Was the French Revolution Worth It - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1446 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/06/26 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: French Revolution Essay Did you like this example? The French Revolution was a period of political upheaval that occurred in France during the latter half of the 18th century. This revolution marked an end to the system of feudalism and absolute monarchy in France and a rise to democracy and new Enlightenment ideas. By 1789, when the revolution began, France was in a deep financial crisis due to the debt they had obtained over many years of reckless spending and France was nearly bankrupt. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Was the French Revolution Worth It?" essay for you Create order These financial issues fell almost completely on the bottom social class or the Third Estate which made up a majority of the country. Because of this financial trouble the common people were heavily taxed leaving many of them in poverty. In addition to the economic issues, France also held an Estate System that led to heavy social inequality. This oppression of the Third Estate along with the financial problems that fell on the common people would lead to the French Revolution. Overall, the people of France revolted against the monarchy because of the unsuccessful estate system and the inequality it led to, because of the new enlightenment ideas that inspired them, and because of the failures of the monarchy. First, the French Revolution was a result of the failed estate system and the extreme economic and social inequality it led to. Under the rule of Louis XVI, the people of France were divided into three main social classes or estates as they are called. The First Estate featured wealthy members of the Church such as Bishops and Priests who held great political power due to their influence on government affairs. The Second Estate was a class comprised of the wealthy nobles and political officials who held all power in government affairs. These two estates made up only 3% of the French population and yet owned a good portion of the land and held all the political and social power. The Third Estate is the last of the estates and makes up 97% of the population. The Third Estates includes the Bourgeoisie or the middle class, the common workers, and the peasants. Despite being the largest of the three Estates, it held no political power and was forced to pay 50% income tax and an additional 10% of tax to the Church. Because the people were losing 60% of their overall income they were barely surviving and many were starving and destitute. Because of the heavy taxation of the largest population of people Frances economy was not allowed to grow because of the heavy taxes on the working class. This led to widespread impoverishment and hunger among the common people. The Bourgeoisie was able to get by due to their minor wealth being at the top of the Third Estate but the workers and peasants did not have the money to support themselves. The people of France began to starve and could not pay to feed themselves or their families. This lack of food can be attributed to not only the drought that hit France but the Estate System which let the rich retain all their wealth while the poor lower class who needed the money the most was taxed leaving them almost penniless. The Estate System also led to heavy resentment by the Third Estate against the First and Second Estate. This res entment would play a large role in the outcome of the Revolution. In addition to being taxed heavily and the widespread economic inequality there was also social inequality because the Third Estate held no political power. The Third Estate had no say in political affairs and had no votes. This lack of representation in government led people to resort to the violent tactics of the French Revolution. The people revolted against Louis XVI because of the Estates Systems heavy taxes that led to the destitution and starvation of the French people and the lack of political power they enjoyed in Frances political sphere. Second, the French Revolution can be attributed to the rise in Enlightenment ideas in France and the new views it led to. The Ideas represented in the Enlightenment were popular amongst the Third Estate and began to spread like wildfire. They took the ideas of Locke and Voltaire and put them to use by demanding more power and representation in government affairs. They began to questions the system of government that had ruled over them for hundreds of years and demanded the ideals given to them by great political thinkers of the enlightenment. Quoting Rousseau and Voltaire, they began to demand equality, liberty, and democracy.(pg. 652) They took the beliefs and ideals of freedom and democracy and began to demand them which led to calling of the Estates-General. They looked at the American Revolution as a model for their revolution and what they should demand from the government. As these ideas spread amongst the majority of the population the thought of revolution grew nearer until it culminated in the Court House Oath where the National Assembly officially declared their revolution against Louis XVI. In complete, the ideas born in the enlightenment from political thinkers such as Locke and Rousseau inspired the Third Estate to rebel against the monarchy by giving them a model for a better system of government and a new outlook on what government should be. Lastly, the French Revolution occurred because of the failures of the monarchy. The French King at the time, Louis XVI, was a weak, indecisive leader who despite his benign intention failed to lead France due to his incompetence. Louis XVI ran up a hefty amount of debt during his support of the American Revolution and his military campaigns in the West Indies which were intended to regain territory lost in the Seven Years War. Although Louis XVI inherited a good amount of debt from previous rulers his reckless spending and failure to address the financial issue at hand led to even greater debt and economic turmoil. The Kings wife Marie Antoinette only aggravated the financial situation with her reckless spending on jewelry, gowns, and irresponsible gambling. She racked up so much debt that she was given the nickname, Madame Deficit by the people of France. Furthermore, Marie Antoinette gave poor advice to her husband Louis XVI that he would take heed to over his official advisors. Lo uis XVI solution to Frances economic troubles was taxing the Third Estate heavily at almost 50% income tax. Comte DAntraigues said, The Third Estate is the People and the People is the foundation of the state. (pg. 652) This quote gives insight into how if a leader taxes heavily the working class then the economy of that country will suffer because the Third Estate is the majority of the French economy. By taxing the common people business cannot grow and the economy begins to decline. Louis XVIs taxation of the Third Estate seriously hurt the French economy and only helped the debt on a small level. But by 1789, not even taxing the Third Estate was enough to help Frances economic issues and Louis XVI summoned the Estates-General to vote on a new tax on the nobles. This last ditch effort to fix Frances economic turmoil was too little and too late and would incite the revolution. In the years leading up to the French Revolution drought was widespread in France leading to famine in th e Third Estate. Louis XVI was unable to provide the people with food that they badly needed and instead taxed them further to pay for Frances financial debt. All of this led to anger amongst the Third Estate because they were starving and still being taxed above the wealthy First and Second Estate. The people were fed up with living in poverty and constantly being hungry and so they revolted in order to ensure a more fair system of government. Overall, the people revolted against the monarchy because they were unable to provide food and financial stability to the majority of the people and were unable to limit reckless spending and instead heavily taxed the poor Third Estate. In conclusion, the French Revolution was a result of the failures of Louis XVIs rule, the estate system, and the enlightenment ideas. The Third Estate were oppressed and subject to economic and political injustice which led them to yearn for a better system of government and a better life supplied by the enlightenment ideas. Many of them were impoverished and starving, caused by the Estate System and the failures of the monarchy which led them to revolt for a better life. Overall, Leading issues that led to the French Revolution were the issues with the Estate System, the inspiration by the ideas of the enlightenment, and the failure of the monarchy to provide for the common people.

Airborne Study Case Example

Essays on Airborne Study Case Assignment Airborne Case Study Airborne Questions Q1. Express mail industry has evolved over the years since individuals and businesses have increased their expenditures from $16- $17 of shipments within the United States. Moreover, the company has shifted to overnight shipping in the distribution of products and services delivery. These changes within express mail industries has increased their structural delivery to major parts of the world since many customers view them as reliable with overnight delivery of products to different destinations around the world(Rivkin, 1998,p. 1). On the contrary, the changes have affected small competitors because of increased shipment volumes from 15-20% annually, and prices fell while total revenue of other competitors grew by only 10-15% annually. Moreover, competitors have the challenge to cope with other industries because changes in their total revenues generate differences in the total revenue annually. Q2 The company’s SWOT and PORTER’S analysis work in conjunction to assist in its development. The SWOT analysis divides as follows Strengths The company does aggressive marketing strategies since 1970s. Moreover, it nationally advertises mottoes especially when it has to provide services overnight. Weakness Physical distribution and networking of the company poses an extensive infrastructure that denies customer service and information to the management posing as the major weakness of the company Opportunities Many business and individuals use an express company to deliver services and ship their parcels and documents around the world. Hence, it creates more opportunity for the company to develop worldwide in the delivering it is services against competitors. Threats The Company faces threats of high competition in the market that may, in turn, reduce its customer base and profitability. The Porter’s Five analysis of the company is as follows Threat of new entrants in the market The company has threats in the new market such as Federal Express that entail 45% of the domestic express mail market and became leading in the industry. Bargaining power of suppliers Suppliers of the company bargain in terms of transportation and container charges of the packages. The bargaining power of suppliers increases the rivalry intensity within the company. Bargaining power of customers Its customers bargain as they compare charges of service delivery with other competitors. It develops and generates pressure on the quality of service delivery since the companies’ fears to lose customers. Threats of substitute products The substitute performance of other companies had various challenges in the cost of their changes. Low cost for changing of products for substitutes gives an opportunity of a threat to other products. The Degree of competitive rivalry The degree of competitive rivalry was high since UPS company generated intense competition by allocating 15% pre-tax profits in the buying of their stock that attracted many customers to UPS Company. Q3 Airborne has survived through establishing five regional air hubs that distributed around different nations (Rivkin, 1998, p. 5). Moreover, it shared facilities with it is competitors such as UPS traditional ground network, that enabled the company to cope with it is competitors around the world. It has recently prospered in the industry since it has built several warehouse space on it is Wilmington property and further leasing the property to customers. Q4. According to Rivkin (1998), the quantification of airborne advantages begins with the companies’ ability to have large warehouse across the world. Moreover, it is the leading preferred express mail company with over one billion customers across the globe. Additionally, the company has 336, 000 employees, 160,000 trucks and roughly 500 aircrafts that deliver 12 million parcels each day generating more than $22 billion per day, and the profits margins keep going up. Q5. The Chief Executive Officer has to develop ways of competing and coping with new developers in the mailing industry for the company to remain relevant in the market industry. Besides, the CEO has to consult with technology experts to reduce competition with UPS, by investing heavily in technology especially in the federal express information technology competency. Q6. The best business strategy of the airborne company in competing with UPS and FedEx include the development of a chart that deals with the following aspects interconnectivity. The main focus of the business strategy includes a focus on technology and operations, customers and markets, projects and competition, management and organization and finally people and culture. The linking and considerations of these aspects develops performance and growth of the airborne company. Q7 DHL acquisition has risen over the years, through the increase of customer services within the company as shown in the diagram below From the diagram above, DHL acquisition has increased in us millions over the years from 2008 to 2012 in annual revenue growth References Rivkin, J. W. (1998, February). "Airborne Express." Harvard Business School Case 798-070. (Revised May 2007).

Ebay Vs Amazon free essay sample

Introduction Amazon and Ebay are two well-known brands of online shopping sites. They have evolved and grown from small firms to the giants of e-commerce today. In this essay, a comparison would be made between the two firms. Questioning the types of business models Amazon and Ebay’s have employed and how they have evolved over time, the driving factors of change, and finally the future outlook of each firm help distinguish the trails both firms made to become the two leaders in the market of ecommerce. They are imperative in making a comparison between the two because despite being direct competitors in the same market, Amazon and Ebay’s business models are distinctly different. Both companies have altered business strategies over time due to different reasons as well. The one similarity maybe the size of market share and growth of both companies as well as the large customer base both possesses. Addressing these issues would help analyze both firms from its inception up til this day as well as give an opportunity for propositions to be made for the firms’ future. 1. Multi-sided Platforms One common but important feature between both firms is the fact that their business models are centered around being a multi-sided platform. A â€Å"Multi-sided Platform brings together two or more distinct but interdependent groups of customers. † (Ankaruju, 2010). Typically the basic two groups would be buyers and sellers and are together to interact with minimal intervention from the intermediary, maintaining just simple affiliation with the intermediary. However, the success of a multisided platform depends on having a significant size of installed base of all sides of customers. The larger the number of buyers and sellers, the larger the value of the system as one group needs the other. This creates a â€Å"Network Effect†, which comes in forms of direct or indirect effects. Direct effects, also known as â€Å"bandwagon effect† (Leibenstein,1950 cited in Besen, n. d. ) arise when number of customers subscribing to the platform increases. Indirect network effects or â€Å"inter-network externalities†(Salehnejad, 2012) occur for one group of the platform as the number of the other groups and vice versa. When this effect snowballs, it creates a â€Å"positive feedback loop†, where an increase in number of each group only aids to increase each other’s network effect. These effects help elevate the total value of the platform. 2. 1 Amazon: History and Initial Business Model Amazon began as a bookshop opened by Jeff Bezos in 1995. It opened in Seattle to minimize tax to transactions made in its small town providing a small advantage in Amazon’s initial set up. (Krishnamurthy, 2004) Bezos’s initial vision was accredited to the fact the internet was growing at a very rapid rate and had huge potential for online retailing. He said â€Å"Real estate is the key cost of physical retailers† whereas â€Å"technology gets cheaper every year. † (Krishnamurthy, 2004) Subsequently Bezos mentioned this: â€Å"First, you can use computers to sort, search and organize. Second, you can create a super-valuable customer proposition that can only be done online, and that is selection†. (Krishnamurthy, 2004) As such scalability, mass customization and innovation formed Amazon’s initial model. Amazon’s Internet retail model put itself on a different competitive plane than its competitors. Its strategy’s strength lay in the limitless number of choices available online compared its brick and mortar counterparts; Barnes Noble and Borders carrying only â€Å"175,000 titles†. Amazon’s current sales rate of â€Å"$1. 2 billion† far exceeds B N superstores of â€Å"$5 million†. In addition, Amazon has spent a mere â€Å"$56 million on fixed assets† while B N has spent a huge $472 million on expanding its superstores, showing huge economies of scale. (Hof and Himelstein, 1999) 2. 2 Amazon: Evolution of Business Model In 1998 and 1999 Amazon started to intruduce products ranging from Music to Home improvement (Krishnamurthy, 2004). Its strategy was to â€Å"get big fast† and diversify its brand in order to dominate such a market as remaining a bookseller was too small a market. Amazon intended to benefit from cross selling on the basis that it already has a loyal installed base in place. (Krishnamurthy, 2004) Amazon also benefited from economies of scope as its basic infrastructure is already in place and highly scalable. Three building blocks complement this: Amazon’s feedback system, recommendation system and its buy/sell system. Its recommendation system accounts for 35% of Amazon’s sales as customers are more inclined to buy a product based on the strength of the reviews of other customers. It also brought repeated purchasers that account for 66% of sales. (Salehnejad, 2012) Also, Amazon has emphasized on building â€Å"several distribution centers around the world to hasten deliveries†(Hof and Himelstein, 1999). Coupled with its software it provides a â€Å"laser-like focus on the buying experience†(IT Business Edge, 2012). Such a system and service is what draws customers towards Amazon and subsequently retains them. In 1999, Amazon became a merchant platform by introducing zShop, â€Å"a new service that allows anyone to sell merchandise through its website†. (Moore, 1999) It not only creates extra revenue from the $9. 99 monthly subscription fee from sellers but also â€Å"60 cents per transaction for payments made with 1-Click, as well as 4. 75 percent of the final sale†. (Moore, 1999) The draw for small to medium business to subscribe to Amazon’s zShops would be Amazon’s huge customer base of 8 million. (Hansell, 1999) and also low start up costs to set up businesses. These firms get to take advantage of Amazon’s huge network and in turn help bring more products and traffic to Amazon without incurring huge start-up costs. (Hansell, 1999) Such reinforcing mechanisms are an example of direct network effects of using a merchant platform model. Amazon also introduced its Auction system in 1999. This placed it in direct competition with Ebay, already a very established auction house â€Å"with a market value of nearly $20billion† (Hansell, 1999). Despite its risk, Amazon intends to have a slice of that market share, hoping to bring its 8 million users on board with this. (Hansell, 1999) This would create a separate option of its usual fixed pricing as auction provides an outlet for dynamic prices not only helps capture a wider range of consumers and add traffic but also provide a way â€Å"to get the most from overstocks and returns† and provide higher â€Å"gross margins†. (Hof and Himelstein, 1999) However more importantly, it helped move Amazon into a two-sided platform. It did away with the chicken-and-egg problem having both sellers and buyers already on board its merchant platform. The incentives of this would be the positive feedback loops of indirect network effects. As sellers and buyers interact and grow, the value of one group to another grows and a by-product of this is Amazon becoming a more valuable platform to each group as well. Amazon then starts to lock in each group of its platform as switching costs become higher. (Salehnejad, 2012) It is not dissimilar to Facebook with its users and advertisers all interdependent on each other. (Salehnejad, 2012) As of now Amazon has extended its platform to consist of â€Å"customers, technology, e-commerce expertise, distribution centers, and brand†. It opened other services such as Cloud Computing, sharing its shipping services, Fulfilment, and its online sales systems to other businesses. (Jopson, 2012) This diversification allowed revenues to flow in from other places. In short, Amazon has created a whole new centralized ecosystem that is tightly controlled and is now inviting other businesses to share in its benefits and aid in its expansion. Amazon is â€Å"reinventing the way entrepreneurs can do business† and is trying to â€Å"colonise the entire infrastructure of consumption†(Jopson, 2012). It has moved from a warehouse to a â€Å"powerhouse† (Jopson, 2012) that has a huge influence on other firms. somewhat akin to a natural monopoly with natural barriers. Right now in 2012, Amazon has released its â€Å"Kindle Fire HD† in a bid to break into the market of mobile devices in order to extend its â€Å"shop† beyond the Internet and literally into the hands of consumers. It is a diversification on its business model but does not change its fundamental ecosystem where it is centralized and Amazon retains â€Å"pricing control over content† (Gans, 2012). It charges a much lower price for its Kindle as compared to Apple’s Ipad, intending to make profit out of its services and not its pruduct. 2. 3 Ebay: History and Initial business models Pierre Omidyar founded Ebay in 1995 and was built to sell antiques initially by auctions on the Internet. It was created through the motivations of geographical constraints on trading on antiques of which are rare and prices hard to determine. (Krishnamurthy, 2004) Similar to Amazon, the Internet formed an attractive place to reduce search and transaction costs of items. This model is however distinctly different from the traditional retail models such as Amazon’s. Omidyar intended it to be a â€Å"bazaar†, a place where sellers come to sell independently to buyers. (Krishnamurthy, 2004) The increased interactions created between buyers and sellers help add value to Ebay’s platform, creating indirect network effects. Ebay used a cross subsidization pricing strategy, charging only sellers (â€Å"5 percent of the sale price for items below $25, and 2. 5 percent for items more than $25†) (Krishnamurthy, 2004) and attracting buyers on the platform for free to create this two-sided platform. Ebay is also built on three main building blocks: Feedback system, Recommendation System, and its second price open (English) Auction system. (Salehnejad, 2012) Auctions to create â€Å"multilateral competition† as more than one seller bids for the item to aid in price discovery. Such a dynamic pricing strategy is different as compared to Amazon, which concentrates mainly on fixed prices. (Hof and Himelstein, 1999) Unlike Amazon, which invested heavily on physical warehouses, Ebay focused on being a pure two-sided platform, with no control on pricing and delivery. It remained a virtual intermediary between buyers and sellers (Krishnamurthy, 2004). The advantages of this are two-fold whereby it reduces and frees huge amounts of funds to â€Å"scale rapidly and move into foreign markets† (Salehnejad, 2012). Secondly, it does not sour the relationships between Ebay and its sellers as not much intervention is done such as price control or the way products are displayed. It is one of the reasons firms such as Toys R’ Us broke partnership with Amazon. (Jopsen, 2012) 2. 4 Ebay: Evolution of Business Model. Taking advantage of Ebay’s scalability, Ebay set up Ebay International, expanding its reach into the global markets to fully utilize its online features of selling antiques and extend its installed base. Having a bigger installed base in an auction market helped Ebay gain first mover advantage as well creating bigger barriers of entry and indirect network effects. (Salehnejad, 2012). This may be the reason why Yahoo and Amazon’s own auction services did not flourish as much as Ebay’s. Driven by Amazon’s introduction of its own auctions, eBay â€Å"forged a $75 million deal with America Online on March 25 199 to promote its eBay auctions on AOL†. (Krishnamurthy, 2004) With its basic infrastructure in place, Ebay expanded into other markets, becoming a multi-sided platform. Economies of scope also were realized here as much as economies of scale. In a bid to increase its services, Ebay bought PayPay for â€Å"1. 5 billion† in â€Å"July 2002† (Salehnejad, 2012). This helped increase efficiency for payments to be made. However this coupled with the fact Ebay withholding control over distribution causes a lack of control over consumer experience. This formed the difference between Amazon’s centralized ecosystem compared to Ebay’s decentralized one. (Dixon, 2012). Ebay’s model could be argued to contribute more attention towards the sellers and less towards its sellers. As far as dynamic prices is concerned, Ebay did not solely concentrate on this alone as it opened Ebay Stores in 2001 where sellers including retailers could sell their products based on fixed prices on Ebay’s site. (Salehnejad, 2012). It is a build on Ebay’s initial auction model and could be due to the fact that increased competition between other online platforms and similar products cause prices to go down as with profit margins. It also became easier to place a price on products and therefore reduces the attractiveness of auctions. (Salehnejad, 20123). Auctions are also more cumbersome and time consuming as compared to fixed pricing where Amazon’s innovation of â€Å"one click buying† further exacerbates this. Thus the need for Ebay’s extension into fixed price selling. (Hof and Himelstein, 1999) Other services that Ebay develop include Ebay Motors, Ebay Professional Service, Ebay Local Trading. However its main business model does not change as much, remaining an e-community and not just a online retail service like Amazon. ( Krishnamurthy, 2004) 3. Propositions for the future 3. 1 Ebay Ebay could expand its dominance in the future and maintain competition by breaking into the mobile app market. By spreading its services through handheld devices similar to Amazon’s Kindle Fire, it could further extend its ecosystem, adding value to its platform and attract and retain its installed base, Due to its decentralized nature of business, Ebay could put more emphasis on creating a more cohesive and efficient system between its acquisitions and its customer service as well. Being more buyer orientated would help increase customer satisfaction and increase switching costs between its competitors such as Amazon. It could create more innovative site designs and buying methods, comparable to Amazon’s â€Å"one-click buying† (Hof and Himelstein, 1999) method. More radical methods would be for Ebay to further differentiate its platform by perhaps moving into the offline markets, opening physical stores where its a â€Å"$10tn† market compared to $5bn commerce market† especially since online commerce only contributes to â€Å"5%† of total retail sales. (Dembosysky, 2012) If it could work and partner with brick and mortar retail shops, it would further extend its platform and perhaps easier distribution of its products. 3. 2 Amazon Likewise Amazon could work on moving onto the offline markets as well, investing physical stores. With its many warehouses and distribution centres in place it could take advantage of this to set up its own physical stores near the vicinity instead of just working in partnerships. It adds on to its centralized ecosystem and customer satisfaction can be ensured better, especially since Amazon prides itself on being a customer-centric firm. In addition to this, Amazon could perhaps partner with the fast growing markets of social media, creating an extra medium in which it could extend its services. If it could tap into social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter and its vast consumer base, it could greatly extend its installed base. The internetwork effects would be huge as well as being part of a social media and Amazon would greatly add value and lock in consumers as switching costs become extremely high. This would also be a form differentiating its platform. Conclusion Both Amazon and Ebay consist of multi-sided platforms but their business models are vastly different. Despite being the giants in e-commerce, their paths are different in many ways despite being direct competitors. Amazon’s centralized ecosystem for one is distinct form Ebay’s decentralized one. As Amazon moves its attention to wards its sellers and firms, it also strives to cut into the market of mobile apps. This is compared to Ebay who has intentions on breaking into the offline markets. Although it is said that multi-sided platforms and its strategies are a â€Å"winner-takes-all† platform, both firms still retain a substantial consumer base and a share in the market. In conclusion it can be said that despites both firms growing ecosystems, it could be possible to for both firms to profit and expand further. In other words, the world of e-commerce is not a â€Å"zero-sum game† (Dembosky, 2012). Both Amazon and Ebay can be winners. References

Revolution free essay sample

Alma Achiever Professor Gordon English 2336 CRY 35993 9 Mar. 2013 Essay Exam #1 The Message speaks to Idea that It Is Testes[yell] against their Grandmaster Flash and the Furious five state in the beginning of their song, Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice; which lets you know that they are captive of the situation they live in (82). As much as they try to get far away from the violence and poverty they live In, they cannot do so, they are captive. They testify against the streets and how they do not let them progress but instead puts them down.If Its not someone dying or getting robbed, it is children dropping out of school. This only keeps the cycle going, as children drop out of school following others footsteps, because as they grow up they will not be able to break free from their captors. They will also be captive of the poverty, streets, drugs and violence that surround them. We will write a custom essay sample on Revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Without an education there is no way you can ever leave a situation like that. In the song The Message one of the rhetorical strategies that Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five used was pathos.Though this song uses all three of the rhetorical strategies, pathos was the one that stood out to me In very particular way. They sing, Dont push me cause Im close to the edge, Im trying not to lose my head, is a perfect example of the use of pathos in the song (Flash 83). That shows you that he is at breaking point in his life and it is tired of everything around him. You hear the frustration that he feels as he has had to dealt with Just about every possible bad thing you could think of. Though he has endured all the obstacles put In front of him. Ere is no way he is going to be able to survive another one of lifes test. The situation they have had to face on daily basis has brought them to their breaking point, and who knows what they will be capable of doing, not only to themselves but others. One of the many social issues talked about in this song, is the high school dropout. In this quote Grandmaster Flash talks about what children grow up looking up to and they want to be Just like them: Youll admire all the number book-takers Thugs, pimps, and pushers and the big money makersDriving big cars, spending twenties and tens And you want grow up to be Just like them, huh Pickpockets, peddlers, even panhandlers You say, Im cool, huh, Im no fool But then you wind up dropping out of high school (84). The teenagers see what their big brothers, uncle s, and even fathers are doing as their daytime Job and they see It as something perfectly normal. They grow up with a mentality that you do not need school to have a good life. Not having anyones example to follow will drive most of these teens out of high school. As they grow up OFF the need of an education and not only do they find it cool, it is the easy way out.You do not need to go to school to become a drug dealer, a thug, or a pimp. During the sass, the city of Bronx, New York, where Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five lived in, was experiencing a high level of violence and poverty, which caused many of its teenagers to drop out of school. Daddy, I dont want to go to school, Cause the teachers a Jerk, is one of the quotes from The Message about how teens no longer wanted to go to school (Flash 83). During this time there was a lot of drug dealing in low-income neighborhoods and many of the teens were recruited to sell by friends that also dropped out of school. It was an ongoing cycle; they followed their friends right out of high school. This songs purpose was to open peoples eyes and put their full attention on this very important issue and show how much teenagers are being influenced into dropping out of school. This issue was not only relevant when the song was written but it also is in todays generation. This issue is still very relevant today; if you ask anyone if they know a high school dropout, chances are they know more than one.The reason have not all changed from the sass, because many dropout for the same reasons, easy money. Drugs and violence is still a very common factor that pushes many of high school students out of school. Teen pregnancy has also become another factor that forces teen parents out of school because they have to work to support their families. The cases that I know of, most consist of teen pregnancies. I have personally met people that can not take he pressure and responsibilities that come with a going to school and working full time. In African American literature, the vernacular refers to the church songs, blues, ballads, sermons, stories, and, in our own era, hip hop songs that are part of the oral, not primarily the literate (or written-down) tradition of black expression. (Gates 3). The selection The Message falls perfectly into the vernacular, as it is a hip-hop song. This song like many other ways of music and art, is a way of expression that African Americans use to tell their stories. It says in the vernacular that character types of black American life are reflected in language are portrayed in these different genres of music (Gates 4). In the hip hop selection I choose they showed the stories of the lives of different people like when they say crazy lady, living in a bag, which is talking about a homeless person (Flash 83). This song also shows the struggles that they have to go through living in a low-income neighborhood and how it is like being an African American there. At the end of the song there is a dialogue hat is very important to song and its meaning as a whole; a police officer shows up out of nowhere when they were not doing any harm to anyone and says to them after being asked what the problem was, muff the problem, you the problem (Flash 85).And this Just connects to the vernacular, how they expressed themselves and told how they have struggled through their music, or any other sort of expression. My selection falls under the genre of hip-hop as it makes room for young black performers to address black audiences concerning serious matters of comportment and the urgent need for fundamental change, whic h is what The Message by Grandmaster Flash does (Gates 80). This song is addressing the young black community asking for a change their perspectives of life.These performers are violence, poverty, and high school dropouts. Grandmaster Flash says, Its like a Jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder How I keep from going under, he is saying it so tough, that he does not know how he has not been consumed by everything (82). In a way he is giving some type of motivation to others that are in the same resistances, that you do not have to let yourself be consumed by the drugs, the money, and violence.

Journey To America Essays - Sonia Levitin, Book Of Ruth,

Journey To America Journey to America written by Sonia Levitin, is the one of the greatest books that was ever published. The book showed the how a family could survive in tough times, and yet survive to live great. The book is well written, well thought of and well done. The book is great to read and great to tell about, that why you're hearing it right now. Now listen now and think about reading it later... The book started in Germany where the Platt family was living and staring their quest out of the hellhole. During the starting it explains that the family tried to live in Brazil but didn't succeed so they returned back to Germany. About after that is where the book starts, and the family decides that the location is America and their new home. First their father " papa" leaves to America and advises that he will send for them. After about 4 days they receive a letter that he is ok. Then about after 2 weeks, he sends a letter that he got a job as a janitor, and tells them that the next letter is to leave Germany. Then after a week and a half, he sends instructions on their way to Zurich. Then the family leaves leaving their family behind. They get there and get the room where Papa said to stay, and there were a letter that explained how to get to America. Also telling them that a letter will come to go to the next point of the plan. Then they head to France, then Catch a boat and reach America where their father is waiting. The book was ravishing with important events, but there were 3. It was when their Papa leaves, when they leave Germany, and when they get to America. Though the ending was so predictable, it was that they get to America, and they finally see their father. The Main Character Lisa was changed a little bit because that she left her home and family/friends. Basically she left everything, and the reason was just to survive. Other people and other events changed the main character by Ruth telling her not to be honest just not to leave the camp to survive longer. Also by Mama teaching them that they have tot live poor but live. Lisa, during these times had to completely change. Lisa's traits are Caring, Loving, truthful, and strong (mentally). The Book had a unique place and time which was Germany during World War 1 because they were in Hitler's wrath. The setting of the Book made the book more exciting by the Nazis hating the Jews, and making life for the Jews extremely harsh. The setting made the Platt's flee Germany, and go to America where life would be more applicable. I think that the setting had a perfect role in the story because it was a survival book, where the family left to survive. I believe when Sonia Levitin wrote this book she intended that the theme of the book was survival. Survival was the theme of the book because it focussed on how the Platt's left Germany just to survive. The time was World War 1 and Jews were hated and the Platt's were Jews so the let to the land of the free. The book showed the reader how it was like to be a Jew in that time and place. I believe it must have been horrible for them how they had to leave everything, and start over. Other themes expressed by the Author was kindness and courage because they're were people that total didn't know them yet helped them, also how the Platt's started over. This is the good part in which you're done hearing about the book so you know now that it's a good book. Now you either have 2 choices either I keep on talking or you go and read the book. Read the book its good for you.

Life in Dadaab 2 Essay

Life in Dadaab 2 Essay Life in Dadaab 2 Essay Running Head: LIFE IN DADAAB Life in Dadaab: A comparison of the ways different media outlets treat the world’s largest refugee camp Life in Dadaab: A comparison of the ways different media outlets treat the world’s largest refugee camp Introduction: Through the conscious use of journalistic techniques, global media coverage presents a range of distinct – and often conflicting – perspectives on global issues. This is clearly evidenced through media coverage of the Dadaab refugee camp; in particular through contrasting perspectives surrounding: 1. The conditions faced within the camp 2. The responsibility of the Kenyan government to host Somli refugees 3. The perceived permanence of Dadaab In addressing these contentious issues, national, regional and global media take very different stances. This is revealed through a close analysis of five media articles: the British Broadcasting Corporation (Gitani, 2011); Reuters (Ali, 2012); United Nations News Centre (UN, 2012); allAfrica (Smith, 2012); Kenya Broadcasting Centre – KBC – (KNA, 2012).1 The facts of Dadaab in these five depictions remain constant; rather it is the choice of facts to include, and the techniques employed by journalists which lead to five very different narratives concerning the world’s largest refugee camp. Issue 1: The conditions faced within the camp Whilst the BBC (Gitani, 2011) and UN (UN, 2012) articles emphasize the positive physical conditions of life in the refugee camp, the Reuters (Ali, 2012) opinion piece tells a very different story through its depiction of the â€Å"pitiful conditions† of Dadaab. The BBC’s (Gitani, 2011) choice to interview a â€Å"bride-to-be,† an â€Å"aspiring journalist† and a â€Å"tireless doctor† immediately sets the scene for the success story that the BBC article aspires to convey. A string of positive emotive words such as – â€Å"happier†, â€Å"hope†, â€Å"peace†, â€Å"tranquilly†, and â€Å"positive† – create an optimistic tone which permeates the entire article. The story of the camp’s forthcoming marriage creates a particularly positive impression of Dadaab life which is enforced by the articles visual element: a colourful photograph of the bride smiling widely with her nice. The BBC also note the improvement of educational facilities, as a school is upgraded from classes held â€Å"under trees† to a â€Å"huge tent to shelter children.† The UN article (Un, 2012) closely follows this approach, with an account that enphasizes sucessful decisions of the UN as part of a broad strategy to â€Å"improve the camp’s conditions.† The web layout of the UN News Center plays an important role in increasing relaiability, as the official seal of the UN and absence of advertisements gives credence to the legitimacy of the site. In stark contrast to the optimistic treatment of Dadaab by the BBC and UN, Reuters (Ali, 2012) emphasises what they describe as the â€Å"pitiful conditions† of the camp. The article is carefully structured, with an opening sentence intended to shock the audience into an emotional response: â€Å"Nadifo Farah is traumatised by the death of her baby as she fled Somalia, but she has no time to grieve as she battles to keep her five other children alive in the world’s biggest refugee complex† Notably, the BBC and Reuters rely on similar techniques in the creation of seemingly polar opposite worlds. While each article relies on the personal testimony of refugees, - in the case of the BBC (Gitani, 2011) this personalisation is deepened through an audio link to the actual interviews – the individuals they chose to interview proves crucial to how these sources seek to frame the conditions of the camp. Issue 2: The responsibility of the Kenyan government to host Somali refugees While global media outlets, such as Reuters (Ali, 2012), emphasise Kenya’s international responsibility to protect vulnerable refugees, regional and national news sources such as allAfrica News (Smith, 2012) and Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) (KNA, 2012)

Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies Essay

Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies - Essay Example Now in the context of the study the two chosen companies are Apple Inc and Prismo Graphics. Before getting into deep the report will present brief overviews of both the companies. After that, the report will offer merger and acquisition strategies of both Prismo Graphics and Apple. Also in this segment recommendation will be also provided regarding the business level and corporate level strategies. Apple Inc: A Brief Overview The roots of Apple Inc. can be traced back to the early 1976 when the company was established by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak. The company is presently headquartered at Apple Campus, 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, USA (Yahoo Finance, n.d.). Along with its subsidiaries, the company manufactures and sells desktop computers, laptops, mobile communication devices, portable music players, and various other digital gadgets. Some of the best sellers of the company are I-pad, I- Phone, Mac OS, and I-pod. From the time of its inception, the company has always focused on manufacturing innovative and unique products. The company also has the knack of producing those products, which the world has never seen. It has a worldwide presence and operates with 370 exclusive Apple stores. Apart from the hardware department, the company is also famous for its software division. Some of the noteworthy software embraced by Apple is Mac OS, I-tunes, Quick time player, I-work and logic studio among others (Apple Store, n.d.). In the context of merger and acquisition, Apple also has a long tradition. The first acquisition came in the year 1988, when Apple acquired Network Innovations. Prismo Graphics: A Brief Overview Prismo Graphics was founded in the year 1987. The company has its operation throughout USA. Prismo Graphics is presently headquartered at Oregon, United States. The company is basically involved in the business of developing animated stuff for the corporate and broadcast media arena. However the primary goal of the company is to create prospects for the ‘Digital Content Creator’. In this context the company improves the messages of the web, corporate video, print and broadcast media by adding graphics and animation. The company has employee strength of 50-100 and the total revenue us around $10 million - $25 million. In the year 2002, the company was acquired by Apple Inc (Wit & Meyer, 2010, p.688). Merger and Acquisition Strategy of Apple Apple is a company which always focuses on the development of unique and innovative products (Whetten & Cameron, 2008, p.208). However having speciality in every field of business is complex and therefore Apple has the philosophy of acquiring small and medium firms and integrating it within the existing projects. Furthermore the company also strives to increase their product line. This can be cited as one of the rationales behind the acquisition of Prismo Graphics by Apple. It has helped the company to start their operations in the field of animation. The pu rchase also continued Apple’