Monday, September 30, 2019

Bad News Messages

Two Questions: In your opinion, when a company suffers a setback, should you soften the impact by letting the bad news out a little at a time? Why or why not? AND Is intentionally de-emphasizing bad news the same as distorting graphs and charts to de-emphasize unfavorable data? Why or why not? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. ANSWERS: When a company suffers a setback, delivering the bad news a little at a time creates confusion and uncertainty about the true nature and extent of the problem, which gives rise to complexities or difficulties in effectively addressing the situation.Doing so also creates a rather negative image of the company, especially when interested parties or stakeholders learn about the extent of the bad news and the implications to them from other sources. It is inevitable for companies to suffer setbacks throughout its operations because of the number of poorly managed and uncontrollable factors influencing companies. However, setbacks eventually lead to solutions but the effectiveness depends on the manner that the setback is recognized, analyzed, communicated and handled.Communicating bad news in its full gravity but delivering this in an objective and rational manner by providing all pertinent facts, assessment of the situation, and alternative solutions to draw constructive discussions on the best action or response constitutes a more fulfilling management of bad news messages. De-emphasizing the company’s bad news amounts to the distortion of graphical data because in both cases, the company is manipulating facts to present a different view of the situation, often in favor of the company.Everyone: What about the media â€Å"leaks†? Right now many companies are `downsizing` and they learn about this by reading news stories first. Are any of you working for a company going through this? How is the company handling ANSWERS: In the â€Å"age of information,† it is nearly impossible for large corporations to pr event media leaks. Sometimes, media leaks are even crafted by the top management of companies as a means of controlling or influencing the ultimate outcome of whatever crisis is occurring.By leaking information to the media, companies are able to manage the impact of the situation and soften negative blows to the company or ensure that the information communicated to the public is accurate and true. As part of a non-profit organization, stakeholders often learn information on a nationwide corporate downsizing, during the height or even after the actual fallout.Due to the different structure and practices in a non-profit organization, it takes some time before the lower rung of the organizational structure experience the effects of downsizing, and then, it is no secret. However, in instances when the media get hold of information on the downsizing, the organization immediately opens communication lines to dialogue with the interested parties to explain or clarify and allay fears and suspicions.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Alcoholics Anonymous

During the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting I attended, my eyes were opened to the disease of addiction. When I walked into the meeting, I introduced myself and announced that I am a nursing student and was there to observe. In sync, all of the people attending the meeting greeted me. Twelve people took turns to read the twelve steps on the road to recovery. After the twelve steps were read everyone introduced themselves and then everyone greeted them at once. It was announced that each person that was there for addiction had only had five minutes to share their story.The Alcoholics Anonymous meeting was definitely a reality check for me. There were many people that were there that announced that they were an addict that did not look or act like an addict. Many described the third step to be the most difficult of the twelve steps. The third step is transferring yourself to God or a higher power to get you through your addiction. At first this did not make sense to me, but I realized that addicts naturally need control over situations.So when they hand over themselves and their addictions to a higher power it is like they are stepping down from having control. It is as if they will not make any wrong decisions because their higher power is in control. So if they do make a wrong decision they feel it is not their fault which I do not agree with. The difference between NA and AA is that AA believes you are clean as long as you did not have any alcohol, but NA believes you are clean as long as you did not have any mood or mind altering substances, which includes alcohol.I definitely enjoyed NA better than AA because it was more fulfilling and not so ignorant to the actual idea of addiction. AA believes in trading one addiction for another even if it is more dangerous than alcohol. It is not said at the AA meeting that this is the case, but that is what I got from it. At the end of the meeting they also said the serenity prayer like the NA meetings in a circle.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Fish and West Coast Tuna

Japan's Fuchsia Nuclear Power Facility is leaking into the Pacific Ocean constantly. This leak was caused by a powerful earthquake in 2011. Any sort of chemical leak is terrible; however, the location of the Fuchsia facility makes it significantly worse. Because this body of water does not remove or clean itself well, the chemical pollution is Just increasing and taking over the ocean. Marine life is being severely affected by this. One fish that should be a main focus is the West Coast Blue Fin Tuna.The West Coast Blue Fin Tuna is a widely recognized fish and the West Coast Tuna Fishing industry is very familiar with this marine life form. For this industry, the Fuchsia leak is the worst possible event. Phytoplankton, plankton, and many other marine life forms feed on the radioactive chemicals being released by the gallons every day. This consumption of chemicals makes its way up the food chain to the West Coast Blue Fin Tuna. Not only is it now harmful to eat, the West Coast Blue F in Tuna ingests the radioactive chemicals which in turn begin to eat away t its tissue thus leading the West Coast Blue Fin Tuna to cease to exist.To determine whether or not the rise of radiation levels in the blue fin tuna is due to the Fuchsia leak or any cause that may be natural, I have created an experiment. I would begin by monitoring a set amount of 200 North American Blue Fin Tuna (Group #1). These fish would be in clean water with no radioactive chemicals and superb circulation. My other group would consist 200 of Blue Fin Tuna in clean water that is not well circulated (Group #2). Another group would be made up of 200 Blue Fin Tuna with circulated water containing the Fuchsia chemicals Group #3).

Friday, September 27, 2019

The US Government Framework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The US Government Framework - Assignment Example President Obama’s entry into the presidency came at a time when the economy was taking a turn for the worst and the spoils for the Iraq War was being reaped.   Thus, the American public gave its support for the time being in the hopes that everything will turn out better. Being a great orator, Obama was able to capture the attention and the hearts of the people.   However, most things are easily said than done. And if even they can be achieved it usually takes time to do it, which most people affected by the failing economy cannot appreciate.Officials in public office, especially the President experiences a decline in popularity mainly because of his decisions, which the majority of the public does not agree with.   And most of his decisions regarding the economy and an unpopular war may either increase or decrease his level of popularity.   If during his term in office, the economy becomes good he will generally have a high level of approval; and if he engages in a wa r that makes the country look like the defender of democracy then normally his ratings will surge upward (King).   It is unfortunate that President Obama’s administration had to deal with a failing economy almost at the start o his term in office and like wise quite unfortunate that the popularity polls have been conducted at a time when the surveyed group was not in favor of the President’s actions and decision. Hence a decline in popularity rating was eminent but not entirely new in the world of politics, since past presidents also went through the same dilemma during their time (King).The veto power of the Texas governor gives him or her authority to reverse budget appropriation items, resolutions and bills passed by the legislation in session.   The President likewise has the veto power to invalidate resolutions and bills forwarded by the legislative body of the national government.   Additionally, the vetoes of the President and the Texas Governor have limit s since they are normally given ten days from receipt of a bill to sign or veto it.  

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Management Strategies and Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Management Strategies and Practices - Essay Example (Montana.P and B. Charnov. 2000) Management is a discipline that has gained popularity over the years. Today people study and pursue degrees in managing the organization, the processes and most definitely people. It is true that employees are the asset of an organization. They are those who make the organization and lie at the foundation of it. Therefore, it is important that they be treated well, in such a way so that their skills and potential is polished. The right attitude in prospective employees is very important in order that employees give their 100% to the organization. The right attitude means a positive inclination towards one’s profession and a personality that matches the requirement of that profession. The theory lies on the premise that there must be something relevant in people that they can take up a particular profession. Just like you cannot make someone without hands, drive, it is therefore impossible to make the quietest girl in the class into a cheerleader. Hence a drive, something inborn is necessary to take up a particular profession. Therefore one must understand that while degrees, medals, reports and skills count; there’s something else which distinguishes a winner from a loser. There are also certain characteristics that organizations look for in their desired candidate in keeping with the culture of the company. For example; the Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island looks for doctors who are calm, composed, confident, energetic and compassionate. Even though companies are still impressed by a 4.0 gpa or a degree from Harvard University; it is not the only ingredient which makes successful employees who contribute positively to the wellbeing of the organiza tion. (Kreitner.R., 2000) UPS has also been hiring employees based on their performance on attitude and behaviourial tests. It therefore considers that the right temperament for a job is

Architectural Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Architectural Design - Essay Example His designs, are Based on a predilection towards a polemical flow of opposition, interaction, and redefinition. The grid was the organizing principle of Eisenman's earlier work, a series of rectilinear box-like houses in which he investigated and articulated a variety of theoretical ideas, including the notion of deep structure, a proposition that there is a universal, underlying ordering device that is the natural and logical generator of a design. His theories on architecture pursue the emancipation and autonomy of the discipline and his work represents a continued attempt to liberate form from all meaning, a struggle that is at times difficult to understand. Eisenman focuses on liberating architectural form. The House II is a single family house with a flat roof and a having a form of a cube. House II of 10 numbered houses, designed for the family of Princeton professor Richard Falk, was constructed between 1960-1970 in Hardwick, Connecticut as the second house in a series of structures conceived on the basis of a square plan. For this house, Eisenman began to investigate a set of abstract formal propositions as a possible condition of an underlying structure and their initial transformations into a specific environment. Using all rectangular elements, a series of lines, planes, and volumes converge to create a complex spatial arrangement, resulting into a design proposal that exemplifies high amount of rectangularity. The term 'cardboard architecture' in relation to House II Around 1968, Peter Eisenman limited himself to a set of abstract formal propositions as a possible condition of an underlying structure and their initial transformation into a specific environment for the design of House II. The formal propositions are the line, the plane, and the volume. Whilst Eisenman uses a compositional diagonal, all the construction elements are rectangular. The house displays evocative, ambiguous and strongly formal language. Furthermore, the primarily orthogonal and rectangular language of the houses, suggest a welcome degree of complexity achieved through simple means. The house shows a simple geometry that extrudes the square to form a cube or rectangular box. The geometry of the house is made up of its stark horizontals and verticals and large expanses of glass. Every addition to the house after this will be inside this cube or box so that the form will always be the exterior skin of the house, decomposed or not. With the addition of an equal number of planes vertically and horizontally the house splits into sections. With the further addition of interior walls, varying in size, but with a distinct pattern and with the crossing of those planes with perpendicular planes to form a grid. Add a square grid of structural columns. Decompose the existing grid work and columns to form rooms with the addition of the interior walls, floors, and roofs. Punch out forms from exterior walls to make windows and punch out similar forms from interior and exterior walls to make doorways.This describes the simple design process followed by the designer which impart s the building a simple geometry which is made up of planes and lines converging at different points to form different geometries which essentially resemble the functions of a cardboard; not structurally but visibly. The works of these series of houses are hence

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Edouard Lalo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Edouard Lalo - Essay Example During the 1850s, Lalo played an important role in the revival of the Chamber music in France and composed two piano trios which showed his mastery over that form. In 1848, he co-founded the Arminguad Quartet where he performed as a violist and second violinist. Lalo married Julie Berner in 1865, who later became a performer for his compositions. Lalo had to face disappointments, a lot of times during his career. In 1866, Lalo began writing ‘Fiesque’, an opera which was supposed to be performed on the stage but the Paris Opera went against producing his work. Lalo’s career reached its apex when the ‘Societe Nationale de Musique’ was founded in 1871 with the aim of promoting contemporary composers. This motivated Lalo to compose for the orchestra, and he produced impressive compositions during this period which included the famous ‘Symphonie espagnole’, the ‘Cello Concerto’ and ‘Fantaisie norvegienne’. Laloâ€℠¢s most complex yet most celebrated work was Le Roi d'Ys, an opera that was performed in the year 1888 which earned him great reputation as a composer. Lalo left several works incomplete when he died in Paris at the age of sixty three (Edouard Lalo). Works Cited â€Å"Edouard Lalo." Classical Acrhives. 26 04 2011 .

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Molucca Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Molucca - Term Paper Example The great international interest on these islands brought about varied mixture of religions such as Protestants, Muslim, and Catholic. These religions brought their powerful local customs in the islands. Dutch exercised a huge influence over the islands until the Indonesia war of late 1940s. The Dutch enlisted Ambonese Christians to be solders in order to appease the Indonesian. In addition, the Dutch offered the Indonesians education. The Ambonese protected the Dutch against Java-based independence movement. After Indonesia gained independence in 1949, Ambonese strongly believed they would form and own their state. Therefore, they continued fighting for a Republic of South Moluccas before facing defeat in the year 1950. The defeat made thousands of Ambonese soldiers in the Dutch colonial army to flee to Netherlands (BBC 1). Location The location of these islands is highly tectonic Halmahera Plate within the Moluccas Sea Collision Zone in Indonesia. Moluccas islands lies east of Sula wesi (Celebes), west of New Guinea, and east and North of Timor. The islands cover about 74,505 square kilometers of land. Moluccas are located in the southeastern region of the Indonesian archipelago. This location is near equator and its north of Australia and West of West Papua. The provincial city for these islands is the Ambon. Ambon is a hub of communication, trade, and other crucial services (Laksito 1). Web. http://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/3e1994f4c5.gif. These islands experience many volcanic eruptions. The soils of these islands are fertile with humid climate, which is beneficial for cultivation of spices such as cloves and nutmeg. Moluccas islands consist of two provinces. These include North Maluku (Maluku Utara) and Maluku. The main islands of North Maluku comprise of Halmahera, Bacan, Morotai, and Obi. Many of the Moluccas islands are mountainous. However, Tanimbar and Aru islands lie in swampy and low areas. Earthquakes are very frequent in Moluccas islands (Laksito 3). Place Moluccas lies Southeast Asia at a coordinates of 3Â ° 9’S 129Â ° 23’E. Astronomical location of Moluccas encompasses 6Â °08’north and 11Â °15’ south latitude. Similarly, the island lies 94Â °45’ to 141Â °05’ east longitude. Moluccas have an area about 32,000 square miles. Most of these islands have thick forests with active volcanoes. Seram is among distinctive islands in the Moluccas with 16 of more than 200 bird species endemic. This island is important habitant of biggest birds such as the two-watted cassowary. The Halmahera rain forests have large number of endemic species. Some of species include Bisa rat, masked flying fox, wild goats, parrots, and three species of cuscus. Moluccas’s flora comprise of meranti trees and varieties of orchids. The average population is less than 1.7 million people. This represents a 19 people per square kilometer. However, the distribution of people in this island is uneven (Laksito 2). Movement The main mode of movement in Moluccas islands comprise of air and sea transport. These mode of transport link different regions of the island together. Sea transport has been the hub of sea transport since ancient times. This has enabled the islands to trade with overseas countries such as Middle East, China, and India. Sea transport in Moluccas islands is very crucial because it is not only beneficial to the region itself, but also it benefits neighboring countries such ad Australia. Australia uses Moluccas as a heart for sea transport. The bulk of transport in

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Digital Revolution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Digital Revolution - Research Paper Example Company websites may employ domestic or global strategies in their e-commerce transactions (Bajaj, Debjani & Kamlesh, 2005). Websites with a domestic e-commerce strategy main seek to serve businesses and customers within the geographical boundaries of a country. In contrast, Bajaj, Debjani & Kamlesh observe that websites with a global focus aim towards promoting transactions between customers and businesses across global and international markets. Firms implementing global e-commerce need to address financial issues, legal issues and market access challenges such as cultural differences and language barriers. There are three main classifications for websites, namely transaction, promotion and content sites (Bajaj, Debjani & Kamlesh, 2005). Transaction sites are websites designed to enhance virtual or online transactions. This is mostly applicable for online business ventures that do not have the traditional brick and mortar model or any other physical presence. This site is more appr opriate for businesses dealing with specialized product categories. Promotional sites are those designed specifically for information and communication purposes with the aim of supplementing marketing activities and strengthening relationships. It is appropriate for companies seeking to develop the global presence and develop new channels of communication. Lastly, content websites are designed to provide customers and prospects with accurate and reliable content to aid in their buying process.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Malnutrition in Darfur Essay Example for Free

Malnutrition in Darfur Essay Darfur is located in the Western part of Sudan and covers one fifth of the country being home to six million people. Darfur means house of fur and it is a historical region of Bilad al Sudan which is the Western part of Sudan. The northern part of Darfur is occupied by the Arabs while the main occupants of southern part are the white Arabs and Fur who are also regarded as the people of Darfur. Christianity period in Darfur lasted from around 900 to 1200. In the late 1980’s, ethnic tensions between the people of Darfur and nomadic Arabs and other agriculturalists began erupting into armed conflicts. These conflicts were very bloody and they continued up to 2003 after which the rebels from among the agriculturalists started attacking installations of the government. A peace treaty was signed in the year 2003 but this was not effective. The government of Sudan is seen to support these killings which become worse day after day. Janjaweed is the group that is terrorizing the people of Sudan and is said to be like a features of the mafia and the KKK in U. S. Janjaweed are racists and want to see the subjugation of the non Arabs in Sudan (Ubiera, 2010). Malnutrition refers to a condition which occurs when a person’s body is deprived of enough nutrients. It is brought about by an unbalanced diet, difficulties in digestion, problems of absorbing food or other medical conditions. Hunger, protein deficiency and overconsumption are the main causes of malnutrition. Malnourishment makes the body struggle to operate normally as such the ability to learn and physical work becomes difficult to undertake. In women and especially breastfeeding mothers, the prospect of producing breast milk that is nourished is very low (WFP, 2010). At present there are about 5 million people who are experiencing food insecurity in northern parts of Sudan, Darfur being among them. This is due to the conflicts going on in Darfur, poor 2009/2010 harvests, sky rocketing food prices and reduction in supply of grains. Levels of food insecurity are due to civil insecurities, limited access to cultivable land by the IDPs and poor rainfall, destruction of crops by animals, and pest infestation. Populations that are experiencing food insecurity are relying on aids from World Food Program (WFP) while others have developed coping strategies like sale of livestock, firewood and even grass so as to buy food in addition to income received from daily wage (USAID, 2010). By January 2010, research collected by UNICEF showed that there was an increase in all the three regions of Darfur with Northern Darfur being the worst hit into Outpatient Treatment Programme and Supplementary Feeding Centers. Global Outcome Malnutrition showed that it stood at over 15% in Darfur. It is estimated that there were about 3. 6 million beneficiaries of food with 30, 000MT. Consequence of the food insecurity; most of the individuals rely on donations from donors. If this help is not received, most of them end up starving. However, when it finally arrives it is limited in quantity and also quality hence its recipients cannot get all the required nutrients. Due to this there is malnutrition and more so in the camps where water is a problem too. Studies have shown that by January 2010, 80% of the total deaths since the fighting began are due to diseases and not violence. The findings showed that among the millions of people affected by the on going conflicts, most of them were still at risk of succumbing to malnutrition, waterborne diseases and diarrhea which has been rampant in the camps as the fighting continues. Displaced individuals are the most susceptible to this (AP, 2010). International interventions have been put in place so as to reduce the levels of inhumane actions in Darfur. Thousands of peacekeepers are in the region where there is collaboration of African Union-UN peace keeping and UNAMID. However, the intervention is said to have failed due to a number of factors. First, the government of Sudan is the main player of genocide. United Nations and as well as the International community has the commitment to respect the sovereignty of the national governments and so with this commitment and their need to maintain peace cannot afford them to enter into war with the government of Sudan. This means that attempts to stop war can only be successful if the government of Sudan is willing to cooperate but if it continues to keep conflicts alive and use racial hatred as a means to attack the marginalized communities, the interventions will be of little impact. Another reason is the lack of international community to make full commitments to bringing the war to a stop. The people around the world are unwilling to incur the costs of peace keeping unless there are some international strategic interests or economic benefits. The cost to human lives is not acceptable by most individuals for international conflicts which have no direct consequences to their own lives. Another reason is attributed to overall reluctance of countries, agencies or forces to do something which is related to war on terror being undertaken by US or any country. The last reason is the complexity of the problem itself. The Darfur war has significant social and political aspects. Hence the flaring up of the crisis in Darfur can only end when there is a long lasting balance of power between the two warring groups (Kumar, 2010). Even with the said failure by the humanitarian group to bring sanity into the region, their presence is still felt in Darfur. They nonetheless face many challenges but are daring enough to continue with their stay. Some of the problems are related to the government which makes it difficult for them to obtain travel visas and work permit. Bandits too attack them making it impossible for them to access the troubled areas but this has not deterred them. They try as much as possible to access the areas so as to help victims of crime and mostly the displaced people but mostly the vulnerable groups which comprise of children, women, the sick and the elderly. This shows the level of their commitment despite the reality of the failure of their efforts to bring peace in Darfur (USAID, 2010). The Sudan government and conflicts Sudan’s Liberation Army and Justice and Equality movement began attacking the government in the year 2003 by oppressing them for favoring Arabs over black Africans. Initially the conflicts were generally due to neglect by the government and lack of development in the black inhabited regions. Other supporting factors of the conflicts in Darfur are deemed to be complex and interwoven. Factors like, environmental degradation due to conflict over the access to the resources; famines in the past, neglect by the government hence lack of development characterized by poor health facilities, breakdown of the education sector and poorly developed economy; and constant interference by outsiders like British colonialists, Southern conflicts and expansion of Islamic religion. The Sudanese government responded by deploying troops to back the militias or the Janjaweed. This made the government to be accused of supporting crimes against humanity and hence perpetrating genocide. Entire communities lost their livelihood as most of their villages were burnt to the ground which forced individuals to flee from their homes. The most vulnerable groups in the underlying conditions are women and children. This is attributed to the violence in the camps for the internally displaced, and attacks on the civilians including sexual violence that is gender based and reduction in the level of water supplies (AMNESTY International, 2008). Humanitarian crisis resulted due to this mass displacement of the citizens. They included direct attacks to poor living conditions which were deteriorating day in day out. 300,000 people have lost their lives from the year 2003 to 2005 and it is during this period that George W. Bush declared the Darfur crisis as genocide. Despite the world’s outcry, the genocide continued as the number of those displaced and killed continued to increase. In 2006, the Sudanese government signed a peace treaty with one of the rebel movements but it continued to fight the other two groups which did not consent to signing the treaty. The rebel movements too started experiencing internal divisions orchestrated by political differences which led to fights leading to further complexity of the war and endangering lives of more civilians. Up to date fighting between the governments and rebel movements continues. Opportunistic bandits and militias have also taken advantage of this and it has affected the humanitarian aid and contributed to most the of gender based crimes. Despite this entire crisis, the Sudan government is seen to be on centre stage as President Bashir and his entire government is the one who created conducive environment for the fights due to their counterinsurgency campaigns through use of violence that target innocent civilians. Furthermore it has rendered peace keeping missions by the international community futile. All this makes the government to be accused of being the main player in the on going Darfur conflicts. The poor living conditions with no food or little food has led to malnutrition cases among those displaced. Further attacks made against the rescue teams have made it difficult for food to be availed to the needy persons in the camps hence cases of starvation due to limited or no food provision among the people together with lack of water are rampant (SaveDarfur, 2010). Geographic factor Darfur means the land of fur people. It was an independent sultanate from fourteenth century to 1917. It was absorbed into the British Empire after the World War 1. Under the rule of colonialists, development in the region was neglected. Before then, Darfur was provided with nothing apart from cattle and gum export support. Important facilities like maternity clinics were not available and at time of independence, Darfur had the lowest number of hospital beds (De Waal Flint, 2005). Deliberate negligence of Darfur especially after falling in the hands of colonialists is the major reason behind the hostility. Another reason is that Darfur is somehow separated from Sudan by mountains and has therefore been regarded by some people as part of Chad. In the last three centuries, neighboring countries have been struggling to rile Darfur (Collins, 2006. In the pre-colonial era there was more development than there is today due to cooler climates and the geographical condition as it was the pathway for the traders since it was between the desert and the mountains. Most of the important trade items such as feathers of ostrich, ivory and tusks of the time were transported through Darfur but in today’s economy they are no longer necessary hence decline in the economic growth of Darfur. With the imposition of the colonialists, Darfur’s importance ceased and from then their attention from the central government was lost (Prunier 2007). People of Western Sudan were disappointed by the central government for its neglect on the region. Drought experienced in 1983 and 1984 and its mismanagement by the government added to the fury. This is because the then president ignored warnings by experts on the effects of the drought on the people. Although the international community provided food it was hardly enough and this led to conflicts among the Darfurians as they tried to survive (Collins Burr, 1995). The autonym also concurs that these disagreements between Khartoum and Southerners are major factors that brought about the conflicts. Lack of security is also a concern for the government. Darfur is in the east of the Chad and is not part of Nile Valley. Geographically, Darfur is in Chad and in the past the inhabitants were linked to west more than to the Arabs on the east of Nile. This has made Darfur to be seen to be open to influence from the neighboring countries. In the past, Sudan has had issues with Chad which made the government of Sudan to allow the Libyan troops to train there and this led to increased cases of banditry and small scale violence (Collins, 2006). Conflicts in Darfur have been said to spill over to the western border into Chad and Central Africa Republic (CAR) with several armed forces being involved hence forcing the people to flee their homes across the three countries. Chad and Sudan have been accusing each other of lending a helping hand to the rebel movements in one another’s country. A quarter of Darfur citizens have fled to UN ran camps in Chad while a few of Chad citizens have taken refuge in Darfur. CAR’s government blames Sudan for supporting coalition of rebels which is Union of Democratic Forces for Unity which opposes President Francoise B. of CAR. Darfur expelled a number of humanitarian agencies after International Criminal Court issued a warrant on arrest of Bashir. As a result, thirteen international agencies and some three local groups were told to cease working in Darfur and in other parts of northern and southern Sudan. Since then little humanitarian action is said to take place (Hicks, 2010). UN Panel of Experts that is given the mandate to monitor the situation on the ground has been denied access to some areas. Other monitoring mechanisms that are independent have been reorganized as joint mechanisms with the government of Sudan. This has in turn led to increased levels of malnutrition and more so in rural areas where aid is stretched beyond capacity. Camps where they have fled due to the fights are raided by armed groups and collection of basic needs materials like firewood is proving to be dangerous as women are raped and men killed. Malnutrition rates are increasing as levels of hygiene in camps is poor and sporadic fights continue displacing more people. As people migrate from one country to the other, due to the fights, they increase chances of spreading infections. Cholera which is related to poor conditions spreads fast and other air borne diseases. Furthermore, the immigrants might not be covered by health services of the receiving country be it Sudan or the neighbors as they are not documented as required therefore being more vulnerable to diseases and this could serve as a source of spread of diseases. Public health interventions in Darfur and in the nearby border camps might not have the required health personnel who are useful in controlling or treatment of some minor infections which makes it worse and also facilitates fast spread of infections. These factors will make easy for diseases or infections to spread fast causing more trouble to the already malnourished people as the conditions are favoring too (Hicks, 2010). Doha Darfur Agreement This is a declaration of goodwill and confidence building signed by the government of Sudan and Darfur justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which is to pave way for full blown negotiations. It aims at resolving the conflicts in Darfur. Qatar is playing the role of a mediator with the help of African union-United Nations through the use of intensive talks. These talks have been seen to restore sanity if not the required level of complete peace to the troubled region. One of the reasons why it is seen to be a success is because of Qatar’s active role in the last two years in collaboration with African Union- United Nations mediation team which is led by Djibril Bassole. Qatar has been successful in bringing the two parties together and getting them to ink a deal that is deemed to have the potential for paving way to settlement of the disputes. Secondly, the current political climate and pressure on al Bashir to strike a deal as early as possible is also seen to be a reason. Al Bashir is getting pressure from Western countries in addition to the human rights organization for his bad record on rights of humanity besides ICC threats to arrest him. Upcoming referendums for independence in southern parts have put pressure on Bashir to call for peace (Pandey, 2010). Third reason that is seen to make the peace deal a success under Qatar leadership is the difficulties that are being faced by the JWEM movement to keep its movement intact. With no support from N’Dajema, the group can only opt for a peace deal as this is the only option since it has also lost the support it had before. The peace deal promises all the parties a chance to share power with the government. The fourth reason is the change of heart of the neighboring government of Chad. They have made amendments with the Khartoum government to end their long term feud. The signing of the peace accord by Chadian government in Doha shows its willingness to end the long term disputes and its support of Darfur. Another reason is the approach by International community which has also seen some changes. There is a positive attitude as the agreement led by Qatar has the full backing of organizations and world powers that have major influence. Finally disarray in rebel movements in Darfur is another reason. Leader of SLA which sparked off the fights has lost major influence on the ground due to certain splits. Many of the splitters have joined hand to form Liberation Movement for justice which has agreed to talk with the Sudanese government. With the support of most countries and with the dedication of the government of Sudan this can be seen as a step forward for the on going peace talks. Dedication too by JEM which is playing a major role is a good sign that the deal will be a success. Mass participation by people of Sudan in the concluded elections shows that there is a positive trend (Pandey, 2010). However, these peace deals have been marked by a number of difficulties which include: lack of confidence among the parties to the conflict, disputes among the movements and their unwillingness to unite in the critical process of restoring peace. These challenges are being overcome through the use of workshops which comprises of international leadership and experts drawn from the civil society organizations which are supposed to submit a recommendation on Darfur’s crisis so as to restore peace. Other challenges facing the peace talks are issues related to pockets of instability and lack of access to unstable and other areas by UNAMID. Some of the measures taken to counter the challenges are deployment of security to the humanitarian persons and the targeted population, and provision of pro active support for the peace keeping process and facilitation of the ongoing normalization of relations between Chad and Sudan and support of recovery process (UN Security Council, 2010). Conclusion The crises in Darfur do not reflect local conflicts but rather government crisis in the whole nation. The major reason why the conflicts erupted in Darfur is because of negligence by central government to issues related to development. Due to this many of people have been deprived of their human rights and there have been several humanitarian crises which have led to many deaths. Most of the deaths were due to poor health conditions especially in the camps and also due to lack of water. The only way to ensure that the conflicts come to an end or some level of sanity is restored is through the government’s dedication to peace talks with the other rebel groups. Equal development should be advocated for the whole country. Even with the deployment of troops by AU and extensive talks being held, emphasis should be on factors that led to the conflicts or else the interventions might turn out to be total failure. With the on going peace talks led by Qatar, some hope is raising though there are some difficulties involved. The strategies that are being used to correct the challenges show the extent of commitment and this makes the world and Darfur people to raise their hopes even more. Some strategic consultations too are on going between UNAMID and United Nations, African union, Arabs, the newly elected officials, displaced persons, women, the youths and representatives of civil organizations and involvement in peace process. Chad and Sudan’s reconciliation is strengthening too and there are no further reported cases of cross border attacks (UN Security Council, 2010). Efforts made by the international community in response to the crisis facing Darfur are being closely monitored by international organizations, governments, and worldwide scholars. If the international community continues to show its support, Sudan will finally enjoy peace which has been absent for so many years. References AMNESTY International, (2008). Sudan: the crisis in Darfur. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. amnesty. ca/themes/sudan_darfur_conflict. php AP, (2010). Review of data from Darfur conflicts shows that 80% of deaths caused by diseases and not violence. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://blog. taragana. com/health/2010/01/23/review-of-data-from-darfur-conflict-shows-80-percent-of-deaths-caused-by-disease-not-violence-186 Burr, J. Milliard and Robert O. Collins (1995) Requiem for the Sudan: War, Drought, and Disaster Relief on the Nile. Boudler: Westview Press Inc. Collins, Robert O. (2006) The Disaster in Darfur in Historical Perspective, The Journal of Conflict Studies, Winter 2006, pp. 25-43 Flint, J. De Waal, A. (2005) Darfur: A Short History of A Long War. London: Zed Books Kumar, V. (2010). Why international interventions to stop fighting in Darfur failed and alternative policies. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. helium. com/items/954423-international-intervention-stop-fighting-darfur-failed-policy-alternatives? page=2 Hicks, C. (2010). Chad: views from Darfur refugees and UN protection force for Central Africa. Retrieved on June 8, 2010 from http://www. helomagazine. org/chad/2010/3/4/chad-views-from-darfur-refugees-and-the-un-protection-force. html Pandey, R. (2010). Why Darfur accord will hold. Qatar Tribune. Prunier, G. (2007) Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide. New York: Cornell University Press. SaveDarfur, (2010). What has happened in Darfur? Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. savedarfur. org/pages/primer Ubiera, S. N. (2010). Darfur. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://achumbalacafe. tripod. com/id1.html United Nations Children’s Fund, (2010). Sudan: Nutrition summary, issue 23. United Nations Security Council, (2010). AU-UN Hybrid operation in Darfur focused on protection mandate despite challenges. Retrieved on June 8, 2010 from http://www. reliefweb. int/rw/rwb. nsf/db900SID/EGUA-85MR67 USAID, (2010). Sudan food security outlook. Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. fews. net/docs/Publications/Sudan_Outlook_April_2010_final. pdf World Food Programme, (2010). What is malnutrition? Retrieved on June 7, 2010 from http://www. wfp. org/hunger/stats? gclid=CNG94pXAjaICFU6Z2AodHD9_Uw

Saturday, September 21, 2019

SM Prime Holdings (SMPH): Internal and External Analysis

SM Prime Holdings (SMPH): Internal and External Analysis Introduction Organizations are dynamic nowadays. One reason for this is the complexity of the environment they belong to and the need to constantly respond to this intricacy. Environment consists of various factors that affect how organization operates. These components include both internal and external factors that can either make or break the companys success. In addition to this, they have to react to various trends in which they are subject, for example the emerging environmental awareness of the public. To put all of these into perspective, one company will be used to illustrate how these factors influence the operations of the company. SM Prime Holdings (SMPH) is the mall operations arm of SM Investments Corporation which is todays one of the Philippines biggest conglomerates, occupying a dominant position in most of its lines of business, namely shopping malls; retail merchandising; banking and finance; and property. It all started with a simple vision of its founder and chairman, Mr. Henry Sy, to sell shoes to every Filipino (SMIC, 2009). Today, SMPH is the Philippines largest mall operator that owns and runs world-class malls over the country, providing millions of square meters of floor area for a fully integrated shopping, dining, and entertainment experience (SMIC, 2009). Moreover, it manages the parking area and the amusement facilities of the mall such as SM Cinemas, SM Ice Skating and SM Science Discovery Center. As of December 2008, there are 36 SMPH malls 33 here in the Philippines and 3 in China and this year it is expected that three new SM malls are opening. By the end of 2009 the total gross floor area (GFA) of all SM malls would total to 4.5 million square meters, a 5% increase from 2008s GFA. Above all, SMPH recorded a good financial performance year last year as it delivered a seven percent increase in net profit to Php6.4 billion, from a 12% growth in revenues worth Php17.8 billion (SMPH, 2008). Overview of the Internal Environment Every organization differs from one another. Each has its own unique characteristics that contribute to the over-all success of the company. These unique characteristics are often called the internal environment, which is composed of elements within the organization. These elements include employees, management, and corporate culture (Cliffs Notes, 2009). Out of all of these elements, there are two distinctive attributes that are vital to a company and these are its structure and culture. These two provides background on how the company operates. SMPHs Internal Environment For SMPH, understanding how their internal structure and culture operates allows them to organize, to take advantage of their strengths, to improve their weaknesses, and to develop an environment that breeds and encourages success among its employees (Organizational Culture 101, 2007). Moreover the success of the whole SM Group is attributed to its founder, Mr. Sy, whose determination and passion is considered exceptional. His influence has remained strong and visible both in its organizational structure and culture. Organizational Structure According to Drucker it is the correct design of structure which is of the most significant in determining organizational performance (Mullins, 2005. p. 597). In SMPH, they made sure that the structure is well-defined so that it will lessen confusion for their employees as it limits and controls what they do, for the organization is structured around high levels of formalization and specialization. Also the company has a strict adherence to chain of command that helps employees to identify their position in the company. Lastly, it is highly centralized wherein all decisions have to be made by higher ranking officials (Robbins, 2003, p. 575). In other words, the organizational structure of SMPH describes the management philosophy of Mr. Sy which is conservative yet with fine tuned instincts. Organizational Culture Like every individual, organizations also have their own personality that set them apart from others. In case of SMPH, their work ethics is prominent. For them everything is a serious business. Furthermore, they are guided by traditional Confucian values which are highly influenced by Mr. Sy who is an immigrant from mainland China. Hard work, frugality, discipline, love of study, self-sacrifice for the family welfare and harmonious social relationships are the Confucian values integrated to the company. These are the anchor values of SM Group which are the building blocks of their success (Flores, W. L., 2007). Overview of the External Environment Aside from managing its resources, organizations operate in a larger scale called the external environment. But unlike their internal resources wherein they have a full control of, the external environment suggests otherwise and in some cases may be considered as a threat. The number of the external environment factors is virtually unlimited for there are many macro factors that could impact organizations productivity. The only distinction between these factors is the degree of its impact to the company (NetMBA, 2007). SMPHs External Environment: PESTLE Analysis of SMPH SMPH, being the number one mall operator in the Philippines, regularly reviews its external environment. In their perspective, understanding the environment they belong is vital to the planning function of management for it influences the companys success rate. They identify and analyze the key trends, forces, and phenomena having a potential impact on the formulation and implementation of their strategies. In effect, the environmental assessment attempts to prepare the organization to acclimatize to environmental changes to take advantage of opportunities and to minimize the adverse effects of threats (Appelbaum, 1991). (P)olitics The Philippines is a democratic republic with an elected bicameral legislature, and a multiparty system. Filipinos exercised their right to vote every three years and despite the rumors to the contrary that the current President, Ms. Arroyo would not step down from office; there would be an election next year (US Department of State, 2007). This issue is important for the business sector as the next countrys leader may affect the operations of their organizations. This can influence them due to the reforms the new public officials would take. For SMPH, the results of the upcoming election would greatly affect them because it may affect the stability of the country and may undermine their confidence in their expansion plans. (E)conomics The countrys economic system is mixed economy wherein most of the companies are owned privately; however, government can control when the need for it arises. One of the features of the Philippine economy, it is consumer driven and the sales at the countrys biggest malls have been a gauge of trends in consumer spending. Almost 70% of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) is contributed by consumer spending. Moreover the 30% of this total consumer spending happens inside malls, and two-thirds of this slice of the pie is accounted to SM alone (Balea, 2009). But according to the Fitch Ratings Inc. the countrys GDP is predicted to be at its lowest at 2.5%, which is lower than the 1998 Asian Crisis (Burgonio, 2009). Given this forecast, this can predict how SMPH would perform this year. This economic downturn will most probably affect the company and would be visible in its financial statements. (S)ocial-Cultural One social-cultural factor that affects organizations is the consumer buying behavior. Consumers are the source of profit of the company and that is why they are researching in great detail to learn the buying behavior of their consumers in order to track consumer trends and respond to it. Understanding the purchasing patterns answers what consumers buy, where they buy, how much they buy, when they buy and why they buy (Kotler Armstrong 2007. p. 129). In a recent survey conducted by the global market research firm Synovate, it revealed that during the six month stretch of December 2008 to April 2009, 92% of residents in Metro Manila, which is comprised of all social brackets and where malls are concentrated, have cut their spending, while 61% did less impulsive buying. Moreover 55% said theyve focused on food and other necessities and spent less on recreation as well as luxury items. In short, Filipinos are still spending but they are spending for the cheaper and basic things (Balea, 2009). Although SMPH may not be directly affected by this buyer behavior, this may affect its tenants total sales. Since tenants rental fees are determined through a percentage of their income or through a fixed monthly rent basis, SMPHs total revenue may squeeze (Narciso, 2009). (T)echnology The continuous improvement of technology has dramatically changed every organizations process; for example new marketing channels were introduced like the internet. Here in the country, internet penetration is still low. As of 2008, only 14.6% of the Philippine population is internet users; however it is forecasted to record a 23% growth annually. If this trend continues it will revolutionize the way Filipinos live. A good example of this is e-commerce, wherein markets, which were once unreachable because of distance and costs, are now open through cyberspace (Internet World Stats, 2009). Although e-commerce is still an unfamiliar territory here in the country wherein only 3% in National Urban Philippines made online purchase, it has a strong promise especially in the coming years due to the increasing accessibility of the internet, greater PC penetration and enactment by the government of appropriately strong e-commerce legislation (Internet World Stats, 2009). With this implication SMPH may find a new competitor by means of the so-called e-malls. This can be a serious threat for the company since this brings many advantages to consumers such as convenience, accessibility, interactivity and immediate response. (L)egal The current legal system of the Philippines is based on the 1987 Constitution but there is an on-going movement that is aimed to revise the current system. According to several lawmakers the business sector would be the number one beneficiary of the constitutional change as the proposed amendments include creation of a more efficient and competitive business environment among others (Rubio, 2009). SMPH is highly subjected to this change. If this would push through, all corporate laws may be altered which would affect how the SMPH operates taxes may rise, new labor codes may be enacted, ownership act may be amended. (E)co-Environment The Philippines is a developing company and as a result of this is the degradation of the natural environment. That is why theres environmental legislation and provision that protects welfare of the environment. Hence these should be followed strictly by both the private and public business sectors. For SMPH, this is very much applicable since they are mall developers. They have to be in compliance with the rules and standards or else they would be penalized (Kirk, 1998, p. 83). A particular example of an environmental legislation that should be followed by SMPH is to secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) during the conceptualization stage of their expansion plans. Getting an ECC certifies that the project under consideration will not bring about an unacceptable environmental impact and the proponent has complied with all of the environmental legislation preventing and controlling water, air and land pollution. Securing an ECC is important for SMPH because if they fail to do so all their expansion plans will be put on a halt (Kirk, 1998, p. 83). Competition Here in the Philippines, malls have become a huge phenomenon in the country. Most often than not, whether for recreational, dining or shopping purposes, Filipinos go to mall. With this high demand for shopping malls, this translates competition for SMPH and as of now there are three primary players in the shopping mall industry and these are Ayala Land, Robinsons Land and of course SMPH. Although the industry seems attractive with only 2 competitors for SMPH, the rivalry is still high since both Ayala Land and Robinsons Land are also expanding and has its own loyal customers. But an advantage being in the mall operations business is that it has high barriers to entry due to the huge capital needed to start up a mall, to find strategic locations and to attract reputable anchor tenants. With regards to SMPHs stand against its competitors, SMPH, with a 51 year experience under its belt, is still the mall of choice for tenants since they can enjoy heavy consumer traffic with almost 2.5 million foot traffic. This enormous number of SMPHs customers is due to their malls convenience, affordability and diversity, and these translate to high customer power. But theres also threat for substitutes like no-fuss shopping complexes (e.g. Tutuban Centermall, Greenhills) that is becoming a serious peril due to its cheaper prices. Knowledge Management In our daily lives, knowledge is considered as power. Same goes in businesses. But knowledge management is not merely gathering all the data, for it is more involved in processing all these information into a cohesive knowledge. Being efficient with the sourcing, analyzing, dissemination and storage of knowledge can be a source of competitive advantage for a company. With the case of SMPH, knowledge management is essential especially during times of expansion wherein they gather all information demographics of the area, spending capacity, competitive environment level of commercial and retail activities in the surrounding area and distance from other SM malls that will aid them in decision-making (SMPH, 2008). Financial Management The entire worlds economic system depends upon the exchange rate. The currency exchange rates effect global businesses like a thermometer, it measures the health of global economics (JD Files, 2009). Last year the Philippine Peso (php) was one of the worst performing currencies in Asia, closing at 47.52 php to a dollar. This is a 15% decline from the 2007s 41.29 php. (James, 2008) This can affect SMPH, since most of the Overseas Filipino Workers remittances are spent by their beneficiaries in shopping malls, tourism and entertainment. If the peso weakens, it increases the value of dollar remittances and this translates to more OFW beneficiaries spending in their malls. International Market Entry Many companies successfully operate in a niche market without ever expanding into new markets. However, some businesses could achieve increased sales, brand awareness and business stability by entering a new market (My Business, 2009). For instance, the company could review new geographical market to serve and at this time of globalization, many companies try to penetrate the international market as a source of their growth. Relating this to SMPH, the company expanded internationally through an acquisition of three SM shopping malls in China through a share swap agreement. This move allowed SMPH to gain a foothold in Chinas fast-growing economy and use this as a platform for long-term growth outside the Philippines where it is clearly the dominant player in the mall business (SMPH, 2007). Ecology According to Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, ecology means the scientific study of the processes influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms, the interactions among organisms, and the interactions between organisms and the transformation and flux of energy and matter. (n.d) In other words, ecology is about environmentalism. Today, one of the biggest issues in ecology is the increasing effect of global warming. Global warming as its name suggest is the gradual increase in the temperature here in earth. This is caused by carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the suns heat and causing the planet to warm up (NRDC, 2009). Major sources of CO2 emissions are deforestation and burning of fossil fuels. This global concern is alarming for it may bring about natural disasters that may affect peoples health, bring ecological imbalance, rise in sea levels and change in crop and food supply. Here in the country, the effects of global warming are now being felt. According to World Wide Foundation (WWF), â€Å"The Philippines is extremely vulnerable to the ravages of climate change. Food and freshwater shortages, receding coastlines and an increase in political and economic turmoil are the bleak picture that climate change paints for the country.† (Burgonio, 2007) With these consequences organizations have taken additional measures to respond to these impending catastrophes since they have the leverage to start the change and besides they are also the biggest offenders. In addition to this, various pressure groups, like WWF, are negotiating the companies to adopt energy-efficient saving measures in their operations to help in the global effort to cut CO2 emissions, the leading cause of global warming. (Burgonio, 2007) Ecology and SMPH SM CARES aims to unify and integrate all SMPHs CSR initiatives that are geared towards caring their shoppers and nurturing Mother Earth. Under SM CARES, the company has therefore taken an aggressive stance in protecting the environment through four major initiatives: Solid Waste Management, Water Conservation, Energy Efficiency, and Air Quality Efficiency. Below are some of SM CARES programs (SMPH, 2008). SM Cares Activities Solid Waste Management SM Supermalls holds Trash to Cash, a recycling market every first Friday and Saturday of the month in all SM Prime malls in the country. Here, the public can convert their recyclable trash into cash. To date, Trash to Cash has generated over Php10 million in recyclable items and is estimated to have saved nearly 11,000 seven-year-old trees. Mall tenants are also educated on the benefits of waste segregation. As a result, solid waste in the malls garbage depots has been reduced by as much as 20% a month and two tons of garbage per mall is diverted away from landfills every week. Water Conservation Since its inception a few years back, SM Supermalls now saves about 2.4 billion liters of precious water every year through tertiary treatment plants that recycle water for use in the cooling towers of the malls air-conditioning systems, toilet flushing, and landscape irrigation. Add to that, the use of waterless urinals in mens toilets save another 315 million liters of water annually. Energy Efficiency SM malls control their air-conditioning systems through the Focus Enterprise Building Management System. This computerized process closely monitors the building temperature to optimally balance supply versus demand for cool air. As such, mall areas that are full of people are made cooler while those less congested are left a bit warmer. The system saves almost 50 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. All tertiary treatment plants mentioned earlier utilize a device known as a sequential batch reactor that saves up to 500,000 kilowatt hours annually. To reduce the use of light bulbs during the day, the new SM malls are designed to have glass walls and ceilings to light up the mall with sunlight. Lighting has also been replaced from fluorescent to energy efficient bulbs and has saved the malls a considerable amount of kwh annually. SM CARES also avidly supports Earth Hour, an annual global movement that encourages households and establishments to shut down a ll power sources for an hour, thereby heightening awareness for energy conservation. Air Quality Efficiency SM strictly enforces the no-smoking policy inside the malls, and requires all public utility vehicles entering and parking in its mall terminals and depots to present certificates of having passed smoke emission testing. They also encourage the use of bicycles by providing safe parking spaces for them. Green Bags Pioneering efforts to promote eco-shopping in the Philippine retail industry, SM Supermalls recently unveiled the new SM Supermalls Greenbag. The SM Supermalls Greenbag enables shoppers to participate in the global cause to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags. The SM Supermalls Greenbag which is available in all SM malls is made from 100-percent polypropylene (PP) material. It is recyclable, non-toxic, allergy free and nonreactive to human skin. The Greenbags size is equivalent to two regular SM Supermarket shopping bags and has an estimated life span of two years. It is very light, handy and can be folded into a small pack. The SM Supermalls Greenbag comes in four exclusive designs by world-renowned artist Manuel Baldemor, turning this utility item into a prized art piece. Another contribution of SMPH to ecology is through green architecture. Early this year SMPH unveiled their first mall to turn â€Å"green†, the SM North EDSA via the Sky Garden. It uses roof gardens that help in neutralizing global warming for roof gardens are known to reduce the effects of ‘urban heat islands and are energy efficient that cut down up to 20% air-conditioning costs. It also catches rainwater, which will be released into a storm water infrastructure that is subsequently recycled for landscaping and car park maintenance. Lastly roof gardens also lessen the plumbing design and systems expenditure. With all of these green features, the Sky Garden is an example of how a large-scale property developer can contribute to the improvement of the environment (The Philippine Star, 2009). Policies and Decision Making Since SMPH is a mall developer, ecological factors like global warming are always part of their discussion. As a matter fact preserving the environment is part of SMPHs objectives and that is to ensure environmental sustainability through various programs on energy, water and air conservation. For them more than just complying with the legal standards (e.g. environment legislation), they also have the responsibility to the community since their company is in the position to make a difference (SMPH, 2008). The management regularly holds meetings to discuss their effect to the environment as well as to discuss the effectiveness of their programs and their up-and-coming activities. One situation wherein SMPH considers the environment in their decision-making is every time they expand and open new malls. During the conceptualization stage, SMPH constantly explores breakthrough architectural models for its malls that are environment-friendly. The Sky Garden at SM City North EDSA, which is a first in the Philippines, is a noteworthy showcase of the companys innovative thinking. Utilizing the latest in green architecture, the Sky Garden brings their customers closer to nature and at the same time contributes to environmental conservation (The Philippine Star, 2009). To stress even more SMPHs integration of ecology in its company, they held a conference on Sustainability, Energy, and Green Design Initiatives. The conference was aimed at providing a fresh view on how green design initiatives can influence sustainability and promote environmental preservation. Some of the countrys seasoned architects and engineers shared their views on the subject with SMs executives to bring more awareness on how these timely subjects can impact their mall operations (Manila Bulletin, 2008). Through this conference, the management reassessed its policies concerning the environment and recognized the link between a healthy economy and a healthy ecology. Evaluation and Recommendation With all these initiatives on responding to the ecological issues, it seems that SMPH is reacting well but actually they are kind of late already. Their competitor, Ayala Malls, has been the pioneer to this trend and is successful in incorporating ecology programs in their system. Ayala Malls was the first to retrofit the existing structure of their malls to a more eco-friendly one. Furthermore all of their malls show a close-to-nature effect; in contrast to SMPH wherein most of their malls look like a concrete jungle. As a recommendation, SMPH may restructure all of their malls. But this could be done little by little so it will not interrupt the malls activities. Another precaution is that this can be very costly but if SMPH is really determined to be environment-friendly in all their malls this is the best means to show it. An alternative method is to put more in-door plants and garden to make their malls at least appear as eco-friendly. Another first by Ayala Malls is their integration with its mall tenants by means of â€Å"Greenology† that bolsters the malls environment awareness campaign. Through Greenology, Ayala Malls mark the trend of being an eco-friendly and eco-chic establishment by showcasing remarkable events that aims to capture the hearts of concerned mall patrons and environmentalists (Ayala Land, 2008). Although SMPH also has their own mall-wide activities such as Trash to Cash and their Green bag, they do not have monthly activities like the Ayala Malls. In addition to this their tenants do not actively participate as much as those in the Ayala Malls. A likely proposal for SMPH is to create an earth-friendly philosophy encompassing all mall activities that are related to conservation of the environment. Then make an apt title to it so that it will create awareness to the people, like the Ayala Malls Greenology. SMPH should also communicate to its tenants to support and participate in the activities. Together they can brainstorm and come up with ideas that are appropriate with the objective. For example, every month all the mall tenants would feature a product that would help in preserving the environment or are made with environment-friendly materials. But the good news for SMPH is that even though they are not proactive in responding to ecological factors, what matters most is that they are trying to keep up and do all their best to preserve the environment. All of their programs are actually well-thought of and practical. Their advocacies for Solid Waste Management, Water Conservation, Energy Efficiency, and Air Quality Efficiency are properly executed. As a matter of fact, SMPH has received some accolades for these activities including an Outstanding Achievement in Energy Efficiency and Conservation from Don Emilio Abello Awards for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Best Practices for Buildings (SMI, 2008). However with all of these good strategies what is lacking to SMPH is publicity. They do not create so much buzz about their environmental concern and activities that makes the public think that they are not doing anything for the sake of the environment. That is why Ayala Malls remains to be the top of mind of the customers when it comes to being eco-friendly mall. To counter this SMPH should make use of public relations to show their plans in connection to greener lifestyle. They should utilize the different kinds of media to create awareness that they are good corporate citizen. Also they can sponsor events such as the yearly celebration of Earth Day to show their support for nature as well as to use this event to promote the earth-friendly facilities of their mall. All in all, SMPH has been sound with all its action plans towards the emerging environmental awareness and it would probably have a 65% marking since theres still a room for improvement. Conclusion Through the years, SM malls has become synonymous to the phrase one-stop shopping. You can ask any Filipino about what mall comes first into their minds and without batting an eyelash, they will respond and say SM. This is how great the impact SM has to the Filipinos. It is more than just the shopping, dining or entertainment experience it is part of the culture already. But before SM became an icon in the country, it started like any other rags to riches story. Its success can be traced back to its founder, Mr. Henry Sy. Even at his age, Mr. Sy is still very hands-on with the business. The countrys shopping mall magnate is a contrarian who not only survived but prospered after every political and economic crisis in the last five decades. This is because he studies the environment very well and handles every downturn as a challenge to seek new opportunities. These work ethics of Mr. Sy is visible in the company and are the main drivers for the continuous achievement of SM. (Tan-Co, 2001) Also contributing to the accomplishment of SM Group is its response to ecology. Although it is still lagging behind its competitors, SMPH is doing its share to conserve Mother Nature. They have opened their first green mall and have conducted various activities to counter their enormous carbon footprint. All these efforts towards being environment-friendly, shows the commitment of SMPH to be the mall of choice that cares to preserve the nature.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Criticisms of Dan Brown

Criticisms of Dan Brown My mind tells me I will never understand JavaScript. And my heart tells me I am not meant to. Dan Brown (1964–) By his own account, Dan Brown got the writing bug while reading Sidney Sheldon’s thriller The Doomsday Conspiracy during a 1993 Tahitian vacation. Brown, who until then was most familiar with the classics, was drawn to Sheldon’s breezy pacing and no-nonsense prose and felt they were something he could replicate. Five years later Brown realized his ambition with the release of his NSA code-breaking saga Digital Fortress. But his big break came in 2003 with The Da Vinci Code, a fast-moving, conspiracy-laden murder mystery in which Brown reprises his tweed-clad hero Robert Langdon and puts him on the trail of the Holy Grail, using da Vinci’s cryptic brushwork for clues. The initial reception was rhapsodic. The New York Times recommended it with â€Å"extreme enthusiasm† and described Brown’s writing as â€Å"gleefully erudite.†[1] To the San Francisco Chronicle, it was â€Å"Umberto Eco on steroids.†[2] The public reaction was just as fervent. The Da Vinci Code moved quickly into the all-time best-seller list. Yet the critical acclaim unraveled almost as quickly as Robert Langdon untangled those knotty riddles. By the time the film version was released, the backlash was in full effect. This time, the New York Times savagely ridiculed Brown’s â€Å"um, prose style,†[3] while the New Yorker called it â€Å"unmitigated junk.†[4] Each of Brown’s subsequent offerings, including the 2013 Dante-inspired Inferno, has been a commercial hit—and a critical flop. Why did Brown’s literary reputation collapse? Well, for one, doubts were cast on the accuracy of The Da Vinci Code’s historical assertions, and for another, Brown was subject to several lawsuits for plagiarism. But mostly it’s about the writing. The cliff-hangers, secret societies, and ancient ciphers may have been enough to distract early reviewers from Brown’s prose, but sooner or later its shortcomings demanded recognition. Brown’s phrasing is excessively weighty, as exemplified by the opening line of The Da Vinci Code:[5] Renowned curator Jacques Saunià ¨re staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum’s Grand Gallery. Hanging the staggaree’s occupation in front of his name knocks the meter out of balance. Worse, the information is gratuitous. In the very next paragraph (and a further ten times in the first two pages), Brown reminds us of Saunià ¨re’s profession, and since the prologue is entitled â€Å"Louvre Museum, Paris, 10:46 pm,† it’s a safe bet Saunià ¨re is renowned. Good fiction, unlike journalism, works the reader’s imagination, yet Brown goes to great lengths to spoon-feed the most glaringly obvious detail. He’ll often use an adverb or adjective multiple times on a page, or even within the same paragraph. In the prologue to The Da Vinci Code almost every action happens â€Å"slowly†; in Inferno, we’re told no less than four times that Langdon’s doctor has â€Å"bushy eyebrows.† Another questionable habit of Brown’s in The Da Vinci Code is his namedropping of high-end products; he rarely misses a chance to shoehorn, QVC-like, their details into the tightest of action sequences (â€Å"Yanking his Manurhin MR-93 revolver from his shoulder holster, the captain dashed out of the office,† or â€Å"Only those with a keen eye would notice his 14-karat gold bishop’s ring with purple amethyst, large diamonds, and hand-tooled mitre-crozier appliquà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ). But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Brown’s got a recipe that sells more copies than good writing ever could: take a mysterious organization or artifact (preferably medieval, definitely controversial) gussy it up and dumb it down until it’s palatable for the layperson, throw in a generous dash of conspiracy theory and plenty of codes, and serve without editing. /* FACT: some time in 1557, Michelangelo Moribundi, the renowned, bald-headed alchemist fashioned a secret code out of bits of asparagus and placed it a long forgotten vault */ function theDaFibonacciCode(numeratiFettucini) { // Wide awake, the bleary-eyed Langdon watched as two tall, lissome, number ones // with big feet and a type of hat, sidled up to the rounded zero var ilInumerati = [0,1,1]; // while theIntegerThatIncrementsOneByOne morphs eerily into a three theIntegerThatIncrementsOneByOne = 3, // Now the silent ratio that could not be uttered had come to make it right TheBotticelliVector = 1.61803; while(theIntegerThatIncrementsOneByOne < numeratiFettucini) { // Somehow another number one appeared and theIntegerThatIncrementsOneByOne // snatched at it gracefully. theIntegerThatIncrementsOneByOne = theIntegerThatIncrementsOneByOne + 1; // The renowned, rounded 16-bit unsigned integer tentatively succumbed to the // strange force of the vector before pushing itself bodily into the hands of //the weakly typed array ilInumerati.push( Math.round(ilInumerati[theIntegerThatIncrementsOneByOne 2] * TheBotticelliVector) ); } // Too many elementi? reminded the five-foot-eleven, bushy-eyebrowed Italian. // Too many elements? if (ilInumerati.length > numeratiFettucini) { // Intelligently, Langdon, sporting a Harris Tweed jacket (J. Crew $79.99), // sliced it with his Modell 1961 Ausfà ¼hrung 1994 swiss army knife ilInumerati = ilInumerati.slice(0, numeratiFettucini); } // The kaleidoscope of truth had been shaken. Now, in front of them, sat the // numerically sequenced sequenza numerica. Like a gleaming cathedral. return ilInumerati; } Dan Brown is right at home with the Fibonacci sequence; indeed, it was cunningly used as a highly secure combination for a safe in The Da Vinci Code. But wait, what’s this? It seems Brown has discovered a dark and mysterious multiplier (The Botticelli Vector, no less), which he uses to derive the next number from the one before. This arithmetic alchemy is all well and good, but we’re left wondering whether he knew he could just add the previous two numbers to make the next one. Anyway, it seems to work, so that’s probably all that matters. Judging by the comments, Brown is approaching this problem as though it were one of his blockbusting potboilers. First there’s the obligatory FACT, which assures us that what follows is rooted in historical accuracy. Then there’s the army of adjectives (because ambiguity is the devil’s tool) and the diligent inclusion of product details even as the action reaches a nail-biting climax. Skipping gingerly over non sequiturs and logical fallacies, we reach the movingly grandiloquent conclusion. Oh, the glory. [1] Janet Maslin, â€Å"Spinning a Thriller from a Gallery at the Louvre,† New York Times, March 17, 2003 (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/17/books/books-of-the-times-spinning-a-thriller-from-a-gallery-at-the-louvre.html). [2] David Lazarus, â€Å"‘Da Vinci Code’ a Heart-Racing Thriller,† San Francisco Chronicle, April 6, 2003 (http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/Da-Vinci-Code-a-heart-racing-thriller-2657352.php). [3] A. O. Scott, â€Å"A ‘Da Vinci Code’ That Takes Longer to Watch Than Read,† New York Times, May 18, 2006 (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/movies/18code.html). [4] Anthony Lane, â€Å"Heaven Can Wait,† New Yorker, May 29, 2006 (http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/05/29/060529crci_cinema). [5] Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code (New York: Doubleday, 2003).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Student Motivation Essay -- essays research papers fc

Motivation in Schools   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The topic I originally planned to look into for my Action Research Paper was the affect of reward systems on a student’s academic performance. My idea was that a student’s performance could be influenced by the presence of a reward system. I was interested in seeing if certain subject areas were more likely to use such systems than other subject areas. I strived to see if a student’s academic performance could mean more than just their exam scores and ability to complete assignments. I wished to see if a reward system could change the way a student was motivated in the classroom; to see if their overall attitude could be changed. I also thought to look into their attendance in classes where motivation was present. I wanted to see if they were less frequently absent and if they participated more. And lastly, I thought it would be interesting to see if students felt they could in turn change their â€Å"destiny† in education, or if they s imply believed they are predestined for something else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I was looking further into my topic at hand, I decided to go a different way with my paper. I got away from the â€Å"reward system† and decided to look into student motivation as my topic, focusing on the teacher-student relationship. In high school, I can remember one teacher that changed the way I saw science and it affected me greatly. Before this teacher, although I was always in advanced science classes, I never achieved high grades. I always struggled to keep up with other students, and when I performed poorly on exams, my previous teachers never thought to why I had done so. She approached science in a way I had never seen before, and she offered recognition and praise. She set up the classroom in such a way that I never felt I was being left behind, and she encouraged us always to work up to our potential, and then some. I was motivated to do well and in a way I had never cared for before.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I chose to look from the student’s point of view, instead of talking only to teachers. I thought it would be more useful to see what the students thought, as I am pursuing my graduate education in Secondary Education. My ultimate goal, to be a teacher, could only benefit from the research I was setting out to collect. I wanted to know what circumstances student’s felt most... ...ving them the option to say what they feel a teacher should be could be a positive growing experience for both them and myself. Each class could want different things, and I feel it is my job to realize their needs and try to address them as best I can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I know it sounds corny, but I truly feel that education in the classroom is a two way street. Teachers and students can only flourish when able to both get to where they are going by removing obstacles that would limit their driving experience. I look forward to my teaching career, and although I know I’m bound to have a few fender benders along the way, I hope the journey as a whole is a productive one. Works Cited Daniels, H. & Bizar, M. (1998). Methods that Matter. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Ryan, K. & Cooper, J. (2004). Kaleidoscope: Readings in Education (10th Ed.). Boston: Houghton-Mifflin. Michie, G. (1999). Holler if you hear me. New York: Teachers College Press. McDevitt, T. & Ormrod, J. (2002) Child Development (2nd Ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson Prentice Hall. http://216.239.57.104/u/nydoe?q=cache:OaYbZiCK2GkJ:www.emsc.nysed.gov/repcrd20 http://www.alfiekohn.org

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Fellow graduates, honored guests, faculty, administration: Minna-san, Konbanwa Dobri Vecher Buenos Noches Bon Soir Good evening. We, of Cedar Community College, are many nations. We are men and women, husbands and wives, parents. We are young and not-so-young. Behind the face of every graduate, and just as distinct, is a different story, a different reason, and a different use for the education for which we have assembled this evening to recognize. We serve to enrich the campus community, as we are not just a cross-section of this nation, but of the world. Displayed in the Brier Hall cafeteria are 50 national flags to signify our cultural heritage here at Cedar. Yet regardless of our diverse origins, we come here bound by a common thread: to acknowledge to ourselves and to others that we met and overcame the challenges needed to achieve this milestone. This great gift of education we entitle ourselves better prepares us for challenges yet ahead. There isn't one among us who hasn't made sacrifices, or know of someone who made them on our behalf, so we could be here thi...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Globalization: a boom or a threat? Essay

Globalization is an interaction between different economies, societies and cultures through a worldwide network of trade, communication and transportation. Globalization has both advantages and disadvantages on every economy that exists in this world. Globalization affects every country in a very serious manner. According to studies globalization has more advantages over its disadvantages. Globalization leads to exchange of technology between different countries, exchange of weapons for defense, it reduces the fear of war between developed nations, it leads to free trade between countries, it reduces cultural barrier and helps to increase global village effect. These examples are just a part of the story and there are many more advantageous of globalization over its disadvantages. Globalization is a controversial topic since last two decades; many people believe that globalization has many disadvantages like outsourcing of jobs to other nations, losing cultural identity and exploitation of workers rights. Following is the list of advantageous of globalization and its disadvantages. However, list of advantages of globalization is way longer than its disadvantageous that leaves us to decide that is globalization a boom or a threat? Globalization leads to exchange of technology from developed countries to other developing nations. Taking an example of America’s technology transfer to India has changed the world. America transfers it’s nuclear, information technology, medicine and machinery technology to India, which brought a boom in the Indian economy. India was known the as third world country but now it is known as upcoming super power after china. Globalization affected Indian economy is a very serious and a good manner. In return India offers US with its call center services. Also, U.S. is outsourcing its manufacturing and white collar jobs to India which saves America tons of billions of dollars every year because of cheap and reliable services provided by India to American customers. The U.S. shares its army training programs with India and transfer latest weapons to Indian army which is very useful to maintain an army balance in south Asia and also to fight with terrorists. In return Indian army trains American army with jungle warfare tactics. Working out together is a key to success and globalization makes it possible. It is beneficial for both the economies by being interdependent on each other. It leads to rapid growth of both the economies. Globalization leads to reduce tension of war between two or more developed nations. Globalization pacifies international relations. Two countries that trade together are reciprocally dependent to each other. One is interested in selling and other is interested to buy. The best example is the U.S. and China, China wants to sell and U.S. wants to buy cheap stuff. Even though, China is the biggest threat to the US at this moment, U.S. does not want a war with China because of its national interest. In return U.S. provides China with money and technology. Both the countries are equally and reciprocally dependent to each other. Hence, globalization helps reducing tension of war between developed nations. Globalization leads to freedom to exchange good and capital by free trade policies. With globalization, companies can manufacture goods at places with low cost labor and at place where there are not many jobs available. For example American companies prefer to outsource its manufacturing plants to India or other Asian countries because of its cheap labor, massive man power available there, very less cost of production and very less or no taxes by their government which results in lowering the cost of the product. Globalization reduces cultural barrier and makes the global village effect dream come true. Taking an example of America, we know a lot more about other cultures now than what our parents or grandparents knew. We are more open to other cultures. Our minds are more open to other ideas, traditions and this has made it a very exciting time for our generation and for those to come. We eat sushi in lunch or Italian in dinner, all this counts to make us more knowledgeable about other cultures. People on the other side of the world like in India or China watch Hollywood movies, eat peanut butter jelly in breakfast, wear Hollister or American eagle which in a way helps them to understand western culture. As a result, they overcome their cultural barrier and compete with rest of the world. Now days every culture affects other culture directly or indirectly and making ourselves more and more knowledgeable about different cultures will help us to make our global village effect dream come true. A quote from Pico Iyer’s essay would have worked in this previous paragraph. However, disadvantages of globalization like outsourcing of white collar jobs and manufacturing jobs to developing nations by developed nation’s leads to decent percentage of unemployment in the developed nations. Also, problems like losing cultural identity and exploitation of workers’ rights are concerning many people in the world. Even though, globalization has many advantages, its disadvantages moves along with it and these disvantages cannot be neglected. Taking an example of world recession, 2008, U.S. citizens lost millions of jobs and the only reason was not enough jobs available in the U.S. because decent amount of white collar jobs were outsourced to India or China. Subject?Bad moves along with good and we should accept it and find a way to get rid of these disadvantages of globalization instead of criticizing it. Globalization has many advantages and disadvantages, but it’s advantageous like exchange of technology between different countries, exchange of weapons for defense, reduced fear of war between developed nations, free trade between countries, reduced cultural barrier and increase in global village effect overcomes its disadvantages like outsourcing of white collar jobs, exploitation of worker rights and loss of cultural identity. Studies show that demerits of globalization are way lesser than its merits and these demerits can be resolved by imposing some policies. As a result globalization is more of a boom to the world and not than a threat.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Comparing blake’s london and wordsworths unpon west minster bridge Essay

How do the poets use Structure, language and form in the two poems to help present their visions of London? William Blake’s ‘London’ 1793 and William Wordsworth’s ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ 1802 stage two contrasting views of London. Having both been written in the Romantic period, the two poets use their personal experience of London to illustrate the different visions of the city. Wordsworth adopted the Petrarchan pattern (abba abba cdcdcd) to create his flowing sonnet that describes the silent, undying beauty of London; the intimacy with his description could be inspired by classical poets such as Horaz, Virgil and Ovid. Blake however hardened to use a more harsh approach, delivering his dramatic reality of the dejected city. The two poems hold an expressive passion throughout and both have a deeper inner meaning than what’s seen at surface value. At a first glance, these two poems seem the complete opposite. One compliments the natural beauty of London whilst the other only states the traumatic situations faced through a sinister, dark city. This style could have been inspired by Blake’s surrounding of the French revolution which was imminent over London, there’s a possibility that the murder and violence could have encouraged Blake to give his reality of the capital in the 18th century. Despite the obvious differences, the techniques and narrative set out by both poets are similar. Both Blake and Wordsworth chose to underline their visions of London by using some sort of rhyming scheme and iambs to manipulate the sounds and rhythm. Wordsworth’s undoubted admiration of London is expressed through his constant use of elegant praises. He masters a faint use of a strange paradox through the first lines saying earth has nothing more ‘fair’ which exemplifies a tranquil, natural beauty, undisturbed by the obvious industrial city. The paradox having been established at the beginning of the octave stating the impossible unity of both a natural beauty and industrial development is explained towards the end through the line, ‘like a garment, wear’. This reveals that the city is wearing the natural ‘beauty of the morning’ rather than being it. This structural technique continues in his next lines completing his paradoxical image. The fact that the city is ‘bare’ relates back to the first contradiction by suggesting that London wears ‘the smokeless air’ that is the ‘fair’ beauty. Wordsworth uses the petrarchan pattern to compliment the imag e of the uninterrupted London. The poets emotion filled description of a motionless London implies that he rather prefers a non-industrializing, natural capital compared to the 19th centuries bustling metropolis. In his sestet (cdcdcd) the poet emphasizes the connection of whole poem has and how it coheres well together. He does this by using the sestet- steep, deep, asleep- to draw attention to that fact that the city is invalid in the way that the commerce of London has not yet awaken but is asleep. He keeps this in mind whilst still stating that the fact of the matter is, the city is more alive through its natural presence. The way he describes the river ‘glideth at his own sweet will’ gives the reader a sense of undisturbed freedom and also relates to the poets overflowing, relentless and poignant description. Wordsworth creates a more flattering image of London when he explains how the sun has lightened it perfectly, ‘Never did the sun more beautifully steep’. The line: ‘in his first splendour,’ makes the poet appear to be referring to ‘god’ through his supposedly absent minded mention of ‘his’ but he’s not because previously he mentioned that the never had the ‘sun more beautifully steep’. This makes sense as the idea of the sun steeping gracefully over London ties in with the poems overall goal to exploit the capital as some sort of wonderful place however the idle image of the originator who created ‘valley, rock, or hill;’ formulate the idea that Wordsworth is talking about ‘god’ as having the first insight into the capital and how it hasn’t changed through his eyes, looking past the ‘ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples’. Thus creating a more colloquial style of writing; however there is the fact that this poem was written in the 19th century where everyone would have believed in ‘god’. This idea could be the underlining of the word ‘sun’. I believe that Wordsworth’s sole adopted style is smooth and poetic, he holds a passion for the topics he chooses to write about which flatter his nature inspired manner. Other poems by Wordsworth which support my supposition are ‘I wander lonely as a cloud’ and ‘Three years she grew in Sun and Shower’. In the 4th stanza the tone of the poem suddenly changes into an ominous low mood with a lingering and menacing spell. The word ‘most’ has a lasting significance in the line as it institutes the fact that prostitution is causing this wild midnight rush. The changed tone of the poem and the imagery created in this stanza stands out as a dramatic close the blatantly sorrow-filled poem. Adding to the sharpness of the bitter ending, the tone that is usually poetic with a bouncy rhythm has stopped delivering the full force of what Blake calls ‘reality’.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Portugal Exploration Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Portuguese Exploration highlighted the country’s ascendancy to economic growth and power. Explorations are never easy endeavors. New lands will be discovered, wherein achieving success is indeed very uncertain. Moreover, the mere fact that the country needs to supply all the materials—from food to ship repairs, are too expensive. However, although explorations are masked by doubt and hopeless skies, its outcome can lead to enormous wealth and benefits that will enable the nation to experience abundance in succeeding years to come. When Portugal never gave up its hopes and dreams regarding land discoveries, such big decision resulted to positive results. At the onset of the 16th century, Portugal pioneered explorations in the whole course of Europe, thus, discovering more and new routes to Africa, the Atlantic, Asia and even South America (â€Å"Portugal† n.d).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the beginning, nobody has expected Portugal to literally conquer the world. The nation was then torn with poverty and to a certain extent, economic deterioration (Arnold 2002, p. 22). Given this situation at hand, domination is totally taken out of the picture. If Portugal cannot even feed its own people, then it would be readily impossible for it to support the demands of land explorations and discoveries. However, this did not prevent the nation from pursuing its dreams—from materializing the aim to make its name within the torn pages of history books. It turned out that Portugal’s seemingly hopeless case is one of its greatest blessings. Since the country was in its severe state, it has no other choice but to continue with the explorations. If success seems to be impossible within the domain of land-based expansion, then there is still hope when such is done overseas (Arnold 2002, p.22). As Arnold (2002) explained, Portugal’s navigation success basically replaced the land-based orientation of wealth and power that was established by the evolving Spanish (empire) (p. 22). Factors determining Portugal’s exploration success   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are different factors that are attributed to Portugal’s exploration successes. These three are highly characterized by maritime development as well as the undying support given by the Portuguese government. The first factor has something to do with Portugal’s geographic position (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). Portugal can be seen along the west side of the Iberian Peninsula (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). Livingstone implied (1993) that the nation is readily blessed with its strategic location (p. 41). It possesses rivers that are long enough to be navigated (Livingstone 1993, p. 41). It has â€Å"favorable winds (Livingstone 1993, p. 41)† that can take ships into their planned journeys or destination. The last but not the least is the existence of raw and organic harbors which creates a perfect and highly suitable setting for maritime development (Livingstone 1993, p. 41).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If one has to take a closer look, this aspect alone puts Portugal into a great advantage over its rivals or competitors. Once and for all, circumnavigating the world requires not only human skills, nature also plays an important role. Although, exceptional navigation talents are expected to arise, there is no doubt that if nature decides to intervene, the course would be more difficult and complicated as expected. It can be also implied that Portugal’s geographical design enabled the latter to discover more efficient routes from any angle. The crew can easily explore more unknown areas since they have good reference points that are essential in establishing maps.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the second factor can be traced to Portugal’s developing â€Å"maritime economy (â€Å"Portugal, n.d).† The ports of Lisbon and Oporto became the cente of commerce and trade for the country (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). Mostly of the financial means that were used to support the voyages came from these trade districts (â€Å"Portugal,† n.d). However, aside from financing the navigation plans, Maddision (2006) also mentioned that the bays and coast cities of Portugal is abundant enough to supply the needs and demands of the local residents (p.22). Aside from trading per se, it can be seen that Portugal has other ways of gaining incomes, profits and revenues. But then again, perhaps the greatest contributions of the maritime industry are the vast knowledge and information that Portuguese fisherman has learned due to their constant and continuous immersion with the Atlantic seas (Maddison 2006, p.22). Their mastery of sea winds, tides and weather (Maddison 2006, p.22). It allowed Portuguese explorers and navigators to conduct more research on navigation. Yet, more than anything else, they were able to build ships that can withstand the pressures and hardships brought forth by unfathomable oceans (Maddison 2006, p.22). They created â€Å"lateen sails† and in the long run, they combined it with â€Å"square sails† which allowed them to sail through the South Atlantic and further discover more ways or routes in the Cape area (Maddison 2006, p.22).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, the third determinant of the Portuguese exploration’s success stems from the fact that its monarchy readily showed support and encouragement for these plans (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). The government ensured that â€Å"tax privileges† and insurances are available for both the ship owners and navigators (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). As a matter of fact, it is not only the king that readily lent a helping hand to make these undertakings possible. Even members of the aristocracy assured that they can be pillars of strength and encouragement (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). Obviously, without the system’s support and permission, the voyages would not happen. As previously mentioned, even if there are enough materials and supplies if the monarchy is not open to the idea, then Portugal’s domination may not come into place. The essential role of the Portuguese government, in this aspect can be briefly understood in several points. Once and for all, the tax regulations enabled the nation to satisfy the prerogatives of exploration and at the same time ensure a healthy lifestyle for its local citizens. Second, the monarchy served as a strong influence for both the explorers and local residents. If the king refused such plans, then the public would not be able to recognize its value and importance. Since local residents are the ones who are chiefly involved in production works, the explorers would have a hard and difficult time convincing these people about their dreams and visions, if the king per se, would show doubts regarding the matter. Moreover, the monarchy is in charge of making decisions on how they can possible benefit from the discoveries that they made—to be more specific, the Portuguese government is in charge of devising strategies on how they can possible gain profits and revenues on new routes and land areas. This is important for unless the people know that they benefit from it, they would continue to support such plan. A Brief History of Portugal Exploration   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to further reasons behind the success ad failure of the Portuguese exploration, it is best to have a brief discussion or outline of the nation’s navigation history. As mentioned earlier, the contributions of Portugal in the world can neither be questioned not taken for granted. Even though it has eventually declined in the long years to come, it cannot be discounted that Portugal is one of the few nations that have managed to maintain and still control its colonies by the end of the 19th century (Diffie & Winius 1977, p. 4). The mere fact that it was able to sustain such set-up exemplifies its power and strength.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Diffie and winius (1977) explained that Portugal was inspired by the accomplishments of the Han and Roman Empires (p.4). However, since it cannot fully embarked on land-based conquests and imperialism, discovering other lands became the last recourse, and as discussed, nature’s blessings made a way for the nation embarked on long journeys and voyages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The foundations of the Portuguese exploration can be traced to as far as 1415 (Wiarda 200, p. 21). In those times, Ceuta was then considered as the center of spice trade in the west (Wiarda 2000, p.21). Portugal has managed to put Ceuta under its control and thus the urge to control more lands became irresistible. While Ceuta was then an important investment for Portugal, Wiarda (2000), however noted that Portugal’s main goal by that time was to spread Christianity to Morrocco (p.4). Within the aspect of colonialism, religion is an indespensbale tool. The Portuguese readily used the matter to interact with the natives. Due to language barriers, it would be hard for both the colonizers and the colony to understand or communicate with each other. Thus, the concept of having a Supreme Being bridged the gap between the two races.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   But on a closer examination, the downfall of Morocco, inspired many of Portuguese warriors and soldiers to bring more honor, glory and prestige to their very own mother country (Wiarda 200, p.187). In addition to that, Prince Henry who happened to be the very first supporter of Portuguese explorations have heard stories from prisoners about lands and areas that were still undiscovered (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). The capture of Morocco allowed Prince Henry to have his first taste of the African cost (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). Having said this, indeed, his curiosity was further heightened. The excitement and passion to conquer more lands became stronger than ever. Prince Henry â€Å" The Navigator†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The success in Ceuta encouraged Prince Henry to show his undying support to explorations. Prince Henry can be best described as someone who knew how to transform his visions and ideals into realistic issues and concerns. The prince knows that explorations may not necessarily yield to positive results. But this did not discourage him. Despite of the fact that there is a strong enthusiasm and excitement on Prince Henry’s part, Wiarda (2000) stated that this does not mean that that the young leader was already aware of explorations’ benefits and advantages (p.21). According to Wiarda (2000) Prince Henry’s primary concern by then was the budding market for exotic and wild animals (p.21). But in the long run, explorations’ commercial benefit was slowly embedded into the prince’s young mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the materialization of Prince Henry’s dreams came into the picture during the reign of Joao II (Wiarda 2000, p. 21). The foundations of an exploration plan have been successfully laid out. Gallagher (2003) noted that the first move was to discover a route from Africa that can easily lead to India (p.5). With all these endeavors, the monarchy assured that they will handle all the transactions and see to it that it profiteering activities would be efficiently managed (Gallagher 2003, p. 80). The competition against Spain led Portugal to keep its navigation development in extreme secrecy (Gallagher 2003, p.5). Even the voyages per se were kept confidential (Gallagher 2003, p5).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During those times, Cape Bojador was seen as the end of the world (Wiarda 2000, p.187). Since there is already a signal pr permission from the monarchy to explore more, Prince Henry in return, challenged his men to go beyond the limits of Cape Bojardor (Wiarda 2000, p. 187). The whole crew landed in Madeira in 1420 and seven years after, the Portuguese explorers made their first step in Azores (Keefee et. al 1977, p.60). This was also the time when Portugal finally confirmed that Cape Bojador was not the world’s end point (Keefe et.al 1977, p.60). This is simply the start of Portugal’s domination. Even though the so-called Navigator died in 1460 (â€Å"Portugal,† n.d), his legacies was continued and still promoted by the succeeding Portugal rulers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Historians and members of the academe outlined several distinct reasons regarding Prince Henry’s obsessions. One of this is the urge to know more lands beyond Cape Bojador (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). In an era wherein bigger colonies equate to more economic successes, going beyond Cape Bojador’s geographical limitations is an outright advantage. Another reason is Portugal’s aim to develop trade relations to other areas or counties (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). There is also the aim to study the strength of their rivals and at the same time, ensure that battles will be waged against those who opposed Christianity and therefore ensure that the religion would proliferate (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). Reasons for Exploration   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In general and not only for Portugal, there are three determinants of why explorations happen or occur. The first one has something to do with the spice trade (Roupp 2001, p. 236). Spices such as nutmeg, mace, ginger, cinnamon and paper are pretty popular in the European regions trade (Roupp 2001, p. 236). The Ottomans were able to take control of the Eastern Mediterranean barter trade (Roupp 2001, p. 236) Because of this, European envoys had no other choice but to look for alternative routes. Since spices are very much in demand, there is no doubt that to become a spice supplier would indeed result to an increase in profits and revenues. The supply is low and the demands are high. Therefore, those who are able to satisfy the demand can also ask for a higher price. This argument are also supported by Kiple and Omelas (2000, p.436).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kiple and Omelas (2000) mentioned that many European countries, most especially those which are engaged in exploration are also seeking for a new route to get a steady supply of spices (p. 436). This according to the two, prompted competing nations to further improve their navigation tactics and skills. The competition is stiff and they cannot remain calm. However, as for this case, since Portugal has already explored the areas beyond Cape Bojador, the challenge became an easy feat for the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the initial steps, it was the Arabs that has total control over the matter (Wolpert 1999, p.45). However, a small fleet, headed by Vasco de Gama made the Arabs surrender (Wolpert 1999, p.45). According to Wolpert (1999), although De Gama’s success enabled Portugal to establish a monopoly over spice trade (p.45). His triumph and glory is more than enough to pay from all the expenses that were spent during his journey (Wolpert 1999, p.45).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Roupp (2001) also noted that technology can be also considered as one of Portugal’s motivating force for explorations (p. 236). The technological aspect means that as man continue to develop materials and tools to satisfy their needs, this brought them other opportunities. As for the case of Portugal, since they are able to build ships and sails that are highly capable or navigating the earth, soon they found it that if they can further enhance these materials and incorporate several functions such as incorporating military weapons like the cannons, for example, they can easily defeat their enemies and those who are creating conflicts and hindrances (Roupp 2001, p. 236).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, Roupp (2001) stressed that curiosity levels were readily high during the Renaissance period and thus, it became a motivational force for many nations to explore more of the unknown world (p.236).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the meantime, if one has to critically assess it, it is apparent that the goal for profit and revenues best explains the intensity of Portuguese explorations. As readily discussed, the passing years allowed Portugal to diversify its economic hold and control. Prince Henry’s focus on the exotic animal market shifted into another realm since the monarchy has also recognized the other benefits of voyages and expeditions. It can be also remembered that Portugal is also one of the pioneers of the slave trade in Africa. Since they have discovered more lands in the said continent, colonization was reshaped. From goods that are bartered, human trade became popular too. The cheap labor rendered by captured slaves and prisoners were seen as a good source of profit and income. Moreover, there is also the spice trade which further strengthened Portugal’s domination. Since they basically spearheaded the exploration quests and technology, they have readily capitalized on it. The return of investments was more than what they have expected. Portugal’s Failure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Portugal was basically at the apex of its exploration successes the country failed to see certain events that would eventually lead to its bitter downfall.   Perhaps this can be best explained by the country’s inability to manage all its colonies (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). It has been carefully discussed in this paper that Portugal was able to discover more lands. This readily means that once they have settled in those areas, they have to efficiently supervise all the activities that occur in it. This situation should not come as a surprise or it is rather expected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First of all, it is pretty impossible for Portugal to directly manage its colonies since they are miles away from each other. The empire has to send its people to those areas in order to ensure that everything falls in their proper places. But distant lands prohibit simultaneous coordination and interaction among the leaders. For the monarchy, it is pretty hard for it to establish appropriate solutions and regulations for their colonies unless they have actual experience of the problem that is being manifested in a particular area. It would take months and years before updates and reports can be handed to the King. The moment that actions are ratified and certain laws are promulgated, there is a strong tendency that the problem has already become worse or the approaches used are no longer applicable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition to that, viceroys and appointed leaders have to be financially supported by the monarchy. This is done to ensure that area rulers have enough supply of food and other materials to sustain their everyday lives and activities. But of course, the financial support came from the local residents’ taxes and hard-earned money. In the long run, there are also instances wherein the monarchy can no longer back-up and support these needs. This is most especially true if Portuguese leaders have already built their families in their respective colonies. As a result, the profits and revenues that they have collected from their colonies are barely enough for them to extend their stays and manage their specific domains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is also important to note that distance issues are also prone to illegal activities. Appointed leaders could be tempted by the seemingly lucrative activities that are present in their colonies. When monitoring, coordinating and interacting are rarely practiced, then there is no doubt that Portuguese found itself on the losing end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last but definitely not the least is the death of King Sebastian (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). This sad event proved to be a golden opportunity for Spain. King Philip II, who was the Spain’s rulers and King Sebastian’s uncle took over the latter’s position. What happened to Portugal then was that, it became Spain’s province (â€Å"Portugal† n.d). Relatively, the techniques and strategies that Portugal created and developed were exploited by Spain. Thus all the forthcoming success was now done in the name of Spain instead of Portugal. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Portugal is basically engulfed with the sweet promises of explorations and land discoveries. Although Roupp (2001) suggested that curiosity plays an important role, this aspect is outlasted by the need for profit and revenues (p.236). Once and for all, since Portugal has captured Ceuta, they have already recognized that if they can discover more lands, they can use the domain’s working force to their own advantage. They can ask the natives to produce goods that are widely popular in the European market. Moreover, it is pretty impossible to conclude that Portugal simply tried to know new routes for curiosity’s sake alone. The spice trade for example and the country’s domination and supremacy on the said area are manifestations of the unrelenting drive for both economic and geographic expansion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, since offshore management was not efficiently executed, such led to the downfall of what was once considered as the globe’s superpower. References Arnold, D. 2002. The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600. Routledge: USA Diffie, B   and Winius, D. (1977).  Ã‚   Foundations of the Portuguese Empire. Minnesota, USA:   Ã‚  Ã‚   University of Minnesota Press Gallagher, A. (2003). Prince Henry the Navigator: Pioneer of Modern Exploration. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York:    Rosen Publishing Group Inc Keefe, E. et. al (1977). Area Handbook for Portugal. Washington, DC: U.S. Government   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Printing Office Kiple, K and Omelas, K. 2000. The Cambridge World History of Food. Cambridge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   University Press: Edinburgh Livingstone, D. 1993. The Geographical Tradition: Episodes in the History of A Contested   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enterprise. Blackwell Publishing: USA Maddisson, A. 2006. The World Economy. OECD: France â€Å"Portugal† n.d. University of Calgary. Retrieved 18 March 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/portuguese.html Roupp, H. 2001. How to Prepare for SAT II. Barron’s: New York Wiarda, I. (2000). Handbook of Portuguese Studies. USA: Xlibris Corporation Wolpert, S. 1999. India. University of California Press: Berkeley Â