Midterm Essay Question Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Midterm Question - Essay Example There was competition in leadership between Austria and Prussia before the Napoleon’s domination in which Prussia won as it was better organized and progressive even though Austria had a larger territory to dominate. Otto von Bismarck is known to have led Prussia in Germany’s unification. He managed to bring reforms in Germany enabling to take Austria by them joining and also making the Prussia military be well trained to the coming wars. There was the France and Germany war known as Franco-Prussian war to which the Prussians side won. This showed how Otto von Bismarck had trained them well by giving them the equipment and led to the border emergence between Germany and France. Unification exposed Cultural, political religious ‘social and political in the new nation (Pohlsander 52). The westward shift from the French contributed to the German unification as the states joined to form one government. This would not have been achieved if France could succeed in the division of Baden and Bavaria states whose government ship were not strong .This could have led to stopped the forces of these states unification. The unification of the states led to political borders as they had won the war from France and proved to have a strong military force. Through this they saw the need of nationalism as majority of the population in the Reichsland period spoke German dialects to which German justified its annexation on nationalistic grounds. The Germany’s military strategy was to control Alsace region to the mountain range, the Thionville and Metz in order for the protection of Germany. The military had also planned to control the Thionville and Metz during the war. By developing the strategies it guided them through the Franco-Prussia war in 1871.This also contributed to the defeat over France. According to Pohlsander (27), the military had interest in some states like the Alsace-Lorrain which had iron-ore and

The Catholic Church Essay Example for Free

The Catholic Church Essay The Iroquois Confederacy, an association of six linguistically related tribes in the northeastern woodlands, was a sophisticated society of some 5,500 people when the first white explorers encountered it at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The 1990 Census counted 49,038 Iroquois living in the United States, making them the countrys eighth most populous Native American group. Although Iroquoian tribes own seven reservations in New York state and one in Wisconsin, the majority of the people live off the reservations. An additional 5,000 Iroquois reside in Canada, where there are two Iroquoian reservations. The people are not averse to adopting new technology when it is beneficial, but they want to maintain their own traditional identity. INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS Although disputed by some, there is significant evidence that the Iroquois Confederacy served as a model or inspiration for the U. S. Constitution. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine were well acquainted with the League. John Rutledge, chairman of the committee that wrote the first draft of the Constitution, began the process by quoting some passages from the Haudenosaunee Great Law. The Iroquois form of government was based on democracy and personal freedom, and included elements equivalent to the modern political tools of initiative, referendum, and recall. In 1987 Senator Daniel Inouye sponsored a resolution that would commemorate the Iroquois contributions to the formation of the federal government. Many Iroquois people have made notable contributions to society and culture that transcend political boundaries. A dramatic example is Oren Lyons (1930– ), an Onondaga chief who has led political delegations to numerous countries in support of the rights of indigenous people. Twice named an All-American lacrosse goal-keeper, he led his 1957 team at Syracuse University to an undefeated season and was eventually enrolled in the sports Hall of Fame. He was a successful amateur boxer in both the U. S. Army and in the Golden Gloves competition. He worked as a commercial artist for several years before returning to the reservation to assume his position as faithkeeper. An author and illustrator, he has served as Chairman of American Studies at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and as publisher of Daybreak, a national quarterly newspaper of Native American views. In 1992 he became the first indigenous leader to have addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Arden, Harvey. The Fire That Never Dies, National Geographic, September 1987. Axtell, James. The European and the Indian: Essays in the Ethnohistory of Colonial North America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981. A Basic Call to Consciousness. Rooseveltown, NY: Akwesasne Notes, 1978. Bruchac, Joseph. New Voices from the Longhouse: An Anthology of Contemporary Iroquois Writing. Greenfield Center, NY: Greenfield Review Press, 1989. Fenton, Willam N. The Great Law and the Long-house: A Political History of the Iroquois Confederacy. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. Graymont, Barbara. The Iroquois. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991. Indian Roots of American Democracy, Northeast Indian Quarterly, edited by Jose Barreiro. Winter/Spring, 1987/1988. An Iroquois Source Book, Volumes 1 and 2, edited by Elisabeth Tooker. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. , 1985. Iroquois Women: An Anthology, edited by W. G. Spittal. Ohsweken, Ontario: Iroqrafts Ltd, 1990. Johnson, Elias. Legends, Traditions and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians. New York: AMS Press, 1978 (reprint of 1881 edition). Josephy, Alvin M. , Jr. Now That the Buffalos Gone: A Study of Todays American Indians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1982. Snow, Dean R. The Iroquois. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1996. Tooker, Elisabeth. Lewis H. Morgan on Iroquois Material Culture. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1994. http://www. ipoaa. com/iroquois_constitution_united_states. htm The Effect of the Iroquois Constitution on the United States Constitution originally titled The United States Constitution: Is it a Native American Myth? by Janet L. Daly Fitchburg State College (1997) The United States Constitution was influenced by the concepts and the principles contained in the Iroquois Indian Confederacy form of governance which was founded in Native American mythology. Several different areas must be discussed in order to substantiate this premise that the Native Americans that arrived on the North American continent around 12,000 years ago did indeed influence the very basis of the United States governmental system which is written in the form of the United States Constitution. One of the first concepts which must be explored is the tradition of the Iroquois League, since the basis of the thesis is that the League tradition preceded and influenced the thinking of the Founding Fathers. The next topics must include a discussion of opinions and supporting details that the Iroquoian Confederacy method of governance did influence the development of the U. S. Constitution and specifically how key contributors to the writing of the Constitution, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, were brought into the Native American sphere of thinking. Finally, a comparison of the League Tradition and several areas of the U. S. Constitution will show clearly that the Native American Myth lives on even though the Native American population has been drastically diminished by the very Country which it helped to found. The Iroquois League tradition was first written down in an Iroquois language format in 1912 by anthropologist Alexander A. Goldenweiser. 1 This handwritten transcript as dictated by Chief John Arthur Gibson has been recently (1992) newly elicited, edited and translated by Hanni Woodbury in collaboration with Reg Henry and Harry Webster with the resultant fluently reading legend of the foundation of the League of the Iroquois. Chief John Gibson, born in 1849 was unquestionably the greatest mind of his generation among the Six Nations [who] became the greatest living source on Iroquois culture at the turn of the century. 2 Chief Gibson was appointed a member of a committee of chiefs that undertook the task of codifying the League Tradition because of the high regard by his own people for his knowledge of the League traditions and the various rituals connected with them. 3 What follows is a condensed version of the League Tradition as put forth in the work translated by Hanni Woodbury which will provide a general overview of the mythology which lead to the Tradition and the components of the Tradition which allowed a working unification system for the Iroquois Confederacy. This Confederacy contained the original Five Nations of the Confederacy which included the Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida and Cayuga and in 1715 increased to Six Nations with the inclusion of the Tuscaroras. Feuding and warfare were endemic in the land of the Mohawks which was located on the northern shore of Lake Ontario. A mother Kahetoktha (End of the Field) takes her daughter Kahetehsuk (She Walks Ahead) to live in a remote area of bush in order to protect her child. After living there a considerable amount of time the daughter becomes pregnant and the Mother accuses her daughter of wrongdoing. The Mother then has a dream from the messenger of the Great Spirit which reveals her daughter and not been with a man and will have a divine birth and the boy child to be born will be called Tekanawita and his life will be devoted to promoting peace among men. After the dream message is received the Mother and daughter reconcile and the son is born as prophesied. The boy grows quickly and when he is a young man Tekanawita returns to his mothers and grandmothers former settlement to announce to their people the Good Message (kaihwiyoh), the Power (katshatstehsae) and the Peace (shenu) which are the three concepts that together spell out the call to unify the separate nations of the Iriquois. 4 Tekanawita visits the then separate nations and convinces them through demonstrating some miraculous feats. One such trial proposed by the Mohawk Nation was forTekanawita to sit atop a tree next to the river. The tree would then be cut down and Tekanawita would be thrown into the cold raging waters. If he emerged the next day alive this would be proof that he was the true messenger of the Great Spirit and the Good Message, the Power and the Peace would be accepted. When he successfully emerges the next day from the waters the Mohawk tribe is convinced. The five nations are receptive to the message and Tekanawita proceeds to frame the central concepts of the Great Law and organizes the Confederacy Council on the basis of principles which underlie Iroquois social structure. He divides the five nations into moieties related to one another as fathers (Mohawk, Onondaga and Seneca) and sons (Oneida and Cayuga). 5 The decision making process which was to be followed involved the Mohawk Nation considering the issue and after a consensus is reached within the Nation, V the question was to be passed to their moiety brother, the Seneca who reach a consensus. There is to be an attempt to consolidate their decision with that of the Mohawk. If two groups agree they are to appoint a speaker for the moiety who movesacross the fireto bring the opinion and the question to the Oneida. The Oneida are to pass the question on to the Cayuga and if the two groups reach consensus the issue is to be passed back across the fire to the Mohawk who present the outcome to the firekeepers, the Onondagas. The Onondagas then consider the issue and if they agree with the consensus reached by the other four nations, they ratify the opinion. 6 However, if there are divergent opinions from the Mohawk and Seneca, both opinions are to be handed across the fire to the Oneida and Cayuga to be considered equally. If the Oneida and Cayuga are split in opinion then both opinions must be handed on to the firekeepers. The Firekeepers can break the tie by choosing one opinion over the other. If the Oneida and Cayuga agree wit just one of the opinions handed to them by the Mohawk and Seneca, they return this opinion to the latter, and the speaker for the Mohawk and Seneca will present the opinions to the firekeepers, with an explanation of the outcome. The Onondaga consider the issue together with the results arrived at among the other nations, and the final decision will be announced. 7 After establishing the vital decision making process to be followed Tekanawita establishes the symbolism of the central hearth, that is the Confederacy fire, whose smoke will rise, the beautiful smoke, piercing the sky. 8 At the central fire he planted a tree a great white pine that put forth white roots East, West, North and South. Each nation would contribute one arrow to form a single strong bundle bound together with the sinew of a deer and as joined were to represent the Confederacy solidarity. Tekanawita addressed the Nations with the message that all Nations exercise equal authority in the Confederacy and that as individuals the Chiefs the tall trunks of the Confederacy are all equal in status. He then warned that if the arrows of the Nations are withdrawn from the bundle that represent the power of their solidarity, the bundle of arrows will weaken. 9 After describing the basic workings of the Confederacy, Tekanawita called a lengthy recess, and members of the council returned to their settlements to inform the people of the Confederacy of the formation and to determine the existing organization of lineages and clans in their respective nations, and to select in terms of their lineage affiliations more candidates for the positions on the council. Fifty titles are eventually assigned by clan and were assigned as follows- Mohawk 9, Seneca 8, Oneida 9, Cayuga -10, and Onondaga 14. The women of the clan or clan mothers were designated to be the holders of the clan titles and had control in large measure in the choice of successors. 10 The chiefs appointed were expected to maintain certain standards or there was to be a recall process that would be followed. At times of stress in the Confederacy, the hereditary Chiefs were to be allowed to appoint a Pine Tree Chief who would have special skills or qualities that could be of help to the hereditary chiefs in their difficult tasks. Pine Tree Chiefs were to be appointed for life and their titles were not to be passed on after their death. 11 The final major process that Tekanawita was to call for was the orderly replacement of the Chiefs upon their dismissal or more likely their death. This process was to allow an orderly transition of power within the Confederacy. This process consisted of the Clan Matron selecting a candidate and the women of the clan approving the selection followed by the chiefs who represent the tribal moiety, then the Chiefs of the Nation, then the Chiefs from her side of the Confederacy fire. At the Condolence Council the candidate was to be stood up for approval by the chiefs of the opposite moiety. The candidate is to be raised up by being crowned with the antlers of office representing his status as a Chief. 12 This was then the basic outline of the principles and philosophy of the Confederacy of the Iroquois. They agreed to stop fighting amongst themselves and to accept the Good Message that called upon them to find a peaceful way to resolve issues among the tribes. They were directed by the messenger of the Great Spirit to uphold certain standards of leadership and to fill vacancies in a peaceful manner. They were to stand together so that they may be stronger than one individual tribe. There is a plethora of opinion which concurs with the thesis that the Iroquois Confederacy had a strong influence on the final document which was to be the law of the land for the United States from its inception to present day. Some of these sources not only attribute the Iroquois Confederacy with significantly affecting the form of the Government of the United States but also with instilling the American independence mentality which would give rise to the impetus to make the initial break from the British. As the Indians were standing along the shore watching the Puritans arrive, the Indians carried with them a tradition of meeting and democracy, of free speech, of free thinking, of tolerance for each others differences of religion, of all those things which got attached to the Bill of Rights. 13 White leaders watched the method of government that the Iroquois utilized and they learned union and democracy from it. Historians are now beginning to admit what they must have been aware of, that the government of the United States is not patterned after something across the ocean where there was a belief in the divine right of kings and where the people had no voice, but it is patterned after the government of the People of the Long House, where all people, including both men and women were respected and took a part in their government. 14 The interaction between the colonial Americans and the Iroquois Confederacy began immediately upon the arrival of the Europeans. The importance of conciliating the powerful Confederacy was fully appreciated by the colonial authorities and great pains were taken to secure and retain the favor of the confederacy. Each successive governor announced his arrival to the Sachems of the League, and invited them to meet him in council, at an early day, to renew the covenant chain or agreement to work together peacefully. 15 Beginning in the early 1740s, Iroquois leaders strongly urged the colonists to form a federation similar to their own with the immediate benefit to their interests of having a unified management of Indian trade with resultant minimization of fraud, and a unity of the two peoples in the face of the cold war which was occurring between the English and the French. 16 This urging became a more forceful admonition when the Iroquois Chief Canssatego spoke to Pennsylvania officials gathered at Lancaster in 1744 with the following words: Our wise forefathers established Union and Amity between the Five Nations. This has made us formidable; this has given us great Weight and Authority with our neighboring Nations. We are a powerful Confederacy; and by your observing the same methods, our wise forefathers have taken, you will acquire such Strength and power. Therefore whatever befalls you, never fall our with one another. 17 A crucial step forward towards colonial American unification necessary for the eventual independence movement took place in Albany, New York in 1754. The Albany Plan was a landmark on the rough road that was to lead through the first Continental Congress and the Articles of Confederation and then to the Constitution of 1787. 18 On the eve of the Albany Congress, Franklin had a great deal of exposure to the imagery and political ideas of the Iroquois from first hand experience and from his study of Cadwallader Coldens History of the Five Nations. 19 Franklin met with both Colonial and Iroquois delegates to create a plan of unity that was in part derived from some of the tenets of the Great Law of the Iroquois. 20 During the discussions at Albany Franklin addressed the assemblage in words that freely acknowledged the Iroquois Confederacy as a model to build upon: It would be a strange thing if Six Nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming such a union and be able to execute it in such a manner that it has subsisted ages and appears indissoluble, and yet that a like union should be impractical for ten or a dozen English colonies, to whom it is more necessary and must be more advantageous, and who cannot be supposed to want an equal understanding of their interest. 21 When Franklin proposed his plan of union before the Congress it had a Grand Council, a Speaker, and called for a general government under which each colony may retain its present constitution all nomenclature and concept derived from the Confederacy. 22 Franklins writings indicate that as he became more deeply involved with the Iroquois and other Indian peoples, he picked up ideas from them concerning not only federalism, but concepts of natural rights, the nature of society and mans place in it, the role of property in society, and other intellectual constructs that would eventually be called into service by Franklin as he and the other American revolutionaries shaped an 23 official ideology for the soon to be founded United States of America. 23 As the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain became more and more strained rebellion became a more realistic and viable alternative. In the eyes of the rebellious American Colonists, the Iroquois symbolized autonomy and a new American identity. 24 The intervening years between the Albany Plan of Union, the Articles of Confederation and the final Declaration of Independence included events such as the protest of the Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, formation of the Sons of Liberty. Each of these events drew upon the symbolism and philosophy of the Iroquois. The Sons of Liberty during the Stamp Act Crisis sent wampum belts to the Iroquois asking them to intercept the British moving down the Hudson. 25 The Boston Tea Party was carried out by Colonists dressed as Indians and the formation of the Sons of Liberty involved putting up a pine post called the Tree of Liberty, a direct transference of symbolism from the Iroquois symbol of Liberty. 26 On June 11, 1776, while the question of independence was being debated, twenty-one visiting Iroquois chiefs were actually lodged on the second floor of the Pennsylvania State House and were formally invited into the meeting hall of the Continental Congress. 27 During speeches delivered to the delegation of Native Americans they were addressed as Brothers and told of the delegates wish that the friendship between them would continue as long as the sun shall. shine and the water run. 28 The speech expressed hope that new Americans and Iroquois would act as one people, and have but one heart. 29 In a speech on July 26, 1776, James Wilson, delegate from Pennsylvania and future author of the first draft of the U. S. Constitution, argued forcefully for a confederation similar to the Iroquois League and asserted that Indians know the striking benefits of confederation and we have an example of it in the Union of the Six Nations. 30 In essence, Wilson, a friend of Franklin, believed that a strong confederacy like the Iroquois Confederacy was crucial to the development of a new nation and to maintaining a friendly relationship with the Indian populations. 31 Thomas Jefferson has also documented his appraisal of the attributes of the Native American concepts of morality and governance. In his writings Jefferson states: Their only controls are their manners, and that moral sense of right and wrong, which, like the sense of tasting and feeling in every man, makes a part of his nature. An offense against these is punished by contempt, by exclusion from society, or, where the case is serious, as that of murder, by the individuals whom it concerns. Imperfect as this species of coercion may seem, crimes are very rare among them; insomuch that were it made a question, whether no law, as among the savage American, or too much law, as among the civilized Europeans, submits man to the greatest evil, one who has seen both conditions of existence would pronounce it to be the last; and that the sheep are happier of themselves, than under care of the wolves. It will be said, the great societies cannot exist without government. The savages, therefore, break them into small ones. 32 Several areas of the Iroquois Constitution of the Five Nations which clearly have a parallel in the U. S. Constitution would be paragraph 84 dealing with the right of self-determination, paragraph 96, stipulating government by the people, by the consent of the governed, Paragraph 98 stating definite provision for such consent of the governed and controls by those governed and as a last example; Paragraph 99 guaranteeing freedom of religion. 33 Paragraph 33 stipulates the process by which a Chief shall be replaced upon dismissal or death. This systematic transmission of official rank was, in fact, the vital principle of the Iroquois Government. 34 The decision-making process of the League resembles that of a two-house congress in one body, with the older brothers and younger brother each comprising a side of the house. 35 The Onondagas filled something of an executive role, with a veto that could be overridden by the older and younger brothers in concert. 36 By implication in five places within the U. S. Constitution the impact of the Iroquois Confederacys continual urgings that the colonists should coordinate Indian negotiations and policies through a central authority were codified. 37 This codification is included in Article 11, Section 10, which prohibits the States from entering into treaties; Article 11, Section 2, which also prohibits States from entering into treaties; Article 11, Section 2, Clause 2, which defines the treaty process- Article VI, Section 2, which defines a treaty as the supreme law of the land; and finally, Article 111, Section 2, which grants the federal courts over U. S. citizenry who violate treaties. 38 These provisos were to find an impact on the Native American populations to present day and beyond. Even in light of the preceding discussion of the documented influence by the Iroquois Confederacy on the Founding Fathers and the resultant inclusion of many of the basic concepts and premises of the Iroquois Law within the U. S. Constitution, there is still an apparent oversight of the this impact in a scholarly work as recently as 1994. David N. Mayor in his discussion of the influences on the thinking of Thomas Jefferson in relation to his intellectual contribution to the U. S. Constitution mentions only Locke, Scottish moral sense of philosophy, deistic natural religion and the economic theories developed by British and French antimercantilists. 39 Not one mention or word of credit is given to the Native Americans who have so clearly been a major contributor in the formation of the American persona. Donald A. Grinde comments that ignoring the processes whereby Euroamericans created a new culture out of the American experience impoverishes everyone and gives an appearance that scholars are seeking to stop the process of de-Europeanizing America. 40 He specifically discusses Temple University anthropologist Dr. Elisabeth Tooker who contends that American Indian government figures not at all in the standard histories of the Constitution, nor in the documents on which they rest. 41 As a refutation of this premise Grinde goes on to quote many of the specifics of the writings generated by the founders some of which have been stated herein along with scholarly input with justification for their own viewpoint. It is truly a revelation as a student of history to study the impact that Native America had in the development of the United States of America. The fact that the Native Americans preceded the settlement of the Europeans and were a part of the innate character of the New World must logically affect the development of the new settlers. It is the ultimate irony that by the initial assistance given to the entering immigrants by the Native American population that they were in fact aiding in the ultimate decimation of their people, and the diminishment of their land and their mythological based form of government. Lesson 2 The Invasion of America Reading Assignment: Calloway, 67-136. Introduction: The Columbian encounter is arguably the most pivotal event in the history of the world. Neither Europe nor the Americas would be the same after this watershed event. This lesson highlights the merging of two previously distinct ecosystems and the devastating effect it would have on native peoples. Then it traces emergence of three European powers as they became dominant colonizers in North America. The lesson emphasizes that regardless of the variety of experiences Indians had in their relations with Europeans, they all shared irreversible changes in their cultures. This lesson will also introduce you to some of the primary sources related to the Spanish, French, and English invasions of North America and their consequences. Essay topics for Lesson 2 Write on one of the following topics or combine any of the topics into one. 1. What are the arguments for viewing Columbus as a hero? Villain? Where do you come down on this contentious issue? 2. What were the main differences in the motives of the Spanish, French, and English when they colonized the Americas? Was the European conquest of the Americas inevitable? Why or why not? 3. What role did Indian relationships play in the outcome of the various European invasions? Explain the â€Å"Columbian Exchange† and how it affected both Europe and the Americas. 4. How does Apess deal with the fact that the Pequot supported the English in King Phillip’s War? Does Apess’s writing tell us more about Pequots in the nineteenth century or seventeenth century Massachusetts? Early European Exploration and Colonization. Leah S. Glaser VUS. 2 Describe how early European exploration and colonization resulted in cultural interactions among Europeans, Africans, and American Indians. For many years, students of American history have learned about the era of European exploration and colonization in terms of conquest and defeat. Europes entry into the Americas had economic and political motivations, but over the last several years historians have begun to emphasize that exploration and colonization also allowed cultural contacts and exchanges among three different continents: Europe, Africa, and America. Each society viewed the other through their respective perceptions and culture. Historians like Colin Calloway and Gary Nash explain that these relationships created new worlds for all. The nature of cultural contact and change in America varied from region to region, and can be traced to Europes different colonizing strategies and the response of the existing local population. America, Africa, and Europe: Three Worlds on the Eve of 1492 Contrary to longstanding European assumptions, native societies in the Americas possessed their own rich and varied cultures. An estimated 3 to 5 million people, speaking hundreds of languages, inhabited the region; with about 60 million people living in the Western Hemisphere, the population rivaled that of Europe and Africa. While they did not yet possess the same farming techniques or methods of transportation as those of Europe and Africa, these societies were diverse and sophisticated, and adapted continually to changing environments. Irrigation communities in the Southwest, mound cities in the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, and the villages of the eastern woodlands characterized the nature of these societies at the time of European contact. Climatic changes, over hundreds of years, had altered farming patterns and prompted different groups to compete for dominance through warfare, as well as to participate in a vast trade network that spread across the continent. The African societies (like those of the American Indians and the Europeans) were highly dependent on the environmental conditions and varied widely across the continent. Africa very much resembled America in its diversity of cultures across deserts, grasslands, and forests, its established networks of trade, and resource competition. The early use of iron implements raised productivity and subsequently increased the continents population, which reached about 50 million by the fifteenth century. Much of that population was organized politically under large empires, like the Kingdom of Ghana. Ghana achieved architectural and artistic wealth principally through important trading contacts with the Middle and Far East. Other kingdoms also developed skilled craftsmanship, codes of law, and trading networks. Alongside these trade relationships, Muslim influences, which had spread throughout Africa since the eleventh century, also shaped African community life. African societies differed most markedly from those in Europe in terms of familial organization (matrilineal rather than patrilineal). For example, property rights and inheritance descended through the mother. Europeans did not engage with Africa until the early fifteenth century, though they had been fascinated with the East for hundreds of years prior to contact. They were particularly eager to control the Mediterranean trade routes that tapped into the vast markets and goods. Throughout the Middle Ages, the East also served as a battleground for two of the worlds fastest growing religions, Islam and Christianity, as evidenced in the Crusades. The Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire ruled supreme over Europe in opposition to the growing Ottoman (Islamic) Empire. By the fifteenth century, the invention of the printing press and improvements in navigation techniques (like the compass and the hourglass) helped spawn the Renaissance, an era known for challenging the power of the Church and celebrating human possibility though exploration, ideas, art, and literature. Spain joined in this creative celebration, but also gained political power by successfully defeating Islamic forces in Granada and by consolidating two powerful Catholic monarchies through the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille. In 1492, the two Catholic leaders launched the Inquisition to make Spain, once part of the Ottoman Empire, into a fully Catholic country. Their efforts spawned the Reconquista, an era fueled by violence and religious intolerance as Spain sought to expel all Jews and Muslims from its borders. Amidst this political climate and activity, Ferdinand and Isabella granted a Genoan explorer, Christopher Columbus, funding to expand Spains empire. 1492: Americas Indians Encounter the Spanish After he landed on the islands we know today as the Bahamas, Columbus explored the island of Hispaniola where he met the lands native inhabitants. He and his crews returned to the Caribbean three more times. Columbuss so called discovery offered Spain tremendous opportunities for wealth, particularly from the mining of gold and silver. It also provided new soil for European plants like sugar, cof

Analysis Of Pepsico Vision Statement Business Essay

Analysis Of Pepsico Vision Statement Business Essay PepsiCo is a company which is most successful well-known brands in the world. Pepsi Company is nationally and globally to operating in non-alcoholic beverage industry, soft drink industry, and savoury snack industry. Besides that, PepsiCo offers the worlds largest portfolio of food and beverage brands included 22 different product lines. And the biggest competition from competitor is Coca-Cola in soft drink industry. Analysis of PepsiCo Vision Statement According to vision statement of PepsiCo, I had used seven components to analysis the vision such as directional, graphic, focus, flexible, feasible, desirable, and easy to understand. First of all, the directional component of PepsiCo is target to become a truly sustainable company by using focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value. From the case, PepsiCo has extensive statements on sustainability, the environment, health and wellness, and diversity. Pepsi Company is nationally and globally to operating in non-alcoholic beverage industry, soft drink industry, and savoury snack industry. PepsiCo is able to expansion market to serve new market segment by provides health and safety product to make consumer more confidence to purchase and become a sustainable company. Besides that, the graphic component of PepsiCo is not appearing in the current vision statement. From the current vision, it has no mention about company management is create and the market position the company is striving to stake out. Moreover, the focus component of PepsiCo is focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value. According to the PepsiCo case which said that PepsiCo are focusing in projects to increase to use of recycled materials and reduce material used in packaging. It will help PepsiCo build a good brand image, environment friendly and good reputation. When brand image is created, it will increase brand awareness of Pepsi and easy to launch new product to serve new market segment and achieve the commitment of shareholder value. However, once the commitment with shareholder is broken it will bring negative effect to the company such as poor reputation and decrease number of invertors. In addition, the flexible component of PepsiCo is creating a better tomorrow than today. From the statement, PepsiCo is wanted to improve all aspects of the world to create a better future. So, it may help increase more potential profitability due to better than previous year. And, it also assists PepsiCo a step forward to be truly sustainable company. Yet, it also some aspect is uncontrollable such as new competitor and economic downturn. Furthermore, the feasible component is about the reasonable expect to achieve in due time. From the case, PepsiCo is expecting continually to improve all the aspects of the world. PepsiCo is able to achieve this vision due to strong financial and also wide range of distribution network. It also has opportunities capture more market share around the world. However, it needs resources and times to achieve the goal. Additionally, the desirable component is about long term interest of stakeholders. In the vision of PepsiCo, it is commitment to build shareholder value. PepsiCo has long history of delivery strong financial growth for shareholders with the powerful brand and commitment to sustainability and top global talent. Conversely, it also face problem when shareholders may disagree with PepsiCo decision making and may occur conflict belong PepsiCo and shareholder. Lastly, the easy to understand component is about ease to communicate and understand of the vision statement. From the PepsiCos vision statement, it is using a clear language and simple to make customer easy to understand their vision. Analysis of Vision Statements- Shortcomings For the shortcoming of vision statement, I had used five components to analysis the shortcoming such as vague and incomplete, not forward looking, bland, too broad or not distinctive, and rely on superlatives. First of all, the vague and incomplete component is about short on specific or does not provide much indication and how the PepsiCo intend to alter the current product, market, customer, and technology focus. PepsiCo is only mention about improve all aspects of the world in which they operate for their economic, social and environment. But it is missing out to mention about Pepsi product portfolio and how they treat their employees in vision statement. Besides that, the not forward looking is about the company is not concern about the future. From the vision of PepsiCo, it has concern about the future by the sentences creating a better tomorrow than today by using improving the aspects of the world in which they are operated. Furthermore, the bland component is about the company lacking in motivational power. From the vision statement of PepsiCo, it has commitment to achieve shareholder value, so from the commitment will motivate the shareholders to support the company. Next, the component is too broad and not distinctive is about the vision could apply to most any company. The vision statement of PepsiCo is too common and corporate social responsibility can apply to most any company. Lastly, the component rely on superlatives is about the vision too reliant on such superlatives as best, most successful and market leader. From the PepsiCo vision is does not mention is most successful and first choice of customers. Recommendation From the analysis of shortcomings in the vision statement of PepsiCo, I would like to give few recommendations to improve the current vision statement of PepsiCo. First of all, I would like to recommend about the incomplete vision statement of PepsiCo. The vision of PepsiCo should include their company product, market, customer, technology focus, and their employees. So, employee and customer can easy to understand what kind of business PepsiCo is running and what purpose of PepsiCo is targeted. The second shortcomings vision statement is not distinctive. From my opinion, the company vision should be different with other companys vision. PepsiCos vision statement is too broad and it is easy same vision with others company. Therefore, PepsiCo should be more specific its vision statement and make the vision statement more memorable for people. From my opinion, the current vision statement of PepsiCo is good but I would like to overcome the shortcomings appear in PepsiCo vision statement. So, new vision statement will be as below: PepsiCos is underscoring  commitment a truthful desire for product quality and safety from materials, beverage mixing to bottling, and receive excellent services from our employee. Plus, responsibility is to continually improve all aspects of the world in which we operate and creating a better tomorrow than today. Our mission is maximum our shareholders wealth and focus on environmental stewardship and activities to benefit society by making PepsiCo a truly sustainable company. Evaluation of mission statement A mission statement is the current business activities or proposes what we are and what we do. From the mission statement of PepsiCo, I would like to use evaluation matrix to analysis and provides a new description to the PepsiCo. The components use to analysis include customers, products/services, markets, concern for survival, growth and profitability, technology, philosophy, self-concept, concern for public image and concern for employees. The customer component is about the target customer of the company. From the current description of PepsiCo is does not mention about the customer. So, I suggest a new description that PepsiCo should concern, maintain loyalty and listen to customer in the mission statement. Product and services component is about the firms major product and services provides to customer. From the mission statement, PepsiCo is offer convenient foods and beverages to the customer. For example product of PepsiCo offer is Quaker Oats, CapN Crunch cereal, Aunt Jemima syrup, and Tropicana juice. Although there is description in the current mission statement, but I would like to give my recommendation to make PepsiCo mission statement become better by develop a new product line. For example, PepsiCo can develop a new product line Pepsi Green mix with herb and position PepsiCo is an environment friendly company. Market component is about geographically and the places the firm compete. From the current description of PepsiCo is wanted to be the worlds premier consumer Products Company and serve in globally. For the new description, I would suggest PepsiCo increase more vending machine at bus station, train station, or cinema to make customer able to purchase at anywhere and anytime. Concern for survival, growth, and profitability component is about is the firm financial soundness and committed to growth. From the current description of PepsiCo is produce financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth. For new description, PepsiCo is need for knowledge, producing and distributing valuable information in a way that benefits the customer and employee to serve the global market. Technology component is about the firm technologically current. From the current description of PepsiCo is does not mention about the technology. Therefore, for the new description PepsiCo should spend money to do more research and development and using machines to reduce the production cost and time. Philosophy component is about the beliefs, basic, aspirations, values, and ethical priorities of the firm. From the current description of PepsiCo is striving for honesty, fairness and integrity. For the new description, PepsiCo can share and caring where the people give their time, knowledge, and experience. Besides that, it also empowered people which mean that having a freedom to think in ways and get the job done, while following to processes that ensure management and being mindful of company needs. Self-concept component is about the firms major competitive advantages or distinctive competence. From the current description of PepsiCo is does not mention about the self-concept. However, I would like to recommend PepsiCo to create a competitive advantage strategic. For example, Pepsi can use marketing mix such as product, price, packaging, and distribution to differentiate itself with other company product. And also can excellent customer services to the customer such as delivery product on time. Concern for public image component is about the firm responsive to social, community, and environmental concerns. From the current description of PepsiCo is not appearing in the mission statement. Therefore, the new description for PepsiCo should contribute to the economic strength of society and responsibility of CSR. For example, PepsiCo is fully committed to protecting the earths natural resources through innovation and the efficient use of land, water, energy and packaging in the operations. Concern for employee component is about the employee is valuable asset of the firm. From the current description of PepsiCo is enrichment to the employees, but I would like to enhance it to become better by provides reward and training to the employee. Once the reward system is set up, the employee is put more effect to doing their job and send employee to training it provides an opportunities for growth of business. Following new description, I would like to modifications to the current mission statement to be a new mission statement as below: Our mission is to be the worlds leading consumer Products Company and selling beverages and foods in anytime and anywhere. We serve with high innovation technology to produce new food according customer needs and sending staffs to training for provides high quality of services to sustain customer loyalty. Also, we are responsibilities in CSR, empowered people, and opportunities for growth to maximize shareholder wealth. Conclusion As a business analyst of PepsiCo, I had analysed the vision statement and mission statement of PepsiCo by different component and evaluate matrix. Hence, I had recommended modifications and enhancement to the current vision statement and mission statement. With the new vision statement and new mission statement that has been enchanted will easier to understand and memorable by people. Lastly, by develop a new vision and mission statement, PepsiCo can create a better future and one more step forward be a truly sustainable company.

Romanticism as a Reaction to Neoclassicism :: Romanticism Essays

The time of Romanticism began in the late 18th century and ended around the mid 19th century. Just showing what the Romantic Movement is, it can be shown as a reaction against Neoclassicism. Romantic art portrays emotional, painted, or shown in a bold and dramatic manner, and there is often a stress on the past. Romantic artists often use sad themes and dramatic tragedies. Paintings by famous Romantic artists such as Gericault and Delacroix are filled with energetic brushstrokes, rich colors, and emotive subject matters. While the German landscape painter Casper David Friedrich created images of lost loneliness, and at the same time in Spain, Francisco Goya conveyed the horrors of war in his works. This shows the variety of different art works of this time period. Some of these artists were fascinated in nature, people can definitely see this if they are shown through any Romanticism museum, also the importance of drama and emotion. At this time artists made their art work portray more then what the eye sees, the artists added more symbolism to the art work then in the Renaissance. The Pre-Raphaelite movement succeeded Romanticism, and Impressionism is firmly rooted in the Romantic tradition. Other famous Romantic artists include George Stubbs, William Blake, John Margin, John Constable, JMW Turner, and Sir Thomas Lawrence. And Although Romanticism was very popular for the paintings, it was also popular for its music, and poetry, and even architecture. This shows that this period advanced not only in variety of artwork but also a variety of all sorts of effects. The German poets and critics, August Wilhelm and Friedrich Schlegel first used the term ?Romanticism? to label a wider cultural movement, the period expanded way more then they ever dreamed. This gave the Schlegel brothers a good time to show Christianity through art, even though the majority of people where using the plain Classical culture. This started the ?Romantic Movement. The ?Romantic Movement,? gained popularity in Germany and then quickly spread to England, France, and beyond. Eventually the movement reached America, this was around the year 1820, (some 20 years after William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge had revolutionized English poetry by publishing Lyrical Ballads). In America and in Europe, fresh new ideas and visions struck the artistic and intellectual circles in America.

Human Trafficking, The Modern Slavery Essay

Introduction Human trafficking is a big problem all around the world. Every year, thousands of men, women and children are kidnapped by traffickers, and forced into sexual exploitation and slavery. In this essay, I will talk about the causes of human trafficking and what effects it has on the victims, families, and society. Causes The cause of human trafficking is mainly the organized criminals that kidnap and abuse the victims. Their main purpose is to get rich by exploiting people. These people usually are cold-hearted and they do not have any morals or sense of social justice. Another reason that causes human trafficking is that governments in those countries are very weak, and they usually do not do anything to help or at least try to help. Therefore, the criminals have more chances of kidnapping people without worrying about getting caught easily. The final cause of human trafficking is that society has a lack of awareness of its dangers. Not many people really care about human trafficking as they do not know the dangers of it. There may be a lack of attention given to the problem in education and the media. Human trafficking happens all around the world, even in rich countries. The countries that I will be writing about are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Vietnam and the U.S.A. The Congo. Human trafficking is a very serious problem in the Congo. The human trafficking in the Congo is usually for forced prostitution and forced labor. The government there is very weak; they do not seem to show any evidence of punishing and prosecuting the human trafficking offenders, or in raising awareness to other people. According to one report, â€Å"Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), continued to abduct and forcibly recruit Congolese men, women, and children to bolster their ranks and serve as laborers, porters, domestics, combatants, and sex slaves. For example, between July 30 and August 2, 2010, a coalition including the LRA abducted 116 civilians from 13 villages, and subjected them to forced labor. Between January and September 2010, the LRA violently abducted more than 279 Congolese citizens, including 184 children† – Refworld. (http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,USDOS,,COD,,4e12ee8837,0.html ) The U.S.A. The USA is one of the richer countries with more protection and awareness of human trafficking, but of course, there are still people (mostly women and children) getting kidnapped and being involved in this horrible crime. Another report says, â€Å"According to the FBI, there are currently an estimated 293,000 American children at risk of being exploited and trafficked for sex. Forty percent of all human trafficking cases opened for investigation between January 2008 and June 2010 were for the sexual trafficking of a child. And while the term trafficking may conjure images of desperate illegal immigrants being forced into prostitution by human smugglers, 83 percent of victims in confirmed sex trafficking cases in this country were American citizens.† -Guest Blogger , October 6, 2012- (http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/10/06/971401/girls-human-trafficking-and-modern-slavery-in-america/?mobile=nc) Vietnam. There are also a number of victims of human trafficking in Vietnam. Women and men here are usually trafficked for forced labor and the construction of buildings, or as domestic servants. Many Vietnamese women are trafficked to Cambodia for sexual exploitation, where they become prostitutes and are often unable to escape. When they get older they are thrown out of the trafficking and left to look after themselves. In 2004, the police had estimated that more than 50,000 Vietnamese women and girls under the age of under 18 had been victims of human trafficking, and the number is getting higher every year. http://www.globalexchange.org/country/vietnam/trafficking Effects There are lots of effects on the victims of human trafficking, mostly psychological and physical problems. There will also be health effects on the victims. Psychological effects could be even worse than physical effects as the victims will suffer from lack of self-esteem, emotional disturbance, depression, and they could even be scarred for life. This problem could lead to suicide. Health effects are also very serious. The victims who are involved in sexual exploitation can easily be infected by diseases such as HIV/AIDS. These diseases can then be passed onto their future partners (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-human-trafficking.html) The families of the victims of human trafficking will be affected. The families would be completely broken and it will also affect their whole life, losing one of their loved ones. The society would be affected as well. This generation, people do not really do anything to prevent human trafficking. They do not help. Therefore, people now will always think that it is not their problem, so they do not have to worry. The society is getting worse and worse, and more selfish. Conclusion This essay shows the causes and effects of human trafficking. Human trafficking happens everywhere in the world, mostly in poorer countries with weak governments that usually do not help decrease the amount of human trafficking in their country. Additionally, the effects of this crime on the victims involved could be very serious, leading to mental problems like depression or even suicide. References Causes http://www.caritas.org/activities/women_migration/caritas_migration_trafficking_and_women.html?cnt=431 http://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/section.action?sectionId=90963548-0cf3-43e1-8e59-4bce1b03192d §ionType=LIST_ENTITIES_SQUARE_IMAGES Human Trafficking in Vietnam http://www.actionaid.org.uk/100191/human_trafficking.html http://www.globalexchange.org/country/vietnam/trafficking In USA http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/10/06/971401/girls-human-trafficking-and-modern-slavery-in-america/?mobile=nc http://www.today.com/id/22083762/site/todayshow/ns/today-today_news/t/sex-slaves-human-trafficking-america/#.UPod-R37iYk In Congo http://www.indexmundi.com/democratic_republic_of_the_congo/trafficking_in_persons.html Effects http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-human-trafficking.html

Might, May, and Can

Might, May, and Can Might, May, and Can Might, May, and Can By Jacquelyn Landis Most writers use may and might interchangeably: I may go to the library to work on my term paper. I might go to the library to work on my term paper. Is there a difference? There is, but it’s slight. May suggests a possibility that an action will occur, while might suggests a slightly smaller possibility. So if I say that I may go to the library, there’s a reasonably good chance that it’s on my agenda. But if I say that I might go, the odds that I will aren’t quite as good. The distinction between the two is sufficiently fine that it’s not something writers need to obsess about. However, when referring to something in the past, the rules get tighter. The past tense of may is might. She might have left a message on my voice mail. (Not she may have) From time to time, writers also struggle with the difference between may and can. The difference here is more pronounced. May expresses permission, while can expresses ability. Moms everywhere are notorious for emphasizing this particular grammatical difference. Question: Mom, can I paint my bedroom walls black? Answer: I’m sure you can, but you may not. In informal speech (including dialogue in fiction), we have slipped into using can when may would be more appropriate. In truth, strict adherence to the difference between the two can seem a little prissy at times. Still, it’s a valid distinction that writers should strive to apply when it makes sense. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Types and Forms of Humor16 Misquoted Quotations5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation

The Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project did more than allow the United States to knock Japan out of World War II: it allowed the United States to lead the way into the Nuclear Age. The United States needed a way to end the war quickly without losing many of its own lives, so the president ordered scientists and generals to work on the making of an atomic bomb. This was called the Manhattan Project. There was a sense of urgency because the Americans feared that the Germans were on the brink of making an atomic bomb themselves. If the Nazis made an atomic bomb before the Allies, Hitler might have been able to conquer all of Europe by forcing the countries to surrender. The work which was done in the Manhattan Project and the knowledge we have gained from the work are leading into a revolution in our sources of energy. President Harry Truman realized that Japans desperation caused its soldiers to fight with fanatical courage. They would not give in to the Americans. Propaganda caused the Japanese to think that the Americans were mean and would torture them if they were caught. People were so mislead and confused that they agreed to be kamikazes and kill themselves for the sake of winning the war. Japanese officials convinced them that it was an honor to die for the well being of Japan. There was a battle on Okinawa, a Pacific island, which cost the Americans 50,000 soldiers dead or wounded. The ruthless and stubborn leaders were not going to surrender easily, so an invasion of each of the tiny islands of Japan was necessary in order for the Americans to force the Japanese into surrendering. Experts figure that an invasion of each of these islands would cost the However, a bomb of mass destruction would force the Japanese to surrender. The leaders would see that a few well-placed bombs would blow Japan right off the map. Four or five bombs could ruin everything th...

I Wish I Married Rich Essays

I Wish I Married Rich Essays I Wish I Married Rich Essay I Wish I Married Rich Essay Merlin gives women instructions on how to marry rich. She gives insight on the drawbacks and perks of marrying rich men. Through the use of ellipsis and flashbacks, as well as allusions and diction, Merlin is able to do this. Throughout the article, Merlin uses ellipsis and dashes to enhance the dramatic qualities of her work. It causes the reader to pause and reflect what Merlin has Just said, such as this statement: None of my wealthy suitors had much in the way of animal magnetism?or even plain old magnetism. The men she had dated were rich, UT they were also hit by the ugly stick. She also uses a reference of Queen Victoria. Merlin wishes she would have met her early in her life, stating: She could have set me straight. Merlin, in a sense, regrets her decision on not marrying rich. Money, as it seems, can buy happiness. Merlin also references the works of other authors, such as Molly Gong-Fast. Molly recognizes that wealthy men, who also have looks, have attractive wives who Tend to be long and sparkly with beautiful skin. Women do not have to be goddesses in order to land such men, but it does not hurt to have such qualities. She also uses words that most people would not use on occasion. Mermen uses words in her writing such as enter ©e and Fretter sheets. She shows how she came from a well set family, and how she could have stayed In her past social circle. It is rare for a woman to find a man who has the best of both worlds. Men are either wealthy and ugly, or poor and good looking. Women need to decide which quality they are more attracted to. Not only must they choose, they must choose which quality will benefit them In the long run, as Daphne Mermen states In the title of her article.

The Broken Column and Olympia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Broken Column and Olympia - Essay Example The essay "The Broken Column and Olympia" focuses on the comparison of two paintings, "The Broken Column" and "Olympia". Common artistic practice and subjects within cultures suggests Ancient Egyptian art was created as a means of commemorating important people and the ancient Greeks made art to help them worship their gods and goddesses and to preserve their cultural myths. The Romans seem to have adopted elements of the Greek style and fused it with elements of the Egyptian style to develop an artistic approach intended to inspire and celebrate their cultural achievements. After the fall of Rome, the art of the Middle Ages became dominated by themes of Christian religious myths in order to reject the Paganism of the fallen Empire, incorporating religious, political and educational purpose. From here, the art of the Renaissance reflects the re-discovery of more ancient art forms fused to new scientific advancements giving it a historical and experimental purpose. As this skip throug h art history demonstrates, it is easily understood that art can be used for several purposes and it is often inspired or developed in some way so as to build on the past while reflecting the attitudes of the present. As an aspiring animator, the art that appeals most to me is that which takes risks and adopts a more modern or simplified representation of subject such as Edward Manet's groundbreaking "Olympia" entering into the modern period or Frida Kahlo's "The Broken Column" as an expression of surrealism. ... More than that, she is clearly successful in that she has a servant and lives within a very rich environment. Her servant is so dark that she almost becomes lost in the background color of the painting even though she stands at the edge of the far side of the bed. Because of the way he created the painting, Manet leaves it widely open to interpretation. â€Å"The public nakedness of a beautiful woman sometimes becomes a question of politics †¦ which actions are permitted under which unspoken and frequently changing rules† (Friedrich 1). Her appearance within the rigidly proper Victorian culture was shocking because she was seen as a very successful, beautiful and independent woman as compared to the mostly powerless women of the age. Therefore, her representation within polite society was a direct challenge to the rigid ideals of propriety and purity because the painting suggested that her behavior and character were accepted and even condoned within her society. In †Å"The Broken Column† (1944), Kahlo uses dreamlike images to illustrate her personal pain and suffering and line to hold everything together while also demonstrating an independent woman. The broken column of the title refers to the internal structure of Frida’s spinal column. This spinal column is seen through the torn skin and loosely twined bandages that are the only things holding her together. The broken column symbolizes her lack of a support structure and represents her sense of imbalance at the same time that it indicates one of her major sources of pain. Her skin is pricked all over with tiny pins, demonstrating that she is never free of the smaller pains of daily life. The pins continue down the right side of her body, which is the side that had been crippled by both

Home automation lightning systems for a handicapped house Essay

Home automation lightning systems for a handicapped house - Essay Example Most importantly, smart homes offer the handicapped the opportunity to enjoy their independence, which boosts their determination and confidence. Automated homes offer the handicapped a variety of types of emergency services including automated timers, alerts, lighting systems, security features and fall prevention. House automation ensures that the disabled can feel secure while in their houses and also control their home’s lighting system from anywhere with the help of an internet connection. A home automation lighting system is a centralized control of lighting system, which provides comfort and convenience and hence increasing the quality of life for the handicapped persons. Recently, home automation lighting has gained popularity due to higher affordability and simplicity of tablet and smart phone connectivity. Also, the increased use of the internet to perform a variety of automation tasks has popularized home automation lighting system. A home automation lighting system incorporates electrical gadgets in a house with each other. Devices can be linked to an internet connected computer or phone network to make it possible for a user to remotely control the system through the internet. Through linking of the home environment with information technology, appliances and systems are capable of articulate in an integrated model, which results in energy efficiency, convenience as well as safety benefits.2 In modern constructions in most homes from the industrialized nations, wiring for electrical purposes is common, which is done by developing of specialized appliances with the aim of automating majority of the household tasks. A case in point is whereby an automatic lighting system was developed to increase the efficiency of lighting appliances in a house. As the number of controllable appliances in the homes increase, communication and integration become an advantageous and valuable feature. In an automated lighting system, a heating system can, for exa mple, send an alert message when lighting is required. This means that the room for the handicapped will become â€Å"intelligent† and signals will be conveyed to the controller when lighting for a particular purpose is needed. If the handicapped person is not at home and the lighting systems requires to be put on or off, the system can be controlled online from a remote location.3 In a more advanced installations, the room can detect the presence of a certain person in the house and send signals to the lighting system, as appropriate, while at the same time taking into account factors such as the time of the day, the day of the week and so on. An ideal example of a case where the remote controller can come in handy is whereby the home automation is triggered whenever a smoke sensor discovers a smoke or fire, hence alerting the occupants of the house of possible emergencies. If the house is outfitted with home theater, an automation system can power cut all video and audio as pects to shun commotion, or produce a loud pronouncement. Yet still, the system could alert the home occupants through email supported by their smart phones or send make a distress call to the fire department. An

ASPECTS OF CONTRACT AND NEGLIGENCE FOR BUSINESS Essay

ASPECTS OF CONTRACT AND NEGLIGENCE FOR BUSINESS - Essay Example A contract is formed with the intention to form a legal foundation which authorises all the functionalities. In this similar context, a contract is formed with an offer. Offer along with acceptance refers to the modes of evaluating the procedure of negotiation in order to select whether as well as when a particular contract is made. Moreover, the terms of contract are ascertained in this mode. The key features of offer include the aspect of proposal, expression or preparedness to carry out or refrain from executing something along with making of an expression to the other person. Moreover, offer can be implied or expressed. It can be general or specific as well. In this regard, there are two entities that form an offer i.e. offeree and offeror. Offeree defines the person or a unit to whom a particular offer so as to enter within a contract is made by offeror. For Instance, when a company offers to sell certain products at assured discounts rates to the consumers then it can be consid ered that the company is making an offer. Other elements of a forming a valid contract i.e. acceptance also lays high amount of importance as a contract may not get detailed picture without the fulfilment of this particular element. There are generally three types of acceptance i.e. conditional acceptance, implied acceptance and express acceptance. Correspondingly, the method of acceptance relates to certain steps wherein full performance of required aspects need to be made, subsequently the offeree commences to perform based on different types of contract and promises to perform. Moreover, based general rules and expectations, the acceptance is executed. Another element i.e. consideration also lays high amount of importance as it allows different parties involved in a contract to get certain benefits. Moreover, a contract also binds itself with certain regulations in which minors who are under the age of 18 cannot enter into the terms of a contract. Thus, this aspect can also be co nsidered to be very important as it indicates the sincerity of a contract. In relation to the case of ‘Techno products’, all the elements of a contract especially, offer, acceptance and consideration seem to imply a very clear relation (Community Legal Information Centre, 2012; Gillies, 1988). 1.2 Discuss the Impact of Different Types of Contract Different types of contract formation i.e. bilateral contract, unilateral contract or a business contract among others may render certain impacts that mainly take monetary forms. Considering this aspect, there are other forms of impact that mainly comprise pricing arrangements as well. Correspondingly, making pricing arrangements in different types of contract may give rise to conflicts between the partners which may impact a contract in a negative way. According to the case i.e. Fea v. Dep't of the Army, several conflicting situations in the

Personal aspect of your own Hero's Journey Assignment - 1

Personal aspect of your own Hero's Journey - Assignment Example The success of the hero is a celebration to all the people around. In general, the hero departure, initiation and return are crucial. An example story of a hero is a story that spread all over in ma early age. The story was about the existence of a superman. This refers to super natural beings that were capable of doing anything that seemed to challenge the normal human beings. At first, the stories about superman made me choose him as my mentor though I had never seen him. The works that I believed he could do play a main challenge to the things that I could achieve in my future life. To make my vision come true, I used to do several trials that I imagined of which some of them remain unachievable. The story stated that there existed a powerful man who could do massive kinds of jobs in a few seconds. Born and brought up under hard conditions but sailed through the challenges. At an early age, he went for an unknown journey, walked through the hell of enemies in thick forests and overcame all. He destroyed large gatherings of attackers on the way and killed most of them instantly. His return was also successful fulfilling the main stages of a hero. This made the superman famous all over the area. Nobody knew of his place of residence though he moved round the village most of the time. This made most of the children who heard the story has a phobia any time they heard of him. The fact of the tale story about the superman could not be determined since the story was a myth. The superstitions instilled in my mind have taken more time than I expected to disappear. Through the research, I have succeeded in; I have come to realize that the myth about superheroes is just but an ancient myth that cut across various communities. The parent’s main aim is to put fear among the young generation to make them responsible adults. The life of children is full of playoffs, and in the end, they may end up in troubles

EFFECTS OF NEW MEDIA ON AGENDA SETING & FRAMING Essay

EFFECTS OF NEW MEDIA ON AGENDA SETING & FRAMING - Essay Example With the help of Aljazeera, a local network, the issue was known around the world despite the great pressure placed on it by the government. What the new media does to agenda setting and framing is a concern where not only the elite are considered but includes the public because of their opinion created through the suggestions made through news reports. It is said that media forms the ideas or pictures in the minds of viewers about an issue through the absence or presence of agenda setting and framing as they serve as gatekeepers to what can be published, sifting what will be emphasized or not, what will be given importance or less discussed (Scheufele & Tewksbury, McCombs). The choice of headlines also affect the opinions formed in the minds of readers and viewers as such matters give great impacts on what is to search further or what could be disregarded. In addition, the frequency of the news item also affects what is given importance or not in the field of media reporting, encour aging people to think a frequently published issue is important while a subject matter placed at the back of a newspaper with a very short caption says it is of less significance. Framing and agenda setting both work together hand in hand to paint the desired picture in readers or viewers, letting them decide on what has already been decided by the media. For instance, in the case of the Egyptian revolution on January, 2011, the desire to dethrone President Hosni Mubarak from his three decade-reign might have been a predetermined objective in the breaking of the news. This got the attention of people all around the world including the president of the United States who offered his request of resignation to the strong man of Egypt. Protesters felt strengthened with the overwhelming hostility against the Egyptian president so that they resolved to fight for their freedom despite the fear brought by the administration in imprisoning key people involved in the protests (BBC News). Altho ugh internet and phone services were greatly interrupted in the attempt to minimize if not stop the protests, help came through alternative media, pioneered by Aljazeera (Zeynalov). In Conclusion, the issues brought into a decision the situation in Egypt through what was magnified through the media picturing how new media along with alternative media affect public opinion and policy agenda which in turn gets back to dictating media agenda. The overlapping effects of these aspects affected by media finds its cause in the initial objective set through what is published. References n.a. Egypt Protests Escalate in Cairo, Suez and Other Cities. BBC News Middle East. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12303564 McCombs, Maxwell. n.d. The Agenda-Setting Role of the Mass Media in the Shaping of Public Opinion. Retrieved from http://www.infoamerica.org/documentos_pdf/mccombs01.pdf Scheufele, Dietram A and David Tewkbury. 2007. Framing, Agenda Setting, and Priming: The Evolution of Three Media Effects Models. Journal of Communication. Retrieved from

Communication for Effective Leadership as seen in the movie Invictus Research Paper

Communication for Effective Leadership as seen in the movie Invictus - Research Paper Example The most important trait of leadership as portrayed by the film Invictus is being visionary. The main characters in the film Invictus are visionary. The main characters of Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar had a vision with them of uniting the people of South Africa. Ideally, Francois and Mandela saw possibility where many people saw impossibility. Those are the aspects of being visionary leader. Mandela and Francois understood that the only way through which their people could prosper was through unity and the best strategy was to use sports. During this period, the people of South Africa were blinded by rage and the need to revenge that they could not carry the interest of their nation in their heart (Carlin, 2010). Good leaders are good at listening and understanding the human nature. First, Mandela listened to the message in the poem Invictus. The message in this poem changed him for the better, through decision making and not through the lenses of revenge but forgiveness. Mandela in the film is focused on understanding and listening to the rivaling sides. Through listening and understanding the needs of both parties, Mandela is able to formulate a strategy that would bring satisfactory solutions to both. That is unity. Mandela then with Francois finds the best way to unite the nation and that is through the sport of rugby which initially was a divisive factor as well (p. 46). Taking risks is a leadership trait amicably portrayed by Francois in the film. President Mandela called Francois, who was then the captain of the Springboks to his office. During that time, Francois was not aware of what the meaning of the call could be. At that time of hate and separation, everybody could fear for their lives, especially when faced with the task of meeting their key opponents whom they understand well are baying for their blood. Francois however, was courageous to face Mandela which is a show of risk

Personal aspect of your own Hero's Journey Assignment - 1

Personal aspect of your own Hero's Journey - Assignment Example The success of the hero is a celebration to all the people around. In general, the hero departure, initiation and return are crucial. An example story of a hero is a story that spread all over in ma early age. The story was about the existence of a superman. This refers to super natural beings that were capable of doing anything that seemed to challenge the normal human beings. At first, the stories about superman made me choose him as my mentor though I had never seen him. The works that I believed he could do play a main challenge to the things that I could achieve in my future life. To make my vision come true, I used to do several trials that I imagined of which some of them remain unachievable. The story stated that there existed a powerful man who could do massive kinds of jobs in a few seconds. Born and brought up under hard conditions but sailed through the challenges. At an early age, he went for an unknown journey, walked through the hell of enemies in thick forests and overcame all. He destroyed large gatherings of attackers on the way and killed most of them instantly. His return was also successful fulfilling the main stages of a hero. This made the superman famous all over the area. Nobody knew of his place of residence though he moved round the village most of the time. This made most of the children who heard the story has a phobia any time they heard of him. The fact of the tale story about the superman could not be determined since the story was a myth. The superstitions instilled in my mind have taken more time than I expected to disappear. Through the research, I have succeeded in; I have come to realize that the myth about superheroes is just but an ancient myth that cut across various communities. The parent’s main aim is to put fear among the young generation to make them responsible adults. The life of children is full of playoffs, and in the end, they may end up in troubles

Communication for Effective Leadership as seen in the movie Invictus Research Paper

Communication for Effective Leadership as seen in the movie Invictus - Research Paper Example The most important trait of leadership as portrayed by the film Invictus is being visionary. The main characters in the film Invictus are visionary. The main characters of Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar had a vision with them of uniting the people of South Africa. Ideally, Francois and Mandela saw possibility where many people saw impossibility. Those are the aspects of being visionary leader. Mandela and Francois understood that the only way through which their people could prosper was through unity and the best strategy was to use sports. During this period, the people of South Africa were blinded by rage and the need to revenge that they could not carry the interest of their nation in their heart (Carlin, 2010). Good leaders are good at listening and understanding the human nature. First, Mandela listened to the message in the poem Invictus. The message in this poem changed him for the better, through decision making and not through the lenses of revenge but forgiveness. Mandela in the film is focused on understanding and listening to the rivaling sides. Through listening and understanding the needs of both parties, Mandela is able to formulate a strategy that would bring satisfactory solutions to both. That is unity. Mandela then with Francois finds the best way to unite the nation and that is through the sport of rugby which initially was a divisive factor as well (p. 46). Taking risks is a leadership trait amicably portrayed by Francois in the film. President Mandela called Francois, who was then the captain of the Springboks to his office. During that time, Francois was not aware of what the meaning of the call could be. At that time of hate and separation, everybody could fear for their lives, especially when faced with the task of meeting their key opponents whom they understand well are baying for their blood. Francois however, was courageous to face Mandela which is a show of risk

Custom Coffee Essay Example for Free

Custom Coffee Essay I believe Custom Coffee Chocolate mission is to establish a small cafà © where they and their customers could indulge their love of good coffee and fine chocolates. Bonnie and Stacy, recent college roommates, wanted a location that got a lot of foot traffic from shoppers and businesses. Their desire was to target a place near the university because they knew and understood those customers well. The purpose of the cafe’ is to serve unique coffee blends and specialty chocolates, and the business plan included purchasing only fair trade coffee and chocolates made by a few local suppliers. SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths – Having a good location where public transportation is not a issue. The owners will be selling products that are considered to be good quality, near top of the line. Customers have the options of eating in or taking out their purchases. Weakness – The shop is pretty small, and can only hold a certain amount of customers, and they will need more funding to expand. Opportunity – The opportunities are unlimited, expanding the menu to include baked chocolates, desserts, tea and other beverages. If the businesses continue to grow, Bonnie Stacy may be able to start a small franchise. Threats – I don’t detect any threats, unless a similar business moves in the same location. Bonnie Stacy are doing all the right things to make their cafe’ affordable, and customer friendly. It is a nice place for friends and family to meet and chat while having a cup of coffee or reading the newspaper. Comfort is always important to me, so I like the idea of them having comfortable seating. Putting up a website and blog page might be helpful to customers and potential customers, for information and feedback. I don’t believe that delivery would be a good thing right now, maybe in another six months. Great job Bonnie Stacy, you knew what you wanted and went for it. I wish you much success.

Role Of Arabic Language In Islamic Culture

Role Of Arabic Language In Islamic Culture The importance of language to the development of human civilization and its cultural face can be laid emphasis to the fact that language is purely human and non-instinctive methods of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntary produced symbols. (Lyons, 1991, p. 3) However, taking note from the above belief, we feel that there is much more to language than just meet the eyes. In another sense, the definition and description of language as stated above also suffers from some defects, and has its limits, given that languages is broader in its cultural forms. Add to it, communication through languages also can take many forms and formats, not just the sole consideration that limit itself to ideas, emotions and the likes of desires, which are beyond the voluntarily produced symbols. To put language in a proper sense, we can relate that language is a system of vocal symbols by means of a social group co-operation. (Lyons, 1991, p. 5) Understood so, we can add that it will be proper to make a brief analysis on the subject of language and culture, so as to come to the conclusion on the role language played in the culture sphere, and its impact. But what encounters us in these analytical segments is the basic question, what is culture? From a scholastic point of views, culture has several related senses, which means that culture itself is synonyms with civilization. And in the second sense, culture is often employed without any implication of unilingual human progress from barbarism to civilization without any prior value judgment being made as to the aesthetic or intellectual quality of a particular society, be it in arts, literature, institutions, which defines its own distinctive subculture. (Lyons, 1991, pp. 301-302) The role of Arabic Language in Islamic Culture Right from the outset and when we relate to culture in conjunction and juxtaposition with language, and assimilating their meaning, there is some sense of relevance that adds up, and which raises the question central to this essay and its arguments. To be precise, what concern the essay proposal and attempt made in that regard can be laid emphasis to the notion and the role of Arabic language in Islamic cultures, which are as follows:- Threats that impact Arabic language The strength of Arabic language and the Islamic culture in particular Problems that the Arabic culture faced. Thus, subject to these assumption that relates to the subject matter, the following discussion describes the same in their subheading so as to drive home the value judgment and criticisms from an objective point of view. Threats that impacted Arabic language and culture: The past, present and future Before we turn to the threats that impacted the Arabic language, it will be proper to analyze Arabic language, and as literature relates to Arabic belongs to the groups of languages collectively known as the Semitic language, which constitutes groups of the Middle East region and North Africa. And the earliest known Semitic spoken language is the Akkadian, spoken in Mesopotamia between 2500 BC and 600 BC. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 9) What we can drive home from this brief absorption can be premised in the ethnic and regional boundaries of the past. And as scholars relates to, there is nothing much that is known on the earliest stages of Arabic languages and when the Arabian nomads came to the Arabian peninsular, besides the language they spoke also is hard indeed to predict, assumed that Arabic was mostly spoken, given the inscription in the civilization of that era, that is to say the available Arabian civilization. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 23) In addition, Arabic in the pre-Islamic period that is revealed through the Quran and its manuscripts in all its essence describe the language and its forms, (Versteegh, 2001, p. 37)which till today commands its space and that which register readily with scholars. Besides, what is most significant to the development of the Arabic language constitutes the periods of the Islamic conquest, just after the death of Prophet Mohammed, where a drastic sea change was brought about to Arabic language and its forms that significantly spread from Syria to Egypt and where Islam took centre stage in the cultural development of the region, where Arabic spoken people were united under Islamic domination. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 93) However, as human civilization and in particular Arabian civilization progressed, threat to its language and cultural forms also increased. And relevant to such a scenario is the emergence of modern standards in languages, wherein, Arabic and French had to compete for the status of language of prestige and from the language reformer perspective, it means to devalue the classical language by debasing it with dialect influence or the abolition of grammatical rules. (Versteegh, 2001, p. 186) Moreover, what we can analyze from a modern perspective, the biggest threats to Arabian language also came from foreign languages and their domination in the Arab world when European imperialism was spreading fast. Thus, English, French, Italian and Spanish, and the fact that English also commands a significant place in the colonized region of the Arab world, (Fishman, 2001, p. 385) make it more reliable to place these languages as a threats to Arabian language in the Middle East region. Apart, the 21st century also presents the Arab world the challenges that may determine its future for generations, be it in maintaining their cultural identify and the danger that comes it due to abundant influence of the western world. (Najjar, 2005) Strength of the Arabic Language and the Islamic culture Assimilating from the aforementioned statements and its arguments, we cant deny the facts that languages be it English, French or Arabic and the threats in their own domains defines it own extent as and when human civilization progressed across national boundaries. In fact, Arabic as a language is known to be a great influence to the cultural face of the Arab world and Islamism in particular. Take for instance, the ties that connect the Arabic language to its history also places it in a unique position among major world languages of the contemporary world, which also defines the strength. Add to it, the historical connection of Arab language also brings both strength and weakness, which does not devalue the importance of historical connection; rather it serves as the fundamental consideration when setting guideline for the future. (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, p. 386) The tradition that relates to Arabic language can be laid more emphasis to the notion that the centrality of the Arabic language in contemporary context of the Arab world is the result of the continuous foreign presence in Arab speaking countries in the modern era. As a result of it, a threatening feeling among Arab nationalist and intellectuals grew who views such development as an attempt to alter Arab cultural identity and its heritage. (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, p. 386) Add to it, Globalization and its impact also deeply concerned Arab intellectuals and the disinclination of the western world and their Islamic biases. (Najjar, 2005) But, we can add and conclude that Arabic language in the contemporary context is rich in history, which links together its culture, traditions and that which defines the Islamic world at large. Problems that the Arabic culture faced From a modern analysis to Arabic cultural issue, the countenance of globalization bridged a way to Islamic threats. (Najjar, 2005) And as scholars have related to, culture are timeless and omnipresent, which exists and influences all nation at all time and draws a fine line to augment cultural dominance, which also grants individuals their full personal, social and cultural character. (Lewis, 2007) However, in the face of globalization and western influences, Islamic heritage and Arabic language and culture faced the dangers of being sidelines. (Najjar, 2005) Moreover, how to preserve Muslim cultural autonomy in the face of many recurring western influences also constitutes another relevant problem. Add to it, intellectual cultural differences between Arab masses and elitist are also one such problem that posits, plus the cultural issue of free Arab thinkers and free cultural expression, (El-shibiny, 2005, pp. 63, 65) that is thought to be under constant restraint from outside elements. Conclusion and recommendation Linguistic or languages as we know of in general assumptions is said to have played a dominant role in the development of culture and human civilization across the globe. Thus, it can be recommended that incorporate Arab culture in the face of globalization and its influence can be reinforced through the spirit of brotherhood, develop common Arab cultural trends and most importantly reviving the idea of Arab culture itself, (El-shibiny, 2005, p. 76) Furthermore, it can be concluded through a recommendation that an interest in the development of modern language education technology as a means to strengthening the participation of Arabic in various aspect of global activities is also a must. Add to it, efforts to develop Arabic education, plus research that gives importance to language and cultural heritage is also a need of the hour, (Kassem M. Wahba, 2006, pp. 385-86) which is what we can finally conclude on how the role of Arabic language can significantly bridged and reforms Islamic culture.

deatharms Comparison of Death in Farewell to Arms and The Outsider (Th

Death in Farewell to Arms and The Outsider  Ã‚      Hemingway once said that "all stories...end in death." Certainly, each living person's "story" ends that way. The interrelationship of a narrative to a life, of the "boundary situation" of an ending, is of vital importance to the existence of these two fictional narratives, A Farewell to Arms and The Outsider. Death plays an important, one might say necessary, part in both novels, too: Frederic Henry is, of course, in war and witness to death many times, wounded himself, and loses Catherine; Meursault's story begins with his mother's death, he later kills an Arab, and then is himself tried and sentenced to death. In fact, the defining death-confrontations (Frederic's loss of Catherine, Meursault's death sentence) transform the characters into narrators; that is to say, the stories are told because of the confrontations with death. We must recognize that the fictive characters are attempting to provide or create an order or meaning where it appears there is none. Or, there are pre-exi sting versions, meta-narratives, which prove inadequate or unsatisfying, and which must be replaced by the narrative each character produces. Meursault responds directly and violently to the priest who represents one such meta-narrative for Meursault's life. In the crescendo of the final scene of that novel when Meursault confronts the priest and finally re- leases the pent up anger and frustration repressed for so long, he does experience an epiphany: As if this great outburst of anger had purged all of my ills, killed all my hopes, I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world. And finding it so much... ...s of The Myth of Sisyphus in The Outsider, and particularly to the discussion of the search for truth. In the Myth Camus goes through an inventory of accepted sources for truth and finds them all lacking: first he tries religion, but surprisingly it is too relative, for which god is god; second he tries science, but finds that it offers not precision but metaphor (the world is like...); third he tries logic, but finds that paradoxically it leads to contradiction (for if "all statements are true" is true then "no statements are true" must be one of the true statements). He is left with the "I" - not the Cartesian "I" - but the Humean "I" (a bundle of perceptions) as the foundation for a meaning system. That changing, evolving, non-static "I" is at the heart of both of these works. Works Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Simon, 1957.

poe :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Edgar Allan Poe’s works, there are many similarities between them and his life. There are plenty similarities to find when only focusing on two of his stories, The Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado. When paying close attention, it is easy to notice the similarities and differences between Poe‘s life and his stories..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first topic to be discussed will be the similarities between the two tales. In both of the stories the murderers knew the men that they killed. Also, in both stories the murderers hid the body of the victim. An important factor in a tale about murder, is that the killer has a motive to commit the crime. There are plenty of similarities between Poe’s stories, just as well, there are many differences between the tales also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Along with comparisons, there are also many contrast between The Tell Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado. In The Tell Tale Heart the man killed out of insanity over the old man’s eye, but in The Cask of Amontillado, the narrator killed out of jealousy, â€Å"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.† In The Tell Tale Heart the narrator panicked and cut the body up in order to hide it, while the narrator in The Cask of Amontillado remains calm during and after the crime was committed. Another difference between them is that the narrator in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† confessed to the crime out of guilt and insanity, â€Å"Villains!’ I shrieked, ’dissemble no more! I admit the deed!--tear up the planks!--here, here!--it is the beating of his hideous heart!† In The Cask of Amontillado the narrator is never caught. After looking at the differenceâ€⠄¢s between Poe’s work it is very entertaining to compare the stories to his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of Poe’s stories and poems can be tied to events that have happened in his life. A lot of the hard times that he had had gone through in his life he used as motivation to write his poems and stories. For example the story â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† is thought of to be related to the consumption (aka tuberculosis), which took the life of many of the women he loved. In â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† the dying old man good be seen as Poe’s adoptive father on his death bed, and how the old mans eye made the murderer uncomfortable could be an analogy for how Poe’s father made him feel uncomfortable because he knew that his father did not love him.

Pch International

CASE: GS-61 DATE: 04/01/08 PCH INTERNATIONAL: MANAGING THE FLOWS OF INFORMATION, GOODS, AND FINANCE Liam Casey, CEO of PCH International Limited (PCH), was in every way an adventurer. Born and having spent most of his youth in Cork, Ireland, Casey had never lived in China until he started traveling and working in the country in his late twenties. Yet, without speaking much Chinese, Casey managed to establish an innovative supply chain solutions company in China’s factory city of Shenzhen and grew it to almost 700 employees in just ten years.By 2007, PCH had become a global company; it had customers in Western Europe and North America and its IT operations, manufacturing and warehousing support was located in Ireland, China, Singapore, Taiwan, South Africa and Brazil. In fact, so successful was Casey’s business that the â€Å"mildmannered and extremely diligent entrepreneur won the Ireland 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year award. †1 Collecting business c ompetition accolades was not what Casey had in mind when he first started PCH.When Casey went to Taiwan in 1996 to attend a computer and electronics fair, he saw an opportunity to help global technology companies take advantage of Asia and China’s low-cost supplier base and manufacturing capabilities. Although PCH started out in the mid-1990s as a sourcing agent of low-priced electronic components from Taiwan and China to the Western world, by 2007 it had evolved into a provider of comprehensive supply chain solutions to global technology companies. PCH was designed to address the needs of a complex global technology supply chain landscape. Arthur Beesley, â€Å"Casey Picks Up Overall Award,† Irish Times, October 26, 2007, p. 12 Jennie Tung prepared this case under the supervision of Professor Hau Lee as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright  © 2008 by the Board of T rustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, e-mail the Case Writing Office at: [email  protected] stanford. du or write: Case Writing Office, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 518 Memorial Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5015. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means –– electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise –– without the permission of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 2 STATE OF THE TECHNOLOGY SUPPLY CHAINThe Maturing Supply Chain By the twenty-first century, technology products of all sorts became ubiquitous and profoundly transformed the way people lived and worked. However, in the 1990s, in comparison to other global supply chains such as garments and toys, which had over some 50 years of outsourcing experience, the technology supply chain was still in its early development. For example, by the mid-1990s, the digital camera, the mobile phone, and the laptop computer had only just become a mainstream consumer category.As such, in addition to focusing on designing cutting edge products, technology companies were trying figure out the most efficient ways to deliver their products to end consumers. On the consumer technology supply chain timeline, the 1970s and 1980s showed only a small number of global brands, such as the large technology conglomerates Sony and Siemens, who were industry leaders in many product categories. These industry leaders relied on their vertically integrated supply chains and their ability to lock in suppliers to keep new competitors from entering the market. However, as venture capital funding became more available in the 1990s, the technology market saw continuous waves of innovation, shorter product lifecycles, new products and brands. At the same time, the 1990s also saw a drastic increase in independent manufacturers and suppliers, particularly in Asia. These businesses had developed sophisticated technical capabilities after serving the global brands for a number of years. The confluence of these factors changed what it took to win in the technology space. Vertically integrated players of the past were replaced with engineering-savvy, asset-light marketing and design companies. As such, both large and small technology companies had the opportunity to bring products to market through the use of sub-contracting. By the late 1990s, consumers not only had more product choices but also multiple channels to buy from, including online stores, which were becoming popular. Within the world of technology products, the supply chain systems for the wide-ranging product types were not uniform. For example, the more complex large systems, such as telecom base stations, had a diffe rent supply chain model from the smaller consumer electronics products, such as personal MP3 players and laptop computers.This case focuses on the small consumer electronics supply chain, whose characteristics included having many component suppliers, with assembly sites doing the final assembly and testing. The modular structure of technology products meant that the brand owners had to manage a large network of suppliers. To stay competitive, large and small technology companies began to outsource a significant part of their supply chain to third party vendors in order to focus their resources on brand differentiating activities, such as product design and marketing. This outsourcing trend in the 2 3PCH International Limited (PCH), â€Å"Information Memorandum for Potential Investors,† November 2007, pp. 3-5. Ibid. 4 www. Alibaba. com was an online directory of suppliers in China 5 PCH, op. cit. pp. 3-5. PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-6 1 p. 3 1980s created a new industry known as Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS). By the 1990s, the EMS industry had a number of global scale players, notably Hon Hai Precision Industries (Foxconn), Flextronics, Celestica, Sanmina-SCI, Jabil, Elcoteq, and a few dozen others.In addition, several thousand smaller companies continued to occupy EMS niches and served a wide range of consumer electronics brands. The business model for the EMS industry was based on large economies of scale in manufacturing, raw materials procurement, pooling of resources, and industrial design expertise, in addition to other value-added services such as warranty and repairs. Products manufactured by EMS companies were labeled with the brand owner’s brand and corporate identity.As price competition intensified in the consumer electronics industry in the late 1990s, EMS players gradually shifted their manufacturing assets to lower cost areas, such as cities in Southern China. While the leaner over head structure provided numerous operational and financial benefits, the technology companies faced enormously complex challenges in dealing with procurement, manufacturing, and logistics vendors. Fragmented Supplier Base Many technology companies looked to Asia as an outsourcing location, given the number of low- cost manufacturing and component suppliers in the region.By 2007, China became a major sourcing and production hub for many technology companies. However, to take full advantage of China’s low cost supplier base was not always straightforward. As China was rapidly developing into the factory of the world, many companies strove to achieve low cost while maintaining quality. Low cost technology goods suppliers were abundantly available in the coastal regions of China, in particular in the southern city of Shenzhen, just a 50-minute train ride from Hong Kong. As a procurement officer for a technology company, trying to identify the most suitable supplier could be a hug e headache.For example, for every cable connector, printer circuit board, and MP3 player accessory item, there were literally hundreds of suppliers to choose from in China. 4 For many technology companies, many of these components were not core or strategic. However, poor management of component parts could impact every aspect of the supply chain, leaving behind many unsatisfied customers. Therefore, to take full advantage of China’s wealth of suppliers, technology companies needed to filter through numerous vendors to find ones that optimized cost, speed to market, and quality.Working Capital Constraints While independent manufacturers and component suppliers benefited from global outsourcing trends in the late 1990s, they also had to face increasing financing challenges. Casey, who had worked with hundreds of factory owners, learned of the challenges in raising working capital: [In the earlier days of outsourcing,] suppliers were able to take a purchase order of a guarantee d volume from a well-known company to the bank and, upon verification, would be able to obtain working capital inancing. Letters of Credit (LCs) were issued by the purchaser. However, guaranteed longer term product volumes have been replaced by rolling short term product guidelines forecasts. The reason is as a technology company faces tough competition and declining PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 4 margins, it needs to manage costs aggressively by minimizing inventory build-up. This is necessary given the need to match the ebb and flow of customer taste and requirements.They in turn demand ‘just-in-time’ delivery from their suppliers— which shifted some of the inventory holding costs upstream to its vendors, further increasing its need for working capital. In addition, sometimes the purchasing company may not be one of the blue-chip globally recognizable brands; banks sometimes perceived this as an additional credit r isk. This trend resulted in substantial volatility and pressure on some suppliers as banks were not as willing to provide trade financing given the perceived increased risk levels.This meant some suppliers found it tremendously difficult, if not extremely expensive to obtain financing. Increasingly Demanding Customers Consumer technology products of the twenty-first century were about superior functionalities, seamless ordering process (both in-store and online), timely and accurate product delivery, and a memorable out-of-box experience—referring to how consumers felt when they opened the box and reacted to the overall product presentation. Of course, it was critical that the products themselves be â€Å"trendy† and â€Å"cool,† and accompanied by a whole host of accessories to jazz up the products.For many consumers, technology products were perceived in the same vein as fashion goods. Brands, therefore, needed to meet constantly changing tastes and extremely short and tight product development cycles. While professional technology products generally placed more emphasis on product functionalities, they still required support services, such as regional configuration (e. g. , language differences and pre-loaded software) and just-in-time delivery of products, in order to minimize inventory costs. Finally, technology companies needed to provide their customers these highly customized products and purchasing experiences at a competitive price, while achieving all of the above. These were just some of the characteristics that made the technology supply chain much more challenging than the supply chain of more traditional industries. EMS companies, as discussed above, while able to deliver manufacturing savings to brand owners, were unable to adequately address these pain points, given that their business model focused on large scale production.The end consumer’s increasing demand for low price and customized products made it challengi ng for EMS companies to address these evolving market trends. TECHNOLOGY SUPPLY CHAIN FLOWS AND CHALLENGES An insightful entrepreneur, Casey saw the pain points described above as opportunities. Over the years, Casey had thought a comprehensive solution addressing the market and customer challenges would provide extraordinary value for technology companies. In PCH’s menu of services, the over-arching theme was to help clients better manage the three distinctive flows in the technology supply chain: information, goods, and financial.These flows essentially addressed every element required to take a product from concept to being retail ready, including the key steps of manufacturing, packaging, product customization, logistics and supplier financing. (See Exhibit 1 for an overview of the three flows in the technology supply chain. ) PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 5 The Virtual Supply Chain The virtual supply chain referred to informa tion flow that occurred in the supply chain as goods moved through the various stages.The information requirement might be for a unique customer, such as, â€Å"when will my goods arrive at my door step;† or for the planning department in a company, â€Å"how much inventory should I order given existing inventory levels in different parts of the supply chain? † When a company outsourced each portion of the supply chain to different vendors, disbursing and piecing information back together from disparate sources could be extremely challenging. The Physical Supply Chain The physical supply chain referred to he steps by which physical goods went from product concept to their final customers; it dealt with the movement of goods from various physical locations, such as procurement of components, manufacturing, and logistics. 6 As discussed in the section on challenges facing the technology supply chain, the large number of suppliers and manufacturers in Asia made it extreme ly cumbersome for companies to identify the most appropriate vendors for their needs. In addition to price negotiation, service quality also required significant due diligence.For example, incidences of delinquent delivery and product quality issues were commonplace. Given the myriad of choices that consumers had for any given technology product, the margin of error allowed was very small. Another challenge in the physical supply chain was customization of products. A question often asked by supply chain executives at technology companies was, â€Å"how should I best take advantage of economies of scale by producing in volume while achieving the customization for each local market, and sometimes for each individual customer? This question highlighted the challenge of managing market-level customization since most technology products needed to reach multiple countries around the world. The challenge could be as simple as placing different language labels on products, to more complex tasks such as first consolidating product shipments from different manufacturing sites and then assembling various units for unique customer orders. Finally, logistics and shipment also needed to be managed in an efficient and cost effective manner.The Financial Supply Chain Tied very closely to the physical flow of goods, the financial supply chain referred to the financing required for each step of the supply chain. For example, a manufacturing contractor would need financing to buy components and pay its workers to make the products, before shipping them to the technology company to collect the revenue. Established vendors may have had enough cash to last through a collection cycle but smaller or newer vendors could be strapped for cash when a large order came through.While commercial banks could provide financing for some vendors, new or smaller vendors ended up paying extremely high interest First Capital Presentation at the Zhejiang University Innovation Institute’s Su pply Chain Forum, Zhejiang, China, November 13-14, 2007. 6 PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 6 costs, at least in the initial years of operations—until they had developed a stronger track record to borrow at more favorable rates from banks. THE PCH SOLUTIONBy 2007, PCH counted a number of global clients as customers. Among its clients were three of the top five personal computer companies, three of the top five telecom and networking companies, and the top five leading contract electronics manufacturers. 7 According to Casey, â€Å"PCH offers customized solutions for each client. PCH helps to manage the various communication, culture and geographic barriers that often create operational friction between the [technology company] and its suppliers in the supply chain. In Casey’s framework, each PCH solution could be mapped to the various challenges in the three flows of the supply chain, thereby addressing the various gaps in co ordinating these flows. For example, PCH manufacturing services addressed the needs in the flow of goods, while PCH Capital addressed the needs in the financial flow in the supply chain (See Exhibit 2 on PCH services categories). Like PCH’s technology customers, Casey believed an asset-light approach in managing his business worked the best and, therefore, he had no ownership in any of the vendors that PCH worked with.PCH was neither a supplier of goods nor an importer for global technology companies. PCH was a service provider—a coordinator that helped orchestrate and maximize the benefits of an outsourced supply chain for all parties involved. Addressing the Needs of the Virtual Supply Chain Information transparency was a highly valued feature for technology companies given the many moving pieces involved. Casey explained why its software services division was core to PCH’s offering to clients and why developing these tools was important to PCH in the long ter m: Transparency of process is a central PCH offering.This is why we’ve developed a series of online software tools that drive internal PCH activities and to provide a portal for clients to oversee and participate in the process. These systems enabled PCH, customers and third-party suppliers to view and share the same data. [As all parties] are working with the same data on the same platform, confusion is reduced, the need for status communication is reduced and clients can have full visibility to PCH’s activities even [though] they may be half a world away. By 2007, PCH had developed a set of software visibility tools that consolidated relevant information for each individual customer.Examples included StatusFlo, which showed inventory levels of goods in the various locations of the supply chain; and TransFlo, which housed all information relevant to billing and shipping documents in one central location for each order. Given the myriad of suppliers, ChinaFlo provided a database of background data on over 900 factories evaluated by PCH. Each factory profile contained detailed information ranging from basic background information, to factory qualification reports, and to capabilities case studies. Customers also had the ability to view pictures of their products and even search 7 Beesley, loc. it. PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 7 for hotels in the vicinity of the factories, as the factory profiles had GPS coordinates associated with them. Resolving the chaos and lack of data transparency in the virtual supply chain was one key value-add that PCH offered. (See Exhibit 3 for a screenshot of different sections of PCH’s information portal. ) Addressing the Needs of the Physical Supply Chain Casey reflected on the path that PCH took: The historical success of PCH was in manufacturing services where goods were sourced and manufactured for our clients.This was how the company got started. Over time, PCH had moved deeper into the product life cycle where solutions were replacing entire distribution systems; for some of our clients, [PCH] took over warehousing, inventory management, and retail preparation functions. We wanted to move to higher value services as opposed to being just a sourcing agent. With this strategy, PCH developed three core services that addressed the complexity and confusion of sourcing and manufacturing in Asia, in particular in China. As of 2007, these services were manufacturing, postponement, and fulfillment services.Manufacturing Services PCH offered its manufacturing services to clients as early as the product development phase. Technology companies would approach PCH with ideas for products and PCH’s design team then developed prototypes for manufacturing. Casey proudly mentioned how PCH’s differentiated services created benefits for the entire supply chain. Even if our clients just ask for product quotes, we would put the product through i ndustrial design optimization that yields the best cost for the customer while minimizing potential quality issues.Many of our clients did not expect this but this is the level of services that we aim for. We do not tie [the product design] to the capabilities of any specific factory group but act independently on behalf of our clients†¦This level of services also compares favorably to just a [company to outsource manufacturer] relationship where the focus is on landing the contract and meeting minimum quantities; [this also meant] final product quality and the end user experience being far down the outsource manufactures’ list of priorities.The other part of PCH manufacturing services entailed factory identification, qualification, and ongoing monitoring. For this set of services, PCH also leveraged its software services (see information supply chain in previous section) to differentiate itself from other competitors. Casey said, â€Å"Rather than just identifying the factories for manufacturing, we would map out the locations of the various potential manufacturing sites and how that would fit in the overall supply chain. This strategy ensured that the entire supply chain was optimized, taking into consideration the later steps in the process, such as warehousing and shipment consolidation. PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 8 Postponement and Fulfillment Services Traditionally, once the technology products were produced and quality checked in the approved outsourced factories, they were shipped to warehouse facilities before going to the various retail destinations.A potential downside to this model was that when the bulk shipment arrived at the retail destination, which might be in a high cost country such as the U. S. or Europe, the products still needed to be further customized for each local market; whether it was adding country appropriate labeling or putting on UPC labels. This meant that even thoug h a company had saved by manufacturing its goods in Asia, this last mile customization could bring the total product costs back up. The other downside was that a technology company also needed to pay for inventory holding costs.And, this inventory had limited flexibility; a company could not move it to other geographies, even if a particular product was running a shortage in other locations. To address these challenges, PCH offered postponement services—the act of holding goods in the supply chain (often in bulk format pending final assembly or packaging) for delivery to a warehouse, retail store or the end consumer. 8 In Casey’s words, â€Å"What we are doing is bringing a vanilla product to a stage in a process and then flavor in the last minute. So you're postponing the flavoring. The final steps would only be carried out once the demand was clearly visible. Most of PCH’s clients’ products were manufactured around the coastal areas of China, so PCH st rategically located its postponement processing facilities in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, and in Singapore. These locations were selected for their relatively low labor costs (some of the final packaging was quite labor intensive) and the availability of favorable tax-free trade zones. For example, one of PCH’s clients was a global personal computer (PC) company.When its PCs arrived in Shenzhen’s postponement processing facility in bulk, the machines had no software. Given these computers could be destined for different locations around the world, PCH would wait for the final order before it preloaded the different language operating systems into these computers for the various markets. These computers were held in Shenzhen’s Futian Tax Free Trade zone; which yielded lower inventory holding costs, as compared to having them sit at the warehouses in a higher cost country location.As PCH’s goal was to help customers fully manage the physical supp ly chain, its fulfillment services addressed the â€Å"handling of product orders from clients, their distribution chains or directly from end consumers over the Internet. †9 This meant that after products had gone through final assembly and packaging in the postponement phase, PCH could have them delivered directly to retail stores, ready for sale or to the end consumers’ doorstep. Working with third party logistics providers, PCH had several options for pickup and shipment to overseas locations.Even though PCH provided postponement in China, technology products were often transported by air, so this did not mean PCH’s response time was much worse than the conventional approach of having postponement at the retail distribution center in the U. S. Casey explained why the combination of postponement and fulfillment services worked well for PCH’s technology clients and how it addressed challenges in the broader market environment: 8 9 PCH, op. cit. pp. 9-13 Ibid. PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 9The constantly shifting consumer tastes and trends make forecast volume for any [technology] product difficult. When Internet sales direct to a customer’s home are added into the array of distribution possibilities, the processing needs become even more complex. With postponement and fulfillment services located close to the manufacturing sites, it drastically shortens time to market. By offering a variety of packaging and shipment options, PCH is able to both manage fast and slow moving inventory in a manner that reduces the overall supply chain costs to [technology companies].This approach provides clients with substantial leverage in their operations: total factory commitments remain somewhat unchanged, product inventory quantities shrink, warehouse networks shrink, if not disappearing all together, and the cost of operating the supply chain falls. PCH’s Unique Position In summarizin g PCH’s value proposition, Casey believed PCH’s role as the coordinator in the supply chain was beneficial for all parties involved: Our purpose as a company is developing partnerships, delivering peace of mind.None of our customers have ever gone direct to a factory. Some customers have made phone calls to factories, but the factories will call us immediately because [those factories also made products for five of our other clients. ] So we bring a very big book of business to these component suppliers and that's why they like to work with us. The factories are getting a steady flow of business through our volume consolidation. At the same time our customers also benefit from economies of scale by consolidating their orders with their competitors, which are nonproprietary stuff.Casey believed that in the 1990s, global companies operating in China were all about the knowledge challenge and everyone was just trying to learn about the landscape. By 2000, â€Å"it was al l about the execution challenge; that is, how do you actually do it and benefit from what China has to offer,† said Casey. Client Case Example10: Managing the Physical and Information Supply Chain PCH worked with a wide range of technology clients; but perhaps its partnership with one global consumer technology company provided the best example to illustrate the principles behind technology supply chain outsourcing.Situation The client was a global consumer electronics company and, since the early 2000s, had produced a number of blockbuster products that were sold worldwide. Sales revenue was growing rapidly and most of its products were manufactured in Taiwan and China. These products were sold over the Internet, in addition to a variety of retail outlets, and were often sold with accessories such as protective carrying cases, spare parts, and alternative configurations of the products. PCH operated under a confidentiality agreement with most of its clients; hence, actual cli ent names have been disguised.Some of the company data provided was fictitious to preserve anonymity. 10 PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 10 Playing in the extremely competitive consumer technology space, this client had introduced new products every year or so—sometimes with an entirely new product line and sometimes with upgrades to existing models. Complication In the initial years, this client worked with a global logistics provider to operate its more than five North American and European warehouse facilities; inventories from Asia arrived in bulk and were stored in these locations.Its products were delivered to end consumers or retail locations upon ordering. Its accessory parts were produced by different factories in Asia and were then shipped separately to various destination markets. For example, when customers ordered four accessories, they might receive four different shipments on four different dates, leaving them sometim es confused and unable to track the status of their orders. This arrangement was also expensive for the technology company, given the high cost of inventory storage and the multiple airfreight bills for each customer.More importantly, the client promised its end consumers more than just beautifully designed products, it also promised a superior consumer experience—from placing the order on the Internet to actually receiving the product. The order status had to be available real-time and visible to consumers at each stage of execution; the delivery commitment to its end consumers was two to three days to the doorstep, which was often half a world away from where the goods were produced.Finally, considerable care and attention were given to the packaging and presentation of the products to ensure that end consumers were truly delighted when opening the box. Solution In serving this client, PCH set up an on-site real-time data transfer between client’s and PCH’s sy stem in Shenzhen, China. As customers place orders in North America, the orders were consolidated and fed live to PCH’s processing facilities.PCH had already stored bulk inventories of various accessory parts in its facilities; once information for each orders were received, the PCH teams in Shenzhen then go and grab the various parts and assemble them into one single package for each customer order. Customized and country appropriate packaging, including items such as usual manuals and in-country product support, were added to these parts. Finally, product codes were added to products in case the consumer wanted to a return or obtain customer services in their local customer service centers.This solution brought all product handling (post manufacturing) into China and all orders were shipped directly from one location to the final destination. This translated into savings on logistics as customers were now receiving only one shipment as opposed to multiple shipments. Address ing the Needs of the Financial Supply Chain As discussed in the state of the technology supply chain section, component suppliers and factories sometimes ran into a working capital crunch when unable to obtain feasible financing from commercial banks.On the opposite side of the table, the commercial banks generally appreciated the opportunity to help finance the components suppliers and factories, thereby gaining more visibility into the operations of these small to medium size operations. Casey drew insights from observing these challenges and decided that PCH was actually in a great position to help de-risk the entire supply chain—for the technology companies, banks, and the factories. Casey described how PCH’s services were different from those of other global PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 . 11 logistics providers: â€Å"The FedExes and DHLs know where the boxes are, but PCH knows what’s inside the boxes. † Gi ven its span of participation in the supply chain, PCH gained a wealth of knowledge about the factories, the products, and the ultimate client. This knowledge became extremely valuable in doing risk assessment. For example, PCH staff (including Casey) had personally visited the factories and had worked with the owners and the technology companies for months. This level of understanding far exceeded what could be accomplished by lending officers.This unique position enabled PCH to effectively play the trade finance role in the supply chain cycle. By 2008, Casey envisioned the ways in which PCH could play a broader role in the financial supply chain as it saw pain points in the retailer to factory relationship. In the past, U. S. retailers (customers of PCH) placed purchase orders (POs) with outsourcing factories in China. The U. S. retailers would then apply for a Letter of Credit (LC) with a bank that would provide the required financing to the factory. Once the orders had been manu factured, the factories would then ship the goods directly to the retailers.As the consumer electronics industry evolved, retailers were no longer willing to place large purchase orders, given the uncertainty of the market. In order to protect their margins and to minimize inventory costs, retailers changed payment terms on the factories. The factories were required to obtain financing on their own and would only be paid 90 days after the retailers received the products. This put a tremendous amount of pressure on the factories. PCH saw this as an opportunity for another value-added service.Casey envisioned that PCH could play the role of an intermediary to facilitate the financial flow from the moment the retailers placed their orders to the delivery of goods. The new model was such that retailers would place orders with PCH and PCH would then place the orders with the factories. Given PCH’s size and its relationship with global technology firms, banks would be willing to le nd funds to PCH. At the same time, PCH could then lend funds back to its factories and suppliers at a higher interest rate, but still lower than what the factories and suppliers would have gotten on their own.PCH effectively made the interest spread between the banks and the factories and suppliers. JOURNEY TO-DATE AND PATH GOING FORWARD Casey, the business adventurer from Ireland seemed to have demystified the often chaotic Chinese manufacturing landscape. Casey recalled the tremendous difficulty in initially setting up the business in 1996: I found companies in Ireland that were buying cables, connectors and audio accessories through British distributors†¦ who were actually sourcing them from Asia anyway.It took a long time to convince these Irish companies to go source directly from Asia because their perception was that you couldn't get quality or the right products in Asia, plus they were worried about dealing with the time difference. With only $20,000 in start-up capital and unable to afford staff, Casey worked alone for two years, getting to know factories in China, opportunities, and the business. Just ten years into the PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 12 ame, Casey disclosed that by 2007, PCH generated over $100 million in annual revenue, not a small feat for someone who still claimed to â€Å"not speak much Mandarin. † As the company grew into a much larger company since its start-up days, Casey believed one of the most important things to preserve in the company culture was the sense of urgency. In the initial years, he remembered that every single customer contract determined the survival of the company. â€Å"That sense of urgency, to get things done, to exceed customer expectation continued to stay in the company even after all these years.This sense of urgency was a trait of PCH—the speed and the can-do attitude,† said Casey. (See Exhibit 4 and 5 for revenue breakdown. ) A lo ng-time customer of PCH was Better Energy Systems (BES), the brand owner of Solio portable solar power. PCH had been managing BES’s end-to-end supply chain. â€Å"Put simply, PCH understands the business and quality requirements of the West, while at the same time can effectively manage the day to day complexities of a Chinese supply chain,† said Christopher Hornor, chief executive of BES. 1 While Casey believed PCH’s end-to-end solution provided a unique value proposition to technology companies, he also humbly admitted: â€Å"there’s nothing that would prevent our customers from going directly to the suppliers in the future. † In trying to chart out the growth plan for his company in the years to come, he was contemplating several options: expanding service options or obtaining strategic investors. Regardless of the growth strategy, Casey had always believed in â€Å"building PCH one client at a time. You do a good job, they give you more work,à ¢â‚¬  he said. It's all about service—making sure they get what they want, when they want it. â€Å"12 And such was the truism in operating any supply chain. 11 12 Clifford Coonan, â€Å"Understanding the Rules Is Key to Success in China,† Irish Times, September 25, 2006. Anna Healy Fenton, â€Å"Irish Rover Now Fluent in Solutions-Speak,† South China Morning Post, March 26, 2005. PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 13 Exhibit 1: PCH Integrated Supply Chain Approach Technol ogy Suppl y Chain Sol uti on V i rtual Supply Chai n †¢ Flow of inf ormation Physi cal Suppl y Chain †¢ Fl ow of productsFi nancial Supply Chai n †¢ Fl ow of f unds Source: Company Internal Information Exhibit 2: PCH Services Categories PCH International: Managing Goods, Information and Financial Flows GS-61 p. 14 Exhibit 3: PCH Information Portal Source: Company Internal Document Exhibit 4: Revenue Breakdown by Category 2005 49% 19% 13 % 10% 10% 2006 42% 32% 12% 6% 7% 2007 45% 29% 14% 5% 6% Electronics Telecom Medical PC Other Source: Company Internal Document Exhibit 5: Revenue Breakdown by Geography 2005 51% 23% 9% 17% 0% 2006 46% 26. 5% 0. 4% 27% 0. 1% 2007 48% 22% 3% 25% 1% USA Ireland Europe Asia Brazil Source: Company Internal Document