Evolution and growth of Muslim society Essay

Although Islam spread rapidly in the world as soon as it surfaced in the world, but it established its foothold in the Indo-Pak Sub-continent in the beginning of 8th Century A.D. It was during the rule of sixth Umayyad caliph, Walid bin Abdul Malak (705-715 A.D), when an overarching incidence of ship looting occurred near Debal, a sea port. The ships, carrying widows and children of deceased Arab soldiers, sent by the king of Ceylon (present day Sri-Lanka) to the Umayyad Governor, Hajjaj bin Yousef, of Baghdad were ransacked by a contingent of ferocious Hindu pirates. Hajjaj sent his emissary to the Rajput king, Raja Dahir under whose jurisdiction the pirates carried out the loot. The raja bluntly turned down the Governor’s claim said the pirates were not under his sway. Hajjaj decided to send the young Imaduddin Muhammad bin Qasim to teach the raja a lesson and release the prisoners. Muhammad bin Qasim was the ruler of Faris when he was called back by the Governor. Muhammad b in Qasim then led a glorious Muslim army and invaded Sindh in 712 A.D. During his short stay in Niran he was reinforced by four thousands Jats who were long subdued by the self-righteous king. Raja Dahir came with his 40,000 soldiers along with contingents of elephants. However, the Raja killed in the battle field and his demoralized army retreated. Muhammad bin Qasim not only released the prisoners along with the looted ships but also established Islamic society/rule in Sindh. Qasim continued to expand the Muslim society beyond Sindh. He marched up to Multan where he defeated Raja Gor Singh. During this time several changes occurred that made his expeditions slow down and finally put a halt. Hajjaj bin Yousef had been died in 714 A.D and, within months administrative changes wrought in Damascus. Walid bin Abdul Malak was replaced by his brother Suleman bin Abdul Malak (715-717 A.D). The new ruler was extravagantly luxury loving and quite incompetent for the accession to the throne. Suleman called off the best Generals from around their respective destinations and through intrigues executed them one by one. These Generals brought laudable victories to Walid. They included Qutaiba bin Muslim, the conqueror of Turkistan; Tariq bin Ziad, the conqueror of Andalus; Musa bin Nasir, the conqueror of North Africa; and Muhammad bin Qasim, the conqueror of Sindh. Muhammad bin Qasim was died languishing in the prison at the age  of just 22. He was replaced by Yazid bin Kabashi. Qasim’s rule, though short, is marked by the historians as marvelous and magnificent. He gave relieved the local population scourged by the extra judicious rule of the erstwhile rajas in general and Raja Dahir in particular. Furthermore, he espoused inter-religious harmony and brought prosperity and good governance in the areas under his domain. Italian scholar F. Gabrieli said: â€Å"Present day Pakistan, holding the values of Islam in such a high esteem, should look upon the young Arab conqueror, Muhammad bin Qasim, almost as a distant Kistes (founding father), a hero of South Asian Islam†. With the passage of time rule of Umayyads finally evaporated in 750 A.D. They were succeeded by the Abbasids. The Abbasid rulers time after time sent their governors in the Sub-continent. According to Ibn Haukal, who traveled extensively through the Arab domains around the middle of the 8th Century, particularly mentioned the affluence of the people of Sindh. Moreover, during the rule of Abbasid caliph Al-Mansur (754-775 A.D), scholars from the Sindh were welcomed at the court of Baghdad. In the north Islam was making inroads from Afghanistan into the north-western region of Pakistan. Islamic missionaries were actively spreading their faith among the tribes. Due to weak Abbasid ruler, who acceded to the throne later on, lost sway over the territories of the Sub-continent at the end of 9th Century. In the 10th Century Turks invaded the Sub-continent through renowned Khyber Pass. The most important of them was Mahmud of Ghazni, the son of Sabuktagin the great General. Mahmud ruled the sub-continent from 997 A.D. He wanted to expand his rule across India and attacked seventeen times in this regard. He was a great warrior. He reduced the influence Hindushahi Kingdom being prevalent in India. He became known as an Idol Breaker after the destruction of Somnath temple. However, he died in 1030. Mahmud appointed Khusru Malik as the governor of Lahore. However, Khusru Malik was killed by the Ghoris headed by Muhammad Ghori and paced their empire around 1185. Muizz-ud-din Muhammad bin Sam, known as Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Ghuri is among the one who played a paramount role in the establishment of Muslim rule, especially in North India. He defeated the fearsome army of Prithvi Raj Chauhan in 1192 in the second battle of Tarain. He had has the credit to establish the first Muslim in Delhi. In 1206, Ghori had to travel to Lahore to crush a revolt.  On his way back to Ghazni, his caravan halted at Damik near Jehlum. He was killed while offering his evening prayers. From 1206 to 1526 A.D Delhi Sultanate rose to power. It is believed, however, that the period of Delhi Sultanate was politically turbulent but the Muslim society under the Sultanate period flourished at a great length. Sufism also made it way during this era. He is aptly called as the founder of Muslim Empire in Indo-Pak Sub-continent. Mughals, led by Zaheer-ud-Din Babar entered India in 1526 A.D and remained in power, though nominally, till 1857. The Mughal epoch is particularly known as the period of Muslim architecture, literature and gave a boost to religious reformists and saints such as Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi, Shah Walliullah, Sheikh Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar, Nizam-ud-Din Chishty, etc. Islam left profound effects on minds of people of the Sub-continent. Islam completely changed the living standard and style of thinking of the people of the Sub-continent. The Muslim society gave a welcome fillip to the cultural, economic and, social development in the Sub-continent and boosted inter-religious harmony as well. Turks introduced Persian language which intermingled with Arabic and other local languages gave birth to several new languages including Urdu. Though the Muslim society experienced ups and downs throughout the history, yet it yielded positive effects on the minds of people at large in Indo-Pak Sub-continent.

Philosophy Exam Essay

I believe that the quote â€Å"Education makes music out of the noise that fills life† has a broader meaning to it than it first appears. People would first think of simply the context of it and conclude that it makes no sense, however, to me I think it means that through everyday life, knowing and really  understanding  what’s going on and knowing how to do things really makes everything flow and brings joy to yours and possibly others lives. Education puts together the pieces of life, if you didn’t life wouldn’t seem quite; It’s like music having no notes, having no certain rythm or pattern. It just wouldn’t make sense, but someone who knows music could come along and make the song flow smoothly, which was learnt through education and the will to understand and learn. 2. Philosophy is the love of wisdom. The need to learn and really understand what is going on around you and in your life. It’s knowing who you are and realizing what’s really important. There is no way of avoiding philosophy, it’s in peoples everyday lives. Everyday, even if you don’t notice it you are making an ethical decision or spotting someone else doing something morally wrong and stepping in; or you could be thinking about your life and making some changes and thinking of what’s really important. Without philosophy, you would never truly know yourself. 3. In â€Å"The Apology† written by Plato, Socrates really embodies the definition philosophy as â€Å"philo-sophia†. The term â€Å"philo-sophia† literally means the love of wisdom; and in â€Å"The Apology† Socrates is sacrificing himself for wisdom. He is being true to himself even when put on a death sentence and speaking for his life, he says the honest truth. As quoted by Socrates â€Å"and he only gives you the appearance of happiness, and I give you the reality. †. He always spoke what was right and even when people accused him of being crazy, he never was shaken by these comments. Even when he knew by saying such things may lose him votes, he said what was knowledgable and true. Quote by Socrates â€Å"I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many times†¦ †. He gave wisdom to those around him in with his last breaths, and had no regrets. 4. Making an assertion, is much different from making an argument. When you make an assertion you are stating something and automatically saying there is no way you’re wrong. You’re saying your opinion without evidence or reasoning to back it up and prove you’re right. While making an argument is suggesting at the same time as stating your opinion  with  evidence and reason to back it up. One argument I remember in class is is if love is the only rational act. Many people believed it wasn’t the only rational act, but in my opinion it is. Real love is feeling the same way about another person endlessly and unconditionally. You see their flaws and still love them, waiting for them and spending time with them isn’t a burden to you. You enjoy time in the  now  when you are with them and you care for them as much as you care about yourself. Love is the only thing that seperates us from all other living things. 5. Knowledge is something all philosophers seek. It is a properly justified true belief. There are two components to knowledge; The first is belief. This is an important component to knowledge because beliefs make up who are, they chart our everyday lives and if we didn’t believe something, we wouldn’t do it and it wouldn’t be knowledge. The second component is truth. If the thing you believe isn’t true, than it is not knowledgable nor is it a proper belief. that is why, knowledge is a  properly justified  belief. 6. It is impossible to be an absolute skeptic because skeptics doubt everything and question everything. So, how can a skeptic be sure of his words? Without believing that his words are truer than others, he can’t even formulate his questions or challenges. If they didn’t believe anything, wouldn’t they have to believe that? Believe that nothing is true and that they themselves don’t believe anything? Therefore, it is impossible. Belief is inevitable in life. 7. I believe the quote â€Å"When you want to believe in something you also have to believe in everything that’s necessary for believing it† means that to truly believe something, you have to believe everything that comes along with it. Every detail and reason to why that belief is true, you also have to believe it. It relates to world view because a worldview is all of   your beliefs all compiled into one big belief of everything. In order to truly believe in your worldview, you have to believe everything else about it. A personal belief I have that illustrates this is my belief that Heaven is real. In order for me to truly believe it’s real I also have to believe in God, and in order to believe in god I have to believe that Satan is real, which would also require I believe there is a Hell. Which would also lead to believing that when you die you truly are judged for your life. One belief comes with many others. 8. â€Å"Is it correct? †, â€Å"Is it complete†, and â€Å"Is it coherent† are the three tests to measure a persons worldview. If you omit any of these tests, your worldview wouldn’t be true. You would damage your worldview or end up making it completely destroyed. 9. The Principle of Belief and Conservation are reasons why you should and/or shouldn’t believe something/ a proposition. Taking a stand towards a belief would require you doubting a lot of your current beliefs; you have no good reason or doubt all these beliefs; and no compelling reason to take a stand on the new proposition. When they beliefs pass their own test, everyone believes it to be true because there isn’t a way anyone can prove different. The Principle of Belief and Conservation cannot be used when trying to prove that Sense experience, Memory, or Testimony is true. It can only prove Basic Beliefs. 10. What William James meant by â€Å"Precursive Faith† is not just sitting back and waiting for the world to show us what is really true. You have to believe before you have evidence that is is really true, you must embrace all the truth you can. Taking this more positive approach will open you up to new things and experiences and discovering more beliefs. A time I had to use precursive faith was when I was little, even though now it doesn’t seem like a big deal, to me it was then. I had a pet fish I loved a lot and it got sick, and to cure it we had to give it this medicine that could either save its life or make the death come faster. I had to believe it would work, because if I didn’t do it my fish would die; and even though it could cause its death, it could also save it. So we gave the medicine to it and thankfully it cured the sickness. If I didn’t take this leap of faith, I would have lost something important to me. 11. The Virtue Theory relates to the idea of teleology for the human life because the virtue theory is if you are interested in true happiness, you must aim for all the virtues, which are certain charasteristics all human beings have. Encouraging and having these qualaties lead to human flourishing and a truly good and happy person. it relates too teleology because it is when you do something good and you hit the target and you fufilled your purpose, which in the end would make you happy. Therefore, when portraying one of the virtues that are necessary into being happy, and something good coming out of it you are â€Å"Hitting the target† and you are a good person. 12. A truly virtuous action must consider the motive, the action, and the context because in order for it to be truly good you must be aiming for something good and expecting something good. If you are being kind, only to get something you want is not virtuous. If you are being Loving someone just for there money, or you are saving a cat from a tree just so people can see you as a good person; it is not truly virtuous and doesn’t make you a good person. 13. â€Å"Money buys Happiness†   is not true in my opinion. Although money may buy you expensive things you want, food you love, the newest trend that â€Å"you must have† because everyone has it, it won’t make you truly happy. You may be happy when you get it, but does it really make you a happier person? You can’t buy your way through life, you can’t buy things and expect people to love you and really want to be with you. They may act like it, but not for you, for your money. When you are lonely and need someone to talk to, can you really buy someone who truly wants to listen and be there for you? Can you buy a wife or husband who will truly love you? No, and without affection and care from others, you cannot live a truly happy life. 14. I think the three most important characteristics of a philosopher are Openness, Truthfulness, and Boldness. A philosopher has many beliefs and has any of his or her own reasons to believe them, but if another person says something which makes more sense than what they believed, they must have  openness  and listen and possibly believe this new idea. The things philosophers believe must be true and have a good reason behind it, and when asked philosophers must state their true belief and have true reason behind it; that is why Philos ophers must havetruthfulness. Lastly, Philosophers must have  boldness  because if everyone else goes against his or her opinion, he musn’t back down just because the majority disagrees. He has to be bold and confident and stand for his ideas if he has better reason to believe so. 15. Plato stated that â€Å"Philosophy begins with Wonder†. I think he stated this because without wonder, nobody would have questions. And without questions, nobody would have anything to have an opinion; which would result in nobody striving for truth. And philosophy without truth isn’t complete. Two things I wonder about which spark philosophical reflection are, what is truly good, and what is my purpose in life.

Medieval vs Renaissance Art Essay

There were no notions of real-life techniques and proportion. Figures, which were more prominent, were drawn larger than the others. All figures are motionless, they sit or stand and there are no attempts to depict movement. There is little in the way of nude bodies, erotic scenes and sexual connotations. People were painted with stoic, serious expressions; the lack of emotions was obvious. Pictures were not voluminous; they were flat and stable. The background was painted with one color. Artists used ordinary basic colors. Paintings weren’t very realistic, but the artists did not necessarily want them to be so. The art was treated as the means of connection with God, and the main purpose of it was to foster the spiritual development of the people. The Early Renaissance starts in Italy in fourteenth century AD due to a number of reasons. According to Jim Lane, perhaps the biggest factor contributing to the rise of the Renaissance was money. He states â€Å"when it became economically feasible to enclose an entire city in fortress walls, then those with money could begin to relax and enjoy it, which meant a craving for beauty that meant art. The city of Florence, Italy, is a classic exampleâ€Å"(Lane, 1998). The church was no longer the only institution with the resources to commission works of art. Religion was not able to serve as the only reason for creativity any more. While religious imagery still dominated many works of art during this period, secular and humanistic themes began to emerge as well. People were in the focus of this art period. They were depicted the way they looked in their real life. It was not uncommon for a wealthy merchant to commission a portrait of himself. People were interested in the anatomy of the human body. The knowledge of anatomy was reflected in the new art. Bodies looked not only real, but attractive for viewers. Most of them were depicted in motion, and appeared much more lifelike. This interest in anatomy precipitated the appearance nude images in paintings and sculpture. An emphasis on natural beauty, and the human form began to emerge. All figures were placed on the canvas considering the perspective. Painters paid attention to light; they started using the technique of shadows and lights in their paintings. Artists were interested in the way people express their emotions and did their best to render the emotional expressions on the faces of people on the paintings. The same features occurred in sculpture as well. It is obvious that art develops in relation to the prior art periods. Some periods build upon the tone and style of earlier periods, while others strike out in new ways in reaction to the earlier period. There are clear examples of how Renaissance art continued the traditions of medieval art. However, the combinations of new styles, techniques, subjects, and philosophies leads to the conclusion the Renaissance developed in reaction to the medieval era. The Renaissance served as the transitional period between the medieval art and the new period in human history. The Renaissance brought significant change to the world of art. Artists started creating art for the sake of art, and not necessarily for the sake of god. They created new art forms, and mastered their skills in order to make things look as they are in real life on the canvas. God was not the only point of depiction. The Renaissance Art is much closer to the conception of art which is common now. It uses mixed colors, shades, real sizes, and perspective. Unlike Renaissance art, medieval art is more primitive. The pieces of art were representations of crucial spiritual content. These differences are best explained by examining a few examples. For instance, the medieval Virgin Mary is rather specific (Duccio, 1300). She is depicted only with the upper part of her body. She holds the infant in her arms. Her face is cold and reserved. The background is static. All objects are two-dimensional; there is no volume or change in colors. The picture lacks dynamics. At the same time, it is a classical representation of Virgin Mary. It was created for the purpose of religious worship. The Virgin Mary is the main figure at the picture. In this respect, the infant on her hands is smaller than he should be in reality. Madonna is the representation of Virgin Mary in Renaissance art. Madonna Litta by da Vinci (1490) shows the tendencies of how the art developed. First of all, both Madonna and her child look lifelike. They appear much more human in their facial complexion, proportions and positions. They are not static. The child holds his finger in his mouth. He is playful and alive. Madonna holds him in her hands and looks at him carefully. Viewers can notice the feelings of comfort and pleasure in the way she looks at her baby. This transition from expressionless, some may say emotionless, depictions of humans to lifelike, active characters can be seen throughout Renaissance art. The Renaissance artists wanted to depict realism in their art. They strived to have the images correspond in some way to the real world. In this respect, they tried to learn how to paint the world they have, not only the world which belongs to Saints. This shift in philosophy during this period created the necessity to create art in a different manner. People became interested in themselves. This may be the most obvious reason why these two art periods are so different. At the same time, Renaissance art is the logical continuation of the development of art in human history. People do not stay the same; the world is changing, so the art changes too. It is hard to imagine that the Renaissance period would have developed in the manner that it did without the foundation laid during the medieval period. It’s clear that later periods built extensively off the techniques and philosophies developed during the Renaissance. The Renaissance served as the greatest transitional period from earlier, more primitive styles, and set the stage for modern art as we know it. References Duccio di Buoninsegna. (1300) Madonna and Child [Picture]. Retrieved from: http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/works-of-art/2004. 442 da Vinci, L. (c. 1490) Madonna Litta. [Picture]. Retrieved from: http://www. abcgallery. com/L/leonardo/leonardo13. html Lane, J. (1998). Renaissance (1400 – 1600). Retrieved from: http://www. humanitiesweb. org/spa/gil/ID/35

Bill Clinton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bill Clinton - Essay Example Clinton woke himself up on Sunday mornings, wore his best clothes then walked to Park Place Baptist Church, which was half a mile away from his home to attend services alone. Gospel music performed by the church choir was among the important influencing factors to Clinton’s love for the church, which also inspired him to start playing the jazz saxophone. By the time Clinton was through with his high school education, he had developed his skills in playing jazz saxophone where many recognized him as the best saxophonist in the city (Finkelman and Wallenstein 80). Clinton went to Hot Springs High School, which was a segregated high school for the whites where he became a stellar student in addition to being an integral member of the school’s jazz band. Clinton went to the Arkansas Boys State in 1963 and was successfully elected the Arkansas representative to the American Legion's Boys Nation. Each representative had a chance to meet the USA president which gave him an opp ortunity through an invitation to meet the then President John F. Kennedy. As a result of the photo shoot the young Bill Clinton had shaking hands with President Kennedy; the photograph has since become an iconic image signifying a passing of the leadership baton between generations of modern Democratic leadership (Benson 11). His political nature having taken roots in his high school years, Clinton instantly entered university politics at the Georgetown University being elected president of his freshman and sophomore classes but later lost the election for student body president in his junior year. Clinton then shifted his focus from campus politics to his work as a clerk for the Foreign Relations Committee, which at the time was under Senator Fulbright (Benson 19). Clinton’s immediate availability to take the Rhodes scholarship to attend Oxford University he had won while at Georgetown University became uncertain shortly after his arrival in Oxford as he was required back t o Arkansas when he received a draft notice. To ensure he attends Oxford, Clinton enrolled in the ROTC program at the University of Arkansas Law School to avoid military service, but did not attend law school that fall, as he returned to Oxford to take up his scholarship (Benson 27). It was while attending the Yale Law School after seeing out his Rhodes scholarship, that Clinton met Hillary Rodham, a bright young woman whose political objectives were in harmony with those of Clinton (Finkelman and Wallenstein 80). The Clintons moved to Arkansas after their graduation, where Bill took up a teaching position at the University of Arkansas but since his heart was in politics, he right away entered the world of politics. His first shot at an elective seat after graduating from Yale was in 1974 when he faced the Republican incumbent U.S. House of Representatives John Paul Hammer Schmidt in an election Clinton lost. Clinton lost the election in by a small margin to the surprise of many mark ing his stature as the fast rising political star of the Arkansas Democratic Party. Clinton was to feature again the election campaigns two years later this time getting elected the state attorney general a position he held until 1978 when he ran for the governor’s position defeating Republican Lynn Lowe to become one of the youngest governors in American history at 32 years of age (Gaines 16). Having secured his

Australian personal financial planning case studny questions, urgent Essay

Australian personal financial planning case studny questions, urgent - Essay Example The business needs of the company are different from that of its directors and running a company costs a lot. Neither Leo nor Spiro can claim the company as part of their estate, since none of them is the sole owner of the company (Small Business Development Corporation, 2010). (ii) Partnership: If Leo and Spiro would agree to go into partnership, this is simple and inexpensive to set up. However, both of them will be required to pay income taxes, and the assets of a partnership business may not be fully protected as that of a company. There may problems of secession plan because each partner has equal right to the business assets, and sharing this may bring some disagreements. The business needs of the partnership business are the same as that of the partners. Neither of the partners can count the business as part of his business estate, because they jointly own the business (Small Business Development Corporation, 2010). (iii) Self-Managed Superannuation Fund (SMSF): Both Leo and Spiro will act as individual trustees of the Fund; which means that they cannot receive salaries or wages for their duties. The assets of the Fund are different from the personal assets Leo and Spiro. SMSF is not expensive to run. Neither of the trustees can lay claim to the Fund as part of his estate. The trustees may decide to allow the Fund to cease operating if there are problems from running it. (iv) Discretionary Trust: Either Leo and Spiro may decide to set up a discretionary trust, otherwise known as Family Trust. The business needs of the trustee are the same as that of the trust. The trustee will be required to pay taxes on the activities of the Trust, for example, investing the trust fund in a business; taxes will be paid on the income from the business. The asset of the trust belongs to all the family members. There may be problems in secession planning, but it does not cost much to run a trust. And none of the members can claim it as an his or her Estate (Small

Constitutional & Judicial Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Constitutional & Judicial Review - Essay Example Al is a US citizen and cannot claim entry to another country as a matter of right, unless that country is willing to grant entry to him. Under the circumstances, the Home Secretary to UK is of the opinion that violent speeches and statements of Al against the ongoing war in Europe may create violent eruptions in UK society. His meeting in Washington DC has already resulted in unpleasant violence and arrests, and this incident combined with his earlier writings and statements led the Home Secretary to presume that his presence in United Kingdom might result in violence and clashes. Home Secretary is within his right to reject permission to enter UK1. Home Secretary need not give explanations to entry denial actions. A judicial Review action against the United Kingdom Home Secretary might not be very successful, even though Al's speeches in United States could not be termed as violence provoking. This charismatic leader belongs to an anti-war pressure group and it is not an offence to oppose a war. There is a lot of difference between an anti-war pressure group and a terrorism-provoking group. Anti Government sentiments are not exactly terrorist acts. Violence broke out because of pro-war protesters and it was a mere clash between the two groups that could happen anywhere. There was no bloodshed and the event did not leash out any anti government euphoria. Al can fight the decision by saying that condemning the war in Iraq is not exactly fomenting terrorism and he has a right to express his opinion2. But his rights to go to the European Human Rights commission are limited as he is neither a citizen of European Union, nor of one of its Member States. In the second case, Shoab, a Muslim clerk from Libya was given permission to stay in UK as postgraduate student till August 2003. He applied for indefinite leave to remain in United Kingdom. As Shoab is on student visa, it is difficult for him to get indefinite leave to remain even under normal circumstances. Usually student visas are extendable only during the period of study and it is never indefinite and Shoab's visa did not get extended. Home Secretary informed him that 'on account of your connections with Islamic terrorists groups, your deportation from the United Kingdom would be conducive to the public good'. Home Secretary believes that Shoab has connections with MAWI (Muslims against Western Imperialism), a group implicated in recent terrorist incidents in the West and had adopted a policy of seeking to deport all foreign nationals with links to MAWI. Home Secretary is also accused of gaining mileage and electoral support for government in the approaching election. At a hear ing of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), the deportation order was confirmed. Shoab's barrister was however prevented from cross-examining witnesses and from knowing full details of the case against him. As Shoab is living in United Kingdom as a student he can approach European Union Human Rights Court against his deportation. He can go to the court and to Human Right Activists.

Navigation app for iOS Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Navigation app for iOS - Literature review Example This framework is designed to work with the newly introduced M7 coprocessor that is dedicated to handle motion sensors without reducing the battery performance of the device. It gives the developers accurate data about the users, which they can later make use of in their applications. For example, a developer can find out whether the device is currently with an individual who is in the act of walking, or with someone who is travelling in an automobile etc, without actually processing the accelerometer’s data. Core Motion Framework provides answers to such questions through constants defined by the classes of framework. â€Å"Now Core Motion has been around since iOS 4.0, but the iOS 7 includes the new classes needed to access data from the M7. The two main classes used here are CM Motion Activity Manager and CM Motion Activity. These two classes work hand in hand to make work the motion activity updates† (Graves 2014: 1). Most iPhones contain an accelerometer and 3 axes Gyroscope built into them, which provide the device with 6 operational axes when used together. This axis data and motion data populated by the M7 co processor could be used along with Map kit or any other third party Map API to create great navigation apps. The gyroscope data as well as gravity sensor data are also used for building motion sensitive gaming-applications. Various class references of Core Motion framework include â€Å"CMAttitude, CMAccelerometerData, CMDeviceMotion, CMGyroData, CMLogItem, CMMagnetometerData, and CMMotionManager† (Aguinaga 2013: 9). The Map Kit framework is used for embedding custom maps into iOS application windows. The 5.1 version and the previous ones basically made use of Google Maps API for displaying the maps through the MapKit framework. â€Å"This framework also provides support for annotating the map, adding overlays, and performing reverse-geocoding lookups to determine placemark information for a given map

Final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Final exam - Essay Example Because of court queues, time delays and elevating costs of litigation continue to affect litigants; many states have decided to experiment with ADR programs. Some of these programs are mandatory while others are voluntary. Despite arbitration and mediation being the major forms of ADR, negotiation is in most cases attempted first so as to resolve dispute. This is because it is the best mode of resolving a dispute. Negotiation creates a forum whereby the parties involved can meet so that they can settle a dispute. The main benefit of negotiation is that the parties involved have the opportunity to control the negotiation process and come up with solutions themselves. Another informal alternative to litigation is mediation. Mediators are those individuals who have been trained carry out negotiations. They bring together the opposing parties by trying to figure out the kind of agreement or settlement, which both parties can accept. Mediation can be applied in a wide variety of case-types ranging from federal government negotiations to minor juvenile felonies. It is also a significant method in solving of disputes that arise between shareholders and their stock brokers. Arbitration, on the other hand is a simplified version of a trial that involves limited discovery and rules of evidence. Arbitration is normally headed and decided by an arbitral committee. To comprise a committee, both sides can either agree on a single arbitrator, or each side can select one arbitrator after which the two arbitrators can elect the third arbitrator. During arbitration process, the committee only meets for a few hours and this may last for probably a week. After this, the committee then deliberates and issues an arbitral award, or a written decision. The agreement made during arbitration is enforceable under both state and federal law. The World Economic Forum is a global institution that has the

Roman Republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Roman Republic - Essay Example The reasons for the decline of Rome are as intriguing as the factors contributing to its rise. In order to understand the causes of the collapse of the Roman Empire, it is essential to understand the confluence of circumstances and variables that contributed to its rise, for these are the same factors that were brought to such an excess that the Empire collapsed under its own weight. Ultimately, Rome's successful development of military might, political dominance and infrastructural innovation led to such an expansion of the Empire that it could not sustain its own mass. This development was driven largely by the egos of Rome's leaders, who believed Roman civilization was so superior that it was a gift to the world to have it spread as much as possible. Military might was arguably the first key factor that enabled the Romans to build their empire. This was achieved through "cultivation of virtues conducive to military strength: unswerving loyalty, obedience, frugality and disregard for peril to life and limb" (Bonta, par. 6). These virtues were evident from the very beginning of the evolution of Rome. Roman history, from its inception, is replete with monumental wars and battles, most of which resulted in Rome's victory and dominance, thereby paving the way for geographic expansion and assimilation of weaker neighbors. Bonta maintains that "for the most part, Roman military history is a dreary catalog of one-sided battles with outmatched and poorly organized foes, of the destruction or absorption of entire nations into the expanding Roman state, and of almost superhuman resilience in rebounding from rare defeats that would have broken the back of any other people" (par. 8). Clearly the expansion of the Roman Empire would not have been possible had Rome not been militarily dominant. And yet, over-zealous military adventures eventually resulted in the destruction of Rome. Political Structures Rome's political structures were cutting edge and in many ways ahead of their time. They vested real power in the hands of the people in a way that had rarely if ever been seen before; and did so in a way that struck a nearly perfect balance between stability and liberty (Bonta, par. 10). Rome "discovered a formula for limiting the power of government by dividing it among several different magistrates and elected bodies" and also "developed a code of written laws that defined and protected the rights of Roman citizens" (par. 10). These developments regarding separation of powers and personal liberty planted the seeds of political thought that served as the foundation of modern Western-style democracies. Roman citizens were genuinely empowered. They enjoyed an unprecedented degree of liberty that was protected by law, and had a hand in electing their government representatives. The satisfaction of common citizens with their representation in the government was a very important factor that led to the stability of the state. The masses, as a whole, felt politically content and this was a critical factor enabling the empire to evolve. Essentially, by giving people a stake in their political system, Rome ensured that it would not have to be distracted by the need to quell internal discontent, and could instead focus on external expansion. The problem for Rome was that these same political privileges were not afforded to many of those

European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

European Union - Essay Example European Union In this respects, each countries specializes in the production of good or services that are relatively economical and cheaper to produce then exchange their surplus with those of other countries with resources for the production of the alternatives. One of such trade groupings is the European Union (EU). The EU was formed with the aim of coordinating and regulating then economic and trading activities of the main European countries. Through this agency, all the trading and economic activities of the member countries are regulated by this body. This body was formed to oversee the leading economic growth and development of Europe. However, the formation of this body has impacted on the economic and industrial performance of many countries within Europe. Even with the growth and growth potential in Europe, the formation of this trade regulatory body has negatively affected the infant industries of the developing countries in Europe, with no economic bargaining power. This has limited their growth and trade development potential. Free trade refers to a government policy that helps to avoid discrimination against imports or any kind of interference with imports through application of tariffs to (imports) and/or subsidies to (exports). It aims at getting rid of unfair trade barriers in the global market plus aims at helping to raise the economy in both developed and developing countries. Free trade has highly devastated European industries and jobs at large. Free trade leads to adverse working conditions.

McDonald's No Longer the 'Great American Meal' Case Study

McDonald's No Longer the 'Great American Meal' - Case Study Example The company's rapid expansion (in the 1990s, McDonald's opened a new restaurant every eight hours) affected its food and service quality although these were supposed to be the McDonalds' selling points. In the 1990s, while competitors were coming up with new and healthier food options, McDonald's was still unable to produce truly innovative products as they were still thinking about how to sell more products rather than what they could sell to their customers. The lack in product innovation that did not help with marketing efforts, the company's franchisees sales were also affected as they could not keep up competitor offerings and the establishment of the Consortium hurt the dynamics of the franchise model. One area the increased fast food competition in the fast food industry affected McDonald's was through the company's price-based strategy. By marketing products below the cost to prepare the item, the company cannot sustain this tactical campaign for long if the competitors have a cost advantage. For marketing purposes, instead of promoting McDonald's new locations, the focus could be on customer demographics. For example, Burger King pursues promotional partnerships with Universal Studios and other production companies like AOL Time Warner and Dream Works because their core demographic includes young adults who enjoy movies and the entertainment industry.

Standardization of sodium hydroxide by ethanedioic acid solution Essay Example for Free

Standardization of sodium hydroxide by ethanedioic acid solution Essay Experiments: 1. Standardization of sodium hydroxide by ethanedioic acid solution 2. Determination of the concentration of commercial colourless vinegar Standardization of sodium hydroxide by ethanedioic acid Objective: To determine the molarity of sodium hydroxide. As the molarity of the sodium hydroxide is unknown, in order to standardize it, the concentration of the acid has to be known. Result: Titration Trial 1 2 3 4 Initial burette reading() 18. 33 8. 05 7. 52 8. 21. Final burette reading() 45. 48 36. 25 35. 79 36. 82 Volume of sodium hydroxide solution used() 27. 15(rejected) 28. 20 28. 27 28. 61 Average volume of sodium hydroxide solution used() 28. 36 Treatment for result: Molarity of the standard ethanedioic acid solution Mass of ethanedioic acid= 0. 8g Molar mass of ethanedioic acid= 2? (12+16+16+1) +2? (1+1+16) = 126 Number of mole of ethanedioic acid= 6. 35? Molarity of the ethanedioic acid= = 0. 025M Â  Molarity of the sodium hydroxide solution. Number of mole of 25. 0 ethanedioic acid= 6. 35 10 = 6. 35? Number of mole of sodium hydroxide = 6. 35 2 = 1. 27? Molarity of sodium hydroxide= 1. 27? = 0. 045M Determination of the concentration of commercial colourless vinegar Objective: The concentration of ethanoic acid in different brands of vinegar would be determined. As the compositions of vinegar in different brands are different, the highest concentration of ethanoic acid in the vinegar was said to be the best to buy. Result: Titration Trial 1 2 3 4 Initial burette reading() 5. 99 9. 28 8. 50 7. 05 Final burette reading() 20. 32 26. 22 25. 17 23. 86 Volume of sodium hydroxide solution used() 14. 33(rejected) 16. 94 16. 67 16. 80 Average volume of sodium hydroxide solution used() 16. 81 Treatment for result: * Concentration of ethanoic acid in the commercial vinegar(ShanTou) Number of mole of sodium hydroxide = 0. 045? 0. 01681 = 7. 56? ?Number of mole of ethanoic acid = 7. 56?

A Set Of Abnormal Psychology Cases Psychology Essay

A Set Of Abnormal Psychology Cases Psychology Essay In most cases psychologists draw their diagnostics by conducting an interview with their clients like the one conducted by Louise on Margaret. This is based on the fact that understanding ones problem from the horses mouth is easier. There are various factors that may be deduced from such an assessment. For example Louise was able to identify many changes that her client has undergone and the difficulty she faces in dealing with them. There are also social factors that can not be understood otherwise that impact greatly on many people with psychological disturbances. It was also as a result of this assessment that the client reported her recent memory loss that shows her awareness of her abnormal conditions. Therefore this assessment was meant to determine what ails Margaret and thereafter draw some useful therapies to help her go back to normalcy. In her conclusion Louise drew some conclusions concerning Margarets condition. Margaret reported some changes in her menstrual periods. She noticed a change in her moods which has partly contributed to her moodiness although this could be as a result of hormonal imbalance due to menopause considering Margarets age. Further, Louise underlined Margarets dealing with her son being away and her inaccessible daughter as she is too much preoccupied with her child. Margaret is diagnosed to be struggling with this change of life hence her condition. Louise also drew from Margaret that she has become frequently forgetful and she is aware of it. She is also aware of her change of mood and reaction towards her daughter which she does not want her to discover. This could be attributed to her general feeling of anger and loss thus; she has lost interest in life. This show of self awareness is depicted when Louise asked her about her anger towards her daughter. She burst to tears because Louise had discovered her true feelings towards her daughter which she was concealing. The reactions portrayed by Margaret during the assessment are the best example of another dimension of Margarets psychological assessment. Margaret portrays anger and sadness following her relation with her daughter. She believe that her daughter rushed into marriage and she is now less concerned about her. It was also concluded that due to pervasive anxiety she loses sleep, overeat, over drink, has spasmodic moods and memory distractions. As a result of this she has gained extra weight that she sees as part of her problem. In the Margarets assessment, psychological testing is vital because it would test her take on her condition. For example whether she appreciates change or to whom does she hold responsible for her condition. Self proclamation is important as it is out of such discussions that a professional draws conclusions on how to handle the situation. This is called mental status evaluation in which the coherence in thought is assessed. Due to her history of her family, she could be judged as having depression. Margarets father is reported to have died when she was three and this led to her mother being away from home most of the times. That could be the reason for her unconscious suppressed desire not to separate from her children. Physical screening for Margaret is necessary in order to diagnose various possible complications that may be evident as a result of the signs and symptoms she narrated. There are several problems that could be confirmed in the course of medical examination. Medical testing could rule out her biological hormonal imbalance following the previous hormonal test done to the patient. Considering her age and the frequent premenstrual moodiness, it is logical to rule out hormonal imbalances related to menopause. Possible complications for Margarets case include memory lapse due to memory losses witnessed and neurological malfunction. Physical examination may also be useful in confirming the reason for her overweight and the increased appetite that has devastated her sex life. Case study two: Lillian Case two illustrates Lillians defense in life where she draws confidence in herself by her personality disorder. Her defense of splitting is her major preoccupation in dealing with her situation. Right from the onset, she complains and enquires as to why her life is being made difficult by what she refers to as some idiot. What follows is a description of how other people have blocked her way always. Her description of the event that unfolded in the coffee line proves that she is the problem but her weaknesses are evident on her mistreatment and blame on others. This way according to her, she is not the problem, the problem is from without. Lillian is also very sensitive on matters of gender discrimination as she cites that her former boss treated her badly because she was a woman. She resorts to finding solution in the workers union. This is a commonsensical issue but she doesnt care anyway because she is not the problem. Her problem is proved further by the fact that she currently does a housekeeping job even after college education. Before this, she has gone down the stairs and lost six jobs in ten years. Her social life is limited to her drinking friends, unstable lasting sexual relationships with men she meets at the bar. She uses her drugs to soothe her nerves. This is helpful because it would be worse if she reduces herself to depression due to self blame. This is necessary from her point of view because she feels better about herself when she does so. Lillians constant anger in borderline personality disorder may be natural or inborn. History proves that Lillian even before her father died she would conflict with her mother where her father sided with her. This proves that she could have natural tendency to have bouts of anger. Her father could have been that kind as demonstrated by his support and siding with her in her row with her mother. If her father did not see any cause of hunger in her daughter both could have something shared. There is also a possibility that Lillians condition could be as a result of disappointment and many failures in life. Lillian has had a string of disappointment in her employment. She losses jobs and has plummeted to a position of a housekeeper. This could turn her to anger. In her social life, we are also told that she feels guilty often but her defense is her unconscious transfer of that blame to a second persons act. This way she is elated and soothed that she is clean. Therefore there is a possibility that Lillians anger could be both as result of some existential factors and inborn. Lillian border line personality disorder was depended on taking very many other factors constant. It was only drawn from her blame on others and dominance of anger fluctuations from hope to disappointments in relationships, workplace conflicts, drug use and lack of self appraisal. It never considered that this could be an inborn condition. There could also be a possibility that her condition is worsened by her drug use however mild. Differential analysis could therefore ignore some important parameters influencing some situation. Her antisocial personality disorder was ruled regardless of her self blame sometimes. She has failed to relate well with people at work, friends and even her mother because of this condition. This leads her to blaming everyone for some cause. For instance she feels her mother favors her siblings; she thinks her boss at work hates her because she is a woman and generally feels victimized by other peoples acts. Lillian justified her misbehavior as drug use as a response to the stress caused by other people who she finds as a problem. Lillians anxiety disorder is born of her desire to expect too much from others. She expected too much of a laxity from her boss that she had to be sacked. she expects too much from her mum and also from the society especially from the union representative and thus it is hard to avoid disappointments and disillusionments Case study three: Jim In Case three we are introduced to Jim and his situation that requires psychotherapy. A very good example of a vegetative sign of depression is his inability to sleep which is consistent. This is accompanied by his extreme feeling of despair and anxiety. Sigmund Freud, an expert in the field of psychoanalysis would analyze depression as anger turned against self. This can apply to Jim because he is blaming himself for ruining his girlfriends life when he abandoned her. There is also the issue of body and mind struggle. Normally the two entities coordinate harmoniously to produce the normalcy in life. However, his case is different with all the depression. His mind contemplates suicide in order to punish himself and as a result he has shed off much of his weight. Jims body and mind, as result of this struggle and depression are now enemies. Another struggle between his mind and body is seen whenever he comes up with a painting. He literally ends up destroying it. There is a contest and infighting of his mind and body and thus he poses the biggest danger to himself more than to anyone else. It is for this chief reason that the clinical findings prescribes that protective hospitalization is required until medication and psychotherapy work on him. A mood congruent delusion is a state where by some one is inconsistent in their usual mood that affects the reinterpretation of things in another way. For example Jim is not consistent in his former behavior when he started looking at himself as a destroyer. His way of perception changed as a result of his depression and self blame. He has conceptualized a world of depressed thoughts and thought patterns that are confirming his melancholy. Actually all what Jim ails from is anger. He is for sure angered at himself for ruining his girlfriends life. That is why he has had relentless attacks of himself resulting to depressed behavior, thought processes and mood fluctuation. There is some evidence of concealed anger in Jim. One reason he can conceal this is because he may have loved his girlfriend so much that hurting her would devastate him too. Secondly he sees himself as selfish when he turned down her request. He might have deep seated regrets as to why life let him meet a girl who did not understand him when he presented his case. He may conceal this because first he has himself to blame and has made out his decision though unconsciously to punish himself. This leads him to spend most time fantasizing his physical health and contemplating suicide. His dreams at night would reveal his concealed fears and desires as it is theorized by Sigmund Freud in his interpretation of dreams. From the onset, Jim was judge for himself and he declared his guilt and assigned himself punishments. He no longer finds need or pleasure in company. He spends time smoking cigarettes and thinking about his death. As a result of this self guilt, he has declined eating thus lost a good deal of weight. He has also undertaken unconscious self punishment of neglecting his hygiene and general normal life as he has imprisoned himself in bed where he buys a lot of time to think about his worthlessness and pain. Another punishment he has subjected himself to is to destroy his creativitys products. Whenever he does a work he destroys it at the end of the day. There is also psychological punishment where his conscious is always tormented by nightmares of some gruesome women attacking him and that reduces him to crying like a child. This can be associated by his suppressed desire to punish himself and whenever this happens Jim feels that his selflessness deserved punishment. Case four: Janet In the forth case, the precipitating stressor event that might have kicked of Janet schizophrenic episode can be noted from the history his parent gave. There was a time when she is reported to have scratched her wrist with a razor in an act that is termed as self destructing. Then there was her being separated from her family members who used to care and support her. There are other factors that are noted in her history to have been repressed causes. She is reported that from the time she was young the girl had been shy, socially awkward and sensitive. This historic evidence shows that she has had that condition but under the cause and understanding of her family members, it had been contained. Moreover when she was seven years she had gone slowed school. The family undertook a therapy that was corrective to the situation. In her adolescent she frequently argued with her mother although this can be attributed to hormonal changes that are experiences by many adolescents, the argument reportedly resulted to self harm. She was more provocative and worrisome although this behavior just popped in and disappeared later. Another behavior was that Jane would behave eccentrically as engaging in complex rituals to trigger her sleep. Sometimes she would not want to be seen eating, a clear indication of her psychosocial malfunctioning Another factor that may have triggered her condition may be was her roommates and new environment. She was, on joining college, introduced to an environment which she was not probably used to. She was then left to be controlled by her long encased schizophrenia. Janets primary delusion is her attempt to rescue herself from some inner dangers and fears. Her delusion interprets her parents and nurses as threat geared towards sabotaging her idealized salvation which is to be actualized through Dr. M. It started earlier when she would quarrel with her mother. At this age it did not come out clearly as at those formative stages her condition would retreat. Her confidence and overexcitement in justifying her condition is rife with evidence that she is no longer self sensitive. She fantasizes with Dr M whom she has assumed as a sole hope in bringing about salvation in the world. Her delusion has reduced the world to herself. To her, the world is under attack by same threatening unknown and can be saved only when her desire to unite with Dr. M come to a reality. This is her ultimate optimism and desire to be saved or reserved. Her delusion and hallucination fit together so that she misinterprets real life as attack. This can be traced back from when she was young. She could not understand her mother and they would pick quarrels that sometimes resorted to self destruction. The world she has been living is therefore not the real world. Her hallucinations are evident in the way she interprets Dr.M. She has conceived a Dr. M who is being blocked to reach her, even after she was instructed by a voice to merge with him and save the world. The mistaken sensory perceptions and the way she interprets reality as a threat makes the two to fit together to produce a kind of Janet we see. Her hospitalization saves her and others because she is a danger to others and her self. She has a terrifying intrinsic experiences described as command hallucinations. These hallucinations instruct her to do anything to herself and others. When she perceives everyone as a danger there is a possibility that she can attack anyone under the influence of her delusions. This can also be because her reality is faulty and her judging reality is misleading.

An Overview Of Semiotics And Structuralism Drama Essay

An Overview Of Semiotics And Structuralism Drama Essay In the early 20th Century Ferdinand de Saussure developed the linguistic theory of semiotics, the study of signs within language and the implications of these signs. This involved the analysis of words within texts but after development could be applied to all kinds of art, even paintings and music. The meanings and signs were discovered by studying why a word had been chosen over another, which in turn developed the idea of binary oppositions, for example it is cold because it is not hot. The signs within a text are differential, and it is important to study the relationship between the signs that are being given, and therefore in performance the audience are being sent many messages from what they perceive and this produces very complex layers of meanings as different signs connect with one another. Even seeing how the words are put together, particularly in old texts where the order is different to now, studying the sentences and which words are put with one another give a deeper meaning to the piece. Saussure introduced the idea of there being a signifier and signified to produce a sign. For example, the word tree would be a signifier, and then in the receivers mind they would produce their idea of a tree and this would be the signified, which when both are put together produce the sign of an actual tree. There are many interesting parts to this idea, for example the arbitrary state of these signs, in that there is no intrinsic link between signifier and signified (Culler, 20) as there is no clear reason why a tree is called a tree. Most words can be classed with this arbitrary argument (except onomatopoeia and words that are formed from two others, such as typewriter) and as a result what is further revealed is that because these words have no clear reason for use, everyone has their own interpretation. As a result different words mean different things to different people, and therefore one person may take a certain sign from an aspect of a piece, whereas another persons interpr etation could produce a completely separate sign from the same aspect. As there are so many cultures and no two people have the exact same experiences, each view of a piece will be very different. This does not make one readers interpretation more important, but in fact all signs picked up by all readers of the piece have to be taken into account, making it more complex than even just one person analysing it. Texts are made more complicated by the fact that they are diachronic, as they mean different things depending on when they are being read. For example, an ancient Greek play would have different meanings to it if seen by an ancient Greek in comparison to a contemporary audience. These contrasts in cultures add even more signs to a piece, as it is the differences between the views that show that one audience is missing a significant part of the meaning, and what this lack of meaning will mean as a result. Consequently it is important to acknowledge what would have been taken from the piece in its original time and place for cultural context. Theologists such as Charles Peirce produced another branch off these original ideas based on the idea of the arbitrary state, by analysing how arbitrary a signifier would be in relation to the sign. What he produced was three tiers symbols (such as a word) which were very arbitrary, indexes would be something more closely connected, (such as a musical note on paper) and icons were the least arbitrary, for example a photo or an actor playing a character. Even though this branched off from Saussures semiology ideas, what was important to take from it was that even if a signifier was an icon and was very close to the sign, still a sign stands for something which is not presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ thus reinforcing the absence and metaphysical hollowness that haunt all signification. (Fortier, 22) In light of this, the whole of reality is questioned as if everyones interpretation of a situation is different, and no sign is more valid than another, what truly is reality, when nobody has the sa me view? This is what semiotics takes on as it is used, as every little thing is an interpretation to somebody, and therefore it is hard to see where to stop analysing, leading to unlimited semiosis, (22) as either everything must have a meaning or nothing has. In light of this a performance can be analysed as soon as an audience enters the theatre space, if not earlier. Peirces ideas, though connected, did branch off significantly from Saussures original work, so for this essay Peirces work is acknowledged but Saussures work will be put into use more. From semiology, Roland Barthes saw the significance of interpretation and chose to take this further in his own studies as he developed what is now known as structuralism. In his ideas, he emphasised the Death of the Author: it is language which speaks, not the author; to write is, through a prerequisite impersonalityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to reach that point where only language acts, performs, and not me. (Barthes, Image, 143) In this light, the authors only function is to produce the text but the readers interpretation is that which brings the detail to the piece, activating jouissance, an orgasmic joy in the unbridled dissemination of meaning. (Fortier, 24) Similar to semiotics, the use of contrasting cultures can produce resistant reading in structuralism, for if a piece has been produced in the style of one cultures codes, reading it using the codes of a different culture means that the text can be read against itself. Codes were very important to Barthes, seen as cultural definitions, for example to the Western world a cow is often seen just as an animal that produces milk and beef, but to a Hindu culture cows are sacred, so even something as simple as this has hugely contrasting meanings to different cultures, and so codes are put into place to help with this analysis. In his work S/Z, Barthes produced five important Narrative Codes, which were: proairetic, which indicated actions; hermeneutic, providing suspense in questions within the text; cultural, using social norms to define information about characters, referencing outside the text to knowledge that should be common to certain cultures; semic or connotative, which detail characters through theme, connected to the final code, symbolic, which goes further than this to binary pairings and larger themes to create a more detailed image for the reader. (Barry, 51) It is clear that semiotics and structuralism overlap and connect with each other greatly and so can be used together in analysing a piece of text, artwork or similar. In their development it seems as if they fed off each other, each building on the same ideas and creating similar ideas. However the main difference appears to be that semiotics are very focused, studying in detail cultural inferences, whereas structuralism is much broader and looks more at the overall effects of the play. By understanding these systems and theories of how all aspects of a text are codes and symbols for the reader to interpret, they can then be used on a play, such as the medieval play Everyman. Written in the late 15th Century, it is generally thought that this plays origin is the Dutch play Elckerlijc, written about the same time (Patterson, 142). Interestingly in the idea of the Death of the Author, the author is unknown for this piece. As a result any personal influences are immediately ruled out an d simply the readers interpretation can be focused on. In this play, Everyman is preparing to die after a visit from Death, and so asks different allegorical figures to join him on his journey to his final resting place. All of these figures represent certain characteristics of humans, such as Goods, Kindness or Strength, but are vividly fleshed out, for the playwright gives these characters traits and behaviours that make them powerfully real and recognizable as individuals on the stage rather than as abstract moral emblems. (Worthen, 236) As a result the use of gestures and the language style that each character uses would emphasise these traits or attributes, and so semiotics can be used to analyse these in detail. Sadly in this text there are very limited stage directions as with most pieces of that era, so much of the work has to be found within the text itself. This reminds us that a play text is arguably not complete in its own state, as it is simply a tool to be used to produce a performance. In medieval times God was much more prominent than nowadays, and so for God to appear in a play in such a way would have had a significant impact on the audience as a true moral lesson in the dwindling ways of peoples behaviour. However in contemporary audiences who are much more atheist, the full significance of the situation may be lost, as an afterlife is believed in less and less, so this means that the moral must come out of not the religious side of the play but of the morals, to simply encourage people to be better in their way of living rather than to emphasise the preparation of arriving at heavens doors. God, in this play, only appears at the beginning of the play to send Death on his mission but as he is the first proper character to appear his moment is made even more prominent. What is notable about the version in Pattersons Wadsworth Anthology is that when God finishes speaking he withdraws (line 71) whereas all other characters such as Death exit (183). This contrast in word choice implies that God never truly exits, and is therefore still involved in the action on stage, a very subtle religious message to the audience that God is always watching. The text also suggests something about the character of God, as he says they forget clean (30) and clean forsake me (35). Using the word clean as he describes sinners is very symbolic as it reflects Gods willingness to forgive and see people as naturally good people who are corrupted, but the cleanliness of their souls is still evident. In contrast to God, Deaths language seems simpler and more to the point when speaking to him, as he takes no time to talk about himself but offers himself up fully for Gods will: Your commandment to fulfill (65). An audiences first view of this character would see a very obedient character that was sudden and swift, which portrays death in reality, which is often sudden and sharp, striking at an unexpected moment. Already within the first 70 lines the reader has experienced very powerful messages, some of which may have only been absorbed subconsciously but will be brought up constantly throughout the play. Everyman, the human representative in the play, is very interesting to study. He gives off a style of conversation that is very hermeneutic, constantly asking questions until he finally gets the answers he needs. His inquisition suggests that he is very confused and startled by the appearance of Death, as would any human, as well as doubtful of what is happening. However as soon as he understands he seems sorrowful and it is clear that he does believe what he is being told by Death as the questions become less frequent. Sadly though, he seems naÃÆ' ¯ve of reality, saying Death giveth no warning! (132) but this seems foolish as death never gives warnings in real life. His fear of death is shown through his desperation, as he offers Death a thousand pounds if his fate could be delayed, again a sign of naivety. Overall this seems to represent a man who does have faith, who is naturally good, but who has got lost in life and has been distracted by worldly things rather than higher mea nings. On line 184, Everyman says Alas, I may weep with sighs deep! This is a very poetic moment as there is an internal rhyme and a true rhythm to the line, and we can learn a lot just from these words. It gives a general feeling of true sorrow, emphasised by Alas but he also seems a softened character, by the use of weep. Where sob or cry may have been used, the author has provided us with a softer sounding word that creates poetry. The beautiful result is that of grace and compassion, and so the reader feels for and relates closely to the character of Everyman, which is obviously the point of the play. We, as readers, then experience the arrival of the first moral figure Fellowship. Death has just left but clearly the impending doom still lingers in the air, as Fellowship even though oblivious to the recent events uses many words connected to death, such as lifes end (213), die (220), say no more (223) and hell (232). This could be seen as dramatic irony, as these words would sting Everyman because of his most recent experience. As a character he is very friendly and his first words on line 206 (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦good morrow, by this day!) are of enthusiasm and amity. These emphasised, optimistic words suggest that Everyman will be safe after all, and Fellowship vows his companionship to Everyman with words suggesting he would die for the friendship, wanting nothing in return. However in discovery of what is needed, Fellowship fails Everyman and refuses to commit to the journey, even in true friendship. This seems like a comment on human actions, questioning whether all humans are li ke Fellowship, willing to be dedicated and loyal until a true time of need comes and we have to sacrifice something important to ourselves. The despair that comes over Everyman in realisation of the fleeting, worthless relationship would resonate throughout an audience as they realise their own decisions in life. Many of the characters are like this, giving Everyman hope at first but letting him down at the true moment of need. Even Five Wits, Beauty, Discretion and Strength, who all appear to be dedicated to him, fail him at the moment when he reaches the grave. All of these are comments on human observations, as we fail one another in the same way and depend on the wrong things in life. Strength is a very interesting character to analyse as every time he speaks he uses several proairetic words, for example We will bring him all thither, / To his help and comfort, ye may believe me (lines 675-6). This suggests that this strength is to represent both mental and physical strength, as his words are active as well as emotive, as help and comfort have dual functions. The physical aspect is emphasised by reference to Judas Maccabaeus, a Jewish historical warrior, so there is a true feeling of fighting and power which is encouraged further by his words such as in battle fight on the ground (685). H owever, as Strength leaves, it reflects on how fear would overpower Everyman at this point, finally coming to terms with his mortality and feebleness as a human as well as despairing in his inevitable fate. Knowledge, on the other hand, is the figure that saves and guides Everyman in the end. He acts as a helping hand to the protagonist, as he can give him information and provide logic and clear decisions, such as suggesting the visit to Confession. This pushes Everyman forward where he may have been lost before, having not thought to call on Knowledge but was suggested by Good Deeds. This is used within the text to show how when fear arrives, humans struggle to focus and think logically, so the arrival of Knowledge is vital to Everymans continued journey, who soon realises the value of this companion and depends on him: give me cognition (538) so the message of the true worth of knowledge is passed on to the readers. Our final character contact is that of the Doctor, who sums up the whole significance of the tale for the reader. In reality a doctor is a scientific, logical person who can be trusted and is responsible for saving others, so the image of a doctor at the end is very official and makes the meaning that more important to listen to. Stating the point of the play very clearly, he addresses the audience directly (ye hearers, line 903), drawing in the spectators to emphasise the connection between Everyman and every man. He stresses the importance of understanding the moral of the play by saying take it of worth (903) while the word worth plays on the idea of our true values in life and what things are really worth to us. This play has constant religious intonations throughout, a significant example is that it opens with the words I pray and the last line says Amen. This is suggesting that the whole text is a prayer, from start to finish. Additional to this is the constant references to Jesus such as on lines 751 and 894 as well as a variety of other religious figures, which supports the theory that a monk or cleric wrote it. (Patterson, 236) Furthermore, the use of the Angel who uses very soft sounds rather than having words chosen with sharp endings or harsh starts, we get a very peaceful feeling of this character as appears only briefly and suggests a soothing impact on our Everyman. Overall, by analysis we can see deeper emphasises of the various figures and their significance within this story as well as the story of life. Semiosis and structuralism allow us to question words with a more scientific mind to see hidden layers of meaning, giving the whole play a stronger feeling of implication on ou r own life. The author, although unknown, may have written it as a message on his own views, or may have been channelling a message from above, but whether in text or performance the reader is taught that this life is fleeting and we must not hesitate to discover our true priorities on Earth.

Irish Stereotypes Essay -- Ireland Stereotype Irish Culture Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Irish people have been on the receiving end of many racial stereotypes. When they migrated to America because of lack of jobs, poor living conditions, and many other reasons they were treated as the lowest member of the social class. They were given jobs that were thought to be too unsafe for blacks to carry out because the loss of a slave was an out of pocket expense (Kinsella, 2002). But The Irish were not only discriminated against in America, but in their own country as well, and England. And in the book written by Frank McCourt, he really focuses on the Irish stereotypes. But did it affect Frank when he was growing up, and why were the Irish discriminated so much by the use of these stereotypes?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Irish families immigrated to the United States because there were no j...

Constitutional Framers Essay -- American History, Washington D.C.

The Constitutional Framers envisioned a national government that, like Plato’s cave, would be â€Å"at a distance and out of sight† of the everyday affairs and thoughts of ordinary Americans. They had envisioned Washington D.C. to be a cultural mecca on par with the capitals of European nations, both economically and socially. The reality of the Washington Community was a disaster compared to the lofty ambitions of the founding fathers; a desolate purgatory to be endured. The socially and economically barren capital combined Spartan living conditions with isolation. High turnover was prevalent in both the house and senate; a disappointment to the Federalists who had hoped for institutional memory within congress. Instead of creating the new form of â€Å"national† and â€Å"long term† thinking by men of prominence, congressmen turned to fellow members of boarding houses for a sense of legitimacy and guidance. Boarding houses were organized along regi onal lines and served to enforce differences between geographical communities; the isolation the founders had hoped would lead to a unique national identity inadvertently strengthened regional ties. The Framers had to isolate the Washington community; removing congressmen from the outside influence of state politics would protect against corruption. â€Å"From this time until the objective was realized, it was never seriously disputed that the government ought to have a home and to wield sole authority over the environs; and when Congress at last reached its permanent abode in Washington, that body showed how dearly it prized its freedom from local interference by refusing the District’s citizenry the right of formal participation in not only national but also state government† (Young, p.96).... ...ir extra official life their constitutional separation in official life† (Young, p. 120). In the early Washington community, the framers achieved isolation but this did not produce the anticipated result of national mind set and body of thought. Rather than elevating the nation’s leaders to a place of prominence, the Washington Community provided no sense of legitimacy. Barbaric conditions and isolation reinforced regional ties; congressmen generally endured a single term before returning to the prestigious and considerably more comfortable job of state politics. Rather than motived by legacy, congressional terms seemed a hardship everyone was eventually forced endure at some point in their political career. The Constitutional Framers succeeded in some aspects but their vision was circumvented by the wasteland which served as the new nation’s capital.

Marketing Case Study

CASE 4? 6 Making Socially Responsible and Ethical Strategic decisions move a company toward its stated goals and perceived success. Strategic decisions also re? ect the ? rm’s social responsibility and the ethical values on which such decisions are made. They re? ect what is considered important and what a company wants to achieve. Mark Pastin, writing on the function of ethics in business decisions, observes: There are fundamental principles, or ground rules, by which organizations act. Like the ground rules of individuals, organizational ground rules determine which actions are possible for the organization and what the actions mean. Buried beneath the charts of organizational responsibility, the arcane strategies, the crunched numbers, and the political intrigue of every ? rm are sound rules by which the game unfolds. The following situations re? ect different decisions made by multinational ? rms and governments and also re? ect the social responsibility and ethical values underpinning the decisions. Study the following situations in the global cigarette marketplace carefully and assess the ground rules that guided the decisions of ? rms and governments. Marketing Decisions: Selling Tobacco to Third World Countries expanding market. As an example, Indonesia’s per capita cigarette consumption quadrupled in less than ten years. Increasingly, cigarette advertising on radio and television is being restricted in some countries, but other means of promotion, especially to young people, are not controlled. China, with more than 300 million smokers, produces and consumes about 1. 4 trillion cigarettes per year, more than any other country in the world. Estimates are that China has more smokers than the United States has people. Just 1 percent of that 1. 4 trillion cigarette market would increase a tobacco company’s overseas sales by 15 percent and would be worth as much as $300 million in added revenue. American cigarette companies have received a warm welcome in Russia, where at least 50 percent of the people smoke. Consumers are hungry for most things Western, and tobacco taxes are low. Unlike in the United States and other countries that limit or ban cigarette advertising, there are few effective controls on tobacco products in Russia. Russia, the world’s fourth largest cigarette market, has proved to be an extremely pro? table territory for British American Tobacco (BAT). BAT Russia, established in 1949, sold 65 billion cigarettes in Russia in 2005, giving it almost one? fth of market share. EXPORTING U. S. CIGARETTE CONSUMPTION In the United States, 600 billion cigarettes are sold annually, but sales are shrinking rapidly. Unit sales have been dropping about 1 to 2 percent a year, and sales have been down by almost 5 percent in the last six years. The U. S. Surgeon General’s campaign against smoking, higher cigarette taxes, non-smoking rules in public areas, and the concern Americans have about general health have led to the decline in tobacco consumption. Faced with various class-action lawsuits, the success of states in winning lawsuits, and pending federal legislation, tobacco companies have stepped up their international marketing activities to maintain pro? ts. Even though companies have agreed to sweeping restrictions in the United States on cigarette marketing and secondhand smoke and to bolder cancer-warning labels, they are ? hting as hard as ever in the Third World to convince the media, the public, and policymakers that similar changes are not needed. In seminars at luxury resorts worldwide, tobacco companies invite journalists, all expenses paid, to participate in programs that play down the health risks of smoking. It is hard to gauge the in? uence of such seminars, but in the Philippines, a government plan to reduce smoking by children was â€Å"neutralized† by a public relations campaign from cigarette companies to remove â€Å"cancer awareness and prevention† as a â€Å"key concern. A slant in favor of the tobacco industry’s point of view seemed to prevail. At a time when most industrialized countries are discouraging smoking, the tobacco industry is avidly courting consumers throughout the developing world using catchy slogans, obvious image campaigns, and single-cigarette sales that ? t a hard-pressed customer’s budget. The reason is clear: The Third World is an ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION In Gambia, smokers send in cigarette box tops to qualify for a chance to win a new car. In Argentina, smoking commercials ? ll 20 percent of television advertising time. And in crowded African cities, billboards that link smoking to the good life tower above the sweltering shantytowns. Such things as baby clothes with cigarette logos, health warnings printed in foreign languages, and tobaccosponsored contests for children are often featured in tobacco ads in Third World countries. Latin American tobacco consumption rose by more than 24 percent over a ten-year period. Critics claim that sophisticated promotions in unsophisticated societies entice people who cannot afford the necessities of life to spend money on a luxury—and a dangerous one at that. The sophistication theme runs throughout the smoking ads. In Kinshasa, Zaire, billboards depict a man in a business suit stepping out of a black Mercedes as a chauffeur holds the door. In Nigeria, promotions for Graduate brand cigarettes show a university student in his cap and gown. Those for Gold Leaf cigarettes have a barrister in a white wig and the slogan, â€Å"A very important cigarette for very important people. † In Kenya, a magazine ad for Embassy cigarettes shows an elegant executive of? cer with three young men and women equivalent to American yuppies. The most disturbing trend in developing countries is advertising that associates tobacco with American af? uence and culture. Some women in Africa, in their struggle for women’s rights, de? antly smoke cigarettes as a symbol of freedom. Billboards all over Russia feature pictures of skyscrapers and white sandy beaches and slogans like â€Å"Total Freedom† or â€Å"Rendezvous with America. † They aren’t advertising foreign travel but American cigarette brands. Cases 4 Developing Global Marketing Strategies Every cigarette manufacturer is in the image business, and tobacco companies say their promotional slant is both reasonable and common. They point out that in the Third World a lot of people cannot understand what is written in the ads anyway, so the ads zero in on the more understandable visual image. â€Å"In most of the world, the Marlboro Man isn’t just a symbol of the Wild West; he’s a symbol of the West. † â€Å"You can’t convince people that all Americans don’t smoke. † In Africa, some of the most effective advertising includes images of af? uent white Americans with recognizable landmarks, such as the New York City skyline, in the background. In much of Africa, children as young as ? e are used to sell single cigarettes, affordable to other children, to support their own nicotine habits. Worldwide nearly one-fourth of all teenage smokers smoked their ? rst cigarette before they were 10 years old. The scope of promotional activity is enormous. In Kenya, a major tobacco company is the fourth-largest advertiser. Tobaccosponsored lotteries bolster sales in some countries by offering as prizes expensive goods that are beyond most people’s budgets. Gambia has a population of just 640,000, but a tobacco company lottery attracted 1. million entries (each sent in on a cigarette box top) when it raf? ed off a Renault car. Evidence is strong that the strategy of tobacco companies is to target young people as a means of expanding market demand. Report after report reveals that adolescents receive cigarettes free as a means of promoting the product. For example, in Buenos Aires, a Jeep decorated with the yellow Camel logo pulls up in front of a high school. The driver, a blond woman wearing khaki safari gear, begins handing out free cigarettes to 15- and 16-year-olds on lunch recess. Teens visiting MTV’s Web sites in China, Germany, India, Poland, and Latin America were given the chance to click on a banner ad that led them to a questionnaire about their exposure to cigarette ads and other marketing tools in their countries. Some 10,000 teens responded to the banner ads. â€Å"In the past week, more than 62 percent of teenagers in these countries have been exposed to tobacco advertising in some form,† the 17-year-old SWAT (Students Working against Tobacco) chairman told Reuters. The tobacco companies learned that marketing to teens and kids worked in this country, but since they can’t do it here anymore, they’ve taken what they learned to other countries. † At a video arcade in Taipei, free American cigarettes are strewn atop each game. â€Å"As long as they’re here, I may as well try one,† says a high school girl. In Malaysia, Gila-Gila, a comic book popular with elementary school students, carries a Lucky Strike a d. Attractive women in cowboy out? ts regularly meet teenagers going to rock concerts or discos in Budapest and hand them Marlboros. Those who accept a light on the spot also receive Marlboro sunglasses. According to the American Lung Association Tobacco Policy Trend Alert, the tobacco industry is offering candy-? avored cigarettes in an attempt to continue to target teens. 1 Advertising and promotion of these products uses hip-hop imagery, attractive women, and other imagery to appeal to youth in similar ways that Joe Camel did a decade ago. Marketing efforts for candy-? avored cigarettes came after the Master Settlement Agreement prohibited tobacco companies from using cartoon characters to sell cigarettes. Researchers recently released the results of several surveys that showed that 20 percent of smokers ages 17 to 19 smoked ? avored cigarettes, while only 6 percent of smokers ages 17 to 20 did. In Russia, a U. S. cigarette company sponsors disco parties where thousands of young people dance to booming music. Admission is the purchase of one pack of cigarettes. At other cigarettesponsored parties, attractive women give cigarettes away free. In many countries, foreign cigarettes have a status image that also encourages smoking. A 26-year-old Chinese man says he switched from a domestic brand to Marlboro because â€Å"You feel a higher social position† when you smoke foreign cigarettes. â€Å"Smoking is a sign of luxury in the Czech Republica as well as in Russia and other Eastern countries,† says an executive of a Czech tobacco ? rm that has a joint venture with a U. S. company. â€Å"If I can smoke Marlboro, then I’m a well-to-do man. † The global tobacco companies insist that they are not attempting to recruit new smokers. They say they are only trying to encourage smokers to switch to foreign brands. The same number of cigarettes are consumed whether American cigarettes or not,† was the comment of one executive. Although cigarette companies deny they sell higher tar and nicotine cigarettes in the Third World, one British tobacco company does concede that some of its brands sold in developing countries contain more tar and nicotine than those sold in the United States and Europe. A recent study found three major U. S. brands with ? lters had 17 milligrams of tar in the United States, 22. 3 in Kenya, 29. 7 in Malaysia, and 31. 1 in South Africa. Another brand with ? ters had 19. 1 milligrams of tar in the United States, 28. 8 in South Africa, and 30. 9 in the Philippines. The ? rm says that Third World smokers are used to smoking their own locally made product, which might have several times more tar and nicotine. Thus, the ? rm leaves the tar- and nicotine-level decisions to its foreign subsidiaries, who tailor their products to local tastes. C. Everett Koop, the retired U. S. Surgeon General, was quoted in a recent news conference as saying, â€Å"Companies’ claims that science cannot say with certainty that tobacco causes cancer were ? t-footed lies† and that â€Å"sending cigarettes to the Third World was the export of death, disease, and disability. † An Oxford University epidemiologist has estimated that, because of increas ing tobacco consumption in Asia, the annual worldwide death toll from tobaccorelated illnesses will more than triple over the next two decades. Perhaps 100 million people died prematurely during the 20th century as a result of tobacco, making it the leading preventable cause of death and one of the top killers overall. According to the World Health Organization, ach year smoking causes 4 million deaths globally, and it expects the annual toll to rise to 10 million in 2030. GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT Third World governments often stand to pro? t from tobacco sales. Brazil collects 75 percent of the retail price of cigarettes in taxes, some $100 million a month. The Bulgarian state-owned tobacco company, Bulgartabac, contributes almost $30 million in taxes to the government annually. Bulgartabac is a major exporter of cigarettes to Russia, exporting 40,000 tons of cigarettes annually. Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s largest cash crop. One news report from a Zimbabwe newspaper reveals strong support for cigarette companies. â€Å"Western anti-tobacco lobbies demonstrate unbelievable hypocrisy,† notes one editorial. â€Å"It is relatively easy to sit in Washington or London and prattle on about the so-called evils of smoking, but they are far removed from the day-to-day grind of earning a living in the Third World. † It goes on to comment that it doesn’t dispute the fact that smoking is addictive or that it may cause diseases, but â€Å"smoking does not necessarily lead to certain 1 See â€Å"From Joe Camel to Kauai Kolada—The Marketing of Candy-Flavored Cigarettes,† http://lungusa. org. Part 6 Supplementary Material 350 million smokers, China has 50 million more cigarette buyers than the U. S. has people, according to Euromonitor. While smoking rates in developed countries have slowly declined, they have shot up dramatically in some developing counties where PMI is a major player. These include Pakistan (up 42 percent since 2001), Ukraine (up 36 percent), and Argentina (up 18 percent). death. Nor is it any more dangerous than other habits. Unfortunately, tobacco smoking has attracted the attention of a particularly â€Å"sanctimonious, meddling sector of society. They would do better to keep their opinions to themselves. † Generally, smoking is not a big concern of governments beset by debt, internal con? ict, drought, or famine. It is truly tragic, but the worse famine becomes, the more people smoke—just as with war, when people who are worried want to smoke. â€Å"In any case,† says one representative of an international tobacco company, â€Å"People in developing countries don’t have a long enough life expectancy to worry about smoking-related problems. You can’t turn to a guy who is going to die at age 40 and tell him that he might not live up to 2 years extra at age 70. † As for promoting cigarettes in the Third World, â€Å"If there is no ban on TV advertising, then you aren’t going to be an idiot and impose restrictions on yourself,† says the representative, â€Å"and likewise, if you get an order and you know that they’ve got money, no one is going to turn down the business. † Cigarette companies ? gure China’s self-interest will preserve its industry. Tobacco provides huge revenues for Beijing because all tobacco must be sold through the China National Tobacco Company monopoly. Duty on imported cigarettes is nearly 450 percent of their value. Consequently, tobacco is among the central government’s biggest source of funding, accounting for more than $30 billion in income in 2005. China is also a major exporter of tobacco. ANTISMOKING PROMOTIONS Since the early 1990s, multinational tobacco companies have promoted â€Å"youth smoking prevention† programs as part of their â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility† campaigns. The companies have partnered with third-party allies in Latin America, most notably nonpro? t educational organizations and education and health ministries to promote youth smoking prevention. Even though there is no evidence that these programs reduce smoking among youths, they have met the industry’s goal of portraying the companies as concerned corporate citizens. In fact, a new study proves that youth smoking prevention ads created by the tobacco industry and aimed at parents actually increase the likelihood that teens will smoke. The study, â€Å"Impact of Televised Tobacco Industry Smoking Prevention Advertising on Youth Smoking-Related Beliefs, Intentions and Behavior,† published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, sought to understand how the tobacco industry uses â€Å"youth smoking prevention† programs in Latin America. Tobacco industry documents, so-called social reports, media reports, and material provided by Latin American public health advocates were all analyzed. The study is the ? rst to examine the speci? c effect of tobacco company parent-focused advertising on youth. It found that ads that the industry claims are aimed at preventing youth from smoking actually provide no bene? t to youth. In fact, the ads that are created for parental audiences but also are seen by teens are associated with stronger intentions by teens to smoke in the future. Brazil has the world’s strictest governmental laws against smoking, consisting of highly visible antismoking campaigns, severe controls on advertising, and very high tax rates on smoking products. Despite these obstacles, the number of smokers in Brazil continues to grow. In 2006, there were approximately 44 million smokers in the country, up from 38 million in 1997. Factors driving this trend include the low price of cigarettes, which are among the lowest in the world; the easy access to tobacco products; and the actions taken by the powerful tobacco companies to slow down antismoking legislation in Brazil. FOCUS ON DEVELOPING MARKETS Lawsuits, stringent legislation against advertising, laws restricting where people can smoke, and other antismoking efforts on the part of governments have caused tobacco companies to intensify their efforts in those markets where restrictions are fewer and governments more friendly. As part of a strategy to increase its sales in the developing world, Philip Morris International (PMI) was spun off from Philip Morris USA in 2008 to escape the threat of litigation and government regulation in the United States. The move frees the tobacco giant’s international operations of the legal and public-relations headaches in the United States that have hindered its growth. Its practices are no longer constrained by American public opinion, paving the way for broad product experimentation. A new product, Marlboro Intense, is likely to be part of an aggressive blitz of new smoking products PMI will roll out around the globe. The Marlboro Intense cigarette has been shrunk down by about a half inch and offers smokers seven potent puffs apiece, versus the average of eight or so milder draws. The idea behind Intense is to appeal to customers who, due to indoor smoking bans, want to dash outside for a quick nicotine hit but don’t always ? nish a full-size cigarette. The CEO of PMI says there are â€Å"possibly 50 markets that are interested in deploying Marlboro Intense. † Other product innovations include sweet-smelling cigarettes that contain tobacco, cloves and ? voring—with twice the tar and nicotine levels of a conventional U. S. cigarette. Marlboro Mix 9, a high-nicotine, high-tar cigarette launched in Indonesia in 2007, and a clove-infused Mix 9 will be exported to other southeast Asian markets next. Another iteration of the Marlboro brand, the Marlboro Filter Plus, is being sold in South Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. It touts a special ? lter made of carbon, cellulose ac etate, and a tobacco plug that the company claims lowers the tar level while giving smokers a smoother taste. One of PMI’s immediate goals is to harness the huge potential of China’s smoking population, as well as some of that country’s own brands, which it has agreed to market worldwide. With some ASSESSING THE ETHICS OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS Ethical decision making is not a simplistic â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† determination. Ethical ground rules are complex, tough to sort out and to prioritize, tough to articulate, and tough to use. The complexity of ethical decisions is compounded in the international setting, which comprises different cultures, different perspectives of right and wrong, different legal requirements, and different goals. Clearly, when U. S. companies conduct business in an international setting, the ground rules become further complicated by the values, customs, traditions, ethics, and goals of the host countries, which each have developed their own ground rules for conducting business. Three prominent American ethicists have developed a framework to view the ethical implications of strategic decisions by American Cases 4 Developing Global Marketing Strategies ? rms. They identify three ethical principles that can guide American managers in assessing the ethical implications of their decisions and the degree to which these decisions re? ct these ethical principles or ground rules. They suggest asking, â€Å"Is the corporate strategy acceptable according to the following ethical ground rules? † These questions can help uncover the ethical ground rules embedded in the tobacco consumption situation described in this case. These questions lead to an ethical analysis of the degree to which this str ategy is bene? cial or harmful to the parties and, ultimately, whether it is a â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† strategy, or whether the consequences of this strategy are ethical or socially responsible for the parties involved. These ideas are incorporated in the decision tree in Exhibit 1. Principles Utilitarian ethics (Bentham, Smith) Question Does the corporate strategy optimize the â€Å"common good† or bene? ts of all constituencies? Does the corporate strategy respect the rights of the individuals involved? Does the corporate strategy respect the canons of justice or fairness to all parties? Rights of the parties (Kant, Locke) Justice or fairness (Aristotle, Rawls) Exhibit 1 A Decision Tree for Incorporating Ethical and Social Responsibility Issues into Multinational Business Decisions Does the decision efficiently optimize the common good or benefits of: THE BUSINESS FIRM? Stockholders Management Profits Growth Other SOCIETY? Culture Order Justice â€Å"The good life† Other THE ECONOMY? THE INDIVIDUAL? Economic growth Freedom Allocation of resources Health and welfare Production and distribution Self-realization of goods and services Human dignity Other Opportunity Other YES NO YES Are there critical factors that justify suboptimizing these goals and satisfactions? NO Does the decision respect the rights of individuals involved? YES NO Reject Decision YES Are there critical factors that justify the abrogation of a right? NO Does the corporate decision respect the canons of justice or fairness to all parties involved? YES YES NO Reject Decision Are there critical factors that justify the violation of a canon of justice? NO Accept Decision Reject Decision Part 6 Supplementary Material See www. who. int, the World Health Organization’s Web site, for more details regarding the current tobacco controversy. See also www. getswat. com for a worldwide student initiative against smoking. Laczniak and Naor discuss the complexity of international ethics or, more precisely, the ethical assumptions that underlie strategic decisions for multinationals. 2 They suggest that multinationals can develop consistency in their policies by using federal law as a baseline for appropriate behavior as well as respect for the host country’s general value structure. They conclude with four recommendations for multinationals: 1. Expand codes of ethics to be worldwide in scope. 2. Expressly consider ethical issues when developing worldwide corporate strategies. . If the ? rm encounters major ethical dilemmas, consider withdrawal from the problem market. 4. Develop periodic ethics-impact statements, including impacts on host parties. 2 QUESTIONS 1. Use the model in Exhibit 1 as a guide and assess the ethical and social responsibility implications of the situations described. 2. Can you recommend alternative strategies or solutions to the dilemmas confronting the tobacco companies? To governments? What is the price of ethical behavior? 3. Should the U. S. government support U. S. tobacco company interests abroad? . Should a company be forced to stop marketing a product that is not illegal, such as cigarettes? Gene R. Laczniak and Jacob Naor, â€Å"Global Ethics: Wrestling with the Corporate Conscience,† Business, July–September 1985. Sources: â€Å"Smoke Over the Horizon; U. S. Gains in Tobacco Control Are Being Offset Internationally,† The Washington Post, July 23, 2006; â€Å"Death and Taxes: England Has Become the Latest in a Series of Countries to Vote for Restrictions on Smoking in Public Places,† Financial Management (UK), April 1, 2006; â€Å"Trick or Treat? Tobacco Industry Prevention Ads Don’t Help Curb Youth Smoking,† PR Newswire, October 31, 2006; â€Å"China Exclusive: China, With One Third of World’s Smokers, Promises a ‘Non-Smoking’ Olympics,† Xinhua News Agency, May 29, 2006; â€Å"Tobacco Consumption and Motives for Use in Mexican University Students,† Adolescence, June 22, 2006; â€Å"A Change in the Air: Smoking Bans Gain Momentum Worldwide,† Environmental Health Perspectives, August 1, 2007; â€Å"Adams Won’t Kick the BAT Habit: The Head of British American Tobacco Is Stoical About the Looming Ban on Smoking in Public Spaces: BAT will Adapt,† The Sunday Telegraph London, June 10, 2007; â€Å"Heart Disease, Stroke Plague Third World,† Associated Press (Online), April 4, 2006; â€Å"Get a Detailed Picture of the Tobacco Industry in Brazil,† M2 Press Wire, December 20, 2007; Vanessa O’Connell, â€Å"Philip Morris Readies Global Tobacco Blit z; Division Spin-off Enables Aggressive Product Push; High-Tar Smokes in Asia,† The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2008; â€Å"The Global Tobacco Threat,† The New York Times, February 19, 2008; â€Å"How to Save a Billion Lives; Smoking,† The Economist (London,) February 9, 2008; â€Å"Whether Here or There, Cigarettes Still Kill People,† The Wall Street Journal, February 4, 2008. Marketing Case Study 1. When 7-UP introduced itself into the soft drink industry, they were generally thought of by consumers as a company that produced a clear soft drink for mixing alcoholic beverages.   After conducting extensive research, 7-UP found that colas were the best-selling category in the soft drink industry.   7-UP then repositioned itself in the market by introducing the slogan, â€Å"7-UP, the uncola.†Ã‚   This repositioning allowed them to take third place in the market, after Coca Cola and Pepsi, and also allowed for growth and gains over competitors in the lemon-lime category of soft drinks.   In addition, 7-UP differentiates itself from other soft drink manufacturers in several ways.   Within the lemon-lime category, 7-UP has introduced a new tagline, â€Å"all things in green bottles are not the same.†Ã‚   This tagline is meant to differentiate 7-UP from Sprite and Sierra Mist.   Two other new taglines will include â€Å"for less sweet, syrupy taste, the only way to go is Up† and â€Å"When you add it all up, the only way to go is Up† (Wikipedia).2. 7-UP was able to change consumer behavior by using psychology and working with the concept that everyone wants to be an individual.   When introducing the â€Å"uncola† tagline, 7-UP based this introduction on consumer research.   Purchasing and consuming Coke and Pepsi were part of going along with the group since many people were purchasing those products at the time.   Introducing 7-UP as the â€Å"uncola† brought to mind a sense of individuality for consumers.   The 7-UP marketing executives put the idea in their heads that purchasing and consuming 7-UP products would make them stand out from the crowd.   7-UP has continued this tradition of changing consumer behavior since that time.The company hopes to change consumer behavior in the twenty-first century by introducing a product called 7-UP Plus.   This product will create a whole new category wit hin the soft drink industry, as it is going to be sold as a soft drink with added nutritional value.   Again, 7-UP is basing the introduction of this product on consumer trends and research.   Due to the obesity epidemic in America, combined with raised health awareness on the part of many men and women, 7-UP will be introducing this reduced sugar product with added vitamins and minerals.   Introducing this product shows that 7-UP is on top of trends in consumer spending and, by introducing this product, the executives may be able to change consumer behavior from purchasing sugar-laden soft drinks with empty calories to purchasing a less sweetened product with vitamins and minerals that are needed to fuel the human body (Dillon).3.   Like any company, 7-UP has had many successes and failures throughout its history.   In the initial stages of the company, there were 600 lemon-lime beverages competing for market share with 7-UP.   7-UP was able to survive and rise to the t op of the market by successfully becoming one of the first lemon-lime soft drinks to be nationally distributed. 7-UP also floundered in the soft drink market due to poor marketing.   Originally, the soft drink was a means of calming children with upset stomachs.   Later, it became a mixer for alcoholic beverages.   Because 7-UP was thought of as a bartending mixer and not an individual beverage, sales were mostly due to people intending to mix the 7-UP with a type of alcoholic beverage.7-UP conducted extensive research and found that cola drinks were the best-selling soft drink in the industry.   However, these cola drinks contained a considerable amount of caffeine.   After careful consideration, they introduced the slogan, â€Å"7-UP, the uncola.†Ã‚   This slogan appealed to consumers because it carried a sense of individualism and it also appealed to those who were health-conscious and knew the effects of too much caffeine.   This was one of 7-UPs great success es.   Another failure by 7-UP was the introduction of 7-UP Gold.   7-UP Gold was designed as a spiced version of 7-UP, similar in taste to the ginger ale soft drink.   Although it was widely marketed and advertised, the product was never a hit and was discontinued.Another successful marketing campaign capitalized on the principles of Zen.   A television commercial featured a Zen master asking disciples to correctly choose.   The 7-UP symbolized light and consciousness while the cola featured in the commercial symbolized darkness.   With that commercial, 7-UP made consumers think they were making a good life choice by purchasing and consuming 7-UP.   Another failure in 7-UPs history is its poor bottling and distribution structure.   When 7-UP was first introduced, it had little competition because Coca Cola and Pepsi did not manufacture lemon-lime soft drinks.   This changed when Coca Cola introduced Sprite and Pepsi introduced Sierra Mist.   Bottlers were then fo rced by these respective companies to discontinue bottling 7-UP and exclusively bottle their products.   Unfortunately, this had led to an inability for 7-UP to be widely distributed to smaller stores.   As a result, 7-UP can often only be found in large stores or chains (Wikipedia).4.   7-UP's marketing strategy has been successful in many ways.   With the introduction of new taglines and slogans, 7-UP has been successful at positioning themselves in consumers' minds and increasing market share in the soft drink industry.   7-UP's marketing strategy has also been successful because marketing executives have capitalized on consumer trends throughout the history of the company.In the 1970s, the company seized upon the fact that the popular cola drinks had high levels of caffeine and redesigned their advertising to reflect the healthier choice that 7-UP was.   In addition, they appealed to the consumer's sense of wanting to be an individual and introduced advertisements ge ared toward that concept.   With the invention of new technology, 7-UP has also gained a presence on the World Wide Web with a well-designed web site that gives important information about the company and its products (Wikipedia). Marketing Case Study CASE 4? 6 Making Socially Responsible and Ethical Strategic decisions move a company toward its stated goals and perceived success. Strategic decisions also re? ect the ? rm’s social responsibility and the ethical values on which such decisions are made. They re? ect what is considered important and what a company wants to achieve. Mark Pastin, writing on the function of ethics in business decisions, observes: There are fundamental principles, or ground rules, by which organizations act. Like the ground rules of individuals, organizational ground rules determine which actions are possible for the organization and what the actions mean. Buried beneath the charts of organizational responsibility, the arcane strategies, the crunched numbers, and the political intrigue of every ? rm are sound rules by which the game unfolds. The following situations re? ect different decisions made by multinational ? rms and governments and also re? ect the social responsibility and ethical values underpinning the decisions. Study the following situations in the global cigarette marketplace carefully and assess the ground rules that guided the decisions of ? rms and governments. Marketing Decisions: Selling Tobacco to Third World Countries expanding market. As an example, Indonesia’s per capita cigarette consumption quadrupled in less than ten years. Increasingly, cigarette advertising on radio and television is being restricted in some countries, but other means of promotion, especially to young people, are not controlled. China, with more than 300 million smokers, produces and consumes about 1. 4 trillion cigarettes per year, more than any other country in the world. Estimates are that China has more smokers than the United States has people. Just 1 percent of that 1. 4 trillion cigarette market would increase a tobacco company’s overseas sales by 15 percent and would be worth as much as $300 million in added revenue. American cigarette companies have received a warm welcome in Russia, where at least 50 percent of the people smoke. Consumers are hungry for most things Western, and tobacco taxes are low. Unlike in the United States and other countries that limit or ban cigarette advertising, there are few effective controls on tobacco products in Russia. Russia, the world’s fourth largest cigarette market, has proved to be an extremely pro? table territory for British American Tobacco (BAT). BAT Russia, established in 1949, sold 65 billion cigarettes in Russia in 2005, giving it almost one? fth of market share. EXPORTING U. S. CIGARETTE CONSUMPTION In the United States, 600 billion cigarettes are sold annually, but sales are shrinking rapidly. Unit sales have been dropping about 1 to 2 percent a year, and sales have been down by almost 5 percent in the last six years. The U. S. Surgeon General’s campaign against smoking, higher cigarette taxes, non-smoking rules in public areas, and the concern Americans have about general health have led to the decline in tobacco consumption. Faced with various class-action lawsuits, the success of states in winning lawsuits, and pending federal legislation, tobacco companies have stepped up their international marketing activities to maintain pro? ts. Even though companies have agreed to sweeping restrictions in the United States on cigarette marketing and secondhand smoke and to bolder cancer-warning labels, they are ? hting as hard as ever in the Third World to convince the media, the public, and policymakers that similar changes are not needed. In seminars at luxury resorts worldwide, tobacco companies invite journalists, all expenses paid, to participate in programs that play down the health risks of smoking. It is hard to gauge the in? uence of such seminars, but in the Philippines, a government plan to reduce smoking by children was â€Å"neutralized† by a public relations campaign from cigarette companies to remove â€Å"cancer awareness and prevention† as a â€Å"key concern. A slant in favor of the tobacco industry’s point of view seemed to prevail. At a time when most industrialized countries are discouraging smoking, the tobacco industry is avidly courting consumers throughout the developing world using catchy slogans, obvious image campaigns, and single-cigarette sales that ? t a hard-pressed customer’s budget. The reason is clear: The Third World is an ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION In Gambia, smokers send in cigarette box tops to qualify for a chance to win a new car. In Argentina, smoking commercials ? ll 20 percent of television advertising time. And in crowded African cities, billboards that link smoking to the good life tower above the sweltering shantytowns. Such things as baby clothes with cigarette logos, health warnings printed in foreign languages, and tobaccosponsored contests for children are often featured in tobacco ads in Third World countries. Latin American tobacco consumption rose by more than 24 percent over a ten-year period. Critics claim that sophisticated promotions in unsophisticated societies entice people who cannot afford the necessities of life to spend money on a luxury—and a dangerous one at that. The sophistication theme runs throughout the smoking ads. In Kinshasa, Zaire, billboards depict a man in a business suit stepping out of a black Mercedes as a chauffeur holds the door. In Nigeria, promotions for Graduate brand cigarettes show a university student in his cap and gown. Those for Gold Leaf cigarettes have a barrister in a white wig and the slogan, â€Å"A very important cigarette for very important people. † In Kenya, a magazine ad for Embassy cigarettes shows an elegant executive of? cer with three young men and women equivalent to American yuppies. The most disturbing trend in developing countries is advertising that associates tobacco with American af? uence and culture. Some women in Africa, in their struggle for women’s rights, de? antly smoke cigarettes as a symbol of freedom. Billboards all over Russia feature pictures of skyscrapers and white sandy beaches and slogans like â€Å"Total Freedom† or â€Å"Rendezvous with America. † They aren’t advertising foreign travel but American cigarette brands. Cases 4 Developing Global Marketing Strategies Every cigarette manufacturer is in the image business, and tobacco companies say their promotional slant is both reasonable and common. They point out that in the Third World a lot of people cannot understand what is written in the ads anyway, so the ads zero in on the more understandable visual image. â€Å"In most of the world, the Marlboro Man isn’t just a symbol of the Wild West; he’s a symbol of the West. † â€Å"You can’t convince people that all Americans don’t smoke. † In Africa, some of the most effective advertising includes images of af? uent white Americans with recognizable landmarks, such as the New York City skyline, in the background. In much of Africa, children as young as ? e are used to sell single cigarettes, affordable to other children, to support their own nicotine habits. Worldwide nearly one-fourth of all teenage smokers smoked their ? rst cigarette before they were 10 years old. The scope of promotional activity is enormous. In Kenya, a major tobacco company is the fourth-largest advertiser. Tobaccosponsored lotteries bolster sales in some countries by offering as prizes expensive goods that are beyond most people’s budgets. Gambia has a population of just 640,000, but a tobacco company lottery attracted 1. million entries (each sent in on a cigarette box top) when it raf? ed off a Renault car. Evidence is strong that the strategy of tobacco companies is to target young people as a means of expanding market demand. Report after report reveals that adolescents receive cigarettes free as a means of promoting the product. For example, in Buenos Aires, a Jeep decorated with the yellow Camel logo pulls up in front of a high school. The driver, a blond woman wearing khaki safari gear, begins handing out free cigarettes to 15- and 16-year-olds on lunch recess. Teens visiting MTV’s Web sites in China, Germany, India, Poland, and Latin America were given the chance to click on a banner ad that led them to a questionnaire about their exposure to cigarette ads and other marketing tools in their countries. Some 10,000 teens responded to the banner ads. â€Å"In the past week, more than 62 percent of teenagers in these countries have been exposed to tobacco advertising in some form,† the 17-year-old SWAT (Students Working against Tobacco) chairman told Reuters. The tobacco companies learned that marketing to teens and kids worked in this country, but since they can’t do it here anymore, they’ve taken what they learned to other countries. † At a video arcade in Taipei, free American cigarettes are strewn atop each game. â€Å"As long as they’re here, I may as well try one,† says a high school girl. In Malaysia, Gila-Gila, a comic book popular with elementary school students, carries a Lucky Strike a d. Attractive women in cowboy out? ts regularly meet teenagers going to rock concerts or discos in Budapest and hand them Marlboros. Those who accept a light on the spot also receive Marlboro sunglasses. According to the American Lung Association Tobacco Policy Trend Alert, the tobacco industry is offering candy-? avored cigarettes in an attempt to continue to target teens. 1 Advertising and promotion of these products uses hip-hop imagery, attractive women, and other imagery to appeal to youth in similar ways that Joe Camel did a decade ago. Marketing efforts for candy-? avored cigarettes came after the Master Settlement Agreement prohibited tobacco companies from using cartoon characters to sell cigarettes. Researchers recently released the results of several surveys that showed that 20 percent of smokers ages 17 to 19 smoked ? avored cigarettes, while only 6 percent of smokers ages 17 to 20 did. In Russia, a U. S. cigarette company sponsors disco parties where thousands of young people dance to booming music. Admission is the purchase of one pack of cigarettes. At other cigarettesponsored parties, attractive women give cigarettes away free. In many countries, foreign cigarettes have a status image that also encourages smoking. A 26-year-old Chinese man says he switched from a domestic brand to Marlboro because â€Å"You feel a higher social position† when you smoke foreign cigarettes. â€Å"Smoking is a sign of luxury in the Czech Republica as well as in Russia and other Eastern countries,† says an executive of a Czech tobacco ? rm that has a joint venture with a U. S. company. â€Å"If I can smoke Marlboro, then I’m a well-to-do man. † The global tobacco companies insist that they are not attempting to recruit new smokers. They say they are only trying to encourage smokers to switch to foreign brands. The same number of cigarettes are consumed whether American cigarettes or not,† was the comment of one executive. Although cigarette companies deny they sell higher tar and nicotine cigarettes in the Third World, one British tobacco company does concede that some of its brands sold in developing countries contain more tar and nicotine than those sold in the United States and Europe. A recent study found three major U. S. brands with ? lters had 17 milligrams of tar in the United States, 22. 3 in Kenya, 29. 7 in Malaysia, and 31. 1 in South Africa. Another brand with ? ters had 19. 1 milligrams of tar in the United States, 28. 8 in South Africa, and 30. 9 in the Philippines. The ? rm says that Third World smokers are used to smoking their own locally made product, which might have several times more tar and nicotine. Thus, the ? rm leaves the tar- and nicotine-level decisions to its foreign subsidiaries, who tailor their products to local tastes. C. Everett Koop, the retired U. S. Surgeon General, was quoted in a recent news conference as saying, â€Å"Companies’ claims that science cannot say with certainty that tobacco causes cancer were ? t-footed lies† and that â€Å"sending cigarettes to the Third World was the export of death, disease, and disability. † An Oxford University epidemiologist has estimated that, because of increas ing tobacco consumption in Asia, the annual worldwide death toll from tobaccorelated illnesses will more than triple over the next two decades. Perhaps 100 million people died prematurely during the 20th century as a result of tobacco, making it the leading preventable cause of death and one of the top killers overall. According to the World Health Organization, ach year smoking causes 4 million deaths globally, and it expects the annual toll to rise to 10 million in 2030. GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT Third World governments often stand to pro? t from tobacco sales. Brazil collects 75 percent of the retail price of cigarettes in taxes, some $100 million a month. The Bulgarian state-owned tobacco company, Bulgartabac, contributes almost $30 million in taxes to the government annually. Bulgartabac is a major exporter of cigarettes to Russia, exporting 40,000 tons of cigarettes annually. Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s largest cash crop. One news report from a Zimbabwe newspaper reveals strong support for cigarette companies. â€Å"Western anti-tobacco lobbies demonstrate unbelievable hypocrisy,† notes one editorial. â€Å"It is relatively easy to sit in Washington or London and prattle on about the so-called evils of smoking, but they are far removed from the day-to-day grind of earning a living in the Third World. † It goes on to comment that it doesn’t dispute the fact that smoking is addictive or that it may cause diseases, but â€Å"smoking does not necessarily lead to certain 1 See â€Å"From Joe Camel to Kauai Kolada—The Marketing of Candy-Flavored Cigarettes,† http://lungusa. org. Part 6 Supplementary Material 350 million smokers, China has 50 million more cigarette buyers than the U. S. has people, according to Euromonitor. While smoking rates in developed countries have slowly declined, they have shot up dramatically in some developing counties where PMI is a major player. These include Pakistan (up 42 percent since 2001), Ukraine (up 36 percent), and Argentina (up 18 percent). death. Nor is it any more dangerous than other habits. Unfortunately, tobacco smoking has attracted the attention of a particularly â€Å"sanctimonious, meddling sector of society. They would do better to keep their opinions to themselves. † Generally, smoking is not a big concern of governments beset by debt, internal con? ict, drought, or famine. It is truly tragic, but the worse famine becomes, the more people smoke—just as with war, when people who are worried want to smoke. â€Å"In any case,† says one representative of an international tobacco company, â€Å"People in developing countries don’t have a long enough life expectancy to worry about smoking-related problems. You can’t turn to a guy who is going to die at age 40 and tell him that he might not live up to 2 years extra at age 70. † As for promoting cigarettes in the Third World, â€Å"If there is no ban on TV advertising, then you aren’t going to be an idiot and impose restrictions on yourself,† says the representative, â€Å"and likewise, if you get an order and you know that they’ve got money, no one is going to turn down the business. † Cigarette companies ? gure China’s self-interest will preserve its industry. Tobacco provides huge revenues for Beijing because all tobacco must be sold through the China National Tobacco Company monopoly. Duty on imported cigarettes is nearly 450 percent of their value. Consequently, tobacco is among the central government’s biggest source of funding, accounting for more than $30 billion in income in 2005. China is also a major exporter of tobacco. ANTISMOKING PROMOTIONS Since the early 1990s, multinational tobacco companies have promoted â€Å"youth smoking prevention† programs as part of their â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility† campaigns. The companies have partnered with third-party allies in Latin America, most notably nonpro? t educational organizations and education and health ministries to promote youth smoking prevention. Even though there is no evidence that these programs reduce smoking among youths, they have met the industry’s goal of portraying the companies as concerned corporate citizens. In fact, a new study proves that youth smoking prevention ads created by the tobacco industry and aimed at parents actually increase the likelihood that teens will smoke. The study, â€Å"Impact of Televised Tobacco Industry Smoking Prevention Advertising on Youth Smoking-Related Beliefs, Intentions and Behavior,† published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, sought to understand how the tobacco industry uses â€Å"youth smoking prevention† programs in Latin America. Tobacco industry documents, so-called social reports, media reports, and material provided by Latin American public health advocates were all analyzed. The study is the ? rst to examine the speci? c effect of tobacco company parent-focused advertising on youth. It found that ads that the industry claims are aimed at preventing youth from smoking actually provide no bene? t to youth. In fact, the ads that are created for parental audiences but also are seen by teens are associated with stronger intentions by teens to smoke in the future. Brazil has the world’s strictest governmental laws against smoking, consisting of highly visible antismoking campaigns, severe controls on advertising, and very high tax rates on smoking products. Despite these obstacles, the number of smokers in Brazil continues to grow. In 2006, there were approximately 44 million smokers in the country, up from 38 million in 1997. Factors driving this trend include the low price of cigarettes, which are among the lowest in the world; the easy access to tobacco products; and the actions taken by the powerful tobacco companies to slow down antismoking legislation in Brazil. FOCUS ON DEVELOPING MARKETS Lawsuits, stringent legislation against advertising, laws restricting where people can smoke, and other antismoking efforts on the part of governments have caused tobacco companies to intensify their efforts in those markets where restrictions are fewer and governments more friendly. As part of a strategy to increase its sales in the developing world, Philip Morris International (PMI) was spun off from Philip Morris USA in 2008 to escape the threat of litigation and government regulation in the United States. The move frees the tobacco giant’s international operations of the legal and public-relations headaches in the United States that have hindered its growth. Its practices are no longer constrained by American public opinion, paving the way for broad product experimentation. A new product, Marlboro Intense, is likely to be part of an aggressive blitz of new smoking products PMI will roll out around the globe. The Marlboro Intense cigarette has been shrunk down by about a half inch and offers smokers seven potent puffs apiece, versus the average of eight or so milder draws. The idea behind Intense is to appeal to customers who, due to indoor smoking bans, want to dash outside for a quick nicotine hit but don’t always ? nish a full-size cigarette. The CEO of PMI says there are â€Å"possibly 50 markets that are interested in deploying Marlboro Intense. † Other product innovations include sweet-smelling cigarettes that contain tobacco, cloves and ? voring—with twice the tar and nicotine levels of a conventional U. S. cigarette. Marlboro Mix 9, a high-nicotine, high-tar cigarette launched in Indonesia in 2007, and a clove-infused Mix 9 will be exported to other southeast Asian markets next. Another iteration of the Marlboro brand, the Marlboro Filter Plus, is being sold in South Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. It touts a special ? lter made of carbon, cellulose ac etate, and a tobacco plug that the company claims lowers the tar level while giving smokers a smoother taste. One of PMI’s immediate goals is to harness the huge potential of China’s smoking population, as well as some of that country’s own brands, which it has agreed to market worldwide. With some ASSESSING THE ETHICS OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS Ethical decision making is not a simplistic â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† determination. Ethical ground rules are complex, tough to sort out and to prioritize, tough to articulate, and tough to use. The complexity of ethical decisions is compounded in the international setting, which comprises different cultures, different perspectives of right and wrong, different legal requirements, and different goals. Clearly, when U. S. companies conduct business in an international setting, the ground rules become further complicated by the values, customs, traditions, ethics, and goals of the host countries, which each have developed their own ground rules for conducting business. Three prominent American ethicists have developed a framework to view the ethical implications of strategic decisions by American Cases 4 Developing Global Marketing Strategies ? rms. They identify three ethical principles that can guide American managers in assessing the ethical implications of their decisions and the degree to which these decisions re? ct these ethical principles or ground rules. They suggest asking, â€Å"Is the corporate strategy acceptable according to the following ethical ground rules? † These questions can help uncover the ethical ground rules embedded in the tobacco consumption situation described in this case. These questions lead to an ethical analysis of the degree to which this str ategy is bene? cial or harmful to the parties and, ultimately, whether it is a â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† strategy, or whether the consequences of this strategy are ethical or socially responsible for the parties involved. These ideas are incorporated in the decision tree in Exhibit 1. Principles Utilitarian ethics (Bentham, Smith) Question Does the corporate strategy optimize the â€Å"common good† or bene? ts of all constituencies? Does the corporate strategy respect the rights of the individuals involved? Does the corporate strategy respect the canons of justice or fairness to all parties? Rights of the parties (Kant, Locke) Justice or fairness (Aristotle, Rawls) Exhibit 1 A Decision Tree for Incorporating Ethical and Social Responsibility Issues into Multinational Business Decisions Does the decision efficiently optimize the common good or benefits of: THE BUSINESS FIRM? Stockholders Management Profits Growth Other SOCIETY? Culture Order Justice â€Å"The good life† Other THE ECONOMY? THE INDIVIDUAL? Economic growth Freedom Allocation of resources Health and welfare Production and distribution Self-realization of goods and services Human dignity Other Opportunity Other YES NO YES Are there critical factors that justify suboptimizing these goals and satisfactions? NO Does the decision respect the rights of individuals involved? YES NO Reject Decision YES Are there critical factors that justify the abrogation of a right? NO Does the corporate decision respect the canons of justice or fairness to all parties involved? YES YES NO Reject Decision Are there critical factors that justify the violation of a canon of justice? NO Accept Decision Reject Decision Part 6 Supplementary Material See www. who. int, the World Health Organization’s Web site, for more details regarding the current tobacco controversy. See also www. getswat. com for a worldwide student initiative against smoking. Laczniak and Naor discuss the complexity of international ethics or, more precisely, the ethical assumptions that underlie strategic decisions for multinationals. 2 They suggest that multinationals can develop consistency in their policies by using federal law as a baseline for appropriate behavior as well as respect for the host country’s general value structure. They conclude with four recommendations for multinationals: 1. Expand codes of ethics to be worldwide in scope. 2. Expressly consider ethical issues when developing worldwide corporate strategies. . If the ? rm encounters major ethical dilemmas, consider withdrawal from the problem market. 4. Develop periodic ethics-impact statements, including impacts on host parties. 2 QUESTIONS 1. Use the model in Exhibit 1 as a guide and assess the ethical and social responsibility implications of the situations described. 2. Can you recommend alternative strategies or solutions to the dilemmas confronting the tobacco companies? To governments? What is the price of ethical behavior? 3. Should the U. S. government support U. S. tobacco company interests abroad? . Should a company be forced to stop marketing a product that is not illegal, such as cigarettes? Gene R. Laczniak and Jacob Naor, â€Å"Global Ethics: Wrestling with the Corporate Conscience,† Business, July–September 1985. Sources: â€Å"Smoke Over the Horizon; U. S. Gains in Tobacco Control Are Being Offset Internationally,† The Washington Post, July 23, 2006; â€Å"Death and Taxes: England Has Become the Latest in a Series of Countries to Vote for Restrictions on Smoking in Public Places,† Financial Management (UK), April 1, 2006; â€Å"Trick or Treat? Tobacco Industry Prevention Ads Don’t Help Curb Youth Smoking,† PR Newswire, October 31, 2006; â€Å"China Exclusive: China, With One Third of World’s Smokers, Promises a ‘Non-Smoking’ Olympics,† Xinhua News Agency, May 29, 2006; â€Å"Tobacco Consumption and Motives for Use in Mexican University Students,† Adolescence, June 22, 2006; â€Å"A Change in the Air: Smoking Bans Gain Momentum Worldwide,† Environmental Health Perspectives, August 1, 2007; â€Å"Adams Won’t Kick the BAT Habit: The Head of British American Tobacco Is Stoical About the Looming Ban on Smoking in Public Spaces: BAT will Adapt,† The Sunday Telegraph London, June 10, 2007; â€Å"Heart Disease, Stroke Plague Third World,† Associated Press (Online), April 4, 2006; â€Å"Get a Detailed Picture of the Tobacco Industry in Brazil,† M2 Press Wire, December 20, 2007; Vanessa O’Connell, â€Å"Philip Morris Readies Global Tobacco Blit z; Division Spin-off Enables Aggressive Product Push; High-Tar Smokes in Asia,† The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2008; â€Å"The Global Tobacco Threat,† The New York Times, February 19, 2008; â€Å"How to Save a Billion Lives; Smoking,† The Economist (London,) February 9, 2008; â€Å"Whether Here or There, Cigarettes Still Kill People,† The Wall Street Journal, February 4, 2008.