Engineering Disaster free essay sample

A detailed look at the dangers associated with the genetic engineering of food. This paper gives some background on the genetic engineering of food. The author focuses on the dangers that stem from genetically engineered food such as possible medical side effects and repercussions to the environment. The author advocates mandatory labeling of foods with genetically engineered ingredients and looks at regulations in other countries. By far the most severe environmental repercussion of GE crops is that they are a Pandoras box, once they are planted, there is no way to control or recall them. Pollen from GE plants is spread in exactly the same manner as regular pollen, and, therefore, their genetic material will quickly spread to any surrounding fields. This is one of the main reasons why is truly impossible for people to know what they are eating. An organic tomato grown a mile away from a farm that grows GE tomatoes may or may not be infected. We will write a custom essay sample on Engineering Disaster or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Scientists have no way of determining what kind of effects the release of all this genetic pollution will have on the ecosystem (Davis).

The Hearth and the Salamander lays out the pro Essays (359 words)

" The Hearth and the Salamander " lays out the problem: Montag's world expunges the life of the mind and oppresses those who pursue intellectual activities or items. Critical examinations of the novel have located its dystopian character in this vulgar, repressive society, and some have commented on how it extrapolates social and political trends of the late 1940s and early 1950s, or how the science fiction genre responds to perceived threats to its own interest group. 2 Certainly the extrapolation of technological trends and the cultural tenor of the early 1950s is fairly clear. We can see almost immediately how the text articulates contemporary crises: about styles of academic thought and the politics of academic expression; about accepted views about the intellect's role in governing and using affect and the propriety of allowing individuals to exercise control over this by self-administered chemicals; and about the extent to which appropriating canonical texts (in the manner of pre-modern thought) hindered or helped the drive towards existential authenticity. What has not been explored, as far as I am aware, is the way that Bradbury characterises the repression of thought, of reading, and of oratory, as a repression of memory. Several episodes in " The Hearth and the Salamander " use the lexis or imagery of pre-modern memory texts to show how those "higher-order thinking skills" which the society seems most zealous to efface are those which draw most on memory. In order, these are Mildred's overdose; Clarisse's description of the school day; the altered history in The Firemen of America ; the burning of the old woman; the failure of Millie and Guy's autobiographical memory by forgetting how they met; and Captain Beatty's long apologia for the state of his world. Even a nodding acquaintance with pre-modern memory and intellectual culture, described in studies like those of Frances Yates and Mary Carruthers , will probably reveal other episodes. To examine all of these episodes is beyond the scope of this essay; I will explore Millie's overdose, Clarisse's description of schooling, and the burning of the old woman as evidence of the first part of the novel's argument about memory .

Analysis of Marks and Spencers Past Failures and Present Developments The WritePass Journal

Analysis of Marks and Spencers Past Failures and Present Developments Introduction Analysis of Marks and Spencers Past Failures and Present Developments Introduction History of InternationalizationReasons of FailureRecent DevelopmentRecommendation and Conclusion References Related Introduction Marks and Spencer Group plc, a leading and century-old Britain retail giant, which is selling of clothing, food and home products all over the world. After experienced the failure of international expansion about a decade ago, the company stages a comeback on internationalization and intends to form good relationship with customers worldwide. Therefore, this report is going to explore the reasons why MS failed in the past, identify the recent development on international operation and give recommendations for the future expansion. History of Internationalization MS has a long history of international expansion. It makes use of diverse types of entry modes worldwide which combined of entry modes from organic growth, joint venture, and franchise agreements to partly or wholly-owned subsidiaries (Whitehead 1994, p.41). This kind of widely use of ownership models and countries give the priority of the company to perform well globally even when some individual markets may not that good. The company began its tentative internationalization activities by exporting its St. Michael brands products in the 1940s (Alon 2000, p.5). Then MS formalized some of its export activities through franchise agreements in the 1970s. In the next two decades, a gradual expansion occurred both in number and geographic scope. By 1998, MS had almost 500 stores in over 30 countries with the retail sales of almost  £8bn. Meanwhile, the company owned Brooks Brothers and Kings Supermarkets in the United States (Burt et al 2002b, p.200). However, three years later, Marks and Spencer sold its Brooks Brothers brand and Kings Supermarkets (USA) businesses, turned the Hong Kong stores into franchises in a downgraded regional structure, closed the European stores which were unprofitable (Burt 2002a, p1). Under these circumstances, MS faced a survival crisis on its overseas market and most of the company’s direct international activities were compelled to stop. As a consequence, the reputation of the company went downhill both at home and abroad. Reasons of Failure Marks and Spencer suffered sluggish sales, slump in profits and a sharply declining market share owing to all sorts of external and internal reasons. Externally, more ambitious and vigorous competitors entered this market and therefore MS faced more stiff competition over the 1990s. Moreover, technological changes happened in retailing industry. New entrants were more likely to use the computerized systems and adopted new methods of operating which could improve effectiveness and efficiency. Nevertheless, Marks and Spencer still depended on the old systems and approaches. Therefore, the company gradually fell behind (Mellahi et al 2002, p23). Internally, first of all, the company did not have a unified, well-recognized and trusted brand name when exploring the international market. The company did not build up the brand effect. For instance, MS did not change the names of the US chains after it bought Brooks Brothers and Kings Supermarket and used Brooks Brothers’ chain to open the market in the Far East (Alon 2000, p.8). Therefore, the company could not touch customers through its brand image, whereas brand image is vital in marketing literature. Then, MS did not consider the customer’s needs on global market in early years. The company transferred their business formula from the United States to Canada without any modifications. Nevertheless apparently, the Canadian stores required customization to local needs (Alon 2000, p.7). It is an economy that driven by customers. If a business could not satisfy its customers’ needs and keep the customers in a cost-effective way and then it would confronted with losses. Moreover, the company â€Å"lack of clear retail positioning and design† (Burt et al 2002b, p.213). After enter each markets, MS did not have a long-term plan for the sustainable development. Supply chain always to be a problem and the company did not solve it properly. Canada had these problems for years which gave no guidance on the United States purchase. Moreover, many elements make MS run smoothly in the UK market but did not work on the global market and the business became a series of activities with little synergy and cooperative effect (Burt et al 2002b). Last but not the least, the company did not have an overall and long-term development plan of international expansion. Such as the company signed franchise agreements in numerous countries, but used diverse franchisees and different types of franchise arrangements. Therefore, over a long period of time, the international activities of the company were directionless and lacked internal communication (Burt et al 2002b, p.213). Recent Development After the failure of first-round international expansion, Marks and Spencer utilized contraction strategy that focus on domestic market to deal with the crisis. Ten years later, MS is rebuilt as a trustworthy brand which demonstrates its quality, fit, and service are reliable and consistent. Globalization is imperative and overseas expansion is regarded as an opportunity for future growth. Therefore, the company is fully equipped to renew global extension. Circumstances change with the passage of time, now MS has 327 stores overseas in 41 territories (includes Republic of Ireland)(Marks and Spencer Group plc 2010). As can be seen from the chart below that Southern and Eastern Europe is the key area to expansion and there would be great opportunities in emerging markets such as the Middle and Far East, as well as the Indian subcontinent. Source: Marks and Spencer Group plc Moreover, MS set a five year plan to raise international business to 15 to 20% of total Group Revenue from 2008. The company established some guiding principles to help complete the plan in 2010. Specifically: â€Å"Growing our Central and Eastern European partnerships; building sustainable businesses in India and China; accelerating growth with our franchise partners; and continuing to explore new opportunities.† (Marks and Spencer Group plc 2010) Therefore, MS focuses on the sustainable development of the company and proceed with internationalization sequentially. In addition to the European market, emerging markets, such as India and China, are potential areas which need to pay close attention for the next step. Furthermore, the company intends using multiple channels to drive the international business. Recommendation and Conclusion In order to achieve better performance in international expansion, MS needs to use past history for guidance and look to the future. To begin with, the company needs to transfer the â€Å"MS† from a national into an international brand. It is unlikely for a company to deliver a brand into a new market without any further consideration. Therefore, the first decision should be made is whether â€Å"use a brand in all chosen markets or to differentiate it depending on market peculiarities† (Kuvykaite and Mascinskiene 2010, p.446). Since a brand is a promise to make customers know who you are and then help the company generate customer trust. Therefore, the company need identify the brand positioning, symbol, logo and other images to arouse brand awareness. Following the point mentioned above, the company must have detailed market research and expansion strategy. The business strategy should generally cover the ambition, positioning, investment and organisation (Lasserre 2007). Under the strategy, the company need has clear defined short-term and long-term objectives with a suitable value proposition to the market. The company also should organize itself properly and excavate a sustainable competitive advantage which is difficult to replicate or imitate. Moreover, analyze each specific market and meeting customer needs such as supply good quality products at a lower price playing a vital role in the overall strategy. Another important point is that the company should choose a suitable entry mode for each individual target market and come up with the follow-up ways of development. The company can choose any of these entry modes (namely export, license and franchise, alliance, joint venture or wholly owned subsidiary) or some combination of them to enter a host country. It is depending on the country’s specific situation because the choice of entry confines the firm’s overall strategy (Johnson and Tellis 2008). In order to be able to resist challenges of entering a new country and has an efficient operation, the company should be concern with activities after establishment. Finally, all the plans and strategies must be implemented smoothly and adjust according to the changes of the market timely. It is well known that an effective implementation is always superior to a great strategy. A company can never succeed unless it can implement and carry out its strategy effectively (Sterling 2003, p.27). Moreover, the strategy should also keep pace with the newly developed technologies, the changes of market environment of a specific country or region and most important thing is looking squarely at the alteration of customer’s needs. Only in this way can the company use the market knowledge and power to tackle all the difficulties and successfully entering a new market and survive. Marks and Spencer is gaining momentum in internationalization which helps the company seeking new markets and reduces the dependency on the UK economy. Moreover, as the company has a rich experience on international expansion in the past, therefore, it could learn from the past mistakes and create a better future. In this way, the company’s international business offers considerable opportunities for long-term growth, as well as helps it grow into a world famous enterprise. References Alon, I. 2000. Marks Spencer: a case study in international retailing[Online]. Available at: elearning.ulg.ac.be/old_demos/HEC/html/marks.pdf   [Accessed: 12th March 2011]. Burt, S.L. et al. 2002a. The failure of retail internationalization in Marks and Spencer. European Retail Digest. 35, pp.1-4. Burt, S.L. et al 2002b. Retail internationalization and retail failure: issues from the case of Marks and Spencer. International Review of Retail, Distribution Consumer Research. 12 (2), pp191-219. Johnson, J. and Tellis, G. J. 2008. Drivers of success for market entry into China and India. Journal of Marketing. 72 (3), pp.1-13. Kuvykaite, R. and Mascinskiene, J. 2010. Transformation of a national brand into an international brand. Inzinerine Ekonomika-Engineering Economics. 21(4), pp.446-455. Lasserre, P. 2007. Global strategic management. 2nd Edition. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan. pp.34-61. Marks and Spencer Group plc. 2010. MS Annual Report 2010[Online]. Available at: http://annualreport.marksandspencer.com/operating-and-financial-review/where-we-sell.aspx [Accessed: 12th March 2011]. Mellahi, K. et al. 2002. An exploratory study into failure in successful organizations: the case of Marks Spencer. British Journal of Management. 13(1), pp. 15–29. Sterling, J. 2003. Translating strategy into effective implementation: dispelling the myths and highlighting what works. Strategy Leadership. 31(3), pp.27 – 34 Whitehead, M. 1994. Marks Spencer – â€Å"Britain’s Leading Retailer: Quality and Value Worldwide†. Management Decision. 32(3), pp. 38-41.

Biography of Cicero †History Essay

Biography of Cicero – History Essay Free Online Research Papers Biography of Cicero History Essay Cicero was born to a non-noble equestrian family in 106 B.C. He started his career as a lawyer, but soon became so widely known because of his fantastic oratory skills that he was eventually elected to consulship. It was a rare occurrence for someone not of the highest social order to earn such a title, and is proof positive of how talented an orator Cicero was. He was an extremely dedicated civil servant and dedicated a great deal of his time to public service. â€Å"Running as a thread through all of Cicero’s writings and speeches is his concern for freedom and order in society†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Unfortunately Cicero lacked support and was not able to accomplish as many political goals as he wished. It was widely known that Cicero distrusted Julius Caesar, and unfortunately for him Caesar was very popular. Cicero’s criticisms of Caesar fell on deaf ears and his political prowess faded as a result. Defeated and no longer a prominent political figure Cicero did not give up. He began to write great works on political theory and moral philosophy. Cicero’s works were extremely respected and still are today. Cicero was very suspicious of those he considered revolutionaries and normally did not approve of changing the status quo. Cicero views often slanted conservative and this is shown in his writing of his last treatise in 44 B.C., On Duties, in which he stresses continuity, order and freedom. One year later in 43 B.C. Cicero died at the age of sixty-three. Research Papers on Biography of Cicero - History EssayQuebec and CanadaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm X19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionPETSTEL analysis of IndiaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andBringing Democracy to AfricaAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Capital Punishment

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - Essay Example It has gained popularity and support from different quotas who believe that the movement has positioned itself ideologically and consistently hence the need for its political recognition. The current membership of FARC is approximately 18,000 members, 30% of the recruits being under the age of eighteen years and surprisingly, the leadership structure is composed of 49% women. This paper will therefore discuss the political and social effects that have so far resulted from the actions of FARC. The social effects are the drug trafficking, displacements, rape, terrorism, hostages, kidnappings, lack of freedom of the press and other issues. It will also look into the political implications the movement has caused Colombia since its inception. It will finally, provide a different point of view of analysts who believe that the movement is necessary to stem out errant political leaders such the Uribe regime and the former and current presidents in Colombia who are so self centered that they have e economically downgraded the country's economy. Between the years of 1930s and 1950s, hundreds of rural based Colombians driven by their communist ideology began organizing themselves into formidable structures of security and cooperation with the aim of responding to the capitalistic expansion of the ruling interests1. They believed that the state had isolated them and therefore they needed to group all the poor members of the society (small land holders, semi-proletarians, rural workers and peasants) and champion for their rights. The group wanted to establish a corrupt free society, stable and based on local control mechanisms. These localized groups continued to expand their bases and by early 1960s, they had over sixteen groups of communities from all areas of southern and central Colombian republic. These communities were very peaceful to the central government, but to some extent, they were considered a threat to national security especially to the ruling class, land owners, the U.S geopolitical interest and the rising urban capitalists. During the Kennedy administration, the central government through its military targeted regions with strong offensive communities After its founding in the mid 1960s, the insurgency expanded in almost all parts of the country especially during the neo-liberal period when economic policies accompanied by increased repression by the state were practiced. FARC has increased its social, paramilitary and economic presence in Colombia sine that time. In fact, by 1999, the insurgent had almost conquered all the regions of the country. A few years later, reports indicated that they had occupied more than 93% of all the Colombian regions. Within the four decades since the inception of the political movement, FARC ha transformed itself from being a mere peasant-landless struggle to a complex national social force that had threatened even the United States. Currently, the movement has increased its membership base to include; intellectuals, the displaced, Afro-Colombians, unionists, urban workforce and almost all the indigenous population. With an extensive

Potlatch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Potlatch - Essay Example Mauss sees this gift exchange as a system of total services that combines both sacrifice and revenge and this cycle continues, until it exhausts itself into destruction. Thus for Mauss, the potlatch is driven more by the spirit of destruction rather than generosity. Therefore, he is more interested in exploring a totally different aspect of gift giving that is outside the dominant moral code of the capitalist and consumerist society of the West. The Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian have been studied for this aspect of religious exchange or sacrifice that resembles the phenomenon of potlatch. The potlatch, which is a gift, therefore becomes a symbol of sacrifice and demands an equal sacrifice, whose debt is not automatically cancelled always but may produce forth a fresh demand for exchange of gift and so forth. Thus Mauss says that by exchanging gifts that are symbols of power and status a kind of peaceful equilibrium is maintained and it is dangerous to not involve oneself in this sacrifice if gifts. "The Indian tribes of the North-West America, again, practice the "potlatch" system, consisting in two tribes or chiefs engaging in a competition of prodigality; whoever is the richer gives the most and destroys his possessions if necessary. All this, however, in order that he himself may prosper, since in this manner he shows that he has power"2 However, in Arguing with Anthropology, Karen Margaret Skyes argues that the economies of sacrifice seem to be a misnomer for the depth and crux of the issues that potlatch raises perhaps because Potlatch shakes the common sense of the capitalist ideology, which expresses the angst it expresses by the sheer generosity it shows through the exchange of warring gifts by displaying how much one can give to the other. It therefore stands for the total system of social status without which the ethnographic groups have no identity! Therefore, to gather social respect they agree to endanger their well being. Potlatch probably conjures up the fantasy of modern power, which combines luxurious self-destruction - an obsessive and slow yet megalomaniac suicide of a society on the whole and shatters the myth of progression towards the capitalist future. Or is it somewhat similar to where we as westerners are headed It is an ironical similarity - potlatch, self-destruction and capitalist consumerist philosophy converge at a point - buy at any cost and death by excess. Potlatch has been variously criticized as giving beyond reason - but is the capitalist economy reasonable Does presenting an island to a friend any less extravagant or any less unreasonable than a potlatch One can argue that it does not dangerously bind the recipient into any form of obligation to give back a gift of equal proportion. Yes, it may not - but in a capitalist society excess of ceremony is also a political game that fascinates and horrifies at the same time - it is an excessive display of power or a counterpower to som ething that already exists. Thus, festivities are always a symbol of subversion of power, and it is a separate display of power that already exists or which is seeking to overthrow the existing power and seek prominence. Let us also consider the exchange of gift that happens in the Indian society, which is also called dowry, is another

Centered Approach Essay Example for Free

Centered Approach Essay Family-Centered Approach ECE 313 Collaboration with Parents Community Kathleen Thomas October 10, 2011 Instructor Cindy Hopper The economy has hit an all time low and has caused two parent households and single parent households into the workforce. As a result of this the parents are looking for childcare centers for their children. The main concern of these parents is will the centers help with the behavior and development of their children. These parents are looking for a place that is going to help with the development of their children’s self-help skills, empowerment, pro-social skills, self-esteem and attachment. These are behaviors that are not easily controlled and because the children spend the majority of their time in the centers the parents are hoping that together they can help develop desired behavior. That is why they are looking for a center that uses the family-centered approach. As the educator you have to develop a relationship with the children and their parents, the parents have to feel that they are going to be involved in everything that goes on in the center and that concerns their child. The educator has to sit down and learn about the child from the parent so that the educator will know what the parent expects from the educator and the center. The educator has to spend time with the child so that they can start to form a relationship. Family-centered has been defined as: Focus on the children within their families. The program includes the family as an integral, inseparable, part of the children’s education and socialization. Families along with their children are the program. (Gonzalez-Mena) p. . It is very important to acknowledge the children within their families because this way, you remember that you can not do anything without involving both of them. It is important that the educators know what the parents expectations are, Teaching children desired behavior may not be easy even when the educator and the parent are using the same methods. Potty training may require the educator and the parent using the same procedure which might be putting the child on the potty several times a day. If either of them changes the procedure this might cause the child to become confused and it may take longer to train her. To encourage desired behavior from children, parents and teachers need to have a strong relationship with the children. A warm affectionate bond and a positive emotional tone in the home and center will convince the children that their teachers and parents are on the same team and promote a spirit of cooperation and understanding. (Neifert, Marianne, MD) Helping a child develop self-esteem takes a lot of work because you can not do it by saying things that are not realistic. You can not say you are the prettiest girl in the world and think that this will help her self-esteem, as a parent you have to promote self assurances, self-help, competence and being â€Å"special. † Self-esteem rises if the individual is proud to perceive herself as being in possession of these traits. (Gonzalez-Mena) p. 205. Self-esteem has four dimensions: significance, competence, power and virtue. Teaching a child about self-esteem would be difficult because hopefully the child would feel loved and cared for by her parents and she would need to feel that you loved and cared for her too. However, if the child did not feel that she was important this is not something that you can make happen. You can try by showing her that you do care about her and that she is important. You could compliment her when she has achieved a goal that was set for her but you should not over praise her. To promote self-esteem you should never have a critical attitude, label a child or use name calling. Use encouragement instead of always praising them. When they have done something better than the last time make a comparison about how much better it was this time. Never compare your child’s performance to another child’s. Children will fail at some of the things that they try to do but this will be an experience for them. Have realistic expectations; be certain that your expectations for the children’s behavior match their age and developmental abilities. You have to be prepared to show them what it is that you want them to do. Practice the skills with them so that they will be able to do them alone. It is not impossible for a two year old to put on their coats but this two year old might not be ready, you will have to practice this over and over until the child is able to do it themselves. Competence, power and virtue are a part of self-esteem and these things might be easier to teach, being competent means that you have skills that you are very good at. If you were doing these skills on a daily basis you would someday be extremely good at that skill. Power is believing that you are in charge of something other than the paper clips and that you have control over the things that happen in your life. Virtue is being a good person and knowing right from wrong. Educators can take these four dimensions and use them to help a child learn how to feel good about themselves. Teaching pro-social skills you can model the children yourself, you have to set limits and tell them why you are setting the limits. The reason is because you don’t want them to get hurt. Have children work and play together so that they will cooperate better. When children are involved in a conflict it is your responsibility to resolve it with a solving approach. Always avoid punishment as a way of discipline. There are other things that you can do when trying to teach pro-social skills; as an educator you should sincerely acknowledge children’s pro-social behavior by recognizing when they are doing things together (ex: two children have started cleaning up the art area) your response could be â€Å"that is real cooperation†. You should explain reasons for rules and help the children understand the effects of their behavior on others. This type of inductive discipline seems to encourage child to be kind and helpful. (Berman, K. L. , M. M. Torres, C. E. Domitrovich, J. A. An educator can encourage good behavior by using a reward system. Choose a behavior you would like to change. There might be a child in your classroom who will not sit still in his seat; you can tell him that if he sits still that you will reward him for staying in his seat. You can tell him that he has to earn five tokens by staying in his seat when you are teaching the class and that five tokens will get him ice cream at lunchtime. It does not have to be tokens; you might have a chart with everyone’s name on it and at the end of the week if they have receive a star for everyday they will receive extra cookies at snack time. Share your reward system with the parents and see if that helps them out with behavior problems at home.