Sustainable Fast Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Sustainable Fast Food - Essay Example The firm appears to have many positive features whereby it can take advantage of economies of scope and scale which may help to make it attractive to potential customers. In order to assess the potential of Cream Tavern to be sustainable in the future period, it is imperative to analyse the organisations’ environment it will be operating in through conducting a SWOT as well as PESTEL analysis of the factors that will affect its operations. There is also need to outline the company’s intended operating strategies so as to ascertain its sustainability in the future. This includes identifying the sources of competitive advantage as well as its potential for better performance in the future. Underlying the notion of sustainability are the needs of the current and future generations (Fox & Rooyen 2004). During the contemporary period, it can be noted that sensitivity towards the natural environment and ecological sustainability is gaining prominence and the theme of going green is used to guide many firms in their attempt to establish business. Cream Tavern intends to utilise 100 % organic milk products to manufacture dairy related products in the fast food industry. The concept of environmental protection has recently gained prominence hence sensitivity to the natural environment and ecological sustainability will be used as guiding principles in the operations of this organisation in the fast food industry. In order to operate successfully, there is need for policy formulation that is responsive to the needs of the environment while at the same time satisfying the needs of the customers. Cream Tavern has underscored to recycle all the by-products in the fast food indus try so as to show concern for the environment. This will go a long way in addressing the concerns of the environment while at the same time utilising the material that can be treated as waste in some cases. In this case, it can be noted that the fast food

Nucor at Crossroads Essay Example for Free

Nucor at Crossroads Essay In 1986, three distinct segments defined the U.S. steel industry; integrated steel mills, mini-mills, and specialty steel makers. The integrated mills have the capacity to produce a maximum of 107 million tons of steel per year, mini-mills produced a maximum of 21 million tons of capacity a year, and the nation’s specialty steel makers could produce a maximum capacity of 5 million tons of stainless and specialty grades of steel. This leads to a total capacity of 133 million tons of production per year. In 1986, the market consumed only 70 million tons of steel, leaving 33 million tons unused. Nucor is at a crossroads. It faces a saturated market suffering from significant overcapacity. Nucor’s only opportunity for growth seems to be to expand into the production of flat sheet metal. However, to compete in that area, Nucor would need to invest in a very risky new technology, a thin-slab casting plant that, if successful, would allow Nucor to manufacture flat sheet metal with a low minimum efficient scale and a low marginal cost of production. This case will examine Nucor’s history, the impacts of entering the thin-slab casting business, the advantages Nucor would reap, and whether they should build the new thin-slab casting plant. Looking at the business landscape of the steel industry, it is amazing to see how well Nucor has done considering the industry is so competitive and has relatively low profitability. Using Porter’s model, the threat of rivalry is high due to weak domestic demand, excess global capacity, a maturing industry, low switching costs, high exit barriers, rising operating costs (increasing raw material prices), and more than 5 comparable competitors. The threat of entry is low due to high barriers to entry (economies of scale have been achieved and high capital requirements), growth and profitability are modest at best, and most viable candidates are already present in the industry and are looking to expand into other markets. The threat of substitutes is moderate because buyers have the option of choosing other materials (aluminum, plastics, ceramics, etc.), and new materials technologies are currently being developed and sought after. The threat of suppliers is moderate because iron ore and scrap metal prices are currently high, energy prices are increasing, Nucor pays for transportation of its raw materials to its plants, there is no easy substitute to take the place of iron ore/scrap metal, and there is currently an overabundance of buyers of scrap metal and iron ore. Lastly, the threat of buyers is weak to moderate, because there is excess capacity, low switching costs, few high volume buyers, many low volume customers, strong demand from China, and rising feedstock prices. With the difficult business landscape in the steel industry, Nucor had to develop competitive advantages over its rivals to achieve its success. These advantages included differentiating itself by being an early adopter of computerized order tracking and allowing customers to make short time orders thus reducing their inventory. Second, it invested in modernization of its plants at an average of 2.9 times its depreciation expenses vs. an ave raged of 1.6 of its competitors through the 1970s and 1980s, and refurbished on average a plant a year. Third, Nucor strategically located its plants closer together to share orders for minimal cost and maximum sales, and building new plants in smaller rural areas with access to railroads, low energy costs, and a plentiful water source allowed Nucor to keep labor costs relatively low and made sure that COGS remained competitive. Fourth, base wages were lower but incentives were higher than average, and direct communication on expectation vs. performance provided feedback on compensation. Also, during down times, officers and CEO pay dropped dramatically while average workers did not. This led to lower employee turnover 1-5% vs. 5-10% for competitors. Fifth, Nucor’s hiring practices focused on making sure that they focused on hiring people based on potential, not experience. Finally, Nucor’s business hierarchy was different- mostly flat, resulting in less bureaucracy and more productivity per worker. In short, many of these advantages led to Nucor becoming the second most productive steel maker per employee in the world due by 1985. Thin-slab casting was a proposed technique for mini-mills to fill orders for flat sheet steel, a segment that accounted for approximately half of the U.S. steel industry. To expand its steel market share, Nucor needed to enter the flat sheet segment. In the thin-slab casting business, Nucor would initially compete with international firms from Canada and Japan that provided high quality flat sheet steel, and cheap flat sheet steel providers in newly industrialized nations. Barriers to entry would include large capital expenditures making new entrants cost prohibitive, but not impossible as the barrier is small comparative to the overall costs for steel manufacturing. While new rivals may not pop up immediately, new entrants from existing rivals will dilute Nucor’s competitive advantage. Nucor needed an innovative technology to be profitable in this segment as a new entrant. However, innovative technologies are risky due to development costs, unknown long-term operating costs, and the unknown quality of future products. Also, as a first mover, increased costs will be realized. Increased maintenance above forecasts, the risk that production will not keep pace with the small-scale model, the risk that the new tech will not be fully understood by the employees and harder to run. Also, an increased likelihood that other companies will benefit from their mistakes as SMS has not made any offer to keep information gleaned from a large-scale operation confidential. However, the benefits of being a first time mover would be realized as well. The expected profit from the thin slab minimill would be $81.50 per ton, which is 26% higher than from a modernized hot rolled sheet produced in an integrated mill and 226% higher than the margin from an unmodernized integrated mill. For cold rolled sheet, the expected profit advantage remains with minimills, with an expected profit of $107.50 per ton, which 1.9% greater than a modernized integrated mill and 115% higher than an unmodernized integrated mill. If Nucor enters the thin-slab casting business the lasting advantages may be reduced over time as others in the industry may imitate them so long as the model is proven to deliver the targeted results. If Nucor works out the kinks, then other companies will join up and the competitive advantage window will shrink, making the overall scheme too costly. If the program does not work, it is likely the other companies will not follow suit, while Nucor pays the cost for other companies â€Å"RD† offsite. However, if the investment into the new technology proves successful, Nucor would have a significant cost savings over integrated mills initially, both in terms of entry costs and in terms of operating costs and profit margin. This will provide Nucor with a significant competitive advantage over the integrated mills, which already provide flat-rolled steel products, but will not provide sustainable competitive advantage over the long term, as it will be easy for competitors to duplicate this technology. Many of the companies that do steel would imitate the path that Nucor is taking. They have done an excellent job of lowering cost while leveraging their competitive advantages. Furthermore, CSP is a step in the ultimate industry goal of direct casting of sheet at strip. However, it seems as though Nucor would only gain a head start of two to three years since SMS held the CSP technology and Nucor couldn’t block others from using it. This head start doesn’t seem very advantageous as it would require almost 5 years to break (see attached chart) even and the other companies would be able to use lessons learned from Nucor’s first mover and apply it to lower their breakeven point. Overall this would be a very risky undertaking for Nucor to undertake at this time as the technology is not at an adequate tech readiness level, the initial cost to implement, as well as it could move Nucor away from its competitive advantages.

The Changing Business Environment Of Samsung Marketing Essay

The Changing Business Environment Of Samsung Marketing Essay This is summary for Changing Business Environment of Samsung over last Five Year which will give an idea about why it is important for any Trading or Manufacturing organization to understand the business environment (Macro Micro) i.e. to sustain and grow over long term with the help of developing different strategies. This report briefly shows the history of Samsung which identify its nature diversity of business over last few years. This report include usage of ( SWOT, PESTEL, BOSTON BOX MATRIX Analysis etc) to evaluate and understand the changing environment of Samsung justifying benefits of using such Analysis tools. In evidence couple of graphs has been presented to show companies performance in global market. It shows the sales figure/Financial statement for the past FIVE years which helps in understanding how company is performing in different regions/countries. This report comprises of conclusions based on findings and also in general recommendations for the topic. Introduction: Samsung has grown to one of largest electronics company since 1938. Since 1970s and early 1980s Samsung expanded globally with diversified intention into core technical business. Samsung leads the electronic industry with its high performance and with high growth rate along with stability. 2009 Global Market Share of 13 Percentage of different products available in market. Examples -: Mobile Phones, Monitors, Semiconductor. 1970 First Black White (Model P-3202) production started Samsung-Sanyo Electronics. 1969 SAMSUNG-Sanyo Electronics established (renamed SAMSUNG Electro-Mechanics in March 1975 and merged with SAMSUNG Electronics in March 1977) 1951 SAMSUNG Moolsan established (now SAMSUNG Corporation) 1938 SAMSUNG was founded in, Korea (Taegu) Company: Samsung Global Market share is terms of sales is as follows: TV Market Share is 21.9% Laser Printer Share is 13.7% Mobile Phone Share is 16.7% DRAM Share is 30.1% TFT-LCD Panel Share is 25.7% In the above graphical presentation we can see the performance of Samsung in various sectors of Electronics and Telecommunication. If we compare this performance to other companies Samsung emerges as world leader in at least 3 sectors which are TV, DRAM TFT-LCD. This clearly shows us the dominance of Samsung in market and this is mainly due to its transparent policies, positive approach and honest efforts in being a global leader. This performance data is taken from Samsungs sustainability report for 2009 from Samsung official website. Unit KRW trillion Sales 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Korea 19.3 21.1 23.6 24.2 N.A America 18.0 19.6 25.4 26.0 N.A Europe 22.0 27.0 34.2 34.0 N.A Asia 14.8 15.7 19.2 23.2 N.A China 11.8 15.1 18.9 20.0 N.A The above data shows the sales performance for the past 3 years in regions across the globe. We can clearly see that Samsung as a company is growing locally and globally Korea being its local market. This consistent growth of the company is mainly due to its marketing strategies which are paying off well. More details on Samsungs operations, marketing, product line etc can be found on : http://www.samsung.com/uk/aboutsamsung/citizenship/oursustainabilityreports.html http://www.ameinfo.com/178504.html The business environment keeps on changing and is unpredictable. So, it is very necessary to understand and react to this changing business so as to survive and grow in the market.Proper knowledge of business environment will make the entrepreneurs and businesses able enough to plan and implement strategies that are needed to identify the scope of improvement, create and exploit opportunities that come on the way, retain stability, gain competitive advantage and prepare appropriately for the upcoming challenges. The way the environment is analyzed and accordingly the strategies implemented, will define the track of the business.Here With the example of samsung. The data collected will be analysed using SWOT. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis, is a strategic business planning tool used to determine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that exists in business. It includes identifying the business objectives as well as the internal and external factors which are likely to favour the business. It may be classified into: Internal factors strengths and weaknesses that are within (internal) organization. External factors opportunities and threats of external environment. The internal factors can be classified into strengths and weaknesses depending upon their effect on organization and business objectives.The factors may include all of the 4Ps; as well as personnel, finance, manufacturing capabilities, and so on. The external factors may include macro-economic factors like technological , legal,and socio-cultural changes, as well as changes in the marketplace or competitive position. According to B Kyle SWOT can be identified as internal and external in relation to environment. Strengths: It usually tells about the positives of the company. How well we are doing in our area of interest. What is our position in front of competitor? Weaknesses: Weakness refers to area of struggle of our company. Why are consumers not happy about particular product? Why are we not meeting sales target for a particular product. Opportunities: It is directly related to external environment. It could be the areas where your competitor is not good at. We should try to utilize strengths in areas of our weaknesses. Are there any emerging trends or possibility to capture market by introducing new product? Threats: It could be financial or development problem. Competitors strength is major threat. Are competitors becoming strong. Description. Strategic business tools: SWOT analysis for Samsung Strengths Strong hold in Consumer Electronics Low margin strategy increases sales Highly skilled labour availability locally globally Good focus on customer service and good marketing strategy Strong management and loyal employees Weaknesses Lack of performance in Laser printer sales Less cost effective in PC consumable products. Lack of brand recognition in mobile phone sector. Poor pricing strategy Lack of usage of infrastructure in some part of world e.g. China Opportunities Can unseat major stake holders in TV and DRAM sectors Increase product range in consumer electronics Can sustain future market using the idea of consumer taste research Rapid growth in competitive markets across the globe Increase in portfolio due to acquisitions of other firms Threats Faces high competition from Sony and Nokia in mobile phone sector. Daily entrants of new technology companies Impact on sales due to recession Lack of innovation in mobile industry threatens its position further down. Intense competition from existing companies in PC sector. The above information which helps in doing the SWOT analysis and other graphical presentation helps to answer our objective questions mostly. Although it might not provide direct answer but clarifies strategies and benefits of organisation doing global and domestic business. It clearly reveals the benefits of proper marketing in terms of sales numbers. PESTEL Analysis  : PESTEL analysis is one of the most important tool of business strategic management which helps in identifying the surroundings within which the company operates. It gives a clear idea about the threats, risks and opportunities that occur in the market. It helps in understanding the needs of market, its fluctuations, whether the market is progressing upwards or downwards (i.e. growth decline ratios) and thus makes the businesses able to develop strategies accordingly. PESTEL is used as decision making tools in macro-environment. PESTEL is Classified into :- Political factors Economic factors Social factors Technological factors Environmental factors Legal factors Political factors :- Its all about intervenes of the government on the economy of the country. Political factors include areas like Tax policy Labour law Environmental law Trade restriction Tariffs Political stability Services and goods provide by the government ( merit goods ) and services which is not provided by the government ( demerit goods ) Goodwill among foreign nations Economic factors :- It includes Interest rates Economic growth Rate of inflation (Inflation rate) Rate of Exchange (Exchange rate) For example :- Cost of capital is directly affected by interest rate Exporting goods and supply of goods is affected by exchange rate Inflation raises cost. Social factors :- Demand of products and company operations are affected by social factors like Culture of the society Natality rate Growth rate Age distribution Technological factors It includes Research and development activity. Automation Better technology for the production of goods Technological have direct impact on costs, quality which leads to innovation. Environmental factors It includes- Weather Climate change Locality (Place) Ecofriendly products (to overcome with problem of global warming) e.g Effect of temperature on farming and tourism. 6. Legal Factors It include Consumer law Employment law Health and safety law Discrimination law e.g Minimum wages system in U.K is legal factor that affect business. Minimum age for employment is fixed by the government. Pestle analysis For Samsung Boston Box matrix revive Conclusions Recommendations We have analysed and gathered data from Samsung Company in relation to our topic global versus domestic marketing a critical analysis. The conclusions drawn using company data alone cannot summarize our findings. However there are similarities in few points. If we look at the organisation section we can see how Samsung has come a long way to be recognised as a global brand. It shows that achieving such position in global market is very hard. Not only achieving but it becomes increasingly important to sustain that growth due to fierce competition. It shows how companies have to adjust or change their policies from time to time keeping in mind rising and falling economy. In general it alerts companies of being more innovative cautious of environmental changes. It also emphasis on limitations one has to face as the behaviour and taste of consumer changes geographically. Recommendations Companies should develop marketing strategies keeping in mind its strengths, weaknesses and availability of resources to be globally successful. Companies should try to develop product which global consumer can identify easily from competitors one. Identify a sector where we can see growth and sustain competition. Companies should appoint special taskforce or focused group people to identify the drawbacks of non performing sector and find solutions to that. To be successful organisations should concentrate mainly on quality and pricing structure. Be in constant touch with customer by means of advertising, press releases and make them aware about product specifications and changes if there are any. Try to use both forms of communication verbal and non verbal. Summary From this report on global marketing versus domestic marketing we understand that main objective of any company doing global marketing is to find opportunities. It mainly expands companys reach to global customers. This mainly depends on how the company analyses its strengths and opportunities, optimum usage of resources and approach towards business. Here in this report we saw how Samsung as a global company has wide range of products and constantly keeps on adding them to sustain market place. SWOT analysis helped us to understand about positives and negatives of the company. Important outcome of the report about marketing can be converted in one slogan think globally and act locally.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy Essay -- US Military

Today’s military is a unique force in my opinion. What makes the US Military so unique is that we have an all volunteer force. With that volunteer force there are rules and regulations that need to be followed because serving our country is a privilege. The 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy is claiming that even though it may be considered an infringement on human rights and freedom of expression, it protects the rights of the rest of the military and opens a loophole for gay men and women to serve in the armed forces. Other countries have successfully integrated gay men and women into their militaries and compared the treatment of other "minority" groups in the military. Is the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy really effective or even necessary for our militaries? The â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† policy means that service men and women are not questioned about their sexual orientation, and they are not to talk about their sexual orientation. In 1993 U. S. Congress passed a federal law forbidding the military service of openly gay men and women serving in the military. Even though Congrees created the law, it was up to the military leadership to carry it out. Opposing viewpoints states: (Wagner) In the early 1990s, large numbers of military personnel were opposed to letting openly gay men and lesbians serve. President Bill Clinton, who promised to lift the ban during his campaign, was overwhelmed by the strength of the opposition, which threatened to overturn any executive action he might take. The compromise that came to be known as "don't ask, don't tell" was thus a useful speed bump that allowed temperatures to cool for a period of time while the culture continued to evolve. The unit cohesion is premised on the assumption that ... ...gal Reason to Appeal the DADT Ruling." RSN Freethought San Marcos 21 October 2010, Print. Lochhead, Carolyn. "Democrats aim to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'; Obama supports lifting the ban on open gays in military." San Francisco Chronicle 23 July 2008: A1. Print. O'Keefe, Ed. "Minorities disproportionately discharged for 'don't ask, don't tell' violations." Washington Post 17 August 2010, Print. Schwartz, John. "Ban on Gays In the Military Stays in Effect." New York Times 13 Nov. 2010: A10 (L). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. Service members Legal Defense Network, ""Conduct Unbecoming: Sixth annual report on Don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass.† (2000): 1. Print. Whitlock, Craig, and Greg Jaffe. "Pentagon supports ending 'don't ask, don't tell' law for gays in military." Washington Post 3 February 2010, Print.

Bart Simpson: Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory Essay

Psychology of Personality Bart Simpson is the oldest son of Homer and Marge Simpson on the Fox TV show The Simpsons. At only 10 years of age, Bart has already established himself in the community and in his family as a trouble-maker. He is the oldest child in his family with two younger sister, Maggie and Lisa. To Karen Horney, Bart’s experiences with his parents would greatly influence his future personality. Bart’s interactions with his father, Homer, provide a perfect situation for the analysis of a parents influence on personality development. Homer’s relationship with Bart and the other children is very dysfunctional to say the least. His interactions with his son most often consist of a highly angered reaction to something that Bart has done at which point Homer lashes out, strangling Bart. According to Horney, when children experience a lack of affection from their parents this can lead to future feelings of isolation. The anxiety that stems from these feelings effect one’s interactions with other people; whether the are withdrawn, move toward, or move against others. We can see from Bart’s interactions with others on the show that he is actively moving against others. His behavior is often defiant and he strives to master every situation he finds himself in. As he exploits the weaknesses of others to gain respect and attention, he is working to relieve the feelings of basic anxiety that stem from his realtionship with his father. Bart has two true friends, Milhouse and Ralph Wiggum, both of whom are outcasts socially and look to Bart as a leader. These types of relationships, according to Horneyian theory, satisfy Bart’s neurotic need for power and exploit as well as his neurotic need for personal admiration. As Bart’s interpersonal relationships have been effected by his relationship with his father, so too has his perception of himself. Horney believed that basic anxiety can also have intrapsychic consequences as well. Bart’s earlier conflicts with his father could effect his journey towards self-realization and result in an idealized self-image and a neurotic search for glory. That Bart has an idealized self-image is apparent from his behavior an can be observed as he acts out against authority as if there are no consequences for his actions. His belief that he is in control  of every situation is an example of the neurotic perception of his own â€Å"exalted faculties.† Bart’s relationship with his father, following Horneyian Psychoanalytic Social Theory, would greatly impact his personality development. To anyone who has seen The Simpsons, it is obvious that Bart’s anti-social behavior is a product of his dysfunctional family life and specifically, his realtionship with his father.

Critical Analysis on NIKE Essays

Critical Analysis on NIKE Essays Critical Analysis on NIKE Paper Critical Analysis on NIKE Paper Essay Topic: Op Ed History Nike began as Phil Knights semester-long project to develop a small business, which included a marketing plan. This project was part of Phil Knights MBA course at Stanford University in the early 1960s. Phil Knight had been a runner at the University of Oregon in the late 1950s. His idea for his project was to develop high quality running shoes. He thought that high quality/low cost products could be produced in Japan and then shipped to the United States to be sold at a profit. His professor thought that Knights idea was interesting, but not much more than a project. In 1963 Phil Knight went to Japan and had a meeting with a running shoe manufacturing company called Tiger. He told them that he was the representative of an American distributor that wanted to sell Tiger running shoes to runners in the United States. This was all very much a spur of the moment idea, and Knight quickly made up a name and called his company Blue Ribbon Sports. Knight started small, and he continued to work with Tigers until he reached over a million dollars in sales in the early 1970s. In 1971 came up with the name Nike along with the Swoosh trademark for his products. The winged goddess of victory from Greek mythology nspired both the name Nike and the Swoosh symbol. In the late 1970s Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike and increased its sales from $10,000,000 to $270,000,000. During the 1980s and 1990s the company and sales continued to grow. In 1996, Nike was named Marketer of the Year with sales at $6. 74 billion. Sales and profits have continued to grow over the years, but at what cost to those who work in Nikes factories worldwide? http://xroads. virginia. edu/†CLASS/ am483_97/proJects/hincker/nikhist. tml As far back as 1998, Nike was being criticized for the way their footwear was being produced. Remember that Phil Knight wanted to produce high quality footwear at a low cost. Michael Moores film The Big One brought to light Nikes overseas labor practices and raised many questions about Mr. Knight and his company. In his film, Michael Moore questioned the number of hours Nike factory workers were working, the amount they were being paid, and the age of some of the factory workers. As a result of the film, Nike felt compelled to raise the minimum age of their factory workers in factories. http://dogeatdog. ichaelmoore. com/nikerelease. html However, Michael Moores film did not bring an end to Nikes problems related to hild labor. In an article entitled Nike Admits to Mistakes over Child Labor by Steve Boggan, published on October 20, 2001 it says, Philip Knight, the company chairman, clearly stung by reports of children as young as 10 making shoes, clothing and footballs in Pakistan and Cambodia, attempted to convince Nikes critics that it had only ever employed children accidentally. Of all the issues facing Nike in workplace standards, child labor is the most vexing, he said in the report. Our age standards are the highest in the world: 18 for footwear manufacturing, 16 for apparel and equipment, or local standards whenever they are higher. But in some countries (Bangladesh and Pakistan, for example) those standards are next to impossible to verify, when records of birth do not exist or can be easily forged. http:// www. commondreams. org/headlinesol 11020-01. htm The article goes on to discuss a situation in 1995 when Nike thought it was producing footballs in a responsible factory with good conditions, only to discover that the work was being subcontracted to small villages and children were making the footballs. It is clear that historically there have been problems with working conditions in Nikes sweatshop factories as well as the use of child labor. Nike has taken steps to improve the conditions in its 1,000 factories overseas. However, there are many more recent problems that still exist today. As recently as 2011 Nike was again facing allegations of abuse and mistreatment of factory workers in Indonesia. The problems seemed to be occurring in the Pou Chen Group Factory in Sukabumi, which is located about 100 kilometers from Jakarta. This factory started making Converse shoes in 2007, which was four years after Nike bought Converse. It has been reported that, workers making Nikes Converse brand sneakers in Indonesia said supervisors regularly physically assaulted and verbally bused them. Nike admits that abuses occurred but insists there was little it could do to stop it. wsws. org/en/articles/2011 /09/nike-s08. html The Pou Chen factory is located in a place where the minimum wage is far below the national average. It has 10,000 workers who make Converse sneakers. Most of the workers are women, and they earn only 50 cents an hour. The amount that they earn is not even enough to cover their food and very poor housing. In this factory, the women are both physically and verbally abused. Nikes own investigations have proved these complaints to be true. The company made a statement saying that mmediate actions would be taken to deal with the situation. It is interesting to note that, an internal Nike report, released to the Associated Press after it inquired about the abuse, showed that nearly two-thirds of 168 factories making Converse products worldwide failed to meet Nikes own standards for contract manufacturers. Twelve access to Nike inspectors. Another 97 are in a category defined as making no progress in improving problems ranging from verbal harassment to paying less than the minimum wage. wsws. org/en/articles/2011 /09/nike-s08. html There have been many years of criticism of Nikes sweatshop factories. Despite Nikes promises to make improvements and address the issues, Nike has not been successful in their initiatives. The fact is that in order to make enormous profits, companies like Nike continue to exploit their factory workers. For example, a pair of Nike running shoes that sells for $140. 00 only costs about $3. 0 to produce. Nikes sweatshop factories give Jobs to about 800,000 low-paid workers. A high percentage of the workers are young women between the ages of 18 to 24. They are paid less than a reasonable wage. In Indonesia, they should earn about $4. 50 a day to be able to cover their basic needs. However, Nike only pays them about $2. 50 a day. This problem is not unique to Nike. The sweatshop conditions endured by low-wage garment workers around the globe arise from the necessity of capital to extract ever- greater amounts of surplus value, and profit, from the labor of the working class. The globalization of production has created the objective conditions for forging the international unity of working people in struggle against the giant transnational corporations such as Nike. Under capitalism, however, the vast expansion of productive capacity taking place only leads to a never-ending competitive drive to lash wages and conditions. wsws. org/en/articles/2011/09/nike-s08. html Although Nike has recognized the fact that the sweatshop conditions are terrible, and have done so for many years, the problem goes much further than Just Nike. Steps must be taken worldwide to improve conditions in the global workplace. Nike is not the only company that exploits its workers. They are not the only ones who are making a fortune while their workers live in poverty and suffer constant abuse. It is difficult, however, to clean up Nikes factories when Nikes competitors are using the ame factories at the same time. The cycle of exploitation will be very hard to change, as there is nothing new concerning horrible sweatshop conditions. Since sweatshop conditions are very widespread, it is difficult to avoid buying products made in sweatshops. The problem is a global production system that drives contractors to cut costs, increase productivity, and meet shorter and shorter delivery times, all of which further squeeze workers. This global system continues to lower standards and worsen conditions in developing countries. http:// nature. berkeley. edu/orourke/media/globe-op-ed. html The video entitled Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh explores the Nike sweatshop issue. It uses a Nike factory town in Indonesia as a case study to make the film. It shows the oppression and exploitation in this part of the world. The film shows the horrible conditions of the workers living in squalor. They work very long hours under very difficult conditions and cannot even meet their most basic needs. been threatened not to talk to anyone about factory conditions. They are not allowed to talk about their living conditions. The film shows that Tiger Woods is paid $100,000,000 dollars for wearing Nike lothing, and Nike is making billions of dollars each year. However, Nike continues to exploit the people who work very hard for the company. The film says, Nike is in Indonesia for one reason cheap labor. It is an ideology of maximizing profit at all costs of humanity and nature. The film calls for truth Justice, and equality for all people. The message should continue to be spread. youtube. com/watch? FM5UYCWVfuPQ It is essential that the companies responsible for the horrible conditions in sweatshops around the world take further steps to find out exactly what problems exist and how to resolve them. There needs to be greater public awareness and accountability. The factory conditions should not be kept secret. The factory workers and their communities need to have a strong, united voice. They should be represented by their own strong organizations. Conditions will only begin to improve when workers are no longer exploited and oppressed. It will only be then that the most serious problems in the global supply chains can be identified and resolved. http://nature. berkeley. edu/orourke/media/globe-op-ed. html Since the 1990s Nike has been criticized for exploiting workers in sweatshop conditions. Nike has admitted that the problems exists, but has not been able to change the system of exploitation and harsh working conditions. Nike violates U. S. labor laws. Sweatshops exist internationally as well as in the United States. Consumers are an important part of the global system that supports sweatshop exploitation. If consumers refused to buy items made in sweatshop conditions, then sweatshops would not survive. Worker conditions would have to improve in order for us to purchase the products. We need to make sure that companies continue to create jobs and products while making major improvements on concerning working onditions. All employees must be treated with dignity. Companies can continue to make good profits while raising salaries and improving conditions. Companies that are based in developed countries like the U. S. ake advantage of lower wages and poor labor laws in developing nations. By having their factories in developing countries, companies can avoid having to respect labor laws and exploit workers. In order to combat sweatshop conditions, we need a strong, global movement against corporate greed that will make sweat-free purchasing, and trade agreements with enforceable labor rights, politi cal priorities. Despite the claims f transnational corporations-and the economists that work for them- sweatshops are not a natural stage of economic development, nor will they automatically disappear if we abandon the economy to market forces. Like any other injustice, we rid the world of sweatshops only if we demand that they be abolished. Sweat-free policies is essential to educate consumers by publicizing current working conditions. Consumers must demand better conditions for factory workers. Stricter laws should be enforced with sanctions for violations of labor laws. With all the money Nike and other companies make on their product and spend Just o market their product is an abomination for them to say well there is nothing we can do. It is not about that it is about the big guy always has the power at the top and giving a cut to the ones who could make a change. If our society didnt revolve around greed and realize that they can put that money that they use to market their product which is no longer nessecary because people buy it anyways and put it towards providing better working conditions and a higher salary and health care. At the end of the day it is up to us the people to see the changes we wish to see bestowed upon ur world and the future of our children. Resources: 1 . http://businessethicscases. logspot. com. es/2013/04/nike-inc-employees-in-nikes- converse. html 2. http://dogeatdog. michaelmoore. com/nikerelease. html 3. http://globalpeaceandconflict. wordpress. com/2012/02/23/nike-and-modern-day- slavery/ 4. http://nature. berkeley. edu/orourke/media/globe-op-ed. html 6. change. org/petitions/]ust-do-it-nike-stop-abusing-indonesian-workers 7. commondreams. org/headlinesol 11020-01 . htm 8. dailymail. co. uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped- erbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-lndonesia. tml 9. huffngtonpost. com/2011107/13/nike-faces-new-worker-abuse- Indonesia n 896816. html 10. time. com/time/nation/article/O,8599,11132,00. html 11 . wsws. org/en/articles/2011 /09/nike-s08. html 12. youtube. com/watch? v=CCrUZuyZHyk 13. youtube. com/watch? Fe9ZktmrGGMlJ 14. youtube. com/watch? v=FveOxJEyk41J 15. youtube. com/watch? FM5uYCWVfuPQ 16. http://wwwl . american. edu/ted/nike. htm 17. http://xroads. virginia. edu/†CLASS/am483_97/proJects/hincker/nikhist. html

Free Essays on Fashions Of The 60s

Why did some styles become so popular and remain popular though out the 60s’? Some were different enough to become a huge hit with teens, while others were not as lucky. From the peace symbols that attempted to keep the war far from home, to the ban the bra movement that gave women a group to belong to. In the Mod movement many teens started their own kind of fashion that was fresh and new, too unique for some though. The fashions of the 60s’ reflected the turbulence and rebelliousness of the era. The peace sign represented many people fighting for the war to stay far from home, and to keep it there. The peace symbol became a strong representation of hope for teens; it gave them a ground to stand on. To the Mod movement that started in Britain and slowly traveled to America that started the whole fashion uniqueness. It was mostly influenced by, art, music and drugs. The different cuts and colors of fabric really helped in the search to find whom they were. It was time to break away from the boring clothes of the 1950s and break in to a whole new line of style. With the new vibrant colors and slimming cuts fashion had taken off like a rocket. The youth of the world began to see that nothing could hold them back from being individual. They started wearing clothes that no one would criticize because they were too fancy. The skirts of the 60s had shorter and shorter hemlines. Some say this â€Å"led to the moral decline of society and youth† (SK). As the new styles emerged so did the way teens thought, not so much for themselves but for their country and what they believed in. The peace symbol really spread far and fast, pretty soon it was all over. It was on shirts, cars, jewelry, and many other things. Organizations really helped with the overwhelming question of â€Å"Where do I belong?† Such as the Ban the Bra movement, it helped young women know and feel like they belonged to something important. Women’s rights really came aliv... Free Essays on Fashions Of The 60's Free Essays on Fashions Of The 60's Why did some styles become so popular and remain popular though out the 60s’? Some were different enough to become a huge hit with teens, while others were not as lucky. From the peace symbols that attempted to keep the war far from home, to the ban the bra movement that gave women a group to belong to. In the Mod movement many teens started their own kind of fashion that was fresh and new, too unique for some though. The fashions of the 60s’ reflected the turbulence and rebelliousness of the era. The peace sign represented many people fighting for the war to stay far from home, and to keep it there. The peace symbol became a strong representation of hope for teens; it gave them a ground to stand on. To the Mod movement that started in Britain and slowly traveled to America that started the whole fashion uniqueness. It was mostly influenced by, art, music and drugs. The different cuts and colors of fabric really helped in the search to find whom they were. It was time to break away from the boring clothes of the 1950s and break in to a whole new line of style. With the new vibrant colors and slimming cuts fashion had taken off like a rocket. The youth of the world began to see that nothing could hold them back from being individual. They started wearing clothes that no one would criticize because they were too fancy. The skirts of the 60s had shorter and shorter hemlines. Some say this â€Å"led to the moral decline of society and youth† (SK). As the new styles emerged so did the way teens thought, not so much for themselves but for their country and what they believed in. The peace symbol really spread far and fast, pretty soon it was all over. It was on shirts, cars, jewelry, and many other things. Organizations really helped with the overwhelming question of â€Å"Where do I belong?† Such as the Ban the Bra movement, it helped young women know and feel like they belonged to something important. Women’s rights really came aliv...

The Prince, MachiavelliS Economy Of Violence Essays - Philosophy

The Prince, MachiavelliS Economy Of Violence Essays - Philosophy The Prince, MachiavelliS Economy Of Violence The Prince, Machiavellis Economy of Violence Machiavelli was an Italian historian, statesman, and political philosopher, whose amoral, but influential writings on power building have turned his name into a synonym for cunning and duplicity. I personally feel he is a genius. Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy. He eventually became a man who lived his life for politics and patriotism. Right now, however, he is associated with corrupt, totalitarian government. The reason for this is a small pamphlet he wrote called The Prince to gain influence with the ruling Medici family in Florence. The political genius of Niccolo Machiavelli was overshadowed by the reputation that was unfairly given to him because of a misunderstanding of his views on politics. Machiavelli's life was very interesting. He lived a nondescript childhood in Florence, and his main political experience in his youth was watching Savanarola from afar. Soon after Savanarola was executed, Machiavelli entered the Florentine government as a secretary. His position quickly rose, however, and was soon engaging in diplomatic missions. He met many of the important politicians of the day, such as the Pope and the King of France, but none had more impact on him than a prince of the Papal States, Cesare Borgia. Borgia was a cunning, cruel man, very much like the one portrayed in The Prince. Machiavelli did not truly like Borgia's policies, but he thought that with a ruler like Borgia the Florentines could unite Italy, which was Machiavelli's goal throughout his life. Unfortunately for Machiavelli, he was dismissed from office when the Medici came to rule Florence and the Republic was overthrown. The lack of a job forced him to switch to writing about politics instead of being active. His diplomatic missions were his last official government positions. When Machiavelli lost his office, he desperately wanted to return to politics. He tried to gain the favor of the Medici by writing an essay of what he thought were the Medici's goals and dedicating it to them. And so The Prince was written for that purpose. Unfortunately, the Medici didn't agree with what the book said, so he was out of a job. But when the public saw the book, they were outraged. The people wondered how cruel a man could be to think evil thoughts like the ones in The Prince, and this would come back to haunt him when he was alive and dead. However, if the people wanted to know what Machiavelli really stood for, they should have read his Discourses on Livy, which explain his full political philosophy. But not enough people had and have, and so the legacy of The Prince continues to define Machiavelli to the general public. A few years later the Medici were kicked out of Florence. The republic was re-established, and Machiavelli ran to retake the office he had left so many years ago. But the reputation that The Prince had established made people think his philosophy was like the Medici, so he was not elected. And here the sharp downhill of his life began. His health began to fail him, and he died months later, in 1527. Machiavelli had been unfairly attacked all of his life because of a bad reputation. But it only got worse after he died. He was continually blasted for his support of corrupt ruling. In fact, Machiavellian now means corrupt government. Only recently has his true personality come to light. The world must change it's vision of the cold, uncaring Machiavelli to the correct view of a patriot and a political genius. Throughout his career Machiavelli sought to establish a state capable of resisting foreign attack. His writings are concerned with the principles on which such a state is founded, and with the means by which they can be implemented and maintained. In, The Prince he describes the method by which a prince can acquire and maintain political power. This study, which has often been regarded as a defense of the despotism and tyranny of such rulers as Cesare Borgia, is based on Machiavelli's belief that a ruler is not bound by traditional ethical norms. In his view, a prince should be concerned only with power

The Steele of Naram-Sin and the palette of Narmer Assignment

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How does contemporary Anglicanism relate to the core beliefs of the Essay

How does contemporary Anglicanism relate to the core beliefs of the Church of England in the 16th and 17th centuries - Essay Example Anglican modernism is identified with the "Modern Churchmen's Union" founded in 1898 to stimulate and defend liberal thought within the Church of England. It has much in common with Liberal Protestantism in Germany, characterized by such thinkers as Friedrich Scheliermacher, the 'Father of Modern Theology'. Adolf Von Harnack, whose book What is Christianity, characterizes the point of view of many English Modernists. "Others, on the contrary, assure him that Christianity is an optimistic religion, and that it must be thought of simply and solely as a higher phase of Judaism, and these people also suppose that in saying this they have said something very profound." Von Harnack, A.1987, What is Christianity P.2 Anglican Modernism also developed out of the 'Broad Church Movement' of the nineteenth century. For them, this began with the acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. The starting point for them was their acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. The starting point for them was their acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. While they rejected nature miracles like the virgin birth and his bodily resurrection, they emphasized the teachings of the historical Christ. Jesus' death on the cross was not to placate the wrath of God, but to show the way in which God is present in human suffering. This is at variance with traditional Christian doctrine and the beliefs of 16th and 17th century Anglicans as shown in Article one of the thirty-nine articles. Doctrine in the Church of England, (1938), accepts that the modernist interpretations of Christianity doctrine were legitimate positions to hold within the Church. Essentially Modernism takes a middle path between radical skepticism and the revival of fundamentalism. Surveys of what Christians believe propose that Modernist way of thinking have become typical of liberal Christianity. We need to look at the sensibleness of key Christian beliefs. In the minds of many outsiders Christianity is outmoded and reactionary. Kant who argued that there was no reason to postulate a first cause because infinite regress was equally as plausible refuted the claim that God created the Universe out of nothing. This no longer applies because there is now a consensus among scientists that the Universe had a beginning. This does not prove that God created it but it is very compatible with it. Many scientists are happy to speak in terms of a mind behind the Universe, yet they are reluctant to identify themselves with Christianity. According to John Leslie, "Our Universe does lookvery much as if created by God" but "not by a God who interferes with nature's operation." The idea of a God who created a Universe in which he does not intervene is the classic modernistic position. Paul Badham identifies this religious interest with the

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Strategic Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Strategic Planning - Essay Example This creates a need for the capital projects to be well analysed and all details to be well understood to be able to evaluate the effects on the overall value of the firm. As seen in the definition, the capital projects help develop and increase the fixed assets of a company. This in turn helps the company earn higher levels of profits. The assets when fully utilised can be helpful in improving the overall productivity and output of the firm as well (Constantini, 2006). The main aim or objective of any capital project that is undertaken by a firm is to help the company’s assets to either be renewed or even to help replace the assets, to allow better performance and output. The affects of the capital decisions and investments have a two fold affect. Firstly they affect the operations of the firm. Secondly they have a great impact on the share prices of the firm as well. The decisions made have a strong impact and can make the stock prices rise or fall to a great extent. Hence the capital projects require to be very carefully considered and implemented as the affects of this can lead to very high profits while an error in this can be catastrophic for the company as well. It is also essential that the plans and investments that are made are in line with the strategic plans of the firms. For a business to invest in a capital project, it is essential to consider the project as a new business start up and the work on this very carefully as it involves, increasing the capacity of the firm, operations scales and also the investments on assets. As explained earlier, the capital projects lead to an increase in the fixed assets of the firm, which in turn has an impact on the scale of operations which thereby leads to increased operating profits for the firm. This complete process has an affect on the overall value of the firm. Hence this proves that the capital projects have a very

How does contemporary Anglicanism relate to the core beliefs of the Essay

How does contemporary Anglicanism relate to the core beliefs of the Church of England in the 16th and 17th centuries - Essay Example Anglican modernism is identified with the "Modern Churchmen's Union" founded in 1898 to stimulate and defend liberal thought within the Church of England. It has much in common with Liberal Protestantism in Germany, characterized by such thinkers as Friedrich Scheliermacher, the 'Father of Modern Theology'. Adolf Von Harnack, whose book What is Christianity, characterizes the point of view of many English Modernists. "Others, on the contrary, assure him that Christianity is an optimistic religion, and that it must be thought of simply and solely as a higher phase of Judaism, and these people also suppose that in saying this they have said something very profound." Von Harnack, A.1987, What is Christianity P.2 Anglican Modernism also developed out of the 'Broad Church Movement' of the nineteenth century. For them, this began with the acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. The starting point for them was their acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. The starting point for them was their acceptance of Biblical criticism and the theory of evolution and their insistence that Christianity must be adapted to accept these. While they rejected nature miracles like the virgin birth and his bodily resurrection, they emphasized the teachings of the historical Christ. Jesus' death on the cross was not to placate the wrath of God, but to show the way in which God is present in human suffering. This is at variance with traditional Christian doctrine and the beliefs of 16th and 17th century Anglicans as shown in Article one of the thirty-nine articles. Doctrine in the Church of England, (1938), accepts that the modernist interpretations of Christianity doctrine were legitimate positions to hold within the Church. Essentially Modernism takes a middle path between radical skepticism and the revival of fundamentalism. Surveys of what Christians believe propose that Modernist way of thinking have become typical of liberal Christianity. We need to look at the sensibleness of key Christian beliefs. In the minds of many outsiders Christianity is outmoded and reactionary. Kant who argued that there was no reason to postulate a first cause because infinite regress was equally as plausible refuted the claim that God created the Universe out of nothing. This no longer applies because there is now a consensus among scientists that the Universe had a beginning. This does not prove that God created it but it is very compatible with it. Many scientists are happy to speak in terms of a mind behind the Universe, yet they are reluctant to identify themselves with Christianity. According to John Leslie, "Our Universe does lookvery much as if created by God" but "not by a God who interferes with nature's operation." The idea of a God who created a Universe in which he does not intervene is the classic modernistic position. Paul Badham identifies this religious interest with the

Strategic Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Strategic Planning - Essay Example This creates a need for the capital projects to be well analysed and all details to be well understood to be able to evaluate the effects on the overall value of the firm. As seen in the definition, the capital projects help develop and increase the fixed assets of a company. This in turn helps the company earn higher levels of profits. The assets when fully utilised can be helpful in improving the overall productivity and output of the firm as well (Constantini, 2006). The main aim or objective of any capital project that is undertaken by a firm is to help the company’s assets to either be renewed or even to help replace the assets, to allow better performance and output. The affects of the capital decisions and investments have a two fold affect. Firstly they affect the operations of the firm. Secondly they have a great impact on the share prices of the firm as well. The decisions made have a strong impact and can make the stock prices rise or fall to a great extent. Hence the capital projects require to be very carefully considered and implemented as the affects of this can lead to very high profits while an error in this can be catastrophic for the company as well. It is also essential that the plans and investments that are made are in line with the strategic plans of the firms. For a business to invest in a capital project, it is essential to consider the project as a new business start up and the work on this very carefully as it involves, increasing the capacity of the firm, operations scales and also the investments on assets. As explained earlier, the capital projects lead to an increase in the fixed assets of the firm, which in turn has an impact on the scale of operations which thereby leads to increased operating profits for the firm. This complete process has an affect on the overall value of the firm. Hence this proves that the capital projects have a very

Original writing assignment Essay Example for Free

Original writing assignment Essay It was a beautiful sight, picturesque even, all around were fields of lush green grass with steep hills, deep valleys and evergreen trees. In front of him there was a lake with beautiful sparkling blue water, with beavers going about their daily business, fishes swimming and birds singing. However, as he glanced across to the other side of the lake the boy laid eyes upon an almighty cave. The water on this side of the lake was brown with dead fish floating on the surface. The banks surrounding this part of the lake were simply bare rocks threatening to crush anything with the misfortune of touching them. There were no birds singing or beavers playing. Not a single living thing dwelled on those premises and it was obvious why. Who in there right minds would rather live there than on the stunning view that was just meters from the grim scene? The boy drew his gaze away from the lake and noticed many little buildings with thatched roofs and only one floor. In front of these unusual and certainly old-fashioned buildings stood small families of people all dressed in pretty much the same way. The women wore long brown and white frilly dresses. They all looked like servants. The men also wore brown and white but these were brown tattered trousers and a white V-necked shirt. At a glance down at his attire, the boy noticed he was wearing exactly the same as the other boys that he had seen. He was tired and decided that he should get some rest; a fall from the sky into unfamiliar territory can really take it out of you. The young boy slowly advanced towards the nearest house. He was walking straight towards the 3 people stood in front of it, but the didnt even seem to have noticed him. The boy was only 20 metres from them now but their gaze was still fixed to where he had first landed. He was now only 10 metres from them and could clearly see every single crevice on their skin. That was then he noticed the boy in front was not only dressed identically to him he was also exactly the same height and build with the same blonde hair blue eyes. He even had exactly the same horseshoe shaped birthmark on his neck. The young boy looked extremely confused and turned to the women in a desperate search for an explanation. To his horror, the woman was looking straight through him. This feeling of horror rapidly swapped itself with a feeling of utter disbelief, he recognised this women but where from. He opened is mouth to ask if she too recognised him. However, as soon as the first letter rolled of his tongue and dissipated into the air the almighty rumbling started again. This was much worse then the soft rumbling he had become accustomed to during his dreams. This was a full-blown earthquake style rumbling. The whole ground was shaking. The voices started again. He could finally make sense of the voices Help David, the cave, help it started of with just the women but very quickly the rest of the people joined in. He finally realised where he recognised that woman from. It was his mum, but it wasnt. It couldnt be it had to be a bad dream. The voices were unbelievably loud now. He could not take much more of this. David dropped to his knees willing himself to wake up. He didnt. Of course, he didnt: He couldnt. There was only one thing he could do. The young boy sprinted to the cave, as soon as his size 7 shoes made contact with the cold grey stone the voices stopped, and the rumbling subsided. The inside of the cave was massive. David was standing in what seemed to be an ally. It had a grey floor and red-stone wall. In this alley of a cave ran a small, dirty brown stream. David decided to follow the stream. The silence was deafening. He was right in the centre of his worst nightmares yet the scene he was now living resembled his dreams in no way what so ever. He was expecting an increasingly loud rumble as he became ever closer to the source of all his sleepless nights. However, it was in no way at all like this. All David could hear was the splat as his feet slapped against the wet floor. All he could do was walk straight into the caves belly, he could not go back outside, he couldnt face the screaming. He had to sort this, now, once and for all. The relatively small walk was taking forever, a whole hour seemed to have passed as David walked through the cave however in reality it was closer to a minute. At last, the young boy had reached his destination. It certainly was not what he had expected. He was standing on a floor of grey stone. In front of him was a ring of water. Inside this ring was a small island containing one thing and one thing only; a white, round crystal. A rickety rope bridge hung loosely over the deep murky water. This was the end; he had reached the end of the cave, the end of the nightmares. It had to be something to do with that crystal, but what? David had obviously made his mind up as he cautiously walked to the bridge. He checked the ropes, it seemed secure enough but there was only one way to find out. He raised his foot and slowly but surely placed his foot on to the bridge. As soon as his foot connected with the nearly rotten wood an almightily high-pitched scream pierced through the silence, the rumbling once again shook Davids brain, and a short stab of bright light temporarily illuminated the area before subsiding into a low shimmer. The rumbling didnt stop, it got considerably worse. The bridge was shaking; water was spraying from the stream in huge waves. He had to keep going, this torture had to end. David lunged and grabbed the crystal. A searing pain swarmed through Davids entire body. A brilliant light blinded him. Everything went white. David could no longer hear the high-pitched screams; he did not feel the ice-cold water flooding over the top of him. The rumbling stopped, so did the screaming and the crystal returned to the dull colourless state in which it started. David was nowhere to be seen.   All this happened 14 years ago. I have been all alone here ever since, still experiencing the same horrific dreams. Although now its all changed. You are here. The man thrust his hands forwards, palms out. There was writing burnt into the skin. Help David Our Saviour. Harry Litchfield Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Strategic Change Approaches To Change Management Commerce Essay

Strategic Change Approaches To Change Management Commerce Essay It is imperative that organisations maintain a greater reach, are present in various different places and constantly abreast of regional and cultural differences and ensure to integrate these into their strategies for the different market and communities they occupy. Due to the ever growing importance of change within organisations, it has become imperative that managerial staff posses the skill to successfully manage these changes when they occur (Senior, 2002; By, 2005). Merrel (2012) described change as a continuous reality for organisations that intend to survive and prosper in these volatile and unpredictable times. He went further to define change as simply doing things in a way different from what you are used to or doing completely different things. It is in the best interest that all stakeholders within an organisation work together to ensure that changes are managed effectively. Effective change management is generally described as execution of change programmes or initiatives that achieve the goals for which they were intended on time and within budget and also succeed in delivering sustainable benefits to the organisation (ibid). However, major changes within organisations require ample inputs in terms of time, energy and resources. Over time it has been found that majority of change programmes have failed to meet the desired goals of the organisation. Published sources estimate that the success levels of change in organisations may fall as low as 10% (Oakland and Tanner, 2007). Most changes that occur within organisations tend to be intermittent in nature. They usually start off at a particular point and are then followed by a number of steps that result in a final outcome. Every growing organisation experiences a continuous process of evolution. At certain intervals of this growth cycle, organisations have to evaluate, determine or reinstate their standards and processes. This evolution could at sometimes be a slight change or at other times a major overhaul. Where there is a change made in one aspect of the organisation, this usually triggers a chain of events that requires further changes t o be made to other areas within the organisation in order to achieve a new balance (Pandey, 2012). Following the constant evolution and the consequent changes that occur within organisations, effort has to be put in to reinstate and create a new balance to continue working towards the goals and objectives of the business. This new balance is created primarily by the workforce and is not an easy feat. Therefore, it is essential that an effective and reliable change management strategy is employed (Gans, 2011). As defined by Gans (2011) Change Management is a process whereby organisations support members of their workforce that have been affected by one way or another as a result of an organizational change. She went further to stress the importance of accounting for any member of staff affected by the change in the development of a change management strategy. Despite the importance of change management in the business world today and as highlighted previously, Balogun and Hope Hailey (2004) have reported that of all change programmes that have been initiated, there has been a 70% rate of failure. Burnes (2004) suggested that this poor success rate of change management programmes shows a basic absence of an adequate framework of how to carry out and manage changes in organisations. He went further to state that what is currently available to academics and practitioners is a wide range of contradictory and confusing theories and approaches. 2.0 EXISTING APPROACHES TO CHANGE MANAGEMENT There are a number of existing approaches to organizational change and there is continued debate as to which qualifies as the best. This difference in opinion amongst academics and practitioners is the reason that many managers within organisations may have reservations on the importance and validity of existing literature on change management. It is also a reason for confusion as to which approach to employ when considering change (Bamford and Forrester, 2003).These reservations are further fuelled by the existing critical management literature that highlights numerous incidents of change programmes that have gone wrong. Based on the literature, amongst a few others, there are two main approaches to change; emergent and planned (ibid). In this article, we would be looking into the two main approaches to change, highlighting their weakness and strengths, by critically analysing the already existing literature on the topic. 2.1 PLANNED CHANGE This approach to organisational change is described as a process that moves from one set state to another through a succession of pre arranged steps. This approach to change can be analysed using various frameworks, such as the Lewins (1951) action research model and Lewins (1958) three step model which describes the three stages of change as freezing- holding on to the familiar, unfreezing brainstorming, addressing issues and exploring other approaches and refreezing identifying, applying and consolidating values, culture and newly acquired skills to those pre existing and currently desired. This approach to change acknowledges that prior to new characteristics successfully adopted the previous set need to be eliminated, only then can the new set be fully established (Bamford and Forrester, 2003). 2.1a STRENGTHS OF PLANNED CHANGE Burnes (1996 as cited in Eldrod II and Tippet, 2002) identifies planned approach to organisational change as an attempt in explaining the process that initiates change. The planned approach is also thought to highlight the importance to organisations of fully comprehending the different stages that are involved in the process of going from and unsatisfactory state to an unknown desired new state (Eldrod II and Tippett, 2002). Planned change is also credited for considering changes that may not be in direct line with the organisations general transformational vision but are seen to be worth making. It is in tune with the organisational breakdown structure and by virtue of its nature being perceived to be a logical program by stakeholders, providing organisations with a variety of choices of initiatives. Because it is made up of a clear and solid directive, it tends to be easier to circulate to all areas of the organisation. Although this solid directive may in some cases work as a disadvantage as it may make it easier to attack and/or avoid (Weick, 2000; Beer and Nohria, 2000). 2.1b WEAKNESSES OF PLANNED CHANGE Planned change has received a lot of criticism from as early on as the 1980s despite its popularity, (Kanter et al., 1992; Burnes, 1996; By, 2005). It has been faulted for focusing on only small scale incremental change and ignores cases where there may be a need for quick and transformational changes (Burnes, 1996, 2004). Another shortcoming of this approach is the fact that it bases its design on the assumption that organisations operate under conditions that are static and they can move in a pre planned pattern from one stable state to another (Bamford and Forrester, 2003). This approach is also known to ignore situations where a more dictated approach is needed e.g. in a situation where there is a need for rapid change and no room for widespread consultation or involvement (Burnes, 1996, 2004; Kanter et al., 1992; By, 2005). Critics have also argued that this approach is based on the assumption that all the stakeholders involved in the change have a combined interest in carrying it out and that a uniform consensus can be reached with ease (Bamford and Forrester, 2003). This presumption does not take into consideration issues of politics and conflicts that are common place within organisations, but goes further to assume that these can be identified with ease (Burnes, 1996, 2004). Weick (2000; Beer and Nohria, 2000), also highlighted a number of disadvantages of applying the planned change approach. He states that with implementation of the planned change approach, there is a high chance of reversal of the effected change, following the changes; integration of the various parts of the organisation may not take place in a uniform manner, unpredictable results due to limited foresight, a high chance of individuals failing to act out their parts in the change process despite verbally agreeing to do so, adoption of practices that may have been suited elsewhere but may not necessarily yield positive results within the organisation due to a difference in context, failure of top management to have a full understanding of capabilities at the front line and contingencies and finally a delay in execution which would result in the change initiatives being obsolete even before they are implemented. 2.2 EMERGENT CHANGE This approach to change is relatively new and does not have the formal history of planned change. It is believed that this approach covers a wider area of understanding of the issues faced by organisations related to managing change within intricate environments. In this approach, change is perceived to be less reliant on detailed forecasts and plans and is more focused on arriving at an actual understanding of the intricacies of the underlying problems and deriving possible solutions (Bamford and Forrester, 2003). There is also the suggestion that the occurrence of change here is unpredictable that senior managers are unable to effectively select, propose and carry out suitable actions in response (Kanter et al., 1992). The emergent approach to organizational change adopts a bottom up process of initiating and implementation as opposed to a top down. Considering the complex and rapid nature of change, it is deemed impossible for senior management to identify and implement every action necessary to successfully carry out changes. This implies that the role played by senior management must undergo some changes in itself from controller to more of a facilitator of change, as the responsibility for change is seen to be more devolved (Bamford and Forrester, 2003). 2.2a STRENGTHS OF EMERGENT CHANGE It has been established that the business environment is one of uncertainty and the proponents of emergent change have argued that this uncertainty of both the internal and external environments makes the planned approach to change less appropriate. Assuming that organizations operated is an environment that is stable and predictable; there would be little or no need for change. This makes the emergent approach to change much more pertinent than the planned approach (Bamford and Forrester, 2003). Burnes (1996) is of the opinion that emergent change encourages management to pay close attention and gain understanding of strategy, culture, systems, structure and style, looking into how they can work as blockages or facilitators of an effective change process. He goes further to argue that a successful change process is more concerned with gaining an understanding of the complex issues within the organisation and developing a range of options for tackling these issues. It can then be deduced that the emergent change is focused more on the preparation for change and actual implementation as opposed to providing planned steps and objectives for each change programme or initiative (By, 2005). Weick (2000; Beer and Nohria, 2000), insists that change must be more emergent than planned. He is of the opinion that organisations are in a constant state of evolution and there are always change initiatives ongoing on various levels within the organisation. Main stakeholders are always in search of ideas to increase the performance of the organisation and this means that there is a constant flux. It is important that this flux is identified and maximised. Efforts should be made in identifying these little changes occurring in different areas of the organization and they should then be spread to other areas of the organisation. There are no rules that govern the way change is initiated; it simply involves creating a connection between the actions carried out by the individual areas within the business to create a working synergy (Pettigrew and Whipp, 1993). 2.2b WEAKNESSES OF EMERGENT CHANGE Weick (2000; Beer and Nohria, 2000), in his critical analysis also highlighted a number of weaknesses of the emergent approach to change. He noted that emergent changes are too slow to come together, tend to be too negligible to have a noticeable effect on results, are more suited for taking advantages of opportunities than responding to threats, crippled by already existing culture and technology, deficient when competitors are focused on transformation; more generic rather than focused; lack foresight; operates on the assumption that change is driven by intent, which in reality is not always that case and this implies that situations where change is evolutionary or is driven by life cycle would be over looked (Van de Ven and Pool 1995; Weick, 2000; Beer and Nohria, 2000) . One of the main challenges of the emergent change is the fact that is quite new compared to the planned approach and this has led to reservations concerning its consistency and the variety of techniques available (Bamford and Forrester, 2003; Wilson, 1992). Another criticism of the emergent approach is that it is generally made up of models and approaches that lack correlation and only tend to do so in their unified lack of faith for the planned approach to change than to and agreed alternative (Bamford and Forrester, 2003; Dawson, 1994). According to Burnes (1996), to validate the general theory and implementation of the emergent approach to change implies that one has to be of the opinion that all organisation function within a volatile and unpredictable environment to which they constantly have to adapt. This would then bring rise to the assumption that the emergent model is suitable for all organizations, all situations and at all times (ibid). In reality this is clearly not the case. Dunphy and Stace (1993) disagreed on that view arguing that agents of change require a model that is adaptable to different situations and clearly shows how one can adjust their change strategies to achieve the best fit for a particular situation taking into consideration the changing environment (Dunphy and Stace, 1993). 3.0 CONCLUSION Following a review of the existing literature on planned and emeregent approaches to change, it can be concluded that both approaches have fair shares of limitations and advantage. Generally, there seems to be more of a preference for the emergent change approach and this could be because this approach was more recently introduced in comparison to the planned approach and it its design, consideration was taken to address some of the shortcomings that were experience with the planned approach. However, in order to achieve a successful organisational change, it is important that an approach be developed that not only takes into consideration the constantly evolving environment, but also identifies that there are a number of approaches to change. This approach should be flexible to suit the different needs of various organisations as opposed to one that is tailored to be applicable to all organisations. Dunphy and Stace, (1993) clearly state that no two organisations are identical and most probably have varying situations and this would mean that their structure and strategies would also be different and this emphasis the need for a flexible approach to change.

In Favor of Social Security Reform :: Economics Politics Argumentative Essays

In Favor of Social Security Reform There are millions of Americans affected by social security. These Americans rely on social security to provide them with financial security. Recently President Bush agreed to proposing a method of privatizing the social security program so that in the future the vast reserves of the social security system would not run out nearly as fast. With the always increasing rise in inflation, and the baby boomer generation reaching ages of retirement fairly soon, this is an issue that needs to be dealt with correctly and rapidly. The way the president is handling the situation is definitely the right way to do it. There are many things and ways in which to do it wrong, but the president seems to be pointing the plans of social security in the right direction. The president’s plans of reforming social security are right because the privatization is the best way to go, changing the rules for those who would apply for it increases the savings and makes the money go farther, a nd working with the distribution of different tax percentages would really make the money go a lot farther. To understand how privatizing social security will help the social security program in the future, first it is important to know what it is and what it does. How social security works now is that everybody that gets benefits from the social security program all get them from one big pot, so to speak. By privatizing the different accounts, they can earn interest faster and make more money for the consumer on an individual basis. This can work better to because the accounts are individualized and earn the right amount of money for the different financial situation that the person is in. This will be a big change for the way that social security is run, but it is for the better and it will help lots of older Americans and the social security program in general for years to come. One of the big questions when dealing with the privatizing of social security is where it leaves the minority groups. All minorities are affected, but the African Americans are most likely the ones that will need to deal with it most.

Comparing Alexis Tocqueville and Karl Marx Essay -- Politics Political

Comparing Alexis Tocqueville and Karl Marx Writing in the 1830s Tocqueville saw democracy as the way of the future, and envisioned a world where revolutions would be rare. Yet writing not long after that, with a thorough knowledge of Tocqueville, Marx predicted a season of revolutions. The difference between these two views comes from a different take on the effect that the economy has on people. Both men saw the economy as producing an almost economically equal majority. For Tocqueville this majority was fairly well-off and had the ability to seek individual happiness through material wellbeing, without concern to control the government. This pursuit of individualism would keep the people quiet and peaceful. For Marx this majority was poor and had nothing to lose by revolting. Poverty would unify the people beyond borders and they would work for change. Marx acknowledged the growing individualism that Tocqueville had identified, but underestimated it and he ignored the possibility by which through democracy the wealthy could be isolated and ignored peaceably. According to Marx, "The weapons with which the bourgeoisie felled feudalism to the ground are now turned against the bourgeoisie itself. But not only has the bourgeoisie forged the weapons that bring death to itself; it has also called into existence the men who are to wield these weapons ? the modern working class ? the proletarians." The proletariat is the group described in the Communist Manifesto as the 9/10th of the population which does not own "private property". The private property he is referring to are not items of individual consumption, like toothbrushes or clothing, but the means of production. The proletariat does not own the means of production but m... ...as to whether they will be able to survive the growth of major chains like Wal-Mart. With the fall of small businesses, more and more people will be forced to sell their labour-power to the large ones, and perhaps Marx was just a little before his time. Works Cited Marx, Karl. "Civil War in France." In Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Ed. Lawrence H. Simon. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1994. 301 - 314. "Communist Manifesto." In Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Ed. Lawrence H. Simon. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1994. 157 ? 186. "Marginal Notes on Baukunin?s Statism and Anarchy". In Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Ed. Lawrence H. Simon. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1994. 333 ? 338. Tocqueville, Alexis de. Democracy in America. Abridged by Sanford Kessler. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 2000. Comparing Alexis Tocqueville and Karl Marx Essay -- Politics Political Comparing Alexis Tocqueville and Karl Marx Writing in the 1830s Tocqueville saw democracy as the way of the future, and envisioned a world where revolutions would be rare. Yet writing not long after that, with a thorough knowledge of Tocqueville, Marx predicted a season of revolutions. The difference between these two views comes from a different take on the effect that the economy has on people. Both men saw the economy as producing an almost economically equal majority. For Tocqueville this majority was fairly well-off and had the ability to seek individual happiness through material wellbeing, without concern to control the government. This pursuit of individualism would keep the people quiet and peaceful. For Marx this majority was poor and had nothing to lose by revolting. Poverty would unify the people beyond borders and they would work for change. Marx acknowledged the growing individualism that Tocqueville had identified, but underestimated it and he ignored the possibility by which through democracy the wealthy could be isolated and ignored peaceably. According to Marx, "The weapons with which the bourgeoisie felled feudalism to the ground are now turned against the bourgeoisie itself. But not only has the bourgeoisie forged the weapons that bring death to itself; it has also called into existence the men who are to wield these weapons ? the modern working class ? the proletarians." The proletariat is the group described in the Communist Manifesto as the 9/10th of the population which does not own "private property". The private property he is referring to are not items of individual consumption, like toothbrushes or clothing, but the means of production. The proletariat does not own the means of production but m... ...as to whether they will be able to survive the growth of major chains like Wal-Mart. With the fall of small businesses, more and more people will be forced to sell their labour-power to the large ones, and perhaps Marx was just a little before his time. Works Cited Marx, Karl. "Civil War in France." In Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Ed. Lawrence H. Simon. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1994. 301 - 314. "Communist Manifesto." In Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Ed. Lawrence H. Simon. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1994. 157 ? 186. "Marginal Notes on Baukunin?s Statism and Anarchy". In Karl Marx: Selected Writings. Ed. Lawrence H. Simon. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1994. 333 ? 338. Tocqueville, Alexis de. Democracy in America. Abridged by Sanford Kessler. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 2000.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 98-101

CHAPTER 98 Robert Langdon regained consciousness with a crippling headache. Where am I? Wherever he was, it was dark. Deep-cave dark, and deathly silent. He was lying on his back with his arms at his side. Confused, he tried moving his fingers and toes, relieved to find they moved freely with no pain. What happened? With the exception of his headache and the profound darkness, everything seemed more or less normal. Almost everything. Langdon realized he was lying on a hard floor that felt unusually smooth, like a sheet of glass. Stranger still, he could feel that the slick surface was in direct contact with his bare flesh . . . shoulders, back, buttocks, thighs, calves. Am I naked? Puzzled, he ran his hands over his body. Jesus! Where the hell are my clothes? In the darkness, the cobwebs began to lift, and Langdon saw flashes of memory . . . frightening snapshots . . . a dead CIA agent . . . the face of a tattooed beast . . . Langdon's head smashing into the floor. The images came faster . . . and now he recalled the sickening image of Katherine Solomon bound and gagged on the dining-room floor. My God! Langdon sat bolt upright, and as he did, his forehead smashed into something suspended only inches above him. Pain exploded through his skull and he fell back, teetering near unconsciousness. Groggy, he reached up with his hands, groping in the darkness to find the obstacle. What he found made no sense to him. It seemed this room's ceiling was less than a foot above him. What in the world? As he spread his arms to his sides in an attempt to roll over, both of his hands hit sidewalls. The truth now dawned on him. Robert Langdon was not in a room at all. I'm in a box! In the darkness of his small, coffinlike container, Langdon began pounding wildly with his fist. He shouted over and over for help. The terror that gripped him deepened with each passing instant until it was intolerable. I have been buried alive. The lid of Langdon's strange coffin refused to budge, even with the full force of his arms and legs pushing upward in wild panic. The box, from all he could tell, was made of heavy fiberglass. Airtight. Soundproof. Lightproof. Escape-proof. I am going to suffocate alone in this box. He thought of the deep well into which he had fallen as a young boy, and of the terrifying night he spent treading water alone in the darkness of a bottomless pit. That trauma had scarred Langdon's psyche, burdening him with an overwhelming phobia of enclosed spaces. Tonight, buried alive, Robert Langdon was living his ultimate nightmare. Katherine Solomon trembled in silence on the floor of Mal'akh's dining room. The sharp wire around her wrists and ankles had already cut into her, and the slightest movements seemed only to tighten her bonds. The tattooed man had brutally knocked Langdon unconscious and dragged his limp body across the floor along with his leather bag and the stone pyramid. Where they had gone, Katherine had no idea. The agent who had accompanied them was dead. She had not heard a sound in many minutes, and she wondered if the tattooed man and Langdon were still inside the house. She had been trying to scream for help, but with each attempt, the rag in her mouth crept back dangerously closer to her windpipe. Now she felt approaching footsteps on the floor, and she turned her head, hoping against hope that someone was coming to help. The massive silhouette of her captor materialized in the hallway. Katherine recoiled as she flashed on the image of him standing in her family home ten years earlier. He killed my family. Now he strode toward her. Langdon was nowhere to be seen. The man crouched down and gripped her around the waist, hoisting her roughly onto his shoulder. The wire sliced into her wrists, and the rag muffled her muted cries of pain. He carried her down the hallway toward the living room, where, earlier today, the two of them had calmly sipped tea together. Where is he taking me?! He carried Katherine across the living room and stopped directly in front of the large oil painting of the Three Graces that she had admired this afternoon. â€Å"You mentioned you liked this painting,† the man whispered, his lips practically touching her ear. â€Å"I'm glad. It may be the last thing of beauty you see.† With that, he reached out and pressed his palm into the right side of the enormous frame. To Katherine's shock, the painting rotated into the wall, turning on a central pivot like a revolving door. A hidden doorway. Katherine tried to wriggle free, but the man held her firmly, carrying her through the opening behind the canvas. As the Three Graces pivoted shut behind them, she could see heavy insulation on the back of the canvas. Whatever sounds were made back here were apparently not meant to be heard by the outside world. The space behind the painting was cramped, more like a hallway than a room. The man carried her to the far side and opened a heavy door, carrying her through it onto a small landing. Katherine found herself looking down a narrow ramp into a deep basement. She drew a breath to scream, but the rag was choking her. The incline was steep and narrow. The walls on either side were made of cement, awash in a bluish light that seemed to emanate from below. The air that wafted up was warm and pungent, laden with an eerie blend of smells . . . the sharp bite of chemicals, the smooth calm of incense, the earthy musk of human sweat, and, pervading it all, a distinct aura of visceral, animal fear. â€Å"Your science impressed me,† the man whispered as they reached the bottom of the ramp. â€Å"I hope mine impresses you.† CHAPTER 99 CIA field agent Turner Simkins crouched in the darkness of Franklin Park and kept his steady gaze on Warren Bellamy. Nobody had taken the bait yet, but it was still early. Simkins's transceiver beeped, and he activated it, hoping one of his men had spotted something. But it was Sato. She had new information. Simkins listened and agreed with her concern. â€Å"Hold on,† he said. â€Å"I'll see if I can get a visual.† He crawled through the bushes in which he was hiding and peered back in the direction from which he had entered the square. After some maneuvering, he finally opened a sight line. Holy shit. He was staring at a building that looked like an Old World mosque. Nestled between two much larger buildings, the Moorish facade was made of gleaming terra-cotta tile laid in intricate multicolored designs. Above the three massive doors, two tiers of lancet windows looked as if Arabian archers might appear and open fire if anyone approached uninvited. â€Å"I see it,† Simkins said. â€Å"Any activity?† â€Å"Nothing.† â€Å"Good. I need you to reposition and watch it very carefully. It's called the Almas Shrine Temple, and it's the headquarters of a mystical order.† Simkins had worked in the D.C. area for a long time but was not familiar with this temple or any ancient mystical order headquartered on Franklin Square. â€Å"This building,† Sato said, â€Å"belongs to a group called the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.† â€Å"Never heard of them.† â€Å"I think you have,† Sato said. â€Å"They're an appendant body of the Masons, more commonly known as the Shriners.† Simkins shot a dubious glance at the ornate building. The Shriners? The guys who build hospitals for kids? He could imagine no â€Å"order† less ominous sounding than a fraternity of philanthropists who wore little red fezzes and marched in parades. Even so, Sato's concerns were valid. â€Å"Ma'am, if our target realizes that this building is in fact `The Order' on Franklin Square, he won't need the address. He'll simply bypass the rendezvous and go directly to the correct location.† â€Å"My thoughts exactly. Keep an eye on the entrance.† â€Å"Yes, ma'am.† â€Å"Any word from Agent Hartmann in Kalorama Heights?† â€Å"No, ma'am. You asked him to phone you directly.† â€Å"Well, he hasn't.† Odd, Simkins thought, checking his watch. He's overdue. CHAPTER 100 Robert Langdon lay shivering, naked and alone in total blackness. Paralyzed by fear, he was no longer pounding or shouting. Instead, he had closed his eyes and was doing his best to control his hammering heart and his panicked breathing. You are lying beneath a vast, nighttime sky, he tried to convince himself. There is nothing above you but miles of wide-open space. This calming visualization had been the only way he had managed to survive a recent stint in an enclosed MRI machine . . . that and a triple dose of Valium. Tonight, however, the visualization was having no effect whatsoever. The rag in Katherine Solomon's mouth had shifted backward and was all but choking her. Her captor had carried her down a narrow ramp and into a dark basement corridor. At the far end of the hall, she had glimpsed a room lit with an eerie reddish-purple light, but they'd never made it that far. The man had stopped instead at a small side room, carried her inside, and placed her on a wooden chair. He had set her down with her bound wrists behind the chair back so she could not move. Now Katherine could feel the wire on her wrists slicing deeper into her flesh. The pain barely registered next to the rising panic she was feeling over being unable to breathe. The cloth in her mouth was slipping deeper into her throat, and she felt herself gagging reflexively. Her vision started to tunnel. Behind her, the tattooed man closed the room's lone door and flipped on the light. Katherine's eyes were watering profusely now, and she could no longer differentiate objects in her immediate surroundings. Everything had become a blur. A distorted vision of colorful flesh appeared before her, and Katherine felt her eyes starting to flutter as she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. A scale-covered arm reached out and yanked the rag from her mouth. Katherine gasped, inhaling deep breaths, coughing and choking as her lungs flooded with precious air. Slowly, her vision began to clear, and she found herself looking into the demon's face. The visage was barely human. Blanketing his neck, face, and shaved head was an astounding pattern of bizarre tattooed symbols. With the exception of a small circle on top of his head, every inch of his body appeared to be decorated. A massive double-headed phoenix on his chest glared at her through nipple eyes like some kind of ravenous vulture, patiently waiting for her death. â€Å"Open your mouth,† the man whispered. Katherine stared at the monster with total revulsion. What? â€Å"Open your mouth,† the man repeated. â€Å"Or the cloth goes back in.† Trembling, Katherine opened her mouth. The man extended his thick, tattooed index finger, inserting it between her lips. When he touched her tongue, Katherine thought she would vomit. He extracted his wet finger and raised it to the top of his shaved head. Closing his eyes, he massaged her saliva into his small circular patch of untattooed flesh. Repulsed, Katherine looked away. The room in which she was sitting appeared to be a boiler room of some sort–pipes on the walls, gurgling sounds, fluorescent lights. Before she could take in her surroundings, though, her gaze stopped dead on something beside her on the floor. A pile of clothing–turtleneck, tweed sport coat, loafers, Mickey Mouse watch. â€Å"My God!† She wheeled back to the tattooed animal before her. â€Å"What have you done with Robert?!† â€Å"Shh,† the man whispered. â€Å"Or he'll hear you.† He stepped to one side and motioned behind him. Langdon was not there. All Katherine saw was a huge black fiberglass box. Its shape bore an unsettling resemblance to the heavy crates in which corpses were shipped back from war. Two massive clasps firmly locked the box shut. â€Å"He's inside?!† Katherine blurted. â€Å"But . . . he'll suffocate!† â€Å"No, he won't,† the man said, pointing to a series of transparent pipes that ran along the wall into the bottom of the crate. â€Å"He'll only wish he could.† In total darkness, Langdon listened intently to the muffled vibrations he now heard from the outside world. Voices? He began pounding on the box and shouting at the top of his lungs. â€Å"Help! Can anyone hear me?!† Far off, a muted voice called out. â€Å"Robert! My God, no! NO!† He knew the voice. It was Katherine, and she sounded terrified. Even so, it was a welcome sound. Langdon drew a breath to call out to her, but he stopped short, feeling an unexpected sensation at the back of his neck. A faint breeze seemed to be emanating from the bottom of the box. How is that possible? He lay very still, taking stock. Yes, definitely. He could feel the tiny hairs on the back of his neck being tickled by air movement. Instinctively, Langdon began feeling along the floor of the box, searching for the source of the air. It took only a moment to locate. There's a tiny vent! The small perforated opening felt similar to a drain plate on a sink or tub, except that a soft, steady breeze was now coming up through it. He's pumping air in for me. He doesn't want me to suffocate. Langdon's relief was short-lived. A terrifying sound was now emanating up through the holes in the vent. It was the unmistakable gurgle of flowing liquid . . . coming his way. Katherine stared in disbelief at the clear shaft of liquid that was progressing down one of the pipes toward Langdon's crate. The scene looked like some kind of twisted stage magician's act. He's pumping water into the crate?! Katherine strained at her bonds, ignoring the deep bite of the wires around her wrists. All she could do was look on in panic. She could hear Langdon pounding in desperation, but as the water reached the underside of the container, the pounding stopped. There was a moment of terrified silence. Then the pounding started again with renewed desperation. â€Å"Let him out!† Katherine begged. â€Å"Please! You can't do this!† â€Å"Drowning is a terrible death, you know.† The man spoke calmly as he paced around her in circles. â€Å"Your assistant, Trish, could tell you that.† Katherine heard his words, but she could barely process them. â€Å"You may remember that I almost drowned once,† the man whispered. â€Å"It was on your family's estate in Potomac. Your brother shot me, and I fell through the ice, out at Zach's bridge.† Katherine glared at him, filled with loathing. The night you killed my mother. â€Å"The gods protected me that night,† he said. â€Å"And they showed me the way . . . to become one of them.† The water gurgling into the box behind Langdon's head felt warm . . . body temperature. The fluid was already several inches deep and had completely swallowed the back of his naked body. As it began creeping up his rib cage, Langdon felt a stark reality closing in fast. I'm going to die. With renewed panic, he raised his arms and began pounding wildly again. CHAPTER 101 â€Å"You've got to let him out!† Katherine begged, crying now. â€Å"We'll do whatever you want!† She could hear Langdon pounding more frantically as the water flowed into his container. The tattooed man just smiled. â€Å"You're easier than your brother. The things I had to do to get Peter to tell me his secrets . . .† â€Å"Where is he?!† she demanded. â€Å"Where is Peter?! Tell me! We did exactly what you wanted! We solved the pyramid and–â€Å" â€Å"No, you did not solve the pyramid. You played a game. You withheld information and brought a government agent to my home. Hardly behavior I intend to reward.† â€Å"We didn't have a choice,† she replied, choking back the tears. â€Å"The CIA is looking for you. They made us travel with an agent. I'll tell you everything. Just let Robert out!† Katherine could hear Langdon shouting and pounding in the crate, and she could see the water flowing through the pipe. She knew he didn't have a lot of time. In front of her, the tattooed man spoke calmly, stroking his chin. â€Å"I assume there are agents waiting for me at Franklin Square?† Katherine said nothing, and the man placed his massive palms on her shoulders, slowly pulling her forward. With her arms still wire-bound be hind the chair back, her shoulders strained, burning with pain, threatening to dislocate. â€Å"Yes!† Katherine said. â€Å"There are agents at Franklin Square!† He pulled harder. â€Å"What is the address on the capstone?† The pain in her wrists and shoulders grew unbearable, but Katherine said nothing. â€Å"You can tell me now, Katherine, or I'll break your arms and ask you again.† â€Å"Eight!† she gasped in pain. â€Å"The missing number is eight! The capstone says: `The secret hides within The Order–Eight Franklin Square!' I swear it. I don't know what else to tell you! It's Eight Franklin Square!† The man still did not release her shoulders. â€Å"That's all I know!† Katherine said. â€Å"That's the address! Let go of me! Let Robert out of that tank!† â€Å"I would . . .† the man said, â€Å"but there's one problem. I can't go to Eight Franklin Square without being caught. Tell me, what's at that address?† â€Å"I don't know!† â€Å"And the symbols on the base of the pyramid? On the underside? Do you know their meaning?† â€Å"What symbols on the base?† Katherine had no idea what he was talking about. â€Å"The bottom has no symbols. It's smooth, blank stone!† Apparently immune to the muffled cries for help emanating from the coffinlike crate, the tattooed man calmly padded over to Langdon's day-bag and retrieved the stone pyramid. Then he returned to Katherine and held it up before her eyes so she could see the base. When Katherine saw the engraved symbols, she gasped in bewilderment. But . . . that's impossible! The bottom of the pyramid was entirely covered with intricate carvings. There was nothing there before! I'm sure of it! She had no idea what these symbols could possibly mean. They seemed to span every mystical tradition, including many she could not even place. Total chaos. â€Å"I . . . have no idea what this means,† she said. â€Å"Nor do I,† her captor said. â€Å"Fortunately, we have a specialist at our disposal.† He glanced at the crate. â€Å"Let's ask him, shall we?† He carried the pyramid toward the crate. For a brief instant of hope, Katherine thought he was going to unclasp the lid. Instead, he sat calmly on top of the box, reached down, and slid a small panel to one side, revealing a Plexiglas window in the top of the tank. Light! Langdon covered his eyes, squinting into the ray of light that now streamed in from above. As his eyes adjusted, hope turned to confusion. He was looking up through what appeared to be a window in the top of his crate. Through the window, he saw a white ceiling and a fluorescent light. Without warning, the tattooed face appeared above him, peering down. â€Å"Where is Katherine?!† Langdon shouted. â€Å"Let me out!† The man smiled. â€Å"Your friend Katherine is here with me,† the man said. â€Å"I have the power to spare her life. Your life as well. But your time is short, so I suggest you listen carefully.† Langdon could barely hear him through the glass, and the water had risen higher, creeping across his chest. â€Å"Are you aware,† the man asked, â€Å"that there are symbols on the base of the pyramid?† â€Å"Yes!† Langdon shouted, having seen the extensive array of symbols when the pyramid had lain on the floor upstairs. â€Å"But I have no idea what they mean! You need to go to Eight Franklin Square! The answer is there! That's what the capstone–â€Å" â€Å"Professor, you and I both know the CIA is waiting for me there. I have no intention of walking into a trap. Besides, I didn't need the street number. There is only one building on that square that could possibly be relevant–the Almas Shrine Temple.† He paused, staring down at Langdon. â€Å"The Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.† Langdon was confused. He was familiar with the Almas Temple, but he had forgotten it was on Franklin Square. The Shriners are . . . â€Å"The Order†? Their temple sits atop a secret staircase? It made no historical sense whatsoever, but Langdon was in no position at the moment to debate history. â€Å"Yes!† he shouted. â€Å"That must be it! The secret hides within The Order!† â€Å"You're familiar with the building?† â€Å"Absolutely!† Langdon raised his throbbing head to keep his ears above the quickly rising liquid. â€Å"I can help you! Let me out!† â€Å"So you believe you can tell me what this temple has to do with the symbols on the base of the pyramid?† â€Å"Yes! Let me just look at the symbols!† â€Å"Very well, then. Let's see what you come up with.† Hurry! With the warm liquid rising around him, Langdon pushed up on the lid, willing the man to unclasp it. Please! Hurry! But the lid never opened. Instead, the base of the pyramid suddenly appeared, hovering above the Plexiglas window. Langdon stared up in panic. â€Å"I trust this view is close enough for you?†The man held the pyramid in his tattooed hands. â€Å"Think fast, Professor. I'm guessing you have less than sixty seconds.†