Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Cox container case Essay Example for Free

Cox container case Essay Problem Identification: There are quite a good number of problems in the case of CCC, among of which one can define, are the following: 1- Job security for the ethnic minorities who run the workshop for years, while being empowered in the age of Harold Cox, they felt threatened by the introduction of the new management system, that was reflected by the defensive attitude of Aziz and his lack of cooperation which also can be the reaction of being marginalized by Wilson while conducting the company review. 2- Lack of managerial training, which was reflected on how Aziz perceives his job as a shop floor manager whose first and utmost concern, is to deliver production no matter what the outside environment is. 3- Market introduction of new competitors, which dictates the need of full review of the operations, budgeting, supply chain and labor competency. Hence introducing more bureaucracy to the current system and might limit the power of Aziz and his team. 4- The centralization and individuality of Harold Cox in running the company helped the creation of a divisionalized structure and culture as well as developing a high degree of autonomy in the production department and a shallow hierarchy especially in the financial and management accounting area. Analysis: The main reason why Cox asked Wilson to conduct a company review is to get the company moving forward, such an act could have been shared with department managers, despite Wilson’s conclusions, strategies must be compromises that allow the company to move forward (Johnson, 1992). Johnson also argued that Strategic drift takes many years to affect performance, which validates the happening of the falling results of CCC, such a performance made Cox ask Wilson to conduct the review. The resistance to change that Aziz showed can be explained via the framework of Herzberg (1987) at which he argued that job security, as part of the hygiene factors can be a source of job satisfaction and motivation. Despite belittling the effect of hygiene factors on the subject, he did not address such an issue â€Å"job security† on a minority member. Such a factor can be more important than others whether intrinsic or extrinsic since minority members would possess the feeling of fear of losing their jobs and being expelled by the society and not finding another job. Adding the job status of Aziz would add further complexities to the situation as well. The introduction of budgeting and operation optimization without consulting the shop floor manager while he represents the core business of the company could have affected his motivation. These new systems would influence the type of the work that can be done in the shop floor greatly and would change Aziz from a decision maker in his part with all the autonomy and credibility he has to just a regular employee that manages what the new system dictates. Such change would affect Aziz’s motivation to contribute to the new system as discussed by Leavitt (2007). Leavitt argues that the increased bureaucracy and the rigid system turns employees into machines performing the work without thinking, and that would be against the human nature that tends to think and innovate. He also argues that the introduction of IT systems and technologies would be harmful to humans in the work place especially if companies abuse them. He however managed to argue the point from the employee point of view without mentioning the companies perspective at which standardization and new technologies raises the efficiency and performance of the companies and can allocate resources to new departments or new functions. If Aziz were opting the same perspective as   without having the picture cleared that this new system (budgeting and operations review) would benefit him as well as the company, he would tend to resist that change. In the framework of Herzberg (1987), job participation is one of the important myths to job or task enrichment. He emphasizes that giving the employees the big picture and giving them a feeling that they will determine in some measure what they will do in the job; would not be beneficial to the job. Wilson, Straw, Long and Pedder managed to do exactly this part. It would be against Aziz’s benefit if he would resist correcting the situation of the company. He would seem wrong and would hurt himself and his career in CCC if he was explained the current situation and the competitive market condition and how is that affecting CCC and what are the measures needed in the next few weeks / years to correct the competitiveness of CCC. Aziz should have been offered the chance to contribute to the budgeting and even could have been appointed a task in suggesting the best production and budgeting scheme that would save the company time and money. Bassett-Jones Lloyed (2005) negated the approach of Herzberg and emphasized on the importance of employee’s contribution to the job in order to grant satisfaction. By seeing their ideas being implemented without delays and with the approval of the manager that this idea will contribute to the best of the company, the employee will have a sense of ownership and commitment towards making the idea work. Ford, Ford, DAmelio (2008) stated that the resistance to change can be the cause of the management’s actions themselves as they fail to develop trust. They failed to argue that in some cases, the employee(s) have their own agenda and they (employees) are the ones to trigger the resistance. The centralization of the decision making in CCC allowed the formation of a divisional company organization where Aziz’s team form the major part of it. Having this high autonomy formed a specific organization culture perhaps that Aziz is indispensible and hence he is in control. Such a culture would cause Aziz to be reluctant to accept changes specially after CCC lost some of its competitiveness in the market for few years and yet no complain from  Cox and/or the management. Meyers Martin (1987) suggest that as the organization structure form the organization’s culture and beliefs, so does the leaders of the company. It can be noticed that Cox influenced the idea that the minorities in his company are indispensible, since they support him politically and socially because of their existence in CCC. It can also be noticed that Cox did the interactions with Aziz and the production team on a personal level and hence when changes were mandatory, Aziz opposed it because it did not come from Cox himself and such resistance will not be punished by Cox. It also can be noticed the degree of autonomy in the company when the budgeting scheme is needed, each manager submitted an estimate of expenditure not the actual amount spent the year before or the required budget needed based on the previous year expenditure and the business forecast for next year. The shallow pyramid of hierarchy especially in the management accounting and financial can explain such autonomy. The creation of the subgroup and hence the subculture allowed the lobbying in the production department to happen and to resist any change as long as it is not in their direct favor. Such collectiveness behavior was developed by the centralization of decision making by Cox and the high degree of autonomy he allowed for such a group. In his study, Polzer (2004) has concluded that subgroups and subcultures in organizations tend to have harmful effect on collective welfare that extends beyond the boundaries of this individualistic subgroup. In CCC case, if the production department’s employees feel threatened; they can trigger actions to stop that threat, such as calling for a strike or threating to collectively resign and hence hurt the company by stopping the production. They are well aware that hiring such a large number of employees in a short time will be deemed impossible especially with all the experience they have. Even if the job has high degree of analyzability and does not require specialists to perform it. Moreover, collective resignation would hurt the image of the company and would cause business to be lost to competition even if it is on a temporarily basis. Perhaps what triggered that defensive mechanism with this subgroup is the introduction of the outsiders even if they were completely in a different  department. As proposed by Johnson (1992), introducing outsiders can help in managing the change since the outsider shall have a fresh view of the organization or the department that is undergoing the change. However, he did not mention how that would affect the change recipients themselves and how far would they accept the outsider. He also did not identify if the outsider came from inside the organization (i.e. internal transfer) or from outside the organization and what difference would that make. Alternatives: So, what would CCC management do to resolve the current situation? 1. Do Nothing. The benefits of calming down the current situation and the production department are to ensure the company is kept in operation. Although margins are dropping, the company is sill profitable. However, the disadvantages of this situation are more than its advantages. The operation department will tend to increase its power and influence on the company since now they felt powerful and indispensible, also, they might try to find another alternative or group together and establish another competing company and resign collectively which would put the company out of business. 2. Use a sacrifition sheep: Firing Aziz and the seniors in the production department and replacing them with other seniors from inside the department can be a solution to send a clear message to the rest of the crew that the change is happening regardless of the opposition. This can benefit CCC by establishing a clear strategy that the company is moving forward with the change and personnel have to choose. However, if it backfires, the company can lose too much and we can revert back to the scenario in solution No.1. 3. Driving changes smoothly and in the welfare of the production department: There is no doubt that political consideration has a major play in such situations and it can resolve lots of issues. By calling Aziz and the seniors in the department and explaining the change to them and how would introducing new budgeting system and/or new operation schemes would benefit the company as a whole and the department specifically; they would tend to comply with that change. Asking for their assistance would be a better solution than resisting the resistance. The situation can be transformed to the benefit of CCC if the production department personnel understand the current challenge and start to challenge the status quo themselves, knowing that what will be done will be reflected on their welfare. By adopting the DICE methodology explained by Sirkin Jackson (2005) to drive the changes as follow: I. Set the Duration of the transformation process with clear and concise milestones. Milestones keep goals tracked and in prospective, encouraging everyone to participate by some sort of recognition would help the process. II. Identify the required personnel and allocate tasks according to their capabilities and traits. That would keep the project Integrity intact and minimizes the risk of duration slippage and/or wrong interpretation of tasks and their requirements. III. Management participation and Commitment to the project as well as employees affected by the change. Management as well should demonstrate how these changes are going to change the welfare of employees and how committed they are to doing so. IV. It should be clarified that each and everyone concerned with this change process should be expected to exert an extra Effort until the transformation is completed. The managem ent should lead by example in this regard and make it clear that any extra effort exerted in this period shall be rewarded on both the long and short term. Recommendations: It is recommended to follow resolution No.3 above, since CCC is considered an SME not a corporate and since they are bound to the acceptance of the strongest department to change. Moreover, this resolution addressed the concerns discussed in the study above which mainly are the job security, motivation, job enrichment of the employees while helping in changing the company culture on the long run by getting the employees to exert extra effort and see their ideas come to live, that would develop a sense of belonging to the company which will benefit the company on the long run. Also, that approach would strengthen the concept that the company is willing to accommodate their employees and work out the changes with them for the best interest of both parties. Plan of actions: Harold Cox, Erica Wilson along with all the company seniors should demonstrate participation and ownership of the change process. It was not a  good idea to leave the interaction being led by the new appointee(s) considering the company culture. The involvement of the top management whose faces are familiar with the production team would ease the effect of the change and indicate that the change are being driven from within not that the outsiders are taking over the company. Depending on the change required; the process duration should be set. Would the management desire only a cost control and lean operations concepts to be implemented or they would require production enhancements by increasing the throughput of the company? Would they procure new technology, which would require training, installation and production scheme change? Would they introduce differentiation either horizontally or vertically to the current products? The easiest change to start with is to introduce cost control and operation optimization associated with achieving the minimum efficient scale of the factory and then drives another change. Driving a major change at once would again be resisted. Mainly the production department would be affected, other departments too, such as financial and management accounting. The latters would be expected to drive the major portion of cost control through supply chain optimization. Introducing operations management department would also help enhancing the operations of the whole company and helping the company to slim the inefficient operations in all departments. It would be expected that some side effects such as additional expenses would follow as sort of rewards to the contributors in the change process to encourage the participation. Also, production lag would occur until the change process is finalized, that could be due to shop floor adjustments or personnel getting accustomed to the new change in the production process, hence, it would be a good idea if the company could produce some reserve capacity to cover this aspect. Bibliography Bassett-Jones, N., Lloyed, G. C. (2005). Does Herzbergs motivation theory have staying power? Journal of management development , 24 (10). Ford, J. D., Ford, L. W., DAmelio, A. (2008). Resistance t change: The rest of the story. The academey of management review , 33 (2), 362-377. Herzberg, F. (1987, September). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard Business Review . Johnson, G. (1992). Managing strategic change strategy, culture and action. Long Range Planning , 25 (1), 28-36. Leavitt, H. J. (2007). Big organizations are unhealthy environment for human beings. Academy of management learning education , 6 (2), 253-263. Meyers, D., Martin, J. (1987). CULTURAL CHANGE: AN INTEGRATION OF THREE DIFFERENT VIEWS. journal of Management Studies , 24 (6), 623-647. Polzer, J. T. (2004). How Subgroup Interests and Reputations Moderate the Effect of Organizational Identification on Cooperation . Journal of Management , 30, 71-96. Sirkin, H. L., Jackson, A. (2005, October). The hard side of change management. Harvard Business Review , 33-47.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Soft Drinks Industry Consumer Behavior Marketing Essay

Soft Drinks Industry Consumer Behavior Marketing Essay Soft drinks industry is one of the most thriving and flourishing industries in Pakistan. With a population close to 165 million, Pakistan is one of the largest markets in the Asia Pacific region, for various fast-moving consumer goods companies, including those manufacturing soft drinks. Consumers all over Pakistan consider soft drinks as an integral part of their lives, be it routine every day meals or festive occasions, soft drinks hold immense importance as it is the primary refreshment served all over the country. Dominated by low-cost carbonates, Pakistans soft drinks industry benefits from key demand triggers such as the notable absence of alcoholic drinks industry and a warm climate. The beverage industry has around 40 plants, and employs around 500,000 people directly or indirectly. Foreign players dominate the soft-drinks sector. Pakistan Beverages, which bottles for US-based PepsiCo, and National Beverages, the bottler for Coca-Cola (also of the US), are the key players in this segment. Together, Pepsi and Coca-Cola supply 75% of the carbonated soft-drinks market, with local companies accounting for another 15-20%. The industry has seen steady growth over the past years, and despite the current economic situation in Pakistan and the high levels of inflation, the industry is bound for growth in the coming years. The major players in this market include: Coca Cola Pepsi Mountain Dew Gourmet Cola Makah Cola Amrat Cola The market is led by Pepsi which has the maximum market share in the Pakistan soft drink industry. Coca cola acts as a challenger, which challenges the presence of its major rival coke, whereas other brands such as gourmet cola and mountain dew are followers. Gourmet cola has smartly catered to the market by providing soft drinks at a much lower price than the others and distributes it only in the city of Lahore, hence is the one acting as a niche player. It has successfully entered into the soft drink market where existing strong brand names have been competing, and is expected to maintain its position which is evident by the growing demand of its cola Market Size: Led by the core carbonate brands of Coca Cola and PepsiCo, per capita soft drinks consumption in Pakistan is estimated to stand at about 20 liters per annum, which leaves significant room for growth. Over the publishers forecast period to 2014, soft drinks sales are expected to increase 39.8% to PKR19.5 billion ($233 million), with carbonates likely to pick up most of the volume growth. MARKET SEGMENTATION: Customer segmentation in Pakistan with respect to soft drink industry is done differently by the major players operating in the industry. Segmentation is done based on the lifestyle, preferences and attitudes of customers. Particularly to this industry, there exist customer segments which prefer soft drinks that taste sweeter as compared to others. Moreover, segments in the markets exist which are price conscious, and are willing to compromise as far as quality and taste is concerned. Such segments are more inclined towards paying lower prices for a soft drink that provides a similar taste as of other renowned names and modest quality. Existing customers, who are sensitive to their calorie intake but wish not to compromise on the consumption of soft drinks, are catered by brands offering the diet version. This diet version of soft drinks is even preferred by some customers who find its taste better as compared to the regular one, although such a segment is not widely recognized. Apar t from that, customer segments exist which demand bottles of soft drinks in different sizes, such as small, large and family pack, whereas the kind of packaging done for a particular soft drink also determines and caters to a certain market segment such as bottles that are disposable and non-disposable. There are different flavors that have further segmented the market, which primarily include orange (Fanta, Miranda), Cola (Coke, Pepsi), Lemon (Sprite, 7up, Lemon up, mountain dew). Segmentation of consumers has also been done on the bases of social economic class, such as new market entrants such as gourmet cola serves SEC C whereas market leaders serve SEC A and B. The market segment that we have selected for our project is individuals belonging to SEC A and SEC B who are employed and are working in private and government organizations. Target Market: The target market that we have selected from this segment as part of our term project is the carbonated soft drinks segment, which includes companies like Pepsi, Coca cola, Seven up, Mecca cola, Amrat cola, Gourmet cola and others. Objectives of the research: The research is directed to find the attributes of consumer behavior regarding the local soft drinks in the beverages industry. The scope of the research is limited to the region of Lahore due to time constraints. The basic purpose to conduct this study is to uncover the consumer perception about the local soft drinks specifically. The research will help to find out the consumer perception about what the customers think of the local soft drinks, how they perceive it when they hear or see any of the particular local brands. The position that it has taken in the minds of the consumers are important to discover. Basically, the first objective is to find the image of local soft drinks as perceived by the consumers. The study will also focus on the product specific attributes of local soft drinks. The quality of the soft drink as compared to the rest of the international competition is one of the concerns of this research. Also, taste is an important variable which will be thoroughly studied because quality of any product is judged by its taste, and it will be tested that whether the company is successful in providing the taste which is demanded by its target market or not. Also, whether it provides the soft drinks in same or better taste as provided by the international players; Pepsi co. and Coca Cola Company, or not. Whether the content of fizz in soft drink is an important variable that matters and the impact of the amount of cooling that the drink has stored in it is important to the consumers of local soft drinks or not. Along with the tangible attributes of the product, the study will also focus on the intangible attributes such as the brand name. The size and shape of the bottles, the pa ckaging and the colors used, will also be discussed. The consumer satisfaction will be gauged in terms of the competition, and what needs to be done to improve the product. The study objectives also include the consumer specific attributes towards the local soft drinks. It will include that under what circumstances or occasions do the consumers consume local soft drink. Are they brand loyal? How do they evaluate a drink over the others? And how do they make their buying decisions. It includes the influencers that influence their decision making. Furthermore, the role of advertisement will be discussed that how do the consumers dictated by the ads, how the company can improve its visual presence and what could be done to improve the company and the product. Research Methodology: The basic idea is to design a research methodology which enables us to extract maximum useful information at the least possible cost and time, without sacrificing on its reliability. Therefore, quantitative tools will be used to achieve our research objectives. Our objective factors like brand awareness, product usage and product attributes specific insights shall be obtained through a questionnaire Quantitative Research: Questionnaire The questionnaire will be the most effective and feasible tool for our research study. Other methods like phone interviews and observation study will not only be impractical due to our resource constraints but also yield very little credible information, unless the sample size is huge. The questionnaire will be very straight forward and focused so unnecessary data is not gathered and the validity of the study is maximized. Light users or users who have not consumed local colas in the past 30 days will be screened out. Therefore, those who remain will be able to effectively assess the products and its perception in their minds. A few open ended questions will be asked, along with closed ended questions that address our research objectives. In order to keep things simple, only a Likert scale will be used. The questionnaire will be distributed amongst all individuals who have been screened on the sole basis of usage. This is because currently the soft drink industry employs a mass marke ting approach, and focusing only on one or two segments will increase the sampling error. A total of 50 questionnaires will be distributed. Data Analysis The data from the questionnaire will be tabulated on excel and analyzed using statistical options like pie charts, bar graphs, tables etc. Questionnaire Analysis: The questionnaire analysis was conducted with 50 respondents, 42 Males and 8 Females, aged between 22 to 50 years of age and all. The questionnaire was based upon the variables of importance analyzed in the focus group e.g. the price of the soft drinks, availability and quality offered by each brand of carbonated soft drinks. Detailed Analysis of Questionnaire: What type of food do you like? The respondents were asked what kind and genre of food they preferred as there drinks choices are then based upon their primary food choices, a large majority of respondents responded with homemade food, followed by fast food, this indicates the evident impact on inflation in Pakistan upon peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s spending habits, more people now opt for home made food rather than fast food from upscale restaurants What type of drinks do you consume? Majority of respondents indicated that they preferred carbonated drinks as compared to coffee and other choices available to them, this shows the high positive demand soft drinks have in Pakistan. Pick one from the above and state the brands you use? Juices brands mentioned by respondents: In order to gauge the respondents inclination towards juices the question asked them to indicate the juice brand they use, majority of respondents indicated nestle as being their favorite brand, with 23 respondents opting for Nestle, followed by Olfruit. Carbonated drinks mentioned by respondents: Tea/Coffee mentioned by respondents: How often do you consume the drink you stated above? Your purchase decisions are influenced by? Q7: Do you consume carbonated soft drinks? Majority of respondents, i.e. 40 indicated that they consumed carbonated soft drinks which points towards the high positive demand for soft drinks Q8: If yes, then how often do you consume them? (If no, please skip to question 9) Majority of the respondents who did consume soft drinks as mentioned in the previous question stated that they preferred soft drinks on a daily basis, followed by ten respondents who consumed it more than once a week. Q9: How do you feel about the following statements in relation to carbonated soft drinks? a) Carbonated soft drinks are healthy Majority of respondents were neutral regarding the question that whether they thought of carbonated drinks as healthy, followed by an equal majority of respondents who strongly agreed that carbonated drinks were healthy (10) and somewhat agreed that carbonated drinks were healthy (10) b) Cheaper alternatives of some leading companies offer same quality Respondents strongly agreed that some cheaper alternatives available in the market of top brands offer the same quality c) Price is an important factor to you Majority if the respondents agreed that price as an important factor that they considered, this again points towards the fact that inflation is an issue affecting the purchasing power of consumers in Pakistan. d) I would purchase a cheaper alternative if it offers similar quality Majority of respondents stated that they strongly agreed that they would purchase a cheaper alternative if it offers similar quality as top brands. Q10: Please rank the Cola of your preference Majority of respondents stated that among the low priced alternate colas they preferred the Gourmet cola, followed by Amrat cola. b) I have stopped purchasing other brands altogether Majority of respondents somewhat disagreed to the statement that whether they had stopped purchasing other colas altogether after opting for gourmet cola. Gender Age Group Marital Status: Education Levels: Summary The focus questionnaire analysis points to the fact that majority of the target population that we selected for our product consumes carbonated soft drinks which supports the growth trends in the soft drink industry. The findings also shed light on the fact that due to the recent upsurge in inflation in the country and the price hike in case of almost all commodities, consumers are now much more receptive towards other brands which offer cheaper colas with the similar taste, these cheaper alternatives according the respondents including, Shandy cola, Makkah cola, Amrat cola and Gourmet cola. Respondents however stressed on the fact that these alternatives appealed to them not only because of the price but also because of the fact that they offered almost the same quality as colas from other top brands like Coke and Pepsi. Out of the cheaper alternatives people indicated that they preferred Gourmet cola more. The findings also pointed to the fact that the main influences in decision r egarding the choice of soft drink came from family and friends, as these were the two main social; groups with which respondents spent most of their time and consumed drinks with. The respondents brought to attention the fact the advertising campaign of the cola companies like gourmet cola and amrat cola were not up to the mark and very rare, they suggested that a better as campaign would be able to boost awareness and recognition amongst potential customers and attract more customers to the relatively new cola.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Commentary: Fitt IV Essay example -- English Literature

Commentary: Fitt IV The extract from Fitt IV describes the first intended blow of the Green Knight against Gawain. Many lines at the beginning of the extract are dedicated to creating the image of the Green Knight picking up his weapon and preparing himself to deal the deadly blow to Gawain. Much of the focus is on the Green Knight’s physical strength, for example ‘With alle the bur in his body’ and ‘Hade hit dryven adoun as drey as he atled, / Ther hade bend ded of his dynt that doghty was ever’. Moreover, the description of the weapon also provides a formidable presence for Gawain, ‘Gederes up hys [the Green Knigh’s] grymme tole, Gawayn to smyte’. However, instead of landing the fatal blow on Gawain’s neck, as discussed in the contract of the game, Gawain flinches away from the axe. The Green Knight is outraged and tells Gawain ‘Such cowardise of that knight cowthe I never here’ as Gawain recoiled in fear before encountering any pain. The Green Knight sees Gawain moving away from the blow of the axe as compromising his reputation as a knight at the court of Camelot. Throughout the first three fitts of the story Gawain can be seen as the epitome of chivalry, a virtue essential to an Arthurian knight. His behaviour when first accepting the challenge of the Green Knight demonstrates the chivalric asset of selfless loyalty towards his King, but also shows his humble attitude by the language he uses ‘And lest lur of my lyf, quo laytes the sothe / Bot for as much as ye ar myn em, I am only prayse; / No bounte bot your blod I in my bode knowe’. These chivalric qualities are further stressed by the Gawain-poet when describing Gawain’s armouring scene. Gawain’s shield, featuring the pentangle, is an iconic i... ...rld seems more virtuous than himself at that moment. The extract from Fitt IV is an essential moment of the story of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’. It encompasses part of the climax of the story, depicting that which Gawain has been working up to all year. The section also acts as a moment of tension within the final beheading scene as it is expected that Gawain will endure the blow and lose his head. However, the act of Gawain flinching away from the axe works as an anticlimax, a pattern which is repeated for the next two attempts of beheading. It is also surprising from the readers’ perspective that Gawain should recoil from the blow as up until this point he has been characterised as knightly, loyal and truthful. This moment in the story is an interesting change in pace and foresees the sudden twist in the plot at the end of the beheading scene.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Essay --

In 1973, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that expressed concern that many species were in danger of becoming extinct. These native plants/ animals are on the verge of disappearing forever...this act needs to save them. This act will protect and help species at risk of extinction recover. By promoting policies nationwide to help species recover that are native to the U.S., this act enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), will help make these goals possible. In order to ensure that this is possible, the ESA contains sections that encourage States to maintain conservation programs for these species at risk. There are safe harbor agreements, candidate conservation agreements, and conservation banks that are in effect in sake of these threatened/ endangered species ("Endangered Species Act"). IUCN REDLIST The main goal of the Red List is to motivate the global community to help protect species from going extinct, while we can still make a change. †ªSome plans are to improve fisheries management, monitor and minimize effects of human disturbance in breeding areas, and provide nest boxes in predator-free areas in order to help monitor reproductive success for the penguins (Red List).†¬ The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is different each time due to the fact that the update changes the numbers of species listed in each category. Some reasons for this cause is because of various factors, including new species being added to the Red List, species being reassessed and moved into a different category of threat, and taxonomic revisions, which can change the total population of species within a group (Red List). IUCN has more than 1,... ...redible cultural asset to their land. Therefore, the Galapagos penguins are valuable, and need to be preserved. 1. Personally, a loss of any creature is a sad topic to discuss, especially an extinction. Our hopes are that this species does not go extinct in the near future. There are only 2000 of them left. There are wildlife efforts to save these galapagos penguins that must remain a necessity. By donating  £25 to the Galapagos Conservation Trust, you can adopt a Galà ¡pagos penguin. This adoption program is a UK registered charity working for the conservation needs of the Galà ¡pagos Islands (Galapagos Conservation Trust). It would be a disappointment if the last Galapagos penguin dies before any children can view them. It will be an amazing accomplishment if this species is preserved and taken off the Endangered Species List. Let's stay on the road to recovery! Essay -- In 1973, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that expressed concern that many species were in danger of becoming extinct. These native plants/ animals are on the verge of disappearing forever...this act needs to save them. This act will protect and help species at risk of extinction recover. By promoting policies nationwide to help species recover that are native to the U.S., this act enforced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), will help make these goals possible. In order to ensure that this is possible, the ESA contains sections that encourage States to maintain conservation programs for these species at risk. There are safe harbor agreements, candidate conservation agreements, and conservation banks that are in effect in sake of these threatened/ endangered species ("Endangered Species Act"). IUCN REDLIST The main goal of the Red List is to motivate the global community to help protect species from going extinct, while we can still make a change. †ªSome plans are to improve fisheries management, monitor and minimize effects of human disturbance in breeding areas, and provide nest boxes in predator-free areas in order to help monitor reproductive success for the penguins (Red List).†¬ The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is different each time due to the fact that the update changes the numbers of species listed in each category. Some reasons for this cause is because of various factors, including new species being added to the Red List, species being reassessed and moved into a different category of threat, and taxonomic revisions, which can change the total population of species within a group (Red List). IUCN has more than 1,... ...redible cultural asset to their land. Therefore, the Galapagos penguins are valuable, and need to be preserved. 1. Personally, a loss of any creature is a sad topic to discuss, especially an extinction. Our hopes are that this species does not go extinct in the near future. There are only 2000 of them left. There are wildlife efforts to save these galapagos penguins that must remain a necessity. By donating  £25 to the Galapagos Conservation Trust, you can adopt a Galà ¡pagos penguin. This adoption program is a UK registered charity working for the conservation needs of the Galà ¡pagos Islands (Galapagos Conservation Trust). It would be a disappointment if the last Galapagos penguin dies before any children can view them. It will be an amazing accomplishment if this species is preserved and taken off the Endangered Species List. Let's stay on the road to recovery!

Friday, August 2, 2019

Should Australia Introduce Any Tax Or Gst Changes? :: essays research papers

Why do we need taxes?Taxation makes up majority of our government's income. With this income the government can provide us with proper infrastructure and social services for little, if no cost at all. These include Medicare, social security and education. (These facilities are known as recurrent expenditures because it is needed time after time.) Other expenditures include transportation, lighting, recreation etc. These services are granted to us at no costs. In many 3rd world countries where taxation is low or doesn't exist, all of these services are to come out of one's own pocket. Over the many centuries, in which taxation was existent, people have cheated and avoided paying these taxes. Nowadays people with high-income put their money into trusts, superannuation, or incorporate it into businesses. Businesses would try and receive more cash transactions. This has led to a decrease in our government's revenues, thus leading to a tax reform in hope of a more effective result. What makes a good tax system?There are four elements in a successful tax system. They are effectiveness, efficiency, equitability, and simplicity. 1) Effectiveness: is the performance compared to the desired effect. E.g. the number of people who pays tax, how much tax is received.2) Efficiency: is the cost of running the system. The system may be very effective with a million tax officers, but it would cost millions to hire so many people. 3) Equitability: is the fairness of the system. This is an impossible goal to achieve. From different people's point of views, the system will always be unfair to them in some way. Not to mention the tax cheats. The best solution is to broaden the number of people who pay the tax, which is only fair. 4) Simplicity: A tax system should never be too complexed, it is otherwise not efficient neither understandable. The income tax Act that just started off at just 120 pages in 1936 is now over 3300 pages and has doubled in size over the last 7 years. A complex system means that those who can afford expensive tax advice minimize their tax. But those that can't, pay the full share. It is impossible to have a system where all four elements are satisfactory. Where a system may be effective and efficient it will not be equitable or simple. It is impossible to fit the whole population all under one roof. Under these circumstances the government proposed a new way of taxation- GST.

Hamlet Review Essay

Primary Characters: * Hamlet- indecisive, isolates himself, plans his â€Å"antic disposition† * Claudius- murder of King Hamlet, Hamlet’s uncle and stepfather, guilty * Ophelia- Polonius’s daughter, Hamlet’s love, drowns Secondary Characters: * Horatio- Hamlet’s friend * Polonius- protective of Ophelia, believes Hamlet is affected by Ophelia’s love * Gertrude- Hamlet’s mother and the queen * Laertes- Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother, wants to kill Hamlet after Ophelia dies Point of view and other notable techniques: Most people believe that Hamlet was written in the 3rd person point of view. However, some literary critics argue that Shakespeare’s characters possess individuality too great to be bound under a fixed point of view. Like actual people, they act with intentions we cannot completely comprehend. This lack of fixed point of view allows the work to be up to interpretation, as it has been analyzed in a variety of ways. Shakespeare embodies various structural, literary, and stylistic techniques in his play. He often switches between the use of blank verse and prose when dealing with his different characters. He also uses iambic pentameter throughout the play. Examples of this can be most easily found in Hamlet’s â€Å"To be or not to be† monologue in Act III. Favorite stylistic techniques of Shakespeare include soliloquy, particularly those uttered by Hamlet throughout the play (the â€Å"To be or not to be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  soliloquy remains one of the most famous in English literature). He also uses various allusions to both biblical and mythological references throughout Hamlet, including a reference to the Garden of Eden in the Ghost of Hamlet’s father’s graphic description of his murder. Imagery is another favorite technique of Shakespeare, as he uses his words to paint images of violence, chaos, beauty, and darkness. The language of Shakespeare is in a class of its own, as the old English text he employs throughout the play reflect his own unique manner of writing. Major conflicts and resolutions: * Hamlet vs. His inner self- Hamlet struggles between action and inaction throughout the entire play. Is inability to act out what he feels and kill Claudius ultimately leads to his death. * Hamlet vs. Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia & Laertes: Hamlet has many external conflicts with the other characters that stem from his internal conflict. The conflict between Claudius and Hamlet leads to both of their deaths. Hamlet kills Polonius out of a fit of insanity. Ophelia and Hamlet seem to have various problems, (as seen by the nunnery scene) and in the end Ophelia ends up going insane and drowning. After Ophelia dies, Laertes wants to seek revenge. He and Hamlet fence and because of a mix up of swords, he is poisoned by his own sword. Key Scenes: * A huge turning point in Hamlet is within rising action. The ghost tells hamlet to revenge his murder. Hamlet finds out that it is Claudius, but Hamlet does not kill Claudius because he is in prayer. * The climax of â€Å"Hamlet† is when Hamlet stabs Polonius through the curtain. (III:v). This is the climax because since he violently killed Polonius, Hamlets gets into conflicts with the king. * The resolution is when Hamlet returns from England, changed. Hamlet eventually has a fencing match with Laertes and then the royal family dies and so does Hamlet. (V.). Key Quotations: * â€Å"Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death/ The memory be green†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (I.ii.1-25) * Claudius addresses his court explaining the death of the King and his marriage to Gertrude. * â€Å"This above all,—to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man† (I.iii.78-80) * Polonius speaks these words to Laertes as he gives him final counsel before leaving home. * â€Å"To be or not to be†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (III.i. 58-90) * In this famous soliloquy, Hamlet ponders life and death, suicide and the afterlife, as well as action and inaction. * â€Å"Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A certain convocation of politic worms are e’en at him. Your worm is your only emperor for diet. We fat all creatures else to fat  us, and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service—two dishes, but to one table. That’s the end.† (IV.iii.21) * Hamlet says this to the king. In this humorous scene, he speaks of Polonius’s death. Many think that the manner in which he speaks of the death in these lines prove his insanity. * â€Å"The rest is silence† (V.ii.356) * Hamlet’s last words spoken to Horatio before he dies Theme statements & central questions: After losing a loved one unjustifiably, one may seek revenge and in doing so explore the limits of sanity. * Why does Hamlet delay in killing Claudius? * Was the ghost real or imagined? * When is murder justifiable? * Is suicide okay? * How much thought is too much thought and not enough action? Your reactions: * I found the soliloquy in Hamlet the most difficult sections of the play to comprehend, particularly due to the old English style in which they were written in. Shakespeare’s dated language and implementation of iambic pentameter often confused me, as did his various allusions and colloquialisms, among other literary devices throughout these extended monologues. I had to re-read the â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy until I was finally able to understand it. Shakespeare reveals of his character’s innermost demons and troubles through his soliloquy, bringing their emotional instability full circle. Realizing this made me strive even harder to understand every aspect of these speeches, every allusion and image and literary device was crucial, even though it appears to be insignificant in the scheme of things. The details truly matter in his works. * Personally, the â€Å"this above all† quote is one of my favorite quotes. Polonius may have been a fool for trying to teach Laertes this lesson at the last possible moment before his departure, but his words are wise ones. Through personal experience I have found truth behind the advice and hold it very close. I’ve discovered that if I remain true to myself and am honest with myself, it is virtually impossible to be false to others.  I’ll always remember these famous words. * One aspect of Hamlet that really stood out to me was the scenes of the ghost. I personally believe that the ghost telling Hamlet to remember him and revenge his father’s death, was actually within the imagination of Hamlet himself. There is no evidence in the play that suggests that the ghost is all in Hamlet’s mind, however, there is no evidence against it, thus making it an effective claim. Notable literary devices: * Shakespeare’s use of tone creates a unique and completely entertaining style of dialogue for the play. The tone uses imagery and diction to add meaning to the text and make the play sad, funny, dark, or even violent at times. * Shakespeare uses poetry in â€Å"Hamlet† and it is written in Iambic Pentameter. â€Å"Hamlet†, having been written in poetry, is portrayed beautifully and because of the meter, is executed properly. * The use of symbols is evident in â€Å"Hamlet†. The skull and the ghost are obvious symbols of death. However, other symbols can be analyzed like Ophelia and flowers, or Ophelia and innocence. Hamlet can be looked at as the â€Å"tragic hero†, and many characters have symbolism behind them. Good for the following prompts: This text would be best implemented in either an analysis or an argument prompt. For the analysis prompt, the student would be presented with a short excerpt from Hamlet and be required to discuss different techniques the author uses throughout the passage, connecting back to the overall meaning of the work as a whole. Any selection from Hamlet highlights Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter, as well as his mastery of imagery and allusions. An argument prompt requires the student to analyze a given position in said argument, and either defend, challenge, or qualify the position using their own knowledge of the work. Anything goes with this prompt, so a total understanding of the various interpretations of Hamlet is necessary to succeed. Students must develop their own interpretation of the work and pinpoint elements in the work that contribute to their understanding of it. Hamlet would be an excellent choice when faced with any prompt dealing with revenge, avenging the death of a loved one, insanity, or family values, a few of the central themes of Shakespeare’s work.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Appearance vs. Reality in Twelfth Night Essay

Theme of Appearance vs Reality is pervasive throughout the play and its various facets are manifested through various thematic expressions. At the very start of the play, the most subtle aspect of Appreance vs Reality is presented in the form of Orsino’s conviction of love for Olivia. He becomes a victim to fictitious idealism as he has not seen Olivia and does not have a glance in three months (the course of the play). Shakespeare depicts Orsino as a sentimental lover who suffers from the ‘sweet pangs’ (II.4.16) of love and ecstasy that have no real existence. Instead of locating the reality of his passion and to find a remedy, he again goes for a solution that is deceptive. In the first two scene of the first Act, he yearns for music to cure his sentimentality. Undoubtedly Orsino has reverted himself into the realm of illusory world by the caprices of his imagination. Shakespeare has juxtaposed the Duke’s unadulterated distress for Cesario’s ‘sister’ with Orsino’s fictitious idealism. He implies that behind all the fake sentimentalities of affectation there is a genuine individual who has genuine concerns. But revelation of another deception i.e. unearthing that Cesario is a woman, helps him to cast away his own belief in appearance and he acknowledges the speciousness of his apparent made-up fondness for Olivia. Orsino does not fell a prey to appearance (instead of reality) due to any inherent flaw in his personality or his psychological complexities but it is a result of his lack of suffiecient experience in the real world especially in the amorous affairs. Same is the case with Olivia whi looks for apprence instead of locating the reality o his passions for Orsino. But Shakespeare juxtaposes them with certain other minor characters like Molvolio who do not acknowledge the reality and never cast away their belief in appearance till the end of the play whereas Orsine and Olivia learns that appearance is always deceptive and becomes realist at the end of the play..