King Arthur Literary Analysis Essay

The name King Arthur appears throughout a countless amount of literature, stories, cinema, and legend. King Arthur has always been a long-standing icon of heroism, and heroism is a theme mankind takes pleasure in romanticizing. Arthurian Romance is the classic example of good versus evil, knights in shining armor, forbidden love, and sorcery; the basic elements of a romanticized tale. And in a dark time where religion clashed, empires fought in epic battles, and the people of Britain suffered from poverty and disease, Arthurian legend was needed to lift the spirits of the hopeless. Arthurian Romance is an accurate portrayal of the time period better known as the Medieval Ages because it takes the woes and misfortunate events of that time and twists them into a heroic soap opera full of love, tragedy, and triumph. The Medieval Ages began around 476 AD, when the Roman emperor of the West abdicated. The period ends in the late fifteenth century with the discovery of the New World. During this period, different nations conquered and collapsed, society changed, and religion was further divided. During the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Empire had begun an effort to occupy Britain. They wanted to drive out the Anglo-Saxons and convert the Pagans to Catholicism. A long lasting relic of Roman involvement in Britain is Hadrian’s Wall, which was a heavily fortified wall running west to east and was probably used to keep barbarian tribes out and regulate trade and passage into Romano-Britain territory. Along with military involvement, Rome also spread Catholicism to a Pagan Britain. Catholicism involves a hierarchy of religious leaders, with the Pope at the top. There are also bishops, priests, monks, and nuns who are apart of the clergy. Other than the clergy, Medieval society was composed of nobles, knights and serfs. Nobles commonly owned fiefs, an estate of land, and the serfs who worked there. Knights were employed to guard the fief and fight wars with other nobles. This was called Feudalism. When nobles declared a war on each other, many different warfare tactics were used to take down castles. Siege warfare was common, in which scaling ladders, battering rams, siege towers and catapults were utilized in order to enter a fortress. Infantry included archers and cavalry, and there was a broad assortment of weapons used; daggers, long swords, crossbows, throwing axes, clubs, maces, halberds, lances, and many more. While knights commonly fought for a noble or king, a group of fearsome knights known as the Templar Knights fought in the crusades for religious conquest. The Templar Knights are associated with King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail, and some of the knights of the round table are portrayed wearing a large red cross on their breastplate (which is the symbol of the Templar Knights). Knights were also involved with jousting. Jousting was a martial game between two knights mounted on horses and using lances. This was often part of a chivalrous tournament or used as a military tactic of heavily armed cavalry. Knights and nobles also were encompassed in courtly love, a conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Courtly love often did not take place between a husband and wife. Instead, a man would shower another woman in gifts and symbols of his love to her and they would keep their affair secret. A famous example of courtly love is the affair between Lancelot du Lac and Queen Guinevere. The Middle Ages had many lows. Many people associate these times with the Black Plague or the Bubonic Plague. When the Mongols from the east attacked Europe, they brought with them a terrible disease that wiped out about 138 million people. Also during the Middle Ages, there was decrease in scholarly thinking and the quality of art. Religion is blamed for stunting the growth of new ideas and inventions. In fact, religion is the overlying cause for many of the events of the Medieval Ages. The greatest dispute over religion was the East-West Schism that split Christianity into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. This split was born from disputes over whether the Pope could marry and iconoclasm (similar to worshipping false idols) and the use of local languages in church. They were even in dispute regarding the nature of God. The Crusades were another religious dispute. The Crusades were military campaigns undertaken by European Christians of the eleventh through the fourteenth centuries to take other the Holy Land and convert Muslims to Christianity. The First Crusade was a response to the Seljuk Turks conquering the â€Å"Holy Land† (present-day Israel and Palestine). However, most of these conquests were failures and achieved nothing except for interactions with the Arab world (in both beneficial and devastating ways). Lastly, there was the Inquisition. This was a formalized interrogation and persecution process of heretics (including satanic or witch-like behavior). Punishment for people suspected of heresy was torture and execution. The Church in the Middle Ages is clearly an influential factor of these times. The Medieval Ages also saw quite a bit of political changes. The Carolingian, established by Charles Martel, ruled present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Northern Italy. His grandson, Charlemagne established the Holy Roman Empire. In the North, Vikings and other Scandinavian became notorious for raiding Roman Catholic monasteries. In France, Vikings were referred to as Normans. They conquered Anglo-Saxon England in 1066. As mentioned before, Feudalism was the social, political, and economic system of the Middle Ages. England became a feudalistic society because there was not a unifying force bringing the people together. Many claims to the throne of all Britain were made, which is actually the premise of the King Arthur legend. Nobles and Kings owned land and had armies of Knights who pledged a code of chivalry to them. This was an honor system that strongly condemned betrayal and promoted mutual respect. In the Feudal society, only males could inherit the land. The land was passed down through primogeniture (to the eldest son). Noblewomen had limited rights. They could sometimes inherit fiefs but could not rule it. Noblewomen were only educated in domestic skills and were supposed to display feminine traits such as compassion and beauty. Peasants, male or female, had almost no rights. They couldn’t leave the manor without the permission of their lord. Over time, serfs (peasants) developed skills other than farming and slowly created a middle class that led Europe into the Renaissance. In the long run, all of these characteristics of the Medieval Ages are incorporated in the vast collection of Arthurian Romance. In the 1975 King Arthur Parody â€Å"Monty Python and The Holy Grail†, there is a scene that describes Arthur quite perfectly. In the scene, Arthur is traveling in a Feudal manor and comes across peasants working in a field outside of a castle. He asks a woman, â€Å"I am Arthur, King of the Britons. Whose castle is that? † The peasant woman looks up and asks, â€Å"King of the who? † Arthur repeats himself to which she replies, â€Å"Who are the Britons? † Arthur, stumped by her ignorance, tells her, â€Å"Well, we all are. We’re all Britons and I am your king. † The peasant woman shrugs and says, â€Å"I didn’t know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous collective! † They argue about this for a moment and then the woman asked, â€Å"Well, how did you become king then? † Arthur dramatically respond with, â€Å"The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. That is why I am your king! † Another peasant nearby shouts, â€Å"Listen — strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony! † The meaning of the scene is that at the time King Arthur was created as a legend to legitimize the unifying king of Britain that would pull the people out of the Dark Ages. The punch line is that the land was so divided from feudalism and nobles trying to claim a non-existent throne that no one really took anyone seriously. However, Arthurian Romance became the bedtime story born out of the fantastical notion that Britain could be amalgamated into a strong empire. But let’s start at the beginning of the Arthurian legend. In most legends, Uther Pendragon is portrayed as Arthur’s father and Igraine as his mother. In Sir Thomas Malory’s The Crowning of King Arthur, the prophet Merlin helps a love-stricken Uther get with Igraine for a night. Arthur is born, but part of the agreement with Merlin was to have Arthur raised by another. Many years pass in which Arthur does not know his own nobility until he by chance, pulls the famous sword in the stone (the legend goes: â€Å"Who so Pulleth Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of all England. † (Malory, 1069)). Young Arthur accepts his role as King and unites Britain, defeats the Saxons, and establishes Camelot. In the first fictional story of Arthur’s life (Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the kings of Britain) by Geoffrey of Monmouth), Arthur is placed into a post-Roman Britain. Geoffrey uses the same fable of Arthur’s birth through the deception of Igraine. In this legend, Arthur also defeats the Saxons but he also expands his empire to Norway, Denmark and Gaul, and defeats Roman armies in order to do this. In the end, Arthur returns to Britain to defeat his nephew Modredus (Mordred) who was left in charge of Britain but betrayed Arthur. Arthur is mortally wounded, taken to Avalon and it is implied he passed away. Arthurian legend, however, is not only about Arthur. There are many huge characters in the stories. One widely known knight is Sir Lancelot du Lac. Lancelot is a tragic figure in Arthurian Romance. He was a Knight of the Round Table and one of King Arthur’s closest friends. His tragedy is that he was in love with Arthur’s wife, Guinevere. Lancelot was the son of the King Ban on Benwick and Elaine, but he was raised by the Lady of the Lake (â€Å"du lac† actually means â€Å"the lake†). The Lady of the Lake sent Lancelot off to become a Knight of the Round Table. In doing so, he meets and instantly falls in love with Guinevere. Their affair ultimately proves to be destructive. Lancelot is actually tricked by Elaine of Corbenic and sleeps with her, thinking it is Guinevere. When Guinevere hears of this, she is repulsed and banishes Lancelot. Later, Lancelot returns to assist Arthur in the quest for the Holy Grail. Other characters in Arthurian legend are Merlin and Morgaine. Merlin is sometimes a prophet, sometimes a magician, and always an advisor to King Arthur. Merlin’s earliest character depiction was as a bard driven mad by the terrors of war, who become a â€Å"man of the woods†. However, Geoffrey of Monmouth based his Merlin on Myrddin Wyllt (a prophet and a madman) and Aurelius Ambrosius (a fictional version of the historical war leader Ambrosius Aurelianus. Morgaine (also Morgan le Fay) is a sorceress in Arthurian legend. She is the half-sister of Arthur and the daughter of Igraine. In both The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley) and The Vulgate Cycle (13th century French prose) tell of how Morgaine lives in Avalon (mystical island in Arthurian legend) and trains under Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. Again in the Mists of Avalon, Morgaine is credited with having an unknown affair with Arthur. She gives birth to Mordred, who, in the end, turns out to be the enemy and murderer of King Arthur. In Arthurian Romance, King Arthur’s court is called Camelot. Camelot is where the Knights of the Round Table dwell and it is described as being a utopian land of beauty and peace. Throughout literature, Camelot has been located in many different areas of Britain, giving it no grounded location. An easy way to understand the basic ideology of Camelot, one can compare the presidency of John F.  Kennedy to the term Camelot. His presidency was regarded as a guarantee for a successful future, just like King Arthur gave Britain hope and unification. Kennedy’s assassination is like the fall of Arthur in that both had short lasting but wonderful terms in power that set the bar high for the future. Ultimately, these characters and concepts stem from Medieval life and paint a portrait of what the goals of Middle Age rulers wanted for society at the time. All Arthurian Romance contains the same specific elements: enchantment, quest, conquest, heroic behavior, utopian society, fatal passion and love. These elements, applied with Medieval life and history, equals a solid Arthurian story. The best example of all of these elements is The Crowning of Arthur from Le Morte d’Arthur (Malory, 1065). In the story, Arthur is conceived through the enchantment Merlin uses on Igraine to trick her into thinking Uther Pendragon is her husband, the Duke. Uther, who is fatally in love with Igraine, makes a deal with Merlin in that he will give the child he and Igraine produce to the wizard. Baby Arthur is taken away and grows up with Sir Ector, whom he grows to love as a father. The next part of the story is about the sword in the stone. In the story, â€Å"many of the nobles tried to pull the sword out the stone† (1069), but failed. When Arthur is sent to find Sir Kay (Ector’s son) a sword, he unknowing grabs the legendary sword from the stone and tugs it free without any effort. When Arthur comes back with the famous sword, everyone is in awe and asks him to demonstrate for them that he really pulled it. To their surprise, it is true. They ask Arthur to assume the role of king and he agrees, establishing the utopian court of Camelot. Le Morte d’Arthur is â€Å"the carefully constructed myth of the rise and fall of a powerful kingdom — a legendary kingdom, but perhaps also, obliquely, the real English kingdom which in Malory’s day seemed as surely doomed by its own corruption as the ancient realm of King Arthur† (Cliffs Notes). What this means is that Arthur’s court reflects the realistic courts of actual kings because it eventually falls. The Crowning of Arthur seems naive in that a boy who just so happens to pull a sword from a stone makes him king. In the end, his kingdom falls. Crowning only sets it up. The outcome of the Arthurian Legend is quite similar to the reality of kingdoms in England of the Middle Ages, which proves Arthurian Romance is an accurate portrayal. Another story from Le Morte d’Arthur is called Sir Launcelot du Lake. It is a hectic story about Lancelot’s adventure, kidnapping, and battles with enemy knights. In the story, Lancelot decides he is fed up with his ennui and decides to go out with his nephew, Sir Lyonel. Possibly due to enchantment, Lancelot declares, â€Å"not for seven years have I felt so sleepy† (1074) and he lies down for a nap. When he awakes, he realizes three women have kidnapped him. They tell him he has to pick one of them or face his doom. Lancelot picks his death because his is loyal to his lover, Guinevere. Later, the daughter of King Badgemagus rescues him and in return he gives his services to the king. At the end of the story, Lancelot fights off Kind Badgemagus’ enemies. He displays incredible and fictitious strength when he â€Å"took another spear and unhorsed sixteen more men†¦ King of North Galys’ knight and, with his next, unhorsed another twelve† (1078). This story demonstrates chivalry and heroism, and exaggerates Lancelot’s abilities to fight. Literary critic Charles Moorman says â€Å"much of the Morte d’Arthur is thus concerned with revealing the corrupt reality beneath the fair chivalric surface. † However, Sir Launcelot du Lake contradicts that assumption by merely telling a simple story of a great knight who is loyal to his higher-up and to his lady. The story makes the knights of the Medieval Ages appear to bask in honor, goodness and strength. And in a way, they did in real life. Knights did have a strict code of chivalry as well as total loyalty to their nobles and their lovers. Again, this story gives merit to the fact Arthurian legend portrays Medieval society. The poem The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson is loose depiction of Arthurian Legend. In the poem, a woman is cursed to live in a tower and watch the world of Camelot from a mirror. â€Å"And moving through a mirror clear; That hangs before her all the year; Shadows of a world appear; There she sees the highway near; Winding down to Camelot† (verses 46 through 50). Then one day she sees Sir Lancelot riding in all his beauty and loveliness, and she decides she wants to leave the tower. The Lady of Shalott â€Å"left the web† (109) and gets into a boat. Unfortunately, she dies and floats on down to Camelot. Muriel Mellown says â€Å"she has chosen contact with Camelot, even at the price of her own destruction. † This quote illustrates that Camelot seemed like such a perfect utopian world that everyone sought its perfection and illustriousness. However, the Lady of Shalott kicks the bucket, similar to the way Camelot eventually falls. All good things never last. Lastly, a more modern and feminist take of Arthurian legend is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. In Mists, the story of Arthur is told through the worlds of Morgaine, Arthur’s half-sister. In the excerpt read in class, Morgaine and Arthur are children neglected by their parents. Morgaine realizes her role to be Arthur’s protector, even though she feels disdain towards the child at first. When she says, â€Å"Mother’s gone, she’s with the king, but I’ll take care of you, brother,† (1085), Morgaine displays a bond of love towards her little brother. Morgaine is also depicted as a strong feminine character in both this scene and the entire story. Although â€Å"this book†¦ wasn’t so much a retelling of the Arthurian legend but only a bunch of Arthurian characters sitting around arguing about Christianity and Paganism,† (LaShawn), â€Å"Morgaine’s depiction as a powerful, savvy woman shows her to be the type of woman the feminists would champion as a prime example of what women should aspire to be, in spite of the biases still in place against them† (Ellis). Mists shines a new light and a new perspective on the events of the Medieval Ages, specifically the disputes of religion. It also represents how women did have influence over what happened in the kingdoms. In real life, noblewomen did have influence over the decisions their husbands made, though not legally. The Mists of Avalon yet again portrays a factor of the Medieval Ages. When push comes to shove, Arthurian Romance generally is regarded as a tall tale of a lost era. However, the tales depict a clear portrait of Medieval Life. Tragedy, honor, fatal passion and quest all dwell in the Middle Ages and Arthurian Romance. The characters of Arthurian Romance experience the tragedy of life like real life people and Camelot ends up failing, just like many of the empires and kingdoms of the world. The stories represent the dark times of the Medieval Ages and show that nothing is perfect. Therefore, Arthurian Romance is an accurate portrayal of the Medieval Ages.

Who doesn’t love Disneyland?

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Behaviors leading to insomnia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Behaviors leading to insomnia - Essay Example Other symptoms that manifest because of this condition are waking up too early and suffering from fatigue upon waking up (Morin et. al., 2011). Insomnia often manifests itself as either primary insomnia or secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia refers to sleeplessness that is not caused by any underlying condition while secondary insomnia is caused by an underlying medical condition (Buysse, 2013). The various medical conditions that can cause insomnia include asthma, arthritis, cancer, pain or medication being ingested by a person (Jarin, Chen, Ivers & Morin, 2013). This condition also manifests in self, depending on its duration, as either acute or chronic. Acute insomnia lasts a shorter time, a few weeks, while chronic insomnia lasts longer. There are varied effects that arise because of insomnia. Most of the effects of insomnia affect the quality of life and performance of daily tasks (Sasa et. al., 2010). In rare cases, insomnia results in death and this type of insomnia is referred to as fatal familial insomnia. First, insomnia decreases the quality of life in the form of lack of alertness and poor memory during the day (Sasa et. al., 2010). People who suffer from insomnia are more irritable, make more mistakes and develop poor relationships with their colleagues and spouses (Calhoun et. al., 2014). Insomnia further affects the concentration and performance of the brain. Those who suffer from this condition often suffer from mental health conditions such as nervousness, irritability and fatigue (Watts, Coyle & East, 2011). The lack of sleep affects the concentration span and focus. The brain requires several hours of sleep for it to achieve optimum concentration to perform tasks. Insomnia compromises the brain’s ability to process information. The effects of insomnia are numerous and influence the lives of people significantly (Morin et.

Chose one argument and write about it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chose one argument and write about it - Essay Example The second premise is that leaders are irrevocably oppressive since even when they make mistakes in judgment that would be seen to have the opposite effect of advantaging the weak; they are not technically leaders since as a craftsman a leader is infallible therefore when they err they are not actually leaders. He therefore contends that as the case is in all cities, it is considered just to obey the rules, retrospectively made by the strong to be followed by the weak and this is ultimately advantageous to the law’s authors. It is at this point that most proponents’ arguments will depart and the focus of this essay will be to critically consider their arguments cross-referencing them against Thrasymuchs initial argument and use objections to them to prove it was erroneous. First Proponent’s Arguments; Leaders Universally Make Oppressive Rules On the surface, proponents may postulate 2 arguments, in defense of the first premise by Thrasymuchs, (a) they will claim that leaders in society are in charge of making rules and as such they will be likely to use their power to make only rules that benefit them and this will translate into oppressing the weak for their own sakes (b). The happiest and most successful people in society are the strong and often the leaders; they achieve their happiness and status through unjust means. Before undertaking to criticize them, one should first examine the deeper issues that arise from these perspective; they will argue that since the strong create rules. It translates automatically that they are make rules that best serve their interests; they can punish those who deviate from their laws and by means of laws reprocess or redistribute property in the name of justice. Based on this, they will claim that since Thrasymuchs believed only a fool would use power to their own disadvantage, the existence of justice in a society was inseparable from the exploitation of the weak by the strong (Barney). A second premise on which support for the initial claim is based is the fact that in most cities, the happiest and the strongest are often unjust. Therefore, for one to be strong in any community they have to take advantage of others and according to Thrasymuchs, the unjust are always happier and more powerful than the just. As such for the strong to be strong, it is because they followed an unjust route and they needs must remain unfair to the weak by using justice to exploit them and therefore safeguard and maintain their unjustly acquired positions of power. Objection to First Proponent’s Argument If these arguments were indeed true, then it would be unequivocal validation for the argument made by Thrasymuchs since they are quite significant and reasonable. However if one departs from an appreciative and assumes a critical point of view, these arguments will not stand under logical scrutiny. For one, the underlying assumption here is that the â€Å"strong† are interchangeable with leaders, however, this is not always the case since in society, the strong, which in this case we assume depicts the wealthy and influential do not always have positions of power. While this argument may work in a dictatorship, in a democratic states leaders are elected by the common majority and their remaining in power is often determined by how much they sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the weak (Read

Frozen 13;20-17;00 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Frozen 13;20-17;00 - Essay Example When she accidentally harms her own sister, Anna, with the power, she is forced to spend a life of isolation, hiding the secret from her sister. During this ordeal, further tragedy strikes as their parents die in a shipwreck. When Elsa comes of age to take the throne, she accidentally loses control of her power again and turns the whole town into ice and runs away. What follows after is the struggle of the younger sister Anna, to find her sister and bring her home. The song shows the naà ¯ve optimism and happiness of Anna for the coronation day. She is shown celebrating and roaming around the courtyards relishing over the fact that both sisters, who had kept themselves isolated from the outside world, finally get to meet and talk to people. The song shows Anna’s delight over the socializing. In the same song, when the third verse arrives and focuses on Elsa, Elsa is shown to have a completely opposite reaction towards coronation. She sings in a counterpointing melody, expressing her fear about her powers. The song is cut off in between in the end as Anna crashes into a horse. The soundtrack is a fluffy and nicely light accompaniment to the scene that it is featured on. While the songs look perfect with the plot itself, on its own, it falls flat. While it is unfair to separate the music from the story, analyzing it is more important. The song has a few evident poor decisions of performance, for example before Elsa orders to open the gates, there is a ham-fisted pause, and then Anna follows it with meaningless harmonization. This makes the song go sliding downhill and land face-first on mud. The music itself is obstinately and ironically derivative, employing the use of a ballad with the combination of uplifting strings and piano, that seems as if it has only been made to sell copies. Disney sticks to its Broadway-like musicals which is clearly evident in this song as well. Keeping the quality of the music aside, the song has its positive

Internet for Business module assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Internet for Business module assignment - Essay Example To add to their product offering, ASOS began to sell shoes, accessories, beauty products as well as jewellery in 2004. In the same year they were named as the second online clothing store by Hitwise magazine after Next ("ASOS: Unique enough to outlast competition", 2005). Steadily, the sales of ASOS grew. Their biggest sale was recorded from November to December of 2005. This resulted to an increase in the operating profit of the company. A seventy-one point seven percent increased was noted, which resulted to 1.1M operating profit in 2004-2005. In the table below, it is noticeable that the growth of ASOS came only in the years 2004-2005 when there group operating margin was recorded at eight point two and seven point nine respectively ("ASOS: Unique enough to outlast competition", 2005). However, it was the company's belief that the sales could have been higher if only some problems were quickly resolved. One of those problems was the warehousing problem. The number of orders that flooded ASOS during the holiday season of 2004 required them to ship around 2,000 to 3,000 orders per day ("ASOS: Unique enough to outlast competition", 2005). ... In addition, any of the items that ASOS were not offered during that season. After the rush of Christmas shopping subsided, many items were not sold and this resulted to a loss in full price sales opportunity. Since the items left in the warehouse ware already out of season, ASOS did not have any other choice but to offer them at discounted price early in 2005. This loss is noticeable in the table presented above. In 2004, the group-operating margin of ASOS was at eight point two percent, while its group-operating margin for the following year was only at seven point nine. ASOS Objectives Being both in the fashion and retail industry, ASOS needs to be able to meet the requirements of both industries in order to succeed. In relation to the fashion industry, ASOS must ensure that the items they are offering are in season. Being up to date, when it comes to the latest styles, is crucial for the case of ASOS. This is due to the fact that they are capitalizing on the trends that celebrities start (eMarketer, 2000). If ASOS is able to maintain this ability then the retail industry requirement can also be meet since trendy or in season clothes are more profitable than those that are not. This has been proven in the case stated earlier where ASOS had to sell out of season clothing at a discounted price. With this in mind, it is the objective of ASOS to offer and deliver the trendiest in season collection to their customers. Another objective of ASOS is to provide a pleasant online shopping experience to their customer. It is important to associate shopping with being online for ASOS' case. It is a fact that being physically involved in shopping brings about a different experience compared to

M2a2 Leading through and beyond Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

M2a2 Leading through and beyond Change - Essay Example Changes are constant in an organization, but most of the changes are gradual and unplanned (Burke, 2010, p.1). Change at times is necessary for organizations to adjust themselves in this dynamic business environment (Reader & eHow, n.d.). In the context of the study, changes will be mainly discussed from the viewpoint of Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM). According to John Kotter, change in general passes through 8 key stages. Also for an organization to implement changes in their system must follow all the steps and accomplish all the necessary tasks of each stage. 1. Increase urgency: - In this stage organizations feel the megacity for incorporating change. This is achieved through the evidences of other companies, about how they got success after implementing change. 7. Consolidating enhancement: - In this stage of the change process an organization must plan and evidently improve the performance through the change. Also recognition and rewarding employees who were indulged in the process, will further help to serve the purpose. Now after examining the study in accordance with the case study of JP Morgan, it has been found that due to change in the trading activities of the traders the bank suffered huge losses. The primary mistake was on the part of the bank’s operations. The bank could not formulate a sound strategy, by which trading activities would have generated less effect. In accordance with the Korter’s model and case study they must develop a strategy that ensures least effect from the traders. In general individuals within the organization do not like changes in the system; rather they fell that any carnage in the organization may hamper their present course of actions. However there is time when change becomes necessary in order to rectify the earlier mistakes. Changes also take place as the precautionary measure of future issues. In the context of

Critically evaluate the contribution that music can make to health and Literature review

Critically evaluate the contribution that music can make to health and wellbeing - Literature review Example People with mental health issues can benefit from music because it takes them away from thinking of themselves as patients by promoting their self-esteem, social recognition, confidence and status especially when they participate in singing (Bradt & Dileo, 2009:2, Music for stress and anxiety reduction in coronary heart disease patients). The relationship between arts and health has been a topical issue for a long time. The linkage between arts participation and health has been developed for instance the influence of sports on physical health and the influence of music on mental health. It is indeed true that arts participation has an effect on key health indicators. Music, health, and well-being: A review by Raymond and Macdonald (2013) asserts that musical participation as part of arts participation has a direct influence on the mental health and well being in people. Research has indicated that music contributes to mental health and wellbeing of people in different stages of life for instance children and the elderly. Rose Perkins and Aaron Williamon (2013) in their article Learning to make music in older adulthood: A mixed-methods exploration of impacts on wellbeing explore the links between older adulthood, wellbeing lifelong learning and music and posit that music has an important aspect for healthy ageing (Unkefer & Thaut, Eds. 2009:23). By healthy ageing, Unkefer & Thaut, Eds. (2009) refer to the absence of illnesses in old age in terms of social, physical and mental health. In this respect Unkefer & Thaut, Eds. (2009) acknowledge the fact that, â€Å"There is a growing body of literature exploring the relationships between music and wellbeing in the ageing population, and we know that music is a powerful part of many older adults’ lives† (Perkins & Williamon, 2013:551). While citing other sources, Downey, et.al, (2013)

Study question about William Carlos Williams' poem Essay

Study question about William Carlos Williams' poem - Essay Example And in this respect this poem â€Å"This Is Just To Say† by the poet is no different. This poem, disguised as a note glued on the refrigerator, could be interpreted in a multiple dimensions. There is no general agreement on the theme. â€Å"The poem could be concerned with the uselessness or self-entrapment of sexual desire, comparable to the expense of spirit in a waste of shame. Theres the potential oedipal reading, with the boy thwarted in an attempt to comprehend his origin; to learn of it from his mother. Or theres the reading that would suggest self-referentiality; it is the poem itself that means nothing.† (Matterson, 38) And there are scores and grosses of interpretations to this lean poem but the overall truth that ultimately catches the readers’ mind is the ultimate sincere approach that the poet takes in this poem. It should be taken into account that the only word capitalized in this poem is the word ‘Forgive’. Why would a poet suddenly capitalize a word in the midst of all lower cased words is he is really not sincere with the meaning of the word? William Carlos Williams’ poems stabilized themselves on the opposite pole of the likes of Ezra Pounds and especially T.S. Eliots whose poetry depicted recurrent use of reference to foreign art, religion, history or languages. He focused himself predominantly on local themes for his poems and with this smell of well know home court it is but impossible to be anything else but sincere. He was, all his life, sincere to his roots, his works and thereby to his poems as this poem â€Å"This Is Just To Say† reflects. Structurally, this poem represents the simplicity that blends just perfectly with sincere thought process of the poem. â€Å"It is typography rather than any kind of phonemic recurrence that provides directions for the speaking voice or for the eye that reads the lines silently.† (Marjorie, 26) The sense of sincerity should not

Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Economics - Essay Example In the mid-1960s, the international economy was prone to step away from protectionism and support more economical liberalisation; meanwhile during the next decade, quite an opposite tendency took place and various countries started to shut off from one another with the help of tariff and especially non-tariff barriers in order to secure their own inner market from foreign competition. Today’s conditions of tough competition stimulate governmental representatives to take the question of the state’s foreign-economic activity and its forms more seriously, making the right choice between two different policies that are able to exert influence on every area of government’s life. Advantages of Free International Trade The liberalisation of international economic relationships necessitates the transition to open economy having an antimonopoly character. As a rule, a lot of states are interested simultaneously in both liberalisation and protectionism. The theoretic justi fication of free trade policy, which is considered to be profitable for all states and nations, was formed by Adam Smith, Davis Ricardo, Francois Quesnay and others (Dunkley 2004). The movement of free trade proponents was founded in the last quarter of the 18th century in England, and it was connected with the industrial revolution. The position of English free traders was directed against agrarian duties, which supported high prices for farm commodities in the interest of large landowners (Schumacher 2012). In this respect, under the influence of customs reform, the free trade policy completely won in Great Britain in the mid-19th century and later on, the tendency and idea of free markets spread in France, Germany and Russia (Irwin 2009). In the 20th century, the principles of liberalisation were put into practice based on the performance of international organisations and regional economic unions. The policy of free trade supposes minimal governmental interference in foreign tra de, which develops on a basis of free market forces of demand and supply. The main methods of free trade are dumping, which means sales of products at artificially decreased prices, and non-tariff ways of regulation, which include reviewing and standardisation. The advantages of free trade are multifaceted and have been proved with theoretical aspects as well as practical results. First of all, free trade allows improving prosperity of trading nations because it opens opportunities for international specialisation of production and exchange based on the principle of comparative advantages. The gains of international trade can be measured with the difference between profits received in the conditions of international exchange and financial results obtained with the lack of foreign trade or, as Marshall suggested, comparative analysis of producers’ and consumers’ profit levels may also evaluate benefits of free trade policy. Secondly, such foreign economic attitude mitig ates the development of competition and stimulates innovations. Finally, all these consequences contribute to the improvement of product quality, which is a positive aspect for potential consumers.

Abortion Case Study Paper Essay Example for Free

Abortion Case Study Paper Essay The case that I chose to discuss is whether it is ethically right or wrong for parents to decide whether or not they wish to keep an unborn child. This essay will address several questions that have been raised as to whether or not an abortion is moral or immoral, and if it were immoral, in what circumstances it would be justified. These are all relevant facts that both physicians and parents have to take into account when they are making their decision. If one would look at this case by the care ethics point of view their main focus would be on the care of the patient. It is important to look at that person and understand their emotional and physical decisions. Care ethics differs from deontology and utilitarianism because care ethics makes the decision based on consideration for the individual instead of making a moral decision impartially. See more: Homeless satire essay If everyone looked at abortion in a care ethic standpoint they would look at the situation by identifying the people involved, the relationships and what the future may be produce. The most important object of the care ethic is that the person judging the other must put the act that he or she must be willing to put another person before him or himself. Whichever result is chosen, it is important to respect one another’s decisions. In the chapters of our text we have been given several different scenarios of abortion. Out of those a few dealt with the care ethic and the choices faced. An article that fully supports my ideas and opinions is Thomson’s â€Å"A Defense of Abortion†. Thomson was very realistic and down to Earth in â€Å"A Defense of Abortion.† She speaks of real life situations when the decision of the mother is taken into consideration; thus providing us an example of the care ethic. I like that Thomson spoke about a territory that not many writers want to speak about. Speaking about the right of life and a mother’s feelings and futures is important to me. The article by Margaret Olivia Little entitled â€Å"The Morality of Abortion† is by far the one that I agree with the most! Philosopher Little believes that the moral status of the fetus is only one aspect of the morality of abortion. She speaks of the relationship in motherhood and the process of creation. The line that I loved the most was â€Å"The pregnant woman has not made the fetus more vulnerable than it would otherwise have been: absent her procreative actions, it wouldn’t have existed at all.† This line alone really explains to me what she is trying to say to people. I am happy that she wrote such a powerful article. While examining the care ethic, it is important to note that if complications are present, a whole new set of ethical issues are opened up. Yet, abortion has been a controversial subject among everybody whether they are involved directly or indirectly, whether they are for it or against it. It is nearly impossible to find someone who doesnt have an opinion about abortion. Both those who favor or oppose abortion make superior arguments to defend their beliefs and views. Personally, I think every last person is entitled to his or her own opinions, beliefs, thoughts, and rights. And yes, women have rights too, and denying women the right to choose abortion in the early stages of fetal development is denying her rights as a US citizen.

Analysing The Performance Of Aegon Group Business Essay

Analysing The Performance Of Aegon Group Business Essay AEGON Group is world leader in financial services business which provides life insurance, pensions, long term savings funds and investment services and products. AEGON Group has 30000 employees and serving over 40 million customers globally. AEGON Group provides services and products over twenty five countries globally United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. By 1994 AEGON started relationship with Scottish Equitable, which was very popular and well known name in the United Kingdom as a financial service industry. Scottish Equitable founded in 1831. By 1998 AEGON had taken complete control of Scottish Equitable and Scottish Equitable was rebranded as AEGON Scottish Equitable in 2006. After two years the Group extended its businesses in the United Kingdom and bought life insurance operations of Guardian Royal Exchange. AEGON main customers are United States, United Kingdom and Netherland. AEGON withdrew some business from Belgium and Greece, also general insurance from the Unit ed Kingdom market and healthcare sector from Netherland. The Group also sold its stake in FGH Bank and merchant bank Labouchere. The result was a more efficient and better concentrated organization. AEGON playing very important role in its markets just not in United Sates, Netherlands and United Kingdom but also in new markets of Asia, and central part of the Eastern Europe as well. AEGON is listed on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam, London, New York and Tokyo. Task -1: Explore the background to change affecting the current organization. P -1.1 Discuss the background to change that exists in today economy. Change is a powerful force or an engine that drives many segments of our economy. Mostly forces of change provide us as contractors with new projects to build and older buildings to modify or amend. Changing is truly the lifeblood of our businesses and our economy. The forces of change are also more subtle and pervasive as its affect our economy, our businesses, our jobs and even our daily lives as well. We might easily recognize changes as progress in physical world of production, but maybe we fail to recognize other forces in our economy, our businesses, our jobs and even our personal lives. Failure to recognize force of change can only lead in downward spiral to lower efficiency, lower profitability, lower productivity and lower personal in-effectiveness. Change is continuous adoption of organization strategies and structures to changing external environment. Today change is ongoing process in our economies, our businesses, and our lives. Change that exists in todays economy The competitive pressure forced the changes bring into our economy. There are several major forces for changes that exist in today economy and financial sectors. These forces are: Bureaucracy Environment changes Climate change Economics changes Political changes Technological changes Personal behaviours changes Changes in turn started the industry globalization We can see incidents in past changes the businesses and economic environment which is responsible for changes exist in current economy. Bureaucracy effect in our organization and economy because management were use resources to person needs rather than organization goals. Max Weber saw bureaucracy as the most rational and effective mode of organizing the activities of large numbers of people because it ensured decision-making according to general rules rather than the whims of officials, cultivated trained experts, and reduced the possibilities of corruption and nepotism. Weber, M., (1979): Economy and Society, in: Journal of an Outline of Interpretive Sociology, Volume 2 The global economic crisis that started in the US in 2007 and spread around the world in 2008 was preceded by large imbalances in global capital flows. The economic crisis has changed world economy during the past year alone, slowdowns economic growth. The IMF says this represents By far the deepest post-World War II recession with an actual decline in output in countries making up 75% of the world economy BBC News. (April22, 2009): (Online). Available at: www.bcc.co.uk The evidence shows that ignoring climate change will eventually damage economic growth. Our actions over the coming few decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, later in this century and in the next, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century. And it will be difficult or impossible to reverse these changes. Tackling climate change is the pro-growth strategy for the longer term, and it can be done in a way that does not cap the aspirations for growth of rich or poor countries. The earlier effective action is taken, the less costly it will be. NICHOLAS STERN, STERN REVIEW: THE ECONOMICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE LONG EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ii (2006) Economy growth slowdown, unemployment is up, house price fall down and these changes, changed people mindsets and their spending habits in order to survive this difficult time. Managers across the UK, meanwhile, have accepted their own redundancy as inevitable, according to the Chartered Management Institute. Those factors are cause to a lot of stress for us all our society and individually. There also In near past the world economy was not good even before September 11.Synchronized growth slowdowns and in the case of recession in Japan were already under Way in the US, Europe and Japan, while developing countries were facing weaker export demand and increasingly difficult financing conditions. After the shock of September 11 have changed the picture, increasing the already significant downside risks to world growth Fischer, S., October 18, 2001: International Monetary Fund. 32nd IAFEI World Congress, Cancun, Mexico The Changes in the political environment is also one factor to change in today economy. It is difficult to say that these changes are simply short-term reactions to a major shock or amount to new and worrisome trends. At the very least, the balance between political and economic forces has been significantly altered. Because political support for globalization was at best shallow while the global economy was in a buoyant state, this suggests the pendulum is now swinging in the opposite direction. Against this background, two lessons from history are worth keeping in mind. One, dismantling protections takes time. It took several decades for many of the trade barriers erected during the interwar period to be brought down. Second, even if a important part of the progress in liberalizing trade in recent times has been institutionalized and strong reversals à   la 1930s are not likely, the downward spiral of protectionism acts fast. Ferry.P.J Santos.I, (March2009). FD: Volume46, Number1 The technology is posing major challenge to todays economy that is information technology. The information technology of the computer and internet services has and will continue to changes the economy. In the world of economics, globalization is reflected in the increasing the acceptance of free markets and private enterprise as the principal mechanisms for promoting economic activities. Its growing importance is captured in such indices as trade in goods and services, private capital flows in different forms, foreign investment, information technology transfers, operations of transnational enterprises, business travel and communication, and migration and remittances Dunning, J. H. (1993): The Globalisation of Business. Routledge, London. As Labovitz Rosansky point out personal behaviour Psychologists have long recognized that human beings like people who are like themselves and tend to reject people who are different from them. So far organizations continue to create changes between people interest of efficiency. Line versus staff, management versus labour, field versus corporate, internal versus domestic, East versus West, accounting versus sales- the list goes on. No wonder it so hard to focus people around familiar goals when they are so different from each other simply by virtue of what they do and where they do it. Specialization and knowledge can be a wedge that drives people future apart and makes it difficult for them to work together Price, A., (2007): Human Resource Management. 3rd Ed, p281 Several commentators have drawn attention to the analogy with the effects of natural disasters like the Kobe earthquake in Japan that barely show up in the national accounts. It is the indirect effects that will matter most, in particular, in the short-term much depends on the effects on consumer and investor confidence and spending, which were already under strain and have been strained further by the attacks Fischer, S., October 18, 2001: IMF, 32nd IAFEI World Congress, Mexico. AEGON UK chief executive Otto Thoresen says The economic environment is challenging but we have a strong team to take us forward through the next phase of our development Many changes affected the AEGON, UK environment in recent years. These are few changes; External factors In the UK, life expectancy has increased in recent years hence people can expect to be retired for longer. In many cases, individuals have not planned properly for retirement and there may be a shortfall in the amount of money available. AEGON UK have introduced new less expensive pension schemes or insisted on employee pension contributions where they did not in the past. In an economy closed to external equity investors, such as the UK before 1979, the decline of defined benefit pensions would have been a disaster. The cost and availability of equity capital would have reflected the reduced flow of funds into the equity market. This potential concern became irrelevant as a consequence of the lifting of exchange controls and the globalisation of capital flows, which made the market more efficient while putting downward pressure on the cost of capital. Plender, J., (2010): The pensions shake-up heralds equity demand change. The Financial Times Private pensions The government pensions were very small and also government want to decrease the dependency on the state in old age. The government also have introduced private pension schemes to deceased the dependency on the state. Pension funds are increasingly being asked by politicians, non-governmental organizations, campaigners, and pressure groups to mobilize their financial clout more actively and to take their responsibilities as corporate owners more seriously. The chances are it could change from being asked to being required. Fraser, I., (2010): Pension funds search for climate change risks and opportunities Falling vales of shares The current economic downturn situation affected the company shares values, which reduce the returns on the customers investment. Customers getting less than they were expected for their investment, also people had a negative impact on pensions as well. Competition AEGON is in competition with other organisations which are selling directly to customers and those competitors also well known in United Kingdom. Also AEGON has had very poor reputation in the insurance and pensions industry in recent years. P -1.2 Evaluate the strengths and weakness of the organization. Strengths The strengths of an organization are those things that it does particularly well, especially when viewed against the operations of its competitors and also its weakness areas in which it is less strong than the competition.  ¨ AEGON had historically been successful AEGON had historically been successful but government imposed price controls had reduced profitability. Compared to its competitors, AEGON was not well known by consumers. It had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions which were a key strength of Scottish Equitable.  ¨ Developed good products/services AEGON developed a range of products and services to individuals, corporations and institutions. Most of these products and services fall into one of the following three categories: Life insurance Pensions Long-term savings and investments products  ¨ Good reputation with distributors Compared to its competitors, AEGON is well known and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions which were a key strength of Scottish Equitable.  ¨ Customer focused organisation AEGON UK is a customer focused organization as AEGON CEO (Otto Thoresen, 2009) pointed out that We work to help keep customers needs /wants at the heart of all developments and to make sure that financial service industry works with customers to give them what they want/need and we offer the best products and services from their point of view.  ¨ Reflecting local knowledge and global power Scottish Equitable is now AEGON Scottish Equitable reflecting both local knowledge and global power. All the brands now bring a new common look which is refreshing and different.  ¨ AEGON provide the levels of return promised AEGON UK Ltd is also providing the levels of return promised and being responsible for any risks associated with doing so.  ¨ Provide products/services different levels of income for the consumers AEGON Ltd have contractual measures in place to help those customers who find themselves on low incomes and, often through no fault of their own, are unable to maintain premium payments. These measures include introducing lower premium payments, grace periods and loans or, in some cases, reducing the coverage offered by a particular policy. Weaknesses The weaknesses of the organisation are matched to the opportunities and threats that may affect the organisation and which come from the external environment.  ¨ Not well known by consumers in the UK AEGON was not well known by consumers. It had developed good products and services and had a good reputation with distributors, particularly in the area of pensions but not well known directly by consumers.  ¨ Had poor reputation in life insurance and pensions industry The insurance and pensions industry, in which AEGON operates, has had very poor reputation in recent years.  ¨ Not providing consumers with best products for their needs The AEGON Ltd is not providing the products and services in a way that genuinely meets consumer needs/wants, and also not regulator by government.  ¨ Difficult to understand financial services products Financial services/products are hardly to understand. People do not always feel which range of financial products/services they need and also are not sure where to seek support and advice.  ¨ Wide problems to remain competitive The insurance and pensions industry have been characterised by intense competition. AEGON is in competition with other organisations which are selling directly to consumers and which are also better known in the UK.  ¨ Not selling directly to customers AEGON Ltd not sells product direct to consumers, they sells products/services via salesmen, agents or brokers which sometime involves mis-selling of its products/services. P -1.3 Compare alternative forms of organizational development. When we promote the idea of making consumer aware of the organizational change, it becomes organizational development. Generally, the organizational development is considered as a method of arrangement, suitable with the contemporary requirements of the organization and also being able to fulfil the future requirements that cannot be distinguish. After reading the case study of the AEGON Ltd, The plan appears to be the organizational efficiency and effectiveness from top to bottom level. The company led by its new CEO has new objectives such as: Defining the view of where company stand. Defining how the company will stand in the future. Defining the policies and standards to reach the future goals and objectives. The purpose of the company was self analysis by defining goals, targets and objectives, how to reach them and what the management is doing to achieve these goals and objectives. AEGON took a brand audit to find out the answers of these questions and the result of the audit reveals two steps How was the company positioned? How was the competitor of the company positioned? By the audit, the new CEO came to know that there is a need for formation of the new approach (play in the market). The staffs were adopted with the innovation and well organized communication system. Additionally, self analysis has helped new CEO to position a fresh plan to craft progress. The new plans resulted for the organization to involve in the following strategy steps: Simplify financial service and provide more focus. It was important that consumers understood more precisely what they were buying as well as the benefits and services they received. By making products and services clear to the consumers, to many of goal organization achieved and too many very important stakeholders introduced to the change. Both of the stakeholders (government and consumers) are aware and happy, because of services provided by AEGON, these steps were taken for the customer to make them aware and solve problems. Develop the workforce. The objective was to develop the skills, needed within the business and to involve the stakeholders in process of change, by providing them training and skills. Therefore, AEGON also created new opportunities for stakeholder to progress from one job to another job by developing and promoting the careers of work force. This helps AEGON to attract more customers and have competition. Organizational culture may include such things as, confidence to innovation, decisions and trust for production and quality. The model, implemented by new CEO of the AEGON, brought positive change in the organization and gave new direction to the company. Fundamentally, representation of simplify system with regard to the AEGON can be evaluated as follows; Analysing the factor affect the organization Organizational performance and future plans are constantly affected by the external and internal environmental factors. For success in the present world, one need to consider not only the internal environment of the organization consisting of its resources and employees, but needs to consider the external factors as well. These facts cannot be stopped but can adjust accordingly as per the changes in the political, economical or social pressures. These are the external aspects which consist of: Competitors or Opponents The change in the economic structure The Impact of the society/culture Financial agreements Political or Legal system Impact of the environment Analysing the weakness and strength of the organization A range of organization functions which determine an organization strength and weaknesses include production function, management function, Research and Development, marketing function, sales function, HR function, procurement function, logistics function, and various other departments within the organization. For example, organization strength can be derived from the excellence human resource in the organization which might not be present in some of the competitors in the insurance and pensions industry. One more example includes marketing function i.e. if an organization is not effective in marketing efforts, competitors may take advantage of the firms weakness. So AEGON Ltd need highly competent in achieving competences in all these areas of business in order to be successful in the business environment. Determine the goals and objectives of the organization It aims to boost organizational performance by aligning goals and objectives throughout the organization. Ideally, employees get key input to identify their objectives, time lines for completion etc. Management by objectives to be effective, individual managers must understand the specific objectives of their job and how those objectives fit in with the overall organizational objectives set by the board of directors. Involving the stakeholder to process of change Involving the stakeholder, how well does the organization Involve stakeholders in problem solving? Keep stakeholders informed of status towards organizational objectives? Act on feedback from stakeholders? Mobilize the right resources at the right time to adopt the implementation initiative? Create a critical mass of effort by impacted groups to propel the change? Strength Risk Dr. Baba, M., (2005): Change Management. The Defence Logistics Enterprise. Transforming Organizations in the Information Era. Enterprise Integration Group Creating new culture in organization Changing culture in organization helps to improvement organizational objects. Changing culture involves changing the basic values, beliefs, norms, etc., with the individuals of the organization in order to improve overall organization performance. Whether or not it is possible to fully manage change, we believe that being very clear about what changes are required and being very intentional about building a culture that supports the new mission, goals, strategies and practices increases the probability of success exponentially. This necessarily involves a large cross section of the organization in assessing the current system of norms and beliefs, determining what changes are needed, and designing an implementation plan ( Shorb, J.K and Jones, M.D. 2009 ). The result of the change was increase in the efficiency and effectiveness, the company improve its strengths and over comes its weaknesses, the pattern of the behaviours and business culture was developed in the organization and base of the organization to learn from its experiences was forms. Task -2 Develop systems for understanding and involving others in the process of change. P-2.1 Identify systems to involved appropriate stakeholders in the introduction of change. Stakeholder is someone who has some stake or interest in the changes and development of the organization, such as share holders, employees, government and customers. The new CEO consulted with different stakeholders of the company and then formulates a plan of action which includes following aspects: Simplify to financial services and customer focus It was important that consumers understood more specifically what they were buying, as well as the benefits and services they received. The new CEO make understandable to customers, what were company services and products, and what we going to invest and also what will possible to investment returns. Both of the stakeholders and government were unhappy because services and products were not good but after this step taken by new CEO to clarify methods and they become more aware to this regard and problem has been solved. Developing the workforce The purpose was to develop the  skills  needed within the company to help it change. AEGON also created opportunities for progression from one job to another job and usually one service to another service. Creating a distinct market place for the organization Create a more different presence within the marketplace. This involved refreshing the AEGON  brand in a means that made it more distinctive from its competitors and more attractive to his  consumers. The new CEO has taken some steps in following ways. External promotional: External promotional campaigns emphasised the relationship between Scottish Equitable and AEGON. This helped to support the local familiarity and the global power of the Organization in UK. The CEO talked to media: The new CEO talked to media about the refreshing of the brand internally and externally resulted in strong positive response. AEGON has launched new and innovative products: AEGON has launched new product e.g. the five for life pension has helped to change the way in which consumers can look at their retirement income. AEGON provide more certainty about the levels of income for customer, with providing the levels of return promised. P-2.2 Analyse and evaluate these systems. The change in the system of the organization brought positive influence internally and externally. The big challenge was to convince the stakeholders, the importance of the change in the organization. For the achievement of this objective, new CEO manoeuvre from improving skills of the workforce, he linked this growth to certain behaviours: These eight behaviours are; Think customer Embrace change Encourage excellence Act with integrity Decisive action Work together Learn and grow Relate and communicate Customers less awareness is one another reason of the change in the organization, this was also reason of the government increased tax impositions. As result of this, the company was losing customers. Knowledge of the service and product was made available through AEGON information system. Training and retraining of the employees was another aspect of the change. Finally, the company has to regain its reputation and built a brand name for its stakeholders, and the CEO responded to this challenge by bringing well known brand shares which recognise AEGON in front of its stakeholders. Furthermore, AEGON moreover revive its brand name to hold its market position though merger with Scottish Equitable (now known as AEGON Scottish Equitable), which gave company a new look. Task- 3 What were the models implemented for ensuring ongoing change. P-3.1 Adapt an appropriate model for change. The model, implemented by new CEO, brought positive and contrastive change and gave company new direction. The CEO already mentioned the performance of company through reforms in culture. As mentioned previously, both of the stakeholders (government and consumers) are aware and happy because of services provided by AEGON. These steps were taken for the customer to make them aware and solve problems. With regard to AEGON model, implementation will bring some changes which can be categorised: Analysing the factor affecting the organization. Analysing the weaknesses and strengths of the organization. Determine the goals and objectives of the organization. Involving the stakeholder to process of change. Creating new culture in organization. As Kotter, (1995) describe in Leading Change helpful model outlines an eight step process with suggestions to help organizations transform. Kotter model is useful in understanding that the change process takes time and is not something that happens immediately. It is important for program leaders and communications staff to understand that the steps needed to support any transformation plan takes place during all stages of project. Each step acknowledges a key principle identified and people can see changes, feel the changes. These eight steps: Increase Urgency AEGON pensions provider has suggested that the issue of the government helping public to put money away for retirement is of greater urgency now than it ever has been. (AEGON UK chief executive Otto Thoresen. 2010) Build the Guiding Team Get the guiding team to create the right vision and strategies to guide action in all of the remaining stages of change. This is a difficult and increasingly complex market in which AEGON Ltd is committed to offering adviser partners the ongoing help they require. We are confident that we have developed an investment proposition that meets the needs of advisers and their clients now and in a post RDR world. (Andy Marchant., 2009. Life and Pensions Marketing Director at AEGON) Get the Vision Right A shared sense of urgency for change may push people into action, but it is the vision that taking them in the right direction. A good vision offers a compelling, motivating the picture of the future and serves several important purposes. Communicate for Buy In Communicate changing vision and strategies to create understanding and buy-in Keeping communication uncomplicated and heartfelt not complex and technical Know what your individuals are feeling Speak to anxieties, confusion, anger, fear Empower Action Empower action mean is a deal effectively with obstacles that block action, especially disempowering bosses, the wrong performance measurement and reward systems, lack of information, and lack of self confidence. Create Short Term wins A short term win boosts employees confidence in the process, helping to make their efforts seem worthwhile, and gives the people responsible a chance to relax and enjoy their achievements and also link achievements back to the original vision, quieten the cynics and resisters and strengthen support from organization. Consolidating achievements and progressing Continuing with wave after wave of change, not stopping until the clear vision is a reality no matter how big the obstacles. Make Change Stick Change simply sticks when the people it affects are involved. All change is either rejected or embraced by the employees who have to live with its outcome. So its always better to involve those people in the process of change and pay close attention to their hopes and fears. P -3.2 How was the plan implemented, its process and outcomes. For successfully manage change processes, it is required to analyze the phases of the process. Managers want to know in which phase they have to anticipate and what types of problems. Most successful organizations are able to adjust themselves to new conditions quickly. This needs to learn planning processes that lead to improved organizational values. Consumers were confused before the model implemented what AEGON was. The outcome of model implement for change was extremely positive and successful. It helps to recognise the company strength and weakness and its also shows that global scale was important and local brand expertise as well. AEGON brand was not promoted alongside the Scottish Equitable and not well known in financial service industry. With a new Chief Executive of UK in place 2005 of AEGON put a new plan (model). The purpose of this model implement was to meet the CEO objectives and goals. Before implement to change AEGON was unknown in the United Kingdom, much less popular in consumers and product or services offer by the company not good enough. But after the implementation of changes AEGON became very popular brand in the United Kingdom and business started growing as well. Now the alliance with AEGON is much stronger. E.g. Scottish Equitable is now AEGON Scottish Equitable thus reflecting local knowledge and also global power. In order

Rene Descartes Second Meditation Evaluation

Rene Descartes Second Meditation Evaluation My Paper is on Rene Descartes Second Meditation. I chose to analyze and critique the concepts and ideas that were presented in Rene Descartes second meditation because it is in the second meditation were Rene Descartes famous adage was produced Cogito, Ergo Sum or I Think Therefore I am and also I find his second meditation the most controversial and most interesting of all his meditations. The second meditation is the most controversial of Rene Descartes meditations because it is here that his first rule of methodic doubt process is clearly introduced which is Accept nothing as true unless you can be sure that it is certain and it is also here that his idea becomes Radicalized because it suggest that one must critique all types of knowledge, that one has to doubt everything including himself and this is what the second meditation is all about because the second meditation is about ones existence. Descartes says that one must never accept anything or any knowledge unless one is certain of this knowledge and for Descartes being certain of knowledge means that there must be no place for doubt, it must be self verifying and it must be indubitable or in other words unquestionable and not open to doubt. The second meditation starts with Descartes doubting existence itself because of the radicalism of his philosophy that assumes everything is false, so in the second meditations Descartes doubts even existence, he says that even our very own existence needs to be doubted so as to arrive at the truth in the end of course of the second meditation Descartes does prove that without a shadow of a doubt that one does exist because one thinks hence the famous saying I think therefore I am. When one reads the second meditation Descartes does sound like someone who is a bit crazy and perhaps someone who had too much time in his hands because to doubt even existence is for me at first just down right absurd and many of us would have the same feeling on this matter maybe because of how we were brought up but it is exactly this kind of thinking that Descartes was trying to destroy he wants everybody to think for themselves and not just accept opinions as truths because if we just accept the texts of the ancient and the opinions of everybody as truths then how can we arrive at certain knowledge if those texts and opinions happen to be false he wants us to discover the truths for ourselves and perhaps he wanted people not to be lazy. When reading the second meditation the philosophy that is included there is definitely a radical one because he doubts existence and that what we perceive as truth may in fact be false, perception for Descartes is deceitful and our mind errs all the time so there is no way for us to be certain of things. We can be certain of our existence however but not this kind of existence were there is the body and the limbs but our existence as a thinking being since for Descartes the body and the things around is maybe just be an illusion created by an evil deceiver who does all he can to deceive us with all this false perception or we can just be dreaming that what we see and feel is all but a dream and therefore not real because how can we be sure that we are not just dreaming right at this very moment and that we are just dreaming everything and everyone around us this concept was a very intriguing concept what if we were just dreaming all this time, this was a concept that is so intriguing that even Hollywood adopted it in their film Inception which delves into dream and reality. The only certainty that we know we exist is that we know we are thinking and no great deceiver or dreams can doubt the fact that we think and therefore because we think we exist but for Descartes it is a thinking existence because it is the only thing that one can be certain of and that everything else we perceive may be false or just an illusion, one cannot trust our senses because are senses may just be an illusion or the senses may just be perceiving an illusion therefore not certain so for Descartes perception cannot arrive at the certitude of truth. Sensation as well is not a good determinant for certitude because one could again just be dreaming. Thinking for Descartes is very important since thinking for him determines ones existence. The act of thinking is the self guarantee of thinking. The act of thinking provides the ground for realizing that one exist. Human beings have a natural propensity to think therefore he or she can prove his or her existence. Thinking can never be false, because it is a process, thinking itself is beyond judgment, the thoughts that come from thinking are always real we only make mistakes in our judgment. Descartes explains in the second meditation using the honeycomb wax as an example of what kind of existence we can perceive and have since the wax changes its form but yet we know it is still the same wax Descartes thought that perhaps this is the true existence we are not just body and limbs but we are beyond that because we can still change and still be the same and this is how our minds works it has something innate that enables us to know it distinctively. The Second Meditation deals with reality and existence, like I mentioned before I thought that Descartes perhaps just too much time on his hands for thinking something so crazy as that everything around us is just an illusion and that we cannot trust out perception. I thought to myself that here is another philosopher saying something controversial just top be noticed but now that I was a little aware of a science called quantum physics and now I wonder if Descartes was actually someone who was way ahead of his time in thinking that everything is just an illusion and that what we perceive is actually false because quantum physics itself says that perhaps what we perceive as real, what our senses perceive as true my actually be false because it may just be an illusion created by our sense perception. With this in mind Rene Descartes is not crazy and his theory was not absurd this despite him being a member of the Rosicrucian group which believed in an invisible church that they built. Rene Descartes Philosophical theory on Existence and Reality was in fact a science which was way ahead of its time. His philosophy on doubting everything so as to arrive at certain knowledge can be seen as something radical and impractical and if we do take him literally then it is no doubt that this philosophy is indeed a radical form of Philosophy and an impractical one at that because one will just waste his time doubting and questioning everything one sees and this is just an impossible task. I think Rene Descartes is someone who was obsessed in knowing the truth and this led him to create this philosophy that before we can have certain knowledge we must first doubt. To have knowledge one must first doubt, this philosophy of Descartes becomes practical if we do not take to the extreme by really questioning everything, I think Descartes main point is that for man to use his reason rather than just accepting opinions, Descartes believes that reason is higher that any kind of opinio n, Descartes wants us to use our reason and there is nothing radical about using our reason. Sources: Rene Descartes Second Meditation

Critique of The Breakfast Club Essay -- The Breakfast Club Movies Film

Critique of The Breakfast Club Breakfast Club is a comedy that was released in 1985. It was written, produced and directed by John Hughes. It’s about five teenage students from different social groups when forced to spend a Saturday together in detention they find themselves interacting with and understanding each other for the first time. A jock, Emilio Estevez, a stoner, Judd Nelson, a princess, Molly Ringwald, a basket case, Ally Sheedy, and a brain, Anthony Michael Hall, talk about everything from parental tension to sex to peer pressure to hurtful stereotypes while serving the eight hours in a library. Ultimately, the five find that they may have more in common than they ever imagined and learn more about themselves as well as each other. It begins with loud rock music playing as a quote from a David Bowie song is on a black background. It shatters like glass to show the high school that they are spending their detention in while the brain, Brian, is talking in the background, the movie ends like this also. While he says different things there are parts of the school that are cut to. An example would be when he is talking about a criminal they show a locker that says, â€Å"Open this locker and you will die fag!!!† written in black marker on it. The rest of the story takes place in the school library and what the five students do while their principle isn’t looking. At one point they smoke marijuana and the boy that is a jock breaks a glass door. They also put music on and dance around all over the library. One of the main characters John Bender, who they call Bender, is the criminal. He lights his shoe on fire to light a cigarette, he pulls apart books, and he steals the screw from the door that is suppose to be open so it closes and the principal can’t watch them. He ends up getting two months more of detention for telling of the principal by talking back to the principal. While that section of the movie is going on the camera angle makes the principal look really big because Bender is sitting down and the camera angle is angled up at the principal. Later in the movie he has all of them running in the hallway to go get marijuana. They are about to get caught but he tells the rest of the group to go back to the library and he takes the blame for not being in the library. The principal finds him and takes him to a closet by himself to sit for the ... ...ays in them. This movie was the bases of all other teenage movies. The story was on teenage love and how one got to the point of the first kiss, which all movies have in it now. It didn’t really change people but it made people laugh. It is one of those movies that is out there to make people laugh and want that to happen to them. In the technical sense it wasn’t very difficult to make, but the camera angles showed every side of every character. An example would be when Bender and Andrew are arguing the camera keeps changing from Bender to Andrew but different parts of their faces. Another example is when the principal is giving Bender the other two months on detention. The principal is standing and Bender is sitting. The shoots keep changing from Bender to the principal. The camera angle makes the principal look bigger then he really is and it shows Benders different reactions to what is going on. In conclusion, this movie is not a difficult movie to make but the acting had to be perfect and the camera angles had an effect in the movie. It’s a somewhat realistic movie. Voice over is used and it’s like a story being told to describe the essay that Brian writes for all of them.

Essay --

The United States of America has been ranked 12 according to the United Nation’s 2008 human development index report in committing towards education by public spending. According the U.S. Department of Education, the federal, state and local governments had spent a total of 786.8 billion dollars in 2006 on education and it is estimated that in the year 2008, about 837.7 billion dollars has been spent. In the school year of 2004-2005, the average expenditure per student was $8700. In an average class of 23, the annual cost to run a class room comes out to be $200,100. It is clear from the statistics that education is expensive in the U.S. Beside all these government spending, it is still the fact that the public education in the U.S. is worse than some of the developing countries. As Anya Kamenetz says in â€Å"DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education† that we produce intellectuals that don’t know the difference between a country and a continent or they don’t know the names of the heads of the key countries. However, the school board, teachers, and pa... Essay -- The United States of America has been ranked 12 according to the United Nation’s 2008 human development index report in committing towards education by public spending. According the U.S. Department of Education, the federal, state and local governments had spent a total of 786.8 billion dollars in 2006 on education and it is estimated that in the year 2008, about 837.7 billion dollars has been spent. In the school year of 2004-2005, the average expenditure per student was $8700. In an average class of 23, the annual cost to run a class room comes out to be $200,100. It is clear from the statistics that education is expensive in the U.S. Beside all these government spending, it is still the fact that the public education in the U.S. is worse than some of the developing countries. As Anya Kamenetz says in â€Å"DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education† that we produce intellectuals that don’t know the difference between a country and a continent or they don’t know the names of the heads of the key countries. However, the school board, teachers, and pa...

History of Trinidad Essay -- Essays Papers

History of Trinidad The history of Trinidad began far before Columbus landed on the island. Before any Spanish lived on the island, it was inhabited by two indigenous tribes. The Arawaks lived in the southern region of the island. The Caribs, who were regarded as a much more violent and vicious than the Arawaks, lived in the north. The Caribs are described as â€Å"warlike† people and for this reason they were able to withstand more of chance fighting the Spanish conquerors, though not enough. The recorded history of the island begins with Columbus' landing in July 31, 1498. The island was appropriately named Trinidad after the Holy Trinity. Spain showed little interest in the new territory until about 1530 when Antonio Sedeno was named Captain-General of the island for life. This mission did not last as many suspected, Sedeno returned back to Spain within four years after not being able to tame and civilize the natives. Donimgo de Vera in St. Joseph established the first permanent settlement in 1592 in St. Joseph. Over the next two centuries more attempts at colonization were made but with little success. This all culminated in 1699 with the Arena Massacre, in which the natives killed the Spanish governor and all but one of his men and all of the priests. This kept people weary of the island and it's people until the end of the 18th century. True colonization was not until the Cedula of Population was established in 1783. This document was designed to draw people of ot...

Econ-545 Week 6 Quiz

| 1. | Question: | (TCO F) The size of the labor force in a community is 1,000, and 850 of these folks are gainfully employed. In this community, 50 people over the age of 16 do not have a job and are not looking for work. In addition, 80 people in the community are under the age of 16. The unemployment rate is ______. | | | Student Answer:|   | Unemployment rate=unemployed/labor force*100 150/1000*100=15% 1000-850=150 (number of people unemployed) then divided by total labor force divided by 100|   | Instructor Explanation:| The unemployment rate is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed by the labor force.The labor force is calculated by subtracting three things from the population (# under 16, # of institutionalized adults, and # not looking for work). In this example,  you are given the size of the labor force (1,000), and you are also told that 850 are employed. Therefore, 150 are unemployed, and the  unemployment rate is simply 150/1,000 or 15%. | | | | Points Received:| 15 of 15| | Comments:| | | | | | | 2. | Question: | (TCO F) Suppose  nominal GDP  in 2005 was $15 trillion, and in 2006 it was $16 trillion. The general price index in 2005 was 100, and in 2006 it was 103.Between 2005 and 2006,  real GDP  rose by what percent? | | | Student Answer:|   | Nominal GDP and REAL GDP must be equal in the base year. 2005 15tr, price index = 100 since nominal and real GDP must be equal in the base year 15tr/1. 03=16. 56tr(16. 56-16. 00)/16. 00=4% or 3. 5%|   | Instructor Explanation:| You need to make use of the inflation formula for the GDP deflator here and compare results between the two years. For 2005: 100 = [$15 T / Real GDP] x 100 So, Real GDP must equal $15 T. You could also recognize that Real GDP and nominal GDP are the same in the base year.For 2006: 103 = [$16 T / Real GDP] x 100 1. 03 = [$16 T / Real GDP] Real GDP = $16 T / 1. 03 So, Real GDP must equal $15. 534 T. The percentage increase in Real GDP will then be [(15. 53 4 – 15) / 15] x 100 = (0. 534 / 15) x 100 = 3. 56%  Therefore Real GDP increases by 3. 56% between 2005 and 2006. | | | | Points Received:| 19 of 20| | Comments:| | | | | | | 3. | Question: | (TCO F) The consumer price index was 198. 3 in January of 2006, and it was 202. 4 in January of 2007. Therefore, the rate of inflation in 2006 was about ______. | | | Student Answer:|   | 202. -198. 3=4. 1 4. 1/198. 3=. 02067 or 2. 07%|   | Instructor Explanation:| The rate of inflation is the rate of change of the inflation indicator, or more specifically: [(New Price Index – Old Price Index) / (Old Price Index)] x 100 In this case this equals, [(202. 4 – 198. 3) / 198. 3] x 100 = (4. 1 / 198. 3) x 100 = 2. 07% or approximately 2%. | | | | Points Received:| 15 of 15| | Comments:| | | | | | | 4. | Question: | (TCO E) (10 points) As the U. S. dollar appreciates in value relative to the Japanese Yen, what happens to the price of U. S. goods in Japan?What happens to the price of Japanese goods in the U. S.? (10 points) Why would a country (for example China) choose to keep their currency relatively pegged to the U. S. dollar? If the U. S. dollar were to appreciate considerably against most currencies, what would be the effect on Chinese exports to countries other than the U. S.? | | | Student Answer:|   | the price of goods in Japan start going up. the price Japanese goods in US start going down. China keeps its currency pegged in order to sell their goods for a cheaper price in the US and to make the US market dependent on their product. If dollar appreciate it will drag China's currency with it,in other words reducing China' export. |   | Instructor Explanation:| When a country's currency appreciates, it becomes more valuable versus the other currency we're comparing against. So, in this case, it would take fewer dollars  to purchase the same amount of Japanese Yen, U. S. goods become more expensive to Japanese buyers, and Japanese goods be come cheaper to U. S. buyers. A country such as China might choose to peg their currency to the U. S. dollar to keep prices stable for a key  trading partner like the U.S. If the U. S. dollar would appreciate considerably against most  currencies, this would not affect China trade with the U. S. , but  Chinese goods would become more expensive to their other trading partners, and could cause Chinese exports to these other markets to decrease. | | | | Points Received:| 17 of 20| | Comments:| | | | | | | 5. | Question: | (TCO E) Suppose the Indian rupee price of one  British pound is 54. 392 rupees for each pound. A hotel room in London costs 120 pounds, while a similar hotel room in New Delhi costs 6,500 Indian rupees.In which city is the hotel room cheaper, and by how much? | | | Student Answer:|   | London hotel room 120 pound or 6527 rupee (120*54. 392) India hotel room 119. 50 pounds (6500/54. 392) or 6500 rupee the hotel room is cheaper in India for . 50 cent in pound or 27 rupees|   | Instructor Explanation:| Since the exchange rate is 1  pound = 54. 392 Indian rupees, we can convert the price of the hotel room in London to Indian rupees and then be able to compare. 120 pounds = rupees(120 x 54. 392) = 6,527 rupees.Since the hotel room in New Delhi  costs 6,500 rupees, it must be that the hotel room costs 27 rupees  more in London than in New Delhi. | | | | Points Received:| 15 of 15| | Comments:| | | | | | | 6. Question: | (TCO E) Answer the next question on the basis of the following production possibilities data for Egypt and Greece:   Egypt production possibilities: A  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  D  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  E Shirts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12 Pants  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   24  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0 Greece production possibilities:A  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  D  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  E Shirts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  40  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  30  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   20  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0 Pants  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   40  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   80  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  120  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  160 Refer to the above data. What would be feasible terms of trade between Egypt and Greece? | | | Student Answer:|   | terms of trade between 2 countries lie somewhere between the opportunity costs in the 2 countries. in this case Egypt 1 shirt= 2 pants and in Greece case 1 shirt=4 pants, so the only feasible term of trade between the 2 countries would be anywhere in between these limits anything between 2 and 4 shirts and pants would work. t any terms of trade higher or lower than 2 or 4 pants per shirt , one of the countries would be able to do better than the terms of trade simply by trading off resources in their own country. |   | Instructor Explanation:| Feasible terms of trade between 2 countries lie somewhere between the opportunity costs in the 2 countries. In this case, in Egypt —   1 Shirt = 2 Pants, and in Greece — 1 Shirt = 4 Pants. So,  the only feasible terms of trade between the 2 countries would be anywhere in between these limitsà ‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€ anything between 2 and 4 Pants per Shirts would work.At any terms of trade higher or lower than  2 to 4 Pants per Shirts, one of the countries would be able to do better than the terms of trade simply by trading off resources in their own country. | | | | Points Received:| 20 of 20| | Comments:| | | | | | | 7. | Question: | (TCO F) The Republic of Republic produces two goods/services, fish (F) and chips (C). In 2006, the 1000 units of F produced sold for $8 per unit and the 5000 units of C produced sold for $1 per unit. In 2007, the 1500 units of F produced sold for $10 per unit, and the 6,000 units of C produced sold for $2 per unit.Calculate Real GDP for 2007, assuming that 2006 is the base year. | | | Student Answer:|   | base year 2006 1,000 units of fish at 8/unit =8,000 5,000 units of chips at 1/unit =5,000 GDP=13,000 2007 1,500 units of fish at 10/unit-15,000 6,000 units of chips at 2/ units at 2/unit =12000 GDP =27,000 Real GDP with 2006 as the base year 1500 units of fish at 8/unit =12,000 6,000 unit chips at 1/unit = 6,000 Real GDP =18,000 18,000-13,000/18,000 GDP grew by 28%|   | Instructor Explanation:| For 2006, Nomimal GDP  = ($8 x 1000) + ($1 x 5000) = $13,000.Real GDP for 2006 would be the same ($13,000). For 2007, Nominal GDP = ($10 x 1500) + ($2 x 6000) = $27,000. Real GDP for 2007 would be ($8 x 1500) + ($1 x 6000) = $18,000. That is, when calculating real GDP for a given year you use the production numbers for that year and the prices from the base  year. | | | | Points Received:| 12 of 15| | Comments:| | | | | | | 8. | Question: | (TCO F)  Country A  produces two goods,  elephants  and  saddles. In the year  2006, the  10 units of elephants produced sold for $2,000 per unit and the  25 units of  saddles produced sold for $200 per unit.In 2007, the  20 units of  elephants produced sold for $3,000 per unit, and the 50 units of  saddles produced sold for $300 per unit. Real GDP for 2007, assuming that  2006 is the base year, is ______. | | | Student Answer:|   | base year 2006 10 units at 2000 per unit =20,000 25 saddles at 200=5000 GDP=25,000 2007 20 units at 3,000 per unit =6,000 50 saddles at 300=15000 GDP=21,000 real GDP with 2006 as the base year 20 units of elephants at 3000 = 60000 for 50 units of saddles at 25 =1250 real GDP 61250 61250-21000/61250 real GDP grew by 65%.   | Instructor Explanation:| Real GDP is calculated for a given year by using the quantities produced in that year and substituting the base year prices. In this example we get: 20 ($2,000) +  50 ($200) = $40,000 + $10,000 = $50,000. | | | | Points Received:| 12 of 15| | Comments:| | | | | | | 9. | Question: | (TCO E) A Honda Accord sells for $28,000 in the United States and for SF35,520 in Switzerland. Given an exchange rate of SF1. 5 = $1, how do the car prices of both countries compare? | | | Student Answer:|   | with an exchange rate of SF1. 25=$1 28,000*1. 25=35,000 SF price is 35,520 t he car sells for SF520 more in Switzerland that it does in the US. |   | Instructor Explanation:| At an exchange rate of $1 = SF1. 25: $28,000 would equal   (1. 25 x 28,000) Swiss Francs = SF35,000, meaning that the car sells for SF520 more in Switzerland than it does in the U. S. Points 15 of 15| | | | | | |