Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Nursing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 30

Nursing research - Essay Example On the hand, perusing a report and basically evaluating it will enable an association to distinguish whether the examination was proof based before using the report. Basically, an association will just actualize an exploration report that was peer surveyed and its usage will advance positive results in an association. The crucial job of nursing research is to give proof based practice that targets improving the nature of care that an association gave. In any case, improving the nature of care in a social insurance association is just conceivable if an organization’s procedure of exploration usage is in a methodology that was both viable and productive. To accomplish a fruitful examination use process, an association should utilize the best exploration use model to transform the information in investigation into training. In accordance with this, medical caretakers ought to distinguish a model that fit into an organization’s culture and structure so as to boost the information from examination into training. Then again, proof based practice give the methodologies that the discoveries and information from exploration will be used in an association

Saturday, August 22, 2020

The Problems with Bandwagon Patriotism Essay -- Politics Political Ess

The Problems with Bandwagon Patriotism I’ll let it out, I’m American. I’m an American and I concede, I appreciate it altogether. I appreciate reserving the option to free training, decision in who governs over me (who rules, what difference does it make? play on words planned), and the option to stroll around the lanes at three a.m. since I can. Be that as it may, I don't view myself as enthusiastic, in any capacity, sense or design. The surprising number of Americans these days who see themselves as devoted can overpower the little rare sorts of people who were there for America before 9/11. Be that as it may, exactly what would we be able to do about the fleeting trend energy and its maltreatment on center eastern arranged Americans; it’s control of American’s artlessness for modest knickknacks, and the support of pioneers in a war we don’t have a place in. I accept it’s time to ingrain progressively tranquil strategies in our nation today. It’s time to quit callin g ourselves Americans and begin calling ourselves people. So far America has lost more fighters in Iraq since the war finished than we really lost in the war itself and individuals of Middle Eastern tolerable have endured more humiliating assaults than most â€Å"average† Americans. Maybe its opportunity to reevaluate the Patriot Act, since believe it or not it’s not actually what our actual devoted ancestors had at the top of the priority list when they composed that all men were made equal(despite the reality these men had slaves). Most Americans that watch CNN or FOXnews can disclose to you that precisely one month after the assaults on the twin towers, that Congress passes â€Å"The Patriot Acts†. Be that as it may, what most Americans can’t let you know is the thing that precisely is within these demonstrations. As indicated by the real archive itself, the motivation behind The Patriot Acts is: To discourage and rebuff fear based oppressor acts in the United States and around... ...ic) plummet she gave me maybe one of the most noteworthy statements I believed I could have utilized in my paper. I’m not certain about the legalities of this, or on the off chance that I ought to have gotten a composed paper, however she said in the event that I needed to I could utilize this statement of hers. We were sitting in Barnes and Nobles, and the subject of taking came up and how strangely simple it is take something. After hearing this she stated, â€Å" It may be simple for you, yet at whatever point I’m shopping some place I quite often feel the laborers eyes on me, as I’m F(bleep)ing Osama Bin Laden’s little girl or something†. So what does this say about Bandwagon Patriotism? Everything it does is give Americans another motivation to detest, gives frightened Americans another substitute to blame. So furnished with my answers I trust you will ask yourself, exactly when will we quit being Americans, and begin being people?

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Just To Be Clear We Dont Do Legacy

Just To Be Clear We Don’t Do Legacy A few students pointed me towards this piece in the Wall Street Journal  about whether or not colleges should consider legacy in the admissions process. For those of you not familiar with the practice, legacy admissions means preferring the children of alumni in the admissions process. Why would schools do this? For the money, mostly, because if you make your alumni happy by admitting their kids, they might be more likely to give you money. Advocates of legacy admission, like advocates of development cases, will argue that this makes the school a better place for the rest of the students by allowing them to build great labs and dorms and offer fantastic financial aid and everything else.  Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, former President of GWU, made this case in support of legacy admissions, along with citing certain fringe benefits like bridging the generations by forming a sort of intergenerational club. Meanwhile, Rick  Kahlenberg of the Century Foundation characterized legacy admission as a special privilege for the advantaged. For you to receive legacy preference, it means your parents, and perhaps grandparents, went to a particular college. This means you come from a long line of educated people, who had the advantages of learning, who had the means to go to college in an era before broadly accessible student loans and financial aid. It means you are benefitting from work others have done. Kahlenberg argues that this is fundamentally unfair. Selective college admissions is a zero sum game: every applicant admitted takes a space which could have gone to another student. Preferring a student whose parents attended a college not only takes away a spot from an equal or better student, it specifically takes away a spot from an equal or better student who overcame more by not having the advantages accrued by prior generations. Kahlenberg is exactly right, except for one thing: he mentions MIT as one of the schools that practices legacy admissions, and we do not do anything of the kind. This is something I thought wed been pretty clear about. Mollie blogged about it back in 2006. Our institutional research website says, quite specifically, that alumni relations are not considered. And I can tell you, from having sat on countless committees, that we simply dont care if your parents (or aunt, or grandfather, or third cousin) went to MIT. In fact, one of the things most likely to elicit a gigantic facepalm is when a student namedrops some incredibly attenuated connection because they think it is going to help them get into MIT. So where did this idea come from? After a little academic archaelogy I think Ive figured it out. In an  issue brief written by Kahlenberg, the claim that MIT preferred legacies was cited (at 39) to  An Analytic Survey of Legacy Preference, which appears to be a chapter (written by Bloomberg editor Dan Golden) from Century Foundations  book on legacy admissions. That chapter doesnt actually contain any data, but instead itself cites (at 84) No Distinctions except Those Which Merit Originates: The Unlawfulness of Legacy Preferences in Public and Private Universities, by Shadowen and Tulante, 49 Santa Clara L. Rev. 51 (2009). Here, finally, we hit the bottom of the citation hole, as Shadowen and Tulante, using almost exactly the same language later appropriated by Golden and Kahlenberg, write that We also found data showing that alumni of CalTech, which grants no preferences, donated $71 million in 2007, versus $77 million donated in 2006 by alumni of legacy- granting MIT. (emphasis mine) Here they cite (at 371) the MIT Reports to the President (2005-2006).  But alas: while this report does indeed demonstrate MITs alumni donated $77 million in 2006, it says nothing about legacy admissions. It appears, as best I can tell, that Shadowen and Tulante were misinformed as to whether MIT granted legacy and included the claim in the sentence. When they cited this sentence to the Presidents Report, Golden and Kahlenberg (or their research assistants) must have thought the citation authoritatively described not only the donation numbers but also legacy practices. The idea that MIT granted legacy, in other words, appeared entirely out of thin air during the research and writing process. Its legacy admissions all the way down. As a former law school research assistant (if you couldnt tell) I know these things sometimes happen accidentally. While it is disappointing, I dont have any hard feelings to any of the folks involved. It is, indeed, unusual for a school like MIT to have no preference for legacies.  But one of the things that makes MIT special is the fact that it is meritocratic to its cultural core. In fact, I think if we tried to move towards legacy admissions we might face an alumni revolt. There is only one way into (and out of) MIT, and thats the hard way. The people here value that. I want to reiterate that I agree wholeheartedly with everything Mr. Kahlenberg said about why legacy admissions are bad. I personally would not work for a college which had legacy admission because I am not interested in simply reproducing a multigenerational lineage of educated elite. And if anyone in our office ever advocated for a mediocre applicant on the basis of their excellent pedigree they would be kicked out of the committee room. So to be clear: if you got into MIT, its because you got into MIT. Simple as that.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Noras Child-like Nature in A Dolls House Essay - 1162 Words

From the title alone, Henrik Ibsen’s, A Doll’s House, carries an adolescent connotation, with dolls holding immediate association with young girls and youth. In this controversial playwright, Ibsen portrays his Danish protagonist as an ignorant juvenile. Set in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the 1880’s, Nora’s childlike character suggests what the lifestyle of many women during that time may have been. Ibsen reveals Nora’s innate, childlike nature incorporating strategic set placement and direction, significant symbols, an array of revealing dialogue, and elaborate description, healthy in detail. Ibsen creates a setting that traps Nora in domestic comfort. The play opens with a description of the setting, detailing it as â€Å"A room furnished†¦show more content†¦Making use of the word â€Å"little† again revealing how he views his wife; â€Å"my† is also a frequent word in Torvald’s vocabulary. Torvald’s possessive nature prompts him to call Nora his no matter what pet-name he uses. The pattern of these possessive, diminutive pet-names such as â€Å"my little featherbrain† (3) reflect Torvald’s belief that Nora is another child of his, so much so that he actually refers to Nora specifically as a child on more than one occasion. Telling Nora that she talks like a child (3) and suggesting that â€Å"the child shall have her way† (2) further displays his feelings toward Nora. Just as an adult does not discuss their business with an adolescent, so does Torvald not have important conversations with Nora. Nora even notifi es Torvald that during the last scene was the â€Å"first (they) have had a serious conversation†(3). Torvald even groups Nora with his other children demanding that â€Å"lesson time shall begin . . . both (hers) and the children’s† (3). Torvald believes that he both owns and fathers Nora, vocalizing that â€Å"if a man made her (his wife), he has given her a new life, and she has in a way become both wife and child to him† (3). Going on, Torvald questions Nora, asking her, â€Å"Why shouldn’t I look at my dearest treasure, at all of the beauty that is mine, my very own?†(3). Financially stifling Nora and placing her in positions where he can act as her savior, or father, boosts Torvald’s self-esteemShow MoreRelatedA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1288 Words   |  6 Pages Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is based in the Victorian society of the 19th century. It assesses the many struggles and hardships that women faced because of marriage â€Å"laws† that were crucial during that time period. The society was male- dominated with no equality. Nora is the protagonist in A Doll’s House and the wife of a man named Torvald. This play is about Nora’s voyage to recognizing her self- determination and independence. She transforms from a traditional, reserved woman to a new, independentRead MoreHenrik Ibsen s A Doll s House1291 Words   |  6 Pages002322- 3 Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is based in the Victorian society of the 19th century. It assesses the many struggles and hardships that women faced because of marriage â€Å"laws† that were crucial during that time period. The society was male- dominated with no equality. Nora is the protagonist in A Doll’s House and the wife of a man named Torvald. This play is about Nora’s voyage to recognizing her self- determination and independence. She transforms from a traditional, reserved woman toRead MoreA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1288 Words   |  6 Pages Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is based in the Victorian society of the 19th century. It assesses the many struggles and hardships that women faced because of marriage â€Å"laws† that were crucial during that time period. The society was male- dominated with no equality. Nora is the protagonist in A Doll’s House and the wife of a man named Torvald. This play is about Nora’s voyage to recognizing her self- determination and independence. She transforms from a traditional, reserved woman to a new, independentRead MoreA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1639 Words   |  7 PagesIn the play A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen examines the roles of a woman during the nineteenth century in a male dominated Victorian society. The play is a well-played out journey of the main character, Nora, self-discovery and struggles against the oppression of her husband Torvald and the society he represents. Nora, who is the wife of Torvald Helmer, is the heroine of the play in the end. At the beginning of Act I, the scene is a clear picture of the lifestyle of the Helmer’s household. TheRead MoreEntrapment Of Household: Analysis Of â€Å"A Doll’S House†.1657 Words   |  7 PagesHousehold: Analysis of â€Å"A Doll’s House† The author of â€Å"A Doll’s House†, Henrik Ibsen was criticized for his controversial advocacy of moral and social reform by failing to respect the institution of marriage in his plays. A Doll’s House presents the aftermath of nineteenth-century patriarchal husbandry like those in Susan Glaspell’s play, â€Å"Trifles†. In many of the parlor plays of this era, female spectators reflect on their individual situations, revealing the unsatisfying nature of a woman’s positionRead MoreEssay about The Rebellion of Nora in Ibsens A Dolls House1357 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rebellion of Nora in A Dolls House      Ã‚  Ã‚   A Dolls House, by Henrik Ibsen, was written during a time when the role of woman was that of comforter, helper, and supporter of man. The play generated great controversy due to the fact that it featured a female protagonist seeking individuality.  Ã‚   A Dolls House was one of the first plays to introduce woman as having her own purposes and goals. The heroine, Nora Helmer, progresses during the course of the play eventually to realize that she mustRead MoreA Dolls House -H.Ibsen ,Critical Analysis1554 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Subject : Drama B Writer : Henrik Johan Ibsen Genre : Realistic Modern Drama Name of the Work / Play : A Doll’s House ( 1897 ) in three acts Characters : Major Characters / Minor Characters Nora Helmer ( wife of Torvald Helmer ,mother of three children ) Torvald Helmer( husband of Nora Helmer , a lawyer ,father of three children ) Dr. Rank ( doctor ,friend of Nora Torvald Helmer, confidant ,commentator ) Mrs. Kristine Linde ( old friend of Nora Helmer ) Nils Krogstad ( barristerRead More Mrs. Linde as a Foil for Nora in in Ibsens A Dolls House Essay1650 Words   |  7 PagesNora in A Dolls House Random House Websters dictionary defines a foil as a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast.   This essay will focus on the use of the foil to contrast another character. The characters of Nora and Mrs. Linde provide an excellent example of this literary device. Mrs. Lindes aged, experienced personality is the perfect foil for Noras childish nature. Mrs. Lindes hard life is used to contrast the frivolity and sheltered aspects of Noras life. NorasRead MoreA Psychoanalytical Perspective of a Dolls House972 Words   |  4 PagesA Psychoanalytical Perspective of a Doll’s House Justin Doughman Composition II/Literature South University Online A Psychoanalytical Perspective of â€Å"A Doll’s House† Nora Helmer is a young mother of three and an obedient house wife in, â€Å"A Doll’s House,† a play write written by Henrik Ibsen. Using the psychological perspective to dig deeper into Nora’s subconscious the reader finds that Nora yearns to be an independent womenRead More A Doll’s House Essay1511 Words   |  7 PagesIn Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, Nora is subjected to moral degradation through her familial role, the consistent patronization of her husband and her own assumed subordinance. Ibsen belittles the role of the housewife through means of stage direction, diminutive pet names and through Nora’s interaction with her morally ultimate husband, Torvald. Nora parades the faà §ade of being naà ¯ve and frivolous, deteriorating her character from being a seemingly ignorant child-wife to a desperate woman

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Discovery of Transformation by Frederick Grifith in...

The discovery of transformation by Frederick Griffith in Streptococcus pneumonia has played an important role in how we are now able to introduce plasmid DNA molecules into cells. Transformation is the uptake of DNA molecules released from the donor cell by the recipient cell. It is one of the three ways bacteria are able to exchange genetic material. In Griffith’s experiment he introduced mice to two different forms of S. pneumonia, one smooth, pathogenic and encapsulated and the other rough, nonpathogenic and noncapsulated (Snustad, 193). The mice were injected with live rough strain and heat killed smooth strain. The deaths of the mice lead Griffith to conclude that some genes of the killed smooth strain were transformed to the rough strain and the bacteria became encapsulated and pathogenic, therefore leading to the death of the mice (Snustad, 193). Plasmids are small circular DNA molecules. They are not essential for survival of the host bacteria. Some carry genes that allow resistance to antibiotics (Anderson). Plasmid pUC18 is a circular DNA molecule. It contains portions of the E. coli Lac Z gene, which encodes for the first 146 amino acids of ÃŽ ² - galactosidase. E. coli contains the Lac Z gene, which encodes ÃŽ ² - galactosidase . The E. coli Lac operon digests lactose. Once E. coli is transformed with pUC18, complementation occurs. E. coli produces active ÃŽ ² –galactoidase. The active ÃŽ ² –galactoidase hydrolyzes the substrate, X gal , which is located on the agar plates.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Mcdonald’s Is China Loving It Possible Solution Free Essays

string(141) " governmental concerns on safety and health, demonstrating that its products will not propose any detriment to China’s developing economy\." With China’s rapidly developing economy, the rising wealth of its middle-class and more Western fast-food chains infiltrating the nation, McDonald’s finds itself at a crossroads. The company must evaluate its current standing in the Chinese fast-food market and elect to either continue its present operations, hoping to maintain its second place rank to KFC, or implement new strategies to gain market share, meet the Chinese people’s expectations, and abide by governmental standards. The following alternatives will be evaluated to make a decision: 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Mcdonald’s Is China Loving It Possible Solution or any similar topic only for you Order Now Base – Status Quo In this scenario, McDonald’s will continue operating under its current strategies. New threats from competitors in China, including long-time rival KFC, Asian fast-food companies like Hong Kong’s Cafe de Coral, Taiwan’s Dicos Fried Chicken and Japan’s Ajisen Ramen, and emerging Western chains like Subway and Rainforest Cafe, would be ignored. Since its competitors’ menus focus on Chinese preferences for chicken and noodle dishes, McDonald’s will attempt to continue to offset that advantage by emphasizing quality and service. However, in the long run, McDonald’s operations would fall victim to China’s developing economy. In particular, China’s unionized workers would call for additional pay increases and inflationary pressures would cause material costs to rise. As a result, McDonald’s would be forced to increase its prices, as it had done in the past. In all likelihood, the price point for the quality of food offered would fail to live up to public and governmental standards. With competitors progressing in tandem with China’s economy, offering more luxurious casual dining environments and healthier menu options, McDonald’s would fall behind in the market. 2. Option 1: Efficiency, Convenience, and Environmental Responsibility. In this case, McDonald’s would augment its strategies to remain competitive with Western fast-food counterparts like KFC, Burger King and Subway, and Asian competitors like Cafe de Coral, Dicos Fried Chicken and Ajisen Ramen. McDonald’s would capitalize on the public’s demand for quick, convenient service at low prices and continue using its tier pricing model. The company would further exploit the wealth distribution in China by widening its target focus to include the increasing purchasing power of the lower-tier consumer in rural egions of the country. Chinese rural households account for over 60% of the total population. These households spend a larger proportion of income on food, compared to urban households, but as incomes rise, the proportion spent on food does not increase (see Exhibit 1). Thus, McDonald’s would focus on selling more products to more customers at lower prices. Mc Donald’s would incorporate healthier options in its menu, so to compete with Subway, a chain focused on fresh, healthy food, and to address growing governmental concerns with an obesity epidemic. McDonald’s would also secure and sustain its locally-based supply chain and joint ventures, to maintain value and its business model, keeping competitors at a disadvantage. (page 8 lihua) (ultra modern cost efficiency) Despite the lack of formal legislation on environmental issues in China, McDonald’s would further emphasize its dedication to decreasing its environmental impact by repositioning itself as a market leader in environmentally friendly packaging, going beyond the established â€Å"no straw days† instituted in Hong Kong. This will highlight McDonald’s willingness to partner with its customers to decrease the use of plastic as well as reducing packaging costs. McDonald’s long-term goal would be to dominate the fast-food market as a dependable, responsible and valued brand. 3. Option 2 – Sophisticated Dining Experiences This option targets the higher-income segment of the population. McDonald’s would recognize that individuals in this market have rising standards on the type of food and service they receive. Additionally, the amount of money these individuals spend on food, in proportion to growing incomes, is not increasing (see Exhibit 1). In order to retain these higher-income customers, McDonald’s will offer more luxurious ambiences and more amenities at its restaurants. McDonald’s would renovate current locations and build new locations in two ways, with both types offering the typical Western McDonald’s menu and options catered to Chinese tastes. One line of restaurants would encompass sit-down dining-rooms with waiter-service, which would mainly compete with Pizza Hut and Rainforest Cafe. The other line of restaurants, McCafes, would include sit-down dining spaces without waiter-service and offer wireless internet, calm music, and comfortable seating. The McCafes would compete directly with Starbucks. Delivery service and car-side pickup options would expand throughout the country in both types of settings, to maintain sales volume. In addition, coupon partnerships with Internet companies like Taobao. com will continue to provide incentives for customers to dine at McDonald’s. The main risk in this scenario is that McDonald’s is completely revamping its identity as a true-fast food company. Consequently, the company may lose its second-place position to KFC, to justify itself as a luxury brand. 4. Option 3 – Fast Food Efficiency and McCafe Combination In this situation, McDonald’s would implement strategies from options 1 and 2. Tier pricing would continue, services and products would be tailored to the characteristics of the various provinces in the nation, and convenience, health, the environment, and luxury would be emphasized. As in option 1, McDonald’s would expand its operations in the more rural, Western provinces and renovate current locations in urban areas, to include the environmentally friendly and health-conscious menus and processes. In addition, a percentage of the urban locations would be transformed into McCafes, as mentioned in option 2. Drive-thrus, delivery service, and car side pickup would expand to all areas. Furthermore, McDonald’s would secure its local supply-chain, proceed with its joint venture structure, and continue coupon programs with Internet companies. IV. Critical Issues The following issues are significant considerations for McDonald’s, in order to make its decision: 1. Brand Perception: McDonald’s needs to convince its Chinese consumers that it offers a product worthy of the price it costs, that the products are special and luxurious, and that the company cares about its workers, the environment, suppliers and the health of consumers. McDonald’s must also address governmental concerns on safety and health, demonstrating that its products will not propose any detriment to China’s developing economy. You read "Mcdonald’s Is China Loving It Possible Solution" in category "Papers" 2. Impact on Market Share: Since KFC, its biggest competitor, entered the China market earlier than it did, McDonald’s must consider whether its new strategies will be able to surpass KFC in the fast-food market. McDonald’s must consider that as China develops, many new competitors will enter the fast-food market. McDonald’s strategies must be able to attract and maintain its targeted customer bases, and attract the consumers in competitors’ markets. 3. Long Term Sustainability: McDonald’s must consider whether its plan would have its desired affect to gain market share, maximize gross margin and cut its expenses. The company wants to ensure that it will maintain pricing power (charging more for fewer high-end product sales and charging less for more low-end product sales), improve consumer confidence in a rapidly changing economic environment, and continue to profit in the future. 4. Costs to Implement: McDonald’s must consider the expenses associated with developing new programs and funding expansions. The company must be confident that future profits will cover implementation costs. V. Rubric and Methodology Score Key: 1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Superior, 5 = Excellent Brand PerceptionImpact to market share LT SustainabilityCost to ImplementTotal Score Weight0. 40. 30. 20. 11. 00 Base**21141. 7 Option 144413. 7 Option 232222. 4 Option 354414. 1 **Base refers to current method. The ratings are based on a 1 through 5 scale with a score of 1 being poor and a score 5 being excellent. Weights for each criterion were assigned on an arbitrary evaluation of their importance. Brand Perception was considered most important (0. 4 weight) because most of McDonald’s problems regarding competition in China stem from a changing consumer perception of the McDonald’s brand. Impact to Market Share was considered to have the strongest secondary importance (0. 3 weight) because McDonald’s main motivation for changing marketing strategies is to gain market share from its major competitor KFC as well as share from the increasing number of domestic fast food suppliers. Long-Term sustainability was considered to be less important (0. 2 weight) as in such a highly competitive market, McDonald’s may be forced to continuously alter the focus of its marketing strategy due the dynamic nature of the Chinese market. Finally, Cost to Implement was considered to be the least important (0. weight) as McDonald’s growth has been extremely robust and, regardless of the competition it faces, McDonald’s should be able to finance significant capital expenditures for the purpose of securing future growth. The option with the highest score should be implemented immediately. Base is included for comparison only. VI. Analysis of Alternatives Base Metho d: †¢Brand Perception – FAIR – Increasing awareness of the health risks of McDonald’s food, unfair treatment of workers, inconsistent environmental policy, and global perception of McDonald’s has reduced Chinese perception of the McDonald’s brand. The brand will continue eroding without action. †¢Impact to Market Share – POOR – McDonald’s will lose market share to KFC and an increasing number of domestic and foreign competitors offering diverse fast food and casual dining options. †¢Long-Term Sustainability – POOR – The dynamic changes in the purchasing power of Chinese consumers and the eroding brand perception will inspire them to purchase alternative products to those offered by McDonald’s. †¢Cost to Implement – SUPERIOR – McDonald’s will incur no additional costs than it is already incurring in the China market. Option 1: McDonald’s Concentrates on Efficiency, Convenience, and Environmental Responsibility. †¢Brand Perception – SUPERIOR – Increasing supply chain efficiency, healthy food alternatives, clean/green/modern restaurant environment will make Chinese consumers perceive McDonald’s to be a vital, healthy, and responsible fast food alternative. †¢Impact to Market Share – SUPERIOR – McDonald’s will gain market share from KFC and other domestic and foreign competitors because its modern, energy efficient, and cost effective supply chain approach will allow McDonald’s to offer a superior product at a competitive price. Long-Term Sustainability – SUPERIOR – The efficiency of this new style of McDonald’s will enable it to keep profit margins higher during times of increased inflation and raw materials costs. This advantage will increase the sustainability of McDonald’s. †¢Cost to Implement â₠¬â€œ POOR – McDonald’s will incur significant capital expenditures costs to refurbish current restaurants, develop a more efficient supply chain process, research healthier fast food alternatives that will prove successful in the Chinese market while maintaining McDonald’s brand identity as an American hamburger company. Additionally, McDonald’s will incur significant advertising expenditures as it campaigns to sell the new, green, and modern McDonald’s. Option 2: McDonald’s Concentrates on Sophisticated Dining Experiences †¢Brand Perception – GOOD – McDonald’s will increase the Chinese market’s perception of the McDonald’s brand by offering a more sophisticated dining experience worthy of higher prices and a continued characterization as a luxury brand. Impact to Market Share – FAIR – McDonald’s will enter a smaller and more specialized market with increased risks. While offering a more sophisticated and specialized food alternative will allow McDonald’s to charge a premium, there is a significant probability that this alternative will not catch on due to the increasing purchasing power of Chinese and ability to choose among casual dining competitors such as Pizza Hut and Rainforest Cafe. Long-Term Sustainability – FAIR – It is highly possible that the radical change in business plan suggested by option 2 will increase profits in the short-term as the new McDonald’s will be considered a novelty however, over the long-term, this novelty may wear off and significantly reduce the amount of returning customers. Cost to Implement – FAIR – McDonald’s will incur significant capital expenditures costs to refurbish current locations into more sophisticated casual dining atmospheres and significant advertising costs as the company campaigns to change the Chinese perception of McDonald’s from being a cheap and low class dining option to a sophisticated high-end establishment. Option 3: Fast Food Efficiency and McCafe Combination Brand Perception – EXCELLENT – McDonald’s brand perception will be maximized as it will offer a clean and green environment with fresh, fast, inexpensive, and healthy food in its flags hip stores and a sophisticated and cool bistro cafe experience with interesting regional food options in its McCafe stores. †¢Impact to Market Share – SUPERIOR – McDonald’s will gain market share from KFC and other domestic and foreign fast food chains as it will offer a superior product at a lower price with an increasing corporate responsibility to have a low environmental impact. Further McDonald’s will steal market share from casual dining and coffee shop entrants as it works to make McCafe a market leader. †¢Long-Term Sustainability – SUPERIOR – Option 3 will foster superior sustainability through a strong brand perception of McDonald’s as a market leader in efficient and healthy fast food and cafe service. McDonald’s efforts to use its economies of scale to produce a very low environmental impact will keep its operating costs low and allow McDonald’s to price out the competition in the long-run while keeping margins high. Cost to Implement – POOR – McDonald’s will incur significant capital expenditures as it retools its supply chain and refurbishes its stores to operate more energy efficiently and with minimal environmental impact as well as advertising costs to convince Chinese consumers that it has corrected its prior missteps and has reinvented itself as a market leader in a new fast fo od space. VII. Recommendations Options 1 and 2 are not the best route for McDonald’s to pursue. In option 1 McDonald’s will seek to compete in only one market, the cheap fast food market. The more healthy, modern, and energy efficient approach will increase its brand perception, but at the opportunity cost of not exploring more casual dining marketing opportunities. By pursuing only option 2, McDonald’s will compete only in the casual dining market but at the opportunity cost of the cheap fast food market that McDonald’s has been a world leader in. While option 2 will result in increased brand perception, the long-term sustainability of this option is unclear and may not justify the significant capital expenditures required to refurbish the company’s locations. While option 1 and 2 will both significantly increase McDonald’s brand perception, the increased costs of implementation and increased opportunity costs of foregoing other markets for a single market approach warrant that these options not be recommended. We recommend that McDonald’s pursue option 3 because it is a multi-segmented approach that utilizes McDonald’s current position as a market leader and focuses on expanding McDonald’s marketing footprint in the casual but sophisticated bistro/cafe space. Option 3, more than the other options, will increase McDonald’s brand perception and counter the growing sentiment in the China market that McDonald’s does not treat its workers fairly, does not offer healthy food choices, and does not strive to positively impact the environment. Following option 3 will reposition McDonald’s as a healthy and environmentally responsible fast food alternative. While this option will incur significant capital costs in the short-run, this option will allow McDonald’s to grow market share, price more competitively, and run a more streamlined operations that, in the long-run, will reduce operating expenses and lead to higher margins. As it will impact the problems McDonald’s faces in the case most effectively, we highly recommend that McDonald’s implement option 3 immediately. From HBS case, McDonald’s Is China Loving it? How to cite Mcdonald’s Is China Loving It Possible Solution, Papers

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Justice in the Movie Law Abiding Citizen Essay Example For Students

Justice in the Movie Law Abiding Citizen Essay Humans are vengeful in nature. It is natural, instinctive, something that simply comes naturally for us. From small conflicts to great wars that ultimately cause harm or lead to the death of people, it can be rooted from different reasons but in most cases, it is for revenge or vengeance. But there’s always a reason, a catalyst that will instigate this desire for vengeance. There is even a saying â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,† which simply means giving back what was given to you or getting even. But at present times where the society is ruled by a justice system, this kind of thinking simply won’t do. In the movie â€Å"Law Abiding Citizen,† two prominent forms of justice were shown. One being the legal process the suspects, namely Clarence James Darby and Rupert Ames had undergone after the crime they committed and the second one, Clyde Shelton exacting revenge to the suspects and to those who were involved in the case, may it be directly or indirectly. The first one can be labeled under legalized revenge. It is a form of retribution permitted by the law and the laws limit the powers of those who apprehend and punish criminals. The neutral party will serve as the intermediary between the victim and the transgressor. By using an impartial body and removing personal biases, appropriate punishment would be given and would exact the revenge for the victim thus preventing escalation. As it is, in the movie, it didn’t stop there. By relying on the justice system, Shelton put his belief that the suspects would be put behind the bars. Yes, it used an impartial body and punishment was given but the problem lies on the different arithmetic perceived by Shelton and the prosecutor, Nick Rice. Rice struck a deal with Darby that if he testifies against Ames he would receive a lesser charge while Ames would get the death row. For Rice, convicting at least one of them is enough while the other served his shortened sentence but Shelton felt betrayed by Nick’s actions and pleaded to at least try to convict both of them for Darby is the primary suspect and Ames was merely an accomplice. This series of events lead to Shelton losing his trust to the justice system and putting matters into his own hands. After ten years, Shelton put his plan into action starting on Ames then on Darby and Darby’s attorney, Bill Reynolds. He also didn’t pass up Rice’s daughter by sending a snuff film of Darby’s death. Fueled by his desire for revenge and the collapse of the corrupt justice system, Shelton left numerous deaths on his wake. Shelton’s desire for revenge was brought forth by the inability of the justice system to sustain his pleads for justice. By failing to do this, the justice system’s goal to prevent escalation of the situation was not met. Through Shelton’s direct involvement and without the use of impartial body, it is no longer a legalized revenge but only mere revenge. It can be labeled under this for Shelton’s intentions are personal and arbitrary. His actions were ruled by passion and his desire for revenge for what happened to his wife and daughter. This can be seen through his premeditated murders. After killing Ames and Darby, he still continued to kill innocent people. After killing his family’s killers he sought to bring down the corrupt justice system by planning to bomb the city hall where the leaders were having a meeting. He was emotionally-driven to do this after what happened to him and his family. .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d , .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .postImageUrl , .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d , .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d:hover , .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d:visited , .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d:active { border:0!important; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d:active , .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4633950eee681cd47f734e948e0ff66d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Gender Roles in the 2000 Film Billy Elloit EssayShelton’s inability to forgive and forget was also shown in the movie. Despite receiving the sentences of his family’s killers, over the years he still aim to exact revenge on Darby and Ames on his own personal way. The time and money consumed can be clearly seen by how intricate and meticulous his murders were. Large amount of money and time would be needed to gather the materials, chemicals, machinery, etc. he used for his murders. â€Å"Remembrance is unquestionably a form of revenge,† according to Jacoby. After ten years, instead of moving on he planned for the demise of his enemies. Quoting Susan Jacoby, â€Å"Laws may, of course, be unjust even though they are not founded on personal enmity. † This implies that there are cases where situations like this are simply inevitable. By failing to convict a suspect the justice system fails to balance and equalize things as well as failing to nullify the effects of the crime. Just like what happened in the movie. By having his case under a corrupt criminal justice system and having his lawyer strike a deal with a criminal, Shelton’s action may not be unfounded though his numerous killings is certainly unnecessary. From what Robert Solomon said, â€Å"Vengeance is the original meaning of justice. † From the olden days and throughout most of the history, the focus of justice is more concerned with the punishment of crimes and balancing of the wrongs and also the concept of â€Å"getting even. † Rooting from this, revenge is also a notion of justice. Though some of us have misconstrued ideas about revenge such as it being associated with words like bad, violent, irrational, etc. , it is not that different with retribution. They are virtually synonymous. Retribution is the punishment given by the state or the government. It seeks to balance restraint and impulse. Retribution is similar to the concept of legalized revenge explained before. To put it simply when you break the law, the punishment given serves as the â€Å"revenge† of the state to the transgressor. Legalized revenge and mere revenge may be rooted from the same concept but the means to achieve their goal is different. Legalized revenge aims for the common good and the social order in the society.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Closure of the Clyde oil refinery

Executive Summary The report seeks to analyse the shutdown of the Clyde oil refinery using economic concepts. Clyde oil refinery is the oldest oil refinery in Australia and as such, the report gives the viable economic factors that could have led to this shutdown. Several assumptions have been made.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Closure of the Clyde oil refinery specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The findings of the report are that competition from Asian mega refineries was the major cause for the shutdown. It has also been assumed that the company had been operating under near-shutdown conditions for the last few years. The entry of other competitors in the oil industry brought about the strong competition, and hence another risk factor. Its size and the inability to adopt new technology is also another cause for its closure. The shut down would lead to increase in prices and hence abnormal profits. It would al so force the remaining companies to produce more in order to meet the industry demand. Introduction The announcement of the closure of Clyde oil refinery has brought different views. Shell Australia has been forced to shutdown Clyde oil refinery due to intense competition. This will leave the refining industry with a production deficit of 75,000 barrels daily. The move had been unexpected and the shell Australia believes that Asia mega refineries will replace the output. The report looks at the economic reasons that may have led to the shut down and the impact it may have on the competitors. Body (Analysis) The Clyde oil refinery shutdown was caused by high competition and increase in demand and supply in the region (Murphy 2011). 260 employees will be laid off, leaving only 50. In order to analyse the shutdown of the firm some assumptions have been made. The Clyde oil refinery had been operating under shutdown point for the last few years. A firm reaches a shutdown position when ou tput (revenue) is just adequate to cover the total variable cost of the firm. According to Wessels (2000, p.345), the shutdown of a firm or a company occurs when the total variable costs exceeds the total revenue. The rules of shutdown in the long run are that TRAdvertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Murphy (2011), the Clyde oil refinery vice-president Andrew Smith said that the shutdown was necessitated by â€Å"increased competition from mega-refineries in Asia, supply and demand in our region†2011). The vice president also added that because of its size it could no longer compete regionally and significant investment was required. This can be explained by costs and output in the long run. Firm industry The assumption is that all the firms operate under the same cost curve in the long run. Upon entry in the market the firm was making huge profits. This attr acted other key players in the industry. As time goes (long run) the demand increases to DD. The entry and competition pushes the prices down from B to C and the output increases from Q1 to Q2. At this point firms are making zero profits. Increased competition from companies that have high output capacity pushes the prices further down. This affects the weaker companies with high avoidable costs. When the industry is operating under a loss, this pushes some firms to shut down. This is the case with the Clyde oil Refinery where competition, demand, and technology pushed it until it had to shut down its operations.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Closure of the Clyde oil refinery specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The shutdown has an impact on the remaining firms as well as the industry itself. Given that Clyde oil refinery produces 75,000 barrels per day (Edwards 2011), the output in the industry would be pushed d own further. This would force Asia refineries to produce more to fill the market demand of oil. The remaining firms in the industry would the have to raise their prices returning to p0 (Wessels 200, p.354). At this point, the supply is elastic than in the short run (LR-S). If the Asians producers cannot meet the market demand of oil in Australia, then there could be an oil crisis. When a commodity is scarce or in high demand prices go up and companies are more likely to make abnormal profits. Conclusion The shutdown of the Clyde oil refinery was as a result of high competition from Asian mega refineries. It may also have been caused by increase in demand in which it was not able to produce an output required by the industry. Reference List Edwards, M., 2011. Refinery closure cuts national fuel security. ABC Sydney, April 17 [online]. Available from  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-04-13/refinery-closure-cuts-national-fuel-security/2617164?site=sydney . Murphy, M., 2011. Shell she lves refining at Clyde. Sydney. Morning Herald, April 12. Web. Available from https://library.sydney.edu.au/about/library-projects/ .Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Mankiw, N. G., 2009, Principles of economics. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage  Learning. Wessels, W. J., 2000,. Economics. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s. This report on Closure of the Clyde oil refinery was written and submitted by user Myla Stein to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Free Essays on Choices

In the Book of Genesis, an ancient Hebrew story from the King James Bible, we are given the account of Adam and Eve. Eve is led up the path of temptation and forced to make a difficult decision. The outcome of her selection not only affects her own existence, but also that of Adam and their descendants. In the story, Eve is forced to choose between what she knows is right or what will turn out to be only a temporary pleasure. The reader is fully aware of the role of the snake, presenter of the golden apple, an excellent example of the archetypal character the temptress. The apple is the forbidden fruit, the irresistible pleasure, what the decision-maker is fully aware of being the obviously wrong choice, and yet can’t help but have one taste, perhaps to get a rebellious high, perhaps out of curiosity. Or perhaps the character is just plain ignorant. Whatever the motives of Eve and all others in the wrong, it is soon revealed that the easiest choice to make is not always the be st. Eve’s acceptance of the apple served to show her own weakness and insecurity in what she believed was just. She deceived the very being who created her, the ever-famous clichà © of bite the hand that feeds you. She traded in a life of eternal happiness in the Garden of Eden for one taste of that golden apple. It was a mistake that would alter the entire substance of mankind. Through Eve’s unfortunate judgment, the lives of others were to be miserable for generations to come. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, and from the sheltered life they had so enjoyed, obviously symbolic of a fall from innocence. To survive, they had to labor ceaselessly. No longer were meals served on a silver platter. They must toil away to make fertile ground for food to grow, and gather their life-sustaining water from wherever it could possibly be found. Eve was burdened with pain and suffering through childbirth, when previously that was the least of her worries... Free Essays on Choices Free Essays on Choices In the Book of Genesis, an ancient Hebrew story from the King James Bible, we are given the account of Adam and Eve. Eve is led up the path of temptation and forced to make a difficult decision. The outcome of her selection not only affects her own existence, but also that of Adam and their descendants. In the story, Eve is forced to choose between what she knows is right or what will turn out to be only a temporary pleasure. The reader is fully aware of the role of the snake, presenter of the golden apple, an excellent example of the archetypal character the temptress. The apple is the forbidden fruit, the irresistible pleasure, what the decision-maker is fully aware of being the obviously wrong choice, and yet can’t help but have one taste, perhaps to get a rebellious high, perhaps out of curiosity. Or perhaps the character is just plain ignorant. Whatever the motives of Eve and all others in the wrong, it is soon revealed that the easiest choice to make is not always the be st. Eve’s acceptance of the apple served to show her own weakness and insecurity in what she believed was just. She deceived the very being who created her, the ever-famous clichà © of bite the hand that feeds you. She traded in a life of eternal happiness in the Garden of Eden for one taste of that golden apple. It was a mistake that would alter the entire substance of mankind. Through Eve’s unfortunate judgment, the lives of others were to be miserable for generations to come. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, and from the sheltered life they had so enjoyed, obviously symbolic of a fall from innocence. To survive, they had to labor ceaselessly. No longer were meals served on a silver platter. They must toil away to make fertile ground for food to grow, and gather their life-sustaining water from wherever it could possibly be found. Eve was burdened with pain and suffering through childbirth, when previously that was the least of her worries... Free Essays on Choices I. Introduction A. Catch Attention While on my weekly constitutional on the lake, I noticed the waves hit the shore and remembered, â€Å" I wish I was Ocean size no one moves you man no one tries.†- Jane’s Addiction. B. State a Thesis We all wish we were someone we are not, however we choose to be who we are mostly by our actions and our decisions, not how we were bought up. II. Topic Sentence One I was raised a strict Roman Catholic. a. I was taught the bible and how to interpret it. b. I learned fear of failure and the difference of right or wrong. c. I now choose to believe what I want to believe about religion III. Topic Sentence Two I was in the Boy Scouts until age 17. a. Part of the Boy Scout Creed is loyalty, being prepared, and Kind. b. Teamwork and counting on others is instilled in everything the Boy Scouts do. c. I choose who I am loyal and kind to; and only prepare for what I feel the need to prepare for. IV. Topic Sentence Three Throughout school, and my upbringing I was taught a hard work ethic. a. Good student-Mom/school b. Athletics- Dad/school c. Job- Dad/peers V. Conclusion Through experience, education, and the law I make my decisions of what I do from day to day. Yes who I am today has to do with how I was raised; however the decision I make are mostly responsible for the man I am and how society views me. â€Å" I wish I was ocean size†¦Ã¢â‚¬  yes; however I believe we are all ocean size, for no can move us unless we allow them to....

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Intangible assets valuation methodologies Assignment

Intangible assets valuation methodologies - Assignment Example Cost based valuation approach is to measure the future benefit from the ownership of the tangible asset. The valuation of intangible assets is affected by the cost of substitute intangible asset. The cost based valuation approach also includes the new reproduction cost of the asset after deducting the tax. The cost approach measures the total cost of the duplicate intangible asset of same functionality in current prices. Functionality of the intangible asset is the performance of the job for which it was introduced. According to the cost based valuation approach of intangible assets include direct cost, indirect cost, the developer’s profit of the intangible asset and opportunity cost. The direct and indirect cost of intangible assets are easily identified and quantified while developer’s profit is comparatively difficult as it can be calculated through different procedures. All the four types of costs including direct, indirect, developer’s profit and opportunity cost are included in the valuation of intangible asset through cost based approach. The valuation should also include the physical deterioration, functional and economic obsolesce. The depreciation on the intangible asset is subtracted from the current value. Market based valuation approach is the perception of the economic value of the intangible asset. This valuation approach is based on supply and demand and market efficiency. The value of an intangible asset can valued from the sale or transfer of the asset with same features in the same market. This approach is more suitable for active assets so that several examples can be found for the valuation of the asset. Market based valuation is more logical, practical and applicable on intangible assets. The most reliable fair value is the quoted market price of the intangible asset in the active market. The first step in valuation through market approach is collection of data from

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Capabilities and Resources of LinkedIn Case Study

Capabilities and Resources of LinkedIn - Case Study Example The company has grown tremendously. As at 2011 December, the revenues had reached $522, 189 with the number of employees also increasing to 2,116 employees. It has also been able to establish its headquarters in Mountain View, California, and 14 other regional offices. Â  The social media industry is ripe and there are many opportunities for LinkedIn. The Asian market remains not fully exploited. In addition, there are other social networking platforms that the company can use to expand its operations and hence profitability. The company should stick to its focus on professionals in order to occupy its market niche. Despite these, various issues that confront the company. Firstly, there is high competition; Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Xing provide a big competition that has kept the stake of the company on medium in the social media industry. Secondly, the number of unique visitors is relatively low. Thirdly, the site has limited strategy of getting new subscribers; it usually occurs through referrals. Finally, the amount of time that is spent on the site is relatively lower. Â  LinkedIn is one of the major social networking sites in the world today. The site was started in December 2002. He was joined hands by his forms colleagues at PayPal, Stanford University, and Socialnet.com. The company has been growing since then courtesy of a number of facilitators such as technology, management, and the socio-economic environment. Reid Hoffman who is the president of the company founded the company; he was initially the chief executive officer (CEO) before the company hired its first CEO, Dan Nye in 2007. Nye resigned in December 2008 making Hoffman reassume the role of a CEO.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Current Definition Of Recklessness Within Criminal Law Law Essay

Current Definition Of Recklessness Within Criminal Law Law Essay Recklessness is a problematic area of the criminal law, since there is no strict definition of what constitutes it. Statutes make provision for the presence of recklessness, but have yet to define it strictly, thus it falls on the hands of the judges to interpret what is meant by recklessness. It is therefore most easily delineated via case law. Judges have had to rely on explanations in important case reports in order to decide what amounts to recklessness. This has meant delving through colossal number recklessness cases in order to find out whether the case in question falls within the confines set out there. Realising this is challenging, the Law Commission have sought to remedy the situation, by releasing several working papers on the issue. One of them gives the following explanation: a person acts recklessly [if] he is aware of a risk thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦exists or will exist [or] à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦when he is aware of risk thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦will occur and it is, in the circumstances known to him, unreasonable to take the risk.  [1]   This assignment will start by putting forward a concise history of intent in recklessness. The development of the law in this area will be looked out with the aid of case law such as Cunningham [1957] Caldwell [1982] and RvG [2003]. This paper will provide an evaluation of the current definition of recklessness within criminal law. In order to identify and understand the concept of recklessness, intention needs to be discussed. The 19th century criminal legislation required that defendants had to have acted `maliciously and `unlawfully when committing an offence. The accused will act unlawfully if he fails to present a lawful reason for his act, he would be considered acting maliciously once he satisfies the level of Mens Rea required for the Actus Reus. The word `malicious introduces the requirement of Mens Rea. The statutory definition of `malice is, requiring an actual intention to do a particular kind of harm that in fact was done, or reckless as to whether such harm should occur or not. The accused has foreseen that particular harm might be done, and has gone on to take the risk. The word `maliciously means in relation to the law of England and Wales `an intent or recklessness  [2]  . Intention is the highest level of Mens Rea. Mens Rea means `guilty mind in Latin. Intention differs from recklessness; intention commands a severe penalty within the criminal justice system, morally intent is considered objectionable, adjacent to recklessness. Recklessness was first used within criminal statute with conjunction to the Motorcar Act 1903. Professor C S Kennys opinion of recklessness required actual awareness by the defendant of the likelihood of the particular harm. Kenny considered it an element additional to awareness of risk, indifference whether the foreseen harm occurred or not. Another view is that an individual is reckless if he takes a known risk, even if he ardently trusts the foreseen harm, will not occur  [3]  . In 1957 the case of Cunningham transformed the interpretation of Recklessness. In R v Cunningham D broke a gas meter to steal the money contained within the meter. Gas seeped from the broken pipe and into the house next door, where Ds mother-in- law was sleeping. The mother-in-law became so ill, that her life was endangered. D was convicted of unlawfully and maliciously administering a noxious thing as to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm under S.23 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Cunninghams conviction was quashed because of misdirection of the trial judge as to the meaning of maliciously.   The Court of Appeal held that malice must not be taken as to mean wickedness, but as requiring either (1) an intention to do the particular harm that was done, or (2) reckless as to whether such harm should occur or not  [4]  . Recklessness in this sense means foreseeing that harm might occur, and going ahead with the act anyway. This is called a subjective test, i.e. the accused is reckless if he realised there was a risk of gas escaping and endangering someone, and went ahead with his action anyway. Prof. Kenny wrote in his first edition of `outlines criminal law that, intent or recklessness had to be proved, as mentioned previously, he also stated that ` it neither limited to, nor does it indeed require any ill-will towards the person injured  [5]  . For a defendant to be guilty under Cunningham recklessness he must have consciously undertaken an unjust risk, he must realise that there is a risk involved. However, if he continues to carry on with his conduct, he is then reckless. The case defined a type of recklessness that the knowledge of appreciation of the risk of some danger must have entered the defendants mind even, though he may have suppressed or driven it out  [6]  . Cunningham is considered the first limb of recklessness the second limb arises from the case of MPC v Caldwell (1982). The second test of Recklessness, Caldwell created a new and wider test. D was an ex-employee of a hotel and held a grudge against its owner. He started a fire at the hotel, which caused some damage D was charged with arson. The old Cunningham test of recognising theres a risk and going ahead anyway, was extended to include a second limb; namely that the D does an act which creates an obvious risk and, has not given any thought as to the possibility of there being such a risk  [7]  . The Caldwell test for recklessness is objective, i.e. the risk must be obvious to the reasonable man, in that any reasonable man would have realised it if he had thought about it. Although, it need not be obvious to the defendant: Elliott v C [1983] and R v Coles [1994]. Lord Diplock stated that the definition of recklessness in Cunningham was too narrow for the Criminal Damage Act 1971, recklessness, should not only include the Cunningham meaning. Lord Diplock stated that a person is reckless as to whether any property would be destroyed or damaged if; he does an act, which in fact creates an obvious risk that property would be destroyed, or damaged. Additionally when the act is committed he has not given any thought to the possibility of there being any such risk, alternatively, he has recognised that there was some risk involved and has nonetheless gone on to do it  [8]  . Hence, for Caldwell recklessness to be satisfied, D does not have to foresee a risk, nevertheless takes a risk that would have been obvious to a reasonable prudent man. The It was deemed that after Caldwell whenever the term reckless was involved, an objective approach would be applied to the case. However this changed with the decision in RvG, as a subjective test was applied, instead of an objective test. It was deemed that a subjective test would be applied because the Caldwell test was seen to be a model direction which contained inconsistencies and lacked precision  [9]  . The RvG case reinstated the subjective test from R v Cunningham  [10]  (Cunningham) and clarified the law on recklessness by overruling the objective test in Caldwell. Additionally one can note that from RvG, this subjective definition of recklessness would be applicable in all statutory offences of recklessness and not the definition which was illustrated in the Cunningham case. The House of Lords decision in RvG enforcing this definition of reckless, illustrated a significant impact by eradicating the definition of recklessness in Cunningham. One can note that this impact of the decision conveyed the problems with the definition of recklessness under Cunningham. For example, within the Cunningham definition, the test only refers to taking risks as a result and makes no mention of taking risks as to a circumstance. However the law commission draft criminal code adds an additional restriction on finding the term reckless. Additionally, under the draft criminal code there is the additional requirement of the awareness of the risk and that the actual damage caused might occur. Thus the reformed definition of subjective recklessness conveys a more acc urate and broad scope of the meaning of recklessness, compared to the Cunningham definition of subjective recklessness. As a result of this reform, a subjective approach will be incorporated when assessing the term recklessness. Consequently it can be seen that the House of Lords in G and another did in fact adopt the better test in terms of policy and principle. Also English law has progressed to the point where there is, almost certainly, now only one test of recklessness  [11]  which is of a subjective nature. Additionally from the Cunningham case, the expression Maliciously was replaced with the expression reckless in RvG by Lord Bingham in the House of Lords. Maliciously was an expression which was formerly recognisable within the House of Lords. This proposal was changed because the term maliciously was seen to be too narrow and with limited scope. However, the expression reckless is considered to have a wider capacity for interpretation. Therefore this modification of expressions portrays a positive impact of the decision of the House of Lords in RvG. The reasonable adult was an issue raised in RvG from the objective approach in the Caldwell test. The issue of a reasonable adult was challenged in a previous case known as Elliott v C  [12]  . This case highlighted the negative aspects of objective recklessness as the person in question was fourteen years of age with learning difficulties. Evidently the risk must be obvious to the reasonably prudent person, and not necessarily obvious to the defendant. Therefore this conveys the problems within the Caldwell test as it does not cover everything, including individual characteristics. In this case the fourteen year old girl was guilty of criminal damage as she failed to consider the risk which would have been obvious to a reasonable person. In Hardie,  [13]  which came after Elliott v C, contradicted the judgement of the latter. Hardie became intoxicated after taking valium, believing them not to be dangerous. While under this influence, he set fire to his ex-girlfriends house, with her in it. Originally convicted, Hardie appealed and his conviction was quashed on the grounds that in itself, the taking of valium was not reckless. This is contradictory because his actual mental state was considered, which was not the case in Elliott v C. Subsequently this issue was raised in RvG, where within the trial, Lord Diplocks direction in Caldwell was used and disagreement occurred as the issue of the reasonable adult was accepted in being aimed at the children of ages eleven and twelve. From this trial, the case went onto the House of Lords, which unanimously answered the conflict of this question. The impact of the House of Lords decision in RvG illustrated great criticisms on the Caldwell test, in where it was noted that the Caldwell case was based on fragile foundations because the law commission report was not referred to  [14]  and subsequently was referred to in RvG. Additionally this impact of criticism upon Caldwell was heavily enforced by other law lords, for instance, Lord Hutton illustrated his criticism nature by expressing Experience suggest that in Caldwell in law took a wrong turn  [15]  and agreeing with Lord Bingham. Therefore conveying Lord Diplocks decision in the Caldwell case was incorrect. Furthermore Lord Diplocks decision in the Caldwell case has been criticised by many academics who have described the decision to be Pathetically inadequate, slap happy and profoundly regrettable  [16]  . Therefore the decision in the House of Lords in RvG illustrated these criticisms by rejecting the Caldwell recklessness approach. On the other hand, one can note that the decision in RvG in the House of Lords has had significant criticism on the basis of the outcome of the case. Academics have criticised RvG that the decision of the case should have been different. For example, Professor Keating criticised the decision of RvG by where in his investigation, he revealed 69% of members of the public do regard behaviour such as that of the boys as criminally blameworthy  [17]   thus illustrating that the boys between ages eleven and twelve in RvG were old enough to appreciate the risks involved. Additionally, the House of Lords decision in RvG has conveyed an impact of a criticising nature. It can be seen that as a result of RvG, there are critics that illustrate that it will be too easy for a defendant to state that they have not considered a risk to others and therefore may by acquitted at their case. On the contrary, the House of Lords have reasserted the subjective test instead of the objective test seen in Caldwell and have also established that if the defendant is voluntary intoxicated, they can be convicted without the awareness of the risk present. In the RvG case, the House of Lords conveyed this to be seen as a special exception in accordance with crimes concerning intoxicated individuals. Evidently this conveys how the House of Lords in RvG took into account of refining the Caldwell test due it being unfair, and achieving justice by taking into consideration, individual characteristics which werent present before in the Caldwell test. As mentioned above, one can note that the House of Lords decision in RvG illustrated criticism thus conveying a negative impact of the case. This can be seen as the RvG case only overrules the objective test in criminal damage, therefore the Caldwell test still applies today in certain cases after RvG, this can be seen in R v Castle (Mark Anthony)  [18]  , in where both the RvG and Caldwell tests were applied. Additionally Simester and Sullivan, both academics argue that Caldwell reckless could still be applied in some offences  [19]  , an example in where Caldwell has been applied can be seen by the Data Protection Act 1998  [20]  . Alternatively, one can suggest that there has been a positive impact of the House of Lords decision in RvG. This can be conveyed by where the courts no longer have to distinguish what type of recklessness has to be applied and the House of Lords in RvG has illustrated that the subjective one will be upheld in future cases concerning recklessness. Therefore this has allowed the courts to scrutinize the expression reckless more easily than seen in cases before RvG. An illustration of this can be seen in Eliot v C as noted above. In addition one can note that RvG case has ruled out a clear distinction between negligence and recklessness. It can be illustrated by previous cases that before the decision in RvG, there was not a clear distinction between both concepts. An example of a case is Chief Constable of Avon v Shimmen  [21]  . Within this case, it was deemed that a person who stops to think will still be liable if he realised there was some risk. Therefore this case illustrates that the Caldwell test made individuals guilty who previously were not guilty due to them being careless, but now after RvG are reckless. Overall, one must appreciate the House of Lords decision in RvG, which has allowed a subjective test to be reasserted when referring to recklessness and introduced a reformed definition of subjective recklessness. Additionally the decision has allowed a clear distinction to be applied when assessing negligence and recklessness cases. Moreover, the Caldwell test has been overruled in relation to criminal damage. Furthermore it can be identified above that there are both positive and negative impacts which have departed from the RvG decision in the House of Lords. Having analysed all of the above facts and cases, it is clear that the law on recklessness has been problematic, and often contradictory in the past. However the case of RvG has gone somewhat to remedy this issue and can be said to have succeeded in many respects. But there is still room for a statutory reform even though it may be vastly difficult to make statutory provision for all potential problems within recklessness. However, in the long run, statutory definitions of all that constitutes recklessness, and explanations of issues surrounding the topic, would be most useful, and save the judiciary time and money. Booth v Crown Prosecution Service (2006)

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a fast paced play full of dramatic tension. Discuss how the portrayal of sex/sexuality fuels that tension, increasing the dramatic effect. Choose some but not all of the possible examples you might used â€Å"Cat On A Hot Tin Roof,† Written by Tennessee Williams is an excellent play about a troubled family that is dealing with buried acts of deception, conflict and tension. Along with these problems comes sexuality and sex, a very important aspect of the play which increases the dramatic effect. The pressure between husband and wife created by sexual tensions.The need for Brick to be seen as a man by repressing homosexual feelings from the world by turning to the effects of alcohol. Maggie’s sexual frustration with her husband who refuses to show her the passion she is longing. The frustration Big Daddy feels from not being sexually attracted to his wife. The relationship between Big Daddy and Brick, how they are more alike then they seem to be. These are among the main problems concerning sexuality escalating dramatic tension in this play. The sexual tension between Brick and Maggie is one of the most commonly occurring conflicts throughout the play.Brick and Maggie are a couple in the play who have two opposite feelings for each other. In Act 1 Maggie says to Brick â€Å"You look so cool, so cool, so enviably cool† the quote presents Brick to be represented to the audience as a man who is self contained, cool, untouchable and perfect physically. He physically embodies a real man. Maggie see’s herself as a women who is dissatisfied, ignored, and exhausted from sharing her desires with Brick as he does not feel the same way. Maggie refers to herself as a cat on a hot tin roof loving someone knowing that the love cannot be returned.Maggie confession to Brick about their relationship only increases the tensions between the two characters and forces Maggie to question their friendship for something much stronger . Maggie becomes bitter and anxious like a cat, she takes into account that without Brick’s love she will remain childless, and that they will be less favored to Big Daddy his heir and their position in his household will be put at risk. Brick, self concerned and rugged. Throughout the play, Brick continues to wash away all of his troubles and problems by drinking excessively.This is a problem that he has developed to separate himself from the problems. â€Å"One man has one great good true thing in his life. One great good thing which is true! I had a friendship with Skipper. You are naming it dirty! † This quote from Act 1 shows Brick acting out at Maggie for implying that his and Skippers relationship was more than just a friendship. This is the first time these implications are made and the first time in the play that Brick looses his cool, he links thoughts of homosexuality with disgust.This shows that the implications could be true, because when Maggie shares her own sexual approach, he reacts in a cool, calm and a completely removed manner, not showing any signs of concern. â€Å"You two had something that had to be kept on ice, yes, incorruptible, yes! † Maggie continues on about Brick’s relationship with Skipper, forcing Brick to acknowledge the fact that he did have homosexual feelings for his best friend rather than continuously mourning his death over the fact that his feelings had to be kept in secret from society.Bricks main goal is to keep his masculinity intact â€Å"Why can’t exceptional friendship.. Between two men be respected† Brick is disturbed by the fact that his desire is jeopardizing his masculinity, something that he cannot throw away because of sharing the possibility of his homosexuality. Big Daddy, the large â€Å"Mississippi Redneck† is the millionaire father of the family, effected with cancer unknowingly. Brick is the only one who knows, and hides it. Big Daddy believes that he ha s come back from the dead, realizing that his money cannot buy him happiness.His sexual life is now brought back into the picture. He was never pleased with his wife and did not love her the time they were married, he wants to explore sex again now that he has a second chance. This is much like Brick and Maggie’s current relationship, except Brick’s preference in gender, showing how alike Brick is to his father. He has a strong affection for his son Brick, who reminds him very much of himself. For this reason he wants Brick to be the heir to his throne. The only way to achieve this is if Brick and Maggie provide a grandchild for Big Daddy to continue his legacy.Although the possibility of this grandchild in unlikely because of Brick and Maggie’s sexual relationship. â€Å"Now, hold on.. I knocked around in my time† When Big Daddy finally learns the truth about his son’s sexuality he confesses his experimentation as a growing man, it is here that Br ick and Big Daddy are more alike than ever. Now that the truth behind Brick’s sexuality is revealed he tells Big Daddy that he is still dying from cancer. â€Å"You told me! I told you! † As a result of Big Daddy forcing Brick to face his homosexuality, Brick forces Big Daddy to receive the news of his inevitable death.Now Big Daddy is occupying the position that Brick has just gotten out of, Brick is revealing and Big Daddy is receiving. Sexuality and sex in this play does increase the dramatic tension between the characters. It is something that effects everyone in the play somehow. The examples above are only three of many others. The relationship between Maggie and Brick, is almost completely dependent on Bricks sexuality, even his excessive drinking is strongly related to his sexuality.He knows that he cannot be the heir to Big Daddy without a child, yet still chooses not to engage in sexual relations with Maggie. This makes Maggie greatly concerned about her plac e in the household. Big Daddy comes to a sort of revelation, thinking he has been given a second life. He acts cruel with his wife, because he accepts the fact that he never truly loved her and has been hiding his sexual appetite their entire marriage. The dramatic effect in this play is lead by sexuality and sex, it acts as foundation that builds up to vital events in the play.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Chitral Vocational Training Case Study Essay

Case Study: Sabira Bibi Persistance and perserverence always yield results SABIRA BIBI IS FROM CHINAR VILLAGE IN MASTUJ, UPPER CHITRAL. SHE GOT MARRIED IN 1994 AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 16 TO GULISTAN KHAN WHO WAS THEN EMPLOYED IN THE CHITRAL SCOUTS. AS HER HUSBAND WAS MUCH OLDER, HE RETIRED IN 2003 BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO MEET THEIR MONTHLY EXPENSES SINCE THEY OWNED LAND. IN 2008, TRAGEDY STUCK THE FAMILY WHEN THE YARKHOON RIVER WASHED AWAY THEIR HOME AND ALL 8 KANALS OF THEIR CULTIVABLE LAND. SABIRA BIBI AND HER FAMILY MOVED IN WITH HER HUSBAND’S BROTHER BUT LIVING ON HER HUSBAND’S 5000 RUPEE PENSION WAS PROVING TO BE DIFFICULT. SABIRA BIBI FELT VERY HELPLESS AS SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO COMPLETE HER EDUCATION AND ALSO FELT THAT LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIMITED FOR WOMEN AS THE COMMUNITY DOES NOT ACCEPT WOMEN WORKING OUTSIDE THEIR HOME. SABIRA BIBI HAS MADE SURE ALL HER DAUGHTERS ARE ENROLLED IN SCHOOL, HER ELDEST DAUGHTER IS CURRENTLY COMPLETING B. COM AND THE REST ARE IN MIDDLE AND SECONDARY SCHOOL. SHE TOLD US THEY ARE EXCELLENT IN THEIR STUDIES AND SHE WOULD LIKE ALL OF THEM TO GO TO COLLEGE. Cross stitch used to make book marks WHEN SABIRA BIBI LEARNT THAT VOCATIONAL TRAINING ON LOCAL EMBROIDERY AND HANDICRAFT PRODUCTION FOR 25 WOMEN WAS BEING OFFERED BY FIDA IN MASTUJ, SHE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD WAY OF UTILIZING HER EXISTING SKILLS IN LOCAL EMBROIDERY. WHEN SHE INITIALLY APPLIED FOR A POSITION IN THE TRAINING HER APPLICATION WAS REJECTED AS SHE DID NOT MEET THE MINIMUM EDUCATION CRITERIA AS PARTICIPANTS WERE EXPECTED TO READ AND WRITE. SABIRA BIBI MET WITH HER LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION MEMBERS AS SHE WAS VERY UPSET AND WANTED THEM TO  CONSIDER HER AS A SPECIAL CASE. FIDA’S TEAM THEN CALLED HER FOR A SECOND INTERVIEW AND REALIZED SHE WAS VERY SKILLED IN LOCAL EMBROIDERY. SABIRA BIBI TOOK PART IN THE ONE MONTH TRAINING AND LEARNT HOW TO USE HER EMBROIDERY SKILLS TO MAKE SMALL HANDICRAFT PRODUCTS LIKE BOOK MARKS AND PENCIL CASES. BEFORE THE TRAINING, SABIRA BIBI WAS ABLE TO MAKE TRADITIONAL BRIDAL CAPS FOR WOMEN BUT SAID IT WAS VERY TIME CONSUMING AND DIFFICULT TO SELL AS PEOPLE ONLY BOUGHT THEM FOR WEDDINGS. BY LEARNING HOW TO MAKE DIFFERENT PRODUCTS, SABIRA BIBI SAID IT WILL BE  EASIER TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS. Bookmarks made during the training Sabira bibi receiving her certificate from the trainer Sabira bibi told us ‘I am hopeful to generate enough income to pay for my children’s education and save for building our own home. I will always pray for FIDA’s success. It is one of only organization’s that is selecting people based on merit and I was able to explore my talent through them and am thankful to my community organization for providing me with such an opportunity. † Mobile pouches made during the training.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Causes of the Russian Revolution Part 2

Causes Part 1. Ineffective Government The ruling elites were still mostly land owning aristocracy, but some in the civil service were landless. The elites ran the state bureaucracy and sat above the normal population. Unlike other countries the elites and the landed depended on the tsar and had never formed a counter to him. Russia had a strict set of civil service ranks, with jobs, uniforms etc., where advancement was automatic. The bureaucracy was weak and failing, losing the experience and skills needed in the modern world, but refusing to let people with those skills in. The system was a vast overlapping chaos, full of confusion, tsarist divide and rule and petty jealousy. Laws overrode other laws, the tsar able to override all. To the outside it was arbitrary, archaic, incompetent and unfair. It stopped the bureaucracy from becoming professional, modern, efficient or as a counter to as medieval looking monarch.Russia had got like this by making a choice. An influx of professional civil servants produced the Great Re forms of the 1860s, to strengthen the state through western reform after the Crimean War. This included ‘freeing’ the serfs (of a sort) and in 1864 created zemstvos, local assemblies in many areas leading to a form of self-rule sandwiched between nobles, who resented it, and peasants, who often did too. The 1860s were liberal, reforming times. They could have led Russia towards the west. It would have been costly, difficult, prolonged, but the chance was there.However, the elites were divided on a response. Reformists accepted the rule of equal law, political freedom, a middle class and opportunities for the working class. Calls for a constitution led Alexander II to order a limited one. The rivals of this progress wanted the old order, and were made up of many in the military; they demanded autocracy, strict order, nobles and church as dominant forces (and the military of course). Then Alexander II was murdered, and his son shut it down. Counter reforms, to centralize control, and strength the personal rule of the tsar followed. Alexander II’s death is the start of the Russian tragedy of the twentieth century.   The 1860s meant Russia had people who had tasted reform, lost it and looked for†¦ revolution.Imperial government ran out below the eighty nine provincial capitals. Below that peasants ran it their own way, alien to the elites above. Localities were under governed and the old regime was not a hyper powerful all seeing oppression. Old government was absent and out of touch, with a small number of police, state officials, who were co-opted for more and more by the state as there wasn’t anything else (for instant checking roads). Russia had a small tax system, bad communications, small middle class, and a serfdom which ended with the landowner in charge still. Only very slowly was the Tsar’s government meeting the new civilians.Zemstvos, run by locals, became key. The state rested on landowning nobles, but they wer e in decline post emancipation, and used these small local committees to defend themselves against industrializing and state government. Up to 1905 this was a liberal movement pushing for safeguards and provincial society, e.g. peasant versus landowner, calling for more local power, a Russian parliament, a constitution. The provincial nobility were the early revolutionaries, not workers. Alienated Military The Russian military was full of tensions against the Tsar, despite it supposedly being the man’s biggest supporter. Firstly it kept losing (Crimea, Turkey, Japan) and this was blamed on the government: military expenditure declined. As industrialization was not as advanced in the west, so Russia became poorly trained, equipped and supplied in the new methods and lost. The soldiers and self-aware officers were being demoralized. Russian soldiers were sworn to the Tsar, not the state. History seeped into all aspects of the Russian court and they obsessed over little details like buttons, not fixing a feudal army lost in a modern world.Also, the army was being used more and more to support the provincial governors in suppressing revolts: despite the facts much of the lower ranks were peasants too. The army began to fracture over demand to stop civilians. That was before the condition of the army itself where people were seen as serfs, sub civilian slaves by officers. In 1917, ma ny soldiers wanted a reform of the army as much as of the government. Above them were a group of new professional military men who saw the faults through the system, from trench technique to supply of arms, and demanded effective reform. They saw the court and the tsar as stopping it. They turned to the Duma as an outlet, beginning a relationship which would change Russian in early 1917. The Tsar was losing the support of his talented men. An Out of Touch Church The Russians were involved in a foundation myth of being at one with and defending the Orthodox Church and orthodox Russia, which began at the very start of the state. In the 1900s this was stressed this over and over. The Tsar as political-religious figure was unlike anywhere in the west and he or she could damn with the church as well as destroy with laws. The church was vital for controlling the mostly illiterate peasants, and priests had to preach obedience to the Tsar and report objections to police and to state. They allied easily with the last two Tsars, who wanted a return to medieval times.But industrialization was pulling peasants into secular cities, where churches and priests lagged behind the vast growth. The church did not adapt to urban life and a growing number of priests called for reform of it all (and the state too). Liberal clergy realized reform of church only possible with a move away from the tsar. Socialism was what answered the workers new needs, not old Chri stianity. Peasants not exactly enamored of priests and their actions harked to a pagan time, and many priests were underpaid and grasping. A Politicized Civil Society By the 1890s, Russia had developed an educated, political culture among a group of people who were not yet numerous enough to truly be called a Middle Class, but who were forming between the aristocracy and the peasants / workers. This group were part of a ‘civil society’ which sent their youth to be students, read newspapers, and looked towards serving the public rather than the Tsar. Largely liberal, the events of a severe famine in the early 1890s both politicized and radicalized them, as their collective action outlined them to them both how ineffective the Tsarist government now was, and how much they could achieve if they were allowed to unite. The members of the zemstvo’s were chief among these. As the Tsar refused to meet their demands, so many of this social sphere turned against him and his government. Nationalism Nationalism came to Russia at the end of the nineteenth century and neither Tsars government nor liberal opposition could cope with it. It was the socialists who pushed regional independence, and socialist-nationalists who did best among the different nationalists. Some nationalists wanted to stay in the Russian empire but get greater power; the Tsar inflamed this by stamping on it and Russifying, turning cultural movements into fierce political opposition. Tsars had always Russified but it was now much worse Repression and Revolutionaries The Decembrist uprising of 1825 triggered a series of reactions in Tsar Nicholas I, including the creation of a police state. Censorship was combined with the ‘Third Section’, a group of investigators looking into acts and thoughts against the state, which could exile to Siberia suspects, not just convicted of any transgression, but just suspected of it. In 1881 the Third Section became the Okhranka, a secret police fighting a war using agents everywhere, even pretending to be revolutionaries. If you want to know how the Bolsheviks expanded their police state, the line started here.The revolutionaries of the period had been in harsh Tsarist prisons, hardened into extremism, the weak falling away. They started as intellectuals of Russia, a class of readers, thinkers and believers, and were turned into something colder and dark. These derived from the Decembrists of the 1820s, their first opponents and revolutionaries of the new order in Russia, and inspired intellectuals in succeeding generations. Rejected and attacked, they reacted by turning to violence and dreams of violent struggle. A study of terrorism in the twenty first century finds this pattern repeated. A warning was there. The fact that western ideas which had leaked into Russia ran into the new censorship meant they tended to be distorted into powerful dogma rather than argued into pieces like the rest. The revolutionaries looked to the people, who they were usually born above, as the ideal, and the state, who they reviled, with guilt driven anger. But the intellectuals had no real concept of peasants, just a dream of the people, an abstraction that led Lenin and company to authoritarianism.Calls for a small group of revolutionaries to seize power and create a revolutionary dictatorship to in turn create a socialist society (including removing enemies) were around far before the 1910s, and the 1860s were a golden age for such ideas; now they were violent and hateful. They didn’t h ave to choose Marxism. Many didn’t at first. Born in 1872, Marx’s Capital was cleared by their Russian censor as they though to too hard to understand to be dangerous, and about an industrial state Russia didn’t have. They were terribly wrong, and it was an instant hit, the fad of its day – the intelligentsia had just seen one popular movement fail, so they turned to Marx as a new hope. No more populism and peasants, but urban workers, closer and understandable. Marx seemed to be sensible, logical science, not dogma, modern and western.One young man, Lenin, was thrown into a new orbit, away from being a lawyer and into being a revolutionary, when his older brother was executed for terrorism. Lenin was drawn into rebellion and expelled from university. He was a fully blown revolutionary derived from other groups in Russia’s history already when he first encountered Marx, and he rewrote Marx for Russia, not the other way round.   Lenin accepted the ideas of the Russian Marxist leader Plekhanov, and they would recruit the urban workers by involving them in strikes for better rights. As ‘legal Marxists’ pushed a peaceful agenda, Lenin and others reacted with a commitment to revolution and creating a counter Tsarist party, strictly organised. They created the newspaper Iskra (the Spark) as a mouthpiece to command the members. The editors were the First Soviet of the Social Democratic Party, including Lenin. He wrote What Is To Be Done? (1902), a hectoring, violent work that set out the party. The Social Democrats split into two groups, the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, at the second Party Congress in 1903. Lenin’s dictatorial approach pushed the split. Lenin was a centraliser who distrusted the people to get it right, an anti-democrat, and he was a Bolshevik whereas the Mensheviks were prepared to work with the middle classes. World War 1 Was the Catalyst The First World War provided the catalyst for Russia’s revolutionary year of 1917. The war itself went badly from the start, prompting the Tsar to take personal charge in 1915, a decision which placed the full responsibility for the next years of failure on his shoulders. As demand for ever more soldiers increased, the peasant population grew angry as young men and horses, both essential for the war, were taken away, reducing the amount they could grow and damaging their standard of living. Russia’s most successful farms suddenly found their labour and material removed for the war, and the less successful peasants became ever more concerned with self-sufficiency, and even less concerned with selling a surplus, than ever before.Inflation occurred and prices rose, so hunger became endemic. In the cities, workers found themselves unable to afford the high prices, and any attempt to agitate for better wages, usually in the form of strikes, saw them branded as disloyal to Ru ssia, disaffecting them further. The transport system ground to a halt due to failures and poor management, halting the movement of military supplies and food. Meanwhile soldiers on leave explained how poorly supplied the army was, and bought first hand accounts of the failure at the front. These soldiers, and the high command who had previously supported the Tsar, now believed he had failed them.An increasingly desperate government turned to using the military to curb the strikers, causing mass protest and troop mutinies in the cities as soldiers refused to open fire. A revolution had begun.