Attitudes toward Inclusion among general education Teachers at the Essay

Attitudes toward Inclusion among general education Teachers at the Elementary Level - Essay Example This study explores general education teacher experiences, attitudes and beliefs regarding inclusion in an elementary classroom setting, based on Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy. The interview format of the study allows general education teachers at the elementary level to express their experiences, attitudes and beliefs regarding inclusion. Broadly, participants were asked, â€Å"How do you (general education elementary teachers) feel towards inclusion of students with disabilities in your classroom?† The research design is non-experimental, eliciting data on existing attitudes from elementary school teachers. The study population consists of elementary school teachers in Fort Bend, with a sample size of fifteen general education elementary teachers from six public schools. The study’s research methodology draws upon structured, prearranged interview questions and participant’s reflection on their personal experiences. Data was analyzed using a coding system to identify common themes. When teachers in Fort Bend elementary schools learned their campuses would be implementing inclusion of students with disabilities in general classrooms, they expressed many different emotions about the idea, including worry about how they would accomplish this and still keep their excellent teaching levels high. Even if a particular teacher had a positive attitude about inclusion, he or she had many questions and concerns. This study was designed to delve deeply into teacher attitudes regarding inclusion to discover what lies underneath the general comments and discussions this researcher has heard anecdotally. Administrators and other educators beginning to implement inclusion can benefit from knowing how this particular group of educators thinks and feels, and their beliefs regarding inclusion. When the subject of this study was presented to the teachers in Fort Bend, some teachers immediately volunteered to be interviewed.

Pepsico Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Pepsico Swot Analysis Essay When making any investment decision, it is important for a potential investor to gain insight into the company. An evaluation of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will help the investor determine if the venture is worth going into (Nickels, McHugh McHugh, 2010). It also provides details about the internal status of the business and the future growth to expect in the future. SWOT Analysis Conducting a SWOT analysis of PepsiCo will help the company determine where change is possible. If the company is at a turning point, an inventory of its strengths and weaknesses can reveal possibilities. The identified strengths can be built on and used to their full potential and makes can be made to reduce the weaknesses. Potential problems that need to be addressed or at least recognized are identified. It will help PepsiCo discover what it does well, could improve, whether they are making the most of the opportunities around them, and whether there are any changes in the market that may require changes in the business (Nickels et al., 2010). Strengths PepsiCo has a diverse product portfolio that includes foods, snacks, and beverages with annual revenue of over $66 billion. The PepsiCo brands such as Pepsi, Gatorade, Tropicana, Mountain Dew, Lay’s, Aquafina, Sierra Mist, Fritos, and Quaker stand for quality and are well recognized household names. These brands generate over $1 billion each in annual global sales revenue which gives PepsiCo an advantage over its competition that have limited product line (â€Å"Brands,† 2012). Lower sales in one product line because of unforeseeable circumstances can be offset with promoting sales from another product line. PepsiCo’s geographical footprint is another strength of the organization. It currently operates in more than 200 countries worldwide which provides PepsiCo with diverse income sources. In 2011, only 50% of the company’s revenue came from the United States but this did not impact PepsiCo’s overall revenue growth because of the company’s increasing revenue from other parts of the world like Asia, Russia, Europe, and Latin America (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2012). Weaknesses With the diverse portfolio of PepsiCo, not all products produced by this  company bear it name and its holdings are still seen by the public as separate entities, not as parts of PepsiCo. Its branding is not obvious and not easily recognized and this is hurting the image of the company. One of its most popular brands, Gatorade, recently changed its name to multiple sub-brands such as â€Å"G Prime 01,† and â€Å"G Series Pro 03 Recover† (Edwards, 2011). PepsiCo is gradually losing its credibility because of its lack of stability in management. The company has a high turnover rate and in the last four years, 26 senior marketing managers have resigned and those that are still with PepsiCo have been moved from one brand to another or from one division to another (Edwards, 2012). The revenue of PepsiCo is over dependent on sales to Wal-Mart. In 2011, approximately 18% of PepsiCo’s North American net revenue was from sales to Wal-Mart (including Sam’s Club). As a result PepsiCo is highly influenced with the business strategies of Wal-Mart (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). Opportunities PepsiCo is investing its resources by expanding its operation in emerging foreign markets like China and Russia and developing continents like Africa. With the company’s recent purchase of Wimm-Bill-Dann, a Russian food and beverage company with huge market shares in dairy and juice products, PepsiCo will expand greatly its presence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and is expected to increase its annual sales revenue by $5 billion (â€Å"Pepsi Absorbs Wimm,† 2011). PepsiCo recently signed a partnership agreement with Theo Muller, a German dairy company to sell its dairy products in the US starting with yogurt. PepsiCo will also invest in research to create new dairy products for the US market. This is a great opportunity for PepsiCo to increase its future revenue because it is predicted that annual revenue of $9 billion will be generated by 2016 with nearly 100 million American households expected to buy yogurt products (Steinberg, 2012). Threats PepsiCo faces a strong competition from The Coca-Cola Company, its primary competitor in the carbonated beverage category. These two companies have  had a long history of rivalry since the 1800s with Coca-Cola has a leader for most of the period. PepsiCo recently lost its five-year partnership deal with Dunkin’ Brands to Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola products will now be offered in 7,000 Dunkin’ brands outlets instead of PepsiCo products. In January 2012, Dunkin’ Brands announced the plan to double their outlet stores to 14,000 over the next 20 years. This is a huge revenue loss for PepsiCo (Fisher, 2012). Also in 2010, Diet Coke overtook Pepsi to become the second largest soda brand in the Unites States behind Coke, moving Pepsi to third (Theodore, 2012). There has been a steady decline in carbonated drink sales for the past seven years in the US with total sales dropping one percent in 2011. Americans are now turning to healthier food and drinks like bottled waters to avoid the high sugar contents in soda (â€Å"Soda Sales Fall,† 2012). Even with the diverse portfolio of PepsiCo, this decline in sales of carbonated soda drinks will have a negative impact on its total revenue. United States federal, State, and local laws and other regulatory authority in foreign countries could have a negative impact on the sales and profitability of PepsiCo. PepsiCo’s marketing, manufacturing, and distribution of its products can be affected as a result of what the government dictates. Also Governmental agencies that exist where PepsiCo operates can impose new labeling, accounting standards, product requirement, marketing practices, and taxation requirement. In California, PepsiCo is required to post a warning label on any product sold that contains a substance that the state has found to cause cancer or birth defect. If this type of law is enacted in other states or foreign countries, it would affect the sales of PepsiCo products (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). Investor Analysis As a result of the SWOT analysis, investing in PepsiCo would yield a positive return on investment. The analysis shows a strong company with increase in earnings for the past five years. PepsiCo’s increasing presence in developing countries is most relevant in the decision to invest. With nearly 72% of the world’s processed food consumption in 2050 predicted to be  happening in developing countries because of increase in population, this will give PepsiCo a competitive edge. Internal and External Stakeholders The success or failure of PepsiCo is determined by how the wants and needs of its internal and external stakeholders are met. The internal stakeholders of PepsiCo are associates, shareholders, and board of directors. The external stakeholders of PepsiCo are consumers, local and foreign communities, retail and food service customers, partners, suppliers, and competitors. PepsiCo meets the needs of its associates by providing a supportive and empowering workplace. The company helps its employees to succeed by helping them develop the skills needed to increase the growth of the company (â€Å"Talent Sustainability,† 2012). The need of the shareholders of PepsiCo is met by striving to deliver top of the line financial performance and providing a high return on their investment (â€Å"Performance,† 2012). In 2011, the dividends paid to PepsiCo’s shareholders was six percent higher than 2010 ((â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). PepsiCo provides its consumers with a diverse list of products that delivers affordability and great taste. The company has recently begun offering consumers a wide range of healthy foods and beverages. Current products are constantly been improved and new products created to meet the changing needs of consumers (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement,† 2012). Local jobs are created in the developing countries that PepsiCo operates in. PepsiCo provides support for education through PepsiCo Foundation grants. The company is working to protect the water resources they have used in India and working with nonprofit organizations to promote sustainable agricultural practices (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement’† 2012). Products are delivered directly to retail and food service customers such as grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and vending machines. PepsiCo  also assist these stakeholders with marketing services that contributes to the customers’ growth and profit (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement,† 2012). Conclusion A company’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats must be analyzed to determine the potential of the return on investment. Even with its weaknesses, PepsiCo is a strong company with earnings growth over the past five years, and has enough cash on hand to maintain its operation. With the new initiatives that PepsiCo is working on, such as expanding its market into developing countries and providing healthier options to its consumers, the company will be able to meet the needs of its stakeholders. References Brands. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Brands.html Diet Mountain Dew, Brisk and Starbucks Ready-T0-Drink Beverages Grow to the Billion-Dollar Brands for PepsiCo. (2012, January 26) Retrieved from http://seekingalpha.com/news-article/2139612-diet-mountain-dew-brisk-and-starbucks-ready-to-drink-beverages-grow-to-be-billion-dollar-brands-for-pepsico Edwards, J. (2011, June 22). Pepsi Just Can’t Stop Pulling the Tab After Shaking Up Management. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-42749107/pepsi-just-cant-stop-pulling-the-tab-after-shaking-up-management/ Edwards, J. (2012, May 10). How Pepsi Management Shuffles Led To Sales Collapse. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-pepsis-management-shuffles-led-to-sales-collapse-2012-5?op=1 Fisher, B. (2012, June 12). Pepsi loses Dunkin, Eyes Emerging Markets. Retrieved from http://beta.fool.com/bobbyfisher/2012/06/12/pepsi-loses-dunkin-eyes-emerging-markets/5599/?logvisit=ysource=eptcnnlnk0000001 Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., McHugh, S. M. (2010). Understanding Business (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Pepsi Absorbs Wimm-Bill-Dann. (2011) Retrieved from http://rt.com/business/news/pepsi-absorbs-wimm-bill-dann-333/ Performance. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Performance-with-Purpose.html Stakeholder Engagement. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Overview/Stakeholder-Engagement.html Steinberg, J. (2012, July 11). PepsiCo Expanding Its American Portfolio With Dairy Products. Retrieved from http://seekingalpha.com/article/714491-pepsico-expanding-its-american-portfolio-with-dairy-products Talent Sustainability. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Talent-Sustainability.html The Power of PepsiCo – 2011 Annual Report. (2011) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/annual11/downloads/pep_ar11_2011_annual_report.pdf Theodore, S. (2012, August 13). Diet Coke Enters A New Decade: The Carbonated Soft Drink Brand Has Come A Long Way. Retrieved from http://www.mintel.com/blog/diet-coke-enters-new-decade-carbonated-soft-drink-brand-has-come-long-way Tomlinson, S. (2012, March 3). Soda Sales Fall Faster As Americans Turn To Healthier Options. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2118291/Soda-sales-fall-faster-Americans-turn-healthier-options.html

Analysing The Culture Shock For International Students English Language Essay

Analysing The Culture Shock For International Students English Language Essay Students from all around the world come to UK for building their career and to take the highly recognized qualifications. During their studies in the uk they face many challenges and the reality is different from their expectations. This report focuses on the experiences and issues faced by international students in the UK. The most common challenge is the culture shock. Culture shock results due to the new and unknown culture of uk for the most of the students and results in the stress, anxiety, frustration, loneliness and lower results in the studies. Oberg has explained it in his model. Making foreign friends, keeping close in touch with family and remaining busy in the academic activities are some ways of reducing the effects of culture shock. Plagiarism is also a problem faced by the students from developing countries as they dont know the importance of referencing. This report elaborates the importance and ways to avoid plagiarism and ways to learn how to reference your work. This report discusses the issues like teacher student role and the expectations and the different roles of the teachers in different parts of the world and their main focus. Finally this report emphasis on the importance of time management and working part time to meet the daily expenses by the students in the uk and what problems they face while working in the uk and improper time management. This report has also explained the experiences of the international students on the above mentioned issues. Introduction Thousands of students around the world travel to UK for study form the highly prestigious universities to build a brilliant career. They entre UK with high expectations and thinks that studying in the UK will be like a dream come true. This report highlights the experience of the students who has come to UK for study. This report will discuss the main issues which are faced by the international students in the UK and how they adjust in the new environment. The aim of this report is to show the life of a foreign student in the UK and how they manage all the challenges they face in the UK. This report will also help in understanding the foreign students approach in uk. This report will discuss issues like culture shock, plagiarism and referencing, teacher student role in UK, part time work and the time management relating to the international students while they are studying in UK. Culture shock Culture shock is the most common problem that foreign students face when they come to study in UK. The shock which people have to face when they are confronted with a new and unknown culture is called culture shock, say Elisabeth Marx (2001a). The experience of an unknown culture is always a surprise because the reality is usually different from the expectations, she added. This means that now the students have to live, adjusts and perform in an unknown culture. According to Elisabeth Marx (2001b), the symptoms of the culture shock are isolation, tension and confusion, feeling depressed and guilty, reduction in the performance, excitement and exhilaration, frustration, feeling lonely and helpless. Students from different countries travel to different universities of UK for their education. Every country has different culture and norms. So they have to adapt in a culture which has different language which causes communication problems. Even if someone knows the language very well, the different accents and different meanings of different phrases in different parts of the world of the same words can cause misunderstandings for them. Similarly people have different food priorities; lives in different climate, have different dress preferences, and have different social behaviors and different religious norms e.g. in the subcontinent the climate is very warm and people wear light clothes but in UK one have to wear heavy clothes as it remains cold most of the year. This can cause irritations to the students who are not in use of wearing such clothes. Similarly in the UK the accent of spoken English is different like French accent, Italian accent, polish accent etc while the students from different parts of the world may find all these difficult to understand. Similarly the food priorities are different in the UK giving more preference to fast food then in other parts of the world. These differences cause frustration and all the symptoms discussed above of the culture shock resulting sometimes in severe depression and loss of confidence. Students then start avoiding the host national students and starts feeling complex. Culture shock can also cause some physical health problems as well. Changes in the diet and mental stress sometimes make students seriously ill. Oberg (1960) has explained the culture shock in a model. In his model of adaptation, culture shock has four phases i.e. honeymoon phase, culture shock, recovery phase and adjustment phase. In the honeymoon phase the students are excited and ambitious due to the new environment and ignore any complex matters that they dont understand as a part of their learning process. They take everything positively and their judgments are reserved at this time. After the honeymoon phase the culture shock sets in with the negative emotions coming out and the unknown culture is taken as unpleasant experience. Everything foreign is taken as hostile and sometimes stress and boredom is the consequence. They feel themselves guilty and consider the decision of foreign education as wrong because of reduced academic performance. The next phase is recovery phase in which students start compromising between their expectations and reality. Then they start accepting and understanding the unknown culture. They r ealize that they have to work out this problem and concentrate on their future goals. Finally students accept the new environment and adjust with it by devising ways to cover up their weakness and understanding the new culture. (quoted in Elizabeth Marx, 2001). There are some ways which will help students to reduce the effect of culture shock. Students should keep in mind that culture shock is temporary and normal and this will not affect them permanently and it happens to everybody. Making friends from the host culture will help to understand their culture easily. Keep yourself busy in academics as well as sporting activities and keep in contact with your family so that you will not miss them much. Try to take the food which you are used to eat in their country and exercise well so that you remain physically well. Plagiarism and referencing Plagiarism The word plagiarism is refer to practices which involve deliberate taking another person words either directly or indirectly and claiming it as personal ideas when writing or researching, it also seen to be educational offence in Britain, it has been a major concern when studying in United Kingdom Since mid-1990s.this give more recognition to necessity of proper referencing practice to avoid plagiarism. Foreign student especially from the African and the Asia find it difficult to adapt to the issue of plagiarism, for example, majority of the student in the Nigerian university, about 95% have no or little knowledge about plagiarism, and coming from such background to studying in United Kingdom is quite challenging and difficult to cope. Angelil-carter (2000) make it critics which refers tutors have much emphases on referencing is like a fetish who engage in to thinking substitute (p, 130), also another critics from Levin which also feel that asking student to cite all source of work ,` insisting they learn to dance with their shoe tied together` (2003, p.7) he later argue academic and the administrators that is quite a time to recognised plagiarism among student unconsciously` work is inevitable and perfectly reasonable (Levin, 2003, p.7). Levin point of view is that student can get bogged because of the responsibility to search for the right source to back their piece of work or assertions, to know their capability to write without depending on others. Strategy to avoid plagiarism Reference every piece of work and cite references correctly. When writing a report or easy the source of the material used must be acknowledge. Completely understanding of material use is very important when paraphrasing and try as much as possible to use personal words. Quotation mark to indicate the citation and the verbatim text with material should enclose When using a journal, instruction that is provided by the author should be understood. When there probability about a particular concept or fact, it should be referenced. Referencing Studying in UK, more emphases are given to references, student studying in United Kingdom from other country where important is not given to references are often surprise because of the significant attached by the university or institute. Student Referencing a research work, it will show the appropriate source the student find his information, though many institution around the world do not keen to references. For example, Nigeria do not shows much interest to referencing compare to the rule that guild the system of studying here in England. Referencing in England is recognised even in social and political context not just the academic system. It is an aspect of societal system of value that seriously supports the knowledge of the credible right of other property. The British institutions lead the driving force of proper references to limit the Increasing rate of plagiarism. Importance of referencing Spreading of ideas Referencing gives opportunity to the writer and the readers to build their own ideas and knowledge. It assists them to locate the citation source. The significant of bibliography and the reference list at the end of every articles journal, will identically relate the source of research. Understanding the bibliography help to establish knowledge from original source to another, it will help to build learning round the study. Influence It s also important to list the reference of a research to enable the reader identifying which authors or source give the writer the shape and the direction used in the research. This will also help to introduce new ideal to author that will also generate and expand their knowledge. Criteria of making Studying in post graduate level, providing relevant evidence and proper referencing is very crucial in grading the assignment of student. Perfect referencing can distinguish different grade in the level of study. Avoid plagiarism Solving the problem of plagiarism to avoid educational offence, accurate references can help to avoid it. The grey line between deliberate cheating and carelessness, references assist to prove the ignorant of it. An appreciation Ideas are required from education with a prospective to strive. Strictly testing has to be applied and subjected to examination of others, this can be realised by good preparation, researching and presentation of work within the reach of public as a responsibility of formidable writers, and this can take long time to achieve. Referencing is then, to express appreciation and given regard to work of others. This is about given gratitude, respect and honouring the writer and acknowledging them. TEACHER STUDENT ROLE EXPECTATION Among all the relations in the world, teacher student relationship would consider as one of the transparent relation. All teachers have high expectations for students; their expectations may varies from student to student. Teachers have the great observation power with themselves, they have their individual views for every student who is in connect with them, they find the strength and weakness of a student and then they guide them, make them learn how to overcome with their weaknesses and how to get specialised or polish their strength. The students who come to uk for studies they belongs to different countries and in every countries the pattern of learning or teaching (studies) differ from each other say for example the students are not aware of the professional presentations who belongs to Pakistan they dont know how to present themselves in front of others they never did presentation work while studying in their country so they get nervous for the first time presenting themselves but this is very common here in uk to work on presentations because uk studies are more highlights the practical knowledge rather than the knowledge which students get from the books and other study materials. Problems faced by different students with uk teachers: Lack of bonding. Teachers have high expectation. Teachers are just to guide here, not to feed students with spoon. Lack of understanding about the concepts. Teachers are more interested to build the qualities of the students. Difficult for students to cope up with the teaching skills. Merits and demerits: Students may build their qualities but they dont get aware of their weaknesses. They learn how to perform well along with the groups but their individual skills may suffer. Students start presenting themselves to the world with more confidence but they face feeling of frustration, facing the problems while learning. Teachers are highly experienced here in terms of practical knowledge so they are tough towards students, sometime this may discourage the students. Working part time meeting your expenses In uk , students come from many different countries such as India, Pakistan, Nigeria and all have their home countries currency say for example a student from India have to convert his money from rupees to pound Because of the low value of his currency as compare to the uk currency he will go short of money in hand and he will start searching part time jobs he got disfocussed from his studies and once anyone start working here in uk he wants to earn more and more. Some of the students came here to earn money they thought of earning more money by working part time at two, three places and just start making money. There are so many expences which a student has to fulfill to meet the basic needs. The basic expenses are such as house rent, food, clothing, travelling etc. When any person come to the new country he doesnt know anything about that country so he will misuse that money because of the lack of knowledge about the country expences, when we move to a place which is developed and have high quality of food and facilities so it will charge even more to meet out the expenses. Normally, we have a huge excitment while visit a new country to see the different places, different cities, different towns, historical places, and even fun do places. When we start enjoying ourselves with all this special activities we have to invest money on it because without it nothing will come in our hand so, to meet those area of excitment one has to work for it and normally the mentality says that we can invest more easily when we earn more say for example if we had a conversion of a currency from rupees to pound it will problem a student bcauseof the fear of getting money short in his hand because he had limited amount in is hand or he borrowed limited amount from his place so, if he starts earning in pounds it will be easy to invest that money happily because that he considered as a extra money to meet out his expences than he will enjoy more and feel free to spend his money which he earned here. Factors influencing the topic (working part time-meeting your expenses) It affects the studies. It will also affect the health as well. It will disfocussed the mind in different direction. Some time it will resulted into big losses such as penalties, re-examintion fees etc. Some time students will start doing work illegally. It will result into lower grades that will impact bad senario overall on the professional career. Time management Time management is one of the most important aspects which play an important role while studying in uk. A student who come across from another country follows the different lifestyle belongs to different culture and society as well. Lots of job has to be done on time here in uk, the only person who can be successful here is the one who manages his time well, who will always keep on trying to accomplish the work before the deadlines. Importance of time management: It helps in managing the work and accomplished it before the deadlines. It creates a different image in the professional career. It allows students to learn how to value the time. CONCLUSION Students coming to uk from different parts of the world face problems like culture shock , time management , part time job, different teacher student role in the uk and avoiding plagirism. This report has covered all these aspects in the students life in uk and how they can avoid these problems. This report also has highlighted the ways to easily adapt the new studing experience and how to cope up the new challenges. REFERENCES Marx ,2001 breaking through culture shock , 1st edition Nicholas Brealey in association with cultural press. http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/133/2/579.short Colin Neville, 2007. The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism

Background of the Kashmir Conflict Essay -- Pandits and Muslims in Kas

Describe the condition of Pandits and Muslims in Kashmir before the Treaty of Amritsar and the changes that took place after the Treaty was implemented. In what ways have forces external to Kashmir contributed to the conflict in the region during the colonial and post-colonial periods? The argument can be sustained that external forces have significantly contributed to Kashmir conflict for hundreds of years, within which the post-Treaty of Amritsar period is a relatively small potion. From the rise of the Islamist tyrant to the Kashmir throne in 1349, the region has been locked in various, seemingly indeterminate conflicts where the regional political players may change, but underlying, fundamental and irreconcilable religious tension is the single unifying historical thread (Zutshi, 2004). The Pandits and Muslim interplays both prior and post Treaty are explored against this backdrop. Given the long Kashmir past has marked the region as a place where conflict is the norm, there is no surprise that the Kashmir continues to be a lightning rod for the entire region. It is the proposition that contributes to the examination of how external forces have exerted significant, and largely negative influences over the Kashmir to the present day. 1. Pandits and Muslims The Pandits are the inheritors of the most ancient Hindu Brahmin traditions. The Pandits recognize the vedas, ancient Sanskrit sources of Hindu wisdom, as their core religious authority (Bose,1997). There is little wonder at why the Pandits and Muslim people might be natural antagonists. Each faith believes its followers to be part of a true world religion, where the message is eternal and sustaining. Where Islam professes its rigid adherence to All... ...ontline Account of Life, Love, and War in His Homeland. New York: Scribner Bose, Sumantra. (2005). Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace. Harvard University Press Savarkar, V D (2009) Hindu. Hindu Nationalism; A reader, Christophe Jaffrelot, ed. Princeton University Press Singh, Sadu. (1946). The Sikhs demand their Homeland. Lahore Singh, Gurharpal (2000). Ethnic Conflict in India: A Case-Study of Punjab. Houndmills: Macmillan Press Tariq Ali, et. al.(2011). Kashmir: The Case for Freedom, New York: Verso UN Special Rappaorteur (2013). (A/HRC/23/47/Add.1 of 26 April 2013). [Online] Available: accessed 5 May 2014 Zutshi, Chitralekha. (2004). Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir. New York: Oxford University Press

Bureaucracy and Scientific Management Essay

Bureaucracy, which is an important model of organization defined by rules and series of hierarchical relationships, has been the dominant role for understanding organization for decades (Grey, 2007). Since the 1960s, numerous criticisms in mainstream thinking keep emerging toward the bureaucracy asserted that the imminent death of bureaucracy is coming because the defects associated with applying rules would lead to several problems such as poor employee motivation and goal-displacement. In view of this, the implication of a move from bureaucracy to post-bureaucracy has emerged and it is being depicted as a new label of flexible specialization in volatile market. Based on trust and empowerment, post-bureaucracy and other terms including post-hierarchical, post-fordism and post-modern organization are also employed in the same sense (McSweeney, 2006). While some expert judge that the post-bureaucracy are actually more rhetorical than real and it has its own problems such as the risk, unfairness and loss of control, others highlight that the advent of the new post-bureaucratic era is still arriving since the market has been experienced a moving from mass production towards niche production in today’s business environment. While it can not be denied that the concern on the aspect of its design and efficiency in mainstream thinking toward the bureaucracy did lead to some problems in a sense, this essay will attempt to demonstrate that the bureaucracy is still relevant for understanding organizations in current business environment and the existence of post-bureaucracy should be questioned. In order to demonstrate this, according to the mainstream thinking, critiques towards bureaucracy at different perspectives and the feasibility of post-bureaucracy will be discussed at the beginning. Then it will argue the limitation of the mainstream thinking and how bureaucracy can still be relevant for understanding organizations by using examples from literatures. According to Weber, rational-legal is the basis of bureaucracy and it becomes widely adopted because it refers to a highly efficient form of organization while critiques towards the bureaucracy in mainstream thinking are basically to do with the aspect of its design and efficiency in contrast. In the popularist critiques, bureaucracy is viewed as a form of organization which is like a predictable machine with standard operations and leads to the unnecessary delay and excessive obsession with rules. Based on the mainstream thinking, Grey (2007) summarized some important problems from the popularist critiques related with the inertia and ‘Red Tape’ mentality. Specifically, because simply following the rules in bureaucracy gives rise to have little personal commitment and low interest for the workers in the organization, job satisfaction and responsibility in their minds will not be guaranteed and leads to a poor motivated customer service as well as the procrastination in paper work. In the view of the customers, due to the impersonal rules from bureaucracy, sometimes it facilitated the employees in organizations to be ‘jobsworth’ and lead to ‘buck-passing’ by hiding behind the rules when no decision is being made towards a rule-against problem until ‘authority’ comes because the typical mind in their heads. However, some managerialists such as Crozier (1964, cited in Grey, 2007) and Gouldner (1954, cited in Grey, 2007) might deal a blow to the idea that bureaucracy is rigid and impersonal because rules sometimes are completely ignored by employees in their observation. For example, safety regulations as well as equal opportunities regulations in organizations are usually being ignored because they are viewed as a commonplace and sometimes the inconvenience would get in the way of the their jobs. But it was not assured that whether the result of the observation is suit to the organizations in other industries. Yet, more overriding controversial problem in bureaucracy is the goal-displacement within organizations. In the managerialist critiques, as Robert Merton (1940) addressed in his study, bureaucracy would not always lead to the best outcome because people are more likely to follow the rules as a goal rather than its effect. In this way, it gives rise to deliver sub-optimal outcomes in organizations by ‘doing the thing right’ rather than ‘doing the right thing’. A defense for the goal-displacement would be that solutions are not all the optimum ones in every case, but bureaucracy offers an optimum average at overall level. However, another particular version of goal-displacement given by Philip Selznick (1949, cited in Grey, 2007) also poses a blow to the bureaucracy. He suggests divisionalized structures on organizations would lead to different aims towards the divisions by pursuing divisional interests but not the whole organization as the rules designed. Individual prejudices would play a central part in decision making and different aims in divisions within the organizations would very much debunk the rational image of bureaucracy. These insights above are very much pointing to the emergence of post-bureaucracy in organization. Admittedly, apart from overcoming the demerit of bureaucracy, as new forms of organizations with an open boundary based on trust and empowerment, post-bureaucracy would be more suitable for the organizations while the market is even more volatile in today’s business environment. However, post-bureaucracy has its own problems on the aspect of control and risk in mainstream thinking. Without applying rules in organizations, it is not easy to sustain the operation of organizations in an open boundary while trust and empowerment is so fragile that there is a danger that post-bureaucracy will descend into anarchy. Besides, giving employees more freedom to work in their ways would lead to the risk of making wrong decisions. Because employees might have adopted an even less efficient approach to the problems, the efficiency in the post-bureaucratically organizations would be less efficient at all times (Grey, 2007). However, some experts would try to advocate the post-bureaucracy in a different perspective. While the present business environment is moving from mass production towards niche production, organizations are chasing the trend of fitting with the flexible specialization in producing (Piore and Sabel, 1984, cited in Grey, 2007) and the rise of the network society and network organizations also provide a favorable environment for the post-bureaucracy (Castells, 1996, cited in Grey, 2007). But managerialists such as Warhurst and Thompson (1998) and McSweeney (2006) acute that the critiques towards the mass production is by no means decreasing over the world, and the new forms of operation with post-bureaucracy based on trust and empowerment are actually more rhetorical than real because few and limited practical cases of detailed type post-bureaucracy could be found in recent period so far. Therefore, the existence of post-bureaucracy within organizations should be questioned in a sense. Back to the argument discussed in the front, some limitations are worth noticing in the mainstream thinking. Although bureaucracy has its shortcomings in multiple perspectives, Paul du Gay (2000) claims that bureaucracy actually embodies fairness. It is true because people would chase for the maximum efficiency due to the demand of instrumental rationality. Ethic of impersonality and fairness in bureaucracy are required so that employees and customers are treated without prejudice and discrimination. In George Ritzer’s The McDonaldization of Society (2000), it also provides the idea that impersonality is the central of bureaucratic ethos that guarantee fairness as du Gay mentioned and this can be related to the merit of standardization in organizations. Specifically, Ritzer utilizes Mcdonaldization and sees it as the template for contemporary forms of bureaucratization. By focusing on the four dimensions including efficiency, calculability, predictability and control through non-human technology, he exemplifies the logic of standardization in bureaucracy has several advantages including economic and material reasons and contends that the proliferation of standardization has spread into more and more sectors in all kinds of area. Scientific management in bureaucracy is still very evident in organisational systems over the period. Another noticing limitation could be found on the one-sided aspect of the restriction focused on efficiency. The critiques towards bureaucracy as well as post-bureaucracy in mainstream thinking might have a different understanding if the vision is shifted from different perspectives. According to du Gay (2000), it is fundamentally doing with the power. But more importantly, it is about the question of a binary logic. Mainstream thinking concerning about the efficiency towards bureaucracy is more likely to divide whether the bureaucracy is good and post-bureaucracy is bad or post-bureaucracy is good and bureaucracy is bad. However, the division between bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy was actually much less clear-cut in current business environment. For example, in Richard Sennett’s (1998) study, he revisits what previously was a Greek bakery operating with bureaucratic rules and workers are stable unionized few decades ago. However it becomes a multinational firm with large scale and uses shifting workforce of non-unionized workers for operating the bakery machines. In this way, products are easily to shift from type to type while workers know nothing about the techniques of baking but just simply pressing the button on the bakery machine. It clearly shows how new working environment of post-bureaucracy about flexibility in production do not simply imply an empowered kind of organizational life and the ways of working are as dehumanizing as before — the combination of bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is still very much alive in the new forms of organization. In conclusion, the concern on the aspect of its design and efficiency in mainstream thinking toward the bureaucracy did lead to some problems in a sense. However, while bureaucracy has been proclaimed is ending since 1960s and it leads to the view of emergence towards the new form of organization, post-bureaucracy has its own problems and its existence should be questioned. However, bureaucracy actually does embody fairness. While the world is stepping into a new business environment, organization operate in bureaucracy still has several advantages including economic and material reasons and the proliferation of standardization has spread into more and more sectors in all kinds of area. Bureaucracy is still very much alive and evident in modern organizational and social life, even combined within the new organisational systems.

Bridge of San Luis Rey’s Tone Essay

In the last two pages of his novel, Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder creates a tone unparalleled throughout the rest of the book. The tone of these last few pages, as I perceive, is that of the authors praising and adoration of the Abbess’s saintliness and selflessness. This tone is indisputably found underlying these pages. This tone is explained with the use of the three major quotes, found within these pages, as presented next in the following. â€Å"Madre Marà ­a dared not say aloud how great her astonishment was†¦ ‘Now learn, ‘she commanded herself, â€Å"learn at last that anywhere you may expect grace.’†. This self-rebuke occurs after the Abbess has witnessed herself being judgmental. She is horrified by her sinfulness. She is shocked that she had unconsciously prejudged the Marquesa and had submissively thought her to not be smart enough to conjure such great works of writing. The Abbess criticizes herself for having been so evil, and thus unknowingly makes herself even saintlier than before! The author is making the Abbess even more righteous by having her criticize herself when she is already so. As the Abbess is walking by the sick and blind, she has a sudden prophetic thought. â€Å"I can’t help thinking that something could be done for the deaf-and dumb. It seems to me that some patient person could,†¦could study out a language for them.† The Abbess cares so much for them to have thought of such a language for them to communicate with the healthy (later this language is made and called sign language). Her saintliness partly derives from her loving of everyone, even those not as fortunate as others. She is, as the author portrays, so saintly, that she is prophetic, prophetic like Jesus, Mohammad, and other famous prophets. Wilder gives this prophetic attribute to show how devout he imagines her to be. He wants to present her to be so saintly to be comparable to those other religious figures. â€Å"Within all was light and warmth, and without was the darkness they would not exchange even for a relief from pain and from dying† The dying people near the Abbess are willing to spend one more moment with her, than die immediately and be relieved of their pains. There is no other reason for these people to feel such a way besides the Abbess’s love and care for them. Her saintliness is shown through her works with the people and the all real love she pours upon them. These people are dying and feeling the worst of pain and yet they will not let go because they want to be with her longer. The author’s third exhibition of the Abbess’s saintly qualities is another reiteration of his ever lifting of her towards heaven. These three quotes, as presented, have reinforced the tone of the last few pages as being that of the authors praise and adoration for the Abbess’s saintliness and selflessness. Though it may seem redundant and exhaustive – the use of the word ‘saintly†- it is in order to wholly stress and prioritize the importance of the Abbess’s saintliness. The tone created by the author is largely based on the Abbess’s saintliness and not much more, if not anything else at all! The sole, clear message found in these few pages, from the author, is primarily based on the fact that the Abbess is a saint and that Wilder absolutely admires her piousness.

Impact of Lipitor Patent Expiry on Pfizer. Essay Example

Impact of Lipitor Patent Expiry on Pfizer. Essay Example Impact of Lipitor Patent Expiry on Pfizer. Paper Impact of Lipitor Patent Expiry on Pfizer. Paper IMPACT OF LIPITOR PATENT EXPIRY ON PFIZER. TABLE OF CONTENTSPAGE NO Executive Summary3 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Introduction4 1. 2 What is Lipitor5 1. 3Expiry of Lipitor patent5-6 CHAPTER 2: CHALLENGERS 2. 1 Challengers6 2. 2 Pfizer’s strategies7 CHAPTER 3:FINANCIAL IMPACT ON PFIZER AS LIPITOR GOES GENERIC 8-9 Recommendations10 Conclusion11 Executive summary: This report is about the impact of patent termination of Lipitor on Pfizer pharmaceutical company. Lipitor has been in the market since 1997 and is the mother of all drugs. wsj_live, 2011) As of November 30th 2011 Pfizer lost the patent of Lipitor opening path to generic competitors for America’s most popular medication and now all generic producing companies will be able get hold of the patent and produce their own stock legally. Pfizer was the first to earn 11$ billion in a year selling Lipitor and 130 $ billion over the patent’s life Lipitor is responsible for the one sixth sales of Pfizer. Due to the patent expiration of the drug Lipitor now other generic producing companies will be able to produce the drug and sell it at much lower rate than Lipitor which is a branded drug. Lipitor is a blockbuster drug of Pfizer which is responsible for making a huge profit and has kept the company at the no1 position. Until now Pfizer was the sole producer and enjoyed the monopoly of the drug. As Lipitor goes generic the rates of the drug are falling down massively so as to keep the current users of the drug to continue it. Pfizer is putting up a fight with all generic producing companies and as it is the best marketing pharmaceutical company in the world it is using strategies to keep the sales up and to make the consumers eep using Lipitor even after the expiration. It is good news for the consumers but not so much for the pharmaceutical industry. Lipitor is a blockbuster drug which going generic is a very big deal in the world of pharmaceuticals; it has been responsible for making a 27% of total sales revenue for all biopharmaceuticals. Pfizer is the best marketing pharmaceutical company in the world which is why it will squeeze out all of the value of the brand by using all strategies which are applicable in this case. It has a lot of challengers who have been waiting to get an opportunity to start producing the generic version of Lipitor like Ranbaxy and Watson pharmaceutical who have the approval to produce the generic Lipitor for 180 days after the patent expiry. While Pfizer thanking on the fact that the price difference between the branded and generic will not be much for the first six months. (sanburn, 2011) Pfizer is hoping for all the current users of Lipitor to remain loyal to the brand and at the same time is negotiating and made deals with sellers to have them sell Lipitor in the market at the generic prices. wsj_live, 2011) The impact on Pfizer financially is at large in the start but due to its solid financial risk and excellent business risk profile it will be able to withstand the loss in the coming time. The investors are warned at expecting lower numbers and with plans to stabilize them in a short period of time. It is a very complex situation but due to Pfizer’s creative pr ocess to deal with the situation it will help to bring the numbers up. With the patent expiry of Lipitor it is challenging to present the investors with the numbers Pfizer has hit before but it’s not impossible. philippidis, 2011) INTRODUCTION: PFIZER is the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. It was created in the year 1849 by Charles Pfizer and company, a chemical business; over the last century it has associated itself with developing trends to become a research-based pharmaceutical company. The penicillin used during the World War 2 was produced was Pfizer. The company is situated in New York with its research department in Groton, Connecticut, united states. It owns the best cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor and has other 14 blockbuster drugs. In the first year it generated revenues of 67. 8$ billion and net income of 8. 26$ billion. (philippidis, 2011)Pfizer is the largest player in the pharmaceutical market having the best power in marketing and forming associations. It also posts the highest dividends in the industry. Pfizer faces challenges common to all pharmaceutical companies such as patent expiration and FDA regulation. It is dedicated to applying science and global resources to progress health and well-being at every stage of life. Subsidiary members are Agouron pharmaceuticals, G. D Searle company, Greenstone, Park- Davis, Wyeth, Pharmacia, Upjohn, Warner lambert. (control, 2011) Pfizer‘s ceo Ian Reid announced that company would dissociate substantial portions of the company with the aim to focus on pharmaceuticals. Its business is divided into two divisions which are biopharmaceutical with 86% of revenues which consists of primary care, speciality care, established products, emerging markets and oncology. The diversified makes 14% of revenues which consists of consumer healthcare, animal health, nutrition among others. Some major products of biopharmaceutical (86%of total revenue) are; (sanburn, 2011) Lipitor- statin that decreases LDL levels, best-selling and and the most important for Pfizer as it contributes significantly to the growth of the company. However, the patent expired opening it to competition with the generic drugs. Enbrel- for arthritis, plaque psoriasis ankylosing spondiltis. this with the purchase of Wyeth was the largest drug acquired with Pfizer. Lyrica- used for the treatment of epilepsy9most successful pharmaceutical launches of Pfizer. Also used for treating central nerve pain and anxiety disorder. Prevnar- for invasive pneumonia. Celebrex- used for arthritis joint pain. Viagra-Important drug for Pfizer lost its patent in 2010. It’s used for erectile dysfunction. Norvasc- most prescribed branded medicine for lowering blood pressure. Pfizer has an enormous RD budget spending 9. 48$ billion in 2010 for research and development purposes. LIPITOR (GENERIC NAME IS ATORVASTATIN CALCIUM) Lipitor is the mother of all drugs. It is a statin that is used to lower cholesterol levels. Pfizer best-selling drug and the world’s largest selling drug. It is sold in 10, 20, 40 or 80mg. Lipitor came in the market in 1997 and collected in 100$ billion even in a crowded market containing many other cholesterol lowering statins many of them have already gone generic. Pfizer’s sales from Lipitor have made 11$billion in a year which is about one-sixth of Pfizer’s total sales. 8. 7 million American’s use Lipitor to lower their cholesterol levels. Lipitor contributes significantly for the growth of Pfizer; it is one of its blockbuster drugs. It has been the most profitable prescription drug in the history with millions of users. It is a big change for the consumers and for the world of pharmaceutical companies. EXPIRY OF LIPITOR’S PATENT: Lipitor has been in the market since 1997 being the only drug available in the market for lowering cholesterol levels but Pfizer lost patent rights of Lipitor on nov30th 2011 making pathway for the generic competitors for America’s most popular medication. Pfizer made an 11$ billion in 2010 worldwide selling Lipitor and a 130$billion over the patents life. Lipitor is one of the blockbuster drugs of Pfizer. After patent expiry of Lipitor other generic producers will be able to produce it and sell it at a much cheaper rate making it lose it exclusivity. The most profitable drug in the history loses its exclusivity after being in the market for 14 yrs. Pfizer took a hit of 4% or 1. 5 $billion due to patent expiration of Lipitor. (time, 2011) Before patent expiration it cost 5$ a pill for the consumers but after patent termination it has come down to 4$ per month, it is likely to reduce much further in the next coming 6 months in which there would be a price war. People will now be able to buy Lipitor for 80% off its original cost. Lipitor global sales were 10$ billion last year and they are to go as low as 3. 2$ billion in the year 2012. cnbc news, 2011) Pfizer has already lost exclusivity of Lipitor in Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and Spain last year but is still making revenues from the developing countries. Pfizer is forced to sell their branded drug Lipitor at generic prices as the patent ends. Now any pharmaceutical company can get hold of the patent and manufacture their own stock legally. Pfizer enjoyed the monopoly of the drug for all these yrs. and was the sole producer of the drug Lipitor until November 2011. Pfizer has been able to maintain its global no1 ranking for years because of Lipitor sales. THE CHALLENGERS: There are many generic drug making companies around the world. Ranbaxy India’s largest generic drug maker had to settle proceedings with Pfizer back in 2008 who has won the rights to sell the drug exclusively for the next six months after the patent expiration. Ranbaxy got the approval from the food and drug administration (FDA) to make the generic version of the drug Lipitor which will be manufactured in New Brunswick at the ohm laboratories and will be sharing its profit with Teva pharmaceuticals for the first six months. After six months another authorised generic version of Lipitor will be sold by Watson pharmaceuticals that have an exclusive agreement with Pfizer, according to which Pfizer will manufacture and sell generic Lipitor to Watson for the next five years. But those generics won’t be significantly cheaper than Lipitor if at all. (narayan, 2011) After the Ranbaxy settlement several other legal issues were resolved with generic drug making companies which were looking in for some action which included Mylan, Teva pharmaceuticals and one of the most recent was Dr. Reddy’s laboratories. philippidis, 2011) Teva pharmaceutical company clashed with Pfizer for quite some time but then on October 7 both decided that Teva would not sell generic Lipitor in the UK market till the expiration of the drug in the country which is still may 2012. More generics mean more competition and fewer sales . PFIZER STRATEGIES: Lipitor has made millions in profit for Pfizer therefore Pfizer using an ex tensive plan to keep its 10 million patients using Lipitor to stay on it. Pfizer is fighting against all generic producing companies to keep the Lipitor sales as high as possible. Pfizer strategy to prevail the loss of patent rights of its bestselling drug Lipitor has resulted in making deals to sustain a part of 11 billion annual sales from Lipitor and to hold on to the exclusivity of the drug in the market. Deals like, ? Drug-benefit agencies providing discounts to the patients for prolonged use of the drug even after the patent termination. ?Making it available over the counter to stand the attack expected from generics. ?Negotiations made with insurance providers blocking pharmacies from making generic version of Lipitor available to the patients. (wsj_live, 2011) ? Providing patients with discount cards so they can purchase the drug for 4$ a month (25$ lower from the average co-pay for a brand name drug) (sanburn, 2011) ? Paying pharmacies to mail patients with a 4$ copay card and to continue it. (wsj_live, 2011) ? Deals made with catalyst health insurance Inc. and Coventry health care Inc. to not let the generic version of Lipitor gets into the hands of customers until next summer. ?And Pfizer made deals with other health care companies will keep Lipitor at a low price for the next 6 months. ?Pfizer negotiated terms with Medco health solutions Inc. to supply Lipitor through its direct mail services. Pfizer’s lipitor. com website is another online channel set up to sell Lipitor. ?Pfizer’s program called â€Å"Lipitor for you† according to which the drug is delivered to your house, focusing on the consumers. Pfizer being the best marketing pharmaceutical company in the world will do everything to squeeze out every possible v alue from the brand. From each 90 day supply of Lipitor Pfizer will make a profit of 100$ from the usual 225$ which it made before the market opened to generics. If the manufacturing companies were to scale back their marketing campaign profits for Pfizer could stay up. Due to the new changes in the statin market it could be a win-win situation for all as consumers have the option to stay on the original Lipitor which is available at cut off prices and also the benefit to the consumers from low cost generics. Pfizer is using a very creative process to deal with this complex situation. (sanburn, 2011) FINANCIAL IMPACT ON PFIZER AS LIPITOR GOES GENERIC: After 14 years world’s most profitable prescription drug goes generic with many people using it for all these years (newshour, as patent of lipitor expires is era of blockbuster drugs over, 2011). Pfizer has made 130$ billion over Lipitor’s patent life. A Lipitor pill cost about 5$ a pill while costing only a dime to make it has come down to costing 4$ a month, it has come down and will initially fall lower then that. As generic are as good as branded drugs that is why people would choose to buy the low cost generic version of the drug. Lipitor roughly is responsible for one sixth of Pfizer’s total sales. (sanburn, 2011) Pfizer’s sales in 2010 were 67. 8$billion while after the expiration of Lipitor the sales forecast in 2012 will be as low as 63 to 63. $ billion. (dupont, 2011)Lipitor’s sales were 10$ billion in 2010 and in 2012 they are forecasted to be down to 3. 8$ billion. Lipitor which costs 120$ a month will fall down 30% in December 10 to 20% more than the usual drop of price when a patent expires of a drug. Pfizer will not be able to compensate the drop of price in short term but Pfizer maintaining the solid minimal financial risk and excel lent business risk profile will be able to withstand the revenue loss in the next 2 years. Lipitor’s sales have been downsizing since the last few years, in 2006 it accounted for 27% of total biopharmaceuticals revenues by making sales of 12. 9$ billion in that year, while coming down to 11. 4$billion in 2009 , yet at 10. 7$billion in sales worldwide while US alone responsible for 5. 3$billion in sales. Lipitor has been the best prescription drug sold all around the world and Pfizer’s best blockbuster drug for years. The drug alone accounted for 18% revenues of biopharmaceutical worldwide. (philippidis, 2011) Pfizer’s EPS investors losing 3% or gaining 1%over last year’s 2. 3$. EPS is expected to fall somewhere between 2. 16 to 2. 26$. Pfizer lowers the RD spending this year to 8 to 8. 5$ billion from 9. 4$ billion in year 2010. Before the companies merger between Wyeth and Pfizer of 65$ billion, RD spending were 11$ billion in the year 2009. pfizer has warned the investors to expect lower number in the year 2012 with the revenue ranging between 62. 2$ to 64. 7$billion which is 5% at the lower end and 3% at the higher end. RD to fall again after every guidance. Pfizer expects the EPS to bounce back 2. 25 to 2. 35 which is up 4% at both ends. Without a blockbuster drug like Lipitor it is challenging to present investors with numbers that Pfizer has hit before. Lipitor has been the blockbuster drug of Pfizer for years making it a very successful company and is responsible for the growth of the company keeping it at the no1 position for years. (philippidis, 2011) RECOMMENDATIONS: As the situation is complex and Pfizer should use a very creative way to deal with the situation so as to maintain the sales of Lipitor in the market and to have all the current consumers to continue with the drug even at a low rate as the generics. The drug is clinically approved and the most reliable which is used for low cholesterol. The same formulation drug which will be available at a low rate after the expiry of the patent, therefore the company should make deals with generic producers of Lipitor where they will agree to sell the drug which will be manufactured by Pfizer for a certain period of time, likely for the first 6 months pricing it to the same value as the other generic versions of Lipitor. And to use marketing strategies which would help in making the consumers use the best medicine which has been used for the past 14 years and is known all around the world as the best and most profitable prescription drug. The generic Lipitor will be manufactured by Pfizer and will be sold all around the world through different generic making pharmaceutical companies where Pfizer will also supply the drug to the companies at a lower rate. The supply cost of the drug to the companies will be lower than the other companies. Pfizer can use the drugs which are still in the pipeline and make another blockbuster drug which will not be able to take place of Lipitor but would help in increasing the revenues of the company and make up for the loss of profit from the lowering of the prices of Lipitor. at present having no other blockbuster drug to fill that hole is creating problems and Pfizer trying to hang on to all the revenues that can come from Lipitor, therefore it’s important to pay attention to making another blockbuster available in the market as soon as possible to compensate the loses. Pfizer can make deals with other pharmaceutical companies also to sell their drug without the brand label and in turn share the revenues with them. it costs less than a dime to make a pill and now saving on the costs of advertising and marketing the branded drug will also be saved, which would help in making more deals to sell the drug in the market. Making agreements with all the generic producers which are vast in number all around the world and to get them to give a percentage or royalty on the sale of that then Pfizer will be benefitting from all those companies. CONCLUSION: After a patent of a drug expires it is assumed that the drug will vanish after that from the market but Pfizer has fought and will continue to fight for Lipitor and will stay with it, as it has been proved by the company by using all types of strategies and making deals and programs to keep the sales up and protecting it from vanishing. All efforts have been made by Pfizer to stave off initial competition by offering Lipitor at the same price as the generic equivalents that are to flood the market. Due to the limited competition in the start as only two companies have got the approval to produce the generic Lipitor, it will be easy for Pfizer to keep the market for Lipitor users and to be able to still maintain sales of the drug in the market. The company has also cut the co-pays of all the eligible patients to as low as 4$ a prescription which is for branded Lipitor and also it will cover up to 50% for a co-payment of every prescription through December 2012. It is too early to know if the approach used by Pfizer will benefit or not after 6 months and if Pfizer will continue to fight with all other generic makers after that period as that would result in lowering the prices even further more which would not be profitable for Pfizer. (linda a. johanson, 2011) In conclusion of this report it can be said that the impact of the patent expiration of Lipitor has proven to be a very complex matter and the company has taken ever possible step towards reducing this impact and will continue to do so in the future. Pfizer the best marketing pharmaceutical company in the world and it will be able to fight with other generic making companies at least for the first 6 months due to the limited competition. (wsj_live, 2011) Pfizer is not ready to let their gig money maker go down without a fight and will continue to do so even after generics hit the market. Lipitor is not going to just exit stage left, as it is the expiration of US biggest drug in history. REFERENCES: Bibliography pfizers big problem: lipitor patent expiration. (2011, november 15th). Retrieved december 11, 2011, from pharmacytimes. com: pharmacytimes. com/blogs/redheaded-pharmacist/1111/Pfizers-Big-Problem-Lipitor-Patent-Expiration agustino fontevecchia. (2011, august 2nd). pfizer suffer loss of exclusivity, braces itself lipitor expiration. Retrieved december 10th, 2011, from forbes. com: forbes. com/sites/afontevecchia/2011/08/02/pfizer-suffers-loss-of-exclusivity-braces-itself-for-lipitor-expiration/ brian o. relly, p. (2011, november 30th). three things more important to pfizer than losing lipitor.

Non Traditional Security Threats Facing Developing States Politics Essay Essays

Non Traditional Security Threats Facing Developing States Politics Essay Essays Non Traditional Security Threats Facing Developing States Politics Essay Essay Non Traditional Security Threats Facing Developing States Politics Essay Essay Since the terrorist onslaughts on September 11, 2001, non-traditional security ( NTS ) issues have become progressively common in about all parts of society, both domestically and internationally: in the policy and the research docket of authoritiess, in non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) , in academic circles, every bit good as in the general populace and the media. Traditionally, security has been defined in geopolitical footings and confined to relationships among nation-states, covering with issues such disincentive, the balance of power, and military scheme. However, the traditional apprehension of security has progressively been questioned in footings of how security and non-security should be explained, and by what sort of attack.[ 1 ] In recent old ages, there have been an increasing figure of NTS menaces, nationally and internationally, originating from really different Fieldss such as fiscal convulsion, cyberspace hacking, drug-trafficking, ecological devolution and even SARS, all of which have neer earlier in the class of human history had such serious impact on any single state or international community. What makes it worse is that authoritiess and research bureaus do non cognize how to specify these menaces, allow entirely get by with them. Even in developing states such as China, and Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, for case, faculty members and authorities agency are both interested and puzzled by NTS issues, and they are get downing to set more natural and human resources into covering with them.[ 2 ]Yet, they find it really hard to prioritize in work outing or easing NTS menaces given so many different demands, and the comparatively limited resources that are readily available. Definition BY EXAMPLES In China, the NTS construct has been deriving grip as many of its influential elite are discoursing these new menaces to their national security. Yet, despite frequent mention to NTS and the development of a new security construct for China based on the demand to turn to such issues, there is no formal, agreed-upon definition. Alternatively of offering a definition, most offered illustrations. All mentioned energy, the environment, bird grippe and terrorist act as non-traditional issues that are of increasing concern. There are others who include drug trafficking, buccaneering and arms of mass devastation ( WMD ) . They commented that the differentiation between traditional and non-traditional menaces lay in the agencies for deciding them, and that military agencies can non decide non-traditional issues. A Chinese Army General recognised the trouble in specifying NTS and tried to offer some lucidity. He offered the undermentioned four earmarks for National trust: ( I ) they transcend national boundaries and are therefore multinational in nature ; ( two ) they go beyond the military domain ; ( three ) they frequently are sudden and unexpected ; and ( four ) they are often interwoven with traditional security menaces. He concluded that they are menaces that more than one state faces and can non be solved by one state or by a individual agency. For illustration, it is difficult to nail where and how an infective disease starts, or when a natural catastrophe or act of panic will happen. And possibly the most baleful facet of NTS is that they are likely to happen in concurrence with or move as triggers for other crises. HUMAN SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF MAJOR CRISES Asiatic Economic Crisis The Asiatic fiscal crisis started in 1997 and acutely affected four Southeast Asiatic states that include Indonesia and Malaysia. During the worst hebdomads of January 1998, the Indonesian rupiah fell by 80 per centum and the Malayan ringgit by 40 per centum. The depreciation of these currencies placed force per unit area on Singapore, the regional Centre, to follow suit. In footings of capital flow, more than USD30 billion fled from these states in 1997 and 1998. The World Bank described the crisis as the biggest reverse for poorness decrease in the part for several decennaries. The impact on unemployment was terrible. A survey by the International Labour Organisation ( ILO ) showed that between August 1997 and December 1998, unemployment in Indonesia rose from 4.3 million to 13.7 million, and in Malaysia from 224,000 unemployed in December 1997 to 405,000 in December 1998.[ 3 ] The crisis in Indonesia toppled the Suharto government and generated intra-regional strains, particularly apparent in dealingss between Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. The rise of Islamic political forces in Indonesia following the ruin of Suharto rekindled anxiousnesss in Singapore about the potentially harmful impact of instability in its neighbors. Singapore s leaders were worried that instability in Indonesia would hold spill-over effects. With the ruin of Suharto, a founding figure and cardinal ground tackle of Southeast Asiatic regionalism, the crisis besides cast an extra shadow over ASEAN s ( Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) hereafter. One of the major effects of the crisis was the focal point on societal and economic safety cyberspaces for the hapless. Human agonies from the crisis spurred the affected states to look once more at the province of their several societal safety cyberspaces and to reconfirm that they can so accomplish the ends for which they were formulated. Although the states managed the short-run societal branchings of the crisis more competently than was ab initio thought, reforms to formal societal security agreements remained indispensable if the aim was sustained economic growing. This was peculiarly outstanding in position of several societal factors typically built-in to economic growing and modernization.[ 4 ] On the other manus, though non straight effected with the economic crisis, China is in a critical occasion when two passages coincide 1 is the taking off of modernization, and the other is the passage from planned economic system to market economic system. Both are inundated with contradictions and extremely vulnerable to the eruption of struggles. The two passages being so intertwined farther enlarge the urban-countryside disparity, regional disparity, wealth disparity, and cultural disparity, which will arouse convulsion if treated unskilfully.[ 5 ]But the status internal to China that causes the most concern is the broad disparities that exist within its society between the rich and the hapless, urban and rural. The crisis took topographic point due to four chief factors: ( I ) the planetary economic system had caused an unprecedentedly big rush in private capital flows in the 1990s, particularly short-run flows due to most developing states low debt ratios, rapid growing and stable exchange rates ; ( two ) macroeconomic policies in most underdeveloped states took advantage of this roar to ease big influxs of short-run foreign currency-denominated capital, fuelling a domestic recognition roar and even more rapid growing ; ( three ) many states had liberalised their domestic fiscal sectors, but without sufficient ordinance, and domestic Bankss supplied inexpensive capital to already extremely leveraged corporations that took on easy available recognition ; and eventually ( four ) political relations, at first stable, introduced new hazards that culminated in of import alterations at exactly the clip when internal fiscal exposures were going worrisome. One of the major impacts of the crisis was the diminution of the province of societal safety cyberspaces where there was an disconnected and crisp autumn in life criterions due to unemployment, disablement and retirement. Another major impact, in Indonesia the crisis toppled the Suharto government and generated intra-regional strains. The rise of Islamic political forces following his ruin rekindled anxiousnesss in the part. In confronting those challenges, the affected states had reviewed several of their policies to reconstruct their credibleness. This was based on the determination that several policy spheres affect the net external liability place of a state and its leaning toward crises. Therefore, among the policies reviewed were several inter-related macro-economic policies foreign exchange militias, financial and pecuniary policy, exchange rate policy, and policy toward capital history.[ 6 ] The SARS Outbreak The following crisis confronting these developing states was the eruption of SARS ( terrible ague respiratory syndrome ) , an untypical signifier of pneumonia with a mortality rate of around 10 per centum that first appeared in Guangdong, China in November 2002. Within a short clip, the epidemic had a more terrible impact on the regional touristry and economic system than the September 11 onslaughts. There were a sum of 8,069 instances of disease and 775 deceases, of which 350 were from mainland China. Despite taking some action to command the epidemic, China did non advise the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) of the eruption until February 2003, when the disease had spread quickly, making nearby states and so to other states via international travelers. The Chinese governments had curbed coverage of the epidemic so as to continue face and public assurance. This deficiency of openness caused the state to take the incrimination for detaining the international attempt against the epid emic. The virulency of the symptoms and the infection of hospital staff alarmed planetary wellness governments fearful of another emergent pneumonia epidemic. Local transmittal of SARS took topographic point quickly within the part taking to over 1,200 people were under quarantine in Hong Kong, 977 in Singapore and 1,147 in Taiwan. The deliberate cost of SARS in the part was around USD 50 billion, and authorities and private analysts slashed their economic growing estimations for 2003 Singapore from 3.5 % to 2 % and Malaysia from 5 % to 4 % . In Singapore, functionaries said that with the SARS crisis, air travel reachings had dropped by half compared with the old twelvemonth to 62,500 in the first hebdomad of April 2003, and retail gross revenues dropped by about 50 per centum. As Singapore s Prime Minister observed, This crisis is non merely a crisis of SARS, it is besides a crisis of fear people fear catching SARS. [ 7 ] Among regional establishments, ASEAN led the manner in reacting to the SARS eruption. An ASEAN+3 Ministers of Health Special Meeting on SARS was held in Kuala Lumpur on April 26, 2003 followed on April 29 by an exigency Particular ASEAN-China ( including Hong Kong ) Leaders Meeting in Singapore. The meetings discussed regional mechanisms to observe and react rapidly to pandemics, including installing of surveillance systems. A common scheme to battle SARS was agreed upon, seting in topographic point a series of co-ordinated steps to maintain boundary lines unfastened while guaranting that the flagellum would be contained. Apart from pressing greater apprehension of the nature of the virus and its transmittal, they pledged to put up a web to portion information on SARS and have standardised wellness declaration cards and temperature cheques for air riders. Other steps included information-sharing on SARS, contact tracing and follow-up processs. A hotline was set up among the wellness curates and their senior functionaries to ease communicating in exigencies ; while their wellness governments were in changeless contact. They besides adopted an isolate and contain scheme to guarantee that those non affected by SARS were able to go swimmingly within the part. Decision Although there are other security issues in developing states, the above issues transcend national boundary lines in footings of their effects and their solutions require international cooperation, including many-sided cooperation. During the last decennaries, NTS particularly the assorted human security issues has become a cardinal concern to many states, establishments and societal histrions seeking for advanced ways and agencies of undertaking the many non-military menaces to peace and security. Indeed, human security underlines the complex links, frequently ignored or underestimated between disarming, human rights and development. Today, in an progressively globalised universe, the most harmful menaces to human security originate from the conditions that give rise to genocide, civil war, human rights misdemeanors, planetary epidemics and environmental debasement. Therefore, states could convene an international workshop to analyze the menace to national security and world posed by complex and unexpected NTS, the experience and policy model of provinces had faced such menaces, national capablenesss for human-centered action and the sharing of best patterns and resources.

A Project Report On Marketing Plan For Kudu is a Saudi Arabia

Kudu is a Saudi Arabia based restaurant chain with over 327 store outlets across the country (Kudu, 2017). The restaurant was established with the aim to offer a unique dining experience for the people of Saudi Arabia. The restaurant has a highly trained staff along with great infrastructure to maintain the standard of services in terms of quality, efficiency and reliability. The restaurant has received ISO and HACCP SQF recognition for its consistency of service standards (Kudu, 2017). The customers can watch their orders being processed and rest assured that the food is being prepared in a neat, clean and hygienic manner. The goal of the company is to â€Å"offer a unique dining experience to the customers through quality and fresh food of restaurant† (Kudu, 2017). The restaurant has excelled in its services by maintaining its service standard and procuring fresh and quality food ingredients on daily basis. Thus, the restaurant has developed a sustainable business model that would ensure the longevity of the business and assist to reach its goals. Kudu has strategically positioned itself as a restaurant that offers fresh food to its customers through its open kitchen tradition where customers can watch the preparation of the recipes being cooked and packed (Kudu, 2017). The restaurant has adopted various marketing strategies to promote its products in the market of Saudi Arabia. The restaurant has a dedicated website through which customers can access all the detailed information on Kudu related to its menu, products, stores, quality services and required details. The restaurant also displays its latest products and offers through its website. The customers can choose from a wide range of offers such as combo offers, meal offers and the festive offers that are being served during an occasion. The core focus of the company is quality, reliable and efficient services and it has been able to maintain it over a long period of time (Kudu, 2017).   The targeted customers of Kudu include men & women, students & executives, youth an d adults, friends & families, who can enjoy the delicious breakfasts, lunch and dinner at the restaurant (Kudu, 2017). Kudu may have been able to create a trust among the customers through its quality and reliable services, yet it needs to expand its market in order to grow its revenue and profitability. The restaurant targets diversified customers including men & women, students & executives, youth and adults, friends & families. The restaurant also offers home delivery to the customers to increase its reach ability and overall sales revenue. The restaurant has great opportunity to target offices in the country. Another identified opportunity for the restaurant is introducing meal campaign for the professionals and executives. The plan proposes to offer meal for the executives and professionals at their doorsteps during their lunch time. After studying the marketing strategies of Kudu, it was identified that the company has a great opportunity to target the market of corporate and professionals (Egan, 2007). The executives and professionals are busy people who do not have time to go out for their meals during lunch hours. Since Kudu has established its restaurant store outlets across the country that serves a diversified range of customers, therefore, it is not able to serve the needs of these busy professionals. In order to offer great services, a brand must take care the needs and wants of its customers (Luther, 2011). Thus, a marketing plan would be developed that would aim to target this group of people. Marketing mix element is one of the concepts of marketing that is being mostly used by the company to develop their marketing plan by analyzing product, price, promotion and place (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2008). Product: The product comprises of two components that includes meal combo and doorstep services at the offices of the professionals. The meal would comprise of three components including one main course (burger/sandwich/rice beef), one drink (Coke/fanta/sprite) and any one out of salad/fries/sweet dish. The menu would be different for every day so that the customers do not get bored of eating the same food. Now the meal would be served during the lunch hours of the professionals at the doorstep of their offices so that they do not have to travel to the restaurant. This would save their order time and travelling time. Thus, the concept of innovation is being applied to create reliable, consistent and efficient services. Price: Pricing strategy depends upon the paying capacity of the consumers (Kubicki, 2015)). In this situation economy pricing strategy would be appropriate so that executives can easily avail this service (Schindler and Schindler, 2011). Since a large group of people would be availing this service, therefore, the cost of the product would also reduce and the economies of scale would be easily achieved. Promotion: In the changing business environment context, digital marketing has become a popular marketing strategy and is being commonly deployed by the companies. Kudu could also use this strategy to reach its target audience. Social media marketing, email marketing and search engine marketing are the most commonly used approaches for this marketing. In this scenario, Kudu could utilize email marketing tactics in order to reach a larger market share. Further, in order to attract larger number of audience, the restaurant could offer discounts and offers to the executives (McDonald, 2007). Place: Since the plan has proposed office delivery of meal orders for the executives, therefore, importance must be given to timely delivery of the services. The delay would cause trouble for the customers as their lunch hours are fixed and they cannot afford to waste their time. In order to implement the plan, the company must develop effective marketing strategies to attract the customers (Percy, 2008). The product has already been developed comprising of executive meal for the customers. Now communicating about this service to the target customer is an important aspect of the plan (Shimp, 2008). Email marketing is one of the most effective strategies that is used to directly reach the potential customers. The data of the potential customers could be collected through various methods. After the email ids have been collected, an appropriate email needs to be developed that highlights the core message of the campaign. Subject of Email: The subject of the email must be able to capture the attention of the user so that the reader is compelled to open the mail. The subject line would be â€Å"Enjoy your meal comfortably at your office†. This is more likely to attract the attention of the reader. Message Strategy: The image below effectively communicates the subject of the campaign. Introducing Executive Platter Services for Executives and Professional! Save Your Travelling Time and Order Placement Time By Subscribing To Our Services. Enjoy our Scrumptious Meal with varieties and flavors. For more details, contact Kudu Restaurant team: Phone: 966 (1) 419 – 1440, Email: info@kudu.com.sa Forecasting is an important element of a marketing plan that helps to project the future trends in the market. It assists to analyze the future market conditions and how would the market respond to the marketing campaign. The marketing plan targets the market segment of commercial office that are located in the centre region of Riyadh. Initially, the targeted offices include the region of Bahrain Tower, Commercial Business District and Olaya Towers so as to deliver effective services. The target group comprises of around one thousand customers and around 20% of them are likely to respond to the advertisement. Thus, the team must prepare to be able to serve to around two hundred customers. There are several methods to measure and control the marketing campaign and include the following: Egan, J. (2007). Marketing Communication. UK: Cengage Learning EMEA. Kubicki, M. (2015). The Marketing Mix:  Master the 4 Ps of marketing. US: 50 Minutes. Kudu. (2017). Heritage. Kudu. Available at: https://www.en.kudu.com.sa/heritage [Accessed Online 5 May 2017]. Lamb, C.W., Hair, J.F., and McDaniel, C. (2008). Essential of Marketing. Cengage Learning. Luther, W.M. (2011). The Marketing Plan:  How to Prepare and Implement it. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. McDonald, M. (2007). Marketing Plans:  How to Prepare Them, how to Use Them. US: Butterworth-Heinemann. Percy, L. (2008). Strategic Integrated Marketing Communication:  Theory and Practice. US: Routledge. Schindler, R.M., and Schindler, R. (2011). Pricing Strategies:  A Marketing Approach. California: SAGE. Shimp, T.A. (2008). Advertising Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. US: Cengage Learning. Yeshin, T. (2012). Integrated Marketing Communications. US: Routledge.

The cask of amintiliado and good son movie Essay

The cask of amintiliado and good son movie - Essay Example The movie is about a twelve year old boy, Mark, who promises his mother suffering from cancer that she will not die. Mark is consumed by guilt and grief after his mother’s death because he is not able to keep his promise of keeping her alive. After the death, Mark is dropped off by his father at his uncle’s house while he proceeds to Tokyo for a two week business trip.Initially, Mark practices withdrawal from the rest of the family members but he gets accustomed to his aunt and cousins. He mostly becomes friends with his cousin Henry, whom they spend so much time together. Nevertheless, Mark starts to observe a number of Henry’s views of fun significantly differ from his own. Henry’s parents refuse to listen to Mark when he informs them of their child’s dangerous behavior (Ruben 1). Montresor and Henry are actually identically evil characters and through their example, evil exists. In my view, both Montresor and Henry are identical characters. I also believe evil exists in both Montresor and Henry. One characteristic that Montresor exhibits is that of vengeance. Montresor makes a decision to play therole of the whole justice system as executioner, jury, and judge. At no single point is Montresor considerate of the consequences of his actions because he is certain that his actions are defensible. It may be argued that Montresor is a threatening character. He is an individual you would not want to have an encounter with in any setting. He is portrayed as a ruthless and cold murderer. He both finds pleasure in killing and sees it as necessary. In fact, as he is building the stone tomb of Fortunato, Montresor says, â€Å"I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt satisfied† (Poe). The fact that he is satisfied actually means that he feels no guilt at all about the murder. Moreover, according to Montresor, when Fortunato finally tells him, â€Å"Will not they be awaiting us at the palazzo,

Negligent training Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Negligent training - Essay Example and drink arrangement and administration; establishing essential building efforts to establish safety; and making moves to maintain a strategic distance from a rehash of past mishaps by your employs through training them. A standout amongst the most well-known types of mischance at cordiality venues is a slip-and-fall mishap. The recurrence is so extraordinary; this expression is currently a typical legitimate term. Basic reasons for these mishaps incorporate covers not appropriately secured to the floor, electrical lines laid crosswise over floors, wet floors created by spilling roofs or janitorial work, protests or fluids on stairs, and hand railings that fizzle. In the event that you have an exchange show or gatherings where exhibitors or speakers use electronic presentation gear, oblige them to utilize your electrical ropes and demand that your staff introduce them to guarantee they are legitimately laid, taped and secured. A protection safeguard lawyer or your protection bearer ought to have the capacity to provide for you a rundown of slip-and-fall insurances your office can take. Proper instructions and training can prevent this otherwise you can’t stop this. (Ashe, S. (n.d.). Types of Negligence in the Hospitality Industry) There are many steps to reduce negligent training like improving management communication as all administrators will continually and reliably show the adequate behavior, as expressed in the approaches, in their own particular conduct and by taking part in consistent, continuous preparing for all representatives to make economical behavioral change that is in arrangement with organization arrangements and techniques. Other step can be creating a healthy environment for employs to learn like administrators must figure out how to manufacture trust and admiration among their representatives so workers trust it is protected to approach administration without alarm of responses and report episodes where representative behavior

Discussion borad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion borad - Essay Example It is also done to know if a certain independent variable creates negative or positive impact to the dependent variable. For example, does empowering women increase prejudice against men? The dependent variable, in this case, is the prejudice while empowering women is the independent variable. To get to a clear conclusion about the said question, the level of prejudice must be measured and be known through one of the components, pretesting and post-testing. The process will help to determine whether empowering women increases prejudice in men. To dispute or agree with the question that empowering women has increased prejudice in men, the subject has to be divided into two different parts mainly, experimental section where the stimulus is administered (empower the women) and the section that does not receive the stimulus. Both sections may not have increased prejudice, but if only a few people who do not see the essence of empowering the women agree with the said question, then it means that empowering women do not increase prejudice against men. It is not right to argue that empowering or giving power to women will hurt power of men (Mosedale p

The Erechtheion on the Acropolys of Athens Essay

The Erechtheion on the Acropolys of Athens - Essay Example If we wish to understand ourselves, we must take care not to eliminate the ‘shell’ of our past, for it is the physical record of our aspirations and achievements† (Roth 3). This is a perfect analogy for the buildings we construct because the oldest segments of the nautilus shell are found within the depths of its interior just as the oldest concepts of architecture are still found within the depths of our architectural core theories. What Roth is suggesting is that architectural knowledge of any type must necessarily build upon the work completed in the past and this work remains forever embedded within the frameworks created in the present. As a result, there remains a great deal to be learned from some of the existing architectural works of the ancient past such as the Erechtheion on the Acropolis of Athens. Attempting to trace the architectural theories of the ancients is not as easy as it might seem as there were a number of architects working at the same time, not all of whom worked from the same foundational theories which had yet to be codified. An example of this is best illustrated by more modern examples. Even though we have access to numerous books and articles about Greek art and architecture today, there are still a great number of theories in existence as to what exactly comprises architecture. These theories continue to change with time, material, usage of the structure and so forth. This makes architectural theory even today difficult to standardize. â€Å"The majority of programs that purport to be theories of architecture seek to combine aesthetic, social and practical considerations in an integrated whole; the emphasis being either theoretical or practical, according to whether the author is an architect himself, and on whom he is writing for† (Kruft 14). In other words, there seems to be as many theories of architecture today as there are architects and it seems reasonable to assume that this same condition existed in the past as it does now. If there were fewer theories in antiquity, this would be more the result of a fewer number of working architects rather than a limited number of ideas to float around. Extending back even to the ancient Romans, though, architects began to record their theories for the benefit of future generations to build and expand upon. Thus, they are able to continue to contribute to developing thought many years after their physical deaths. These published discussions are invaluable because they reveal the influences of the ancients and reveal some of the common shared theories that may have been employed by the ancient Greeks. An important figure in the recording of these ideas was the Roman Vitruvius. Vitruvius was originally an artillery engineer who worked during the period of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, but he made his name a part of history through his work as an architect and an author. â€Å"His ten books on architecture, De Architectura (trans. 1914) , are the oldest surviving work on the subject. They consist of dissertations on a wide variety of subjects relating to architecture, engineering, sanitation, practical hydraulics, acoustic vases, and the like. Much of the material appears to have been taken from earlier extinct treatises by Greek architects† (Calter). Within his texts, Vitruvius outlines three basic elements of design he and presumably the