Monday, December 30, 2019

The global food retail industry - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 11 Words: 3404 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Industry Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? The Global Food Retail Industry Introduction Food retail business is growing fast these days; it is one of the businesses that bringing companies greater profits. All the modern business had fast growth in related industry over the time. Businesses are having global expansion these days and now companies are coming out of their national boundaries. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The global food retail industry" essay for you Create order Asian markets are now emerging economic centres of business activates. China and India are worlds potential economic powers. For example McDonalds and Wal-Mart are growing fast in the global markets. Similarly TESCO is also expanding over the new markets in Europe and Asia. Carrefour is one of other food business related to the food industry that is expanding its outreach. Many food businesses are in problems even some medium level businesses have to sell their assets to cover their payments and to run their business. Common local stores and local brands are also hit by these kinds of trends some time from bigger retailers like TESCO and Wal-Mart. Similarly in competition major companies have to redesign their trading methods and customer services to remain at top in their related market. In the U.S.A. food industry is under huge pressures as small business and many generic stores are making complaints about some policies of Wal-Mart and other food retailers like Costco. From m echanized to supply everything related to technology have made important impacts on this industry as the freshness of food is major element in this industry and technology have vital role in it. . Current age computerization and electronic changes have contributed on many aspects of food industry. On other hand there are concerns over the health issues which are coming to public attention through media on daily bases. Global warming is another issue that is indirectly related to food production from farming to factories production many activities are contributing to the global warming. The food demand is on increase as UNO have predicted about the rise of food demand in future times as the world population have touched 7 billion. As there is global warming that will decrease the water supply for farming and there will be more demand in future. Scientists are worried how to bridge the gap by 2050. Main feature of Food industry There is visible decline in consumer spending on food items now days especially after global recession that is not ending very soon and stretching more over the years. The public spending on some food items has increased but overall spending is decreasing day by day that is natter of concern for the companies which are into food business. There are different forms of food in the market which are following:- Basic or traditional food commodities like wheat, rice, and con; Horticultural food products like vegetables and fruits; Semi processed food items like oils and flour; Processed food items like precooked foods. Changing trend in food intake has changed global food market over the years since 2000. All over globe food merchants are trying to meet the food needs by reaching distances like Africa and Asia and Australia to keep the supply chain active and on flow. Many multinationals are expanding their business to new markets in Asia and Africa. Many major food industry companies have invested all over the world in the production and supply of food items to different markets. Following data can easily explain the market trends in food industry over the years. Four-firm concentration (CR4), by region and product category, 2007 Product category Region Soup Breakfast cereal Baby food Pet food Confectionery Cheese Percent share of total product sales of the top four firms Africa, Middle East 71.5 55.9 55.7 60.4 38.3 28.2 Asia Pacific 42.9 61.9 43.3 29.9 26.0 43.1 Australasia 91.1 87.8 91.5 59.0 74.1 70.1 Eastern Europe 66.5 40.0 55.2 58.2 36.6 17.5 Latin America 75.0 75.0 84.1 51.3 42.3 15.0 North America 68.3 82.3 88.0 48.6 56.8 43.2 Western Europe 55.6 61.3 73.9 45.5 37.8 21.5 World 50.4 62.3 60.0 45.8 32.9 20.2 1/ Four-firm concentration (CR4) is the sum of the sales shares of the leading four suppliers in each market. Source: Euromonitor, 2009. The food market with its sector shown at current prices ( £bn at RSP*), 2004-2008. (Source: Key Note) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Meat and meat products 224 234 247 267 285 Fish and fish products 64 69 75 83 89 Fruit and vegetables 205 211 218 227 236 Dairy products, eggs, oils, and fats 240 252 265 280 294 Bread, cakes, biscuits, and cereals 197 203 212 224 233 Other foods 36 38 40 43 45 Total 996 1,007 1,057 1,124 1,182 % change year-on-year 3.6 4.2 5.0 6.3 5.1 Further detail is shown in annexure one World Top FiveFood Companies Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Carrefour S.A. Metro AG Tesco Plc The Kroger Co. Answer One Globalization and Food industry Globalisation can be taken as result or trend that was created with the advancement in technology that brought revolution in transportation and communications. It has made world a global village where travel and communication is as easy as it was in villages centuries back for our forefathers. Speed in most of the human life has turned this world into a smaller place by Jets and internet. There is also advancement in travelling over waters in the sea. That has increased the capacity of transportation of goods dramatically from previous decades. Global access and reach is now a possible thing in modern business world. All concepts of farming, food production and its supply to the markets are now changed one and having more possibilities than ever. Food industry is also affected by these global advancements in science and technology. Food was earliest item that made humans on track of trade and commerce centuries back in early human civilisation. Food is one of major item that is bei ng traded in the markets globally in huge quantities. This phenomenon of globalisation brought emergence of companies like Wal-Mart, Carrefour and TESCO and it is also helping these companies to grow fast to reach throughout the world in future times to gain more profits on their sales. Benefits of globalisation are many first things is availability of food around the year is possible unlike past times when it was seasonal for most of the food items. Second thing is availability of food in greater quantity that was also not possible in past times. Third is rise of dairy and nutritional foods availability. All countries are now benefitted at same levels from neighbouring countries with their products and supply. More choices for consumers are available now throughout the world. Global businesses such as like Wal-mart and TESCO or McDonalds are gaining maximum from the global markets and globalisation of transport and communication. Before greater trend of globalisation trade wa s a seasonal activity and its outreach was narrow to national boundaries for food items.   But now this trade is expanded and also continues all the year. This thing carries a lot of drawbacks for human life like health issue caused by the use of modified crops and preserved foods. Many major companies including WAl-mart, Carrefour and TESCO are facing problem with this trend as they have to compromise on the prices and profits due to these global trends.   The Some national food businesses now have redesigned their outlook and strategy and gaining acceptance rapidly inside national boundaries all over the world. This is also creating new challenge for the global businesses. I can say here that globalisation in this industry have brought diversity of strategic approach in this business here are some strategic ways adopted by some companies in past 18 months or more to sustain in the current global recession. Problems and Strategies to cope with GlobalRecession 1: New Entry Threats: All the major firm in food industry are feeling threat from entry of new rivals as many companies like TESCO, Wal-mart and Carrefour are expanding their business in USA and Europe and they are entering into each others market to gain maximum profits from their methodology. 2: Consumer Bargain Power: In these global crises the buyers importance has increased as companies are trying to keep flow of cash into their businesses and thus public purchase power has decline with rise in inflation, unemployment and economic conditions in the world. So, consumers are now trying to use tier bargain power effectively and they are getting more bargains over their purchase than ever before. For example all major retailers in UK have to adjust their price strategy to cope with the price strategy of ASDA and TESCO in last couple of years before that these retailers were targeting niche market segments but now under the burden of recession they made a shift in their strategi es and start compromise on prices to attract wide range of customers. 3: Alliances: There different strategies adopted by these food retailers to cope with problems of globalisation and growing economic recession. One of strategy is formation of alliances like â€Å"British Retail Consortium† that include all major retailer in UK likeArgos, ASDA, TESCO, Wilkinson, T.K.Max and others. The purpose of this alliance is to control many problems faced by these retailers and also having a platform that can help them in presenting their point of views to government and different sectors. 4: Mergers and Acquisitions: Globalization made some companies to adopt different measure to sustain their position in time of recession. One of the examples about going into mergers and acquisitions. For example ASDA and Wal-mart went into a business acquisition of ASDA by Wal-mart over the years. In year 2009 Wal-mart sold its assets of ASDA to its own subsidiary company Corinth. Similarly th ere is also example about the alliance between Plascon Packaging and DC Norris. Similarly in year 2008 TESCO taken over stores from one of South Koreas major superstore market name E-Land with its one billion pound investment. TESCO runs its business in Korea as Homeplus , hypermarkets and Homeplus Express stores that is ventured with famous electronic company Samsung. Question Two: TESCO Strategy in current Global Market All these food businesses in recent years times are facing problem due to recessions and governmental policies over the time. For example TESCO is going with a different strategy to deal with this situation created by global recession. It is expanding its business over the globe and trying to capture new markets where it can get more sales and profits. Here are some strategies adopted by TESCO to deal with this entire situation. Expansion policy TESCO unlike other firms have adopted a different strategy to deal with menace of global recession. It is opening its stores to new markets and new lands. This policy of global outreach and expansion is working positive for TESCO as it is gaining sales margins over its rivals. It is penetrating new markets like India and China which are really huge potential markets for any company dealing with food and non food items. This is helping TESCO without compromise on its profits and ginning someth ing that is working now and will be working more in futures as there will end of global recession. Further its expansion to Asian nations and into European markets is creating profit seeking opportunity for TESCO. Market Position: TESCO is trying to keep its position in the market by avoiding its competition to its rivals as it is focusing on different earning variables other than its rivals like Wal-Mart and others. It is having different level of product quality and prices. Risks: With its effective expansion strategy it is going with less risks but it also making its stakeholder aware with its activities fully so they can keep trust on it and can help it when it is in trouble by providing enough resources for any situation to deal with. At the end of this global recession it is predicted that TESCO will gain more from its strategy. Maximum Product line: As a well-known supermarket TESCO is getting its profits due to availability of range if products and services at its s tores. It has successfully provided its customers with the range of choices in Varity of food items. TESCO is keeping hold on UK market and is utilising its learning there on foreign lands that providing maximum profits for its sales. Direct Marketing TESCO is reaching to its customers by direct marketing this is store based and online marketing that helping TESCO to maximise its customer range. Its online business has got popularity and that is paying back to TESCO from all segments of customers. It is adding daily to its club card holders that are regular customers to TESCO. These club card holder or members are benefited on every single purchase they make on TESCO. Online Business Online business is another feature of TESCOs policy that serving it by subsequent reasons:- tangible sales of products Advertising and promotion. consumer service Market trends research Wide Range of Services and Products TESCO is provided that variety of goods plus food product and services on its online and other stores. There is availability of long range of products and services. Its club members are also making its promotion and bringing more customers who are becoming club members and are purchasing most the things on its stores as they can get maximum benefits from maximum shopping on TESCO. Margins of profits All Supermarkets try to gain maximum profits from their products and services by the use of different techniques. TESCO is doing many things also like having a strategy of economy of scales for production and purchase from other producers that is giving it maximum profits over its products and services. It has winning trend over the prices with its rivals. It is famous for its price cuts but all this not done on the cost of its business instead it is expanding its business over the continents as it is gaining from sales. If we see the strategies adopted by the TESCO we can find that TESCO remained successful in getting benefits from all its strategies over the time. Especially in last one or two years TESCO expanded its business to new markets and it was successful in making profits for its business. Similarly it also gone through the strategy of lowering prices and looking for new markets to grab initial profits. TESCO have different strategies that are helping its business to grow. It is also started holding markets in India and China. TESCO is now household brand name worldwide and especially in UK , TESCO Performance Chart for Last five years: Here is performance chart of TESCO showing its performance in last five years in the market. Source: Interactive investor website This chart indicates that TESCO has gained a rise in its market position in last five years though it was unable to keep its share position as it was in year 2007 and 2008. Yet it was able to recover from crises of economy as it was in 2009. This shows the growth rate in the TESCO plc over last five years. It is also indication that strategy adopted by the TESCO is working in its favour and proven effective in the time of recession. Question Three: MichaelT.Duke is President and Chief Executive Officer; of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc, he is holding this position since February 2009. He remained on different position with Walmart over the time. He has great experience as Voice president of Walmart international. He also served as member of board of directors for The Consumer Goods Forum, the executive committee of the Business Roundtable, and the executive board of Conservation International Centre for Environmental Leadership in Business. He is member of board of advisors to University of Arkansas and also member with advisory board to Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management in Beijing, China. He has decades knowledge within retail sector. He have a dynamic personality and brought good times to Walmart even in the times of recession. As CEO, he brought growth to the company and holds command over the management He believe in the Walmarts mission that says â€Å"saving people money so they can live better† so he always looking for implementation of that strategy in practical. He wants walmart grow further in to new markets as he is focusing on china these days. He wants Company to keep a sustainable development over the times. He is having good experience for administration, logistics and distribution with Walmart U.S.A. He is being considered as a dynamic and active chairman, for the walmart. His wise leadership made Walmart on track of development and growth over the years. He brought company towards growth in time of global recession. He also put Walmart on track of global expansion in its business. Mike is taking Wal-mart on a higher profit way that is created by the maximum sales. He is looking for more markets for its company over the times and is aiming higher for his team and company. His experience can make walmart world number one business which has global outreach to all corners of the world. If we see the approach of Mr Mike is risk taker in his approach towards busine ss corporate strategy. He always believes in doing things and getting success. He is prospector in his nature dealing with his business; he enjoys making new experiments and taking bold decisions. Under his supervision Wal-mart is expanding carefully. Mr mike is looking forward in 2015 as he believe that coming years are good for the retail food sector. He is one who wants to see Wal-mart serving more than current outreach. As he is targeting for his team maximum outcome.Mr Mike is well educated person who have good knowledge related to retail market thus he is helping his joiners more consciously to get maximum desired results. Mike having diverse personality?   Some time it is observed that good leadership takes companies on growth and more on to the track of development and profits. There are certain issues related to food industry that required efficient participation in the main activities. Mike is one of business leaders who can shift in hire or her facially expressi on for safety. Mike over the years on different designations served Wal-mart in a good professional manner. Now he himself wants his team capable of learning and starting any required task while doing their work at Wal-Mart. His leadership can be categorising as Situational Leadership for Wal-mart as he takes decisions depending on situation requirement. Secondly he is kind of Strategic team leader which plans effectively and leads team from front. Over the year Mike is trying to expand Wal-mat business into China and India and many other Asian countries. He takes it as challenge as other retailers like TESCO is also trying with same strategy. If he keeps this trend it is possibility that Wal-mart can generate some extra income that can be helpful in sustaining Wal-Mart position in troubling business environment. Mike have potential to lead his team towards greater success in coming times. Conclusion Global recession has put negative impacts on the growth and sustainability of the businesses. All industry is facing new challenges in this recession time. Every company is adapting its diverse approach to cope with this recession time. Food industry is also having bad time in this recession unfortunately it is also failed to get maximum support from governments in their bailout plans. Yet most of the major companies are surviving in this situation as these companies are compromising on their profits and focusing on their sales to cover that profit gap. There is unbalance between demand and supply and interesting thing is there is also a negative relation between demand and profits in this industry. With recent global depression and distress over modified food, this industry is experiencing many issues that are putting negative impact on this industry to keep its pace with global business. With opening of markets like china and India this business have chance to grow and get some e nergy in this recession time. These problems and decreasing profit margins are main outcome in this global recession for food industry which is one of the main issues related to every TESCOs business and strategic planning for future. Pressures are increasing for retailers like Wal-Mart and TESCO which are trying to compromise on the prices and cutting to their profits to keep them in the position that makes them secure in the market. The increase in the demand for food is good sign and also the expansion of business but some other issues like consumers reduction of purchase power and governmental policies over the world are some issues that are making concerns for these companies. Hence these retailers are going with safe and secure strategies to deal with all kind of situations. There is also need to adjust some basic problems like food wastage and exploring new markets rapidly to keep the profit ratio at reasonable level for company. TESCO and Wal-mar t together or separate ar e trying to cope with the current recession time and both are adopting similar strategies and methodologies.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The, A Documentary By Josh Fox - 1296 Words

GasLand, a documentary by Josh Fox, is an extremely informative film about the negative externalities that consumers have to incur since they live in close proximity to a hydrofracking facility. Throughout the film, Fox travels around the country and meets with families that have been negatively impacted by fracking companies moving into their communities. Due to the amount of pollution that hydrofracking can cause, many of the families that Fox meets with no longer have the luxury of clean water supplied through their faucets. GasLand really opened up my eyes to the dangers of hydrofracking, and the negative externalities that consumers have to bear. Currently, there is a huge national debate on whether the benefits of hydrofracking outweighs the costs that it brings. The individuals that support the idea of hydrofracking in the Shenandoah Valley say that it will bring millions of dollars to this area. They also claim that hydrofracking will bring hundreds, maybe even thousands of j obs to the valley, which will further bring tax breaks to the local citizens (Knupp). Supporters also claim that if the United States extracted more natural gas domestically, it would reduce our dependence as a country on foreign oil. The money that the United States uses to buy the oil from foreign countries may be used to fund terrorist organizations. Another argument supporters use is that since the United States has a huge supply of natural gas that is across the country, it should be takenShow MoreRelatedThe Is A Documentary Film By Josh Fox1426 Words   |  6 PagesGasland is a documentary film by Josh Fox. It all began when a natural gas company wishing to buy his land for use of drilling approached him on him, in Milanville, Pennsylvania. He was told that his home was sitting on a natural gas field called the Marcellus Shale. The company claimed the Marcellus Shale was â€Å"the Saudi Arabia of natural gas† (Gasland). All of that led Josh to want to find out more abo ut what exactly natural gas drilling meant for everyone around the country. This led him to theRead MoreThe Energy Crisis Of Josh Fox s Documentary, Gasland, And Natural Gas Extraction Essay2064 Words   |  9 Pagesnatural gas extraction makes the subject of hydraulic fracturing a very high stakes issue. Given the topic, the implications of Josh Fox’s documentary, Gasland, are as high stakes as could be expected. According to Fox’s claims in Gasland, the price of not believing his accusations is too steep to ignore. After the documentary came out in 2010 (IMDb), the industry that Fox sought to condemn agreed that the cost was high, but the consequences for them were opposite: if the public believed Fox’s claimsRead MoreThe Positives and Negatives of Fracking710 Words   |  3 Pagesother? Below, I will discuss the opinions expressed in Gasland, Fracknation, Truthland, and other articles written on the subject, while offering my own opinion on the subject of fracking. As depicted in the popular documentary Gasland, created by the New Yorker and Pennsylvanian Josh Fox, many negative effects come from fracking. He finds a personal connection to these issues since his family owns property in Pennsylvania that an oil and gas company wanted to drill on. This is what began his missionRead MoreControl Room, By Jehane Joujaim992 Words   |  4 PagesJoujaim’s 2004 documentary, Control Room, covers â€Å"one of the most controversial news channels in the Arab world† (Joujaim, 2004), Al Jazeera, and brings to light many biases relating to the coverage of the 2003 Iraq war. Joujaim places Al Jazeera on a pedestal, and emphasizes the importance of that particular news network in Arab culture and society, as well as many of the problems that stem from the subjective media coverage of wars or invasions. It is difficult to discuss Joujaim’s documentary as a wholeRead MoreGasland Problem1022 Words   |  5 PagesGasland Problem Tap water isn’t supposed to catch fire.  It does in Dimock. Josh Fox, the director of Gasland, chronicles his search to discover what gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale might do to his beloved Delaware River watershed should he and his neighbors sign the leases they received in the mail. That search takes him first to Dimock and then across the United States, where he meets people struggling with unexpected consequences of gas drilling in multiple states. He spent time with citizensRead MoreGlobal Geopolitics of Fracking in Australia Essay581 Words   |  3 Pagesenvironmental health (De Rijke 2013). 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Josh argues that â€Å"the natural gas industry is setting our democracy on fire†Read MoreEssay on Fracking: Water Quality and Hydraulic Fracturing610 Words   |  3 PagesOur Future 3 REFERENCE: www.epa.gov www.wikipedia.com Documentary: â€Å"GASLAND† Josh Fox 2010 Our Future joe cool OUR FUTURE Joe cool Intro. 105 â€Æ' Our Future 1 Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractures in a rock layer caused by the presence of a pressurized fluid. (wiki 2011). This occurs naturally in nature, but the Hydraulic fracturing that I will speak of in this paper is a process being used by gas companies nationwide. FrackingRead MoreThe Effects Of Fracking On The American Public2044 Words   |  9 Pages(McElroy and Lu 27). Fracking currently occupies thirty-four states and is quickly expanding. The government is actively promoting natural gas production because of its â€Å"smaller carbon footprint† and how abundant it is here in the U.S. Josh Fox produced his documentary, GasLand, in 2010 as a way to begin to expose the dangers of fracking to the American public. Lucas Wheeler, a former student, believed that fracking posed a risk to the environment, but also that Fox’s evidence was rather anecdotal and

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Results and Discussion Example Free Essays

Results In this experiment we used paper chromatography to determine the amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, xanthophyll, and beta-carotene in a tube of blended leaf extract. We recorded our findings on the table labeled table 1. Table 1 shows the transmittance at each wavelength on a table from 400 to 720. We will write a custom essay sample on Results and Discussion Example or any similar topic only for you Order Now The information on Figure 1 came from the leaf extract on the paper chromatography that we used; with the help of acetone we saw the spectrum and the differences of the different pigments. Percentage transmittance in Table 1 show that the lower the number, the more dense that solution is at that specific wavelength. As the numbers get higher, the less dense it is and if the number is 100 at a specific wavelength then the solution was clear. As we can see from Table 1, each of the pigments had different low transmittance based on how high the absorption was in each of the pigments. For this we calculated that at there was a peak on the graph at the lowest points in table 1. For instance, in the chlorophyll a column in Table 1 the lowest points on the graphs at 8 and 28 and also at 44, which shows that there will be a peak around those points. In chlorophyll b, the lowest points are from 25. 2, 12. 4, and 9. 4, which would be the first peak and the next will be at 55. 6. In Xanthophyll, the points were the first peak will be are 52. 4, 43. 6, 44. 8, and 53. 0. Lastly in Carotene, the graph will peak at 92. 2, 93. 6, and 92. 4. By using these points we predicted the behavior of the graph. TABLE 1| | | Wavelength| Chlorophyll a| Chlorophyll b| Xanthophyll| Carotene| 400| 12| 42| 61. 8| 96. 8| 420| 8| 25. 2| 52. 4| 99. 6| 440| 28| 12. 4| 43. 6| 92. 2| 460| 71. 5| 9. 4| 44. 8| 93. 6| 480| 81| 48. 4| 53| 92. 4| 500| 88| 88. 6| 83. 2| 99. 2| 520| 88| 91. 4| 94. 2| 100| 540| 84. 5| 87. 4| 95. 6| 100| 560| 83| 85. 2| 96. 4| 99. 2| 580| 71. 5| 83. 4| 96. 2| 100| 600| 72. 5| 76. 8| 96| 100| 620| 61. 5| 78. 2| 94. 4| 100| 640| 61. 5| 59. 6| 94. 6| 100| 660| 44| 55. 6| 93. 2| 100| 680| 48. 8| 67. 8| 92. 6| 99. 8| 700| 64. 6| 60| 91. 4| 92. 8| 720| 50. 6| 52. 4| 89| -| On the graph labeled Figure 1, it shows the absorbance of each of the pigments that are shown in Table 1. The difference between Table 1 and Figure 1 is that where table 1 shows the transmittance points of each wavelength of each pigment, Figure 1 shows the absorption peaks of each of the wavelengths. For chlorophyll a, the highest peaks are at 420, but then the graph plummets at around 450 and has another peak between 650 and 700. For chlorophyll b, the highest peaks of absorbance are between 450 and 500 then it makes a big plummet around 500 and has another peak between 640 and 660. For Xanthophyll, the only peak is between 420 and 480, then the graph as minimal movement from there and stays in the 90 range never hitting 100. Lastly, beta-carotene has small peaks at 440 and 460 and then the graph stays almost stagnant at 100. Discussion The purpose of this experiment was to find out why the leaves on a tree changed color in the fall. We predicted that the molecules in the leaves of the tree attributed to the change. We found out that the molecules: Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b, Xanthophyll, and Beta-carotene are the main molecules that reside in a leaf. We also stated that the tree absorbs the elements found in some of these molecules so that they can be used in the spring, when the trees are green once more. This prediction came from when we studied the molecular composition of each of the molecules and correlated the results the experiment and the specific elements that the tree would have needed for another year. The results of this experiment show that at there is less chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in the composition of the leaves that were used. This meant that when the season is changing, the molecules in these structures start to be absorbed back into the tree. This conclusion came from the fact that in table 1 from 420 and 440 Nano meters there was a low transmittance rate of these two molecules, which means that the absorbance rate was high. During the fall season there is not enough sunlight for the trees to perform photosynthesis to make their own food, what a plant needs to survive would be the Magnesium and Nitrogen that are found in the molecular structures of chlorophyll a and b. Therefore they absorb all of these nutrients that the tree needs to survive so that they can make it thorough the winter. Errors could have been made with this experiment. Some of them include that the individuals in different groups did not have the same control as the others. We did not measure the same amount of acetone in each vial nor did we measure how much of the leaf extraction each person used. Another source of error would be how the spectrometer was used, if it was reset the same at each wavelength each time. Compared to previous experiments the information that was collected in this one was accurate. The peaks for each pigment were roughly around the same wavelength. The standard for chlorophyll a was peaks at 430 and 662, chlorophyll b peaks at 453 and 642, xanthophyll a range from 450 to 550 and for the beta-carotene peaks at a range from 450 to 550. Our results were roughly around the same as you can see from Table 1. The end result of the experiment was successful, because of the results that we produced were similar to the results of previous experiments. How to cite Results and Discussion Example, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Information System New York Times Report

Question: Describe the Report for Information System of New York Times. Answer: News 1 According to New York Times report dated 22nd September, 2016, Yahoo announced the biggest known intrusion in computer network by stating that account details of at least 500 million people was assessed by hacker. Although Yahoo did not named the country involved in the breach in the initially, however one week later they revealed that a group professional hackers from Eastern Europe are mainly suspected of stealing customer data (Perlroth 2016). The first evidence for hacking came when a Russian hacker revealed stolen Yahoo data in different web forums. A second hacker displayed stolen Yahoo credentials like ZIP codes, email address and other official information. Justify This report has been chosen mainly because it relates to information security breaches as it reports the biggest case of hacking information system data and causing havoc for the company. It is a great cause of concern for the regular users and also the company Verizon Communication which is in the process of acquiring the company. Reasons for the Breaches There are technical reasons for the breaches such as weak security testing by Yahoo. Neither Yahoo nor Verizon carried out security testing to check if any professional hackers can break into the Yahoo network or not. This critical security check was overlooked by the investors although the overall impact of this security breaches are huge. Losses may come in the form of stolen intellectual property and compromised user accounts. Infoarmors report highlighted the manner in which the hacking was done. It reported that the hackers exfiltrated the data in segments and delivered them in different files alphabetically. The exfiltrated data include country code, recovery email, yahoo ID, ZIP code for password recovery and many more. Impact The overall impact of the information system breach will mainly faced by the Yahoo company and other key stakeholders like millions of users and companies in partnership with Yahoo, or those planning to acquire the company. As it is the oldest email service, many people digital information relies on Yahoo, hence the impact cause by this case is significant. The hacking case is a serious issue because the data is not only linked to a single system but also on other details like financial service, banks, users family and social media networks (Vance et al. 2013). However, the overall impact on the sale price of Yahoo is still not clear. Remedies The immediate remedy for solving the problem is to instruct user to changes their passwords. It is also necessary that users avoid keeping similar passwords that they use in other online sites. Consumers should also be careful when giving any information online, as hackers have the trick consumers and breach the information system. Yahoo announced in the news that they are seeking help of law enforcement to investigate more about the reasons for breachese and identify any suspicious activities. News 2 As stated in Infoworld news dated September 26, 2016, Trump Hotel Chain was fined for information system breaches. It leads to the exposure of about 70000 credit card numbers and other personal data. The hotel chain did not report the breach to its customers and so the hotel chain had to pay 50,000 dollars in penalties. The fraud was identified when banks monitored suspicious bank transaction and found that Trump Hotel Chain has been targeted in a cyber attack that led to the exposure of credit card information of different users (Ribeiro 2016). Justify This news has been chosen because it is related to malpractice related to information system. The news report is important as it reported malpractice that skimmed payment card information. Evidence for this was gained by computer networks in different locations such as New York and Chicago hotels. Reasons for the Breaches The information system breach took place mainly because of non-technical reasons. The Hotel Chain was fined mainly because its did not had adequate protection system in place and they did not took responsible action to immediately inform the affected people about the malpractice in information system. Investigations behind the reason of fraud revealed that it could be possible only when a person has access to domain administrators credential. By gaining access to this credential, the hackers gained entry into the payment processing system of Trump Hotel Chain. The hackers installed malware so that they could get access to credit card information on all systems within the hotel premise. Another crucial reason for this information system breach was that the company delayed in placing authentication system in place even for remote access to hotel network. This action was recommended to the hotel earlier too, but still they did not acted responsibly to prevent a second attack. Impact The overall impact of the information system fraud in the hotel chain was huge. It will adversely affect the reputation and sales activities of the company. Such security breaches adversely impact profitability and disrupts the established business of companies. Hotel Trump Chain compromised with the security system and hence they were exposed to litigation and scrutiny by law firm. The company also had to incur extra expenditure on technical and legal reasons. They further deteriorated the situation by not reporting it to the customers for which they were hugely penalized. According to Business law, companies are required to respond quickly in such situation and notify to all customers about hacking customers credential (Berezina et al. 2012). Remedies To avoid such future case of misusing internal control system of companies, it is necessary that competitive companies take all measures to update software and protect their consumer information as far as possible. Even if data breaching takes despite strict security controls, it is the duty of the company to immediately inform it to all stakeholders involved. This is in accordance with the Australian law. Hence, hotel chains or any other companies should also work in compliance with relevant business laws to immediately involve people affected by information system fraud and be accountable enough to minimize all chance of hacking in the hotel system (Eckerd et al. 2013). News 3 Another exclusive report on information system breach was reported by The Register on 20th September, 2016, which state that the point of sale technology of H L Company was hacked. The hackers have claimed that they had got access to customers database. It meant they had got hold into crucial information about business activities at H L Company, credit card data and other personal information (Theregister 2016). Justify This news article has been chosen as it brings into focus the potential losses that companies suffer due to such hacking information technology. It helps to know the manner in which hackers can employ tricks to unfold crucial information about the company and gain control over internal security system in the company. Reasons The news reports the reasons for hacking. It mainly occurred because of open link to a large SQL database. The Hold security company intervened to know the cause and they found access to underground crime forums. A conversation exchanged between two unknown companies was also recovered where they were talking about buying and selling database of H L. The breached local server database was also found which showed screenshots of password, login and mortlock. Impact The person who will be at risk by the hacking of pint of sale technology in H L company are mainly the companies key clients such as different retailers and suppliers. The potential impact for H L Company cannot be determined. It depended on level of information in the database. It might also be possible that the hacker located a file upload that was vulnerable to create entry into the H L system (Lukaszewski et al. 2016). Remedy The remedy for H L Company would be to strictly strenghthen defense system to prevent access to internal information system. It is necessary that organization realize the importance of updating security system and include components of cyber security in daily operations. They should seek help from guidelines on information security control and reduce exposure to important business and customer information. Supply chain system and network segment system should also be protected from hackers by synchronizing database (Ifinedo 2012). Reference Berezina, K., Cobanoglu, C., Miller, B.L. and Kwansa, F.A., 2012. The impact of information security breach on hotel guest perception of service quality, satisfaction, revisit intentions and word-of-mouth.International journal of contemporary hospitality management,24(7), pp.991-1010. Eckerd, S., Hill, J., Boyer, K.K., Donohue, K. and Ward, P.T., 2013. The relative impact of attribute, severity, and timing of psychological contract breach on behavioral and attitudinal outcomes.Journal of Operations Management,31(7), pp.567-578. Ifinedo, P., 2012. Understanding information systems security policy compliance: An integration of the theory of planned behavior and the protection motivation theory.Computers Security,31(1), pp.83-95. Lukaszewski, K.M., Stone, D.L. and Johnson, R.D., 2016. Impact of human resource information system policies on privacy.AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction,8(2), pp.58-73. Perlroth, N. (2016).Yahoo Says Hackers Stole Data on 500 Million Users in 2014. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/technology/yahoo-hackers.html?_r=0 [Accessed 30 Sep. 2016]. Ribeiro, J. (2016).Trump hotel chain fined over data breaches. [online] InfoWorld. Available at: https://www.infoworld.com/article/3123779/security/trump-hotel-chain-fined-over-data-breaches.html [Accessed 30 Sep. 2016]. Theregister (2016).Hackers claim they breached Aussie point-of-sale tech firm, try to sell 'customer DB'. [online] Available at: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/20/exclusive_hackers_claim_pos_tech_firm_breach/ [Accessed 30 Sep. 2016]. Vance, A., Lowry, P.B. and Eggett, D., 2013. Using accountability to reduce access policy violations in information systems.Journal of Management Information Systems,29(4), pp.263-290.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Analysis of a Media Source’s Coverage on a Research free essay sample

The Wall Street Journal published an article regarding a recent psychopharmacology study on depression done by Dr. Hunter that investigated whether pre-medication brain activity corresponded with treatment outcome. In addition, the article discusses the interesting results garnered from the placebo group v. medicated group analysis. While the news piece does a fair job in representing the study’s findings, the author does delve into extrapolations not statistically supported in the actual study. Fifty-one adults who were diagnosed with major depression were used in the study, and this was accurately reported by the news article (Wang, 2006). Hunter et al. investigated whether there were significant differences in â€Å"demographic characteristics, illness history, baseline illness severity, [and] final response[s],† and finding none, pooled the subjects for analysis (2006, p. 1427). This does give the Journal, who must condense the findings for the public, good reason to fail in reporting this. The study is experimental in nature, also using double-blind and randomized assignment to help rid the results of confounding variable input. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of a Media Source’s Coverage on a Research or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page All of the subjects were given a placebo anti-depressant for a one-week lead-in; after this, half of the individuals were continued on the placebo while the others were given one of two anti-depressants. Electroencephalograph (EEG) readings were taken at the time of enrollment, after the lead-in period, and several times later (over an eight week period). The Wall Street Journal condenses this explanation down, and while the article abandons the jargon of an experimenter, it does give the impression of an experimental method being followed. When the news article explains how the researchers defined their variables they leave out valuable information. The author states that patients with certain brain-patterns â€Å"ended up responding better to antidepressant treatment[s],† but fails to mention how this was evaluated (Wang, 2006, p. 1). A Hamilton depression scale was given to judge improvement, giving reliability to the study’s findings. However, the news piece does accurately report that EEG was also used, in an attempt to find a decrease in prefrontal lobe activity. This study uses a control group, those maintained on the placebo, and compares their EEGs to those of the medicated group, but the main focus of the research was the search for experimental evidence supporting that the commonly used one-week lead-in can predict treatment outcome via brain imaging. The Wall Street Journal article focuses on only a facet of the study, and one that the researcher’s claim to have nonsignificant support for. Wang states that, â€Å"patients who developed this brain-pattern change ended up responding better †¦ than patients who didn’t,† which is misleading to an audience that has not read the actual research (2006, p. 1). While Hunter et al. do find that their EEG scans were a good indicator of treatment success, they also caution that: Although the placebo and medication group analyses yielded different brain regional predictors of outcomes, because of the absence of statistical group interaction we cannot conclude that changes in †¦ [the differing brain regions] †¦ differentially predicted outcomes (2006, p. 430). The news article wrongly insinuates that the study provided evidence for a brain-pattern that is linked to a good treatment outcome in depression. It is certainly true that this study offered outcomes that encourage research in this direction, and that the author also seems to believe that the EEG-pattern found is â€Å"a good indicator† for success, but after reading the actual experiment, Wang seems to have inflated the actual findings. Having critiqued the insinuations of the news piece, the extrapolations made by the author do have some merit. The researchers discovered that both the medicated and the placebo groups had a similar variance â€Å"predicted by the neurophysiological changes occurring during the placebo lead-in phase† (Hunter et al. , 2006, p. 1429). They offered some possible causal factors such as â€Å"pharmacotherapeutic alliance and pretreatment expectations,† these results seem to demonstrate a placebo-treatment effect, which offers even more reason to further investigate how a patient’s treatment induction affects his/her progress (Hunter et al. , 2006, p. 1429). Though not mentioned or referenced in the Wall Street Journal item, the ethical issues surrounding this experiment are noted by Hunter et al. Providing individuals suffering from major depression placebos for eight weeks is risky, using a double-blind procedure makes it even more dangerous. While the IRB board of UCLA did require a 15-25 minute counseling session during each patient’s visit, this is a massive step down from the psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic support offered at the recruitment area (a psychiatric outpatient hospital) (Hunter et al. 2006). Conversely though, this ethical â€Å"patch† does raise an interesting question for further research, lightly touched on by the study’s authors; if this psychotherapy (however minute) was responsible for a pre-treatment neurophysiological shift, and the shifts that were indicatory of better treatment outcomes could be identified, research could be done to more effectively meld psychotherapy and medic al psychiatry. It is understandable why media reports often leave out details of a research study, often the conclusions and discussion by the author/s of the study are of more interest to the public. However, when a media piece merely latches onto a nonsignificant observation or a suggestion for future research found in the study, the true findings of the experiment are overshadowed by the speculation of the piece’s author. When a media source offers information about a study, it is vital to maintain a skeptical and critical mindset towards the findings until they are corroborated by the primary source. It is important to look for information that supports the generalizability of the study’s findings. In the piece presented above, it is worth noting that the study was done on depressed individuals, other psychopathologies may not have any correlation to the results or conclusions provided. The media also commonly jumps from correlation to causation, whether directly or implicitly. While scientific information is the goal of research, sensitization by the media will usually occur to some degree.

Monday, November 25, 2019

THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES AND WORLD WAR II essays

THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES AND WORLD WAR II essays After the First World War everyone wanted peace, even Germany. The Germans had no reason to fight; they had admitted defeat and began to rebuild their society. But the Treaty of Versailles changed all that. It had diminished Germanys land, economy, military, and most importantly, honour. The (arguably) unjustified accusations of the League of Nations were enough to revive the anger of the German people, which eventually gave rise to World War 2. Signed on the 28th of June 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was designed after the First World War, when the atrocious experience was still fresh in everyones minds. The diplomats that participated in the event declared that its purpose was to prevent such a battle from ever occurring again. However, some of the dominating powers had hidden agendas. In their discussions, Britain, France and (to a lesser extent) America had decided to place all of the blame of WW1 on Germany. While Britain simply wanted to punish Germany, France wanted to destroy her economy and incapacitate her military forces. The German people felt betrayed from the very beginning. They had accepted the Treaty of Versailles because they were led to believe that it would entail Wilsons 14 points, which Germany agreed with. However, once Germany was signed up these points were, for the most part, ignored by the Allies. She had no choice or say in the matter; if she had not surrendered, the Allies would attack. The objection of the German public can be seen in their quick change of attitude, at first they even refused to sign. They were being unfairly accused of carrying out such a dishonourable act. The Weimar Republic was quickly held responsible for disgracing Germany, and this created the proper environment for groups like the Nazis to take over. Disarmament was also a huge issue. The Rhineland was declared a demilitarised zone and allied troops were sent in to occupy it for 15 years ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The concept of organizational change within management theory Research Paper

The concept of organizational change within management theory - Research Paper Example Organizational change is a paradigm for addressing the impact of new external and internal forces, changes in culture and structure within an organization (Mills, 2003). Basically, organizational change deals with the change management’s human aspect. A methodical organizational change is favorable when change necessitates all the people in an organization to gain new skills, practices, and knowledge (Poole & Van De Ven, 2004). By appropriately establishing expectations and goals, using instruments to enhance communication and information dissemination and dynamically pursuing means to avoid misunderstanding, stakeholders are more predisposed to accept a change at the onset and remain steadfast to the change despite of any difficulties accompanying it. Meanwhile, if one were to look deeply after monitoring and examining several organizational changes, an array of goals would appear to exist. These goals could be implied or formally stated, or they could be embedded in the deci sions and responses of the management (Kamoche, Cunha, & Cunha, 2002). To the outsider, the general goals can be grouped under such categories as reduced turnover, reinforced innovation, new strategies, enhanced teamwork and cooperation, strengthened motivation, etc (Kamoche et al., 2002). Organizational changes are usually intended for these several common goals. Fundamental to these more apparent goals are generally two underlying purposes: (1) changes in employees’ behaviors and attitudes, and (2) changes in the adaptation level of an organization (Kezar, 2001). The first objective of organizational change, to realize transformations in patterns of behavior, becomes evident if one identifies that the adaptation level of the organization is not strengthened except if a large number of its people behave or act differently with regard to their tasks and their relationship to each other. An organization does not function mechanically; it operates through its people, and every organization possesses distinctive approaches to decision making (Kezar, 2001). Hence, any organizational change, regardless if it will be established through a training course or a new structural plan, is fundamentally trying to encourage employees to accept and implement new behavioral patterns and rudiments for performing tasks and relating to each other. Likewise, organizations are constantly trying to adapt themselves strongly and effectively to their immediate internal and external environment. Due to the fact that organizational management has no power to totally control its environment, particularly the external one, they are persistently obliged to initiate internal changes in the organization which permit them to deal more successfully with new challenges and problems of the external environment, such as difficult social demands, technological advances, heightened competition, and new government regulation (Murray & Richardson, 2002). Organizational changes are normally la unched in ‘response’ to demands from the external environment. Nevertheless, in several instances, changes are initiated in ‘expectation’ of future demands and problems. What Provokes Organizational Change? A fundamental fact of the twenty-first century is that managers and organizations as a whole are confronted with insistent pressures of change. Organizations are ever more

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Domestic Violence During Pregnancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Domestic Violence During Pregnancy - Essay Example Domestic Violence during Pregnancy Introduction Like many other problems that people face across the world, there must be a reason to why domestic violence happens in various homes. Domestic violence as amongst serious problem that are common in many homes, leads to the occurrence of other problems, which have negative impacts on family members, especially the mother and children (Hester, 2007). This discussion will consider the causes domestic violence, the impacts of domestic violence on both pregnant women and the unborn or newborn babies, and the prevention measures for domestic violence. Overview People have acknowledged domestic violence as among the most severe problems to the health of married women. However, pregnant women experience more impacts from domestic violence than normal women do because of a number of complications due to pregnancy. According to the Center for Disease Control, domestic violence during pregnancy refers to sexual, physical, emotional violence that p regnant women experience, especially from their husbands (Huth-Bocks, Levendosky, & Bogat, 2010). Research has shown that pregnant women have a higher likelihood of experiencing physical violence from their husbands than normal women do. Domestic violence harms women more than other problems, such as hypertension, diabetes, and other serious health complications do. It has serious effects on both infant and maternal health because injury to the breasts, genitals, and abdomen are common during pregnancy. Therefore, domestic violence is a significant factor that leads to high proportions of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Commonly, domestic violence during pregnancy can lead to fetal fractures, placental separation, prenatal hemorrhage, preterm labor, and rupture of the uterine walls. Domestic violence can indirectly affect the health of the pregnant mother and her unborn baby negatively because the mother can eat well as well or seek antenatal care (Estrellado, 2010). Nursing care considerations related to domestic violence assessment Domestic violence during pregnancy has become a severe problem, which affects both social and public health. Therefore, advanced practice physicians and nurses who help in providing the prenatal care play a vital role in identifying, diagnosing, and treatment for pregnant mothers facing domestic violence. In a number of hospitals, physicians and nurses are screening expectant mothers for domestic violence during the time of delivery, which is usually late for screening because in most cases, domestic violence takes place earlier (Estrellado, 2010). It is significant to for health institutions to implement a plan of screening expectant women during the prenatal visits, and give them necessary interventions. Such interventions include education about domestic violence and providing the expectant mothers with information on local resources like domestic violence centers and shelters. Expectant women should obtain a nu mber of resources, such as shoe cards and Domestic Violence Survivor’s Guide from health institutions (Estrellado, 2010). The shoe cards bear the phone numbers and names of the local agencies that are resourceful to domestic violence victims. These cards also bear information concerning safety measures. Domestic

Monday, November 18, 2019

What is Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is Biology - Essay Example Later, I learned that although this definition is sound, it is not detailed or acceptable. After joining the biology class, I realized that there have been numerous debates and definitions of the subject biology. Indeed, scientists especially biologists have conducted various studies on the subject with an aim of coming up with a universal, acceptable, detailed, and scientific definition and meaning of biology. As a result, scientific research has derived the acceptable definition of biology. The definition entails all aspects of living things. Scientists derived the word biology from Greek words bios, which means life, and the word logos that means study (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2015). As such, research defines biology as the study of the science of life and living organisms that relates to the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of living organisms (Bagley, 2014). Indeed, research establishes various fields of biology that include biochemistry, cellular biology, botany, ecology, genetics, evolutionary biology, molecul ar biology, zoology, and physiology (Bagley, 2014). The history of biology dates back to the ancient times when human beings had to study the animals they hunted and plants they gathered (Bagley, 2014). Aristotle is the first person to practice zoology where he performed detailed investigations of marine life and plants (Bagley, 2014). Theophrastus derived the first botanical terms in 300 B.C with respect to the nature and life cycle of plants. Moreover, German botanist Leonhard Fuchs wrote the first biology book in 1542 while Carolus Linnaeus inaugurated the initial Binomial classification in 1735 (Bagley, 2014). The discovery of microscopes allowed Robert Hooke to examine plant tissue in 1665 and derived the term cells. In the 19th century, botanists and entomologists discovered and described various species (Bagley, 2014). Indeed, Charles

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Symbols in Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House

Symbols in Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House Symbols of new beginnings for Nora In A Doll’s House the protagonist, Nora lives in a Victorian society where women are heavily controlled and treated as second-class citizens. The average Victorian women belonged to a stereotype that the women were required to stay home and clean, prepare meals and raise children. In marriage Victorian women lost ownership of their wages, all physical property, including land, and all other cash generated once married. The husband would represent both man and woman placing the husband in control of everything and that including the wife as if she was a piece of property. This was Nora before her new beginning. The playwright employs a variety of literary techniques and symbolism to convey the transition from a traditional Victorian woman to the image of her seen at the end of the play; an embittered yet sophisticated, intelligent, and newly empowered woman boldly escaping the infantilizing clutches of her old life. Amongst the symbols employed throughout the play many were one s in which represented a new beginning for Nora. From the point of act one she played the submissive, seemingly selfish, foolish wife refusing to acknowledge the strength that she was building. From the Christmas tree to the macaroons to the Tarantella to New Year’s day are very important symbols which are Nora’s loves, they are what helped her to obtain her new beginning, these symbols conveyed to the reader the beginning a new for her. Christmas is favored holiday for Nora, the level of happiness is exponential, but part of the reason why she is so happy is the joy that she has when playing the role of a wife and mother. The toys that she chose for her children suggests that she is fine with the status quo of Victorian society, girls being nurturing and growing up to be a homely wife and mother while boys grow up to be strong and powerful. Though during this stage her action of wanting to buy something for herself implies that she wants to make a decision for herself going against the status quo. At this point though unaware she starts to think of independence as if the thought of it was in the back of her mind. Though Torvald does not allow her to do so, the fact that Torvald will not trust her with money to buy herself a present demonstrates a major imbalance of power. We see her during the play ordering the Christmas tree and then decorating it, secretly acting independently an implication of growth of strength to be an independent woman growing, edging towards a new beginning. During Christmas Eve Nora believed her marriage to be one that had little to no issues. At the beginning of the second act, the tree has been stripped and the candles burned out; stage directions dictate that is should look â€Å"bedraggled†. This represents the end of Nora’s innocence and foreshadows the Helmer family’s eventual disintegration, the tree represents the family and its unity, the stripping of the tree foreshadows Nora stripping from the family unit and her becoming her own person and reaching her new beginning. She is starting to change significantly at this point. Though the first implication of a strength that was beginning to grow was in her little act of eating a macaroon. The macaroons was a treat that Torvald had forbidden Nora from eating. Nora claims that she â€Å"would never dream† of doing anything that Torvald did not want her to do, but this is disproved in the very opening of the play when Nora eats macaroons while she was alone in the living room. The macaroons come to represent Nora’s disobedience to Torvald, as this was her first act of disobedience seen by the audience. The macaroons show that Nora is the perfect little â€Å"pet† that Torvald views her to be. The macaroons function in the play was to demonstrate that although that some families and lives seem picture perfect, most of the time it is not true, as proven by Nora’s need to hide the bond and macaroons from Torvald. Ibsen’s use of symbolism in using such a minor pleasure impacts the story in a huge way by subtly showing the audience that Nora’s lifestyle is not as truthful, happy and dependent as it seems, an independent act can lead t o more and such implies her growing strength. After giving a tempestuous performance of the tarantella Nora asks that the macaroons be served at dinner, indicating a relationship between the macaroons and Nora’s inner passions, the tarantella and the macaroons can be said to be two of Nora’s loves which help to show the audience the truth of who she really is. The tarantella symbolizes a side of Nora that is fiery and passionate she could express her true nature in this dance. The Tarantella was a wild southern Italian dance, generally danced by a couple or line of couples. The dance was named after the tarantula spider, whose poisonous bite was mistakenly believed to cause tarantism, an uncontrollable urge for wild dancing. The cure prescribed by doctors was for the sufferer to dance to exhaustion. Pyscologists reason that the only form of expressing passion to its fullest, was the Tarantella. It is the fiery, passionate dance that allows Nora to drop the faà §ade of perfect mild-mannered Victorian wife it is the catalyst in which Nora is able to demonstrate a repressed side of herself, her true self. Ibsen’s placement of the Tarantella in the third act is an foreshadowing element which implies the breaking out of Nora. Her new beginning, is clearly seen in this dance something that is not controlled. Throughout the play Nora uses performances to please Torvald, and the tarantella is no exception; he admits that watching her perform makes him desire her. However this is only under controlled circumstances, and Torvald seems to enjoy that the performance impresses other people more than anything. But she can be only controlled to a certain point such can be said when Torvald was trying to give instructions â€Å"slow down†, trying to control her as he watched her practice before the actual event. Though this seems to be only done to please her husband with a performance, what drives her to perform is the underlying aspect that she can demonstrate her emotions to the fullest uncontrolled. New Years day is traditionally viewed as a new beginning and such can be said to be the Helmer family’s view, they are looking forward to this new beginning. Torvald starts a better paying job at the bank at which he works, Nora is almost free if not already free of her debt by New Years day. By the end of the play Nora has definitely made a new beginning for herself though not as expected; without her children and her husband. As the secret about the debt is found out by Torvald and she has reached an epiphany because of this that she â€Å"existed merely to perform tricks† blaming him and her father for treating her like a spoilt child and a plaything for their own entertainment. They wanted her to be ignorant and helpless, and thus far she has only tried to please them and in turn missing out on any opportunity to educate and improve herself. All the times she subtly rebelled or disobeyed or rather she was the one in control behind the scenes but now she is seen clearly, no more deception. Nora’s submissiveness to Torvald is no longer seen. She shows herself no longer as a child but as an adult woman these symbols that the author has employed has shown her development over time. Especially when Torvald fails to provide the strength that she needed, because of that she can truly say that she no longer loves him. Her realization that she wants to pursue her independence is not so much a transformation but an awakening to a strength that she had possessed all along and with this strength she can begin a new.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Socratic Citizenship as Salve to the Antinomy of Rules and Values :: Plato Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Socratic Citizenship as Salve to the Antinomy of Rules and Values It is not inconceivable that Plato would view the enforcement of rigid laws as a â€Å"noble lie† (Rep112)—noble as a guarantor of order in a just city, but misleading in its pretense of infallibility. The Crito, the Apology, and the Republic capture the tension in Plato’s work between a commitment to substantive justice and to formalist legal justice. In a system of substantive justice, rules are flexible and act as â€Å"maxims of efficiency† (Unger 90), proxies of justice and virtue. The system of formalist legal justice secures order and stability with rigid rules while risking miscarriages of particularity. This paper, then, is about Plato’s noble lie. Roberto Unger’s Knowledge and Politics provides an invaluable lens for examining Plato’s discussion of law and justice in the Republic, the Apology and the Crito. In the Republic, Plato sketches the outlines of a just, ordered city-state. The Apology presents Socrates’ defense against an unjust accusation before the court of law. The Crito sees Socrates accept his unjust sentencing to death and defend the rule of law. Unger’s work helps distill from these Platonic works a coherent platform of substantive justice and a critique of a formalist theory of adjudication. Moreover, while Unger’s arguments arrive in the context of a critique of liberal political theory, Plato nevertheless offers a response to Unger’s main critique of substantive justice, the â€Å"antinomy of rules and values† (91). The idea of Socratic citizenship, gleaned from the Apology and the Crito, seeks to resolve this antinomy. Roberto Unger examines substantive justice in Knowledge and Politics in the context of legislation and adjudication. Unger defines substantive justice as a mode of ordering human relations which determines goals and, independently of rules, decides â€Å"particular cases by a judgment of what decision is most likely to contribute to the predetermined goals, a judgment of instrumental rationality† (89). In the Republic, Socrates evokes the principles of substantive justice in his verbal creation of the ideal Greek city-state. In book IV, Socrates locates the ends of the ideal city-state in the four virtues: courage, temperance, wisdom and justice. Books I and II of the Republic deliver a scathing indictment against a formalist theory of adjudication. Formalist legal justice assumes that it is â€Å"possible to deduce correct judgments from the laws by an automatic process† (92) without reference to the purpose or end of the law.