Harvard Case : BMW of North America: Dream it. Build it. Drive it. Essay

Brief Description: Set in 2011, this case describes how BMW, the leading luxury car manufacturer in the U.S., successfully implemented a new marketing initiative based on its online video services and increased sales of customized vehicles. The case addresses the challenges of catering to the North American consumer, where most car buyers want or have become conditioned towards immediate gratification with their purchases. Main Learning Objectives: To underscore the importance of consumer behavior in strategic planning To illustrate the complexity of strategically managing the supply chain for a modern manufacturing company and the implications effects of ‘mass customization’ on supply (value) chain Preparation & Analysis For Wednesday’s class (10/9/13): 1. Go online, research and take down a few notes on a strategic marketing concept called â€Å"mass customization† for in-class discussion. The process of delivering wide-market goods and services that are modified to satisfy a specific customer need. Is a marketing and manufacturing technique that combines the flexibility and personalization of custom-made with the low unit cost associated with mass production Sometimes called made-to-order or built to order.  Enabling a customer to decide the exact specification of a product or service, and have that product or service supplied to them at a price close to that for an ordinary mass produced alternative. 2. Read the case study. 3. Review the following videos which directly pertain to the case Martha Stewart customizes a BMW X3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ddq6O_QAz0 Understanding Robots – Mass Customization http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJzzPXeDdX8 BMW X3 Ad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpLutmBkyZ4 BMW X3 Build Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH1gtBYNPOA Individual Assignment: After spending time researching the concept of mass customization,viewing the above videos, and reading the case answerand provide your rationale for each of the following questions in an overall1-2 page brief essay format. 1. Assuming that most modern cars share very similar characteristics, what do customers really buy – a product or an experience? In your opinion, what drives car-buying decisions?  Years after years, the customer’s perceptions towards cars has been changing. People value more on their needs these days than their wants. People started looking for products/vehicles that give more value to them; they want cars for real use not for showing off. I think customers buys products with experience from which they can get value out of it. The car buying decision is not an easy task and would drive various aspects before buying. In my opinion the most important factor is gender. In most cases gender plays a vital role in buying a car. Price can be another important factor that might drive the buying decision. Fuel efficiency, affordable, reliable, effective and efficient are various factors for car buying decisions. 2. Do you think customers really need â€Å"millions of combinations† for their car? Can they be happy with available standard options? What are the upsides and downsides of mass customization from both the consumer and manufacturer’s perspective? It depends on the customer needs that if they really need â€Å"millions of combinations† for their car or not. Most of the customers are happy with the standard options but if we dig little deeper, not all the features available  in the standard versions are important or useful for a particular customer and what they want may not be in the specific model. In my opinion, that is the main reason mass customization is being used by various car companies to carter the specific needs of their customers. Mass customization is the process of delivering products that are modified to satisfy a specific customer needs. This enables a customer to decide the exact specification of a product or services. Mass customization allowed manufacturers to customize products at lower costs, reduced overheads, and produced higher margins. For customers, they get benefited of finding exactly what they wanted without paying a premium price. The downside of mass customization from manufacturer’s perspectives are the major operational challenges faced in supply chain to manage the supply, maintain lead time and maintain various parts and products within a very little timeframe. The downside of mass customization from the customer’s perspectives is they won’t be able to compare and contrast the product with the competitors and sometime the price might be high with certain customizations. With various choices and lack of expertise some customers might chose unwanted and unnecessary par ts for the product. 3. Put yourself in Josef Weirda’s shoes. What would your decision be regarding using video streaming technology for other models such as the X5 or X1? In effect, would you apply a similar â€Å"Dream It. Build It. Drive It.† program for the launch of the X4 in 2014? What is the basis for your decision? â€Å"Dream It. Build It. Drive It.† was a success for X3 models. My decision for streaming technology for other models will be yes. This is because of the success factors the X3 models received, and almost 50% of the customers enrolled in it, accessed and shared the video. I think it is a better value for customers to see how their customized vehicle has been manufactured and be more in touch with it before it actually gets delivered. Based on the success result and the stats available from X3, I will apply a similar â€Å"Dream It. Build It. Drive It.† program for the launch of the X4 and  do aggressive marketing like it was done for X3. But will not only stick with this mass customization, I will also encourage for the standard models at the dealers. Customization can be one of the features for those customers who want to customize their cars. I think with the success of the X3, the customer will try to see some kind of similar features in the new launch and also this will give more value to the vehicle. Based on the numbers and records from the case, for now the mass customization concept should be based on US market only.

Data Analysis And Discussion Science Fair

Daphnia died on day seven in trial two. In a pH of five the Daphnia survived for six day s In trial one and six days in trial two. Len the pH of twelve the Daphnia survived for five days in trial one and in trial two the Daphnia survived for six days. ; The Daphnia survived less than a week under the strong acids and bases because Daphnia can easily become stressed under different conditions like t he pHs.The water tanks had an increase in Compounds that form H+ ions in the water ankhs (acids; pH of three and five) and an increase Compounds that form OH ions (basis; pH of twelve) as our classed has learned about this in the biochemistry unit. The reason why people would care about our data results and experiment is t hat the Daphnia and the the different pHs are just a representation of what can happen in the real world as aquatic habitats and ecosystems can be critically impacted as different forms Of acids, such as acidic rain and bases and can kill not just Daphnia but also other aquatic organism due to human activity.As w as inform people how vital pH can affect an entire habitat and even ecosystem Our hypothesis was valid because we proved that testing Daphnia in a strong pH (three and five) and a strong acid (twelve) the survival rate of the Daphnia would drop, which did as the Daphnia continued to day from day to day as the e acids and bases caused it harm. The relationship between the Daphnia and the level of independent variable was seen as we put the Daphnia in different pHs and saw that died in different WA

Ratio Analysis for Home Retail Group lc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ratio Analysis for Home Retail Group lc - Essay Example etail Group Plc is regarded as the leading general and home merchandise in the UK for bringing the most recognisable brands in the UK such as Homebase and Argos. The company is listed under London Stock Exchange (LSE) and is a successful constituent of FTSE 250 Index (Home Retail Group Plc, 2015b). The company has its operation in two main regions of the world, Republic of Ireland and the UK. The vision of Home Retail Group Plc is to value needs of the customers by providing them with their necessities either at home or at stores. Argos is known to be a leading multi-channel retailer in the UK and Homebase to be the home-enchantment retailer (Home Retail Group Plc, 2015b; Home Retail Group Plc, 2015e). The premium brand, Habitat, provides the customers with high quality contemporary styled products and also best-selling iconic designs. The financial services provided by the customers, helps them to purchase the products easily (Home Retail Group Plc, 2015b). The customers form the heart of the business and the company experiences about 180 million transactions per year. The main elements of the business model of the company are retail brands, sourcing and infrastructure, products, multi-channel retailer, colleagues, financial services and financial strength (Home Retail Group Plc, 2015g). The financial statement of Home Retail Group Plc is considered for comparing the performance of the company over the past two years i.e. 2013-2014. After comparing the two years financial data of income statement, the following deductions can be made. The revenue of Home Retail Group Plc is observed to have increased in 2014 as compared to 2013 (Appendix); this reflects the fact that the company has concentrated on increasing its sales figure over the two years. This indicates that the customers have recognized their products and services over the years and are satisfied with the brands (Home Retail Group Plc, 2015c). Despite increase in the cost of goods sold (COGS), gross

Social Desirability Bias Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Social Desirability Bias - Essay Example Biasness is one sided in general and lacks neutral view point. Bias may be present in many forms. It is often treated as the synonyms to bigotry or prejudice (Kothari, 2007, p. 131). Social desirability bias Social desirability bias can be defined as the propensity of the respondents to answer to questions in such a fashion that is likely to be viewed as favourable by others. The respondent may exhibit Social desirability bias by over emphasizing on the good behaviour or under emphasizing on the bad behaviour. Therefore SDR poses a serious problem while conducting research work. Some of the research topics in which SDR is a real concern are personality, sexual behaviour, personal income, religion, drug use, self with, patriotism, and charity. People usually differ in the propensity in indulge in a socially desirable responding happens to be a real course of concern for the researcher. It literally makes it impossible for the researcher to distinguish between people responding in a mo re truthful of factual manner as compared to those deforming the answers (Bhattacharya, 2009, p. 201). Impact of bias on research Research or survey is by far the most useful and widely used way to study the behaviour of donors when it comes to charitable giving. However, the quality of the data is much known. It is believed that the donors are quite notorious when it comes to less accurate reporting of funds. Some may argue that it may happen due to the poor memory of the respondents. However, experts believe that it very well could be a deliberate effort made by the respondents to pump up the giving to appear a bit more generous than actual. Therefore it is not a surprise to the researchers to find out evidences of vast amount of discrepancies in charity giving studies during the similar time span. Examples of such discrepancies could be: total value of charitable giving not matching the level of income. Add to this the charity giving trends have also believed to be contradictory with one another. In the context of charitable giving the people usually want to sound a bit more socially orientated and altruistic than the actual. While responding to the questions of specific domain respondents bias the responses leading to social desirability. In case of charity it could be done to enhance the social image or to avoid any kind of embarrassment. Therefore if appropriate actions are not taken SDB is likely to contaminate the findings and affect decision making. After reviewing previous SDB researches, experts have found out two important loop holes. SDB is quite faintly conceptualized. In order to counter this issue some SD scales had been developed. However, without clear accord, it is difficult for researchers to select suitable social desirability scales. Many researchers have also indicated that the respondents misreporting are mainly coupled with differences in personality. The desire of the respondent to over report regarding charitable donations could be d ifferent from the other different socially desirable behaviours like recycling or voting (Goswami, 2010, p. 225). Some Measures to Reduce SDB SBBM SBBM has been found to be quite effective in minimizing the social desirability bias. In case of this method the interviewer reads out the questions from a questionnaire and respondents answer through a secret voting procedure using ballot box or slips. SBBM is a portable lightweight wooden box. It has a slot similar to the ballot box. The ballot slips are strips of papers with cross reference with the questionnaire. The interviewer reads the questions one at a time and the respondents put a circle in the voting slip. At the completion of the

QUESTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

QUESTIONS - Essay Example Today, the US empire has troops stationed in over 100 countries worldwide. This started in the aftermath of WWII when the US had tremendous goodwill and respect from the rest of the world. Treaties were signed, bases were constructed and the troops have been stationed in far-flung locations ever since. The central ideal on which the United States was founded is the Rule of Law. That concept, as the central ideal that America was known for, has special application to the period just after WWII. Following WWII, the US pioneered the field of international law with the Nuremberg war trials, effectively telling the world that not only was no man above the Law, but no nation was above the law. This was a first in the history of the world. The popular slogan of peace, justice and the American way is a reference to the rule of law, not democracy. However, with the transition to an empire the concept of democracy is now emphasized and one does not hear much about the rule of law. The rule of law sums up a plethora of ideals: trial by jury, innocent until proven guilty, the right to face one’s accusers, freedom of speech, religious free exercise, right to keep and bear arms, freedom from arbitrary search and seizure and the list goes on. All the Constitutionally guaranteed rights come down to the rule of law.

Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Midterm - Essay Example Brahe also considered the nature of comets as objects of the translunar space and not a phenomenon of the atmosphere as postulated by Aristotle. He established this nature of comets by severally measuring the lower limit of the lunar distance for a given comet. He observed a supernova and proved stellar skies are not impossible to change as was previously depicted (Goddu, 2010). Johannes Kepler, a German astronomer used the Mars observations made by Brahe to establish the movement of planets around the sun on elliptical orbits. Kepler derived his three laws relating to motions of the planets. The first law was that each planet’s orbit is an ellipse with the sun in a single focus. The second law concerned the radius vector from the planet to sun that sweeps equal areas every time. This means that the movement of the planet is faster when it is close to the sun. The third law affirms that the average distance from the sun in relation to all the planets is proportional to the squ ares of the periods of revolution (Goddu, 2010). Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer discovered Jupiter’s four bright satellites. These include the mountains on the moon, the spots on the sun and Saturn’s rings. Additionally, he found the nebula as a cluster of stars. Galileo’s discoveries followed the invention of telescopes that enabled him make these observations of the sky. Based on Kepler’s laws, it was evident that the sun generates some force that acts on planets. Isaac Newton provided the understanding of this force through the law of gravity. This formed ground of the development of celestial mechanisms to sophisticated science. The gravitational force accounts for the failure of planets to fall into the moon and the crashing of the moon into the earth (Goddu, 2010). The geocentric view was popular for long because it explained many observations made by the early Greeks. The geocentric model explained the reason behind things falling towards t he earth and the reason for Venus maintaining the same distance from the earth based on the unchanging brightness. The geometric view is due to inadequate technology to facilitate effectiveness of research in astronomy. This implies that science relies heavily on technological advances (Goddu, 2010). Question 2 The relationship of geography and science lies in the nature of the environment, diversity and social decision-making. Geography provides a theoretical basis for understanding nature and development. Geography is the study of the earth with its related features, general research and effects of human activities. It includes study of the climate, soil, topography and vegetation. Geosciences comprise of all the sciences that study the evolution, structure and dynamics of earth and resources. The strength of geography comes from its functional interrelationship to other disciplines. However, geography promotes a holistic understanding that is simple and does not provide vital det ails of cause and effect to a phenomenon (McEntire, 2007). Question 3 Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere at a given geographical location and time. It varies greatly over hours, days, weeks and distance. Climate is the average weather conditions prevailing in a region over a long period (Ahrens & Samson, 2010). Climate change relates to both greenhouse effect and global warming. Global warming is the global average temperature of the surface. Greenhouse effect is a natural system that regulates the

Women activism, 1700-1877 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Women activism, 1700-1877 - Research Paper Example Since inception of the 20th century, social perception regarding rights and status of women has undergone huge change compared to the conventional situation. While modernist intellectual development has considerable impact in radicalizing such improvement, however, women, in order to protect their rights, liberty and equal status in social context as that of their male counterparts, have become more organized. Feminism, in the modern socio-political and philosophical domain has been provided with special attention from every discipline of sociological studies. However, there is no denial that in order to evaluate the position of feminism as a poignant socio-political and philosophical discipline it is also important to acknowledge the history of women activism as well as the gradual process of development of the movement that was gradually germinating since late 16th century. Compared to the recent situation of women in civilized world they were tremendously challenged and consequent ly oppressed in the context of â€Å"expressing themselves in a patriarchal system that generally refused to grant merit to women's views.†1 One of the greatest feminist thinkers of all time, Simone de Beauvoir, in her essay â€Å"The Second Sex,† while attempted to evaluate the position of women in traditional patriarchal system said that a woman in terms of patriarchal judgment is nothing but a womb, a mere organism for child production2. She also has specified that every time women have proved their existence as equal to their male counterparts in terms of merit and capacity of accomplishment the same system has declared that â€Å"they are not women, although they are equipped with a uterus like the rest.†3 It is clear from these observations that women in hands of the traditional social patriarchy are considered as mere instruments of sensuality, objects of attaining physical pleasure, organic manifestation of sensuality and above all they are regarded as o rganisms without individual identity and human entity. The patriarchy has always denied acknowledging the humane attributes of a woman. The male dominated social system always faced difficulty to share its monopolistic position with female counterparts and by denying humane attributes or entity of women they actually aimed at oppressing women for its selfish benefits. Thus, in order to revolt against the established system and secure their rights, social protection and equality the women activists provided highest importance on initiating a moral revolution through cultural and political domain of the 17th and 18th century. The women activists clearly realized that only a prolonged, sincere, and committed mode of protest against the established set up would help them to attain their goals and impression of the same conviction can be received from writing of one of the most eminent women activists of all time, Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902): â€Å"We cannot bring about a moral r evolution in a day or year †¦. Now that I have two daughters, I feel fresh strength to work. It is not in vain that in myself I have experienced all the wearisome cares to which woman in her best estate is subject.†4 Thesis Statement: The manifestation and magnitude of women activism as it is experienced throughout the globe has it root deep in the history of women activism during early 17th to late 18th century. The participants in activism emphasized mainly on â€Å"recognition of the relationship between the private realm of home and family and larger system of public power†5 in order to introduce the desired moral revolution both on cultural and political grounds so that protection for women rights, social equality and recognition as equal human entities as that of their male counte

Linkedln Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Linkedln - Essay Example LinkedIn was officially launched in 2003, with a wide network. The company possesses a diversified business model and generates its revenue from talent and marketing solution along with subscription of premium products. It is a social networking site used by the professionals for their business purposes as well as to increase connectivity with the public and other allied professionals in different fields. The site is used for various marketing reasons by the companies and it provides an opportunity to the members to showcase their talents. It provides a business oriented atmosphere and its objective is to increase connectivity. It is a useful social media for developing marketing strategies to increase connectivity for the professionals (LinkedIn Corporation, 2013). Risk Factors The social media with the advancement of technology is becoming an integral part of business networking. The platform is aggressively used by the businesses for the purpose of marketing along with increasing connectivity. LinkedIn can trigger a wide variety of risks to the organizations such as the risk of information leakage. The risk factors involved can be the leakage of confidential information by the third party which can prove to be a breach. The placement of the advertisements on the site of LinkedIn at times can be tricky which might make the user to download the infected application which causes leakage of personal information. This might lead to the misuse of data and might cause a fraudulent act. The loss of privacy can be a risk for the companies using the platform and their customers as well owing to the fact that a significant extent of personal and corporate information is exchanged through LinkedIn. The risk involved for these sites largely come from the hackers as th ey tend to extract the information and cause legal risk. The platform being open for every user does not provide adequate safety, security on social and legal basis. At the same time, the social networking site is useful for showcasing the prevailing opportunities and talents (Navetta, 2011). Growth History and Reasons for Growth LinkedIn site has shown a growth trend in the past few years. In the year 2003, the site had 4500 members in its network. With the use of the diversified business model, the LinkedIn platform has shown a tremendous growth. It has at present nearly 225 million users in not less than 200 countries. It also has revealed a steady growth as it has 4800 employees worldwide in more than 20 languages. The total revenue amassed by LinkedIn in 2013 has been nearly US$393 Million with the increase in the number of members. Moreover, officials from Fortune 500 companies are their members. LinkedIn uses the data driven strategy to enhance the growth of the site and incr ease its revenue. The data provided through the site to the end users are helping to improve the marketing strategies of the user companies. This strategy is facilitating the business and the members to decide on the marketing strategies along with decision making to increase the performance. This kind of strategy aids in providing accurate and efficient data which in turn facilitates the social networking platform in increasing the subscription and in generation of revenue. LinkedIn makes money by using premium accesses, sales of ad for the products and by providing solution to the corporate clients (LinkedIn Corporation,

Case Note for RvR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Note for RvR - Essay Example t could constitute â€Å"unlawful sexual intercourse†, as defined under Section 1(1) of the Sexual Offences Act of 1956 (4) The wife’s marital consent to intercourse had not been revoked, either by a Court order or by an agreement between the parties. As a result, the question that arose in these circumstances was whether, despite her refusal to consent, the wife could have been held to have consented by the fact of the marriage. 4. The trial judge’s directions to the Jury stated that there appeared to be ample grounds to indicate that consent to sexual intercourse had been withdrawn by an agreement between the parties. Firstly, the parties were not cohabiting. Secondly, the husband’s act in phoning his wife and telling her he intended to see about a divorce constituted implicit consent. On this basis, the prosecution could prove a charge of rape or attempted rape against the husband. 5. The first fact is not material to the disputed issue of rape. The second fact, i.e, defendant had mentioned his intent to seek a divorce, is a relevant and material fact, because it revokes by implied mutual agreement, the consent to sexual intercourse that is imposed by marriage and spelt out under Hale’s common law rule. Hence, it establishes that the husband’s act constituted rape. It also establishes that he is not eligible for immunity under Hale’s rule. The third fact is also material and relevant, because it establishes the second ground of bodily assault. 6. The marital exemption itself refers to the common law rule wherein upon marriage, an assumption is made that the wife consents to sexual intercourse with her husband. This presumption may however be rebutted by evidence that the wife did not in fact, consent. To enforce this rebuttal, some exceptions have been established, when a wife can say no, such as when her health is in danger or when the man’s actions constitute assault. These and other exceptions have been spelt out by case precedent

The Dilemma Essay Example for Free

The Dilemma Essay The dilemma that Ms. Lee faces is not easy to resolve. There are various factors to consider in determining what the best action to take is. This is the primary point of contention in the scenario? Ms. Lee faces the question of what is the morally and ethically sound decision to make. The choice that Ms. Lee would make would determine whether Rose lives or dies. This is indeed a major ethical dilemma. Are certain instructions enough to validate the loss of a child’s life? This Ms. Lee must make choose between two options. The first option is to honor Rose’s parent’s request that Rose would not be resuscitated in the event of a seizure. The other is for Ms. Lee to provide medical assistance to Rose despite of the parents’ orders. Each of the choices presents certain principles that need to be taken into consideration. Ms. Lee’s first option is to follow the instructions of Rose’s parents. This option would mean that Ms. Lee would go against her own principle and belief that every child has the right to live a full life regardless of any disability. Moreover, such move will go against the institution’s policy that medical assistance must be provided to any child whenever necessary and possible. The other option for Ms. Lee is to provide Rose with CPR. However, such course of action will go against the specific instructions that Rose’s parents gave. In fact, Rose’s parents submitted a formal notice to the principal of the school informing them of such decision. By giving Rose CPR, Ms. Lee will disobey the orders stated in the formal notice. Furthermore, Ms. Lee may also cause further problems for Rose’s parents who are having a difficult time making ends meet and providing for their other children. The dilemma is a case of what ethical reasoning to follow. The solution to the case will depend on what type of ethics is to be applied. The following section will discuss to possible schools of ethics that maybe applied in determining the solution to Ms. Lee’s dilemma. Consequentialism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consequentialism is a group of moral theories that consider only the consequences of actions. Although consequentialism can be applied at various levels, the most prominent use of such normative properties is to determine how morally right the act is. What this means is that consequetialism is usually applied to cases wherein the morality of a certain action is being considered. Furthermore, consequentialism suggests that the moral status of a certain act is dependent on the goodness or badness of the consequences of the action. According to Fesser (), a consequentialist believes that, â€Å"An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable.† There are several ethical theories that fall under the consequentialist approach. One of such theories is ulitarianism. This type of consequentialism suggests that decisions should be made by using a cost-benefit analysis. Furthermore, an important principle of utilitarianism is that the action must be beneficial to everyone or to the majority. According to Carter (2002): A commonly accepted utilitarian calculus for determining an action’s moral acceptability is; â€Å"the greatest happiness for the greatest number.† Thus, a consequentialist would typically attempt to calculate the consequences or outcome of a decision and if the benefits of the outcome are outweighed by the risks of either not performing the action or performing some other action, then the action is considered as morally desirable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When these principles are applied to Ms. Lee’s dilemma, it is evident that Ms. Lee must choose to follow the order of Rose’s parents. Weighing the benefits of choosing to follow the instructions against the risks of doing so will reveal that more people will benefit from the decision. Since Rose’s parents have admitted that they are struggling to continue to provide their children with their needs, following their instructions will allow Rose’s parents to provide a better life for all their other children. Following the formula suggested by Carter (2002), â€Å"the greatest happiness for the greatest number,† Ms. Lee will be led to a decision where she must abide by the instructions of Rose’s parents for such move will benefit a greater number of people. Virtue Ethics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another type or form of normative ethics is virtue ethics. This form of ethics places emphasis on the virtues or moral character of the person. Applying virtue ethics will mean that every action must be analyzed on the basis of what virtue will result from it.   Moreover, virtue ethics requires an individual to answer the question, â€Å"how should I live?† The answer to such question is that one must live with a virtuous character.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Character is a vital concept in virtue ethics. The concept of character in virtue ethics is based on Aristotlean character. Athanassoulis (2006) states:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Aristotelian character is, importantly, about a state of being. Its about having the appropriate inner states†¦ Aristotelian theory is a theory of action, since having the virtuous inner dispositions will also involve being moved to act in accordance with them. Realizing that kindness is the appropriate response to a situation and feeling appropriately kindly disposed will also lead to a corresponding attempt to act kindly.† Also, virtue ethics suggests that character traits are stable and fixed. Meaning, when a person possesses a certain trait, he is expected to demonstrate such trait in all scenarios even there are times that he will find it difficult to do so.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When applied to resolution of Ms. Lee’s ethical dilemma, one must consider the character traits that she possesses. Ms. Lee is known to be compassionate and caring especially to young children. Thus, when she sees a child or person in need, she provides assistance in any way possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One way to resolve the issue is for Ms. Lee to maintain her compassionate nature as prescribed by virtue ethics. Although it may be difficult to do so, owing to the fact that standing orders have been made not to resuscitate Rose, Ms. Lee is still expected to apply compassion since it is in her character. Moreover, one can view the situation from the perspective that one is ought to live compassionately which would mean that Ms. Lee ought to provide medical assistance to Rose when she needs it. It is deemed to be virtuously wrong for Ms. Lee to leave Rose be as it is not the way that Ms. Lee should live her life. Resolution of the Dilemma   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that in Ms. Lee’s case, virtue and character must prevail over consequences. It is my personal belief that much of what is ethically correct is based on the virtues and traits that one exercises when acting or deciding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the case of Ms. Lee, I believe that even before the event occurred, she already knew how she wanted to live her life. It is the same reason why she believed that every child, regardless of disability, has the right to live a full life. Such belief of hers demonstrates her character and virtue of being compassionate. Moreover, her decision to work in an SSP school shows that she wants to live a life of compassion especially for children who have special needs. Thus, it is expected that she continues to demonstrate such character trait despite the difficulty of the circumstance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Using virtue ethics as the basis of the resolution, I find that I am more inclined to helping Rose despite the â€Å"do not resuscitate† orders of her parents. Just watching someone die is not the way one should live her life. Watching Rose lie helplessly on the floor does not show compassion. It is in helping Rose that Ms. Lee would live a virtuous life, a life of compassion and service to others. Reference: Athanassoulis, N. (2006). â€Å"Virtue Ethics.† The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 18 June 2007 from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/v/virtue.htm#SH3c. Carter, L. (2002). A primer to ethical analysis. Office of Public Policy and Ethics Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Australia. Retrieved 18 June 2007 from: http://www.uq.edu.au/oppe. Fieser, J. (2006). â€Å"Ethics.† The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 18 June 2007 from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/ethics.htm. Sinnott-Armstrong, W. (2007). Consequentialism, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 18 June 2007 from: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2007/entries/consequentialism/.

Originality in Postmodern Art

Originality in Postmodern Art A number of postmodern theorists and artists have questioned whether there is such thing as originality in art. Discuss this issue with reference to examples of the work of one or more recent artists who have questioned the notion of originality in their work. Postmodernism rejects the modern idea of originality as the new, and substitutes it with a combination of elements from the past. One of the main characteristics of Postmodernism was its tearing down of borders between styles and various cultural elements and the advance towards seeking something new and original was discarded and substituted with an amalgamation of elements from past and existing cultures. (Perina 2006) Postmodernism distances the subject, to declare the death of individualism. It leads to the reprocessing of objects and images from the past to create a more real and personal experience. There is too much information for us to process and make sense of and we are trapped in a world of second-hand experiences, dependent upon media representation of the world rather than our first-hand experience.(Crouch 1999) Originality as observed by contemporary artists, borrows heavily from postmodernist discourse. This essay will look at the works of several postmodern artists who participate in a critique and deconstruction of the myth of traditional originality whilst simultaneously seeking new ways to take their art in new and unexpected directions. It further inquires into the views of well known art writers and critics who acknowledge the way in which the placement of an artwork in a different context, or the re-working of an original image or images from the past can bestow it an entire new understanding, therefore granting an element of originality. Sherrie Levine, Andy Warhol and their many followers questioned and re-positioned issues around authorship and the original in artistic practice. This legacy is important to explore as the appropriated image and the pastiched image is so central in todays art and commercial practice especially since the growth of digital imaging. (Hammerstingl 1998 ) Sherrie Levine (b. 1947) is a primary example of a postmodern artist who confronts the issues surrounding postmodernist appropriation. Her critique of authorship and aura are central to Sherrie Levines audacious and influential deconstruction of the modernist myths of originality in many of her re-appropriations of eminent works by male artists. (Delacour 2009) Since the early 1980s, Levine has made a career out of re-using or appropriating renowned works of art, often by making new versions of them and placing them in different contexts. (Walker Art Center 2007) Her works have been understood as a commentary on the death of Modernism and its ideals, notions of artistic originality, the authenticity and autonomy of the art object and its status as a commodity. (Museum of Modern Art 2010) Levines Fountain (After Marcel Duchamp: A.P.) (1991), (Fig. 1) is an unmistakeable reference to Marcel Duchamps famous 1917 piece Fountain (Fig. 2). Cast in bronze to a highly polished finish, it transforms an everyday object into a beautiful and ostentatious piece which is presented on a narrow pedestal that closely resembles the display of Duchamps Fountain. Levine strove for total historical accuracy by locating a urinal from the identical manufacturer and year that Duchamp used, although she was unable to find the exact model. (Buskirk 2003) When compared to Duchamps sculpture, it is evident that Levines Fountain is not an exact replica. Most notably, Duchamps piece was an actual urinal which was turned upside-down and remained unchanged apart from his signature. In contrast, Levines urinal is more contemporary and has been cast in bronze, the traditional metal of sculptors. (Walker Art Center 2007) This use of bronze in such a way makes reference to another artist, Constantine Brancusi, who was notorious for producing sculptures in highly polished bronze (Buskirk 2003). When polished to a brilliant shine Levines urinal no longer remains a common, store-bought item. Instead it has been transformed by the artist into a unique object. (walkerart) Author and critic Martha Buskirk comments that despite the blatantly obvious reference to Duchamps readymade, Levines urinal has been transformed into a distinctive piece as a result of this choice to have it cast from highly polished bronze. (Buskirk 2003) Due to the recasting of the fountain in bronze, she raises the question of is the sculpture any longer a readymade? Due to the material characteristics of it being altered. By recasting the urinal, Levine challenges the function of the readymade as coming straight from the modes of production of society. Her object is no longer inextricably tied to its presence in everyday society. (Buskirk 2003) Buskirk states that in one sense, Levines Fountain is not a copy at all because she did not require the original Duchamp fountain to create a replica. Instead she attended the same source as Duchamp, which was the realm of mass production. Her piece triggers a history of references to past readymades and replicas of the everyday object. (Buskirk 2003) Sherrie Levines most blatant assault on originality came with her 1981 series After Walker Evans (Fig. 4), a series of twenty-two images which she directly photographed from an exhibition catalogue of famous photographer Walker Evans (b. 1903) work. (Fig. 3) Each one of these black and white photographs represents Depression-era documentation of either a figure, a group of figures, architecture or a barren landscape in a rural, economically-distressed area. (Mandiberg 2010) In writer and artist Linda Weintraubs essay Unoriginality, in Art on the Edge and Over (1996), Weintraub states that Levine makes no attempt to recompose or reinterpret, dismissing any creative or original act with the intention that the images remain true to their reproductive sources. (Weintraub 1996) These works articulate Levines fascination with the photographic process and its reproduction, while raising post-structuralist discourses on authorship, originality and history, from which they partly originate. (Museum of Modern Art 2010) Her appropriation of these fine art images deals with between photography, which is an unlimitedly reproducible medium, and fine art, which is regard as an inimitable object. Often art photographers limit the size of their editions to give their pieces the aura or a unique object. This aura is then diminished when the works are reproduced in magazines and books. Although the photographs Levine takes originate from the media, she restores them to the arena of fine art in her framing and presenting them as singular works which is where and how the original photographer, Walker Evans, aimed them to be seen. (Weintraub 1996) Linda Weintraub affirms that regardless of the association between the originals and her copies, Sherrie Levines photographs assume originality because they embody a new and possibly more profound artistic concept, which has never been so boldly explored. (Weintraub 1996) In the perceived wake of Modernism, the heroic potential of autonomous artists or autonomous works of art was challenged as artists such as Levine sought to demonstrate the importance of these ideas in the wake of the massive increase in social image consumption due to technological reproduction. (Mandiberg 2010) She writes, The world is filled to suffocating.ÂÂ   Man has placed his token on every stone.ÂÂ   Every word, every image, is leased and mortgaged.ÂÂ   We know that a picture is but a space in which a variety of images, none of them original, bend and clash. (Levine 1981) It is impossible to remove the art historical aspect to Sherrie Levines art. She works within the space of art historical discourse and dialogue, in attempts to add new perspectives on art by actually appropriating and reproducing them in novel ways. So much of the importance of her works derives from the fact that these works are recognizable within the general American public, but more importantly in the art historical canon. (Zimmerman 2008) (reword) It is perhaps Andy Warhols (b. 1928) use of photo silkscreens that offered the most rigorous challenge to traditional definitions of originality. Warhol explored intrinsic multiplicity in the repetitive use of screens in his silkscreen paintings that he began to produce in 1962. He produced a series of works containing ongoing repetition of an image within single works. Often his technique of blotting would result in the ink lines in his drawings appearing as though they were a personal touch. The method he used also lent itself to replicating deviations of the image via a process of repeated tracing that he would often get his assistants to accomplish. Warhol frequently employed his mother to replicate his signature for him. Consequently, Warhols fame as a fine artist rests on the manner in which he expunged any trace of his hand from his work and any evidence of what would be considered individuality. (Buskirk 2003) (need this?) This brief time in which Warhol began to develop his silkscreen paintings, was a phase in which Warhol was producing amazing output. It was during this time that he produced his infamous celebrity and name-brand product images. One of his most renowned examples is his Marilyn Diptych (1962) (Fig. 5) which was based on a publicity photograph from the 1953 film Niagra. The paintings of this time are excellent examples of multiple copies without an original. His method allowed for variations within the prints so that no two works were identical. Although Warhol employed assistants to produce works created by mechanical means to transfer images that he often didnt even select himself, his works are nonetheless recognised as Warhols due to his certain form of authorship. It can be argued that his original contribution included the regular removal of evident participation. (Buskirk 2003) One of Warhols most renowned works was Brillo Soap Pads Boxes (1964) (Fig. 6). To make his replicas he used wooden boxed and silkscreened over them to directly resemble the cartons that they were reproducing. This work is an example of one form of mechanical reproduction being employed to duplicate another form of printed surface, although the change of materials added a slight change to the more dramatic transformation that resulted from their recontextualisation. (Buskirk 2003) It could be argued that Brillo Soap Pads Boxes, and much of Andy Warhols work, is absent of any kind of originality due to its almost undistinguishable resemblance to the original product in which he had no participation in the creation of, however he makes a striking contribution via his insightful critique of the enticing nature of commodity in a culture driven by mass media. He achieves this through his use of repetition. The anonymous author who designed or photographed the products adopted by Warhol for use within his work becomes replaced by the artist who comments on the products cultural familiarity, an act of recontextualizing. (Buskirk 2003) In Warhols Flowers (1965) (Fig. 7), he appropriated an image of flowers that he found in a 1964 issue of Modern Photography magazine. When the photographer of the photo, Patricia Caufield discovered that Warhol had appropriated her image she filed a lawsuit against him for infringing on copyright as she was able to claim legal authorship. The case was settled out of court, with Warhol offering to give Caufield two of his Flower paintings. When analysed, it is evident that there exists several differences between Caufields image and Warhols appropriation. First of all he cropped the photograph so that it focussed on four flowers; the image has been flattened by the removal of detail and the adding of solid blocks of colour within the flowers. His changes in medium, scale and colour helped to transform the image considerably. (Buskirk 2003) Although the original photographs that Warhol sourced to base many of his artworks on were neither taken by or owned by him, his works become original by the manner in which he re-works them and exhibits them. It is very hard to confuse authorship as Warhol upholds a style that is distinctively his own. He takes ordinary images and through his alterations of them makes them extraordinary. (Buskirk 2003) In each of the cases presented, the artists have exercised an act of recontextualisation by taking a recognisable object or image and transforming it by altering how it is made or where it is found. Through this process each of the artists has achieved the act of both recognising and acknowledging the original author whilst claiming authorship for themselves via the process of this recontextualisation?. (Buskirk 2003) The diverse ways that artists have adopted and transformed these familiar images and objects furthermore articulate a complex layering of quotation and reference that exemplifies contemporary art. (Buskirk 2003) In addition, the artistic product desires a measure of creativity on the audiences part. The viewer contributes to the creation of works via their interpretations and evaluations of them. (Leddy 1994) French literary theorist and critic Roland Barthes attributes authorship to the reader who shapes meaning and understanding. Barthes created writings that directly suggested the idea of Death of the Author as a central post-modern concept. (Hammerstingl 1998) He states To give a text an Author and assign a single, corresponding interpretation to it is to impose a limit on that text. Roland Barthes asserts that each piece of writing or artwork contains multiple layers and meanings. In a well-known quotation, Barthes draws an analogy between text and textiles, declaring that a text is a tissue [or fabric] of quotations, drawn from innumerable centers of culture, rather than from one, individual experience. The essential meaning of a work depends on the impressions of the reader, rather th an the passions or tastes of the writer; a texts unity lies not in its origins, or its creator, but in its destination, or its audience. (New World Encyclopedia 2008) To summarise, Barthes attributes authorship to the reader who forms meaning and understanding. To reiterate, it is not the value and function that an object relies on to communicate with its audience, but its veiled references and codes from the past that permit a more individual perception. The originality and authenticity of the primary source ceases to be imperative in postmodernist art. Instead it is the recycled message which is constructed upon the unconscious memories and perceptions from the past that gives command to new perceptions and new perspectives of originality. The amalgamation of non-referring styles united together helps to create a new original, assembled from well identified originals of the past. Equally the postmodernist concept of deconstruction utilises the intercommunication amid the influence and continual process of referring. (Perina 2006)

The Iron Hand of Dramatic Irony Essay example -- Sophocles Oedipus tyr

The Iron Hand of Dramatic Irony Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus is considered by many scholars to be the most significant masterpiece of Greek drama. Through Oedipus Tyrannus, Sophocles is able to develop and establish dramatic irony, a theatrical device that allows the audience to understand the hidden meanings of the words and actions of the characters, though the characters themselves remain oblivious. Therefore, the behavior of the characters become ironic because they are unable to grasp the reality of the truth that is being unraveled before their eyes. "Dramatic irony may be described as putting into a speaker's (character's) mouth words that have for the audience a meaning not intended by the speaker" ("Dramatic"). Sophocles weaves this device into Oedipus Tyrannus, giving the play a distinct characteristic. He devises a "step-by-step discovery" of the truth (Gould), yielding value for the profound way it is constructed. With the use of dramatic irony, Sophocles incorporates the audience into the play by endowing them with "the divine position of knowing the truth" (Clay 13). A highly established illustration of dramatic irony may be found in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, where the character of Oedipus investigates the murder of the previous king of Thebes, only to learn that it is himself who is guilty of committing the crime, a truth known to the audience all along. Thus, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus has dramatic irony woven into the play from the beginning to the end. The principal aspect of Sophoclean tragedy that is delicately worked into the play is dramatic irony itself. Sophocles masters the technique of dramatic irony in Oedipus Tyrannus as he entails a second, ominous meaning for nearly every... ...ut his tragic downfall. The significant use of dramatic irony in the tragedy of Oedipus compels the spectator to be involved emotionally in Oedipus' blind heroic struggles to find the truth. Thus, Sophocles effectively implements the art of dramatic irony through the tragedy of Oedipus Tyrannus. Works Cited Bates, William N. Sophocles Poet and Dramatist. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1940. 19-20. Writer's Market. 22 February 2001 <http://www.writersmarket.com/encyc/d.asp>. Knox, Bernard, trans. Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Enriched Classic ed. New York: Washington Square P, 1987. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Diskin Clay. Ed. William Arrowsmith. New York: Oxford UP, 1978. 13. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Thomas Gould. New Jersey: Prentice, 1970. 2. Sophocles. Oedipus Tyrannus. Norton Critical Ed. New York: Norton, 1970.

Lost Innocence and Buried Emotions :: essays research papers fc

Lost Innocence and Buried Emotions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever had a special relationship with a sibling or spouse? Henry and Lyman did in the â€Å"Red Convertible† by Louise Erdrich. They grew up on an Indian reservation in Minnesota and were the first ones to own a convertible, which allowed them to leave the reservation and experience life outside of it. That summer they grew close as they traveled from Minnesota to the Little Knife River in North Dakota, eventually finding themselves on the Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana: â€Å"We went places in that car, me and Henry. We took off driving one whole summer†(Erdrich, 365). Upon returning from their travels, Henry’s draft number was called and he joined the marines and was sent to fight in Vietnam: â€Å"I don’t wonder that the army was so glad to get my brother that they turned him into a Marine† (Erdrich, 366). Like Henry, I returned from war with my innocence lost and emotions buried so deeply that I found it difficult t o reconnect with the loved ones in my life. Henry returned from the war a changed man. Somewhere in Vietnam, his innocence had been lost and his emotions buried deep under all of the death and destruction that surrounded him for nearly three years. â€Å"When he came home, though, Henry was very different, and I’ll say this: the change was no good† (Erdrich, 366). He had changed from an easygoing, good-natured fellow into someone who rarely laughed, often looking for the worst in people with a cold and calculating stare. Seeing this, Lyman realized that his relationship with Henry was forever changed. The Gulf War had the same effect on me as Vietnam had on Henry, and like Lyman, Audrey, my wife noticed similar changes in me, affecting our relationship. For years, I was emotionally dead. Eventually, I had to deal with my emotions or I would lose my wife, for she could not live with someone that had become so emotionally disconnected from everything around him. So, I decided to take a few months off, and Audrey and I loaded up our grey ford truck and traveled throughout Texas and Mexico. With her help, I was able to learn how to feel again, unlike Henry, who felt that his only cure was to let his boots fill up with water. â€Å"’My Boots are filling,’ he says† (Erdrich, 370). Though we fought in different wars decades and miles apart, like so many others Henry and I lost our innocence and buried our emotions.

Essay --

In the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all greatly changed American agriculture at the expense of the farmers. New farming machinery had a large role in the late 19th century, giving farmers the opportunity to produce a surplus of crops. The railroads also had a large influence on agriculture. Although they were able to quickly transport goods, the railroads were also used to charge the farmers large fees. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating a multitude of monopolies which the farmers simply could not compete. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt, eventually producing outcomes such as the crop-lien system and sharecropping. All of these tie into government policy which favored the large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers. Farmers began to cultivate vast areas of crops such as wheat, cotton, and corn. A picture of The Wheat Harvest in 1880 shows men on tractors and over a large amount of horses pulling the tractor along the long and wide fields of wheat. As farmers started to accumulate their goods, they needed to be able to transfer the goods across states. Some farmers chose to use cattle trails to transport their goods while others were forced to choose, and pay for, the ever-growing railroad system. Maps provided show the difference in the amount of railroads and cattle trails within the Unites States from 1870 to 1890. Eastern States such as New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia and many others were filled with existing railroads prior to 1870, as Colonel John Stevens started out his railroad revolutionizing movement in New Jersey in 1815. By 1890 there ... ...e greatly needed and then how they got across to states that would take weeks and months to get to by cattle or wagon. It also showed a time when the economy fell and desperately tried to climb back up. To sum it up, throughout the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all changed agriculture in America but at the expense of the farmers. New farming machinery gave frames the ability to produce more crops. Railroads quickly transported goods but also forced farmers to pay hefty fees. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating monopolies which the farmers could not compete with. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt. And, finally, the government policies favored large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers.

Effective resource allocation among the various economic systems Essay

Effective resource allocation among the various economic systems Introduction Efficient utilization of economic resources by different economic systems            An economic system is scenario whereby goods and services produced in a country or an entity and the resources within are distributed within the existing subsystems. The subsystems in this context entail the combination of agencies, entities and consumers that make an economic structure of a certain community. Or the various sub structures within an entity. The interlinking capacity within these subsystems is the one which makes information and resources to flow between them. One characteristic of a subsystem is the utilization of resources between the involved structures. Normally the inherent trait in resources is the fact that, they are scarce and as such efficiency is imperative for an economic system to survive with the little resources.            In an economic setting there are four defined factors of production, which are, land, capital, labor and entrepreneurship. All this factors have the quality of scarcity, and unless utilized effectively there is larking quality of disorganization within an economic system. The various economic systems in the world economy have their own way of utilizing these scarce resources. This essay will argue the characteristic of effective sharing of resources within command, free enterprise, mixed and transitional economies. Also the essay will argue on effective resource allocation in private and public sector initiative and also private finance initiatives.            In a capitalistic economy, the most crucial form of economic system is the free enterprise economy. This form of a system is free or rather shielded from government interference. The economy promotes free flow of ideas and implementation. This does not mean that the government is never involved when a situation calls. Hence it is a free enterprise regime where there is a minor possibility of government intervention. The inherent characteristic in this kind of a model is that, those who labor must gain. Ownership and creation of means of production is entirely left to the system. In this type the resource allocation is dictated by the market price. If an individual cannot afford it, then they cannot access the service or the product. Hence it is like a form of a system that favors those who can fit. Though it has the capacity to make economies grow fast and large, it is normally a case of survival for those who are fit (Harrison, 2002).            Contrasting that with a command economy, this type of a system has its factors of production controlled by the government. Therefore, planning is undertaken by the central government making it a planned economy. In this kind of an economy there are directives, rules, and laws to be followed. The bench mark is against a set target by the government. Governments that use this system do come up with a central plan upon which they base in order to allocate resources. Hence there is always a priority factor in resource allocation. To effectively allocate resources, the government simply identifies priority areas on which to allocate more resources than the non-priority areas. In command economies, there is a very efficient capacity to bring resources together. As such certain segments achieve much than others. A lot of one thing is normally produced and less of the other. This economy can utilize itself to come up with mega projects and spur innovation in areas that the government wants (Harrison, 2002).            In the real world though, many economies find it easier to utilize the capabilities of free enterprise and command economy to allocate resources. This creates a scenario of a mixed economy. Hence this mix brings in both the markets and government as the custodians of resource allocation. While markets depend much on living choices of the people, the government tries and force allocations. This happens through the use of taxes and regulations. Both the institutions utilize synergy and hence co exists between each other when it comes to resources allocation. There are instances where in a mixed economy; the markets are more dominant in resource allocation than the government and vice versa in other economies. Hence the mixed economy will tend to try and achieve equity while promoting economic growth at the same time. It is bringing the characteristics of both markets together to achieve positive efficiency in resource allocation (Nee, 1992).            An economy can find itself in need of shifting from a command system to a free market system. In such a scenario the economy finds itself in a unique situation of transition. Hence it gets involved in a transitional economy. Transition is changing from one form to another. Transitional economy, changes from command to free market hence initializing a form of liberalization in an economy. Hence it attempts to allow markets to allocate resources thorough pricing and the government lays back. In this type of an economy resources allocation change drastically, there is an element of government control, but an effort to support free market. Hence it is characterized by dropping of trade barriers and privatizations. It falls close to a mixed economy but outside the maturity of a mixed economy. Hence in this economy the government still dominates in resource allocation and direction. It is a work in progress format of a system (Lavigne, 2002).            Apart from the free markets system and command market existing, these economies can harbor other subsystems such as private finance initiatives or public private partnerships. These are entities whereby the public uses private sector to offer a certain service over a certain period under concessionary terms. Under this system this partnership utilizes resources by making a case for fair cost and transfer of risks to another party. This system effectively utilizes resources by spreading risks and looking for quality service that is offered by the government. Hence the government will take care of funds and the private sector takes care of the rest. In other instances the private solely finances the projects. This partnerships frees some resources to be utilized somewhere else, achieving resource efficiency (Buyya, 2002).            In conclusion all the types of economies have the capacity to effectively allocate resources. But the most efficient economy does not utilize one form of economic system. The best economies are those which utilize all the discussed economic systems above, apart from the transitional economy which is solely for countries that are shifting. References Harrison, M. (2002). Coercion, compliance, and the collapse of the Soviet command economy. The Economic History Review, 55(3), 397-433. Lavigne, M. (1995). The economics of transition: from socialist economy to market economy. London: Macmillan. Nee, V. (1992). Organizational dynamics of market transition: hybrid forms, property rights, and mixed economy in China. Administrative science quarterly, 37(1).Buyya, R., Abramson, D., Giddy, J., &Stockinger, H. (2002). Economic models for resource management and scheduling in grid computing. Concurrency and computation: practice and experience, 14(13†15), 1507-1542. Source document

On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter

On the Sidewalk Bleeding Critical Essay Marianne Lavery The story â€Å"On the sidewalk bleeding† by Evan Hunter deals with the issue of identity through the central character Andy, a young gang member who struggles with his identity as his death draws near. A young boy called Andy who left a nightclub to go and get cigarettes. He started walking through the alley when suddenly he got stabbed. As he got stabbed he heard a voice saying â€Å"That’s for you Royal! Andy had always been proud to be a Royal because the Royals and the guardians were two of the biggest and he was a Royal. Now as he lay dying on the sidewalk with the rain surrounding him, he thought of being a Royal but now all he wanted to be was Andy. It is evident that Andy had felt very proud to be a member of the Royals: â€Å"The Royals and the Guardians, two of the biggest. He was a Royal there had been meaning to the title†. I think Andy was too involved in the Royals to understand that it was o nly a gang name and his life was ending at sixteen because of it. Andy decided to join the gang in the first place because it made him powerful, it made him feel like he was somebody. The extent of his pride was shown when it said: â€Å"Even in his pain, there had been some sort of pride in knowing he was a Royal! † This tells the reader that he didn’t regret ever becoming a Royal. A young person like Andy would join a gang so that they would feel safe from other gangs. Additionally, if they were in a gang they would feel important to be a member of that gang as it would give them a sense of belonging. After Andy was stabbed and he realized that he was going to die, he began to resent his identity as a Royal and just wanted to be known as Andy. â€Å"I’m Andy; he screamed wordlessly, I’m Andy†. As Andy lay there dying, alone in the dark he wanted to shout out â€Å"Hey, I’m alive! Hey look at me! I’m alive! Don’t you know I’m alive? Don’t you know I exist? † Andy was so frustrated and confused. â€Å"He felt very weak and tired†. As every second went by, Andy got increasingly weaker. Andy’s identity as a Royal not only got him stabbed it also prevented people from helping him as they walked past. An example of this was when Angela and Freddie came along and they saw him on the pavement hurt. They were going to hep him but as soon as they realised that he was a Royal, they quickly changed their minds. They said â€Å"if we get a cop, the Guardians will find out who. † I thought this was very cowardly and selfish of them to leave him there, dying just because they were scared. Andy knew he was at deaths door but he didn’t want them to find him and say â€Å"oh he’s a Royal! † So with great difficulty and determination, he rolled over onto his back. He felt the pain tearing at his stomach when he moved. He lay struggling with the shiny, wet jacket. Pain ripped fire across his body whenever he moved. He squirmed and fought and twisted until one arm was free and then the other. Taking this purple jacket off with the lettering on the back that read â€Å"THE ROYALS† was very important to Andy because this jacket had ended his life at only sixteen years old. The final part of this story was very sad because Andy died. Andy’s girlfriend found him first, but when he did not answer her, she ran until she found a cop. The first thing the cop said when he looked at Andy’s dead body was, â€Å"A Royal, huh? † So Andy didn’t even get his final wish, which was to be remembered as just Andy. By reading this story it has made me think about my own identity and I have realized how important it is to keep out of trouble. As I most definitely do not want to be in the same situation as Andy was.

Critique on against gay marriage Essay

The modern world is experiencing transition in all aspects of life. This change is being experienced in marriage whereby some people are moving a way from the belief that marriage should only take place between people of same sex. They have gone to an extent of pushing for marriage between people of same-sex to be accorded the same treatment and recognition just like the case with the heterosexual marriage. Some people believe that marriage should be heterosexual while others believe that even homosexuals have a right to marry and live with their partners just like a husband and wife in opposite-sex marriage. This paper presents a critique in support of gay marriage. The society especially in the current state is crippling with many social problems emanating from heterosexual marriage. One of these problems is unwanted pregnancies which arise from irresponsible relationships. This is an incident which can only happen in a marriage between two people of opposite sex. Embracing same-sex marriage would offer a remedy to this problem because there is no chance of pregnancy in a marriage between gays and lesbians. This would also help in reducing the high cases of deaths and abortion which are being witnessed in the society today. Incase homosexuals decide to adopt a child, the possibility of neglect is very low as this would be a decision between two independent people. Same-sex marriage reduces the dominance by one partner which is associated with union between a man and a woman. For fear of victimization, most gays and lesbians are forced into heterosexual marriages against their will. However, they still continue to live their homosexual lives by secretly relating to other homosexuals while staying in the same-sex marriage. Therefore, accepting same-sex marriage will help reduce this unfaithfulness and promote marriage to one partner (Sullivan, A. , 2004). Since the society allows all kinds of people and groups to marry including murderers, thieves as well as marriage between people of different races. Condemning same-sex marriage is discrimination of the minority who are supposed to be protected by the constitution just like any other group. As opposed to what Bennet believes, it would not be the first time that the institution of marriage is experiencing change; Marriage between different races which are happening today never happened several years ago (Bennett, J. W. 1996). The strong position against homosexuality which is adopted by the church is an intrusion into private business. This is because marriage is a personal commitment between the two people involved in the relationship. This marriage therefore hurts no one who is not part of the relationship (Bennett, J. W. 1996). Every element of the society is transforming hence disregarding same-sex marriage is simply refusing to accept the natural changes in the institution of marriage. The acceptance of homosexuality as evident among school pupils is an indication that homosexuality is a thing of the current generation hence nature should be allowed to take its course. Bennet should not argue against adoption by gay and lesbian couples as this would be better that single parenting. The long-term repercussions of same-sex marriage talked about by those against gay marriage are baseless and coming out of fear of the unknown; accepting same-sex union would only serve to create more choices concerning marriage and people would be guided by individual choices. (Bennett, J. W. 1996). Conclusion From the accounts given above, same-sex marriage should be allowed and homosexuals do not deserve the harsh criticism and victimization that they are undergoing in the society. Legislation and rules governing marriage only needs to be adjusted to provide for same-sex union. Reference Bennett, J. W. (1996). Gay Marriage: Not a very good idea. The Washington Post. OP-ED; Pg. A19 Sullivan, A. (2004). Same-sex Marriage, Pro and Con: A Reader. New York: Vintage Books.

Role of Indian Banks in the Growth of the Indian Economy

{draw:g} {draw:custom-shape} SSUB INTRODUCTION: In the current global order, where the world has become a big village, consumers take a global look at the products and services in terms of price, quality, delivery and after-sale services. This trend has sown the seeds of competition in every sector of economy and banking sector is no exception to this event. Banking, the world over, has been changing at a spectacular pace. This change is due to multifarious factors like the need to be efficient in functions, thirst for becoming finance superpowers than mere banks, growing importance of private banking, the rise in high net worth individuals, etc. the decade of 90s has witnessed a sea change in the way banking is done in India. Technology has made tremendous impact in banking. â€Å"ANYWHERE BANKING† and â€Å"ANYTIME BANKING† have become a reality. Growing integration of economies and the markets around the world have made global banking a reality too. The surge in globalization of finance has also gained momentum with the technology advancements, which have effectively become overcome the national borders in the financial services business. India, as we know, is one of the 104 signatories of Financial Services Agreement (FSA) of 1997. This gives Indian banks an opportunity to expand on a quid pro quo basis. BANKING IN INDIA: Banking in India originated in the last decades of the 18th century. The oldest bank in existence in India is the State Bank of India, a government-owned bank that traces its origins back to June 1806 and that is the largest commercial bank in the country. Central banking is the responsibility of the Reserve Bank of India, which in 1935 formally took over these responsibilities from the then Imperial Bank of India, relegating it to commercial banking functions. After India's independence in 1947, the Reserve Bank was nationalized and given broader powers. In 1969 the government nationalized the 14 largest commercial banks; the government nationalized the six next largest in 1980. Currently, India has 96 scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) – 27 public sector banks (that is with the Government of India holding a stake), 31 private banks (these do not have government stake; they may be publicly listed and traded on stock exchanges) and 38 foreign banks. They have a combined network of over 53,000 branches and 17,000 ATMs. STRUCTURE OF BANKING SYSTEM IN INDIA: The following figure represents the structure of Indian Banking System. {draw:frame} ROLE OF BANKING SECTOR IN THE GROWTH OF INDIAN ECONOMY: Money lending in one form or the other has evolved along with the history of the mankind. Even in the ancient times there are references to the moneylenders. Indian history is also replete with the instances referring to indigenous money lenders involved in the business of money lending by mortgaging the landed property of the borrowers. Towards the beginning of the 20th century, with the onset of modern industry in the country, the need for government regulated banking system was felt. Reserve Bank of India was set up to regulate the formal banking sector in the country. But the growth of modern banking remained slow mainly due to lack of surplus capital in the Indian economic system at that point of time. Modern banking institutions came up only in big cities and industrial centers. The rural areas, representing vast majority of Indian society, remained dependent on the indigenous money lenders for their credit needs. Independence of the country heralded a new era in the growth of modern banking. In 1969, Indian government took a historic decision to nationalize 14 biggest private commercial banks. A few more were nationalized after a couple of years. This resulted in transferring the ownership of these banks to the State and the Reserve Bank of India could then issue directions to these banks to fund the national programs, the rural sector, the plan priorities and the priority sector at differential rate of interest. However, after almost two decades of bank nationalization some new issues became contextual. The service standards of the public sector banks began to decline. Their profitability came down and the efficiency of the staff became suspect. Non-performing assets of these banks began to rise. The wheel of time had turned a full circle by early nineties and the government after the introduction of structural and economic reforms in the financial sector, allowed the setting up of new banks in the private sector. The new generation private banks have now established themselves in the system and have set new standards of service and efficiency. These banks have also given tough but healthy competition to the public sector banks. MODERN DAY ROLE: Banking system and the Financial Institutions play very significant role in the economy. First and foremost is in the form of catering to the need of credit for all the sections of society. The modern economies in the world have developed primarily by making best use of the credit availability in their systems. An efficient banking system must cater to the needs of high end investors by making available high amounts of capital for big projects in the industrial, infrastructure and service sectors. At the same time, the medium and small ventures must also have credit available to them for new investment and expansion of the existing units. Rural sector in a country like India can grow only if cheaper credit is available to the farmers for their short and medium term needs. Credit availability for infrastructure sector is also extremely important. The success of any financial system can be fathomed by finding out the availability of reliable and adequate credit for infrastructure projects. Fortunately, during the past about one decade there has been increased participation of the private sector in infrastructure projects. The banks and the financial institutions also cater to another important need of the society i. . mopping up small savings at reasonable rates with several options. The common man has the option to park his savings under a few alternatives, including the small savings schemes introduced by the government from time to time and in bank deposits in the form of savings accounts, recurring deposits and time deposits. Another option is to invest in the stocks or mutual funds. In addition to the above traditi onal role, the banks and the financial institutions also perform certain new-age functions which could not be thought of a couple of decades ago. The facility of internet banking enables a consumer to access and operate his bank account without actually visiting the bank premises. The facility of ATMs and the credit/debit cards has revolutionized the choices available with the customers. The banks also serve as alternative gateways for making payments on account of income tax and online payment of various bills like the telephone, electricity and tax. The bank customers can also invest their funds in various stocks or mutual funds straight from their bank accounts. In the modern day economy, where people have no time to ake these payments by standing in queue, the service provided by the banks is commendable. While the commercial banks cater to the banking needs of the people in the cities and towns, there is another category of banks that looks after the credit and banking needs of the people living in the rural areas, particularly the farmers. Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) have been sponsored by many commercial banks in severa l States. These banks, along with the cooperative banks, take care of the farmer-specific needs of credit and other banking facilities. FUTURE: Till a few years ago, the government largely patronized the small savings schemes in which not only the interest rates were higher, but the income tax rebates and incentives were also in plenty. The bank deposits, on the other hand, did not entail such benefits. As a result, the small savings were the first choice of the investors. But for the last few years the trend has been reversed. The small savings, the bank deposits and the mutual funds have been brought at par for the purpose of incentives under the income tax. Moreover, the interest rates in the small savings schemes are no longer higher than those offered by the banks. Banks today are free to determine their interest rates within the given limits prescribed by the RBI. It is now easier for the banks to open new branches. But the banking sector reforms are still not complete. A lot more is required to be done to revamp the public sector banks. Mergers and amalgamation is the next measure on the agenda of the government. The government is also preparing to disinvest some of its equity from the PSU banks. The option of allowing foreign direct investment beyond 50 per cent in the Indian banking sector has also been under consideration. Banks and financial institutions have played major role in the economic development of the country and most of the credit- related schemes of the government to uplift the poor and the under-privileged sections have been implemented through the banking sector. CONCLUSION: The Indian banking system is financially stable and resilient to the shocks that may arise due to higher non-performing assets (NPAs) and the global economic crisis, according to RBI. Following the financial crisis, new deposits have gravitated towards public sector banks. According to RBI's ‘Quarterly Statistics on Deposits and Credit of Scheduled Commercial Banks: September 2009', nationalized banks, as a group, accounted for 50. 5 per cent of the aggregate deposits, while State Bank of India (SBI) and its associates accounted for 23. 8 per cent. The share of other scheduled commercial banks, foreign banks and regional rural banks in aggregate deposits were 17. 8 per cent, 5. 6 per cent and 3. 0 per cent, respectively. With respect to gross bank credit also, nationalized banks hold the highest share of 50. per cent in the total bank credit, with SBI and its associates at 23. 7 per cent and other scheduled commercial banks at 17. 8 per cent. Foreign banks and regional rural banks had a share of 5. 5 per cent and 2. 5 per cent respectively in the total bank credit. NRI fund inflows increased since April 2009 and touched US$ 45. 5 billion on July 2009, as per the RBI's February bulletin. Most of this has come through Foreign Currency Non-resident (FCNR) accounts and Non-resident External Rupee Accounts. India's foreign exchange reserves rose to US$ 284. 6 billion as on January 8, 2010, according to the RBI's February bulletin. The State Bank of India (SBI) has posted a net profit of US$ 1. 56 billion for the nine months ended December 2009, up 14. 43 per cent from US$ 175. 4 million posted in the nine months ended December 2008. Amongst the private banks, Axis Bank's net profit surged by 32 per cent to US$ 115. 4 million on 21. 2 per cent rise in total income to US$ 852. 16 million in the second quarter of 2009-10, over the corresponding period last year. HDFC Bank has posted a 32 per cent rise in its net profit at US$ 175. million for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 over the figure of US$ 128. 05 million for the same quarter in the previous year. Government Initiatives: In its platinum jubilee year, the RBI, the central bank of the country, in a notification issued on June 25, 2009, said that banks should link more bran ches to the National Electronic Clearing Service (NECS). In the Third Quarter Review of Monetary Policy for 2009-10, the RBI observed that the Indian economy showed a degree of resilience as it recorded a better-than-expected growth of 7. 9 per cent during the second quarter of 2009-10. In its Third Quarter Review of Monetary Policy for 2009-10, the RBI hiked the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 75 basis points (bps) to 5. 75 per cent, while keeping repo and reverse repo rates unchanged. According to the RBI, the stance of monetary policy for the remaining period of 2009-10 will be to: Anchor inflation expectations and keep a vigil on inflation trends and respond swiftly through policy adjustments, Actively manage liquidity to ensure credit demands of productive sectors are met adequately, Maintain an interest rate environment consistent with financial stability and price stability. Exchange rate used: 1 USD = 46. 29 INR (as on January 2010) 1 USD = 46. 66 INR (as on December 2009) Thus it can be concluded by saying that the role of the banks has been important, but it is going to be even more important in the future.

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