Realists and Liberalists Views

Liberalists and Realists World Views Liberalists and realists have completely different views on the world stage. Liberalists’ views are based on liberty and equality while Realists views are based on security and relationships with great powers. Liberalists believe that an international society can work together to resolve problems. This involves trade between all nations and war would end so that everyone could live in peace and help each other out. Liberalists also believe that war should only occur when it is an absolute emergency and not just to acquire new land or to improve their economy.The realists on the other hand believe that war is inevitable and that the best way of avoiding war is to be strong and let your enemies know that you are ready for anything. Realists believe that if we rely on reason to resolve war that nothing will ever get resolved. After World War Two, realists’ views were favored by the majority of the world. Realists argued that in world po litics there is no government to set rules or protect states, so that each state must look after its own because you cannot always rely on other states for help. I believe that there has to be a happy medium that the liberalists and the realists can come too.Why can’t we all work together to provide security for the whole world. There is no reason why our world has to be going to war all the time over territory or because we need to help an ally. War never really solves anything it usually just leads to more violence and more problems. I say this because even when war sometimes does solve a problem between two nations those nations’ people will never be able to live the same way. The consequences of war can be horrific; people can lose their homes, schools can be destroyed, people’s food sources can be cut off, and ultimately people can lose their whole families due to war.The nations are not only financially weaker but now you have ruined people’s lives on top of it. Both views can be favored at any time in the world; this depends on what is going on in the world. Liberalism is obviously going to be favored if the whole world was at peace. The reason I say this because if there were no wars going on people would not be so worried about security and power of their nation. They wouldn’t have to side with the realists view of security because there is no threat to their nation. While on the other hand if there are wars going on around the world people are going to favor realists iews because they are afraid of what could happen without a strong enough military to protect them. I cannot blame the realists’ views on security because there is a lot of violence in the world and if you do not have a strong enough military tragedies could happen to your nation. I feel that the only reason why Realists views still remain is because there are so many worries in the world. There is always going to be conflict over new global chal lenges such as worry of HIV, climate change, nuclear weapons and even cyber-attacks.We will never be able to eliminate all of the global challenges that arise but I don’t see why there has to be so much violence in the world. Every day in the news more and more innocent people die for no reason whether it’s in the United States or Cairo it doesn’t matter, the violence needs to stop. It is pointless to have nations flush billions of dollars down the drain every year over the dumbest things. Nations should keep their money that they get from taxes and help out their own nation and work to eliminate internal problems instead of always focusing on external problems.Who cares if other nations want to blow themselves up let them work out their own problems, other nations don’t need to jump in and make the problem worse. The only thing that comes out of war and violence is death and death to me doesn’t solve any problems. If it were up to me every nation would have to drop their weapons and talk there problems out. The problem with this though is violence has been in the history of every nation at some point, so everyone just knows violence as a way to solve a problem.I am not saying that we should never again raise a weapon to protect ourselves but we cannot always rely on violence to solve our problems it is just a huge waste of money and just creates a higher death toll. The thing is people think that when two nations go to war over a certain issue that the outcome will result in a resolution of that issue but that is not always true it usually ends in a temporary resolution but then sometime in the near future that issue will rise again whether it is between the same countries or different ones.All nations need to work together to resolve world problems so that those problems will not have to arise again. We should not have to use violence to deal with our issues we should just simply talk it out and combine our ideas to have a resolution for that problem. I know that it is not that easy to do, but we can talk things out without people dying and spending billions on pointless firearms. Yes, talking out our problems may take a while till we can agree on a resolution but war isn’t exactly a fast resolution either.

Uniform Motion Lab

Controlled variables: 1. The lighting was kept constant during the complete test. No additional light sources were added throughout the experiment, nor were any light sources removed throughout the experiment. This minimized the errors involved with trying to read and record the indicated measurements on the ticker tape, as well as the ability to analyze the experiment. 2. The same person measured and recorded the height and length of the incline plane and level horizontal track to ensure consistency in the recording of data.By having the same person read all of the measurements minimized the degree of uncertainty in position and angle of reading values. 3. The same person recorded all measuring values on the ticker tape to ensure consistency in the recording of data. By having the same person read all of the measurements minimized the degree of uncertainty in position and angle of reading values. 4. The spark timer was set to a frequency of 10Hz (10 dots/s).This eliminated the possi ble random error that could have been associated with the recording of time if a person were to record the time, due to delays in reaction time. By having the consistency of the spark timer record the time values the total accuracy and precision for the experiment was increased. 5. There was no wind or abnormal air movements during the complete test. No doors were opened or closed during the experiment, nor were any windows opened or closed, ensuring that the results would not be affected from air currents pushing or angling the car.Procedure: 1. Using a meter stick, one person measure and record the height of incline plane at its highest point from the table. Then, using a meter stick, one person measure and record the length of the incline plane and the level horizontal track. 2. Without the use of ticker tape or a spark timer, place the car at the top of the incline plane. Release the car. Use this as a trial run to ensure the ramp will produce efficient results. 3. Attach one en d of the ticker tape onto the top of the car with the use of masking tape. 4. Turn on the spark timer.

Did Credit Rating Agencies do good work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Did Credit Rating Agencies do good work - Essay Example Data is collected from secondary sources considering the importance of statistical data for reaching a conclusion. A proper analysis and evaluation is done to understand the findings of the study and indicate the key factors underlying the report. Introduction-Background The essential role of the Credit Rating Agencies have been particularly highlighted during the period of global economic crisis in 2008 which affected even the strongest economies in the world. The Credit Rating Agencies essentially served the main purposes of mitigating the asymmetrical information system existing in the markets between the investors and the businesses in requirement of financing modes, bringing a solution for the collective action issues existing in the market and solving the major agency problems existing in the economies. After the global financial crisis of 2007-2009 affecting all the economies of the world, it was stated by many researchers that the financial system followed in the GCC countrie s were much more equipped to cope with the economies following the conventional financing systems. The financial crisis of 2008 proved that the Credit Rating Agencies are not full proof in predicting the defaults that may occur in the market in future and the over dependence on the credit rating Agencies can be considered as one of the primary reasons underlying the cause of the global financial disruption. The Credit Rating Agencies, though regarded as powerful institutions have several drawbacks like information asymmetry and conflict of interest which often have negative impacts on the businesses and the economy has a whole. The effect that the global financial crisis had on the creditworthiness of the various economies throughout the world is depicted below: (Source: International Monetary Fund 2) Literature Review Credit Rating Agencies are regarded as influential institutions which can impact the market and the survivor of the companies and economies by influencing the directi on and working of the market through their effective rating mechanisms. But there exist debatable views on the actual effect of the Credit Rating Agencies on the market where some researchers have pointed out the Credit Rating Agencies more effectively react to the occurring of the events in the market than anticipate the events. The role of the Credit rating Agencies is critical for an economy which was especially reflected during the global financial crisis in 2008. The anticipatory or follower roles of Credit Rating Agencies are critical from the viewpoint of financial stability of a country or an economy. If the Credit Rating Agencies play an anticipatory role in the market, the ratings given by them are critical for influencing the financial stability and the policies in the economy. Conversely, if the Credit rating Agencies are only followers of the events in the market, then their ratings and actions do not have major impact and only end up reflecting the condition of the mar ket and the information gathered from the market events (Kiff, Nowak and Schumacher 159). There are many theories proposed over time relating to the role of the Credit rating Agencies as influential institutions in the normal as well as crisis situations prevailing in the economies. The major theories presented

Case Study involving Trust laws Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Involving Trust laws - Case Study Example Although the law is dealing with the Property Act it also extends to other aspects of equitable interest. Under the Section 5 (1) of the Wills Act, 1988, â€Å" it is seen that every person may dispose by will, executed in accordance with this Act, of all real estate and all personal estate owned by him at the time of his death† (Wills Act 1988. 2005). In this case it is seen that a trust has been created in favour of Ben and he has nominated Richard to hold the 2000 shares in trust on his behalf. Through his written will, he has directed that 950 of the above shares may be bequeathed to his Accountant, Tom, to be held on behalf of his nephew, Andrew, the legal beneficiary of the gifted shares. In the decided case of Goldcorpe RE 1995, 1 AC 74, claims for non allocated bullion could not be enforced. Ordinary members of the public were inveigled into investing in non-existent bullion, on the strength of allotment letters given to them for staking their claim on future bullion. When Company subsequently went into liquidation, they claimed beneficial interest on future bullion on the basis of this allotment letter. The Courts held that the bullions were not earmarked and could not be enforced.In another decided case of Saunders v. Vantier(1841) 4 Beav.115, a trust was created that upon the death of the uncle, certain shares would be bequeathed to the nephew, along with its incomes, till he reached the age of 25. The nephew laid claim to the gift upon reaching the age of majority, i.e., 21 years. The Courts held that the validity of the gift had passed on from the uncle to the nephew upon his passing away, it being intended to be an immediate gift. Therefore, the claim for the property to the nephew from the uncle was passed on immediately upon his gaining majority age: (Theriault 2002). The case of Hunter v Moss (1994), whose decision was delivered before the Gold Corpe Re (1995) case, 1 AC 74.which relates to 50 shares of a total of 950, being verdicted to be a genuine trust, without uncertainty of matter, which was not considered in the case of Gold Corpe Case (1995). The Court of Appeals, in this case, validating the decisions of the High Court (1993) I WLR 934, stated that a statement of trust, of, effectively 50 shares out of a total number of 950 shares in a Company, could not be said to be a void contract, on the grounds of the uncertainly of subject matter; in this case the learned judged observed that allocation of particulars shall be considered superfluous since all the shares carry

Shaping the Marketing Offer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shaping the Marketing Offer - Essay Example Basically when one shops for necessities or functional items like vegetables, bread paper towels and so on, they are not likely to worry too much about the price. But when they buy some item, even a food item like ice cream, which is not a necessity, they become price conscious. In a larger social group, among friends for instance they may not hesitate to spend on the ice cream. As Kirk L. Wakefield and J. Jeffrey Inman point out, most people do not like to be thought of as 'cheap' or miserly when in a group. In this context it can be said that it is highly price sensitive people who will shop for value in a website like Price line. As is mentioned in the article 'Markets, Pricing Models and Digital Economics Evolution of Markets', Price line uses what is called the Reverse Pricing Model. Here consumers can 'name their price' which is state the price they are willing to pay for the product. If the service provider, (airline, hotel, mortgage company etc) is agreeable to that price, they get it. The travel and mortgage business, which is highly price- sensitive, is the core focus of Price line.

Racism and American Low Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racism and American Low - Essay Example In the United States, in the field of law, there are actions that can impact racism. The murder of Trayvon Martin in Florida recently brought up the topic of racism and the law and made it the center of the conversation. Analysis of the stakeholders and decision makers of four U.S. laws reveals layers of racism. The defense that George Zimmerman, the accused in the murder of Martin, used to explain his case is the â€Å"Stand Your Ground Law.† This law exists in Florida for self-defense where an individual could use force to defend himself in case there is a threat for his life. This is now challenged on moral and legal grounds because an innocent seventeen years old black male, was shot and killed on February 26, 2012 by a 28 years old white man who used the â€Å"Stand Your Ground† law as his reason for shooting Martin (Cloud, 36). The argument now arises that if the situation was the other way around and Martin had shot the white man, he for sure would have been arre sted. However, George Zimmerman was free after just a few explanations. On the other hand, according to Time in an article just last week the law is based on a very old law known by castle doctrine. This ancient doctrine gave people the right to use â€Å"deadly force† if a stranger enters your home and intends to harm. In 2005 though, Florida changed this law so it applies anywhere, not just the home (Cloud, 36). This law is discriminatory in the nature. Since Zimmerman has not been arrested, many people protested and are showing that they believe the law is flawed. The magazine article ended with this comment, â€Å"The case will unfold slowly in court and will offer only agony to Martins parents. But even if Zimmerman is eventually charged, it should be Floridas gun laws that go on trial† (Cloud, 39). There are no fast solutions to this problem of laws that are racist but something could surely be done. It is important for law-makers

Ken the Drunkard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ken the Drunkard - Essay Example Maggie has been married to Ken for ten years and their two kids are now eight and six years old. At the time the two met, Ken never used to drink in fact they met in a church function. Maggie had gone to pay a visit to her aunt in Brooklyn. It happened that on her first Sunday at the place, she and her cousins went to church when Ken happened to be worshipping. Ken took notice of Maggie when she and her cousins entered the church. After the church service, Ken approached Maggie and they exchanged contacts. They became friends for quite sometime and Maggie would go and visit him. As time went by, they became lovers an affair which led to their marriage five years later. By then Ken was an engineer in a certain firm where he worked for eight years and afterwards got retrenched. Consequently, he turned to drinking in trying to cope with the situation. Ken would go drinking and would go home as early as nine but on one particular night, he was late. After knocking the door for sometime a nd no one opening, he decided to sleep on the veranda. Fortunately, Ken used to snore while asleep and thus at some point, Maggie woke up and realized her husband had not come home yet. She went to the living room, turned on the lights and on looking at the watch it was three in the morning. Shortly after, she heard some sounds emerging from the door. At first, she was afraid and decided to peep through the window since the front side of the house was lit up by the security light. Surprisingly, she saw her husband lying down just at the door. She opened the door and woke him up. After waking up, Ken started shouting at Maggie telling her what a non-caring wife she was and that she refused to open the door for him despite the fact that the house was his. Maggie tried explaining to him that she did not hear his knock but he could not listen. Ken’s voice was so loud that, the kids woke up. When the kids showed up at the living room, Ken went ahead and started telling the kids ho w useless their mother was and that he was going to chase them away from his house together with their mother. There and then, Ken told Maggie that, he did not care what time it was but she and the kids should pack their things and leave the house. Maggie in response told him that neither she nor the kids were going anywhere. At that time, their voices were so loud and the kids were crying aloud which woke up their neighbours who started streaming in the compound one by one to know what the matter was. Ken kept on repeating to Maggie to leave the house before he did something crazy but Maggie could not listen. At some point, he pushed her through the front door only for her to fall on the rough surface of the veranda where she secured some knee and arm bruises. The neighbours were now increasing in number and Ken viewed it as some sort of interruption to his family affairs. What followed next was a very terrifying scene to Maggie, the kids and the neighbours. Ken who happened to be at the door of the house entered inside and came out with a gun. He started chasing everybody in the compound shouting that Maggie should leave his house and the neighbours should leave his compound. Some of the male neighbours tried their best to take hold of Ken but their efforts where all in vain since Ken was too strong and they were still afraid of the weapon. At first, Ken fired in the air to scare away the crowd. A philosopher once said that, when a person is terrified or exposed to a frightening situation or a

What Can One Person Do(IT IS NOT TITLE, JUST TOPIC) Research Paper

What Can One Person Do(IT IS NOT TITLE, JUST TOPIC) - Research Paper Example Studies have shown that â€Å"Urban sewage and industrial effluents to be the main factors responsible for deterioration of Ganga water quality† (Singh) It is a well known fact that natural resources are being exploited or abused in most parts of the world. And exploitation is carried out by humans themselves. One of the best examples of such exploitation of natural resources is the Ganges River in India. According to the CIA.gov, the water present in the Ganges River is considered as an essential resource to the India’s population, which is currently about 1.2 billion, is being massively polluted by them and misused as well. The reason due to which this pollution occurs is the overuse of the Ganges River. For what we see- is that River Ganges is heavily engaged in and used for carrying out religious customs and traditions. The Ganges River holds immense religious significance as well as the urbanization which is going around the surrounding of River Ganges. In my opinion, it is necessary that the River Ganges should be rescued from this pollution and its religious significance must remain sacred even if it means to stop and outmaneuver the religious practices in the River Ganges. Also, the economic development should be hampered in the area surrounding the river. According to Singh, he defines the River Ganges as the â€Å"trans-boundary† river of India and Bangladesh. It begins from a state of India named Uttarakhand and it clears and depletes into the Bay of Bengal. â€Å"It has total length 2,525 km river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India and go to Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh† (Rai) which makes it â€Å"the longest river of India and is the second greatest river in the world by water discharge† (Singh) It is believed that water is an essential but a scarce resource. In a country like India, clean water is a very scarce resource which is

Propolis To Be Selected For Winter Promotion Essay Example for Free

Propolis To Be Selected For Winter Promotion Essay Introduction In coming winter, there will be a special promotion event and a brand of propolis capsules will be selected to present. The aim of this report is to describe the basic information of propolis, show the popularity of propolis and evaluate the advantages and reputation of best seller on market. Firstly the method of research is described, followed by the findings. Then conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made. Methodology Research was conducted to find out the information about propolis. Firstly, table of information about basic information of propolis and research results of evaluation of Comvita Propolis Capsules were conducted by Mr. Tim Burch. Then, websites of two exhibition were visited to get information on Popularity of propolis as a health supplement product. Findings (a) Basic information of propolis According to the table of information, propolis is produced by bee and it is used to build the hives in nature. It is 100% natural substance. Regarding the function, propolis has special power in strengthen and accelerate regeneration of cell as to speed up wound healing. It helps to whiten skin and make skin fine. Besides, boosting immune system is another unique effect of propolis. It contains some anti-allergies like asthma and nasal allergy. Therefore, it helps fight inflammation caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi and lower the chance for other complication occur. (b) Popularity of propolis as a health supplement product Propolis has a board usage as a health supplement product. From the website of MedinePlus(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/390.html) shows the following findings. There sufficient evidence to rate effectiveness for Cold sores, Genital herpes and Mouth surgery. Propolis is very popular as it has many medicinal uses today and it presents over the world. From the website of JAFRA(http://www.jafra.gr.jp/eng/propolis1.html)  shows the findings that just in Japan, there are 300 companies are selling propolis health foods and the market is still increasing. Thus, it shows that propolis is very well-received now. (c) Evaluation of Comvita Propolis Capsules Based on research results from Mr. Tim Burch about the best seller on market, Comvita Propolis Capsules. It evaluates this brand of propolis has two major advantages. High purity and flavonoid has found in Comvita Propolis Capsules, it has competitive content of purity and flavonoid than other product. One of the unique features of the product is † additives free†. Comvita Propolis Capsules is a natural product with no artificial colourings lavourings or preservatives. Other than advantages, it has a reputation for honesty and efficiency. There is more than 1000 positive reviews by users on online shopping websites. And Comvita Propolis Capsules becomes the finalist of ‘Product of the Year’ by the Women’s Weekly Health Wellbeing magazine in Australia. It is perceived that Comvita Propolis Capsules is the best seller on market. Nevertheless, the products are not very stable during winter due to the peak consuming season. Pre-order is needed for porduct s supply.

Chocolate business plan Essay Example for Free

Chocolate business plan Essay Introduction The market leader of the chocolate industry in India, Cadbury, is a British subsidiary of the American multinational confectionary, food and beverages conglomerate â€Å"Mondelez International†. Cadbury, is the second largest confectionary company in the world, close on the heels of Mars, Inc. In India, Cadbury owns a market share of 66 %, significantly ahead of the other multinational company operating the same space for many years, Nestle India, as well as other national, international and regional brands like Amul and Ferrero. Cadbury India began its operations in India in 1948, and has been a trusted and favored brand for decades in India. The market share has decreased from 70-80% in view of entry of other international chocolate companies in the Indian market, however it is still significantly large. Cadbury figures in the Brand Trust Report, 2011 in the Top 100 Most Trusted Brands in India. While Cadbury sells products in several categories such as candy, gum, beverages and chocolate confectionary, this report is aimed at studying the marketing strategy employed by Cadbury India in view of its chocolate confectionary business. Some of the products in this category include the highly popular Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk Silk, Bournville, Temptations, 5 Star, Dairy Milk Shots, Celebrations, Perk and Toblerone. In order to analyze the marketing strategy for Cadbury, this report begins with a SWOT analysis of the company. Environmental Analysis Political Food Safety Act 2006: Detailed and exacting regulations, for standards of production as well as imported chocolates, exist in India. Opportunity. Cadbury is better equipped to follow standards in production than smaller regional or local brands. Strength. Expand into the rural areas before local or regional companies focus on the rural market. Import Tax Rates on Chocolates: A tariff rate of 30% is levied on chocolates. Opportunity. Strength. Demand for premium chocolates at affordable prices can be encashed before foreign entrants can grow their roots within the Indian industry by introducing and aggressively marketing domestically manufactured premium chocolates. Economic Per Capita Spending Patterns: The biggest consumption category in India is Food. Spending in this amounts to almost 21% of the Gross Domestic Production. People, on average, spend 31% of their budget monthly, on food. 70% of the food spending is on agri-products, which incorporates candies and confectionary including chocolates. Two-thirds of this spending is on processed products. Domestic spending on food is expected to grow at a compounded 3 annual growth rate of 4% and billed to reach approximately 320 billion US dollars in value within the next 7 years. USD 841 million is spent on chocolates and confectionary in India. Opportunity. In households across income groups, a large share of money spent goes towards processed agricultural products including chocolates and other confectionary items. This can be encashed by developing effective channels to reach out and sell to lower and lower middle income groups. Strength. Socio-Cultural Social and cultural acceptability of products: There is an increasing acceptance of chocolates as an equivalent of traditional sweets in urban areas. Chocolates are, however, still seen as a luxury food item in rural areas. Opportunity. Chocolates are increasingly being seen as an equivalent or substitute for traditional sweets in terms of the convenience it offers when used for gifting on occasions. Strength. Cadbury is already working on this approach to sell to urban consumers. Rural consumers can also be reached out to and offered chocolates as a new gift item replacing sweets leading to increased sales. Technological Constantly improving technology in chocolate making leads to better tasting products as well as more convenient storage. Opportunity. Strength. Cadbury has the financial capability to invest in RD and has already produced products that are better suited to Indian tastes and storage conditions that other foreign entrants into the industry are not yet as well adapted to. Natural factors. Climate for Cocoa Production: Cocoa, used to produce chocolates can only be grown in regions 15 degrees to the north or south of the equator. Cocoa, originally a crop native to the Amazon basin, can only be grown in the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It is not a commonly grown crop. Threat. Lack or scarcity of domestic cocoa producers can affect production costs of chocolates within the country. Strength. Cadbury has encouraged farmers in Kerala to produce cocoa since the 1970s and is now in the process of promoting Cocoa as an inter-crop plant for coconut growing farmers. Successful pursuance of this connect with the farmers would help Cadbury procure raw material at lower prices within the country. Consumer behavior Age composition: 66% of the population is below the age of 35. Opportunity. It implies that a huge part of the population can be encouraged to take up consumption of chocolates more frequently and will be met with less resistance than that put up by older consumers with already set eating habits. Strength. 4 Competition Traditional Sweets: Very widely available and traditional choice, but inconsistent in hygiene levels and taste. Threat. Build on image of chocolates being a better and more hygienic choice, which adheres to food safety standards set out by the Govt. Build on image that chocolates are a more sophisticated choice for gifting carrying greater meaning than ‘mithai’ from neighbourhood sweet shops. Strength. Confectionary items like candies, cakes and icecream: Candies are easily available and appeal to children who have traditionally been the target consumers for chocolates. Threat. Cadbury can emphasize more strongly that chocolates are not meant only for children but for adults as well who may not prefer to eat candies. Cadbury chocolate can be offered as an experience, that is not replicated by eating candies and conectionary items. Strength. Entry of several foreign players: As India is seen to have a rapidly growing chocolate consuming country, with people willing to spend not only on inexpensive smaller packs of chocolates, but also premium chocolates as well, foreign players have started foraying into the market with the hope of establishing a presence in the premium sector at least. Threat. Cadbury can increase its foothold in the premium sector of chocolate industry by launching and promoting premium chocolate brands with higher cocoa content which could be priced a bit lower than the foreign brands. In fact, Cadbury is already in the process of implementing such a strategy through the introduction of Bournville and Toblerone. Strength. Suppliers Global network: Half of the cocoa sourced for chocolate making by Cadbury is from sources around the globe, including countries like Ghana, for its famous brand Bournville. Opportunity. Cadbury can source the majority of its cocoa from farmers in India through contract farming, while importing from foreign countries specifically for certain brands only. This will help reduce loss due to global fluctuations in cocoa bean prices and also reduce transport or shipment costs. It will also help create an even more positive image in the eyes of the Indian population. Strength. Dealer network: Cadbury has CSR activities directed at the farmers who are producing cocoa on contract for Cadbury in the state of Kerala. Opportunity. Cadbury is now in the process of extending these activities to farmers in 3 more southern Indian states. This will help cement positive relations between the cocoa growers and the brand, which may put it at an advantage when compared to new foreign entrants in the country like Ferrero or Mars, Inc. Strength. 5 Advertising environment Use of role models: Trustworthy role models in the media, when used as Brand Ambassadors, give a much needed push to the further acceptance of a product. Opportunity. Cadbury has been able to utilize this by roping in celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, thus emphasizing the idea that even adults can have chocolates, since even a person of Amitabh Bachchan’s stature has not shied away from having them. Cadbury also has the financial power to rope in more high profile celebrities for the same. Strength. Availability of media and ad agencies: Several media channels like TV, Radio, newspapers are available for Cadbury to advertise on. Opportunity. Cadbury has been advertising its chocolates heavily throughout, to keep the brand on top of the mind recall. There have been innumerable ads by Cadbury that have long stayed on people’s minds and even evoked nostalgia, indicating a deep connect of the brand with the audience. Strength. Segmentation Cadbury segmented the consumer based on age. Till the 1980s, chocolates were seen as a luxury item which were eaten only on special occasions or used to reward children with. Despite being the market leader already at this time, Cadbury decided to reshuffle their marketing strategy and position chocolates as a snack and an everyday item of consumption rather than a special treat. In order to do this, the first step was to segment the consumers. Geographic or occupation based segmentation would have proven less relevant in helping raise revenues generated from chocolate sales. The segmentation was done on the basis of age. The existing segment of choice for Cadbury had been children up to the age of 14 who had been driving the consumption of chocolates until the 90s. The other segment that the consumers could be grouped into was the adult population. Targeting The decision made to target a segment is based on gauging the segment attractiveness of the segment. During the 90s, with a rise in the population of the 15-35 year olds, combined with a surge in income and spending power due to the simultaneous opening up of the economy, made the adult segment an attractive one and since then, it has been targeted by Cadbury. Being the market leader already, switching to this target consumer group was not a difficult move for them, in terms of channel attractiveness of the segment. The existing channels which served the consumers until the 90s, such as kirana stores, need no resource intensive special adaptations to serve the youth consumer group as well. Alongside this, competitive attractiveness of the youth segment was also high since no other chocolate company had targeted this consumer group so far. Although this meant 6 Cadbury needed to put in extra marketing effort to change the social acceptance of chocolates in this group, it also translated into a first mover advantage for them. Positioning Positioning is the decision of how the brand wants to be perceived as by the target consumer group vis-a-vis competitors. Cadbury has positioned itself to cater to specific needs and attributes that the target consumer group looks for. Cadbury’s objective was to engage the customers of the adult age group. In the early 90s, Cadbury had the leading share in the market but the volume of sales in terms of per capita consumption was very low compared to western countries. This was also because consumption of chocolate by children was strictly governed by adults and hence increasing per capita consumption within the children consumer group was not a feasible option. In order to widen the net of consumers, Cadbury had to increase the social acceptance of chocolates in the adults age group. This was done through the means of extensive and successively huge ad campaigns which eventually lowered the attitudinal barrier that existed. Cadbury had wanted to and has successfully moved from the perception of chocolate being a children’s product to a celebratory/gifting product, and more recently an indulgence product (For instance Cadbury Silk). In 1992, Cadbury launched a series of aggressive ad campaigns starting with ‘Real Taste of Life† which showcased adults eating the chocolates on their own and not in a parent role or buying it as a reward or a way to say sorry to loved ones. This included the famous ad â€Å"Kuch khaas hai zindagi mein† which showed adults enjoying the taste of chocolates on their own. Later on, Cadbury launched a campaign for Perk which said â€Å"Thodi si pet pooja† which emphasized the use of the chocolate as an any time snack to satisfy hunger, which was a marked shift from the earlier perception of chocolates. Later, to promote Cadbury chocolates as an alternative to traditional desserts, the â€Å"kuch meetha ho jaaye† campaign sought to change perceptions once again, this time including the entire family consisting of elderly grandparents also in the ad to show acceptance of the Cadbury chocolates as dessert. By tying chocolates to Indian customs, and festivals, like Celebrations especially for Raksha Bandhan and Diwali, Cadbury has come a long way from the â€Å"Real Taste of Life† campaign, and â€Å"Indianized† itself in order to entrench itself within the minds of the adult population in India. Marketing Mix – 4 Ps Product/Service Product There are four types of products by Cadbury India, and this report is focused on the Chocolates category. These aim to satisfy the hunger need as well as relaxation and convenience need (easily available snacking option). In order to satisfy these needs, the 7 product is available very easily, at least in the urban markets and in various sizes. Cadbury chocolates are branded so as to represent some emotional core values like family values, and togetherness, but at the same time, they are also branded as a fresh, satisfying, convenient product. Place Cadbury has 6 company-owned manufacturing facilities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Thane Induri (Pune) Malanpur (Gwalior) Bangalore Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) Hyderabad There are 4 sales offices, one each in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The corporate office is in Mumbai. In terms of distribution, Cadbury chocolate products are sold directly to wholesalers and retailers. The network comprises roughly 2100 distributors and 4,50,000 retailers. The chocolates are sold through Kirana stores, gift stores, medical stores, canteens, paan shops, bakeries and so on. Price The generally established price point for chocolates in India is Rs 5 and Cadbury has 4 products at this point including Dairy milk, 5 star, gems and perk. This price point accounts for half of chocolate sales in India. At the same time, Cadbury sells multiple differently sized packs on a range of prices, going up to higher, premium priced products as well such as Bournville. In this way, Cadbury has a hold on various price points available to various groups of consumers based on their appetite for spending. Promotion Cadbury promotes its products through various media channels. It uses mainly television ads with strongly featured taglines that get associated with the products easily. There is some amount of seasonality in the market in the way that demand ideally goes up during festive season due to gifting needs and Cadbury launches special ad campaigns around those times to encash on this increased demand. National level competitors like Amul have been unable to match up to the scale of promotions undertaken by Cadbury. Regional players hardly advertise on a big scale through campaigns. However, its MNC competitor Nestle has its own promotional ads and campaigns that seek to rival Cadbury’s and sometimes directly challenge the Cadbury ads. 8 Recommendations 1. In view of the recent entry of foreign players in the market, though Cadbury does not face the threat of losing a significant amount of its existing customers, for instance, those who buy Dairy Milk or Perk, there is a possibility of losing out on potential customers who are interested in premium chocolates. Since this is a rapidly growing industry, and being the established market leader, Cadbury should focus on its premium chocolate brands in a big way through more visible ad campaigns and promote their products based on the brand equity they have built through the years. 2. While leveraging the lower cost of Cadbury premium chocolates vis-a-vis foreign chocolates, Cadbury must take care to ensure it does not go the Tata Nano way, as lower prices in the premium segment may be perceived as lower quality in the product delivered as well. 3. As it has already managed to successfully position chocolates as a snack for children’s as well as adults’ consumption, it can now focus on activating the elderly consumer segment which is typically more resistant to chocolates compared to traditional sweets and feel guilty on indulging in chocolates even if not restricted by health reasons. 4. Cadbury can now change the positioning of certain specific products or introduce new products to cater to â€Å"instant energy† giving needs similar to Mars bars abroad. 5. Recently, a 20-calorie chocolate has been developed in the UK which is now being sold at Michelin starred restaurants. Cadbury can also direct some of its RD endeavors towards developing a similar product which would give the company a distinct edge over competitors and help tap into a new markets and increase their consumer width. 9 NATIONAL BRAND 10 Introduction Amul is an Indian dairy Co-operative based out of Anand in Gujarat. The co-operative started off as the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union in December 1946. The Co-operative was set up by the milk producers of the Kaira district of Gujarat who felt cheated by the unfair trade practices. The co-operative collected processed and marketed milk and was co-owned by the milk producing farmers of the district. The brand Amul was used by the Kaira District Co-operative to market its brand of milk products. By the 1970s the Co-operative model had become highly successful and spawned similar Co-operative in other district s of Gujarat. In order to combine together and expand their market while not competing with each other, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), an apex marketing body of these district co-operatives was set-up in 1973. The brand name of Amul which was held by the Kaira Union was transferred to GCCF. Today, the GCCF is the largest food product marketing organisation of India. The co-operatives collect around 10 million litres of milk per day from around 3 million milk producer members of the Co-operative. Its current turnover is around Rs. 140. 0 billion. Amul started producing and marketing chocolates in 1970. It currently markets 6 different chocolate brands namely Congtas, Fundoo, Chocozo, Bindaaz, Rejoice, Almond Bar, Fruits and Nut and Amul Cooking Chocolate. Current market share of Amul chocolates is just 4% as compared to market leader that is 66%. The main reason behind such low market share is lack of promotion and more focus on dairy products. Environmental Analysis Strengths ? ? ? Raw material (milk) security: Major raw materials for the production of chocolates are Cocoa, milk and sugar. Milk supply is secured for the company which protects it from any volatility in prices. High brand awareness: Amul through its concerted marketing over the last 5 decades has created a brand that is synonymous with good quality. The brand has also become a symbol of successful Indian entrepreneurship that has positively impacted the lives of millions of small farmers, hence there is a sense of patriotism and pride associated with the brand as well. Strong distribution network: Amul has been marketing and supplying milk through a pan India distribution network which supplies milk and milk products to independent retailers but also to its own milk parlours. 11 Weakness: ? ? ? Low market share: Amul chocolates have a low market share in the Indian chocolate industry. The brand, though having a strong recall value, is not primarily associated with chocolates. The market leader in the chocolate industry in India is Cadbury with 70% market share followed by Nestle at 20% market share. Co-operative structure of Amul: Due to the Co-operative nature of GCMMF, there is limited capital infusion in the company. As a result there is a limited scope for aggressive product launches or diversification. Volatility in Cocoa prices: Unlike the major chocolate producing companies in the world, Amul does not own a cocoa plantation. The prices of cocoa are volatile in nature as they are dependent on the international demand supply dynamics. Not having a cocoa plantation of its own exposed the company to volatility in prices of this raw material. Opportunities: ? Huge untapped market: The per capita consumption of chocolate in India has increase from 40 gm per person in 2005 to around 110 gm per person currently. Though this is impressive growth in itself it is still much lower than the per capita chocolate consumption, in countries like Ireland or Belgium which have a chocolate consumption per person of more than 11 kilograms or even USA or Australia which have chocolate consumption per person of around 5 kilograms. There is thus a huge untapped market for growth in the chocolate industry in India. Corresponding Strength: Since Amul has a strong â€Å"Brand awareness†, people would be willing to buy new products launched under its brand name. Amul can launcha variety of new chocolate products for youth and kids. ? Gifting: Gift hampers consisting of chocolates has been a successful marketing strategy by companies like Cadbury. Amul too has the ‘Rejoice’ brand especially for this purpose however there is scope to launch or aggressively advertise this. Corresponding Strength: Since, Amul is a strong brand name and has a strong distribution network, It can very well advertise the gift packs like rejoice and can introduce new brands catering to the same need. ? Advertising: Amul need to advertise and carry out lot of promotional activities to inform the consumers that still exist and can provide them with what they want. It’s been years that Amul’s chocolate advertisement has been telecasted on India’s major television channels. Sales promotions like discounts and free samples can also help them to increase the Brand awareness and attract customers to switch brand from competitors. Big brands use a celebrity as a Brand Ambassador for its product. 12 For example Amitabh Bachchan for Cadbury Rani Mukherjee for Nestle, Amul can also use a brand ambassador for the promotion of its chocolates. Corresponding Strength: Amul has a huge turnover of around Rs 140 billion and is a financially strong company and has enough funds to carry out the needed advertising campaign and promotions. By spending a small percentage of revenue on advertising campaigns Amul can increase its market share to a large extent. ? Low rural penetration of chocolates: There is significant awareness of the Amul brand even in rural India. The company can leverage these launch cheaper brands targeted at the rural segment which has till now stayed away from chocolate consumption. Corresponding Strength: Amul has been marketing and supplying milk through a pan India distribution network. It has a strong distribution network in rural areas. Amul can leverage this strength and can launch cheaper products in rural market. Threats: ? Strong competition from foreign multi nationals: There is significant potential in the Indian chocolate industry which has been attracting international competition. Companies like Cadbury have been launching premium swiss chocolate brands. Also other premium chocolate brands like Ferrero Rocher are making their presence felt in India. Corresponding Weakness: Since â€Å"Amul† is mostly related to its milk products and has not made its presence felt strongly in the chocolate industry, its still far behind its competitors like Cadburys which is a very aggressive player in the chocolate industry. Amul faces tough competition and to handle the same it needs enormous marketing and advertising campaign and introduction of new chocolate products under its brand name. ? Low brand loyalty in chocolate industry: Chocolates are impulse purchases and compete with categories of soft drinks, snacks and other beverages. Although people may like a particular type of chocolate (dark, milk, white, etc. ) there is not a significant brand loyalty. Hence this presents a threat to established players in the market. Corresponding Weakness: Since Amul has significantly low popularity in chocolate industry and also people are picky while selecting a chocolate, there is not a single chocolate brand product under its brand which enjoys strong loyalty from consumer side. Also, people like to try different kinds of chocolates and are not necessarily inclined towards a single chocolate product. Since, Amul does not offer a large variety of chocolates; therefore it is at a weaker position in the chocolate industry. 13 Segmentation Geographic segmentation: Chocolate consumption is concentrated in urban areas of the country. Chocolate consumption in rural areas of the country may be considered negligible. Chocolates are still considered as a luxury product by the population and are hence consumed by the middle and the upper classes of society which reside in the towns, cities and metropolitan centres of the country. Amul chocolates are thus marketed in these areas of the country. Demographic segmentation: Amul chocolates are mostly segmented its consumers into various age groups like the children, adolescent and youth segments of the society. Since, chocolates are particularly liked by children and middle aged and older generations refrain from eating it citing health concerns due to high sugar content of chocolates. Targeting The brands of Amul chocolates like Fundooz, Bindaaz, Congrats etc. have been named to be attractive to the younger generation who use these words in their daily lexicon. There has been a strategy by the company to provide a young, dynamic and fun loving character to its chocolate through such branding. Amul chocolates also markets two brand namely Amul Cooking Chocolate which is targeted towards the homemakers and professional cooks and chefs. Positioning Positioning is the decision of how the brand wants to be perceived as by the target consumer group vis-a-vis competitors. Amul has positioned itself as an affordable, â€Å"value for money† chocolate. Since, it has mostly targeted kids and youth, it is still considered as a snack unlike cadbury’s product like Celebrations which is considered as gifting option. Amul has not positioned itself as an alternative to sweets or has not developed its product to actually cater to an emotional need. It is simply a chocolate available at a lower price. Marketing Mix. Product Amul has a very low range of products in its chocolate business. There are only 8 chocolate brands that Amul offers as of now in the market and these are Congrats, Fundoo, Chocozo, 14 Bindaaz, Rejoice, Almond Bar, Fruits and Nut and Amul Cooking Chocolate. The problem is that there is no clear differentiation between the products that it offers. For example Cadburys is catering to a different need corresponding to its individual Chocolate product. ? ? ? ? ? Product Dairy Milk Dairy Milk Shots Bournville 5 Star Perk Need Milk Chocolate (Basic taste and style). Small balls of chocolate (Circular unlike chocolate bars) Dark Chocolate Sweeter in taste with honey as an ingredient Crispier with wafer inside However, Amul completely ignores such kind of differentiation between its products and hence their product can be easily substituted by their own products apart from the competitor’s product. Another important factor is packaging because majority of the consumers is kids and youngsters who like attractive packaging. Most kids buy chocolates not just because they like chocolates but also because of the attractive wrappers. Packaging used by Amul stands low on appearance parameter. Also, it lacks a common theme or â€Å"top of the mind† recall point. For example, Cadburys is strongly associated with blue wrapper and more than brown it’s the colour blue that we associate with a chocolate. As compared to this, Amul’s packaging is weak and lacks lustre. Amul needs to make changes to its product (chocolates) like introduction of more flavours and attractive packaging because the wrappers Amul uses is not at all attractive compared to those used by Cadbury and Nestle. This would keep them in competition with competitors like Cadbury and Nestle. 15 Pricing Second P of marketing that is Price is often confused with blindly lowering the prices of different products and completely relying on this strategy to increase sales. However it is of extreme importance to divide the target group on the basis of their price sensitivity and purchase power. Every customer segment has different price expectation from the product. To maximize the returns, it is important to identify the right price level for each segment and then progressively moving through them. Amul has launched various chocolate products to cater to different segments of population. Pricing must take into account the competitive and legal environment of the industry. Majority of people in India live in villages and have low disposable income. With such a heavy competition in the chocolate market, Price plays a very important role. Amul pricing strategy has been â€Å"Value for Money†. Amul’s believes in giving value for money to its customers and it has always followed that principle. Its products are of high quality and available at affordable prices. For example, Cadbury’s â€Å"Fruit n Nut† is priced at Rs 35 per 42 gm pouch whereas Amul’s Fruit and Nut is sold at just Rs 25 per 40 gm. Amul offers same quality at a price 30% lower than its competitor. Amul has not launched any premium (high price) product in its chocolate business. Place Place in marketing is considered as the channels of distribution through which products move from the manufacturer to the consumers. The channels of distribution mean intermediaries or middlemen who act as a link between the manufacturer and the consumers. Factors that need to be considered when choosing the place are the characteristics of the product, characteristics of the buyers, control and competitors channels. Since chocolate is an edible product, Amul should adopt an intensive distribution strategy wherein they will manufacture products and make it available at various shopping malls, food joints, local stores, Chocolate parlours etc. Corresponding to its strong distribution channels, Amul currently has very low visibility. It needs to increase the visibility through offering discount to retailers along with buybacks to convince them to store the Amul Chocolates. Since Amul is a â€Å"value for money† brand it can be placed anywhere from small kirana shops to big malls. Amul has a big brand name because of its dairy products. They can easily use it to increase the awareness of its chocolates using various distribution channels. 16 Promotion Promotion refers to exchange of information between an organization and the consumer of its products. Consumers here include Customers, shareholders, employees, government and other parties related to the products like trade union and media. The aim of promotion is to inform the consumers, differentiate from other products and to persuade them to buy. There are many techniques of promotion like Advertising, Sales promotions, Direct Marketing Personal selling. Amul has been criticised for lack of promotion. Amul has a strong brand name because of its dairy product leadership. Amul must advertise its chocolates using media like newspaper, television and internet to inform the public about the quality the price of its product. Amul has totally shifted its focus from chocolates towards milk and other milk products and have totally ignored chocolates. Using the mediums like Television and newspaper the company needs to remind the public that they are back with improved products at an affordable price. 17 Recommendations 1. Amul needs to introduce new varieties of chocolates and improve its existing ones. 2. They should introduce milk chocolates like Nestle’s Milky Bar, Chocolates with fruits and nuts like Cadbury has its Fruit and Nuts, Mint chocolates like Nestle’s After Eight etc.

Strategic Planning Methodology

Strategic Planning Methodology Strategic analysis is a process which is based on three stages: analysis, planning and management. We can divide it into two types: function sense, and tool sense. In case of the function sense strategic analysis is a set of actions which diagnose both. the organisation and its environment, and thus enable build strategic plan and its development. When it comes to the tool sense, strategic analysis is a set of analysis methods which help examine, assess, and predict the future states of selected companys elements and its environments in order to make it survive and develop on the market. Every manager in the corporation must think strategically. The idea of strategic thinking is to create a long-term plan and vision of the company, by understanding the situation, analyzing the chances, setting the goals and rules to use resources. Whats more, it requires the use of different techniques and analysis and synthesis methods which will help realise these goals and gain all the needed info rmation. Strategic thinking is characterised by the constant need of changing areas and forms of the companys actions in accordance with its vision and its environments condition.   There are different types of analysis in the company, however, what differs strategic analysis from the others are two characteristics: Two ways of perceiving management and information resources: researching the environment and company at the same time, and then confronting all results. This way has its roots in the art of war, and is opposite to traditional companys analysis Use of the qualitative and quantitative methods, from the different fields: economy, finance, sociology, psychology, statistics, and marketing Strategic management development had a strong influence on the strategic analysis. Since 50s and 60s there has been a rising instability and complexity of the world that surrounds the company, and thus caused scientists to create methods which could help it adapt to all changes by rational and planned manners. Long-term planning was the first issue that came into existence, but it was changed into the strategic planning term. Since 80s we can talk about the strategic management development. New concepts were made when the old ones did not work, and therefore helped companies be effective on the market. While developing the strategic management idea, there was a big pressure put on the rules and techniques of formulating the strategy. After that scientists were focusing the empirical researches, and basing on them they were classifying. In the last stage, the final characteristics of the researches and analysis are as follows: organisation strategy multi-dimensional treatment, strategic thinking focus, and trying to create strategic management concept. Strategic management development helps understand the evolution of methods and strategic analysis techniques, changes in the way of its use in the companys management, and treating the moment of the strategic analysis creation as a separate analysis category. There is a big increase in demand for these types of practices, which help assess the current and future situation of the company and then predict the future conditions of its functioning. Its connected with the increase of the environmental complexity, and then putting into practice long-term, and then strategic planning. Strategic planning, mainly in the global corporation, required more effort and thus analysis of the competitive environment, macro-environment, and measurement of the companys strategic position. The main factors that forced people get deeply into the strategic analysis and strategic planning were tough times of the sudden changes in the global economy, technology development, and worse economic factors. Companies improve their strategic analysis, because they face repeating organisation crises, worse internal development, lower market shares, or change of the target market. Whats interesting, these changes are very often influenced by the management board changes, or new strategy development and its implementation. According to Richard Koch (1998) there are two consulting companies, which implemented the strategy analysis into their businesses and thus became successful in the early 50s: Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey. Until the end of 70s, there were created seven school of the strategic thinking, which were connected with the two important management paradigms: strategic rationality ( Harvard School, Strategic Planning School, Matrix Positioning School, and Quantitative school ) and strategic behaviours ( Behavioural school, System School, Incrementalists school ) . First paradigm describes strategys technical-economical dimension, normative approach, which create rational patterns of behaviours, assessments and way of acting ( Gierszewska et al, 2007). The first group of schools is described below: Harvard school is characterised as a will to analyse the company and its competitive position against the environment, and to search for both positive and negative factors connected with functioning of the company in the different markets and its strengths and weaknesses. There are three best known strategic analysis models created by this school: LCAG model ( developed by E.P. Learned, H.K. Christensen, K.R. Andrews, W.D. Guth ). The idea of this model is to describe the search and research of the influence on the strategic choices of the companys strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities and threats that are connected with the environment. It has been used by the specialists in the field of management, until there were developed a better methods of the strategic analysis Contingency model ( A.D. Chandler, P.R. Lawrence, J.W. Lorsch ) This model permits to implement different solutions to the strategic problems. These solutions differ according to the situation of the company Industry analysis model ( M. Porter ) Michael Porter suggests to assess the companys situation that concentrates on the competitive environment. Additionally, it leads to the assessment of the sector attractiveness extent, in which company would like to operate Strategic Planning School as a term says, it is about the strategic planning, however it doesnt bring any models nor strategic analysis methods which help in the strategic management. It proves, that the rationality of the actions is a good plan. Matrix positioning school used qualitative and quantitative analysis tools, and helps gain precise techniques of the companys competitive position measurement. Presents the companys product portfolio and compares the dynamics of change between past and the future Quantitative School methods and techniques that are strongly connected with the multi-criteria and statistics analysis. It is based on the econometric modelling. Second paradigm is defined as exposing of the socio-political strategy dimensions and strategic analysis ( Gierszewska et al, 2007 ). Basing on this paradigm, there were created three schools of the strategic thinking. They are as follows: Behavioural. It has four fathers: H.A. Simon, J.G. March, R.M. Cyert, and H. Mintzberg. The idea of this school are the real processes of formulating and implementing the companys strategy, without any information background, how to make strategic decisions System D. Katz, R.L Kahn and M. Crozier are the founders of this school. This case describes the role of the person in the formulating strategy process, relations between participants, and highlights the social background of the organisation Incrementalists school C.E. Lindblom, T.J. Peters, and R.H. Waterman This school represents the pragmatic management approach. The only way to improve the quality of management is to follow already proved patterns implemented in the business by the successful companies. Whats more, motivation of the participants in the management process and example of the other successful corporations plays here a very important role. It is the basis of the further future success ( Giermaszewska, 2007 ). As we can observe, these schools provide us with the different approaches to the analysis methods improvement and strategic management. According to Giermaszewska ( 2007 ), and., schools based on the paradigm of the strategic rationality are more valuable than schools based on paradigm of the strategic behaviours. Harvard and positioning matrix schools bring more concretes and details, and thus bring and require more practical approach. The other schools focus the theoretical analysis methods and strategy creating. French scientists divided the strategic analysis models and put them on the continuum. They begin from the sociological models ( which are general and synthetic ) to the microeconomic models ( more complex, and bring more concrete analysis tools and techniques ). Sociologic models  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Macro-economic models LCAG-ANSOFF-PORTER-McKINSEY-ADL-BCG These classifications, schools evaluation, and strategic analysis models indicate the direction of the analysis evolution. New classifications ignore the latest schools and methodology propositions. M.F. Gouillart has chronologically ordered best known strategic analysis schools, and thus presented nine of them. He began from the early 60s, and ended on the 90s. Strategic analysis development, according to M.F. Gouillart: SWOT Analysis 1965 Portfolio analysis 1970 Japanese influence the role of quality, production and technology 1975 Shareholders benefits analysis 1980 Porters Model ( Porters 5 forces ) 1985 Price of perfection 1990 TIme-based competition Goal and strategic skills Strategic change Stage one presents LCAG analysis from the harvard school, portfolio analysis corresponds to the matrix positioning school, Porter model stands for the industry analysis model, and price of perfection stage represents the incrementalists school. However, M.F. Gouillart has enriched this group with two models more. They are as follows: analysis of the shareholders benefits, and Japanese influence. He adds also three issues that occurred in the early 90s: time-based competition, goal, strategic skills, and strategic changes. Analysis of the shareholders benefits type of the companys position assessment. It comes together with the financial analysis signification increase, and capital market forecasts. Moreover, it focuses shares value increase as a main goal of the company, and implementation of the financial analysis into the strategy formulation and its development Japanese influence this term was created in the 70s, when Japanese economy became very successful and was admired by the western companies. Just-in-time inventory strategy describes well the idea of this school, which puts pressure on the precision and punctuality, one of the main key success factors. Time-based competition time advanced companies have a serious advantage over the competition. Main tools used in this stage are techniques which help elaborate the dynamics of the given phenomenon, processes, and organisation ( Gierszewska, 2007 ).Time is one of the main factors which influence the result of the rivalry between companies. Goal and strategic skills the main role of the organisation is to define the mission and most important goals of the company. Basis of the success lays in the ability to use the companys strategic skills. Strategic change it describes the problem of the companys and executives adaptation to the changes in the environment and in the organisation. If there is too much attention put on the changes, the goal of the strategic management is lost from the horizon. This means, that elaboration and implementation of the strategy development are not taken into consideration   ( Gierszewska, 2007 ) All these methods do not go out, while the more attractive ones are being implemented. Useless methods are rejected, useful just improved and adjusted to the needs of the company, and technical and information capabilities ( Gierszewska, 2007 ). Whats more, the older methods from 50s and 60s are still being used in the consulting companies and business schools. LCAG method, product life-cycle, and BCG matrix are invaluable help for the beginning analysts. There is one more classification of the strategic management schools that has to be mentioned. One of the best known polish economists, Krzysztof Oblà ³j, has named and described them as follows: Traditional ( planning ) first thing to be considered is a detailed environment, and second creation of the formalized strategy Evolutionary more behavioural and politics-focused. Strategy is an evolutionary seeking for the common pattern. It is in the middle of the case and many organisational processes: tender for power, customer needs fulfilment, fixation of the activities routine Positional idea of this school is achieving the competitive advantage. It assumes that the strategies are characterised by the product-market concept, and put the pressure on the situation of the company in the environmental sector Resources and capabilities companys key capabilities and resources are the basis for its development strategies Modern   strategic analysis is partially based on the methodology of science, such as sociology, psychology, economy, and management. This connection helps in listing the following characteristics of the strategy analysis approach: Use of the financial analysis Technology development has simplified complex methods of the financial analysis, and therefore it is more understandable for the specialists and the managers. Strategic financial analysis is used both, in the assessment of the companys financial condition and the structure of the capital, and in the assessment of the competitive position of the organisation. Additionally, it helps estimate sector entry and exit barriers, and became a basis for the production portfolio estimation. Whats more, strategic costs, price strategy, and strategic alliances planning are also very important issues to consider. Quality factors The idea of quality factors is to make company be aware of its soft elements, such as culture, qualifications, and peoples motivations, strategic mission, ecological management aspect, and ethical side of the strategic analyses ( Gierszewska, 2007 ). These elements relate especially to the information about the competition, which is used in making decision process. Situational approach Company focuses the correct approaching procedure, and capability to interpret the analysis results without already selected tools and imposing assessments. Analysis is a tool, used by the managers in their everyday job. Thus, strategic planning departments are liquidated, information is being decentralized, and moreover company creates special group which takes over this task. Ø Complex character Company takes into account both internal and external factors from all of it subsystems and environment. In this case it explores relationship between these two factors ( Gierszewska, 2007 ). 1.7.1 Strategic Planning Methodology The purpose of this factor is to set information needs and methods of carrying on the strategic analysis   in the company. First issue that must be considered is the analysis of the environment, in which company operates, and its internal background, such as strengths and weaknesses, staff development, and its potential to develop the process of the new strategy. Knowledge about the past, presence, and capability to predict the companys future and its environment, helps in building the strategy that will adapt to the reality. A good strategic plan helps the company use its potential and strengths to fight the threat and not to loose any opportunity offered by the market. Managers can just set the strategic goal and during implementing the chosen scenario change the ideas into the concrete plans ( Gierszewska, 2007 ), but they may face some problems in the meantime, for example lack of precision in formulating the goals of the actions. Strategic planning is based on determining the sequence of decisions that have been made earlier, but have to be put into practice. Strategic management means, that the strategic decisions have to be put in the right order, findings in the different areas must be coordinated, and on the different levels of the management ( Gierszewska, 2007 ). The following methods, presented by Grazyna Gierszewska and Maria Romanowska ( Gierszewska et al, 2007 ), are very helpful in putting the companys strategy on the right track, plan different types of operations, and management functions. Levels of the strategic management   ( Maria Romanowska, 2007 ) ( STR 32, Gierszewska ) Levels of the management  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Types of the strategy Management Board  Ã‚  Company development strategy Section management The most important decisions for the company come from the management board. Portfolio operations depend on the number and type of sectors of the future activity, type of technology, and geographical scope of sales ( Gierszewska et al, 2007 ). So, according to what is said the corporate strategy should be considered as a first step to the further internal solutions. Strategy of the company is also responsible for the number of the different sectors, technologies, and markets, and investment priorities as well ( Gierszewska, 2007 ). Sector strategy is divided into two sub-groups: suppliers strategy, and competition strategy. Strategy making process in all these cases is limited by the goals and hierarchy that was implemented in the company development process. If corporations that operate only in one sector, there are no two strategic planning levels. They are just treated by the management board as a one strategic plan. However, they appear only when company wants to enter a brand new sector Last type of the strategy are the functional strategies. Their object is to evaluate the goals and ways of achieving them in the area of the financial management, marketing, personal policy, structure shaping, focusing the management procedures, and technology development ( Gierszewska, 2007). To conclude, the aim of the functional strategies is to oversee all strategic plans in the whole organisation.   1.7.2 Scope of the strategic analysis Strategic management requires capability to differentiate internal and external events/phenomenons. Managers are able mainly to research internal problems of the company rather than external ( Gierszewska, 2007 ). External problems estimation needs help of the consultants, and thus managers fail to analyse the environment. Corporation which constantly observes the environment is prepared for the threat that may occur. Situation on the market helps the company prepare the good strategy and plan the future. tells what steps should be taken in order to therefore

The Effectiveness Of Sport Drinks Essay example -- essays research pap

The major reason anyone drinks fluid before, during and after physical activity is to replace the water that is lost through sweat. If the water isn't replaced dehydration will occur and performance will be hampered. The purpose of sports drinks is to help rehydrate your body quickly and help improve performance and productivity. This is accomplished through a well-balanced mix of water, sugar (carbohydrates) and salts (electrolytes), the major ingredients in most sports drinks. These ingredients, combined with a variety of fruit flavours, create pleasant tasting drinks that, according to the companies, are suppose to help your athletic performance. Results prove that commercial sport drinks generally accomplish what they set out to do. That is, they make fluids available for the body, and increase endurance, but at the same time they can create unwanted gastroesophageal reflux. Sport drinks make fluids available to the body and are consequently very effective in preventing dehydration. One tactic sport drinks use in order to accomplish this is by adding sodium and glucose to the drink. These ingredients stimulate fluid consumption by the body, causing the athlete to drink even more, and become rehydrated (Rehrer 45). Another way that sport drinks maintain hydration in the body is by having less than or equal to 10% Carbohydrates (CHO) and small amounts of electrolytes in the beverage. This composition makes fluids available for dilution of body fluids at similar rates, thu...

Bacons Rebellion Essay -- essays research papers

Bacon's Rebellion "Where we do well know that all our causes will be impartially heard and equally justice administered to all men," as stated by, Nathaniel Bacon. 1 In 1676 an uprising known as Bacon's Rebellion occurred in Virginia. The immediate cause of this revolt was the dissension between the planters and the Indians. Because Sir William Berkeley, the Governor of Virginia had willingly denied support to the farmers, Bacon assumed leadership of an unauthorized expedition against the Indians. When Bacon learned that Governor Berkeley was rising a force against him, he turned away from the Indians to fight with Berkley. This had now become a serious problem for the governor. When news of this revolt had reached King Charles II, it alarmed him so that he dispatched eleven hundred troops to Virginia, recalled his governor, and appointed a commission to determine the causes of the dissatisfaction. Bacon's Rebellion is considered to be the most important event in the establishment of democracy in colonial America because the right to vote and social equality were denied to the farmers by the local government. The right to vote is a small but crucial part of the democracy. During the first half of the 17th century the farmers on the plantations in Virginia were not able to exercise their right to vote. The only people that were able to vote during this time were the wealthy men who owned land. Overall the colonists had not been treate...

Corrections and Treatment Essay

Community based treatment plays a large role in the criminal justice system. Community based treatment includes probation, treatment services and restitution. There is community based housing like small group homes, foster homes and boarding schools where juveniles can spend time while they are undergoing treatment. There are also nonresidential programs, where the juvenile can remain in their family home while attending treatment. A juvenile that is ordered to a foster home could be placed there because they do not have proper supervision in their family home, or they do not have a family home. A foster home is a place where the juvenile has the ability to live in a safe environment, in a place that they can call home. Restitution is often used as a community treatment when an offender has caused damage to property, this is the courts way of making the juvenile pay for the damages they caused. This could also be repaired by completing community service, if the damage was done to a public area where the juvenile can repair the damage with supervision. Institutionalization started by the juvenile offenders spending their sentence in the adult prison facilities, since there were no juvenile facilities. The adult facilities provided inhumane conditions for juveniles, where they were exposed to the evils of adult offenders and conditions that were not made for juveniles (Larry J. Siegel, 2005). The first juvenile institutions were created like the adult facilities, but they were created to protect the juveniles from the evils in the adult prisons. The juvenile facilities were also created to protect children. As juvenile institutions evolved, reform schools were made; they resembled boarding schools, providing education as well as confinement. Early institutions focused on punishment, which did not better the juveniles once they were released from the facilities. Later faciliti es changed the focus from punishment to rehabilitation. One great step towards  rehabilitation was the creation of a cottage system for an institute. In a cottage system, several juveniles shared a cottage with a set of â€Å"parents† that watched over them. Aftercare programs are similar to parole for adults. In an aftercare program, the juvenile is provided with a transitional program to transition the juvenile from a juvenile institute back to the community. Just like parolees in the adult system, juveniles have to abide by terms of The Intensive Aftercare program. Some of the terms are abiding by curfew, attend school, abstain from drugs and alcohol, avoid committing crimes and reporting to a youth worker when required (Larry J. Siegel, 2005). If the terms of the Intensive Aftercare program are not followed this can result in the juvenile returning to the institution. Bibliography Larry J. Siegel, B. C. (2005). Juvenile Delinquency: The Core. Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.

Beyond Gdp Paper

Special attention is devoted to recent developments in the analysis of sustainability, in the study of happiness, in the theory of social choice and fair allocation, and in the capability approach. It is suggested in the conclusion that, although convergence toward a consensual approach is not impossible, for the moment not one but three alternatives to GDP are worth developing. ( JEL I31, E23, E01) 1. Introduction GDP is recurrently criticized for being a poor indicator of social welfare and, therefore, leading governments astray in their assessment of economic policies. As is well known, GDP statistics measure current economic aactivity but ignore wealth variation, international income flows, household production of services, destruction of the natural environment, and many determinants of well-being such as the quality of social relations, economic security and personal safety, health, and longevity.Even worse, GDP increases when convivial reciprocity is replaced by anonymous mark et relations and when rising crime, pollution, catastrophes, or health hazards trigger * Fleurbaey: CNRS, University Paris Descartes, CORE (Universite de Louvain) and IDEP. Comments, suggestions and advice by S. Alkire, G. Asheim, A. Atkinson, A. Deaton, E. Diewert, R. Guesnerie, D. Kahneman, A. Krueger, I. Robeyns, P. Schreyer, three referees and Roger Gordon (the Editor) are gratefully acknowledged. defensive or repair expenditures.Not surprisingly, the construction of better indicators of social welfare is also, recurrently, a hot issue in public debate and a concern for politicians and governments. The last two decades have witnessed an explosion in the number of alternative indicators and a surge of initiatives from important institutions such as the OECD, the UNDP, the European Union—more recently the French government has appointed a committee, chaired by Joseph E. Stiglitz and including four other Nobel Prize winners, to propose new indicators of â€Å"economic perfo rmance and social progress. In the meantime, welfare economics1 has burgeoned in various directions, involving the theory of social choice, the theory of 1 The expression â€Å"welfare economics† is used here in a very broad sense, including all branches of economics that bear on the definition of criteria for the evaluation of social states and public policies. It is not restricted to the narrow confines of Old and New (or New New) Welfare Economics. 1029 1030 Journal of Economic Literature, Vol.XLVII (December 2009) is much less supported by economic theory than is commonly assumed. The extension of this approach to intertemporal welfare as attempted in â€Å"green† accounting adds even more complications. In view of recent developments in the theory of social choice and fairness, it will be argued that the idea of a â€Å"corrected GDP† is still defendable but implies different accounting methods than usually thought. Second, there is the idea of â€Å"Gross National Happiness,† which has been revived by the burgeoning happiness studies.It will be argued here that the happiness revolution might, instead of bringing about the return of â€Å"utility,† ultimately condemn this concept for being simplistic, and reveal that subjective well-being cannot serve as a metric for social evaluation without serious precautions. Third, there is the â€Å"capability approach † proposed by Amartya Sen, primarily as a framework for thinking rather than a precise method of measurement. This approach has now inspired a vvariety of applications, but most of its premoters are reluctant to seek a synthetic index, a famous exception being the Human Development Index (HDI).It will be argued here that a key aspect of this problem is whether individual valuations of the relevant dimensions of capability can and should be taken into account— an issue over which a dialogue with the two previous approaches might prove very useful. Fourth , there is the growing number of â€Å"synthetic indicators† that, following the lead of the HDI, are constructed as weighted averages of summary measures of social performance in various domains.It will be argued here that, if the three other approaches were fully exploited, there would be little reason to keep this fourth approach alive because it is ill-equipped to take account of the distribution of well-being and advantage among the members of society. The paper is structured as follows. Sections 2–4 deal with monetary measures that are linked to the project of a corrected fair allocation, the capability approach, the study of happiness and its determinants, in conjunction with new developments in the philosophy of social justice and the psychology of well-being.These conceptual developments provide new analytical tools that may be directly useful for concrete measurements. About a decade ago, Daniel T. Slesnick (1998) made the following observation: â€Å"While centrally important to many problems of economic analysis, confusion persists concerning the relationship between commonly used welfare indicators and well-established theoretical formulations† (p. 2108). It is probably safe to say that much the same now holds about the relationship between concrete measures of welfare—old, new, and potential—and upto-date theories.It appears timely to ask what the existing academic literature has to say about alternatives to GDP. The practical importance of a measure of social welfare can hardly be overstated. Ppolicy decisions, cost–benefit analyses, international comparisons, measures of growth, and inequality studies constantly refer to evaluations of individual and collective wellbeing. The fact that monetary measures still predominate in all such contexts is usually interpreted as imposed by the lack of a better index rather than reflecting a positive consensus.The purpose of this paper is, in the light of state-of-t he-art welfare economics, to examine the pros and cons of the main alternative approaches to the measurement of social welfare from the perspective of ppolicy evaluation as well as international and intertemporal comparisons. Four approaches are discussed here. First, there is the idea of a â€Å"corrected GDP † that would take account, in particular, of nonmarket aspects of well-being and of sustainability concerns. As will be explained here, a basic problem for this approach is that its starting point, national income, as a candidate for a measure of social welfare,Fleurbaey: Beyond GDP: The Quest for a Measure of Social Welfare GDP. Section 2 revisits the classical results involving the value of total consumption and usually invoked in justification of GDP-like measures. This appears important because some of these results are often exaggerated, while others are little known or even susceptible of developments in future research. Section 3 is devoted to the intertemporal e xtension of this approach, as featured in the Net National Product (NNP) and â€Å"green† accounting.Section 4 turns to measures based on willingness-to-pay and moneymetric utilities, highlighting the connection with recent developments in the theory of social choice and fairness. This section also briefly discusses cost–benefit analysis, which is an important tool for ppolicy evaluation. Sections 5–7 are devoted to the nonmonetary approaches, namely, synthetic indicators such as the HDI (section 5), happiness studies and the various possible indexes of subjective well-being (section 6), and the capability approach (section 7).Section 8 makes concluding remarks about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches analyzed in the paper and the prospects for future developments and applications. 2. Monetary Aggregates Revisited The project of correcting GDP has been often understood, after William D. Nordhaus and James Tobin’s (1973) semina l work, as adding or subtracting terms that have the same structure as GDP, i. e. , monetary aggregates computed as quantities valued at market prices or at imputed prices in case market prices are not available. As we will see in this section, economic theory is much less supportive of this approach than usually 2 Nordhaus and Tobin (1973) set out to compute â€Å"a comprehensive measure of the annual real consumption of households. Consumption is intended to include all goods and services, marketed or not, valued at market prices or at their equivalent in oopportunity costs to consumers† (p. 24). 1031 thought by most users of national accounts. Many official reports swiftly gloss over the fact that economic theory has established total income as a good index of social welfare under some assumptions (which are usually left unspecified).To be sure, there is a venerable tradition of economic theory that seeks to relate social welfare to the value of total income or total consu mption. 3 Most of that theory, however, deals with the limited issue of determining the sign of the welfare change rather than its magnitude, not to mention the level of welfare itself. In this perspective, the widespread use of GDP per capita, corrected or uncorrected, as a cardinal measure allowing ppercentage scaling of differences and variations appears problematic. 4 In this section, I review the old and recent arguments for and against monetary aggregates as social welfare indicators. . 1 A Revealed Preference Argument Start from the revealed preference argument that, assuming local nonsatiation, if a consumer chooses a commodity bundle x (with ? different commodities) in a budget set defined by the price vector p, then x is revealed preferred to all bundles y such that py < px. If x is interior and assuming differentiability, for an infinitesimal change dx, x + dx is strictly preferred to x by the consumer if and only if pdx > 0. Note the importance of the interiority assumpt ion here.

A key issue that was faced by the New Testament Church Essay

Examine a key issue that was faced by the New Testament Church (Prostitution). Could these arguments used in the first century be used by the Church of today for this problem? Prostitution is the performance of sexual acts solely for the purpose of material gain. Persons prostitute themselves when they grant favours to others in exchange for money, gifts or other payments and in so doing; use their bodies as commodities. In legal terms, the word prostitute refers only to those who engage overtly in such sexual-economic transactions, usually for a specific sum of money. Prostitutes may be of either sex, but throughout history, the majority have been women, reflecting both the traditional socio-economic dependence of women and the tendency to exploit female sexuality. Although prostitution has often been characterised as the â€Å"worlds oldest profession,† the concept of women as property, which prevailed in most centuries until the end of the nineteenth century, meant that the profits of the profession most often ended up in the hands of the men who controlled it. Men have traditionally been characterised as procurers and customers, but during the latter half of the twentieth century, they are increasingly being identified as prostitutes themselves, who generally serve male customers and sometimes impersonate women. The Torah (Law) had little to say on the subject of secular prostitution. It prohibited parents from dedicating their children as sacred prostitutes, but there is nothing to tell us whether its authors would have objected equally to the ideas of a master making his slave-woman a secular prostitute or even a father doing so with his daughter. There are two references to secular prostitution in the Old Testament, which offer any details as to how it was regarded. In both cases, an unmarried women is understood to have chosen this course of action on her own and thereby brought disgrace on her father. In one passage, a priests daughter â€Å"who plays the harlot† is condemned to be burned for having â€Å"profaned† her father (Leviticus 21:9). One may think that she is part of her father’s household, either as not yet married or as a divorced or widowed woman. Her activity threatens the state of purity vital to the household, since its food comes largely from the altar of the temple. In Deuteronomy (22:13-21) a man charges that his wife was not found to be a virgin on her wedding night. If this were true, she would be stoned for having â€Å"played the harlot in her father’s house.† In other words, she has engaged in sexual intercourse when she ought to have been guarding her virginity carefully in order to be a suitable bride. In the process, she has exposed her father to shame of having misrepresented her state in negotiating her marriage. It is not clear from the passage that she actually receives payment for her services; the point seems to be, rather, that she has deprived her father and her prospective husband of their rights in her. What was wrong with prostitution, from the perspective of ancient Israel, was not so much the giving or receiving of payment for sexual intercourse as it was the removal of sexual intercourse from the framework of property and hierarchy which normally contained it and ensured that it was placed at the service of the family. Such an interpretation is made explicit in a more extensive critique of prostitution found in Proverbs. After warning the reader against the wiles of the loose woman, the author contrasts the positive ideal of possessing a wife with a negative prospect of wasting one’s resources on a courtesan (Proverbs 5:15-23). Having said that, one cannot treat wisdom literature as if it were the same genre as legislation. It is clear that Proverbs agrees with the Torah in understanding prostitution, as violation to Gods will, not merely as something to be avoided for prudential reasons. Still, the justification offered for the prohibition is intrusive as to the ethical framework in which the prohibition itself belonged. Prostitution was wrong because it stood outside the normal patriarchal system in which the male head of the household owned one or more women as sexual partners. As such, it threatened the interests of the family. The man might feel that he had received full value for his expense, but the family gained nothing at all from his patronising of the prostitute. His action, therefore was a betrayal of his responsibilities, since he existed not to gratify his own desires but to maintain and enhance the fortunes of his â€Å"father’s house.† What the Torah and Proverbs agree upon then is the condemnation of those who place personal gratification ahead of family duty. The Torah condemns the unmarried woman who prefers sexual pleasure above her obligations as a good daughter of the household who must preserve her marriageability, which is, indeed the family’s investment in her. Proverbs condemns the man who spends family resources on private pleasure. He should marry a woman and be content with the sexual pleasure he receives from her. Proverbs was concerned to make the prostitute sound as unscrupulous and unattractive as possible. The Torah was speaking to the woman who was trying to behave as an unattached individual in pursuit of pleasure while still remaining under the protection of her father. According to the Torah, prostitution, though a slightly less serious crime than adultery, was wrong insofar as it represented the triumph of individual gratification over against the principle of subordination to the fami ly. The matter of prostitution receives very little attention from the Gospel writers, but it appears in a significant pronouncement of Jesus. The tax collectors and the prostitutes, he said, were entering the Kingdom of God ahead of respectable religious leaders (chief priests and elders) because they believed the preaching of John the Baptist (Matt 21:23-32). Since John preached repentance (Matt 3:2) one may suspect that prostitutes ceased to be such when they came to believe the message. It proves difficult, however, to be certain. The tax collectors presumably did not cease to be tax collectors (In Luke 19:1-10, the tax collector Zacchaeus, upon his conversion, gave half of his property to the poor and made amends to those he has defrauded). A prostitute would have found it singularly difficult to emerge from her low place in the community. We know little about them in Jewish times. In the contemporary Gentile world, however, most of them were slaves, who could not legally abandon their status. Even free prostitutes, if poor, would have had only the most limited of options, since they would not have been acceptable as wives. Our own presuppositions, then, may perhaps dictate whether we think of these women as giving up prostitution or not. Luke 7:36-50 sees Jesus anointed by a public sinner. While she is not labelled as a prostitute, it is one conclusion that could be possibly said about her. Jesus accepts her intentions, contrasts them favourably with those of her host, the Pharisee, and finally says, â€Å"Her sins, many as they are, are forgiven because she has loved much† (7:47). This does not tell us what Jesus preferred prostitutes to do, but it does suggest that he did not make grace conditional on prostitutes escaping her place in society. The most significant thing is that Jesus held them up to the religious leadership as a model of repentance for them to follow, thus implying that the respectable are not unlike the prostitutes in respect to sin. Since Jesus held them up as a religious example, we may guess that although he took prostitution to be ethically wrong, he followed the example of Proverbs in appointing blame to the man who visited the prostitute more than to the prostitute herself. Paul has little to say about sexual ethics in his main doctrinal statement, the Epistle to the Romans, except the forceful identification of sexual immorality with humanities alienation from God (Romans 1:24-27). However, in his letters to the other churches he is forced to address the topic because of the behaviour of certain individuals in those churches, particularly at Corinth. The Christians at Corinth produced highly divergent interpretations of what the Gospel demanded in the way of sexual ethics, ranging from libertinism to a complete rejection of both marriage and sexual intercourse. It is probable that the libertine party at Corinth had adopted slogans such as â€Å"All things are permitted† and â€Å"Food is for the belly and the belly for food† (implying that sexual intercourse is as uncomplicated an expression of natural desire as eating is). Paul argues that the body of a Christian belongs to Christ. Therefore, all sexual expression, then, must take Christ’s ownership into account. Sex with a prostitute might seem to establish no relationship at all beyond the brief one required for the sanctification of desire. Paul claims that every sexual act between man and woman established a union of flesh, like that of marriage. In other words, the prostitute and the man, who has used her, actually belong to each other for the duration of their sexual intercourse, though not beyond. In Paul’s own terminology, the relationship thus established is â€Å"one body;† but in the terminology of Genesis, it is a relationship of â€Å"one flesh.† Paul insisted that the man who had intercourse with the prostitute was not unchanged by that act. However, it was destructive of one’s spirit; the relation to Christ and to God: â€Å"Every sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the man who uses harlots is sinning against his own body.† (1 Corinthians 18-20) It is evident that where Proverbs discourages a man from using prostitutes because he belonged to his family, Paul discouraged it because he belonged to God. The body, the person as a whole, is the spirit’s temple, into which other forms of worship must not be introduced. â€Å"One might well ask, then, whether the implication of this line of reasoning is not, finally, to forbid sexual intercourse altogether.†1 From whichever interpretation or opinion one adopts, as a Christian, or more to the point, as human beings, it should be understood that the use of prostitutes or the actual act of prostitution is both morally and ethically wrong. It is a sin against God, in that it undervalues the gift of love, through intercourse, given to us by God, and moreover, it shows a lack of respect for the body and minds of others. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cave, S ‘The Christian Way,’ Nisbet and Company Limited, 1963 Countryman, L.W ‘Dirt, Greed and Sex,’ Fortress Press, 1988 Hays, R.B ‘The Moral Vision of the New Testament,’ Harper Collins Publishers, 1996 Manson, T.W ‘Ethics and the Gospel,’ SCM Press Limited, 1960 1 Countryman, L ‘Dirt, Greed and Sex’ p205