Is the Panama Canal Sustainable?

The Panama Canal was completed in 1914 by the United States. The 51 mile long route cuts through Panama at the narrowest point between North and South America to connect the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Panama is in Central America between Columbia and Costa Rica. The Panama Canal The canal was built to and save ships from Europe and Africa going the entire way around the bottom tip of South America (the red route on the map), to reach western Asia. The canal cuts through Panama and allows most ships to pass through it so save on cost and time (the green route on the map). By building this canal, shipping has been given an enormous advantage, as ships no longer have to sail around the tip of South America to reach either ocean and sailing time is drastically reduced. Investigating the natural environment The climate in Panama is hot and humid, with a prolonged rainy season (May to January) and a short dry season (January to May). The region's normal daily temperature is 26 degrees Celsius and varies little throughout the year, perhaps 2-3 degrees. During the evening hours, however, the temperatures change more considerably, and can fluctuate as much as 6-10 degrees Celsius. There is a climate graph below showing the climatic conditions in Panama. Climate, rainfall and humidity graphs for Panama This graph shows that the rainy season does last from May to January and month with the highest rainfall in November with 569mm and the lowest rainfall in February with about 40mm of rain. This graph also shows that the average temperature throughout the year is around 26 degrees. There is very little seasonal variation in temperature but there are large seasonal fluctuations in rainfall. The humidity chart shows that the humidity is also high throughout the year, peaking between June and November, but only varying by 9% over the whole year. So between June and November, there is high humidity, high rainfall and on average, only 5 hours of sunshine a day as apposed to the 8 or 9 hours from January to April. A Sketch map of the panama region This map shows the rainforest and where the locks and the reservoirs are located. Man has had to create these reservoirs for the canal to function properly, meaning man has modified the drainage area. In order to make the reservoirs, much of the land has had to be flooded, rainforests and settlements also. This meant that many habitats were destroyed and many animals would have died as a result. Not only this, but substantial amounts of rainforest would have had to have been destroyed, that lay in the canal path and where the afore mentioned reservoirs are, again destroying habitats and killing animals. Along the route of the canal there is a series of 3 sets of locks that lower and raise the ships on their way to and from Atlantic and Pacific oceans. These locks are called the Gatun, Pedro Miguel and the Mira Flores locks. At Gatun there are 2 parallel sets of locks each consisting of 3 flights. This set of locks lift ships a total of 26 metres. The locks are constructed from concrete. More than 1.53 million cubic metres of concrete were used in the construction of the Gatun locks alone. The smallest set of locks along the Panama Canal are at Pedro Miguel and have one flight which raise or lower ships 10 metres. The Mira Flores locks have two flights with a combined lift or decent of 16.5 metres. Investigating the Social Environment Panama City is the largest city in panama. Its metropolitan area contains nearly one third of the nations inhabitants, about 1 million people. From 1980 to 1990 the city's population grew from 386,300 to 413,000. After 1990 the population again grew rapidly, increasing to 688,927. The city cannot cope with such rapid growth and there isn't enough accommodation for the whole population, so shantytowns start appearing, these are clusters of shacks, which the people build themselves. They make their ‘houses' out of anything they can find, corrugated iron, tyres and the like. These shantytowns accommodate only the poorest of the population as the richer citizens can afford the higher house prices in the city. This rapid urbanisation and the development of the shantytowns makes Panama City much more polluted. The shantytowns sprawl out from the City centre and start to intrude on the rainforests, then posing an ecological threat and threatening the sustainability of the Panama Canal. Urbanisation level This graph shows the percentage of urbanisation over the past 15 years and the predicted levels of the next 20 years. According to this graph urbanization is set to increase steadily over the next 25 years. The Panamanian government are moving people into the rainforest to give them a chance to rebuild lives and to escape the mass urbanisation and unhygienic conditions of the shantytowns. This relieves the congestion in the city and gives people new opportunities. Investigating the Economic Environment The Panama Canal is generating a lot of money for the people of Panama; it is not only a strong business and a power source, but a tourist attraction too. Many visitors come to visit the canal and bring a lot of revenue into the area, encouraging businesses to grow and prosper. The ships must pay over 15 hundred dollars to use the canal, so this brings a lot of revenue into the area. The Panama Canal can make the quality of life increase on one hand, but decrease on the other. The Canal brings a lot of revenue into the area although it can divide the social classes. The Canal creates a richer class, which are the people that profit from the canal, who continue to get richer as the canal brings in more and more money and a poorer class, as they have to move into the rainforest and live off the land with little or no money. It could also introduce crime into the area as the canal creates richer areas, with more valuable things in it, and with the poorer people living close by in the shantytowns, it is an open invitation for crime. If the Canal had to close, Panama would economically suffer immensely. Its main source of income would have dried up and the country's wealth would go down dramatically as a result. The shipping companies that use the canal would also suffer incalculably as their ships would have to sail around the tip of South America to reach the eastern world. Panama would have massive problems then with urbanisation, as people would flock to the city in hope of jobs, therefore the shantytowns will rapidly increase in size, posing new problems to the city. The Canal and it's reservoirs supply 700 000 people with fresh water. If the reservoirs cease to operate, then these people's water supply will be cut off. Evaluation If the Panamanian rainforest is cut down too much, the consequences will be dire. The canal will not be able to function properly as there will not be enough water in the reservoirs to sustain the canal. The tree's roots hold together the soil so if the trees are cut down during deforestation, then the soil becomes loose and with the huge amounts of rain that the area receives much of the soil will be washed away, into the reservoirs that feed the canal. If vast amounts of soil wash into the reservoirs then the soil occupies some of the volume of the reservoir, volume that could have been taken up by water. This means that the reservoirs cannot hold as much water as they were designed to hold. As the canal relies solely upon these reservoirs, depletion in the amount of water the reservoir could take would harm the canal's efficiency as every ship that travels through the canal takes with it an immense amount of water so there would not be the water available to work the canal, ultimately ensuring the closure of the waterway. Solutions The water in the lakes has been going down because of deforestation. The government have made a new â€Å"organic law† that allows the government to have the final say for any projects in the watershed zone. Three million dollars is being set aside to combat any environmental plans and satellite imaging is being set up so the government can view the area on a much larger scale and can see the real extent of the damage. This should enable the government to act quickly if they can see a potential threat. The Government must also regulate urbanisation as a spread of Panama City's unplanned, chaotic urbanization into the watershed would spell disaster for the canal, electricity supplies, and clean drinking water. However, the government are not perhaps taking the issue as seriously as they should be. In 1995, the government gave permission for a four-lane road to be built in the lower catchment of the watershed, ploughing straight through the national park. The Panama Canal can be sustainable if the correct precautions are taken to ensure that urbanisation and deforestation do not increase any more, otherwise, they will spiral out of control and the panama canal will have to close, ending many, many businesses in the local area and around the world.

Descartes’ Dualistic Conception of Human Nature

Descartes' Dualistic Conception of Human Nature Descartes' dualistic concept of human nature looks at two different aspects of all humankind: our mind and our body. These aspects are the exact opposite of one another. Our mind allows us to think the thoughts we have every day, and our body allows us to do the physical things within our day to day lives. Descartes came to this dualistic concept by using his theory of methodological doubt. The theory involved thinking about anything and everything he was ever taught.By thinking these things, he came to realize that many things he was told have been false, so he went back to the beginning. He did this by doubting everything he ever thought was true, to find at least one thing he could not doubt. When finally reaching that one truth, he was able to use it to be the foundation when furthering his search to find more things he could not possibly doubt. The first truth he was able to come to was something he referred to as â€Å"cogito erg o sum†(I think therefore I am).The cogito basically states that we are existing to the point in which we can think; however, when looking at the body (physical substance) we cannot be entirely certain that this is real in the sense that the physical things around us can all be imagined with the use of our minds. The thinking aspect of our dualistic selves can be making us believe the things we see or feel; therefore, we can doubt the physical. At the same, time we know we are thinking, so we cannot doubt the mind.This leads to Descartes' concept of how these two aspects are totally different. When looking at the physical and mental substances, one can see where Descartes is coming from. The mind can play tricks on us and make us believe that something is real and/or there when it really is not. There can be some sort of â€Å"puppet master† making us believe the physical things around us are real; however, when looking at the mind, we can argue that the mind, itself, is made up physical substance.Since the mind is in fact made up of physical substance, can it not be doubted as well? Can the â€Å"puppet master† not also be making us believe what we think is actually real? With the questions of doubting our mind, I come to my conclusion that Descartes' theory of methodological doubt in the sense of the mind and the body being two distinct characteristics of mankind, is in fact right; however, I do not think the part stating that we can doubt the physical substance (the body) is correct.If we were going to doubt all the physical substances in our life, we would also have to doubt our mind, which in turn would lead us to doubting almost every thought we have within our lifetime. Doubting some thoughts may lead us to great discoveries to help us figure out human nature; however, I do believe doubting every thought we have will only do us harm by causing us to push everything and everyone out of our lives. When this happens, we will not be happy –happiness is after all, what separates man from every other living thing in the world.

Reflection Paper on Passing by Nella Larsen Term

Reflection on Passing by Nella Larsen - Term Paper Example Irene was a woman who hated racism. Irene learns that Clare has been hiding her African inheritance throughout her wedding. Heatedly, Irene returns home and decides to keep away from Clare, but finds herself yielding to Clare's attraction once again. Clare wants to retort the black community and induces Irene to invite her to a social circle. During the dance, Irene resentfully comprehends that Clare seems to get along with everyone and grows disappointed with her. When Irene repeatedly watches Clare's luck augment concerning her hazardous risks, she feels endangered and in the end, kills Clare by pushing her out of the window. Not only does Clare pass in skin shade, but she also passes in societal rank, which intimidates Irene's outlook of the idyllic middle-class African American. Because Clare passes for white, marries a rich man and hides her African race. Although Irene resented the way Clare hid her African race but still she supported her because of the racial ties she shares with her. As Clare was afraid of what will happen if she will show that she is African. She thought that her social class will fall and she will lose all friends but Irene didn’t believe it to be true but still she doesn’t go against her as this would be against her rules as well.

Macroeconomics - exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Macroeconomics - exam - Essay Example The money supply can be influenced through three main tools which the Federal Reserve or the Central Bank of a country will use to either create money or reduce money. These options include 1. Changing the Required Reserve Ratio – Reserve Ratio can be described as the percentage of depositors balances which the banks are expected to have on hand as cash. The Federal Reserve can change this rate depending on whether it wish to reduce or increase money supply. When the ratio is lowered, the banks can lend out more funds, increasing the money supply. Conversely if the reserve ratio is increase, the banks have to lend less and keep more money in the reserves. 2. Chaniging the discount rate or the prime lending rate – at which the commercial banks borrow from the central bank can also create more money or less money. If the prime lending rate is low the commercial banks can borrow more and lend out to the economy which will create more money within the market. 3. Engaging in open market operations - By actively engaging in open market operations such as buying and selling of various credit instruments and foreign currencies or commodities, the Federal reserve can either create or reduce money. Open market operations allow central banks great flexibility in the timing and volume of monetary operations at their own initiative, encourage an impersonal, businesslike relationship with participants in the marketplace, and provide a means of avoiding the inefficiencies of direct controls. To calculate the reserves, the depositors money should be multiplied by the reserve rate stipulated by the Federal Reserve + 100. For example, If reserve rate is 10% and bank has deposits of $1 billion, it is required to have $110 million on reserve. If the bank has 220 billion in its reserve and depositors deposits are 190 billion then to find out the reserve

The Marketing Mix of Mini Cheddar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Marketing Mix of Mini Cheddar - Essay Example The good results of the company were because of the good strategy of the company price and product quality. However, the company needed to improve on promotion and the place as it caused the company some problems. The study through the questionnaire pointed out that the company needed to do more on its strategies to improve it marketing strategy and meet good customer base. Introduction The source of the information on this part was from Kenilson who is the author of the book, â€Å"Marketing (Daewin, 2011)† .Cheddars are products of baked Cheddar cheese, which are flavored with the British savory biscuits with granular crumby texture. Cheddars in the present market are sold under the McVitie’s. Mini cheddars came in as a result of diversification of the products by theMcvities’ as the sales of their unique products started to wane. They products became increasingly popular in the 1970s, which led to the introduction of new flavors in the market The flavors intro duced in include the Marmite, BBQ Beef, Pickle and Mature Cheddar. The new variety of crispier lined Mini Cheddars called Crinkly were also launched .The company strategy is to be the market leader in a competitive market to ensure their sales are higher and have a great customer base. Product quality and price plays a crucial role in the marketing strategy of the company. The company has customers in all categories which range from children to adults. The company products are unique and are of high quality. The company prices are reasonable and affordable to their cu8stomers.However, the questionnaire administered indicated that there is the need to improve on the strategy of promotion and the location of the company’s outlet (http://www.minicheddarusa.com/AboutUS MinicheddarHistory.php). Methodology In the process of administering the questionnaire I had four members in my team, Mary, Paul, and me. As a team we decided to sit down and decide to design the best questionnaire which we will carry research on the cheese brand and establish the concept of Marketing Mix. We came up with 20 closed questionnaires in order to come up with valid results from the respondents. Lastly, we administered the questionnaires on about 100 respondents in Upper Tilley Shopping mall and we managed to receive 80 feedbacks concerning the study. Results and the analysis of the Mini Cheddar The findings on the administered questionnaire were presented in percentage form. Majority of the correspondence to the questionnaire knew what Mini Cheddars and it represented 80% of the population. On the other hand, the number of those who did not know this product completely was 20% of the total samples in the questionnaire. The questions were entirely based on the 4P Marketing Mix strategy. Products The cheese products from the company is meant for several categories of people who include the children and adults and in order to meet the needs of these diverse groups of people the compa ny products should be of high quality. On the question on what the consumers look at in buying the Mini Cheddar products, many correspondents to the questionnaire said that they look at quality, which 35% of the total questionnaires administered. 20% of the questionnaires liked the taste of the products, thus making them to buy the product. Still on the product, most of the customers who responded to the questionna

Piracy and different aspect of piracy clause in the Charter Party Essay

Piracy and different aspect of piracy clause in the Charter Party contract - Essay Example Reported cases of these terroristic activities run across the globe. From the shores of Africa and South Asia to the waters of North and Latin Americas, piracy remains one of the critical concerns of most nations and still present an extreme endangerment and precariousness to travelers, especially those engaged in business. The internationally-recognized governing body for matters relating to the law and order of the sea, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea defined piracy as the illegal acts of violence committed towards the crew or passengers of a private ship (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982). These acts include but not limited to boarding, extortion, hostage-taking, kidnap-for-ransom, robbery and murder. This undeniable risk prompted a certain initiative, for both ship owners and merchants to craft an insurance coverage that would guarantee them peace of mind and ultimately, protection. â€Å"Attack by pirates or any attempt of theft is covered by this policy that works around the gravity of damage to the aggrieved party† (Global Marine Practice, 2010). This agreement is subscribed in the charter party, in the form of a clause specific about piracy. A written contract shall be entered upon by both the ship owner and the merchant (charterer) signifying their commitment to responsibility when piracy occurs. Theoretically, however, charter clauses on piracy are generally centered on preventing and minimizing the hazards that ships may encounter when at sea. The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the world-renowned shipping organization, instituted two widely-accepted supplementary charter clauses concerning piracy: the War Risks Clause for Voyage Chartering of 2004 or simply, the VoyWar 2004 and the Piracy Clause for Time Charter Parties of 2009. These governing rules are the ones implemented in almost all members of the shipping industry. The War Risks Clause for

Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Evaluation - Essay Example In addition to this, programs should be conceptualized and a distillation of what is most significant while eliminating numerous prerequisite and key requirements should be done. In this manner, scholars with financial issues can work off-campus while others can benefit from year or semester-abroad programs. To be more specific, laboratory classes can be improved too, particularly in ENGR 104. It would be useful and interesting to create and evaluate a means of assessing the best way in which the objectives are achieved. According to Lord, 2011, specialists in the assessment sector can cooperate with the faculty members committed to laboratory development to strategize and test assessment methods relative to objectives. In this context, out of the three labs of this semester, the â€Å"the greatest invention† is the one I enjoyed most, while the â€Å"heart rate† is that which I liked the least. This is for the reason that, for the greatest inventions, I could probably reflect on engineering geniuses in laboratories experimenting, connecting, and redesigning devices until perfection, yet these are processes that change everything around us. In future, I would enjoy seeing effectiveness of real laboratory equipment as opposed to simulated ones. It would be more brilliant to see if an engineering student learning online can differentiate between a simulated and a physical

Russia in the 20th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Russia in the 20th Century - Essay Example Nicholas II was the last Tsar of the Romanov Dynasty. He was born in Pushkin, Russia on May 6, 1868 on the Julian calendar, which was used in Russia until 1918. His father was Alexander Aleksandrovich, who was heir to the Russian Empire and was Tsar before Nicholas II. Nicholas II inherited the throne at 26 years old when his father died on October 20, 1894. He was quoted as saying he was not ready for the throne at this time. He married Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, known publicly as Empress Alexandra, and had 4 daughters and one son. His son, Alexei, was diagnosed with Hemophilia at an early age, and the royal family began to rely heavily on a mystical healer known as Rasputin who would play a large role in later events, and is discussed later in this essay. Nicholas II was not a well-liked ruler and carried the nickname â€Å"Bloody Nicholas† throughout his rule. Several key events that helped shaped the soon to be formed Soviet Union occurred under Nicholas II rule. Du ring his official coronation, a massive crowd formed and thousands of people were stampeded to death. Nicholas II and his wife were totally unaware of the event and proceeded to the Coronation Ball. This revealed him as a ruler who was oblivious of his subjects.

Service encounter journal and analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Service encounter journal and analysis - Essay Example The paper throws light on strategic marketing as the process of analyzing the way a company can achieve the satisfaction of its customers and thus, enlarge its profits. Strategic planning is of huge significance to any organization and is fundamentally directed from the top management. It is governed by several principles that include but are not limited to understanding the requirements of customers, setting clear objectives and delivering value. In order to gain competitive advantage, it is imperative that a company determines the sources of its products’ demand and draw a clear competitive landscape whereby the customers want its products more than its competitors in the market. In order to achieve this, the company should divide customers into individual segments and look out for techniques to gain their consent and satisfaction. This is a very challenging task as the needs of different segments call for different marketing mixes. One of the most important principles of st rategic marketing is the establishment of clear objectives of the company in terms of its position in the market. Market share is a key variable for this principle because a company keeps its prices higher and its long-term position in the market is stronger when it dominates in a specific segment of consumers. In addition to satisfying the individualistic needs of consumer segments and gaining increased share in the market, it is equally necessary for a company to add value to its product. This provides a company with a strong foundation upon which it can build its strategic marketing planning. ... found that application of TOC in the work resulted in the reduction of cycle times by 65 per cent, inventory levels by 49 per cent and lead times by 70 per cent. With this reduction in the respective times, companies successfully managed to deliver the customers their products on time. Their performance in the delivery dates upon application of the TOC was improved by 44 per cent. Application of TOC was also profitable for the companies in terms of revenue as it increased the profit by 76 per cent. I know some of the most renowned companies that are currently offering the worst customer services around. Good customer services can provide these companies with great competitive advantage particularly in these years of financial crisis when there are more companies than ever before in the market to produce the same goods or services along with equally increased expectations of the consumers (Milakovich, 2003, p. 62). Unfortunately, not many gurus have realized this simple formula to suc cess. In this paper, I have discussed my five experiences with different companies in which, I have been given a poor customer service. Some of the companies I shall discuss are very famous and my complaint might sound inconsistent with the quality of service generally given by these companies, but I am writing what happened to me anyway! May be I am a bit too particular about what good customer services mean†¦ I had a slight problem in the working of my laptop few months back. I took it to the Apple Genius Bar for checking. I can understand that these bars are very busy and have a lot of work to do. I was not the only one to have taken my laptop to them. They have hundreds of customers coming to them on daily basis for the same reason. So it would have been quite acceptable to me had the

Some Good Marketing Funda Essay Example for Free

Some Good Marketing Funda Essay Some good marketing Funda! you can find much more at the link provided in the end.. Do read.. Marketing GD me mast points hai bolneko! When we think of marketing, we often think of Marketings efforts to acquire customers. The world, however, is moving toward relationship-based business, including subscription services and subscription commerce—but also most other business. Consider consumer packaged goods companies that used to have no direct relationship with customers, who bought in box stores. Many CPG companies are now using online and social mediums to build direct relationships with their customers. In this world, customer retention is just as important as customer acquisition. So how do the 7 Ps of marketing apply to customer retention marketing? 1. People are the most important. Retaining customers is about building relationships, and relationships are about people. Treat your customer as a person, and not a customer; start by hiring people who show they care about others. Compare how you behave driving in rush-hour traffic with how you drive down your own street past your neighbors. When you know you will see people again, or if you want to see them again, you treat them better. The whole company needs to care about customers and customer retention, and one executive must be responsible to ensure thats so—hence the rise of the chief customer officer. 2. Product is a very close second in importance to People. If your product is off, you will have a difficult time with the rest of the Ps. However, if the product is on target, you will accomplish the rest of the Ps much more easily. When designing your product or service for maximum customer retention, provide quick time to value, continued value over time, and high quality (those are what Apple does so well). Sometimes there is another P: Packaging. I include packaging as part of the product (or service), and the key to it is polish. 3. Place obviously matters when you are figuring out where to put your physical store, but what about when youre online? Does it matter there? Yes. If I am looking to communicate with my customer and offer them an upsell, I could send them an email or message them right while they are shopping, browsing, or working on my site. The first communication is out of context and has a low chance of response. The second is in context and has a higher likelihood of response. â€Å"Place† is context, and context matters. 4. Price. In any good relationship, people take care of each other. That is now the expectation in the customer-business relationship as well. Our customers assume that we will look after them. That is what they pay us to do. In an e-commerce business, that sort of relationship means providing deals for our recurring customers. In a subscription business, that means rolling new features (some, not all) into the service, over time, without charging more. 5. Promotion. How should you promote your product or service to customers to retain them, upsell to them and keep them for the long haul? Quite differently from how you promote to a prospective customer. Why? Because the person is your customer. You know, or should know, him or her. You know what the customer bought from you or how he or she uses your service. You can use that information to message customers in a more targeted, appropriate, helpful, and effective way. Dont spam them with the same generic info you send to everyone else. Send them targeted emails and in-context messages. 6. Processes. To succeed in all of the previous Ps, and for this success to be more than a one-time fluke, you need good processes, such as monitoring social media and engaging customers there, surveying customers for satisfaction, and implementing marketing automation. My company uses its own customer engagement solution to understand how each customer is engaging with the business. We look for positive or negative patterns and respond accordingly, sometimes by person or email but often right in our application with a targeted message based on behavior. 7. Positioning. If you want to retain your customers, you have to know who you are and communicate that clearly and repeatedly to them so they know who you are as well. Foremost, however, is this: Your actions must communicate your positioning. Those actions are showcased in the people you hire, the product you ship or service you deliver, the price you charge and the discounts you provide, the place and promotions you choose, and the processes you put in place. Combined, your words and actions say This is who we are and what you can expect of us. By acting on the 7 Ps of Customer Retention Marketing, you can keep your customers; make their interactions with your business successful; and in so doing make your business more successful.

Ethics In Nigeria Oil And Gas Industry Politics Essay

Ethics In Nigeria Oil And Gas Industry Politics Essay Nigeria is Africas most populous nation and also its largest producer of oil. The country is ranked fifth in terms of oil exportation to the United States. The country has the potential to reach the third spot replacing Norway in a few years though it is plagued with social unrest as well as corruption in the Niger Delta posing significant challenges to the production of oil. The intermittent economic crisis and the political turmoil the country faces dates back to independence in 1960. At the centre of this is the oil industry. This is highlighted by its human development indicators which are among the lowest in the world even though the revenue from gas and oil has gone up to 40 billion per year. This means that the countrys majority lives in extreme poverty. This fact as well the severe environmental degradation that comes with oil production operations in the region has resulted in a conflict between the transnational oil corporations and the communities that reside in the delta date back to early1990s. This article provides an in-depth analysis that the oil industry in Nigeria is faced with in particular with ethical and public relations practices that continues to exacerbate the conflict in the region. It concludes with offering a recommendation that the companies can now adopt in an effort to maintain socially responsible practices in the country and aid in the development of the local communities. Introduction One business sector that has a strong claim to business ethics and/or public relations is the oil and gas sector. The oil and gas Transnational Corporation operating in Nigeria are active in addition to playing leadership roles in developing good codes of conduct and corporate practices in the work place as well as in engaging with different facets of the community. The involvement of Shell, BP-Amoco, Chevron Texaco, ExxonMobil, TotalFinaElf, Occidental, ENI among others in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the United Nations Global Impact, the Sullivan Principle, the Millennium Development Goals, the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, Dow Jones Sustainability Index are some instances (Carrol Bulcholtz, 2003). The footprints of these companies are seen in the transfer of foreign direct investment (FDI), technology and skills: accounting for the majority of the state revenue; and a major employer of labor. They have also undeniably have contributed to the development of communities via programs in health, education, commerce, transport, agriculture, construction among others. Tuodolo (2009) argues that despite the contributions to the community and achievements, the oil transnational Corporations have been the targeted by negative and anti-corporate and negative campaigns in the last two decades. Many civil society actors have been responsible for damaging campaigns against these companies and the institutions that collaborate with them. The strategies they employ in this campaigns include publicity, networking, walk-outs, sit-ins, litigation, lobbying, peoples development plans, socially responsible investment, public hearings, blockades, exposures, seizures and closures. These campaigns cover ethical issues such as human rights abuses, environmental, safety, health, corruption and climate change. In Nigeria, one of the main protests by the civil society against an oil company was against Shell in the Gas flaring taking place in the region and on the Ogoni environmental issues, Niger Delta area (Amnesty International, 1995). The world has experiences massive campaigns carried out by the civil society actors against oil giants such as Shell, ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, Occidental, ENI. These campaigns often disrupt business activities, damages and embarrass the reputation of the business; the major civil society actors include Greenpeace, Friends of Earth, and the Sierra club, Amnesty, Global Witness, Christian Aid, Oil-Watch, Human Rights Watch and Corp-Watch. Yazji (2006) noted that many civil society actors view the Transnational Corporations more as strange bedfellows or enemies finding it difficult o associate with them. This is often based purely on grounds of ethics. However, recent years have seen a new trend in the relationship that exists between the Transnational Corporations and the civil society actors. Most notably is the development of collaborative relationships that are aimed at directing funding of programs for the civil society. Many of the civil society actors now maintain very cordial relationships with the oil companies with partners collaborating and doing business with the enemies, the oil and gas industry. According to Warren (2005), this is seen to benefits the image and public relation of the business more than the communitys welfare. This has created an image of rapprochement or collaboration between the civil society actors, the publics watch dog, and the oil transnational corporations. An example of this collaboration in Nigeria is witnesses in community development projects that are run by International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH) in collaboration with Chevron Texaco (Bendell Lake, 2000). These actions raise many questions that are still to be settled: have the ethical issues that the civil society had campaigned for in the past been resolved or changed? Have the oil industry players changed or repented for the better on the contentious issues that the civil groups raised in the past? Have the actors in civil societies lost track or are they comprised? Have the civil society actors been won over of placated by the big businesses? Or had the public relations machinery and campaigns by the corporations become more effective and can now shield their bad deeds. LITERATURE REVIEW Oil and gas industry in Nigeria Nigeria is Africas largest oil producer and is ranked eighth in the world. Commercial quantities of oil in the country were discovered in 1956. It can on average pump 2.5 million barrels of oil every day. This accounts to approximately 3 percent of the worlds total consumption. The Wall Street Journal stated in an article that the country exports the majority of this output. Oil provides around 90 percent of the countries total foreign exchange and around 80 percent if the federal revenues. This makes the country the fifth-largest foreign crude oil supplier to the United States behind Mexico, Canada, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Despite this richness in natural oil and gas resources, the country is ranked a lowly 20th poorest country in the world. Much of this poverty as well as underdevelopment can be attributed to the bad governance, mismanagement of the countys resources (oil and gas), political instability and the lack of infrastructure as well as policies to govern industries. Mo st of the many oil companies in the country are American. They utilize the countrys crude oil and gas resources to gain astronomical profits. These companies also utilize the environment to operate and produce within the oil industry. The Niger delta is the oil-rich region in Nigeria and is currently involved in conflicts that surround the oil companies. These companies are usually viewed as parasitic by the local communities as they take the regions resources while giving nothing or very little in return (Bird, 2004). Karl (1997) argues that as in many of the other petro states, the windfall revenues from oil and gas have proved to be more of a curse than a blessing. The country is plagued with conflict that stems out of inequitable distribution of oil revenue and the exploitation of the resources by the oil companies operating in the country. According to the constitution of Nigeria, all natural minerals including the gas and also belong to the Nigerian federal government. The government is then responsible for negotiating the terms for oil production with the international oil companies. Most of the production and the exploration of oil in the region is done by United States and European companies. These companies operate joint ventures in collaboration with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPCC). The state oil company owns up to 60 to 55 percent of these ventures (Ukeje, 2004). Public relations and ethical issues facing the oil and gas industry in Nigeria Most of the ethical issues in the oil and gas industry in the country arise from the poor monitoring and enforcement of laws governing the oil producing companies. This is despite the fact that the laws in Nigeria are comparable to other international equivalents. This has seen the region experiencing significant damage to both the environment and to the livelihood of the people that live within the oil producing companies. The companies have failed in their ethical responsibility to relate well with the communities in which they operate. Compensation for the resultant damages is virtually nonexistent (Frey, 1997). The transnational corporations (TNC s) operating within the Nigerian oil and gas industry as well as institutions that collaborate with them have over the years come under negative/anti corporate campaigns by the community they operate in as well as by civil society actors. These actors include anti-capitalists, anti-corporate campaigners, anti-globalist, academics and greens. Although this is despite the contribution they seemingly bring to the development of a community, this actors have managed to shed light on unethical practices of corporate ensuring they practice positive public relations. In recent decades however this relationship has developed into a more collaborative one the purpose of which appears to favor the image of the business rather than the society (Newell, 2005). The other side of Corporate Social Responsibility There is no dispute that the community development programs initiated by the major players in the oil and gas industry have benefits most of the local communities. It is however important to not that these efforts in public relations have positive as well as negative impacts. Most of the local communities pay a great cost for enjoying the benefits of these Corporate Social Responsibility programs. Either by commission or omission, the activities or of shell and the program delivery processes have a negative impact on the local community that often outweigh the positive benefits of this corporate Social Responsibility endeavors. The role that the oil companies play in social and environment impacts illustrates this point. According to Human Rights Watch (1999), the Niger Delta in general and Nembe in particular, the oil activities have resulted in serious environment damages. This has been as a result of oil spills from flow stations, pipelines, well-heads; discharge of production and drilling waste; and gas flared from several oil fields. All this has occurred in/on creeks, air, sea and land of Nembe. In the process, fish ponds and farm lands are destroyed, sea and forest animals and plants are forced to migrate or are destroyed; as well as the air being polluted. This environmental degradation has negative impacts ranging from loss of livelihood (farming and fishing), low farm produce, limitation of economic activities, diseases, polluted water, food shortage among others. In certain cases, death of unsuspecting fishermen has occurred after oil spills occurred in the Nembe creek. The negative impact this has on the local communities livelihood and health is enormous. The community at one time indica ted that they are all fishermen who rely on fish for their survival. They also claimed that the oil spillage by Shell wells were destroying the marine life and in extension the peoples occupation. The farmlands as well were not fertile anymore from the pollution and the fish in the river had died. The people are only left with the option of fishing in the high seas which is very dangerous undertaking (Tuodolo, 2009, p.532) Shell on its part has not denied that its operations have been responsible for the degradation of the environment but has adamantly disagreed on the extent the damage to the environment resulting from its activities. Shell alone recorder 3,214 incidents of oil spillage from 1995 to 2004, an average of 300 incidents annually. This has resulted in a spillage of more than 450,000 barrels of oil onto the environment in the Niger Delta and the flaring of large volumes of gas, approximately 604 millions scf daily (SPDC, 2006). Considering that this are figures from only one company, the consequences experienced by the local community in terms of environment, livelihood, climate change or global warming are unimaginable. According to Agagu (2008), negative impacts of the corporate social responsibilities are further illustrated by the social effects they have on the local community. The Nembe case becomes significant once again. The relationship that shell has with the local community via the development programs and its operations have resulted in conflicts being commercialized where groups and individuals constantly fight over the patronage or benefits from shell; funds for community development are misappropriated, mismanaged and embezzled by the leaders or shares amongst cliques and community leaders to the exclusion of the other members of the community. Further negative effects include destroying of community governance by emerging youth groups that usurp the authority and powers of the chieftaincy institutions as well as the exacerbation of several forms of social disorder such as an increase in illiteracy, proliferation of arms, lawlessness, criminality and the disintegration of culture and t radition. These youth groups were apparently armed by the Corporation. Shell sponsor some youth in the community, purchased arms and ammunition for them to fight whoever that is fighting them or protesting for their right from Shell (Tuodolo, 2009, p.538). From 2000 to 2006, the number of intra-communal conflicts numbered 21 with six of these inter-community conflicts being linked to the activities that shell was involved in The oil companies, particularly Shell, Agip and their servicing companies, are central to the crises in the community (Tuodolo, 2009, p.538). The Nembe Indigenes summarizes the social impacts resulting from Shells activities as, These oil or multinationals have thrust a knife in our midst and we have fallen apart. The love for money and our political selfishness have set us against each other and we no longer see ourselves as brothers, fathers, chiefs, sisters, we disregard ourselves for temporary and temporal things, which have led to the formation of nocturnal and clandestine groups which have transformed Nembe to Sicily (Italy). Groups that are sponsored by chiefs, elders, politicians, government agents and the multinationals have succeeded in causing our aged parents and children, while our young men die prematurely in arms struggle, our parents die of heart attack and the children are denied knowledge by preventing them from going to school (Tuodolo, 2009, p.538). And, What wrong has the Nembe man done to Shell and the Federal Government that all these wrongs are visited on him within a decade? (Tuodolo,2009, 538) This continues to raise ethical questions related to the true intentions and the practices of these transnational corporations, the efficacy of their machinery of public relations or the position and campaigns of the civil society actors. This paper attempts to answer the question of dilemmas that the oil and gas industry face in public relations management and ethic by examining the activities of the oil companies in Nigeria. Particular attention is given to the impact of these companies on the communities residing in the oil rich Niger delta region. The paper is based on review of articles that have been written on the matter ranging from academic articles to newspaper articles. METHODOLOGY This study utilizes qualitative content analysis so as to explore the conditions that the oil and gas industry in Nigeria operate in that create the dilemmas in public relations and ethics of practice. This is according to recommendation by Jensen (2002) on qualitative research. The study is iterative/repeat process as this topic has been covered numerous times before. As such, this method allows for an application of analytical procedures and theoretical concepts employed to a variety of empirical domains that is flexible. This discourse will contain information source from academic articles from online journals, press releases and webpage pieces from the oil corporations operating in Nigeria and news paper articles that span the last two decades that have seen the ethical issues and public relations deteriorate as well as receive world wide attention. In addition to these article, particular case study on dilemmas faced by in Particular Shell are employed to give a clearer picture of the situation in Nigeria as well a to provide for a fuller analysis. Sample The method of data collection used in this discourse studies information content in article spanning two decades, from the 1990s to current date. The documentation is comprised of academic articles, magazine and newspaper articles, government reports and civil society articles and reports produced in the contest of normal publicity business to address the crisis facing the oil industry in Nigeria. According to Lindolf Taylor (2002), this ensures that the sources are free of bias from the researcher. A limitation of this method is that it may prove to have a limited or indirect exploratory value for the research questions to be addressed. However, it will be able to fully address the question of ethical and public relations dilemmas faced by the industry. This is because of the intense media civil society and international attention this case has received over the years with particular emphasis being placed on the misdeeds of the oil multinationals operating in the Niger Delta. ANALYSIS The analysis section will focus on a debate that addresses the various issue faced by the oil corporation and in particular Shell in their operations. This will lead up to the various public relations steps and strategies employed by the companies to address their alleged ethical misconduct in the wake of political and economical turmoil allegedly exacerbated by their operations in the country. In their attempt to maintain a public faces, the companies spawned public relations strategies that aimed to portray them as saviors to a people long subjected to poverty as a result of bad governance. This is through the numerous development projects that are operated under the patronage of these companies in the country. On the background of this is the numerous environmental and human right violations that have continued unhindered as a direct or indirect result of these companies continued exploitation of Nigeria natural resources, oil and gas, to meet their bottom line, astronomical profi ts. The case of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni People initiated the international concern in the region and offers a backdrop to the origin of the conflict between the oil corporation and government of Nigeria on one hand and the people of the Niger Delta in general on the other. DISCUSSION The debate on dilemmas in public relation and ethics in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria Milton Friedman (1970), a free-market economist, ascertained that a businesss one and only social responsibilities involves the making of profit. This view is less popular in present day business. However, many economists and business leaders still believe that the best way for a company to promote the local communitys social development is comprised simply of increasing the overall level of activities in economy through investment and trade. In taking this view, the administration of revenue generated, environmental standards tolerated of the respect for the human rights in the community residing in the area of operation are simply not relevant. These factors are in fact viewed as hindrances to the corporations main business and in the long run to the countrys social development itself. If standards employed for developed countries are duplicated in the developing countries, then they will simply never catch up, this is because dangerous working conditions, below-market wages that w orkers in third worlds are subjected to are justified as being better than there being no jobs at all. The corporations shareholders make the situation worse by justifiably complaining if the directors pay attention to issues that may negatively impact the companys financial bottom line (Soremekun, 1995). However, this attitude is increasingly changing as the companies come under more pressure from activists and consumers who are worried about the impact globalizations of the economy is having on the worlds poor. In addition, directors of these corporations have come to see that wider issues of social development have a direct or indirect impact on their operations. This trend has brought with it the buzz phrase triple bottom line encompassing social, economic and environmental outcomes. A good reputation for the corporation is seen as a valuable asset as it attracts customers and helps in recruiting competent employees. Good public relations with the local communities promoted by development programs that are properly administered as well as good labor relations minimize the shut-downs that cause protests directed towards the operations of the company. Even though low environmental standards and low wages can in the short-term be useful to the company, in the long run the company mak es more money if it is accountable for its operations. Studies carried out, have not revealed any correlation between the foreign direct investment that oil transnational corporations inject into the developing countries itself and the respect for human rights in these countries. In Nigeria, the presence of the oil multinationals is viewed to have seemingly contributed to promoting the successive military regimes that ruled the country for a long haul. These regimes were responsible fro multi human rights violations in addition to misappropriation of funds meant to promote development. The companies interest should therefore focus on the promotion f steps geared at the positive development of the communities social welfare. They should also minimize their environmental effects while also aiming for their core business, maximizing profits (Uduaghan, 2008). Oil multinational corporations have increasingly become more powerful within the global economies. The companies operating in Nigeria have substantially large global resources than the country itself. This has resulted in the country being almost paralyzed in enforcing international and/or domestic law against these companies. This is especially true when these companies have diplomatic support from the first-world country where the corporate headquarters are located. May of the laws that have been developed to govern the conduct of multinational across the world have been largely opposed to by the developed countries. This is especially because of their provisions/recommendations of treatment of the multinationals by the host countries. An example is the U.N Code of Conduct on Transnational Corporations. As such, no laws are currently legally binding in terms of the public relations responsibilities of the multinationals. Some companies have recognized that it is in their best inter est and have started initiatives to address questions raised regarding their operations. However, human rights and environmental activists have notes that the companies statements of intent are not worth it without the strategies meant to ensure they are implemented. They also call for independent auditing of the human rights and environmental performance. Up to date, no oil corporation, Shell include, has agreed to be subjected to such an audit (Nigerian Tribune, 2008). The experience of Shell in Nigeria offers a glimpse on how an oil transitional corporation ought to learn from a significant sustainability dilemma. In response to these significant challenges, shell setout to develop practices and policies that were designed to address the problems. They included the company engaging the local community the international forum and the civil society in dialog. In addition it began to actively participate in the developments of norms for corporate citizenship (Eyinla Ukpo, 2006). Having operated in the Niger Delta since the 1950s, Shells operations and the influence it had politically in the region only came under scrutiny after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa author-activist and a member of MSOP, Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, in 1995. The author and activist castigated the companys operations in Nigeria, gaining international attention. He highlighted the role that the oil industry had played in the stagnation of the economy of the Delta. The Nigerian economic growth pace has not kept abreast with the growth that the countys oil industry has been able to achieve. The industry is currently able to produce in excess of 2 million barrels of oil daily (Eyinla Ukpo, 2006). Shell has reportedly admitted that the approach it has taken in public relations causes the disorder in the community. The cash payments made, for instance standby labor, access fees to community youths, have seemingly been at the center of inter-community disputed as well as for the distortion of genuine needs of the community. Despite all this, Shell has yet to change its practices although it still claims it is practicing corporate social responsibility (Tuodolo, 2009). According to Birnbaum (1995), the inequitable distribution of the oil revenue, the high rates of poverty coupled with the episodically harsh rule is responsible mainly for spurring the conflict in the Niger Delta. The Human Right Watch (1999) cited that while the people of the Niger Delta have faced the adverse effects of the oil extraction, they have in general also failed to gain from the oil revenue. By galvanizing the up to 500,000 people of the Ogoni-land in MSOP, Saro-Wiwa was able to draw the worlds attention to the grievances of his people. He constantly cites Shells complicity as the symbol of the status quo. Eventually, the federal police forces acted to shutdown MSOP. This saw numerous people being detained, injured or even killed. Nine activists, among them Saro-Wiwa were arrested in 1994. This was allegedly because of murdering four local leaders. All the accused would go on to be executed in November 1995 after court proceedings that the then United Kingdom Prime Minist er John Major termed as judicial murder. (BBC News, 1995). The role that Shell played in the Ogoni incident is a complex one. The company is reported to have sought clemency for the nine accused. In several statements, it lamented about the heavy handedness and the violence that both sides of the conflict in Ogoni-Land had over time displayed (Human Rights Watch, 1995). Contrary to these statements, the company later disclosed it had on several occasions in 1993 made direct payments to the states security forces under duress. Appearing before the U.S House of Representatives International Subcommittee on Africa in 1996, Stephen Mills, the environment and human rights campaign director for the Sierra Club stated that The Sierra Club is of the opinion that Shell should feel considerable responsibility for the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the other Ogoni activists. Shells massive pollution, repeated denial of responsibility for it, its refusal to clean up the Ogoni territory, and its appeal to the Nigerian military to silence the protestors is what incited the civil unrest (Sierra Club, 1995). In a recent statement, Mills released a follow-up piece that stated, A peaceful solution to the crisis in the delta seems remote as anger grows over record oil profits amid the striking poverty. The Riyal Dutch Shell earned a whooping 18.5 billion dollars in 2004 yet some villages within sight of the gleaming shell facilities have no electricity or running water. However, the campaign Ken Saro-Wiwa led to hold Shell accountable for their pollution and complicity in human rights violation has not been in vain. After the death of Saro-Wiwa, the company did adopt stronger social and environmental responsibility guidelines. It is up to communities in the delta and groups like mine to make sure that Shell and other oil companies live up to their promises (Sierra Club, 2008). Shell as under severe criticism for the perceived role it played in the events that lead up to Saro-Wiwas death. Amnesty international however recognized the companys willingness to discuss the groups concerns regarding its human rights record. In a report released in 1996, Amnesty International noted that only Shell has responded to its appeal to Shell and other oil transnational companies operating in Nigeria to acknowledge that they have a responsibility to at all costs uphold the human rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite this, many questions still lingered on the companys operations in the region. The UN Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights issued a report in 1997 calling for attention to be renewed on the persistency of oil spills in the delta region. Some of these spills were as a result of sabotage. The report raised deep concerns about the severe and widespread environmental damage to the River Delete region as a result of the oil o perations and exploration by Shell. The company took account of the issues that were raised and undertook a major review of its internal operations (Newell, 2005). Meanwhile, by the turn of the century, the relationship between Shell and the communities in the oil producing region had worsened since Ken Saro-Wiwa had been executed. This was despite the efforts of the company to improve on Public relations, in particular by increasing its spending on developments and the professionalization of the developmental projects management. It is fair to note that most of the deterioration experienced was as a result of the government failing to respond to the demands that had been presented by the Delta communities rather than by the activities of the company. The continuing dilemmas and problems illustrate just how difficult it is to put the fine words contained in the Statement of General Business Principles into actual practice (Tuodolo, 1999). Shell and public relations in Nigeria Shell has undoubtedly contributed immensely to Nigerias economic growth as well as to the development of the local communities residing in the companys area of operation. Shells activities employ around 12,000 persons as skilled and unskilled labor making it a major employer of labor. The greatest evidence of shells effort to maintain positive public relations are in its development programs in the communities it operates in. Through community development programs, the company contributes to development of education in the local communities. The company achieves this through the provision of scholarships from primary up to university level, to local level, construction of classrooms, provides appliances and equipments and at times pays allowances for teachers in post primary. For some of the communities, shell provides or sponsors training in basic skills such as joinery, mechanics, craftsmanship, tailoring among others, for the indigenous (SPDC, 1999). Shell also plays an active role in several other sectors aimed at community development, for instance, transportation: building jetties, construction of roads, donation of cars and speed-boats; agriculture: donation of equipment for farming, microcredit schemes for the farmers, training of farmers; water: construction of water pipelines, sinking boreholes; electricity: supply of diesel, donations of power plants; and the provision of infrastructures such as land reclamation, shore protection comm

Ernest Hemingway Essay -- Ernest Hemingway Authors Essays

Ernest Hemingway The writer/artist that I chose to enlighten you with has inspired many writers as well as literature majors for many years. He continues to tickle our imaginations with the legacy that he has left us with. This man was as genuine as you can get. He was loved by many. He made an impact on any life that he came across. This man is non other than, Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway was a free spirit in an unattached sense. He loved adventure, as well as the drink. He was somewhat enterprising and approached life with added enthusiasm. Hemingway was loyal to himself through living life to the fullest, when times permitted. By this I mean, most people have had a few hardships by choices made without addressing an outcome. Yet, it seems that in Hemingway's youth, improper choices did not faze him in the least. He approached every day as if it were anew, forgetting the woes of yesterday. Hemingway was a handsome man, tall and built. He was sensitive, energetic and had a superb toughness about him which made for a solid spirit. He had luck on his side, as well as an imagination that most would love to be blessed with. He could take any situation and turn it into a story that would catch your attention until the very end. One of his sons states, "when you knew my father for a long time in his youth you could only love him and marvel at him, and when you knew him when he got older you could only be sad or bitter- depending on how well you had known him when he was young". ( Gregory H Hemingway, M.D. "PAPA" A Personal Memoir 1976) This tells me that as Hemingway approached the comming of age, he expericanced a somewhat "dry" well. As we all grow older we slow down, as well as become of a more boring state, and it is ... ...n any future writing. Unfortunatly Hemingway found it too hard to go on, feeling forced to suffer from the loss of his one true love, writing. Heminway commited suicide on the morning on July 2nd, 1961. The apple doesnt fall far from the tree. It seems as if the suicide trend had been passed down through the generations of males within his family. If you read closely into his life, you see a man full of passion, and a vitality which many of us only wish to have. Hemingway has set an example within the literary world. He is admired by many and loved by anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing him, or the opporitunity to know the legend himself through his works. Works Cited Hemingway, Gergory H. M.D. (1976). "PAPA, A Personal Memoir." Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Ernest Hemingway Biography>Childhood http://www.lostgeneration.com/childhood.htm

Napoleons Farwell Address Speech Analysis -- essays research papers

Napoleon’s Farewell Address To The Old Guard A truly dramatic moment in history occurred on April 20, 1814, as Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and would-be ruler of Europe said goodbye to the Old Guard after his failed invasion of Russia and defeat by the Allies. By that time, Napoleon had ruled France and surrounding countries for twenty years. Originally an officer in the French Army, he had risen to become Emperor among the political chaos following the French Revolution in which the old ruling French kings and nobility had been destroyed. Napoleon built a 500,000 strong Army, which used modern tactics and improvisation in battle to sweep across Europe and acquire an Empire for France. But in 1812, the seemingly invincible Napoleon made the fateful decision to invade Russia. He advanced deep into that vast country, eventually reaching Moscow in September. He found Moscow had been burned by the Russians and could not support the hungry French Army over the long winter. Thus Napoleon was forced to begin a long retreat, and saw his army decimated to a mere 20,000 men by the severe Russian winter and chaos in the ranks. England, Austria, and Prussia then formed an alliance with Russia against Napoleon, who rebuilt his armies and won several minor victories over the Allies, but was soundly defeated in a three-day battle at Leipzig. On March 30, 1814, Paris was captured by the Allies. Napoleon then lost the support of most of his generals and was forced to abdicate on Apr...

Essay --

I am mad. Wait, mad might not be the correct word. Perhaps I should have said angry, but does that truly evoke the complete image of my present emotional state? I think not. Exasperated, agitated, and resentful come to mind, but again, individually, they all fall short of expressing the complex set of emotions experienced when I feel I have been cheated or stolen from. What makes this even more emotionally demoralizing is the fact that those responsible for doing the cheating and stealing do not even recognize that is what they are doing. So who am I referring to, how are they cheating, and what have they stolen? They are the uninformed voters and they are cheating the system by having the same amount of control in election outcome as those who have taken the time to become involved and knowledgeable about the issues. But what are they stealing? In short my vote. Simply put, due to lack of interest, understanding, and participation in the electoral process, uninformed voters wh o should be awarding their support from a foundation of insight, preparation and knowledge are instead casting votes even they do not agree with. Ok, so what if a few people get confused and make a wrong vote, just how bad can it be? ‟According to political scientists Richard Lau and David Redlawsk in their book How Voters Decide, the authors find that, in the best case scenario of a choice of two candidates, approximately 70 percent of voters choose correctly†(Belt 643). Now take a minute to really think about the implications of that statement. In a best case scenario, 30 percent of the voter’s choice was for someone or something he or she did not even agree with but was too uninformed to know it. One might ask how could there possibly be this d... ...that regardless of which side of an issue one may support, award that support from a foundation of insight, preparation and knowledge. Somin in his book Democracy and Political Ignorance, and Their Ignorance is willful! states, ‟few will take the time and effort to assimilate more than a small amount of political information.† For this reason he states elsewhere in his book, we should be grateful that voter turnout is as low as it is, because increased turnout is often likely to increase the electoral effects of political ignorance by encouraging the unmotivated to vote (More Media 1). Realizing that all the time and effort I spend to discern the issues and candidates’ positions can be made futile by one uninformed voter, maybe our best hope is, come Election Day, the uniformed voter is so uninformed they will not be able to find the polling location.

New Immigrants vs. Old Immigrants

Jessica Owuriedu Ap history HOW DID THE CHARACTERS AND EXPERIENCES OF THE NEW IMMIGRANTS OF 1880-1940 COMPARE TO THOSE OF THE OLD IMMIGRANTS WHO CAME BEFORE THEM. The Influx of immigrants into America were been placed into two distinct spheres over time. The New immigrants and Old immigrants differed greatly in their behavior and qualities which was also pertained to the America they found between 1880 and 1940. Transferring from their home country, the old immigration mainly came from northern and western Europe. The German, Irish, Norwegians Swedish including other European tribes fluxed into America not only as a result of congested Europe. Majority of the Old immigrants headed into America for its prevailing opportunities and freedom. They were attracted by the cheap lands (Homestead act) that was available and the ability to rise from rags to riches. Being mostly Protestants by religion, they were easily assimilated into the American way of life. On the other hand, the New immigrants fluxed mainly from the southern and eastern Europe. Among them were the Italians, Croats Slovaks, Greeks and Poles. Ushered into America mainly by the economic hardships and the lengthening gap between the rich and poor in their countries. Their intent were mainly settled in the idea of getting rich. They were the bird of passage of the era. Many came not with the idea of just seeking a better life but returning to their homelands with their acquired wealth. Innate in the them, was their own religious denomination which included Catholics, Orthodox and Jewish. This conflicted with the Puritanism and protestant America, partially giving rise to the various Antiforeigner organizations. Furthermore, it is important to note that the Old immigrants relocating to America were literate and skilled. For example the Germans support for education in creating Kindergartens. Although the Old immigrants were eager to preserve their culture they were also eager to learn about their new home. They learned the English language and adapted more readily. Being mostly farm skilled, there fitted into the American community which was established by farming. Conversely, the New immigrants were enormously illiterate and unskilled. These impoverished immigrants showed these characteristics by settling largely in the cites and mainly acquiring factory jobs for wages instead of farming. They were hired in the rising factory jobs and settled for low-wages. For instance, the Italians and Poland were the most largest city inhabitants( New York, Chicago ) than many of the largest cities of the same nationality in the Old world . More over it is important to note that the Old immigrants had inherent in them , the ways of democracy. They easily blended into the American Democratic order, which made it easier for them to prosper in their new Found home. It is quite interesting to also mention that the majority of the old immigrants came not entirely loaded with money but had fairly something to live on. Contrary, the New immigrants were somewhat radical and autocratic in nature. They weren’t opened to the American political system. They had with them distinct political views and doctrines such as communism, socialism, and anarchism. Which consequently sparked the American Protective Association. Relocating into American urban cites , New immigrants came quite improvised and needy compared to the Old immigrants. They immediately settled for lower-wages in the growing factory work and dirty poor tenements in the cites, especially New York and Chicago. The last but not the least was their geographical locations. It is also important to mention that the New immigrants were reluctant to blend in and they were very ethnic in their ways. Whilst most Old immigrants settled in the west, the New immigrants heavily packed in the east where there was growing urbanization. It is clear that the experiences and characteristics between Old immigrants and New immigrants in America were in two distinct spheres.

Bsnl Change Management Strategy

BSNL competitive portfolio & Change Management M Ramesh, [email  protected] com Synopsis: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed on 1st October „2000, is one of the largest & leading public sector units providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India. They operate under 13 different brands. Their customer base as on July 31, 2011 was at 95. 14 Million. BSNL has an installed Network in the country comprising about 43. 74 million line basic telephone capacity, 8. 83 million WLL capacity, 72. 60 million GSM capacity, 37,885 fixed exchanges, 68,162 GSM BTSs, 12,071 CDMA Towers, 197 Satellite Stations, 6,86,644 RKm. f OFC, 50,430 RKm. of microwave network connecting 623 districts, 7330 cities/towns & 5. 8 lakhs villages. However, with such a large base, excellent brand recall, political backing and huge workforce, the company has not been doing well and in fact has reported a loss in the previous financial year. BSNL had reported the highest net profit of over Rs10,000 crore in 2005-06 but since then its profits have been falling. The losses have more than tripled to about Rs. 6,000 crores during 2010-11 mainly due to hefty outgo for employees' salary and expenses borne by the PSU for procuring 3G and BWA spectrum. The company had registered a net loss of Rs. 1,823 crores during 2009-10. The total revenues of the company also declined to Rs 28,876 crore during the current year, down nearly 10% from Rs 32,072 crore in the previous financial year. Recipient of the Golden Eagle award in 2004 & 2005 for the most trusted brand in telecom sector, BSNL is today struggling to retain its identity. This article aims are preparing a competitive strategy for BSNL and select suitable competitive portfolio so that the company can emerge out of the crisis it is in. Further, the change management strategy that has to be adopted in order to implement the changes in the organisation is given in this section. 1. Competitive Strategy and suitable corporate portfolio: Before we embark upon suggesting a suitable corporate portfolio, it is important to analyse the current the functioning and management of BSNL. a) No doubt that its presence and reach across the country is its biggest strength. Established offices in all the metros, A, B & C class cities, and installations and offices in the remotest parts of the nation, especially J, North East is a strength they can easily exploit on their road to recovery. ) Long serving employees and excellent knowledge of the market, customers, tacit knowledge base of BSNL is unique. They are different from the competition since customers view BSNL as a 2|Page state run firm and profit not being the only motive, would be willing to trust them more than other competitors. c) Even today, they rule the land line conne ctions and command a market share of over 65% of the customer base and any of the revival and restructuring plans for BSNL has to pass through this channel. ) BSNL, being a completely government owned organisation, they can use their political affiliations to change the rules of the market, create entry barriers for competition, and lobby for influencing the market to leverage their strengths, policies that give them an edge, and those which do not violate TRAI and other fair trade practices, can be adopted. While we discuss the selection of suitable portfolio from the competitive strategies, apart from the strengths of BSNL highlighted above, it is important that the crucial questions of what can be done that is not being done at BSNL is pondered. Some of the questions that we have to ask and find answers that hold key to developing a competitive strategy and designing a suitable portfolio are: 1. BSNL has a vision ‘To become the largest Telecom Service provider in South East Asia’. For this it is important to understand the parameter for being the largest. Is it revenue, Av. Revenue per User, profit, subscribers, Network (no of exchanges, BTS etc)? Clarity in purpose and vision is essential to developing a suitable competitive strategy. 2. Is the mission aligned with its current position? Has it redefined its mission from a state run entity, interested in nation development to a corporate that has to deliver to its owners and stake holders? 3. What are the investments that have been made or planned to be made, in order to provide world class State-of-art technology telecom services on demand at affordable price and to provide world class telecom infrastructure to develop country's economy. 4. What has been done towards continuous innovation in product and delivery of services with the appropriate pricing is the key strategy for developing the trust in customer so that he keeps his loyalty with BSNL. . BSNL can target to acquire more than 50% of new acquisitions while maintaining existing clientele. How will this be done? 6. Today landline base is reducing across the globe, BSNL, to be a Significant Market Power (SMP), must increase it base to over 80%. 7. Ultimately it is the quality, customer care, and timely availability apart from price, which will matter. What are the actions being taken towards these critical success factors? 8. Can’t there be just one brand i. e. BSNL? Has there ever been an examination of their revenue break-up? Currently there are 13 brands that have to be developed and positioned. |Page 9. There are certain distinctions that BSNL has, like being awarded the most trusted telecom brand in year 2003 & 2004. They received the Golden Peacock award for Best Corporate Social responsibility. How can these be leveraged? 10. There are over one-lakh retailers, 1000 franchisees, 3300 CSCs, 36000 exchanges and still BSNL is not visible like others? Why can’t the space and people be utilized? 11. How to leverage the franchisee and STD-PCO strengths? Can these outlets be their core strength? 12. Why are the recharge coupons, India Telephone Cards are in shortage when there is no capacity constraint? Is it bad inventory & supply chain management, or bad franchisee management? 13. Are there targets for the recharge coupons just like DELs & CellOne? Why can? t the huge network of franchises be leveraged for better customer care and improve collection efficiency? 14. With competition heating up, gone are the days when customers deposited money with BSNL in advance for connections and security money for value added services. There are no fixed deposits; and the working capital and other funds requirements have to be met from operating revenues. What is the plan to improve collections, realize bills early, not on the last day of payment and reduce bad debts? 15. In line with the market needs, does BSNL have a 24X7 culture in their organization, though operation and maintenance are provided on 24X7 basis? What about provisioning customer care and marketing on 24X7 basis? Competitive strategy: Pricing: On the pricing front, BSNL does not have a choice but to follow the market trend. They can only bundle the packages in such a manner that the premium services bring more revenue. Focus must not be on reducing charges, but upgrading each customer by RS 20 – RS 50 by offering them more add on relevant services. It is usually much easier to sell additional things to existing customers than to add new customer, and the customer base of BSNL is quite huge and substantive for this model. Differentiation: In order to differentiate itself from competition, BSNL Business development units have to be given the task to develop and nurture long-term relations with corporate houses. MoUs have to be signed for bulk bills, One-point payments for multiple service locations. Setting up Key Account Manager servicing different corporate and key accounts and offering single window approach to resolve all issues and prevent any unwanted issues. Focus: BSNL has a strong hold on land line telephones, an important requirement for ADSL connections. There are huge benefits of ADSL over Wi-Fi & is very cost effective way to access Internet. BSNL is in a 4|Page unique position to leverage this advantage and its revenues, customer base and profitability can improve multi-fold if it can capitalise on this one aspect alone. Merging government telecom companies ITI and MTNL with state-run BSNL is one of the options. This will give them a great advantage in terms of increased customer base, implementing change management and brining in changes and most importantly economy of scale, power of bargaining. Hybrid: In order to be more competitive in the present market BSNL must not only differentiate itself from competition, give a good and attractive price and have a focussed approach. The competitive strategy recommended is: Focus on improving ADSL services at attractive rates to households and offices, bundle it with land line connections and mobile connections. Offer central point billing PAN India. For e. g. If a corporate company has branch and regional network, they must have the option of consolidated billing when they want and where they want to the level of Head office control they want to implement. BSNL can also offer special rates and Closed User Group (CUG) for government sector and earn huge revenues, since this segment is very price sensitive and is a very high volume user segment. More aggressive media campaign focussed on the strategically selected segments will help BSNL increase its customer base. A change in its staff attitude making them focussed on customers rather than systems and procedures, fast and efficient decision making with empowered employees. Continuity in supply chains, procuring of quality equipment and products must be focussed on. After defence and railways, BSNL is the country’s largest landholder. Its properties span 3,500 towns across India worth thousands of crores, making it the largest state-owned companies in terms of land assets. A turn around policy of BSNL should have this huge source of revenue at its core. 2. Change management strategy to enable it turnaround. No change in BSNL can happen and can be implemented without change of mindset in addition to the skills of marketing & sales. In this regards it is important to note that a research paper submitted by Vishwakarma Institute of Management, Pune in July 2010 after conducting a survey in BSNL concluded 5|Page that â€Å"the introduction of change seems to be managed effectively in the organisation with proper care and commitment and was agreed by the respondent BSNL employees with a mean 1. 022. The change is introduced by the consent of top management. To keep up the pace with the dynamic environment the management encourages change by explaining and ensuring the minimization of adverse effects, and put efforts to convert employee resistance into the acceptance. Employees were found to be change oriented, as they have continuous learning attitude to keep match with the future organizational requirements. Respondents? shows resistance change in some issues due to some security and personal reasons, which can be taken care by proper change management initiatives†. BSNL must focus on improving its quality of employees and skilled manpower? They must focus the organizational setup more suitable for better results? The staff expense to revenue ratio could be a good indicator. Today, more than 47% of the revenue goes to paying salaries to employees and this is the first aspect of change that must be introduced. The decision making process must be based on scientific analysis of the precious customer data they already have such as calling pattern, payment habits, usage profile etc. Increased number of surveys, customer research and systematic and periodical analysis of Net growth in mobile and churn is to be conducted? Steps must be implemented to reduce the churn? Acquisition cost is usually said to be 5-8 times the retention cost, and hence BSNL must focus on retention of customers. Management must not threaten the employees, they have been long serving and loyal and at the same time demanding. The management should involve the employees in strategy and decision making and should help them to open their minds and apply it to improve the quality of service, network, and expansion of network in time; utilising and selling the products before the technology becomes obsolete (like WIMAX). Considering the current scenario a Revolutionary change is required in BSNL and they should modify their competitive strategy quickly in order to survive in the hyper competitive telecom market in India. If one has to apply the McKinsey 7S framework for the change management process in BSNL, it would be as under: 1. Strategic: BSNL has to revisit its mission and evolve competitive strategies that are in line with the market dominant position that they want to be, exploiting their current strength of market leadership in land line connections. All their activities must be reoriented towards this change of positioning. |Page 2. Substance: BSNL needs to revamp its board and its top management, to be more customer and market oriented, dynamic and profit driven. Culturally, it is established that BSNL is employees are open to adopting change and hence management should provide necessary training to ensure that the process of cultural change is deployed quickly across all levels. 3. Scale: Considering the strengths of BSNL presence and reach of BSNL, scale is never an issue. What the organisation needs today is not infusion of new technology or resources; it is reorientation of the employees and a cultural change. Retrenching employees is not the first and only option available. 4. Scope: Undoubtedly the scope of the change must involve all levels of the organisation and across all regions. BSNL is a homogeneous entity and changes at one level or within certain geography is not possible to implement. Certainly, depending upon the local customer bases, working conditions and cultural differences, adaptations can be allowed, but the change itself, must be pan organisation. 5. Speed: Communications, ICT, and internet industry relies on speed and there is no room for laggards in this. BSNL must implement change management as swiftly as possible. . Sequence: Since BSNL s confronted with many an issues to handle, the best place to start would be internal employee attitude and cultural change and external – customer satisfaction focus. If carefully and rapidly implemented, these two will have a cascading effect on other areas such as revenues, cash flows, asset management and so on that will t urn around the organisation. 7. Style: BSNL has the baggage of being a government owned company and attitude of staff cannot be changed overnight. Unions are strong and public opinion can be made and tarnished by the correct or wrong handling of union issues. Change management in BSNL has to carefully crafted and cannot be dictated or thrust upon. The style has to be one of collaborative effort and everyone involved must be clear with what is expected of them and how it impacts others, his / her results and overall company. Conclusion: BSNL is at cross roads of its existence. The need to refine its competitive strategy and implement change management has never been more urgent than it is today. If BSNL has to survive the tough market conditions, the change management process must be initiated immediately and aligned with the competitive strategies that must be reworked. |Page BIBLIOGRAPHY: ? ? ? ? ? Marketing strategies of BSNL by GS Grover, NK Srivastava, & Sunil Kumar http://www. bsnl. in http://www. business-standard. com/india/index2. php http://www. moneycontrol. com/company-article/bharatsancharnigam/news/BSN http://www. moneycontrol. com/news/business/bsnls-loss-triples-to-rs-6000-cr3g-bwaoutgo_588976. html ? ? http://www. cellular -news. com/tags/bsnl/ Organisation Culture- A Case Study of BSNL LIMITED, Mrs. G. Nagamani, Prof. G. Krishna Mohan, http://www. vim. ac. in/UploadImages/Attachments/G. %20Nagamani%20&% 20G. % 20Krishna%20Mohan. pdf 8|Page

Minoan and Mycenean Cultures

In comparing the cultures of the Minoans and the Myceneans, it is best to identify first where they live. The Minoans are inhabitants of the islands off the Aegean Sea such as Crete and Santorini. Perhaps the greatest treasure they have ever made was the palace of Knossos which they covered with frescoes which are wet but surprisingly detailed. The frescoes depict the way of life of the Minoans which was mainly dependent and influenced by the sea. The paintings consists mainly of sea creatures such as dolphins, sea birds, fishermen with sizeable catches and women wearing beautiful dresses and pearl necklaces which were probably harvested from the sea. The Myceneans on the other hand lived Tiryns, a mountain-guarded city. They prefer war to arts since they are a nation of warriors. They built high hallways to defend their city from possible attacks of other people. Their way of life is shown in the different drawings, embroideries and decorations on vases, gold cups, daggers and other weapons. The Myceneans were a powerful people who liked to fight but traded with other people for materials that are not indigenous to their locality. They traded with the Egyptians for gold and like the latter; they created death masks of their dead rulers. The Minoans and the Myceneans, while differing in a lot of aspects, were alike in the sense that their cities are heavily defended. One is surrounded by the seas while the other by mountains. This fondness for fortifications must have been brought about by experiences and incidents of attacks coming from barbarians and pirates who might want to take the treasures and gold of these people. Both cultures, too, have high regard for their kings and rulers.

The Most Dangerous Game

Michelle Anne Rubio Mrs. McCann English 9 20 October 2011 How do Rainsford's actions affect the story's theme? In the short story, The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell tells the tale of an exceptionally skilled hunter named Rainsford. Rainsford falls off his yacht and ends up on the shores of Ship Trap Island, home to the evil General Zaroff and finds himself in a game of man vs. man against a person who finds thrill in hunting and killing human beings. However, despite the fact that Rainsford is forced to face a surplus of life threatening obstacles he does not back down.Throughout this story Rainsford's skill, whit, determination, and persistence are put to the test over and over again in this game; the odds are not in his favor but he quickly grasps the reality that if he is to survive he must will himself to do so. Evidently, Rainsford's hardwork is rewarded in the end when he beats the General at his own game but more importantly saves his own life. Rainsford is told about S hip Trap Island where, through sailor lore, those who arrive on the island never return home. Whitney states, â€Å"Those fishy blue eyes held a look I never saw there before. This quote explains a scene in the story where Rainsford notices a look in the captain's eyes that he has never seen before which reveal a sense of suspicion and alertness, as well as a hint of fear. This quote hints the future of the story by comparing the scared look in the captain's eyes and being â€Å"Fishy† or suspicious; thus foreshadowing the dangers of Ship Trap Island. Although Rainsford has seen the fear in the captain's eyes, his opinion on hunting remains the same as he states, â€Å"Pure imagination. † In this scene, this quote shows how Rainsford is not shaken by the sailor lore that seems to have everyone else on edge.This shows that Rainsford acquires a kind of competence toward something in the story that in fact, is very serious. Rainsford is headstrong about his â€Å"Braver y† toward Ship Trap Island despite of everyone else's fear toward it. Rainsford has fallen off the yacht but fortunately has been able to pursue through and end up on the shores of Ship Trap Island. â€Å"But as he forged along, he saw to his great astonishment that all the lights were in one enormous building- a lofty structure with pointed towers plunging up into the gloom. This scene describes the point in the story where Rainsford is on the island and sees the chateau. This quote lines up Rainsford to meet General Zaroff as he brings himself to arrive at his chateau. â€Å"There is no greater bore than perfection. † In this scene General Zaroff and Rainsford are talking about their take on hunting when General Zaroff non-shalontly implies his psychotic opinion that it is okay to hunt humans by telling Rainsford how everything else has failed to satisfy his thrill.This quote shows the loss of interest General Zaroff is experiencing because he no longer finds hunting as a challenge. General Zaroff makes it clear to Rainsford what his interest on this island is and Rainsford suddenly finds himself in a life-threatening situation when General Zaroff wants him to take part in his game. Rainsford is forced to compete with the evil General Zaroff in a game of man vs. man. â€Å"Keep your nerve, Keep your nerve. In this scene, Rainsford is playing in the game against the General and is having trouble adjusting to the level of persistence and skill that he needs in order to survive. This quote shows the amount of pressure that Rainsford is in as he struggles to keep himself under control in order to stay focused. â€Å"But, perhaps, the General was the devil. † In this scene Rainsford had created a trail in which he hoped to trick General Zaroff with however, it did not work. This quote shows very bluntly, what Rainsford thinks of General Zaroff by comparing his evil with the devil.Throughout this story, Rainsford has been striked with many su rprises but he knew better than to let the blows of hardship knock him down. As the game goes on it does not get easier for Rainsford, but he sure does not go easier on this game. As he is challenged by General Zaroff, a man of savagery, he is constantly pushed further and further past his limits. However, General Zaroff is no match for the amount of determination Rainsford holds within himself. Due to the fact that Rainsford did not give up even when things were so vastly unfortunate he ends up winning the game    The Most Dangerous Game Michelle Anne Rubio Mrs. McCann English 9 20 October 2011 How do Rainsford's actions affect the story's theme? In the short story, The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell tells the tale of an exceptionally skilled hunter named Rainsford. Rainsford falls off his yacht and ends up on the shores of Ship Trap Island, home to the evil General Zaroff and finds himself in a game of man vs. man against a person who finds thrill in hunting and killing human beings. However, despite the fact that Rainsford is forced to face a surplus of life threatening obstacles he does not back down.Throughout this story Rainsford's skill, whit, determination, and persistence are put to the test over and over again in this game; the odds are not in his favor but he quickly grasps the reality that if he is to survive he must will himself to do so. Evidently, Rainsford's hardwork is rewarded in the end when he beats the General at his own game but more importantly saves his own life. Rainsford is told about S hip Trap Island where, through sailor lore, those who arrive on the island never return home. Whitney states, â€Å"Those fishy blue eyes held a look I never saw there before. This quote explains a scene in the story where Rainsford notices a look in the captain's eyes that he has never seen before which reveal a sense of suspicion and alertness, as well as a hint of fear. This quote hints the future of the story by comparing the scared look in the captain's eyes and being â€Å"Fishy† or suspicious; thus foreshadowing the dangers of Ship Trap Island. Although Rainsford has seen the fear in the captain's eyes, his opinion on hunting remains the same as he states, â€Å"Pure imagination. † In this scene, this quote shows how Rainsford is not shaken by the sailor lore that seems to have everyone else on edge.This shows that Rainsford acquires a kind of competence toward something in the story that in fact, is very serious. Rainsford is headstrong about his â€Å"Braver y† toward Ship Trap Island despite of everyone else's fear toward it. Rainsford has fallen off the yacht but fortunately has been able to pursue through and end up on the shores of Ship Trap Island. â€Å"But as he forged along, he saw to his great astonishment that all the lights were in one enormous building- a lofty structure with pointed towers plunging up into the gloom. This scene describes the point in the story where Rainsford is on the island and sees the chateau. This quote lines up Rainsford to meet General Zaroff as he brings himself to arrive at his chateau. â€Å"There is no greater bore than perfection. † In this scene General Zaroff and Rainsford are talking about their take on hunting when General Zaroff non-shalontly implies his psychotic opinion that it is okay to hunt humans by telling Rainsford how everything else has failed to satisfy his thrill.This quote shows the loss of interest General Zaroff is experiencing because he no longer finds hunting as a challenge. General Zaroff makes it clear to Rainsford what his interest on this island is and Rainsford suddenly finds himself in a life-threatening situation when General Zaroff wants him to take part in his game. Rainsford is forced to compete with the evil General Zaroff in a game of man vs. man. â€Å"Keep your nerve, Keep your nerve. In this scene, Rainsford is playing in the game against the General and is having trouble adjusting to the level of persistence and skill that he needs in order to survive. This quote shows the amount of pressure that Rainsford is in as he struggles to keep himself under control in order to stay focused. â€Å"But, perhaps, the General was the devil. † In this scene Rainsford had created a trail in which he hoped to trick General Zaroff with however, it did not work. This quote shows very bluntly, what Rainsford thinks of General Zaroff by comparing his evil with the devil.Throughout this story, Rainsford has been striked with many su rprises but he knew better than to let the blows of hardship knock him down. As the game goes on it does not get easier for Rainsford, but he sure does not go easier on this game. As he is challenged by General Zaroff, a man of savagery, he is constantly pushed further and further past his limits. However, General Zaroff is no match for the amount of determination Rainsford holds within himself. Due to the fact that Rainsford did not give up even when things were so vastly unfortunate he ends up winning the game    The Most Dangerous Game Critical Analysis Essay â€Å"A Sound of Thunder† by Ray Bradbury Imagine using a time machine to hunt one of the biggest dinosaurs of all kind. Ray Bradbury’s plot makes the reader wonder in our minds which leads us to hints and makes us foreshadow that something bad is going to happen next. The short story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury uses imagery, figurative language, and tone to create the mood of bone-chilling, nightmare, and seriousness.The imagery in the story supports the mood of bone-chilling by describing the jungle and everything in it. â€Å"The fog that enveloped the machine blew away and they were in an old time. † The author describes it to us making us think something horrible is going happen. The author says â€Å"the jungle was wide full of twittering, rustlings, murmurs, and sighs,† this sentence helps us know what the jungle looks like which is bone chilling. He describes the jungle as broad also and it is an entire world forever and forever.The way the author describes the dinosaurs makes it bone chilling, â€Å"it’s armored flesh glittered like a thousand green coins. † â€Å"The coins crusted with slime, steamed. † The author uses imagery to help us create the mood of bone chilling. The figurative language in the story supports the mood of nightmare by describing the dinosaur. The author describes the dinosaur like a thousand green coins, it’s armored flesh. Like a stone idol, a mountain avalanche, the dinosaur fell.The author used a simile to describe the dinosaur as an avalanche because the dinosaur is humongous. He uses figurative language to make the story nightmarish and to let us know how big and dangerous the dinosaur is. The use of tone supports the mood of seriousness by Travis telling Eckles not to get out of the path. By Travis telling Eckles not to get out of the path so many times the reader can foreshadow that he might step outside and he might change the future.T hey tell Eckles to shoot on the red paint on the dinosaur and nowhere else because the one they kill were going to die. Travis uses a serious tone after they almost got killed by Eckeles and says â€Å"this fool nearly killed us. † The use of a serious tone lets the reader predict something bad is going to happen. The author did a good job by letting readers foreshadow by their hints in the story. The short story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury uses imagery, figurative language, and tone to create the mood of bone-chilling, nightmarish, and seriousness.Through the use of imagery the reader was able to create the mood of bone chilling when he describes the dinosaur so hauntingly. Through figurative language the reader thinks the mood of nightmarish because how he describes the jungle so broad and high. Finally, through the use of tone the reader could feel the mood of seriousness because how Travis tells Eckles not to step outside of the path and not to shoot dinosaurs with out red paint. By reading this story it tells the readers that if you do not listen and change something there will be consequences The Most Dangerous Game Critical Analysis Essay â€Å"A Sound of Thunder† by Ray Bradbury Imagine using a time machine to hunt one of the biggest dinosaurs of all kind. Ray Bradbury’s plot makes the reader wonder in our minds which leads us to hints and makes us foreshadow that something bad is going to happen next. The short story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury uses imagery, figurative language, and tone to create the mood of bone-chilling, nightmare, and seriousness.The imagery in the story supports the mood of bone-chilling by describing the jungle and everything in it. â€Å"The fog that enveloped the machine blew away and they were in an old time. † The author describes it to us making us think something horrible is going happen. The author says â€Å"the jungle was wide full of twittering, rustlings, murmurs, and sighs,† this sentence helps us know what the jungle looks like which is bone chilling. He describes the jungle as broad also and it is an entire world forever and forever.The way the author describes the dinosaurs makes it bone chilling, â€Å"it’s armored flesh glittered like a thousand green coins. † â€Å"The coins crusted with slime, steamed. † The author uses imagery to help us create the mood of bone chilling. The figurative language in the story supports the mood of nightmare by describing the dinosaur. The author describes the dinosaur like a thousand green coins, it’s armored flesh. Like a stone idol, a mountain avalanche, the dinosaur fell.The author used a simile to describe the dinosaur as an avalanche because the dinosaur is humongous. He uses figurative language to make the story nightmarish and to let us know how big and dangerous the dinosaur is. The use of tone supports the mood of seriousness by Travis telling Eckles not to get out of the path. By Travis telling Eckles not to get out of the path so many times the reader can foreshadow that he might step outside and he might change the future.T hey tell Eckles to shoot on the red paint on the dinosaur and nowhere else because the one they kill were going to die. Travis uses a serious tone after they almost got killed by Eckeles and says â€Å"this fool nearly killed us. † The use of a serious tone lets the reader predict something bad is going to happen. The author did a good job by letting readers foreshadow by their hints in the story. The short story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury uses imagery, figurative language, and tone to create the mood of bone-chilling, nightmarish, and seriousness.Through the use of imagery the reader was able to create the mood of bone chilling when he describes the dinosaur so hauntingly. Through figurative language the reader thinks the mood of nightmarish because how he describes the jungle so broad and high. Finally, through the use of tone the reader could feel the mood of seriousness because how Travis tells Eckles not to step outside of the path and not to shoot dinosaurs with out red paint. By reading this story it tells the readers that if you do not listen and change something there will be consequences