Social Evil

Sample essay on Social Evils Still Persist in our society Social evils are prevalent in almost all the backward countries. Surprising enough that India, a country proud of her ancient culture is no exception to it. Conservatism and fundamentalism apart there are certain customs that smear the face of this ancient land that is trying to build a modern image in the world. Go to any part of the country you will find something going on you'll be ashamed of. Even some good customs have taken a woeful course.There Was a time girls having taste in dance and music offered themselves to the cult of devadasis in prestigeoiis temples throughout the country. They were virgins and dedicated their lives to the deity in the temple. They were respected by the whole society. Muslim invasions are responsible for the demolition of a large number of temples in the North and North West. With them the very institution of devadasis disappeared. But it still persists in a few districts of Maharashtra and Ka mataka. Ire rate between the age of 7 and 14 are offered to be bride of goddess Yellamma a Saundathi temple in Belgaum district.According to a rough estimate abort 5000 are still offered on full moon day during the month of Magh every year. Gradually a vicious belief has come up that the devadasis are maids to please Parashuram who lives in all men. A devadasi dare not displease Parashuram. What an obnoxious design to exploit the girls sexually. Most of these poor girls join the red light area (prostitute market in Mumbai and its suburbs. Bonded labor is another social stigma on our face. The poor in rural areas (both men and women) are lured by contractors' men to have a job.They are given a few hundred rupees and sign a document making them bonded labor. They are taken to distant places to work in construction: rework or kilns. The women and small boys and girls are sexually assaulted too. Many of the boys are sold again and again. They hardly know where they belong to. Although B andhua Mazdoor Mukti SanghofSwami Agnivesi got a very large number of these slave laborers free many are still there the net. The prey of the custom of devadasis and bonded laborers are general illiterate scheduled caste or scheduled tribe people from rural areas.But those girls who suffer because of the evil custom of dowry belong to all sections of the society both in rural and urban areas in almost all the state; the evil that started from the North has engulfed the whole of South too. Today the more educated a boy is the bigger the demand of dowry too. Thousands of girls who are harassed for not bringing sufficient dowry either commit suicide or are burnt alive by the in-laws or the husbands themselves. Caste system might have served the purpose of maintaining certain – discipline in the society when it was based on profession and not on birth.Today its proliferation into more than 5000 castes from four and that toe based on birth has become the gravest evil. It is respon sible for the stratification in the society the upper castes are harassing the lower castes. It took the lower castes more than a millennium to assert themselves. Today they are up in arms against the so called upper castes—3000 against 2000. What a game? Caste consciousness has gained over national consciousness. It seems the social evil that was taken for granted in the past may bring a storm that will rip open the very basis of unity.Reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes may not be able to check the reaction in the minds of the lower castes against the upper ones who still consider the former as pariah. The disparity can be removed only by giving all equal status. The so called upper castes are not giving it even today—of course at the cost of their own safety in the times to come. Woman is wary of the design of the ojha if you go to a tribal village. He may declare you a witch and the villagers may kill you in their own cruel desi gn. A large number of tribal women suffer from this agony every year.Don't educate the tribal's and the scheduled castes and this is what you get. Male Chauvinism and child marriages are the two social diseases that are 110 less harmful than AIDS itself. AIDS attacks a person who has . committed a folly or has been wrongly injected. Children are married at an they are not conscious of what is going on with them. Thousands of children become a prey to this evil on the day of Akshaya Tritiya in many areas of Rajasthan. Many children become widow before becoming girls. Their whole life becomes a hell. Male Chauvinism too is no less a social evil.Males have been dominating females throughout the world. It does not mean it is not an evil. In India—specially in the rural areas—women are worse even than the domestic animals. It is a social evil for it doesn't allow the development of an egalitarian society that is the basis of a democracy. Moreover if a woman is ‘ Ardha ngani' (half part) it is rather queer half part exploiting the other half. How can the health of the nation be maintained that way? Essay – 1 Indian society is one of the oldest societies. It has got its own customs and traditions.Some of them are very old. They do not suit the present times. Times go on changing. We must also change our customs and traditions to keep pace with the times. Some of our customs are not only useless but are also obstacles in the way of social progress. It is, therefore, essential that they must be changed. The older must change giving place to the new; I will introduce the following social reforms, if ever I become the minister of social welfare. Our marriage customs must be reformed, Child-marriage and early marriage have no place in social life today.Boys and girls must be given some say in the selection of their partners. I will pass a law which make dowry hunting a legal offence. I will allow no business in the form of marriage, as this is a great social curse. This will be my first reform. Now-a-days we do not get the necessities of life in pure condition. Milk, ghee, butter, oil, etc. all are sold adulterated. Not only food stuffs, but medicines, toilet goods and their articles also are mixed with inferior and cheaper substances. This amounts to the cheating of the people. This is a social crime.I will make all possible efforts to curb this nefarious trade. The people will be ensured the supply of pure and unadulterated goods. In our society, drinking is becoming common. There is also drug addiction on a large scale. Then evil effects of such habits are too well known to need any discussion. Society must be saved from this social curse. I will educate the people against these evils as well as pass laws against them. When I become the minister for social welfare, this social reform will receive my urgent attention. Man and woman are the two wheels of the social cart.Both of them must be equally strong. But in our socie ty women are illiterate. They are kept in ‘purdah’. They are denied their due rights. Illiteracy is most wide-spread among women. I will pay special attention towards female education. This will remove many evils from society. Purdah will come to an end. Women will become equal partners with men in the work of the development of the country. Untouchability is a curse. We treat a large section of our people, as if they were animals. I will do my utmost to eradicate this social evil. Public opinion shall be educated against it.The condition of the untouchables shall be improved. Food prices have been raising for sometime past, one of the main causes of this is the hoarding of food grains. There is acute shortage of a number of essential commodities. To earn huge profits, businessmen hoard the necessities of life. This causes great hardship to the people. I will introduce legislation to check hoarding with the greatest zeal and effort. Hoarders, black marketers and profite ers would be severely dealt with. These are but the most important of the social reforms which have been long overdue.Besides these, there are many other social evils like child labour, gambling, wastage of food etc. , on the occasion of marriages and other social ceremonies etc. I will introduce reform in these spheres also. Social reforms are urgently needed. There can be no two opinions about this. Others have also made efforts in this direction. But the results have not been very encouraging. I will give top priority to social reforms. Effective laws will be framed. Public opinion will be created in support of these reforms. Administration will be made strict.Then alone will success be achieved. Note: This essay can also be used for the topics like: †¢ If I Were The minister of Social reform Or of Social Welfare of My State †¢ Some Social Evils and Their Reform Essay -2 The social evils and superstitions that had crept in the society over the centuries made social refo rms imperative for the development of the society and the masses. In the 19th century, the newly educated persons increasingly revolted against rigid social conventions and outdated customs. They could no longer tolerate irrational and de-humanising social practices.Moreover, the backward features of Indian society, such as the caste system or inequality of the sexes had religious sanctions in the past. Therefore, it was necessary to reform religious practices as well. The condition of women was pathetic. The various religions practised in India as well as the personal laws based on them consigned women to a status inferior to that of men. Polygamy, Purdah system, sort, ban on widow remarriage, no education for female child, female infanticide, child marriages were some of the evils that had vice—like grip over the society.It thus became necessary to take the women out of this degraded position and help her to realise her true potential. The problems of female feoticide, sexu al harassment at workplace, education are so diverse that they need sound financial backing, all these social evils centre around the petty and marginalized conditions of women in the society. We need to combat evils like the glorification of sati places as pilgrimages, dowry system, girl feoticide, decline in sex ratio, harassment of women etc. This can be achieved by educating the woman and making her financially independent.Rajasthan has been in the news recently and for all the wrong reasons. First, it was tigers disappearing, then it was a guidebook that referred to sati-sites as tourist destinations, and then it was child marriages. The legal age for marriage in India is 18 years for women and 21 years for men. Any marriage of a person younger than this is banned in India under the Child Marriage Prevention Act of 1929. But child marriages still take place in India; particularly around the Hindu holy day of Akshya Tritiya (also knows as Akha Teej).Yet, it is a religious tradit ion in many places in India and therefore, difficult to change. People feel that traditions are valuable and should not be changed, especially religious traditions, since changing these would amount to asking people not to practise their religion, a fundamental principle of democracy. Dowry in India, the practice of endowing the groom by the bride's family, is a tradition, which has changed its intentions from giving a gift to demanding for astronomical amounts which has bankrupted lots of families and made many girls either to commit suicide or being murdered.Bride-price, which is the endowment to the bride’s clan, which is widely practised in Papua New Guinea, too, has changed from the earlier intentions thereby making it a business. Moral and ethical concerns of the society weigh a great deal with those in public life as their behaviour is keenly watched by the people. At concerned quarters, views are being expressed over the general decline of values in public life. There is a general feeling that all is not well with our socio-political system which is functioning under a great strain.In such a situation, the representatives of the people have to set high standards of behaviour in public life. Members of Parliament have not only to represent the society but have also to lead it. Therefore, they have to function as the role models and this naturally casts on them a heavy responsibility. Our freedom fighters and national leaders had set high ethical and moral standards in public life and they followed those principles scrupulously. This tendency, it is painfully observed, is now on a decline.There has been a wide and critical collapse of moral values in all walks of life and a perilous decline in the human dimension in global, political and trade relations and national economy. Development has culminated in widespread discontent, corruption, unemployment, violence, communal and racial discord and much human distress, destruction and disillusionment. Barring this, the caste system, which had its roots in religion, is another curse in society. Though not so rigid in urban areas, it is still practised in rural areas with the same zeal.Caste determines man's marriage, social circle and profession. The untouchables suffer from numerous disabilities and restrictions. His dresses, food, place of residence, all are degraded. Not only is it humiliating and inhuman and based on anti-democratic principle of inequality by birth, it is a cause of social disintegration. Thus, it has to be fought against. Another problem that our society faces is the rapid criminalisation of the polity, that could be the result of the fact that criminals have understood the mechanics of the electoral process and have themselves become contenders for power.Earlier, politicians patronised criminals and provided them protection from the law-enforcement agencies in exchange for the use of their muscle power during elections. And now it is the opposite-with the cr iminals themselves taking over the reigns of power and patronising the « politicians and their parties. Of late, there is an increasing exposure of the criminals in the! Governing system of the country, to the extent that it alienates the common people for power. The criminalisation of politics is a reflection of, and a factor that aggravates the crisis of the political system.Only a qualitative change that transforms the system from its very roots can resolve this crisis in favour of the people. In the rural economy, both unemployment and under employment exist side by side and the distinction between them is by no means sharp. In the rural areas, increasing population implies an increasing pressure on land. This pressure on land has resulted in an increase in the number of agriculturists, and this has largely contributed to the problem of unutilised labour or disguised unemployment in the agricultural sector. A large labour force accumulates around primary occupations.A general in elasticity of occupational structure prevents any large movement away from these in periods of slack demand. This leads to seasonal unemployment also. In short, the major feature of rural unemployment is the existence of unemployment in the form of disguised unemployment and seasonal unemployment rather than open unemployment that exists in the urban areas. Idol worship, superstitions, Brahmanical or clergy superiority, all had to be fought against, for all the social practices finding sanction in religion. Yet a lot needs to be done to eradicate from the shreds a number of social evils still haunting our society.

Missing White Woman Syndrome Essay

Missing white woman syndrome, also known as missing pretty girl syndrome, is a tongue-in-cheek term coined by some media critics to reference a form of media hype in which excessive news coverage is devoted to a specific missing or murdered white women and girls, while virtually ignoring missing men, non-white women, or other news stories. According to these critics, reporting of these stories often lasts for several days or weeks, sometimes even months, and displaces reporting on other current events that some people consider more newsworthy, such as economics and politics. This syndrome appears to be most prevalent in U. S. media, but famous examples can also be found elsewhere in the world, e. g. the United Kingdom. The essential features of a missing person said to give rise to Missing White Woman Syndrome are sex, her race, (relative) prettiness, and age. These features are said to provoke positive discrimination in the reporting as news of the disappearance of a young white woman, and so to increase public interest in her disappearance. Missing people claims that cases which generate greatest publicity are those where missing persons are white, middle-class, female and from stable two-parent families, and where is no indication that such a missing person ran away from home. A working-class boy or an older woman is less likely to receive news coverage. Even in cases where foul play is suspected, if the victim is male, is of Afro-Caribbean or Asian descent, is a prostitute, has drug problems, is a persistent runaway, or has been in foster care, reporters are said to decide that their readership is less likely to relate to or empathize with the victim, and they reduce their coverage accordingly. The typical profile that must be fit: blonde, attractive, if possible blue-eyed, young, petite, vivacious and of a middle class or higher economic background creates the cases of MPWW which involve every local or national news to provide regular daily coverage of any and all developments, accompanied by lengthy discussions about the meaning of such developments. Speculations about evidence, suspects, motives that caused the disappearance rise and family members are called in order to offer more information and to show pictures of the victim. As the story gains momentum and begins to pick up steam like a runaway locomotive more talk shows and news media search details and turn the event into a national issue. The typical case lasts for days, weeks, months, forever and ever resulting in some families creating a website about the case, or a reward is posted, flyers and leaflets are posted all over and cover all neighborhoods. However, if we take a look at the Doe Network, which is one of the resources that handles missing adult cases, we find out that: a) there are more missing black women in the US than women of all other races combined, b) there are more missing men than women, and c) there are far, far more missing long-term missing persons than most people even dream about. Moreover, from the news you would never know that most missing Americans are men, not women, that nearly a third of the missing are black, and that even ugliness will not save a woman from becoming missing and turning up dead. [pic] Missing People Chart. [pic]http://abagond. wordpress. com/2007/12/27/the-missing-white-woman-syndrome/ The Missing White Woman Syndrome should be taken into account and treated as a huge problem, but at times some cases are emphasize more than others and thus discrimination appears. What is more, â€Å"Missing White Woman Syndrome† seems to be interjecting racism into a situation that is much more complex than simple racism, as very often the disappearance of black women is neglected or if at the same time a white woman and a black one are reported missing it is only the white one that catches the media attention and soon becomes national news. Some critics say that pretty, white damsels in distress draw viewers, whereas missing women who are black, Latino, Asian, old, fat or ugly do not. For example, in May 2004, a young black woman was missing. It was not until 14 months later that they found her body. Her aunt worked in public relations but the press was not all that interested. Yet during all those months, when she went missing cable news went on and on about other missing women who were white. So, it could be the media’s fault for not covering every subject properly, and at times this does not resume just to Missing White Woman Syndrome, but to other news as well. It is a matter of interpretation of every situation and the media tends to draw the attention upon a certain area of a subject so that it should turn the whole thing into a business as it is often considered. For example, an automobile accident that kills five people is â€Å"newsworthy†, but five separate fatalities are not. A coal mine accident that kills a dozen is covered by every media outlet, but scores of miners who die from black lung every year are ignored. It is the shocking news that get the attention, as a means of manipulating the audience. Some claim that the media offers its viewers what they want, as it is like any other market driven much the same way that demand for certain automobiles drives production. It is said that is not just pretty white women, because people are drawn to stories about â€Å"pretty† people in general. Good looking actors get more face time than not so goof looking ones. Overweight people are now the majority in the U. S. , yet â€Å"full figured† models don’t turn up in Victoria Secret magazines. A plump homely missing child will likely not draw the attention that a good looking child would. Maybe people are drawn to â€Å"attractive†, because it is what we want to be. Then when bad things happen to attractive people we feel bad because something happened to the concept of what we’d like to see ourselves as – attractive. Attractive is pleasing to the eye and to the mind, and we are drawn to the things that please us†¦ Government intervention could be the only solution, if it subsidized the news media to insure the reporting of certain events even though they may not be in demand. However, there are opponents who claim that this is a social matter and not an economic one, mainly focused on racism and the way it is still perceived in America. Missing White Woman Syndrome is spread not only in the United States, but in other countries as well and it apparently attract millions of viewers. During the last year in Romania there ahs been a continuous debate on a similar case of a missing white woman, a lawyer, whose case has been analyzed from every angle and it is still discussed. Some even say that it became a brand, as there was a TV-show that kept up with all the details of the case. In the meanwhile many other teenagers or children have gone missing but the attention is still drawn to this never-ending case that some even consider not to be true. There is also the cult of true womanhood which teaches that white women are to be rescued, therefore they are helpless and in need of protection, while black women are assumed as being â€Å"in control† of the situation. It is a matter of perception upon the entire world, thus including prejudices and mentalities that grow into racism and into different forms of seeing others of a different race or sex or social status as capable of certain things. Here we could mention the view of people on a missing black woman who is later found dead, as either a drug addict or an easy woman. The questions â€Å"How do you save a black man from drowning? You take off your foot of his head. † and â€Å"What do you get if a white man falls of a skyscraper? Who cares. † best summon the idea that it is spread worldwide not just on the Missing White Woman Syndrome, but in other cases of discrimination and also national opinion upon a certain topic. The abagond. wordpress. com refers to the missing white woman syndrome as â€Å"missing pretty girls syndrome† or â€Å"damsel in distress syndrome† and it also makes references of TV episodes where the syndrome was clearly present. That is in â€Å"Without a Trace† episode â€Å"White Balance† in which the agents investigate two cases: that of a white teenage girl and that of a black teenage boy. They must cope with the white girl’s case getting constant attention and the black boy’s getting none. The episode concludes with a No Ending, as we are told that one lives and one dies, but not which is which. In one episode of â€Å"Law and Order Criminal Intent†, the disappearance of a white girl on a school trip becomes the subject of a media frenzy, and is eventually tied to the disappearance of a local black girl. The mother of the black girl accuses the authorities of coming to her only when her daughter’s disappearance was tied up with the white girl’s. The msnbc. msn. com refers to unconscious bias stating that â€Å"Quoting those FBI statistics – its like saying ‘99percent of the nations in the world are not at war, so why are focusing on the war? ’ But Iraq is an extraordinary event involving Americans† said Mark Effron, vice president of news at MSNBC TV. â€Å"What makes news is the unexpected. † Also, ironically the site gives another quote which refers to the Missing White Woman Syndrome, that is â€Å"If you are missing, it helps to be young, white, female. † Maybe this statement should raise a question mark that can make everyone see the real meaning of this â€Å"syndrome† that does not occur only among white women, but among black or Asian women as well, thus making all of them equal in front of the world and in the media articles. CNN has often been accused of not taking into account all missing cases and of observing and broadcasting only those of white pretty women, ignoring missing black women. The news media does not only entertain viewers, but also sells newspapers and you rarely, if ever, see in the news a woman â€Å"of color† who has gone missing. The Missing White Woman Syndrome is another embodiment of racism that makes you concentrate only on a small part of the problem and thus ignore the rest as if it never exists. There are thousands of people who go missing every day, but who, for not fitting the profile do not make it to the front page or the news. Those attractive women who are reported try to create that perfect image of the world where everyone seeks the beauty and the perfection and these cases of disappearances or deaths often ruin or at least shake the confidence in these stereotypes. But it is very clear that one does not have to be young, blonde and blue-eyed in order to be abducted and moreover breaking the news does not necessarily help bring back the missing person. Here is a matter of police involvement as well and the way in which authorities do everything in their power to find whoever has gone missing. Nevertheless, it is somehow ironical how statistics show that there are more males missing than women, and yet rarely are these cases reported. The percentage of missing white women is not higher than that of black women, but we only speak about a Missing White Woman Syndrome and not about a Missing Black Woman Syndrome. There are also a lot of children gone missing and most of them are not blond, blue-eyed and yet they are those who everyone talks about and even become icons of the â€Å"syndrome†. It is a creation of a fake world where we only focus on what we want to see and not on what there really is out there. Bibliography: www. msnbc. msn. com www. tvtropes. org www. abagond. wordpress. com Monica Radu, 1st year student of American Studies.

Persian Wars: Cause of the 499-404 B.C.E

The Persian wars are often compared to the Trojan wars due to the effects they had on Greek history. Athenians who were cultural and politically superior to the Greek considered the wars against Persia as some of the defining and greatest moments in their history (McKay, Hill, Buckler, Buckley, & Wiesner-Hanks, 2008a). Despite the defining effects that the Persian wars had on the history of the Athenian and the Greek, their beginning was nothing big. In mid sixth century BCE, Croesus who was the king of the Lydians took control of all Greek cities along the Asian Minor coast (McKay, Bennett, Beck, Crowston, & Wiesner-Hanks, 2008a). When the Persians conquered the Lydians around 545 BCE all states that were under the Lydians came under the rule of the Persians (McKay, Bennett, Beck, Crowston, & Wiesner-Hanks, 2008b). The Persian approach to leadership was defined by close control and they appointed officials who ruled states under a system that can only be defined as tyrannical. Citizens under the system implemented by the Persians were required to pay extremely high taxes and serve in the Persian army (McKay, Bennett, & Buckler, 2003a). Many revolution in history have generally been caused by oppressions and system that are degenerate in terms of social development. The Persian approach to government bore all the classical signs of tyranny and close governance. Under such system the mechanism that will worst affect the weak are made as effective as possible and in the Persian case this was not different. Their most effective system was the tax collection system which collected taxes in a manner that had no bearing on the earning made by individuals and the failure to submit returns could even result in hanging (McKay, Bennett, & Buckler, 2003b). The rulers were imposed on the Greeks, Lydians and Athenian and the kind of rule that such leaders used was oppressive. The rulers kept close contact with the events that happened on the ground which is a characteristic of an approach to leadership that is either oppressive or concerned with the welfare of its members; in this case the former was more relevant. The pressure placed by the Persian government led to underground revolution which were propagated by the opportunism of Aristagoras. Aristagoras sought help from the Spartans and Athenians (McKay, Hill, Buckler, Buckley, & Wiesner-Hanks, 2008a). The later helped him in though by 495 BCE all rebellious Greek cities has been restored under the Persian government. This did not spell the end of war due to the attention than the Athenians had gotten from Persia for the role they played in the destruction of Ardis. The revenge mission and the expertise that the Athenians had in Hippias who had been a member of the Persian army led to what is referred to as the battle marathon (McKay, Hill, Buckler, Buckley, & Wiesner-Hanks, 2008b). By the end of the marathon Greece began an ambitious navy building project due to the influence of Themistocles which propagated the war into a war for supremacy. In summary, the war started by the need for freedom and independence catalyzed by a leaders who was out to fulfill his personal agenda. By gaining support from other states the Persians were defeated due to their lack of commitment to the war. The marathon which served to propagate the Persian war was mainly out of the need for revenge by the Persians and its ‘marathon' stature is resultant of the resistance the Persians got from the well prepared Athenians and Persians. Towards the end of the war the objective was more about gain of supremacy. In the end, the Athenians got all the glory though the role played by the Spartans in the Persian wars can never be underestimated.

Hillingdon Electricals Ltd (a case study) Coursework

Hillingdon Electricals Ltd (a case study) - Coursework Example This has eventually helped the company in building an appreciative reputation for itself in the market. However, in the recent years, the company has failed to deliver its services as per expectations, which resulted in its declining market share further affecting its competitive advantage. Contextually, the top level management of the company has decided that each of its stores situated all over the UK market needs to have a particular sales target for its various categories of goods. The scenarios highlighted and discussed below therefore deals with certain situations that the company is dealing with, post its approach of enhancing its performance. Scenario A (Tony and Ursula) In this scenario, it has been noted that due to a manual error, price of certain products of the company were advertised in websites and newspaper at a much lesser price in comparison to the present market price for the same. Subsequently, a customer named Tony bought the same product from the company website in a usual procedure as per the advertised price. However, in the following day, the customer received a mail from the company stating that the website was in total error which depicted a false price of the product and hence, the product can only be sold at its original market price. However, the company offered certain discount as an effort to maintain goodwill with the customer. In this regard, Tony denied to pay the present market price and demanded the product at the committed price in website advertisement. Correspondingly in another case, Ursula went on to buy a product from a retail shop of the company in accordance to the price advertised in the newspaper. However, similar to the condition of Tony, the store manager her that the actual price of the product was more than the price disclosed in the advertisement in the newspaper. Ursula too refused to pay the extra amount and demanded the product in the advertised price. It is apparent from the above scenario that human error is mainly responsible for the false advertisement of the company, which can be assumed to be unintended on the grounds of good faith. Despite of such considerations, the case can be considered as breach of the UK tort law. A tort is a crime that involves the use of unfair means in conducting activities that harms or results in loss of others. The harm or injury, as per law is not limited to physical injuries; rather, it covers emotional and reputational injurious as well (Findlaw, 2012). Correspondingly, the approach of the company, despite of the fact that it was owing to human error can be considered as a tort against the customers and competitors. It can therefore be classified as a clear case of negligence of the company in its advertising, which is illegal under and punishable under the tort law (Lawskool, n.d.). Conceptually, the tort law in the UK is applicable for several activities, which primarily includes activities related to negligence and duty of care. In simple terms , negligence can be regarded as carelessness of people in their work, which results in unfavourable impacts on others. According to the tort law, individuals or a body of individuals (companies or organisations or associations) should not depict negligence attitude

Vulnerability Tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Vulnerability Tools - Essay Example nformation systems. Nessus is a comprehensive and open source security scanner. Plug-in architecture allows users to customize it as per their systems and networks. The security scanner frequently updates itself and provides full reporting, host scanning, and real-time vulnerability searches. Security audit features of Nessus are (Messmer, 2005): Credentialed and un-credentialed port scanning Network based vulnerability scanning Credentialed based patch audits for Windows and most Unix platforms Credentialed configuration auditing of most Windows, Unix platforms Robust and comprehensive credentialed security testing of 3rd party applications such as iTunes, JAVA, Skype and Firefox Custom and embedded web application vulnerability testing SQL database configuration auditing Cisco Router configuration auditing Software enumeration on Unix and Windows Testing anti-virus installs for out-of date signatures and configuration errors Another popular and open source tool for vulnerability an alysis is Wireshark. This tool, which was previously named as Ethereal, also provides functionality for packet sniffing. A relatively easy GUI along with various filtering and sorting options makes this tool perfect for non-savvy IT staff within organizations (Scalisi, 2010). Comparing Nessus and Wireshark Wireshark is considered to be at top of the list for network protocol analyzers. Wireshark not only provides vulnerability analysis, as its functionality can be resembled with â€Å"tcpdump.† It emphasizes protocols and represents data streams on the GUI. The major advantage that this tool has is the compatibility of operating systems, as it supports OS X, Windows, UNIX and Linux. Moreover, it also extensively supports Voice over IP that is a significant option for the organization, as international and corporate organizations use VoIP for communication purposes to save cost and at the same time deliver quality. Nessus, on the other hand, is used in more than 75,000 organiz ations around the globe and it is considered to be one of the world’s most popular vulnerability scanner (Ferguson, n.d.). However, the third version, i.e. version 3, has now been converted to a proprietary license as the scanning engine is still free and updates are also available after a week on a release. Relating with the Scenarios When Nessus is incorporated in a large enterprise, most probably, a government organization such as Department of Defense (DOD) networks, it will initiate a port scan and target the defined host or a network. After opening the port, it examines all the services that are running on the system or network and tests all the detected services against vulnerabilities defined in the Nessus vulnerability database (Kim, n.d.). As this tool can develop a testing platform for network resilience, the report generation is very comprehensive that is ideal for large enterprises. As it is an easy remote based vulnerability analysis tool, it can be best suited for large enterprises that are geographically dispersed in more than one continent

Evaluate how Napoleon both continued and broke from the aims of his Essay

Evaluate how Napoleon both continued and broke from the aims of his revolutionary predecessors - Essay Example Due to these successful statistics, Napoleon is regarded as one of the shrewdest and greatest military commanders that the world has ever seen and it is for this reason that his military campaigns are studied at different military academies worldwide. In 1799, Napoleon replaced the French directory with French Consulate and became the First Consul. He was 5 years later proclaimed as the emperor by the French Senate after a plebiscite in his favor. From 1900 to 1910, the French Empire was besieged with a number of conflicts known as the Napoleonic Wars which involved all the major European powers (Schom). After several victories, France had held an extremely powerful and dominant position in Europe. Napoleon maintained this French influence by forming extensive alliances and by appointing various many family members and friends to rule over different European states as French client states. The turning point of napoleon’s fame and success was the war of Peninsula and the 1812 i nvasion of Russia by the French armies. Despite major success in these wars, napoleon army was badly injured in these invasions ad was unable to fully recover from the blows from the war. This marked the downfall of Napoleon’s success. ... The next six years of Napoleon lives were spent in British confinement on the island of Saint Helena. It was concluded on the basis of an autopsy that Hitler died of stomach cancer despite major debates around the cause of his death, for some scholars firmly believe that Napoleon was poisoned by arsenic. When looking to answer the question of how Napoleon was different from his predecessors, the major difference is the Civil Code that was invented by Napoleon. Ever since the prevalence of in France, there has never been a single body of standard regulating the country. This was a cause of many problems in various parts of the country and created rather unjust and unfair legal situations especially where the poor were concerned. The Napoleonic Code based mostly on the Roman Law, Justinian’s Code. The code basically separated Civil Law into three different categories; the personal category, the status category and the property and the acquisition of property category. These thre e were also the main morals of the entire French Revolution. French revolutionaries wanted the entire country to be standing on equal footing regardless of anyone’s monetary status. It was the Napoleonic Code that ensured that everyone had a chance to earn themselves money and a status. Every country in Europe other than Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Russia and Sweden have based parts of their laws on one or another aspect of the Napoleonic Code (The Napoleonic Code). The Code is still used to date in several former French colonies like Louisiana and Quebec. The Napoleonic Code was perhaps the greatest civil achievement of Napoleon’s. This code was the embodiment of the entire French revolution. It was Napoleon’s code that was responsible for

Community Crime Watch in New Jersey Research Paper

Community Crime Watch in New Jersey - Research Paper Example According to this research, there are opportunities to improve security in the entire community if the recommendations are implemented to the letter. My vision is for a community where people can go about their businesses without fear of being gagged. To achieve this vision, a number of initiatives to address the current community problems have been proposed in my final report. These initiatives are based on wide-ranging consultations with community members, law enforcement agencies and the relevant government officials. I believe New Jersey would be one of the most progressive and secure places in the country. Once again, am thankful for the opportunity to be part of the solution to the problem regarded highly in the community. Warm regards, Xxxxx(Sign) xxxxxxxxx (Name) Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Neighborhood Watch Programs 4 How Neighborhood Watch Works 5 Systematic Review of Neighborhood Watch in Practice 7 Concluding Recommendations 8 References 11 Execu tive Summary I was appointed and mandate to review the current security situation in New Jersey, identify the gaps for improvements, identify best practices, consult with the community members, and develop recommendations to arrest the current security menace in this area. This report has engendered the opinions of a diverse group of people including community action groups and the security agencies in New Jersey. It contains the Neighborhood Watch Programs samples, how they work, a review of successful stories, and the recommendations intended to inform better decisions leading to a secure New Jersey by changing the prevailing attitudes toward security agencies as well as adopting proven best practices in Neighborhood Crime Watch programs. Introduction The criminal justice system has saved the community for centuries by using a very simple logic to ensure a secure neighborhood: taking the "criminals" away and putting them behind bars away from the rest of the population. It evident within the current functioning of the justice system that many loopholes exist that has led to the worsening of security apparatus in place. As it was done then, the aforementioned method can still work. However, the dynamics within which the old system worked is totally different from the current situational analysis, and a new approach to institute tighter security is urgently required, particularly in New Jersey. Neighborhood Watch Programs The term â€Å"Neighborhood Watch† surfaced out of a movement promoting the involvement of the people towards crime prevention in the United States (Titus, 1984). It is often â€Å"three pronged† package that not only entails Neighborhood Watch but also property-marking and survey of homes concerning how secure they are (Titus, 1984). Variations encompass block watch, home watch, apartment watch, community watch and the general alertness of the citizenry. Specifically, some of these programs include elements of recruitments for special, regular foot patrols that involve the selected citizens as well as and educational programs, auxiliary police patrol units, and services for victims affected in one way or the other. Neighborhood Watch operates mainly by residents being on the look out for suspicious incidents and reporting them to the police once spotted. It is one of the potential deterrence measures that prevent possible offenders from committing criminal activities (Bennett 1990). One of the first Neighborhood Watch programs was the Seattle Community Crime Prevention

Plz follow the instruction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plz follow the instruction - Research Paper Example The global outlook advocates ample coordination between the various safety departments (Manuele, 2005). This paper will explore the scope of a coordinated approach to address the crash risks in relation to road haulage. Globalization has increased the volume of freight, and road transportation is a prime area of focus. Since the haulage systems are not fully mechanized or computerized, focus on the human factor is essential. The paper aims to evaluate the risk of crashes entailed in haulage along with scrutiny of research, regulation, regulation, and awareness in this field. It also looks into the current and future risk mitigation measures. In this paper, a specific safety risk has been selected. It is the safety risk of crash associated with road haulage. The history of how the mitigation of this risk has been addressed in research studies, regulation, and public awareness campaigns has been researched and analyzed. Also, the findings are summarized, current risk mitigation efforts are evaluated, and recommendations are made for the future. The business of road haulage depends on the fleet of Lorries that are used for general and long distance haulage across the United States and to the countries like Mexico and Canada. Risk assessment and management for the drivers involved in this kind of transportation business is critical. The safety risk is mainly centered on the crash possibilities. Again, the risk of a dangerous road crash during haulage depends on certain important factors. There is a technical difference between the terms risk and hazard. Risk is generally considered as combining a hazard with its associated probability (American Society of Safety Engineers, 1990). Safety risk involved in road haulage depends on certain hazards associated to their possibilities, especially in the case of crash possibilities. The risk of crashes in road haulage can be evaluated on the basis of certain factors of hazards in combination with their high possibility and o ccurrence. Dangerous goods transportation is a primary consideration. Accident of a truck carrying fertilizers or explosive chemical cannot only injure the driver but damage the locality and environment as well (Fabiano et al, 2002). Hand held cell phone use during driving is also a prominent risk factor (McCartt and Hellinga, 2007). Possibility of collisions with other vehicles particularly at the intersections is another serious risk. The driver’s age is an important consideration in this regard (Mayhew et al, 2006). Driver fatigue, particularly during the long haul, is another risk factor entailed in the crash possibilities of road haulage. Mitigation of a safety risk is possible of course. History of mitigation of risks in regards of road haulage is interesting indeed. In the case of road haulage, combined effort from the authorities concerned with occupational safety and highway security is necessary. In 1970, the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH act) was passed. â€Å"The act allowed national collection of OHS statistics for the first time. Occupational safety and health standards are put out by the Department of Labor and take legal precedence over state laws and regulations.† (Taylor et al, 2004: 114) Thus, an inter-state framework for the safety of the

Cost Accounting Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cost Accounting Proposal - Essay Example Such things as raw materials would not be included on the balance sheet because it is non-existent. Some intangibles might be included as well. Another area of consideration is the income statement, which would include such items as expenses, marketing, net income, purchases, and beginning and end inventory. Monitoring and measuring capacity utilization and productivity levels on a continuous basis will ensure streamlined operations, resulting in an increase of return of investment for the parent company. Efficient operational activities lessen the total costs that must be allocated to the final product, increasing overall profitability and growth potential for the newly formed online business unit. There are various cost allocation methods that one could use to allocate cost. Three methods commonly used are the direct method, the step method and the reciprocal method. The direct method focuses on charging cost of support service departments to internal customers. This method does not make allocations among support-service departments. A disadvantage of this method is it does not take into account that the services that one department may provide support to another and cause higher cost allocations to the production department.

Primary School classroom Essay Example for Free

Primary School classroom Essay These Poets write Honestly about their Experiences. Explore the Memories Expressed in their Poems and consider what Views they are sharing about Growing Up  Carol Ann Duffy expresses her views and gives her true experiences to do with childhood and growing up. She uses a range of techniques in her poems, like similes to emphasize her feelings and emotions and imagery, where she uses metaphors to help create the picture and mood of the atmosphere of each poem. For example, the Primary School classroom. Simon Armitage also writes about everyday experiences, childhood, growing up, changes and regrets. He uses less imagery than Carol Ann Duffy, but in one particular poem Kid, he uses a great more rhyme. They both include experiences towards school life, where Carol Ann Duffy writes about the younger years and Simon Armitage writes about the older years at school. These two poets are similar in some ways, but can be quite different in others. For example, in Duffys Stealing it shares the feelings of a child who steals for no reason and Duffy adds comments from her own experiences. It can make the reader feel quite depressed and sad, whereas in I am very Bothered by Simon Armitage, it is again about a child with regret for something he did at school, but instead of being sad it uses black humour and is more horrible stench of branded skin In Mrs Tilschers Class, Carol Ann Duffy starts with you, which makes it personal and sets the scene travel up the Blue Nile.  She identifies things like Primary School aspects very well with your finger, tracing the route This is a good reminder to what children do when they are little. She creates the picture of the blackboard chalky Pyramids rubbed into dust. This suggests break time and the laugh of a bell swung by a running child creates a jolly, happy time that all the kids look forward to. This gives a comparison between home and school. This was better than home. There are more interesting things to be found at school, like enthralling books, which is obviously what she doesnt have at home.  She uses similes to describe the classroom. The classroom glowed like a sweet shop. This creates the idea of colour that a sweet shop would have.  She tells of a negative memory Brady and Hindley, which faded, like the faint, uneasy smudge of a mistake. School has so many good memories that it is able to make the bad ones disappear. She uses emotion Mrs Tilscher loved you, and alliteration good gold star, which makes the poem flow easier. It also sounds a bit like a childs expression.  A xylophones nonsense gives the impression of tuneless playing, which kids do in Primary School, they dont care about accuracy, just about having fun. It also appeals to the senses by using sounds as well as visual images.

Brand extension for leveraging brand equity

Brand extension for leveraging brand equity Brand extensions are one of the most popular strategies for leveraging brand equity. By launching new products under popular brand names, firms hope that consumers will respond more favorably to the new offering, due to their familiarity with the parent brand, positive feelings toward the parent brand, and positive attribute and non-attribute associations they have with the parent brand. A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business. Brand extension denotes to the corporate activity in which companies bring in new products, new product variants or product improvements by leveraging the brand equity of the existing parent brand. It is believed that compared to launching a new product under a new brand name, brand extensions can increase the efficiency of promotional efforts, improve access to distribution channels, and reduce consumers perceived risk of purchasing a product or service (Keller, 2002). Another major factor for which Companies prefer to use brand extension is lower cost. Introducing a new brand into consumer market can be relatively much higher than introducing new product or product variants under the same brand name. This cost can range above millions of rupees and can not guarantee of any success. So instead of launching entirely a new product, most companies prefer brand extension. Successful examples such as Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke benefited from the brand franchise of their parent products. Coca-Cola introduced six extensions and captured a larger market share than the original brand. For example, Cokes extension, Cherry Coke, was successful even without considerable advertisement. On the other hand, the potential of brand extension problems can ranger from failure of the brand or partial failure such as brand Dilution and brand cannibalism. Instead of success, the failed extension might tarnish the image and reduce the market share of the parent product. Associations that are unique to the brand, strongly held, and favorably held, are vital for success. However, since the specific associations a consumer holds are dependent on personal values and individual purchase situations, managers must learn what they are and when they operate. For example in case of new Coke, Coca Cola did not pay attention to what the core brand meant to stand for. It mainly focused on the taste and thought that the taste is the only factor which consumers are looking for. This concept was wrong. Coca cola was unable to identify the attachment of the consumer with the original coke before launching New coke, even though Coca Cola spent a lot of money on conducting research before launc hing New coke. Brand dilution occurs when consumers loss the original grasp of brand perception on their minds and no longer associate the brand with a specific product. For instance, Sunsilk may experience brand dilution by loosing its strong identity of hair care and shampoo range by running a number of different categories like mashed potatoes, powdered milk and soups. Too broad varieties of product categories run under same brand can frustrate consumers in thinking which variations of products that actually fit to their perceptions. For Example, too many ranges of Sunsilk shampoo include Sunsilk black, pink, white, yoghurt, dandruff can make customers confused in buying a suitable product which actually fit to their needs. Even though todays consumers are selective in their buying habits and expect innovation, the reality of brand extension success is still low. This is because most of new product extensions are not unique and do not satisfy consumer needs. There are some factors that lead to b rand dilution. Among those include perception in consumer minds comparing between parent brand and product extension, level of familiarity with parent brand, fit level transferred from parent brand to extension and consumers perception to new product. Level of brand loyalty shown by a customer can switch to radical degree for brand extension case. When loyalty and level of familiarity with parent brand is high, new product extension failure may greatly diminish trust level to entire brand portfolio. In turn, low familiarity to brand affects low dilution when product failure occurs in new extension. As per early research regarding brand extension leads to brand dilution, Aaker and Keller (1990) found insignificant evidence between unsuccessful brand extension leads to brand dilution. Conversely, in a research Loken and Roedder-John (1993) pointed that inconsistency of product and brand beliefs may lead to brand dilution. Brand dilution and failure of brand can occur when consumer find it difficult to associate the extension with the parent brand, a lack of similarity and familiarity and discrepancy between Integrated marketing communication messages. Brand extension is a strategy which most of the companies are using, to minimize risk associated with introducing a entirely new brand and maximize their profits from the new brand. But in some of the cases brand extension fails, and the reason is the weak brand equity of the parent brand that bear upon the success of the brand extension. If the equity of parent brand is strong, brand extension can be successful and vice versa. Both Functional and non functional attributes of a brand can harm and eventually dilute the equity of an integrated oriented brand, which means due to the weak brand equity, brand dilution can occur across the parent brand. Such kind of failures of extensions can make customers to create a negative association with the parent brand or even with the brand family. These failures can also agitate and blur the original identity and meaning of a brand even positioning as well. Managers seem to be aware of the dangers and benefits of extending their brand franchise. Yet the number of failed extensions in the past few years indicates that some refinement in our knowledge of the brand extension process is needed. What factors determine whether or not a brand extension will be successful? The most important factor identified by prior research is perceived fit. Consumers respond more favorably if they are able to perceive a fit between the extension and the parent brand and this leads to the success of the brand extension. Conversely, If consumers are unable to perceive a fit between extension and the parent brand, the brand extension might become a failure and may lead to brand dilution. According to Martinez and de Chernatony (2004) brand image has two types: the general brand image and the product brand image. According to them there would be no negative impact on general brand image if the brand image is strong. For example, Nike or Sony. Dilution effect would be more on product image instead of general brand image. Therefore, mostly the customers would stick to their beliefs about the parent brand with respect to its attributes and feelings. Nevertheless their study shows that brand image can be diluted by brand extension, and beliefs and association with the parent brand can also be changed. In developing countries like Pakistan it is even more convenient for multinationals to try brand extensions. The reason is that most of the multinational companies come from developed countries like America, United Kingdom and Japan. Products from these countries enjoy positive country of origin effect in mind of consumers due to their previous track record in terms of customer satisfaction. This as a result lowers the amount of money spend over awareness creation and since they already enjoy good market and media presence, therefore more affordable for them to launch brand extensions in Pakistan. For instance, Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PTC) which is a part of British American Tobacco who sells their brands to millions of consumers in 180 countries worldwide. They were the foremost brands entering Pakistan as early as 1947. Ever since then they have launched new reputed brand extensions such as Benson Hedges, Embassy, Gold Flake, Gold Leaf and recently Capstan brand of cigarettes (Business recorder.com). STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The failure rates of new product over the last few decades have increased tremendously; therefore, firms have resorted to brand extensions, because of inherent advantages including its acceptability, low promotion cost and comparatively lesser degree of failures. Despite these advantages, the failure rate of brand extension has remained significant in the last one decade. Therefore, the researchers have been focusing in identifying the factors that consumers use for evaluating the brand extension, or the factors that are contributes towards the success or failure of brand extensions. The focus of this study is to identify whether the brand extension is favorable or lead to brand dilution. Researches on brand extensions have focused mainly over consumer evaluation of brand extensions. However as a matter of fact consumers generally cannot assess brand extensions in undifferentiated manner (Aaker and Keller, 1990, Keller and Aaker, 1992; Dacin and Smith, 1994; Smith and Andres, 1995). In spite of the extensive body of knowledge on consumer evaluations of brand extensions, very little or negligible attention has been paid as to what is brand or marketing managers view point over brand extensions strategy ( Nijssen and Agustin, 1999). The lack of brand managers view point input in the literature is odd as their analysis of consumer and competitors reactions coupled with their personal preferences are a fairly good indicator of success of a brand extension strategy. Therefore along with consumers perception about brand extension, viewpoint of brand managers of couple of companies will also be considered in this thesis. Over the past couple of decades we have witnessed a great number of companies both domestic and multinationals engaging in brand extensions in Pakistan. For example a few of the well known domestic brand extensions deals in retailing and fashion (Chen One Pvt Ltd), health care products (Z-Jans Pvt Ltd), Medicam tooth paste and Sweetener (Medicam Pvt Ltd Pakistan), Rafhan pudding mix and Custard (Rafhan Best Food Ltd), National Pickel, Salt and Spices (National foods Ltd), Haleeb Milk Pack, Yogurt and Cream (Haleeb Foods Ltd Pakistan). As far as multinationals are concerned Nestle and Uniliver Pakistan have carried out most of the brand extensions. For example, Nestle (Mineral Water, Milk Pack, Cream Yogurt), Uniliver has brand extensions (Lifebuoy Shampoo Soap, Express Surf, Colgate toothpaste, Walls Ice-cream). In this relation a study of brand extensions from brand managers perspective is important to find out successful practices which are prerequisites for a brand extension in Pakistan. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The significance of this thesis is to explore the use of brand extension strategies in the Pakistan context. Whether the strategy of brand extension is favorable or not, or due to brand extension, brands gets diluted or cannibalized? Since brand extensions is one of the most popular strategies for leveraging brand equity, this study will also focus on brand extension effect on brand equity. This thesis will focus on brand extension strategies of products from various companies which include Z-Jans Pvt Ltd, Haleeb Foods Ltd Pakistan, Servis Shoes, Lakson Group, and Chen one, Nestle, Sunsilk, Pakola and Fair Lovely. Various companies insights regarding brand extension will help us to study favorability or unfavorability of brand extension in a well manner. We will try to achieve this purpose by answering the following research questions. Brand extension is more beneficial than launching new products with respect to customers know how about the parent brand. Brand extension is beneficial in Terms of Consumer Knowledge and Consumer Trust about the quality and association of Parent brand? Brand extension is beneficial in terms of refreshing Parent brand. Brand extension can result in dilution of Parent Brand. Brand extension can lower the credibility of Parent Brand. Brand extension can result in cannibalization of Parent Brand Sales Brand extension can be a disaster and may lead to brand dilution if extension is not fit (Similarity and consistency) as per the concept of Parent brand. Moderating factors like brand quality, customer know how, customer certainty and brand equity affect brand extension? By answering above question, we will come to know whether brand extension is favorable or it leads to brand dilution, and whether brand extension is favorable for those companies who prefer extension and are involved in brand extension from couple of decades. This thesis will be beneficial in indentifying the success rate or failure rate of brand extension of those companies which have been chosen for this thesis. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION The study is carried out from a viewpoint of brand extension in our home country (Pakistan). The research conducted for this thesis is based on limited and chosen product category and Another constraint confronted during the course of research was the fact that majority of multinationals (MNEs) formulate brand extension strategies at their head quarters abroad. Finally, it was learnt that since the concept of brand manager in Pakistan is in infancy stages therefore normally it is the marketing manager who carries out the responsibilities of brand manager when it comes to brand extensions. DEFINITIONS Brand According to (American Marketing Association 2007 brand is: A name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competition. Brand extension Using an established name of one product class for entering another product class (Aaker 1991). Using a successful brand name for launching a new or modified product or line is known as brand extension strategy (Kotler 1991). An expansion strategy in which firms use already established and successful brand name for introducing a new or modified product (Kotler Armstrong 1990). Using an established brand name for introducing a new product into product category which is new to the company is known as franchise strategy (Hartman Price Duncan 1990). Product Line Extension A product line extension is the use of an established products brand name for a new item in the same product category. Line Extensions takes place when a company stretches its product line and introduces extra items in the same product category under the same brand name for example new nips, forms, colors, added ingredients, package sizes. This is a little different from brand extension in which a new product is introduced in an entirely new category, While Line extension occurs when the company increases its product line outside its current chain. Product line can also be stretched as down market stretch and up market stretch. Brand Dilution Brand dilution is the subverting of a brand though its overutilization. This often happens when brand extension is done poorly. Price cut can also bring a brand down and can damage the brand, even though it increases the volume of the product. Brand dilution can be a severe headache for companies that rely mostly on their strong brand for higher profits. Companies who possess strong brand image wishes to leverage its equity to sell and earn as much profit as they can, but the same strategy to leverage a brand equity can also lead to damage a brand name and eventually result in brand dilution. Brand Cannibalization Brand cannibalization pertains to a decrease in volume, revenue of sale and diminution of market share of a product which results from the introduction of new products by the same producer. For example, when diet coke was introduced by Coca Cola, sales for original coke diminished, but eventually it led in expansion of diet soft drink market. Brand Equity Brand equity is a relationship between customers and brands, resulting in a profit to be realized at a future date (Wood 2000). Kotler and Armstrong (1996) were of the opinion that measuring brand equity is a tedious job. Nevertheless, a powerful brand means high brand equity that helps in achieving higher brand loyalty, name awareness, perceived quality, and strong brand associations. Some of the major benefits of brand equity are brand awareness and consumer loyalty which helps in reducing marketing costs. Brand is an important equity; therefore, it should be carefully preserved by adopting strategies that would help in maintaining or improving brand awareness, perceived brand quality and positive associations. (Kotler Armstrong 1996) Brand Association Brand association refers to level by which a brand is recognized by a consumer in a deep manner. If a brand is deep seated in the mind of the consumer in a positive manner, it will be recognized positively. Brand associations are the properties of a brand which consumers recall whenever brand is talked about. Consumer relates a brand name with its implicit or explicit meanings. Brand association can also be termed as the level to which a specific product/service is acknowledged amongst its product or service family. When choosing a brand name, it is important that the name selected must reinforce an essential dimensions and specification or benefit association that forms the position of a product.

Strategy vs Structure in Strategic Management

Strategy vs Structure in Strategic Management Strategic analysis: Strategy versus Structure for International Competitiveness Introduction The strategy structure relationship, that was previously considered reciprocal, is now recognized as being considerably more complex, and there is some agreement that structure can and does have a profound impact on strategy through its direct effect on the strategic decision making process (Bourgeois Astley, 1979; Burgelman, 1983; Fredrickson, 1986). In understanding the role of strategy and structure in international business, one must understand that what has essentially changed is the context within which business operations take place. The well developed and complex associations between structure and strategy in classical studies of firms are also central to research in international business, but the nature of business has changed, and so have the relationships. As such, issues have arisen over the best way for international firms, operating in global marketplaces, to best align their strategy and structure to serve numerous distinct markets, whilst maintaining a global identi ty. This paper looks at the development of business strategy and structure over time, highlighting how the relationships have changed, the implications for organisational behaviour, and how firms can alter their behaviour to best gain competitive advantage in international markets. International Strategies Business strategy refers to how firms compete in an industry or market (Varadarajan and Clark 1994; Walker and Ruekert 1987). The two historically dominant frameworks of business strategy are the Miles and Snow (1978) model, which focuses on intended rate of product-market change, and the Porter (1980) model, which focuses on customers and competitors. Miles and Snow (1978) developed a comprehensive framework that addresses the alternative ways that organisations define and approach their product-market domains and construct structures and processes to achieve competitive advantage in those domains. Miles and Snow identify four archetypes of how firms address these issues: â€Å"prospectors† continuously attempt to locate and exploit new product and market opportunities, â€Å"defenders† attempt to seal off a portion of the total market to create a stable set of products and customers, â€Å"analyzers† occupy an intermediate position by cautiously following prosp ectors into new product-market domains while protecting a stable set of products and customers, and â€Å"reactors† do not have a consistent response to the entrepreneurial problem. In contrast, Porter (1980) proposes that business strategy should be viewed as a product of how the firm creates customer value compared with its competitors, and how it defines its scope of market coverage. Walker and Ruekert (1987) observed that though each of these strategy typologies has inherent strengths, i.e., Porters external focus and Miles and Snows internal focus, each is also limited. To address this, Walker and Ruekert proposed a hybrid model that synthesizes the two foci in a typology that consists of prospectors, low-cost defenders, and differentiated defenders. However, although Walker and Ruekert’s article has been frequently cited in the marketing and management literature, the distinctions between low-cost defenders and differentiated defenders have only recently been supported in empirical analysis (Slater and Olson, 2001). Following on from these initial developments, over the last few years researchers have quite successfully addressed and explicated the various forms of international strategy, and these forms are generally well accepted in the literature. There is now considerable agreement among international business scholars that most firms embarking upon or undertaking international business operations are cognizant of the twin pressures of global integration and local responsiveness. To this end, the integration-responsiveness framework suggested by Prahalad and Doz (1987) has provided a valuable theoretical tool to better understand international strategic behaviours of firms. More recently, we have seen many successful applications of globally integrated strategies (Parente, 2003; Parente Kotabe, 2003). According to Yip (2003), global companies have developed more sophisticated and flexible versions of international strategies and organisational processes, which successfully embraced globaliz ation. Organisational Structures Organisational structure refers to an organisation’s internal pattern of relationships (Finley, 2000). Structure has been characterized by a number of dimensions and illustrated by using a variety of types, like functional or divisional (Fredrickson 1986), however, there are three dimensions of structure: centralization, formalization, and complexity, which have received more attention than any others (Fry, 1982; Fry Slocum, 1984). Each of these dimensions appears to have great implications for strategy and strategic decision making, and are dominant characteristics of the well known structural types (Fredrickson, 1986). Centralization refers to the degree to which the right to make decisions and evaluate activities is concentrated (Fry Slocum, 1984; Hall, 1977). A high level of centralization is the most obvious way to control and coordinate organisation decision making, but places significant cognitive demands on those managers who retain authority (Fredrickson, 1986). Min tzberg (1979) has discussed this issue by suggesting that an individual does not have the cognitive capacity or information that is needed to understand all the decisions that face a complex organisation. The degree of formalization specifies the extent to which an organisation uses rules and procedures to prescribe behaviour (Hage Aiken, 1969; Hall, 1977). Therefore, formalization has significant consequences for organisational members because it specifies how, where, and by whom tasks are to be performed (Fredrickson, 1986). A high level of formalization has the benefit of eliminating role ambiguity, but it also limits members’ decision making discretion. Complexity refers to the condition of being composed of many, usually, though not necessarily, interrelated parts. Hall (1977) suggests that there are three sources of complexity: horizontal and vertical differentiation, and spatial dispersion. Therefore, an organisation that simultaneously has numerous levels, broad spans of control, and multiple geographic locations would be considered as highly complex (Fredrickson, 1986). The Interaction Between Strategy and Structure Whilst strategy and structure have been studied in isolation for a great many years, and are now relatively well understood, what is less understood is the international role of organisational structure and its relationship with international strategy (Finley, 2000). International strategies are the forms and types of actions firms follow to fulfil their long term business objectives. Organisations involved in international business activities usually have two major forces impinging on them. One is the need to standardise products on a global basis, and the other is to respond to local country or local market demands. International strategies may be characterized in different ways, and the integration-responsiveness framework developed by Prahalad and Doz (1987) has extended the conceptualization of industry pressures to incorporate generic strategic responses. The framework suggests that organisations develop their strategies and structures based on the emphasis they place on either one or both forces. At the most basic level, organisational structures are established to coordinate work that has been divided into smaller tasks. Mintzberg (1981, p. 104) noted, â€Å"How that coordination is achievedby whom and with whatdictates what the organisation will look like.† Walker and Ruekert (1987) further hypothesized that firms that follow different generic business strategies adopt different structural designs. Vorhies and Morgan (2003) studied the relationships among marketing organisation structure, business strategy, and performance in the trucking industry. Both of these studies demonstrated that different marketing organisation characteristics are more or less appropriate for different business strategies. The forms of structures typically defined by formalization, centralization, and specialization, which as Walker and Ruekert (1987 p. 27) noted â€Å"seem particularly important in shaping an organisation’s or departments performance†, are also applicable in d ifferent ways to different strategies and geographic factors. For example, in studying the development of America’s dominant industrial organisations, Chandler (1962) observed that major increases in unit volume, geographic dispersion, and vertical and horizontal integration were eventually followed by changes in structural form. Several studies following Chandler’s work confirmed an association between these two variables, in that structure generally followed strategy (Fouraker Stopford, 1968; Rumelt, 1974). In spite of the wide spread acceptance of the structure follows strategy relationship, there is a significant body of literature that suggests that structure has a significant and major effect on strategy (Fredrickson, 1986). Bower, for example, characterized structure broadly as the context within which decisions are made, and observed that â€Å"structure may motivate or impede strategic activity† (1970, p. 67). This view is also supported by other researchers who contend that structure constrains, or in another set of circumstances, enables, strategic choice (Bobbitt Ford, 1980; Duncan, 1979; Hedberg, Nystrom Starbuck, 1976). To understand why it is logical for strategic action to be affected by structure, one must understand the relationship between decision making and structure (Fredrickson, 1986). March and Simon (1958) addressed this critical aspect of the relationship by suggesting that an organisation’s structure imposes boundaries of rationality that accommodate members’ cognitive limitations. By delimiting responsibilities and communication channels, structure allows organisations to achieve organisationally rational outcomes despite their cognitive limitations (Simon, 1976). Structure also allows management to control the decision making environment and facilitate the processing of information (Fredrickson, 1986). The structure-strategy relationship is well explained by Bower when he states that â€Å"when management chooses a particular organisational form, it is providing not only a framework for current operations but also the channels along which strategic information will flow † (1970, p. 287). As a result, the relationships between business strategy and organisational structure become massively complex when considered in the international context, and thus require organisations to strategically examine their fundamental behaviours in order to best align their strategy and structure, without becoming lost in the complexity. Strategic Organisational Behaviour Organisational behaviour refers to organisational members’ work-related activities (Ouchi 1977; Robbins 2002) and, according to Snell (1992), management attempts to influence organisational behaviour through the use of control systems. Control is any process that helps align employees actions with the firm’s interests (Snell 1992; Tannenbaum 1968). Control theory (Snell 1992) identifies three major categories of control mechanisms: behavioural control (e.g., establishing and monitoring of sets of actions), output control (e.g., goal attainment measures), and input control (e.g., training). When applied within an organisational context, control theory posits that management attempts to direct employee behaviour to enhance the probability of desired outcomes. As Snell notes (p. 292), â€Å"Advocates of the behavioural perspective posit that different strategies require different behaviours.† Snell also notes that this view of the link between strategy and behaviour is useful because it provides a clear explanation of why behaviour should be linked to strategy and because it posits a testable set of behaviours. As a result, strategic behaviours have the potential to create superior performance through enhancing the execution of business strategy and identifying the relevant organisational structure (Slater and Narver 1995). There are four behaviours which are all claimed to offer potential competitive advantage to firms. These are customer-oriented behaviours (Deshpandà ©, Farley, and Webster 1993), competitor-oriented behaviours (Armstrong and Collopy 1996), innovation-oriented behaviours (Hurley and Hult 1998), and internal/cost-oriented behaviours (Porter 1980). It is important to understand that these strategic behaviours are not mutually exclusive and that it is common for firms to engage in multiple sets of behaviours simultaneously (Slater and Narver 1995). Furthermore, different combinations of emphases will likely prove more or less beneficial for firms that adopt different business strategies. Customer-Oriented Behaviours Firms with a strong customer orientation pursue competitive advantage by placing the highest priority on the creation and maintenance of customer value. As such, these firms engage in the organisation wide development of and responsiveness to information about the expressed and unexpressed needs of both current and potential customers (Deshpandà ©, Farley, and Webster 1993). Because of the constantly refined market-sensing and customer-relating capabilities of the customer-oriented firm, it should develop strategies and a structure to anticipate customer need evolution and to respond through the development of new customer value-focused capabilities and the addition of valuable products and services (Day 1994). Competitor-Oriented Behaviours A different perspective on competitive advantage is simply to beat the competition (Day 1994). This orientation places a priority on the in-depth assessment of a set of targeted competitors, focusing on targeted competitors goals, strategies, offerings, resources, and capabilities (Porter 1980) and on the organisation wide dissemination of the information generated from this assessment. The result is that managers develop competitor-oriented objectives rather than economic or customer-oriented objectives (Armstrong and Collopy 1996). The behavioural goal of the firm is to match, if not exceed, competitors strengths, both in strategy and structure. Innovation-Oriented Behaviours Another perspective is that firms build and renew competitive advantage through radical or discontinuous innovations. An innovation orientation indicates that the firm not only is open to new ideas but also proactively pursues these ideas (Hurley and Hult 1998) in both its technical and administrative domains An innovation orientation encourages risk taking and enhances the likelihood of developing radically new products. March (1991) argues that firms must be aware of the possibility that an innovation orientation may not allow for the follow-through that is necessary to reap the benefits of earlier innovations fully, unless their strategy and structure are aligned with both the generation and utilisation of innovation. Internal/Cost-Oriented Behaviours Porter (1980) argues that there are two basic sources of competitive advantage. The first is the differentiation advantage that a firm derives from the customer-, competitor-, or innovation-oriented behaviours. The second is the cost advantage that a firm derives from internal orientation and structure, with internally oriented firms pursuing efficiency in all parts of their value chain (Porter 1985). They attempt to reduce costs in primary activities, such as logistics, operations, and sales and marketing, and also attempt to reduce costs in support activities, such as procurement, research and development, and administrative functions. These firms pursue operational excellence, through their strategy and structure, that they can translate into higher sales through lower prices or higher margins. Whereas experimentation is the hallmark of firms with an innovation orientation, exploitation is the hallmark of internally oriented firms (March 1991). Conclusion International business has produced some incredibly competitive and complicated markets, with numerous potential problems for organisations, but also numerous opportunities for firms that can best adapt to their marketplace. However, such is the level of complexity in these markets, that firms who try to engineer specific, rigid strategies and structures will likely find themselves left behind by the latest shift in the market or technology. As a result, firms competing in international markets would be best advised to focus on the organisational behaviour, or behaviours, that best match their capabilities, and let these behaviours drive their strategy and structure to provide the most sustainable competitive advantage possible. Unfortunately, there is currently a paucity of available academic evidence on the most relevant behaviours for firms to best secure competitive advantage under the myriad market conditions, and this should be a key area for future research, as it may soon bec ome a strategic issue of significant importance. Equally, organisational behaviour as a field of study is vastly complex, with ongoing debates between theorists around organistic versus mechanistic structures, the role of teams, and the best styles of leadership needed in an organisation. In particular, organisational behaviour tends to suggest that organistic structures will be required in uncertain, rapidly changing markets, however mechanistic structures will be required in markets where the pace of technological developments is slower (Burns and Stalker, 1961). Thus, more research is needed into the consequences of an organisation in a relatively fast moving market making strategic organisational behaviour choices which would be better facilitated by a more hierarchical, mechanistic structure. Similar research would be recommended into the roles of leaders, and teams within organisations, in implementing and driving these behaviours forward. However, regardless of the need for further research, it is clear that firms can no longer merely define a strategy, focus strongly on it, and expect their strategic focus to guarantee success. Likewise, in the international business world, firms should no longer focus on having a well defined structure, regardless of whether it is organistic or mechanistic. Instead, a key recommendation of the strategic organisational behaviour approach is that firms should concentrate on best aligning themselves to the most appropriate behaviour for their industry. In manufacturing, this is likely to be more internal, or cost oriented, in technology it will tend to be primarily innovation oriented and in professional services a strong customer, or client, orientation would be best. However, it is vital that firms do not neglect the other behaviours: those that are not their primary focus, as these remain important, and can help maintain a balance approach to strategy and structure, offering sustained competitive advantage in international markets. References Armstrong, J. S. and Collopy, F. (1996) Competitor Orientation: Effects of Objectives and Information on Managerial Decisions and Profitability. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 33, May Issue, p. 188. Bobbitt, H. R. and Ford, J.D. (1980) Decision maker choice as a determinant of organisation structure. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 5, p. 13. Bourgeois, L. J. and Astley, W. G. (1979) A strategic model of organisational conduct and performance. International Studies of Management and Organisation, Vol. 6, Issue 3, p. 40. Bower, J. L. (1970) Managing the resource allocation process. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Burgelman, R. A. (1983) A model of the interaction of strategic behaviour, corporate con-text, and the concept of strategy. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 8: p. 61. Burns, T. and Stalker, G (1961) The Management of Innovation. London: Tavi-stock. Chandler, A. D. (1962) Strategy and structure: Chapters in the history of the American industrial enterprise. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Deshpandà ©, R. Farley, J. and Webster Jr. F. E. (1993) Corporate Culture, Customer Orientation, and Innovativeness in Japanese Firms: A Quadrad Analysis. Journal of Marketing , Vol. 57, January Issue, p. 23. Day, G. S. (1994) The Capabilities of Market-Driven Organisations. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, October Issue, p. 37. Duncan, R. (1979) What is the right structure? Decision tree analysis provides the answer. Organisation Dynamics, Vol. 7, p. 59. Finley, P. (2000) Strategic Management. Prentice Hall. Fouraker, L. E. and Stopford, J. M. (1968) Organisation structure and the multi-national strategy. Administrative Science Quarterly; Vol. 13, p. 47. Fredrickson, J. W. (1986) The strategic decision process and the organisational structure. Academy of Management Review; Vol. 11, Issue 2, p. 280. Fry, L. W. and Slocum, J. W. (1984) Technology structure, and workgroup effectiveness: A test of a contingency model. Academy of Management Journal; Vol. 27, p. 221. Fry, L. W. (1982) Technology-structure research: Three critical issues. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 25, p. 532. Hage, J. and Aiken, M. (1969) Routing technology, social structure and organisational goals. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 14, p. 368. Hall, R. H. (1977) Organisations: Structures and processes. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- Hall. Hedberg, B. L. T. Nystrom, P.C. and Starbuck, W. (1976) Camping on seesaws: Prescriptions for a self-designing organisation. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 21, p. 41. Hurley, R. F. and Hult, G. T. M. (1998) Innovation, Market Orientation, and Organisational Learning: An Integration and Empirical Examination. Journal of Marketing; Vol. 62, July Issue, p. 42. March, J. G. (1991) Exploration and Exploitation in Organisational Learning. Organisation Science, Vol. 2, Issue 1, p. 71. March, J. G. and Simon, H. A. (1958) Organisations. New York, NY: Wiley. Miles, R. E. and Snow, C. C. (1978) Organisational, Strategy, Structure, and Process. New York: McGraw-Hill. Mintzberg, H. (1981) Organisation Design: Fashion or Fit? Harvard Business Review, Vol. 59, Issue 1, p. 103. Mintzberg, H. (1979) The structuring of organisations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Ouchi, W. G. (1977) The Relationship Between Organisational Structure and Organisational Control. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 20, Issue 1, p. 95. Parente, R. (2003) Strategic modularization in the Brazilian automobile industry: An empirical analysis of its antecedents and performance implications. Doctoral Dissertation, Temple University, August 2003. Parente, R. and Kotabe, M. (2003) Strategic modularization, evolution of sourcing strategies, and performance implications. Proceedings Academy of International Business; Monterey, CA. Porter, M. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy. New York: The Free Press. Prahalad, C. K. and Doz, Y. L. (1987) The multinational mission. New York, NY: Free Press. Robbins, S. P. (2002), Organisational Behavior, 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Rumelt, R. P. (1974) Strategy, structure and economic performance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Simon, H. A. (1976) Administrative behaviour (third edition). New York, NY: Free Press. Slater, S. and Narver, J. (1993) Product-Market Strategy and Performance: An Analysis of the Miles and Snow Strategy Types European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 27, Issue 10, p. 33. Slater, S. and Olson, E. M. (2000) Strategy Type and Performance: The Influence of Sales Force Management Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 21, Issue 8, p. 813. Snell, S. (1992) Control Theory in Strategic Human Resource Management: The Mediating Effect of Administrative Information. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 35, Issue 2, p. 292. Tannenbaum, A. S. (1968) Control in Organisations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Walker, O. C. and Ruekert, R. W. (1987) Marketing’s Role in the Implementation of Business Strategies: A Critical Review and Conceptual Framework. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51, July Issue, p. 15. Varadarajan, P. R. and Clark, T. (1994) Delineating the Scope of Corporate, Business, and Marketing Strategy Journal of Business Research, Vol. 31, Issue 2, p. 93. Vorhies, D. W. and Morgan, N. A. (2003) A Configuration Theory Assessment of Marketing Organisation Fit with Business Strategy and Its Relationship with Market Performance Journal of Marketing, Vol. 67, January Issue, p. 100. Yip, G. S. (2003) Total Global Strategy II. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall.

Cancer Ward The Old Doctor Essay -- essays research papers

Cancer Ward: â€Å"The Old Doctor†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this chapter Ludmila goes to visit her former mentor Dr. Oreshchenkov. He lives in a nice home and it is filled with things of the past and who he is. Ludmila has realized that she has cancer. However, she is not willing to except her own intuition and goes to Oreshchenkov to be sure and even to be told that â€Å"it’s nothing serious†. While she is there she has a small sense of release and calm. Later the two of them get in to a discussion over the need for the â€Å"family- doctor†. These scenes have deeper meaning than just the literal sense. This chapter can be interpreted by using Dante’s â€Å"Four Levels of Interpretation†. The first level of interpretation is the literal. This level focuses on what literally happened in the story. The second level of interpretation is the allegorical. This level is concerned with the meaning hidden beneath the words in the literal sense. It tells of the nature of man and what we do in certain situations. The third level is the moral level. It is the message behind the story. This level teaches us a lesson that we should use in our lives. The fourth and final level is the anagogical level. This is the level that is the sense beyond. It is not only literally true but shows a truth of greater glory and truth of the spirit. Dante used the example:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"...in the departure of the people of Israel from Egypt,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Judea was made holy and free. [7] For even though   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the literal truth of this passage is clear, what it means   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   spiritually is no less true, that in the departure of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   soul from sin, it is made holy and free.† [8] The doctor lives in a better-than-average home in a nice neighborhood. It is full of things from his past and is well maintained. He has an old Grand piano and there are many books on the shelves. Some of these books were recently acquired by Oreshchenkov from a fellow doctor. This doctor had just retired and became a bee-keeper. He did not enjoy being a doctor and now he was free of it. He could now do what he really wanted and was... ...hich occupied them, which they believe was central to their lives, and by which they were known to others. The meaning of existence was to preserve unspoiled, undisturbed and undistorted the image of eternity with which each person is born.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (P 432) The doctor sees the people of his past, not as their accomplishments, but who they really are. He sees that they are so preoccupied with the things they are doing that they think that that is all they are and that is how other people saw them. They become objects of their work and activity and loose who they are. The doctor sees that the purpose of life is to remain true to yourself. Don’t allow yourself to distort what you really are. See yourself as a person. If you do that you will continually keep your soul pure. If you live your life a human being your soul will remain unspoiled and will last for eternity. To live a human being you must be and treat everyone as a beloved creation of God for your entire life. That is â€Å"the truest of all tests† for a man.

Lee Essay -- essays research papers

Robert E. Lee "They say you had to see him to believe that a man so fine could exist. He was handsome. He was clever. He was brave. He was gentle. He was generous and charming, noble and modest, admired and beloved. He had never failed at anything in his upright soldier's life. He was born a winner, this Robert E. Lee. Except for once. In the greatest contest of his life, in a war between the South and the North, Robert E. Lee lost" (Redmond). Through his life, Robert E. Lee would prove to be always noble, always a gentleman, and always capable of overcoming the challenge lying before him. Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807 (Compton's). He was born into one of Virginia's most respected families. The Lee family had moved to America during the mid 1600's. Some genealogist can trace the Lee's roots back to William the Conqueror. Two members of the Lee family had signed the Declaration of Independence, Richard Lee and Francis Lightfoot. Charles Lee had served as attorney General under the Washington administration while Richard Bland Lee, had become one of Virginia's leading Federalists. Needless to say, the Lees were an American Political dynasty (Nash 242). Lee's father was General Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. He had been a heroic cavalry leader in the American Revolution. He married his cousin Matilda. They had four children, but Matilda died in 1790. On her death bed she added insult to injury upon Henry Lee by leaving her estate to her children. She feared Henry would squander the family fortune. He was well known for poor investments and schemes that had depleted his own family's fortune (Connelly 5). Henry Lee solved his financial problems by marrying Robert's mother Anne Carter, daughter of one of Virginia's wealthiest men (Nash 242). Henry Lee eventually spent his family into debt. Their stately mansion, Stratford Hall, was turned over to Robert's half brother. Anne Lee moved with her children to a simple brick house in Alexandria. Light Horse Harry was seldom around. Finally, in 1813 he moved to the West Indies. His self-exile became permanent, and he was never seen again by his family (Thomas). Young Robert had other family problems. His mother became very ill. At the age of twelve he had to shoulder the ... ...nd). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Works Citied Brasington, Larry, The American Revolution-an HTML project. Http://odur.let.rug.nl~usa/B/relee/htm, 11/23/97. Brinkley, Alan, American History. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. Computer Software. Compton's NewMedia, Inc,1994. Connelly, Thomas L. The Marble Man. New York: Knopf, 1977. Davis, Jefffers, The Papers.http://www.ruf ..edu/~pjdavis/lee/htm, 11/6/97. Grimsley, Wayne. "The Differences Deepen." Starkville, MS, 11 Nov. 1997. (Class lecture delivered at Mississippi State University.) Kelly, Brian. Best Little Stories From The Civil War. Charlottesville, VA: Montpelier Publishing, 1996. Nash, Roderick, and Graves, Gregory. From These Beginnings. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. National Park Service. Http://www.nps.gov/gwmp/arl_hse.html., 11/6/97. Redmond, Louis. He Lost a War and Won Immortality. Http://www-scf.usc.edu/~herron nva.html, 11/6/97. Thomas, Emory. Robert E. Lee. Http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/LEE.lifle.html, 11/17/97.