Character Analysis: The Nun Of Monza

Lacuna's arrival to the convent, Gertrude appears and her life story takes up the following two chapters of the novel. Gertrude grew up at a time when a woman had two choices in life: the first was to find a spouse and have children while the other option was to become a nun. As a child, Gertrude had no desire to become a nun, but rather dreamt of the day when she could finally fall in love. Gertrude father indirectly forced his daughter into becoming a nun by giving her dolls dressed as nuns, sending her to Sunday school, and having her read the bible.The brain washed child grew up to having no choice but to move to a convent and take on the life long commitment of becoming a nun. The ceremony in which Gertrude accepts her future being a life devoted to God, she ponders her decision for a moment with conflicting thoughts rushing through her mind. She debates with herself on whether this is the life she wants or if this is the life society wants. When the church asks her if Gertrude has chosen to devote her life to God because of her own desire she causes while looking at her father.After another inner battle with her emotions, Gertrude finally vows to become a nun. Later on in Gertrude life, she goes to live in a convent located in an Italian town called â€Å"Amazon†, thus taking on the name â€Å"The Nun of Amazon†. Here she spends her days praying during the day, but living a completely different life during the night. As time goes on she falls in love and develops a forbidden relationship with a man named Goodie whom she has a child with. In her daily fife at the Covent, Gertrude always shows signs of rebellion after having found love.One example of her rebellious attitude is portrayed by a loose strand of hair falling from her veil. The strand of hair is a symbol of Gesture's hate and disgust towards the church for having made her once free life a life filled with unhappiness and restrictions. The smiling child she once was becomes an angry and troubled soul after years of feeling like a prisoner of the church.

Cost Volume Profit Essay

Some things we know: The objective of every business is to make money (profit) for the owners Profit = Revenues – Expenses Revenues = Sales = Quantity sold x price per unit Expenses = the costs related to: the specific revenue (COGS) or the specific accounting period Matching Principle Role of Management is: Planning, control and performance measurement, and decision-making Decision-making relates to future events and involves risk Full costing (full-absorption costing) is a good historical tool but may not Be the best indicator of future activity because it is based on past events. Cost Behavior Variable Costs – total dollars change with volume, Cost per unit is constant Fixed Costs – total dollars are constant, cost per unit changes with volume Mixed Costs – include some variable costs and some fixed costs Total Cost = Fixed Costs + Volume(variable cost per unit) Fixed Component Variable Component Purely Fixed $25,000$ 0 Purely Variable 0 5.00 per unit Mixed Costs 10,000 2.00 per unit Total Costs $35,000$7.00 per unit Graphing Total Costs X axis (horizontal/across) = volume Y axis (vertical/up & down) = dollars Estimating the Composition of Mixed Costs Account Analysis Scattergraph – Visual inspection of plotted points High-Low Estimation Theory: The change in total costs between the high volume point and The low volume point, must be purely variable costs Linear Regression (computer assisted scattergraph) Contribution Margin Income Statement Ignores the function of the expenses Focus is on cost behavior (fixed and variable) Used extensively in forecasting future potential outcomes (planning & decision making) Because Profit = Revenue – Expenses(Costs) Where: Revenue = Volume x price per unit AndTotal Costs = Fixed Cost + (Volume x Variable cost per unit) Therefore: Volume x price per unit Less Volume x variable cost per unit Less Fixed costs Profit Revenue Less Variable Costs CONTRIBUTION MARGIN Less Fixed Costs Pretax Profit KNOW THIS FORMULA FRONTWARDS AND BACKWARDS Margin of Safety = the difference between the expected level of volume and the break-even point (normally using sales dollars but could also use units sold). When comparing two or more alternatives it may be helpful to look at the Margin of Safety as a percentage of sales. Contribution Margin Ratio = CM per unit / Selling Price per unit OrContribution Margin / Sales Operating Leverage = Fixed Costs / Contribution Margin Or Contribution Margin/Pretax Profit Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Analysis Break-Even Point = the point at which profit = zero (i.e. we break even) = The point at which Contribution Margin = Fixed Costs Once we know the break-even point, we can begin to plan for target profit Target Pre Tax Profit versus Target After Tax Profit Pretax Profit$100 Less Tax Expense 40 After Tax or Net Profit$ 60 Effective Tax Rate = Tax Expense / Pretax Profit(40% above) Tax Expense = Pretax Profit x Effective Tax Rate Net Income = Pretax Profit x (1- effective tax rate) Pretax Profit = Net Profit / (1- effective tax rate) Multiple Product CVP Analysis Weighted-Average Contribution Margin (also referred to as blended average) PRODUCT MIX IS CRITICAL Product 1Product 2Total Units Sold10020 Selling Price$10.00$50.00 Variable Costs 5.00$30.00 Sales$1,000$1,000$2,000 Contribution Margin 500$ 400 900 CM Ratio 50% 40% 45% SO LONG AS THE PRODUCT MIX REMAINS AT 5:1 THE PROJECTED CM RATIO WILL STAY AT 45%. Therefore if sales are expected to be $20,000, AND WE SELL 5 of Product 1 for every 1 unit of Product 2, Contribution Margin should be $9,000 ($20,000 x 45%) However if sales of Product 1 are only $1,000 and the remaining $19,000 are sales of Product 2 the Contribution margin is only $8,100 and the CM Ratio drops to 40.5%. $ 1,000 x 50% = $ 500 plus$19,000 x 40% = $7,600 $20,000 $8,100 = 40.5% of sales or (1/20 x .50) + (19/20 x .40) .025 + .38 = 40.5% When computing the Weighted-Average Contribution Margin USE SALES DOLLARS as the weighing factor (NOT UNITS). Constraint = a limitation of resources To maximize profits given a limited resource, produce the product that generates the highest contribution margin per limited resource. This may not be the product with the highest contribution margin ratio. Illustration: A company manufactured two types of beer, premium and regular. Both types of beer are brewed in the same kettles. A regular batch brews for 15 days and yields 12,000 bottles. A premium batch brews for 30 days and yields 12,000 bottles. Regular beer sells for $1.00 per bottle and has variable costs of $0.40 per bottle. The premium sell for $1.50 per bottle and has variable costs of $0.50 per bottle. Assuming unlimited demand of both products, which product should the company brew? PremiumRegular Per Batch: Sales$15,000$12,000 CM$12,000$ 7,200 CM % 66.67% 60.00% CM per Limited Resource (Days) CM$12,000$ 7,200 Divided by days 30 15 CM per day of limited Resource use $400 $480 Regular beer has a higher CM per limited resource. Therefore, given unlimited demand of both types, produce only regular. Proof: In 30 days we can make one batch of premium, which will yield $12,000 in CM. In the same 30 days we can make 2 batches of regular, which will yield $14,400 in CM. We are in business to make money for the owners, not percentages. You can’t deposit percentages in the bank!

Individual portfolio on global enterprise Essay - 2

Individual portfolio on global enterprise - Essay Example The introduction of globalisation along with its effectiveness is generally considered to have commenced in the decade of 1980s. The different aspects and the procedure of globalisation have become one of the key components for the financial development of a particular nation. In this context, the business organisations deeply concentrate upon globalisation factor because it might affect their financial performance along with other business aspects by a significant level (Stewart, 2007). Thus, on the basis of above discussed grounds, it can be stated that globalisation can be measured as a multidimensional character that crucially affects towards the worldwide phenomena. In this particular paper, the conception of globalisation along with its different impacts and importance towards the economy of a particular nation and also on the business organisations will be depicted. ... of Emirates Airlines will also be depicted. In addition, certain discussions will also be portrayed on the basis of a presentation along with developing an efficient idea regarding the conduct of the project. Section 1: Literature Review of Globalisation Theory According to Bertucci & Alberti, the conception of globalisation is fundamentally defined as a worldwide complex phenomenon that covers a broad assortment of trends along with tendencies particularly in the communal, cultural and financial dimensions. It can be described as a flow of products as well as services in different countries and it increases the global interrelation of business culture, people and financial functions. Moreover, Bertucci & Alberti also stated that globalisation facilitates in the worldwide distribution of the manufacturing products along with services through reducing certain restrictions towards international trade that include the export charges, tariffs and taxes and import quotas among others. It also minimises the restrictions upon the movement of investment as well as of capital. Thus, by focusing upon the above discussed functions of globalisation, it can be stated that globalisation may contribute towards financial progression and advancement in different nations whether developed or underdeveloped by a considerable extent (Bertucci & Alberti, n.d.). In this context, Bertucci & Alberti identified that there are certain noteworthy driving forces that lie behind the aspect of globalisation. The important driving forces include technological innovation as well as the notion of entrepreneurship. From the perspective of technological innovation, the introduction of latest and innovative technologies plays an integral role in making the aspect of globalisation

Motivation and its influence on employees satisfaction Dissertation

Motivation and its influence on employees satisfaction - Dissertation Example Human resource capital is the primordial asset of the organization. This shift in the valuation of the central role of employees in attaining the goals of the organisation is a result of dynamic changes that are happening in the current period. Globalisations, recognition of the notion that organisation have an obligation not only for the satisfaction of the shareholders’ interests but also of the satisfaction of the demands of identified stakeholders, shift in the consciousness of the people and rapid developments in computer and information technology have contributed to paradigm shift that has happened in terms of the importance of employees in organisations. As a result, the current condition and situation of employees today can be claimed to be the result of the long history of the conflict between employees and employers and the current factors that are influencing human interactions in the contemporary period. As the integral role of the employees in the organisation is recognised, the inherent importance of motivating employees to enhance their effectivity, job performance and productivity has been continually articulated by the scholars. Recently, an important development in the service sector has taken the industry by storm – the establishment of call centres. Call centres are more popularly known as the called contact centre or profit centre. It is the section of the organisation that handles and manages customer contacts through voice, e-mail or chat. Contact centres use a special type of software, which enables to route contact information to appropriate people, to track contacts and gather information or data (Baziotoupolus, 2006). The services provided by call centres include inbound sales, directory assistance, technical support and billing inquiries. In this context, the research will be dealing with notion of employee motivation of workers who are involved in call centres. The concept of employee motivation holds the same regardless of the nature of work. This means that motivation is a primordial factor that affects employee satisfaction, which influences not only the personal development and growth of the individual employee but also that of the organisation as the whole. Back Ground of the Study The development of call centres is driven by the rapid developments in computer and information technology and telecommunications. Through these developments, consumers as well as organisations have been given the option to transact via the Internet or over the phone. In this regard, call centres have created alternative means with which customers can be contacted, thus render services. as such, call centres offer the approach wherein the market of the company can be expanded while at the same time having the chance to offer the products to possible new clients with having to go through the rudiments of actual, physical contact. In this way, services are provided when needed, products are offered when requested and customer care is managed at anytime, anywhere. As call/contact centres create an advantage for the organisation due to expanded market coverage and effective customer care 24/7, the employees or call centre agents, on the other hand, are exposed to gruelling work conditions such as several hours of talking over the phone with faceless clients often irritated, discriminatory or inpatient. Another concern is the rendering extra hours of service if the client demands or requires it, and the monotony of the job, which increases job dissatisfaction. This situation is further compounded by other issues such as lack of time for leisure and managerial concerns. In the face of this rising concern, Mobily company, one of the leading telecommunications and internet service provider in

Quranic and Biblical Depictions of Sulayman Research Paper

Quranic and Biblical Depictions of Sulayman - Research Paper Example The author of the paper tells that when comparing the two texts, some key differences in the depiction of Sulayman/Solomon is revealed. Firstly, in the Holy Koran, the emphasis was laid on Sulayman's role as a Prophet, whereas in the Holy Bible he is portrayed as a King. And to go with the notion of a prophet, Sulaiman was endowed with supernatural powers such as the power to move wind. The following select quotations from Abdul Haleem's translation of the Holy Koran illustrates this point: â€Å"And (We made) the wind subservient to Sulaiman whereof the morning course was a months journey and the course a months journey." (54:12) "So We subjected the wind to his power, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended" (38:36) "And unto Sulaiman, We subdued the wind in its raging. It flows by his order towards the land which We had blessed And of everything We are aware." (21:81)† Seen from an Islamic point of view, one need not see any contradiction in designations such as a Prophet or a King, for, in the Islamic tradition, most Prophets happen to be Kings and vice-versa, including Prophet Muhammad himself. Secondly, in the Holy Koran, Sulayman is said to have lived only 53 years; whereas The Bible suggests that he lived longer than that. Other minor differences in the two versions pertain to minor linguistic differences such as King David (the father of Solomon) being referred to as Prophet Daud in the Holy Koran. As for similarities, the historical/religious character in question is said to have gathered knowledge from his illustrious father.

Critically evaluate the external role and influence of relevant Essay

Critically evaluate the external role and influence of relevant International Governmental Organisations in processes of state a - Essay Example Of course, the will and commitment of the people of these states was the main force behind this transformation, the important role of international organisations cannot be ignored in nation-building and state-building in the region. Since their independence, the Baltic States have joined the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and a number of other international institutions. However, their membership in NATO and the European Union (EU) has been instrumental in the nation-building process of the Baltics. In this study, we will analyse the influence and role of mainly EU and NATO in the state-building and nation building process in the Baltic countries. Historical context Located in the geographical centre of Europe, the Baltic States had been for centuries an arena of confrontation between East and West, as well as between North and East† (Van Ham, 1995, p.10) . From the end of the 18th century, after these countries we re merged into the Russian empire, all the three lands were subjected to cultural and political suppression. The Tsarist Russia left no stone unturned to culturally and politically assimilate the Baltics into mainstream Russia. These states regained independence after the World War I, but only to lose it again to Soviet Union in 1940. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin reoccupied the Baltic countries in 1940 under the pretext of Molotov-Ribbentrop pact which provided room for Soviet influence in the region. After invading the three countries, he ruthlessly suppressed the nationalist feelings in the region and, following the path of the Tsarist Russian, he arbitrarily tried to assimilate the Baltics into mainstream Russia. However, as soon as Stalin died, the people of Baltics had set an example of rebellion for the rest of the USSR to follow. When the rest of Soviet Union was in peace in 1988, the people of these three countries were resisting the Soviet rule. Thousands of youths formed a human chain stretching the entire length of the three republics on August 24, 1989, on the 50th anniversary of Soviet rule. They were not far away from their independence. They eventually regained sovereignty in 1991 with the fall of Soviet Union. Three fragile new states However, it was not the end of their struggle. They were three fragile states with looming threats from their once superpower neighbour Russia. Without any state structure and a closed economy inherited from Soviet Union, the leadership and people of these states were in a state of paranoia, fearing for losing their sovereignty again. They had to go through the process of nation- and state-building in order to sustain their independence. Lack of strategic depth, open borders and their proximity to Russia and â€Å"limited economic resources to devote to developing viable military forces, especially since they have inherited little from the Soviet Army and were subject to a Western arms embargo until 1993† (V an Ham, 1995, p.4), put them in a vulnerable position as far as their security and viability was concerned. Domestic and global dynamics and policy options After independence, the decision makers in the Baltic States had to choose between a wide

MIH548 - Theory Based Research - Mod 1 SLP Essay

MIH548 - Theory Based Research - Mod 1 SLP - Essay Example Since these are chromic acquired diseases, these are preventable. Again current research has indicated that physical activity should be promoted as a public health measure in order to prevent these conditions, and absence of many of these conditions in itself is physical wellbeing. However, public health policies have failed to promote physical activities in a large scale across communities, and thus there must be a gap in understanding these barriers in implementation. This calls for a theoretical research in order to update the current knowledge and to identify any gap in the knowledge, so a practical guideline for the physical activity promotion may be created. In order to do that three studies on the topic of association between physical activity and wellbeing will be chosen for critical review, so a summary of theory of this association can be made based on these studies. Thus based on key words â€Å"physical activity† and â€Å"wellbeing† a literature search was conducted in the ProQuest database, and three very recent articles were identified to critically review them in order to establish the association. Since â€Å"wellbeing† is a term that is age nonspecific, the selection criteria would include research done on any age group. Some mental health studies were located which correlated between physical activity and mental health, and it was decided that at least one study will be included in the review which examines public health implications of physical activity from the mental wellbeing point of view. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of 17 weeks of micronutrient supplement as opposed to physical exercise on the psychological wellbeing in the elderly population. The sample chosen was a group of 139 frail elderly subjects who were living in independent living facilities. All the participants at baseline were physical inactive due to frailty with either weight loss or body mass index of less

Research papper about photographer Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Papper about photographer - Research Paper Example They cumulative effects of Araki’s images are great. Araki establishes the notion that everything strictly Japanese, by design, prohibits outsiders from participation. Japan has been, in the western perception, the very replica of the other even though it remains vague to what level this repeal is true (Sharp 23). Araki’s art should, in reality, fall in this group of the other for people now that the photographer hardly ever leaves Japan, that he did not go to a western university and that he strictly speaks Japanese (Searle 1). However, his works attain exactly the opposite effect. Westerners gain the adamant feeling that these images are addressed to them - not in the logic that they are reflections of western traditions or images - like the travesties of western cinema and art found in the parodies of the Japanese picture taker Morimura - but because they function in line with the rules established in western â€Å"modernist† discourse. This paper will dwell o n this photographer and give a brief biography of his life, as well as his works. Biography Nobuyoshi Araki was born on 25th May, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan. He studied cinematography in his college days and, after graduating, went to work at Dentsu, a Tokyo-based advertising company, where he met essayist Yoko Araki, who become his future wife. Araki was only 32 years when he quit his job at the advertising agency and, after that, his works remained nearly unrecognized in the Western world (Design Autopsy 1). Of the over 70 brochures and books that published his images, produced in Japan those days, none of them were available in America and even Europe. His initial solo show outside Japan was in 1992, in Graz, and then subsequently started appearing in Germany, Austria, Holland, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Scotland. This was from 1992 to 199 (Design Autopsy 1). The years were considered a success story for the photographer who was barely known outside his nation. However, he was not t he normal artist, who is introverted, painstaking or regional, unfairly neglected by the chaotic exhibition scene (Design Autopsy 1). Araki had long before become a star in Japan’s media and a person always bounded by an entourage just like the king of pop, Michael Jackson. Araki was a tough person, a classy maverick and an artist acknowledged for particular eroticisms albeit for extremely different images. Having transformed through the countless rumors and the astounding tales connected to his name, an observer is attracted to such comparisons(Searle 1)As hard as it is to imagine Araki the artist and the photographer, the objective of tracing the genesis of his ads and deciding the actual objective is not less elusive (Design Autopsy 1). Araki’s images are full of explicit sexual characters and also heavy sexual metaphors. However, the explicitness in Araki’s photos is not â€Å"hot† as the way as it is exhibited in the sex industry (Sharp 45). His meta phors also forge connections to many other, likewise corporeal images - interiors and cityscapes, which are normally devoid of individuals and have a figurative passion of their own (Searle 1). Araki draws from a vast store of pictures, which are extended endlessly – images that have neither titles nor dates – and eventually circles around a diminutive core of normally recurring

Milk and Supermarkets Essay Example for Free

Milk and Supermarkets Essay Introduction In recent years, the relationship between supermarkets with UK farmers that called oligopsony is a heated topic in the society. Some people hold the view that the advantages of oligopsony overweigh those disadvantages. Nevertheless, others believed that it is one way that UK farmers controlled by the supermarkets. It is natural that people come from different backgrounds will have various attitudes to the same issue. In the report, the advantages and disadvantages of oligopsony for both supermarkets and UK farmers are discussed. In addition, nowadays the supermarkets in the UK in order to increase the profit, they use different types of marketing methods. Such as intense price competition, loyalty schemes and provides non-food products and service. The smaller retailers were influence by those marketing methods also reported as follows. 1. 0 Oligopsony Oligopsony is â€Å"similar to an oligopoly (few sellers), this is a market in which there are only a few large buyers for a product or service. This allows the buyers to exert a great deal of control over the sellers and can effectively drive down prices. †(www. investopedia. com A good example of an oligopsony would be the UK supermarket industry, in which a small number of large buyers (such as Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s) control the UK farm market. Such control allows these supermarkets chains to dictate the price they pay to farmers. 1. 1 The effect on supermarkets According to the BBC news (http://news. bbc. co. uk), Tesco account the UK supermarkets share is 31. 6%, Asda took over 17% in the UK supermarkets share, which is ranked second. The third biggest one is Sainsbury’s, which accounted 15. 8%. (Appendix 1) The total percent of big three supermarkets took over more than 50% in all the UK supermarket industry. These supermarkets owned market power in two ways which are selling to consumers (oligopoly power) and buying from producers (oligopsony power). in another words, It means that the few firms have considerable market power in paying low price for inputs and makes it more difficult for the farmers to make a profit. For example, a big supermarket could contract with a dairy producer that the big one will buy all of product. The farmer agreed with the contract and started to supply the dairy to the big supermarket. Nevertheless, maybe the supermarket pay less and less later, and the farmer just can accepted lower price because the farmer produce too much dairy to supply to the big supermarket and it is not too easy to find a new buyers. Farmers who produced milk, vegetables, or other agricultural products have limited choice range, because in the UK, most of agricultural goods are bought by the big supermarkets. Oligposony gives the big supermarkets bargaining power in use lower prices with farmers. In this relationship, the big supermarkets have the absolute advantages over the farmers. They can made it possible that lower the price of agricultural goods, so that these supermarkets can give a reasonable price for the customers which will help the big supermarkets improve the competition with others competitors. In addition, they also can ask the special requirements for the product quality, the farmers are controlled and forced to accept a lower price of their product. 1. 2 The effect on the farmers. Oligopsony this relationship between supermarkets with UK farmers is ensures the agricultural goods can sell to the big supermarkets. Famers have the fixed buyers so they are need not worry about to find new buyers. However, due to most agricultural goods are bought by big supermarkets, the farmers have less choice. Famers used to have some bargaining power on the basis of seasonality. Because there are other competitors, they do not know what price has been offered by other producers and this forced them to offer their produce at a low price to ensure a sale. Especially the perishable foods. The supermarkets â€Å"dictate not only how much they will pay, but also how the produce will be packaged, stored and delivered. †(www. corporatewatch. com) â€Å"The small number of companies dominating both dairy processing (currently six processors control 93% of the industry) and retailing (six supermarkets control 65% of liquid milk and 70-85% of dairy produce sales) means that there is a significant imbalance of market power in the UK dairy sector.. †(â€Å"Supermarkets under fire†, February, 2003). It is easy to know that supermarkets have power in dairy industry in the UK. Though supermarkets have brought buying power to the dairy farmers, however, the big supermarkets in order to increased their power in the dairy sector, they developed own brand milk products. Since 1995, the price of fresh milk has declined; supermarkets have maintained their selling price and increased their profits at expense of both farmers and consumers over the same period. (Appendix 2) â€Å"The National Farmers’ Union has been particularly concerned about the plight of the UK’s dairy farmers. They claim that of the ? 1. 70 which a supermarket customer may pay for two liters of milk, less than 50p will go to the farmers. †(http://www. anformeresources. com) Charles Peers who are an Oxford shire organic farmer, he has said â€Å"There are two hundred thousand farmers, dealing with, basically speaking, three supermarkets, two grain merchants, four fertiliser companies. Not a chance†¦.. They’ve got power, real power. † From these, we can seen that oligopsony made it is possible that the farmers are forced to accepted a low price to sell their products, and the big supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda or Sainsbury’s are have the power in the UK market. 2. 0 How the supermarket to boost profits. In the past 40 years, the small independent shops shifted to huge supermarket chains. â€Å"In 1960 small independent retailers had a 60% share of the food retail market. By 2000, their share was reduced to 6% while the multiples share increased to 88%. †(Institute of Grocery Distribution, Grocery Retailing 2002) Andrew Simms, who works for the New Economics Foundation, says that: â€Å"we are witnessing the death of small and independent retailers and new retail feudalism is emerging as a handful of brands take over our shopping. † (http://www. corporatewatch. org.uk). Though the supermarkets have the market power in the UK, as a business organization, how to increase the profit is the first thing should be considered. In recent years, the huge supermarket chains use various types of marketing methods to increase the profit and the loyalty. Such price competition, loyalty schemes and provide non-food products and service. Supermarkets use various ways to convey price information to consumers, The price promotions including price reduction, a percentage discount, a voucher. In 2009, there was a new price war among the big supermarkets in the UK. Tesco planned to launch a new advertising campaign, which will â€Å"compare the cost of customers baskets of shopping against the prices of its competitors. †(http://www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk) Asda has already hold a new wave of discount on thousands of products that including fresh food and household products. And â€Å"100 frozen food products and 200 everyday health and beauty lines, such as shampoo and deodorant, would be sold for ? 1. †(http://www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk) Andy Bond, the retailer’s president and chief executive officer, said: â€Å"2009 is going to be a very difficult year. Sainsbury’s, the third biggest supermarket in the UK, also joined the price war, â€Å"Vowing to grow its Basics range to more than 600 products by the end of January, The supermarket said more than half of these products would be priced at less than ? 1. †(http://www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk) Except the price war, some of the supermarkets in the UK also offer loyalty schemes to attracting potential consumers. Tesco is a good example, every time when they shopping in Tesco, they will get points according to how much they spend. Sometimes, Tesco also listed products that buy one can get 500 points more to increase the demand of this product. Every month, Tesco will sent voucher or coupons to the loyalty card member’s home. The more you spend, the more you get. Using loyalty schemes not only will attracting potential consumers especially female, but also it is a low cost way to know the customer’s lifestyle. When the customer registers the loyalty card, they should fulfill the personal details. Tesco will well know what is popular among the customer depend on these details. Since 1995, the major supermarkets in the UK start provide the non-food product and services such as pharmacies, clothes stores in Asda, petrol retailers, and banking and financial in Tesco. The effect on the supermarkets will be dramatic, especially due to the growing consumer propensity for the â€Å"one-stop† shop. Non-food products and services will help the big supermarkets increased the market share in the UK, and improve the competition itself. What is more, it is also function as reduce the risk of products, as the proverb said: â€Å"do not put all your eggs in one basket. It is means that for a supermarkets, non-food products and services will share the risk with food products. 2. 0 The effect on the smaller retailers.

Globalization and Accountability Essay Example for Free

Globalization and Accountability Essay A better quality of life has been the objective of societies and nations. This has been pursued since the ancient times to the present. About one hundred years before the Trojan wars, Minos, mythical son of Zeus, organized a communal society in the island of Crete. For centuries, universal justice and virtue reigned in the island. Conditions were similar to the fabulous Shangrila of the Lost Horizon. It was like a paradise for the people. They contributed their individual ideas, talents, skills, and labor to the community for its development, and for he good of all its members. The needs of the people were justly supplied, and they were happy and contented. Plato, the Greek philosopher, designed an ideal state in his book, The Republic. He proposed common ownership of properties as a general rule. The concept of equality of Plato was further improved by Christian doctrines. However, more active and courageous social reformers emerged into the limelight during the age of Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. Rousseau, Fourier, Bentham, Owen and Marx were the more prominent among them. They stressed the social aspects of the national order, such as cooperation, perfectibility of human nature, and other human virtues. The clamor for equality was not only political but also economic and social. The abuses of the capitalists and landlords, and the great disparities in income and wealth were the primary targets of reformers. The aforementioned economic and social problems still pervade in many developing countries. Throughout the history of the development of nations, only very few have become rich, such as those in North America and Western Europe. Most of the poor countries are found in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In terms of goods and services, the gap between the poor and the rich countries has become wider and wider. In view of the presence of modern transportation and communication, leaders of the poor countries have seen the tremendous prosperity of the rich countries. As a result, people from poor countries have developed the tendency to emulate the rich countries- their economies, technologies, ways of life, and even the architecture of their houses and buildings. However, some intellectuals have realized the disadvantage of such colonial mentality. They have crusaded for economic nationalism to free their countries from the exploitations of the rich counties- and from the weaknesses of their own people. Industrialization has been their dream of solving their persistent problems like poverty, insecurity, and excess population. Even Nehru of India claimed that real progress must ultimately depend on industrialization. Every nation, rich or poor, has economic problems. However, these are more serious and widespread in poor countries. Economic problems do exist because of two fundamental facts: resources are limited and human wants are unlimited. Human wants cannot possibly be all satisfied because resources are scarce. For example, every family wants a house and a farm. This is not possible in many countries, especially in less developed countries. In fact, most countries cannot even meet the most basic needs of their people like food, clothing, and shelter. In the case of the United States of America, the people are capable of satisfying their essential needs. If some groups cannot, it is the government that provides them with basic goods and services. Welfare programs and other social security benefits are made available to the less fortunate, and to the aged. But still, rich countries have economic problems. People, human as they are, are not ultimately satisfied with the consumption of basic goods only. Naturally, they aspire for a higher standard of living. And it is the responsibility of the economic system to help the people acquire it. The economic system of any nation has different factors that are being considered in order to establish and open greater economic opportunities (Soros, 2002). Globalization The remarkable progress in communication and transportation has exposed the high standard of living of a globalized nation. Through foreign travels, periodicals, and movies the peoples of the less developed countries have seen the many wonderful and modern things which have been created by an industrial society like the United States of America, France or Japan. In contrast, many leaders of the third world countries have realized the big difference in their still primitive products of development. Thus, their impressions of a globalized and industrialized economy have further improved. Henceforth, there has been a strong clamor among many of the third world countries for globalization. For years, this has been their aspiration. Through globalization, they believe they can eliminate the problems of poverty, insecurity, and overpopulation. No less than the great Indian statesman Nehru said that real progress must ultimately depend on globalization (Thompson Strickland, 2003). However, globalization or globalizing a less developed country is certainly not an easy task. There are great obstacles along the long path of globalization. It is not only massive capital, modern technology, competent management, and skilled labor that are required. Well developed commercial sectors are also needed. And of course, the most important requirement for globalization is the restructuring of values and institutions in society. In spite of the formidable barriers to globalized development, it is not completely impossible for a less developed country to globalized economy. There were several poor nations which became industrial economies. They were able to conquer an almost impossible dream through a vigorous and sincere implementation of economic, social, and political reforms. Former countries like England, Germany and the United States of America met fewer difficulties in globalizing their economies because of most favorable economic and political conditions. There are several processes being followed in terms of modern growth brought about by the system and principle of globalization. It must be noted that globalization among the developed countries did not happen overnight. Prior to their globalization, they experience various changes and improvement. The following are the most notable: 1. Economic, social, and political institutions were restructured to pave the way towards globalization and industrialization. 2. There was a rapid technological improvement. 3. Factors of production like capital, labor, and entrepreneurial scheme were made to be more responsive to globalization and industrialization. 4. Substantial improvement in transportation, communication, and electrification were undertaken. 5. Social facilities and services were increased. 6. Agricultural and commercial industries became variable. The aforementioned developments were greatly responsible in the globalization of the highly developed countries. Clearly, their economic growths did not go through a quick and easy process. They laid down the foundation of their industrial development. Such experiences of the industrial countries should provide a lesson to less developed countries that are aiming for rapid globalization and industrialization. However, there are some countries that have achieved very rapid industrial growth. But the other sectors of their economy have not developed as fast as their industries. For instance, there have been no appropriate changes in some industries such as the agricultural industries, public administration, social structure and values among other things and industries. But then again, it can be seen that there is more rooms for globalization even if it means that other industries are left behind. Moreover, there has been a great need for private sectors to be improved and flourished in order for globalization to push through. As far as the economics is concerned, the big challenge is poverty, and the surest route to sustained poverty reduction is economic growth. Growth requires good economic policies. The evidence strongly supports the conclusion that growth requires a policy framework that prominently includes an orientation towards integration into the global economy. This places obligations on three groups: those who are most responsible for the operation of the international economy, primarily the governments of the developed countries; those who determine the intellectual climate, which includes this audience but also government and non-government organizations and individuals; and the government of the developing countries who bear the major responsibility for economic policy in their countries. Economic globalization, the ongoing process of greater economic interdependence among countries, is reflected in the increasing amount of cross-border trade in goods and services, the increasing volume of international financial flows, and increasing flows of labor. As is well known to our profession, economic globalization thrived in the period before 1914, but was set back by the two World Wars and the Great Depression. 6 The international financial order that was established at the end of World War II sought to restore the volume of world trade, and by 1973, world trade as a percentage of world GDP was back to its 1913 level – and it has continued to grow almost every year since. While the founders of the Bretton Woods system saw the restoration of trade in goods and services as essential to the recovery of the global economy, they did not have the same benign view of capital flows. Nonetheless, capital flows among the industrialized countries did recover during the 1950s, and intensified in the 1960s. Rapidly they became too powerful for the pegged exchange rate system to survive, and by 1973, as a result of the impossible trinity – of a pegged exchange rate, capital mobility, and a monetary policy directed at domestic objectives – the Bretton Woods adjustable peg system had to give way to flexible exchange rates among the major countries. Capital flows to developing countries grew more slowly. In the late 1970s and early 1980s they consisted mainly of bank loans; by the 1990s they took the form mainly of foreign direct investment and purchases of marketable securities. And as the volume of international capital flows to and from the emerging market countries – the more developed and larger developing countries – increased, the impossible trinity once again asserted itself, and in a series of crises, country after country was forced to give up its pegged exchange rate and allow the currency to float. By now, the gross volume of international capital flows relative to global GDP far exceeds the levels reached in the period just before 1913, though net flows of foreign direct investment have not yet attained the extraordinary levels of the decade before World War I. It is generally believed that with respect to migration and labor flows the modern system is less globalized than it was a century ago. In 1911, nearly 15 percent of the United States population was foreign born; today that number is probably a bit above 10 percent. Emigration rates from Europe, especially Ireland and Italy, were amazing: 14 percent of the Irish population emigrated in the 1880s, and over 10 percent of the Italian population emigrated in the first decade of the twentieth century. Jeffrey Williamson (2002) attributes a significant part of the convergence of income levels in the Atlantic economy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to mass migration. Whether or not migration and labor flows are greater now than they were a century ago, we are becoming more globalized in this regard too, for migration rates have been rising – and in a potentially important way, for more migration than in the past is from less to more developed countries. All this is at an abstract level. In terms of people’s daily lives, globalization means that the residents of one country are more likely now than they were fifty years ago: to consume the products of another country; to invest in another country; to earn income from other countries; to talk on the telephone to people in other countries; to visit other countries; to know that they are being affected by economic development in other countries; and to know about developments in other countries. Globalization is much more than an economic phenomenon. The technological and political changes that drive the process of economic globalization have massive noneconomic consequences. In the words of Anthony Giddens, a leading sociologist: â€Å"I would have no hesitation in saying that globalization, as we are experiencing it, is in many respects not only new, but also revolutionary. Globalization is political, technological and cultural, as well as economic. The non-economic aspects are at least as important in shaping the international debate as are the economic aspects. Many of those who object to globalization resent the political and military dominance of the United States, and they resent also the influence of foreign – predominantly American – culture, as they see it at the expense of national and local cultures. The technological elements matter in practice as well as in the debate. For instance, the events of September 11, 2001 could not have taken place before the current global era. The communications and transport systems that have accelerated the pace of globalization are also at the disposal of terrorists, money- launderers, and international criminals. On the positive side, improvements in communications and the spread of information were critical to the collapse of the Iron Curtain. People learned what was happening in other countries, and understood that they did not have to live the way they were living, and the Iron Curtain fell. A broad range of critics is arrayed on the other side. Among them are academics, opinion leaders, individuals and groups who see their interests being affected by globalization, politicians, NGOs, and demonstrators – and these categories are not mutually exclusive. To listen to the debate in the terms each side paints the other, who believes that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds, and those who believe that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. That is doubly misleading. In the first place, many of those who regard themselves as pro-globalization know that there is far too much misery in the world, that there are many wrongs to be righted in the global economy, and that it could be made to operate much better. And on the other side, many – but not all – of the critics are not against globalization. Rather, from NGOs demonstrating for further debt relief and campaigning for greater access of developing country exports to industrialized country markets, to academic critics questioning current policy views, many are seeking a better and fairer globalization.

Succinate Dehydrogenase Enzyme In Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Biology Essay

Succinate Dehydrogenase Enzyme In Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Biology Essay Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) is an enzyme found in the inner mitochondrial membrane, which makes it an easy target to isolate when studying the citric acid cycle. This enzyme is responsible for catalyzing the oxidation of succinate into fumarate and can be used as a marker enzyme during the isolation of mitochondria through differential centrifugation. The isolated mitochondria can be treated with a sodium azide reagent to inhibit the mitochondrion transport of electron in the cell extract. To measure the activity of the enzyme, an artificial electron acceptor (2, 6-dichlorophenolindphenol, DCIP) is used to accept two electrons. Upon receiving electrons, the oxidized DCIP is reduced and the color of the mixture changes from blue to colorless. Spectrophotometry at the 600nm range can then be used to quantify this color change, and give an indication of the mitochondrial content of a given sample. As the The findings show that the experiment mimics Michaelis-Menten kinetic properties Enzymes are regulators of metabolic pathways that lower the activation energy in order to catalyze the acceleration of biochemical reactions [1]. Most enzymes are characterized as showing Michaelis-Menten (M-M) kinetic properties. Simply, enzymes work by binding its substrate reversibly changing its conformation to form an enzyme-substrate complex, and then detach to form free enzyme and product. If there is low substrate concentration, there will be very little enzyme activity and the rate of the reaction will slow down. If there is high substrate concentration, the enzyme will be more active and the reaction will be faster. At a certain point, if the substrate concentration is saturated, the rate of the reaction will not increase [1]. Along with the substrate concentration, these dynamics can be characterized as the M-M constant (Km) and maximum velocity (Vmax). These factors determine the initial velocity of the biochemical reaction and contribute to the understanding of the M-M e quation (in fig.1) However, when a competitive inhibitor is present, the inhibitor can bind to the active site to prevent the normal substrate from binding and forming the product. Thus, both the inhibitor and substrate compete for the active site of the enzyme, which based on the M-M equation, allows the Vmax to stays constant and the Km to change [2]. In the experiment, we will examine activity of SDH, an important component of the citric acid cycle that is responsible for catalyzing the oxidation of succinate to fumarate in the inner membrane of the mitochondria. The enzymatic activity will be determined by mitochondria fractionation from isolated cells of cauliflower by the technique of differential centrifugation. Also, we will determine the effects of enzyme concentration and competitive inhibition on the initial velocity of the reaction by adding the malonate, a classic competitive inhibitor. We will measure the reaction by blocking the electron transport with sodium azide and monitoring the reduction of the DCIP that can be followed by the change in spectrophotometry absorbance reading at 600 nm over time Since the oxidized form of the dye is blue and the reduced form is colorless, the reaction can be reestablished based on the experiment (in fig.2),. Thus, we hypothesize that the reaction will follow M-M kinetics as the abs orbance will decrease when the malonate is added Methods In isolating mitochondria, we removed with a scalpel 20 g of cauliflower from the outer 2-3 mm surface. Then, we grinded the tissue with a pestle in a chilled mortar in 40 ml of ice-cold mannitol grinding buffer for 4 min. We filtered the suspension and squeeze the solution out through four layers of cheesecloth into three chilled 15 ml centrifuge tube. Then, we centrifuged the filtrate solution at 1000 x gravity for 10 min and decanted the supernatant into a chilled 50 ml centrifuge tube. After, we re-spun the filtrate solution at 10,000 x gravity for 30 min at 0-4 °C and discarded the supernatant in the sink leaving the pellet. Then, we added 7.0 ml of icecold mannitol assay buffer to the mitochondrial pellet and scraped and mixed the mitochondrial pellet from the wall of the centrifuge tube with a spatula and vortex thoroughly to re-suspend the pellet in the assay buffer. Until needed, we transferred the mitochondrial suspension to a test tube and stored it in an ice bath. In measuring the activity of SDH, we label 10 test tubes or cuvettes as shown in table 1. We heated 0.6 ml of the ice cold mitochondria suspension in a boiling water for 5 min and placed it in an ice bath to cool. Then, we added correct volumes of azide, DCIP, malonate, and succinate to all labeled test tubes indicated in the table, covered them with Parafilm and inverted to blend the solutions. After, we add specific volume of the mitochondrial suspension to blanks 1-4 and tubes 1-4. Using a spectrophotometer set at 600nm, we blanked and took the absorbance of tubes 1-4 every two minutes until 20 minutes after the first reading. Then, we repeated again by taking the absorbance using only test tubes 5-7 for every two minutes. Results The spectrophotometer results we obtained are presented in Table 2, and shown graphically in Figure 3-7. In Table 2, the first 4 test tubes and blanks we were only able to take 3 readings and the test tubes 5-7, we were able to take 4 readings. The greatest absorbance reading was obtained for test tube 4 at 2.363 abs., which is because malonate, the competitor inhibitor, is present along with the substrate, succinate. In Tube 6, one of the lowest absorbance readings because it is a negative control and does not have any cellular suspension. This is shown experimentally when the reaction mixture will remain the color blue because with the succinate there is no reaction between the marker enzyme and the DCIP. In Table 3, we calculated the change in absorbance from tube 1-4 for every 2 minutes. We also calculated the initial velocity by dividing the change in absorbance by the elapsed time. In Figure 3, the graph shows the initial velocity depends on the enzyme concentration. When the e nzyme concentration is high, it start to rapidly decrease the initial velocity because the ratio of substrate to enzyme will be abnormally low, which will decrease the formation of product. In Figure 4, the graph represent the data in Table 2, where the initial velocity measured by elapsed time. The second highest reading was found for Tube 2 (0.987), which was also in concordance with the class results. This sample contained the heaviest constituents of the cell (mostly nuclei), as well as any unbroken whole cells that may have remained after the mechanical grinding and initial centrifugation at 600x. We found Tube 8 to have the third highest absorbance reading (0.626) and Tube 4 with the lowest (0.483). However, the sample from Tube 8 should have had a lower absorbance value than Tube 4, as was seen in the average class results displayed in Table 1. Tube 8 should contain the majority of the mitochondria (as well as some lysosomes), and Tube 4 should have any residual mitochondria and smaller organelles that did not remain in the pellet after the 12,000x centrifugation. Discussion There are a number of reasons why our findings did not match up with the expected results. Although improbable, it is possible that the 12,000x centrifugation for 30 minutes was not properly carried out, perhaps because the samples were not maintained at a consistent temperature of 0-40C. It is more likely that the re-suspension of the pellet (Tube C) with the mannitol assay buffer was not performed effectively. The pellet clumps may not have been properly dispersed, and so even though more mitochondria may have been present in Tube 8 (as they should have been), they were not free to interact with the other reagents in solution. A third reason may be that too much DCIP was added to Tube 8 (relative to Tube 4), and so there was an excess of the blue DCIP reagent in that sample (and hence a higher absorbance reading due to a lower degree of color loss). Differential centrifugation, when done correctly, is a reasonably effective method for mitochondrial isolation, although separation is achieved based only on size differences of the cell components. When dealing with small organelles, a more appropriate method to use may be sucrose gradient centrifugation, which allows for separation based on size as well as shape, especially when dealing with crude cellular extracts such as cauliflower. Cited Resources Nelson, D.L., Cox, M.M. (2007) Lehninger: Principles of Biochemistry, Fifth Edition, Freeman, New York, NY Gilbert, H.F. (2000) Basic Concepts in Biochemistry, Second Edition, McGraw Hill, New York, NY Figure 1 Figure 2 SDH-FADH2 + DCIP(blue) > SDH-FAD + DCIP (colorless) + 2H+ Table 1 Cuvette Assay Medium Azide DCIP Malonate Succinate Mitochondrial Suspension Blank 1 3.7 mL 0.5 mL - 0.5 mL 0.3 mL 1 3.2 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL - 0.5 mL 0.3 mL Blank 2 3.1 mL 0.5 mL - - 0.5 mL 0.9 mL 2 2.6 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL - 0.5 mL 0.9 mL Blank 3 3.4 mL 0.5 mL - 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 3 2.9 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 4 2.7 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.2 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 5 3.4 mL - 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 6 3.4 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 7 2.9 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL Table 2 Trial 1 Trail 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Blank 1 0.04 0.003 0.006 0.008 1 1.10 1.16 1.158 1.112 Blank 2 0.03 0.001 0.004 0.003 2 0.64 0.644 0.648 0.645 Blank 3 0.06 0.002 0.008 0.005 3 0.56 0.06 0.670 0.682 4 2.36 1.85 2.221 2.223 5 0.83 0.73 0.723 0.720 6 0.76 0.73 0.734 0.725 7 0.78 0.72 0.704 0.705 Table 3 Time (min:sec) Tubes 1-4 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Abs (nm) Initial Velocity (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Abs/min) Time (min:sec) Tubes 5-7 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Abs (nm) Initial Velocity (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Abs/min) 11:10 -.5505 -.0500 9:10 .1057 .0117 13:10 -.0008 -.00062 11:10 .032 .0029 15:10 .4989 .03326 13:10 .0617 .0047 17:10 .5062 .0298 15:10 .1161 .00774 19:10 -.0533 -.0028 17:10 .0338 .00199 21:20 -.0043 -.0002 19:10 .0784 .0041 23:10 -.1095 -.0048 21:10 .1195 .0057 25:10 .142 .00568 23:10 .0428 .0019 - 25:10 .0781 .0031 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7

Everymans Journey Essay example -- Plays Literature Medieval Essays

Everyman's Journey Everyman, a short play of around 900 lines, portrays the best surviving example of the Medieval Drama known as the morality play, which evolved side by side with the mystery plays, although written individually and not in cycles like the mystery play or ritual play. The morality play was a form of drama that was developed in the late 14th century and flourished through the 16th century in British Literature. The characterizations used in the works were typically based on the personifications of good and evil engaged in a struggle over the morality of the soul. Everyman is every man’s journey to the spiritual unknown and the eventual reflection of one’s positive and negative actions in life, which dictate the offering of everlasting redemption. The play uses the literary technique of allegory to present the reader or audience a representation of man’s universal confrontation with the moral struggle that Christianity’s beliefs present to each individual. The traditional religious beliefs or moral structures are emphasized in parable form symbolizing life and investigating the qualities within every man, whether they be good or bad. Everyman challenges the means to the destined end of unrighteous and the failure of man’s nurturing of the spiritually cleansing good deeds, which in essence pulls man’s fate from the good to the bad or vice versa. The play has been speculated to be a written product of an unknown author from around the end of the 15th century, however, its origin is still debatable among literary scholars because of the play’s similarities to other written works, orality characteristics, noetic economy and universality with the European socio-religious culture. According to literary scholars... ...s. This particular piece is a valuable step toward textuality. It test the barriers set by orality and attempts to expand the act of story telling by incorporating traits, which were further developed with the increase of textuality and later printing. For example, the development of characterization and the use of narration progression or multiple narration bring forth-new avenues of psychological roundness of characters in junction with traditional "heavy" and "flat" universal appeal. The play Everyman has established itself in the progression of literature and the word by its incorporation of hearing dominance, rhyme scheme progression (memory), characterization, and performance based manuscript production. Everyman is for everyman that wants to understand where the word has come from (orality) and how it has come to the point of print existence (textuality).

Description of eclipse in The Eclipse by Virginia Woolf :: essays research papers

Description of eclipse in "The Eclipse" by "Virginia Woolf" Virginia Woolf, English novelist, essayist, and critic has beautifully portrayed the natural phenomenon of eclipse. She has also enlightened the importance of the sun. She has narrated the essay dramatically and has regarded sun as an actor that was going to come on the stage to perform as if a drama was going on. The sky served as a stage. She has made the scene vivid and ravishing by the usage of colors, images and similes. The way she has described it is so highly coloured and realistic that the readers visualize the eclipse to be occurring before their eyes. People were anxiously going towards a hilltop from where all would view the sun with reverence. People had gathered on the hilltop and stood in a straight line that it seemed they were statues standing on the edge of the world. As the sun rose, clouds glowed up. Light gleamed and peered over the rim of the clouds. The sun raced towards the point where eclipse had to take place. But the clouds were impeding it. The sun with a tremendous speed endeavoured to escape the mist. At some point it came forth then again was shrouded by the fleecy clouds. The sun then appeared hollow as the moon had come in front of it. A substantial proportion of the Sun was covered and the loss of daylight became noticeable. The writer has efficaciously described the sun’s efforts to break free from the cloudy hurdle. She has continuously personified sun as it was putting its best efforts to make its face appear before the world. The clouds were stifling the sun’s speed. The sanctified twenty-four seconds had begun but still the sun was entrapped and was striving to disencumber itself from the clump of clouds. â€Å"Of the twenty-four seconds only five remained, and still he was obscured.† The time of the eclipse was passing and it seemed that the sun was losing. It was continuously obliterated by the clouds. The colours of the valleys seemed to disappear. Everything was fading as ‘All the colour bega n to go from the moor.’ The colours were changing, â€Å"The blue turned to purple, the white became livid as at the approach of a violent but windless storm. Pink faces went green, and it became colder than ever.† The light and warmth were vanishing.

Ethics Paper Essay

Ethics is essentially what a person believes is good or bad. By definition ethics is â€Å"rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good or bad† (Merriam-Webster, 2013). There are different theories of ethics which include virtue ethics, utilitarianism ethics, and the deontology theory. Virtue ethics is the theory that basically says that a person throughout their life should strive for moral excellence through life experiences. This theory looks at a person over a period of time to determine if they have good morals and considered an ethical person versus basing it off of one incident or â€Å"slip-up†. These â€Å"slip-ups† can be forgiven taking in account past deeds of moral turpitude and ethical acts. The utilitarianism theory is acting morally for the good of a group or society. This theory is very popular in the United States and other Western capitalistic democracies. Utilitarianism works when the people in that particular group or society a gree on what is considered moral and what would be deemed good for them as a whole. The utilitarianism theory can also be seen as social responsibility with the actual definition being the â€Å"obligation of an organization’s management towards the welfare and interests of the society in which it operates† (BusinessDictionary.com, 2013). The deontology theory states that someone’s actions are based on that is inherently right with no other calculations being taken into consideration such as consequences of the action. Deontology is based simply on principle and is justified through the structure of action, nature of reason, and the operation of the will (Boylan, 2009). Ethics and social responsibility play a significant role in the development of a strategic plan especially when considering stakeholders needs and agendas. Company’s primary mission is to make money and turn a profit for their stakeholders. This is done in many different ways and are outlined in the strategic plan. The company however needs to ensure that their operations  are ethical and not harmful to society or the community surrounding. Many companies walk a fine line between ethical and unethical when making efforts to perform for their stakeholders. Stakeholders primary objective is to make as much profit as possible and in most cases in the shortest amount of time possible. This is where companies are sometimes found crossing the line of ethics and social responsibility. This may include cutting corners to have a better competitive edge within the industry thus veering away from the company’s original strategic plan. In years past some companies have been caught conducting unethical operations in the name of profit (Wheelen & Hunger, 2010). The government has enacted legislation to make these activities less appealing to companies. Companies are now tasked with developing strategic agendas to accommodate their stakeholders needs and agendas while still considering ethics and soc ial responsibility. Essentially a company has to make it clear to stakeholders that their best interests are foremost but ethics and social responsibility will take precedence when developing a strategic plan to lead the company to success. The most popular and remembered company for overstepping ethical boundaries for stakeholders agendas would be Enron. Enron who began as a struggling energy provider climbed its way to the top of the food chain in the industry to essentially become a broker of energy. The company appeared to have a great deal of ethics and social responsibility from the outside looking in but things were not as they appeared after the company unraveled. It was found that top executives of the company were falsifying documents about earnings and essentially bleeding the company of all of its assets over the years until its inevitable fall. This included making not so ethical business partnerships and making attempts to hide its debt through clever accounting tricks to avoid recording the information on balance sheets (Sims & Brinkmann, 2003). This all in an attempt to keep stock prices climbing to pad the pockets of the executives and stakeholders alike. Many steps could have been taken within Enron to avoid this situation while still staying successful. The first step would have been to develop a strategic plan that not only provided direction for the company but set milestones for the company to succeed. Other steps to avoid this type of activity is to develop checks and balances within the company and not allowing a select few top executives to control everything without any accountability. The  executives of the company set the tone for the company and when employees see them acting unethically then it is believed this acceptable within the company. Executives should be setting a positive example and encouraging their employees to take the same approach. Conclusion Ethics and social responsibility come hand in hand when dealing with the world of business. When developing a strategic plan a company needs to ensure these areas are addressed and balanced when considering the needs and agendas of its stakeholders. This can as simple as keeping stakeholders informed that it is essential to act ethically for the long term health of the company. Enron is a prime example of the hardships a company as well as its employees and stakeholders can face when a company puts ethics and social responsibility to the side. This also reinforces the fact that companies should develop their strategic plan with these in mind and then sticking to the plan then taking appropriate steps to keep the plan updated to continue on the road to success. References Boylan, M. (2009). Basic ethics: Basic ethics in action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. BusinessDictionary.com. (2013). Social responsibility. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/social-responsibility.html Merriam-Webster. (2013). Ethic. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethic Sims, R. R., & Brinkmann, J. (2003, July). Enron ethics: Culture matters more than codes. Journal of Business Ethics, 45(3), 243. Retrieved from http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/dunnweb/rprnts.enronethics.html Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2010). Concepts in strategic management and business policy (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Coffee in World History

Coffee in World History Coffee in world history has changed many things from its first appearance in 1635 up until today. Its effects were seen in the people, on the economy, and on the social aspect of life. These effects were mainly beneficial with some exceptions. Documents 1,3,5,7,8, and 10 show positive social effects on the people. While documents 1,3,4, and 9 show how the effects of coffee were seen positively on a worldwide scale.Whether looking close up in social communities, or looking at it as a global impact, coffee proved to have a very large and beneficial influence on how people lived their lives throughout history. Socially, coffee has changed history in very positive ways. In the Ottoman dynasty, people flock to these coffee shops and basically live on coffee as it has become a new daily routine for them as it has appeared in towns (Document 3). People gather at these shops, talk, conduct business, and to be social, thus spreading new ideas and news faster through th e city.Coffee has also brought many jobs to the people (Documents 5, 7, and 8). Document 5 shows all the people that coffee must go to, to get to their drinkers and shops, all the people who are involved in this process were given jobs because of coffee. The details of the jobs were shown through how the people were effected by them (Documents 7 and 8). The did effect the people in positive ways because the workers were able to all get fair and equal pay for the job without any social discrimination.Finally, the social bonuses of coffee are shown, while being biast, stating that coffee is a ready and east source of money, showing that you could benefit from it because of the high value of coffee (Document 10). A document that would help better prove the point to show that coffee changed the society in a positive way would be a document by a ruler stating all the positive effects and all the accomplishments the dynasty has made because of coffee. Coffee proved to be a very beneficial factor in society through popularity, jobs, and money made from it and would help you if you were involved with it.Coffee also showed up in worldly affairs, positively changing things such as relationships and trading between countries. Document 1 can not only be used as a social plus, but can also be seen as a worldly plus. This Document shows us the world’s views and first reactions to coffee, which turned out to be very good. Everyone loved it and it’s popularity exploded worldwide. Document 3 can also be used in both situations because it shows how people still reacted to coffee 145 years after it first appeared and people still seemed to be addicted.This Document could be seen as biast in one way such as it says that without contradiction, the drink has formed the workers’ breakfast, some workers still may not be able to reach shops that sell coffee or may not be able to afford it. Different country’s views on the actual total consumption and export s were also shown in Document 4 and Document 9. Annual consumption (Document 4), was shown in 50 different countries ranging from 0. 1 kilograms per person in Kenya, to 9. 2 kilograms per person in the Netherlands. The countries total exports (Document 9), had 19 countries included, ranging from Brazil with 7. % coffee exports to Uganda with 94. 5% coffee exports. Another Document that could be added to help support the positive effect that coffee had on the world would be a document written by different Kings scattered across the world about how much their kingdom has improved by the invention of coffee and how economy, and jobs, and the social aspect of life has gone up. These documents were important to the world’s benefit from coffee because it showed that since the trade of coffee went up, economy went up, helping money fluxgate throughout the world.Although document 1 could be seen as a positive for both social and worldly benefits, it has yet another side, a negative f or the communities. As more and more people began to become attracted to these coffee shops, they began to attend work and the temples less and less, creating the beginning of a problem for some people. Other than the problem of some people avoiding jobs in exchange for time spent drinking coffee, its impact was mainly positive.This document could also be biast because of if the people in that particular place actually have time and money for coffee, or if they enjoy their jobs, they wouldn’t be flocking to this tiny shop to socialize and to drink. If another document were to be added to this picket, it would need to be a document written by people in different jobs such as a priest, a coffee shop owner, a merchant, or a trader of coffee. The point of this document would be to better understand coffee’s effect on different jobs and really determine if the effect on the job changed the job holder’s take on coffee.This document would help really tell if the effect s on the social aspect were beneficial according to the people, not just the overseers. From the beginning of when coffee first appeared, until now, there has been many coffee influences on history. Through society, coffee has changed the way we live, and how coffee has changed our jobs. In worldlier views, coffee has changed our economy, trade, and relationships with other countries. Coffee proved to have a very large and beneficial influence on how people lived their lives throughout history.

Piracy Ruining the Music Industry Essay

For many people, music is a large part of their lives. They listen to it to as often as they can. In their cars, while they work out, study, and many other daily activities. But does anyone think about how important music is to those who work in the music industry? Some people buy CD’s, others may buy digital copies online (often referred to as mp3’s). However, there are others who download free copies of music from file sharing websites, such as FrostWire and Napster. This is a crime, and many people are not aware of it. There needs to more stringent measure to protect the music industry from these acts of piracy and copyright infringements. Piracy has affected the music industry drastically over the years. It would appear all is well for those in the recording industry. However, the music industry is worth more than half of what it was in 1999 and the decline doesn’t look as if it will improve. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) reported that in 1999, the revenue for music sales topped $14.6 billion. Over time, total revenue from U.S. music sales and licensing plunged to $6.3 billion in 2009 (Alexandra. â€Å"The History of Recording Industry Sales, 1973-2010†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). File sharing is the reason for the decline in album sales over the years. Because it is so easy to get free music, people do not find a need to purchase it. In 1984, the Supreme Court, ruled in the Universal City Studios vs. Sony Corporation case, that home recording of copyrighted materials, would be legal under the fair use provision (Stevens, Law of Cornell.). The decision was made so that it would be legal for home users to make copies of copyrighted material without obtaining any permission of the copyright holder to do so. This ruling covered music, television shows, and movies. Many people argued that they wanted to be able to use the recording devices that they purchased. There needs to be new laws to reflect the change in technology since that time. In 1984 we did not have the different file sharing sites that gave people the opportunity to upload their recordings. Piracy is very popular in many countries. This is because many cultures are interested in the American lifestyle. It is very hard for other cultures to obtain American media, so they rely on file-sharing websites to stay connected. This has affected the American economy drastically. There has been a loss of around 71,060 jobs, a decrease of worker earnings of 2.7 billion dollars and a loss of U.S tax revenue of 422 million dollars. It is estimated that the cost of piracy in the global economy in 2012 was 35.4 billion dollars, and 12.5 billion dollars affecting the music industry individually. (Goldman,† Music’s lost decade: Sales cut in half†) The U.S. government has attempted to prevent piracy by bringing lawsuits against companies such as, LimeWire, Mega Upload, and Pirate Bay. Sites such as these may be stopped, but within months another company begins a similar or more-improved service. â€Å"Would you go into a CD store and steal a CD?† questioned an angry Britney Spears in an industry-funded advert. â€Å"It’s the same thing, people going into the computers and loggin’ on and stealing our music.† Piracy is ruining the entertainment industry. The music industry has a diminished profitability, and significant job loss has occurred, and will only get worse, unless there are more stringent measures to regulate the internet and its’ file-sharing sites.

Imran Khan-Leadership Analysis

Imran Khan as a Political Leader The journey of our leader has never stopped and after successful completion of two goals, he involved in Politics and founded â€Å"Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf† in 1996. Though his party could not secure even a single seat in the first election (1997) since their inception, however he later managed to win the election (2002) and got membership in National Assembly of Pakistan.He was not a popular choice in this field until 2009, but his consistent attitude towards achievement of a set goal has now brought him to the position where he is the most preferred individual leader and his party now enjoys the top position in Pakistan with 31% support of the people as revealed in latest surveys by IRI. Since Imran Khan has stepped into this field after emergence of new paradigm, therefore his leadership journey has been evaluated on the same. Change and Crisis ManagementThe political history of Pakistan has not a good repute amongst democratic thinkers.Mil itary and politics have so far been playing musical chair with the power position in the country. The latest Military rule ended just 4 years ago when the fifth military dictator General Pervez Musharraf was forced to step down after 9 years of stay in power. Dictatorship is no more fruitful in any country in today’s world and Pakistan is no exception to it. The country has undoubtedly suffered a lot in terms of isolation in the world during military era. Imran Khan has been long demanding the limited interference of military in the politics.The forced removal of the Chief Justice of Pakistan from his post by General Musharraf created a political turmoil in the country. Imran Khan was the first one who stood up and raised the voice for the protection of the judiciary in the country and mobilized the local masses which forced the dictator to change his decision and eventually he had to move out of the office as well. So far, he has been to pass this one factor of the new leade rship paradigm, however he will be further tested when he reaches the top position in near future.Diversity and CollaborationPakistan is located in a region which is focus of the world at the moment. All major powers and players have their vested interests on stake in this region. The situation in Afghanistan, worlds’ perception about Iran, conflicting interests of China, USA and India basically aim to gain control over this area. This demands a highly diverse and collaborating nature leadership in the country. The political views and philosophy of Imran Khan aligns with these requirements.His stance about negotiations with India to resolve all disputes, a respectful departure of the foreign troops from Afghanistan and close partnership with China addresses the most of the problems of the country. Higher Purpose and Humility Justice, accountability of corrupt leaders and poverty elevation have been the principle stance of Imran Khan since the day he landed in the politics. Pa kistan is one of the most resourceful country in the world. Pakistan has world’s second largest coal reservoir which can produce oil more than the entire gulf region for next 50 years.The world’s seventh largest copper and gold reservoir and the future Dubai (Gawadar port) also exist in Pakistan. Even then, the country suffers from the poverty and this is due to only one reason that ‘there has never been an honest leadership after the death of her founder’. The best unfortunate example is that even the sitting President and Prime Minister, both have been convicted of civil and criminal crimes in the past. Imran Khan is considered to be the most honest political leader in the country at the moment.Furthermore, his aim to ensure justice and accountability has risen him to this level where he is now been deliberated as a future Prime Minister of the country. References Shaikh, S, Kakepoto, H, & Memon, A 2010, ‘ROLE OF SPORTS IN LEADERSHIP: A SOCIO POLIT ICAL ANALYSIS', Shield: Research Journal Of Physical Education & Sports Science, 5, pp. 108-119, SPORTDiscus with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 10 May 2012. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. ‘PTI Leads Amongst Political Parties’ viewed on 08 May 2012, at , http://www. thenewstribe. com/2012/05/05/pti-leads-among-pakistan-political-parties-iri-poll/#. T6uc_cVj6a0

American Privateers in the Revolutionary War

American Privateers in the Revolutionary War American Privateers in the Revolutionary War Before the Revolutionary War began, the Continental Congress showed little interest in creating a navy for the new nation (Nelson 62). Congress was reluctant to supply the funds to purchase or build ships, purchase supplies, or pay sailors to man the ships. When the Revolution began, however, Congress realized it was important to have American ships patrolling the coasts of the new nation, especially because Britain’s naval force was the most powerful at the time (Frayler). Consequently, the Americans turned to privateering. Privateer ships were privately owned vessels and were similar to pirate vessels. Unlike pirates, privateers were authorized by the government to attack ships belonging to an enemy. Privateering during the Revolution financially benefited both sailors and colonists alike and it assisted the Continental Army by providing supplies. American privateers, commissioned by the Continental Congress and the colonies, played an important role in the development of the United States and the outcome of the Revolutionary War. Beginning in 1775, soon after the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress and individual colonies began commissioning privateers (Konstam 148). In November of 1775, the Massachusetts General Court approved â€Å"An Act For Encouraging the Fixing out of Amed Vessels† (Patton 27). This act allowed citizens to â€Å"equip any vessel to sail on the seas, attack, take and bring into any port in this colony all vessels offending or employed by the enemy† (qtd. in Patton 27). Additionally, it outlined the proper procedure for obtaining commissions and creating prize courts to distribute the captured wealth. The Continental Congress passed an act on March 23, 1776, which formalized the commissioning process and established rules of conduct for privateers (Frayler). The act required owners of privateering vessels to post monetary bonds in order to verify that they would adhere to Congress’s regulations. (Frayler). Applications for commission required the applicant to supply a sum of money as much as $10,000 as a promise to treat captives with â€Å"the greatest humanity and tenderness† (Patton 98). Applicants were charged $5,000 if the vessel weighed less than 100 tons and $10,000 if it was larger (Kuhl 86). In another act, passed on April 3, 1776, Congress issued instructions for the commanders of privateering vessels. The act authorized the commanders to â€Å"by Force of Arms, attack, subdue, and take all Ships and other Vessels belonging to the inhabitants of Great Britain on the High Seas,† and â€Å"by Force of Arms, attack, subdue, and take all ships and oth er Vessels whatsoever carrying Soldiers, Arms, Gun powder, Ammunition, Provisions, or any other contraband Goods, to any of the British Armies or Ships of War employed against these Colonies† (qtd. in Salem Maritime National Historic Site). As Massachusetts’s act suggested, any vessel could become a privateer (Patton 27). Although this quickly increased the number of privateers on the seas, it made it possible for ships of any condition to become privateering ship. When Washington, a large Continental schooner, was captured by the British, the Royal Navy deemed it to be unsuitable for sea or for war, suggesting that not all privateer ships were in the best condition when they were commissioned (Patton 32-33). The physical state of a ship was important, but the size of a ship was equally significant. The largest ship was the Caesar, a 600-ton, 26-gun ship and the smallest was the 8-ton Defense (Frayler). The most prevalent ships were two-masted schooners and brigantines. By early 1776, ships of all sizes were cruising the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Canadian coast (Konstam 148). In order to become a privateer, the owner of the ship had to be issued a letter of marque and reprisal. These documents promised that the bearers would not be prosecuted as pirates by their home nation (History Channel). If a ship attacked another ship but did not have a letter of marque, the attackers were considered pirates and could be hung for their crimes (Kuhl 12). Letters of marque provided extra protection to the bearer because it guaranteed that captured privateers would be treated as prisoners of war rather than criminals by the foreign nation (History Channel). The documentation from this time is incomplete, but about 1,700 Letters of Marque were provided on a per-voyage basis to Revolutionary privateers (Frayler). Although letters of marque were supposed to protect the privateers, the promises made by the Congress were never fully accomplished because the British passed the Pirate Act in March of 1777 (Patton 34). Under this act, privateers were regarded as pirates, and were denied both due process in British courts and the opportunity for prisoner exchange. As a result, many captured American privateers were jailed and had only three options to get out: join the Royal Navy, escape, or die. Even before the Pirate Act was passed, the British often treated their prisoners poorly (Kuhl 43). However, it is worth noting that many British citizens disagreed with the poor conditions that American privateers were subject to and many opponents called the Pirate Act â€Å"cruel, persecuting† and â€Å"shocking to humanity† (qtd. in Patton 142). In December of 1777, about one hundred Londoners met together and raised  £1,300 to be allocated to American inmates so they could purchase goods that were otherwise unavailable to them (Patton 143-144). Three members of the House of Lords also contributed money to the cause and charities and churches donated food and other supplies. The risk of capture, imprisonment, or death did not deter sailors and citizens from rushing to become privateers. Men continued to join privateering vessels because of the promise of riches. Although privateers received no pay for their service other than the spoils they stole from British ships, many men signed up to become privateers because they could quickly earn a large sum of money (Konstam 148). Privateering was so lucrative that it was possible for a man to make more money in a month as a privateer than he could earn in another occupation in an entire year (Patton xvii). There is at least one known instance of a sailor, Joseph Peabody, who rose from a lowly deckhand to a privateer investor by participating in just nine voyages between 1777 and 1783 (Patton 115). In August of 1776, John Adams observed, â€Å"Thousands of schemes for privateering are afloat in American imaginations. Out of these speculations many fruitless and some profitable projects will grow† (qtd. in Patton 113). When a ship was captured by privateers, it was usually taken to a friendly port (Kuhl 33). Crews on a privateer tended to be larger than normal because part of the crew was required to board the captured ship and sail it. Goods captured by privateers, called prizes, were usually subject to judgement in an admiralty court (Kuhl 12). The admiralty court decided if the captors were eligible for payment and if they had followed the correct protocols (Kuhl 87). In order to receive payment, the prize had to arrive in port with the correct paperwork and whole cargo; it had to have been captured from an enemy; and the prisoners could not be harmed and their personal belongings could not be confiscated. However, in some cases of extreme need, supplies could be sent to the Army without being invoiced (Patton 120). In the case of the cargo ship Lively, the load of clothing and blankets were sent directly to American troops, and the captors did not receive payment for the supplies, which were estimated to be worth  £25,000. When the admiralty court decided that the crew had followed the correct protocols, the prize would then be auctioned off and the crew would be paid (Patton 121). Once they were paid, privateers tended to equally divided the payment between crew and owners (Kuhl 51). In some cases when the military was bidding on supplies, the public would sometimes refrain from bidding (Patton 121). Although this saved the government money, it lessened the payment that the crew would receive. Once the auction had ended, the winning bidder was usually required to immediately pay five percent of the purchase price (Patton 118). In its infancy, Revolutionary privateering was a disaster. The first privateering ship, the Hannah, would cause numerous problems for Congress (Nelson 87). The captain of Hannah was reluctant to sail far from port so he frequently seized merchant ships belonging to fellow Americans (Patton 30). The first ship captured by Hannah was Unity, a continental transport belonging to a member of Congress. Although Unity had been captured by the British, Hannah’s crew received no payment for the recapture of the transport ship. As a result, thirty-six members of the angry crew mutinied and were punished when the mutiny was eventually subdued (Patton 31). The next seven ships captured by Hannah also belonged to Americans, and damages had to be paid out of Continental funds for the merchandise that the crewmen stole. Another early privateer ship, Washington, captured only one legitimate prize (a load of hay) before being captured by the British after only eight days of service (Patton 3 2). Despite the discouraging beginnings, not all privateering ventures were disastrous. Lee, a small schooner crewed by 50 men, was able to capture Nancy, a transport ship that was four times the size of Lee (Patton 35). Despite Nancy’s size, Lee was able to capture the transport ship because Nancy’s crew was disoriented after sailing through a storm and they had mistaken the Lee for a Royal Navy ship. The British ship was loaded with precious supplies: tons of ammunition, thousands of weapons, and a three-thousand-pound mortar were all seized for use by the Continental Army. The cargo had an estimated worth of  £10,000 to  £30,000. In 1776, the Continental schooner Franklin intercepted the three-hundred-ton British transport, Hope (Patton 44). Hope carried numerous cannons and muskets as well as seventy-five tons of powder, making it the most valuable prize captured during the Revolution. When Hope and the cargo were finally auctioned off, they would be sold for more than $1.5 million (Patton 118). A Salem privateer ship named the Rattlesnake captured more than $1 million worth of prizes in a single cruise (Konstam 148). The Connecticut privateer Defence successfully captured two British transports, George and Annabella, and a third ship within a period of a few days (Kuhl 41-42). The captured ships carried necessary equipment, including tent supplies, blankets, cooking supplies, clothing, and small arms and bayonets (Kuhl 44). Washington immediately demanded that these supplies be sent to the Continental Army stationed in New York. Sailors were not the only people to profit from government-endorsed piracy against British fleets. Many ports, including the ports at Salem, Baltimore, and particularly Boston, benefitted from the privateers that operated off their coasts (Konstam 148). General Washington praised Bostonians for â€Å"the valuable prizes that have been lately brought into your port. We stand in need of all your activity to increase our supplies by these means† (qtd. in Patton 107). Rhode Island benefitted as well, and an estimated  £300,000 worth of prizes were brought into Providence between April and November of 1776 (Patton 91). Sailors of privateer ships often pledged future earnings to creditors as a way to settle debts (Patton 79-80). If the sailor’s earnings exceeded the debt amount, the agreement allowed the creditor to keep the difference. Investors earned money by owning and trading privateers shares (Patton 80). The value of these shares depended on the quality of the ship and the competency of the crew. A sixteenth of a share in a small privateer ship cost  £56 during the war (Patton 91). Manufacturing companies in the colonies profited as well. One cannon company owned by the Brown family in Providence, Rhode Island, sold their cannons for  £35 per ton (Patton 88). Congress ordered sixty twelve- and eighteen-pound cannons for their privateering vessels and a former member of Congress ordered twenty-six cannons (Patton 89). However, because many of the guns manufactured by the Brown’s company were set aside for private ships who would pay in advanced and pay extra for weapons, customers like Congress had to wait a long period of time for their guns to be produced (Patton 90). Although privateers helped the American cause by supplying the Continental Army with goods and weapons, privateering had a downside: privateers were owned by individuals, rather than the Navy or government, so they were not obligated to fight enemy ships (Nelson 285). While this helped maximize profits for the privateers, it limited their usefulness in the war. However, targeting merchant vessels did help the Revolutionary cause by applying financial pressure to English merchants (Kuhl 51). The Americans knew that if they harassed the British merchants enough, the merchants would in turn pressure Parliament and the king into ending the war. The popularity of privateering also decreased the number of men fighting in the Continental Army (Patton 124). Naval sailors were especially attracted to privateering, and they frequently deserted the Navy. While the Continental Navy offered many of the same benefits as privateers (such as a doubled prize share for the first sailor to spot an enemy vessel and a tripled share for the first sailor to board an enemy vessel), privateers had no regulations against cursing and did not require sailors to attend a religious service twice a day (Patton 78). As a result, the government began to place embargoes on the privateering industry (Patton 124). Before a privateer or merchant ship could leave its home port, the town had to fulfill the military manpower quotas for the town. Unsurprisingly, businessmen openly protested the embargo. John Adams opposed the embargo as well, stating, â€Å"I am sorry the embargo was ever laid. I am against all shackles upon trade. Let the spirit of the peo ple have its own way† (qtd. in Patton 124) As the Revolutionary War progressed, the success of the privateers began to dwindle. In 1777, British Parliament authorized their own anti-American privateers (Patton 107). Parliament had been initially been reluctant to authorize anti-American ships because it would acknowledge America as a legitimate country. As a result of Parliament’s decision, more than a thousand loyalist ships were launched from Britain and the West Indies and another one hundred warships launched from New York. Some estimates claim that admiralty courts in New York were inundated with up to 2,600 requests for privateer commission and letters of marque (Patton 147). It is difficult to calculate the number of American privateers killed, but records show that 832 Continental seaman (not including privateers) had died at sea during the Revolutionary War (Patton 111). During the Revolution, American privateers had captured more than three thousand British merchant ships (Konstam 148). Other sources state that eight hundred vessels that were commissioned as privateers have been credited with capturing or destroying about six hundred British vessels (Frayler). The British lost an estimated  £6 million annually as a result of privateering during the war (Patton, 43). Maritime diminution in the West Indies alone by mid-1777 were calculated at  £2 million (Patton 135). Additionally, American privateers caused an estimated $18 million (a little more than $302 million today) worth of damage to British ships (Frayler). In fact, shipping losses caused by privateers were a part of the reason in Britain’s decision to surrender (Konstam 148). Privateering was initially a disaster but many ships were very successful in capturing British vessels. Although privateering was dangerous, it was an extremely profitable venture that many Americans benefitted from. Sailors benefited by quickly earning money, merchants supplied weapons and other necessary items to privateers, and investors could earn money by trading stock in privateer ventures. Most importantly, privateers helped supply the Continental Army with captured British goods, such as clothes, blankets, weapons, and gunpowder. Privateers, regardless of their successes and failures, played a crucial role in the development of the United States and the outcome of the Revolutionary War.