Principle of Management

The purpose of this paper is to discuss Verwaayen decision-making skills in leadership role at Alcatel-Lucent. I will explain in details the manner in which decisions were made, risk factor, and the contribution to business. The decisions managers make at all level in business have a remarkable impact on the growth and wealth of the companies and the interests of employees, customers, and other stakeholders. Verwaayen resigned from Alcatel-Lucent in 2013 due to poor job performance.Ben Verwaayen is a Dutch businessman. He graduated from Utrecht University with a degree in law and international relation in 1975. He has been the CEO of Alcatel-Lucent since 2008. Verwaayen was under pressure to help (Alcatel-Lucent) a stressed networking-equipment manufacturer to become profitable again. Firstly, I will describe the type of decisions Verwaayen made as CEO. Secondly, I will publicize the risks and uncertainty made. Thirdly, I will explain what decision-making strategy management used.Las tly, I will expound on the ways I assume Verwaayen contribute organization’s learning at Alcatel-Lucent. Firstly, I will describe the type of decisions Verwaayen made as CEO. On Verwaayen first day as CEO, he received an email asking him for approval to hire a new secretary in a Poland office after 16 executives had already agreed. Verwaayen was surprise that executives had agreed to hire someone they never met or talked to. He put in place a directive allowing managers to hire their own personnel. This was the first decision that Verwaayen made at Alcatel-Lucent.Decision-making is the process by which managers react to opportunities and pressure by analyzing the choices and making decisions about certain organizational aspirations and courses of action according to Jones and George page (149) in our textbook. There are two types of decision-making; programmed or nonprogrammed. Verwaayen used programmed decision-making when he gave the managers authority to hire own staff. Ot her decisions that Verwaayen made including the company stopped hedging and wage that a 4G wireless LTE technology would materialize instead of rival WiMax.Secondly, Verwaayen decisions had a dramatic impact on Alcatel-Lucent, as well as opportunity risk. The decisions Verwaayen imposed helped Alcatel-Lucent redevelop their infrastructure, profits, and increased the stock value. Verwaayen gave the managers the responsibility to pursue issues that are important to them. The business goal that executives put forward as the new Alcatel-Lucent norms after the merger in 2008 worked for the executives. Risks and uncertainties in these decisions could have been overwhelming to the structure of the business.Accountability by managers could have abused to seek personal gain instead of business, and the decision to spend greatly on the 4G LTE technology could have fail if the key carriers in the Unites States chose to use other networking methods for their smart phones. Thirdly, Verwaayen and other top managers choose to pursue major issues in which they found to be critical toward the current culture and infrastructure of the company. Upon changing the culture and structure of the company Verwaayen and his top managers were able to make case by case decisions for the company.I believe if Verwaayen had used these six steps with the other managers: recognize the need for a decision, generate alternatives, choose among alternatives, implement the chosen alternative, and learn from feedback there would have been a different outcome. Lastly, I believe that Verwaayen could contribute organizational learning at Alcatel-Lucent varies ways. Verwaayen has a enormous knowledge of the organization’s marketplace as well as the stakeholders at Alcatel-Lucent.Verwaayen could teach management what it takes to run a successful business from his past experience. Learning from past mistakes within an organization is vital. Verwaayen should motivate managers to engage in entreprene urial intrapreneur spirit. Entrepreneurs have a high personality trait of openness to experience, meaning they are prone to be original, open minded, daring, and take risks. Also organizations need encourage intrapreneurship because it leads to organizational learning and innovation.In conclusion, Verwaayen made some great decisions as the CEO of Alcatel-Lucent during his time in power. He also empowered his managers to hire their own staff and gave them some responsibilities to seek out employees that had skill that are valuable to the company and allowed accountability for poor decision making. Verwaayen is instrumental in ending the Alcatel-Lucent hedge and investing heavily on 4G LTE technology. Verwaayen made some poor decisions that were not profitable for the company. I agree with the decision to ask Verwaayen to resign from his post in 2013.

Childhood and Pg

How did Eddie die and why did he put himself in such danger? (pg. 15) he got smashed by a fiberglass cart from the drop nd to save a little girl Today is Eddie's Birthday (#1) What decade in the 1900s was Eddie born? (pg. 19) in the 1920s Chapter 2: The Journey Did Eddie die trying to save the little girl? (pg. 21) Did Eddie save the little girl? (pg. 1) yes, we dont know Why do you think Eddie doesn't feel worry or pain?Explain your answer. (pg. 22)its a earthly feeling Today is Eddie's Birthday (#2)How old is Eddie? And what is his party like? (pgs. 23-25)eddie is 5 it was fun with cake and he whore a cowboy costume Chapter 3: The Arrival Where does Eddie wake up? How is it different from what he remembered at the end of his life? (pgs. 26-27) ruby pier, old rides are still there How is Eddied different? What can he do that he hadn't done (or been able to do) for years? (pgs. 27-28) he can run At the end of the chapter, who is waiting for Eddie? (pg. 31). the blue man Chapter 4: Th e First Person Eddie Meets in Heaven Why does Eddie feel like a child? pg. 32) Hes back at his childhood place Where does the Blue Man tell Eddie he is? (pg. 34) In Heavan Why isn't Eddie happy with the answer? (pg. 34) He didnt want to believe it, he doesnt think that place is heavan According to the Blue Man, what is the purpose of heaven and how does it tie into the title: The Five People You Meet in Heaven? (pg. 35) (important to the novel's theme) To explain your life on earth What killed the Blue Man? (pg. 36) Eddie did. Based upon what you know about Eddie thus far, how do you think the Blue Man's evelation about who killed him affected Eddie?Explain your answer. yes he felt guilty Today is Eddie's Birthday (#3)Based upon what happened in this section, who is braver: Eddie or Joe? Explain why. He gets the ball nd Joe runs off like a little Describe the Blue Man's childhood. Why doesn't his father care for him? (pgs. 39-40) he was shy and fidgety, He was ashamed of him for emb arassing him Why is the Ruby Pier in the 1920s the Blue Man's heaven? (pg. 42) he felt accepted Today is Eddie's Birthday (#4) Where does Eddie unwillingly go on his 8th birthday? he had to Childhood and Pg By hhectr64

Chinese popular culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chinese popular culture - Essay Example Speaking about Chinese television, the 20th century is deservingly considered to be revolutionary in the field. In the 20th century you could hardly find a person who did not watch TV and now with the development of internet, television still does not loose its popularity. Then with the development of technology new opportunities appeared for people providing the chance to listen to the music and watch films every day, every moment, every second. Moreover, art became something very prestigious and musicians turned into the most influential people in the society. Braester points out â€Å"with the rise of â€Å"cultural economy† (wenhua jingji) in the mid-1990s, cultural capital and economic capital became exchangeable. Cultural references could be cashed in to enhance the monetary value of a commercial project, and the brokers of culture became powerful elite. Under these circumstances, ?lmmakers – like their counterparts in music distribution, art exhibition and liter ary promotion – could bene?t from their skills as producers of artifacts of wide appeal and their proximity to intellectual circles to become in?uential middlemen† (Braester, 2006, p. 551). The 20-21st centuries brought the new opportunities to make experiments. The popularity the television gained attracted young generations to the field of art. Now the number of musicians is growing every day as the youth is fond of music very much. With the elimination of many prejudices the Chinese society has been always full of, new opportunities to make different experiments appeared, thus new waves appeared and the development of the music accelerated. The development of technology does not bring benefits to all the fields of media. Some fields became less popular, because other fields appeared. One field that simply could not benefit from this development is the newspaper industry. It is no need to say that the development of technology made newspapers and journals useless. How ever, China can be called an exception. Chinese people still consider newspapers and journals to be the main sources of information. There are five types of popular newspapers that people like very much: evening newspapers, business issues, weekly informative newspapers and law newspapers. Speaking about the evolution of newspapers since 1978, it is essential to mention that the newspapers and journals changed much, became bright and informative. The number of newspapers and journals has also increased. In 1980 there were 80 newspapers in the country and now their number increased to 2,200. The whole number of journals and newspapers in China now grew to many millions due to new economic opportunities, which allow to open private publishing houses. Now Chinese people do not want the government to control media too strictly. The government is implementing the full control only over the news. Chinese population received more opportunities for self-expression. Globalization brought man y changes to all the areas of media. Kloet states: â€Å"over the past decades, disjunctive ?ows of capital, people, technologies, media and ideologies have been subject to profound changes that have deeply intensi?ed processes of globalization† (Kloet, 2005, p. 610). Television and newspapers are two fields, which shape the life of people in today’s Chinese society. Sometimes the influence of media is even considered to be harmful, for example, media is accused in

Ideology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ideology - Research Paper Example due in part to centuries of anti-Semitism and sensitivity to the way in which issues relating to Israel’s existence and the Holocaust are understood by individuals throughout society. Yet, rather than dismissing this topic out of hand, due to the fact that it is somewhat unpopular to discuss, this particular student has felt it necessary to undertake an analysis of the situation that could help to spread a further level of understanding with regard to whether or not the Israel lobby is in fact disproportionately powerful within the United States house and Senate. Research by Dov Waxman indicated that the Israel lobby has a long standing relationship with both political parties; thereby enabling it to engage newcomers and the executive branch in a way that few other lobbies are capable of doing. Such an understanding is essential towards realizing the scope and breadth of the Israel lobby and the means by which AIPAC and others mobilize their influence to effect key goals that relate to the strategic needs that Israel and its lobbies represent. Waxman further notes that even though many other countries have sought to label their own lobbies after that of Israel, the overall level to which they are able to accomplish their strategic vision and needs pales in comparison to the degree and extent to which Israel is able to continue to foist its views on to the political spectrum within the United States. Hila Tal indicated that the commercial success of the Israel lobby is ultimately continues to encourage it integrate the political process within the United States. Ultimately, as a direct result of the fact that the Israel lobby is effectively able to garner tens of billions of dollars each and every year for Israel and its respective interests throughout the region, the lobby self perpetuates and gains a further foothold with respect to the way in which it can engage the Democratic and Republican stakeholders within the United States Congress. Other lobbies that

The presentation of the artcile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The presentation of the artcile - Essay Example First, she claims that happiness entails a personal satisfaction that stops with an individual, and even personal pleasure and joy (Wolf 633). Secondly, she argues that the majority of Americans have a differing interpretation of Declaration of Independence; could mean just pleasures of shopping and team sports. Moreover, she points out that Jefferson and other founders of America consider happiness â€Å"as a fortunate state of enfranchisement in the context of an open, just society.† (Wolf 633). The argument was derived from Greeks who considered happiness as the exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope.† (Wolf 633). For instance, Jefferson argues that Americans can achieve happiness in that they can rectify or amend their constitution whenever necessary thereby, being able to secure the happiness of Americans. Wolf supports Jefferson’s interpretation of â€Å"happiness in the context of honesty, kindness, and respect for others’ personal and religious freedoms† (Wolf 633). Therefore, Wolf supports various viewpoints including Jefferson’s ideas concerning the Declaration of Independence. Her claims are based on policies of government established by the people. The people, therefore have a duty to destroy the government in case it attempts to â€Å"destroy the goals of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness† (Wolf 634). Afterwards, they can create a government that guarantees safety and good fortune. She concedes that Americans should champion for liberty by acknowledging and supporting Thomas Jefferson’s stance on Declaration of Independence which, recognizes the existence of certain unalienable human rights including â€Å"Life, Liberty, as well as Pursuit of Happiness†(Wolf 632). Such rights should be guarded by a government established by the people and failure to which, the people can â€Å"alter or abolish

Write about the arguments for and against developing a genetic Essay

Write about the arguments for and against developing a genetic fingerprint profile for all members of society - Essay Example The fragments produced are invisible at this stage and so the fragments are transferred to a nylon membrane using southern blotting which involves adding a layer f absorbent paper to the nylon membrane. The DNA is then drawn upwards by capillary motion. The DNA fragments are then denatured by heating to give single stranded DNA. A radioactive isotope f phosphorus with a base sequence identical to one f the VNTR sequences is used to locate the particular bands. This is also known as a DNA probe and it binds to its complementary single stranded DNA. Any excess probe is washed off. The probes are accurately located by placing X-ray film over the nylon membrane. DNA fingerprinting is a method that compares the fragments f DNA. DNA fingerprinting was first invented to detect the presence f genetic diseases. Today, DNA fingerprinting is used in different ways. DNA is analyzed using a Southern Blot, which allows scientists to observe the base pair patterns. DNA fingerprinting can be used in a few different ways. First, to find out if the child belongs to a person DNA fingerprinting may be used. When a child is born, it inherits the VNTR's from the father and the mother. VNTR's are variable number tandem repeats, which is repeated sequences f base pairs. The VNTR patterns are used to determine the father or mother.

Week 7 response papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 7 response papers - Essay Example In agreement with the student, the move to have manufacturers bear the burden of disposing their products has changed the benchmarking activities of companies. Companies have to change their manufacturing and business processes as noted in response to the new regulation at least to some extent (Esty and Winston, 2006). Since the companies have to bear the burden of disposal, it is important for them to create partnerships. Partnering with other players will assist organizations in ensuring responsible recycling as in the case of Dell and FedEx. Once again, in agreement with the student, it is important for employees in the service industry to be trained on environmental audits. This is because effective sustainability is achieved by involving everyone in the company as noted by Ahmed, Montagno, and Sharma (2004). Marshall and Toffel (2005) note that sustainability can be extremely elusive if people are ignorant of facts related to the environment and waste management. This means that at all levels, workers should be trained about environmental auditing. Companies will have to change their benchmarking activities so that they become more responsible in the disposal of outdated electronic products as noted by the student. This is influenced by the fact that used electronic equipment such as computers, TVs, and cell phones are some of the quickly growing wastes in the world (ScienceDaily, 2009). The disposal of CRT monitors and tube TVs has been a thorny issue as the student notes. It is true that it is more effective to control pollution and encourage sustainability by assigning producers the burden of managing wastes as opposed to disposing old electronic equipment in landfills in agreement with Blewitt (2008). The student introduces two important factors in the waste management and sustainability debate – the issues of legality and accountability.

Research on the initiative of audience in network news communication Dissertation

Research on the initiative of audience in network news communication - Dissertation Example In this era of changing fashion trends, television plays a big role in deciding the kind of fashion in terms of clothes and accessories that will dominate the youth’s desire. Since the inception of television and films, the goal has been to influence the viewers to buy products since the filmmakers are aware of the impact moving pictures can make on viewers. This study has investigated the impact of television fashion programs on Japanese and Chinese women selected on random basis from media and journalism schools and colleges, and also from health and social care centers. The desire to emulate television models and celebrities is strong among the respondents, and this induces them to change their eating habits to change their weight. They consider Western fashion as depicted by television programs as superior to their traditional culture, hence they often indulge in compulsive shopping to acquire clothes and accessories as promoted by these programs. Contents I. Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 II. Literature review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 III. Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦23 IV. ... Appendix ..................................................................................72 I. Introduction In this current age of increasingly pervasive beauty and fashion awareness, the requirement of a slim body figure has become as important as one’s IQ. Therefore, it is not surprising that women of all age groups are getting more and more conscious about their body image. The growing tendency in the fashion world to represent beautiful women as having hourglass figure goes against the traditional belief that beauty is inherent and that â€Å"beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder†. The constant provocations caused by perfect size figures in televisions and magazine covers in the fashion world urges women to shift to a new slimmer figure. The craze for size zero has induced women and especially young girls to take desperate measures making those who lack this so called perfect figure to suffer from inferiority complex. Although body image consciousness is prevale nt among both genders, it is however more apparent among women because they are more vocal about their feelings. Unlike men, the common subject of topic between women is what they like or what they do not like about their body parts. It is a known fact that every woman desires to keep a positive perception of her body image. This can be achieved only when a woman feels comfortable with her body and feels good about the way she looks. It is a common phenomenon that women struggle to keep their body in shape through various measures like doing exercise, swimming, dieting or skipping meals altogether. The feeling of a negative body image can induce women to indulge in over exercise or eating disorder habits which cause harmful impacts on body. Every woman has her own idea of body image and develops

The Life Of A Knight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Life Of A Knight - Essay Example many aspects of the knight’s life including their history, how one became a knight, who they worked for, the benefits associated with the honor and their day-to-day existence including tournaments, the most important activity for the Knight when not engaged in combat. Knights were proficient mercenaries. Many traveled looking for employment doing combat. They were steeped in a chivalrous tradition, bore the noblest arms and rode the finest horses. â€Å"The incessant private warfare that characterized medieval times brought about a permanent military class and by the tenth century the institution of knighthood was well established† (Duby, 2004). The successful Norman invasion in 1066 necessitated the nobility of England to create Knights. They provided an effective force in an effort to protect lands. By the eleventh century, these professional soldiers were approaching nobility themselves. â€Å"The number of knights declined from the thirteenth century onwards. The true knight disappeared in the sixteenth century in France and much earlier in other countries† (Hull, 2003). Knighthood was bestowed on those found worthy by a light touch on the shoulder with the flat of a sword in the hand of someone of nobility. The dubbing of a knight would normally occur with much public fanfare accompanied by music and celebration. Knights could also be created in the field of battle in a quieter ceremony. Typically, when the son of a knight reached age six, he was sent to a nearby castle where he was educated in knighthood. The Page, the first step in becoming a knight, attended training schools usually run by a knight to learn all there is to know about becoming one. â€Å"This started with religious and moral training such as trust in God, to be humble, be generous, be a defender of the poor and widows, respect others, eat well but do not get drunk, avoid evil men, and do not lie† (Gautier, 1957). The Page was taught the Bible usually through the use of

Response to The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht Essay

Response to The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht - Essay Example Upon learning their situation, she remembered her recently deceased grandfather and had a brief look of her life when â€Å"there is war† in her hometown, the Balkan City. Natalia recalled that like any other little girl, she also loved and grew up listening to her grandfather’s stories. She remembered the two stories of her grandfather with memorable mythical characters: the tiger’s wife and the deathless man. The tiger’s wife is the story of a lonely deaf and mute woman, who lived in an isolated mountain village. She was married to an abusive butcher, where in she always suffered beating. The woman was named by the villagers â€Å"the tiger’s wife† because of their malicious thinking. The woman’s affection and too much kindness to the tiger that escaped in the zoo during the war, had been maliciously mistaken by the villagers for something indecent. They thought the woman married the tiger. This rumor had led the villagers to plan fo r the killings of the tiger. However, as Natalia narrated, they were saved and protected by her grandfather. The story of the deathless man was based from the story of Natalia’s grandfather, who was a Christian married to a Muslim from Sarobor.

Head Chef Essay Example for Free

Head Chef Essay If I wasn’t told to choose a career now, I wouldn’t have. Although I’ve had the question â€Å"what do you want to be when you grow up† constantly in the back of my mind for the past 4 years, I never really came up with a definite answer. Last September I started the culinary arts program at the North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center and since then I’ve realized that I really enjoy cooking so I started to consider being a chef as a career. In order to become an executive or head chef you must have a relevant education, training, and be willing to work hard. With all these attributes getting a position as a chef in a nice restraint is not difficult, and is very rewarding. After doing much research and talking to a few chefs I found out that higher education is not required to become a head chef, but it wouldn’t hurt either. Many people considering becoming a chef as a career decided to go to a culinary college. One of the most well-known culinary institutes is the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. A full academic year at the CIA in 2011-2012 cost $39,440 (CCIA). There is no GPA requirement in order to apply to the CIA but you must have your high school diploma. According to the CIA’s web site before you can start classes it is required that â€Å"you gain relevant experience in one of two ways before enrolling: by working in a non-fast food establishment with a professional kitchen for six months or by completing culinary classes at either the high school or college level† (AR). Although education is important, proper training is even more essential. Some training a chef is expected to have are knife skills, food preparation and sanitation. Training of a chef usually consists of an internship, apprenticeship, or externship, during which time the aspiring chef will work in all areas of the kitchen, mastering all aspects of food preparation. Many culinary colleges have an internship program in place to experience the culinary industry while gaining skills and on the job experience. On top of education and training if you expect to go far as a chef there are certain skills you should have such as; high stamina, organization, flexibility, teamwork, customer focus, and the desire to learn (SPCTP). Chefs work really long days under high pressure and should be able to maintain a clear mind and continue to be productive. A really big part of being a chef has to do with the customers; after all, without them you wouldn’t have a job. â€Å"A good chef knows that customers want fresh, delicious food that’s presented attractively, and does his or her best to make sure that happens for every customer that enters the restaurant† (SPCTP). I did my job shadow with the head chef, Julie, at St. Andrews Place in Port Angeles, WA. When I asked her what the most important skill needed to be good at her job was she said, besides from knowing how to cook, time management. Having been in the culinary arts program and experiencing the pressure of getting done to get what needs to be done, I agree. Time management is a very important skill to have in the culinary industry. Most high schools have a culinary program that you could attend in order to obtain these skills, or you could simply learn through on the job training. A typical day for a head chef is different than that of an executive chef. An executive chef works in more of an office style; leading other chefs, doing more meal planning, and a lot of paperwork. Executive chefs are hardly on the line cooking except occasionally during dinner rush. Head chefs may be involved with the meal planning and some paper work but mostly work in the kitchen the majority of the time. Being a chef means working mornings, nights, weekends, and holidays. â€Å"Depending on the size of the restaurant or establishment, a head chef may arrive as early as 9 a.m. to begin planning the day’s menus and not leave until the dinner rush is over, sometimes at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. Most chefs work at least 12-hour days and many times six days a week† (Buchan). Not only is the workday long, but the work itself is hard as well; almost the whole day is spent walking or standing. In order to be a chef you have to love what you do. â€Å"Passion. This is what is going to make all the sacrifice, low pay, and long hours worth it. You have to have a defined, passionate goal; something you want to work towards. And you need to have passion about food and someday being a professional chef. Without true passion, you will never succeed in a restaurant kitchen†. (WIAPK) Being a chef can be a very stressful job and take quite a mental toll as well as physical. Although the work is difficult, the rewards are well worth it. The level of pay for head chefs varies depending on where you work and who you work for. Those who get paid most often work in upscale restaurants and hotels. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, â€Å"the median annual wage of chefs and head cooks was $40,630 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,260, and the top 10 percent earned more than $70,960† (CHCP). â€Å"Seventy percent of chefs working for employers reported receiving health care benefits: 69 percent received medical care, 51 percent received dental care and 36 percent received vision care† (SBC). This does not apply to self-employed chefs. Although the pay is decent, if you are going to pursue a career as a chef you shouldn’t do it simply for the money. Being a chef has personally gratifying rewards as well as financial, such as the satisfaction you feel when people love the food you’ve created. The culinary industry is only expected to grow 14% in all occupations between now and 2020 (CHCJO). Although the projected growth isn’t a lot, the culinary industry is always in need of new employees. I feel like this would be a good fit for me because I have many of the skills needed to be successful in the industry already. I have been learning these skills though the Culinary Arts program I have been taking at the North Olympic Skills Center. I have been exposed to customer service, knife skills, food preparation, sanitation, HACCP logs, dish-pit, and have been told by my instructor that I have great time management skills. As you can see, with a proper education, training, and hard work, a career as a chef can be an extremely rewarding experience. The preparation of food is not only a job that satisfies peoples hunger, it is also an art, and the chefs are the artists.

Looking At The Golden Age Of Hollywood Film Studies Essay

Looking At The Golden Age Of Hollywood Film Studies Essay The Great Depression was a depressing time of hardship. There were economic troubles, financial collapses, and agriculture declines, but that didnt stop the fun. There was music, radio, dancing, dating, and family time. Also in the 1930s, movies became popular to social classes. Movies provided the reassurance of the future. Movies gave glimpses of what could be, and fascinated the people of the rural life, which led movies to become popular in demand. As the world entered a depression, Hollywood entered its Golden Age. The first attempt to make a movie was by Thomas Edison in the late 1870s. After creating the phonograph, he got the idea of creating a device that would show pictures along with the sounds from the phonograph. Although it was not a success, the process enlightened and sparked the ideas of others. In 1903, the first real attempt to make a motion picture movie or story-picture was by Edwin S. Porter with The Great Train Robbery. After Porters first story-picture came the following of many more. Not long after, Harry Davis came with the idea of creating a place to show these story-pictures. He built the first nickelodeon or five-cent theater in 1905, which caused the rise of many others. The first Hollywood studio, Nester, was built in 1911 and was followed by many others. Story-pictures earned the name movies from the locals and provided work for the local community. The first actors were not named because as the studios predicted, they would demand higher pay. The revealing of actors and actresss names started after Florence The Biograph Girl Lawrences accident. Studios also assumed that an audience would not sit through a film any longer than a short film. This assumption was stopped by the movie Birth of a Nation, a 3 hour film about the civil war. When the 1930s rolled around, there were horror films, comedy films, drama films, mystery films, and musicals. The most popular were horror and comedy films. Horror films of the 1930s were alluring and extraordinary films. The ominous characters pulled audiences in with their creepy costumes and strange accents. Back then, horror was escapism of the tragic feeling of The Depression. People gathered in cinemas to be scared by mythical monsters of fictitious worlds. Three famous horror films are Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), and King Kong (1933). All three were crowd favorites and today are classics that people still watch in awe. Comedy films provided a temporary escape from life. They left, and still today leave, joy and smiles on peoples faces with their normally happy endings. Slapstick comedy and screwball comedy were both popular in the 1930s. Slapstick comedy was a silent, physical, and visual comedy that included horseplay. The Three Stooges (1930), is an example of slapstick comedy. Screwball comedy was included in the romantic comedy genre. Screwball comedy also included slapstick comedy. Screwball comedy was sophisticated romance films that pinpointed the battle of the sexes. The Awful Truth (1937) and Bringing Up Baby (1938) are examples of screwball comedy. In the 1930s, Shirley Temple was an extremely popular child actor/star. People believe Shirley Temples popularity and fame came from the hope and entertainment she gave during The Depression. Shirley Temple played in The Little Colonel, Curly Top, Little Miss Marker, and Heidi. Two other famous child actors were Carl Alfalfa Switzer and Scotty Beckett. Alfalfa and Scotty were introduced to the world in Our Gang aka The Little Rascals, a comedy series. They were two of the most well-known child stars on the show. Both are still very popular today because of the modern film The Little Rascals. Judy Garland, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, was a famous actress from the 1930s. She started acted at the age of 2  ½ and worked her way up. She was the only actress that was signed by MGM without a screen test. Judy went on to be a not only an actress, but also a singer. She was very popular in the 1930s. A popular actor of the 1930s is Bela Lugosi. He played as Count Dracula in 1931 film Dracula. It was his signature performance on Broadway that was made a classic by Universal Studios. Both actors are remembered today for their lead roles in those popular classics. Movies have come a long way. They showed the glamour of high society life. Movies were great ways to escaped hardships. Movies were reassuring and everyone enjoyed them. Movies have become more and more popular throughout the time periods. Hollywood s Golden Age is over, but yet still growing. McLellan, Derek. The Birth of Motion Pictures : From the Slot Machine to the     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nickelodeon.  The Golden Age of Hollywood. N.p., 2007. Web. 10 May 2010. McLellan, Derek. The Early Years.  The Golden Age of Hollywood. N.p., 2007. Web. 10 May 2010. Horror Begins To Talk And Scream.  Horror Film History. N.p., n.d. Web. 10     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  May 2010. Dirks, Tim. Comedy Films.  Filmsite. American Movie Classics Company LLC, 2010.  Web. 10 May 2010 Shirley Temple, SuperStar.  MovieActors. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. Carl Alfalfa Switzer 1927 1959 Hollywood Forever .  Cemetery Guide. N.p.,     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  n.d. Web. 12 May 2010. Garland Biography.  The Judy Room. Scott Brogan, 1999-2010. Web. 12 May 2010. Biography.  Bela Lugosi. Lugosi Enterprises. Pasadena Computer Works, 2006.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Web. 12 May 2010.

Company Overview Of Exxon Mobil Management Essay

Company Overview Of Exxon Mobil Management Essay Exxon Mobil, the largest non-government-owned oil and gas company in the world has recently turned to natural gas, a traditionally less profitable resource than crude oil, to replace reserves and help slow the slide in its production output volumes. However, a global gas glut has resulted from the current economic crisis and significant increase in U.S. shale gas production, which presents an uncertain outlook for gas prices and places pressure on the companys future earnings. In December 2009, Exxon Mobil (XOM) announced its largest acquisition in a decade: a $41 billion, all-stock deal to buy XTO Energy Inc., a U.S.-focused gas producer. This transaction places a sizable bet on the future of the domestic natural gas market and positions a super-major integrated energy company as one of the top five players in the field of unconventional natural gas development.   Through this acquisition, ExxonMobil hedges their bets that natural gas, as opposed to coal or renewables, will be the most demanded fuel source needed to meet the worlds ever increasing energy needs.    Many questions remain on whether this business strategy will boost production, and force the rest of industry into a game of catch up, or simply run the risk of consuming capital and management focus without generating substantial profits. The Oligopoly of Domestic Oil and Natural Gas Companies John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil gradually gained almost complete control of oil refining and marketing in the United States through horizontal integration, which provided kerosene, gasoline and other petroleum to a vast number of markets. The organization was eventually broken up into thirty-four separate companies after US government passed antitrust legislation in 1911.   Almost eighty-eight years later, Exxon (formerly Standard Oil Company of New Jersey) and Mobil (formerly Standard Oil Company of New York), were reunited in the largest merger in the industrys history.   By the end of 2006, several other mergers also took place between major players like British Petroleums (BP) purchase of Amoco and Atlantic Richfield (ARCO), the merger between Chevron and Texaco, Conocos purchase of Gulf Canada, Burlington and Phillips, and Anadarkos acquiring of Union Pacific Resources (UPR)   Ã‚  All of this MA activity further consolidated the oil powerhouses of the United States,    and exemplifies the oligopoly that has plagued the oil and gas industry since its inception.   Ã‚   Despite the governments imposed break up in the early part of last century, the industry has experienced a maturation that was not necessarily due to product evolution, but rather to the instability and volatility of oil and gas prices, particularly over the past 40 years. ExxonMobil Big oil got even bigger in 1999, when Exxon and Mobil Oil signed an $81 billion agreement to merge and form ExxonMobil, thus creating the largest oil super-major, with capacity to produce 3.921 million BOE (barrels of oil equivalent) daily. In 2005, ExxonMobils stock price rose with rising crude oil prices, establishing a market capitalization of $312 billion. At the end of 2005, annual income was up 42% with reported record annual income profits of US $36 billion. XOMs 2005 annual income, which included $11 billion in the 3rd quarter alone, was the greatest by any business in recorded history. By 2008, XOM held approximately 3% of world production, and when ranked by its oil and gas reserves, the company is 14th in terms of total reserves. This is less than 1% of the total world reserves held by E P companies, and in some cases, far less than many of the biggest state-owned companies. Nevertheless, ExxonMobil remains the strongest leader in the oil and gas market, with a stronghold in terms of international land position combined with dramatic earnings. The ongoing development of breakthrough technologies, including some pioneered by ExxonMobil themselves, have helped the organization keep pace with rising global energy demand by making additional energy supplies available. Technology is becoming more critical in this industry as time moves on, since much of the worlds oil and gas reserves is located in challenging environments. As reserve replacement has required the super-majors to explore in deep-water basins offshore, extract heavy oil bitumen and oil sands from strip-mining or shallow excavation operations, and remotely isolated Arctic regions of the north, innovative approaches to energy production have become essential to increasing the companys dynamic capability.   Superior engineering talent is available to provide industry-leading technologies that provide the business with opportunities to explore, discover, develop, produce, refine and market oil and gas resources that are not available to many of XOMs competitors. ExxonMobil claims that its competitive advantage in the market is realized through industry-leading project managers that ensure superior return on investment. Their high level of expertise and discipline contribute to a strong track record of timely project completion and their ability to deliver their product within a specified time-frame was a key performance attribute that was always appreciated by its investors on Wall Street. The reputation of ExxonMobil played a significant role in earning the support of suppliers and contractors, which was equally coveted by their competitors and in constant demand, particularly during periods of peak pricing. While seemingly in the same business, Exxon and Mobil did not find many areas of similar technology within the two companies, but did find synergies and complements. When it comes to research and development strengths, for instance, Exxon was very strong in process technology while Mobil had expertise in lubricants as well as catalysts, an RD area that the combined company immediately adopted to strengthen its patent position in converting gases to liquids. ExxonMobil has a very unique recruitment process where they look for individuals that exercise core strengths as opposed to bringing vast amount of industry experience. They  have excellent proprietary capabilities in teaching petroleum science and technology, and therefore do not require new geoscientists to have any prior petroleum course work or experience. There is, however, a requirement for demonstrated leadership, adaptability, teamwork, excellent communication skills in English, and a commitment to high safety and ethical standards. This flexibility in hiring enables ExxonMobil to customize their operations unlike any of their competitors. When an employee joins ExxonMobil, they are taught how to do things the ExxonMobil way. From systems to processes, jargon to policies, employees are essentially engineered and tailored to work effectively in this stand alone culture, so much so, it remains in Exxons best interest to hire straight out of college and mold their people the w ay they want to. Virtually no other energy firm maintains the reputation and capacity to offer such extensive training to new grads or discipline experts as ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil is truly an international player with operations touching almost every aspect of the energy and petrochemical business, and operating facilities or market products in most of the worlds countries with oil and natural gas exploration on six continents. Their geographical reach and breadth of line are extensive and provide a competitive advantage from both a logistics standpoint and integrated producer, which encompasses every phase of petroleum life cycle from Greenfield exploration through to distribution of retail products.   Through control of all the major processes, from exploration to retail, XOM has a good deal of control over its chosen partners in both independent operations and joint ventures. This is due to network externalities that exist in many of its midstream (pipelines) and downstream (refineries) businesses in which other companies are compelled to use these assets out of necessity. Exxon Mobil is also well known for its superior operational practices, which capitalize on their ability to vertically integrate their activities.   XOM has a capacity to distill over 6.3 million barrels a day due to its interest in over 40 refineries in 26 countries.   Combined with their global logistics system with ownership interests in crude oil, tankers, pipelines and major terminals they are able to optimize millions of barrels of crude oil supply and associated petroleum products. Exxon Mobil has long battled a negative reputation as an oil giant with little concern for the environment. Most memorable was the infamous Exxon Valdez spill off the coast of Prince William Sound of Alaska in 1989, an event that carried a stigma that far outlived the environmental impacts of the oil itself. Since then, ExxonMobil has gone on the offensive, spending more than $3 billion in 2006 on expenses related to the environment and its stance on climate change. Exxon Mobil has been attacked as having denied that climate change is occurring as a result of fossil fuel extraction and consumption. Regardless of the environmental reputation, Exxon has somehow persevered throughout the last century with a strong culture and management team, which is responsible for much of its success. As with any large company, there are pros and cons to working with a major corporation. Although they offer excellent salaries, the ability to work with very intelligent coworkers, opportunities for travel and multiple career paths, they are often criticized for their bureaucracy and low employee retention rates.    Figure 2. ExxonMobil Competitive Advantage Several value and cost drivers have led to the continued success of ExxonMobil, creating one of the largest and most powerful energy companies in the world A Changing Market In June 2008, West Texas Intermediate crude oil (WTI) price passed the $145 mark and that same year the Henry Hub Natural Gas Spot Prices peaked at $13.30. These unprecedented prices sparked a frenzy of concern that the world had reached peak oil, which is defined as the point in time when global petroleum extraction is at its maximum rate, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. Subsequently, the high price environment served as a catalyst for research in alternative energies and renewable resource projects. These prices also, however, made more exotic fossil fuel extraction techniques viable. One such technique was the extraction of trapped hydrocarbon in highly impermeable source rocks. Resources found in source rock or parent-rock have traditionally been difficult to extract due to their extremely low permeability. Despite the well known geological knowledge that the rocks are hydrocarbon bearing, the low permeability prohibits oil from entering a well bore at any economic rate once it is tapped. Many experts call Exxons long term strategy into question outside of the volatility of oil and gas prices. The company also faces confrontations from outside forces such as foreign governments. With oil reserves diminishing and becoming more and more rare, thus increasing the difficulty and smaller likelihood of discovery, ExxonMobil has more competition than just the other five other majors. These aforementioned resource laden governments and ruling parties have become much more interested in these type of investment vehicles as they see global demand rise. Another challenge to ExxonMobils future is the rise of more aggressive environmental policies, targeting and limiting green house emissions, thought to be the key component of climate change. Supplemented by the intentions of the Obama administration, whose campaign platform was US energy policy reform, increasing alternative fuel source use, and less dependence on foreign oil, XOM will have to skillfully adjust their policies on environmental stewardship to reflect the demands of a new regulatory environment. Unconventional Resource Plays Technologic Advances Drive Attractive Shale Plays Through XMOs increased research and development, the very expensive well completion techniques including horizontal drilling and multi-staged hydro-fracturing were improved to increase efficiencies and lower costs to the point that the economics warranted broad application throughout the industry.   Hydraulic fracturing is a technique in which fractures are created into rock formations from a borehole through a series of techniques.   Specific chemically engineered fluids are then pumped into the fractured rock at a rate in which there is a sufficient increase in pressure in the formation to crack it further.   Upon completion of the pumping of fluid into the formation, solid man-made or specially engineered proppant (commonly a sand variant) is then injected in as a step to prevent the closure of the fracturing.   This proppant is used because it has a higher permeability that the surrounding rock, and will allow for flow of fluids and gas back into the well. In conjunction with hydraulic fracturing, horizontal (or directional) drilling techniques also have emerged and been improved in the last decade.   Horizontal drilling is when the well bore is kicked off, or sent from a vertical position and drilled into a horizontal trajectory.   This can be used to expose the well-bore to more of the producing formation and is accomplished by using motors and instruments that can measure and direct the drill bit. Exxons Challenge to Grow Through 2008, Exxons reserve replacement was, on average, remaining flat, with many fields on rapid decline. Unfortunately, capital spending was increasing year on year, creating speculation in the markets that Exxon Mobil would have to do something drastic if it expected to continue to show persistent growth.   One component of declining production was a result of state run oil companies taking a larger percentage of production in areas that have been disputed, such as in the Former Soviet Union countries or Northern Africa.   With global politics at play, companies like ExxonMobil had to find was to secure less risky and proven reserves.    Like other western oil majors, aging fields suffer from ever-declining output and the lucrative new fields are primarily controlled by state-owned companies that offer less profit to production partners. In order to maintain its competitive advantage, XOM began to look outside its typical business model and consider acquiring reserve bases with long term production potential in stable countries. This is a result of maturation of product life cycle. The opportunities for smaller companies with lower overhead to aggressively enter into aged conventional fields and following the spike in commodity prices in 2007, unconventional field development became economical and many smaller firms began to fill the wedge with new economically viable shale gas plays. The XTO Story, A Leader in Unconventional Resource Plays In 1986, the Cross Timbers Oil Company was formed as a partnership that would later become the publicly traded company known as XTO Energy Inc. in 2001.   XTO quickly established itself in the domestic gas industry by obtaining both proven and unproven natural gas and oil properties and developing them effectively.   Using increasingly efficient technological advances in exploration and production operations, the company proved that it was more than capable in its oil and gas exploitation strategy.   By the end of the second quarter of 2009, XTO was Americas largest unconventional natural gas producer, with a resource base equivalent to 45 trillion cubic feet of gas that includes shale gas, tight gas, coal bed methane, shale oil and conventional oil and gas production.   They had taken a smaller market niche, US domestic shale gas, and turned it into a full blown success while larger more experienced firms sat on the sidelines. XTO achieved this vast collection of capabilities and resources through critical strategic decision.   As of 1995, the companys asset allocation was roughly fifty percent oil and percent natural gas.   Yet upon the departure of the reigning chair, Jon Brumley, his replacement Bob Simpson decided to move to a two-thirds gas, one- third oil ratio.   This was a major shift in the life of the company, and the decisions rationale was based on cheaper handling costs of gas over oil.   Additionally, the United States natural gas markets vulnerability to the actions of OPEC nations was far less.   Fortunately, the resulting purchases based on this philosophy were timely, as they were made just prior to the market gaining strength, thus increasing profitability for XTO.   This lower buy-in proved to be a significant competitive advantage, as its cost base was far less than the companies that entered the market afterwards.   Aside from lower costs for proven resources, XTO experi enced growth by the way of its own numerous mergers and acquisitions.   In 2007, it paid Dominion Resources US$2.5 billion for 1 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas reserves in the Rocky Mountains, Texas and southern Louisiana.   In 2008 alone, the company acquired Hunt Petroleum Corp. and Headington Oil Co. for $4.2 billion, and $1.85 billion in cash and stock, respectively. In order to build its competitive advantage, XTOs successful strategy has been to buy properties that are otherwise simply cast aside by their prior owners.   With the downturn of the real estate market towards the middle of the 2000s, the company has benefited from significant cost savings.   This, coupled with the increase in the demand within the natural gas market has positioned XTO has a domestic leader in cost.   XTO had built its organization by acquiring aged oil and gas fields and down-spacing well counts with in-field drilling, essentially optimizing production by aggressively extracting late in life reserves with new technology and lower costs.(mention scale economies here p.67 and niche markets p.144) Eventually XTO moved   to capitalize on their and position and begin to target deeper shale zones through the application high-density fracturing technology which had begun to advance following industry fears of peak oil. (mention early mover advantage p.135 and sust aining technology p.149) XTOs hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies became a dominant design. Geography and total real estate position became XTOs greatest value driver.   At the time of the Exxon-Mobil merger, they were the leader in North American shale gas play acreage.   This position was only realized in assuming large risks in the value of natural gas.   While other companies were back peddling, XTOs investors were pleading with the company to reduce its debt and sell its properties.   XTO not only took risk in more land acquisitions, but also bought stock in other companies in which it felt had greater value than their stock price reflected.    All the while during massive buying spree, the company became a leader in development of unconventional shale gas plays.   Gaining a reputation as a solid partner in the development of gas exploitation techniques, XTO worked with the four major service companies, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and BJ Services Company (which would later be bought by Baker Hughes) to learn and apply technologies in new ways.   Working together though trial and error, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques were improved, XTO customized its activities Growth in acreage position also became XTOs greatest cost driver, as it achieved economies of scale in its own right by having the highest amount of development, surpassing Chesapeake Energy and became the largest shale producer.   By leveraging its previous expertise in oil and pipeline operations, the company was also able to obtain economies of scope. Among the most pronounced of XTOs accomplishments in its short history are the development of new techniques by their engineers and field hands to capture gas reserves from shale, XTO was clearly on the back end of a steep learning curve that provided them with profitable activities, allowing for nearly 70 rigs to work simultaneously.   This coupled with the companys aggressive approach to increased efficiency focus have paid large dividends for the company as a whole. Many of the other major oil and gas companies outside of ExxonMobil have significant land acreage in both the United States and Canada, yet most of these holdings are considered to be overly depleted, not representing high growth potential in the minds of the companies that own them. It is in this part of industry in which niche markets have emerged for smaller, independent exploration and production companies that take the opportunity to develop these assets in areas that are considered mature or uneconomic in terms of feasible production potential. A Better Bet for the Environment Hedging Gas is the Preferred Fuel The past 20 years has seen a growing concern of global warming with the increase release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, many of which are attributable to the production of fossil fuels. Natural gas has a significant advantage as a cleaner burning fuel in its ability to lower pollution and lead to a healthy environment. Consumer preference for gas as opposed to fuels generated from crude oil, such as diesels, heating oils, and LPG (liquid petroleum gases)  is increasing more and more every year. GHG gas discussion- A Marriage in Bliss of a Clash of Cultures? According to XOM, and Mr. Tillerson, the combined company has proven capabilities to develop all resource types, and will seize the opportunity to further enhance financial and operating performance with financial strength and proven project management skills.   Ã‚  Mr. Tillerson also reported in his July 8, 2010 presentation that the company also believes that its research and development resources will be able to capitalize on the advancements in technology used in unconventional plays.   Finally, his last statement when discussing the value added combination was that the new company would be able to develop the most high-quality plays using an accelerated evaluation system.   This remains to be seen as Exxon is known throughout the industry for its meticulous and industry insider dubbed suffocating hierarchy________ However, XTO prided itself on the fact its employees on the front lines were free to execute business strategy without concern for the administrative hurdles that come with being a large, public company. They drew real satisfaction from providing that support. and provide the reliable back office that supports the activities that generate those results. Inevitably, XTO was forced to sell as they began to feel the pinch of sinking gas prices. XTO is known for its meticulous assessment process, reviewing all of its wells at least twice a year.   Its strengths and successes have stemmed from the companys ability to exploit land and resources that other companies have forgotten or overlooked.   It is with this pioneering culture that the company structured the deals that helped it grow to be the formidable target for any number of the major oil and gas companies of the world.   There is a very high potential that a juggernaut like XOM will surely impair XTOs ability to maintain an effective, fast moving, manufacturing model, and remain ahead of the rapid decline curves known to all tight gas plays. However, ExxonMobil believes that their technical expertise will unlock additional XTO resource potential, and XTOs organization will complement Exxons existing unconventional natural gas and oil production worldwide. There is no question that the combined companies of ExxonMobil and XTO have the ability to accomplish the critical tasks that give him superior capabilities, as it has been proven over and over again in that the many arms of ExxonMobil, as a company was able t collectively coordinate its efforts even prior to the acquisition.   On the contrary, the areas of concern in the new emerging company may be more of consistency and fit, in which both need to parallel the specific intricacies of the new domestic shale market in which they have entered.   ExxonMobils role as a part company to the new subsidiary may make way for a convoluted process of gaining authorizations for new projects and expenditures unlike what XTOs management team has experienced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Rest assured, XOM has many formal control systems that are in place with the intent of simplifying processes in all phases of development, yet until the standardized procedures, planning and joint task force teams have worked out a streamlined process, there is sure to be major growing pains and inefficiencies.   As the speed of production is a prerequisite for shale production, the burden of a cumbersome and less than lean hierarchy of decision makers will no doubt frustrate operations in the early going.   Culturally, XOM and XTO are light years apart, with XOM being an inbred creature of habit, training its people from the ground up.   The question remains on how they intend on assimilating a work force that has not gone through the training regime that depicts how things are done the ExxonMobil way.   All functional organizations will attempt to merge in a way that will not inhibit current operations, yet it will inevitably take longer than expected.   Fortunately, despite the ambiguity of judging the ability for one company to incorporate another, the fundamental conclusion that Exxon came to was that target company can contribute to the core business of ExxonMobil and enhance their value and cost drivers as well as their overall position in the market. Of concern, and what XOM is gambling on, is that the new XTO subsidiary is a market opportunity with high future growth potential, and has a favorable market position, both of which are not guaranteed in the current economic and political climate. Will ExxonMobils Strategy Pay off? We just thought they were the greatest unconventional gas organization from a technical standpoint. -William Colton, Exxons VP for corporate strategic planning talking about XTO By the end of 2008, Exxon Mobil purchased  over 13 trillion cubic feet equivalent (tcfe) of proven reserves, and had an estimated daily average production of 2.87 billion cubic feet equivalent (bcfe)  per day the ensuing year. In keeping with its aggressive and robust domestic strategy, the company was planning intense drilling campaigns that would include development in all the United States major shale plays. Exxon Mobil Corporations purchase of XTO was a major hedge on the US natural gas market and was arguably far too high a price to pay since gas prices have dropped substantially in the past two years and an additional 20% since the acquisition was announced in December. The high level of success shale gas drillers are having from a technical standpoint is evident in their increasing ability to uncover growing quantities of gas from previously impermeable parent rock is having a major affect on supply, which has kept commodity prices depressed. The value drivers, such as innovation in technology, that led largely to XTOs success have spread across the industry and somewhat softens the cost benefits that the subsidiary company continues to enjoy. To his credit, CEO Rex Tillerson has openly admitted to the less than stellar economics of the US natural gas market and the XTO deal.   Ã‚  We dont get a lot of upside, but on the flip-side you get a lot of downside protection, he is quoted as saying in reference to the transaction. Instead he points out that the newly merged company would concentrate on having better returns than its competitors, and that even though this deal may not be as exorbitantly profitable as past ventures, it still is a positive move. Figure 2.   Monthly Change in Crude Oil vs. Natural Gas Fluctuation in natural gas prices traditionally track the market price for crude oil, as seen through 2008. However, since 2009, there has been an unprecedented disparity between the pricing of these two commodities, which has led to a relatively strong oil price currently, while natural gas is at a 10 year low. In the end, a carbon tax might further increase the value of the XTO purchase, as the carbon content of natural gas is considerably lower and thus less expense. However with the potential advancement the of a climate change bill, these benefits may be short-lived as Congress debates the legislative approach going forward. A forecast $30 per ton carbon tax over the next 10 years would demand a major shift to cleaner fuels such as natural gas and some speculate that leading electric utilities have already begun to make the move away from coal in anticipation of a change out of DC. Since December when Exxon closed on the XTO deal however, with unemployment so high, both political parties seem hesitant to push a bill that might be accused of destroying jobs. So it may be years before XTO contributes to Exxons return on equity. Despite its previous stature as the US largest natural gas producer, XTO is still yet a rather a small part of the larger ExxonMobil business picture. Since the start of 2009, which was pre-acquisition, XOM has lost over $200 million in its downstream refining businesses. If a significant price were to be put on carbon, this advent would only add to the liabilities of this core business and thus put the increased profitability of the company in danger. In addition, it isnt necessary that the XTO acquisition produce an immediate return either. Unlike deep-water exploration plays, shale gas wells tend to produce for decades at modest production rates. By retaining leases at as low a cost as possible and drilling in areas with the highest production potential, Exxon can keep shale businesses from being much of a liability while still contributing to the reserve base on the books.

What makes anyone a legal parent? :: Essays Papers

What makes anyone a legal parent? How easy is it for the courts to decide who should be the legal parent of a child? With the advances in assisted reproduction technology (ART), such as surrogacy and in vitro fertilization (IVF), more people both inside and outside the traditional relationships of a biological mother and father have a chance to have a child. These families consist of single parents and also same sex couples. With same sex relationships, a third party has to be involved, which could be either a surrogate mother or a male donor. This leaves the child with more than the two biological parents. How do authorities determine who will be the most beneficial to the child? The courts try to determine the legal parents out of the best interests of the child but their ruling gives the biological parents more rights over other individuals. Unfortunately, this discriminates against same sex couples because only one partner can be the biological parent. This closed judgment by the courts and society demonstrates that both parties do not understand the abilities same sex couples have in raising a child. Many partners in nontraditional relationships lose their involvement in their child’s life because courts make these conventional decisions which do not recognize same sex marriages. Everyone should have the same opportunities to raise a child because, as many successful adoptions show, a biological tie is not required for a person to be the best parent for a child. Lesbian co-mothers are growing in population. ART has contributed to a significant increase in the number of lesbian and gay individuals choosing to raise genetically related children (Goldstein 412). Most lesbian couples obtained a child from either a past heterosexual relationship or by alternative insemination where the child then has two mothers and a male donor. One of the main questions is how fitting is a lesbian couple to raise a child? Society seems to discriminate against same sex couples. As mentioned earlier, one reason is because there are more than two possible parental figures. People within society are concerned about this because it is not a traditional type of family. They feel that a child should have both a male and female figure represented in a family to make an ideal environment.

Impermanence, Selflessness, And Dissatisfaction Essay examples -- essa

Impermanence, Selflessness, and Dissatisfaction Buddhism is neither a religion nor a philosophy, but rather a way of life. This does not imply that Buddhism is nothing more than an ethical code: it is a way of moral, spiritual and intellectual training leading to complete freedom of the mind. (DeSilva, 1991:p 5). Of the many Buddhist sects, Zen Buddhism places particular emphasis on living ‘the right' life, and does not revolve around rite and ritual. Buddhism outlines the three characteristics of existence, which aids one in achieving enlightenment. Impermanence, selflessness, and dissatisfaction are concepts that are easily understood on an intellectual level, but to apply these concepts in one's life is challenging. Impermanence is concerned with the thought that nothing remains static, and change is to be expected. Selflessness holds that there is no immortal soul or external Self that exists in each individual; (Fadiman & Frager,1994:p 545) selflessness is closely connected with impermanence. Dissatisfaction is a larger concept entir ely- it involves the acknowledgment that suffering exists. The world is founded on suffering, (DeSilva, 1991:p 21) and once anything becomes a problem there is bound to be suffering, unsatisfactoriness, or conflict- conflict between our desires and the state of reality. Dissatisfaction is the most difficult characteristic of existence to apply to one's life, as it involves not only the acceptance of this state, but also outlines one on how to treat and cure this state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The notion that the world is an ever-changing environment on all levels of existence is not a radical idea. In fact, those that have not yet accepted change as a natural state of nature is denying the reality of life. A being and the empirical world are both constantly changing. They come into being and pass away. All is in a whirl, nothing escapes this inexorable unceasing change, and because of this transient nature nothing is really pleasant. There is happiness, but very momentary, it vanishes like a flake of snow, and brings about unsatisfactoriness (DeSilva, 1991:p 29). Both pleasant and unpleasant conditions come and go, it is then the responsibility of the individual to deal with each situation in the ‘right' way. Understanding that there is no universal truth, that thoughts and ideas evolve- leaves one open to impr... ... individual is in the fortunate position of having the ability to end the suffering conditions, whether they be psychological or physical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consequently, the Buddhist characteristics of existence are useful to the average individual. These concepts can aid the individual in healthy analysis of their behavior and motivations, as well as offer methods that enable one to actively change aspects of their life that they may be dissatisfied with. BIBLIOGRAPHY DeSilva, J.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Spectrum of Buddhism: The Writings of Piyadassi.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Buddhist Missionary Society: New York, 1991. Fadiman, J. Personality and Personal Growth. HarperCollins College Frager, R.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Publishers: United States, 1994. Suzuki, D.T.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Manual of Zen Buddhism. Rider: London, New York, 1956. Web Sites http://www.ncf.carelton.ca/freenet/rootdi...ism/introduction/truths/NobleTruth- -1.html http://www.inet.co.th/cyberclub/over_buddhism.html

International Relations Relating to Humanitarian Intervention Essay

In the following essay I will discuss aspects of international relations relating to humanitarian intervention and how they affect a nation’s responsibilities in the international arena. I will be drawing parallels to historical examples of intervention and to recent world events. I will inspect the classical realist notion of non-intervention and sovereignty and another newer line of thought, more adapted to the modern system. What I hope to bring forth in this paper is a clearer understanding of the situation and the responsibilities of the actors in current international relations in regard to humanitarian rights and intervention. Today the world stands more connected than ever before in human history. Nations form economic empires. Lines of trade run intertwined. Influence and interests span the globe. Power is global. With this brave new world come new responsibilities. No longer, can state sovereignty, force rigid impenetrable boundaries between states and command sole responsibility for their citizens. But still national sovereignty in classical international law is untouchable. With the philosophical roots of international relations established with the treaty of Westphalia 1648 (Plant 1995: 190) According to it all sovereign rulers have absolute authority within their nations and no state has the right to intervene in the domestic matters of other sovereign states. This idea has been the very building block of modern international relations since 1945 and the establishment of the UN. The UN Charter clearly prohibits the use of force in international relations to threaten the â€Å"territorial integrity or political independence of any state â€Å"(United Nations 1945: Chapter 1 Article 2.4). This idea is so concrete in i... ...tract=462523 [Accessed 15 March 2011] Plant, R. 1995 ‘Rights Rules and world Order’ pp 190-218 in Desai, M and Redfern, P. (eds.) Global Governance: Ethics and Economics of the World Order, London: Continuum Publishing Slater, J and Nardin, T. 1986 ‘Nonintervention and Human Rights.’ The Journal of Politics, 48(1):86-96 Stacy, H. 2007 ‘Humanitarian Intervention and Relational Sovereignty,’ pp 89-104 in Lee, Steven P. (Ed.) Intervention, Terrorism, and Torture: Contemporary Challenges to Just War Theory, New York: Springer Thomas, C . 1994 ‘Human Rights and Intervention: A Case for Caution.’ Irish Studies in International Affairs, 5:15-28. United Nations, 2011. Charter of the United Nations 194,. [Online] Available at; [Accessed 09 March 2011]. Walzer, M. 1977 Just and Unjust Wars, New York: Basic Books

Communication and Society

Can ideas from the past be useful in our modern day problems? The answer is yes, because people do not want to repeat the mistakes their ancestors made in the past. But some of the mistakes may be repeated due to it being inevitable. After World War II, the press was free to criticize whomever they want, and it appeared to the world that our press was irresponsible. And when Marcos became the president, he did not want the Media to overpower him, He was the president and he thought that having been seated in the top most position he should have absolute power, he couldn’t have the media scrutinizing him for every move he makes. Our grandparents and parents use to say that Marcos reign was the prime era of the Philippines because of the good deeds he has done for the country, but little did they know that his good image is due to the fact that Marcos has a leash on the mass media to prevent news of his somewhat malicious intentions on killing journalist who publish bad news about him. Media is a politician’s biggest opponent. The use of Media might have supported the government/politicians on campaigns but when fooled or did not kept their promise, The media has the power to ruin you in an indirect manner. When a government is hiding something, it will not last long for it to come out. As technology advances, being in a progressing country, truth be told, we always get left behind when it comes to new things. We have learned to make movies from the Western World, but in the present day, why couldn’t we make movies as good as them? Why can we only make films with so little special effects? Is it because we still lack the technology to do so? The problem is with us, Filipinos already made some animation films, but due to not having met the standards of American animations, we tend to ignore it. If we have supported our own, animation might have progressed in the world of Filipino film. Why is the trend in movies nowadays having an extramarital affair with another woman? Because it reflects the society, it shows the realism about the lives of ordinary citizen in a more glamorous and sophisticated manner, and we Filipinos love that, since many of us have lives that are routine and unexciting, we spice things up a bit by imagining life through celebrities, since they have the money, the status and influence we wish we had. Why don’t we Filipinos get tired of watching the same old stereotyped characters in melodramas? Why don’t we try themes that are based on sex, crime and drugs on television shows? The protagonist always win and the antagonist is always the loser. Why can’t the antagonist win in the end, instead of dying or be imprisoned? Since most of us are all Catholics, The Filipinos are not ready to take on new themes that would contradict the belief of the Church, that evil will finally defeat the good. That is the very reason why we are trapped in a never-ending cycle of protagonist vs. ntagonist themes. We sometimes think if the news that had been reported on the television or the newspaper is really news worthy? Much likely the â€Å"Amalayer† issue, should it have stayed on youtube instead? The problem with people today is the lack of common sense. An issue concerning the â€Å"Amalayer† situation, wherein a student confronted a lady guard who was working i n a train station and that the guard was accusing her of lying. The woman was identified as a student of a known school in Manila. This was videotaped by a passenger and was uploaded in the internet, this issue became a trend in Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Common sense would tell most of us that causing a commotion in public would easily destroy not only our reputation, but have lessen our dignity as well. Basically the role of the mass media is to inform the people and comment about the issues regarding the society, but this issue doesn’t concern us at all, it is just a dispute between a student and an employee. Will we benefit something from watching this? It was basically posted in the internet so that other people could criticize and pass judgement on the girl to how she was treating the lady guard. In our modern society, the Philippine Media clearly reflects the society, since us Filipinos are easily influenced, an example is the Korean wave in 2009, bright and colourful outfits, hairstyles that I couldn’t even describe, eating Kimchi and most of us even studied the Korean language. The television was bombarded with Korean dramas. It is not only the Korean wave but the whole purpose of the media is to influence the society, we tend to imitate what we see in television. People go to a plastic surgeon, so they can look like their favourite celebrity, some would even go to the extent of having two of their ribs remove just to have a waistline they see on supermodels walking down the catwalk. These are the circumstances that will test a person’s ethical behaviour, from what they perceive on national television, if what they will acquire is good or bad, moral or immoral, appropriate or inappropriate. Ethics not only promotes a better individual but a better society.

Agriculture and the Nitrogen Cycle Essay

Agriculture is an important industry that provides food for human consumption. The decrease of land available for agriculture coupled with the increase of human population has required that agricultural lands increase their output. This was achieved through the use of improved crop varieties, more productive livestock, better weed and pest control and the increased use of fertilizers, specifically nitrogen fertilizers which has linearly increased to 1. 2 Mt in the 1980s. However, farming also affects the environment. Increases in phosphorus and nitrate contents of water lead to increased biological activity and large concentrations of nitrate in drinking water create health hazards. J. K. R. Gasser studied the nitrogen cycles in agriculture and reported the results in his article â€Å"Agricultural Productivity and the Nitrogen Cycle. † Gasser (1982) explained that nitrogen is emitted from the soil or from animal effluents as ammonia, nitrous oxide or N2. Considerable amounts of nitrogen are also recycled directly as animal urine and feces. The preceding crops in agricultural lands also affect the amount of nitrogen released for the current crops. However, Gasser (1982) explained that no arable system provides enough nitrogen for the maximum production of crops such that additional nitrogen must be added in the form of fertilizers. Gasser (1982) reported that there is no evidence supporting that the increased use of nitrogen fertilizer also increases the total amount of nitrogen in soil-plant system. He stated that little of the nitrogen in circulation â€Å"will appear directly in the atmosphere or groundwaters, most will leave the agricultural system after one or more changes or subsidiary cycles† (Gasser, 1982, 313). Gasser (1982) concluded that the losses from the system must be at least as large as the known inputs. He persuaded to quantify the movement of nitrogen, the understanding of which would allow the losses from agricultural system to be minimized improving the utilization of nitrogen in farming and reducing its effects on the atmosphere and water. Reference Gasser, J. K. R. (1982). Agricultural productivity and the nitrogen cycle. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (Biological Science) vol. 296, no. 1082, 303-314.

Theraputic Relationship

meantime I communicated with my best with her do that she felt comfortable. Asa result, she gave a good cooperation and enjoyed the meal until finished. In my evaluating, I feel I make the right decision to accompany and assistMrs. A in feeding. Furthermore, I could develop my nurse-patient relationship. Although McCabe (2004, p. 44) would describe it as a task-centredcommunication as one of the element caused the lack communication amongnurses, but I think my nurse-patient relationship communication both involved agood patient-centred communication and task-centred communication.In mypersonal opinion, I attended to Mrs. A as a patient to show my empathy becauseshe was unable to feed herself. It was also as my duty to feed her so that I couldmake sure the patient get the best care in the ward. So my involvement in thisnurse-patient relationship does not only restrict to the task-centredcommunication because (Burnard 1990, and Stein-Parbury 1993, cited inMcCabe 2002, p. 44) define att ending as a patient-centred process as wells as tofulfil the basic conditions as a nurse to provide the genuineness, warmth andempathy towards the patient.I was able to improve my non-verbalcommunication skills in my conversation with her during the feeding. As she washaving a hearing problem and could not communicate in the first languageproperly, so the non-verbal communication plays a role. Caris-Verhallen et al (1999, p. 809) state that the non-verbal communication becomes important whencommunicating with the elderly people who develop a hearing problem. Hollman et al (2005, p31) suggests some effective ways to maximize the communication 5 ith hearing impairment people such as always gains the person’s attentionbefore speaking, visible yourself to prevent them feel frighten and try to usesome sensitive touch. I feel this is a good experience to me because I learn todevelop my non-verbal communication. I used most of the body gesturersbecause of the language barrier was be ing a gap in my conversation with Mrs. A. She could speak very limited in the first language so I tried to speak in her dialect. Furthermore, Wold (2004, p. 6) mention that gesturers are one specifictype of non-verbal communication intended to express ideas and are useful for people who cannot use much words. However I also used my facial expressionsto advise her to finish the meal. It might be not so delicious because shewithdraws the meal after few scopes but I smiled and assured Mrs. A that it wasgood for her health to finish her meal. In addition, the facial expressions are mostexpressive which are not limited to certain cultural and age barriers (Wold, 2004,p. 6). Therefore my facial expression worked out to encourage her to finish themeal. Although I could not explain detail to her about the important nutrition dietthat she should take, but I could advocate her to finish the meal served becausethe meal was prepared according to her condition. In order to analysis of the event, I could evaluate that, my communicationskills are very important to provide the best nursing care to Mrs. A. Mycommunication with Mrs. A was the interpersonal communication.This isbecause the interpersonal communication is a communication which involved of two persons (Funnell et al 2005, p. 438). I realized that my nonverbal 6 communication did help me a lot in my duty to provide the nursing care to Mrs. A. Even though she could understand few simple words when I was asking her but Inoticed that one of the problems occurs within the communication was thelanguage barrier. As the patient was not using the official language and thesecond language, I tried to speak in her language. I still could manage thecommunication in our conversation.However, it was quite difficult to promote theeffective verbal communication with the patient. Besides, White (2005, p. 112)recommend that a nurse should learn a few words or phrases in the predominantsecond language to put a patient at ease for bett er understanding. Although itwas quite difficult but using the nonverbal simultaneously with the verbalcommunication did encourage her to speak on her best to make me understandher words. In the event showed that, there was a response from Mrs. A. when Iwas asking her questions. Funnel et al (2005, p. 38) point out that acommunication would occur when a person responds to a message received andassigns meaning to it. She nodded her head to assign that she agreed with me. Delaune and Ladner (2002, p. 191) explain that the channel is one of thecomponent of the communication process which act as a medium during themessage is sent out. In addition, Mrs. A also gave me a feedback that sheunderstood my message by transmitting the message via her body gesturers andeye behaviour. Thus I could consider that the communication channels used inmy conversation were visual and auditory.Delaune and Ladner (2002, p. 191)state a feedback is that the sender receives the information after the receiver react to the message. However, Chitty and Black (2007, p. 218) define feedback 7 is a response to a message. In my situation, I was a sender who conveyed themessage receiving the information from Mrs. A, the receiver who agreed to takelunch and allow me to feed. Consequently, I could analyse that mycommunication with Mrs. A involved of five component of communication processwhich are sender, message, channel, receiver and feedback (Delaune andLadner, 2002, p. 91). In a nutshell, for my reflection of this event explores about on how thecommunication skills play a role on the nurse-patient relationship in order todeliver the nursing care towards the patient especially the adult. She neededquite sometime to adapt the ability changes in her daily activities living where Iwas trying to help her in feeding. I was concerning my feeling and thoughtsduring the feeding so that I could improve more skills in my communication. Isuccessfully communicated with her effectively as she enjoyed finis hing themeal.So it is vital to build rapport with her to encourage her ability to speak upverbally and non-verbal. Moreover, this ability could help her to communicateeffectively with other staff nurses. Later, she would not be neglected because of her age or her disability to understand the information given about her treatment. (Hyland and Donaldson 1989, cited in Harrison and Hart 2006 p. 22) mention thatcommunication express what the patients think and feel. In order to communicatewith adult, it is important to assess her common communication language andher ability to interact in the other languages.As I used some words in her dialect,I essentially encouraged the patient to speak out verbally and communicate non- 8 verbal so that the message could be understood and do not break the nurse-patient communication. In my opinion, I evaluated that it does not a matter whether it was a patient-centred communication or task-centred communicationbecause both communication mentioned by M cCabe (2004) actually doesinvolves communication to the patients. So it was not a problem to argue whichtype of communication involves in my conversation with my patient.After analysed the situation, I could conclude that I was be able to know the skills for effective communication with the patient such as approach the patient, askingquestions, be an active listening, show my empathy and support the patientemotions (Walsh, 2005, p. 34). Actually helping the adult was a good practice indelivering the nursing care among adults. My action plan for the clinical practice in the future, if there were patientsthat I need to help in feeding or other nursing procedure, I would prepare myself better to handle with the patients who would have some difficulty incommunication.This is because, as one of the health care worker, I want thebest care for my patients. So in related to deliver the best care to my patients, Ineed to understand them very well. I have to communicate effectively as this is important to know what they need most during warded under my supervision as anurse. According to my experience, I knew that communication was thefundamental part to develop a good relationship. Wood (2006, p. 13) express thata communication is the key foundation of relationship. Therefore a goodcommunication is essential to get know the patient’s individual health status 9

Students of Science Disciplines are More Meritorious than Others

Students of science disciplines are more meritorious than others Science is the subject where talent, handwork and knowledge of high level is required. Every modern technology, all new innovations are mainly due to science. So science is a very long brunch of studies. Science requires lots of efforts and hard work. Science students have to give not only efforts and hard work, science student have to be talented with a huge reserve of knowledge. While others subjects besides science usually do not require that much meritorious student.So usually meritorious students choose science and science students are more meritorious it can be said in a glance. I completely agree with the fact that science students are more a meritorious The first reason is that usually mostly everywhere in all educational institutes in order to get science high percentage is required in their results. To get science students have to be especially skilled in mathematics, chemistry, biology and other science subje cts. These subjects usually do not work by memorizing. Thinking skills and knowledge are highly required.A student who doesn’t have the capability of using and utilizing their knowledge will never be able to do well in science subjects. Science includes complicated subjects in which only meritorious students achieve good results in it. Subjects other than science, that is arts, commerce, economics, law, literature, history, geography etc are subjects where merit like science is not required. In these subjects if a student can study day and night, work hard and memorize the lessons, they can easily do well in their results.Hard work is required by merit of high level is not mandatory to do well. Science students have to do lots of practical, lab works, and many other science related tasks. These tasks made them develop knowledge no how things actually works in the real world. Due to science our surroundings are full of modern and sophisticated materials and equipment. Passion of getting deep inside how modern world is running due to technology makes a student passionate about science and they try to prepare themselves from the very beginning of their life.Even if a student is not much talented and meritorious they also try to develop them by studying and practicing more and more to develop their knowledge and become capable of taking science. Not in every case all meritorious students take science. There are many meritorious students who study subjects other than science too. The reason behind this can be due to their passion towards other subjects or they don’t find science interesting.Another reason might also be applicable that since science is a very difficult subject students firstly think that they may not able to give that much effort as required in science and they take choose other subject. However they fail to recognize their merit and use it other way in other subjects rather than science, unaware that they are reserving their merit and not using it whereas if they used that merit studying science they could have built up a better future or career for them. They may don’t know but their merit might lead to some new innovations and so on if they have taken science.All in all, with all my reasons stated above I strongly believe that science students are more meritorious than other. Only meritorious students get the ability to take science due to their extraordinary meritorious quality and they have always proved it. Without them we may not be able get a modern sophisticated present world and life. We should be thankful to them and all meritorious students should not waste their merit in places other than science. Contributions of their merit can benefit them and may also benefit the whole world.

Three Heros, A Similar Journey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Three Heros, A Similar Journey - Essay Example The work The Odyssey unveils the adventurous life of Odysseus the hero, and his journey towards homeland. Thesis statement: The research on different journeys of the heroes in Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and The Odyssey prove that their journeys are similar in some way or other (special references to Beowulf, Gilgamesh and Odysseus). Comparison: Beowulf, Gilgamesh and Odysseus The comparison is based on four factors: similarities, problems, gain and effect of the journeys conducted/ undertaken by Beowulf, Gilgamesh and Odysseus. A. Similarities shared by their journeys In his adventurous journey, Beowulf primarily aims to defeat three of his enemies. His status at Geatland as a hero encourages him to help Hrothgar (a Danish king), to defeat and kill a beast and its mother (Grendel and his mother). In the work Beowulf: a new verse translation, a translation by R. M. Liuzza, Hrothgar points out about Beowulf that â€Å"he has thirty men’s strength, strong in battle, in his handgripâ₠¬  (65). Later, he undertakes another adventurous journey to kill an unnamed dragon at Earnanaes in Geatland. On the other side, Gilgamesh’s adventurous journey is similar to Beowulf’s journey. For instance, his journey to the Cedar Mountain, with his companion Enkidu, was to accomplish their dangerous task of defeating Humbaba. This journey and victory encourages them to undertake another adventurous task to kill the Bull of Heaven. One can easily identify that adventure is the motivation for Beowulf and Gilgamesh. The epic poem The Odyssey mainly focuses upon the adventurous life of Odysseus, the hero. The epic poem unveils Odysseus’s homeward journey after participating in the Trojan War. One can easily identify that Odysseus’s adventurous journey is similar to the other two adventurous journeys because his aim was to lead an adventurous life away from his homeland. Like Beowulf and Gilgamesh, Odysseus is not attracted by a peaceful life in his homela nd with his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. In short, the similarities shared by the journeys of Beowulf Gilgamesh and Odysseus include their noble aim and unending passion towards adventurous life. Besides, they were heroes at their homelands and were brave enough to fight with supernatural forces. B. The problems they did encounter during their journeys The problems encountered by Beowulf during his first journey include the fight with Grendel and his mother. As pointed out earlier, Beowulf’s status as a hero encouraged him to undertake this dangerous journey and to fight with supernatural elements. This proves that Beowulf was ready to face problems in his life and to help others. Later, Beowulf became the king of Geatland. When a dragon began to attack his people, he decided to fight with it and to kill it. During the battle, Beowulf was severely injured and it resulted in his death in the end. One can easily identify that the natural obstacle faced by Beowulf inclu de the rocky dwelling place of the Dragon and the cave in which Grendel’s mother used to live in. On the other side, the problems faced by Gilgamesh include the fight with Humbaba and a supernatural element, namely the Bull of Heaven. But his companion Enkidu helped him to overcome the problems during their journeys. In the work The epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Maureen Gallery Kovacs, Gilgamesh is described as â€Å"There is on one stronger than he†

Tort Liabilities Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Tort Liabilities - Case Study Example Negligence is an example of unintentional torts. Most contemporary tort theory focuses on the legal consequences of accidents, where the relevant forms of liability are negligence and strict liability. (Theories of Tort, 2003). Wikipedia (last modified 2006) defines tort as, "In the common law, a tort is a civil wrong other than a breach of contract, for which the law provides a remedy. The origins of the modern law of torts lie in the old remedies of trespass and trespass on the case. The term itself comes from Law French and means, literally, "a wrong". In the French language, the phrase avoir tort translates to "to be wrong". The equivalent body of law in civil law legal systems is delict. A tort is a breach of a non-contractual duty potentially owed to the entire world, imposed by law. The majority of legal claims are brought in tort." An individual's concern for his/her security of physical (bodily) status, the security of his/her financial assets and resources, tangible property, or reputation is protected by the laws of tort. If one of these interests are compromised or interfered with, compensation must be made. The restoration of the victim, or the individual who has been harmed, to his/her status before the action of the tort is the goal of the law of torts. Wex (2005) states that, "In most countries, torts are typically divided into three broad categories: intentional torts, negligence and nuisance. Additional categories or subcategories are recognized in some countries. Some torts are strict liability torts, in that the plaintiff may recover by showing only that the wrong took place, and that the defendant committed the wrong - there is no need to show the defendant's state of mind or that the defendant breached a duty of due care." The main idea of tort law is not that an individually behaved badly, or wrongfully, but that a wrong was actually committed. Under tort laws, victims can spread some of the costs to others in the form of insurance. Therefore, insurance and tort laws are, in a sense, interrelated. In this day and age, lawsuits and judgements are highly possiblea and most individuals realize that they can find themselves involved in one, whether as a victim or as the accused, or guilty, party. Coleman explains the difference between fault and strict liability in tort law: Just as harm without wrong is no tort, wrongs without harms are typically not torts either. Suppose for a moment that every motorist has a duty to exercise reasonable care in driving his or her car, and that the intended beneficiaries of the duty include all the pedestrians and other drivers who Tort Liabilities 4 might be put at risk by one's failure to drive with adequate care. Now imagine two people who drive recklessly and in so doing breach the duty we suppose they have, but that one motorist causes damage whereas the other escapes injuring anyone. By hypothesis, both have breached a duty to those whose security is put at risk, and in doing so both have committed wrongs. Only one driver harms someone as a result of the wrongs he commits and thus only he subjects himself to tort liability. So torts require both wrong and, in most cases, harm. A notable exception to the harm requirement is the case in which