AbdolKarim Soroush Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

AbdolKarim Soroush - Essay Example A reformist movement has emerged in Iran which seeks to adopt Western and Islamic concepts to create a tolerant and pluralistic Islamic society. Abdolkarim Soroush is a reformist scholar who has challenged the concept of the hard-line clergy in Iran that the mullahs have a divine right to govern and rule society. This paper aims to study the political philosophy, ideas and views of Abdolkarim Soroush. It aims to compare his works with that of leading Islamic revivalist or reformist scholars like Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Iqbal, Maulana Maududi, Sayyid Qutb, Hassan Banna, Mohmmad Abduh and Rashid Rida. Abdolkarim Soroush is a well known Islamic reformist scholar and intellectual who is affiliated with many prestigious institutions. He served in official positions until resigning in 1983. During the 1990s, Soroush became a vocal critic of the Iranian clergy. His monthly magazine, Kiyan was a platform for Iranian reformists to criticize the clergy. His philosophy is based on the system of Mowlana Jalaleddin Rumi who was a famous Sufi mystic and poet. Soroush makes a distinction between divine revelation and the interpretation of religious knowledge. The divine knowledge is beyond the comprehension of human knowledge as it is eternal and divine in nature. Soroush has â€Å"analyzed the actual process of revelation and the way in which the text† which Islamic scholars â€Å"endeavor to interpret, emerged and materialized† (Mobasser). Religious knowledge is dependant on the interpretations of scholars who might be sincere and authentic. Scholars are human beings who are l imited and prone to mistakes in their interpretation of Islam. Only a cautious and transparent form of government can create a society which compensates for the weakness of human nature. Soroush says that the basis of such a government would be reason, freedom and democracy. These values and beliefs are interlinked with the basic sources

Productive Opportunity Essay Example for Free

Productive Opportunity Essay Productive opportunities depends on multiple things, the advancement of technology, the availability and access to resources, and also what producers and entrepreneurs can think of at the given time. Choosing a combination of productive and financial opportunities help maximize wealth. They key in finding a productive opportunity is a high degree of awareness of the factors that distort judgment A perfect capital market is when buying and selling do not affect prices. â€Å"In a perfect capital market the corporation is regarded only as a means of generating wealth, because the present value of the dollar returns it generates is the only feature relevant to its owners. † Understanding your resource, resources is a source or supply from which an organization gains profit. Typically resources are materials or other assets that are transformed to produce benefit and in the process may be consumed or made unavailable. From a human perspective a natural resource is anything obtained from the environment to satisfy human needs and wants. Organizations operate by people making decisions. A manager plans and organizes a team by executing decisions. The effectiveness and quality of those decisions determines how successful a manager is. With this being said â€Å"the goal of the manager and owner remain the same as long as market value is maximized.† Opportunity is all around us but yet at the same time sometimes we never see it. In business we look for new ways to market our business, reach our target market, build on online community and through this all we overlook the opportunity that is all around us. We are learning to create opportunity my maximizing our market value. In conclusion, â€Å"in a perfect capital market, the market value of the ï ¬ rm is determined only by the cash ï ¬â€šows it can generate and not by the source of funds used to ï ¬ nance those operations. The task of management is to create wealth by ï ¬ nding productive opportunities with average rates of return exceeding the market rate of interest.† Fabozzi, Frank J. (2011-12-01). Financial Economics (Page 46). Wiley. Kindle Edition.

Summit for hire? :: essays research papers

The day after Univ. of Tennessee’s Pat Summit eclipsed North Carolina’s Dean Smith for most career wins by a Division I Head Basketball Coach some suggested that she would be a good choice to lead the Vols' men's squad. UT has since hired a male coach. Yet we are still left with the question of whether Summit should be considered for, or accept any such job. The 800-pound gorilla in this argument is whether Summit deserves to lay claim to the title as "all-time winningest Division I basketball coach." In a purely statistical sense, she does. But comparing the women's and men's games is like comparing, well, women and men. They're completely different. Sadaharu Oh hit more home runs than Hank Aaron, but nobody would say the two men are comparable, since Oh played in Japan, and Aaron played in the U.S. John Gagliardi won more football games than Bobby Bowden. Again, a difference: Gagliardi coached in Division III, while Bowden spent most of his time in the I-A rank. And Summit has more wins than Smith. But we're talking about two different sports. Not better or worse, different. Smith is the men's wins champion, and Summit holds the women's title; two different sports, two different leaders. The reason Summit shouldn't consider taking the men's job is that she could end up damaging the women's game by doing so. She is a giant in her sport, the most successful coach ever and the builder of the program every other school wants to emulate. If she were to take over the UT men's team and not win big, there would be joy among those who consider women's college basketball inferior. Summit has never recruited men's players. She would have to build a new network of high school and AAU contacts to help funnel her players. She would have to deal with prep stars who believe their next dribble should be for NBA millions, not collegiate glory. That doesn't exist (yet) in the women's game. And she would face the challenge of convincing families and players that playing for a woman is no different than playing for a man. Fail to do any of that, and Summit won't get the players to compete at the highest level. And if she doesn't win -- and win big -- she will be viewed by many as the queen of the minor leagues who failed at her shot in â€Å"the bigs.

The Crash – Creative Writing

The multi coloured sky changes rapidly into the dark lonely night but drops of diamond shining stars brighten it. You're all alone in an isolated office. Working another tiring day of over time. Your watering eyes begin to feel weary. You look across at the busy view of the noisy city. The ringing sound of the modern clock catches your attention. The silver metallic hand points ar 10pm. You realise how long you have been working but in front of you stands a mound of urgent paper work. Just having a glimpse brings a thumping pain in your head. You decide to return home as it is getting late. A sudden strike of rumbling thunder makes you spring slightly into the cold air. You stare towards the reflective windows, but all you see is a flash of dazzling white light. The empty office lights starts to flicker. You walk out of the cluttered office at a fast pace. You get an intense feeling. You quickly move yourself outside into the artic air. You take a long deep breath. You can feel the frost biting into your breathing lungs. You shiver bitterly. You get into your frozen car. The freezing journey seems to be everlasting. You feel your dark eyes slowly closing but you try your best to fight away the sleep. Ten long minutes passes yet you drive steadily, out of the darkness shines a blinding light. You hear the loud sound of another car. Your vision turns black. You're scared and lonely. You question yourself. Am I dead? You panic. A dear visitor whispers into your ear. You suddenly open your tired eyes. A pair of round brown eyes stares at you. You scream. You recognise the familiar faces surrounding you, it's you irreplaceable family. The feeling of unknown strangers disappears. You begin to think what had happened and search for the answer to a family gathering. You discover the answer. They are visiting because they are deeply concerned about your unstable condition as you were unluckily caught up in a terrible accident. You're surprised you survived. The boring months pass. It seems like they are extended. You are finally all healed and returning to your cosy home. You miss you comfy bed. The beautiful morning arrives. You happily get ready for hours of work. You get into your pastel blue car. You rush past the quiet area where the terrorising accident occurred. You arrive promptly at the office. Whilst you're in the cramped lift, pain takes over your head. Frightening images reminisce in front of you. The night of the accident. But there's an unfamiliar image. You see yourself being chased then falling off the top of a sky scrapping building. The pain gradually fades. The tiring day depart, the night covers the sun rays like a blanket. You stay over time once again. You find yourself enclose in the dark with only the spot of luminous light from your desk. There seems to be another power cut. You recognise the situation you are in. it's just like the night of the accident and what you saw during the short period in the lift. Your pounding heart grows louder each second. You hear the breath of a stranger. You look around. All you see is a vague silhouette. You some how manage to escape out of the office. You reflect back on the night of the crash. There's something odd. You ask yourself is what happening related to the obscure image? Or is that image happening at this present moment? Then your mind goes blank. All you can do is run. The marble stairs seem to be never ending. You can't even stop to take a quick breath. The noises of the heavy footsteps are getting closer. You reach the steel door that leads to the top of the building. You unlock the large doors. The wintry breeze bashes into you. You start to drift towards the death threatening edge. The vivid shape wouldn't discontinue approaching. You're helplessly trapped in an inescapable corner. You shift backwards. You slip. You try to yell but your throat is empty. You fall staring at the beaming moon. You fall into a bed. You wake in shock and break off the mysterious dream. You smell an unhappy atmosphere. You look around exploring. You see four plain walls. You're in the gloomy hospital. You were unfortunately in a fearful accident and ended up in a lifeless coma.

Global 1 Review Sheet

Global Review Sheet- FINALS * Anthropologist- someone who studies culture * Neolithic revolution agriculture; no more nomads; settlements * River Valley Civilizations (all the civilizations had 2 rivers except for Egypt) * Mesopotamia * Tigris and Euphrates rivers * Egypt * The Nile river * Indus * The Indus and Ganges rivers * China * Huang He and Yangtze rivers * Mesopotamia * Cuneiform * Code of Hammurabi * The laws were the same for all citizens but the punishment were different depending on what social class you belonged to. * Egypt * Hieroglyphics * Pyramids China * Daoism * The Silk Road * The mandate of heaven * Filial piety * Indus * Hinduism * Irrigation * Religion Monotheistic| Judaism(5,000 years old)| Christianity(2012 years old)| Islam(1400 years old)| Place of Worship| Temple| Church| Mosque| Book of Worship| Torah| Bible| Koran| Code of Behavior| 10 commandments| 5 Pillars| * Polytheistic * Hinduism (over 5,00 years old) * Caste system * Reincarnation * Buddhism * Rei ncarnation, karma, dharma * NO CASTE SYSTEM * 8 fold path and nirvana * GREECE *democracy* * Mountains * City states * Cultural diversity * Islands * Trade * Resources Easily invaded * Mediterranean climate * Alexander the Great * Conquered India, Egypt, and Persia (modern Iran) * Cultural diffusion * Helenistic * Greek + Persian * MIDDLE AGES (500 AD)- fall of the roman empire * Very unstable * Feudalistic : to keep order; stable political system * Manorialism * Castle * Church (Roman Catholic Church; in charge of everything; more power than the king) * Farmland (serf worked the land) * CRUSADES (religious wars) * People joined because they were promised that they would go to heaven * Resulted in cultural diffusion * PLAGUE * Killed ? he population of Europe(short term effect) * Broke down feudalism (long) * Ended the middle ages (long) * JAPAN * Archipelago (trade, resources, invasion) * Mountains (terrace farming) * Ring of Fire (afraid of nature shintoism (1 religion that respec ts nature; 2 started with the Ring of Fire and then the Japanese started praying to other things) * European FeudalismJapanese Feudalism * MONGOLIAN EMPIRE (good military, order, flat land=easy travel) * Largest empire * Very accepting of other cultures * Isolated Russia from Europe * Cultural diffusion * **Kublai khan and Marco Polo RENASANCE * Rebirth of Greek and Roman culture * Humanism- when the focus is on the individual * Secularism- non religious * Reasoning- people looked to other things when god was no longer a sufficient answer. Ex)science and questioning religion * AZTEC (Mexico) * Calendar and chinampas * MAYAS (Central America) * Calendar and pyramids * INCAS (Peru) * Machu Pichu * Terrace farming * Roads * TRADE ROUTES * Silk road * Connected China with the Middle East and Europe * The Middle East was the middle man; the only way Europe could get goods from China was through the Middle East and that was pricey. The silk road carried silk, spices, Buddhism, Confucianis m, and caused cultural diffusion, * Trans Sahara Trade * Carried gold, salt, and Islamic religion * Between North and West Africa. * Colombian Exchange * Included Europe and America * To Europe: food * To America: forced Christianity and disease * Triangular Trade * Included Europe, Africa, and America * Africa supplied slaves to work the crops without pay * The slaves were exploited * Atlantic Slave Trade * America and Africa * PROTESTANT REFORMATION * Martin Luther- 95 theses- complaints to church- pope said that he won't change- Lutheran

Creative writing task for Preliminary Extension English in HSC. Based on archetypal texts and the Gothic genre.

Creative writing task for Preliminary Extension English in HSC. Based on archetypal texts and the Gothic genre. The usual melancholy feeling surrounds Gary as he begins to trudge down the seemingly endless corridor to the silver doors of the elevator. As he looks out the window into the outside world the emerald green of the park almost seems to invite him, reminding him of better, carefree days. The sound of the elevator brings him back to reality as he steps into the small mirrored cubicle.At the office, phones were ringing, the tap-tap-tap of keyboards emitted from every domain, investors, toying with the life savings of thousands of people they will never meet, and sleep deprived employees in business suits were desperately shooting themselves up with caffeine, cursing the new violet bathroom lights. It was yet another day at TPG Investments, in one of the many 5 by 5 cubicles, like everyone else, Gary was wishing he was somewhere else. He sighed, looked up at his motivational poster (IT'S GOOD PAY!!!), and began calculating various inflation rates.English: Gary, Indiana's Centennial Statu e 1906-20...The rest of the day followed similarly.Outside was a toasty 40Â º. Traffic was horrible. He had a long night ahead, filled with corn chips, soft drinks and of course, pie charts and economic prospects. A long night indeed. procrastinating as much as humanly possible, he checked for voice messages:"You havethreenew messages""Gary, reminding you that your report is due"He ignored this."Remember, the night out is Thursday. Bring A LOT of money."Next."Hey, how are you doing Gary? Sorry to burden you with this, but the operation failed; doctors say she's got days or even hours at most. Come home."Stunned, he repeated the message. It was his little sister, the one on the other side of the country. Of course he would go. But the job; Boss's favourite, a rising star, guarantee of promotionIt was an...

Calculations With the Gamma Function

Calculations With the Gamma Function The gamma function is defined by the following complicated looking formula: Γ ( z ) ∠«0∞e - ttz-1dt One question that people have when they first encounter this confusing equation is, â€Å"How do you use this formula to calculate values of the gamma function?†Ã‚   This is an important question as it is difficult to know what this function even means and what all of the symbols stand for. One way to answer this question is by looking at several sample calculations with the gamma function.   Before we do this, there are a few things from calculus that we must know, such as how to integrate a type I improper integral, and that e is a mathematical constant.   Motivation Before doing any calculations, we examine the motivation behind these calculations.   Many times the gamma functions show up behind the scenes.   Several probability density functions  are stated in terms of the gamma function. Examples of these include the gamma distribution and students t-distribution,   The importance of the gamma function cannot be overstated.   Γ ( 1 ) The first example calculation that we will study is finding the value of the gamma function for Γ ( 1 ). This is found by setting z 1 in the above formula: ∠«0∞e - tdt We calculate the above integral in two steps: The indefinite integral ∠«e - tdt -e - t CThis is an improper integral, so we have ∠«0∞e - tdt limb → ∞ -e - b e 0 1 Γ ( 2 ) The next example calculation that we will consider is similar to the last example, but we increase the value of z by 1.   We now calculate the value of the gamma function for Γ ( 2 ) by setting z 2 in the above formula. The steps are the same as above: Γ ( 2 ) ∠«0∞e - tt dt The indefinite integral ∠«te - tdt- te - t -e - t C.   Although we have only increased the value of z by 1, it takes more work to calculate this integral.   In order to find this integral, we must use a technique from calculus known as integration by parts. We now use the limits of integration just as above and need to calculate: limb → ∞ - be - b -e - b -0e 0 e 0. A result from calculus known as L’Hospital’s rule allows us to calculate the limit limb → ∞ - be - b 0. This means that the value of our integral above is 1. Γ (z 1 ) zΓ (z ) Another feature of the gamma function and one which connects it to the factorial is the formula Γ (z 1 ) zΓ (z ) for z any complex number with a positive real part. The reason why this is true is a direct result of the formula for the gamma function. By using integration by parts we can establish this property of the gamma function.

How to Name a Dinosaur

How to Name a Dinosaur Most working paleontologists dont get the opportunity to name their own dinosaur. In fact, for the most part, paleontology is a somewhat anonymous and tedious occupationthe typical PhD candidate spends most of her days laboriously removing encrusted dirt from newly discovered fossils. But the one chance a field worker really gets to shine is when he or she discoversand gets to namea brand-new dinosaur. (See The 10 Best Dinosaur Names, The 10 Worst Dinosaur Names, and the Greek Roots Used to Name Dinosaurs) There are all sorts of ways to name dinosaurs. Some of the most famous genera are named after prominent anatomical features (e.g., Triceratops, Greek for three-horned face, or Spinosaurus, the spiny lizard), while others are named according to their presumed behavior (one of the most famous examples is Oviraptor, which means egg thief, even though the charges later turned out to be overblown). A bit less imaginatively, many dinosaurs are named after the regions where their fossils were discoveredwitness the Canadian Edmontosaurus and the South American Argentinosaurus. Genus Names, Species Names, and the Rules of Paleontology In scientific publications dinosaurs are usually referred to by their genus and species names. For example, Ceratosaurus comes in four different flavors: C. nasicornus, C. dentisulcatus, C. ingens and C. roechlingi. Most ordinary people can get by with just saying Ceratosaurus, but paleontologists prefer to use both the genus and species names, especially when describing individual fossils. More often than you might think, a species of a particular dinosaur is promoted to its own genusthis has happened numerous times, for instance, with Iguanodon, some former species of which are now referred to as Mantellisaurus, Gideonmantellia and Dollodon. According to the arcane rules of paleontology, a dinosaurs first official name is the one that sticks. For example, the paleontologist who discovered (and named) Apatosaurus later discovered (and named) what he thought was an entirely different dinosaur, Brontosaurus. When it was determined that Brontosaurus was the same dinosaur as Apatosaurus, official rights reverted back to the original name, leaving Brontosaurus as a deprecated genus. (This sort of thing doesnt only happen with dinosaurs; for example, the prehistoric horse formerly known as Eohippus now goes by the less user-friendly Hyracotherium.) Yes, Dinosaurs Can Be Named After People Surprisingly few dinosaurs are named after people, perhaps because paleontology tends to be a group effort and many practitioners dont like to call attention to themselves. Some legendary scientists, though, have been honored in dinosaur form: for example, Othnielia is named after Othniel C. Marsh (the same paleontologist who caused the whole Apatosaurus/Brontosaurus brouhaha), while Drinker wasnt a prehistoric alcoholic, but a dinosaur named after the 19th-century fossil hunter (and Marsh rival) Edward Drinker Cope. Other people-saurs include the amusingly named Piatnitzkysaurus and Becklespinax. Perhaps the most widely recognized people-saur of modern times is Leaellynasaura, which was discovered by a married pair of paleontologists in Australia in 1989. They decided to name this small, gentle ornithopod after their young daughter, the first time a child had ever been honored in dinosaur formand they repeated the trick a few years later with Timimus, an ornithomimid dinosaur named after the husband of this famous duo. (In the past few years, there have been many more dinosaurs named after women, correcting a long-time historical imbalance.) The Silliest, and Most Impressive, Dinosaur Names Every working paleontologist, it seems, harbors the secret desire to come up with a dinosaur name so impressive, so profound, and so just-plain-cool that it results in reams of media coverage. Recent years have witnessed such unforgettable examples as Tyrannotitan, Raptorex and Gigantoraptor, even if the dinosaurs involved were less impressive than you might think (Raptorex, for example, was only about the size of a full-grown human, and Gigantoraptor wasnt even a true raptor, but a plus-sized relative of Oviraptor). Silly dinosaur namesif theyre within the bounds of good taste, of coursealso have their place in the hallowed halls of paleontology. Probably the most famous example is Irritator, which received its name because the paleontologist restoring its fossil was feeling, well, particularly irritated that day. Recently, one paleontologist named a new horned, frilled dinosaur Mojoceratops (after the mojo in the expression Ive got my mojo working), and lets not forget the famous Dracorex hogwartsia, after the Harry Potter series, which was named by pre-teen visitors to the Childrens Museum of Indianapolis!

Personal Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Personal Reflection Paper - Essay Example I was able to change my thinking from having goals of childish nature to a more mature outlook on life. The activity gave me an opportunity to compare my life goals with those of my classmates. This is critical in terms of comparing me with other like-minded and equally intellectual formidable classmates. This comparison showed me that despite my ambitious nature in terms of my life goals, there are others who are more ambitious and aggressive. It was a revelation and a challenge for me to work harder and be more ambitious in order to compete on the same level with my intellectual equals. As the exercise proceeded, I was able to reevaluate my life goals and coalesce them with a more realistic and tangible future. The defining moment for the entire exercise was the peer review section where classmates were tasked with evaluating each other’s life goals. The result of this activity was that my teammates gave me the second highest score in the entire class. It was a defining moment for me in terms of not just my self-esteem but also my general outlook on life. This event truly gave me an opportunity to evaluate and reevaluate my life goals. This activity also helped me to distinguish between the tangible life goals and what is pure fantasy. The score given to me by my classmates was evidence of the progress I am making in terms of fulfillment of my life goals. I honestly feel that I am making huge strides in the right direction, and I have a more confident approach to life and achievement. A bulk of this is fully attributed to the activity presented to us by the professor. My book club facilitation focused on chapter 6 of the book titled, "Becoming a leader" by Benis. The title of the chapter was effectively dubbed leaders perspective and desire. This activity was rather significant because I had never thought of myself as a leader. The activity was a revelation into my potential as a

Middle east geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Middle east geography - Essay Example Although Islam is the largest religion in the Middle East, the region also represents other faiths such as Christianity and Judaism. Survey reports indicate that Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Berber, and Kurdish are the major languages in the Middle East. While analyzing the region’s population growth trends, it is clear that Middle East has experienced a dramatic rise in population since 1970s. To illustrate, statistical reports (as reported by The New York Times, 2007), indicate that the region’s population increased from 127 million in 1970 to 305 million in 2005. During the period between 1976 and 1986, Iran’s population grew by 50%. According to a World Bank report, an annual population growth rate of 1.73 was reported in Middle East in 2010 whereas this rate was 1.75 in 2009 (Trading Economics, 2012). In many parts of the Middle East, average population growth rate is 3% or above; this trend indicates that population is a given state is likely to double in every 20 to 30 years (Imagery for Citizens, n.d). It is observed that high rate of population growth in the Middle East has serious impacts on the region’s social, economical, and political landscape. As a result of this issue, the Middle East governments struggle to provide necessary services to their people. This region is already suffering from water scarcity issues, and the high population growth has exacerbated the issues over water. As per the The New York Times (2007) report, rising population growth contributes to the region’s mounting needs of food imports; and in an attempt to respond to issues over water and food and search for improved living conditions, rural inhabitants heavily migrate to urban areas. This practice raises many potential challenges to urban infrastructure too. Similarly, huge population growth puts strains on the region’s economic landscape. As discussed earlier, the rising population growth has forced Middle East

World Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

World Civilization - Essay Example In general terms, it is a term that stands for the close ties between people and states of the world culturally, economically and politically (Ostrom, n.d). Proponents perceive that, civilization has played a key role especially in political sphere an argument which has received major backing from civilization nationalists. For example, they have a uniting factor in the view that International institutions such as World Trade Organization have positively influenced political ties among member states. Dividing the two sides in the middle is the issue and the role of technology in globalization (Mancur, 1965). Proponents have identified with the remarkable positive contributions predisposed by technology such as faster access to information and more jobs created such us the online jobs. On the flip side, critics have expressed deep reservations on the security lapses that technology has exposed most countries to as a result of technology. They have also expressed concerns on global mor al decadence that has been wide spread as a result of civilization through technology (Clough, 1990). Civilization has destabilized the stand of poorer states and uncovered people to dangerous and harmful competition. Their concern is rational and understandable especially since the gap between the poor and the rich has become more prevalent in recent ages. Poverty can be deliberated in various ways, for instance, relative to a nation’s individual average consumption level or in terms of well being of citizens. By common agreement, civilization has increased rapidly since early nineteen eighties. If civilization leads to poverty, then Nations that have been economically incorporated through trade and investment should be worse. But, some nations in the world have become more integrated into global economy have made tremendous progress while others like Sub-Saharan Africa that have remained in isolation and have experienced a sharp decline (Clough, 1990). The fissure or gap be tween the poor and the rich groups of people in the world has increased. Inequality would rise with this tremendous increase in poverty. One of the common feature discussions connecting poverty and civilization is the general conception from the stance of impoverishment to lead to world developments. When governments accumulate debts in private markets engaging a decline in world demand for their products, prices of common goods would undergo depreciation leading to recession. Underdeveloped countries and small business owners are at distant from adjusting their technology as often as their developed, larger, wealthier counterparts. Due to inability to merge with wealthy and multinational firms, small firms and underdeveloped countries are pushed to carry on their businesses locally thus never expanding and reaching their full capacity. Technological advances are being made each day all over the world but the bad news is that they are proving to be unaffordable. This high cost of pr oduction leads to fixed consumer prices, which are high. Civilization has become a weapon in the politics of oppositional activities, rallying on the idea that of diverse global ills. Civilization is viewed as a symbol of civilization threat. The main argument behind it is that it tends to refer the United States and other developed countries as hegemonic powers that promote civilization for their own benefits. In turn, they harm the cultural, environmental, and economic interests of other countries of the world. Instead of establishing a universal human progress, it has made the gap between the poor and the rich to widen. About beliefs, the Constantine worshiped Christianity because he grew up in a background that believed in

Desktop Computing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Desktop Computing - Assignment Example It also helps the smooth running of software like 3D Max and Maya extensively used for animation and modeling. Jean Jones needs to upgrade her OS from Windows XP Service Pack 2 to Win XP x64. Many might suggest Vista as a good alternative, however past records show that Vista slows Max viewport speed by a huge amount. The primary reason behind this is that Win XP takes less memory to run when Vista on the other hand takes up a lot more. Here comes the second parameter that is whether to consider 32 bit or 64 bit OS. The reason why 64 bit Win XP is being recommended to Jean Jones is that it will let her use a minimum 4GB of RAM. The basic components to look for while buying a PC for processing intensive activities are the processor, motherboard, RAM, graphics card and hard disk. For any PC to be fast, it should have a perfect combination of all these 4 components. In an unbalanced combination where one or more components are slower than the rest, then the slower components act as bottlenecks in the system, and the overall processing speed is determined by the slowest component. Hence, while identifying the configuration, it is imperative that all components are matching and high performance components. High performance components are higher priced, and hence they increase the overall cost of the PC. Given that there cannot be any compromise on performance, a high end PC can be made relatively inexpensive by cutting down on the peripheral costs. For example, by using low end casing/cabinets, speakers and data output devices like DVD combo packages, the overall prices can be kept with relatively lower budget. A processor is the 'brain' of the PC, and given other components are same, a PC with faster processor will perform faster. A quadcore, 64 bit processor, coupled with a suitably fast motherboard and 4 GB 800 MHz RAM will have sufficient computing speed to seamlessly execute the heaviest designing applications. (Ciao Shopping Intelligence, 2007A) While quad core processors give enormous processing speed, they are also highly expensive. Commercially available computers generally tend have

Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr's powerful Speech Essay

Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr's powerful Speech - Essay Example This gave the black people of America the courage to stand up for themselves and to do what is right. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lit a fire in the hearts and souls of those people and it gave many of them the hope that they needed to continue to find equality. While he had a dream, he needed to use his speech to encourage others to also envision the goals he had and to not give up. His speech was powerful, had a motive and was memorable. It also became a major piece in history in the civil rights movement for black people, giving the people the same belief he had that they would one day become liberated from the injustices that black people in America were facing. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote this speech with the intention to inspire people within his own specific race though it could be applied to other non-Caucasians to seek the same rights. He had a motive to inspire and provide courage to the people for whom he was representing to hop on the bandwagon and no longer be suppr essed by the laws that were wrongly enforced against those people of race. His powerful remarks in his â€Å"I have a dream,† speech were meant to give these people something to look forward to from the perspective that what he was doing would encourage others to also fight with him to take a stand on civil rights. He had an image of what he wanted to see done in America, he let his listeners know what that vision was and he gave the truth all within a short speech that he probably had no idea would change the course of history forever. To write this speech and then to deliver it with such intensity was what helped gain the numbers of people that he knew would help his race on their fight toward equal rights. It was not just the language but the way he said the words with such passion that would create this difference. Dr. King even started his message talking about how things were in the present day, how they had been and how they should be in accordance with civil rights an d the same rights for Negros as white people. He knew when he first began his speech, addressing his crowd with the information that he knew would be one of the greatest demonstrations ever and knowing that it would in some ways be historical. According to writer Amy Tan, she discusses in her â€Å"Mother Tongue† essay that language can be powerful. In some ways, when she delivered a speech, she found herself using monumental style phrases as well and they could be interpreted in many different ways. The phrases were not simple, using English dialect that she had learned in her English classes. She found that when she was talking to her own mother, she was using a different style of language to speak to her mother. Her family was of Asian descent and her mother spoke in incomplete sentences and broken English. These sentences were short and to the point and uses dialect that Tan calls â€Å"expressive command.† Tan grew up with her mother’s style of speaking and though many of Tan’s own friends could not understand what her mother was saying, Tan did (Tan, 77-78). King, to get his message out, had to speak in ways that did use words creatively. His speech is almost poetic. Others needed to understand what he was

Operations Managment of Fullers Brewery and Vue Cinemas Term Paper

Operations Managment of Fullers Brewery and Vue Cinemas - Term Paper Example In considering the operational differences between the two businesses, the essay will now give a compassion of the operational aspects considered in each of the four variables of the four V model: Volume In the first instance, the volume of an operation simply represents the level of production and will dictate the overall approach used towards manufacture or delivery of a good or service (Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons, 2008). In the case of Fuller’s Brewery volume can be measured in a number of ways but always relates back to the delivery of a physical product. In essence, from an operational perspective, the volume is measured in liquid volume measurements. From a pure scale perspective, while the operations of Fuller’s Brewery are concentrated in the Southeast, distribution takes place on a national basis requiring an operation in scale which is able to accommodate such demands. By stark contrast, Vue as a service provider is unable to measure volume on such a simple c ommodity basis, instead, volume here relates the number of â€Å"guest experiences† in other words, the number of tickets sold to customers in a given period. While this may be true of the main product, it should also be indicated that Vue makes a significant amount of profit from the sale of ancillary products such as beverages and snacks, items which may be easier to quantify with traditional measures of volume. Like, Fuller’s Brewery, Vue operates on a national basis. However, as a service provider, such large volumes require a more localized approach to supply, rather than a centralized production and distribution model as seen in the former business. Variety represents the number of products or services provided by an operator (Slack et al, 2010). Here a broad or narrow view may be taken of the variety of products produced within an operation. For instance taking the operation at Fuller’s Brewery, at the broad level of the operation can be split down into j ust two key product areas, cask ales made for the licensed premises business and canned and bottled beers designed to be sold from non-licensed premises such as the supermarket.

Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr's powerful Speech Essay

Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr's powerful Speech - Essay Example This gave the black people of America the courage to stand up for themselves and to do what is right. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lit a fire in the hearts and souls of those people and it gave many of them the hope that they needed to continue to find equality. While he had a dream, he needed to use his speech to encourage others to also envision the goals he had and to not give up. His speech was powerful, had a motive and was memorable. It also became a major piece in history in the civil rights movement for black people, giving the people the same belief he had that they would one day become liberated from the injustices that black people in America were facing. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote this speech with the intention to inspire people within his own specific race though it could be applied to other non-Caucasians to seek the same rights. He had a motive to inspire and provide courage to the people for whom he was representing to hop on the bandwagon and no longer be suppr essed by the laws that were wrongly enforced against those people of race. His powerful remarks in his â€Å"I have a dream,† speech were meant to give these people something to look forward to from the perspective that what he was doing would encourage others to also fight with him to take a stand on civil rights. He had an image of what he wanted to see done in America, he let his listeners know what that vision was and he gave the truth all within a short speech that he probably had no idea would change the course of history forever. To write this speech and then to deliver it with such intensity was what helped gain the numbers of people that he knew would help his race on their fight toward equal rights. It was not just the language but the way he said the words with such passion that would create this difference. Dr. King even started his message talking about how things were in the present day, how they had been and how they should be in accordance with civil rights an d the same rights for Negros as white people. He knew when he first began his speech, addressing his crowd with the information that he knew would be one of the greatest demonstrations ever and knowing that it would in some ways be historical. According to writer Amy Tan, she discusses in her â€Å"Mother Tongue† essay that language can be powerful. In some ways, when she delivered a speech, she found herself using monumental style phrases as well and they could be interpreted in many different ways. The phrases were not simple, using English dialect that she had learned in her English classes. She found that when she was talking to her own mother, she was using a different style of language to speak to her mother. Her family was of Asian descent and her mother spoke in incomplete sentences and broken English. These sentences were short and to the point and uses dialect that Tan calls â€Å"expressive command.† Tan grew up with her mother’s style of speaking and though many of Tan’s own friends could not understand what her mother was saying, Tan did (Tan, 77-78). King, to get his message out, had to speak in ways that did use words creatively. His speech is almost poetic. Others needed to understand what he was

Income inequality in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Income inequality in the UK - Essay Example These factors are numerous and include; increases in the financial returns of education, the effects of trade liberalization, changes in government tax and welfare policy and changes in employment patterns (Cribb, 2013). Technological progress has increased financial returns to education to which is thought of as the wage premium that more highly skilled workers enjoy over less skilled workers.Answers to profound income inequality have always been related to the four reasons; however, more baffling is the rapid increase in the income of the workers at the top, for instance (Cribb, 2013), asserts that those who are in the top 0.1% have had their income rising faster than those who occupy the top 1%. Nonetheless, globalization and international labour mobility has been cited to be leading cause of the increasing disparity. The purpose of the text is to explore income inequality in the UK and achieves the purpose as it vividly provides the answer to the quest of the assignment; causes of inequality in the UK. The paper, Income inequality in the UK, by Jonathan Cribb was published by a respectable institution, the Economic review on February

Indias Role in the Climate Change Summit Essay Example for Free

Indias Role in the Climate Change Summit Essay The worlds nation today adopted a package dubbed the cancun Agreements buildings blocks for a future legal treaty to address climate change amid concerns that commitments to avert acceptable level of global warming remain missing. Negotiators from 194 countries agreed on a set of decision that the un climate secretariat said would set all governments â€Å"more firmly on the path towards the low emissions future† and provide support to developing countries on their action on climate change. India played a key role at the climate change summit , proposing a new mechanism to allow international scrutiny of all countries’ including India’ s action to crub emission of greenhouse gases. The invironment minister Jairam Ramesh also signalled that India would eventually consider legally –binding crubs on emission, a shift from its long standing position. Some environmental grouos have criticised these moves by India. But climate change analysts have said India’s proposal for serutiny of the climate climate change exchange actions reflect an acceptance of the principal of transparency. ‘’ And (Rmesh’s) assertions on legaklly binding actions is an indicator that India is willing to shift from the position of doing nothing to joining the global community in fiting climate change ,†an analyst in Cancun said. ‘’This does not mean India will accept legally – bending cuts next year,’’ he said . The Cancun documents of ficially recognise emissions curbs targets set by industrialised and developing countries and once every year by the developing countries. But the target of cutting global emissions by 50 % by the year 2050- part of the draft circulated yesterday – has been replaced by text calling for ‘’ subsantial’’ reductions in blobal emissions by 2050 . The Cancun decision pledge US$30 billion in fast start finance from the industrialised countries to support climate action in developing countries. The goal is to raise this to US$ 100 billion by 2020. Thew agreements also  recognise the need of countries to work towards the keeping the rise in the aversge global temperature below 2 degree c. ‘’ Cancun has done its job ,’’ said chistiana Figueres, head of the UN climate change secretariat after the agreement was adopted today. ‘’ lt is not what is required but it is the essential foundation on which to build greater collective ambition Figueres said. But several environmental group including Indias centre for science and Environment have pointed out thst the emission reduction pledge made by all countries so far are way below the whst is required to keep the rise in the average temperature.

The V-Chip Controversy :: essays research papers

Young children watch 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence before leaving elementary school. The V-Chip Controversy Thousands were infuriated†¦ lawyers and the TV Networks called it unlawful as it violates the First Amendment, parents were happy to have the help, and kids were angry because they could no longer see some of their favorite shows. The fight of the century had begun between the television industry and the government over the issue of television violence. In 1991 when Tim Collings first thought of the idea for an optional device that blocked violent television programs, he never could have imagined the controversy that would erupt. Democratic Congressman Ed Markey from Massachusetts came up with the idea that the V-Chip should become a required feature of the television. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton. The law required that all televisions by the year 2000 would be required to include the V-Chip. The networks were told that they must voluntarily come up with a rating system for all television programs by 1997 or the government would establish one for them. The television industry claims that the chip will violate their First Amendment right and cause them to lose valuable commercial dollars. The First Amendment gives everyone the right to freedom of speech. Broadcasters believe some shows will be forced off the air because they are seem too violent. The networks do not think that anyone should tell them what is too violent. Networks feel that people do not have to watch shows they feel are too violent. By forcing the networks to create a rating system for TV programs with violent content or objectionable material, the networks will no longer have the right to freedom of speech. The networks are also afraid that they will lose millions of dollars because the people that make the commercials will be afraid to buy commercial space on the television for programs that are considered to be "objectionable". Some lawyers, like those from the American Civil Liberties Union, are opposed to the V-Chip law. In short, the ACLU claims that: The chip violates the First Amendment and is a form of censorship. The V-Chip takes away from the real causes of crime and violence today; poverty, poor education, not enough jobs, and abuse. Many parents are happy to have the V-Chip because it will help them to have control over what their children are watching when they are not able to be at home.

The Apostle Paul Essay -- Religion, New Testament

Harris calls Paul â€Å"the most influential apostle and missionary of the mid-first-century CE church and author of seven to nine New Testament letters† (H G-33). It would be quite an accolade to receive such recognition, but what makes it even more remarkable is that Paul, or Saul, (Saul was his Judean name and Paul was his Roman name (footnotes B 1943)) originally persecuted the ekklesia or â€Å"church†. Paul went from persecuting the ekklesia or â€Å"church† to being its â€Å"most influential apostle and missionary†. Why and how did Paul make such a drastic change? The answer to the question can be found in various books of the New Testament including some of the letters that Paul wrote. This answer also aids in the explanation of how and why Paul argue with the Ioudaioi. Ioudaioi was the name given to the people of Judah after Alexander the Great conquered Judah in 333 BCE. Judah was originally one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and was the name for the southern kingdom after Israel split in 922 BCE after the death of King Solomon. The term Ioudaioi is often mistranslated from Greek as Jews. In contrast, it should be properly translated as Judeans. The Ioudaioi came from or lived in the land of Judea (Ioudaia). Paul never claimed to be Judean (or an Ioudaios in Greek), but rather identified himself as an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin and as a former Pharisee (Philippians 3:5). The Pharisees were one of the four major political parties that came into to being after the Hasmoneans claimed the position of High Priest, around 150 BCE. They were the largest party and had great influence over the Ioudaioi on issues of religion; they accepted the Tanakh and oral Torah as necessities to be followed (H 301). In addition to being a Pharisee... ...rdance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures†. On the road to Damascus, Paul received a calling to become â€Å"an instrument whom [YHWH] chose to bring my name before Gentiles [ethne or â€Å"nations†] and kings and before the people of Israel† (Acts 9:15). The Ioudaioi or Judeans would be considered as part of the people of Israel. Therefore, Paul had the responsibility to persuade the Ioudaioi that justice and salvation come about through Jesus Christ alone (Romans 5:12-21). A lot of the Ioudaioi believed that justice is obtained through following nomos or â€Å"law or custom†. Paul debated with the Ioudaioi in order to successfully persuade them to believe his viewpoint. This was done by means of his three missionary trips (H G-33) and by him writing letters to the ekklesia in various cities.

The Bluest Eye

The novel begins with a series of sentences that seem to come from a children's reader, describing a house and the family that lives in the house the child wants to play but no one is available to play. This sequence is repeated and then is repeated a third time without spaces between the words kind of like a nursery rhyme. This is to give an idea showing a child is talking. Pocola's low self-esteem comes from the physical and sexual abuse that she endured as a child. She was raped by her father she is abased and abused by many people. In the 1960's the self-image of black women and girls was determined by the white women that were around. During that time Black was not beautiful to all, white was. The forced white beauty standards contributed to most black women's low self-esteem during that time. The view of how the mass white culture floods the minds and ideological views of the black community. Pocola's low self-esteem comes from the physical and sexual abuse that she endured as a child. She was raped by her father she is abased and abused by many people. She was taught at a young age by her mother Mrs. Breedlove that she wasn't beautiful, this came from the resentment of her on mother's skin and she took it out on her daughter. Toni Morrison has a recurring struggle of self-identification and beauty standards. This is identified with the comparison of black women ; girls to the clichà ©d blonde hair and blue eyed white women in the 60's. An example of this would be when Claudia is gifted a white doll that has blonde hair and blue eyes. According to Toni Morrison's Character Claudia in The Bluest Eye â€Å"Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs — all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured. â€Å"Here,† they said, â€Å"this is beautiful, and if you are on this day ‘worthy' you may have it.† Claudia is explaining how confused she is because she does not see the same beauty that is forced on her with blonde hair and blue eyed white girls and baby dolls. She even goes so far as stripping the doll to its core which is a realization that the outside beauty meant nothing because the core was ugly. Something she was considered â€Å"worthy† of having she thought was ugly. Pecola suffers from low self-esteem issues from people calling her ugly and connecting her to negative and ugly things. â€Å"It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights — if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ If she looked different, beautiful, maybe Cholly would be different, and Mrs. Breedlove too. Maybe they'd say, â€Å"Why, look at pretty-eyed Pecola. We mustn't do bad things in front of those pretty eyes.† Pretty eyes. Pretty blue eyes. Big blue pretty eyes.†( The Bluest Eye) Instead of the traits, she has already, she wants to have Blue eyes. Blue eyes were considered beautiful just like the reference before made to the baby doll. Since the white people dominated the view of beauty, this is why she obsessed over Shirley Temple who had blonde hair and blue eyes. According to the Huff post â€Å"She was America's top box-office draw during the 1930's, outranking Clark Gable, and receiving more fan mail than Greta Garbo. As a child star, she was amazing,†.(HuffPost). Claudia is the youngest child of the MacTeer family. She also endures the same issues of colorist and racist beauty standards as Pecola but she is too young to care. According to Toni Morrison's Character Claudia in The Bluest Eye † I couldn't join them in their adoration because I hated Shirley. Not because she was cute, but because she danced with Boj angles, who was my friend, my uncle, my daddy, and who ought to have been soft-shoeing it and chuckling with me. Instead, he was enjoying, sharing, giving a lovely dance thing with one of those little white girls whose socks never slid down under their heels. So I said, â€Å"I like Jane Withers.† Claudia is also the fighter and the rebel as far as going against the views of others. When she is gifted a baby doll that has blonde hair and blue eyes she doesn't find it as beautiful as others do. Instead, Claudia picks it apart, this is because she is young and has not been able to truly understand self-hatred that the adults have. She is considered the hopeful character in the novel. Claudia is thrown into situations and has experienced different things which makes her mature but also a child and doesn't know much about the world yet. Opposite of Claudia, Pecola has self-image problems and is a passive character. Unlike Claudia, Pecola did not grow up in a loving and caring home. Instead, she grew up in what is described and â€Å"ugly† family. Ugly in terms of disastrous home, features, and upbringing. Pecola values the blonde hair and blue eyed people and wants to have the same traits. Out of the two, Claudia is better able to reject white, middle-class America's definitions of beauty. Pecola considers Shirley Temple as the perfects little girl. At the beginning of the book, Pecola's love for her Shirley Temple cup opens the view of her fascination. â€Å"My mother was referring to was Pecola. According to Toni Morrison's Character Claudia in The Bluest Eye â€Å"The three of us, Pecola, Frieda, and I, listened to her downstairs in the kitchen fussing about the amount of milk Pecola had drunk. We knew she was fond of the Shirley Temple cup and took every opportunity to drink milk out of it just to handle and see sweet Shirley's face.† She gets in trouble for drinking all the milk, Claudia's mother thinks she is being greedy but she just wants to use her cup at most. To Pecola Shirley Temple is who she wants to be, she considers herself ugly and she feels if she looked more like Shirley Temple. Where Pecola lives brings conceptual beauty standards such as blonde hair and blue eyes. Maureen symbolizes wealth in the black community. Her family were light skin and have money, she is also new to the neighborhood. According to Toni Morrison's Character Claudia in The Bluest Eye â€Å"Maureen Peal. A high-yellow dream child with long brown hair braided into two lynch ropes that hung down her back. She was rich, at least by our standards, as rich as the richest of the white girls, swaddled in comfort and care. The quality of her clothes threatened to derange Frieda and me.† Both Shirley Temple and Maureen define the beauty that Pecola wishes she had. Shirley Temple is white with blonde hair and blue eyes and adored by America. Maureen is a beautiful light-skinned black girl with money. This may be a realization that you can still be black and pretty, she's just not that. She I identify with this when Maureen calls the three girls Black and ugly black referring to Pecola. â€Å"Safe on the other side, she screamed at us, â€Å"I am cute! And you ugly! Black and ugly black e mos. I am cute!†(The Bluest Eye) The Bluest Eyes gives a view of black women during the 60's and shines the light on the norm that was going on around that time. The novel represented different main situations in the black community. Touches on troubled homes and how black children were taken from the home to be placed in a flawed home that offers more love. Pecola was the darkest character literally and figuratively. She had the most going on in the novel and. Society has taught her that her skin and feature are ugly and everything she needs to value needs to be white. Being raped by her father and belittled by the whole community. This novel teaches struggle and social discrimination which is a recurring theme. Throughout the novel, Pecola is growing along with the Family she lived with. I'm sure she appreciates being in a loving family but unfortunately, the lesson was about loving herself and learning how to love herself because her mother couldn't teach her. Works Citedâ€Å"BEAUTY IDEAL OVER THE DECADES Part 7: THE 60's.† IDEALIST STYLE, www.idealiststyle.com/blog/beauty-ideal-over-the-decades-part-7-the-60s.â€Å"Full Text of ‘The Bluest Eye.'† Internet Archive, The Library Shelf, archive.org/stream/TheBluestEyeFullTextJAMESSUTTON/The Bluest Eye_full text – JAMES SUTTON_djvu.txt.Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eyes. Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1993.Rosas, Alexandra. â€Å"Why the Fuss About Shirley Temple Black.† The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/alexandra-rosas/why-the-fuss-about-shirle_b_4768929.html.â€Å"The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Audiobook Fastest Loader.† YouTube, YouTube, 12 Nov. 2017,www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUCS2Orzo84.According to Toni Morrison's Chara The bluest eye Pectoral Overlooked Is a passive, young and quiet girl who lives a hard life; her parents are constantly physically and verbally fighting. Throughout the book, Pectoral is reminded continuously of how ugly she is, which fuels her aspiration to be white with blue eyes. Pectoral, a poor black girl, is compelled to believe that she is, In fact, ugly. Tortured and tormented by almost everyone she knows, the identity of the protagonist, Pectoral Overlooked Is destroyed by both society and her family situations and experiences.This presents the reader tit the idea that society and or family experiences can tear an individual from their identity if they are mentally weak enough. Pectoral Overlooked, who wants to be beautiful, becomes torn from her â€Å"black† Identity once society victimizes her Innocence by labeling her as ugly. Pectoral and her community live based on a set of ideals; whiteness and beauty. When Maureen Peal is introduced in the book, her skin color and class statu s is regarded as oppressive to other blacks in the novel, especially Pectoral who Is highly susceptible to It since everyone thinks of her as ugly.When described in the cafeteria, Maureen Is presented as â€Å"A high-yellow dream child with long brown hair braided into two lynch ropes that hung down her back† (52). The â€Å"lynch ropes† expression is outright racial oppression, as â€Å"lynching† (hanging) is what commonly happened to slaves for punishment along with the ASK Incidences. When Pectoral sees that being beautiful is related to having friends and more importantly to her, being loved, she will do anything to become beautiful.When Pectoral and Claudia are exposed to Maureen Peal, they make up ugly names and relate her to ugly things so she would be on their level. Maureen is an example of the ongoing theme that white people are rich and gorgeous, and black people are ugly and not content. Maureen says later on, that â€Å"l am cute, and you ugly! Bla ck and ugly black e moss. I am cute! † (73). When Pectoral first met Maureen, they thought they were going to be friends.When Pectoral hears Maureen say this about them, she starts to believe that she needs to be beautiful In order to have friends, and she starts to wish for the bluest eyes and the whitest skin, thus proving that society can tear an individual from their true identity. Pectoral Overdose's self-esteem and her identity is also affected by her family situation and experiences. When the Overlooked family is introduced In the beginning of the story, Morrison portrays them as a stereotypical early sass poor black family. When they are first described. He wrote. â€Å"The Breadboxes did not live in a storefront because they were having temporary difficulty adjusting to the cutbacks at the plant. They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly† (37). Morrison writes about the role that the whites and the colored people give the Breadboxes In society. Because of the color of their skin, the Breadboxes are forced to adopt their storefront apartment as part of who they are and let it dictate their lives.They feel that they are ugly since they are not the model of what society in general portrays as appropriate. Pectoral sees what society portrays as appropriate, which Is light skin with blue eyes, along with a decent amount of money. She tries to get Just one of those things, the bluest eyes, and it ends up ruining her psychologically, causing her to go 1 OFF makes fun of Pectoral and her father, Just after Pectoral starts to consider her as a reined. â€Å"l wasn't even talking to you. I was talking to Pectoral. Yeah. About seeing her naked daddy' (72).Once the knowledge that Piccolo's father walks naked around Pectoral, Maureen decides to make fun of her because she is ugly, and because it is common knowledge that Pectoral sees her dad walking around naked. These family experie nces and situations all have a negative effect on Pectoral because she is not just the â€Å"ugly' girl now, she is the poor black girl who sees her father naked. As a member of a family that is part of the low society, Pectoral Overlooked, labeled as â€Å"ugly' trudges and fails to maintain her sanity and her childhood innocence when she tries to get people to like and love her.Once an innocent little girl, now a girl who is torn away from her natural identity after society and society's outlook on her family make her feel ugly and unwanted. She becomes labeled as the scapegoat of the community and slips into oblivion. Toni Morrison wrote the Bluest Eye depicting Pectoral Overlooked and her family as the scapegoat of the entire community. Using Pectoral as an example, Morrison tries to convey the point to not become subdued to what society thinks of as ugly and beautiful; Just be yourself. The bluest eye Pectoral Overlooked Is a passive, young and quiet girl who lives a hard life; her parents are constantly physically and verbally fighting. Throughout the book, Pectoral is reminded continuously of how ugly she is, which fuels her aspiration to be white with blue eyes. Pectoral, a poor black girl, is compelled to believe that she is, In fact, ugly. Tortured and tormented by almost everyone she knows, the identity of the protagonist, Pectoral Overlooked Is destroyed by both society and her family situations and experiences.This presents the reader tit the idea that society and or family experiences can tear an individual from their identity if they are mentally weak enough. Pectoral Overlooked, who wants to be beautiful, becomes torn from her â€Å"black† Identity once society victimizes her Innocence by labeling her as ugly. Pectoral and her community live based on a set of ideals; whiteness and beauty. When Maureen Peal is introduced in the book, her skin color and class statu s is regarded as oppressive to other blacks in the novel, especially Pectoral who Is highly susceptible to It since everyone thinks of her as ugly.When described in the cafeteria, Maureen Is presented as â€Å"A high-yellow dream child with long brown hair braided into two lynch ropes that hung down her back† (52). The â€Å"lynch ropes† expression is outright racial oppression, as â€Å"lynching† (hanging) is what commonly happened to slaves for punishment along with the ASK Incidences. When Pectoral sees that being beautiful is related to having friends and more importantly to her, being loved, she will do anything to become beautiful.When Pectoral and Claudia are exposed to Maureen Peal, they make up ugly names and relate her to ugly things so she would be on their level. Maureen is an example of the ongoing theme that white people are rich and gorgeous, and black people are ugly and not content. Maureen says later on, that â€Å"l am cute, and you ugly! Bla ck and ugly black e moss. I am cute! † (73). When Pectoral first met Maureen, they thought they were going to be friends.When Pectoral hears Maureen say this about them, she starts to believe that she needs to be beautiful In order to have friends, and she starts to wish for the bluest eyes and the whitest skin, thus proving that society can tear an individual from their true identity. Pectoral Overdose's self-esteem and her identity is also affected by her family situation and experiences. When the Overlooked family is introduced In the beginning of the story, Morrison portrays them as a stereotypical early sass poor black family. When they are first described. He wrote. â€Å"The Breadboxes did not live in a storefront because they were having temporary difficulty adjusting to the cutbacks at the plant. They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believed they were ugly† (37). Morrison writes about the role that the whites and the colored people give the Breadboxes In society. Because of the color of their skin, the Breadboxes are forced to adopt their storefront apartment as part of who they are and let it dictate their lives.They feel that they are ugly since they are not the model of what society in general portrays as appropriate. Pectoral sees what society portrays as appropriate, which Is light skin with blue eyes, along with a decent amount of money. She tries to get Just one of those things, the bluest eyes, and it ends up ruining her psychologically, causing her to go 1 OFF makes fun of Pectoral and her father, Just after Pectoral starts to consider her as a reined. â€Å"l wasn't even talking to you. I was talking to Pectoral. Yeah. About seeing her naked daddy' (72).Once the knowledge that Piccolo's father walks naked around Pectoral, Maureen decides to make fun of her because she is ugly, and because it is common knowledge that Pectoral sees her dad walking around naked. These family experie nces and situations all have a negative effect on Pectoral because she is not just the â€Å"ugly' girl now, she is the poor black girl who sees her father naked. As a member of a family that is part of the low society, Pectoral Overlooked, labeled as â€Å"ugly' trudges and fails to maintain her sanity and her childhood innocence when she tries to get people to like and love her.Once an innocent little girl, now a girl who is torn away from her natural identity after society and society's outlook on her family make her feel ugly and unwanted. She becomes labeled as the scapegoat of the community and slips into oblivion. Toni Morrison wrote the Bluest Eye depicting Pectoral Overlooked and her family as the scapegoat of the entire community. Using Pectoral as an example, Morrison tries to convey the point to not become subdued to what society thinks of as ugly and beautiful; Just be yourself.

Nucor Steel Case Study

There are many competitive forces that are affecting Nucor Corporation. Some of the primary ones are the market size, number of rivals, and pace of technological change. The market size is shrinking because of the increase in competing international steel companies. The number of rivals in America is declining due to higher labor costs than in foreign countries. There is a very fast pace of technology in the steel industry and it seems that the company, that obtains the newest technology, flourishes. This is due to the difficulty in lower costs of steel production. Better technology is one of the only ways to decrease costs because labor is pretty much at a set cost and all that is left is the cost of iron and making the steel. If a company can get its hands on a new technology that allows it to under price its competitors then it has a big advantage in the steel industry. Nucor’s main rivals in the steel industry are AK Steel Holding Corporation, Mittal Steel Company, and U. S. Steel. The five forces for the steel industry are the buyers, substitutes, suppliers, threat of new entrants, and rivals. The buyers have a fairly strong power on the steel producers. This is because of the low switching cost between competitors. Unless a contract is signed between a steel company and its buyer, there is little cost to the buyer if it wants to switch to a different steel company. There are not very many substitutes for steel, as steel is a commodity, so the substitute power is weak. Steel is a one of a kind item in that it is very strong and very versatile in its use. It is used in buildings, automobiles, bridges, garage door openers, and many other everyday objects. Suppliers also have a weak power in the steel industry. The suppliers are supplying iron to steel companies. Iron is very common and many companies sell it. Also, steel companies frequently integrate backwards and provide their own iron to their steel mills. The threat of new entrants is very weak due to high entry barriers and the current struggling competitors. The rival power is moderate to strong because there are a fair number of steelmaking companies. Also steel dumping occurs, but I will be talking about that later. According to this analysis, Nucor is in a three star industry, so it seems to have an okay chance at surviving. It is not the best industry to be in, but Nucor still has been able to flourish due to its organizational philosophy and technological innovation. 2) The driving forces behind the steel industry are industry growth rate, globalization, technological change and manufacturing process innovation, exit of major firms, and frequent change in cost. The steel industry is falling. There is a declining demand for steel and many companies have already gone bankrupt or are on the verge of going bankrupt. Some of these companies are Bethlehem Steel and Ling-Temco-Vought. The steel industry is very difficult to compete in because more steel is being produced than there is demand for it. Globalization is also a problem for the steel industry in America. Due to globalization it is getting easier for competing companies to send their products to other countries. This causes a problem for companies like Nucor because America has strict labor laws. In other countries labor is exploited and workers are paid very little, while in America, companies must pay their workers a minimum wage. One good thing that America does do is provide tariffs on incoming steel products to help American companies better compete with the international companies. Some countries are subsidiaries to the steel companies in their countries. This means that the governments have a vested interest in the company and want it to succeed. The companies can then sell products, like steel, at a much lower price due to the incoming funding form the government. China has been accused of this and America has taken action to alert the World Trade Organization to settle the matter, but this is only one step to â€Å"leveling the playing field† with China. The technologies for making steel are constantly changing and this allows for more efficient and therefore cheaper steel products. It seems that the companies, who obtain these technologies, obtain a significant head start in the industry. Like I said before, many companies are going bankrupt and are leaving the exiting the industry. Since steel is a commodity it leads to very volatile prices and can change quite frequently due to demand. By looking at Exhibit 1, you can see how the average price per ton decreased form $425 per ton in 2000 to $354 per ton in 2001. This exhibit shows how many tons of steel Nucor sold during certain years from 1970 to 2006. It is interesting to see that Nucor’s net income was fairly low during the years of 2000-2002, but increased to $1,121. 5 million. This is because of Nucor’s many acquisitions during the low period. Just a few years later in 2004, the price of steel was back up to $595 per ton. These driving forces very easily impact the steel industry’s competitive structure in a bad way. These driving forces make it very difficult for steel companies to compete in this industry. 3)The prospects for future profitability of the U. S. steel makers are very unattractive. Unless America can successfully combat China’s enormously, inexpensive, production ability, I do not see any American steel company surviving. China just has too big of a production ability and has the workforce to do it cheaply. Nucor will have to expand in this industry in the United States to survive. If the WTO negotiations with China go well then American steel companies may have a chance in the steel industry. If they do, then America can increase tariffs on incoming steel products and give American steel companies a chance to survive. Future profitability looks grim for American steel companies because of what I described before. China has been accused of subsidizing its steel companies, therefore funding them to make it possible to â€Å"dump steel† which is the process of selling steel at prices below the cost of making it. China would do this because then it would eventually under price foreign competitors and run them out of business. This, supposedly, happened back in 2000-2001 and devastated the steel industry in America, causing many companies to go bankrupt or be bought by other companies. Nucor was lucky enough to have survived this fall out and acquired many steel plants at low prices. The steel industry did bounce back in 2005-2006 and this allowed Nucor to grow quite rapidly due to its previous acquisitions. If America can again survive the big Chinese power, then Nucor will succeed, but right now it looks bleak for the American steel industry. 4)Nucor has adopted a low-cost strategy based on four parts. These parts are acquisitions, technological innovation, plant innovation, and joint ventures. The acquisition part of the Nucor strategy is that it has acquired many different steel companies in 2000-2001, when the steel industry in America was suffering. Because of the low time in the steel industry, Nucor could purchase steel companies at lower prices than normal. This helped its low-cost strategy substantially because it allowed Nucor to grow yet still remain a low-cost steel producer. Exhibit 2 shows Nucor’s financials, and very accurately illustrates the hit Nucor took during the low period of 2000-2003. This was a perfect time for Nucor to buy other steel companies, as this was one of the only ways for it to grow. Nucor invested heavily in new technologies. Investing in new technologies is very important for steel companies to do, as it is very easy to reduce costs if the company has a foothold on a new technology. Nucor focused on the introduction of disruptive technologies to give it an advantage in the market as compared to its competitors in terms of product quality, cost per ton, and market share. One example of this is the Castrip process. This new process produced flat-rolled, carbon, and stainless steels in very thin gauges. It allowed Nucor to produce steel in fewer steps, and helped produce savings in its operating expenses, therefore increasing Nucor’s net income. The Castrip process needed lower-quality scrap steel, which decreased costs of the scrap steel, and required 90% less energy. Also this new process cut green house gases by 80%. Nucor also increased its capital investments on the newest machinery to provide more efficient steel plants. By providing its workforce with the best possible technology, Nucor was able to max out production yet still retain a safe working environment. The implementation of hard working plant managers, produced hardworking managers that are aggressive enough to implement methods to improve product quality while keeping costs low. Nucor’s last strategic part was its joint ventures. By investing in joint ventures, Nucor was able to grow internationally with out the full capital risk. Some examples of this were its joint ventures in Brazil, Australia, and Trinidad. The joint venture in Brazil was between Companhia Vale do Rio Doce and Nucor. The goal was to produce an environmentally friendly pig iron plant that used eucalyptus trees as fuel. The use of eucalyptus trees as fuel removed 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for every one ton of pig iron produced. Another joint venture was three other companies in Australia. This plant used a new technology process called HIsmelt. This new process converted iron ore to pig iron at a lower cost and higher quality than previously known pig iron producing technologies. The Trinidad plant was acquired in 2007 and was originally in Louisiana. The plant was moved to Trinidad because of the constant supply of natural gas as fuel therefore lowering costs. This plant reduced scrap metal dependence by as much as 25%. It also allowed for a higher quality production of sheet steel. Nucor’s four-part strategy has lead to a competitive sustainable advantage as seen in exhibit 2 between the years of 2004-2006 when its net income soared to more than $1,757. 7 million. Nucor used a cost-based advantage to achieve its competitive sustainable advantage. )Nucor employed an organization philosophy consisting of decentralization, individually operated plants, a three layer structure, good compensation practices for its employees, and good employee relations. Nucor’s decentralized structure allowed for its employees to make quick decisions that did not have to go through all of the bureaucratic steps like that in a centralized company. A decentralized co mpany relied on higher quality employees that could analyze a situation and react quickly and successfully. The individually operated plants were akin to the decentralized company. Each plant was individually responsible for its profits. The three layers consisted of the executives at the headquarters located in South Carolina, the general managers that ran the plants and talked to the executives, and the hourly employees that did most of the labor at the plants. The general managers ran the plants individually form each other and were expected to reach, at least, a 25% return on its total assets. If a general manager failed this, the executives would interfere and had no hesitation in replacing an unsuccessful general manager. The individual plants allowed for team like competitions between plants to see who could be the best performer. Nucor was nonunion, but provided salaries based on competing plants’ salaries in the area. Nucor offered a generous compensation bonus to good work that differed for each worker. Hourly workers received bonuses if they produced more than the standard number of tons. Department managers earned annual bonuses depending on percentage of net income to dollars of assets. Nucor also had great employee relations. Nucor offered 401k plans by matching up to 25% of employees’ contributions. Medical and dental plans were very common for Nucor employees. There was also a tuition reimbursement of up to $2,750 for any employee. For the children of employees, Nucor would provide a scholarship up to $2,750, which would encourage employees to stay until their went to college. As seen here, Nucor treated its employees very well to reduce employee turnover and attract the best employees. Nucor required a high human capital if it were going to use a decentralized structure. The high quality employees that Nucor attracted helped Nucor execute its low-cost strategy, and led to superior results. )Nucor’s leadership, great strategy, and execution were what led to why Nucor was so successful in the steel industry. The great leader that Nucor relied upon was Kenneth Iverson, who changed Nucor from a nuclear energy company into a steel company. As seen in the last question, the decentralized structure helped Nucor react t problems quickly due to the ability of employees to take t he authority to solving problems. To be a great company, you need all three. This was evident in the case of Nucor because it was turned around and became a very successful company in a very different and difficult industry than where it started. )The SWOT analysis of Nucor is as follows. The strengths of Nucor are its strong market position, historically based position, increased production capacity, and strong technological focus. Nucor had a strong market position that allowed it to flourish in the steel industry. The strong market position is shown by its ability to stay out of the red during hard times. This is seen in exhibit 1. Nucor continued to have a positive net income, even during the low period between 2000 and 2002, as seen in exhibit 1. Nucor’s historically based position has given it a long-standing presence that is known to most steel consumers. This has helped Nucor because it tells the consumers that Nucor has been able to provide quality steel year after year. As seen in exhibit 1, Nucor has increasingly produced steel starting at 207,000 tons in 1970 to 22,118,000 tons in 2006. This growth is enormous and not once did Nucor’s steel sales fall below its previous year. Nucor’s strong technological focus has allowed it to become a power in the steel industry. It used electric arc furnaces when they were a new technology and encouraged further innovation into the steel production methods. Some weaknesses of Nucor are that it is mainly located in America and that the steel industry is already very developed. The fact that Nucor is mainly in America limits its growth. Nucor cannot compete with international companies so it is best to stay in America, but that continues to limit its growth because Nucor can only sell so much steel in the United States. The steel industry is very developed due to the early demand for the high amounts of steel back when the steel industry started. Now demand has lessened and the developed companies are fighting to stay alive. Nucor’s opportunities are joint ventures and new technologies. Nucor has taken advantage of some of its joint ventures in Brazil and Australia. This is good because is allows for an expanded production line and further integration backwards. New technologies are a good way for Nucor to grow as it can decrease its costs and therefore increase its net income. This is a necessity for Nucor due to its â€Å"prison-like† existence in America. The threats on Nucor are foreign competitors and decreasing demand. Foreign competitors are growing in the developing nations like India and China. These nations are very large and China already produces one third of the steel in the world. Decreasing is also a problem, which is caused by the increasing amount of suppliers. Nucor’s distinct competencies are its highly successful strategy and high quality human, technology, and leadership capital. 8)My assessment of Nucor’s stock is that it has done the best out of its American competitors as shown in exhibit 3. Exhibit 3 is a comparison of the stocks of Mittal Steel (MT), U. S. Steel (X), AK Holding Steel Company (AKS), and of course Nucor Corporation (NUE). As shown, exhibit 3 shows these four stocks from 1999 to 2009. Mittal Steel did surpass Nucor during the years of 2007 and 2008, but currently Nucor is the highest. This is good because it shows the reaction to the recession, and it shows that Nucor bounced back the best. I personally would not purchase any steel stock because I believe that the growing steel industries in China and India will over power the American steel companies. However, if I had to invest in a steel company, it would in fact be Nucor. 9)Nucor needs to address the growing steel industry in Asia. Daniel DiMicco needs to do something to ensure that Nucor survives. I would recommend further investment in new steel technologies, and if it comes to it, Nucor may have to change industries again, like it did back in 1970. DiMicco may want to make sure that he is not â€Å"keeping all of Nucor’s eggs in one basket† by staying in the steel industry. Moving into the energy industry may be a smart move as there is a definite need for alternative energy. Nucor’s current, increasing net income could help invest in alternative energies that would help Nucor become sustainable. 10)The biggest recent event is the possibility of China potentially steel dumping, which would under price Nucor substantially. This would lead to the downfall of Nucor. Another current event is the new technology of producing â€Å"Green Steel† (http://news. n. msn. com/business/article. aspx? cp-documentid=1090378). This is a new technology that takes waste plastic and converts it into steel. Since plastic is mainly carbon, it is possible to produce steel from the waste plastic. This would solve the problem of what to do with the plastic that is no longer used and help produce cheap steel that also lowers emissions. Lower temperature is needed in this new process therefore reducing the energy needed. This new technology converts waste into very much needed, and useful steel. Nucor Steel Case Study There are many competitive forces that are affecting Nucor Corporation. Some of the primary ones are the market size, number of rivals, and pace of technological change. The market size is shrinking because of the increase in competing international steel companies. The number of rivals in America is declining due to higher labor costs than in foreign countries. There is a very fast pace of technology in the steel industry and it seems that the company, that obtains the newest technology, flourishes. This is due to the difficulty in lower costs of steel production. Better technology is one of the only ways to decrease costs because labor is pretty much at a set cost and all that is left is the cost of iron and making the steel. If a company can get its hands on a new technology that allows it to under price its competitors then it has a big advantage in the steel industry. Nucor’s main rivals in the steel industry are AK Steel Holding Corporation, Mittal Steel Company, and U. S. Steel. The five forces for the steel industry are the buyers, substitutes, suppliers, threat of new entrants, and rivals. The buyers have a fairly strong power on the steel producers. This is because of the low switching cost between competitors. Unless a contract is signed between a steel company and its buyer, there is little cost to the buyer if it wants to switch to a different steel company. There are not very many substitutes for steel, as steel is a commodity, so the substitute power is weak. Steel is a one of a kind item in that it is very strong and very versatile in its use. It is used in buildings, automobiles, bridges, garage door openers, and many other everyday objects. Suppliers also have a weak power in the steel industry. The suppliers are supplying iron to steel companies. Iron is very common and many companies sell it. Also, steel companies frequently integrate backwards and provide their own iron to their steel mills. The threat of new entrants is very weak due to high entry barriers and the current struggling competitors. The rival power is moderate to strong because there are a fair number of steelmaking companies. Also steel dumping occurs, but I will be talking about that later. According to this analysis, Nucor is in a three star industry, so it seems to have an okay chance at surviving. It is not the best industry to be in, but Nucor still has been able to flourish due to its organizational philosophy and technological innovation. 2) The driving forces behind the steel industry are industry growth rate, globalization, technological change and manufacturing process innovation, exit of major firms, and frequent change in cost. The steel industry is falling. There is a declining demand for steel and many companies have already gone bankrupt or are on the verge of going bankrupt. Some of these companies are Bethlehem Steel and Ling-Temco-Vought. The steel industry is very difficult to compete in because more steel is being produced than there is demand for it. Globalization is also a problem for the steel industry in America. Due to globalization it is getting easier for competing companies to send their products to other countries. This causes a problem for companies like Nucor because America has strict labor laws. In other countries labor is exploited and workers are paid very little, while in America, companies must pay their workers a minimum wage. One good thing that America does do is provide tariffs on incoming steel products to help American companies better compete with the international companies. Some countries are subsidiaries to the steel companies in their countries. This means that the governments have a vested interest in the company and want it to succeed. The companies can then sell products, like steel, at a much lower price due to the incoming funding form the government. China has been accused of this and America has taken action to alert the World Trade Organization to settle the matter, but this is only one step to â€Å"leveling the playing field† with China. The technologies for making steel are constantly changing and this allows for more efficient and therefore cheaper steel products. It seems that the companies, who obtain these technologies, obtain a significant head start in the industry. Like I said before, many companies are going bankrupt and are leaving the exiting the industry. Since steel is a commodity it leads to very volatile prices and can change quite frequently due to demand. By looking at Exhibit 1, you can see how the average price per ton decreased form $425 per ton in 2000 to $354 per ton in 2001. This exhibit shows how many tons of steel Nucor sold during certain years from 1970 to 2006. It is interesting to see that Nucor’s net income was fairly low during the years of 2000-2002, but increased to $1,121. 5 million. This is because of Nucor’s many acquisitions during the low period. Just a few years later in 2004, the price of steel was back up to $595 per ton. These driving forces very easily impact the steel industry’s competitive structure in a bad way. These driving forces make it very difficult for steel companies to compete in this industry. 3)The prospects for future profitability of the U. S. steel makers are very unattractive. Unless America can successfully combat China’s enormously, inexpensive, production ability, I do not see any American steel company surviving. China just has too big of a production ability and has the workforce to do it cheaply. Nucor will have to expand in this industry in the United States to survive. If the WTO negotiations with China go well then American steel companies may have a chance in the steel industry. If they do, then America can increase tariffs on incoming steel products and give American steel companies a chance to survive. Future profitability looks grim for American steel companies because of what I described before. China has been accused of subsidizing its steel companies, therefore funding them to make it possible to â€Å"dump steel† which is the process of selling steel at prices below the cost of making it. China would do this because then it would eventually under price foreign competitors and run them out of business. This, supposedly, happened back in 2000-2001 and devastated the steel industry in America, causing many companies to go bankrupt or be bought by other companies. Nucor was lucky enough to have survived this fall out and acquired many steel plants at low prices. The steel industry did bounce back in 2005-2006 and this allowed Nucor to grow quite rapidly due to its previous acquisitions. If America can again survive the big Chinese power, then Nucor will succeed, but right now it looks bleak for the American steel industry. 4)Nucor has adopted a low-cost strategy based on four parts. These parts are acquisitions, technological innovation, plant innovation, and joint ventures. The acquisition part of the Nucor strategy is that it has acquired many different steel companies in 2000-2001, when the steel industry in America was suffering. Because of the low time in the steel industry, Nucor could purchase steel companies at lower prices than normal. This helped its low-cost strategy substantially because it allowed Nucor to grow yet still remain a low-cost steel producer. Exhibit 2 shows Nucor’s financials, and very accurately illustrates the hit Nucor took during the low period of 2000-2003. This was a perfect time for Nucor to buy other steel companies, as this was one of the only ways for it to grow. Nucor invested heavily in new technologies. Investing in new technologies is very important for steel companies to do, as it is very easy to reduce costs if the company has a foothold on a new technology. Nucor focused on the introduction of disruptive technologies to give it an advantage in the market as compared to its competitors in terms of product quality, cost per ton, and market share. One example of this is the Castrip process. This new process produced flat-rolled, carbon, and stainless steels in very thin gauges. It allowed Nucor to produce steel in fewer steps, and helped produce savings in its operating expenses, therefore increasing Nucor’s net income. The Castrip process needed lower-quality scrap steel, which decreased costs of the scrap steel, and required 90% less energy. Also this new process cut green house gases by 80%. Nucor also increased its capital investments on the newest machinery to provide more efficient steel plants. By providing its workforce with the best possible technology, Nucor was able to max out production yet still retain a safe working environment. The implementation of hard working plant managers, produced hardworking managers that are aggressive enough to implement methods to improve product quality while keeping costs low. Nucor’s last strategic part was its joint ventures. By investing in joint ventures, Nucor was able to grow internationally with out the full capital risk. Some examples of this were its joint ventures in Brazil, Australia, and Trinidad. The joint venture in Brazil was between Companhia Vale do Rio Doce and Nucor. The goal was to produce an environmentally friendly pig iron plant that used eucalyptus trees as fuel. The use of eucalyptus trees as fuel removed 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for every one ton of pig iron produced. Another joint venture was three other companies in Australia. This plant used a new technology process called HIsmelt. This new process converted iron ore to pig iron at a lower cost and higher quality than previously known pig iron producing technologies. The Trinidad plant was acquired in 2007 and was originally in Louisiana. The plant was moved to Trinidad because of the constant supply of natural gas as fuel therefore lowering costs. This plant reduced scrap metal dependence by as much as 25%. It also allowed for a higher quality production of sheet steel. Nucor’s four-part strategy has lead to a competitive sustainable advantage as seen in exhibit 2 between the years of 2004-2006 when its net income soared to more than $1,757. 7 million. Nucor used a cost-based advantage to achieve its competitive sustainable advantage. )Nucor employed an organization philosophy consisting of decentralization, individually operated plants, a three layer structure, good compensation practices for its employees, and good employee relations. Nucor’s decentralized structure allowed for its employees to make quick decisions that did not have to go through all of the bureaucratic steps like that in a centralized company. A decentralized co mpany relied on higher quality employees that could analyze a situation and react quickly and successfully. The individually operated plants were akin to the decentralized company. Each plant was individually responsible for its profits. The three layers consisted of the executives at the headquarters located in South Carolina, the general managers that ran the plants and talked to the executives, and the hourly employees that did most of the labor at the plants. The general managers ran the plants individually form each other and were expected to reach, at least, a 25% return on its total assets. If a general manager failed this, the executives would interfere and had no hesitation in replacing an unsuccessful general manager. The individual plants allowed for team like competitions between plants to see who could be the best performer. Nucor was nonunion, but provided salaries based on competing plants’ salaries in the area. Nucor offered a generous compensation bonus to good work that differed for each worker. Hourly workers received bonuses if they produced more than the standard number of tons. Department managers earned annual bonuses depending on percentage of net income to dollars of assets. Nucor also had great employee relations. Nucor offered 401k plans by matching up to 25% of employees’ contributions. Medical and dental plans were very common for Nucor employees. There was also a tuition reimbursement of up to $2,750 for any employee. For the children of employees, Nucor would provide a scholarship up to $2,750, which would encourage employees to stay until their went to college. As seen here, Nucor treated its employees very well to reduce employee turnover and attract the best employees. Nucor required a high human capital if it were going to use a decentralized structure. The high quality employees that Nucor attracted helped Nucor execute its low-cost strategy, and led to superior results. )Nucor’s leadership, great strategy, and execution were what led to why Nucor was so successful in the steel industry. The great leader that Nucor relied upon was Kenneth Iverson, who changed Nucor from a nuclear energy company into a steel company. As seen in the last question, the decentralized structure helped Nucor react t problems quickly due to the ability of employees to take t he authority to solving problems. To be a great company, you need all three. This was evident in the case of Nucor because it was turned around and became a very successful company in a very different and difficult industry than where it started. )The SWOT analysis of Nucor is as follows. The strengths of Nucor are its strong market position, historically based position, increased production capacity, and strong technological focus. Nucor had a strong market position that allowed it to flourish in the steel industry. The strong market position is shown by its ability to stay out of the red during hard times. This is seen in exhibit 1. Nucor continued to have a positive net income, even during the low period between 2000 and 2002, as seen in exhibit 1. Nucor’s historically based position has given it a long-standing presence that is known to most steel consumers. This has helped Nucor because it tells the consumers that Nucor has been able to provide quality steel year after year. As seen in exhibit 1, Nucor has increasingly produced steel starting at 207,000 tons in 1970 to 22,118,000 tons in 2006. This growth is enormous and not once did Nucor’s steel sales fall below its previous year. Nucor’s strong technological focus has allowed it to become a power in the steel industry. It used electric arc furnaces when they were a new technology and encouraged further innovation into the steel production methods. Some weaknesses of Nucor are that it is mainly located in America and that the steel industry is already very developed. The fact that Nucor is mainly in America limits its growth. Nucor cannot compete with international companies so it is best to stay in America, but that continues to limit its growth because Nucor can only sell so much steel in the United States. The steel industry is very developed due to the early demand for the high amounts of steel back when the steel industry started. Now demand has lessened and the developed companies are fighting to stay alive. Nucor’s opportunities are joint ventures and new technologies. Nucor has taken advantage of some of its joint ventures in Brazil and Australia. This is good because is allows for an expanded production line and further integration backwards. New technologies are a good way for Nucor to grow as it can decrease its costs and therefore increase its net income. This is a necessity for Nucor due to its â€Å"prison-like† existence in America. The threats on Nucor are foreign competitors and decreasing demand. Foreign competitors are growing in the developing nations like India and China. These nations are very large and China already produces one third of the steel in the world. Decreasing is also a problem, which is caused by the increasing amount of suppliers. Nucor’s distinct competencies are its highly successful strategy and high quality human, technology, and leadership capital. 8)My assessment of Nucor’s stock is that it has done the best out of its American competitors as shown in exhibit 3. Exhibit 3 is a comparison of the stocks of Mittal Steel (MT), U. S. Steel (X), AK Holding Steel Company (AKS), and of course Nucor Corporation (NUE). As shown, exhibit 3 shows these four stocks from 1999 to 2009. Mittal Steel did surpass Nucor during the years of 2007 and 2008, but currently Nucor is the highest. This is good because it shows the reaction to the recession, and it shows that Nucor bounced back the best. I personally would not purchase any steel stock because I believe that the growing steel industries in China and India will over power the American steel companies. However, if I had to invest in a steel company, it would in fact be Nucor. 9)Nucor needs to address the growing steel industry in Asia. Daniel DiMicco needs to do something to ensure that Nucor survives. I would recommend further investment in new steel technologies, and if it comes to it, Nucor may have to change industries again, like it did back in 1970. DiMicco may want to make sure that he is not â€Å"keeping all of Nucor’s eggs in one basket† by staying in the steel industry. Moving into the energy industry may be a smart move as there is a definite need for alternative energy. Nucor’s current, increasing net income could help invest in alternative energies that would help Nucor become sustainable. 10)The biggest recent event is the possibility of China potentially steel dumping, which would under price Nucor substantially. This would lead to the downfall of Nucor. Another current event is the new technology of producing â€Å"Green Steel† (http://news. n. msn. com/business/article. aspx? cp-documentid=1090378). This is a new technology that takes waste plastic and converts it into steel. Since plastic is mainly carbon, it is possible to produce steel from the waste plastic. This would solve the problem of what to do with the plastic that is no longer used and help produce cheap steel that also lowers emissions. Lower temperature is needed in this new process therefore reducing the energy needed. This new technology converts waste into very much needed, and useful steel.