Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Impact Of Thomas Hobbes During The Age Of Absolutism

Thomas Hobbes During the Age of Absolutism The Age of Absolutism was a time during the 16th to 19th centuries where many political, religious and colonial conflicts were rising. Some philosophers began to analyze the ideas of their civilizations in depth toward the end of this time period as it led into the Age of Enlightenment. One of these philosophers was Thomas Hobbes. He had quite a few accomplishments during his lifetime including writing many books and supporting the popular belief that an absolute monarchy was the most ideal form of government. He deeply affected the government and general people with his ideas and works. In England 1588, Thomas Hobbes was born. He lived in quite an eventful life for his time, Thomas’†¦show more content†¦The Age of Absolutism influenced his philosophy significantly. Hobbes’ philosophy was centered around his beliefs and learnings mainly. Hobbes’ developed many works that are even used today for reference and rea soning. â€Å"Leviathan† is an example of one of Hobbes’ many works that shared his belief on absolute rule. For example, as stated in an article from Britannica Academy the following is stated about Hobbes’ beliefs â€Å"Hobbes started with a severe view of human nature: all of man’s voluntary acts are aimed at pleasure or self-preservation. This position is known as psychological hedonism†. This illustrates the fact that Thomas Hobbes believed humanity was far too flawed and selfish to function in the absence of an absolute ruler’s power. He was also opposed to the separation of powers, (as stated in Britannica Academy, Thomas Hobbes: Exile in Paris) â€Å" He was firmly against the separation of government powers, either between branches of government or between church and state.† Therefore he was completely opposed to the idea of democracy as well. However, Hobbes believed that everyone should be equal under the law, except the ki ng of course. As a result of his way of thinking many people at his time disagreed with Thomas and still do. Therefore he didn’t have much of an impact on his country at this time, considering his unique beliefs some even thought his beliefs were ludicrous. Despite the fact that heShow MoreRelatedThe Dark Ages1647 Words   |  7 Pagesand almost unthinkable during much of human history. These are signs of society’s general thinking changing drastically towards political, philosophical and societal issues. Three men with three different ideologies can be seen as the founding fathers of ideas that fight society’s collective thinking and bring about change. Those men who dared to challenge medieval political and philosophical orthodoxy immensely impacted later history. There is a reason why the Medieval Ages are often referred toRead MoreBriefly Explain What Is Meant by the â€Å"Scientific Revolution† That Took Place in Seventeenth Century Europe, and How It Marked a Departure from Ancient and Medieval Philosophy.1603 Words   |  7 Pagesdeparture from ancient and medieval philosophy. The term  Scientific Revolution  refers to a period in the  17th century  when the intellects of Europe had a revolution. This was an illustrious time for science and the initiation of modern science. During that period famous people such as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and  Isaac Newton  all lived and contributed greatly to many areas of science. Just about that time period these people changed the viewpoint of our universe from geocentric (the earth atRead MoreThe Enlightenment Ideas Of The American Revolution1423 Words   |  6 Pagesindependent nation. Enlightenment Age and leaders of the revolution’s ideas were deeply trusted by the American revolution. Its purpose was to inspire people for the achievement of the revolution. With the ideas of the philosophers including John Locke, and the English Bill of Rights as well as the speech given by Patrick Henry helped make clear decision and reasonable actions throughout the American Revolution. Philosophical that support the American revolution were greatly impact by the ideas of the EnlightenmentRead MoreCicero s Influence On The Modern Political And Legal World3164 Words   |  13 Pagesword. The ideas presented by Cicero are vital to understanding where modern political ideologies originate. The basis of this essay will be to discuss and analyze Cicero’s previously mentioned work. An emphasis will be placed on â€Å"Natural Law† and its impact on the modern world. The defining characteristics of modern governments are largely based on Cicero’s ideals, demonstrating his lasting influence more than 2000 years after his death. Cicero’s work came closest to any ideology of the Roman EmpireRead MoreLiberal Perspective of a State7979 Words   |  32 Pagespowerful force in the Age of Enlightenment, rejecting several foundational assumptions that dominated most of the earlier theories of government, such as hereditary status, established religion, absolute monarchy, and the Divine Right of Kings. The early liberal thinker John Locke, who is often credited for the creation of liberalism as a distinct philosophical tradition, employed the concept of natural rights and the social contract to argue that the rule of law should replace absolutism in government,

Monday, December 23, 2019

A Comparison Piece of Mark Twains the Adventures of...

Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Frederick Douglasss Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave can be said to be comparison pieces. Despite that Huck Finn is a fictional character and Douglass was a physical being, certain characteristics and developmental processes are very similar. Firstly, in the initial stages of their lives, both Huck and Douglass faced repression, though in different forms. While Huck is a character whose spirit longs to fly freely, there are others that would conform his ways. This is expressed early on in the novel when Widow Douglas attempts to compel Huck to dress in attire befitting of a civilized individual. She also tries to have him refrain from smoking and learn the†¦show more content†¦The seeds of affection that manifest between a child and his parents never have time to take root. This process of dehumanizing slaves is done in order to initiate the process of destroying a slaves sense of identity and belonging. Upon receiving word of his mothers death, he is unmoved, almost apathetic. Sadly, he has no ties to his mother and can feel no grief for her passing. Thirdly, Huck and Douglass are protagonists, each in their own regard. The opening of Huckleberry Finn describes a game of robbers that Huck and Tom took part in. Over the course of the novel, Huck that what mainstream society has engrained in him is not always correct. He must make decisions based on his morals, not on what has been driven into him during his upbringing. When he encounters the group of slave-hunters, he realizes telling a lie is sometimes the right course of action. Huck is given the power to return Jim but instead decides to go against social norms and free Jim. This point marks the finality to his departure from societys expectations. The river helped build his taste for independence and free will. Huck wants to move out to the freedom of the West, thus departing from the civilized world. Huck grows accustomed to Aunt Sally and Silas by the end of the novel. However, he realizes that they are a part of the social order that wishes to impose their will upon others. It is not a part of Hucks nature to be influenced by others, as is displayed by his

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Causes and Ways to Reduce Fatal Accidents Free Essays

Accidents involving fatalities during the festive seasons has increased drastically. We should take this as a serious matter as it brings a lot of negative impacts to the road users and people around us. Based on a survey which has been conducted recently, the number of road accidents in 2013 has increased about 25 percent compared to last few years. We will write a custom essay sample on Causes and Ways to Reduce Fatal Accidents or any similar topic only for you Order Now Authorities believe that the number of death toll in road accidents will increase continuously throughout the year if there is no strict rules are imposed. There are many reasons why there has been an increase in fatal accidents over the year. Firstly, drunk drinking is the main reason that causes road accidents. Intake of certain amount of alcoholic drinks will make one feel unconscious and unwell. When he or she lapses into unconsciousness, he or she might not be able to drive with a sober mind. This is because their mental power is unable to function well at that moment and they tend to lose their senses as well . Besides that, negligence and reckless driving also cause fatal accidents. Reckless rivers usually like to break rules and even tend to challenge the police officers. Some the drivers like to tail along ambulances during emergency cases when the siren is on. Those are the irresponsible road users that should be suspended or fined . On the other hand, talking or messaging on the mobile phones while during driving is Jeopardizing your own life and the lives of your loved ones. People like to use their phones to chat incessantly and keep looking at their phones every second. Sometimes, we should limit oneself not overuse it especially when you are driving. Road users should always be caution and pay full attention while behind the wheels. In addition, exhaustion and tiredness can cause road tragedy. When a person travels long distance to reach the respective destinations, they will feel drowsy and exhausted which make them to lose focus on driving. Some of them even fall asleep behind the steering wheel. In order to avoid any untoward tragedy, one should get enough rest before starting your Jorney. Also, do not take any medicine while driving on the road. There are many ways to overcome the fatal incidents. Government should remind all road users to always adhere to speed limit and not to beat the red light. Observation of traffic rules and regulations will ensure a safe Journey. Government should also launch some campaigns in order to develop awareness among the motorists. In a nutshell, all parties should play their parts efficiently in order to reduce the road accidents. A I Malaysian drivers are urged to practice courtesy and consideration at all times while on the road because millions of vehicles will be sharing the same road. Remember, better to be safe than sorry. How to cite Causes and Ways to Reduce Fatal Accidents, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Strategic Operations Performance Of Nike †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Operations Performance Of Nike. Answer: The Company Nike, Inc. is an American footwear designing and manufacturing company that runs worldwide marketing. The company is the most successful company in the athletic shoes supplying across the globe and covers 47% of the global market. The company generates worldwide revenue of 32.4 billion this year which is 6% up from last year (News.nike.com 2016). The Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight in 1964 that changed its name in 1972 to Nike (Gibson 2012). The company strategic market campaign promotes innovation and inspiration in athletes lives (About.nike.com. 2017). Outside America the company owns runs business in 45 countries in 700 stores (Morris, Kuratko and Covin 2010). Nike aims for the maximum number of buyers so they offer various ranges of products for all ages. This also reflects in their company statement as they treat every customer as an athlete should wear their products. However considering the price of their products it is easily understandable th at the company mainly targets the high income group customers. The company enjoys the credit of being the top market leaders in the sports footwear supplying business but there are other equally strong competitors present in the market as well. The other two top sports footwear companies that are present in the market are Adidas and Reebok (Team 2017). Adidas generated revenue of 19.3 billion where Reebok generated 3 billion (Adidas-group.com 2017). There are competitors like Puma, Fila, Converse, Under Armour, New Balance, K-Swiss, Li Ning and ASICS. Apart from these competitive companies Nike is facing serious challenges from cheaper substitute sports footwear that are gaining popularity. Literature Review The strategic operations performance objectives help the company to achieve the competitive advantage in the global market. Organizational performance is also closely related to the strategic operations that the company engages in. This section tries to explore various literatures that discuss the concepts of performance objectives and their significance in the organizational performance. Quality According Slack and Lewis (2011) five categories can be identified as cost, quality, dependability, speed and flexibility for the performance objectives. The quality is defined as performing the assigned tasks effectively, procuring services and goods without any faults and the performance should be in accordance with the determined mission and vision. Desai (2008) has stated that if any company aims for the global competence and operational effectiveness the company must engage in the quality management. The companies have been realizing that and that is the reason quality has been emerged as an effective strategic entity in the organizational management. As Corbett (2008) described quality can be defined differently in different circumstances. In the manufacturing industry the quality is generally considered to be the standard on the products. According to Russell and Taylor (2008) quality is the essential component for the products to be able to satisfy the consumers rather than j ust eliminating the flaws and even if the company lacks a clear improvement in market the quality is able to conform the specifications. Prajogo and Goh (2007) analyzed that quality does not include any proper measurement or carries wrong measurement at certain times that highlights the lack of knowledge in quality. The company has to work with the both sides of quality in order to achieve the desired performance. Speed Russell and Taylor (2008) stated the speed is extremely important for any manufacturing business in the competitive market of today. The speed is the companys capability of performing any task fast and should be able to ensure that the gap between the producing and reaching the consumers is bridged rapidly. The companies can easily gain more competitive edge if they deliver the products faster than their competitors. The authors have highlighted how current manufacturers are exploring the advantages of service that is time based. The speed of the business has many other aspects like fast adaptation, close linkages and fast moves to the improved speed of competing. According to Tidd and Bessant (2009) the global business environment is always changing, therefore if the company brings new products with speed the company can achieve performance excellence. Flexibility Cingoz and Akdogan (2013) define strategic flexibility as the organizations ability to adapt and respond to the business environmental changes. In order to develop the flexibility the company requires to build core competence, engage in strategic leadership; develop human resources, integrating newer technologies. The flexibility is the companys ability to match certain unexpected circumstances helps the company in implementing new strategies or bringing new brand in the market. Roberts and Stockport (2009) discuss that flexibility is the organizations ability to maintain the relationship between the internal and external organizational structure. Nadkarni and Herrmann (2010) highlight that flexibility makes the company reach the superior position in the competitive market. Ussahawanitchakit and Sriboonlue (2011) explore other advantages that the organization gains through flexibility like this enables the company to manage political and economic risks caused by the market threats. O perations performance could be improved greatly if the gains the organizational competency through flexibility. Cost Slack and Lewis (2011) stated that the company should be able to fulfill the responsibilities in inexpensive ways. This objective allows the company to produce cost effective goods and services and helps the company to decide the appropriate for the national and global market that ensures the financial benefit for the company. Russel and Taylor (2008) have explained how the company has to focus on product design, procurement and employee performance in order to improve the cost performance. Strategic operations performance is greatly depended on the organizations ability to meet the cost budget. Prajogo and Goh (2007) emphasized that it is not only the failure areas that need to be focused on but the company has to identify the opportunities to improve the cost. Slack, Chambers and Johnston (2009) discussed that proper cost disaggregation that can have great impact on the total cost can only ensure the continuous improvement. Pulaj, Kume and Cipi (2015) talk about the low cost strate gy as cost leadership that put great stress on organizational efficiency. This strategy allows the company to distribute its manufactured products at cheaper cost than its competitors. The strategy includes aggressive pricing and trading quality products. Low cost strategy is achieved through reducing the administrative costs, economics scale and curving of experience. Dependability According to Greasley (2007) dependability is the organizations delivering of products to its customers within promised time. One time delivery speed will not ensure customer satisfaction if the customer does not find it consistent. Dependability can be measured through measuring the satisfied customers. Slack and Lewis (2011) highlighted that the dependability is closely related to fulfilling the customer commitments in a timely and orderly manner. Dependability can lead the company to provide improved customer service and customer efficiency. Company can achieve lower cost through dependability through checking progress and reducing other costs in the process. Nikes five performance objectives The performance objectives set by Nike are based on some components. The company only focuses on consumers as they are the primary source of generating profit. As the company aims to perform effectively the suppliers play major role. Nike promotes a community that consist not only the athletes or sports enthusiasts but every average consumer. The stakeholders of the company also demands efficiency from the company. Distinct groups of highly skilled professionals are working to meet the performance objectives of the company. Various departments work to meet the objectives for the common purpose of producing best kind of shoe and other products at lower cost. Quality Quality is the most critically important performance aspect for Nikes strategic performance. Nike minimizes the defect rates, scraps and other wastes in order to offer the customers defect free shoes. Nike is a big brand name in the global sports foot wear industry as the company maintains great quality products (Lutz 2015). It is difficult to establish a popular brand and customer efficiency without quality. Nike uses good quality raw materials and high advanced machines in its manufacturing factories. The company evaluates its products on a regular basis in order to maintain the quality. Nike operates in 120 countries where more than 800000 million workers working who are working hard (Johnson and Turner 2010). Nike air system allows the company to focus on research, development, design and distribution the products. Nike reduces time, waste and material by engaging in lean manufacturing that brings quality products. As the company uses lean manufacturing process it helps it to ach ieve 50% less in defective rates. Nike engages in quality assurance initiatives to ensure better quality. Nike started Green Chemistry Program that helped them to identify the chemical substances that should not be used for manufacturing (Greenscreenchemicals.org 2013). The company engages in extensive product testing at regular intervals. Cost Nike maintains its output costs better than its competitors. The companys performance objectives constantly work on appropriate use of raw materials and human resources and looks that it does not exceed the production rates. Nike increased its revenue by 6% in 2016 as the company announced that the company has been delivering premium products with high price but at the same time it maintains the Balanced price-to-value proposition for consumers (Sec.gov. 2015). Nike mainly aims for a high priced foot wear products that actually helps the company to generate more revenue. The currency fluctuations in foreign countries did not affect the company sales much. Though the product prices are increasing but the company is reducing the manufacturing price. The companys non-ethical labor management has changed and it now no longer controls the labor costs. The company reduces its labor cost by implementing infrastructure and technological advancements. Flexibility The shoe production system of Nike demonstrates a flexibly-specialized manufacturing that has a post Fordist vision associated with it (Lee and Gereffi 2015). The company develops the flexibility through semi autonomous geographic division that fulfills the requirements of customers that belongs to regional market. In the old footwear manufacturing market the variations of shoes were limited so the integrated hierarchy dominated the industry easily. However the time has changed and with thousand types of diverse shoes and shoe related products keep coming in the market. Nike applies the strategy of introducing entirely new models semi annually. Flexibility acts as a key driver for the company to choose for manufacturing as the company can make new products quickly there. Speed Nike gives importance to the speed of delivery as it believes that delivering the products to its customers within the promised time extremely important to retain the customer efficiency. The company monitors the cycle times and through cycle time the company measures its performance. Nike like his competitor Adidas is investing a lot of money focusing on the speed (Green 2017). Mark Parker, the CEO of Nike also announced this year that they are implementing new strategy named triple double o speed (Danziger 2017). Dependability Nike fulfills its order in orderly and timely manner to its all customers. The company has its own manufacturing factories all over the world and does not depend much on suppliers (Manufacturingmap.nikeinc.com 2017). The distributors also do not take much important role in the business. This is not as crucial performance objective for Nike as others. Recommendations and Conclusion The company must overcome its weaknesses of using underpaid workers in Indonesia. The child labor issues must be addressed and resolved immediately. In Vietnam and China the company is accused of creating poor working condition the performance objectives should address this as well so that the company reputation and performance do not get hampered. The operations performance objectives must ensure that the design of Nikes products is aligned with their organizational capabilities. As the company relies on latest technologies the designed products are aligned with market preferences. The company is struggling to surpass its competitors in addressing the Total Quality Management with high quality standard in sports foot wears. It is recommended that Nike should evaluate its production efficiency and streamlining. The operations management team in the company evaluates the objectives and the activities regularly so that the production goals are met based on the market dynamics. References About.nike.com. (2017).About Nike - The official corporate website for NIKE, Inc. and its affiliate brands.. [online] Available at: https://about.nike.com/ [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Adidas-group.com. (2017).Adidas with record sales and earnings in 2016. [online] Available at: https://www.adidas-group.com/en/media/news-archive/press-releases/2017/adidas-record-sales-and-earnings-2016/ [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Cingz, A. and Akdo?an, A.A., 2013. Strategic flexibility, environmental dynamism, and innovation performance: An empirical study.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,99, pp.582-589. Corbett, L.M., 2008. Quality Management in Operations'.Operations Management: An Integrated Apporach, Cambridge, Melbourne, pp.78-89. Danziger, P. (2017).Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2017/06/19/nike-to-stay-out-in-front-with-biggest-data-of-all-demographics/ [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Desai, D.A., 2008. Cost of quality in small-and medium-sized enterprises: case of an Indian engineering company.Production planning and control,19(1), pp.25-34. Gibson, C.H., 2012.Financial statement analysis. South-Western. Greasley, A., 2007.Operations management. Sage. Green, D. (2017).Nike and Adidas are making huge investments that should terrify Under Armour. [online] Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.in/Nike-and-Adidas-are-making-huge-investments-that-should-terrify-Under-Armour/articleshow/59041680.cms [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Greenscreenchemicals.org. (2013).NIKE, Inc. - Sustainable Business Report. [online] Available at: https://www.greenscreenchemicals.org/static/ee_images/uploads/resources/NIKE_Inc.-SustainableBusinessReport.pdf [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Johnson, D. and Turner, C., 2010.International Business: Themes and issues in the modern global economy. Routledge. Lee, J. and Gereffi, G., 2015. Global value chains, rising power firms and economic and social upgrading.critical perspectives on international business,11(3/4), pp.319-339. Lutz, A. (2015).4 reasons Nike's business will dominate. [online] Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.in/4-reasons-Nikes-business-will-dominate/articleshow/46800455.cms [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Manufacturingmap.nikeinc.com. (2017).Nike Sustainability - Interactive Map. [online] Available at: https://manufacturingmap.nikeinc.com/ [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Morris, M.H., Kuratko, D.F. and Covin, J.G., 2010.Corporate entrepreneurship innovation. Cengage Learning. Nadkarni, S. and Herrmann, P.O.L., 2010. CEO personality, strategic flexibility, and firm performance: The case of the Indian business process outsourcing industry.Academy of Management Journal,53(5), pp.1050-1073. Nike News. (2016).NIKE, Inc. Reports Fiscal 2016 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results. [online] Available at: https://news.nike.com/news/nike-inc-reports-fiscal-2016-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-results [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Prajogo, D.I. and Goh, M., 2007. Operations management activities and operational performance in service firms.International Journal of Services Technology and Management,8(6), pp.478-490. Roberts, N. and Stockport, G.J., 2009. Defining strategic flexibility.Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management,10(1), p.27. Russell, R.S. and Taylor-Iii, B.W., 2008.Operations management along the supply chain. John Wiley Sons. Sec.gov. (2015).NKE - 5.31.2015 - 10K. [online] Available at: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320187/000032018715000113/nke-5312015x10k.htm [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Slack, N. and Lewis, M. (2011).Operations Strategy. 4th ed. Pearson. Slack, N., Chambers, S. and Johnston, R., 2009.Operations and process management: principles and practice for strategic impact. Pearson Education. Team, T. (2017).Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2017/01/05/nike-the-calendar-year-in-review/refURL=https://www.google.co.in/referrer=https://www.google.co.in/ [Accessed 23 Sep. 2017]. Tidd, J. and Bessant, J. 2009, Managing Innovation John Wiley Sons, Ltd, Hoboken, NJ. Ussahawanitchakit, P. and Sriboonlue, P., 2011. Transformational leadership, strategic flexibility, learning capability, continuous improvement, and firm performance: Evidence from Thailand.International Journal of Business Strategy,11(1), pp.162-172.