Ironic Narrative in A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway Essay

Within the pages of A Farewell to Arms, modernist work of the 1920s, Hemingway often blurs the lines between the romantic narrative pattern and the ironic one. Critics argue over the specifics of each case: Do his heroes change and grow? Do they stagnate? Do they fail? Are they initiated into some greater consciousness of the world around them? Are Hemingway’s heroes romantic conquistadors or are they ironic failures? How does an understanding of these heroes’ initiations enhance Hemingway’s meaning in the novel? These are the sorts of questions that must be considered in any effort to determine the necessity of an ironic reading of this important Hemingway work. Paradigms Romance and Irony Although tragedy and comedy have typified many movements and periods of literary history, for the purposes of this essay, it is necessary to focus upon the paradigms of romance and irony. These narrative patterns are not as familiar to many readers. Readers may associate romance with a particular genre of literature, whether gothic or harlequin, or recognize salient ironic details within plots, characters, and/or dialogues, but many fail to realize the archetypal patterns that define the literary paradigms of romance and irony and their relationship to one another. Foulke and Smith lay the foundation for this exploration of romantic hero versus ironic anti-hero and romantic quest versus anti-quest, yet this construction can be explored even more fully if one examines the elements of the hero’s journey as (de) constructed by Joseph Campbell in Hero with a Thousand Faces. In this work, Campbell draws from the traditions of Freud and Jung to illustrate how the â€Å"deeds of myth survive into modern times† (Campbell 4). Because themes of initiation and the related hero’s quest are fundamental to the human condition, tying into universal perceptions of birth, growth, and death, the quest theme itself is always a â€Å"shape-shifting yet marvelously consistent story† that fits into the psychologically prescribed â€Å"checkpoints† of a narrative pattern such as romance or irony (Campbell 3). In the realm of romance, young heroes, generally in possession of some power that transcends the ordinary, are called to adventure, initiated into some sort of knowledge or greater understanding of the universe (in other words, he or she receives the booty or treasure, whether physical, psychological, or spiritual), and returns transformed, armed with some sort of greater understanding about the world around him or her significant enough to improve the plight of humankind or at least improve the lot of society (Foulke and Smith 5). On the contrary, the ironic journey is rooted in, well, irony. Perhaps the ironic hero, plagued by a less than ordinary potency, living in a world of chaos and disorder, ventures upon an aimless journey, and either fails to attain the treasure, or perhaps even more significantly, remains unchanged by his or her quest (Foulke and Smith 5). The narrative modes of romance and irony, then, can best be explored by pitting one against the other. Each pattern illustrates or represents a polarized human experience: romance represents the imagined, idealized world of constancy and order, while the ironic mode represents â€Å"the world of frustrated human desires† (Foulke and Smith 8). Because of the universal significance of such patterns, such paradigms are powerful mechanisms for the exploration of the human condition. Ironic Narrative in A Farewell to Arms From the beginning of the novel, readers immediately sense the ambiguity and uncertainty of hero’s role in an unpredictable world. The book opens with an ironic tone depicting a wilting earth in a drenched autumn: â€Å"leaves all fell from the chestnut trees and the branches were bare,† even the vineyards are described as â€Å"thin and bare-branched† (Hemingway 4). And, even more poetically, Hemingway artfully sets up an ironic tone for the novel by cleverly, though morbidly, emphasizing that with â€Å"the winter came permanent rain and with the rain came the cholera†; though, â€Å"in the end† only seven thousand â€Å"died of it in the army† (Hemingway 4). With this opening, a wilting depiction of nature, Hemingway sets his readers up for an ironic interpretation of his novel. It is within the context of such a pervasive unsettling setting, as typical of the ironic mode, that readers encounter Hemingway’s ironic hero: Frederic Henry. Frederic is initially set into a traditional hero’s role: he is a soldier. And, not only is Frederic a soldier, but he is an American volunteer for the Italian army. Within the context of the traditional romanticized soldier hero, it could be suggested that such action as volunteering for someone else’s war is valiant, brave, and even representative of that larger-than-life archetypal hero depicted in narrative romance. However, Hemingway is certain to emphasize Frederic’s naivetà ©, if not foolishness, from the very beginning of this anti-hero’s journey. Although Frederic technically ranks as an officer, he describes his work to Catherine as â€Å"not really [with] the army,† but â€Å"only the ambulance† (Hemingway 18). As an ambulance driver on the Italian front, Frederic’s innocence is encapsulated in his belief that it is impossible for him to be killed at the front; after all, the war â€Å"did not have anything to do† with him (Hemingway 37). Frederic’s innocence is also depicted and reinforced by his obliviousness to the war; he is able to travel comfortably in convoy if in â€Å"the first car† and appreciate the â€Å"clear, fast and shallow† river and the mysterious looming mountains (Hemingway 44-5). Frederic’s ability to appreciate the â€Å"picturesque† Italian front illustrates his inability to realize the significance of both the â€Å"deep pools† of the river â€Å"blue like the sky† and the reality of life and death shuttled within his ambulance (Hemingway 47). This naivetà © is similarly reflected early in the novel by the fact that Frederic clearly and staunchly believes in the traditional virtues of soldiering: good soldiers are ‘†brave and have good discipline'† (Hemingway 48). When these naive character traits are coupled with the dominant impression presented by the fading, rainy fall, and cholera-struck winter, the stage is set early on in A Farewell to Arms for another Hemingway triumph of irony. However, from the beginning of the book, readers are aware that Frederic is becoming increasingly cognizant of the fact that â€Å"It evidently made no difference† whether he â€Å"was there to look after things or not† (Hemingway 16). When Frederic returns to the front after his leave time, he realizes that all is as he â€Å"had left it except that now it was spring† (Hemingway 10); the front had remained static, and neither side had advanced or taken new territory. As typical of the ironic hero, Frederic begins to think that perhaps â€Å"the whole thing† runs better without him anyway (Hemingway 16). From Frederic’s perspective, not even the wounded in the hospital are â€Å"real wounded†; rather, true casualties could only result from the action when the war picks back up again (Hemingway 12). Frederic’s dissatisfaction with the world around him represents his call to adventure. As a foreigner in someone else’s war, Frederic Henry is beginning to sense the calculated nature of war as well as his insignificance in this cataclysmic event. For regardless of the supposed honor of military service, Frederic is beginning to question the dignity of his post; he considers his position as an ambulance driver to be â€Å"not really the army,† the Italian salute, a gesture â€Å"not made for export,† begins to make him uncomfortable, and even the steel helmets soldiers are required to wear seem â€Å"too bloody theatrical† (Hemingway 18, 23, 28-9). And, even life at the front is beginning to grow dull: â€Å"The priest was good but dull. The officers were not good but dull. The King was good but dull.† Only the wine, â€Å"bad,† was â€Å"not dull† (Hemingway 38-9). Frederic is beginning to question his role, and his significanc e, within the context of the war, and within the context of his morality. All around Frederic Henry, soldiers much more connected than he is to the war, such as Italian peasants, workers, and citizens, recognize the horror of the war for what it is: senseless fighting for abstract principles that results in the death of innocent soldiers often blindly fighting for these goals. This reality is exemplified in Frederic’s encounter with a soldier suffering from a hernia at the front. The soldier, of course, wants out, but tells Frederic, the ambulance driver, that officers do not find his condition worthy of excusing him from duty. Henry advises the man with the hernia to â€Å"fall down by the road and get a bump on† his head so that he can legitimize taking the soldier to the hospital (Hemingway 35). However, irony permeates this situation. Henry and his compadres encounter the man with the â€Å"rupture† once again, only this time his head is bleeding as two men lift him; â€Å"They had come back for him after all† (Hemingway 36). This anecdote illustrates the fundamentally ironic nature of war: violence, injury, motivation, unpredictable motives and priorities, the inherent irony in fighting for someone else’s cause. Soldiers in war must struggle to choose to fight for arguably noble causes of an abstract nation, ideological principle, or political goal, look out for one another on the front, or simply prioritize their own survival. Frederic must grapple with why he is risking his life in this war at all. Is there more to fighting in a war than simply existing in a particular place at a particular time? Frederic himself suggests that he merely stumbled into the war: he â€Å"was in Italy†¦and spoke Italian† (Hemingway 22). How moral is it to participate in collective violence without a passionate code of ethics that supports the cause? These are the types of concerns plaguing Hemingway’s ironic hero as he is beckoned towards the threshold of adventure. Conclusion After analyzing the impotent nature of the major character of A Farwell to Arms, it becomes clear that the novel do indeed illustrate the futile struggle of a â€Å"lost generation.† Perhaps the most central question that must be explored in the consideration of whether or not this work are examples of the paradigm of narrative irony hinges upon the endings of the works. Does Frederic transform over the course of his literal and symbolic journey? It is clear that he does not. Frederic has learned that life is only meaningful if one lives it according to his or her own values, but he has also learned the lessons of the great irony: that â€Å"the world breaks everyone†¦It kills the good, and the very gentle, and the very brave impartially† and â€Å"The only thing that one can be sure of in this world is that one will be destroyed† (Hemingway 249; Phelan 54). Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms ends in utter irony. When Frederic finally says goodbye to his beloved Catherine, he remarks that it is like â€Å"saying good-by to a statue.† The novel ends as Frederic walks â€Å"back to the hotel in the rain† (Hemingway 332). Left in a post-World War I experience, Frederic is lost, â€Å"bereft, homeless, and a drift† (Donaldson 15); Frederic Henry has learned the ironic lessons of life, and attempted to establish and live by a moral code dictated by his own creation, only to be defeated by the ultimate truth of existence, that is, that stripped of the traditional props of God, country, and tradition, the modern hero must face the â€Å"harsh and irremediable realities of existence† (Gurko 65). Hemingway’s skillful use of narrative irony in this text represents the most appropriate use of the modernist writer’s palette, for within the â€Å"anti-hero† of Frederic Henry readers find universal symbols for the plight of modern man. Because Hemingway stresses this fundamental futility of the human struggle within the confines of life and death, any interpretations that stress the romantic triumphs of this early Hemingway novel, that is, that this hero attain knowledge that can transform his world within his move from innocence to experience, is countered by the undeniable reality portrayed in this novel and that the book â€Å"end in overwhelming irony† (Smith 33). The ironic mode dominates as Frederic, desperate to add meaning to his life through love and experience, emerge as mere humans â€Å"clutching at a straw† (Smith 34). As Philip Young so eloquently argues in Hemingway: A Reconsideration, the fundamental reality of both the ironic mode, as well as Hemingway’s novel, is that â€Å"In the end, man is trapped† (93). Works Cited Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton: Princeton University, 1968. Donaldson, Scott. Introduction. New Essays on A Farewell to Arms. Ed. Scott Donaldson. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1990. 1-25. Foulke, Robert and Paul Smith. An Anatomy of Literature. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972. Gurko, Leo. Ernest Hemingway and the Pursuit of Heroism. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1968. Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Scribner, 1995 Phelan, James. â€Å"Distance, Voice, and Temporal Perspective in Frederic Henry’s Narration: Successes, Problems, and Paradox.† New Essays on A Farewell to Arms. Ed. Scott Donaldson. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1990. 53-74. Smith, Paul. â€Å"The Trying-out of A Farewell to Arms.† New Essays on A Farewell to Arms. Ed. Scott Donaldson. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1990. 27-54.

Tort Law

In any given situation, it is evidently clear that the company should remain responsible and legally liable to their people or employe and among the consumers that patronize their product. Thus, should there be any accident and/or damages that badly harm these people in the course of exercising their duties, as employees and workers, the company could be held liable and sue to settle their legal obligations in shouldering the damages and lost of these people.As for the case of The Bug Plant located in Shady Town, USA, the employees and the vendor that have been attacked and robbed in the parking lot of the company could possibly file a law suit against the The Bug Plant under the legal offense of Negligence, as written in the Tort Law.Given the fact that the incidents of robbery against these people have happened within the premises of the company's grounds, wherein these people are working as the company's workers, both of the employees and the vendor could sue the company under the Tort Law, as it is evident that The Bug Plant has failed to ensure the safety and security of these people while staying and performing their duties and responsibilities for the company.More so, with the prior information that the Shady Town has been plagued with a recent crime wave, the case of Negligence could be filed against The Bug Plant, as the company failed to do the necessary adjustment to strengthen their company security and ensure the welfare of their people.Thus, The Bug Plant could be sued under the Tort Law, as they failed to exercise and meet the required standard of care in doing business. Lastly, The Bug Plant could use the notion that the incidents of robbery in the parking lot against the second shift employees have happened after their shift and/or beyond their official work hours, as the BUG's potential defense.On the other hand, The BUG Plant could also use the fact, as their defense, that the vendor who has been robbed, while waiting for the dock manager, is not their legal employee and that they do not have direct employment connection with this person and they should not be held liable for any damages. References Definition of Tort. (n. d. ). Retrieved June 12, 2009, from http://www. personal-injury-info. net/definition-of-tort. htm Product Liability. (n. d. ). Retrieved June 12, 2009, from http://www. personal-injury-info. net/product-liability. htm

Bay of Pigs

The interest of the United States in Cuba goes as far back as the pre-Civil War era when it wanted to annex Cuba as a slave state for its cotton. However, it was only in 1898 that Cuba was won from Spain following the Spanish-American war. While this lasted only until 1902, the U. S. was able to negotiate a long-term lease on the island at the Guantanamo Bay and turned it into a naval base. From that time until Castro took the helm, the second most powerful official in Cuba after the President was the U. S. Ambassador (Lafeber, 19 April 1986, p. 537).In 1947, open hostilities with communism have begun. President Truman recommended to the U. S. Congress to stop the Russian aggression in Europe. This was contained in the Truman Doctrine (Ismael, 1965, P. 3212). This was followed by a U. S. -led food airlift to the western sector which the Russians were starving out with its Berlin blockade. Then, there was the assistance provided to the communists, by the way, eventually won and the ac tive participation in the Korean War of 1950. While such actions were unpopular,, there was an apparent consensus that the U.S. should indeed show that it is not beyond having to use force to stop the expansionist plans of the communists. In 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President. The anti-communist sentiment was particularly rife at that time with Senator McCarthy charging practically everyone of being a communist, and succeeded in spreading fear and conflict throughout the country. In Asia, China was showing signs of aggression against Taiwan which then led to the US pledge of aid to any Southeast Asian Treaty Organization member who has to fight off communist advances.In Latin America, communist influence was equally spreading. In 1959, on January 1st, Fidel Castro and his guerillas managed to overthrow Fulgencio Batista and the former Prime Minister and newly-elected President Dr. Andres Rivero Aguero (Telzrow, 2006). The United States was one of the first countries to acknowledge Castro’s ascendancy through an official note declaring â€Å"the sincere goodwill of the government of the United States towards the new government† (Welch, 1982, p. 29). Shortly thereafter, Philip Bonsal was appointed as the new US Ambassador to Havana.Bonsal was the former ambassador to Bolivia where the Spanish-speaking career diplomat was able to establish a good relationship with the leftist administration. Four months later, in April 1959, Fidel Castro visited the United States where then Vice President Richard Nixon got to meet him. Nixon unilaterally proclaimed him to be a communist. Castro’s subsequent reforms were radical enough to align Cuba with communist party and collide with the Eisenhower Administration. There was the suspension of free elections, socialization of private business and the confiscation of U. S. property.This was followed by the nationalization of businesses which produced staple products such as milk and milk and by-p roducts, sugar, beer, toiletries, textiles and even banks (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 161). Given these internal developments in Cuba, the U. S. Department of State had started to draw up an agreement with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that would effect the downfall of Castro by using the Cuban faction opposed to him to make it look like an internal act. The situation was more alarming and an insult inasmuch as communism was practically taking root next door.In December 1959, an outline of operations both in covert and propaganda form for the overthrow of Castro was drawn up by the CIA head of Western Hemisphere, J. C. King. A more comprehensive plan was drawn up by Jacob Esterline, former chief of the Guatemala station. On March 17, President Eisenhower approved a paper penned by the CIA entitled â€Å"A Program of Covert Action Against the Castro Regime† and the plan to bring down Castro was underway. People were put in place. David Atlee Phillips was made propagan da chief.He was to run Radio Swan, the station that would be broadcasting propaganda against the Castro government. E. Howard Hunt was made chief of political action with the main task of organizing and preparing the members of the government that will replace Castro’s once it is overthrown. (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 159). By July 1960, Russia and the U. S. were exchanging barbs. The Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khruschev had declared its support for Castro to which Eisenhower adamantly replied that communism will not be allowed by the U. S.to grow in the Western Hemisphere (Sierra, 2007, par. 7). On October 28, the United States recalled Ambassador Bonsal permanently back to Washington and followed later by officially breaking off all diplomatic relations with Cuba. Cuba soon began to receive arms from the Soviet Union (Telzrow, 21 August 2006, 37+). The incumbent administration’s interest was not only directed on Cuba in 1960. Internally, there was a more immediat e concern on hand. It was campaign period for the Presidential elections. Vice President Richard Nixon was running against the popular Senator John F.Kennedy. He realized the sensitivity of the issue about Castro and communist Cuba and rode to the hilt the American voters’ anti-Castro sentiment and their restlessness towards its resolution. Earlier in the campaign, he was already briefed by CIA Director Allan Dulles on intelligence matters as required by law and this briefing included the confidential information about the training of exiles from Cuba who will be mobilized for an assault on the island. Then, on the eve of a candidate's debate, Kennedy attacked Eisenhower's Cuba policy. He openly called for U. S.support for the exiled anti-Castro forces and further exclaimed that thus far, these exiles had not received any support from the government. Kennedy knew that Nixon will not be able to counter this attack without compromising the secrecy of the plan. Nixon could only criticize Kennedy for the irresponsibility of his statements (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, pp. 160-162). Meanwhile, the plan was steadily materializing. In May 1960, Radio Swan went on the air. Using a powerful transmitter, it broadcasted programs that were actually taped in Miami. The Cuban exiled forces were placed in Guatemala.The incumbent President and dictator of Guatemala, Gen. Miguel Ydigoras owed his position to the CIA for enforcing a covert operation in 1954 against then Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz. He thus allowed an airport to be built in his country. Nicaragua’s Anastacio Somoza also provided a training base in his country (LaFeber, 16 April 1966, 537+). The Cuban exiled forces were collectively called Brigade 2506. They were originally being trained off the coast of Florida. Eventually, the size of the brigade grew to about 1,500 soldiers. The Castro government was not turning a blind eye against all these things that were going on.Eventually, Castro had his chance and on September 26, 1960, he addressed the UN General Assembly where he charged the U. S. for setting up a broadcasting station in Swan Island which the U. S. lamely refuted by stating that it was a privately-owned station by a commercial broadcasting company. A month later, Cuba again went on the offensive again in the UN General Assembly this time with the Cuban Foreign Minister Raul Roa providing well-informed details on how the recruitment and training of these exiled forces were allegedly being conducted.In his address, however, he did not call them exiles but as mercenaries and counter-revolutionaries. He stated that they were recruited, paid and sustained by the CIA by providing for them and their families (Sierra, 2007, par. 19). Later, in 2000, during a historic meeting of the personalities involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion, these exiles were once again referred to as mercenaries at which point Fidel Castro corrected him, â€Å"They’re brigadistas† (Dinges, 23 April 2001, 6). It was Castro’s strategy to turn the tide of foreign opinion against the Americans and later we will see how this tactic by Castro proved to be effective.At the interim, a budget of USD13 million was approved by President Eisenhower. He also authorized the use of the Defense Department’s personnel and equipment but pointedly instructed that no American citizen must be used in combat. However, the CIA’s initial attempt at dropping weapons and supplies in Cuba failed miserably. The drop zone was missed and the ground agent was caught and shot (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, 161). On January 1961, President John F. Kennedy took office. After campaigning heavily against lack of action on Cuba, he essentially trapped himself. In LaFeber’s (1986), Kennedyâ€Å"despised Castro and saw himself going head-to-head with Nikita Kruschev over which superpower would control the Third World. He was also passionately committed to a romantic view o f counter-revolutionary operations and feared being labeled as less of an anti-Communist than Eisenhower, whose policies he had blasted only months earlier. So the attack went ahead on the night of April 17† (537+). Before the actual invasion happened, the plan changed several times due to several factors. Kennedy’s Department of State was afraid of the consequential impact on the US relations with Latin America (Lafeber, 1986, 537+).White House adviser Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. remarked that while Kennedy was adamant about not using US soldiers directly, but the CIA acted on the conviction that he will change his mind (Dinges, 2001, 6). Everyone was of the assumption that the Cuban people would all rise spontaneously to get rid of Castro (Lafeber, 1986, 537+). Meanwhile, despite all the efforts to avoid having the US stamp on the exiled forces by having the training camps and airfield in Nicaragua and Guatemala, it was soon evident that the operation did not remain a sec ret for very long.It was even already being discussed within cliques in the UN. On Jan. 11th 1961, the Joint Chief of Staff were consulted for the first time on. From the combined minds of the Department of Defense, the CIA and the JCS, Operation Bumpy Road was born. On Jan. 28th, newly-elected President John F. Kennedy was briefed. The concept of the plan as outlined in the memorandum prepared by two senior CIA officials in charge of the brigade, Jacob Esterline and Jack Hawkins. A small area was to be seized and defended at the initial stage.There will be no more offensive tactics to be done until the expected uprising of the majority of the Cuban people begins or an overt operation by the US forces is (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 164). The landing was already plotted to be in Trinidad, which was in the southern coast of Cuba. This is located near Escambray Mountains. His would be an ideal site for Operation Bumpy Road because of the alternatives that it can offer. The expeditiona ry forces already have the goodwill of the population of Trinidad as the majority is anti-Castro.In case the defense of the landing is compromised, they could turn to Plan B and flee into the mountains. There, a guerilla warfare can be fought. Thus, with this plan in mind, Brigade 2506 trained throughout 1960 under this plan. Richard Bissell, CIA Director of Plans, assessed the plans. He believed that there is a possibility of success such that they might survive and gain support for as long as they hold their ground. If the support from the Cuban people comes, then the US can make overt action plans on the pretense of backing the revolutionaries (Bight & Kornbluh, 1999, p.164). Originally scheduled for Mach 5, 1961, the operation was put on hold until April after examination of all possible alternatives. This was due to the intervention of the State Department for diplomatic and political reasons. The U. S. still believes that it can get away with â€Å"plausible deniability† and Operation Bumpy Road can no way disguise U. S. complicity. Hence, despite argument from Bissel that postponement and possible plan revision will create undue tension and resentment among the brigade members, the March date did not materialize.In fact a revolt by the exiles who were training in Guatemala did occur in late January 1961 with 500 resigning (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 164). Bissell concluded that this plan may be the only one where a covert operation is still possible in bringing down Fidel Castro. National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy was not in accord and instead recommended a trade embargo instead and allow internal rif to reach a boling point before launching the brigade. So, it was a Bumpy Road indeed as the rinidad Plan was rejected.President Kennedy set down his conditions in preparing a new plan. First, it must be a silent landing and it is to be done at night. The CIA then presented three alternatives. There was a revision of the Trinidad Plan, there w as to be a new target for landing which would be the northeast coast and the third alternative would be at the Bay of Pigs codenamed â€Å"Operation Zapata†. The President chose the Zapata Plan liked but with certain changes particularly that it must have the appearance of being more of a guerilla-type of operation.Thus, it was modified to a night landing (instead of a dawn landing) with air drops at first light. Kennedy questions the necessity of the air strikes. A compromise was agreed to limit the air strikes to two days before d-day simultaneous with a diversionary landing of 160 men in Eastern Cuba. These strikes will give the impression that the air strikes are those by Cuban pilots defecting from the Cuban air force and thus further giving lie that its an internal uprising. Bissell also reassures Kennedy that the Cubans on the island will join in an uprising.The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations, Senator William Fullbright did not believe that such tactics will fool anyone. However, a vote from the advisers favored moving ahead (Blight & Kornbluh 1999, 165). Seven days before d-day, Esterline and Hawkins sent notice that they want to quit, that â€Å"the project was out of control† but Bissell prevailed upon them to stay. Three days before the invasion, Kennedy made a statement in a press conference that the US Armed Forces One day before the invasion, the number of plane were reduced from 16 to six planes as ordered by Kennedy to keep it minimal.On April 16, the landing plan was approved by Kennedy. However, fearing international condemnation, Kennedy cancels the dawn air strikes until the beachhead airfield is in the hands of the landing force and completely operational and capable of supporting the raids. Bissell argued unsuccessfully that the landings will be seriously endangered without it. The air strikes were cancelled. Aboard the Blagar, CIA agent Grayston Lynch receives intelligence report that the Cuba air force will strik e, it moves close to shore and delivers gunfire support to the landing troops.The Brigade troops landed at 1’o clock in the morning. Later that morning, the Houston comes under air attack and is hit. Blight and Kornbluh (1999) gives a detailed account: â€Å"It goes aground with about 180 men on the west side of the Bay of Pigs – about five miles from the landing beach. At 9:30 AM, the freighter Rio Escondido is sunk by a direct rocket hit from a Sea Furya â€Å"with ten day's reserves of ammunition on board, as well as food, hospital equipment, and gasoline.All crew members are rescued and transferred to the Blagar. Fighting rages throughout the day, with the brigade freighters withdrawing 50 miles out to sea. That evening, President Kennedy discusses the deteriorating situation with his advisers† (p. 168). On April 18, the Brigade Commander refused a call for evacuation. While at the UN on the same day, Ambassador Adlai Stevenson continued to deny that the Un ited States had intervened militarily in Cuba.Bissell, in direct violation of Kennedy's instructions, authorized American pilots to fly combat missions when a number of the Cuban pilots at Pueto Cabezos refused to fly. On April 19, two planes flown by U. S. pilots were shot down and the pilots killed. The invasion force were captured. About 130 were killed and 1,189 were taken prisoners. Cuba's casualties were about 157. Mass trials were held and the prisoners were each given a sentence of 30 years. Negotiations got underway and after 20 months, most were released in exchange for money, food and medical supplies (Sierra, 2007).In the aftermath, Lymann Kirkpatrick, the CIA Inspector General, issued a report that pointed to Bissell and his aide Tracy Barnes as not having firm plans for the invasion and failed to advise Kennedy that a covert action is not at all possible. Bissell rebutted by issuing a memorandum of his own and putting the blame on Kennedy's withdrawal of the air strike s. On June 13, 1961, General Taylor, head of the Taylor Committee composed on Gen. Maxwell taylor, Atty. General Robert Kennedy, Adm. Arleigh Burke and Dir. Gen.Of CIA Allen Dulles to investigate why the operation failed submits their report to President Kennedy that the operation was ill-considered and it was never ever possible that Zapatacan be run as a covert operation. If a reorientation of the operation had not been possible, the project should have been abandoned. (Blight & Kornbluh, 1999, p. 169). Apart from the reports of Kirkpatrick of the CIA and the Taylor Committee, and after more documents relating to the Bay of Pigs invasion surfaced and were declassified, the following can be concluded:– the CIA made decisions on mere assumptions that the people would spontaneously assist in overthrowing Castro (Lafeber, 1986). – they failed to see that the exiles and the supporters were the loud minority while the majority were straddling the fence in a wait-and-see at titude inasmuch as Castro's government was still at its inception and already seemed to have been serious about its reforms in distributing the wealth concentrated on the few during the previous regime which was openly supported by the U.S. – the United States could have lost sympathy from the locals since from 1898, they have exerted great influence over Cuba's internal affairs seemingly to the point of meddling in order to favor American businesses and the invasion was undeniably a US-backed operation the US did not trust its own invading force, not even telling the Cuban exiles the actual day of the invasion. One agent admitted that, â€Å"I don't trust any goddamn Cuban.† (Lafeber, 1986) – aside from being trapped by his own campaign statements, the ongoing cold war forced Kennedy to take immediate if indecisive action in battling Cuba's Castro and ultimately the USSR's Nikita Khrushchev for the Western hemisphere – there were tactical errors such as mistaking for seaweed the Bay of Pigs coral reef which caused the craft to run aground and made the easy marks. – the US underestimated the Castro's security and defenses.In a historic meeting in 2001 between the antagonists and the protagonists in the invasion which was held in Cuba, it was divulged that â€Å"a vast security network had been established and about 20,000 suspected dissidents were rounded up† which effectively squelched US expectations of a mass rebellion. Moreover, the Cuban air forces' better planes were camouflaged and the ones that were destroyed by the pre-d-day strike were decoys. (Dinges, 2001, p. 6).– the CIA strategy is rooted on another assumption that no president, Kennedy included despite his statements against overt operations, will allow the United States to â€Å"go down in ignominous defeat† and will send in the Marines (as related by White House adviser Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. In Dinges, 2001). – there were no CIA broadcasts to announce the invasion (Telzrow, 2006). – from Jack Hawkins himself, Kennedy made the fatal error of placing â€Å"plausible deniability ahead of military viability (Hawkins 1996, p. 36+).It would seem highly improbable that the world's greatest superpower would be defeated by a revolutionary government barely over a year in power. However, that is exactly what Cuba did under Fidel Castro's leadership. On April 19, 1961 Cuba was able to repulse an invasion led by 1,400 commandos of Brigade 2506 who arrived at Playa Giron (Giron Beach) from Bahia de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs). Brigade 2506 was US-backed all the way. The planning and training was done by the CIA. They were armed and supplied by the US.It was not a failure of the men of the invasion force who fought valiantly and refused to be evacuated. Given the circumstances surrounding the invasion, it was a â€Å"perfect failure† as it has now been dubbed for the spectacular defeat of the US. Overall, this is mainly due to the arrogance displayed by America and has now been immortalized in the Bay of Pigs. Bibliography Blight, J. G. & Kornbluh, P. (Eds. ) (1999). Politics of illusion: The Bay of Pigs invasion re-examined. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Dinges, J. (2001, April 23). Back to the Bay of Pigs. The Nation, 272, 6. Hawkins, J. (1996, December 31). The Bay of Pigs operation was doomed by presidential indecisiveness and lack of commitment. National Review, 48, 36+. Ismael, F. L. (1965). The United States as a world leader. The Book of Knowledge, vol. 9, pp. 3206-3224. New York: Grolier Incorporated. LaFeber, W. (1986, April 19). Lest we forget the Bay of Pigs; the unlearned lessons. The Nation, 242, 537-539. Sierra, J. A. (2007).History of Cuba. Retrieved August 15, 2007, from http://www. historyofcuba. com/cuba/htm. Telzrow, M. E. (2006, August 21). Bay of Pigs betrayal: The betrayal of the Cuba people by the CIA, State Department and staff members of the New York Times ranks as one of the America's darkest foreign-policy moments. The New American, 22, 37-39. Welch. R. E. (1985). Response to revolution: The United States and the Cuban revolution, 1959-1961. Chappel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.

Hydrogen as alternative energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hydrogen as alternative energy - Essay Example Apart from the abundance in the universe, hydrogen gas is in much less quantity in our planet. The reason for this difference is the less density of earth and low weight of hydrogen that aids it in excavating itself away from the earth’s atmosphere. It exists on earth in the form of hydrocarbons and in the water ( 2/3rd ratio of the earth), making H2 the 3rd largest found an element on earth. Hydrogen sources are methane and some bacteria and algae.According to an approximation, each 9/10 atoms in this universe are hydrogen. Hydrogen was discovered by a British fellow, Henry Cavendish in 1766, where he also proved hydrogen to be an integral part of water. Hydrogen combines with nearly every element of the periodic table, existing in nature in the form of sugars, alcohols, acids, fuels, carbonates, phenols, etc. The necessary element for fuel cells is hydrogen. Due its abundance and combinations with nearly every compound, hydrogen can be extracted from any of such compounds an d has the ability to provide as a source of green energy. The reason lies in the manufacturing process of hydrogen and its chemistry that enables green service. Now the question is where we can find hydrogen to run the fuel cells?Fuel cells usually come up with reformers or the hydrogen generators. The ultimate and everlasting solution of the problems lies in solar powered fuel stations. Methane producers and natural gas production can store hydrogen after it is formed as a raw product during extractions.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Philosophy - Essay Example Many philosophers have come up with diverging ideas on the concept of life and society and one of the acclaimed ones is Mary Warnock. According to her, philosophy does not involve the resolution of societal problems. Rather than this, it is the questioning of the legitimacy of some of the societal notions known to man. I find this very inspiring from the fact that many people in society look at philosophers and expect them to resolve their problems in an effort to make the environment a friendlier place. People should shun this mindset, focus on the mental engagement of understanding other complex issues in society, and think whether the purpose displayed in them is genuine or whether there is a better manner to improve this. I further concur with the sentiments of another professional philosopher by the name Mikhail Bakunin. The philosopher argues that it is important to recognize the thoughts of others but not act as per they say. This is a very important concept as far as survival and relationships are concerned. Through this, I find it very efficient to relate with people listening to what they have to say and by no means being a judge of their character and ideologies. Rather than this, I find it imperative to recognize and acknowledge their sentiments while putting a personal boundary. Failure to do this would lead to actions that would eventually leave one confused due to mixed ideas. From the sentiments of Philip Kitcher, every society should have an internal urge or rather desire to seek and recognize the truth. However hurting the truth may appear, it is the only way that society can gain a better understanding of self. I concur with this idea by stating that despite the fact that there are flaws in the contemporary environment and people only look up to the upright characteristics, there is a possibility that they may also bear errors as they are reconstructed repeatedly by humanity. People are often afraid of following the law and trying to appeal t hese notions but the faster they gain reconstruction, the better-placed humanity is. This matter requires increased attention in an effort to get a society that does not only lean on the contemporary and future notions, but also relates to the already set ones and evaluates their competency. Another issue that affects the contemporary society and that I find personally interactive is that relating to gender. It is a widespread notion from ancient times that the female is generally weaker. In an effort to indulge in this issue deeply, Katha Pollitt, another acknowledged philosopher states that people go around the concept of gender without caring about the feelings or rather the sentiments of females. I personally relate to this and state that women are supposed to bear the right to communicate their sentiments on various issues in society and gain an audience. Katha states that many people engage in the evaluation of whether women are better, worse or equal to men. She states that t his is not the question for evaluation. I also find it important to recognize the achievements that women have made in the past and offer their acknowledgements. Adolf Hitler was one recognized dictator in the 20th century. He bore sentiments that are rather disturbing since he claimed that human beings should not receive any form of widespread knowledge but rather information supplied to them

Crash character analysis of Graham quote as relates to Los Angeles Movie Review

Crash character analysis of Graham quote as relates to Los Angeles landscape(life) - Movie Review Example Because of his indifferent attitude towards life and eccentric nature, other characters such as his partner Ria and Flanagan cannot figure him out at first. Graham is a poor communicator because throughout the movie he often fails to communicate or does not attempt to do so at all; he hides his feelings, particularly because he is reserved and instead opts to remain silent than to share with people through communication. Graham strikes as a submissive character because he does not care to change things or to respond to situations in his life, but rather accepts them resignedly; for instance, he accepts his brother’s death and his mother disowns him almost as if they were expected ("Crash"). Graham has a strong personal drive for success through hard work, and he goes out of his way to take care of his mother and brother, even though they seem to be dragging him back. Graham is a very misunderstood character because most of the times, he chooses to keep his thoughts to himself and this is particularly because of his leaned helplessness; his selfless nature comes out clearly, when he chooses to let his mother think his brother put the groceries in the fridge. Graham’s most notable quote has effectively captures the real LA landscape because it is a place that deprives individuals the sense of touch, particularly because in any real city, people you walk, brush past each other, and even bump into each other sometimes unlike in LA where nobody touches you. According to Graham, LA inhibits human contact because people are always behind metal and glass, and they miss that touch so much, that they crash into each other, just so they can feel something ("Crash"). Graham’s quote is a true depiction of LA landmark that strongly impedes human contact, and the lack of human contact leads to confusion and misunderstandings between individuals, thereby leading to wrong conclusions being made concerning other people. Graham, for instance, is very distant from the people around him and worse still, he does not attempt to communicate his genuine feelings towards them because he chooses to reserve his thoughts to himself. It is the desperate need to feel something that causes individuals to often crash into each other because by doing so, they discover things they hardly knew about each other; at the end of the movie, most characters emerge as better people because they learn new things about themselves after crashing into each other. In conclusion, it is clear that Graham is not only an odd character, but also a thoroughly misunderstood character, particularly because of his inability to communicate his true feelings towards the people around him, and his self-reserved nature. Lack of human contact in LA City, unlike in normal cities where people come into contact on the streets, creates a high desire for touch, which impels individuals to crash into each other so they can feel something. Work Cited ‘

Clothing adaptation vs. weather and body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Clothing adaptation vs. weather and body - Essay Example The company has to strategize on the cheapest mode in which the materials get transported from the supplier. The company should also seek to diversify its resource use to make the very best from the material inputs. Such diversification may fall under designing subsidiary industry where by-products may be of value (Lewis 23). Competition is healthy for a company in a business environment. Within the same industry, No Forecast faces the problem of competing with other major companies. To compete efficiently, No Forecast should give out sample products to the consumer. Sample products help in familiarizing the products with the consumers. There is also the importance of an aggressive advertisement. The advertisement should be affordable and should cover a wide geographical area. Channels of advertisement have to reach as many people as possible. For instance, the company may resolve to use the internet to sell its products. The product has to be of higher standard and consumer friendly. Customers should feel proud by identifying with the No Forecast apparel (Lewis 45). For the brand to be popular, No Forecast can venture with a famous company so as to identify with the product. Selling the product by venture increases its chances of reaching the market faster. It should also aim at participating in the corporate social responsibility. Company’s brand has to stand out from its competitor. No Forecast should focus in distributing the product in different market spheres, especially those having greater purchasing power (Lewis 53). For buying of the company by another company, it has to be attractive and profitable. The company’s profile has to align with its visions and objectives. It has to be the best place that investors are comfortable doing business. The company has to maintain competitive strategies in reaching its goals. Employees have to be at the forefront in making the company a better place. The management should focus on the

Apples Competitive Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apples Competitive Strategy - Case Study Example The competitive strategies that a company employs determine the success or failure of an enterprise. The company uses Porters’ generic strategies to wade through the competitive market. Apple uses three generic strategies to compete effectively. The strategies include a broad differentiation strategy, best cost provider, and a focus market strategy. Apple differentiates its products from others in terms of design, unique features such as having its unique operating system, and quality of products (Hamilton &Webster, 2012). In addition, the company offers unique online services for its device users. By so doing, the company products are differentiable from others in the market. The uniqueness of the products in both operational experience, durability and support services have a positive impact on the demand for Apple products worldwide, thus edging out close competitors. Apple is concerned about offering products that offer the greatest value for money. The best-cost provider strategy ensures that Apple customers pay higher prices for high-quality products and after-sales services. Apple specializes in the manufacture of high-quality products that are feature-rich, and coincide with customers’ expectations. The company manufactures gadgets that appeal to a specific market in both features and price. The premium pricing strategy assists the company is concentrating on a narrower market since the returns are higher in the high price narrow market than a large low-price market. Apple’s strategy aims at maximizing profits rather than having a wider market share. As noted above, Apple is more concerned with profits as opposed to a wider market share. The company specializes in a small focus market that is mainly comprised of high-income earners. The company endeavors to provide the market with the best products and services to lock them in to become loyal customers.  Ã‚  

Sex Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Sex Education - Essay Example er elements might need to be taught in future sexual education courses, Grace pointed to the fact that it could be potentially beneficial to integrate students with an understanding of Planned Parenthood or means by which many government and/or state sponsored programs seek to speak to the unique needs of the individual student. Ultimately, Grace described the sexual education course that she took part in as a useful and formative part of her early development (Scholz, 2013). Moreover, she indicated that with regards to speaking with parents concerning sexual topics, the interviewee noted that they had a very open and honest dialogue concerning such matters that began as early as late middle school and/or early high school. Conversely, the second individual who is interviewed, Priscilla Yua, noted that her sexual education class left much to be desired. Ultimately, with regards to the first question posed to the interviewee, the respondent noted that the sexual education course never seemed to deal with the realistic situations in which the student may very well face within their sexual growth and development; instead, it focused upon the grotesque, abnormal, and obscene. She noted that this was likely done as a means of horrifying the student from even considering any type of sexual intercourse for fear that they too might be irrevocably harmed. Similarly, with regards to what she most disliked about the program, Priscilla noted that it was the adolescent and juvenile behavior of the participants the most to the way from the experience (Yua, 2013). Likewise, with regards to what level of improvements could be offered, Priscilla indicated that transitioning sexual education to high school might necessarily benefit the individual due to the fact that they could take the... This paper approves that the fact that since individuals develop and mature at different rates, it is seemingly preposterous to assume that they should be taught extraordinarily personal and intimate details concerning human sexual development as a time in which they are ultimately upon different emotional and mental maturity platforms. By the way, sexual education is currently evidenced within the system that each and every stakeholder is satisfied with the level and extent to which key issues concerning sexual development have been covered and/or presented. Sexual education is begun within the elementary school and continues in the various means up until high school. This essay amkes a conclusion that it was the understanding of this interviewer that there was a clear level of correlation between those interviewees that had not discussed sexual topics with their parents/had not received formal sexual training, and those respondents that spoke unfavorably concerning the existence of sexual education or the net benefit they received while in public school. Although it cannot be inferred that the two this level of correlation there exists a definitive realization based upon us, it should be understood that is very likely that sexual attitudes, first evidenced within the family, transcend into the classroom and directly affect the overall level and extent to which be participant can hope to gain value such discussions.

Gibbs Reflective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gibbs Reflective - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that looking at the situation, the nurse thought it wise first to open a door. She assumed the driver might have forgotten to close their door and so begun with that door. The easiest way to get to the children was to open their doors next, and so she unlocked all doors and flung the back door open. The nurse was afraid of a misunderstanding between the parents or passers-by, she, however, could not limit her thought to the consequences and, therefore, swing both doors open. After the circulation of air was solved the next step was to look for the nearest authoritative agent. The nurse called a security guard, and it is at this point that she was able to seek help from a second party. They then both waited for the parent to return as they each took a child to their hands.Thid essay stresses that all caregivers are trained to handle all situations from a point of compassion and love. The nurse first took the situation from the children’s perspective. She thought that for an infant to try and understand, such heat and to look and find no help around was a painful situation. She, therefore, felt the need to address the situation in an immediate sense. There are quite a number of laws that govern how children are to be given care. It can   be mistaken as a kidnapper in such a situation. It was, therefore, her first instinct to relieve the children of the immediate threat and then the nurse would look seek help from a person in authority.

Managment and Digital Labour Networks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managment and Digital Labour Networks - Essay Example This report declares that many commentators and users of digital networks have applauded this explosion of non-cultural production as an evidence of a new era in cultural production and other related aspects as well as a much needed democratization in the field. This means that today, people are at liberty to expand their scope of thinking and research into ways that seem effective for them as far as collection of inputs and production of information and other kinds of output is concerned. Bruns has claimed that the internet age has been the new invention that has replaced the industrial age which has stood for a long time. This development means that information is the single resource that is needed to power different social, economic and environmental systems. As the discussion stresses some of the services that are offered among thousands include wed site development, creation and modification of software packages, reading as well as active participation and involvement mailing lists and establishment of virtual spaces respectively. Other developments in the same field include creation and participation in internet games as well as television programs, all these developments are said to interpenetrate each other within the context of emerging giant online economy. How does this online technology work and influence people? Usually, consumers who also happen to be developers of the content are invited to sell access to their personal lines in a way that is not directly related to the manner in which they sell their labour power.

The first act in Hobsons Choic Essay Example for Free

The first act in Hobsons Choic Essay Willies speech tells the reader that Will is now a successful businessman and that he is able to control his own business. The playwright shows us this change by making the character use more complex speeches. In the fourth act, Willies responses towards Hobson a much more lengthy than they were and they is not the same as his limited, one word answers in the first act. This shows the reader that he has become more confident to talk to people in a class higher than his own, and he has a larger vocabulary and he is much more fluent. He tells Hobson how he expects his business to go on into St.Annes square in the future. In act four, the reader also finds out how much Willie has changed from the way he talks to Hobson about the new name of the boot shop. Willie tells Hobson that the name of the shop shall be, William Mossop, late Hobson. Maggie does not agree and Hobson realises that Willie is trying to take over the whole business. At this point, Hobson says, Just wait a bit. I want to know if Im taking this in alright. Im to be given a half-share in my own business on condition I take no part in running it. Is that what you said? Willie replies, Thats it, as if to imply that Hobson is not to have any part in the business. This portrays Willies confidence in speaking to people like Hobson and shows the reader how much his attitude has changed. In act four, Willie is much more fluent with his words and his new vocabulary suggests that he has been educated well by Maggie. He talks about things in a more serious manner. He does not speak in a comical way, or use any phrases that would make him look dim-witted. Also, the way in which he controls his business in Oldfield Road suggests his education has improved dramatically. Maggies education and influence on Will have had a positive effect on him. Unlike the first act, he is now clear about his ambitions and his future. This is shown by his attitude towards his business and the way he handles Hobsons offer of partnership. At the end of act four, Maggie and Will show their love towards each other. In the first act Will Mossop is a reluctant player in Maggies game plan. By the end of act four, he loves her and can appreciate what she has done for him. The last phrase in act four, shows that Will Mossop still hasnt completely grown out of his comical attitude, by saying, Well, By gum! This ends the play. In contrast to the early scenes, I chose to show Willie Mossop as a confident, successful businessman. Firstly, I used a different costume and I wore a three-piece suit with a top hat under my arm. Secondly, when I spoke to Mr Hobson I was fluent and I looked him in the eye. In this act, I changed my timorous attitude to a confident attitude. I proved this by having my shoulders back and being in a closer space. I even deliberately placed Maggie behind me on stage, to show that I was now the person in charge.

Innovation in Food Technology

Innovation in Food Technology Nowadays the there various kind of issues that arroused in our country, Malaysia and most probably the issues strongly related to the food industry. For my essay, i will focus on the issue of innovation in food technology by the used of biotechnology. In order to produce healthy food formulation at the same time nutritious food, various  traditional food technologies have been advanced and new technologies developed efficeintly. Recently, there is an important aspect of innovation in food technology in order to translate nutrition information into a product. (Deliza, Rosenthal Silva, 2003). The issue of innovation in food technology very aspire me to develop more on it because I have found one article from the The Star online newspaper which regarding the improving on food quality. Accoding to that article the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus is developing new technologies aimed at ensuring the food that we grow is nutritious and safe for consumption. In fact, the Centre of Excellent for Post-Harvest Biotechnology (CEPB) led by Dr Asgar Ali who is expert in post-harvest biology and technology said that. the purpose of the centre is creating new technologies that could decreasing food looses, increasing overall quality and safety of the food. The major reason is to increase the profit to marketers and growers and the make availability of the quality and nutritious food to consumers. Biotechnology uses biological systems, living organisms, or components of organisms to make or modify products or processes for specific uses. For centuries farmers have improved crop plants by traditional breeding techniques, but since thousands of genes are mixed every time two plants are crossed, the outcome of the cross-breeding is random and difficult to control because unwanted characteristics are passed on to the new crop along with the desired ones. Therefore, this traditional cross-breeding can take place only between closely-related species. Modern crop breeders, however, can select a specific genetic trait from any plant, or even from an animal source, and transfer it into the genetic code of another plant through modern biotechnology. In addition, Some people feel that the effects of Genetically Modified (GM) crops on human health are not yet adequately understood. There are concerns about the use of viral DNA during the modification process, and some question whether there would be new health risks if genes introduced in a GM crop were to be taken up by the human body. The safety of GM crops is often assessed by comparison with the closest conventional counterpart. All in all, the main issue regarding biotechnology in food production is whether genetically modified technologies is safe to consume and it is still to be resolved even after the enactment of the Biosafety Act 2007 (Phuoc, 2012) This issue give the big impact on the social, economic and political factors. In a modern society, people desire both good health and endurance and hence demand nutritious and functional food that promotes their wellbeing, enjoyment, and active lifestyle. Today, there are widely used of biotechnology in food production and we as a consumer does not know whether the food that we consume is safe to consume or not. Basically, biotechnology can contribute to future food security if it benefits sustainable small-farm agriculture in developing countries. Significant deviation exists in everyones opinions about biotechnology. Although there is wide support in health benefits for plant biotechnology, but still have differ views on the issue of animal genetics for economic gains. While some are conflicting to it, many are unsolve about genetically modified foods. There are concerns that the application of GM crops might direct to a reduction in biodiversity (the variety of plants and animals in the wild), Mainly in areas where the crop is originated and a broad range of natural genetic diversification is found. There might also be unexpected consequences of gene transfer (or gene flow) between plants, for example an irretrievable or uncontrollable escape of genes into neighbouring wild plants by pollen. The concern arise regarding that pests or weeds could acquire resistance to crops (Anonymous 2, 2003). The other effect to the social is regarding the human health towards this issue. Allergenicity, many children in the United State and Europe have suffurred from life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a high possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new  allergen  or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. Therefore, a proposal to integrate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans was deserted in order to avoid unexpected allergic reactions. There is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health. A recent article published in Lancet examined the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract in rats.. There were significant differences in the intestines of rats fed GM potatoes and rats fed normal potatoes Yet critics say that this paper, like the monarch butterfly data, is flawed and does not hold up to scientific analysis. Moreover, the gene inserted into the potatoes known as snowdrop flower lectin and this substances can cause toxic to mammals. Biotechnology may offer a way out of this dependence on unsustainable agriculture by eventually producing crop plants that enable agriculture to sustain yields but minimize environmental impacts. But the perception in Europe is that some of the present generation of genetically modified (GM) crops, especially those developed for the US agricultural situation, which are herbicide- tolerant and insect-resistant, may present yet further risks to biodiversity in our present intensive agricultural system. Instead of influencing social, the biotechnology in food also will affect the economic as well by bringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process, and of course agri-biotech companies wish to ensure a profitable return on their investment. Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been patented, and patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness (Whitman, 2000) . Yet consumer advocates are worried that patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor. It is hoped that in a humanitarian gesture, more companies and non-profits will follow the lead of the Rockefeller Foundation and offer their products at reduced cost to impoverished nations. Patent enforcement may also be difficult, as the contention of the farmers that they involuntarily grew Monsanto-engineered strains when their crops were cross-pollinated shows. One way to combat possible patent infringement is to introduce a suicide gene into GM plants. These plants would be viable for only one growing season and would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate. Farmers would need to buy a fresh supply of seeds each year. However, this would be financially disastrous for farmers in third world countries who cannot afford to buy seed each year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the next growing season. In an open letter to the public, Monsanto has pledged to abandon all research using this suicide gene technology (Whitman, 2000). The last implication regarding political factors. To date, there is no evidence that any harm has come to anyone of the millions of people around the world in the last decade who have eaten foods derived from biotechnology. Regulatory authorities in the region closely monitor the safety of all foods including foods produced through biotechnology. The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization have established procedures to determine the safety of biotechnology products and these procedures are met or exceeded by regulatory systems around the world. Countries such as the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Korea, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and the European. Union have all used their regulatory process to determine the food safety of at least one product of biotechnology. Developments in food biotechnology have had numerous impacts on how food is produced, packaged, tested and preserved as whole it give big impact to the food industry. Many of the changes have meant undisputable improvements to our safety and health, while others are more controversial. For example, by using the biotechnology in food processing in where plastic wraps that  prevent food from spoiling  inhibit the growth of bacteria, and some are even edible. Natural antibiotic substances derived from sources such as cloves, oregano, thyme and paprika have been combined with controlled-release biodegradable polymers (smart polymers) to create plastics that can prevent biofilm formation resulting high quality of food products in the market. In the area of food manufacturing, the use of biotechnology falls into four main categories, namely: 1) foods consisting of or containing viable organisms; 2) foods obtained from or containing ingredients obtained from GMOs; 3) foods containing single ingredients or additives produced by genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs); and 4) foods containing ingredients processed by enzymes produced by GMMs (Hsieh and Ofori, 2007). The food industry plays a vital role in shaping consumers attitudes and appetite for new food items. This is particularly true for the products developed with biotechnology. Opponents have waged an aggressive campaign to pressure the industry into publicly rejecting biotechnology. In such cases, companies have been forced to take steps against their own beliefs and long- term interests (Thomas, 2000). Their main concerns involve lack of consumer acceptance not the safety of the foods. They express high levels of confidence in the science and the regulatory process. In fact, almost none feel that biotechnology should not be used because of uncertain, potential risks. Most food industry leaders do not feel it is necessary to have special labels on foods developed through biotechnology. They express concerns that such labels would be perceived as a warning by consumers. They also worried that the need to segregate commodities would pose financial and logistical burdens on everyone in the system including consumers. Food industry leaders recognize a major need to educate the public about biotechnology. They look to third parties, such as university and government scientists to provide such leadership. Many solutions that could be done to make sure that the isssue regarding biotechnology in food can be overcome. From my point of view, one of the best way is extensive testing of GM foods may be required to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies. Plus, labeling of GM foods and food products will acquire new importance. According to Whitman (2000) , Labeling of GM foods and food products is also a contentious issue. On the whole, agribusiness industries believe that labeling should be voluntary and influenced by the demands of the free market. If consumers show preference for labeled foods over nonlabeled foods, then industry will have the incentive to regulate itself or risk alienating the customer. Consumer interest groups, on the other hand, are demanding mandatory labeling. People have the right to know what they are eating, argue the interest groups, and historically industry has proven itself to be unreliable at self-compliance with existing safety regula tions. preventing outcrossing by engineering pollen incompatibility and other mechanisms into crops. This could significantly reduce the risk of spread of GM traits into native species. On the other hand, achieving insect resistance by altering physical characteristics of plants, perhaps by increasing hairiness or thickening the plant cuticle. This could reduce insecticide use, without using in-plant toxins. Securing fungal resistance in adult plants by switching on resistance genes that are active in the seed, but not currently in adult plants.This seems to be an elegant and safe use of biotechnology which could lead to significant reductions in fungicide use. Research shows that consumers will accept biotech foods if they see a benefit to themselves or society and if the price is right. Their responses to foods developed through biotechnology are basically the same as for any other food: taste, nutrition, price, safety and convenience are the major factors that influence our decisions about which foods to eat. How seeds and food ingredients are developed will only be relevant for a relatively small group of concerned, consumers. The food industry needs to focus on what it does best: namely producing and distributing value added foods that consumers want. Given that we have only one planet, more people to feed and fewer resources available what shall we do? A smart way would be to use the tools we have at our disposal to better adapt to future changes and invest in those innovative solutions. We have the technology. We have the infrastructure. The rules and regulations are already in place. Must we have a crisis before we act in Europe?

Method Of Calculating Shareholder Value Analysis Finance Essay

Method Of Calculating Shareholder Value Analysis Finance Essay This study illustrates the theory, model and method of calculating Shareholder Value Analysis using Alfred Rappaports SVA model. The literature review is the critical relevant work on capital structure. The literature review is focused bonds as a debt instrument. SHAREHOLDER VALUE ANALYSIS (SVA) AstraZeneca Plc. Alfred Rappaport in 1986 coined the term Shareholder Value Analysis. The concept of shareholder value analysis revolves around another concept called Value based management. The procedure for calculating Shareholder Value Analysis is to calculate the present value of the estimated cash flows with the cost of capital. As per Rappaport : Corporate Value = Shareholder value + Debt Shareholder value=Corporate Value- Debt To calculate the shareholder value, the corporate value needs to be calculated first. Corporate value of an entity can be calculated: Present value of cashflows during forecast period + present value of cashflows beyond forecast period To make the answers more precise and reliable, market value of marketable securities and other investments should be included The process of calculating SVA can be graphically depicted as in Figure 1 C17NF006 Figure : Faisal Ahhamad Seven value drivers of shareholder value as described by Rappaport are given below:- Sales growth: Sales is a percentage, based on the trends of previous years, by which sales are expected to increase every year . In the case of AstraZeneca, the sales growth calculated on the basis of the past 5 years from 2006-2010, comes out to be 7%. Thus sales are expected to grow by 7% during the planning horizon. Operating profit margin: Operating margin is the percentage of the selling price which denotes profit. Thus profit margin denotes the percentage of revenues left after deducting all essential costs and overheads. Profit margin for AstraZeneca based on the trend of previous 5 years is 31%. Thus 31% of sales represents profit of the company. Tax: Tax rate is the percentage of your profits which is deducted as tax. HM Revenue and customs shows the tax rate for the year 2011 to be 28%. Based on the average of past trend, I calculated the same figure, ie. 28%. Incremental working capital investment: Incremental working capital represents the increase in the working capital based on the change in the sales. It is represented as percentage of change in sales. For Astra Zeneca the rate of incremental working capital investment is 102% of sales. Incremental Capital Investment: Incremental Capital Investment represents the increase in the fixed assets of the company based on the increase in sales. The ICI is represented as a percentage of sales. For Astra Zeneca the ICI percentage was calculated based on the trend of previous five years. The value of ICI is 1.12 of sales. Required Rate of Return: Required Rate of Return calculated for AstraZeneca is 7.15%. It is the Weighted Average Cost of Capital for AstraZeneca. It is based on the AstraZenecas beta as per the London Business School Risk Management Service Book which was .57 and the current Risk free rate 4.25%. The current Market premium has been taken to be 6% from Glen Arnold. The Require rate of return was calculated using CAPM. Planning Horizon: Planning horizon for the calculation has been taken to be 6 years. The SVA calculated for AstraZeneca =  £37.902 Billion. The real market capitalisation on the day of calculation was  £40.643 Billion The market is overvalued as the SVA of the company is coming to  £37.902 Billion. Critique of the SVA model Shareholder value model like any other model has been criticized for various reasons. SVA is a relatively simple model yet precise in its approach. The major criticism for SVA is that it takes assumptions regarding the trends. For say it assumes that the sales would increase at a constant rate for all years in planning horizon. More over it neglects ICI and IWCI when the values are negative. Therefore the calculation of the SVA cannot be said to be entirely correct. Literature Review of Capital Structure Focussing on Bonds as a source of finance Capital structure in the simplest terms can be described as a combination of various sources of finance that an enterprise uses for acquiring capital. Firms can acquire capital in various forms such as equity and debt. As these can be used in various proportions thus several various combinations or capital structures can exist. Capital structure as an area of academic study gained attention with the work of Modigliani Miller (1958) which concluded that capital structure was irrelevant to the value of a company. This conclusion was constructed on some key assumptions such as a perfect market with perfect knowledge, no taxes and no costs of transaction and that individuals had the capability to borrow at the same rate as big corporations, thus it assumed a high level of uniformity(see Arnold, 2005: pp.958). In 1963 Modigliani and Miller reviewed the conclusion and altered the no-tax assumption, thus changing the conclusion altogether. The new MM theorem suggested that when taxes were taken into consideration, the shareholder value maximization objective would be served with the highest level of gearing. This theorem served as the starting point for most post- 1960 work on capital structure. MM theorem was followed by two more central theories of capital structure known as the Pecking order theory and static trade off theory of capital structure. The earliest version of the Static theory of capital structure is attributed to Kraus and Litzenberger(1973). It suggests that companies choose their gearing levels based on the balance between costs of bankruptcy and the tax benefits derived from such gearing. Thus this theory suggested an optimal level of gearing where transactional and bankruptcy costs would be traded off by tax benefits and no more. Pecking order theory, propounded by Myers and Majluf (1984), on the other hand suggests that companies have a tendency to choose internally generated funds before exercising any other options of financing, followed by external debt leaving equity to be their last resort. Research by Almeida and Campello (2010) suggests a negative relationship between existence of internal funds and tendency to use external funding from debt. The actual prevalence of any of these theories in the real world is still a matter of debate and being tested constantly (Frank and Goyal, 2005; Jong et al, 2011) While the debate about a suitable level of gearing continues, one fact that has gained acceptance that gearing can increase shareholder value and if appropriately used can be a worthy financial tool for companies. This has provided companies with more options to acquire the necessary capital. Debt as an option is now being used by more and more companies as a means of raising finance through public and private placements (Buckley et al, 1998). Companies can acquire debt through various kinds of publicly traded bond instruments or from institutional lenders through term loans and private placements (Berk and DeMarzo, 2011). With the increasing number of options to raise capital, the dilemma of the firm is no more between equity and debt alone but also between what form of debt to use. Issuing of public debt involves high costs, especially fixed costs. Such costs are called floatation costs and are a major factor considered when deciding to raise debt from public (Blackwell and Kidwell, 1998). Smaller firms therefore find the it beyond their resources to carry out such an expensive issue. Thus bigger firms have the size and resources to raise public debt(Krishnaswami et al, 1999; Dennis and Mihov, 2003). Lack of appropriate information is also another major factor considered by investors. Thus any firm information about which is not readily available or verifiable would be subject to suspicion by the investors (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). Taking into consideration the perceived risk when lending to such a firm, the investors would desire a higher rate of return, unless and until they have greater control of and better supervision of the activities of the business. As individual debt holders from the public cannot exercise such close control, they prefer to settle for higher returns. To avoid paying higher interests some companies prefer to borrow from institutional lenders as they have the capability to closely supervise the activities of the firm. Institutional lenders such as banks achieve this by imposing Restrictive Covenants (Diamond, 1984). Such restrictive covenants cannot be imposed by individual owners of public debt instruments. Several different researches have shown that smaller firms, when opting for external debt financing prefer to opt for loans rather than bonds while bigger firms tend to use bonds as the preferred debt instrument(e.g. Krishnaswami et al, 1999; Dennis and Mihov, 2003). Dennis and Mihov(2003) suggest that larger companies with a highly debt geared capital structure may use their leveraging as an indicator of credibility and reputation, thus using it to raise debt from public. This statement is countered by Chemmanur and Fulghieris earlier(1994) statement that high leveraging may be seen as a sign of financial distress and debt renegotiations may become a complication in case debt is raised through public sources. Rao and Edmunds (2001) with regard to restrictive covenants and floating interest rates, state that firms do their shareholders a Disservice by taking private placed debt which comes along with floating interest rates and restrictive covenants. The floating interest rates make the future cash-flows of the firm unstable and the restrictive covenants restrict the growth of the firm, and thus shareholder value, by tying the hands of the management and owners. Smith and Warner(1979) suggest that restrictive covenants involved in privately raised debt may not be worth cost as it the restrictions imposed may discourage management from entering into projects which could have been potentially profitable. Such restrictive covenants and floating rates are usually part and parcel of institutional loans and privately raised debt. Rao and Edmunds(2001) favour bonds which give the firms freedom to operate in favour of the shareholders and to expect stability in their cashflows due to stable intere st rates.Bonds are a preferable form of raising debt publicly as it allows the firm to retain greater flexibility in operations and may turn out to be cheaper than traditional bank or institutional loans. Absolute lack of restrictive covenants can also be abused by the bond issuer at times. Certain situations are discussed as below:- Myers (1977) suggests underinvestment is a major issue for levered high growth business as being highly levered, management in such businesses may let go of positive NPV projects assuming that the returns would not suffice for distribution between the bondholders and stockholders. Myers(1977) further suggests that this problem can be taken care of with dividend covenants which cap the maximum amount of dividend distributable by a company to ensure that free cash flows are not distributed to shareholders, rather they are invested in worthy projects. As levered firms might have a higher tendency to let go of positive NPV projects, putting debt restrictions or debt covenants would help ensure that the firm does not take on more than a certain extent of debt and thus there will be no conflict of interests. Nash et al(2003) describe another situation, where covenants can be of benefit for bond holders, in which the bond issuer can dilute the claim of the bond holders by issuing another taking on more debt and issuing another claim of a higher priority. Under such circumstances the bond holders would be bearing more risk but would still get the interest rate fixed before more debt was acquired by the bond issuer. Certain covenants, which restrict acquisition of more debt or restrict issuing of claims which hold priority over the previous bond holders, can help reduce chances of such claim dilution. Fama and Miller(1972) call such rules as me-first rules. Nash et al(2003) further describes certain situations where the restrictive covenants would turn out to be detrimental for the bond holders themselves. One major drawback of restrictive covenants is the reduction in the flexibility of the management and stockholders. Thus due to restrictive covenants the management and stock holders might decide not to invest in high return projects just to avoid any risk. Such circumstances would lead to sacrifice of growth and thus the firms survival may itself be at stake. Another situation describe by Nash et al(2003) is the scenario where the bond issuing firm may be facing financial distress. Due to lack of operational flexibility and financially restrictive covenants the firm would not be able to generate ample cash flow or arrange external funding and thus would face bankruptcy. Nash et al(2003) and others have suggested certain ways around to cope with the drawbacks of restrictive covenants and to use them constructively. The first such option is the convertibility option. The bond holders should have the option to convert bonds into shares. Mayers(1998) contended that it would allow a level of flexibility to the management of the firm while discouraging the management to transfer any value from the debt holders to the shareholders as such transferred value would be recaptured on conversion of bonds to shares. Next option is to secure the debt with assets. Securing the bonds with tangible assets would provide a sense of security to the bondholders as they would have knowledge of their claim to a specific asset in case of default. Debt priority is another option given by Nash et al(2003) and supported by Fama and Millers(1972) as per their Me first rules. This arrangement would ensure that there is an existing agreement among all claimholders that the bond holders have priority over other claimants and that during the tenure of the bonds no new claimants would be given priority over them. In the end it can be concluded that bonds have certain advantages over other forms of debt like institutional loans and private placements . Such advantages should be capitalised on when considering the option of increasing the debt gearing in the capital structure. That would ensure availability of cheaper finance, increased flexibility and increase in shareholder value.

Rethinking Leadership in the Learning Organization Essay -- essays pap

Rethinking Leadership in the Learning Organization A proclamation by a CEO that â€Å"we are going to become a learning organization† will likely be met with collective eye rolling and wonderings of, â€Å"What workshop did he attend last week?† Indeed, many employees are so accustomed to these management â€Å"initiatives-of-the-month† that seeing any results from such a managerial decree is extremely unlikely. Another of the main barriers to creating a learning organization, Senge says, is the difference between compliance and commitment. The employees are loath to accept change that starts at the top of the managerial hierarchy. A value is a value only if voluntarily chosen. We cannot force others to learn. Since it is really the individuals that comprise a learning organization, there is no substitute for a personal desire to learn. Decisions made by managers can also have the effect of paradoxically moving an organization backwards. Downsizing can lead to increased competitiveness, which is a hindrance to productivity. Competitiveness can also undermine collaborative efforts and thereby affect a company’s economic prosperity. Senge defines three leadership types that he says are essential to building a learning organization: 1. Local line leaders. These are leaders who undertake meaningful experiments to test whether new learning capabilities actually lead to improved business results. 2. Executive leaders. They provide support for line leaders,...

Presidential Campaign Financing :: essays research papers

Running Head: Presidential Campaign Financing Abstract President Bush won reelection against Sen. John Kerry in a presidential race that shattered previous fundraising and spending records to become the most expensive in U.S. History. Both candidates benefited from the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which went into affect just before the 2004 election cycle began and doubled the individual contribution limit from $1,000 to 2,000 dollars. Anyone trying to run for President of the United States must raise enormous amounts of money to keep there campaigns going. President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, for example, raised a total of nearly half a billion dollars in private contributions during the presidential primary season. More efforts are going to have to be made to keep the spending of non-party affiliated groups, such as the 527 groups, to a minimum. Presidential Campaign Financing and Spending: Election 2004 President George W. Bush took in a record $360 million for his 2004 re-election campaign, easily exceeding the $192 million he raised in his 2000 campaign. President bush spent $306 million of the money he raised which was also another record. John Kerry not only finished behind him in the election he also finished behind him in campaign funds, but still posted totals that far exceeded any other election period. Kerry raised more then $317 million and spent more then $240 million. Both partied during the campaign declined public matching funds, which would have not let them use all of the fund that they had raised, and would have limited there spending. Once they accept there partied nomination however they must accept the Public funding. For the 2004 election cycle the public matching funds they received were $74.6 million dollars. (Democracy 21.org, 2004;unknown author,2004)

Sun chief Essay -- essays research papers

Different cultures and religions have many different customs and rituals. In Islam it is common practice for women to be covered from head to toe. In Tibetan Buddhism it is common for devotees to practice asceticism. In Hopi culture and religious tradition food and sex play large and important roles, although in different situations the roles may be completely opposite. In Sun Chief particularly the chapter called â€Å"the Making of a Man† we can see that food is very important spiritually to the Hopi people. In the Wowochim ceremony each boy is given their manhood name over a â€Å"mother-corn ear† (159). In each of a dozen or more ceremonies we see that certain practices such as the sprinkling of corn (159, 160, 162, etc.), or the eating of unsalted foods as a form of fasting (158, 161, 165, etc.), is a major theme. This notion of giving foods back to the Gods, likely stems from the location of the Hopi nation in the desert region of the American southwest. Because food is scarce here, the Hopi people look upon it as the chief gift of the Gods, and therefore the offering of food back to the Gods makes sense. It also makes sense that in certain times of exceptional spiritual devotion, the giving up of food would be necessary to show an intense piety and strength. On the other hand, food is also seen by the Hopi as an important part of celebration. In order to prepare for the Wowochim ceremony the boys hunt and kill as many rabbits as they can get. These are then taken by their mo...

Individual Change Initiative- Dell Computers Essay

Dell incorporation was established in 1984 and is headquartered in Rock, Texas. A multinational technology corporation develops, manufactures, develops, sells and supports personal computers as well as those products that are related to computers. For many years since its establishment, Dell has been the largest seller of servers and personal computers. In 2008, it was the listed as the second largest seller of computers behind an upcoming company, the HP. It uses the direct business model where it develops, designs, manufactures, markets, sells and supports IT systems and services designed to fulfill the specific requirements of its customers (CNN, 2009). The company has an objective of entering the market fast with relevant and new technology that can assist in meeting the needs of its clients, providing services and reducing the inventory and capital investment costs. The strengths of the direct model enable Dell to perform strongly and deliver profitability in its business. Some of the products that are offered by the company include desk computer systems, software, peripherals, mobility products, network products, servers and storage products (CNN, 2009). Competitiveness and Rivalry Dell was the 2005 number one supplier of personal computers both in the United States and globally. This leadership in market is attributed to its focus on selling the services and products directly to the customers (CNN 2009). The prices of personal computers have fallen and Dell has faced stiff competition from other companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Sun Microsystems, Lenovo, Gateway, Sony, Toshiba, Acer and Asus. This has prompted the company to do all it can to undercut competition and to offer to its customers more attractive choice of PCs as well as other products (Bergstein 2006). It is clear that in the current economic world, businesses that deal with similar products are engaged in competition and rivalry as they try to outdo each other and make as much sales and thus profits. This calls for the businesses to restructure their internal operations so that they can forge ahead of their competitors (Hitt, 2007). This is taking place in the business environment that Dell Inc. operates as it faces stiff competition from its rivals in the computer hardware manufacturing industry (Hitt, 2007). Such kind of competition would call for the management of Dell to come up with a process of managing change that is continuous in order to have a business advantage over its rivals continuously. There are three strategies that can be used by any business organization to formulate strategies: focus, cost minimization and differences (Hitt, 2007). Vision: Being the Leading Seller of PCs and related products However since these strategies can be easily copied by the rival companies, a clear vision should be established that will guide the company in its operations. Dell should therefore come up with the vision of being the world’s largest seller of personal computers and computer related products. This vision should not only be presented in writing but should be the basis of any plan or operation that is undertaken in the company (Kotelnikov, 2009). The management and the employees must be made to understand that Dell Inc. is facing stiff competition from other companies and thus should perform every task with the aim of making the company have an advantageous edge over the other similar companies. Change may not take place unless the majority of the employees are ready to make sacrifices (short term) and they should be made to understand the benefits of that change (Kotter, 1996). Major challenges to the vision must first be identified as this would enable the company to study and eradicate them if the vision is to been achieved. One major setback has been the fact that in most cases, products by Dell are only accessible by phone or through the internet. Though this may go well with the company especially in cost cutting, it may be an obstacle for larger sales. This is because the world is in the generation of instant things and â€Å"fast foods† and thus customers may be hindered from engaging in businesses where they have to wait for a longer period before they can obtain the products that they require. Mossberg (2008) gives an example of a combination of ink-jet printer/scanner/copier called DellA940 that is very superior when compared to H-P’s 2110 in speed, services and costs, but the setback with its purchase is that the ink cartilages that it uses can only be obtained by phone or internet. Making the Dell Inc the largest seller of personal computers would also require the Dell Company to set up goals and strategies in line with the vision of making the company the leading seller of computers as well as related products. One of such goals would be to make its products the most efficient and admirable by all the customers keeping in mind the ever-changing technology and innovations. Some of the products that Dell manufactures include laptops that are in different types, such as Vostro, Latitude, Dell Precision, Specialty laptops, inspiron and studio (Del Inc. 2009). Other products include the desktops, workstations, servers, storage and networking devices, printers, monitors and projectors. However, companies such as HP also manufacture and sell personal computers, printers and servers and this has become a major business threat to Dell. For example in 2006 Dell was using the Intel chips as compared to HP’s use of AMD chips (regarded as more superior) which was seen as a disadvantage (Cantrell, 2006). Also the company can become a leading company in computer hardware manufacturing business by focusing on achieving different mix of products which may include those that are none related with personal computer such as the storage products, servers and services. This would make it not to rely so much on personal computer business, which accounts for sixty-six percent of the company’s sales. Experts believe that HP has an advantage over Dell especially with large corporate customers because it has a diversified mix of businesses (Cantrell, 2006). The other strategy that should be considered by Dell Inc should be to improve the customers’ relations. Customer relation is important because it has been proven that keeping the already existing customers is easier than getting the new ones and because those customers that are satisfied will do the advertising for the company’s products. All the Dell employees should be trained on how to improve customer relations by ways such as appreciating the customers orally, in writing or through the websites. Any complains that is raised by any of the customers should be solved immediately and in a friendly way. This can be done by replacing or repairing any product that is reported to have been faulty or even by refunding them their money or adding them a gift (Alibaba, 2009). The customers should also be given clear guidelines on how to make orders easily for any products with full information on how to do it. When customers have made any purchase, a questionnaire should be sent to them to show that the company is concerned about their satisfaction. Finally, the customers should be given as many options for contact as possible and when they send any enquiry or order it should be attended to immediately (Alibaba, 2009). For the employees of Del Incorporation to feel part of the vision, they should not only be made a part of it verbally, but should also be motivated so that they can work very hard towards it. This should be done during the signing of the contract where the employees should be given the opportunity to choose the kind of the training contract that they want to sign. â€Å"Fully self directed† contract should be encouraged as the worker will fill in the topic of training, the process of training and the mode of assessment. The document will then be ratified by the supervisor or by the HR manager. This would be very important, as employee’s resistance has been a major obstacle to the fulfillment of any company’s vision (Hitt, 2007). The workers can be motivated in different ways such as being offered morale boosters such as being offered a free ice cream at the end of every week, picnic or a movie. This makes employees to feel part of the company thus will do everything to support the vision of making Dell the leading seller of PCs and related products. Their views though may not be implemented should also be received by the management. Any time they perform a task in line with the company vision, they should be rewarded, for example with a day off or with a cash prize, a day off or a certificate of appreciation (Microsoft, 2009) For this vision to come true, every part of Dell workforce should be involved. The management of the company should be responsible in articulating the vision to the workers and motivating them. They should direct the employees in line with the strategies that they have come up with as well as supervise them in implementing them. The human resource manager is also very instrumental in ensuring that there is a communications structure encouraging the employers to work towards the vision. All employees raging from the support staff, engineers, marketers, public relations officers, web designers, managers and even accountants should be involved in the vision designing as well as its achievement. The marketers and the public relations officers will play very important roles as they are the ones who will be in direct contact with the customers and will portray the picture of the company either positively or negatively. The engineers and the researchers will be very useful as they will be involved in the process of manufacturing personal computers and other computer related products that would compete with similar products of the other rival companies. If the all stakeholders in the company join their hands and work towards the vision, then Dell Inc. will become the leader in selling PCs and related products in the entire globe. References Alibaba. 43 Phenomenal ways to improve your customer relations. Retrieved March 24,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2009, from http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/51248/43_Phenomenal_Ways_to_Improve_Your_Customer_Relations.htm   Bergstein, B. (July, 19 2006). PC market called â€Å"healthy† despite weak demand in Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved 24 March 2009, from http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/19/pc_market_called_healthy_despite_weak_demand_in_europe/ Cantrell, A. (Feb. 10 2006). All’s not well with Dell. CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2009,   Ã‚  Ã‚   from http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/10/markets/spotlight/spotlight_dell/index.htm CNN. (2009). Dell inc- company information. Retrieved March 24, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://money.cnn.com/quote/snapshot/snapshot.html?symb=DELL Hitt, M.A.et al (2007).   Strategic management concepts. Wiley. Retrieved March 24, 2009,      Ã‚  Ã‚  from   mclennan.mbs.edu/classroom/bibliographies/Strategic_management_of