The Quintessential Rebel Essay Example For Students

The Quintessential Rebel Essay The Quintessential RebelIn Allan Sillitoes The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner, we are introduced to Smith, a man with his own standards, beliefs, values, and battles. As we are taken through the story of a period of his live, we come to understand what Smith really stands for. He is a diehard rebel that is destined to always stick to his beliefs, and is willing to sacrifice all in a battle against his greatest enemy and opressor, society. Throughout the book Smith gives us a chance to get to know him. He willingly shares his thoughts with the reader, and often times his thoughts develop as he is telling his story giving us an up-close look at the inner workings of Smiths mind and personality. Smith belongs to a group of people he calls the Out-Laws. It is the underprivileged lower class poor street criminals. Crime runs in Smiths family, and being born into poverty he nether sees, nor is even willing to contemplate a life without crime. At a point he hints on having some communist views, and perhaps suggests that his father had communist friends, if he wasnt one himself. Fatally inflicted by cancer, Smiths father died a painful death. We later find out that it was Smith who found his father breathless in a pool of his own blood, and to this day has a great deal of respect for him. The first time Smiths family gets a taste of a financially comfortable life is when the factory his father worked in gave them a lump of ca sh upon his fathers death. a wad of crisp blue-back fivers aint a sight of good (Sillitoe, 20) says Smith as the one break his family got was only due to his fathers death. Smith is not money hungry, he steels simply to get by. He knows exactly where he stands in the world- in direct opposition of the In-laws, the pig-faced snotty-nosed dukes and ladies(Sillitoe, 8). He realizes that he is a poor nobody, a petty criminal, an outcast of society. Smith by nature is a rebel. He puts himself and his fellow Out-laws in direct opposition of the rest; for him its us versus them. As we are getting to know Smith, he is spending his time in a Borstal after having been caught for a bakery robbery. He has no regrets about doing what he did in the bakery shop, and has a big enough heart to be happy for his accomplice, Mike for getting off. I was glad though that Mike got away with it, and I only hope he always will ( Sillitoe, 23). He is without a doubt a good man. He considers himself so but by his own standards.I am honest, that Ive never been anything else but honest, (Sillitoe, 15). He is honest to himself and is true to who he is and always be. Needless to say society does not view the thief as a good and honest man, to which Smith is not in the least bit surprised. He knows that the two worlds, the In-laws and the Out-laws, will never see eye to eye, and that is why is willing to rebel the best he can. Its war between me and them (Sillitoe, 16), says Smith, firmly sticking to his side of the tracks. We will write a custom essay on The Quintessential Rebel specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now While at the Borstal Smith is made a long distance runner in Governors hopes to finally win the Borstal Blue Ribbon Prize Cup with the use of Smiths ability to run. The imprisoned Out-law realizes that he is greatly outnumbered in his rebellious war. It is him, backed by a number of inactive others, against all of ruling society. He realizes that to those who keep him captive he means nothing more then a race horse with a high chance of winning. He trains daily in undermining conditions, but has no complaints. The Governor promises him a worry-free remainder of his sentence if he wins the All England Borstal race, and is to be released an honest man. If it is honesty the Governor wants, then that is what Smith is planning on delivering, but in his own terms. Im not going to win because the only way Id see I came in first would be if winning meant that I was going to escape the coppers after doing the biggest bank job of my life, (Sillitoe, 45). Alone, in a greatly disadvantaged posit ion, Smith is willing to give up all promised luxuries and instead be punished for the sake of his rebellion. He is prepared to defy his opposition the only way he can, but hell be getting them where it hurts. Perfectly capable of winning the race Smith purposely looses, depriving the Governor of his long desired Blue Ribbon Prize Cup. .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa , .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .postImageUrl , .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa , .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa:hover , .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa:visited , .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa:active { border:0!important; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa:active , .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf806712516c10721fb3333a6998aa5aa:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Internet Persuasive EssaySmith may not be a very educated man. He may not have even considered possible alternatives for his life: it might be possible to do such a thing, run for money (Sillitoe, 39). He simply and faithfully stands by the position in life that hed been granted, the only thing he knows. A good and honest man in his own perception of the world, Smith is ready to sacrifice all rather then conforming the his greatest enemy- society. At the end of the book Smith mentions that he entrusted his story into the hands of a friend, that would attempt to get it published in the event that he gets caught in his greatest robbery yet. This goes only to suggest that Smi th does get caught, inevitably loosing his self-proclaimed rebellious war. But for a true rebel, it was the war itself that counts. Words/ Pages : 985 / 24

Personal Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass essays

Personal Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass essays Slavery was a negative thing for the whole of American society; Men, women, and families alike. No one person or sex was worse off than the other. Slavery was a horrible monstrosity for mankind. What I am about to tell you was found in the personal narrative of Frederick Douglass. Douglass has first hand knowledge of these unethical crimes against the black race since he himself was a slave owned by many different masters. Douglass is a very credible foundation for knowledge when it comes to slavery and the mistreating of slaves. In his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, Douglass shows that a strict and unfair set of rules was used to enslave black men and women and their families in the 19th Century. Douglass explains that most slave owners didnt take pity on any preferred sex. Women didnt get any pardons when it came to getting whipped for not doing day to day duties, and sometimes just talking, or looking out of place. He also stated that there was one master in particular that he remembered very vividly. A Mr. Plummer, who Frederick claimed to be a miserable drunkard, would always be armed with a cowskin and a heavy cudgel and took delight in whipping men and women until they screamed, and then was invigorated by the screams and kept going until he, himself, grew tired from the beating. So neither men nor women were safe from violent whippings. Families werent safe from these regulations either. As Frederick also pointed out, it was a common custom, to part children from their mothers at a very early age. Frequently, before the child has reached its twelfth month. This is a very unnerving thought. He went on to say that this technique was used to erase all forms of affection between mothers and children, making them sort of like cattle. Black men, women and their familie ...

Commercial Limestone and Marble Explained

Commercial Limestone and Marble Explained We all encounter limestone buildings and marble statues during our lives. But the scientific and commercial definitions of these two rocks dont match. When geologists enter the stone dealers showroom, and when lay people go out in the field, each has to learn a new set of concepts for these two different names. Limerock Basics Limestone and marble are both limerocks, an old-fashioned industrial term for stone that is roasted to produce lime, or calcium oxide. Lime is a basic ingredient in cement and much else. (For more about lime, see About Cement and Concrete.) Cement makers look at limerock as chemical feedstock of greater or lesser purity and expense. Beyond that, they are indifferent to what geologists or stone dealers call it. The key mineral in limerock is calcite, or calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Any other mineral is undesirable, but a particularly bad one is dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2), which interferes with lime manufacture. In the past, quarriers, builders, craftsmen and manufacturers called limerock used for industrial purposes limestone. Thats how limestone got its name in the first place. Limerock suitable for structural and decorative purposes, like buildings and statuary, was called marble. The word comes from ancient Greek with the root meaning of strong stone. Those historic categories are relevant to todays commercial categories. Commercial Limestone and Marble Dealers in stone use limestone and marble to denote a category of stone that is softer than commercial granite (or basalt or sandstone) but does not split like slate. Commercial marble is more compact than commercial limestone, and it takes a good polish. In commercial use, these definitions arent limited to rocks made of calcite; dolomite rock is just as good. In fact, serpentinite too has minerals softer than granite and is considered a commercial marble under the names serpentine marble, green marble or verd antique. Commercial limestone has more pore space than commercial marble and does not wear as well. This makes it suitable for less demanding applications like walls and columns and patios. It may have some flat layering, but generally it has a plain appearance. It may be honed or polished smooth, but it is limited to a matte or satiny finish. Commercial marble is denser than commercial limestone, and its preferred for floors, doorways and steps. Light penetrates farther into it, giving marble a glowing translucency. It also commonly has attractive swirling patterns of light and dark, although pure white marble is also prized for statues, gravestones and decorative features. To add a bit of confusion, marble used to be called crystalline limestone in previous centuries. Its key feature is the ability to take a high finish. None of these categories mean what they mean to geologists. Geologic Limestone and Marble Geologists are careful to distinguish limestone from dolomite rock, classifying both of these carbonate rocks as sedimentary rocks. But with metamorphism both become marble, a metamorphic rock in which all the original mineral grains have been recrystallized. Limestone is not made of sediment derived from rocks, but instead generally consists of the calcite skeletons of microscopic organisms that lived in shallow seas. In some places its formed of tiny round grains called ooids, formed as calcite precipitates directly from seawater onto a seed particle. The warm seas around the islands of the Bahamas are an example of an area where limestone is forming today. Under gentle conditions underground that are not well understood, magnesium-bearing fluids may alter the calcite in limestone to dolomite. With deeper burial and higher pressure, dolomite rock and limestone both recrystallize into marble, wiping out any fossils or other traces of the original sedimentary environment. Which of these are the real limestone and marble? Im prejudiced in favor of geologists, but builders and carvers and lime makers have many centuries of history on their side. Just be careful about how you use these rock names.

Choose one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Choose one - Essay Example – This is the thesis†¦ II. The Progressive Period The Progressive Period in the US approximately started in 1890 to 1920 as a social movement that grew into a political movement, and somewhere in 1900 to 1918, was the training ground for a transformation of the relationship between a democratic government and the people, essentially highlighting Prohibition and woman suffrage (PBS; GWU). This period was also generally referred to as the transition from agrarian to urbanization, a depiction of more advanced transformation of the civilization and high level way of thinking. III. World War II On the other hand, World War II began in 1939 to 1945, and women were considered partners in winning the war due to the following points: there was a changed image of women’s roles, they joined the nurse corps and armed forces, they were encouraged to serve the military, they filled in traditional male jobs particularly in production, and they performed functions both at home and in the community and so on (National Women’s History Museum). The point is that women were started to be viewed as equal with men and that made them essential counterparts in order for the US to successfully win the war. IV. Post-War Expansion Period Right after the World War II is the Post-War Expansion Period. ... After all, Post-War Expansion Period was the economic expansion of the US, by which women had special participation in the process. V. Analysis It is evident, based on the information as stated so far that the transition in the US history of development over the course of time was fueled by social, political and economic factors. However, men and women substantially worked out for this. Therefore, having the thought like this will pave the way for understanding that the involvement of women in particular in the entire scenario of development is not just only a sole controversial issue, but a specific subject that requires fundamental analysis to understand its actual transformation as directly influenced by socio-economic and political factors. What therefore is one of the most important actions to take is to know the varying attitudes to women’s roles in the workforce in each of the three introduced periods. Another important point is to further analyze how these attitudes we re changed. Finally, to understand why these attitudes changed is just another important point to consider. Clearly, women were not considered equal counterparts of men from the beginning and this was due to social understanding linked in particular to a patriarchal society in the US and even in other parts of the world. This dates back to the beginning, but what is much more explicit observation was the aggressive considered nature of men by then, as depicted from their ability to conquer. Such history remains vivid in the minds of the Americans especially supplemented by one of the thoughts like on how Christopher Columbus discovered, subjugated and put the entire native America

Macroeconomics in Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macroeconomics in Finance - Essay Example The model is taken to be equally influential as the Keynesian model that which was originally formulated by John Keynes in the 20th century. The model relates employment and aggregate demand to three exogenous quantities namely; the government spending, business expectations by the state and the total amount of money in circulation. The model can be understood in the general equilibrium theory. The model can be used in line with the Phillips curve to make prediction for example an increase in the general employment level would lead to increased inflation rate (the general price rise) the resultant increase in money supply would hence increase employment and the output level (Obstfeld, M. and Kenneth, R.(1996) Under the model a sustained fail in general prices (deflation) will be caused by a shift in the supply curve and more importantly the demand curve for goods and interest. This means a fall in how the prices of goods compared to how much the economy is willing to buy of. It brings the idea of benefit of unemployment, insurance and fluctuations costs. i.e. the unemployed exhibit significant heterogeneity in marginal propensity to consume the available income and in holding of wealth. (Obstfeld, and Kenneth, 1996) Aspects for example it has all the variables that are contained in the IS-LM model i.e. consumption interest rate, expected inflation, the gross domestic product, investment and government spending. (Uzawa, 1969) However, the two models have some differences in their basic setup. The IS curve is given as Y=C+I+G+NX Where NX= net exports While the LM curve is given as M/P=L (I, Y) Where M= money supply P= average price L= liquidity I= interest rate U=GDP Question Two IS -LM-FE Mundell Fleming model in comparing effect of an increase in public spending under fixed exchange rates Under a flexible exchange rate an increase in public spending will translate into an increase in the money supply in any given country. According to this model an increase in money supply will shift the LM curve to the right. The resultant effect will be reduced local interest rate thus

Coffee and Starbucks Essay Example for Free

Coffee and Starbucks Essay Starbucks has been the most successful coffee chain using their aggressive expansion strategies to surpass its competitors. Through its expansion, Starbucks has focused on creating a dense network of stores all around US, while also opening up new locations all around the world. However, Starbucks’ aggressive expansion strategies have posed major threats to its financial health such as tight cashflows, increase debts, poor liquidity ratios and etc. In addition, this approach can exacerbate competition among close Starbucks stores. Due to the aggressive expansion, Starbucks has lost its internal focus in its core business coffee and its unique â€Å"Starbucks Experience – third place†. The issues are how Starbucks can stay profitable in the future and at the same time sustain its dominant position in the gourmet coffee industry. We have examined the industry analysis that focuses on the industry trends, the firm competitive environment and followed by a SWOT analysis on Starbucks. Finally, we look at the company strategy analysis that focuses on the Starbucks’ strategic intent and its strategic position. From these analyses, we recommend a few options where Starbucks should pursue moving forward in order to avoid further decline and sustain its dominant position. .:Company Background History:. Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice was established in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zey Siegel and Gordon Bowker in Seattle to sell roasted coffee beans and coffee machines. (See Exhibit 1 for timeline) At that time, the founders’ philosophy was to provide high quality coffee and educate the public the art of appreciating fine coffee. It was the founders’ passion and strong commitment on educating the public that attracted Howard Schultz to join Starbucks in 1982 as the head of the marketing department, overseeing the company’s retail stores. On one of his business trips to Milan, Italy, Schultz stumbled upon an opportunity to revamp Starbucks and shift its focus from its original business activities. Schultz’s new business proposition for Starbucks was to serve freshly brewed coffee at their outlets which he sold to the founders without success. After many unsuccessful attempts, he left the Company. In 1987, Schultz acquired Starbucks from the founders and changed its name to the more abbreviated ‘Starbucks’ and modified her logo to what we see today. After the acquisition, he introduced the idea of ‘The Starbucks experience’ to all Starbucks’ outlets; that is to create a comfortable atmosphere for patrons to relax. From then on, every Starbucks outlet was the perfect duplicate of this concept. In 1992, Starbucks had launched an IPO and its common stock was being traded on the Nasdaq. In 1995, Starbucks venture overseas and formed a joint venture with SAZABY Inc to open Starbucks stores in Japan. In 1996, Starbucks first oversea outlet was opened in Tokyo. Today, Starbucks has a total of 7,087 Company operated stores and 4,081 License stores in US. Additionally, it has 1,796 Company operated stores and 2,792 Joint Venture and License store operating in other 43 countries. .:Definition of the Industry, Competitors and Scope of Analysis: Generally, Starbucks is in the Food and Beverages industry. However for the purpose of this paper, we would define Starbucks to be in the gourmet coffee industry with the following competitors : †¢Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; †¢Costa Coffee; †¢Caribou Coffee (See Exhibit 2 for a brief write up on reasons for the choice of these competitors and some background information of them) For the purpose of this paper, our analysis will be focusing on Starbucks in US and Australia. The next section provides an overview of the gourmet coffee industry and the competitive environment in US and Australia. .:Overview of the Industry:. .:Political Forces:. Generally both the US and the Australia political situation appeared to be well established and stable. This will provide a good platform for both current businesses and new businesses to operate in. In US, despite the current verge of recession, the political mood is still likely to favour increased regulation of businesses. In addition, even though international tensions are likely to remain but their impact on political stability and economy will remain minimal. Similarly in Australia, the political climate is likely to remain relatively stable. Although the relationship between the federal government and the states had been rocky in the past; it has improved after the introduction of a more stable formula for revenue distribution. .:Economical Forces:. US: Real economic growth is expected to slow from an estimated 4% in 2008 to 3. 8% in 2009. The modest slowdown reflects the impact of lower demand from its trading partner. As these exists imbalances in the economy and the poor short-term outlook for growth, it is assumed that conditions in the US are now recessionary and that growth will remain very weak in 2009. This will in turn affect the GDP and the disposable income of its residents. Australia: Traditionally, rapid growth in Australia has been slowdown recently due to recession. Improved monetary and fiscal management have reduced macroeconomic volatility, but risks and imbalances are present. The low domestic savings rate renders the banking system dependant on foreign financing. The current account deficit is large, and international financial markets may start to worry about the underlying causes. Bubble conditions also seem to exist in the housing market. .:Socio-cultural Forces: Consumers’ Perceptions and Disposable Income:. US: There had been an increase in coffee consumption in the US market though the rate had slowed down in 2005 posing threats to coffee retailers. Recently, US consumers had increasingly opt for healthier hot drinks such as tea and RTD beverages which affect coffee consumption rate. The trend is likely to continue, leading to decline in coffee consumption. Australia: Coffee sales had experienced quite lukewarm growth from 2000 to 2005. The culture of cafe had caused more people to opt for on-trade sales coffee at the cafe instead of home-brewed coffee. According to BIS Shrapnel, people increasingly tend to go to cafes for their coffee and there is an increase of 50% within 2 years in coffee consumption. .:Technological Forces: Technological Developments:. Technological changes have created many new products and processes. It helps to reduce costs, improve quality and lead to innovations which in turn benefits consumers as well as organizations. Many organizations in the gourmet coffee industry had recognized the importance of providing wireless internet access and Wi-Fi hotspots to its patrons. These technology advances had created a leisure place for patrons to surf net or hang out after home and work. Most of the organizations had also introduced automated coffee machines to speed up the brewing process so as to shorten waiting time. To further improve business operations and efficiency, some organizations have also make use of information technology systems to help them run their businesses more smoothly. .:Environmental Forces:. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming, many organizations in the gourmet coffee industry had increased their environment awareness by reduced the usage of disposable cups to serve coffee and increased the use of ceramic mugs. Furthermore, the organizations had also reduced the size of their paper napkins, paper bags and in store garbage bags. The organizations were also encouraged to purchase Fairtrade certified coffees so as to promote responsible environmental and economic efforts. The following section presents our analysis of gourmet coffee industry with the aid of Michael Porters 5 Forces model. .: Analysis of Gourmet Coffee Industry- Porter 5 Forces:. Please refer to exhibit 3 for the criteria used for the scoring of each forces and an analysis of each forces. Force #1: Threat of New Entry:. †¢Threat of new entry is high. †¢High start up cost involved in purchasing equipments, sourcing for coffee beans and training barista. †¢Strong brand identity leading to high switching cost for consumers Score: 10 Force #2: Threat of Substitutes:. †¢Substitutes are gourmet coffee of a different brand †¢Current gourmet coffee industries is saturated †¢High switching cost. †¢Threat of substitutes considered to be relatively high Score: 6 Force #3: Bargaining Power of Suppliers:. †¢Majority of commercially available coffee beans come from a few industrializes countries. †¢Increase the cost of coffee houses in sourcing and gaining access to these high quality coffee beans. †¢Bargaining power of suppliers is relatively high Score: 5 Force #4: Bargaining Power of Consumers†¢Bargaining power of customers is relatively neutral. †¢Current player gained brand loyalty †¢Product differentiation helps to retain current customer and attract new customers. †¢However price sensitive customers might seek for cheaper alternative. Score: 0 Force #5: Rivalry between Competitors:. †¢Intensity of rivalry is moderate. †¢Brand identity and high switching cost is relatively unfavorable to new player that has just entered the market. Score: 3 Conclusion:From the above analysis, we noted that the threat of new entry, the bargaining power of the supplier and threat of substitutes are relatively high. On the other hand the bargaining power of the consumers is neutral and the intensity of rivalry is moderate. Hence from the above.

Physician- Assisted Suicide Essay -- Essays Papers

Physician- Assisted Suicide What can be more personal than the decision to end one's life in its final, painful days? Physician-assisted suicide is a justifiable suicide; â€Å"self-deliverance† and a person's liberty should not be taken away. On September 15, 2001 my negative attitude toward physician-assisted suicide changed drastically. My mother's parents are deeply in love and unfortunately have become very sick. My grandma was just diagnosed with Lou Gherig's disease one year before her death. My grandpa was always depressed because my grandma was in so much pain and was miserable. She was such a loving person and my mom was upset. When my grandma researched her illness, Lou Gherig's disease she realized that she would eventually be like a vegetable. Crying softly she looked up at our whole family and said, "Please I want to have PAS as soon as I get to "that" point in my illness. I love you all so much and don't want you to watch me die like that or spend a lot of money for som ething that cannot be helped." My grandpa loved her more than anyone can love a person and visited her in the hospital everyday. She was to "that" point in her life now and he was scared. Physician-assisted suicide is a justifiable self-deliverance because it helps those in pain avoid dying miserably. No person wants to live in pain or die in pain and PAS gives patients the mercy of dying painlessly. According to Kim, PAS allows patients a speedy death in peace and dignity (170). The author asserts that for many patients the pain they endure is too much to bear. Forcing people to suffer is immoral (Kim 171). No person that is terminally ill should want to suffer or allow their family members to watch them suffer. ... ...ainlessly than suffer. Physician-assisted suicide is a justifiable "self deliverance" because it helps those in pain avoid dying miserably. Works Cited Hawkins, Gail N., ed. Physician- Assisted Suicide. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. 11-35. Kim, Clara S. Pros and Cons: Social Policy Debates of Our Time. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001. 165- 182. Manning, Michael. Euthanasia and Physician- Assisted Suicide: Killing or Caring? New York: Paulist Press, 1998. 26-44. Sommerville, Margaret. Death Talk: The Case Against Euthanasia and Physician- Assisted Suicide. Quebec: McGill- Queen’s University Press, 2001. 205-217. Willke, J.C. Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: Past and Present. Cincinnati: Hayes Publishing, 1998. 1-16. Gittleman, D.K. "Euthanasia and Physician-assisted Suicide." Southern Medical Journal. Vol. 92. 1999.

American Retirement Corporation Essay

American Retirement Corporation (ARC) is an operator of senior living communities. The company is a senior living and health care services provider offering a broad range of care and services to seniors, including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and therapy services. The company operates around 65 senior living communities in 14 states, with an aggregate unit capacity of approximately 12,900 units and resident capacity of approximately 14,500. Across the United States, the company owns 19 communities, leases 41 communities, and manages five communities pursuant to management agreements. The company operates in three distinct business segments: retirement centers, free standing assisted living communities (ALCs), and management services. The company operates large continuing care and retirement communities (CCRCs) and independent living communities (retirement centers) that provide an array of services, including independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s and skilled nursing care. The company’s retirement centers are the largest segment of the company’s business and comprise around 27 of the 65 communities that the company operates, with unit capacity of approximately 8,100, representing approximately 63% of the total unit capacity of the company’s communities. The company’s free standing ALCs provide specialized assisted living care to residents in a comfortable residential atmosphere. Most of the free standing ALs provide specialized care such as Alzheimer’s, memory enhancement and other dementia programs. These communities are designed to provide care in a home-like setting. At each of its free standing ALCs, the company provide personalized care plans for each resident, extensive activity programs, and access to therapy or other services as needed. Jack C. Massey, Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr. , and a small group of prominent local businessmen founded American Retirement Corp. in February 1978. Historically, the company operated large CCRCs and independent living communities that provided an array of services, including independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care in large, often campus style settings. The company formed American Retirement Communities in February 1995, through a combination of certain entities that owned, operated, or managed various senior living communities. American Retirement became a wholly owned subsidiary of American Retirement Communities in February 1997 (Datamonitor, December 2005). ARC began to develop and acquire a number of free-standing assisted living communities in 1999, most of which began operations during 1999 and 2000. In 2001, the company purchased assisted living residences in partnership with CNL Retirement, namely the Broadway Plaza at Pecan Park in Arlington, Texas and the Homewood Residence in Boca Raton, Florida. In Boca Raton, ARC could be availed through the Homewood Residence, a senior community designed to help those who need assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing and administering needed medication. According to the Homewood Residence Website, the service they provide is â€Å"just like family†, the extra assistance their clients may need with their daily activities, while helping them maintain the privacy, dignity and independence (Homewood Residence Website). Boca Raton, located in the Palm Beach County, has a healthy economy and wealthy retirees. Its primary growth is relying mainly on the tourism industry. Palm Beach County’s growth, on the other hand, is concentrated in biotechnology, electronics, and computer industries. The largest employers are in the public sector, federal and state government, public schools, and Florida Atlantic University. In Boca Raton, there is also an increased number of older populace. Businesses must deal with the shifts in demands for goods and services brought on by the desires and needs of older consumers (Howell, 1997). The issues facing the delivery of goods and services in general are magnified in the health care arena. Efforts to reach older consumers often are hampered by failure to understand the requirements and preferences of this population. According to the Boca Raton Comprehensive Annual Report (September 2005), the Milken Institute Index listed the Boca Raton market as the fourth in the â€Å"2004 Best Performing Cities Index† in the country for economic strength and job and wage growth. With a shortage of affordable housing, Boca Raton has introduced a workforce housing ordinance and is in the process of developing mixed use options as tools for providing additional housing in areas previously reserved for non residential uses. The Report also proudly states that Boca Raton is the location of several Fortune 500 companies and nearly 3,000 businesses, employing over 38,000 people because of its low taxes, strong employment base, and quality of life, Boca Raton’s business community is thriving (See Table 1). Table 1. Boca Raton’s Top Employers Among the three counties in Florida, Palm Beach has experienced the greatest population growth – in absolute numbers and in population density. It also has the oldest population. According to the 2000 US Census, Palm Beach County has 1,131,184 residents (See Table 2). Residents of Palm Beach County also have a higher per-capita income than in the other two counties. Miami-Dade County is clearly the largest of the three, in geographic size and population. Palm Beach and Broward Counties have similar proportions of their population that are uninsured, approximately 15 percent, and Miami Dade has the highest at 25 percent (Jackson & Beatty, 2003, p. 7). In the issue of income, Boca Raton has a high income per capita. Table 3 provides the data of income distribution by age group and by ethnicity in the year 1999. Table 2. Palm Beach Demographics PALM BEACH COUNTY FL US POPULATION Number Number Number Total population 1,131,184 Square miles (land) 1,974. 11 Population per square mile 573. 01 296. 37 79. 56 GENDER Number Pct Pct Pct Male 546,739 48. 3 48. 8 49. 1 Female 584,445 51. 7 51. 2 50. 9 AGE Number Pct Pct Pct 15 or younger 201,715 17. 8 19. 0 21. 4 16-24 113,057 10. 0 12. 2 13. 9 25-44 305,041 27. 0 28. 6 30. 2 45-64 249,295 22. 0 22. 7 22. 0 65+ 262,076 23. 2 17. 6 12. 4 Number Number Number Average age (years) 42. 55 39. 53 36. 22 RACE AND ETHNICITY Number Pct Pct Pct White 894,207 79. 1 78. 0 75. 1 Black or African American 156,055 13. 8 14. 6 12. 3 American Indian and Alaska native 2,466 0. 2 0. 3 0. 9 Asian 17,127 1. 5 1. 7 3. 6 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 692 0. 1 0. 1 0. 1 Some other race 33,709 3. 0 3. 0 5. 5 Two or more races 26,928 2. 4 2. 4 2. 4 Hispanic or Latino 140,675 12. 4 16. 8 12. 5 Sources: U. S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census; ePodunk Note: Hispanic ethnicity is a separate data category from race. This number should not be added to race totals. Table 3. Incomes in 1999 Boca Raton, Florida BOCA RATON FL US MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME BY AGE ($ IN 1999) Number Number Number Median household income 60,248 38,819 41,994 Householder under 25 24,080 22,861 22,679 Householder 25-34 49,871 39,021 41,414 Householder 35-44 73,110 46,291 50,654 Householder 45-54 82,033 50,347 56,300 Householder 55-64 71,315 42,971 47,447 Householder 65-74 52,321 32,398 31,368 Householder 75 and older 43,971 25,085 22,259 PER CAPITA INCOME BY RACE OR ETHNICITY ($) Number Number Number Per capita income 45,628 21,557 21,587 White 48,463 23,919 23,918 Black or African American 16,275 12,585 14,437 Native American 31,123 16,598 12,893 Asian 22,469 20,429 21,823 Native Hawaiian and Pacific islander 13,569 15,251 15,054 Some other race 14,023 11,431 10,813 Two or more races 20,589 13,514 13,405 Hispanic or Latino 25,476 15,198 12,111 Sources: U. S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census; ePodunk Moreover, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County provides a source of funding for low-income residents to gain access to health care coverage and maintains a comprehensive trauma system in Palm Beach County, Florida. Other services include: rehabilitation/long-term care, nurses in public schools, behavioral health professionals in public schools, senior services and children’s health insurance programs (HCDPBC Website). HCD’s mission is to â€Å"maximize the health and well being of Palm Beach County residents by addressing their health care needs and planning for the access and delivery of services. † Health care has become one of the most vibrant sectors of the American economy, frequently a leader in economic growth, and the largest employer. Its research-based medicine focused on the use of pharmaceuticals, mechanical devices, and surgery, intervention strategies that reflect an earlier view of the body as a machine, paying relatively little attention to internal processes of problem-solving that occur normally (Heirich, 1998, p. 343). According to Andersen, Rice and Kominski (2001), improving access to health care can be greatly facilitated by a new generation of access models and indicators. These should stress the importance of contextual as well as individual characteristics to promote policies to improve access for defined populations. Also, these should focus on the extent to which medical care contributes to people’s health. Access measures should be developed specifically for particular vulnerable population groups. These measures are especially important because of the cross-cutting needs of many of the vulnerable groups: persons with HIV/AIDS, substance abusers, migrants, homeless people, people with disabilities, and those suffering from family violence. Improving equity, effectiveness, and efficiency should be the guiding norms for research on access. Among the most important areas for research are: †¢ Promoting successful birth outcomes—research on the relationships among medical risk factors, the content of prenatal care and birth outcomes †¢ Reducing the incidence of vaccine-preventable childhood diseases—research on the relationships among race, barriers to access, and infectious disease †¢ Reducing the effects of chronic diseases and prolonging life—research concerning the differences in use of high-cost discretionary care according to gender, ethnicity, income, and insurance status and whether these differences represent overuse or underuse of these services. †¢ Reducing morbidity and pain through timely and appropriate treatment— research exploring methods to better define what constitutes timely and appropriate use of physician services References American Retirement Corp. (2005, November 5). Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Datamonitor Database at http://dbic. datamonitor. com/companies/company/? pid=BAC9B41D-2415-44CF-8228-1C8B736DCBA8 American Retirement Corporation Website. http://www. arclp. com/index. html Andersen, R. M. , Rice, T. H. , & Kominski, G. F. (2001). Changing the U. S. Health Care System. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Boca Raton Income Overview. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Epodunk Website at http://www. epodunk. com/cgi-bin/incomeOverview. php? locIndex=8367 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the City of Boca Raton, Florida. (2005, Spetember 30). Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Boca Raton Government Website at http://www. ci. boca-raton. fl. us/city/Council3. cfm Heirich, M. (1998). Rethinking Health Care: Innovation and Change in America. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Homewood Residence Website. http://www. seniorhousingnet. com/seniors/search/brochure/pr_brochure. jhtml? pid=552999&name=hrbocaraton&trigger=shn&source=a1shzr2t070 Howell, W. C. (1997). Forward, perspectives, and prospectives. In A. D. Fisk & W. A. Rogers (Eds. ), Handbook of human factors and the older adult (pp. 1–6). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Jackson, C. A. , & Beatty, A. (2003). Organization and Financing of Indigent Hospital Care in South Florida. Santa Monica, CA: Rand. Palm Beach Population Overview. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Epodunk Website at http://www. epodunk. com/cgi-bin/popInfo. php? locIndex=8814

Ducati & Texas Pacific Group †a ”Wild Ride” Leveraged Buyout

Ducati & Texas Pacific Group – A †Wild Ride† Leveraged Buyout 1. What is the nature of the opportunity? Could the Ducati brand be expanded beyond motorcycles? Why or why not? TPG strategy is to invest in undervalued firms’ that usually have been poorly managed. The investments are made in privately hold firms that are either unlisted from the beginning or that is being delisted from the stock exchange under the LBO process. TPG wants to invest in firms with a â€Å"healthy† basis but that are experience some problems that TPG believes’ that they can fix. Does Ducati live up to this? TGP has the opportunity, if the deal goes through, to purchase a controlling stake in Ducati Meccanico, producer of the best motorcycles in the world. The article describes that Ducati was in a great position of becoming for street bikes as what Harley-Davidson was for cruisers. They have a recognized brand, in spite of limited marketing, associated with high performance, i. e. high quality and high technology. Their bikes crushed the competition and won the World Superbike championships for several years in a row; 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995. Their racing performance indicated on technical brilliance which is just what street bike customers’ prefer and therefore they had customers on the wait lists to buy their bikes. The core business possible growth was considered as high when comparing their number of sales to Harley-Davidson sales. In addition, to this the market didn’t foresee any new entrants of street bikes which also work in their favor. The manufacturing fundamentals were strong with low fixed costs due to high levels of outsourcing, 85 %. They offered the customers 15 models of bikes in four families founded on seven various engines. Furthermore, the most expensive part of an engine is the crank cases and cylinders but Ducati can keep these costs low since they have high levels of standardization of their engines and therefore only need two crank cases and three cylinders because. All these factors’ make Ducati look like an attractive brand that should have a prosperous economy. But they were under great financial pressure and faced severe problems in both manufacturing and financing. They had no money and weren’t allowed to borrow any either which caused extreme delays on payments to key suppliers. Therefore their factor was full of unfinished/almost-finished bikes. This affected their sales and extended their customer wait lists but it also affected suppliers and some of them went bankrupt. Ducati were short on working capital and the business was so entangled with Cagiva Group, which Ducati was a part of, that the detail’s on Ducati’s performance was not transparent at all. In the time span from 1993 to 1995 there was only a reliable balance sheet from 1995. TPG managed to assemble the profit and losses for the other years. All this together indicates a really poorly handled management. The forecasted EBIT for 1996 was negative and there was an imminent chance that Ducati went bankrupt since they couldn’t meet there payments. This lack of transparency has made it hard to find financing. TPG can succeed if they manage to build a model that captures their payback goal times three in three to five years. They need to find out what the Ducati should be earning and around these assets construct an international company. TPG can expect to take over a mismanaged company under financial pressure/distress but that have great potential in their strong brand and manufacturing fundamentals. To make this work they need to use a capable management team that can build up both the brand and the company. They need arrange the financing to be able to recover from the distress and to start making some money. But as they state in the article they will have to write at least a thousands of checks on their first day. Ducati brand could and should probably be extended beyond motorcycles even though a first step is to close the deal, take control over and built up the company. There for it might not be a good idea, at least not the first thing to start with. As I already pointed out Ducati is in a great position to imitate, for street bikes, what cruisers are for Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson has succeeded in creating a life-style brand with as much as 15% of its sales, with a growth potential, coming from just clothing and mechanical accessories. Ducati could look at the products Harley-Davidson is selling and how their selling them. They could also compare with a car company, like Ferrari, that has a lot of clothing and accessories that they sell. Ducati has a great potential to extend beyond motorcycles with motorcycle clothing and accessories and mechanical accessories. There are probably a lot of motorcycle stores that would want to sell their products and they could also sell them through their own shops and from online shops. It is just the imagination, costs and the combination of a balanced brand expansion that sets the limits. 2. How does this deal differ from a typical deal in the US? In terms of deal flow generation, due diligence process, negotiations and context? Deal flow generation The deal flow is the ability used by equity firms to identify attractive potential investment candidates, i. e. the ability to generate deal flow. This flow is generated from a wide range sources’, from for instance the experience and network built up by working in specific businesses to the network of senior corporate executives and it is this flow that discover opportunities that otherwise would have gone by unnoticed. Now days’ investment banks generally works as agents that sells the opportunity to invest for a fee paid by the seller in a sale process akin to an auction. To help Cagiva through its financial distress the Castiglioni brothers wanted to get a bridge loan from DMG so they contacted Razzano but he wasn’t interested in signing them a loan agreement. Instead he saw the potential of an investment and contacted Halpern since they were looking for a joint investment. Due diligence Due diligence is the valuation process undertaken before the parties sign the deal to identify the future of the potential investment but also to estimate the proper price for the investment. Equity firms’ usually creates a model on several hypotheses that captures the payback of the investment. Due diligence is a vital process in investigating the financial health, technology, the market, and the current management. A lot of different sources are used and in connection to this the investing firm usually signs a confidential agreement. The due diligence process generally starts after the parties have signed a Letter of Intent and paves the path to further negotiations between them. TPG have signed a Letter of Intent with the Castiglioni brothers and are trying to build a model that captures their payback. The problem for them is to separate the intertwined Ducati from Cagiva to find out what the Ducati should be earning to be able construct an international company around these assets. Negotiation If the sale is conducted through an auction by an investment bank intermediate the due diligence process often leads to a final proposal by the bidders’ and this is where the negotiation phase starts with chosen bidders. The negotiations then lead to an agreement between the parties. According to the article the negotiations in the US are done more in a linear path but the negotiations with Cagiva can best be described as a circular path. TPG has been negotiated with Ducati for almost a year. This is probably were the cultural difference is most prominent. Americans chose to discuss every issue separately step by step and after every discussion they want to include this in the contract between the parties. Italians see the whole picture in every discussion so when the Americans have decided something new in the next step of the precoess the Italians want to go back to the previous steps and re discuss them. Furthermore, Italians don’t like do business if they can’t trust the other part in America you don’t have to feel the trust since you include every little detail in the arrangement otherwise you can get sued. Maybe that is why the Castiglioni brothers might not trust TPG if they are not willing to re discuss everything again. Maybe that is why they are trying to shop the deal to others even though they have signed a Letter of Intent with TPG. This would never happen in America. But they have not participated in any meetings and in America it would probably not be hard to sign a contract under an LBO situation. TPG believed that their behavior replicated an act of trying to back out of the deal. Context LBO’s in U. S. eems much more organized than in Italy but at the same time this might make it harder to find interesting targets that have the same growth potential or at least the competition of acquire them might be harder. The development of the high-yield markets in Europe compared to US differ since the markets in Europe was not as developed as the US market. This made it harder for TPG to accomplish the same level of leverage as in the US. Halpern compare the debt-to-equity rat io as 2:1 in Italy compared to 3:1 in the U. S. On the other hand TGP were looking for companies that had grown hastily but still was arranged as small company and in Italy companies aspired to be small because of the fact that they then paid less tax. In order to pay even less tax it wasn’t uncommon, according to Halpern, to find relatively small companies with as much as 50 subsidiaries. This is usually not the case in the U. S. To overcome the aim to stay small and to not go public â€Å"Tremonti Law† allowed companies that went public in 1996 a two years tax relief. 3. What is the value of Ducati at the time of the deal? How much should TPG be willing to pay for 51 percent of the equity? Please assume that the target return is 35 percent (annualized). Observe that you are required to value the firm. For the valuation of Ducati, observe that since this is a leveraged buyout, the debt-to-equity ratio will change drastically, and you need to handle this in the appraisal model you use. Furthermore, you need to think about the inputs you shall use in the valuation. How do you determine return on assets? Which risk free rate of interest should be used? Which risk premium should be used? Etc. To value Ducati we can use the APV-model. APV treats the firm as it is all equity financed. A suitable unleveraged beta for the estimation is a beta in the same industry that is all equity financed and the article states that Harley-Davidson don’t have any long-term debt which means that their beta is unleveraged. I will therefore use their beta of 1. 09. We will use CAPM to discount the cash flows and a rule of thumb to know which rate to use is to match the risk free rate with the country that we are going to invest in. The 10-year government bond is 6. 4% in both the US and Italy so this wouldn’t have caused any trouble here. Since the 10-year bond is 6. 74% in both countries we will not add any extra country risk for the investment. The risk premium that we are going to use is 7. 5%. TABEL 119961997199819992000200120022003 EBIT-5. 4+58. 2+79. 4+96. 3+111+123. 3+146 -Taxes(53. 5%)0-31. 1-42. 5-51. 5-59. 4-6. 6-72. 3-78. 1 +Depreciation+6+7. 3+9. 1+11. 1+13. 5+15 . 7+18. 1+20. 7 +Amortization+24. 7+24. 7+24. 7+28. 5+28. 5+28. 5+28. 5+28. 5 -Capex-12. 9-15. 5-20-24-22-24-24-25 Change in Working Capital (see TABEL 2)-0. 9-1. -32. 9-17. 3-2. 9-11. 2-10. 5-10. 3 Total cash flow 13. 342. 317. 843. 168. 766. 37580. 8 +1229. 8 TABEL â€Å"199519961997199819992000200120022003 Cash9. 411. 322. 689. 837. 279. 987. 2132. 2 6%6%6%6%6%6%6% Transaction cash required 9. 411. 322. 628. 532. 636. 2138. 841. 344 Accounting receivables 8084. 583. 2124. 5139. 9141. 6152161. 4170. 6 Inventory5537. 249. 265. 461. 768. 172. 676. 380. 2 Other3. 32. 22. 73. 21516. 81819. 120. 2 Current assets147. 7135. 2157. 7221. 6249. 2262. 7281. 4298. 1315 Accounting payable4030. 350. 478. 794. 4104. 1110. 9116. 6122. 6 Other11. 39. 410. 13. 27. 88. 79. 49. 910. 5 Current Liabilities 51. 339. 760. 991. 9102. 2112. 8130. 3126. 5133. 1 Working Capital 96. 495. 596. 8129. 7147149. 9161. 1171. 6181. 9 Change in Working Capital 0. 9 1. 3 32. 9 17. 3 2. 9 11. 2 10. 5 10. 3 CAPM: Re= R f+? (Rm-Rf) = 0. 0674 + 1. 09 x 7. 5 = 14. 92% Terminal value by with a multiple: TPG is willing to pay 400-500 billion lire for 100% of Ducati. Enterprise value: 280+140=420-40=380 Earnings multiple: (Enterprise value)/(EBITA for 1995)=380/60. 4=6. 3 (how many times this year’s profit is TPG willing to pay for Ducati) We use the multiple on EBITA for 2003 ? 195. 2 x 6. 3 = 1229. 8 (this have to be discounted to present value we will therefore add it to 2003) Value of Ducati if it was all equity financed: 13/1. 1492 + 42. 3/1. 14922 + 17. 8/1. 14923 + 43. 1/1. 14924 + 68. 7/1. 14925 + 66. 3/1. 14926 + 75/1. 14927 + 1310. 6/1. 14928=602. 3 billion lire But Ducati has liabilities so we need to value that as well. TABEL 319961997199819992000200120022003 Net interest expenses1131. 128. 928. 123. 117. 912. 36. 3 Tax shields(53. 5%) 5. 916. 615. 51512. 49. 66. 6 The tax shields illustrate how much less taxes’ Ducati needs to pay because of the interest expenses and that is what we need to discount in order to value Ducati. 5. 9/1. 1125 + 16. 6/1. 11252 + 15. 5/1. 11253 + 15/1. 11254 + 12. 4/1. 11255 + 9. 6/1. 11256 + 6. 6/1. 11257 = 56. 7 billion lire Value of Ducati: 602. 3+56. 7=659 billion lire Value of equity= 659-280=379 billion 4. Should Halpern consider applying a country risk premium in determining the appropriate discount rate for Ducati? They should not consider applying a country risk premium since the Italian the long government bond of Italy and the US are the same, i.. . 6. 74%. 5. Should Halpern walk away from this deal? Why or why not? Ducati has a lot of problems that I already covered under the first question. But as a summery are under great financial pressure and have faced severe problems in both manufacturing and financing. The reporting of their financial performance is not transparent at all instead it is entan gled with the Cagiva Group. This has made it hard for TPG to hunt financing to the LBO. It is perhaps not a surprise but they have a problem with their working capital and the payment delays leave them with a lot of unfinished bikes. This has lead to a decrease of their sales and enlarged wait lists. Then we have a badly manage management by the Castiglioni brothers who continues to shop around for other deals even though they signed the Letter of Intent. There is also the risk of insolvency of Ducati and bankruptcy of Cagiva which have made TPG worried about the Italian legacy. A bankruptcy of Cagiva after a closed deal could lead to a delay of the deal for up to four years and this would be cost them a lot of money. The deal also has a lot of benefits. Ducati is the world leading manufacturer of motorcycles and if managed well they could probably be profitable very soon. They already believe that this want be a problem with Minoli as CEO. The brand is well-known and easy for investors to understand. This opens up the opportunity for IPO which could in fact obtain higher sales compared to trading. TPG has worked with the deal for one year so they have really had time have to plan for the changes in the Ducati. 6. If TPG pursues the deal and purchases a stake in Ducati, what are the critical steps that TPG needs to take in order to make the deal successful? Please be specific in your answer! First of all they need to get the Castiglioni brothers to stop shopping around for other deals. They have â€Å"signed† the deal through the Letter of Intent and it is the brothers and Cagiva responsibility to follow the contract. Maybe easier said than done be the negotiations must continue in order to get a deal. TPG also need to finish their due diligence model so to that they can identify the future of the potential investment but also to estimate the proper price for the investment. It is hard to close a deal otherwise. The due diligence is also important in investigating the financial health, technology, the market, and the current management. If they sign the deal TPG can expect to take over a mismanaged company under financial distress that has great potential through its strong brand and manufacturing fundamentals. To make this work they need to use a capable management team that can build up both the brand and the company. They also need to start up and arrange the NewCO establishment, the senior debt and write at least thousands of checks on their first day.

Definition and Examples of Dissoi Logoi in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Dissoi Logoi in Rhetoric In classical rhetoric, dissoi logoi is the concept of opposing arguments, a cornerstone of Sophistic ideology and method. Also known as  antilogike. In ancient Greece, the dissoi logoi were rhetorical exercises intended for imitation by students. In our own time, we see dissoi logoi at work in the courtroom, where litigation is not about truth but rather the preponderance of evidence (James Dale Williams, An Introduction to Classical Rhetoric, 2009). The words dissoi logoi are from the Greek for double arguments.  Dissoi Logoi  is the title of an anonymous  sophistic  treatise thats generally thought to have been written about 400 BC. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: ArgumentationDebateDialecticElenchusMemoryPreparing an Argument: Explore Both Sides of an IssueSocratic DialogueSophism and SophistryStasis Examples and Observations The essential feature [of dissoi logoi], [G.B.] Kerferd writes, was not simply the occurrence of opposing arguments but the fact that both opposing arguments could be expressed by a single speaker, as it were within a single complex argument (The Sophistic Movement [1981], p. 84). Such an argumentative procedure could force any question into an Aporia by pointing out that each side was true within the terms that it had chosen to develop the argument. Both sides depended, ultimately, on language and its imperfect correspondence to the outside world, whatever one might think that world to be. A form of this analytical technique has recently been revived under the name of Deconstruction. Or, the parties could agree to accept one position as superior, even though it manifestly depended on human argument and not Divine Truth. It is from this accommodation to antithetical structure that Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence descends: we arrange social issues into diametrically opposed questions, arran ge a dramatic display of their conflict, and (since the law cannot afford aporia as a conclusion to social disputes) accept the jury-audiences verdict as a defining truth, a precedent for future disputation.(Richard Lanham, A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms, 2nd ed. University of California Press, 1991) In essence, dissoi logoi posits that one side (logos) of an argument defines the existence of the other, creating a rhetorical situation in which at least two logoi struggle for dominance. In contrast, Western cultures implicit assumption that argument is about truth or falsity urges one to assume that one side of the argument is true or more accurate and that other accounts are false or less accurate. Quite differently, Sophists acknowledge that one side of the argument might in a particular context represent the stronger logos and others the weaker, but this does not preclude a weaker logos from becoming the stronger in a different or future context. Sophism assumes that the stronger logos, no matter how strong, will never completely overcome competing logoi and earn the title of absolute truth. Ratherand this is the heart of dissoi logoiat least one other perspective is always available to serve as an other to the stronger argument.(Richard D. Johnson-Sheehan, Sophistic Rhetoric. Theorizing Composition: A Critical Sourcebook of Theory And Scholarship in Contemporary Composition Studies, ed. by Mary Lynch Kennedy. Greenwood, 1998) Dissoi LogoiThe Original Treatise Dissoi Logoi (twofold arguments) is the name, taken from its first two words, that has been given to a tract which is attached to the end of the manuscript of Sextus Empiricus. . . . It contains arguments which are capable of bearing opposed meanings, and it has sections dealing with Good and Bad, Decent and Disgraceful, Just and Unjust, True and False, together with a number of untitled sections. It has the look of a students lecture notes, but this appearance may be deceptive. The contents are what we might expect in Protagoras Antilogiai, but it is safer simply to designate them as sophistic.For example, to prove that Decent and Disgraceful are really the same, the following double argument is brought forward: for women to wash themselves in the home is decent, but women washing in the palaestra would be disgraceful [it would be all right for men]. Therefore, the same thing is both disgraceful and decent.(H. D. Rankin, Sophists, Socratics and Cynics. Barnes Noble Books, 1983) Dissoi Logoi  on Memory The greatest and fairest discovery has been found to be memory; it is useful for everything, for wisdom as well as for the conduct of life. This is the first step: if you focus your attention, your mind, making progress by this means, will perceive more. The second step is to practice whatever you hear. If you hear the same things many times and repeat them, what you have learned presents itself to your memory as a connected whole. The third step is: whenever you hear something, connect it with what you know already. For instance, suppose you need to remember the name Chrysippos, you must connect it with chrusos (gold) and hippos (horse).(Dissoi Logoi, trans. by Rosamund Kent Sprague. Mind, April 1968)

End of the Vietnam War - Fall of Saigon

End of the Vietnam War - Fall of Saigon Previous Page | Vietnam War 101 Working for Peace With the failure of the 1972 Easter Offensive, North Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho became concerned that his nation could become isolated if President Richard Nixons policy of dà ©tente softened relations between the United States and his allies, the Soviet Union and China.  As such he relaxed the Norths position in the ongoing peace negotiations and stated that the South Vietnamese government could remain in power as the two sides sought a permanent solution.  Responding to this change,  Nixon’s National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, commenced secret talks with Tho in October.  Ã‚   After ten days, these proved successful and a draft peace document was produced.  Angered at having been excluded from the talks, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu demanded major alterations to the document and spoke out against the proposed peace.  In response, the North Vietnamese published the details of the agreement and stalled the negotiations. Feeling that Hanoi had attempted to embarrass him and to force them back the table, Nixon ordered the bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong in late December 1972 (Operation Linebacker II). On January 15, 1973, after pressuring South Vietnam to accept the peace deal, Nixon announced the end of offensive operations against North Vietnam. Paris Peace Accords The Paris Peace Accords ending the conflict were signed January 27, 1973, and were followed by the withdrawal of the remaining American troops. The terms of the accords called for a complete ceasefire in South Vietnam, allowed North Vietnamese forces to retain the territory they had captured, released US prisoners of war, and called for both sides to find a political solution to the conflict. To achieve a lasting peace, the Saigon government and Vietcong were work towards a lasting settlement that would result in free and democratic elections in South Vietnam.  As an enticement to Thieu, Nixon offered US airpower to enforce the peace terms. Standing Alone, South Vietnam Falls With US forces gone from the country, South Vietnam stood alone. Though the Paris Peace Accords were in place, fighting continued and in January 1974 Thieu publicly stated that the agreement was no longer in effect. The situation worsened the following year with the fall of Richard Nixon due to Watergate and passage of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1974 by Congress which cut off all military aid to Saigon. This act removed the threat of air strikes should North Vietnam break the terms of the accords. Shortly after the act’s passage, North Vietnam began a limited offensive in Phuoc Long Province to test Saigon’s resolve. The province fell quickly and Hanoi pressed the attack. Surprised by the ease of their advance, against largely incompetent ARVN forces, the North Vietnamese stormed through the south, and threatened Saigon.  With the enemy nearing, President Gerald Ford ordered the evacuation of American personnel and embassy staff.  In addition, efforts were made to remove as many friendly South Vietnamese refugees as possible.  These missions were accomplished through Operations Babylift, New Life, and Frequent Wind in the weeks and days before the city fell.  Advancing quickly, North Vietnamese troops finally captured Saigon on April 30, 1975. South Vietnam surrendered the same day. After thirty years of conflict, Ho Chi Minh’s vision of a united, communist Vietnam had been realized. Casualties of the Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, the United States suffered 58,119 killed, 153,303 wounded, and 1,948 missing in action. Casualty figures for the Republic of Vietnam are estimated at 230,000 killed and 1,169,763 wounded. Combined the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong suffered approximately 1,100,000 killed in action and an unknown number of wounded. It is estimated that between 2 to 4 million Vietnamese civilians were killed during the conflict. Previous Page | Vietnam War 101

Assignment for Shareholder Wealth Maximization Essay

Assignment for Shareholder Wealth Maximization - Essay Example Shareholder Wealth Maximization The management of a company finds it tough when they are considering that what should be their goal- profit maximization of the company or the wealth maximization of the shareholders. The profit maximization objective can be pursued by the company management for the short term period. The company should has the objective to gain as much as profit by using the resources effectively and optimally. At the other side the company should take the long term objective of the stockholders’ wealth maximization. The stockholders of the company are interested for getting the returns for the long term as well as short term. The wealth maximization objective should be undertaken by the company management for the long term as it considers the following factors. The risk or uncertainty associated with the performance and the return associated with the company performance. The wealth of the company for the long term is analyzed as the company has to plan for pro viding the long term return. The timing of providing the returns is also considered (Shim and Siegel, p.2). If the company takes the long term objective then they can also fill their short their objective. If they are meeting the stockholder’s objective then the stockholders also invests in the company, as a result the investment will increase and the performance of the company would be better if they utilize those resources effectively. From the researcher point of view shareholder’s wealthy maximization should be the ultimate goal of the company. Goals and Objectives of the Management For analyzing the goals and objectives of a company the researcher has selected Coca-Cola Company which is listed in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (MSN Money, â€Å"Coca-Cola Co†). The goals and objectives of the company are as follows. The company’s objective is to start at least one program related to physical activity in the countries where they are operating by th e end of 2015. Reducing the carbon emission from the manufacturing unit of the company. For the development of the communities they are associating with the management has planned to return 1% of the operating income to the communities. Packaging material efficiency improvement. Improvement of the water efficiency. The wastewater treatment improvement is among the main goals of the company (The Coca-Cola Company, â€Å"Global Sustainability- Select Goals and Targets†). The goals of the vision 2020 package of Coca-Cola is to make the profit margin double from now, enhance their portfolio They work with 300 bottling partners and are working for the growth target in terms of the operating income and unit cases of volume (The Coca-Cola Company, p.2-33). Among these goals the strategic objectives of the company like increasing the operating income, increase the unit case of volume, enhancing the portfolio or improving the packaging material efficiency improvement support the share holders’ wealth maximization goals when the company is also maintaining the corporate social responsibility. They have the goals of developing the communities in the countries they are operating; also they are working for being environmental friendly through their projects. Analysis and Recommendation Coca-Cola Company has a sustainable long term