Enron Case Study Summary

Enron Case Study The case of Enron is a fascinating one. United States is a country where auditing and accounting principles are so strong. How can something take place on such high level in the United States? The Enron case demonstrates the need to reform the accounting and corporate governance practices in the United States. Moreover, the Enron case made government officials to pay close attention to deregulated energy market. Some of the aspects that struck me are discussed below. One of the aspects that struck me was the vision of the top management.Enron was in the business of energy, but Kenneth Lay built management team of MBAs, not individuals specialized in gas and energy field. My view is that top management has to have a clear vision. It seemed that Kenneth Lay vision of the company was distorted. Enron transformed from an energy company into an investment company. Hence, the management team was comprised of traders and investment bankers who had very little knowledge of t he energy business. As the business model of Enron changed so did the corporate culture. The culture was â€Å"Get it done. Get it done now. Reap the rewards. The new business was the buying and selling of commodities. The employees were rewarded for business deals regardless of long-term consequences. I feel this kind of reward system is not beneficial to companies; it is very short-term view of business. Moreover, analysts were derided when they asked questions about the earnings-report. These actions points that the corporate culture was of Enron was disruptive. This raises the questions on the role of boards of directors. It seems like the boards of directors of Enron had very little knowledge about the activities of Fastow and Lay.It’s interesting that the boards of directors had so little knowledge of thing happening in the company. The takeaway from this is that boards of directors should pay close attention to the management behavior and money generating strategies. The boards of directors need to take active participation in company not only when things are bad, but also when things are good. Another aspect was the business practices of the Arthur Andersen firm. It’s shocking to see one of the most prestige firms to engage in such a big fraud. The firm played a role of not only as an auditor, but also as a consultant for Enron.The conflict of interest was sure to take place. The firm saw the opportunity to make money by hiding Enron’s financial information. Basically, the firm helped Enron to cook books. I believe that some executives of Andersen firm were driven by greed and lack of ethical sense that made them act in a fraudulent activities. Moreover, it seems that Andersen had weak internal control in terms of auditing. The practices of this firm raised questions about the accounting and auditing system of the United States. The congress was quick to repond by adopting set of reforms.For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley bill was pa ssed to reform the accounting and auditing industries. The important part of the bill was the separation of roles: the separation of consulting and audit business. Yet, another aspect was the impact on the economy, particularly the energy industry. This was interesting because it shows how Enron impacted the economy and business environment. The financing for energy companies dried up because of Enron scandal. As a result of limited financing options, many companies went bankrupt. The confidence of investors was shaken. Many investors hesitated to invest in energy corporations.I believe that the Enron incident encouraged many analysts and investors to question the financial reporting and long term money making strategies of companies. Furthermore, the professional corruption also struck me. The management used financial cleverness as a financial strategy. The recording of assets and profits that were inflated or non-existent showed professional corruption. Additionally, the involvem ent in dishonest accounting practices was just too much. Moreover, the interviews for recruitment took place in strip clubs. The whole corporate culture was somewhat corrupted.The aspect that jumped out from the case was the relentless pursuit of profits. Yes, the main goal of any business is to make profit, but social values should be kept in mind. I believe that the compensation system at Enron was also to blame. People involved in the scandal were making huge sum of money. The intriguing aspect in this case was how Fastow was able to create special purpose entities (SPE). Fastow was creating these SPEs to segregate financial activities from Enron’s balance sheet. The SPEs provided Enron a way to move debt from the balance sheet so the credit rating could remain high.The commodities swapping mechanism required high credit rating. The SPEs allowed Enron to disguise debt and loss as revenue. Enron deceived investor and creditors. Furthermore, Enron invested in other companies . Once the investments began to show losses, they were transferred to SPEs. This method allowed the sale of investment to SPEs. Hence, the sale of investment was shown as gain to Enron. Another interesting fact was that analysts didn’t raise red any flags. I am sure that many analysts recommended the buying of Enron stocks. This scandal made investors and analysts more cautious.Analysts and investors began to ask questions: 1) how does company make money? 2) Can company sustain strategy over the long term? Basically, the laws got strict and analysts were more observant. These are some of the aspects that were intriguing to me or struck me. The case of Enron will continue to be a lesson in ethics and corporate responsibility. The government agencies should not relax and should make sure that industries are regulated when it comes to reporting financial information. The incident of Arthur Andersen serves as an example for other accounting firms.

Nuclear threat

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has become a metaphor for 21st-century security concerns. Although nuclear weapons have not been used since the end of World War II, their influence on international security affairs is pervasive, and possession of WMD remains an important divide in international politics today (Norris 61).The nuclear postures of the former Cold War rivals have evolved more slowly than the fast-breaking political developments of the decade or so that has elapsed since the former Soviet Union collapsed. Nevertheless, some important changes have already taken place. By mutual consent, the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty of 1972 was terminated by the United States and Russia, which have agreed to modify their nuclear offensive force posture significantly through a large reduction in the number of deployed delivery systems.Nuclear weapons are no longer at the center of this bilateral relationship. Although the two nations are pursuing divergent d octrines for their residual nuclear weapons posture, neither approach poses a threat to the other. The structure, but not the detailed content, of the future U.S. nuclear posture was expressed in the 2002 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which established a significant doctrinal shift from deterrence to a more complex approach to addressing the problem of proliferated WMD.The Russian doctrinal adaptation to the post-Cold War security environment is somewhat more opaque. The government appears to be focused on developing and fielding low-yield weapons that are more suitable for tactical use, though the current building of new missiles and warheads may be associated with new strategic nuclear payloads as well. Despite the diminished post ­Cold War role of nuclear weapons in the United States, the cumulative deterioration of Russia's conventional military force since 1991 has actually made nuclear weapons more central to that government's defense policy.The end of the adversarial relati onship with the Soviet Union (and later, the Russian Federation) had to be taken into account in the NPR. The current nuclear posture is evolving in a manner parallel to the modernization of the U.S. non-nuclear military establishment. In stark contrast to Cold War ­era military planning, the 21st century is likely to be characterized by circumstances in which the adversary is not well known far in advance of a potential confrontation.The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is adjusting to these new circumstances by developing highly capable and flexible military forces that can adapt to the characteristics of adversaries as they appear. This makes the traditional path to modernization through investment in weapons systems as the threat emerges economically infeasible. Modern information technology lets the military change the characteristics of its flexible weapons and forces in much less time than it would take to develop whole new weapons systems. Thus, DOD is attempting to create a military information system: the integrated effect of command-control-communications-computation-intelligence-surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR). This system is inherently more flexible for adapting to changes in the threat environment.WMD and the means to deliver them are mature technologies, and knowledge of how to create such capabilities is widely distributed. Moreover, the relative cost of these capabilities declined sharply toward the end of the 20th century. Today, the poorest nations on earth (such as North Korea and Pakistan) have found WMD to be the most attractive course available to meet their security needs (Lieggi 2). Proliferation of WMD was stimulated as an unintended consequence of a U.S. failure to invest in technologies such as ballistic missile defense that could have dissuaded nations from investing in such weapons.The United States' preoccupation with deterring the Soviet Union incorporated the erroneous assumption that success in that arena would deter proliferation elsewhere (Barnaby 7). This mistake was compounded by the perverse interaction between defense policy and arms control in the 1990s. Misplaced confidence was lodged in a network of multilateral agreements and practices to prevent proliferation that contributed to obscuring rather than illuminating what was happening. Confidence placed in the inspection provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), for example, obscured efforts to obtain knowledge of clandestine WMD programs. NPT signatories were among those nations with clandestine WMD programs.Without a modernization of defense policy, the ready availability of WMD-related technology will converge with their declining relative cost and a fatally flawed arms control structure to stimulate further proliferation in the 21st century. The process whereby WMD and ballistic missile technology has proliferated among a group of nations that otherwise share no common interests are likely to become the template for 21st-century proliferation.The scope of this problem was recognized in part as a result of a comprehensive review of intelligence data in 1997 ­1998 by the Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States (the Rumsfeld Commission). This recognition swiftly evolved into a set of significant policy initiatives that responded to changes in the international security environment. The arms control arrangements most closely identified with the adversarial relationship with the former Soviet Union were passà ©. In 1999 the Senate refused to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; the United States and Russia ended the 1972 ABM Treaty and agreed to jettison the START process, which kept nuclear deployments at Cold War levels in favor of much deeper reductions in offensive forces in 2002.U.S. policy began to evolve in response to these developments. The incompatibility between the Cold War legacy nuclear posture and the 21st-century security environment stimulated a search for approaches to modernize policies pertinent to nuclear weapons. In response to statutory direction, the Bush administration published the Quadrennial Defense Review, the Nuclear Posture Review, the National Defense Strategy of the United States, and the National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction. Taken together, these documents constitute the most profound change in U.S. policy related to nuclear weapons since the Eisenhower administration (Krepon1).  The unique capabilities of nuclear weapons may still be required in some circumstances, but the range of alternatives to them is much greater today. The evolution of technology has created an opportunity to move from a policy that deters through the threat of massive retaliation to one that can reasonably aspire to the more demanding aim–to dissuade. If adversary WMD systems can be held at risk through a combination of precision non-nuclear strike and active defense, nuclear weapons are less necessary (Albright 2). By developing a military capability that holds a proliferators’ entire WMD posture at risk rather than relying solely on the ability to deter the threat or use of WMD after they have been developed, produced, and deployed, the prospects for reducing the role of WMD in international politics are much improved.The 21st-century proliferation problem creates a set of targets significantly different from those that existed during the Cold War. Few targets can be held at risk only by nuclear weapons, but the ones that are appropriate may require different characteristics and, in many circumstances, different designs than those currently in the nuclear stockpile. The nature of the targets and the scope of the potential threat also alter the character of the underlying scientific, engineering, and industrial infrastructure that supports the nuclear weapons posture.   This research paper will therefore seek to discuss the problem of nuclear devices or WMDs (as they are presently termed) and try to address to current policy issues surrounding the matter.RESEARCH OUTLINE:INTRODUCTION:a.)    what is the problem surrounding nuclear threats in the 21st centuryb.)    what are the recent developments surrounding this issuec.)    what solutions have been successful in addressing these problemBODY:a.)    who are nuclear threatsb.)    what has been done to stopc.)    What can be done?d.)   What can the US do? What can the UN do?CONCLUSION:References:Robert Norris and Hans Kristensen, â€Å"Chinese Nuclear Forces, 2006,† Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 62. no. 3 (2006): 61.Stephanie Lieggi, Center for Nonproliferation Studies, â€Å"Going Beyond the Stir: the strategic realities of China's No First Use policy,† Nuclear Threat Initiative, http://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/realities-chinas-no-first-use-policy/ (accessed June 30, 2006).Frank Barnaby and Shaun Barnie, Thinking the Unthinkable: Japanese nuclear power and prolife ration in East Asia (Oxford, UK: Oxford Research Group and Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, 2005): 7†³8.George Perkovich, India’s Nuclear Bomb: The Impact on Global Proliferation, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999.)Michael Krepon, Rodney W. Jones & Ziad Haider eds., â€Å"Escalation Control & the Nuclear Option in South Asia,† The Henry L. Stimson Center, September 2004, https://www.stimson.org/?id=191, (May 2005).Text of â€Å"Export Controls on Goods, Technologies, Material, and Equipment Related to Nuclear and Biological Weapons and their Delivery Systems Act, 2004,† Published in Gazette of Pakistan, 27 September 2004, Cited at, http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/ Infcircs/2004/infcirc636.pdf, (May 2005).Michael Krepon and Chris Gagne eds., â€Å"The Stability-Instability Paradox: Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Brinksmanship in South Asia,† The Henry L. Stimson Center, June 2001, https://www.stimson.org/research?ID=1, (May 2005).Feroz Hassan Khan, â€Å"The Independence-Dependence Paradox: Stability Dilemmas in South Asia,† Arms Control Association, October 2003, https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2003_10/Khan_10, (May 2005).Ashley J. Tellis, India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture: Between Recessed Deterrent and Ready Arsenal, (Santa Monica: Rand, 2001.)

A Tale of Two Cities

Repetition is one of the linguistic devices of which Charles Dickens is very fond, and the novelist makes things easy for his readers by his constant repetitions, and his habitual phrases are remembered by readers who are not used to reading with close attention. Dickens’s stylistic use of repetition reaches its climax in A Tale of Two Cities (1859). Therefore, it is fruitful to deal with the language of Dickens, especially that of A Tale of Two Cities, from the point of view of repetition in order to explore his linguistic artistry with which the novelist, inheriting the language of the 18th century, improved upon the style of English prose. In fact, Dickens exploits various types of repetition, that is, repetition of sounds, morphemes, words, phrases, and sentences for various stylistic purposes, such as association, implication, irony, characterization, or verbal iconicity. However, in this paper I focus my attention on the repetitive use of words or phrases. â€Å"Dickens makes a broader use of the symbols and allegories that had long been dear to him. † (Monod) In reality, A Tale of Two Cities is full of repeated imagery and symbolic patterns. We hear again and again the footsteps and the rising storm; we see the drinking of wine and the staining blood. This novel achieves linguistic and stylistic contiguity through the repeated use of symbolic words like â€Å"footstep,† â€Å"echo,† and â€Å"wine,† â€Å"blood,† which are closely related to the subject matter of the novel. To put it another way, repetition of symbolic words fulfills an important function of promoting the thematic cohesion, by which the themes of this novel are brought to light. Here, I concentrate my attention on the repetition of the key word â€Å"wine,† and its related words â€Å"red† and â€Å"blood. These words often co-occur with one another, and convey additional and different meanings as well as their own specific meanings, in accordance with the scenes or contexts, especially between the English and the French scenes. The word â€Å"wine† occurs 120 times, â€Å"red† 56 times, and  "blood† 35 times in total. 11 The chapters of the novel are divided into three groups: English chapters, French chapters, and English-French chapters, depending on the location of the incidents in each chapter. It is often pointed out that the word â€Å"wine† and its related words â€Å"red† and â€Å"blood† frequently co-occur as an indication of the French Revolution’s slaughter and bloodshed. This does not reveal how the words create the symbolical imagery of the bleeding Revolution. Needless to say, the Revolution’s slaughter and bloodshed are not simply hinted at and represented through the repetition and co-occurrence of these three words, but the related words co-occurring with them in the same contexts contribute to creating the bloody imagery. The different or contrastive use of repeated words in the English and the French scenes in A Tale of Two Cities enables the reader to realize the author’s deliberate exploitation of words in terms of the subject matter, that is to say, contrast between the two cities. The repetition of â€Å"plane-tree† together with that of â€Å"pleasant† serves to create a favorable family atmosphere in the English scenes. In sharp contrast to this, in the French scenes, the words â€Å"fountain† and â€Å"fate† directly convey some of the dominant themes of the book: death, future life, fate, and resurrection. It seems that Dickens suggests the inevitable outbreak of the French Revolution and the characters’ sealed destinies through the verbal associations of such repetitive words arranged mainly in the French scenes. It is worth examining the repetitive use of â€Å"plane-tree† and â€Å"fountain† more closely and concretely. The words convey not only their own meanings but additional ones as well, for instance, foreshadowing. One example of the repeated use of â€Å"plane-tree† and â€Å"pleasant† in the English scenes can be observed in passage (8): 8) On this occasion, Miss Pross, responding to Ladybirds pleasant face and pleasant efforts to please her, unbent exceedingly; so the dinner was very pleasant, too. It was an oppressive day, and, after dinner, Lucie proposed that the wine should be carried out under the plane-tree, and they should sit there in the air. As everything turned upon her, and revolved about her, they went out under the plane-tree , and she carried the wine down for the special benefit of Mr. Lorry. She had installed herself, some time before, as Mr. Lorry’s cup-bearer; and while they sat under the plane-tree, talking, she kept his glass replenished. Mysterious backs and ends of houses peeped at them as they talked, and the plane-tree whispered to them in its own way above their heads. (Bk. II, Ch. 6) In the context of the passage above, Dr. Manette, Lucie, Mr. Lorry, and Miss Pross are in the courtyard after dinner. The repeated use of â€Å"plane-tree† and â€Å"pleasant† in close proximity serves to create a comfortable and cozy atmosphere of domestic peace. At the same time, however, I find the repetition of the word â€Å"wine. † As already mentioned, â€Å"wine† in the English scenes is associated with a serious development in the plot. Through the co-occurrence of â€Å"plane-tree† with â€Å"wine† we can sense an impending misfortune to threaten Lucie’s happy family life, even though the â€Å"plane-tree† itself carries a good connotation. In fact, in the scene which follows the passage above, all the characters who gather under the â€Å"plane-tree† hear the footsteps of the people in the street caught in the sudden storm, which seems to be indicative of the outbreak of the French Revolution. Additionally, the personification of the â€Å"plane-tree† and â€Å"houses† in the last sentence also serves as an ominous harbinger. As another example of the repeated use of the â€Å"plane-tree,† let me examine the following two passages. Passage (9) is observed at the very beginning, and passage (10) at the very end of Chapter 17 of Book II: (9) Never did the sun go down with a brighter glory on the quiet corner in Soho, than one memorable evening when the Doctor and his daughter sat under the plane-tree together. Never did the moon rise with a milder radiance over great London, than on that night when it found them still seated under the tree, and shone upon their faces through its leaves. Lucie was to be married to-morrow. She had reserved this last evening for her father, and they sat alone under the plane-tree. â€Å"You are happy, my dear father? † â€Å"Quite, my child. † (Bk. II, Ch. 17) (10) (Lucie sits by her father’s bedside for a while. ) She[Lucie] timidly laid her hand on his[Dr. Manette’s] dear breast, and put up a prayer that she might ever be as true to him as her love aspired to be, and as his sorrows deserved. Then, she withdrew her hand, and kissed his lips once more, and went away. So, the sunrise came, and the shadows of the leaves of the plane-tree moved upon his face, as softly as her lips had moved in praying for him. Bk. II, Ch. 17) The first passage appears in the context where Lucie and her father sit outside under the â€Å"plane-tree† the night before her wedding, and she reassures her father that her love for Darnay will not alter her love for him. The repetitive use of the â€Å"plane-tree† (and also the words â€Å"the tree† twice) along with the words indicative of light, â€Å"sun,† â€Å"brighter,† â€Å"moon,† â€Å"radiance,† or â€Å"shone† is closely related with the domestic happiness and hope that Lucie and her father feel. Furthermore, in passage (10), the word denoting light, â€Å"sunrise,† is also used. At the same time, however, the â€Å"plane-tree† co-occurs with the word â€Å"shadow,† which seems to carry an ominous implication for Dr. Manette’s future. In reality, in the following chapter, Chapter 18 of Book II, Dr. Manette has temporarily reverted to shoemaking because of the shock of Charles Darnay’s revelation, on the morning of his wedding to Lucie, of his identity as a member of the St Evremonde family. It can be said that the repeated use of the â€Å"plane-tree† itself symbolically suggests the Manettes’ domestic peace, co-occurring with the words significant of light. Yet, the change of words co-occurring with the â€Å"plane-tree,† that is to say, the new combination of â€Å"plane-tree† and â€Å"shadow,† implies the characters’ future fate in terms of foreshadowing. The foregoing arguments justify stating that Dickens deliberately exploits the technique of repetition with great artistry in order to individualize characters, to make creative use of conventional symbolic meanings, to prefigure future events, and to convey the main themes of the novel, such as fate, resurrection, and contrast, to the minds of the reader. The novelist’s use of repetition for the stylistic effects of emphasis and irony can also e found in his other novels. However, in A Tale of Two Cities, the repetitions of words and phrases are well organized and structurally used, and thus have the obvious function of creating a strong sense of unity in the structure of the novel. In a metaphorical sense, as various kinds of threads are woven to gether into texture, various kinds of repetition are skillfully interwoven into the story, and provide a strong sense of continuity and association within the novel. Such structural use of repetition is one of the linguistic peculiarities of A Tale of Two Cities.

Local Development Frameworks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Local Development Frameworks - Essay Example This is often done through a system based on a simplified policy hierarchy, which includes a system that gives priority to higher-quality development. Structure plans, local plans, and unitary development plans are often replaced by local development frameworks prepared by district and unitary authorities (Carmona and Gallent, p. 32). The Local Development Framework is a separate but complimentary folder of planning documents (Kerrier, 2006). It sets out the social, economic, and environmental objectives for a specific area, drawing heavily on the community strategies, which local authorities and their partners have prepared. With land, the LDF sets out strategies for achieving these objectives. There are other related strategies, which the content of LDF takes into account, and it is through the strategies and spending program, which becomes an aspect of the vision and objectives of the LDF (ibid). The right amount of new development of the right type is set out by the Local Development Framework. Policies are laid down in order to set out the criteria that development proposals are assessed against. Developmental Management Policies are the policies included in the LDF in testing proposals that ensue through the planning application process. LDF provides a context on how development is seen to contribute to sustainable development within the surrounding area for everybody's benefit. Local Development Frameworks have a key faci... varieties of forms that partnership between developers and LDF can be undertaken, and the roles that LDF can take may vary (Keeping and Shiers, 2004, p. 33). Planning allocation is one area considered pertinent in urban regeneration and development potential and value greatly affects development land allocation. At this very early stage, a partnership between the LDF and real estate developers can be adopted while mutual benefits are laid down (Keeping and Shiers, 2004). In terms of real estate development process, it must be noted that the production of housing targets starts at the regional level, where policy guidance is produced by regional planning conferences along with the regional government offices. Public comment is gathered and an Examination in Public tests the guidance in which participants are invited to give comments on it in the presence of an independent Chair. With the regional bodies directing the process, it may be inferred that this system is less "top-down" and is certainly more inclusive. Regional assemblies link directly with the Local Development Frameworks, which are subsequently produced by local planning authorities (Ratcliffe, 2001, p. 536). It must also be considered that there are different systems of development control but a major theme runs through all these systems. Each of these systems attempts to find a balance between certainty and flexibility in decision-making. There is said to be a growing importance of pre-application discussions and a corresponding need to keep the planning policies based on LDF more up-to-date. Moreover, transaction costs of development control must be decreased and shifted to an earlier stage in the process (Buitelaar, 2007, p. 165). The Roles of Local Development Frameworks in the Real Estate

Eygpt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Eygpt - Essay Example One can see an attempt from the part of the writer to draw the attention of the readers towards the malicious intentions of the western world, though it seems rather baseless to blame others for ones own inability to handle crisis. The writer points out that in Arab nations like Jordan and Iraq, the rulers appointed by the western world had no roots. In addition, the divisions of the Arab world after the fall of Ottoman Empire were aimed at creating conflicts rather than solving them. Another allegation is against US for its failure to solve the Arab-Israel conflict, and also for its supporting the Egyptian and Saudi Arabian governments which were not at able to handle their internal affairs. The writer also points out that some of these dictatorial governments have close links with America; thus an attempt to show the western malicious intentions (Shadid). Here one can see an attempt to dig into history to show how France and Britain exploited the area through Sykes Picot Agreement of 1916. However, the wrier admits that the western states could not be blamed for the inability of Arab nations to solve their problems themselves. Moreover, the Arab states forgot looking into their own internal affairs and instead, the rulers thought engaging in relentless conflict with Israel would appease their citizen, which has gone wrong as is evident from the recent state of affairs. The eruption of problems started in Egypt, which was considered an epitome of foreign relations to be adopted by other Arab nations. However, it seems rather surprising that even so many years could not solve any problems in the country it gave birth to new issues like Christian-Muslim divide. In Sudan, the blacks fight against the Arab rulers and in Iraq, the Shiites are preparing a return to power. Tunisia witnessed another fall of dictatorship due to the extreme frustration faced by people over joblessness and corruption. In total, the Arab world is fuming; wars against dictatorships, jobles sness, poverty and clashes among interest groups are all shattering the Arab world. It is warned that the coming years will face a great deal of destruction and devastation as a result of the anarchies existing in the Arab world and the absence of powerful leaders like Gamal Abdel Nasser who could cover up the issues. Shadid provides the example of Tunisian leader Habib Bourguiba to show how foolishly the new Arab leaders engage in unpopular activities, facing the wrath of people. He appeared drinking juice on television in the month of Ramadan, and the protest he will face in a Muslim community is clear. Thus, the article is an attempt to look into the reason behind the unrest that is shaking the entire Arab world. However, the writer, like all others, fails to predict the future. The issues in the Arab world starting from the fall of Iraq, and now very evident in many other Arab nations, reveal the fact that the people there are eager to achieve total freedom, democracy, developme nt and transformation. However, the pathetic thing is that due to lack of powerful social reformists, possibly due to the harsh regimes of Islam religion-centrism, people in the Arab world are still hopeless, aimless and irrational. The only thing they want to achieve is the kind of freedom people enjoy in other parts of the world. However, the ones who exhibit the power to lead are monarchs as is evident from Iraq and Egypt who do nothing for the welfare of the people or to control religions extremism. The Arab world is unlikely to

Coca-Cola HBC Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Coca-Cola HBC Case - Essay Example al understanding on giving high importance for customer value, CCHBC was able to formulate essential moves in order to achieve its strategic aims through its operations management practices. In great detail, the success of CCHBC in achieving its strategic aims includes its operation strategy, operation model, operation process and supply network. One important reason why operations management practices of CCHBC enabled it to achieve its strategic aims is simply made possible by activating control within its target market, an integral part of its supply network operation. This is made evident by ensuring that its supply chain management (SCM) could function efficiently. When it comes to what is efficient, CCHBC was able to invest in technology, infrastructure and organisational practices especially in its demand-driven SCM. The main point of CCHBC is to reach its target market at a highly affordable cost so it is important that its service delivery together with its associated custome r value is controlled through its efficient SCM. Product availability, operational performance and reliability, the nature of demand are some of the most important factors to be considered in understanding the nature and implementation of efficient SCM (Mentzer, 2001; Li, 2007). For instance, CCHBC wants to optimise positively some certain costs associated with inability of certain products so it is important that primary attention should be focused on product availability and monitoring. In fact, this is one of its reasons why there is a need to diversify its product offerings up to certain range anywhere and at any time ensuring availability whenever customers would need them. Its operation management practices enabled the company to put everything in order to meet the organisation’s... The intention of this study is Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC) as a company that essentially looks forward to how it could present the best part it could offer to its customers. In today’s highly advanced economy, every firm or organisation is faced with the need to achieve their competitive advantage through giving focus on providing value for customers and ensuring teamwork and efficient working organisational structure and system. This paper tries to establish some important strategic issues associated with Coca-cola HBC (CCHBC), one of the largest bottlers of non-alcoholic beverages in Europe. In this paper, the proponent discusses relevant issues concerning how CCHBC provides value for its customers, its capacity management, issues concerning its suppliers, and the role of management information system and data mining in improving its effort to increase the value it provides for its customers. Creating the best value for customers is therefore tantamount to ac hieving the right possible approach within the bound of both internal and external business environment and including economic and non-economic factors and other related business concerns. It is therefore recommended that CCHBC has to explore further in great detail other relevant strategic moves that could help enhance its capacity of creating the best value for its customers. At some point, it is important on its part to explore more about the impact of MIS and sophisticated data mining approach on its strategic objectives prior to understanding its customers and creating a need and value for them.

Intermediate Accounting Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Intermediate Accounting - Research Paper Example The following illustration provides a simplified view of the business model followed by Groupon: Comparison of this business model of Groupon with Wal-Mart reveals some fundamental differences in the approach followed by the two businesses. First of all, as mentioned earlier, the virtual operating style of Groupon through internet is a primary factor which distinguishes the extent to which both companies can target their respective customers. Based on the differences identified in the business model for Groupon in comparison with the approach followed by Wal-Mart, it is possible to determine how these differences influence the risks identified by Groupon in its financial statements under management discussion and analysis and also the translation of these risks into financial reporting of the company. Before initiating a discussion as to how risks faced by Groupon would influence its business model, it is pertinent to understand that the success of the business model of the company l argely rests on the revenue generating ability of the company through acquiring new subscribers to purchase coupons offered by the company. Since the company has only one product to offer, i.e. coupons, therefore any unfavourable changes in the circumstances may eventually lead to the disruption of whole business model. First of all, the company has expressly stated in its Form S - 1 that, â€Å"We may not maintain the revenue growth that we have experienced since inception.† (Groupon Incorporation 11). Although, the company would take measures to ensure that such a risk may not materialize in future; however, if such a situation is faced by the company where revenue growth becomes difficult, the business model may be affected severely, as there is no contingency plan for the company due to lack of its diversity in operations. Realizing the significance of influence this risk may have on the business model of the company, it has been mentioned that, â€Å"If we fail to retai n our existing subscribers or acquire new subscribers, our revenue and business will be harmed.† (Groupon Incorporation 12). In addition to this, it is also important to note that apart from growth in subscribers to the business, the retention and growth of merchants for the business is also a risk factor. The company has expressly stated that if it fails to retain or grow the number of merchant it deals with, the revenues may shrink considerably in the future and therefore place impact on the whole business (Groupon Incorporation 13). Apart from this, it is also pertinent to understand that Groupon is not alone in its market; in fact there are other competitors who are improving their customer base and market standing. The company, in this regard, states that it operates in a highly competitive environment where competitors may pose a significant threat to the operations and growth opportunities for Groupon in the future (Groupon Incorporation 13). Issues regarding Revenue Re cognition for Groupon The table presented as follows include information pertaining to revenues, cost of sales, other operating expenses and net profit / loss of the company for the financial years 2009 and 2010. Under each year, both gross and net based revenue recognition by the company has been presented so as to make the comparison possible between

Medieval Spanish Literature. Topic Proposal. Annotated Biblio Research Paper

Medieval Spanish Literature. Topic Proposal. Annotated Biblio - Research Paper Example Since women were looked down upon in Medieval Spain as their lives having less value than men, it is interesting how Estrella Tabera reverses the societal expectation of her to be only a lady of the night—and how she ends up garnering power, wealth, and prestige with the paramour of Sancho IV pursuing her in the play, and Philip IV pursuing Francisca de Tabara in real life. It is no surprise, then, that Estrella Tabera, being a sort of outcast in Medieval Spain, is able to reimagine the role of seductress and have a revolutionary leitmotif for women everywhere. II. Thesis (50 words) It is thought that, how we know and based on what we know of The Star of Seville, that: Philip IV is represented by the fictional character Sancho IV; Francisca de Tabara is represented by the fictional character Estrella Tabera; and that Villamediana is represented by the fictional character Busto. III. Annotated Bibliography (500 words) Source Citation: De Armas, Frederick Alfred. Heavenly Bodies : The Realms of La Estrella de Sevilla. US: Bucknell University Press, 1996. ... (100 words) Contributors: Frederick A. De Armas Last Edited: 1996 Source Citation: Magill, Frank N., et. al. Masterplots. US: Salem Press, 1996. Summary: In Masterplots, Magill and Mazzano masterfully work through the cast of main characters in The Star of Seville and parse each character’s importance in the play. They analyze the plot of the The Star of Seville and talk about how the play is relevant not only for today’s audiences, but also how The Star of Seville will always be a relevant play for Medieval Spanish literature in the future. Masterplots seeks to chart a course for the reader, taking the reader on a tour through the play’s highs and lows as it tries to evaluate, simply, the play’s overall effectiveness. (100 words) Contributors: Frank Northen Magill, Laurence W. Mazzano Last Edited: 1996 Source Citation: McKendrick, Melveena. Playing the King: Lope de Vega and the Limits of Conformity. US: Boydell and Brewer Ltd., 2000. Summary: This book c ritically evaluates Lope de Vega’s works, and his delicate dance of openly criticizing the Spanish throne during Medieval times. McKendrick weaves a masterful tale of Lope de Vega’s struggle to temper subversiveness with cleverness, and use political themes overtly—but in a manner that cannot be immediately detected by the untrained eye. Lope de Vega fools the reader into thinking that he or she is reading a play about some fictional characters—when actually his characters stand for allegorical allusions to what is really going on in Medieval Spain, and we see his characters lived out in real-time. (100 words) Contributors: Melveena McKendrick Last Edited: 2000 Source Citation: Anonymous. The

Large firms typically use a variety of structures to manage their Essay

Large firms typically use a variety of structures to manage their organisation. Summarise and evaluate the advantages and disadv - Essay Example Good decision making in an organization is because of good communication between members of the organization a virtue that is determined by the organization’s structure. This essay tries to analyze the different types of organizational structures and gives the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. It also evaluates the different structures to come up with the most preferable structure in terms of ensuring a business’ success. The first type of organization’s structure is a vertical structure. It is a structure whereby the business leaders or managers feature at the top while the bottom features the other employers. This structure can be either centralized or decentralized. For a centralized system, the organization’s members at the center of the structure make most of the decisions while, for a decentralized structure, most of the decisions are made by the members at the ends of the chain of the organization (Mills, 2007: p 54). The main advantage of this structure is its easiness in designating duties to the lower level employees. It forms a chain structure that can be followed without difficulty. The other advantage is that it promotes efficiency in the organization. Equally important is that, it encourages the development of skills and expertise as employees find it easy to go for further learning activities. The disadvantage of this stated structure is that it requires extensive power and effort to maintain order, balance, and power. It also narrows a department’s aims and objectives not to reflect the overall company’s goals (Mills, 2007: p 58). The next type of organizational structure is horizontal structure. This one differs from the vertical structure such that there are few power levels. A single department can oversee a number of activities in the same level without necessarily going to the next level. It has the advantage of giving employers greater freedom hence good turnaround and employee satisfac tion. It can help create competition in the different organizations hence innovation and creativity. There is also easy communication and cooperation between the departments. The disadvantage of this structure is its creation of loose management; the managers have little say over their employers due to tight schedules of meeting targets and finishing work. In addition, this is attributed to managers and workers maintaining a peer-to-peer relationship at the place of work hence no respect for leaders (Mills, 2007: p 89). Following on is the functional structure. In this type of structure, employees and departments are put into groups according to the function they play. The advantage of functional structure entails the help it has in growing specialists; people of the same skills are grouped in the same department. It also helps improve skills of employees, as the poor ones will learn from the better ones since they are grouped in the same department. Grouping skills of the same natu re at one place also helps improve performance. This is mainly through combined efforts of doing a task by many employees. It also boosts employee’s morale, as an employee has to do his best since it is his area of specialization according to the grouping. The main disadvantage of functional structure involves its complicated decision-making and communication processes. Communication between the different departments to enable the completion of a task is difficult since

Essay/ memorandum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

/ memorandum - Essay Example People may disregard other health precautions such as healthy eating habits since they will have a remedy to old age in Sniurb 13. This may lead to deaths from several diseases contracted such as cancers and even dangerous viruses such as HIV/AIDS. Eventually, the state may end up spending more on the health of its citizens as a result of the introduction of Sniurb 13. The company should at all times be faithful to the ethics of marketing. This entails relaying only true and accurate information to the public. It will ensure the company remains within the legal parameters set by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) before and after approval of the drug. Most importantly, the public must be reminded regularly the drug is still subject to approval by the Center of Drug Evaluation and Research under the FDA as the final authority. In addition, the company should inform the public that side effects have not been yet discovered but it is not the final position as side effects in drugs could occur well after 20 years of use. Sticking to marketing ethics and the law in the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act will ensure the company moves forward whether the drug succeeds or

Hitchcock began his career in filming Essay Example for Free

Hitchcock began his career in filming Essay Hitchcock began his career in filming in the 1920s. Later on he became a director, this involved changing the script or book into a film. Hitchcock used his own method of preparing the order of shots before filming, as he preconceived each shot in Psycho, ensuring that the tension was built up in a dramatic manner with a purpose, which made him very successful and led to a huge success. Hitchcock found ways to overcome censorship laws against nudity, sex and violence. He shot the film in black and white to conceal flesh/blood. Music was created to build up an atmosphere of contempt to kill, also to make the audience feel relaxed to increase the shock of certain events. The shower scene was shot in 76 cuts! So that the protagonists arms and other objects would cover up her breasts. Hitchcocks, most impressive technique was to suggest violence instead of showing it, which made it much more dramatic. Hitchcock used techniques, which later became known as Hitchcockean techniques. He tries to emphasise a characters view by only having one person in a shot or relating the charter to the audience. Placing objects around the room to show characters characteristics and builds up certain ideas. Hitchcock used an ongoing theme of death through out the film, using stairs to represent life at the bottom and death at the top, which instantly creates tension as soon as a shot with stair is shown. The plot begins with Marion having an affair with Sam. She is sick of sneaking around with him and is sick of her job. So one day when her boss gives her money to deposit in the bank, which she keeps for herself and decides to run away to her boyfriend, the audience have related to Marion and because of this do not think that she has done anything wrong. When se is on the road she is followed by a police officer so part-exchanges her car for a new one, the audience starts to think that she will get caught and start to hope that she doesnt. She then continues on her journey, but gets lost in the rain. She arrives at the Bates Motel and decides to stay there the night. She meets the owner, Norman Bates who seems a nice man, although a little nervous (to scared to say bathroom. ). He offers her tea, but his mother objects so they secretly eat in the back room. The audience have related with Marion and because of this are also unsure this helps to build up the suspense at a key point in the films. Marion then goes to have a shower, but unknowingly is watched through a peephole. She is then killed by a mystery figure, the audience then feel shocked that the main character has died. Norman finds the body and forgets about it. However Marions sister and Sam want to find out where she has gone so hire a private detective, who leads them to the bates motel. Psycho begins with the normal (a big city. ) and draws slowly into the abnormal (Norman and his disturbed mother. )

The Art of Travel Rheotrical Analysis Essay Example for Free

The Art of Travel Rheotrical Analysis Essay To begin with , every day we are surrounded by art. It dates back to ancient times, when primitive men painted on the rocks and made an instrument of labor. Actually, the meaning of this word from the Greek which means skill, ability and crafts. Apart from this, Hegel identified five great arts: architecture, sculpture, painting, music and poetry. Furthermore, along with them in the modern world there are: the theater and circus, pantomime and dance, cinema and music. According to some sources, art performs a variety of functions, but the most important, tÐ ¾ mÃ'Æ' mind, is the artistic function, which is displayed in the sensuous life and influence on the spiritual world of the man. Ð ¢Ã ¾ mÃ'Æ' way of thinking, the art is a creative interpretation of the world by man. The art has a direct relationship to the creation, accumulation and transfer of cultural values from generation to generation. After all, we are constantly learning from art. It trains our ethics, affects our feelings, will and mind. Moreover, without art, in my opinion, person simply can not exist. It seems to mÐ µ that the Art is one of the human needs. Obviously, this beauty reveals to man the path to perfection and harmony. Immortal beautiful creations of ancient sculptors and architects: Raphael, Michelangelo, Dante, Pushkin and Tolstoy, Mozart, Bach and Tchaikovsky. It will be exciting when you try to cover all created intelligence geniuses, preservation and continuation of their descendants and followers. Of course, art plays an important role in the life of human society, it ennobles people, helps people to discover themselves, to realize their dreams and ideas that enrich human life, provides a spiritual gained experience and aesthetic values. Ð ll in Ð °ll, mastering the art works, the person learns his present and future. Rejection of artistic activity can return to the original state of man, can lead to a drop of morality. If people will not appreciate art, the world is doomed to fail. Therefore, mankind must not only preserve the art, but also restore the broken and create something new, because in the words of L. N. Tolstoy: Art is a means of connecting people.

News Management of Influenza Outbreak

News Management of Influenza Outbreak 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.0 NEWS MANAGEMENT The media is facing increasing pressure and demands from the public for timely and varied news stories in diverse angles. Media agencies are seeking above all to be the one-stop conduit of information for their audiences and the understanding of these pressures and angles can help organizations to not only cope with media attention but to also turn it to its advantage. News management according to Underwood (2010) is the process by which organizations attempt to take control of the flow of news to the media and setting the agenda for the media. The media will always want to set the agenda- which is what they consider as newsworthy. Organizations, ranging from businesses to political institutions all leverage this tactic to either establish a positive reputation or counteract public scrutiny in its activities. This is done through; issuing of press releases, holding press conferences and staging events which is also very powerful as a strategy to influence the media in its coverage. News agencies are considered to act as gatekeepers by seeking events and defining stories. The defining of stories that are newsworthy or not is done through a set of criteria called news values (Underwood, 2010). News value, as a criterion helps determine what makes a story and also, can make into the news. The selection of news events is determined by the creation of reality through choices of journalists related to their professional standards and what a journalist or editor considers an event is what they see to be an event and can make the news. For example, the opening of a multinational bank will make a potential news item than the same bank hiring new executives. Organisations can play the media at their own game through news values. For example, a political government choosing to announce details of an embarrassing report on the same day a latest report of an arrest of a corrupt official or an epidemic outbreak is announced. The arrest and epidemic issue may fit the mediaâ⠂¬â„¢s angle and thus rendering the report overlooked. News management within the context of political organisations is seen as a practical solution for governments and political actors to use the media in furthering their political goals. According to Pfetsch (1999), a particular selection and shaping of news is dependent on the institution, political and media context of a country. With political organizations’ objective of controlling information on the public agenda, through shaping media coverage makes news management an important factor. Political actors use news management as a way to manage contingencies, considering instances when the media is fed with information and the organisation still has no power to control the main news coverage. Framing and Spin-control are some of the strategies political organisations employ to control information. Framing as a structure of meaning and interpretation is seen to be connected to message contents, the media and the situation at hand (Klandermans, 1988). Spin-controlling is also a technique that is employed by political organisations in news management to fix results from happenings and to manage expectations of events about to happen (Bruce, 1992). This technique is used by organisations to stress more on features that is attractive to the target media and also avoid the features that are considered undesirable. For example, during election night news coverage, defeats in elections are interpreted as victories in front of television cameras. A typical example of a spin was the news during the September 11th World Trade Center came falling and Jo Moore sent Stephen Byers (Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and Regions) her boss a memo proposing â€Å"it’s now a very good day to get out anything we want to bury. Councillors expenses?† Unfortunately, the memo got leaked and she was reprimanded by her boss and there was a media onslaught and outrage. But on her part, it was a cynical spin which suggests she was able to divert attention on the serious event that has happened (Sparrow, 2001). Every organisation is potential for media scrutiny and needs to be prepared any time. Organisations always strive for brand recognition and reputation building through activities using public relations and advertising strategies; however, the media’s coverage during any event can be unsatisfactory. Therefore, when a crisis event hit an organisation, it isn’t difficult to see the media coming to knock on the door step to seek stories that are newsworthy. Organisations ultimate goal in news management should be to influence by all means possible what kind of news should appear in the media in any situation. Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has hit by a strain of influenza virus, has its image to protect in this crisis and as an organisation, it can only influence media coverage through setting the agenda for the media through an effective news management strategy. 2.0 INTRODUCTION An epidemic outbreak believed to be an influenza virus has come to the notice of the management at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Ghana. Several cases have been reported within the last 3 hours and seven people including three children are now hospitalized and one passenger reported dead from the influenza virus but in another country. The KIA is an airport that has facilities and offers services in line with international standards. KIA has seen more than 2.6 million passengers in 2013. The recent reported a case on the passenger who died of the epidemic was reported to have been on a trip to Thailand. The international airport has structured standard procedures to handle and protect the lives of passengers through its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) but the media in Ghana is criticising KIA on its poor cleaning routines and hygienic practices in controlling the epidemic so far. As the media relations officer of KIA, this strategic plan is devised to manage the news and also counteract any media onslaught concerning the influenza epidemic. 2.1 Aim The aim of this plan is to get the public informed about the influenza outbreak, provide safety actions at the airport and to also assure the public with the trust and confidence of putting the crisis under control. The plan also seeks to counteract any form of media scrutiny and protect the reputation of the KIA. 2.3 Objectives The following are the objectives of the strategic media plan: To install confidence to travellers at the KIA and how management is working effectively to keep the outbreak under control within 72 hours. To inform and communicate facts on the outbreak and minimize rumours before the end of the second day. To promote a positive understanding of the epidemic response, mitigation and control programs in place by the end of 48 hours’ time. To maintain confidence and order in the safety and operations at KIA by the end of the week. 3.0 THE CRISIS COMMUNICATION TEAM (CCT) In the development and implementation of a strategic plan, the first step is the creation of a team who will plan the response and provide the media with all details pertaining to the influenza outbreak at KIA. All the employees will be informed with measures on the influenza epidemic but authorised not to respond to any media enquiries. The CCT will include the following: i. Director of Airports The Director of Airports is Dr Gani and has been serving in that office for 15 years with vast experience and knowledge on the business at the KIA. He will be in authority to direct, control and coordinate the overall management of the epidemic crisis. He will work closely with his deputy in to oversee all measures put in place to control the epidemic and also manage all the section/team heads. ii. Health and Safety Director Mrs Ganira as the director will be playing a very important role. She will be responsible for coordinating all health and safety functions during this emergency at KIA. She will coordinate with all departments and provide messages and information regarding safety conditions to help minimize the outbreak. She will also coordinate with health services for emergency responses and quarantining of affected passengers. iii. Public Information Officer (PIO) Miss Claudia will be responsible for managing all media enquiries and assists in the preparation and dissemination of information and brief the media before a press conference. Supervise and monitor all information for accuracy and consistency before being discharged into the public domain via the media. She will prepare the spokesperson for any press conference or interviews and also train him on regular basis. She will be in-charge of the Media Information Centre (MIC). Chief of Operations Mr Saah will lead the operations section in the development and implementation of the health standard measures. He will ensure the planning and logistics functions support at KIA. He will support the MIC with operational information. He will identify the deployment and actions of each team and also someone to keep a log on all activities throughout. 3.1 DESIGNATED SPOKESPERSON In considering someone as the spokesperson for the team, factors considered include someone who is a real communicator, has a respectable public figure and the media are familiar with and can convey accurate and important messages to the media and public. With such qualities, no other person can occupy that other than Mr Godwin, who is the Deputy Director of Airports. With his vast experience in his past work history as the director of operations for the Ministry of Health, he suits the position to be the spokesperson for the crisis team. 3.2 TIPS FOR THE SPOKESPERSON Every spokesperson is expected to know or possess some characteristics to be able to engage and utilise the media to the organisations advantage. The following tips are considered and followed to gain some form of representation from the media. He must know the policies of KIA and be informed thoroughly on any current information before engaged by the media. Show empathy with those affected but not using words like â€Å"we regret†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which might make it look like a lawsuit. During interviews or Press conferences: When reporters or journalists put up sticky questions to him, he must answer them but will bridge them to the key messages he wants to convey. Must avoid â€Å"No comment† phrase. He will need to avoid replying questions with that phrase he do not want to answer. Appropriate answers can be, â€Å"I don’t have that information with me now. May I research it and get back to you?† And avoid using jargons or acronyms when speaking with news reporters and stick to the facts. 4.0 KEY MESSAGES The key messages play a very important aspect during crisis communication. They need to be few in number, short and concise to the public through the media. Other factors considered for key messages include giving positive action steps, not speculating, use of pronouns and cut-to-the-chase. The message map below shows the key messages to be used. Table 1: Message map for the influenza pandemic crisis 5.0 STRATEGIC MEDIA CHANNELS Media agencies are every time seeking above all to be their audiences’ avenue for information and make it important for the organization to meet its needs. It is imperative for organizations to establish positive relationships with the news media to help build partnership during any situation. KIA has built a positive relationship with key news media agencies in the capital. Therefore during this crisis, KIA’s goal is to be accurate, timely and reliable with its news coverage. There are a wide range of available media channels KIA can employ to disseminate and engage the media to reach its audience. However, the success will depend on the unique and best conduit for widest possible audience. The following will be considered by KIA. 5.1 Press Conference The first action to be taken when KIA has news on the influenza strain within 1 hour to 2 hours is to extend an invitation to media representatives (See Appendix A for Ghana’s media) to attend a press conference. This will help project KIA with an authoritative image and with a credible message during the crisis. To do this, the press statements will be brief, true, and accurate. As first official information, the key messages will include elements like expression of concern for passenger’s welfare, confirmed facts and action steps, the process, commitment statement and where to go for more information and the spokesperson will stay on the key messages throughout. 5.2 Website The next within the 2 hour period of the crisis it to create a crisis page on KIA’s official website and updates will be continuing on any new development on the epidemic at the airport. 5.3 Press release Within 3 to 5 hours period, possible topics would have been identified and press release sent to both the traditional and social media. They will include facts on the epidemic at KIA, and will stay on the key messages 1, 2 and 3. A media kit will be included with detail facts sheets on the crisis at KIA. 5.4 Social Media Considered as the fastest and uncontrolled channels for information travel, KIA will engage the public through key social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. YouTube channel will also be used for broadcasting the information on the epidemic. All key messages will be tweeted often as well as images posted. This will help inform and give details on the epidemic at KIA and users can also engage with the team to know how the crisis is being controlled. Continues updating will be done. Facebook: [emailprotected] Twitter: [emailprotected] and all posts will start with a hash tag (#). Example: #kiainfluenza 5.5 Radio Since radio listening is one of the most listened media outlets, KIA will leverage this tool to reach the wider public through news shows and live talk shows within 42 hours of the crisis. ‘Talk radio’ will provide KIA an opportunity to speak directly on important health messages and share the actions KIA is taking to protect passengers and the spread of the influenza epidemic in the region. (see Appendix B for list of radio stations KIA will be hosted on) 6.0 MONITORING INFORMATION FLOW It is critical to monitor the news on both the traditional media and social media to identify and rectify rumours or misleading reportage. KIA will establish a Media Information Centre (MIC) to function as a central point for all epidemic-related communications and queries from the media. The MIC will serve as the media-monitoring office to monitor all news and make immediate responses. Appendices Appendix A Ghana’s Media Ghana’s media enjoys a high degree of media freedom and thus can pose a threat to organizations during a crisis event. They are free to criticise authorities without fear with a lively press and an often phone-in programs on many radio stations. Radio is the most popular medium with over 200 stations and many of them based in the main cities. The State-run media is the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). The key media will be listed for the purpose of the plan Source: BBC (2013) Appendix B Schedule for Talk Radio shows References BRUCE, B., 1992. Images of Power. London: Kogan Page. Ghana profile, 2013. News Africa [online] Available on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13433793 [Accessed on 6 January 2015] KLANDERMANS, B., 1988. The Formation and Mobilization of Consensus. In Nandermans, B., Kriesi Hans Peter, Tarrow Sidney (ed.), International Social Movement Research (Vol. 1, pp. 173-198). PFETSCH, B., 1999. Government news management: Strategic communication in comparative perspective. [online] Available on: https://www.econstor.eu/dspace/bitstream/10419/49821/1/30895761X.pdf [Accessed on 6 January 2015] SPARROW, A. 2001. Sept. 11: A good day to bury bad news. [online] Available on: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1358985/Sept-11-a-good-day-to-bury-bad-news.html [Accessed on 6 January 2015] UNDERWOOD, M. 2010. News Management. [online] Available on: http://www.cultsock.org/index.php?page=media/setorder.html [Accessed on 6 January 2015]

Preventing Teenage Smoking Essay example -- essays research papers

Today, there has been an increase in the amount of teenagers who smoke half a pack a day of cigarettes. The number of seniors in high school who have tried cigarettes has decreased over the years, but the number of those who smoke occasionally or half a pack or more a day, has increased. There are many factors as to why teenagers smoke including advertising and teen behavior. There are also a few ways we can stop teenagers from wanting to smoke. Therefore, we need to make teens aware that smoking is not good for you and it is not cool and we need to figure out why teens think it is cool. We need to find out why teens smoke and how we can make the stop and how we can prevent new teens from starting to smoke. Advertising and marketing of cigarettes are a big factor as to why teenagers smoke. There are promotions for different brands like Joe Camal and Marlboro Man. They’re some of the biggest marketing campaigns on T.V. Both companies have giveaways like T-shirts in return for coupons accumulated by buying their brand of cigarettes. Different cigarette companies make the...

Dance Difficulties Essay -- essays research papers

As an extremely challenging and physically demanding pastime, it makes sense that a career in dance has lots of pressures that go along with it. This should come as no surprise seeing that every professional sport requires hard work and at least some sacrifice. It is questionable, however, if there is maybe too much pressure put on dancers in this day and age. Many people do not realize what it takes for a person to make it as a dancer, the dedication and drive the person must have. The fact of the matter is, the outcome of a dancer’s career may not outweigh the physical and emotional damages left over from the long journey to the top.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the eighteenth century, the most prominent dancer of the time, Marie Camargo, set the standard for the typical dancer’s physique. The body characteristics of no hips, breasts, or stomach became the customary body shape for dancers at that time, and in the future (Gim). George Balanchine, one of the most prominent dance choreographers in dance history is responsible for the basic look of a thin ballet dancer. His goal within a dance company was for all of the females to look as identical as possible. He wanted dancers who were tall and streamlined with beautifully arched feet, long, elegant legs and a graceful extension (Solway 57). He believed that the thinner the dancer, the better one could see their bodies and movements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Due to the views of George Balanchine, it soon became the norm for a dancer to be a certain height and weight. Soon that is what company producers, directors, choreographers, and the public expected. Even today, â€Å"an ideal has been set in place in the dance community which reflects the general public’s desire to see thin women on stage† (10-6). The main goal of a dance company is to have viewers, and for that to happen the public must be visually pleased. Cultural ideas of feminine beauty cause young women to feel a strong desire to be thinner than their bodies naturally tend to be (10-1). This idea is even more widespread in the dance world; literally, people who are not thin do not get jobs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Certain sports create environments that harbor unhealthy eating habits, and dance is one of the most common (Despres). These eating habits can eventually escalate into an eating disorder if not treated correctly. Every eati... ...s to do what they love to do. Applegate, Liz. â€Å"Athletes Are More Vulnerable to Anorexia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Than Non-Athletes.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Binks, Georgie. â€Å"Eating Disorders are Not Necessarily Harmful.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Despres, Renee. â€Å"Female Athletes Are at Risk of Eating Disorders.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Dobie, Michael. â€Å"The Eating-Disordered Male Athlete.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Gim, Kari. â€Å"The Perfect Ballet Body.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Hood, Joel. â€Å"Dying to Win: Athletes and Eating Disorders.† Opposable Viewpoints. 24 Jan 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Levenkrom, Steven. Anatomy of Anorexia. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001. Neale, Wendy. Ballet Life Behind the Scenes. New York: Crown Publishing Inc, 1982. Solway, Diane. A Dance Against Time. New York: Pocket Books, 1994. Thompson, Ron A. Sherman; Trattner, Roberta. Helping Athletes With Eating Disorders. Illinois: Human Kinetics Publishers, 1993.

Judicial Activism and The Defense of Civil Rights :: American Government, Courts, Public Policies

Since its first appearance in 1947 in Fortune Magazine, the term Judicial Activism has promoted incandescent debates about the rule of courts in public policy, however to date there is not a consensus of what judicial activism really means. The term may denote a pejorative description of judicial behavior or in other instances the sophisticated elaboration of judicial concepts. (Roosevelt III 2006:1) Since 1947 the term have been used extensively in magazines, newspapers and law reviews, by 1990 was used in average 450 times a year, appeared in 3815 law review articles and several other publications (Kmiec, 2004). After the election of president Obama the term use of the term have been even more extensive, his two Supreme Court nominees have been labeled with the scarlet letter of activism by respected law gazettes like American Bar Association (ABA) journal and the Northwestern University Law Review. Yet the debate about the meaning of the term remains unclear. However the involvement of the courts in policy making is not a recent phenomenon as some media outlets aim to portrait. Since the first use of judicial review by the Supreme Court in Marbuty v Madison (1803) the Supreme Court have exercised judicial review to overthrow 160 federal status and more than a 1000 federal laws (Tarr 2009, p258). Some of the most these cases have important legal implication in the defense of fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, (United States vs Nixon 1973), due process (Brown vs Board of Education 1954) and prisoner’s rights (James v Wallace 1974). Courts are also involved in the defense of civil rights contesting majority ruled decision. Gamble (1997) illustrated this case clearly in her study of court’s rule against referendum mandates affecting minority rights. Gamble stated that between 1959 and 1993 there were 74 ballot measures that clearly targeted minority rights; most of these ballot initiatives deal with issues such as housing segregation, gay rights, school desegregation, English among others. From the 74 measures mentioned by Gambel, 53 (78 percent) generated a form of repression of exclusion against minority groups. Analyzing this results Gamble argued that â€Å"the record show[ed] that American voters readily repeal existing civil rights protections and enthusiastically enact laws that bar their elected representatives from passing new ones. By repeatedly striking down the latter, the judicial system has vigilantly protected the rights of minorities to participate in the political process† (Gambel 1997:262) Judges have been involved in policy making, not just protecting of civil rights, but in filling the gaps overlooked by the law.

Returning to College Essay

At the beginning of 2013 I had a discussion with my co worker about returning back to school, and the I was indecisive on what I wanted to major in. So she suggested that I do online courses, and major in Organizational Management since I wanted to become a manager within the company I am currently employed. She referred me to Ashford University, and I must say that I am very happy that she referred me to this university because it works perfectly with my work schedule. In 2002 I was accepted into Lemoyne Owens University back in Memphis,  Tennessee to major in Child Development and Education because I wanted to be a elementary school teacher. I did not attend the university because the university wanted my parents to pay more in tuition than what they were offering me in Financial Aid. At the time student loans was not an option for me for I decided to attend a Junior College instead. My first year and a half at Laney Junior College I took cosmetology classes because Laney did not offer Child Development courses and the other junior colleges classes were full. I graduated with my Associates Degree in Cosmetology in 2004, and  returned to receive my Associates Degree in Business Administration. Although I started off taking business courses I ended up switching my major to receive my Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, because it would have taken 3 years to receive my degree in business admin. Once I graduated in 2006 with my Liberal Arts degree I decided not to go back to school after that although I wanted to. I decided to put all of my effort into my 3 job, until 7 years down the line one of my co workers who is also a student at Ashford University convinced me to return to school to get my Bachelor’s Degree. Returning back to school was frequently on my mind but I did not know how to fit it in with my busy work schedule, and I felt that my writing skills were not up to the college level like they should be. Obtaining a higher degree is very important to me because it can possibly help me in the long run career wise. I would love to own my own business some day, particularly my own day care center. I also would like to be an accountant and possibly have my own accounting business. There are times that I feel that my job gets in the way of me completing my school work. So I try to set time aside each day to complete at least one discussion each day and try to complete my assignments and responses over the weekend. There are things that tend to get in the way of those plans so I just end up staying up late to complete my work. I try my hardest not to let any obstacles get in my way but I can’t predict my life and each step as much as I wish that I could. I plan on graduating next year with my Bachelor’s in Organizational Management and then try to obtain my degree in Accounting. Returning back to school has so far been one of my best life decisions thus.

Aggression-Discuss the Three Psychological Approaches Essay

What is aggression? During my research, I have noted various definitions of aggression and have often found it to be coupled with violence. This human trait is so complex that it is difficult to pinpoint any one description, but I believe that for the purpose of this essay, this extremely loose term will have to suffice, as aggression is viewed differently according to the different approaches. â€Å"Aggression – a wide variety of acts that involve attack† (The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology-Third Edition 2001) In this essay, I will explain and evaluate three psychological approaches of aggression from Sigmund Freud, Burrhus F Skinner and Carl R Rogers. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) developed the psychoanalytical theory of the personality, whereby he divided it into layers; the unconscious, preconscious and the conscious. These represented different levels of awareness in our minds. He also described the personality as the id, which is essentially what we are born with and is where the basic sexual and aggressive drives reside, the ego, which starts to develop as soon as interaction with the environment begins, and the superego, which represents the moral aspect of humans according to society’s standards and values. He believed that we are born with these inner feelings of aggression, which we use as a tool to obtain the things we want, but unfortunately, society restricts the use of this horrible behaviour for obvious reasons. The display of aggressive behaviour would cause us to lose love and respect ending in lowered self-esteem. In order to get through life without imposing this unacceptable behaviour upon society, we have in our superego, incorporated something called ‘guilt’, which in turn makes us feel ashamed of this pushy, demanding insistence of gratification side of ourselves. However, this causes within us an eternal conflict that rages on through our everyday lives, in the unconscious level of our minds, where we only dimly recognise it. He was however, concerned that these energies could not be permanently ‘bottled up’ and suggested that redirection of these energies (catharsis)  into other channels ie.sport, work would be more socially acceptable. He called this sublimation and suggested that a good society would make this possible. Nevertheless, he remained pessimistic about this also as it only redirected the energy of aggression and did not really deal with the source of the ‘problem’. Freud (1920) called the destructive force that forms aggression, Thanatos -the death instinct (Beyond the Pleasure Principle 1920) and believed that this is a natural human condition that is also aimed at ourselves. However, our natural life instincts prevent anything happening, but Freud thoroughly believed that the destruction of ourselves is inevitable, as aggression will always be at war with society and therefore the greatest obstacle to peace. Burrhus F Skinner (1904-1990) who favoured the behaviourist approach to psychology, criticised the psychoanalytical theory by suggesting that psychology should be the study of behaviour and not just the mind. However, Skinner’s approach was radical, in that he did consider our inner thoughts and feelings, but denied that they had anything to do with behaviour (Skinner 1974). His study of behaviour involved close contact with the experimental laboratory, where he experimented with small animals such as rats and pigeons. As the experimenter, he was able to study the use of stimuli and reinforcement (cause and reward) of behaviour. Skinner pointed out that aggression, like any other form of behaviour, is a result of social and physical issues in our environments. With this in mind, he believed that human behaviour is therefore controllable. In Skinner’s view, if aggression is apparent in a person, then it is determined by past and present relevant events, together with genetic endowment, hereditary factors that are passed through our genes in the process of evolution. He argued that full knowledge of these two sets of factors, genetic endowment and personal history, hold the key to controlling behaviour such as aggression. The behaviourist approach fails to acknowledge individual free will and choice however, and the frustrations involved in the inability to express  these. It is often these unobservable issues that cause behaviours, such as aggression. When looking at positive reinforcement, Skinner often refused to consider the mental causes of aggression ie if a drunk tries to start a fight with you in a pub, Skinner’s theory would indicate that the best form of action from previous experience would be to walk away. This however, ignores the events leading up to this point, and you may decide to stay and fight or maybe stay and make friends. The mind selects a response according to the desired consequence, which is a natural part of every function we perform but is not a straightforward case of positive reinforcement. Carl R Rogers (1902-1987) was the founder of the humanistic approach to behaviour and like Maslow, he believed that there was nothing ‘bad’ about human behaviour and that we are capable of healthy growth towards Self Actualisation. This means that we have the potential to reach fulfilment and achieve warm relationships with others through acceptance and understanding of what we as humans are. In order to understand the actualising tendency, Rogers claims that we should firstly be congruent, meaning that we should be aware of our inner feelings and accept them as a part of our nature. In this respect, what we express from those feelings is pure and true. Secondly, we should be able to empathise with our fellow man, in that we can understand what everything means to them from their point of view, as if we were in their ‘world’. Thirdly, we should be able to convey unconditional positive regard, meaning that we should be able to accept things as they are and who our fellow man is, without judgement or prejudice and without placing conditions upon their worth. These are three essential ingredients for healthy growth towards being a fully functioning person. Obviously, with an approach such as this, there is little room for negative feelings such as aggression. Because of this positive force for healthy growth, Rogers believed that aggression could possibly be a result of a state of incongruence, where we may feel conflict between our sense of self and our ideal self (like Freud’s ego and superego) ie. When we become aware of our own set of values but are told by our parents to respect their set of values, taught to us previously, and the use of conditional regard is applied to enforce those values. This could  possibly cause aggression by way of retaliation. However, he would not see aggression as inevitable or even an appropriate response, only as a possible response. Rogers’ theory opposes Freud’s in that aggression is inevitable. However, these two approaches are similar in that they both believe that aggression is a result of conflict in the mind – Rogers’ sense of self and the ideal self are similar to Freud’s ego and superego. However, Rogers argues that we are not doomed as Freud views it. Rogers, who was optimistic about human nature, believed that rather than trying to repress the desires and needs that aggression demands, a self-actualised person would see that aggression is a part of our nature and that acceptance of it, along with all other feelings, serve to help us grow healthily in the way of a fully functioning person. As a humanist, Rogers believed that to try to hide from what is inherently a part of us is futile and the only approach to make is that of acceptance in order to believe in ourselves. He also recognised that aggression could be a healthy behaviour, as in competition. Freud’s view that aggression is a common human characteristic does not constitute proof that it is innate. His views on catharsis as being a way of controlling the drives also lack support, and indeed support from one of his earlier disciples, Alfred Alder. With regard to aggression being innate and inherent, is aggression the result of genetics, or is it simply an excuse we use for violent behaviour? Could the answer lie in our environment and what we learn from it? Experiments performed by behaviourists such as Skinner have proved this, but do they offer all the answers? Is man born a completely blank slate? If that is the case, why do we keep messing up? Is this what Skinner meant when he maintained that man takes immediate gratification rather than looking at the long-term consequences? The different approaches of Freud and Skinner offer interesting theories about the sources of aggression. Take violence on the television for instance. Freud may have considered this as a cathartic experience thus reducing the drive of aggression by way of siphoning off the built up pressure as discussed earlier. On the other hand however, Skinner would  consider that violence on the television would serve to condition us to be more violent and therefore increase aggression. In conclusion, it seems that each approach holds some validity whilst there is still room for further research. Freud discussed aggression and its source at great length but did not really offer any sound evidence about how to reduce it. Neither did he encourage further research into collecting more information about it. Skinner, on the other hand, had rather strong opinions about how to deal with aggression but offered little information as to its source. Rogers had little to say about what aggression actually is but whilst his opinions on how to deal with it seemed realistic and acceptable, his theory, like Freud’s, offers no real proof. However, early as these theories were, they did offer some valuable contributions to the theory of aggression. Theories which have developed over the years and are continuing to do so, even though the reasons for aggression, and indeed all other human emotions, still elude us, remaining continually beyond scientific explanation. BIBLIOGRAPHY Glassman, William E (2000) Approaches to Psychology (3rd Edition) Buckingham and Philadelphia USA Open University Press Reber, Arthur A and Emily (2001) The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (Third Edition) London, Penguin Books Ltd Nye, Robert D (1975) Three Psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner and Rogers (Fourth Edition) California, Brooks/Cole (Wadsworth Inc) http://www.goldenessays.com/free_essays/3/psychology/human_aggression.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.term-papers.u/ts/gb/pnl141.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/classes/intro/skinner.html (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.free_termpapers.com/tp/37/pko72.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002) http://www.free_termpapers.com/tp/37/pnl135.shtml (accessed 30 12 2002)

Olympic Games Ap World Dbq

Will someone check and grade my essay for me please! The Olympic Games There are many factors that shape the modern Olympic movement from 1892 to 2002. The original reason was so people of many people of different races, religions, or genders could come together and compete against each other in various competitions. The Olympics first started in 776 B. C. E. but ended 393 C. E. they later started back up in 1892, but it was a bit different than before. Today, many of the factors that shaped the Olympics reflect what has changed and what has taken place since the last games.Some examples would have to do with women, the economy, and world wars and other region battles. From 1892 to 2002, things kept changing around for women. In document 2 you could see that from the year 1908, only 2% of the Olympic athletes are women, the other 98% are all male. Those 2% of women were also wearing full clothing; the only skin that was allowed to be shown was their face and hands. From document 8 in 1992, 29% of the athletes were women, this time most of them were able to show off their bodies and not wear as much clothing.The big difference in the percentage of women competing in the Olympics and the amount of clothing they wear shows a good reflection in the transformation of women’s rights in the Olympics. Another reflection of the Olympics is the state of the economy. If you read document 5, it talks about a major from Japan wanted the 1964 games to be held in his country. Ryutaro Azuma wanted the games to be held in Tokyo because he believed that it would help the economy and the trades in Japan get stronger.It worked well and in document 7 you can see that Japan is one of the countries, as well as the United States, that gets selected to be one of nine of the sponsors for the 1988 Olympic Games. To be able to become a sponsor, your country has to be able to avail itself of an opportunity to display its industrial and economic power to a worldwide televised audienc e. The author of the journal that wrote document 7 believed that becoming a sponsor would bring your country a lot of money. In document 9, it shows that more and more money is being spent on the media for the Olympics.These documents show that a factor of the Olympics is earning money for your country; Japan proves it and raised the economy and its trade power during the Olympic Games. In the 1940s, World War II happened, which is right in the middle of the time period of these documents. The war dealt mainly with the Nazis and the Americans. Being that both Germany and the United states were in the war, both countries felt like that had to win it all to show a dominance for their government and to prove who had the better athletes.Documents 3 and 4 both are point of views from capitalists; but in document 3 it shows how the Nazis felt about things. They had the Olympic Games held at home and they wanted to win it. In a ski race, they wanted to prove that Nazism was the best Democr acy. The downhill course was closed for practices before the race, but apparently Nazis practiced the course without anyone knowing. The Olympics were shaped as hateful things between the two nations, and they both clearly wanted something to prove. In document 4, instead of the Nazis being the enemy in the Olympics, it was the Soviets.In the 1952 games, the United States team felt a lot of pressure because of the soviet team. It was during the Cold War and they felt like they just had to beat the Soviet team, whether they were good or bad, they felt they had to. In documents 1, 6, and 10, the people writing the documents wanted to show the whole world was these athletes are capable of. Pierre de Coubertin from document 1 felt that the Olympics should be used for a time of peace and friendship between other nations. In document 6, it talks about how the Soviets had a really bad reputation as communists.The Olympic committee wanted the Soviet Union to be more peaceful and democratic. Document 10 deals with the feelings of a new nation that thinks they are as capable as the nation they broke away from in competing in the Olympics. Pakistan wanted to break off from India and become nationalists, they felt that they would be able to compete in the Olympics and do just as well as the India. In the 1956 Olympics, the men’s field hockey team finished second to its rivals from India, but greatly won their first gold medal in 1960. Unfortunately, the national team is not nearly as good as they were back then.To conclude, the Olympic Games have satisfied many goals from countries. The Olympics brought many people together and it eventually created peace in the world. If people closely studied the Olympic Games after reading those 10 documents, you could see that they have caused some problems in the world, but most of the good things out weigh the bad things with the Olympics. Many global events factored out and shaped the modern Olympic movement from 1892 to 200 2, and they reflected the great well beings of the physical competition in it.

Peter Paul Rubens

Peter Paul Rubens was the painter of the first part of the Seventeenth Century in Catholic Europe. How he became so is an interesting story. Rubens was educated to be a humanist but like all great artists choose his profession for himself. The combination of first rate classical education with innate visual genius made for an unprecedented combination in an artist, which is what made him so great. It has been said that no artist has ever been as well educated as Rubens. After training with three minor artists in Antwerp.Rubens set off for Italy to complete his education; a position at the court of the Duke of Mantua was quickly accepted and he stayed in Italy for eight years. His job was to travel to all the major artistic collections, especially Rome and Venice painting copies of famous works of art, especially paintings of beautiful women, for the Duke's collection. He was also sent to Spain where he had an opportunity to study the enormous collection of Titian masterworks in the R oyal Collection in Madrid.Copying the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance especially and the recently unearthed sculptures of classical antiquity, Rubens sketched and painted and encompassed all that was best in Italian and Classical art. Rubens combined the lessons of Antique Sculpture with the vaunting ambition of the High Renaissance giants in an unprecedented way. He used the lessons of sculpture as a composition model but insisted that flesh should look like flesh in a painting thus developing his breakthrough approach to the naked body.In this he never forgot the earthy luminous realism of the old Netherlandish tradition of the fifteenth and sixteenth century used by Van Eyck, Van Weyden, and Breughel. You won't appreciate Rubens, the master of the female nude, until you consider that he was the greatest influence on French painting from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. The fact that Watteau, Fragonard, Delacroix, and Renoir were among Rubens’ loyal follower s attests to his great influence.Rubens was to develop a phenomenal ability to analyze the different styles of painting and sculpture and then synthesize them into whatever his clients and patrons wanted. His clients included just about every Catholic monarch, as well as Catholic leaning Protestants like King Charles I of England, and every major religious order in Western Europe. Not to mention every wealthy connoisseur of painting in Europe at the time. To satisfy an ever growing demand, Rubens opened the largest art workshop Europe has ever seen.He would paint an small initial oil sketch which, when approved and contracted, would be given over to one or more of his students to paint the full length canvas. Finally, Rubens would add the finishing touches to the works and sign them. Thus he became both a teacher and a hugely successful businessman. Fame was for Rubens something that went beyond material worldly success; he sought above all to bring the blessings of humanistic reaso n to bear on the Europe riven by religious and dynastic wars.In 1609, because he spoke several languages and was so well educated, Rubens was appointed court painter to the Archduke Albert and his wife the Infanta of Spain named Isabella, the Spanish Viceroys in the Netherlands. Isabella later became his close confidant and sent him on important diplomatic missions to Spain, Holland, and England. Rubens went to England to negotiate a peace treaty with the King of England and Spain and while he was there he became a favorite of the court of King Charles I, as did his most brilliant student, Anthony Van Dyck, in the next decade.When Rubens retired from public life he wrote about ripping off the golden chain that had bound him to the courts of Europe. In his last years he remarried to a young beautiful wife, retired to his estate, and he painted some of the most astonishing paintings he had ever painted. Peace, harmony, abundance, and love these are the great themes of Rubens and his a ge. His works exhibit and illustrate these qualities so well. I have not begun to express to you the brilliance of Peter Paul Rubens; he is just such a great artist that there is too much to say about him.