Classical And Modern Liberalism Politics Essay

Classical And Modern Liberalism Politics Essay Liberalism is a political ideology portrayed as the ideology of the industrialized West. Although liberals of all time never waver in their faith in protecting the liberty of individuals, the meaning of the word keeps changing over time. The main purpose of this essay is to examine the differences of classical liberalism and modern liberalism. The first part will provide the definition of liberalism in general, focusing on the shared elements in all forms of liberalism. The second part will introduce the history of liberalism, from classical and modern liberalism till contemporary neoliberalism, and try to illustrate the connection between their main doctrines and historical contexts. In the last part, I would closely examine the differences between classical and modern liberalism, and discuss the boundary between liberty and government intervention in contemporary society. Definition of Liberalism Liberalism, as implied in its name, is a political ideology whose main concern is to protect and enhance the liberty of individuals. As a political doctrine, liberalism did not emerge until the early nineteenth century. However, liberal thoughts and values had been developed through enormous social changes from the sixteenth century, and can even be traced back to as early as ancient Greece and Rome, although there are some distinctions in the main elements. (Heywood 46) There are several common elements shared by all variants of liberalism. According to John Gray, they can be summed up in 4 points(x). Firstly, individualism. It reflects the belief that human beings are foremost individuals, rather than subjected to any collectivity. Therefore, liberals aim at constructing a society in which individuals are provided the freedom to pursue his or her own good or happiness. Secondly, egalitarian or equality. Liberals believe that all individuals are born equal, in terms of two equal rights, namely legal equality and political equality (Heywood 46). However, as people have different talents or abilities, liberals are devoted to provide equal opportunities for everyone to realize their uneven potential. Thirdly, universalism. They affirm that the human process a unified morality. It should be taken in account ahead of the difference of their cultural. Fourthly, meliorism. By meliorism, liberalism firstly implies a belief in the reason of human beings. Thr ough reasoning, individuals can make wise judgments and resolve disputes by the means of debate and discussion. In this way, the society, which is the collection of individuals and its construction are generally progressing. On this premise, liberals believe that people should be offered enough toleration in order to pursue their own interests. It is under this circumstance that the balance and progress of a society can be achieved. However, liberalism has several different sources. It owes something to Stoicism and to Christianity, it has been inspired by scepticism and by a fideistic certainty of divine revelation and it has exalted the power of reason (Gray: x). Apart from its multiple sources, liberalism is also sensitive to the variation of time and conditions. French liberalism and English liberalism have many significant differences. Classical liberalism and modern liberalism are notably different in many ways. For these reasons, liberalism is sometimes seen as a meta-ideology, which consists of rival beliefs and values. History of liberalism Classical liberalism The political foundations of classical liberalism root in a series of social changes from the sixteenth century. The late Medieval saw the dissolve of feudalism and the rise of absolutism. Meanwhile, the power of papacy was weakened and religious reformation was seen in European countries. Rulers had to enforce the conformity either to Roman Catholicism or Protestantism. This process triggered conflicts within and among the states. One example was the Thirty Years War from 1618 to 1648, which brought Europe an enormous damage. In the next century, as industrialization gained pace, a new social class, namely the middle class emerges. They yearned for more political participation and economic freedom. These factors triggered the revolutions in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the most notable of which were the Glorious Revolution in England in 1688, the American Revolution from 1775-83, and the 1789s French Revolution. In this circumstance, liberalism gradually emerged as a poli tical doctrine. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) In the light of the philosophy of English liberals John Locke , French political philosopher Montesquieu , and even earlier the individualism of Thomas Hobbes , early liberals aimed at restricting the power of the government over individuals. In the word of UK-born political activist and pamphleteer Thomas Paine, the government is a necessary evil. (Heywood, 2007:47) Opposing feudal privilege and absolutism, liberals emphasize the importance of constitution and a representative government. The structure of a minimum government was supplemented by Montesquieu. He designed a mechanism of check-and-balance by advocating the separation of three power of the government: legislative, executive and judiciary.(Gingell, Little and Winch 105) Classical liberals, such as Locke also asserted that private poverty is the foundation of liberty of individuals (qtd. in Gingell, Little and Winch 71-79). Another crucial element of classical liberalism is economic liberalism. This principle was mostly provided by Adam Smith in The Wealth of Nations. In a word, classical liberals advocate Laissez-faire, believing in the self-regulating of the market and the minimum of government intervention, which guarantees liberty of individuals and the prosperity of the market (Heywood 47). The philosophical justification of classical liberalism is supplemented by utilitarianism. It was put forward by Jeremy Bentham, James Mill and J.S. Mill. They believe that the goal of a society is to obtain the greatest happiness of the greatest number. In achieving this goal, a representative government which upholds liberty is necessary. (Gingell, Little and Winch 225-228) Classical liberalism had a profound impact on the politic throughout the centuries. It inspired the creation of unified, independent, constitutional states which based on representative principles and the rule of law. In After the Glorious Revolution, under influence of the Whigs, who was the precursor of todays Liberal Party, precepts of classical liberalism had long governed England. In France, liberal goals were achieved in 1871 by the Third Republic. Another significant success was the found of the United States in 1776. In the economic realm, numerous feudal restrictions on manufacturing and internal commerce were abolished. Meanwhile, tariffs and restrictions on imports intended to protect domestic manufactures were put into end. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) Modern Liberalism By the end of nineteenth century, problems had gradually revealed in the free market economy in England and North America. Profits of the booming industry were concentrated in the hand of big companies, while the mass benefited very little. Consequently, the gap between the rich and the poor was significantly enlarged. Moreover, as the poor mass was not able to consume, there were a large surplus of supply, which led to depressions. Meanwhile, as the rich gained more and more power, they were increasingly able to influence politic and limit competition. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) In this circumstance, liberals of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth (e.g. T.H. Green and L.T Hobhouse) started to seek for reforms. Their ideas were strongly influence by J.S Mill, who was widely recognized as the watershed philosopher in liberalism. (Grey 30-31; Heywood 48) Generally, modern liberals hold that freedom does not equal to being left alone. Being left alone, human beings are weaker instead of stronger. They would be stuck in poverty, hunger, illness and helpless and that enjoy less liberty to realize themselves. Hence, Social welfare in particular is to be provided by the government. Meanwhile, the laissez-faire capitalism was rejected by new liberals. Ideas of classical liberals were proved defective in the industrialization and were further challenged by the two world wars and the Great Depression in the 1930s. In The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money , UK economist J.M. Keynes argued that it was laissez-faire policies that resulted in huge unemployment and economic instability, thus the government should manage the aggregate demand in the economy through tax and spending policies. (Heywood 190) From 1950 onwards, government intervention had expanded into various areas of life. (Grey 28) Social welfare starting from free public education and workers accident insurance were established. Modern liberalism reached its peak in the post war period, when everything, from industries to the dignity of individuals, was to be reconstructed. Welfare programs were further expended throughout western world, including social insurance, pensions, family allowances, medical care, and government-funded higher education. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) In economic sector, visible hand of the government had achieved remarkable results. For example, President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal (1933-1939) successfully lifted American out of the Great Depression. Neoliberalism Neoliberalism is a retrieve of the political economy in classical liberalism. The ideas were developed by twenty centurys economists, e.g. Friedrich Hayek and philosophers such as Robert Nozick (Heywood 52). They address the problem of the slowing down economic growth which starting from the mid-1970s in the western world. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica) Neoliberals hold that intervention, whether with a good intention or not, would have negative effects. The best solution should still be found in self-help, individual responsibility and entrepreneurialism (Heywood 52). One expression of the idea was Margaret Thatchers policies. She also asserted that there is no such thing as society, only individuals and their families (Heywood 52). Comparison of classical and modern liberalism Negative liberty vs positive liberty The distinctions between classical and modern liberalism root in their different understanding of liberty. English philosopher Isaiah Berlin made a profound distinction between two concepts of liberty, which he called negative liberty and positive liberty. By being free in a negative sense, Berlin meant not being interfered with by others (123). While in the second case, freedom means the capability of the individual to be his own master (131). Classical liberals focus on the maximizing of negative liberty, while by contrast, modern liberals hold that the government should assistant individuals to realize their positive freedom. Minimum state vs social welfare By advocating a minimal state, classical liberals focus on the maximizing of negative liberty. In a minimal state, only three core functions are left in hand of the government. Firstly, maintaining domestic order with organizations such as police force. Secondly, it should enforce contracts or agreements between citizens, which means the function of judiciary. Thirdly, the state should protect the people from external threat, thus a military is needed. (Heywood 99) By contrast, modern liberals hold that the government should assistant individuals to realize their positive freedom. Therefore, social welfare programs are strongly upheld. However, there was still a boundary. According to T.H Green, when and only when individuals are in threat of being enslaved by liberty should the government intervene (Tyler).In another word, social welfare should help those who cannot help themselves. Laissez-faire vs government intervention Adam Smith asserted that the invisible hand, namely the self-interest of the individual in a free market would lead to the well-being of the economy. In order to benefit himself, one has to produce according to the demand of the market, which Smith phrased as invisible hand (Smith vol. 2a) On the contrary, government intervention is dangerous  as it was exercised in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself. (Smith vol. 2a) By contrast, modern liberal economists, such as Keynes, pointed out that economy is not perfectly self-managing. Only under the rule of supply and demand, monopolization is unavoidable. Profits fall into the hands of a few people while the mass are incapable of consuming, which doom the end of capital circulation economic prosperity. Only with government intervention can the economy maintain a prolonged prosperity. (John Maynard Keynes). However, it is notable that the idea of free market was never fully abandoned by modern liberals even Keynes. Unlike socialists, they had no intention to nationalize the economy or interfere with the mechanism of supply and demand. According to Keynes, the visible hand functions not by cutting wages to insure full employment, but by expansionary fiscal policy, such as spending money on public projects to expand demand.(Sharpe) In order to evaluate both concepts of liberalism, we should take in to consideration their historical contexts. Because every political philosophy is the product of a certain time and circumstance and therefore has its limitation. As showed above, classical liberalism was born in a time of the transformation from feudalism to absolutism. It was a time when the government still ruled over people. Hence, the deep suspicion of the government is reasonable. In a time when the negative liberty of individuals were everywhere under threat, it is important to introduce the concepts of social contract and restrict the power of government at any cost. Modern liberalism however, addressed mainly the problem emerging in industrialization. It had been observed that even if free from all external restrictions, sometimes people are still vulnerable and incapable to realize themselves. In addition, with the development of representative democracy, government itself had gained more trust that it can represent the will of the individuals. Nowadays the idea of social welfare and economic intervention has been widely accepted in most western countries. However, there are still a lot of questions. One of them is that if government is justified to intervene, what should be the limitation? With respect to social welfare, modern liberals have provided the answer themselves. In his Theory of Justice, John Rawls suggested two principles to justify redistribution. The first one, which he called equal principle, suggests that individuals should have equal rights to basic liberty. The second principle, which is difference principle, inequality is justified, only if it promotes the well-being of the worse-offs compared to in the condition of equal liberty. (Rawls, John) This boundary is of great importance. Because, firstly, equality is an indispensable principle of liberalism. Policies in favor of the weak should be designed to compensate the existing inequality, not to create new inequality. Excessive protection would jeopardize social equality and lead to negative consequences. Take the debate over Affirmative Action in the United States as an example. This action was aimed to redress the disadvantages caused by historical discrimination. However, the clauses had aroused intensive controversy, being accused of generating inverse discrimination. For example, in the 1978 Regents v. Bakke case, student Bakke sued the Medical School of University of California at Davis, for it reserved sixteen present of studying slots to minorities, which was ruled by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. (Fullinwider) In this case, intervention did not only help the worse-offs, but also harm the better-offs. Secondly, excessive welfare would make the people depend too much on the state and lose the motion of self-realization. As a result, the drive for social progress will be impeded. For instance, nanny state, which provide social care from curdle to grave are always criticized for   creating an  underclass  of  welfare  dependents. (Nanny state) However, as for economy, the line is much vaguer. Neoliberals of our time remind us the warning of Adam Smith that economic planning was doomed to fail. The reason is however, according to Von Hayek, that even if with good intention, the government would never have enough knowledge to make the right decision. Hence, they rejected the direct government intervention to promote demand, but suggested that government should maintain a stable value of money. (Ingham) From the 1970s, Keynesianism seemed to reach its bottleneck. Regulations concerning the insurance, banking, and financial industries were eliminated in the next decades. (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica). Relaxed regulations have brought good effects, but would that be the permanent prescription? The answer is in the negative. The economic crisis of 2007-08 originating in the financial system in the U.S. exemplified the shortcoming of insufficient regulation. In his last term, President Barack Obama undertook a series of policies that re-regulate or nationalize the bank (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica). In Neoliberalism: A Critical Reader edited by Alfredo Saad-Filho, the defects of contemporary Laissez-faire policy were examined. These include unemployment, enlarged domestical and international inequality, and the destruction of environment. (Saad-Filho and Johnston 5) The development of society sometimes shows a pattern of a waving pendulum. Capitalism is and will always trying to find a balance between efficiency and equality. Conclusion From its sprout in the seventeenth century, to its transformation starting in the late nineteenth century, and until the revival of its original ideas in the recent decades, liberalism constantly adjust itself according to time and circumstances. Due to different historical contexts, Classical and modern liberalism explained liberty from different perspectives. Compared with classical liberals, modern liberals have more confidence in the government and that uphold more intervention in social and economic affairs. Nevertheless, the belief in the supreme value of individuals and the reason of human beings, the respect for equality and universality of morality remain unchanged. In contemporary society, although it have been widely accepted that government should protect the positive liberty of individuals, what is the limitation of government intervention will remain a question.

Tesco Plc: Business and Financial Performance Analysis

Tesco Plc: Business and Financial Performance Analysis This Research and Analysis Project report concentrated on the Business and Financial performance of Tesco Plc over a three year period from 2008 to 2010. The analysis report throws more lights on the operational and financial performance of Tesco Plc by having regard to its business strategy. One of its major rivals in the industry which is J. Sainsburys Plc has been used as a benchmark in order to compare Tesco plc performance. REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS TOPIC This topic was selected because there has been much and extreme competition in the retail supermarket industry in recent times. With most of these businesses having to compete for their share of the market. Most them are thinking and aiming of becoming a market leader one. But at the heat of this competition is the issue of survival and going concern which is at the centre of every these retail businesses since failure to consider them could result to total collapse of their entire operations. To this end I decided to investigate Tesco which is one of the UKs most successful and also one of the worlds biggest retail supermarkets to find out how it has operated so far and to see the level of it business and financial success over the last three year period. REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS ORGANISATION Tesco plc was chosen because it has become one of the worlds biggest retail supermarkets in recent times. Considering the size of its market share compare to most of its major competitors, the company has grown so rapidly thereby increasing in profitability. Therefore I wanted to find out whether or not the profitability levels have come as a result of its rapid and consistent growth, since growth and profitability do not always move hand in hand. I also wanted to know more about the companys strategy which has seen it expand so quickly and rapidly than its rivals do. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT The main aims and objectives of this project are to analyse the business and financial performance of Tesco plc. It should be noted that most companies are not managed and directed by their owners (shareholders) but rather appoint Directors and entrust in their hands with stewardship of their investments. Therefore it is appropriate for these Directors to account to these owners the stewardship of those investments entrusted in their care. Shareholders and stakeholders of every company including Tesco plc will like to know whether or not their investments and interest are been managed properly since this will help them decide whether to sell off their shares or keep them and even invest more. Stakeholders alike may also want to know the companys performance, progress and its success in order to take an informed decisions. The project will find out whether Tesco plcs shareholders are properly rewarded for their investments and risks they have taken or not. And also to ascertain how satisfactory Tesco plc stakeholders are. To achieve this, ratio analysis was employed to analyse the companys last three years financial statements (2008, 2009, 2010) and this was compared with the rivals three results in order to obtain objectivity and fairness. There was also a consideration regarding the going concern status of the business as it is central to the companys long term survival. As a consequence, tools such as SWOT and 5 Forces analysis were considered to assess its non financial information in order to establish Tesco plcs current competitive position in the market, any strengths and weaknesses they have as well as opportunities and threats they are faced with. RESEARCH QUESTIONS As part of this project the following research question were generated in order to respond to them in the analysis: Has the shareholders investment managed properly? How well have Tesco plc shareholders are been rewarded for risks taken? Have stakeholders interest been kept satisfied? Is the companys current business strategy sustainable? What is the companys long term survival strategy? Will the company be able to continue to enjoy rapid increase and expansion? 2. INFORMATION GATHERING Sources and their reasons Tesco Plcs 2008, 2009, 2010 Annual reports These individual annual reports provided me with detailed and adequate information which I used for analysing the business and financial performance of the company. The annual reports were very useful in calculating and analysing since they were the most current results. J. Sainsburys Plc Annual Reports for 2008, 2009, 2010 Like the Tesco Plc annual reports, these ones from J. Sainsburys Plc also assisted me in analysing the business and financial performance of the company and again the most recent financial reports. The Chairmen and the Chief Executives statements from both companies These were useful in that they provided me with the companies operational highlights which helped my analysis to reflect those highlights Quarterly Reports on their trading activates There were vital information that I gathered from these quarterly reports as well, which aided my analysis. Unaudited interim company financial Reports Even though these reports were unaudited and may not provide much positive signs, however they supplied me with trends on these companies operations to establish its performance and also to see if there was the need for issuance of profit warning. News papers Information gathered from the news paper publications included experts opinions, comments and suggestions which could affect the share price of the company on the market. And as such was useful to the shareholders and potential shareholders. Expert Reports These were other independent expert views gathered apart from the news papers which throw much more lights on the future and potential prospects of the company by showing trends, projections, forecast, diagnosis, etc. Libraries Continuous visit to libraries such as the Woolwich library, British library, white chapel, etc. These libraries gave me the chance to have access to the data bases of all the listed companies information. Books and journals Most of the ACCA text books such as Paper F2, F7, P3, ACCA students magazines, Financial accounting books, etc were all useful in this exercise in getting a deeper understanding of the financial analysis. 2.2 Method used in information gathering The secondary data were gathered and used for the conduct of this report which was collected through the following means: Libraries Libraries attendance was used to collect data from sources such as articles, News papers, Textbooks, journals, magazines, CD ROM, etc. Search engines (Websites) Websites that were considered important were visited to collect data including that of Tesco Plc website, J. Sainsburys Plc and others. They are (www.tesco.com), (www.j-sainsbury.co.uk), http://www.emeraldinsight.com, http://www.ssrn.com, http://search.ebscohost.com, etc. Request Letter A formal written letter was sent to both the secretaries of Tesco Plc and J. Sainsburys Plc to request a copy of their 2008, 2009, 2010 annual reports which helped in the analysis. Marketlineinfo.com/ Datamonitor.com Specialised information were sort from these sources to help analyse the non- financial information such as SWOT AND 5 Forces analyses techniques. Financial Analysis Made Easy (FAME) This source gave me financial information including Tesco Plc and J. Sainsburys Plc and contained ratios analysis for companies. There was also non- financial information such as the employees numbers, structure of company ownership, issues relating to corporate governance. Accounting techniques used The under-listed techniques were used for the conduct of this research in order to arrive at a reasonable and an objective conclusions which helped to give recommendations Profitability ratios Liquidity ratios Efficiency and solvency Investor ratios/ Stock market ratios As part of the conduct of this research these financial ratios were computed in understanding of the company performance in answering the research questions mentioned in 1.5 above were. They included: Revenue Growth ratio: this showed the movement of growth in revenue for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010 for both Tesco Plc and J. Sainsbury Plc. Profitability and returns ratios: These ratios indicated well Tesco Plc has superiority in terms of Profit generation for the three years as oppose to its rival J. Sainsbury Plc. Working capital ratios: these ratios are pointers of short-term financial standing of both companies. The idea was to establish these companies ability to remain in business by been able to finance its short term debts with short term sources of finance without having to result to the use of long term finance (fixed assets). Efficiency ratios like the profit per employee and turnover per employee were all considered. This was able to show how efficient Primark has been managed in relation to its workers. Investor ratios: the investor ratios measured how well have the shareholders been adequately rewarded for the risk taken. And also these ratios could assist potential shareholders to take any informed decision (s). 3. ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION 3.1 OVERVIEW OF TESCO PLC Tesco is one of the largest food retailers in the world, operating around 2,318 stores and employing over 326,000 people. As well as operating in the UK, it has stores in the rest of Europe and Asia. It also provides online services through its subsidiary, Tesco.com. The UK is the companys largest market operating under four banners: Extra, Superstore, Metro and Express. Tesco sells approximately 40,000 food products in its superstores, as well as clothing and other non-food lines. The companys own-label products are at three levels, value, normal and finest. Tesco Plc own brand accounts for approximately 50% of sales. As well as convenience produce, many stores have gas stations. The company has become one of Britains largest petrol independent retailers. Other retailing services offered in the UK include Tesco Personal Finance and Tesco.com. Tesco Personal Finance is a joint venture with the Royal Bank of Scotland. It has over 3.4 million customers, and provides various financial p roducts and services. The company has operations in the rest of Europe, including the Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Tescos Republic of Ireland business operates in the region of 82 stores, and around 60 stores in the Hungarian market. Tescos Polish operations include former HIT operated stores. It operates around 66 hypermarkets and supermarkets in this country. In the Czech Republic and Slovakian markets, Tesco operates 22 and 23 hypermarkets respectively. Tesco also operates stores in Asia, including Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. The company operates 64 stores in Thailand and 28 stores in the South Korean Market, while in the Taiwanese and Malaysian markets it has three stores in each nation. www.datamonitor.com 3.2 OVERVIEW OF J. SAINSBURYS PLC J. Sainsbury plc operates a total of 890 stores comprising 547 supermarkets and 343 convenience stores. It jointly owns Sainsburys Bank with Lloyds Banking Group and has two property joint ventures with Land Securities Group PLC and The British Land Company PLC. The Group also holds 294 freehold and long leasehold stores. It employs approximately 150,000 staff. The companys stores offer a range of food, and complementary non-food products and services primarily under the Sainsburys brand. It also provides an Internet-based home delivery shopping service. In addition, it provides insurance, credit cards, savings products, and loans. The Sainsburys brand is built upon a heritage of providing customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food. Quality and fair prices go hand-in-hand with a responsible approach to business. Sainsburys stores have a particular emphasis on fresh food and strive to innovate continuously and improve products in line with their customer needs (http://www.j-sa insbury.co.uk). Its businesses are organized into three operating segments: Retailing (Supermarkets and Convenience); Financial services (Sainsburys Bank joint venture), and Property investment (British Land joint venture and Land Securities joint venture) (http://uk.reuters.com). Companies Strategy 3.2.1 Tesco Plc business strategy Tesco Plc has a well-established and steady strategy for growth that has assisted in strengthening its core activities in the UK and its further expansion in to new markets (abroad). The basis for the strategy is to widen the scale of it operations to enable it deliver well-built sustainable long-term growth by way of pursuing the customer into large growing markets at home. By that it offers customers with products including financial services, telecoms and non-food and new markets abroad, originally in Central Europe and Asia, and  more lately  in the US. The companys 1997 diversification strategy lunched has successful become its foundation in recent times. The company has become market leader in most of the markets that saw the creation and development of their new businesses out the UK for the last twelve years since these businesses are highly competitive and profitable. Tesco plc strategy has shown a massive progress consistently. The strategy has five essential rudiments which reflect on the companys four conventional areas of concentration and the business long-term commitments regarding the society as well as the environment. The objectives of the Tesco Plc strategy focus on: To become a successful global retailer To develop its core business in the UK To become as strong in non-food as in food. To build up retailing services such as Tesco Personal Finance, Telecoms and Tesco.com To put the community at the heart of what it does (http://www.tescoplc.com) 3.2.2 J. Sainsburys Plc business strategy J. Sainsburys Plc strategy focuses on five main areas which are underpinned by the companys strong heritage and brand which consistently sets it apart from its main rivals. One of such strategies is great quality products at fair prices the company with its consistent innovation provides its customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food that are also sourced with integrity. With over 19 million customers been served every week and increase in market indicate how successful the strategy has been. The companys second strategy is on the acceleration of the growth of its complementary non-food and services through its philosophy of quality and value, and to offer a broader shopping experience for consumers. The company opened 51 convenient stores during 2009/10 as part of its strategy of reaching as many customers as possible with it brand. I also expanded its groceries online business to reach almost 90% households with non food products lunched in July 2009 making 8,000 products now available nationwide. J. Sainsbury Plc plan to open 75 to 100 more in convenient stores in 2010/11. Since operational flexibility can be improved by property/ assets ownership and even further exploitation of potential development opportunities, J. Sainsbury Plc increased the value of it freehold property portfolio to  £9.8 billion (http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk) In a highly competitive marketplace in which all UK retailers are fighting to sustain their sales against a slowdown in consumer spending, Primark is doing remarkably well. The UK high streets and malls are packed with no-frills fashion retailers. That means that Primark has plenty of competitors all aiming at the same type of customers. It is not easy to sell cheap fashion. Well-established rivals such as BHS and Matalan are struggling, while results at Primark are booming. The market segment targeted by Primark is the fashion conscious under-35s with the slogan Look good pay less. It offers fashionable clothes at very competitive prices (for example, jeans for  £4) and reasonable quality: in other words, a value for money strategy. In competitive strategy terms, Primark is a pursuing a classic focus cost leadership strategy. The American management professor Michael Porter of Harvard University developed a well-known approach to the competitive strategy of firms. He argued that companies could achieve a higher rate of profit (or at least potential profit) in one of two ways: they could either provide a product or service that is identical to that provided by rival companies, but at a lower cost than rival firms, or they could provide a product or service that is differentiated from that of rival firms such that customers would be prepared to pay more for their product than for a rival firms product. (R. M Grant (2005)). The first approach would mean that the firm has a  cost advantage over rival firms, allowing it to pursue a Cost Leadership strategy; the second approach would mean that they had a  differentiation  advantage, allowing it to pursue a Differentiation strategy. Firms selling a no-frills product are usually attempting a cost leadership strategy, such as Easyjet (UK) or SouthWest (USA) airlines. The focus part of Primarks strategy is the specific customer segment it focuses on i.e. that of the under-35s. It is not attempting to sell to everybody. It has selected a particular customer segment, just as the 18-30 holiday company has selected a clear market segment based on age group within the leisure industry. In the last three years Primark has got a lot of things right. Some of its strongest successful competitors are BHS, TK Maxx and George at ASDA. However, although all three are in the value segment and therefore have similar market positioning, the other three have different strategies to that of Primark. TK Maxx sells heavily-discounted prestige brands and George at Asda has created its own private-label brand mostly at out-of town stores. Primark is a high street retailer which has a family of brands and focuses much more on buying, logistics and supply chain management rather than branding. In its pursuit of ever-lower costs, teams of buyers in UK and Ireland travel internationally both to identify fashion trends and to seek out the most competitive suppliers. The company uses computerised customs clearance (speed to market) and dedicated warehousing and distribution facilities, such as the giant warehouse owned and run by the logistics company TNT but dedicated solely to Primark stock distribution. This one warehouse is centrally located for the whole UK market, near a junction of the M1 motorway and it houses 50% of Primarks UK stock, receiving 30 lorry loads each day. (This warehouse was destroyed by fire in November 2005). Computerised warehousing and distribution systems are linked to computerised daily sales and stock information (rapid restocking of fast-selling items) by size and colour for each item in every store to optimise turnover. (www.open2.net) THE PEST ANALYSIS James and Akharaserani (1988) indicated that external phenomena have impact on internal ones. By PEST, attention is paid to Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) factors which could influence positively or negatively on the growth or otherwise of the organisation. The discussion below throws more light on these external issues of the organisation. (P)olitical According to Lancaster et al (2002 p. 55) The political environment is the starting point from which many other macro-environment forces originate. Tesco operates in a variety of political environments; the head office being in the UK. The UK has a functional democracy with elections and multi-party political system. The USA has a similar democratic setup. The political factors in both countries are stable and promote the growth of private enterprise. Most of the European markets are situated in Eastern part and the markets are Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia and Turkey. The political factors here are not as stable as UK or USA. Asia is the largest market outside of the UK. It has presence in Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, China, and Japan. Of these Japan is quite stable. The most political problems are from Thailand where there is opposition from local businesses and so Tesco faces the biggest problems here. (E)conomic The UK and the US are both rich countries even though faced with a recession at present. The East European markets are much poorer in comparison, but Lancaster et al (2002) indicate that there is a massive improvement in the economic environment of the Far East with the likes of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and China. To prevail in the economic condition of the Far East, Tesco has lowered its prices which are welcomed by the local population there. (S)ocial The social structure in USA and UK are quite akin where shopping in supermarkets has existed for a long time. But for the Asian countries, the concept is relatively new. Turkey and Malaysia are both Muslim countries; hence their religious laws have to be taken into consideration by Tesco. (T)echnological Assessing todays technology, Headrick (2009) says, it has brought the world to a stunning advancement. It is in the light of this that Lancaster et al (2002) establish that technology is a very important tool which has a huge impact on the marketing firm. By technology, Japan, US, UK and Malaysia have similar facilities. South Korea is also strong in this regard. Thailand might be the least technologically advanced of the markets. This is also the case with the East European markets. China has technical capability, but is mainly limited to its cities. But it can be said that the level of technology needed by Tesco in all these markets are available and hence not much obstacles in this area are anticipated. THE VALUE CHAIN The concept of value chain has been widely and intensively spoken about by astute authors. The concept was propounded by Michael Porter. Explaining the value chain concept, Porter (1985) describes it as, A general framework for thinking strategically about the activities involved in any business and assessing their relative cost and role in differentiation. Writing on the same concept, Longbottom (2006) intimated that information dissemination across the value chain has increasingly become indispensable to organisations which want to stay in competition. To support Longbottoms assertion, Dekker (2003) expressed that the importance of the value chain cannot be over-emphasised as it grants the organisation an opportunity to achieve the maximum. According to Porter (1985) the value chain has two major parts, namely; Primary and Support activities. He says the Primary activities are those directly linked with production. They are: Inbound logistics, Operations, Outbound logistics, Marketing and Sales and Service. The Support or the Secondary activities he identified as: Procurement, Human Resources Management, Technology Development and the Firms Infrastructure. Below is a demonstration of how Tesco applies the value chain in its activities. 4.1 Primary Activities: Inbound logistics Tesco gets its materials from the suppliers who are mostly the producers and stores them in its depot. Operations Those that need to be turned into finished products are processed as such Outbound logistics Tesco has trucks of different types which supply the various stores. Marketing and Sales Tesco has various means of marketing its products which include the application of the promotional mix producing to meet the needs of the customer Service Tesco has a track record of providing an outstanding service to customers, especially after sales. This is to find out the impression of the customer after the usage of the product. 4.2 Support Activities: Procurement Tesco has been getting in touch with its suppliers without middlemen, hence minimising procurement cost in its purchases. Human Resources Management Tesco employs people who have the expertise and the commitment to serve the company with all the loyalty. Mention could be made of Terry who committed his business acumen to Tesco for fourteen years as Chief Executive Officer. Technology Development This is an area Tesco cannot be beaten to it, as it has created a formidable e-commerce for its activities through Tesco.com The Firms Infrastructure In terms of infrastructure, Tesco has high class modern facilities for its stores and spacious parking places in most of its stores. INFORMATION SYSTEM/IT AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE TOOL FOR TESCO Speaking on the advent of technology, Goessi (2008) expressed that Technology has taken the business environment by storm. Throwing more light on that, Headrick (2009) intimated that due to technology, there has been an excessive threat to the business environement. Gone are the days when every single activity that was done in organisations was manual. In recent years, automation has taken business to another level and those organisations wishing to stay and aspire ought to follow suit. The points discussed below would afford Tesco, the opportunity to gain competitive advantage. Strategic Differentiation According to Hitt et al (2009) a good IS would afford the organisation to strategically differentiate itself to be competitively ahead. In line with this, Tesco differentiates itself and gain competitive advantage by offering special services like club cards to the customer. Integration of Supply and Distribution Tesco could apply IS as a tool to assess and track inventory. By that the supply chain could be monitored with minor problems detected before they become major ones. Communication The Information System being practised in the organisation would determine how expeditious information would be disseminated. A communication system which is automated in nature would minimise cost and improve the image of Tesco as an organisation. Quick Decision Making Information System paves way for important information to be delivered at the right time. Any manager who wants to make a quick decision in the current business dispensation should find IS as an indispensable tool. This will provide the manager to do a quick assessment on a bordering issue and find a solution. CONCLUSION Tesco as an organisation has made a tremendous impact on the business landscape. Even though it had gone through rough times and still faces some competition which is inevitable in contemporary business circles, Tesco has become a household name. With its performance in both the local and the international scenes, couple with the vast technological incorporation, the sky could still be its limit as Goessi (2008) expressed, Many businesses today are still realizing the power their technology possesses, but once strategic knowledge is realised, the potential is endless.

Mary Shelley: The Woman Behind the Monster

Mary Shelley: The Woman Behind the Monster Though Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley experienced countless trials and tribulations throughout her life, she endured them and they in turn, shaped her into the amazing writer she came to be. Mary was not her parents first child. Her half-sister was from a past relationship between her mother and a man from England. Her father was distraught when her mother died shortly after Marys birth. Shortly after her death, he began looking for more suitable women to be his new wife because he knew he could not look after the two small girls by himself. When Mary Shelley was born, her name was Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. She was born on August 30, 1797 in Somers Town, London. She was the second child of Mary Wollstonecraft, a famed educator, writer, and philosopher. She was the first child of William Godwin, a novelist, philosopher, and journalist. She also had a half-sister Fanny, who came about as a result of her mothers past relations with a man from America. Mary was named after her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft. The original Mary had a drunker aristocrat for a father who failed at everything he attempted, and a mother who was a nondescript Irish woman. Mary first made her mark on the world when she opened a school alongside her sisters at the age of twenty-one. The school quickly failed, so Mary began traveling. She first stopped in Ireland, where she maintained a position as a governess for a time. Afterwards, she moved to London and worked for a publisher named James Johnson. After leaving London in 1792, she traveled to France to see the Revolution. Here she met Gilbert Imlay, an American man captaining a merchant ship. Mary Wollstonecraft and Gilbert Imlay moved in together and lived this way until Mary gave birth to her daughter Fanny. She gave Fanny the last name Imlay. Before long, Imlay left Mary to fend for herself and take care of little Fanny alone. Mary decided to return to England with Fanny after being deserted. She attempted suicide in her depressed state and failed. She once again started working for James Johnson and began writing novels, political essays and history pieces. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is perhaps the one piece of literature that brought Mary Wollstonecraft to fame. It was published in 1792 and she was viewed as a pioneer for womens rights from then on. In her eyes, men and women should be raised, educated, and treated as equals. She believed that they should learn to live and coexist in peace and harmony with one another so long as neither of the two forgot their place. Her belief was that it was the privilege as well as the duty of women to bear the children while the men were privileged to have a superior legal position. Mary Wollstonecrafts views led her to a meeting held by William Godwin, the man that would eventually come to be her husband. William was the son of a Nonconformist clergyman. He himself was part of the Calvinist ministry, but only for a few short years. His first book, Life of Chatham, was written after the works of some French enemies of organized religion, such as Voltaire, made him realize he wanted to take a different approach. He then became a philosopher-historian. After he wrote History of the Commonwealth of England, it was proved as sound by scholars. He also wrote a series of sermons titled Sketches of History. His most famous piece of work was Political Justice, which was published four years before baby Marys birth. He showed his literary versatility by writing not only a number of novels and a handful of plays, but when Mary was five years old he began publishing childrens books. His most popular childrens stories were the Tales from Shakespeare by his friends Mary and Charles Lamb, and his very own work Life of Chaucer. He had many followers of Godwinism, as they called his philosophy. Some of his philosophical disciples were William Hazlitt, William Wordsworth, Robert Southey, Coleridge and Lamb. Percy Bysshe Shelley, a poet, was particularly intrigued by the ideas proposed in Political Justice. He began inserting the themes of Godwinism into his poetry as well as trying to live out the principles. He was found to be a particularly devoted follower while the others eventually outshined Godwin and his philosophy. William Godwin was handsome and slender in his youth, but he eventually became overweight and balding and his vision was quickly depleting. He hardly looked like the kind of man that would effectively influence the lives of millions of people. Even his most devoted followers described him as cold, impersonal and ever remote (Gerson 4,5). He ate excessively, borrowed money from anyone who was willing, and the most anyone could say about him was that he rarely smoked a pipe and drank very little. Still to this day no one understands why his followers worshiped him so much. William Godwin was forty years old when he met thirty-six-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft in 1796. Although he was unaware of it yet, Mary was smashing his theories to pieces. The two met each other at one of Williams social gatherings regularly held at his home at 7 Evesham Buildings in Somers Town on the outskirts of London. After a short period of time, the two began attending the theater, dining, strolling through London and frequenting coffeehouses together. Their mutual friends believed their relationship originated simultaneously in their minds, if not made in heaven. Mary was perhaps one of the most intelligent women of her day, and Godwin dropped his cold aura and allowed himself to melt when he was in her presence. They began an affair in the fall of 1796 with no intention of getting married as neither of them particularly liked the restrictive terms of marriage. Mary then moved only a few doors down from him for convenience. They each wanted to maintain their independence, and they went to great lengths to do so, much to the amusement of their friends. They established separate social lives, neither one taking the other for granted. In February of 1797, Mary discovered she was pregnant and everything changed as a result. Godwins friends would suggest that William was anxious to have the ceremony performed. Although he personally was indifferent, he knew that Mary would be forsaken for birthing a child out of wedlock, and the illegitimate child would suffer. William also said he had grown fond of Marys small daughter Fanny, whom he was teaching to read, and whom he wanted to receive his last name as well. William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft were joined in holy matrimony on March 29, 1797 at the altar of Saint Pancras Church. They newly married couple tried to maintain at least the idea of their independence. They still lived in their separate houses a few doors apart, talked daily and only ate together when one of them arranged an invitation to do so. They always ate their lunches and dinners together at one of their houses, and they were completely oblivious to the fact that everyone, including their close friends, laughed at their exaggerated courtesy. Godwin knew his wife was approaching her due date, and it set him on edge. He could no longer focus on his work and the notes he wrote to her gradually got shorter and more closed-off as time went on. Marys labor was difficult enough that she had to be tended to by three physicians, one midwife, and two ladies who were close friends. The infant girl was born in the late evening of August 30, 1797. William suggested that they give her Marys name, and she agreed. Later that night, Mary started suffering complications and for the next week and a half, she was under the constant attention of the three physicians. Godwin only left the room for the purpose of comforting Fanny. On September 9, she started to rapidly lose what was left of her strength, and on September 10, 1797, Mary Wollstonecraft died. Godwin realized that he was unfit to raise a three-year-old girl and an infant by himself. Several of the couples friends volunteered to assist him, and a cook, a serving maid and a housemaid were all hired to tend to the house. Godwin realized that the only sufficient way to sufficiently solve his problem, and that was to remarry. Godwin met his first candidate in 1798- a woman by the name of Miss Harriet Lee. She was a headmistress of a girls school in Bath, and collaborated with her sister Sophia to write a childrens version of the Canterbury Tales. Godwin proposed to Harriet Lee in a letter after only a month. She ended the relationship because she understood the situation and why he was so hasty to remarry. Godwin waited no more than a month after Maria Reveley, the wife of a close friend, had been widowed before he proposed to her. However, she was a good judge of character and declined his advances. The family dynamics soon changed with Godwins marriage to Mary Jane Clairmont in 1801 (Mary Shelley 1). Godwin first met Mrs. Clairmont while they were both on an outing in the park with their two children. The four children would play together while the adults were left to sit and chat. They were married on December 21, 1801, the same year the new family had moved into the neighborhood. Fanny was unwilling to obey her stepmother at first, but she soon was made to understand that there was a particular time and place to run wild. Mary, however, had grown to hate her stepmother. The only memories of her stepmother that Mary recorded are bad ones (Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 1). Mary could not deny that her stepmother took good care of her and her sister along with her own children, Charles and Jane, but she resented her nonetheless. The four children were joined by a new sibling, a little boy named William, when Mary Jane Godwin gave birth in 1803. Though her stepsister Jane was sent to a proper boarding school, Mary was never properly educated because Mary Jane Godwin saw no reason to do so. Mary had no interest in doing anything deemed a womans job. She would often burn food or let water boil over when being taught the basics of cooking because she was too busy reading. Mary read more than she did anything else. Her father had an extensive library which she often took advantage of. She could sometimes be found reading by her mothers grave, though she did not know her. She also enjoyed daydreaming- it offered her an outlet into her imagination. She quickly found another creative escape in the form of writing. According to The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft, she stated that As a child I scribbled; and my favourite pastime, during the hours given me for recreation, was to write stories.' Her first poem, Mounseer Nongtongpaw was published in 1807 through the publishing company her father started thanks to his new wife. By the time she was a teenager, Mary was in desperate need of a change of scenery as it was taking a large toll on her health. Her father arranged for her to stay with some friends in Dundee, Scotland. Little did she know that she would meet her future husband upon his return to Scotland. Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of William Godwins followers for a period of time in 1812. A year before he had become a follower of Godwinism, he had eloped with one of his sisters friends, Harriet Westbrook while they were both nineteen years old. History says that Mary Godwin met Percy Bysshe Shelley in the summer of 1813 when Mary, who was almost sixteen years old at the time, came home to London for a visit. Percy Shelley would also have been in London at that time, along with his now-pregnant wife, Harriet. It may have been possible that Mary and Percy met several times unknowingly, seeing as Percy was at Marys fathers house so often in order to further his discipleship under the famed philosopher. Percy began to fall in love with Mary, and he confessed this to her on one of their walks to Marys mothers grave at St Pancras churchyard on June 26, 1814. When Godwin found out about this on July 8, he forbade Mary to see Shelley any longer (A Biographical Sketch of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) 1). On July 18, 1814, Mary agreed to accompany Shelley in his flee to France after he threatened to commit suicide. They took Marys stepsister Jane, now calling herself Claire, with them. Mary gives birth to a premature baby girl, whom she names Clara, on February 22, 1815. The baby dies two weeks later. As a part of the healing process from the baby, Claire suggests that the two accompany her to Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Mary and Percy Shelley finally marry on December 30, 1816. After reading ghost stories together with some friends, Mary decided that she, along with the others, would write a horror story. This brings forth the birth of her most renowned book, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, published in March of 1818. She had been having nightmares about the death of her daughter, and her anxiety is what is believed to have brought this on. Mary was widowed at the age of twenty-four after a sailing accident in which Percy Shelley drowned. She later died at the age of fifty-three on February 1, 1851 due to brain cancer. She was buried at St Peters Church in Bournemouth, with the remains of her late husbands heart. Mary Shelley was born in 1797 in London, England and died in 1851. She was the daughter of two equally progressive thinkers, William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, which set the cast of her persevering intellect and her advanced education (Spark 18). She married Percy Bysshe Shelley in the year of 1816 and they traveled quite a lot together. Her most famous novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, is viewed as perhaps the beginning of the science fiction genre. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley endured many struggles throughout her lifetime, but that is what has made her into such an amazing writer and that is why she is viewed so highly in the literary community today.   Works Cited A Biographical Sketch of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851). Victorianweb.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2017. Gerson, Noel Bertram. Daughter of Earth and Water: A Biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. New York: W. Morrow, 1973. Web. Mary Shelley. Biography.com. AE Networks Television, 18 Nov. 2016. Web. 06 Jan. 2017. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2017. Spark, Muriel, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Shelley. Mary Shelley: A Biography. New York: New American Library, 1988. Web. 06 Jan. 2017. Sands 10 Mary Shelley: The Woman Behind the Monster Introduction paragraph Overview of her life Her impact Early Life Family background Growing up Moving forward Meeting new people Traveling the world Writings Where it started Her impact on the literary community Conclusion paragraph Overview of her life Restate introduction paragraph

N. Scott Momadays House Made of Dawn Essay -- Momaday House Made Dawn

N. Scott Momaday's House Made of Dawn House Made of Dawn, the novel that began the AMERICAN INDIAN LITERARY RENAISSANCE, is Scott Momaday's masterpiece. He originally conceived the work as a series of poems, but under the tutelage of Wallace Stegner at Stanford, Momaday reconceived the work first as a set of stories, then as a novel. House is the story of Abel, an Indian from the Pueblo Momaday calls "Walatowa," a fictionalized version of Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico, where Momaday grew up. Abel returns from World War II a victim of what we would call today "post-traumatic stress syndrome." He is unable to speak, even to his grandfather, Francisco, who raised him. Abel, who is drunk when his grandfather picks him up on the return to the reservation, is based in part on a veteran that Momaday knew at Jemez, but also in part on Ira Hayes, the Pima Marine who raised the flag at Mt. Suribachi, and was memorialized in the statue that became the symbol of the Marine Corps. Hayes couldn't adjust to civilian life, and died drunk in a ditch on the reservation. The Indian veteran who is a hero in war but cannot find a niche in civilian life when he returns to America has become an archetype. Abel's name (Momaday only gives him one) suggests the biblical victim, and many readers assume the Cain who lays him low to be white society. But readers should remember that in the Bible Cain is Abel's brother, and the characters in House Made of Dative who cause Abel the most harm are indeed his fellow Indians. Furthermore, Abel's troubles begin even before his stint in the army. He is illegitimate, and as a result has always been an outsider at Walatowa. The war exacerbates his problems, but they started at his birth. Abel's first t... ...se of hendiadys, simple clauses linked with "and:" "The feasting had begun, and there was a lull on the town." Faulkner’s influence can be seen in the stream of consciousness passages and the use of the bear as a symbol of the wilderness. But Momaday's novel is distinctly Indian as well. Cherokee novelist and critic Louis OWENS says: "What has matured with Momaday is not merely an undeniable facility with the techniques and tropes of modernism, but more significantly the profound awareness of conflicting epistemologies [Euro-American and Indian]. . Momaday's novel represents more fully than any Native American novel before it the "assertion of a different perspective (92)." Works Cited Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn. New York: Harper, 1968. Owens, Lewis. Other Destinies: Understanding the American Indian Novel. Norman, OK: U Oklahoma P, 1994.

Slavery And Its Effect On The Uprising Of A New World Essay -- Slavery

â€Å"Slavery and Its Effect On The Uprising Of A New World† In the 17th century, Africans were taken from their homeland and forced into slavery in the New World. Once there, they were exploited for profit by European settlers. Despite mainstream historical accounts, it was African-Americans who built the foundation of the American economy, which eventually made it a super power. This essay will illustrate how Blacks survived in a hostile, racist environment by specifically looking at the psychological and physical brutality of slavery. The Portuguese were the first to embark upon the slave trade. Africans were snatched from their homeland and sold as slaves to the islands of the Caribbean and the Americas in the early 1500s. A prime area for slaves was on the west coast of African. People inhabiting this land were well known for their skills in agriculture, farming, and mining. Slave traders knew that by capitalizing on the mastery talents of these Africans they could become wealthy in other parts of the world. The Spaniards, the French, and the Dutch soon became part of the slave trade, and because of this, slavery grew to exponential proportions. The typical voyage for slaves taken by European traders started down the south coast of Africa into the Gulf of Guinea. They traded African slaves—human beings—for goods such as cloth, rum, brandy and guns. Then they would start on the second leg of this inhumane excursion. When the desired number of Africans was met, they shipped out to what is now known as the â€Å"Middle Passage†. These ships sailed from Africa across the Atlantic Ocean to one of several ports in the Caribbean and West Indies and slaves were bought and sold to work in sugar plantations. The English sla... ...ere often times forced to stop nursing their own infants at the breast and serve as a wet nurse to the master’s newborn. Regardless of age, picking cotton, more than any other activity, engaged all slaves – from the youngest to the elderly. House servants, too, were not excluded and would be drafted into the picking fields, probably to serve as a reminder of their position and equal status to the other slaves. In summary, the labor of African slaves built the foundation of the thriving economy the people of America, and across the world, reap the benefits of today. The label in our t-shirts and the soft, comfortable sheets we tuck our children in at night should read, â€Å"Made in the USA by AFRICANS†! The blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors built this country and made it what it is today – one of the largest, if not â€Å"the† largest, super-power in the world.

Changes From The Paleolithic To The Neolithic Age Essay -- essays rese

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were changes that occurred from the Paleolithic Period to the Neolithic. Small changes were made in this time, from the culture, to bigger changes like economics, and agriculture. How did man deal with these changes and what kind of impact did it have on society?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Paleolithic Period is the earliest time period man has been alive, and the longest of the Stone Age's. It dates from 2,000,000 B.C to 10,000 BC The people of the Paleolithic Period lived simple lives, which consisted primarily of survival. Man's life was simply to hunt, eat, and survive, while the woman’s job was to gather and watch over the children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people of the Paleolithic Age were mostly nomads. To survive they had to travel everywhere, and follow the migration of animals; as the animals were there primary food source. Whenever they decided to stay, they lived mostly in caves, tree trunks, and those types of shelter. They had to eat, and to do that they had to kill the animals. They did this by using tools as weapons. The tools were mainly stone, bone, and ivory. They could make the weapons into hatchets, knives, and spearheads. The use of tools is one important development that took place in this time period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Old Stone Age (Paleolithic Age) is also the step forward in technology and religion. The people of this time discovered how to contro...

Palestine and Israel Essays -- Threats to World Peace

Background The issue of Palestine and Israel is one that has been hotly contested for over a thousand years. The last fifty years have been especially important in the history of the Jewish people and Palestinians. Since the death of Yasser Arafat on the 11th of November 2004 , and the election of Mahmoud Abbas as his successor as leader of the Palestinian Authority, significant steps have been taken towards a lasting peace. This will hopefully lead to a conclusion of the second Palestinian intifada, which began in late September 2000, and to an end of the oppression of the Palestinian people by the Israeli Defense Forces. Both Jews and Arabs have suffered heavily from the conflict, thousands of innocent civilians have died on both sides, and peace is in the interests of all. History of the Conflict The disputed territory that has been alternately referred to as Palestine and Israel is relatively small, the total area is only roughly 22 000 square kilometers. It is bordered by Jordan on the East, Lebanon on the North, Egypt and the Mediterranean Ocean on the West, and shares 76 kilometers of border with Syria in the North East. The two disputed territories that are occupied by the Israeli Army but under the autonomous control of the Palestinian Authority are the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These two territories amount to roughly 6400 square kilometers, the West Bank makes up the majority of this area – it amounts to 6000 square kilometers in the Eastern part of the country and borders the nation of Jordan. Jews have long considered Israel to be their national home. They consider it to be a Holy Land, or a Promised Land – they believe it to be their right from God to live in the region. The area is also considered... ... - http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history_community/Israel/Overview_IsraeliPalestinian_Relations/Intifada_I/Intifada2.htm Israeli Defense Force - www.idf.il The Socio-economic Impact of Settlements on Land, Water, and the Palestinian Economy - http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cahier/proche-orient/colonies BBC News – What is the West Bank barrier? - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3111159.stm Books: Beitler, Ruth Margolies – The Path to Mass Rebellion: An analysis of two intifadas B’Tselem: The Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories - Information Sheet: May 1993 – House Demolition During Operations Against Wanted Persons. Human Rights Watch – Israel, the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian Authority Territories Series: In a dark hour: the use of civilians during IDF arrest operations