Geoffrey Chaucer :: Biographies Biography Essays

Geoffrey Chaucer ...I think some of Chaucer belongs to his time and that much of that time is dead, extinct, and never to be made alive again. What was alive in it, lives through him..._ --John Masefield Geoffrey Chaucer's world was the Europe of the fourteenth century. It was neither rich or poor, happy nor sad. Rather, it was the intermingling of these, a mixture of splendor and poverty, displaying both worldly desire and spiritual purity. Chaucer's travels through it, mostly on  ¦the King ¦s business,_ or civil service, shaped his writing, offering the readers of today a brief glimpse into the world in which he lived. Chaucer lived from approximately AD 1340 to 1400. The world in which he lived was not one of peace or stability. Born the son of a London vintner, he remained a Londoner for most of the rest of his life, leaving the city only on  ¦the King ¦s business_. The city of London was thus Chaucer ¦s environment for most of his life. Aside from brief visits into other countries or areas of England, he remained in the city, and it ¦s affects on his writing was immense. London of that time was not the London of today. It was a walled city, guarded against invasion, but long enough time had passed since such a threat had approached that the defenses had loosened. Houses perched upon the walls, and Chaucer in fact, lived for a time in a house built over Aldgate, (one of the gates of the city). London was a city less than three-quarters of a square mile in size: It ran east and west along the Thames less than one and a half miles, and extended northwards less than half a mile. Over 20,000 people were packed into this small area; the diversity of the inhabitants was overwhelming. Londoners ranged from wealthy to impoverished, from small to large, from shoemaker to blacksmith to minstrel to priest. The city was thus fairly close. Stone building mingled with tile, wood, and thatch. While the major streets were fairly wide, small shops and stands often spread out into the road, effectively narrowing it by up to half it ¦s width. London Bridge (the only bridge in the city) was home to a multitude of homes and shops, perched on top of the span to conserve space. Waste was disposed of simply. It was emptied out the windows into the alley or street and slaughtering was done in he streets as well, with scraps being tossed underfoot.

Casinos :: essays research papers

Casinos   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Casinos have become a large part of cities' economy and hundreds of thousands of people's lives. Casinos are exciting for many people who feel they have a chance to win it big. Because so much money is flowing into casinos, the local business are being affected. Most are not thriving with the new tourism and the seemingly revived economy. In 1994 more people made the trip to a casino then to a ball park (Popkin). The casinos are attracting so much of American's dollars that they spent less on books, music albums and attractions (Reed).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people are spending less money outside of the casino. Which is not helping the vast majority of local businesses. This is what is most often overlooked by the city. The money from tourists and the community is not going into the local businesses, but instead the casino. Robert Goodman, Urban Planning professor states: â€Å"Newly opened casinos suck money out of the local economy, away from existing movie theaters, car dealerships, clothing shops and sports arenas† (Popkin). Casinos take money away from existing businesses. In Atlantic City, where casinos were supposed to save their failing economy, over 900 of their 2,100 small businesses have closed and the number of restaurants was reduced from 243 to 146. By providing everything a person needs, the casinos are designed to keep people inside. The truth is casinos drain money out of an area into a far away bank account, most often never going back into the community. Casino revenues may look good on paper to the average person, and to politicians who are constantly being pushed to gain more revenue. In reality they are almost a nightmare to the small locally owned businesses. Jobs are one of the main reasons for the growth of casinos.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Across the continent casinos have created tens of thousands of jobs for unemployed people (Clines). Indian casinos in Minnesota have created approximately 5,000 jobs. Between 1975 and 1992 employment in Atlantic City's service industry grew 608 percent, a significant part of this came from casinos which created 95 percent of the new jobs. The casinos increased construction jobs ninety three percent, and created 600 new transportation jobs (Reed). Over all casinos provide many new jobs for an area. Construction jobs decline when the casino is completed. The jobs will decline as demand for their services drops off. During the same time period of 1975 to 1992 manufacturing jobs were down eighty-four percent. Real estate, insurance, and financial employment fell forty one percent (Reed). While some jobs increased others declined because of the shift of demand for certain jobs.

Translating Transgender: A laymans guide to the least-known minority E

Translating Transgender: A layman's guide to the least-known minority Who hasn't been told to "just be yourself and people will like you?" It seems like such a simple notion. But what if being yourself could lead to harassment, rejection, isolation, unemployment, homelessness, physical violence, or even death? Not so simple anymore, is it? Sadly, this situation is one that confronts transgendered people worldwide on a daily basis. Laurie Johnson*, a tall, robust Fall River resident who underwent male-to-female sex reassignment surgery in 1998, says that she can hardly leave her house without being hassled. "The discrimination and harassment are almost constant when I'm 'dressed,'" she says. "I've heard total strangers comment 'Is that a man or a woman?'. I've been denied service at a bank because they claimed I was wearing a 'disguise.' I tried to attend a business school where they required students to wear business attire. I was asked to leave the first day because I was 'disrupting the classes' simply by being there." Sadly, Johnson's experiences are not uncommon. Many transgendered people, "dressed" or not, report encountering such discrimination and difficulties in their day-to-day lives, a lot of which can be largely attributed to the fact that, despite the great progress that has been made on the gender front, the general public is still largely uneducated about the transgendered lifestyle. While the gay and lesbian movements have come to the forefront of our national consciousness as a result of the recent gay marriage controversy, the transgender movement has remained somewhat in the shadows. Indeed, the transgender culture is probably the least talked about, most commonly misunderstood minority in... ...owed up and talked to them for a while, then wrote a nice story but her editor squashed it because of the ad revenue they get from that chain. They don't usually bother me anymore, unless they have a new security worker." More than anything, when speaking of life as a transsexual, Johnson says she just wishes people would understand that "transsexuals are just like everyone else in the world except when it comes to sex and gender. We can be generous or greedy, kind or cruel, loving or bigoted. Statistically, we're smarter than the general population and, on average, more law abiding." "I would just like to be left alone," she says. Justin Clemente has a slightly different outlook on things. "If (as a society) we can't accept each other, how can we accept ourselves?" he says. "Diversity is honestly the spice of life, and with no spice, life SUCKS!"

Plato’s Republic

Thrasymachus takes the cynical but honest view, that there is more benefit in plainly appearing just than there is in actual being just. He does not necessarily refer to hypocritical villains, those who deliberately nurture a veneer of a socially just man in order to reap personal benefit. He could also be referring to those who have convinced themselves that they are good, apart from society recognizing them as good. As an example of the first we could take Moliere’s Tartuffe. He has entered the household of Orgon with deliberate intent to appropriate for himself the property of his landlord. He takes note of the superficial natures of Orgon and his mother, both of them who are fond of shows of piety and uttering platitudes. He tailors his conduct exactly to please these two. He makes sure that religion is always pouring from his lips. His conduct is always immaculate in the presence of them, and he is never short of advice to the others, who hold him is various degrees of suspicion, regarding the pious and just life. Tartuffe is not only a hypocrite but also a calculating villain. He is the sort that works his way to social standing and privilege by express knowledge that the larger part of society is weak to such charms. It is easy to see that anyone in Tartuffe’s position would lose out by trying to be really just to those he encounters. The counter argument to this is that villains like Tartuffe are usually found out in the end, and therefore suffer in the long run, at the hands of the same society. For example, Tartuffe overreaches himself when he tries to seduce the wife of Orgon, while at the same time courting their daughter. When he is found out he loses the favor of Orgon, after which point he resorts to outright villainy. But when Thrasymachus argues for the appearance of virtue he also has the example of Orgon in mind. For Orgon, and even more so for his mother, the appearance of virtue is the most important thing. So important is it to them that they do not realize that they a dealing with appearances. They believe themselves to be virtuous because they abide by the rules of conventional virtue and piety. Orgon is a wealthy man, and it is clear that his wealth is derived through his ability to adapt. He has no concern whether justice is really done, but only that it should appear to be done. He is so blinded by the show of virtue of Tartuffe that he does not even suspect ulterior motives in his lodger wanting to wed his daughter. When the daughter complains he signs away his property to the lodger in a show of defiance. Of course, his blindness is the cause of his ruin in the end, which is shown for dramatic purposes. But the general argument remains, which is that the likes of Orgon prosper is society. He does enquire into true justice, and any effort in this direction would disrupt his social standing from the root. The likes of Orgon happily give charity to murderers. The vanity of giving blinds them to all other considerations. The mistake of Thrasymachus is that he considers contingent benefits and fails to arrive at a comprehensive account. To provide such an account is extremely difficult, and part of the difficulty is that the listener must have an open and enquiring mind to be able to grasp the subtleties of it. This is why Socrates (Plato) provides three different explanations of why the just life is preferable to the unjust one, and the three responses are suited to the three different attitudes of the questioners. The rich Cephalus is smug in his righteousness that he repays his debts, and that he gives to charity. He is confrontational, and therefore it is only possible to contradict his smug assertions bluntly. This is why Socrates merely asks him to consider whether the returning of a weapon to its rightful owner, a murderer, is justice. Thrasymachus is more constructive. He claims that justice is merely what the powerful impose on the weak. To this Socrates argues that all constructive activity has the powerful acting in favor of the weak, not the other way round, as Thrasymachus contends. If justice be admitted to be constructive then Thrasymachus’ is plainly wrong. The more subtle argument concerning harmony is reserved for the honest enquiries of Adeimantus and Glaucon. Justice is introduced now as a harmony in a body, where the ruling part subdues and controls the rest of the body, so that no part is in discord with another. The final notion is not easy to grasp, for it seems to imply that rulers must have complete wisdom in order to rule, for only with complete wisdom will they be infused with the sense of harmony that is required to effect justice. As a first example we take a football team. The manager of the team is the ruling part of this body. If he can effect harmony here, between all the players, and each of them with himself, then the team will win consistently. But this very success is bound to bring problems. If the team is so good that it never loses, then after a point the players lose motivation, they become complacent. Only after a few bad losses are they able to regain their efficient level again. Complacency, however, is the least evil. Success brings in its train a plethora of evils, all capable of disrupting the harmony. The players begin to nurture big egos and there are personality clashes. In dire circumstances they had all stuck together; but with success even the manager is not beyond reproach anymore. Faced with all these problems the manager becomes more and more dictatorial rather than wise, and this in itself is a cause for disruption. The same is true of any organization. A company starting from scratch is fired with a zeal that is conducive to harmony amongst its employees. But we cannot call such a company absolutely harmonious before it begins to reap enormous profits, because harmony must be equated with success. We are applying the word â€Å"harmony† in the strict sense here, meaning that something in harmony cannot have discordant parts. A company that in unprofitable is not in harmony. Only when it has reached the very top of the field can we begin to harbor such notions as perfect harmony. Then again, the higher is aspires the less and less is management able to maintain harmony. Managers themselves start to look after their own instead of the interests of the business. And so we observe in real life that managers award themselves huge pay packets even when the business is floundering. The arguments of Socrates are always in favor of universals and opposed to particulars. Particular justice, or particular virtue, will not always make sense, but this is only because the all-encompassing or universal picture evades us. Socrates confesses that he does not know what justice is, or what virtue is, or what truth is. To know these would mean having a universal idea in the mind, which is not possible. If the arguments of Socrates mean anything, they are means by which one comes to believe in the universal ideal, becomes convinced that it exists. And so one must not despair if injustice or untruth appears to have the upper hand. Skeptics may easily cast doubt on the existence of universals. They might argue along the lines that we have no experience of universals. That all experience is particular and contingent, and that it is pedantic to introduce the notion of universals. They might say that all justice is merely a point of view. Different cultures evolve with different notions of justice, and this is the principle reason why nations go to war with each other, to fight for a particular notion of justice, or for certain ideas about beauty. The skeptics might argue that if there was a universal idea of justice then it would have been discovered by now and nations would live in peace. In response to such arguments Plato would emphasize existence. For example, people use the word â€Å"table† in everyday discourse. It doesn’t seem to spread confusion, but instead facilitates understanding. But this is strange, because there is no standard table in the world. All tables are different from each other. This difference is a source of confusion. And yet people from diverse cultures and diverse walks of life get away by simply mentioning the word â€Å"table†, and things are immediately clear to all parties as to what is being said. Such fluent communication would be impossible if not every mention of â€Å"table† was referring to a standard. And if this standard does not exist in the material world, then it surely exists transcendentally, something which Plato calls the world of ideals. We could not imagine the ideal table, for every effort in this direction would spring up a particular table. But it is an overwhelming certainty that we have language and communication, in the place of confusion and chaos. This is how Plato confirms the existence of universals. What is true of the word â€Å"table† is also true of the notions of justice, virtue and beauty. People hold relative notions of these, not only between cultures, but also between individuals of the same culture. The skeptics point to a cacophony in such matters, but they can never identify chaos. If difference was the norm, and no standard had ever prevailed, we must judge that there has been time enough for all structure to break down. But what we see in human society is miraculous as it is. The most miraculous structure of them all is the Republic. People can always find fault in the way the state is run. But if they could see things plainly, free from every sort of bias, they could not help marvel at the very existence of the Republic. It is a place where individuals meet with common notions of justice, virtue and beauty. So the existence of the state is a testimony that universal justice exists, as do universal virtue and universal beauty. Plato uses the existence of the Republic to prove that universal justice exists, and that the just life is preferable to the unjust one. Plato’s Republic Thrasymachus takes the cynical but honest view, that there is more benefit in plainly appearing just than there is in actual being just. He does not necessarily refer to hypocritical villains, those who deliberately nurture a veneer of a socially just man in order to reap personal benefit. He could also be referring to those who have convinced themselves that they are good, apart from society recognizing them as good. As an example of the first we could take Moliere’s Tartuffe. He has entered the household of Orgon with deliberate intent to appropriate for himself the property of his landlord. He takes note of the superficial natures of Orgon and his mother, both of them who are fond of shows of piety and uttering platitudes. He tailors his conduct exactly to please these two. He makes sure that religion is always pouring from his lips. His conduct is always immaculate in the presence of them, and he is never short of advice to the others, who hold him is various degrees of suspicion, regarding the pious and just life. Tartuffe is not only a hypocrite but also a calculating villain. He is the sort that works his way to social standing and privilege by express knowledge that the larger part of society is weak to such charms. It is easy to see that anyone in Tartuffe’s position would lose out by trying to be really just to those he encounters. The counter argument to this is that villains like Tartuffe are usually found out in the end, and therefore suffer in the long run, at the hands of the same society. For example, Tartuffe overreaches himself when he tries to seduce the wife of Orgon, while at the same time courting their daughter. When he is found out he loses the favor of Orgon, after which point he resorts to outright villainy. But when Thrasymachus argues for the appearance of virtue he also has the example of Orgon in mind. For Orgon, and even more so for his mother, the appearance of virtue is the most important thing. So important is it to them that they do not realize that they a dealing with appearances. They believe themselves to be virtuous because they abide by the rules of conventional virtue and piety. Orgon is a wealthy man, and it is clear that his wealth is derived through his ability to adapt. He has no concern whether justice is really done, but only that it should appear to be done. He is so blinded by the show of virtue of Tartuffe that he does not even suspect ulterior motives in his lodger wanting to wed his daughter. When the daughter complains he signs away his property to the lodger in a show of defiance. Of course, his blindness is the cause of his ruin in the end, which is shown for dramatic purposes. But the general argument remains, which is that the likes of Orgon prosper is society. He does enquire into true justice, and any effort in this direction would disrupt his social standing from the root. The likes of Orgon happily give charity to murderers. The vanity of giving blinds them to all other considerations. The mistake of Thrasymachus is that he considers contingent benefits and fails to arrive at a comprehensive account. To provide such an account is extremely difficult, and part of the difficulty is that the listener must have an open and enquiring mind to be able to grasp the subtleties of it. This is why Socrates (Plato) provides three different explanations of why the just life is preferable to the unjust one, and the three responses are suited to the three different attitudes of the questioners. The rich Cephalus is smug in his righteousness that he repays his debts, and that he gives to charity. He is confrontational, and therefore it is only possible to contradict his smug assertions bluntly. This is why Socrates merely asks him to consider whether the returning of a weapon to its rightful owner, a murderer, is justice. Thrasymachus is more constructive. He claims that justice is merely what the powerful impose on the weak. To this Socrates argues that all constructive activity has the powerful acting in favor of the weak, not the other way round, as Thrasymachus contends. If justice be admitted to be constructive then Thrasymachus’ is plainly wrong. The more subtle argument concerning harmony is reserved for the honest enquiries of Adeimantus and Glaucon. Justice is introduced now as a harmony in a body, where the ruling part subdues and controls the rest of the body, so that no part is in discord with another. The final notion is not easy to grasp, for it seems to imply that rulers must have complete wisdom in order to rule, for only with complete wisdom will they be infused with the sense of harmony that is required to effect justice. As a first example we take a football team. The manager of the team is the ruling part of this body. If he can effect harmony here, between all the players, and each of them with himself, then the team will win consistently. But this very success is bound to bring problems. If the team is so good that it never loses, then after a point the players lose motivation, they become complacent. Only after a few bad losses are they able to regain their efficient level again. Complacency, however, is the least evil. Success brings in its train a plethora of evils, all capable of disrupting the harmony. The players begin to nurture big egos and there are personality clashes. In dire circumstances they had all stuck together; but with success even the manager is not beyond reproach anymore. Faced with all these problems the manager becomes more and more dictatorial rather than wise, and this in itself is a cause for disruption. The same is true of any organization. A company starting from scratch is fired with a zeal that is conducive to harmony amongst its employees. But we cannot call such a company absolutely harmonious before it begins to reap enormous profits, because harmony must be equated with success. We are applying the word â€Å"harmony† in the strict sense here, meaning that something in harmony cannot have discordant parts. A company that in unprofitable is not in harmony. Only when it has reached the very top of the field can we begin to harbor such notions as perfect harmony. Then again, the higher is aspires the less and less is management able to maintain harmony. Managers themselves start to look after their own instead of the interests of the business. And so we observe in real life that managers award themselves huge pay packets even when the business is floundering. The arguments of Socrates are always in favor of universals and opposed to particulars. Particular justice, or particular virtue, will not always make sense, but this is only because the all-encompassing or universal picture evades us. Socrates confesses that he does not know what justice is, or what virtue is, or what truth is. To know these would mean having a universal idea in the mind, which is not possible. If the arguments of Socrates mean anything, they are means by which one comes to believe in the universal ideal, becomes convinced that it exists. And so one must not despair if injustice or untruth appears to have the upper hand. Skeptics may easily cast doubt on the existence of universals. They might argue along the lines that we have no experience of universals. That all experience is particular and contingent, and that it is pedantic to introduce the notion of universals. They might say that all justice is merely a point of view. Different cultures evolve with different notions of justice, and this is the principle reason why nations go to war with each other, to fight for a particular notion of justice, or for certain ideas about beauty. The skeptics might argue that if there was a universal idea of justice then it would have been discovered by now and nations would live in peace. In response to such arguments Plato would emphasize existence. For example, people use the word â€Å"table† in everyday discourse. It doesn’t seem to spread confusion, but instead facilitates understanding. But this is strange, because there is no standard table in the world. All tables are different from each other. This difference is a source of confusion. And yet people from diverse cultures and diverse walks of life get away by simply mentioning the word â€Å"table†, and things are immediately clear to all parties as to what is being said. Such fluent communication would be impossible if not every mention of â€Å"table† was referring to a standard. And if this standard does not exist in the material world, then it surely exists transcendentally, something which Plato calls the world of ideals. We could not imagine the ideal table, for every effort in this direction would spring up a particular table. But it is an overwhelming certainty that we have language and communication, in the place of confusion and chaos. This is how Plato confirms the existence of universals. What is true of the word â€Å"table† is also true of the notions of justice, virtue and beauty. People hold relative notions of these, not only between cultures, but also between individuals of the same culture. The skeptics point to a cacophony in such matters, but they can never identify chaos. If difference was the norm, and no standard had ever prevailed, we must judge that there has been time enough for all structure to break down. But what we see in human society is miraculous as it is. The most miraculous structure of them all is the Republic. People can always find fault in the way the state is run. But if they could see things plainly, free from every sort of bias, they could not help marvel at the very existence of the Republic. It is a place where individuals meet with common notions of justice, virtue and beauty. So the existence of the state is a testimony that universal justice exists, as do universal virtue and universal beauty. Plato uses the existence of the Republic to prove that universal justice exists, and that the just life is preferable to the unjust one.

English thematic essay

During a celebration Cassia begins to drink Sago uses the situation to his diva mintage. He begins to use subtle actions to get Cassia progressively drunk, for example he sings to excite Cassia and make him gullible and he says subtle things in his song like â€Å"Drink ho! † in Act II Scene Ill. This provokes Cassia to drink more and because of hubris when he is called drunk he denies the statement, becomes enraged, and attacks Ordering and Montana no.Othello hears the commotion and asks what happened, Sago pretends like he doesn't want t o betray Cassia and â€Å"accidentally† gives up Cassias name when he says, â€Å"l had rather have this t unguent cut from my mouth then should it do offence to Michael Cassia. † By saying this, his owe n reputation is still intact and actually seems more noble for what he said, Othello responds by saying â€Å"Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, making light to Cassia. Cassia love thee but nevermore and officer Of m ine. TO Othello it appears that his lieutenant had a drinking problem and his actions caused him to lose respect for Cassia, but in reality I ago had manipulated Cassia in order to get him fired. After Cassia had been fired his reputation had been tainted. He felt that his re tuition was who he was, it meant everything to Cassia and it had been taken away from him. H e feels too ashamed to face Othello but wants to be reinstated knowing this Sago tells hi m â€Å"My wife must move for Cassia to her mistress I'll set her on.Myself the while to draw the m or apart. † He was basically saying for Cassia to go speak with Desman about his job and he would got Desman alone to speak to. While Cassia is speaking with Desman, lag o and Othello are walking together so Sago brings Othello to where Cassia and Desman are and when Cassia see's Othello he runs away. Sago then says â€Å"Ha! I like not that! â€Å"Len act Ill scene II As to say that Cassia had been caught, Sago had manipula ted the appearance in order t o cause Othello to become suspicious of Desman and Cassia.After this in act IV scene I Sago then further causes Othello to be suspicious when he told Othello he heard Cassia crying o UT Adhesion's name in his dream and after he sees Cassia heading in their direction he tells Othello to hide in some nearby bushes. Cassia and Sago begin to have a conversation about Bib NCAA but Sago mentions Desman to make Othello think it was about Desman. Othello o becomes enraged after this because Cassia says â€Å"I marry her? What a customer? † To To hello it had appeared that Cassia had been with Desman and even called her a custom mere (prostitute) but in reality Cassia was speaking of Bianca.Society has an extensive amount of expectations for people, in this case have Eng people defined by their reputation (appearance) in there feat to be civil and gain rep taxation they ironically become savage and are ignorant to that fact. They are also ignorant to the fact that it changes them and they become the person that there reputation describes w ICC is not always who they really are and for the people that have their true feelings (the reality of how the feel) concealed and lost by reputation, once that is lost they have nothing left.Once e their reputation is destroyed they begin to question whether they are civilized or savage, this is demonstrated after Cassia loses his position and says â€Å"Reputation, reputation, reputation O, ha eve lost my reputation! Have lost the immortal part of myself and what remains is beastie Othello has developed a good deal around the themes of civility vs.. Savagery and appearance v. S reality.When he is first introduced Othello is very calm and co Elected but as you go further into the play the themes influence him to do certain things for ex. ample the reason why Cassia, Othello very close friend who introduced him to Desman, was PU noshed so severely was because Othello is insecure about himself bei ng a savage which is why he became a general because people would be forced to respect his authority and reputation, but what good is his authority if his close friend and second in command was a drunken idiot.Also when Othello was tricked into believing that Desman was having an affair with Cassia, he ha become incredibly enraged at one point having an epilepsy due to anger as stated to C assai by Sago â€Å"No, forbear. The lethargy must have his quiet course, if not he foams at the mouth h, and by, and by, breaks out to savage madness†. Basically he was telling Cassia Othello needs t mime to cool down or he'll turn savage. Also compared to how Othello treated Desman with c are, calling her his sweet.Though in act IV scene I she is treated very much different for example e after Desman says ‘h,'Vhf sweet Othello? † He strikes her and calls her â€Å"Devil†. The reasons why I feel appearance v. Reality is such an important theme in O Othello is because Sag o uses the appearance and people reputation and uses it to main palate them as he us BTL does when he gets Cassia to drink more and more leading up to a fight then using that to get Cassia fired.It is also used when Sago starts getting Othello suspicious of Cassia when Cassia has pure intentions. It also especially affects the lives of all the people at that time because reputation meant everything to them, it defined who they were, soma e examples include Cassia saying â€Å"Once reputation is lost what remains is beastie† and Othello chi sing to fire Cassia because he needed his reputation to stay undamaged to keep people from 10 Going down on him like he was a savage.

H&M in Accounting Essay

Content Page Questions Question 1. Using Michael Porter’s five forces model, evaluate the importance of Barriers to Entry to the fast-fashion industry. Support your arguments with evidence from the case study. (20%) Question 2. Conduct a value chain analysis to assess H&M’s capabilities and derive its core competencies. (35%) Question 3. Based on these competencies identify the generic competitive strategy which H&M is pursuing. (10%) Question 4. It is suggested in the case study that the fashion industry is full of companies that have confidently expanded into international markets but later have been forced to retreat. Analyze the international strategy choice being pursued by H&M and assess the extent to which this is appropriate for its future development. (25%) Appendix Global FactorsLocal FactorsIntegration Responsiveness Grid References Question 1. Applying Michael Porter’s five forces model, it includes the threat of entrants and substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers and customers and competitive rivalry. Among all, barriers to entry could be an essential factor to the fast-fashion industry. Even so, the threat of entry is affected by several factors. Different sources of barriers to entry can act as a determinant on the height of barriers. As mentioned in the case study, fast-fashion industries doesn’t require a large capital outlay. Entry to the retail industry is so easy that can be set up with a group of suppliers being chosen from. Therefore, the level of impact of capital requirement to the barriers to entry is low. Secondly, economies of scale is a barrier to entry as its product unit cost will be lowered for the businesses which already attained a production volume so that it will be hard for the new entrants to compete. H&M’s prices have been undercut by an even cheaper competitor. In this ca se, economies of scale’s level of impact to the fast-fashion industry is high. For the absolute cost advantage, for incumbent companies who already have economies of scale can have a significant cost advantage over new entrants. Additional costs may include  the learning or experience curve, proprietary technology and government subsidies. Therefore, the level of impact is high for new entrants. Considering product differentiation, the level of impact is regarded as low as fast-fashion industry has a variety of choices in its suppliers that could be different from many others. Also, it can be overcome by creating in its own brand to avoid this kind of barrier. There may not be a difficulty in access to channels of supply and distribution to the fast-fashion industry because these channels are held by numerous suppliers. New entrants can set up their own like Gap Corporation and Inditex by acting as both manufacturers and retailers which results in low level of impact. The level of impact of the legal and regulatory barriers will be treated as low either. Various controls may be limited by the governments such as the licensing requirement or limit to access to raw materials. These would not be applied to the fast-fashion industry as it generally has less control by the governments and usually bound by the legal system. Last but not least, the level of impact of the expected retaliation could be high since the size and duration of retaliation in fast-fashion industry are intense. These may threaten the new entrants including the price cuts. New entrants have less ability to make retaliation than those incumbents in view of experience and resources. To conclude, the overall height of barriers to entry is low which means a serious threat of entering fast-fashion industry. It implies an intense rivalry and an unattractive environment. Therefore, it is important to consider the barriers to entry in this industry. Question 2. The value chain analysis is mainly divided into two types- support and primary activities. This analysis is made to let companies determine where value is added to the customers and margin is increased to the organization. Under support activities, H&M’s firm infrastructure is easy and simple. Following Erling Persson’s basic values and beliefs, H&M intended to offer the fashion and quality at the best price. Also, the managers are given freedom and autonomy in decision-making processes which lead the success of H&M.For the Human Resources Management, H&M focused on one person’s qualities much more than qualifications which implies that opportunities are given to those people with lower academic levels. It was noticed that practical skills are more important to the company instead. Internal promotion and job rotation are the crucial ingredients to sustain H&M’s continuous growth.Regarding technology development, H&M has been adopting the latest IT systems with continuous improvement. Intelligent use of ICT has been an effective tool in assisting H&M’s business which can be applied to the logistics and warehouse system. Moreover, H&M is tightly connected to the customers through social network and various phone apps.The fourth support activity is the procurement. As H&M does not own any factories so the manufacturing is outsourced to low-cost countries. Procurement is centralized in Stockholm. A good connection network can be seen between the production offices and the suppliers in order to reduce the lead times. On the other hand, the primary activities include five elements-inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales and service. H&M provided little information on inbound logistics which should include raw materials con trol and inventory control of input material. This may become a weakness in the management of H&M.For the operation of H&M, it opts for renting store premises to increase flexibility and adaptability. In addition to this, H&M will do the product testing about the quality control. Furthermore, a new interiors program is created to catch up with the latest trend.Under outbound logistics, only transportation is handled by the external contractors. However, H&M deals well with the distribution by offering the best price to avoid middlemen. H&M is cost-conscious and thus can reduce the costs being incurred. Also, daily shipments are available to H&M which implies an effective and efficient shipment scheduling system.Considering the marketing and sales, H&M has been collaborating with 200 in-house designers and several famous ones. In addition to this, it has launched long-term advertising campaigns with high-profile celebrities which can indirectly boost the sales and build up its image. Online promotion is also available for customers for the latest updates.The last category is the service. Usually it refers to the after-sale service that how well a company can do on the quality contr ol. H&M just put little focus on after-sale service such as the customer support. This appears to be a weakness to H&M.Apart from inbound logistics and the service, other activities are considered as H&M’s strengths which makes H&M being world leader. Concerning the two types of the activities, there are three key linkages  between them. From support to support activity, Human Resources management (HRM) is linked to technology development as the intelligent staffs are employed to assist in IT development and continuously making updates through the IT systems. As the advanced technology requires employees to apply the IT skills they have learnt, so there is an important relationship between HRM and technology development. For example, HRM acts as an important role to reply customers’ queries efficiently and let them know the latest trend of the company through social networks. From primary to primary activity, the outbound logistics is linked to the marketing and sales. When the products and services are delivered to customers, the next process will be about the packaging and promotion on the products. Whether the customers choose the company depends on the quality of both products and services. It is said to be closely related because marketing and sales has usually become a must-do item for the large incumbents especially for the fast-fashion industry. For the last type of linkage from primary to support activity, it can be linked to five activities. Procurement, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, human resources management and technology development are all connected with each other in H&M’s operation.Although H&M didn’t own any factories, its manufacturing is outsourced in order to find some fashionable items with the lowest costs in response to the changing market which results in economies of scale. After the procurement process is done, it will be delivered to the customers from the warehouse. Under outbound logistics, it specifies the importance of the order fulfillment and on time delivery. As a large incumbent in retail industry, a budget is spent on t he marketing and sales on the products being delivered to the consumers. When doing the marketing and sales, IT skills and applications will be used to assist. In line with the promotion of its products, its brand name is highly attentive as well. Regarding the firm size and experience in the textile industry, H&M has been paying much attention on CSR keeping the brand name away from the criticisms which is treated as a kind of value driver that manage in its brand and reputation.For example, inventory will be shifted to the more popular regions from those with poorer sales amount in order to boost the sales. From this example, it can be seen that the intranet network is well-developed. From procurement to the technology development, they are all connected between each activity. Based on the 3  main linkages, the linkage between primary and support activity is the most important among all which is likely to be a core competence of H&M. To affirm whether it is core, the VRIN test can act as an effective tool.Whether it is valuable depends on the effectiv eness of the value-creating activities and its future development. The most significant value-creating activity is Human Resources management. Responsible and skilled staffs are essential to H&M as they can apply their experience and techniques in meeting the latest trend and customer needs. Trainings and duration of experience can definitely create value and be further developed.To define how rare it is, this should be compare with other similar competitors. Apart from the collaboration with in-house designers, H&M uniquely co-operated with different famous designers over the years from various countries.The fundamental concept that has already been embedded in the employees. It was said to be unbreakable stubbornness devotion to a goal by the journalists. This in fact is a competitive advantage which H&M can stick to the fundamental principle by offering fashion and quality at the best price and this will be difficult for others to imitate. For the last aspect, the category of the human resources management and the procurement may be vulnerable to substitution. The staff’s mobility is relatively high in this industry as it varies with the times. This theory also applies to the sources of supplies. But the staff trainings can increase their loyalty to the company which becomes non-substitutable. All in all the competency mentioned is sufficient to meet the criteria of the VRIN test. Therefore, human resources management in the linkage between the primary and support activities can be treated as core competency that confer competitive advantage. Question 3. Based on the competencies stated in question 2, H&M is pursuing the Hybrid strategy which is the integration of both cost and differentiation strategies. H&M has been applying economies of scale that is achieving cost leadership. H&M’s core principle is to offer the fashion and quality at the best price. One of its core value is to be cost conscious. H&M is alert to the costs which aim to provide the most worthy price for customers. Bargaining power is particularly important in this industry as fast-fashion changes in a speedy mode. At the same time, H&M has also  put a focus on differentiation. In building its reputation and image, H&M has spent a budget especially for advertising. Besides, working with different types of fashion designers creating innovative collections can lead product differentiation . To compete with others in this industry, cutting cost is not the only way to survive. To become a stable yet significant player, product differentiation is more effective. Based on the analysis in question 2, H&M has already built core competencies in cost drivers and value drivers which generate efficiency and differentiation. Also, H&M can respond quickly to the changing environment to fulfill customers’ needs and technology level. So Hybrid strategy is adopted in H&M. Question 4. Based on the Integration Responsiveness Grid, H&M is likely to pursue globalization strategy. Globalization is the transition of industries from a multinational to a global competitive structure. From the global factors, H&M scores higher than that in local factors. There are different arguments that support H&M pursuing globalization. For the most significant factors, H&M is obviously buying centrally in Stockholm. Stockholm becomes the central purchasing office of H&M. Gaining economies of scale is one of its goal of H&M either. To fast-fashion industry, speed of introducing new products to changing environment is very important to meet the latest trends. As mentioned before, advanced technology is applied in H&M which can improve the quality of products and service. Customers around the world behave in the same way as H&M has been opening over 2,000 stores in 2010 which implies customers in different countries accept the products and services H&M delivered. These factors globalize s H&M. On the other hand, pricing strategy being adopted by H&M has been coherent across borders as it focused on offering the best price to all customers in different countries sticking with the spirit of itself. There is no big difference in the distribution channels as it follows its own practice by distributing from distribution centers to warehouses to the stores. Business regulations and contexts also does not differ much from place to place. Customers contact and after-sale service are less focused by H&M which suggests low customization. Transportation is controlled by the external contractors which means local  operations are not that essential. Concluded from the local factors, H&M is not likely to pursue localization. Furthermore, decision-making like buying and logistics are centralized at the Head Office which confirms its position using a global strategy. Global strategy also has another characteristic which offers standardized products to different countries. In my point of view, global strategy is very suitable for H&M in future development. In fast-fashion industry. H&M belongs to a vibrant player which should aim to be a global leader. Also, it has already been achieving few tactics like economies of scale and increasing its bargaining power. However, there are several benefits and risks associated with the global strategy. By applying this strategy, H&M can achieve global economies of scale and brand consistency. Expanding the target customers as the whole world, independent management is also treated as its strength. For the risks that H&M might be facing, standardized products may not meet all customers’ needs as it might be lack of sufficient innovative ideas to suit everyone. Moreover, centralized decisions will be lack of innovation and creativity, though decentralization is now encouraged in H&M.

Policy Speech on Drug Abuse Essay

Some of you may remember back in 5th grade the D.A.R.E song. You know the song about staying away from drugs and making your own choices. Come on! It had little dance moves that went along with the words. Well if you don’t remember, heres an example of the Chapman Elementary school in Dublin Ohio singing at their D.A.R.E graduation. (play video) Who went through a program like this in their elementary school? According to the Ocean Shore Police, today D.A.R.E. is being taught in all 50 states, in more than 300,000 classrooms. However, this program is not as effective as it was originally sought out to be. Drug abuse is a tremendous problem that must be addressed by the community in order to aid in future prevention. Today I will be talking to you about the D.A.R.E program now and how it is slowly losing its popularity, my proposal on how to change it and how this will positively effect the younger generations. D.A.R.E, standing for Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, was founded in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and eventually spread across the country. DARE is a primary, or universal prevention program. It targets children and youth before or around the age of experimentation, usually 5th graders. Today, the program reaches more than 26 million children every year in the United States. The non-profit program uses trained law enforcement officers to teach students about drug and alcohol resistance and prevention, and making good life choices. The hour-long classes typically run 10 to 17 weeks, depending on the school. The D.A.R.E. program enables students to interact with police officers or sheriffs in a safe and controlled classroom environment. This helps students and officers meet and understand each other in a friendly manner. Since it was founded, D.A.R.E. has expanded to encompass programs for middle and high school students, conflict resolution, gang prevention, parent education, and after-school recreation and learning. The curriculum has also been revised over the years as a result of research findings and is now more interactive by promoting participation by students. D.A.R.E. has also  established a Scientific Advisory Board to aid in self- evaluation and recommend program changes. Kathi Ackerman, director of Minnesota DARE said, â€Å"Its curriculum has been revamped at least 10 times since its creation.† Still, many districts have had to cut the program because it was too expensive and the outcome did not meet their standards. Julie Olson, director of elementary education said that the Rosemount-Apple Valley district had to drop DARE due to their $15 million budget shortfall. The district used the program for two decades; however it was cut from 18 elementary schools, saving the district $50,000 annually. Although the program has said it involves middle and high school students, research found that 80% of primary school students had experienced some D.A.R.E. education, but only 20% of middle school students and 10% of high school students were exposed to any follow-up drug use prevention. This is one of the great weaknesses within the program. Without a follow up lesson, kids tend to forget what they learned or simply think it does not apply to them anymore. Regardless of the positives DARE teaches, being exposed to these lessons in only one grade is not enough for it to become a way of life. If we ask the question, does DARE help support healthy attitudes about drug use, increase knowledge and awareness of addiction, and increase skills important for youth to have, then the answer is without a doubt yes. However is this enough for our children? Their lives are at stake and if we do not see results, then we are not effectively doing our job. What the critics fail to recognize, is that no single program can be expected to have a lasting effect by itself. Namely, no one component in prevention is sufficient in and of itself to reduce the prevalence of drug use. For this reason, I propose an updated version of the DARE program. A version that will run throughout middle and high school, involve the parents, schools teachers, faculty and staff. This new program will continue on with all that is already in the DARE program; however, it will also include guest speakers, field trips and hands on activities. Volunteer guest speakers will range from previously abusive drug and alcohol users, current abusers and families of those that have lost a loved one to the disease of addiction. The lack of shock and â€Å"in your face† types of actions are what the current DARE program is missing. This may be due to the fact that its primary age  group for students is in the elementary school level. Kids in middle and high school need to see these types of people for it to actually effect them. I know that every teenager thinks they are invincible and that they can do anything. They have the mindset, â€Å"That could never be me.† I did, but boy did I get a news flash when I went on a field trip with my criminal justice class to the Nassau Jail. A few of the inmates volunteered to tell their stories. There was this one beautiful girl sitting in the corner and I honestly thought she was part of staff, until she stood up and told her story about drug addiction. She happened to live in my town. How crazy is that? That definitely hit home to many of the students in my class. This is the type of shock value we need to express to our children for them to understand the actual reality that ones actions can lead to. We can throw all of these stories onto a child or teenager, yet it cannot stop there. Parents who play a vital role in a child’s life, have to impose their influence on decision making to lead towards healthy choices. Within the program there will be parent and teacher seminars which will explain what the children are learning, the ways they are being taught and ways the adults can reenforce the lessons. The seminars for adults will also include the same guest speakers and opportunities to take the same field trips that the children go on. Finally these seminars will include how to detect signs of addiction, ways to sufficiently help your child and contact information for specialized therapists, rehabilitation centers and anonymous support groups. Some may see this as to be a bit heavy and too much for their children ages 10-18 to go through; however this is the harsh reality. We need to take action and take action now! Drug abuse is still a popular fad amongst teenagers even with prevention programs like DARE. Obviously, we as a community are not effectively doing our jobs. With a revised version of DARE, students, parents and teachers will be able to work together to prevent this fad from reoccurring. Having hands on activities, guest speakers, field trips and adult seminars will create a more sufficient program to lead children towards a healthy future. Now think back to the DARE song that Chapman Elementary School performed. Can we only teach our children a cute song or can we actually send a message  that will stick?