calculated in the table below: Long Term Liabilities $13.606 billion Total Equity $23.472 billion Gearing % 58% Long-term liabilities have been utilized in this calculation, as a bulk of the organisation’s short term liabilities are in the form of trade and other receivables, which are not necessarily considered financing options (Investopedia, 2012). According to Brigham and Ehrhardt (2010), an optimum gearing percentage is 50%, and companies with a higher percentage are usually regarded as â€Å"being aggressive in their long term financing†. AstraZeneca is 58% leveraged, so it can be assumed that the organization is using debt aggressively to finance its operations. Based on the charts below, it can be seen that AstraZeneca’s financing options has changed considerably over the past 7 years. The use of long-term debt as a source of financing has increased exponentially from $2.621 billion in 2003 to a high of $17 billion 2007, and most recently been on the decline to $13 billion. Total equity has also rise over the same period but not as high as long term debt. The financing options have been determined by calculating the leveraging percentage for each of the financial years from 2003 to 2011. The leveraging percentage for AstraZeneca has increased in line with the use of debt financing, and this has risen from 19.77% in 2003 to 58% in 2011. The results show that AstraZeneca is increasingly relying on debt as a form of financing, and is riskier for investors seeking to invest. However it has taken steps over the past 5 years to reduce its exposure to debt financing. This could be as a result of the financial crisis. The level of risk that could be attributable to this percentage can only be determined by assessing its leverage (and other financial ratios) against that of competitors in the industry to ascertain whether it is of an optimal standard or not. Overall, AstraZeneca seems to be increasingly financed by debt and this has risen over the past 7 years. References AstraZeneca (2012) Annual Reports, www.astrazeneca.com, accessed: 07/05/2012 Brigham, E. F., and Ehrhardt, M. C. (2010) Financial Management Theory and Practice, Cengage Learning, 1184pp Investopedia (2012) Leveraging Ratio, www.investopedia.com, accessed: 07/05/2012

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton

Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton Aaron Burr is mostly remembered for a single violent act, the fatal shooting of Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel in New Jersey on July 11, 1804. But Burr was also involved in a number of other controversial episodes, including one of the most disputed elections in American history and a peculiar expedition to the western territories that resulted in Burr being tried for treason. Burr is a puzzling figure in history. He has often been portrayed as a scoundrel, a political manipulator, and a notorious womanizer. Yet during his long life Burr had many followers who considered him a brilliant thinker and a gifted politician. His considerable skills allowed him to prosper in a law practice, win a seat in the U.S. Senate, and nearly attain the presidency in a startling feat of deft political gamesmanship. After 200 years, Burr’s complicated life remains contradictory. Was he a villain, or simply a misunderstood victim of hardball politics? Early Life of Aaron Burr Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756. His grandfather was Jonathan Edwards, a famous theologian of the colonial period, and his father was a minister. Young Aaron was precocious, and entered the College of New Jersey (present day Princeton University) at the age of 13. In the family tradition, Burr studied theology before becoming more interested in the study of law. Aaron Burr in the Revolutionary War When the American Revolution broke out, the young Burr obtained a letter of introduction to George Washington, and requested an officers commission in the Continental Army. Washington turned him down, but Burr enlisted in the Army anyway, and served with some distinction in a military expedition to Quebec, Canada. Burr did later serve on Washington’s staff. He was charming and intelligent, but clashed with Washington’s more reserved style. In ill health, Burr resigned his commission as a colonel in 1779, before the end of the Revolutionary War. He then turned his full attention to the study of the law. Burrs Personal Life As a young officer Burr began a romantic affair in 1777 with Theodosia Prevost, who was 10  years older than Burr and also married to a British officer. When her husband died in 1781, Burr married Theodosia. In 1783 they had a daughter, also named Theodosia, to whom Burr was very devoted. Burr’s wife died in 1794. Accusations always swirled that he was involved with a number of other women during his marriage. Early Political Career Burr began his law practice in Albany, New York before moving to New York City to practice law in 1783. He prospered in the city, and established numerous connections that would prove useful in his political career. In the 1790s Burr advanced in New York politics. During this period of tension between the ruling Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans, Burr tended not to align himself too much with either side. He was thus able to present himself as something of a compromise candidate. In 1791, Burr had won a seat in the U.S. Senate by defeating Philip Schuyler, a prominent New Yorker who happened to be the father in law of Alexander Hamilton. Burr and Hamilton had already been adversaries, but Burr’s victory in that election caused Hamilton to hate him. As a senator, Burr generally opposed the programs of Hamilton, who was serving as secretary of the treasury. Burrs Controversial Role in the Deadlocked Election of 1800 Burr was the running mate of Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1800. Jefferson’s opponent was the incumbent president, John Adams. When the electoral vote produced a deadlock, the election had to be decided in the House of Representatives. In the prolonged balloting, Burr  utilized his considerable political skills and nearly pulled off the feat of bypassing Jefferson and gathering enough votes to win the presidency for himself. Jefferson finally won after days of balloting. And in accordance with the Constitution at the time, Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Jefferson thus had a vice president he didn’t trust, and he gave Burr virtually nothing to do in the job. Following the crisis, the Constitution was amended so the scenario of the 1800 election could not occur again. Burr was not nominated to run with Jefferson again in 1804. Aaron Burr and the Duel With Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been conducting a feud since Burr’s election to the Senate more than 10  years earlier, but Hamilton’s attacks on Burr became more intense in early 1804. The bitterness reached its climax when Burr and Hamilton fought a duel. On the morning of July 11, 1804 the men rowed across the Hudson River from New York City to a dueling ground at Weehawken, New Jersey. Accounts of the actual duel have always differed, but the result was that both men fired their pistols. Hamilton’s shot did not strike Burr. Burrs shot struck Hamilton in the torso, inflicting a fatal wound. Hamilton was brought back to New York City and died the next day. Aaron Burr was portrayed as a villain. He fled and  actually went into hiding for a time, as he feared being charged with murder. Burrs Expedition to the West The once-promising political career of Aaron Burr had been stalled while he served as vice president, and the duel with Hamilton effectively ended any chance he may have had for political redemption. In 1805 and 1806 Burr plotted with others to create an empire consisting of the Mississippi Valley, Mexico, and much of the American West. The bizarre plan had little chance for success, and Burr was charged with treason against the United States. At a trial in Richmond, Virginia, which was presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall, Burr was acquitted. While a free man, his career was in ruins, and he moved to Europe for several years. Burr eventually returned to New York City and worked at a modest law practice. His beloved daughter Theodosia was lost in a shipwreck in 1813, which further depressed him. In financial ruin, he died on September 14, 1836, at the age of 80, while living with a relative on Staten Island in New York City. Portrait of Aaron Burr courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Roosevelt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Roosevelt - Essay Example But it is more likely that the paternalistic notions of the Roosevelt conservationists included a belief that somehow the federal government could enact a balance between traditional and modern America. In this sense conservation legislation was intended to preserve the status of representatives of older America by insuring that they could adapt to the new times (Morris 234). Thus the Newlands Act, which protected the small homemaker from monopoly and oppression by the intrusion of a benevolent government into local affairs, clearly envisaged a society where each man could develop expertise without losing his identity or trampling upon someone else. Since industrialism, with its rapid technological changes and consequent social flux, threatened the maintenance of balanced progress, an enlightened government of experts was needed to insure that modern America somewhat resembled the nation from which it had sprung. Roosevelt received a reputation as a "trust builder". ... Roosevelt spoke of the "square deal" in domestic affairs and of "gentleman's agreements" in foreign policy. This morality in government was perfectly consistent with a consensus of values which affirmed equality of opportunity, the right of the common man, and the democratic political process, while at the same time upholding an open-class society with acknowledged leaders, correct practices, and certain social barriers. In reorganizing the structure of the government, the technocratic paternalists were attempting to insure the "stability of American institutions" in what they recognized as a changing age. In appealing to traditionalist patterns of behavior, such as self-reliance, and eulogizing traditional success models, such as the yeoman farmer, they were articulating America's need to reassert the common elements of her heritage. More moral functions they could not have imagined (Morris 296). The Roosevelt administrators may have recognized that one logical extension of rapid in dustrialization was a new American ethos built upon science and technology, fully urbanized, symbolized by large corporate structures, and ruled by an educated elite, but they were less capable of recognizing that this ethos was far removed from the rural, individualistic, agrarian, egalitarian one of their fathers. As President Coolidge stressed repeatedly, the great American need is not more law enforcement but better general law observance. A square deal involves a just tax system, really a system for nation, state and locality combined; one that is fair as a whole not simply just in spots. The giving of a square deal is an inescapable responsibility of a democratic society. To secure it we shall need the best

Friday, November 1, 2019

Tivo Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tivo Case Study - Essay Example They are providing personalized services to their customers who buy the black boxes by providing them Electronic programme guide (EPG) with menu option to watch TV live option having pause, replay and fast forward options without subscription fee and with subscription fee provide access to all previously recorded programming, preview of shows schedule for recording, video magazine produced by Tivo and network of showcases of best shows. It provides customers personalized TV viewing. Though the company is getting good feedback from customers but the sales is not picking up. Presently company is not facing competition from any quarter even then sales are dropping down. Strength: The company have certain inherent strengths such as Tivo is enjoying almost monopoly in the market. It’s nearest competitors like Replay TV has no advantage of product or price or services and Microsoft has not launched the product yet. The company has 42,000 subscribers and increasing 14,000/quarter. So the company have formidable customer base. Report of customers about service and performance of the product is good enough. The company enjoys technically sound product at present and no other competitors have better product right now. The company enjoys the most reliable and effective partners who are well known to everyone and it approves the quality of the product. Company have proper and wide network for marketing its product through electronic stores, online buying. The most important strength of the company is that it provides ability to its customers to decide what to see and when. It almost provides its subscribers to preferential and personalized viewing. Weakness: Tivo is also facing some weaknesses and due to these it cannot be able to improve its position. Though having good feedback company is not growing to its expected level due to lack of awareness of the product to its potential customers. The product seems to be technically