96 Elections :: essays research papers

'96 Elections The presidential elections are here. The elections only take place every four years and now it is time again to vote for the man whom we trust to be our leader for another four years. There many things involved in the elections. Campaigning and debating are two things used to help get the people to be in favor of those who are running. The two main candidates this year are Dole/Kemp and Clinton/Gore. Campaigning is done in many different ways, it is a technique used by the candidates in order for more people to recognize them and become more familiar with their ideas. It is done on television, in newspapers, signs that are put all over your town, and on the internet. The object is to put the adds in places where many people are going to see them. The internet and on television is a very good way to make the candidates known because of the tremendous internet traffic and increasing television viewers. Debating is a requirement of the elections and there are different kinds of debates. There are debates between the candidates and there are some between the possible vice-presidents. The speakers must be very good at thinking of something to say quickly and making their point clear to the audience in order to make a difference in the debates. The debates are a time to show the audience the flaws the other candidate might have and to also show them the good things that you may have to offer them as their president or vice-president. Dole is the major republican candidate for president. One of Dole's major plans in his presidency, if he is elected, is to cut taxes and balance the budget. This is a very hard thing to do, but it is a good aspect of Bob Dole. He also has a goal for a plan of economic growth. I myself like the aspect that Bob Dole as a republican is against abortion. I think abortion is murder to innocent babies who are not even given a chance to live. Clinton is the other major candidate for the elections. He is a democrat that is hoping to get re-elected to serve another four years. While in his first term, Clinton has made abortion a legal act, increased our taxes, and been

Channel Structure and strategic choice in distribution channels Essay

This article mainly talks about the importance of marketing channel of marketing channel strategy decisions, they are highlighted by: 1) term consequences and 2) the constraints andopportunities that they represent..The present paper incorporates strategic management theory into marketingchannels literatures to examine the impact of different channel structures onthe choice of a generic channels strategy. Specifically, the contingent effects of channel power/control and the degree ofvertical integration are examined as they affect the choice between thegeneric strategies of overall costleadership, differentiation, focus, andcombination strategies. Besides research on the manipulation of power and influence attempts, littleattention has been given to the study of channel strategies. The intent of the present paper is to examine how one strategy concept,choice of a generic strategy, can be applied in a channel context. The basis of the discussion of strategy will be Porter’s str ategy typology,though supporting literature wiU also be used. Overall LowCost Leader, The OLC strategy stresses economies of scale,proprietary knowledge, preferendal access to raw materials, aggressive pricingpolicies, cost minimizadon, stable product lines and other factors which leadthe firm to become â€Å"The† low-cost producer or supplier in its industry. Specifically, I will be concerned with how varying levels of vertical integrationand power/control within the channel affect the choice of a generic strategy. I first need to provide a brief review of the strategy framework to be utilized. The Strategic Framework The work by Porter defines three generic strategieswhich firms might choose to pursue in order to establish a competidveadvantage: overall low-cost leader, differentiation and focus. According to Porter, a firm’s compeddve advantage combines with its scope ofacdvides to determine which of the three generic strategies the firm willchoose. The generic strategy, will, in turn affect the performance of the firm. 80 Firms stressing the differendadon strategy seek to be unique in theirindustry along some dimensions that are widely valued by buyers. Focus The focus strategy rests on the choice of a narrow compeddve  scopewithin an industry. The firm following this strategy selects a segment or subsecdon of an industryand s ets a strategy to serve it better than anyone else in the industry. Combination Strategies Porter states that each of his strategies is a†Fundamentally different approach to creadng and sustaining a compeddveadvantage†. Further support for a combination strategy is found in Wright, et al. Interestingly, the firms with the highest performance followed a combinationstrategy. Vertical Integration and Strategy The literature just discussed providesevidence that organizations may pursue more than one strategy at a time,thus allowing for a combination strategy. The current paper will include four potential strategies from which firms mightchoose: OLC, differentiation, focus, and combination. The following section will develop propositions, which identify contingentchannel conditions, which affect the choice of a generic strategy. Development of Propositions A number of management researchers have putforth contingency approaches, identifying under what conditions each genericstrategy is appropriate. On the internal end, are cost minimization, low cost leader, and defenderstrategies, consistent with the vertically integrated firm? At the other end ofthe continuum are maximizing, prospecting, and differentiating strategies,consistent with the nonintegrated firm. PI: Firms which are highly vertical integrated are more likely to choose an OLCstrategy. P2: Firms with low levels of integration are more Ukely to choose adifferentiation strategy. In terms of a combination strategy, there is evidence to suggest that firms,which generate high growth and high profits, are better equipped to use botha differentiation and an OLC strategy. When combined, these strategies produce enhanced economies of scale andimproved ROI. Some researchers take the position that power is necessarily a negativeaspect in that, those who possess it will attempt to infiuence exchangepartners by use of coercive influence strategies. If the firm chooses a focus strategy, it will attempt to â€Å"Own† a particularmarket segment either through price leadership or differentiation. The difference between this strategy and the focus strategy is the fact thatfocus concentrates on a particular segment, while this strategy is industry-wide. The choice between these two strategies is likely to depend on the scope  ofthe supplier’s activities. While these firms are able to compete on an OLC strategy, there is not muchincentive to do so. When competing firms counter the low cost leader strategy, firms musteventually turn to some form of differentiation or suffer long-runconsequences for the industry. P5: When faced with the superior power of buyers, suppliers with a regionalcompetitive scope will attempt to combat the power of buyers by choosing afocus strategy. As discussed in the section on vertical integration, the pursuit of tactics suchas integration, cost reductions, and reliance on standardization of practices,is consistent with an overall low-cost leader strategy. P6: When faced with high levels of supplier power, buying firms willemphasize on a differentiated focus strategy. The concept of channel strategy has received little attention. Specifically, the contingent effects of channel power/control and the degree ofvertical integration have been examined as they affect the choice betweenthe geneVic strategies of overall cost-leadership, differentiation, focus, andcombination strategies. Contingent propositions is meant to show the interrelationship of channelstructure and subsequent channel strategies.

Christian religion Essay

Many aspects of our Christian religion today have developed because of these early religious beliefs and culture of the Romans. At the beginning, the Roman Empire was able to develop more than any other country because of its acceptance of some areas of culture and religion of its conquered enemies and allowing them to keep their religion and culture, blending the old ways with the new. How little was known, that the paganism belief system of the Roman Empire would eventually lead the way to the new Christianity religion of the world. Paganism, with its gods and goddesses, answered humanity’s problems and provided answers at the whim of these supernatural beings. In the early stages of Greek and Roman culture, mythology answered all questions regarding the origin of the world and of man. (Case, 1929, p. 12) In the early days of Greece and Rome, everything under the sun was explained by the gods and goddesses — humanity was at their whim along depending on their whims, just as today everything we do is explained through the Christian belief of God and Jesus, instead of the Roman gods and goddesses. In Rome, mythology answered all questions while today Christianity answers all of ours in regard to the world and mankind’s problems, all being subject to superhuman beings who have a lot to do with the affairs of mankind. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire under the Emperor Constantine in AD 324 (the Emperor Julian, known to Christians as the Apostate, failed to bring about a pagan revival a few years later), and pagan forms of worship were finally made illegal in 390 by Theodosius. The myths of the pagan gods were particularly vulnerable to Christian attack, as can be seen in Lactantius’ Divine Institutes I 9-22 and Augustine’s City of God. (Rivers, 1994, p. 22) According to Barry Banning’s article entitled, â€Å"The Irony of Faith†, which is part of the research done for his book The Unspoken Power of Rome, he refers to the fact most world religions expect people to believe in something that cannot be detected, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. Researching the fact that Rome had a serious influence on early Christian’s beginning and formation, he also says that people are expected to believe in something that doesn’t exist physically and can’t be proved in normal human experiences. In most of the world religions, people are asked to believe in something that can not be detected, seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. They are asked to believe in something that doesn’t exist physically and can’t be proven in normal human experience. And when confronted with numerous, obvious discrepancies, the normal response is â€Å"faith†. Faith is the key to understanding. Faith is the key to believing in concepts that cannot be explained. (Banning, 2001, 1) Over the last several years, most Christians have accepted blindly this philosophy of faith, not realizing how much influence that Rome had on Christianity and how we perceive it today, in its early beginnings. Very little credit was ever historically given to Rome for having any influence on Christianity and how we look at it presently – many Christians refusing to believe that many aspects of Christianity had its origins in the pagan arena of Rome, and in the development of our present social orders. However, most of this credit was because of the way Christians hid inside the Roman Empire, to avoid persecution or death by the Romans. The hardest thing possible was to believe in one God instead of many gods and goddesses, remaining anonymous, while still living as Christians in brutal Rome. Early Christians, facing scorn at best and persecution at worst, depending on Emperor and the era, were forced to blend in with their Pagan counterparts. In order to celebrate the ‘holidays’ of their religion, the Christians used pre-existing holidays and festivals to blend in. Christmas, for example, was originally part of the great festival of the Winter Solstice, or the Saturnalia. By adopting this grand event as the celebration of Christ’s birth, Christian revelry was allowed to take place, largely unnoticed. The Church too manipulated customs and traditions of the Pagan Empire to make their faith more adaptable. (Kousoulas, 2006,1) Christianity had been the official religion of Rome since 392, before Rome’s official fall in 476 when its last ruler, Romulus Augustus, fell under Alaric and the Visigoths in 410 and later destroyed by the Vandals in 455. According to Professor Richard Baldwin at the Gulf Coast Community College in Florida, this fall of Rome would later influence the Middle Ages and its civilizations in classical Greek and Roman cultures, Christianity, and the Germanic culture. With modern science and intellectual knowledge today slowly replacing the word of God and Christian beliefs, public and society religious dedication has become a thing of the past — unwelcome in schools and sports, government buildings, and bringing down the morals of society. We need to look at Rome’s influence on the world accompanied with many other civilizations that were also influential on the world that led to Christianity. The development of human societies was not continuous. It was started several times anew–in India, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Scandinavia, and in Western Europe, beginning each time with the primitive tribe and then the village community. But if we consider each of these lines separately, we certainly find in each of them, and especially in the development of Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire, a continual widening of the conception of mutual support and mutual protection, from the clan to the tribe, the nation, and finally to the international union of nations. (Kropotkin, 1934, p. 17) Christianity today is going through another revival such as in Rome, with many Christians now looking deeply inside – philosophizing and asking inner questions concerning what they have always been told – such as, is Christianity a pure religion in itself, or is it a combination of other religions. As Barry Banning said, previous Christian philosophies and hierarchical leaders told us to never question anything about our churches or what we have been taught. Christians are individuals who have unique mindsets, they are going to grow and change in their perception of the world around them, and this is a time when humanity is asking questions, seeking to find out truths. We are beginning to observe what Christianity is really about, not blindly accepting what we have been told by our superiors. The Roman imprints left from the early Christian development have simply extended an age-old religious philosophy that has long been past due for a change and maybe a needed updated version. Over the centuries, Christianity has not only changed in an intellectual theory but also with the philosophy regarding its impact by Rome. People change and learn in different ways, with continuously changing perceptions that cross many barriers – age, education, beliefs, or culture. Nevertheless, the bottom line is, without Rome we would never have had Christianity. Moreover, today Christianity as a single religion is ranked as the world’s largest religion, with sub-groups being included in this statistic. For the purpose of statistics, Christians refer to varying degrees of religious activity within Christianity – including Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, African Indigenous Churches, and others. All of this is very different from the early days of Rome, with terrified Christians being persecuted for speaking and attempting to practice their religion. Yet, no matter where we look regarding Christianity, we find ourself looking also at the Roman Empire and its early heritage and culture, still breathing today inside our churches and religious cultures. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS: Banning, B. (2001). The Unspoken Power of Rome. 1st Edition. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Wellspring Books. Case, S. C. (1929). Experience with the Supernatural in Early Christian Times. New York: The Century Company. Laistner, M. L. (1951). Christianity and Pagan Culture in the Later Roman Empire. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Kropotkin, P. P. A. (1934). The Present Need of Determining the Bases of Morality. New York: Dial Press. Potter, D. S. (2004). The Roman Empire at Bay: AD 180-395. New York: Routledge. Rivers, I. (1994). Classical and Christian Ideas in English Renaissance Poetry: A Student’s Guide. New York: Routledge.

The Movie 50 First Dates

50 First Dates is a great romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. In this movie Adam Sandler name is Henry Roth; and Drew Barrymore play Lucy. Henry is a veterinarian and a bachelor who lives in Hawaii. Henry spends every night with a different tourist with no-strings attached until he meets Lucy. Lucy is a special girl; very different from others. When Henry and Lucy met for the first time they immediately started to like each other. There was only one problem. They made plans to meet at the diner the next morning and when they did Lucy couldn’t remember anything from the previous day. Henry didn’t know about her condition until Lucy’s mom best friend told him; he was very confused. She told him about the car accident that Lucy and her father had been in. Lucy’s father had a few broken ribs and Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss and doesn’t know. In order to keep Lucy from finding out about her condition her family and friends prepare the next day like it was the day of her accident. Her brother and father have this routine where they would place the same newspaper as the day of the accident outside on the front porch, repaint the walls, play this movie of the same football game and rewrap the gift Lucy gave her father for his birthday. The day of the accident was Lucy’s father birthday and they were going to pick out a pineapple; that was a family tradition. Once Henry found out everything he would try his best to get Lucy to remember things about her life as well as him. Everyday Lucy would do the exact same thing; however one day Lucy got a ticket from a police officer because of an expired tag, Lucy was very confused. Because she couldn’t understand how a year had gone by and she didn’t know. Although Lucy family tried to keep her from being hurt they had to continue to tell her the truth. This time her father showed her the photos of the car accident and from when she was in the hospital, they also took her to the hospital to talk with her doctor. They had done this numerous times before, but she still didn’t remember, so Henry started making her these videos about her life hoping that she would start to remember things. Even though she couldn’t remember anything the videos were a therapeutic way of helping her to keep track of everything going on in her life. Lucy’s interactions with others made them feel special; especially Henry, the love of her life. Henry had fallen madly in love with Lucy but she couldn’t understand why he would want to devote his life mainly to making her happy when he had a life of his own. Although Henry had goals and responsibilities of his own he couldn’t imagine his life without Lucy. She had a way of making him feel wanted and needed. The way others interacted with Lucy was in a more protective way. No one wanted to see Lucy hurt; particularly family and friends. 50 First Dates was a great comedy; I really enjoyed this movie, still I couldn’t help but to think about the seriousness of Lucy’s condition. It makes me very sad knowing that there’re people in this world living with this condition and there’s nothing doctors can do about it. I’ve watched movies about different psychological issues, but I would have to say that I think short-term memory loss or memory loss period is the worse. We all have times where we forget things but nothing like people that actually suffers from this condition. I don’t what I would do if I were in this situation. I could only imagine how difficult it would be to not be able to remember anything. It has to be very frustrating to have your family and friends telling you about your life as if you weren’t the one living it. Placing myself in Lucy’s situation gives me a better understanding of what she went through and what many others with this condition go through every day of their lives. I am very empathetic for Lucy and others. Simply because people with short-term memory loss have to go through this and the sad part about it is that they don’t know.

Corona in the Global Beer Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corona in the Global Beer Industry - Case Study Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the key success factors for firms in the global beer industry include good distribution strategy as well as a good marketing strategy. Since a beer is not consumed because of its taste, crafting a solid marketing strategy that would focus more on the consumers as to the image of the beer, creates a demand for it and strengthens the brand. Then companies have good distribution systems in order to make the beers available to consumers. The strategic group map of the global beer industry with dimensions such as beer quality and market volume, Grupo Modelo would be on the lower right side, Heineken at the upper right side, with the rest of the industry at the middle. Grupo Modelo is positioned in the industry with its escape positioning. This has given the company an edge over its rivals in the US market. However, in the global market, its positioning is quite shaky as this image is not embodied in the global brand as a global strategy. In terms of local operations, Grupo Modelo fares better than FEMSA as apparent in its market share. Internationally, FEMSA does not fare as good as Grupo Modelo as FEMSA has failed on its international venture. In comparing the positioning of Grupo Modelo to Heineken, Grupo Modelo has a positioning that targets a wider market, as it is based on the image that is associated with it, in contrast to Heinekens premium claims which is more based on taste. Because taste is not the most important attributes that beer and non-beer drinkers put a premium on, Grupo Modelos positioning is on a stronger ground.

International Strategic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

International Strategic Marketing - Essay Example As a result, the establishment of two major rail franchises that sells more than just the usual travel tour packages offered by the Virgin Company. Aside from the focus of the company on travel operations, the franchise establishments also sell entertainment materials such as magazines and music videos and DVD gadgets. There also came the establishment of the Virgin Mega stores that serve as the major mall-like establishments of the company that mostly offer materials in connection with entertainment. Aside from the many operations that the Virgin Group of Companies caters to, there are also other services that they still offer the public. The said services include balloon flights, beverages, bridal stores, cosmetics, financial services, health clubs, Internet services, mobile phone services, publishing, and a record label. (2007) As closely observed, the entire concern of the company is to provide recreation, entertainment and leisure to its clients. Hence, it could be noticed that most of its market comes from the upper level of the global economy. This directly refers to the fact that most of the clients that are able to appreciate and consume their products and accept their services are those who have the capability to pay for the amount of their business transactions. Being in the industry that holds much the competition as it is directly connected to entertainment and travel systems which is now the most in demand services in the society, how are the Virgin group of Companies able to cope up with the competition that is present in the business society How are they able to refine their strategies of market approach considering that they are considered as a multinational company that has to deal with multicultural society of workers Aside from this, as the company grows even larger and ventures to different areas of business, how are they able to keep a strong stand in the competitive pace of the global business culture These questions and more shall be answered on the chapter discussions that follow. CHAPTER 2 The Competitive Strategies of the Virgin Group (Literature Review) In business, there is always competition. According to Milton Snoeyenbos, "Competition is the essence of putting up a business and making things happen for a certain company" (1992). This is indeed true. As obviously seen today, different types of competition that naturally determines their status in the global business arena govern the global industry of business. Furthermore, Snoeyenbos adds that: "the ability of a business entity to keep up with the competition that it is supposed to have engagement with measures its capability of keeping up with the fast paced development of global trade and industries" (1992) Certainly, multinational companies, such as the Virgin Group, directly experience such competitive environment of operating in the global market. There are many companies that naturally would want to have the same 'fair share' of market especially when it comes to travel operations and entertainment. It is indeed true that to be able to survive in such a competitive world of business, a company, or a business

Ankle strain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ankle strain - Essay Example Instability to the joint occurs whenever there is a fracture of any of the bones of the joint or when there is sprain. Sprain means damage to the ligament. It can be just stretching of the ligament or tearing or rupture of the ligament. Ankle sprains are the most common injuries to the ankle. In fact, they account for 85% of the injuries to the ankle (1). Most of the times the sprains are inversion sprains where the lateral ligaments are damaged.  Ã‚  This is because of the bony and soft tissue anatomy of the ankle and the fact that the lateral malleolus extends further inferiorly than the medial malleolus (2). Other types include syndesmotic sprains and eversion sprains. It is important to diagnose and treat ankle sprains appropriately to prevent symptoms of chronic instability like loss of motion, strength and proprioception (1). Sprains of the ankle account for 38-45% of all injuries in sports (1). It is more common in those who are less active and in the elderly (1). No sex predominance has been noted (1). In about 40% of those who have suffered ankle sprains, chronic instability is a sequel (1). 19 year old James was brought to the emergency department on a Saturday morning at 4 am following injury to the right ankle as he tumbled over the steps while he was returning from a party. He looked intoxicated. On admission to the casualty, he was found to be in intense pain. Examination of the right ankle revealed moderate swelling at the joint with no external bruises and decreased movements at the joint. Pain was mainly localized to the lateral side. He could bear weight on that joint but with pain. Palpation ruled out the possibility of any fractures. There was no evidence of neurovascular compromise either. Past medical history was unremarkable. A diagnosis of grade-II ankle lateral ligament sprain was made in this patient. Ice with the help of ice bag was applied locally. The affected