Composition of fish corkscrew Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Composition of fish corkscrew - Essay Example Symmetry is known to play a vital role in human visual perception and aesthetics1. When all the functional parts of the fish corkscrew are in closed position, the device appears to be almost symmetrical as can be seen from figure 1. Its symmetry is, however, imperfect given the shape of the corkscrew and a section of the knife. One of the elements of the device is the saw-tooth and sharp bladed knife. The knife which is attached to the tail of the fish is made of metal and can be used to cut different objects. The cutting edge of the knife has two sections; a flat blade and a serrated blade that form one unit. The flat section of the cutting blade can be used to cut objects like a razor or ordinary knife does even as the serrated section serves to cut like a saw. The cutting and non-cutting edges of the knife meet in a curve to form a pin point that can be useful in piercing or tearing materials. The knife is attached to the tail of the fish through a hinge so that the knife can be drawn out in case it needs to be used. When not in use, the knife is pushed down and its curved non-cutting edge forms the dorsal fins the fish. At the side of the knife that overlooks the wooden body of the fish, close to the curved edge is a notch that can be used to lift the knife out of its sheath. The tail of the fish is made up of metal. Apart from being the frame upon which the knife is fixed, the tail serves to give the device its characteristic aesthetics and fish shape as can be seen in fig 2. The body of the fish which is made of wood and metal similarly gives the device its characteristic fish-like shape. The body also acts as a sheath that hides the sharp edge of the knife from view when the knife is in closed position. The body also serves to protect the bearer of the knife from harm as it keeps the knife away from immediate contact in case it is not in use. The body of the fish also serves as a hand. The body is so shapes that

Effect of Green and Black Teas Essay Example for Free

Effect of Green and Black Teas Essay Determining the efficiency of various types of teas and its components, and the binding of tea with lipoproteins as for prevention of the occurrence of coronary heart diseases, is the primary objective of the study. Based on established scientific researches, one of the components of tea called phenols, are responsible for producing the antioxidant attributes of tea. Further studies prove that both black and green teas have almost the same phenol content. Thus, their antioxidant strength is also the same, as gauged through the use of the phenol antioxidant index (PAOXI). Moreover, the study establishes the idea that a combination of tea catechins and lipoproteins produce stronger antioxidant qualities. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998a) To accomplish the objective of the study, teas that were used for samples were prepared using the same process. These samples were then compared to other types of antioxidants and other beverages with phenolic content. Moreover, the teas were studied in order to find out the threshold for the production of antioxidant properties, and also the binding of antioxidants with lipoproteins. Vinson Dabbagh, 1998a) The results of the study revealed that green tea produces higher antioxidant activity than the black tea, the green tea and black tea were stronger antioxidants than other beverage samples, the PAOXI of both green and black teas do not exhibit significant differences in terms of antioxidant strength, and the lipoprotein binding for both teas remain the same. Moreover, the catechins found in teas were more effective than vit amins C, E and beta-carotene in binding with lipoproteins to complete oxidation. Therefore, teas are more efficient in lowering the risks of coronary heart diseases. Green teas were found to bind efficiently with lipoproteins of high amounts, and on the contrary, black teas were said to bind efficiently with lipoproteins of low amounts. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998a) Secondary Source The discovery of the connection between oxidation and atherogenesis has incited research studies about the effects of antioxidants found in teas to lipoproteins. Moreover, studies conducted on flavonoids, which is one of the components of tea, and its contributory effects to the prevention of the occurrence of coronary heart disease, has led researchers to speculate that catechins that are found in tea might be instrumental in promoting health and wellness due to the antioxidant attributes produced by teas. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998b) This particular research study aims to identify the efficiency of teas as a source of antioxidants as compared to other beverages with the same phenolic content, and the maximum threshold of the production of antioxidant mechanisms in teas. Moreover, research was conducted on the effects of binding antioxidant with lipoproteins to an individual with low antioxidant intake. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998b) The results of the research reveal that catechins that are found in teas are more effective antioxidants as compared to other vitamins that claim to be a good source of antioxidants, such as vitamins E, C and beta-carotene. Moreover, the research also discovered that teas bore the most amount of phenolic content as compared with other beverages that were tested, and that among the tea samples that were tested, green tea bore the most amounts of phenolic content. In addition, antioxidant binding with lipoproteins was most efficient with black teas as compared to other teas, although there was not any significant difference as to the effect when comparing it to the results of other teas. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998b) In conclusion, the research study reaffirmed the fact that teas are a great source of antioxidant and that they are effective in producing high levels of antioxidants that are needed by the human body. Therefore, an individual’s regular intake of tea prevents the onset of lipoprotein oxidation within the body. (Vinson Dabbagh, 1998b) Personal Opinion about the Topic The results of the study has proved the effectiveness of teas as a source of antioxidant, therefore supporting previous studies conducted about the relationship between catechins and phenolic acid that are found in teas and its binding with lipoproteins as instrumental in the lowering of risks caused by coronary heart diseases. If this is the case, then regular intake of green and black teas should be recommended to people who are at risk for coronary heart disease and should be recommended as part of the average person’s diet in order to avoid the occurrence of the said disease. Although plants where tea comes from are widely grown all over the world, and according to the study, tea is the most popular drink in the world, people still do not realize the importance of its content and the regular intake of tea as a protective instrument against coronary heart disease. Moreover, people are not aware that the beverage that they enjoy the most has health benefits that might save them from suffering heart diseases. Promotion and recommendation of teas that are based on research study results and information dissemination might help in encouraging people to drink tea as part of their diet in order to stay fit and healthy. Aside from advertising and promotional activities, the government should support or fund the horticultural industry in order to produce more sources for green and black teas. Not only will the people benefit from this, but the government will also gain profit for the tea industry and agriculture. Moreover, the government should look into the processes of preparing teas. As the research study suggests, that the amount of phenols within the tea leaves, which are said to be the ones responsible for producing antioxidants, are dependent on the weather and climate, age of the tea leaves that will be used, and the horticultural processes that the leaves underwent. Therefore, the government should further look into the processes from which tea leaves are produced. Desirable and specialized horticultural processes should be employed in growing plants in order to ensure the quality of tea leaves that will be grown from it. In order to accomplish this aim, the government should be able to conduct research studies that would prove to be instrumental in the efficient and productive growth of plants. Moreover, with further studies and in depth research, the government should fund the inclusion of teas in the diet of patients in the public health care system, especially those who are suffering from coronary heart diseases, patients who are at risk, and even all the patients in order to keep strong and healthy. However, further studies should be done independently in order to avoid judgments of researches that are tainted by underlying motives such as advertising. In the research study conducted by Vinson Dabbagh, it was funded by the Lipton Tea Company. Since the Lipton Tea Company is a business organization, which produced tea all over the world, I cannot help but think of the politics between business and advertising that is concealed in the research. Most especially because the results of the research promoted the efficiency of green and black teas among other beverages and its importance as a prevention scheme against coronary heart diseases. In order to invalidate speculations that might arise from the influence of Lipton Tea Company and the research, independent studies should be conducted by professionals and scholars alike from different fields related to the issue such as representatives from the health care industry, agriculture, government, universities, and scientists alike.

Britain And Europe In The Seve :: essays research papers

J.R. Jones, a Professor of English History in the School of English Studies at the University of East Anglia, England, in Britain and Europe in the Seventeenth Century, has written a very informative and interesting book. Britain and Europe in the Seventeenth Century is a relatively short book that deals with the impact that Britain had on European affairs at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The thesis is basically summed up in the title of the book. To expand on the thesis, Dr. Jones emphasizes the close interdependence of Britain and Europe in the seventeenth century, and shows that events at home cannot be fully understood unless they are related to developments and forces abroad. In cultural and intellectual, as well as political and economic matters, the effect on Britain of foreign influences is for most of this period greater than that of Britain on Europe; one of the main questions that Dr. Jones considered when writing this book was why this relation was later reversed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In looking at this period as a whole there is a clear contrast between Britain’s isolation and unimportance in European affairs at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and Britain’s full involvement as a major influence after 1688. This involves intellectual and political matters. European intellectual developments during the first part of the century did not significantly affect the main part of English life, and English influences on Europe were negligible. The only groups interested in developments in Europe were minorities who were dissatisfied with the established order in Britain. For most of these “Puritans'; the Calvinist churches of Europe provided the model which they hoped to establish in England. During James I’s reign they were inspired by Dutch divines and encouraged in their opposition to royal policies. In economic and intellectual matters Scotland was basically a colony of Holland. But the partly formed Calvinist inter national, to which English Puritans and Scottish Presbyterians belonged, together with German, Czech, Swiss, Magyar, French, and Dutch churches, did not survive the 1620’s. It was shattered in the early disastrous phases of the Thirty Years War, and by the submission of the Huguenots when Louis XIII insisted on the elimination of foreign pastors, so that by the time English Puritanism temporarily triumphed during the English Revolution it held few European connections of any importance, and was dependent of its own intellectual resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The connections which bound Catholicism with Europe were more durable.

Hbs: Jetblue Airlines Managing Growth

Analyzing each of these areas we recommend that Getable Implement (A) a new employee selection strategy, (B) a formalized training program, and (C) a reference management system to continue fostering employee autonomy and motivation. II. Analysis Stable's rapid growth presents a potentially costly problem. In terms of strategy, Getable avoids the common airline problem with unions by investing heavily in (1) selection, (2) culture, and (3) systems, areas in which it can grant employee autonomy and foster motivation. While this strategy works currently, these areas do not have the fundamental Institutions to survive the company's growth.People: employee selection and hiring: Currently, Getable constructs highly motivated teams using both n in-depth selection process and role customization. Stable's human resources (HRS) department uses behavioral interviews, where all interviewers reach consensus, to determine applicant cultural fit and value alignment. By closely controlling employee quality and fit, Getable can offer employees significant autonomy and fulfill their higher order â€Å"esteem† needs. In addition, Getable developed customized compensation, benefits, and work structures per role that align with each group's respective desires.The hiring and compensation structures have two main results: 1 ) Jet Blue can attract top talent that matches the organization and (2) the company reinforces overall fairness by tailoring each role. While currently successful, Stable's hiring process is a hindrance to its continued growth as it is not scalable. Getable will Increase its workforce 400% in a limited timeshare to meet Its internal growth targets. The current selection process will fall because Getable does not have the HRS resources or time to personally interview all applicants multiple times.If Getable maintains its current hiring practices, it risks losing quality employees and grunting the fairness and autonomy that it currently offers. Culture throu gh values, employees, and approachability: Stable's value-centric, employee focused, and approachable culture motivates employees, attracts talent, differentiates the firm, and enforces the company's values. First, the company establishes culture by focusing on values. Stable's top management locked themselves in a New York hotel and defined the company's core values that align with Its strategy and culture.These values gulled Stable's hiring, strategy, dally operations, and employee evaluation. Second, Getable focuses on meeting employee needs. Through customized and 1 OFF clear signals that employees are a priority and treated fairly. Third, the management is approachable to all employees. Stories of David Melanin, CEO, working as flight attendant and responding directly to crew member suggestions, or Dave Barge, COO, staying on the plane with his family helping the cleanup crew were famous among employees.These actions reinforce that coaches and teams work in a fair â€Å"find a team solution† environment instead of â€Å"pointing fingers† culture visible in other airlines. The combination of clear values, employee focus, and management approachability gives Getable a culture that motivates employees through visible fairness and clear expectations. While Stable's culture has succeeded, it lacks more formal embedding mechanisms to survive substantial growth and prevent cultural dilution. Stable's current culture practices require a method by which to formally spread and reinforce the norms to all new and existing employees as the company expands.If Getable fails to sustain its culture, it risks compromising employee motivation and, as a result, its mechanisms that prevent unionization. Performance systems: To deliver low-fare airline tickets to customers, Getable uses genealogy to cut operating costs. Stable's â€Å"paperless environment† not only saves paper and resources, but also is a motivating factor. Each pilot's laptop computer al lows him to eliminate monotonous work required for pre-flight checks and further focus on his Job, helping satisfy his need for interesting work.While technological systems help Getable develop a competitive advantage, their employee performance management systems are limited. Currently, Getable â€Å"coaches† review workers' performance informally along the company's five values. Because the company does not have more explicit expectations, the procedures risk Ewing perceived as unfair. As the company grows it must explicitly correlate performance to expectations to continue motivating employees. Ill. Recommendations We recommend a multi-faceted and integrated solution that addresses Stable's scalability problems regarding their people, culture, and systems.First, we recommend that Getable use metrics and refine its hiring process. Second, we recommend that Getable pursue a formal training program. Third, we recommend that Getable construct a formal performance management sy stem. Institute a performance metrics hiring selection process: We recommend using two online tests hat identify interpretable candidates. The first test will use multiple choice and review an individual's personality against Stable's five core values. The second test is role-specific and measures each individual's work skills.Getable will then interview candidates that perform well on both tests only once. Getable can compare test results with career success and identify desirable characteristics from testing. This process will simultaneously (a) speed hiring practices, (b) significantly reduce costs associated with a talent search, and (c) improve employee fit while meeting workforce deeds. This improved efficiency will allow Getable to continue offering employees significant autonomy as the company grows. A potential hurdle is that individuals may attempt to cheat the tests.We contend this will not be a major problem. These individuals will either not pass the interview round, be terminated quickly, or potentially absorb the Getable culture through the training. Construct a formal management and new employees engage in mandatory â€Å"core training. † First, Getable must implement an all roles new hire orientation that focuses on values and the company goals. This will foster a shared company identity and create formal culture embedding. Top management involvement will reinforce that values and culture are universal from CEO to cleanup crew.Second, Getable must offer role specific training where employees are introduced to their coaches. This training will, along with teaching necessary Job skills, outline each role's expectations, how it fits at Getable, and how each coach will help their employees develop. To ensure ongoing success, Getable should survey employees before the training about their expectations along with their feedback afterwards. Getable must then improve the program based on the feedback, further fostering a collaborative team envi ronment.The training program ensures that Getable will reinforce company identity and embed its culture as the workforce grows. Implement a formal performance management system: We recommend that Getable adopt a formal performance management system to properly motivate employees. First, this system must formally outline each role's expectations. This mandates that each role have both specific and accessible expectation by which coaches and peers can evaluate each other. Second, Getable must provide employees tit semi-annual â€Å"360† performance feedback.This feedback will allow both coaches and the employees' peers to review their performance along the company values and role expectations. Third, employees must give formal feedback to both their coaches and Getable. This feedback fosters a greater company identity and helps coaches understand how to help employees. By implementing a more explicit performance management system, Getable can demonstrate fairness across employe es and roles that will continue to motivate workers as the company grows. ‘V. Conclusion Stable's competitive edge comes from its ability to discourage unionization and, s a result, it can keep costs low.Unions fulfill employee needs and culture when the parent company fails to do so. Currently, Getable uses a combination of successful selection, cultural practices, and systems to motivate employees and meet their needs; however, these will not survive Stable's growth. To continue motivating employees through autonomy, shared identity, clear expectations, and fair practices, Getable must implement an improved hiring process, a formal training program, and a performance management system. These changes will help Getable retain its competitive edge as it expands.

Ducati Case Analysis Essay

Executive Summary As of year 2000, global motorcycle market is dominated by a handful of players. Japanese manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki are low cost players while Harley and Ducati are in the high end of the spectrum and have been able to successfully establish themselves as a premium brand. Harley dominates the cruiser motorbike segment and is a really strong player in the US, where it has a big fan following and loyal customer base. However Ducati has been struggling to increase market share and reach to Harley’s level of profit margin that is highest in industry. Ducati is self discovering itself with Minoli to target right customer segments, retaining its core competencies and establishing its brand image for which Ducati stands for. Minoli’s consideration of entering into Harley’s niche market of cruisers is an excellent choice for Ducati’s future growth, as it reinforces the premium flagship of products that Ducati is famous for. We recommend Ducati develop a â€Å"sports-cruiser† motorbike that offers the riding style and comfort of a cruiser such as Harley Davidson, and yet be fast and nimble. We also recommend offering customization capabilities through Ducati.com and company-owned stores as well as single franchise stores that would continue to offer the same legacy and brand association that Ducati loyalists prefer. The motorbike will be priced at E12,000 (USD 16,200) which is right in the range of Harley’s custom cruiser motorbikes and will take a  step away from Ducati’s current line of sports bikes. This move may seem a bit risky at first, but the fact that Ducati’s R&D expenses will be fairly low due to availability of high quality engines and large su pplier pool; this will not require significant new investment to the current setup. Additionally, the company will be able to entice new customers in a niche segment with high margins and get a significant opportunity for gaining market share. Also, Introduction of these motorbikes in Europe initially will also reduce the possibility of a backlash from Harley who is the leader in the US market. Ducati can then expand to US once they have acquired some sales momentum. Ducati does not expect retaliation from the low-cost Japanese players as it is still positioning itself as a premium manufacturer. However, there is still possibility of new entrants or Japanese makers to introduce a knock-off model in which case Ducati will be able to distinguish itself on attributes including high performance, customization, brand image and the prestige that it has historically enjoyed and is respected for in the industry as well as the global market. Evaluation of Global Motorcycle Industry Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and few of high end premium manufactures that include BMW, Harley-Davidson, Triumph and Ducati comprised the Global motorcycle Industry. These manufacturers compete in different market segments and select demographics based on different attributes and styles of motorcycles across the product offerings. Our analysis of the industry is summarized using Porter’s Five Forces analysis (Exhibit 1) Suppliers: Recent trends in the motorcycle manufacturing have been leaning towards outsourcing of most motorcycle components and the companies doing the final assembly in-house. Most manufacturers have multiple choices of component suppliers that they may switch at will. This strategy provides them with high negotiation power, reduced fixed assets, and greater flexibility to meet changing market conditions quickly. However, the companies need strong commitment from their suppliers for a quicker turn around, efficiency and quality. Buyers: Customers/end users have been categorized into different segments such as knee-down riders/fast riders, easy riders, hot rods/urban riders, and weekend riders. These riders choose the bike based on performance, lifestyle, function and comfort. A motorcycle is a highly  differentiated product that is used for transport and has lots of alternatives or competitors, and for this reason buyer power is high. Customers have myriad of choices ranging from different styles of bikes such as sports, super sports, off-road/dual purpose, cruisers, naked bikes, etc. to different brands including high end names such as BMW, Harley Davidson, Ducati, and low price options from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, etc. Entry Barriers: The motorcycle industry is very difficult to enter and compete in due to high capital investments spent on R&D, well-established relationships with suppliers, and strong brand loyalty and recognition that has been established for decades. Motorcycles are becoming more and more technologically advanced, which makes it very difficult for a new entrants to compete on a similar level without large amounts of capital and innovative differentiators. Rivals: Rivalry between the eight major motorcycle manufacturers can be considered high. The total number of motorcycle manufacturers has declined dramatically, with only one major manufacturer remaining from the US. These major players are fierce competitors and are vying for market share based on the brand, style, attributes, service, and price (especially Japanese companies). As a result of such high competition within the industry, manufacturers constantly need to improve designs and functionality. Substitutes: Lastly, several substitutes are available if we consider motorcycle only as a mechanism of transport. However, in many cases, a motorcycle is beyond a mere mode of transportation as a curator in the case said, it is a â€Å"perfect metaphor for twentieth century.† Riding motorcycles provide a unique experience, and it has been a cultural icon as presented in a number of Hollywood movies. In this sense, threat of substitutes, which may be sports cars and racing cars or other mode of transportation, could be considered fairly low. The following section describes changes in the industry and how that affects Ducati. Industry Changes & Implications on Ducati: The industry is advancing at a high pace today due to technological innovations, such as the introduction of electronic components, advent of CNC and CAD technologies, advances in material science to introduce lighter and stronger composite materials. Superior engine performance combined with lower emissions and fuel consumptions is rapidly changing the face of the industry and competition. There is also a push from the manufacturers to improve  components like sophisticated air assisted forks, mono shock rear suspension, and front and rear disc brakes to meet the customers’ hunger for better quality as derived from market survey results and customer feedbacks. These technological changes and quality improvements are positive for Ducati who is abreast on its technological innovation and performance. Advanced engineering and state of the art technology have always been Ducati’s strengths, as evident by the number of World Superbike Championships won by Ducati between 1990 and 2000 (8 victories). Lighter materials help Ducati to continuously improve its already superior performance and retain its position in the sports segment where it already has a stronghold. Additionally, the outsourcing of components and in-house assembly platform of manufacturing turns in favor of Ducati as most of Ducati’s suppliers are concentrated in the Emilian district – a major hub of specialized parts and components suppliers. Ducati typically enters into short-term contracts with its suppliers. Effectively, Ducati has enjoyed a strong hold on its supplier base which in turn has made them the most-efficient manufacturer in the industry and this strategy will continue to provide them the flexibility and edge in design and sourcing of new components going forward. Ducati’s Current Strategy Frederico Minoli, the CEO of Ducati, had two strategic goals in mind when he took over: double digit growth and equaling Harley-Davidson’s profit level of EBITDA margin of 20%, which was the highest in the industry. The challenge was split within the company into polarized directions; Engineers wanted to continue company culture of high focus on product, and Minoli wanted to appeal to broader spectrum of customers and not just extreme riders. The following section provides our analysis of Ducati’s current strategy using Strategy Diamond method (Exhibit 2). Arenas: Ducati primarily offered performance bikes in sports and street category, which are broadly identified as Hyper-sport, Super-sport, Naked and Sport touring. They face tough competition from Japanese manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki, who have captured the lion’s share of the market. Research shows that a large number of new registrants are categorized under customs and small motorcycle segments with 32.7% and 22.9% market share respectively in 2000 (Case Exhibit 2). Ducati is lagging behind  in this segment as far as the market share goes. In regards to geography, Ducati has distribution through Italy, US, Germany, France, Japan, UK (Case Exhibit 14). Ducati currently attracts and retains young male â€Å"knee down† riders and racing aficionados who associate Ducati with extreme performance and functionality, and recently there has been an increase in women customers (who comprise of 8% of their Monster line – their most popular model). This could be a growing segment that Ducati has not yet considered. Lastly, Ducati’s products are in the sports niche; 41% to 54% of its customers own large bikes greater than 500cc. It gradually entered in sport touring category to address older customer base and also entered into accessories and apparel b usiness by acquiring Gio.Ca.Moto which produces line of accessories for Ducati. Nonetheless, Ducati’s limited editions in 1999 were icing on Ducati’s portfolio. Vehicles: Ducati has excellent engineers and designers who themselves are fanatics of the motorcycle- they are purist â€Å"knee down† riders, and have strong beliefs in speed, performance, and passion for races. Ducati invested a large proportion of their revenue in designing new technology, development of products and human resource management. Ducati’s core strengths including the Desmodromic valve distribution system and the technical superiority of its engines, and their collaboration with other firms such as Lamborghini and Ferrari fueled Ducati’s growth. Ducati advertises through specialized magazines and focus on the Italian style, history, young riders, and a sporty attitude. Ducati.com website used the internet as a vehicle, and sold 500 units of a limited edition in 31 minutes and 2,000 units in 10 days at different times, educated customers, and created awareness about its brand, this has been a real win for Ducati. Differentiators: Ducati’s goal was to improve average quality of dealers and increase competence sales force unlike Japanese manufactures who utilized multi-franchise retailers to sell multiple brands with less specialized knowledge of products. Secondly unlike their competitors, they established Ducati clubs approximately 400 which allowed members to â€Å"live† at racing events and get inside access to teams. Ducati also participated in social events and museum tours that has helped Ducati disseminate information about its history and brand which increased customer loyalty and helped acquire new ones. Ducati is heading in the right direction but is still far from Minoli’s vision to enable and foster dealers  to connect with clubs more easily. Staging: Minoli strategized Ducati to turn into a powerful brand and would move away from just competing with Japanese brands. Ducati decided to build museum instead of fixing the raining roof and that’s one key factor in building the brand image of Ducati and sending the right signal to employees and customers. It then identifies the 5 core attributes that Ducati signifies – technologically advanced engine, tubular trestle frame, Italian style and its unique engine sound. Ducati was able to reduce the time to market effort for all its new products utilizing their research centers muscle. Another important decision Minoli took was entering into accessories and apparel producing business. This created the â€Å"world of Ducati† a very successful initiative to build on Ducati brand and strengthen its customer loyalty. Economic Logic: Ducati is a premium brand that consumers appreciate and regard highly. The brand image and legacy allows Ducati to keep prices high and hence reap high profit margins on its motorbikes, accessories, apparel, etc. Ducati motorbike prices can max out at $21,895 compared to $14,350 for Harley Davidson, $9,500 for Triumph, and $9,300 for Honda. Also, its limited edition bikes were sold at world-wide price of E26,000 that made Ducati reap huge profit margins. Ducati’s own marketing and distribution process and exploiting power of internet (Ducati.com) helped it retain most of its profit and have higher margins and they controlled their production costs by standardizing components, (eg: only two crank case and 3 cylinder designs).. Recommendations and Specific Actions Arena: We recommend Ducati to design and launch a custom sports-cruiser bike targeting sports bike fans, who would prefer the riding comfort, style, and customization of a cruiser. This new product is essentially a fast motorbike that has a sports engine morphed into cruiser style chassis. We also recommend offering customization services to suit the style and needs of our individual customers. This will be introduced initially in Europe and eventually in the US and Asia. Europe is the market where Ducati has experience, design expertise, preferred supplier base, proximity to racing arenas, and association with other world-renowned sporting car companies like Maserati and Lamborghini. Hence, building a strong foundation in Europe first provides the advantage that is very hard to imitate by others. Our  target segment is riders in the age group of 30-50 who like the comfort and the style of a cruiser, and yet prefer the power, speed, and especially the handling that is synonymous to a sports bike. Additionally, there is interest in customization especially for cruiser segment that we would like to exploit and offer as an added benefit to our customers. Furthermore, we will leverage light-weight design components (magnesium alloy frame, carbon fiber body and parts) to provide the performance edge needed in a sports bike. This will attract young riders as well as women, who typically prefer lightweight bikes. Vehicle: Initial launch will focus on current Ducati owned stores. This will help us gauge customers response; provide early feedback from Ducati loyalists, as well as opportunity to attract customers using word-of-mouth advertising. Based on the feedback and learning from this rollout, we would be able to identify other possible locations to open new stores (combination o f company owned and single-franchise dealers), starting from Italy, and then expanding out into the European sub-continent. We do not plan to open any new stores immediately, until the market picks up and demand is more than 25% of existing sales. The assumption is that any increase within 25% of sales volume can be managed via the existing stores. Any franchising will be done through single-franchise dealerships so as to maintain more control and emphasize quality. As a long-term plan, we also would like to add 10 new Ducati owned stores leased at strategically important cities around Europe, which would cost us E10M (E200K/year) over 5 years , and another E5M for maintenance (design, upkeep, staffing, taxes etc.) Differentiators: Customers value Ducati for its brand, high performance engines, strong association with racing, Italian style, and the unique sound of its engine, among other things. We believe that our strategy will help maintain our core competencies and resources intact, while allowing us to expand into newer space as well. The customization services that we also plan to offer along with our product will be a value-add service to Ducati loyalists, which can be priced at a premium. These customization services include different body styles, paint schemes, accessories etc., which will benefit from the availability of the large pool of supplier base that we have local access to. This large and varied supplier base also provides Ducati with buying power and quick turn-around time of new designs. Advertising expenditure for Ducati comes to about  three times that of Harley in the year 2000 alone. About 14.5% of gross revenue is being spent on advertising, marketing and sales effort, close to about what we get in return as our net income. We do not plan to cut down on advertising and marketing but will have to come up creative, more cost effective ways to get our message out there to reach a broader spectrum of customers like Minoli envisioned. Using channels such as word-of-mouth, social-media, YouTube videos, collaboration with sports bike bloggers, commentators, and also investing and expanding Ducati fan/owners clubs are ways we can leverage cost-effective marketing techniques. Economic Logic: Our R&D team (including HPE) already has several high-end performance engines that can be utilized in designing such a bike, hence we feel our major R&D expenses will be towards the design of the frame and body components. This will reduce our overall R&D spend, as compared to a full blown redesign/production of a new engine technology. Furthermore, we only need about E2M for R&D expenses; E5M for CAPEX, leaving the remaining E12M for advertising. This CAPEX budget covers the additional manufacturing capacity as well as assembly line expenses. We plan to leverage the existing network of suppliers by continuing to outsource. We forecast a sale of 3,300 bikes to be sold in the first year after launch (initially Europe only), priced at E12,000 ($16,200 per unit), see Exhibit 3, which is 2% of the worldwide cruiser/custom motorbike market, where Harley is the leader. Ducati was able to sell about 3,500 units of its sports touring after launch, so we think that we should be able to meet this forecast of 3,300 for the new sports-cruiser hybrid. Thereafter, we project a 10% growth in sales in the 2nd year, and thereafter about 15% growth in the 3rd, 4th and 5th year. We are assuming that the life-span of a design is typically for 5 years; thereafter, this design/model would be retired or become obsolete. We would price the bike at about E12,000 so that it is not seen to be a cheap bike, while at the same time making sure it is not too expensive for Ducati fans to buy. At a discount rate of about 8% and an initial investment of E17M to launch the product in Europe, we anticipate a net return on investments of a bout E16.8M in 5 years. Major Internal and External Risks Currently, there is no market research available that shows a segment in Europe and US who would like to have a hybrid cruiser that drives as a  sports bike. The retail chain and distribution channels available in Europe and the US are perhaps more familiar with Harley-Davidson dominating the cruiser segment, and the Japanese players competing in both the cruiser and the sports segment in Europe. Ducati is a world renowned Italian sports bike brand and although we are positive that we will have considerable success in carving out a sizable market segment with this new product we plan to launch, there is always a risk in going after a new market segment, especially a niche segment. Significant capital would have to be invested to arrange ad campaigns, events, retail chains to raise awareness, all before a dime is earned. Internal Risks: Ducati’s expertise lies in the sports bike arena, and it has never offered a cruiser style motorbike. The needs of this customer segment are definitely different than the sports bike segment, and it is possible that Ducati could run short on delivering a product that meets the needs of the segment itis targeting. Ducati may not necessarily have the skills or the expertise to provide this sort of value to its customers. Translating and adapting its core skill-set to a different model type to develop a product more aligned with the cruiser model is not going to be easy. Also, this move could upset hard-core Ducati fans, who would not want Ducati to be associated to anything other than sport bikes. Ducati could possibly risk losing their loyal fan base, if it were to diversify into bike-variants other than sports. Diversifying too far from what Ducati is known for also puts the reputation and prestige of the company and its engineers who have become respected and well-known in the industry for making high quality performance bikes. The technical excellence and performance that Ducati is so well-known for around the world could well be seen to become diluted by moving into a cruiser bike segment which historically has been associated with a different demographic segment altogether. Yet, by carefully positioning this new product to be a sports bike at its core and by re-establishing our commitment to producing high-quality performance bikes that we have come to be known for, we could potentially re-assure our current fans. External Risks: Harley Davidson has dominated the custom cruiser segment for years with a very loyal fan base and supplier chain. Ducati’s entrance in this segment will be seen as an aggressive move by Harley, and Ducati must be prepared for some backlash. Harley has a strong network of suppliers, and distribution channels in the  US, and has set high entry barriers for Ducati in the US market. Ducati’s suppliers are primarily located in Bologna, and hence Ducati has enjoyed the benefit of being in close proximity to a large pool of supplier base and component manufacturers. Going with sports cruiser hybrid could mean that Ducati may need to establish relationships with a whole new set of suppliers based out of the US. US suppliers might not necessarily have a sense of the Italian style, a core value that the product provides. Therefore, we do not plan to enter the US market just yet, thereby preventing getting ourselves into a face-face with Harley. Once we build some credibility with customers in Europe, where we have a strong supplier base, and a decent distribution channel, we could potentially launch in the US in 2-3 years time frame based on the success of this launch. European markets have been dominated by Japanese players in sales volume, and entering the market could prompt them to bring out a competing product of their own, which could eat into the market share that Ducati is hoping to grab with this hybrid. If Ducati does not differentiate its product and service offerings enough, there is a risk of being dragged into a price war with the Japanese. However, this is the arena where Ducati shines and has made its name- superb performance, exquisite design, and the racing dominance. By strategically positioning our product for a whole new segment of customers Ducati can protect itself from appearing to start a war. By providing additional customization services, which would be charged at a high premium, we separate ourselves by going after an audience who is not a typical low-cost Japanese bike buyer. BMW successfully launched and defined its own cruiser and so can Ducati! Exhibit 3: Projected Sales Year Unit Sales Growth Units Sold Price/Unit (in Euros) Total Revenue EBITDA 0 -â‚ ¬17,000,000 1 3,300 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬39,600,000 â‚ ¬6,930,000 2 10% 3,630 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬43,560,000 â‚ ¬7,623,000 3 15% 4,175 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬50,094,000 â‚ ¬8,766,450 4 15% 4,801 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬57,608,100 â‚ ¬10,081,418 5 15% 5,521 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬66,249,315 â‚ ¬11,593,630 NPV â‚ ¬16,862,800

Review of Lammings essays

Review of Lamming's essays George Lammings novel Season of Adventure explores a varied array of themes that have deep political, social, economic, religious, gender, and racial implications. A large part of Lammings book depends upon the unstable relationships that the storys protagonist, Fola, develops with the other characters. Her interaction with two separate communities the upper-class citizens of San Cristobal and the lower-class people of the Forest Reserve provides a variety of sociological insights into not only Folas life, but also into life in the Caribbean. When Fola and Charlot attend the ceremony at the tonelle, Fola comes to the realization that she is out of touch with her past and her roots. Fola is initially skeptical of the tonelle, but it is here that she ultimately begins her quest for the essence of identity (which Lamming refers to as the season of adventure). Her eventual understanding of identity is that it must be considered fluid and contextual; additionally, Fola realizes that identity concerns both how she sees herself and how others see her. One incomplete aspect of Folas identity is her relationship to her mother, Agnes. Their bond with one another, which was rather weak to begin with, is aggravated throughout the book by events such as Agnes marriage to Piggott and Folas desire to be with Chiki. Agnes is not close to her mother; as a result, Agnes subconsciously does not see the lack of a strong mother-daughter bond as abnormal. In fact, at one point Agnes tells Fola that she has ...been more trouble than profit... since the day she was born. Agnes has not seen her mother for six years, a tangible indication of their abhorrence for each other. When Agnes became pregnant with Fola at an early age, her mother sent her away in shame. In an attempt to replicate her mothers dismissive actions of the past, Agnes asks her to leave the house w...

Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay Example

Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay Example Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay ?The Great Gatsby is a novel hailed as one of the greatest books of all time. Its many vague motifs provide for a unique experience upon every reading and a literary digestion that accompanies few novels beside it. It is a prime epitomization of the roaring twenties, and many immediately think of The Great Gatsby upon mention of â€Å"the American Dream.† F. Scott Fitzgerald makes this idea extremely prevalent throughout each chapter, emphasizing that the American Dream is truly unattainable, through its representation in the green light, Tom and Daisy’s unhappiness despite their apparent possession of it, and Gatsby’s terminal inability to achieve it. The green light is a significant symbol of the American Dream, which becomes apparent early on in the book. At the end of chapter 1, Nick observes a figure outside of Gatsby’s mansion that he infers to be Mr. Gatsby himself, and he narrates: I decided to call to him. Miss Baker had mentioned him at dinner, and that would do for an introduction. But I didnt call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone-he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness. (21) : Gatsby has a desire throughout the entire book to live happily with Daisy amongst his wealth and vast estate. The fact that the light is green is indicative of the money aspect of the American Dream, and it is fitting because of Daisy’s background of inherited wealth. Daisy in herself is a symbol of money, and Gatsby’s arms outstretched toward Daisy’s light, not able to fully reach it, are representative of his failure to achieve the American Dream. A key piece of informa

Dry Ice Science Fair Project Ideas

Dry Ice Science Fair Project Ideas There are a lot of interesting science fair projects you can do using dry ice. Here are some ideas that you can use as-is or can modify to make your own unique science fair project. Dry Ice Projects How can you store dry ice so that it lasts? Caution: Do not place dry ice in a sealed container, since the pressure build-up may cause it to burst.Does dry ice sublimate more quickly in air, water, oil, etc.? Can you explain why?If you put dry ice in water, how cold does the water need to be before the dry ice stops producing fog?Experiment with a dry ice sound lens. Sound travels more slowly in carbon dioxide than it does in air. If you fill a balloon or rubber glove with carbon dioxide by allowing dry ice to sublimate, you can hold the balloon about a foot away from your ear and listen for sounds that normally would appear very faint, such as the ticking of a clock or dropping of a pin. What is the best distance to hold the balloon from your ear? Do both of your ears hear equally well? Be safe! Do not use a balloon that still contains a piece of dry ice or one that is full where it is likely to burst. The popping of a balloon near your ear could cause injury. Just use a balloon or glove that contains a lot of carbon dioxide, but isnt in danger of popping. Can you find a way to harness the power of dry ice sublimation so that it can power a device? A Heros Engine can be made by puncturing opposite sides of a plastic film canister with a tack or pin held by pliers. Tie a loop in a piece of thread and catch the loop between the lid and the container so you can suspend the canister. When you put a piece of dry ice in the canister and close the lid, what happens? What happens if you change the pattern of the holes? What happens if you place the device in water? Not everyone has a film canister available, so you can substitute other containers, but you need to keep in mind your container can burst if too much pressure builds up. Look for containers that have plastic lids that can pop off under pressure.

What characterizes Calicut in the 14th and 15th centuries and how did Essay

What characterizes Calicut in the 14th and 15th centuries and how did it interact with other parts of the world at that time - Essay Example It was open to Europeans by the invasion of Vasco Da Gama in May 1498 that put Kerala on the map of the modern world. The experiences of Da Gama’s voyage to India mentioned in Roteiro characterized Calicut as a city rich in spices, which had a great demand in the East and the West. The valuable natural resources of Calicut are mentioned by Ibn Battuta, a traveler, in his memoir, ‘A Gift to those who contemplate the wonders of cities and the marvels encountered in travel’. Battuta, in his experiences in Calicut, is amused by the quantity of trade carried out by the merchants from the Arab and the China with large number of ships resting at the shore. The Roteiro illustrates why the Portuguese wish direct overseas access to the rich markets of India and beyond. It was mainly because of the numerous duties and profit margin placed on spices. The invasion through sea by Vasco Da Gama was because of the closure of land routes and expected to make more than 600,000 cruz ados per year that the Sultan of Egypt enjoyed. Calicut was a commercial emporium; it was also an important centre of gemstone production. The richness in its resources bought merchants from most of the Islamic world and China which were observed by Ibn Battuta and Ma Huan. The city was largely connected to different parts of the world due its gained recognition as rich in spices and gems (Andrea and Overfield, 8). Apart from its commercial activity, Battuta mentions about the hospitality of Samudri Raja, honor accorded to the agents in charge of the Chinese ships who came for the purpose of trade and whose ships were resting at harbor. It can be understood from the experiences of Battuta, the Chinese invested heavily in commerce with Calicut not only because of its resources but for the kind of protection it received from the King of Calicut. Customer

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Globalization - Essay Example Globalization we can is inevitable in this day and age. Now that it has taken place there is no turning back and no country that has been touched by globalization can reverse the process and survive and prosper. This is because today economies are more complex and complicated than ever and technology has shrunk the world to such an extent that all countries and economies are interdependent and cannot survive individually (Kustin, 1993, pp. 4-8). Long Term Befits of Globalization The benefits of globalization are many and while there are many short term benefits of globalization likewise we can also name many long term benefits of it. Some of the short term benefits of globalization have been the lower cost of goods and services that have been achieved by the use of comparative advantage and also economies of scale. For instance having goods produced in China has lowered the prices of many goods that are currently sold in the United States. Big retailers like Wal-Mart contract manufacturers in China to produce for them due to the cheap labor that is available that will give them a price advantage, which they will not be able to gain if the goods were produced elsewhere - where labor was more expensive. Likewise globalization has helped increase service levels like has been done in the health care industry in North America. The issues related to the acute dearth of radiologists in North America has been addressed by radiologists in India, based in India being hired to fill the vacancies, however unlike in the past they are not physically present North America but carry out their duties virtually with the help of modern day... The essay looks at the external forces that have to be encountered by organizations that are preparing to go global or are already global. In the next section the essay then investigates why some organizations choose to stay local or regional while others decide to go global and how the local and regionally focused organizations survive in this day and age. The impact of the internet and other technological innovations on globalization are closely evaluated in the next section. The article then goes further and looks at the broad gains and losses that have been made from globalization in the last decade or so. Next the paper goes on to look at the main reasons behind international expansion being key to the growth and survival needs of today’s multi-national companies. Last but not least the author gives his personal opinion on globalization and concludes by summarizing the main points covered in this essay. This paper makes a conclusion that globalization today is inevitable and no country nor economy that has been touched by globalization can turn back the clock and survive without globalization because all economies and countries are interdependent on each other for their survival and globalization is the thread that keeps them all connected. There have been many short and long term benefits of globalization such as lower priced goods being manufactured and individuals having access to products and services that they never had before. Likewise though, there have been many long and short term drawbacks due to globalization.

PEST Analysis of Pizza Hut Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

PEST Analysis of Pizza Hut Inc - Essay Example A PEST analysis has been conducted to assess the international marketing environment of the firm. The next section covers the international promotional decisions the firm makes to be a global brand. Pizza Hut’s international market entry strategies are covered in the next portion which illustrates how it assesses the market before it enters it so that it can modify itself accordingly. The international segmentation strategies are then highlighted to show how the firm segments its international market. Lastly, the market research methods of the firm are discussed to show how the firm understands the market it enters and survives in. Pizza Hut and other fast-food chains like McDonald's have been accused of causing obesity due to their calorie contained products which are making nations fat and it seems like the issue will be a national issue and concern (BBC, 2007). Legal actions have been taken against competitors like McDonald's, however, Pizza Hut has been saved from the nega tive image building for now, however, it will have its trickle-down effect and soon legal actions would be taken against the brand too(Dev and Don, 2005). To avoid this, the firm is incorporating healthier meals in its menu which are less in calories but it has not been able to do it on a large scale. However, for now, governments have not been involved to put legal restrictions on fast-food chains but this is becoming increasingly likely and the firm should take action to protect itself. The strategy of introducing healthy meal options should be applied globally so that the firm can be proactive and be saved from government restrictions and legal involvements (BBC, 2007).

Debate Between The Epicureans And The Stoics Term Paper

Debate Between The Epicureans And The Stoics - Term Paper Example The Epicureans were contributed by Epicurus who was a Greek philosopher who lived between 341 BC and 270 BC. Epicurus founded the Garden in Athens in which he and his followers lived and practiced Epicurus’ philosophical ways of life. At the entrance of this place, they hanged a writing stating that Stranger, here you will do well to tarry. Here our highest good is pleasure’1. From this writing among others, the Epicureans are considered hedonists who believe that humanity should fulfill their earthly desires and pleasures and should never try or live according to the will of God in the same way as the Stoics. In other words, they note that humanity should try to live in some sort of happiness and pleasure while they are still on earth or before their death. Notably, the contribution attributed to these two schools of thoughts can be narrowed down to the Aristotelian school of thought that dictates that "the sort of person one is and the lifestyle one adopts will indeed have an immediate bearing on the actions one performs." Nonetheless, the Stoic is more plausible than the Epicureans school of thought. The Epicurean school of thought is divided into two axial lines of desires including natural and unnatural fulfillments. Some of these fulfillments may be considered necessary in life while others are considered unnecessary. Form these distinctions; it is apparent only some of the natural and necessary desires can be fulfilled while the other branch of categories, the unnatural and unnecessary desires are irrelevant and cannot be fulfilled. Nearly all the unnatural and unnecessary class of desires prescribed by Epicureans never exists. This is because only what natural desires are truly necessary and they are what exist. In other words, even the natural and unnecessary desires are never vital to the human life; thus, they must be considered void since they never satisfy human needs but they can only lead to confusion and disturbance of inner self s ufficient or the autarkeia2. Notably, from this classification of desires, it is apparent that their something or desires that are never necessary in human life and living them as means of self-fulfillment will only lead to destabilization of an individual’s inner self sufficiency. These two schools of thoughts also address their concerns on pleasure. Epicureanism classifies sexual intercourse as natural but unnecessary desire. In this case, Epicurus does not spell out total abstinence from sexual pleasures, but he thinks that such pleasure should be sampled carefully so that they are not confused with natural and necessary human desires. Epicurus once stated "Sexual intercourse never helped anyone, and one must be satisfied if it has not harmed3." In other words, he was noting that natural but unnecessary desires should be enjoyed while balancing such acts carefully in clear thinking minds. According Epicurus, for an individual â€Å"To enjoy these unnecessary desires and t o not make of them necessities, to take free pleasure in the unnecessary, this is the highest achievement4." However, this contribution varies Stoics that states that former believes makes make a person more virtuous that they can easily and effective sample natural and unnecessary without them being overwhelmed by these choices. In other words, Stoics contributes the fact that all human desires are governed by some natural forces that humanity must be answerable to; thus, it worth examining and individuals’ experience in order to define his or her next move. Additionally, Stoics argue that pleasure may lead threaten an individual tranquility; thus, it should be avoided at all costs. Additionally, other than pleasure, these two schools o

An Evaluation of the Teaching Staff Shortage in London Schools Essay

An Evaluation of the Teaching Staff Shortage in London Schools - Essay Example eased concern in England as well as in other countries with regards to teacher supply shortages along with the issues on the recruitment and retention of teachers (House of Commons- Education and Skills Committee 2004). For instance, despite a considerable number of 60 million teachers worldwide, there is still a need to employ another 15 to 35 million teachers. Schools have faced considerable shortages in English and Math teachers while there have been a decrease in the number of applicants for teacher training. Teacher applicants for physics, geography, and information and communications technology have also experienced a considerable drop (Eurydice 2002). A large number of studies have primarily delved into the reasons why potential teachers have been attracted to the profession as well as the factors that contribute to their intentions of leaving the profession, including pay and work demands, and turnover patterns (Johnson-Wilder et al 2003). Recent evidence has also associated staffing problems with specific issues that serve as challenges for schools affected, such as the inability of schools to cope with labor market difficulties in order to for them to offer higher wages and attract qualified candidates, the lack of proficient teachers in certain subjects, and the increased number of teachers who are teaching outside of their subjects (Harris and Adams 2007). It has been suggested that institutions for teacher training have not been able to produce adequate numbers of qualified teachers who can met such demands. Other demographic trends, including the increase of student enrollments along with the increased rate of teacher turnover owing to an aging teaching workforce, have also contributed to the school staffing crisis. Owing to the continued shortfall of... This paper approves that private and public schools in London have experienced considerable shortages in their teaching workforce which have been attributed to various concerns. Teachers can either be motivated or discouraged to provide education and learning to students based on a number of factors, including their perceived support from the administration, the overall environment that they are working in, the salary they receive in exchange for their performance, the behavior of students, as well as personal issues. These can all influence the ways with which teachers view their profession as meaningful and valuable and, thus, affect their intentions and decisions for voluntary turnover. This report makes a conclusion that increasing the school’s support and attention towards their staff members should also be demonstrated along with the implementation of strategies that can enhance facilities and teaching performance. Values should also be taught to students by both the school and their families to ensure that these young individuals exemplify favorable behavior towards their peers and teachers. School safety and discipline along with a more professional environment that employs strategies for empowering teachers and boosting their morale may have a positive impact on their recruitment and retention among public and private schools. Future studies should also look into more specific factors that can be experienced by teachers in the primary, secondary, and college level as well, such as racial discrimination or academic field preferences; differences in terms of geographic locations (suburban versus metropolitan schools) or the impact of teachers’ age and gender can also be explored.

Debate Between The Epicureans And The Stoics Term Paper

Debate Between The Epicureans And The Stoics - Term Paper Example The Epicureans were contributed by Epicurus who was a Greek philosopher who lived between 341 BC and 270 BC. Epicurus founded the Garden in Athens in which he and his followers lived and practiced Epicurus’ philosophical ways of life. At the entrance of this place, they hanged a writing stating that Stranger, here you will do well to tarry. Here our highest good is pleasure’1. From this writing among others, the Epicureans are considered hedonists who believe that humanity should fulfill their earthly desires and pleasures and should never try or live according to the will of God in the same way as the Stoics. In other words, they note that humanity should try to live in some sort of happiness and pleasure while they are still on earth or before their death. Notably, the contribution attributed to these two schools of thoughts can be narrowed down to the Aristotelian school of thought that dictates that "the sort of person one is and the lifestyle one adopts will indeed have an immediate bearing on the actions one performs." Nonetheless, the Stoic is more plausible than the Epicureans school of thought. The Epicurean school of thought is divided into two axial lines of desires including natural and unnatural fulfillments. Some of these fulfillments may be considered necessary in life while others are considered unnecessary. Form these distinctions; it is apparent only some of the natural and necessary desires can be fulfilled while the other branch of categories, the unnatural and unnecessary desires are irrelevant and cannot be fulfilled. Nearly all the unnatural and unnecessary class of desires prescribed by Epicureans never exists. This is because only what natural desires are truly necessary and they are what exist. In other words, even the natural and unnecessary desires are never vital to the human life; thus, they must be considered void since they never satisfy human needs but they can only lead to confusion and disturbance of inner self s ufficient or the autarkeia2. Notably, from this classification of desires, it is apparent that their something or desires that are never necessary in human life and living them as means of self-fulfillment will only lead to destabilization of an individual’s inner self sufficiency. These two schools of thoughts also address their concerns on pleasure. Epicureanism classifies sexual intercourse as natural but unnecessary desire. In this case, Epicurus does not spell out total abstinence from sexual pleasures, but he thinks that such pleasure should be sampled carefully so that they are not confused with natural and necessary human desires. Epicurus once stated "Sexual intercourse never helped anyone, and one must be satisfied if it has not harmed3." In other words, he was noting that natural but unnecessary desires should be enjoyed while balancing such acts carefully in clear thinking minds. According Epicurus, for an individual â€Å"To enjoy these unnecessary desires and t o not make of them necessities, to take free pleasure in the unnecessary, this is the highest achievement4." However, this contribution varies Stoics that states that former believes makes make a person more virtuous that they can easily and effective sample natural and unnecessary without them being overwhelmed by these choices. In other words, Stoics contributes the fact that all human desires are governed by some natural forces that humanity must be answerable to; thus, it worth examining and individuals’ experience in order to define his or her next move. Additionally, Stoics argue that pleasure may lead threaten an individual tranquility; thus, it should be avoided at all costs. Additionally, other than pleasure, these two schools o

Two Methods for teaching Third Grade students to appreciate Art Essay

Two Methods for teaching Third Grade students to appreciate Art - Essay Example This will enable kinesthetic learning which is so essential for this age-group. A hands-on approach to art in which the students not only look at different forms of art but also take part in creating them will enable the imagination of the children to be captured. The use of water to thin paint can introduce various elements of the basic science curriculum to the children. How water flows, what happens to it when other materials are put in it and what happens to it and other materials when it dries can be made an integral part of this learning experience. This will not only enable the students to understand how paint works but also that "science" is in fact fun and relevant to their actual lives. In the context of third-graders, this can be presented to them as how they can use the water in so many different ways. A second technique for the teaching of art is to introduce the children to the art of many different cultures, and have them try to create their own versions of it. Thus children may be encouraged to bring in pictures from their own culture if the classroom is diverse enough to enable this exercise. The third-graders will learn about other cultures (an essential element of the wider curriculum) and also be self-empowered through discovering that they can produce their own versions of that culture's art. As Gelineau (2003) suggests, the arts can provide opportunities for creative expression and self-fulfillment. The arts can and should be taught for their own sake as legitimate areas of study, but their link within the wider curriculum can also be stressed. Thus, as has been shown in this brief discussion, areas of the curriculum as diverse as science and cultural studies can be brought into the study of art. Most of all, the children should be taught that the appreciation of art is enjoyable, hopefully a lesson that will bring them a lifetime of pleasure in discovering the arts. _______________________________________ Works Cited Gelineau, Phyllis. Integrating the Arts Across the Elementary School Curriculum. Wadsworth, New York: 2003.

My favourite subject Essay Example for Free

My favourite subject Essay My favourite subject in school is English. It is quite easy and pleasant to study it. English is used in each field of life and it is useful to know it. Most of web sides are in English. It is nice to be able to use such a sides like yahoo, msn and english Wikipedia. I can get a lot of information and news, which are not available on polish sides. Next plus: I can use english books and magazines. Sometimes I like to download e-books and magazines in pdf. It is effectively way to study English in home. Using English I can communicate with many peoples. I can use Skype and ICQ to talk and chat and get new contacts. I can use many applications and play games. I have used Windows XP and Office for two months and it was quite easy. Most of movies are in English. I like to watch them without subtitles. If I can I always switch the polish dubbing off ? I hate it. The last advantage to know English is I can talk with all people talking English. This holidays when I was in Gdańsk somebody asked all people: Do you speak English Everybody talked No and Nie wiem o co chodzi. When she came to me and asked the question Do you speak English I could say ?Yes, how can I help you She told ?How can I get to the bus station I told ?Can you see this building? The station is behind it. Please go this way?. She smiled to me and walked away. I was happy that I could help. As you can see English is useful in life. All of us study it in everyday situations and activities. The language is quite simple and logic. I use it all the time. This is why I like English and it is my favourite subject in school.

Sanofi-Aventis Business Strategy

Sanofi-Aventis Business Strategy Question 1 Introduction According to analysts, the pharmaceutical industry is changing rapidly and undergoing a shift. Sanofi-Aventis are therefore changing its strategy to help transform itself from a Europe/US-centred pharmaceutical company to a global diversified healthcare company. These changes include a change in its products, markets, top management and its capabilities. This essay aims to discuss the environment within which Sanofi-Aventis is operating, identifying the reasons why the company need to change its strategy and how it will achieve this. Harrigan (1980) and DAveni (1989) showed that when performance is declining or poor, organisations tend to principally alter their activities. This is the case with Sanofi-Aventis, it is running like a French national treasure and performance is declining in the rapidly changing pharmaceutical industry. The Strategic Position of Sanofi-Aventis Porters five forces framework (1980) can help to identify the attractiveness of an industry for a firm by drawing attention to the external pressures it may face. Figure 1 shows that buyers in the industry have a low bargaining power. The major consumers of the industry include doctors, hospitals, patients and pharmacists. Buyer power is dependent on factors such as the number of buyers, switching costs and buyer competition threat. The industry has many buyers and the competition usually takes place between them. Thus the power of buyers in terms of the number of buyers is reasonably small. However buyers are able to choose from other similar products. To avoid this problem organisations within the industry usually spend most of their research and development on new patent drugs to keep up competition. The suppliers within the industry have a certain level of power but it is not such a high threat. The suppliers could include providers of raw materials and intermediates, the manufac turing and production plants and labour. The suppliers provide different levels of threat and cannot easily be changed in this industry, even if suppliers refuse to supply. Thus there are high switching costs for companies within this industry. However, the threat from suppliers in this industry is not much bigger than that in other industries. In the pharmaceutical industry, there is a high barrier to entry. This is due to the high costs which are required to enter the industry. There are high RD costs because the research and development of new drugs is time consuming and costly. There is also heavy regulation of the industry where drugs need to be approved, as well as patent restrictions. Patents are a high barrier for organisations who are trying to enter the market. Organisations already existing within this market have already established a strong brand name with loyal customers and have a large budget to spend on marketing to continuously support their brand. New companies th erefore find it difficult to build up a brand name. The main substitutes for products in the pharmaceutical industry are generic brands of medication. The price of brand name medicines is kept competitive with generic brands. However, there is not always a generic medicine available as a substitute due to patents. Other substitutes include methods such as Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, hypnosis, diet-based therapies, chiropractic care and Reiki. In terms of competition, the industry is very competitive. With high RD cost, strict government regulations and extremely competitive products in the market, companies are constantly trying to release the next best product so that they can stay ahead. Advances in technology are also another factor affecting competition because it opens new avenues for research. Companies are dependent on the long run success of their ideas which puts a lot of pressure on them to find drugs which have high pay-offs. It is common for firms in the indu stry to merge together to gain competitive strength so that it can take on the leaders of the industry. In this industry the competition is such that only the strongest firms will survive. By analysing the five forces for this industry, it can help to determine what problems Sanofi-Aventis may incur. The barrier to entry into the industry will be high which works in the favour of Sanofi-Aventis. In terms of buyers and suppliers, these are low. The substitutes are also fairly low until the patents expire between 2009 and 2013. The power of substitutes will then increase along with rivalry and the bargaining power of buyers as buyers will switch to generic drugs. This will result in a reduction of costs of the drugs and profitability. In terms of PESTEL analysis, this legal factor of the patents is a key driver for change because it is enforcing a threat on the company. Companies within this industry have opted for mega-mergers. This could be another threat to the company as these companies have more competitive strength. Sanofi-Aventis need to overcome these problems by differentiating its products and the company itself for the existing markets as well as for new marke ts. This suggests that a transformation of the companys strategy is required for them to exist in the changing industry which will align them with the changing environment. The company have already a #1 position in emerging markets, so they have an opportunity to exploit this in order to overcome some of these threats and gain a sustainable competitive advantage. The company also need to take into account the other main influences on its strategy. These influences can help determine what threats the company has and how the strategy should be changed so that it can overcome some of these issues. The culture of the company can have a major impact because the company can be confined by that culture making it difficult to change outside the bounds of it. Sanofi-Aventis was being run like a French national treasure. This shows that the company is too rigid and too traditional. Johnson (1992) suggests that changes going on within or without the organisation will affect organisational performance. However, even if managers, as individuals, perceive such changes they may not necessarily acknowledge them as impinging on the strategy or performance of the organisation. Sanofi-Aventis had this problem as the management had acknowledged that the environment was changing but were not changing its strategy greatly to be in line with this. To rise above thi s issue the company have brought in a non-french manager Christopher A. Viehbacher, which has helped to show analysts and investors that the company will not be run like a French national treasure and that the company have changed their attitude. This suggests that the company will not be based on its past ways of doing things and the lessons learnt from the evolving environment of the organisation, as this has not been successful in the rapidly changing pharmaceutical industry. This shows that Sanofi-Aventis have tried to change its culture so that it avoids the problem of strategic drift resulting from focusing on the existing culture when dealing with the changing environment. This is a change in the companys power structure. The company have also changed its organisational structure by changing the management team and by creating customer-focused teams. Looking at Johnsons (1987) cultural web, it can be seen that the company are changing two factors (Appendix 1), which will help Sanofi-Aventis to transform its strategy more easily. The strategic capabilities of the company provide a view of the internal influences on strategic choices for the future. The competences and resources which are distinctive or superior relative to those of rivals may become the basis for competitive advantage if they are matched appropriately to environmental opportunities (Andrews, 1971; Thompson and Strickland, 1990). In terms of Sanofi-Aventis, the threshold level has changed over time and so the company need to invest in its resource base so that it can stay in this industry and gain a competitive advantage. They have an opportunity to exploit its #1 position in emerging markets, so they are creating new strategic capabilities to achieve this by having a better position in emerging markets, adapting its RD efforts to new regulatory and economic constraints and making disciplined decisions about how the company should grow and through what activities for example diversifying into vaccines, OTCs and biologics and not to opt in mega -mergers like all the other companies within the industry. Instead they are going ahead with bolt-on acquisitions as this will add more value to the company. This shows that Sanofi-Aventis have acknowledged that for them to survive they need to differentiate itself from other organisations within the industry and this can be achieved by exploiting its opportunities. The stakeholders play an important role as the strategy of the company needs to take into consideration their interests. Sanofi-Aventis have failed to do this, which has resulted in investors reducing their stake in the company. Sanofi-Aventis need to adapt its strategy so that it takes into consideration the interests of its stakeholders. However the companys stakeholders are changing as they enter into new partnerships and change its management team. These stakeholders will be focused on the external stakeholders (the customers) and so the company need to fulfil the customers needs in order to take into consideration the internal stakeholders interests. The strategic choices and actions Sanofi-Aventis are taking Sanofi-Aventis are responding to these pressures by making choices about the companys future. At a corporate level, Sanofi-Aventis are launching new products such as vaccines, OTCs, diabetes drugs and branded generics and offering them to emerging markets as well as existing markets. This in terms of Ansoffs Matrix (1957) can be seen as diversification at an international level and product development at a national level (Appendix 2). Although the company is providing the existing market with new products such as vaccines to give them a pre-eminent position, major rivals such as Novartis, GSK and Pfizer are closing the gap. Sanofi-Aventis therefore need to continue to focus on the RD of its products to sustain this position. By producing new drugs, the company are trying to fulfil its external stakeholders needs, which in turn takes into consideration the internal stakeholders. At a business level, Porter (1985) provides a framework of generic strategies and suggests that they are distinct mutually exclusive alternatives. However the idea that the generic strategies are mutually exclusive has been criticized (Hill, 1988; Murray, 1988), and studies have shown that mixed or hybrid strategies may be profitable (Miller Dess, 1993). By looking at Bowmans strategy clock (1996), it can be seen that the company are going against Porter and are taking up a hybrid strategy in its existing markets which involves having a low cost base and differentiating its products (Appendix 3). They are trying to develop products that are better than that of its competitors by posing the question ‘why is the drug better than what theyve already got? If this question cannot be answered then the product does not add any extra value for the customer compared to its competitors products and the product does not become a part of the companys product portfolio. In new markets that have fewer economic resources the company are taking up a low frills strategy which involves producing cheap goods with low added value. In terms of Porters generic strategies, the choice of taking up a hybrid strategy can be seen as a differentiation strategy as well as a cost leadership strategy (Appendix 4). By differentiating its products, the company are trying to produce goods which its customers will value so that it can overcome the threat that is enforced from the patent expiries. The way in which differentiation is achieved can be seen by Porters (1985) value chain (Appendix 5). Value is built on the activities that are a part of creating the product, whilst sometimes reducing costs in these activities. For example, the company are trying to achieve this by restructuring its RD as it was costly and unproductive and reduce its operating costs. This makes the product unique compared to those of competitors. These value added products can be charged at premium prices to help achieve higher profitability. This will help make up for the loss of revenues from the patent expiries. The company have chosen to pursue its strategy through organic development, which has also led to the decision of pursuing its strategy through acquisitions. The company are strengthening its capabilities, one of which is the ability to make effective decision which has therefore led to the company taking on acquisitions. The reason behind these choices is because it will allow the company to add value to its products. These are carefully thought out decisions that the company are undertaking so that they have a competitive advantage. When observing how Sanofi-Aventis are changing its strategy to help it to become a global diversified healthcare company, it can be seen that the strategy is an intended one. This is because Viehbacher entered the company having ideas about how the strategy would be changed. The design lens can be used to explain this strategy because Viehbacher has been in charge of making all the strategic decisions, ‘Dehecq, who had long been considered as the driving force behind Sanofi-Aventis, was conspicuous by his absence at these meets. This led to analysts opining that Viehbacher was in sole charge of strategy. The change that the company are seeing is a result of implementing the planned strategy that Viehbacher had when he joined the company. Conclusion Sanofi-Aventis are under-going a transformational change in a short period of time. They have been able to achieve this by first considering the influences on the companys strategy such as its environment, its culture, its strategic capabilities and its stakeholders. These create opportunities and threats for the company and so by looking at these the company have been able to make strategic choices to help them to decide which direction to move their strategy towards and the methods by which this is to be done to help them to overcome some of the problems that they are facing. Question 2 Introduction In the future, the company needs to create a more sustainable growth. Sanofi-Aventis are changing its strategy to deal with the market pressures and demands while focusing on its main activities and developing strategic capabilities. The company need to utilise its resources and competences in such a way so that it can sustain growth and gain a competitive advantage over other key players in the pharmaceutical industry. Viehbacher was aware of this when he first joined the company and questioned ‘How can we change the model? How can we create more sustainable growth? For Viehbacher to be successful in achieving this he had to first identify the resources and competencies the company would need to grow and then decide how these would be developed and utilised efficiently. The resource-based model states that the competitive advantage and superior performance of an organisation is explained by the distinctiveness of its capabilities. Peteraf (1993) explains that the resource-based model can help to understand the long-lasting differences in the profitability of the firm, which cannot be attributed to variations in industry conditions. Wernerfelt (1984) states the model shows that the competitive advantage of a firm lies primarily in the application of the bundle of valuable resources at the firms disposal. Barney (1991) suggests that the resources have to be valuable, rare, inimitable and non-substitutable because then the competitors will not be able to mimic the companys strategy. This can help to explain the heterogeneity or firm-level differences among companies that allow them to sustain competitive advantage. Sanofi-Aventis is in the exploration stage and so during the transformation they are experimenting with new alternatives that will help the company to gain this competitive advantage. One of the major reasons why the company have to do this is because the main resource that they rely on; the patents, are soon to expire. Also in an emerging market the company needs better, more refined resources to compete with. Johnson et al (2008) suggest that for a company to have strategic capabilities and competitive advantage they need to have the necessary resources and threshold competences, which competitors may have or can easily imitate, as well as unique resources and core competences which are better than the competitors or difficult for the competitors to imitate (appendix 6). Viehbacher became CEO of Sanofi-Aventis in December 2008. The experience of working at GSK for 20 years and the knowledge that he has brought to the company is unique and difficult for competitors to gain. His way of thinking and style of leadership is helping the company to transform itself because it varies from the companys old leadership which was like a French national treasure. Thus it can be seen that Viehbacher is developing a new culture for the company by changing the power structure. This will allow any new CEO joining the company, if Viehbacher leaves, to be able to continuously align the companys strategy wit h the changing environment through incremental change by building on the familiar. The company will also be able to develop dynamic capabilities if the environments changes which is mostly likely to be the case. The rapid changes in the industry have meant that for Sanofi-Aventis to be a more competitive organisation, a change in the companys structure is needed. Thus Viehbacher has put a new team in place after joining the company. Only Jean-Francois Dehecq remains chairman and two of the top management team, namely, Marc Cluzel (head of RD) and Hanspeter Spek (head of pharma operations) continue to hold their positions. Laurence Debroux has been promoted as chief strategic officer (in charge of MAs) and Jean-Pierre Lehner as chief medical officer (in charge of drug safety). Elias Zerhouni has been brought in as scientific advisor, Jerome Contamine as the CFO and Paul Chew as chief medical/science officer. By making this change in structure, Viehbacher is further developing the culture of the organisation. His team together have the knowledge and expertise in different areas, which will allow the company to grow as they will be adding value to the different activities of the company. With a stronger management team, the companys future can be and will continue to be shaped allowing it to be more customer orientated. However the team will need to bring new ideas to the company in order for this to happen. The company were the thirds largest pharmaceutical company as of 2009 but it had a costly and unproductive RD pipeline. The transformation of the companys strategy entails restructuring the RD organisation so that it is productive and in sync with patients needs. The company are changing to a company that is based on biotech and specialist-driven therapies research. The RD of the company is a core competence that Viehbacher is creating. It is helping the company to meet the demands of the rapidly changing pharmaceutical environment by shifting its efforts to new regulatory and economic constraints. By moving away from blockbuster drugs, the company can concentrate on medicines that add value for the customers. It is important for Sanofi-Aventis to keep the customers in mind as they will have a major effect on the success of the business. By meeting their needs, the company can create customer loyalty which will provide the company with a steady income. The new approach to RD is allow ing the company to enter into new partnerships to boost its base business. This is an opportunity for the company to try to overcome to some extent the threats that will occur from the patents expiring. These threats include the increase in substitutes and rivalry. If they can achieve this through their new RD approach, this will help the company to achieve growth in the future. Viehbacher was quick to note that Sanofi-Aventis was the #1 pharmaceutical company in emerging markets. This is because they have the ability to make efficient and effective decisions, as well as being able to move quick, ‘everybody says they want to go there, but were already there. Were in business while other companies are still trying to find their way from the airport to the hotel. This is a core competence that the company has, thus as new markets emerge in the future the company need to uphold this status. This is possible for the company to accomplish if they continue to focus on global public health issues and not the traditional markets that are becoming saturated. They also need to continue to act fast as they have done when moving into emerging markets such as Africa, India and China. The market the company was catering to was diverse, so they are moving towards branded generics, consumer healthcare and vaccines to create the basis for more sustainable growth. Viehb acher pointed out that the company was in a strong financial position generating à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬4 billion in cash each year. This capital can be used to invest in RD, which will help the company to grow and strengthen its position in emerging markets as it finds new healthcare businesses and products to diversify into. Using the companys finance, respectable reputation and ability to expand into emerging markets, it will allow the company to compensate from the patent expiries of its top-selling drugs and make larger capital gains in the future. Sanofi-Aventis have the ability to make logical decisions with the help of their CEO. For example they have decided not to be part of any mega-mergers as this would sap the organisations creativity and productivity. By opting for a mega-merger, the company would not be adding to shareholder value, so Viehbacher felt it was not necessary to do so. The capability to make these decisions has come from Viehbachers experience where he has been a part of two mega-mergers in the past. Instead of the mega-mergers Viehbacher has decided to go ahead with bolt-on acquisitions. The five acquisitions the company have taken up has given the company opportunities to tap markets such as the Central and Eastern markets, boost its presences in countries and the OTC business and provided it with a launching pad for the Asia-Pacific region. It has also given a push to its vaccines segment. These acquisitions are helping to fuel its growth in emerging markets whilst reducing its risk profile. In the futu re, the company need to maintain making disciplined decisions about the acquisitions that it takes on, only investing in those that add value. The company should be able to maintain this because Sanofi-Synthà ©labo acquired Aventis and both companies had a history of mergers and acquisitions. By taking on acquisitions, the company can also increase its customer base quicker than with mergers because the company can take on more than one acquisition at a time. Conclusion Sanofi-Aventis are carefully designing their strategy to allow them to have a competitive advantage. They are creating core competences and resources to aid them to survive and compete in the emerging pharmaceutical market. The resource-based model has facilitated the understanding of how Sanofi-Aventis is able to enter the new market and how it can in the future strengthen its position in this market. It is possible for the company to have sustainable growth and a competitive advantage, but they need to utilise its resources successfully in order to achieve this. However if in the future the needs of the environment change, Sanofi-Aventis will need dynamic capabilities to achieve a competitive advantage. Although Viehbacher is creating resources and core competences when transforming the companys strategy, these may need to be renewed and recreated because in more dynamic conditions competitive advantage is achieved when there is a capacity for change, learning and innovation.

Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel: The Relationship between Society and

Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel: The Relationship between Society and the Individual Each of the four classical theorists Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Simmel had different theories of the relationship between society and the individual. It is the objective of this paper to critically evaluate the sociological approaches of each theory to come to a better understanding of how each theorist perceived such a relationship and what it means for the nature of social reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Karl Marx noted that society was highly stratified in that most of the individuals in society, those who worked the hardest, were also the ones who received the least from the benefits of their labor. In reaction to this observation, Karl Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto where he described a new society, a more perfect society, a communist society. Marx envisioned a society, in which all property is held in common, that is a society in which one individual did not receive more than another, but in which all individuals shared in the benefits of collective labor (Marx #11, p. 262). In order to accomplish such a task Marx needed to find a relationship between the individual and society that accounted for social change. For Marx such relationship was from the historical mode of production, through the exploits of wage labor, and thus the individual’s relationship to the mode of production (Marx #11, p. 256).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Communist Manifesto it is very clear that Marx is concerned with the organization of society. He sees that the majority individuals in society, the proletariat, live in sub-standard living conditions while the minority of society, the bourgeoisie, have all that life has to offer. However, his most acute observation was that the bourgeoisie control the means of production that separate the two classes (Marx #11 p. 250). Marx notes that this is not just a recent development rather a historical process between the two classes and the individuals that compose it. â€Å"It [the bourgeois] has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression, and new forms of struggle in place of the old ones. Our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinctive feature: it has simplified the class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourge oisie ... ...lay in societal change. However it was only until the works of Durkheim and Simmel that the role of individual interaction and society is brought to the forefront. Durkheim largely viewed the individual as needing society as a mechanism of constraint to the aspirations of an eternal goal. Finally, Simmel was able to expand on Durkheim’s dualism by noting that society could be viewed as more than a mechanism of constraint rather as an accumulation of individual interaction. Either through a combination or as individuals each theorist distinct view of the relationship between the individual and society demonstrates a new understanding towards the nature of social reality. Works Cited   Bender, Frederic L. Karl Marx:  The Communist Manifesto. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ed. 1988. Durkheim, E. Suicide: a Study in Sociology. Translated by J.A. Spaulding and G. Gibson (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1952). Simmel, Georg. "The Stranger." from Kurt Wolff (Trans.) The Sociology of Georg Simmel. New York: Free Press, 1950. Weber M. (1971) 'The social  causes of the decline of ancient  civilization', translated in J. E. T. Eldridge,  Max Weber, London. Weber, M. (1976)