What is the single most important issue to you that should be a top Essay

What is the single most important issue to you that should be a top priority in our national discourse Why - Essay Example Currently, the issue is widely debated in the public and political arena in the US that how appropriate it is to allow civilians to keep arms with them. Follman argues that there is no rationale in the belief that when more people are armed, there are better chances of stopping these tragic events. In fact, facts prove otherwise. In none of the cases any civilian ever intervened to stop the mass killing. Even if in a particular case any civilian did intervene, either they failed miserably to stop the killing or they themselves were harmed or killed. The fact remains that mass shooting has increased several fold in the US because it has been easier than ever before for anyone to carry guns in public places such as movie theaters, parks, schools (Follman). It can be noticed that casualty score is much higher in 2012, especially due to Sandy Hook and Aurora theater incidents. It is a fact that American society has been heavily armed since its inception and private arms have been increasing at a rapid pace. Sales data reveal that in 1995, 200 million guns were in possession of the people in the US. In a rough estimate, its number is now close to the total US population that means, on average, each citizen is in possession of some kind of a gun under the excuse of self-defense (Follman). National Rifle Association (NRA) is known in the US as a formidable pro-gun lobby and spends a lot in support of politicians for its cause. NRA also organizes for firearms safety training and tournaments across all parts of the US. Most states also recognize the NRA trained instructors by law. While NRA proposes in the defense of law-abiding citizens and against the crime makers, it takes a hardliner view whenever a debate spurs about enacting any gun control measures. As Kucinich reports, NRA has been mounting pressure on lawmakers through

Business Combnations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Combnations - Essay Example Most of the mergers or acquisitions of LVMH happen to expand the company and to cross the geographical boundaries. A company interested to acquire another company has to look into every aspect of the functioning of the company. A company will have many departments and audit should be done on every departments accounts and then valuate the viability of merger of acquisition. After audit if it is found that functioning of all the departments are healthy and profitable then a memorandum is made between the companies. Mergers can take place only when there are healthy relations between both the companies. Mergers also depend on the percentage of shares acquired of the firm. If the company to be acquired has good standing in the market, high share value and high points in the share market then we can say that a company is worth to be acquired or suitable for acquisition. Merger or acquisition sure has its impact on the employees and shareholders who are the unforeseen assets of the company. It is well known that any merger will have its pro's and con's. Some mergers happen for profit and some not to incur losses. Employees may or may not be benefited by the merger. The new management may not provide all the facilities unlike the earlier owner. The new company will definitely try to curb miscellaneous expenses and cut management costs. In order to cut costs they may reduce number of employees working per department. After merger employees may be asked to change their shift timings, move from one de partment to another etc. employees need to co-operate with the new management.Mergers may also have its negative effects on the employees and marketing strategies then the relation between the management should be positive enough so that there is no misunderstanding between the employer and the employee. After acquisition the new company will have their own planning strategies that might be entirely different and the employees need to co-operate and understand with new working policies and targets of the new company. One of the frequent reasons of merger (acquisition) failure is poor management and insufficient and poor management of financing comes second. For starting or relocating or expanding a business sufficient capital is required. Having good financing is not enough in attaining profits; proper knowledge and planning are required to manage it well. These help in strengthening the management of financing and avoid common mistakes like miscalculating or underestimating the cost. Venture capitalists are the most common source of equity funding. Venture capitalists may be institutional risk takers, financial institutions, wealthy persons, etc. and most of them specialize in industries. Venture capitalists are risk takers and show interest only in three to five year old companies that result in more than average profits. LVMH intensified the challenge of global integration and is showing high-end results, impact on the part of economical evolutions on nations mainly on cities and individual person's life standard. Because of the globalization and LVMH the technologies are exchanged. Globalization is having tremendous impact on cities. Cities are transforming into great industrial belts. As the industries grow there will be visible impact on the economy. Job opportunities grow and innumerable colonies are developed. The growth is multi-fold and the technology exchange migration takes place. People of

Economics- Topic is on PIIGS or PIGS which refers to the economies of Research Paper

Economics- Topic is on PIIGS or PIGS which refers to the economies of portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain. Briefly explain the Piigs issue in regards to the world economy - Research Paper Example With these and several other multiplier challenges, the fate of the performance of these countries seems to be hanging on the balance. The following discourse attempts to expound on the global issues with regard to prospects of economic performance from the PIIGS countries. By virtue of being member states of the European Union that is economically unified by the Euro, PPIGS countries present a challenge not only to the eurozone but to the entire world. One of the factors making these countries to possess a critical role in world economics is therefore pegged to the fact that the Euro has grown to be an occupant of the top world currencies. According to Bercsten (7), Europe representation in world economy is directly proportional to the performance of the Euro in domestic economies which will in turn be extrapolated to a global impact. The author reckons that the position held by Europe with regard to world economic stage is very significant such that the developments in PIIGS ought to be a concern for any other economy remotely located out of Europe. According to Roubini (34), financial crises in the recent world economic occurrences can be predicted from the build up of economic vulnerabilities that the global economy was exposed to. In realization of the role played by political fortunes of a country to its prospects of economic survival, the author states that the political class ought to handle financial policies as if they did that to the entire world. The author reckons that the political interventions undertaken to cool down the PIIGS economic turmoil might not offer the appropriate solution to the entire world economy. By likening the economic crisis in PIIGS to a disease, Roubini (34) predicts that the intervention might prove to be a dangerous precedent set for the global economy by stating that the drug prescribed is toxic and

Briefly assess the strategies of Thoreau, King and Gandhi. Who faced Essay

Briefly assess the strategies of Thoreau, King and Gandhi. Who faced the most monumental task Thoreau trying to end U.S. slaver - Essay Example Each of these three people fought against social injustice using various means at their disposal, by employing creative strategies to fight against entrenched economic interests and also long-standing cultural and political practices. Moreover, this essay also attempts to give the reader some points to ponder, on how these strategies can be used today to achieve a certain aim or advocacy, such as fighting climate change, gun control, and human rights. Discussion Henry David Thoreau was an eminent American author, philosopher, poet, naturalist, social critic, historian, and most importantly, an abolitionist who fought hard against slavery. His writings were instrumental in shaping American public opinion in his time on the evils of slavery, as an aberration in American historical and political development. He is most famous for his book Walden, which is a philosophical reflection on the benefits of simple living while his essay â€Å"Civil Disobedience† laid the groundwork for later activists such as Gandhi and also Martin Luther King himself; the principles in the said essay are to fight for individual rights. However, it was his essay â€Å"A Plea for Captain John Brown† in 1853 which made the people who were against slavery take notice of how important it was to fight for liberty, this in behalf of the black slaves. This particular essay was delivered as a speech in defense of the attack carried out by Captain Brown and his men against a federal government armory; with a hope of capturing firearms and to distribute these to plantation slaves and spark a rebellion. Although many thought the attack was foolhardy, even suicidal, from a military standpoint, it was Thoreau's effusive speech which praised Brown that galvanized the Northerners to finally end slavery. He said it costs nothing to be just. The basis of Thoreau’s political thinking came from his â€Å"Civil Disobedience† essay where he advocates for people to assert their cit izens’ rights against a government which they think has become unjust, that the best government is a government that governs the least. Resistance to government can be justified if following it is unconscionable; additionally, strong individuals can take action on their own if they will think their government is uncaring, unwieldy, too big, or even abusive or repressive. An example of this individualistic attitude was Captain Brown, who saw it fit to take action on his own to end slavery, but Thoreau did not want anarchy but only a better government (Thoreau 2). The moral philosophy of Thoreau also influenced the political ideas of Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi in his uphill struggle against British colonial rule in India. In particular, the strategies used by Gandhi were based on Thoreau's moral civil disobedience. This is a focal point in Gandhi's fight because it gave him and his followers the moral high ground. Gandhi was a lawyer, and he knew there were many insta nces in which laws can be immoral. In this regard, he used the legal system to beat the British using his peaceful civil disobedience, such as not paying taxes (reminiscent of what Thoreau also did who went to jail for one night) and in leading the 400-km march against the British-imposed national salt tax. Martin Luther King (MLK) was a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement as he struggled to

Dutch poltical issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dutch poltical issues - Essay Example Furthermore, he spoke against the European Union. During his speech in Hague, he was against the Moroccans who had settled into Netherlands. He incited the public against the Moroccans. The crowd was happy with what he was saying. He asked them anything that was racist, and the crowd replied positively with enthusiasm. It was similar to what the Nazi minister of propaganda was doing to the public. He incited the Germans into war. There was outrage among the Moroccans living in Netherlands. Mr. Wilder was a racist and did not take into consideration equality of races. It is against any government’s will to offer equality to all human beings. Every individual has the right to freedom in any county. People regarded the Moroccans as thieves and criminals. There was no sufficient evidence to say this statement. It showed biases according to biological and social attributes. Wilder was a racist in nature. He did not consider the will of the people he represented them in parliament. By saying the Moroccans should leave Netherlands, he tries to clarify his message of hatred towards the Muslims. Wilder openly shows the importance of Judeo, and he should follow its teaching which advocates for justice for all (Visser, 2013). Robbery is a very serious crime. If an innocent person is in the robbery scene, the activities in the scene may affect him. The robbers may cause bodily hard and pose the danger to life. In Noord-Brabant, there was a scene of a robbery, and a woman shot dead the two robbers. She acted on self-defense. This paper is going to show the reasons why the woman acted wrong in doing the shooting (Elkins, 2013). The paper disagrees with the idea of a woman acting on self-defense. Netherland’s constitution prohibits against use of guns. Possession of guns would make the civilians prone to attacks from any quarter. It would enhance robbery and many youths will engage in criminal activities. The constitution gave powers to the police. They have the

Supermarket and International Segment Essay Example for Free

Supermarket and International Segment Essay Wal-Mart in Brazil is one of the third-largest retailer companies in the world’s fifth-largest country. Wal-Mart Brazil has more than 485 supermarkets, three and Sam’s hypermarkets in different Brazilian states, including Sao Paulo, one of the busiest state in Brazil. Wal-Mart Brazil ranks as the third-largest retailer in the worlds fifth-largest country. Since entering the market in 1995 with just two supercenters and three SAMS CLUB warehouse stores, Wal-Mart Brazil has grown, mainly by acquisition, to number about 485 supermarkets and hypermarkets in more than 15 Brazilian states, including the populous economic center of Sao Paul. Wal-Mart primary product lines are Food, Clothing, Household Appliances, Electronics and Grocery Pets Etc . While brand name merchandise accounts for a majority of sales, numerous store brands not found in the United States have been developed to serve customers in the different markets in which the International segment operates. In addition, steps have been taken to develop relationships with local suppliers in each country to ensure reliable sources of quality merchandise. It operates retail stores in various formats around the world and is committed to saving people money so they can live better. We earn the trust of our customers every day by providing a broad assortment of quality merchandise and services at every day low prices while fostering a culture that rewards and embraces mutual respect, integrity and diversity. The merchandising strategy for the International segment is similar to that of our operations in the United States in terms of the breadth and scope of merchandise offered for sale. While brand name merchandise accounts for a majority of sales, numerous store brands not found in the United States have been developed to serve customers in the different markets in which the International segment operates. In addition, steps have been taken to develop relationships with local suppliers in each country to ensure reliable sources of quality merchandise The International segment competes with a variety of local, national and international chains in the supermarket, discount, department, drug, variety and specialty stores, supercenter-type stores, hypermarts, wholesale clubs, internet-based retailers and catalog businesses in each of the countries in which we operate and, in Mexico, with local, national and international restaurant chains. Our ability to offer our customers low prices on quality merchandise that offers exceptional value in the International segment determines, to a large extent, our competitive position. In our international units, our ability to operate the food departments effectively has a major impact on the segment’s competitive position in the markets where we operate. The main competitor for Wal-Mart in Brazil is Carrefour, a famous French supermarket chain, which entered the Brazilian market in 1974. Today, the chain is responsible for the operation of 39 stores spread over the country, and is fully adapted to Brazilian culture and consumption habits, therefore not being perceived by customers as a foreign company. As a matter of fact, Carrefour is known as the lowest price retailer by people of all social classes. Customers impressed by low prices and extensive product lines, besides special offers, who had to travel several miles to reach the stores, were in for a surprise. In case the products that customers were looking for had been sold out a few moments earlier, there was no provision as to when a new stock would arrive in the store. A badly planned product turnover? The fact is that they were facing an average stockout rate of 40%, while its stockout rate in the U. S. stores is no higher than 5%. Maybe this stockout rate has occurred due to various problems with suppliers, whom Wal-Mart executives expected to be capable of working in a just-in-time delivery environment.

Gender Roles in Shakespeare Plays

Gender Roles in Shakespeare Plays To answer this question I will refer mainly to As You Like It and Twelfth Night. As well as the texts of the two plays I will also refer to two stage productions Filters production of Twelfth Night at the Lowry in Manchester (2010) and the West Yorkshire Playhouses As You Like It in Leeds (2010) and films of the plays by Nunn and Branagh. Critical writings by Terry Eagleton, Valerie Traub, Jonathan Bate and Sean McEvoy will also be referred to. Debates around the social construction of gender have become ubiquitous in the study of the social sciences over the past fifty years. Postmodernism, Poststructuralism, Feminism and Queer theory have all favoured the argument that humans are culturally constructed rather than biologically determined. This theoretical shift has had a great impact on literary criticism and on our resultant understanding of canonical works. Shakespearean plays which had formerly been read as deterministic in their tone have been re-read in a new light as a result of widespread scepticism towards cultural practices which serve to benefit dominant groups. This shift in attitudes has changed irrecoverably the way in which many of the plays are performed. For Valerie Traub this change in the way Shakespeares work is performed is a direct result of a wider scepticism towards discourses which regulate our behaviour into supposedly normative parameters: If directors once felt authorised to manipulate Shakespearean plays to foster conservative interpretations of social roles, todays stage and film productions do so at their peril for audiences increasingly recognize Shakespeares interpretations of gender and sexuality are as complex, various and fascinating as our own bodies and selves. Camb. Comp. p144 Shakespeares plays have therefore become a powerful ally for those who doubt the veracity of the traditional conventions of gender roles, which both embody and sustain the power structures in a patriarchal society. Both As You Like It and Twelfth Night demonstrate in their cross-dressing antics, the ways in which we each recognise and exemplify the conventions of our gender in order to be identified with our gender type. The enduring hold of our gender role is then shown in both plays to be contingent upon the continued recognition and performance of them. Close reading of the subversion of gender expectations in each play demonstrates Shakespeares prescience in questioning a standardised notion of male and female roles if we wish to exist within an egalitarian society. He clearly understood how our formative cultural experiences etch these standardised notions deep within the self, as Terry Eagleton states: The body for Shakespeare is not this crude biological datum but an inseparable unity of fact and value: to be a human body, biologically speaking, is also to be constrained to behave in certain culturally and ethically sanctioned ways, to feel ones flesh and blood inscribed by a set of discursive norms. P.100 So it is that As You Like It and Twelfth Night prompt a certain level of initial discomfort, or a foreign sensation, through the attempts of Viola and Rosalind to break the hold of their gender type. Yet as their new role is embraced and their characters are given the liberty of full expression, the gender divide is visibly diminished, the foreign sensation evaporates and the gap between genders appears in its true light: as a learned performance which can be equally unlearned. Qualities which are stereotypically attributed to a particular gender type are shown to be no more or less prevalent in their binary opposite. This is evident when Rosalind initially decides to go out into the world as a man: Well have a swashing and a martial outside/ As many other mannish cowards have/ that do outface it with their semblances. (1.3.114) She highlights the fact that cowardice is not necessarily a female trait, for there are cowardly males, just as she herself proves that there are bold women. Her recognition that such differences cannot be easily categorised into gender types is indicative of how Shakespeares creates characters which are unpredictable and wavering in the true human sense. The blending of stereotypical male and female characteristics is shown most potently in the transformation, both inside and out, of Rosalind and Viola in their cross dressing antics. Although Orsino isnt aware of it he describes the attraction of this blend of male and female characteristics the allure of androgyny in his assessment of Viola dressed as Cesario: Dear lad, believe it/ for they shall yet belie†¦ and sound/ and all is semblative a womans part. Despite the sense of exuberance in both plays at this questioning of standardised notions of gender, an alternative argument can be made that the cross dressing elements only serve in the end to reinforce the legitimacy of the status quo. Since cross dressing is a traditional plot element of the comedy genre in Elizabethan theatre its inclusion may be said to be obligatory rather than an authorial choice. This would tie in with several other factors in Shakespeares work, which may denote a certain over-eagerness on the part of modern day directors to showcase modern day scepticism towards social convention. When Jacques in As You Like It, versifies the seven ages of man, from cradle to soldiering to senility, he also mentions the female equivalent which is limited to just three: maid, wife and widow. Each of these stages corresponds to a womans marital status at any given time, which is also a central feature of Twelfth Night and As You Like It, where Viola and Rosalind are still primarily conscious of their need to secure a marriage partner, even in their liberated state. The denouement of both plays allows closure for the Elizabethan audience by restoring the women to their rightful place, having passed from stage one to stage two of their restrictive existence. The hiccup of their newfound social mobility, as a result of their gender swap, is overcome through marriage. This argument is perhaps reinforced by the fact that there are only two occasions in Shakespeares plays where men cross dress into women (name the occasions) and on each occasion the men in question are the butt of jokes. If Shakespeares key purpose in including cross dressing as plot elements was to demonstrate the constructed nature of gender roles so as to propose a more egalitarian social order, surely the male gender shift into a female would suggest the same underlying assertion. Traub outlines the important differences in Shakespearean gender swaps: Shakespeare depicts male characters as uncomfortable descending into femininity, while female characters enjoy the elevation of status their temporary manhood permits. P141 camb. There must remain some uncertainty then as to Shakespeares original motives when using cross dressing in his plays, and yet there can be no doubt that it is through her gender shifting and role play that Rosalind exposes illusions about romantic love, showing that the formulaic patterns of love are not to be imitated as they are based upon falsehoods. Rosalinds intuitive understanding of loves flawed promise and her foresight in planning the fate of other characters in the play to their advantage also belies the prevalent scientific theory of the Elizabethan era that females were merely imperfect males. Despite the aforementioned reservations, Rosalinds wisdom and intelligence clearly presents the opposite view of women to that in The Taming of the Shrew, as it shows that the type of woman that one should desire is both wayward and incorrigible. It seems suitable that Shakspeare chooses the auspices of a pastoral green world, (p.140 camb comp.) as a natural setting for Rosalind to experience a temporary release from the strictures of family or culture and question social conventions. The idyllic retreat of the Forest of Arden becomes a place in which new romantic and social possibilities can flourish, often as a result of fundamental subversions of identity and gender. This leads to Rosalind as Ganymede taking the role of instructor in love, directing Orlando on the most productive ways to woo her own female double a real social anomaly! In As You Like It and Twelfth Night, disguise in the form of cross dressing, becomes both a means of self-discovery and a mechanism to highlight the injustice of organising a society based on stereotypical expectations. This change in their character as a result of imagining themselves as male highlights the nature of role play both in performance and in real life, as Eagleton suggests, every self-presentation is for Shakespeare a kind of play acting.p.90 That is not to say that such role-play doesnt have a positive transformative effect. The freedom of expression so often denied to women is embraced by both Viola and Rosalind, and used to better their own situation and that of others. In The West Yorkshire Playhouses performance of As You Like It the play was kept in period but the adaptation of the text and the interpretation of character were notably contemporary. The text was not treated like a sacred tome as some productions have done to their detriment, but was chopped and changed to create the comedic effect the play should strive for. The resultant atmosphere of unpredictability was enhanced by the subtle use of music, which often set up dramatic cues in scenes of great emotion or drama. These musical shifts from one mini-narrative to another, coupled with a set which made the audience aware that the forest is a dramatic illusion, created the sensation that we were experiencing several smaller plays within a large play. This framing of mini-narratives, where characters were forced to adjust their behaviour according to their circumstances throughout the play, made the dilution of gender roles far more acute as a suggestion of our social constructedness, rat her than being merely a comedic plot element. Rosalind assisted greatly in this effect by shifting ably between her vulnerable self and the masquerade character of Ganymede. These fluid switches, which went largely unnoticed, demonstrated the way that we expect specific semiotic mannerisms and figures of speech commensurate with binary gender roles, learnt through observation in our formative cultural experiences, in order to recognize someone as male or female. These shifts from Rosalind to Ganymede were so natural and convincing that Orlando often seemed in danger of loving Rosalind as Ganymede as much as he loved Rosalind herself. The ensuing confusion created a genuine tension in his exchanges with Ganymede and allowed the audience to see him wrestling with his own sexuality, at the same time as attempting to prove to be a worthy suitor. Orlandos internal struggle brought to the fore the way in which the play allows subconscious homosexual urges to be sublimated by directing them towards a woman dressed as a man. The homosexual connotation would have been even more acute in Shakespearean performances when those urges would have been channelled towards a male actor playing a female character who is then disguised as a man. The production conveyed this tension in the text convincingly and allowed the audience to get the full flavour of how Shakespeare may have been expressing desires which he felt within himself. Branaghs As You Like It : Filters production of Twelfth Night was a showcase for the plasticity of Shakespeares plays, demonstrating how they can be moulded to suit the level of inventiveness and the mood which the director wishes to convey. Although the political and social messages were tuned low, the plays exuberance and wild inventiveness overcame any tentativeness which those expecting a more traditional interpretation may have been feeling. The only problem with the productions anarchic nature was the small cast, which meant it was much easier to lose track of the narrative and the characters with many of them doubling up. Trevor Nunns film version of Twelfth Night tends to play down the plays suggestions about gender roles and its homosexual overtones, using glances and actions alone to refer towards the gay and lesbian subtext. Despite this subtlety the films setting in a 19th century rural Illyria, which is given a melancholy wistful air through the music of Feste, allows the divide between genders to be expressed in an extreme fashion when Viola makes her switch, through the extreme resultant changes in her clothing and social attitudes. The period choice allows Viola to fully express the scale of the journey she must make in her transformation, as well as the dangers that may await her in doing so, when she is shown in silhouette binding her breasts and putting on mens clothing to become Cesario. Her transformation indicates that she intends to disguise herself not as a boy, but as a eunuch in order to shield herself entirely from all manner of sexual threats. To ward off such dangers she must als o relearn her most basic actions in a male form, walking and yawning, as well as new skills such as fencing and developing a carefree male etiquette which is most clearly demonstrated in her comedic attempts to converse with Orsino whilst he bathes. Since Feste is given the voiceover in both the prologue and epilogue he is given an almost omniscient presence, apparently knowing all ends in each scenario. His god-like aura seems to tie in well with the texts awareness of the fragility and vulnerability of the possibilities of happiness, as he fully anticipates only the partial fulfilment of each characters desire, even in a best case scenario. This is most evident in the plays central plot in which Violas liberating transformation into a male, allows her a newfound power of personal expression which she must in the end relinquish to take her place with Orsino.