The Handmaids Tale Essay Paper Example For Students

The Handmaids Tale Essay Paper As I reading the novel, The handmaid s tale, I recognized the Republic of Gilead, is a country, which is not only under the religious theoretic rule, but also dominated by the masculine power. All the men in the Republic have various of privileges that the women do not have. In the first 100 pages of the novel, I realized handmaids have think about using their bodies to make a deal with those Angle in order to escape from the red center, therefore, it hints from the beginning, men have greater power in the Republic. In the Republic, everybody has been ranked. The ranks of women, like Aunt, Martha, and Wife are specifically gendered words that mark the status of women. Therefore, regardless of her rank, a woman’s central feature is her sex. Even a Wife, the highest-ranking woman in the republic, is defined in relation to a man, her husband. Words such as Commander, Guardian, and Angel name men’s various ranks of power, but the words themselves do not reduce individual men to their sex alone. We will write a custom essay on The Handmaids Tale Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In the novel, we always see those words like unwomen, unbabies but we never see the word like unmen, it means there are no sterile men in the Republic s ideology and only women have defective in the eyes of the Republic s law. Moreover, men in the Republic are not defining through their bodies functions, but women do, the major purpose of women in the Republic is to reproduce baby. If those women fail to produce baby, they will declare as unwomen, and will be sent to the colonies and die in there. In the novel, we can see that all aspects of women s life were being highly regulated, their speech, writing, reading, job, economic independence or even their name. Those handmaids are never given individual names; the Republic regards them as objects or rather as state property and if giving them individual, unchanging names, those will undermine their position as state property. Therefore, the Commander names every Handmaid. (For instance Offred to Of Fred ) The Handmaid s names mark them as the property of the Commanders in whose homes they in currently. Their names will be change again when they move to another new households. I have no experience of living a country like the Republic of Gilead and I think there is no such regime existing on the earth. Nevertheless, indeed, the privilege is existed in all now day societies. Not only between two different genders, but also between dual/multiple groups/classes of people, for instance, rich people dominate the whole state economic and made a bad influence to middle/low classes people; a political party dominated a state, which provide benefit to those who are willing to bound with them and persecuted the other.

USSR.

USSR. In the 1930's, change was a key part of the USSR, as radical changes were taking place in every aspect of peoples lives. In this essay, I will be looking at the extent of the changes that Stalin imposed on the USSR.The driving force behind all of the changes taking place in the USSR was the second revolution or 'the revolution from above', where instead of the population revolting, the top of the hierarchy implemented the revolution by imposing big changes throughout the country, the major change was the removal of capitalism and the re-introduction of socialism through the collectivisation and industrialisation processes, whereby all production in agriculture and industry was made by the population as a whole in collective factories and farms, with all produce going to the state to be 're-distributed'.Here I will examine the first set of changes made by Stalin, economic change.English: Joseph StalinAs I have talked about already, the really major economic change was the switch from capitalism back to socialism. Originally the NEP was still in effect as the remains of Lenin's reign at the top, but Stalin disliked this as it was capitalism which went against his beliefs and policies, so he set about modernising the USSR. He put this plan into practice by collectivising the agricultural industry, by claiming state ownership of all rural land and property, then merging several small privately owned farms into a one large collectivised farm, in these farms, everyone in the local area would work together to create a large amount of produce, which would then be sent away to a headquarters for redistribution and for export.In the industrial sector, socialist ideas were also in place, as in more urban areas, collective factories were established where large scale production took place, similarly...

A Step Up Speech For a 14 Year Old (Student Government) Essay

A Step Up Speech For a 14 Year Old (Student Government) - Essay Example But it never perturbed me because I had amazing mentors around me. They always guided me and encouraged me whenever I consulted them. With each passing year I am becoming more responsible and confident and this is due to the support of the teachers of my school. I will never forget the efforts and love of Ms. Miller and Mr. Neilson who have always been there whenever I needed them. They have always been appurtenance to me who give strength and bring out the best in me and improve my capabilities. Respected Sir and Madam I respect you and will always admire your efforts. Thank you for your love for all these years. My mother has always been hortative. It is due to her support and kindness that I have been able to come this far. Now that I am being promoted to the next and higher level, I am sure that whatever I have learned from the competent faculty I will utilize it effectively in the next four years. I hope by running for the post of President in high school I will be able to make all of you proud of

FDI in Sudan agriculture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

FDI in Sudan agriculture - Research Paper Example However, in subsidiaries, more than 50% of the voting rights must be controlled by the parent company. Foreign direct investment in which the parent enterprise cannot exercise control over the affiliate enterprise is basically termed as a portfolio investment (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2009, pg 17). Moreover, FSI stimulates economic growth in host countries of the affiliate companies. Host countries therefore undertake to attract foreign investors by introducing tax breaks, specific grants and incentives, investment regulation relaxation and enforcing low interest rates on loans to foreign investors. Foreign Direct Investment in Developing countries, Africa and Sudan Foreign direct investment has in the past few years grown considerably, particularly in developing countries’ agricultural sector. Foreign investors view developing countries to have exceptional potential of economic growth. Primarily, multinational companies have significantly increa sed foreign investments in developing countries because of the competitive advantage in their investments. Currently, foreign direct investment in developing countries constitutes sixty one percent of total foreign investments. ... In a move to promote foreign investment in agricultural sector, African governments have undertaken structural adjustment and liberalization of policies to sourcing and marketing inputs and outputs of agriculture both locally and internationally. The governments have also introduced export-processing zones in targeting foreign investors in the agricultural sector (Basu, et al, 2002, pg 12). FDI and Development: Review of the literature Forms of International Investment in Developing Countries International investors may enter foreign markets through trade, foreign direct investment, or international licensing of technology and intellectual property such as copyrights and patents. Each of the above forms is characterized by different levels of involvement, managerial requirements, and commitment in a foreign market (Schaffer, Agusti, and Earle, 2008, pg 6). Trade in foreign markets usually has the least political and legal risks due to its limited involvement in the foreign economy es pecially in the case where a transnational corporation is maintaining sales agents over seas. Trade is used by investors to import items not readily available in the country and export items that are in plenty or not needed. In addition, foreign governments may regulate trade by enacting laws, policies, and import duties. Licensing of technology and intellectual property are substantial assets with legal rights to artistic or written works, name and government grants owned by domestic and international firms. Lastly, foreign direct investment refers to ownership and active control of productive assets by an investor in a foreign country with the expectation of making profits both in the short run and in the long run. Land and environmental

Project Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project - Literature review Example Ennis, (2005) in his journal claim that a range or approaches or theories have been developed concerning attribution, self-efficacy and self-esteem. Self-efficacy is described as the judgment of how well a course of action that is needed in dealing with the eventual situation can be executed by an individual. Kleinbeck, Quast, Thierry, Hacker, & Forschungsgemeinschaft, (2005) expound on Ennis’ definition, by describing it as the confidence of a person in his or her aptitude to the organization and execution of a particular course of action to deal with an issue or execute a job. On the theory of self-efficacy, the writers argue that the major determinant of effort, setting of objectives and persistence is efficacy. The conception suggesting that people with higher self-efficacy are inclined to be more accomplished and motivated on a particular work is supported by empirical research. In addition, self-efficacy has been linked to the application of the cognitive strategies the perceptions of self-efficacy project triumph over the real or actual levels of ability Kleinbeck, Quast, Thierry, Hacker, & Forschungsgemeinschaft, (2005). Moreover, another concept in the motivation field is about the locus of control (Denton, 2002). In this concept, people should be more motivated in a manner such that they are made to feel like they are in control and ownership of their failures as well as successes. In addition, in one formulation of the theory of control, we find that one of the three fundamental psychological requirements, together with relatedness and competence is independence. It is within this structure or context that the personal differences in the degree to which these fundamental requirements are accomplished are in compliance with the variation with the motivation levels. Nonetheless, the locus of control has a close relationship with the attributions concept. Attributions are the beliefs of a person as regards the causes of a bad or good performance. There are numerous kinds of attributions, and these include ability, lack and effort (Denton, 2002). In the ‘Motivation in the real world’ text by Gellerman (1992), we are told that the most effectual systems of motivation in flourishing and successful organization in the United States are benefit programs and good pay, selectivity in the process of hiring, as well as the encourage of employment on long term basis. Some other means are flexible policy implementation, cooperative groups or even none at all, as well as a rational policy that puts the motivation of employees above any other thing Gellerman (1992). However, in the ‘Understanding Employee Motivation’ a research by Lindner (1998), factors of motivation are put or arranged in order or importance. The first one is interesting work, followed by good pay and lastly full appreciation or recognizing of the job done. Coming next is job security or assurance, good conditions for working, growth and prom otions in the corporation. Ranking low on the list is individual loyalty to the workers, sympathetic help with individual problems and considerate disciple. Some other ways that can be used to increase the motivation of workers is promotions, enlargement of jobs, external and internal stipends, rewards and job enrichment. To make work more interesting to the workers, job enlargement is the best approach as it increases the variety and number of

Company analysis of NUMICO

Company analysis of NUMICO NUMICO came into existence in the year 1896 when Mr Martinus van der Hagen secured all rights of a formula for infant milk from cows milk. His operation was based in The Hague in The Netherlands. In 20th century company changed the named to Nutricia but in the year 1997 when company received the designation Royal then its name changed to NUMICO NV. Recent Past of NUMICO: Strategic Corporate Development History For nearly 5 decades NUMICO worked with corporate strategy of trying to build themselves on only one baby product with limited exports. In 1946 company introduced another product but in the local market only. NUMICO for a long time tried to develop the new strategy after their first initial success in 19th century. Launching new product was not a brilliant idea though it was a sustainable decision. Usually companies spend millions of dollar developing the product and this would take some years to recover. As product development was not enough to grow in multiple folds so company made many acquisitions in different geographies. The result at the end of year 2006 was NUMICOs presence in more than 100 countries with plethora of products to sell. Products were bifurcated among different divisions like clinical nutritional products went under brands such as Nutrison, peptisorb etc. Revenue and profit margin both increased because of acquisition. Acquisitions can get a limited and desired level of success and to keep growing even NUMICO invested heavily in research development. Strategic alliance with industry giants, universities and government helped NUMICOs cause. Research development wing of NUMICO attracted the best and on a regular basis filed for the patents. NUMICO Acquisition strategy in 1998, 1999 2000 To exploit linkages between the organisation and its environment NUMICO adopted Medical Platform Marketing. NUMICO moved from supermarket shelves to practitioners clinics. Now, products for vulnerable people were prescribed by doctors. Expenses on research and development were forcing NUMICO to reach new places to recover the cost. In 1998 annual report NUMICO was a multinational company focusing on the development, production and sales of nutritional medical concepts with a great value addition. Strategy of NUMICO as per annual report of 1998 mentioned in the case study* by Eppink was as follows: The strategy of NUMICO is focused on specialisation, continuing internationalisation and profitable growth, partly by acquisitions as wll as by strategic alliances, and safeguarding the highest quality in all stages of production and services. As per the turnover in 1998, NUMICOs major revenue generating business still was infant food which was sold maximum in Western Europe which was experiencing the major falling birth rates and an ageing population. After analysing the market NUMICO bought few European companies to expand in profitable areas. In 1999, NUMICO acquired a company bigger than them in terms of production revenue. When NUMICO bought General Nutrition Companies (GNC) of Pittsburgh (USA) it was the largest manufacturer of nutritional product in the world with a stronghold in sports-nutrition market. It was a win-win situation for both the organisations where GNC was gaining from NUMICOs research to enhance their product range NUMICO could gain from the distribution network of GNC. Press release explained the reason of this acquisition which was to achieve the global market dominance.1 Acquisition was on the cards for the third year as well when NUMICO snapped Enrich International Rexall Sundown in 2000. Unlike GNC Enrich was in the business of nutritional supplements personal care products with an in house RD department for product development. Again unlike GMC, Enrich was in 10 more countries with a global distribution system. Rexall Sundown another US based organisation was acquired by NUMICo. Rexall like Enrich was a producer of nutritional supplements as well as consumer health products. NUMICO acquired another business which has got nothing to do with their main business interest like GMC. A press release describes the reason of acquisition which was again to get the pole position in the market.2 Acquisition of new businesses far from NUMICOs main business made NUMICO its own rival because NUMICO already had the presence in the market. However, Rexall could exploit the European market because of NUMICOs distribution network present in Europe. At this point in time, NUMICO was confused in their approach because two competitors (Enrich Rexall) were working under one roof and serving the same market. Strategist might have analysed the more competition less co-operation among the two brands. To make operation smoother and to serve their customers better NUMICO merged the Enrich Rexall in one new separate entity by the name Unicity. Strategy evaluation: From day one and for a long period of time NUMICO operated with one product because of which they never realised their potential as a standalone entity to grow. After not getting desired success till the end of 20th century NUMICO realised alone they cannot get the global position in market. At this position, they might have done PEST analysis to judge the environment affecting them. Even SWOT could be used as a tool to know the strong areas where they can build the future empire. PEST might have shown them that they are not functional in future markets where they can grow faster than their current strong hold markets like Western Europe. PEST can cover issues from demography to social technological changes like declining birth rates to e-commerce. By applying SWOT, one can know that NUMICO always regarded the RD as an important activity which they wont give up at any cost. Thus, they identified RD was their strength where they can build their future. Michael Porters 5 forces theory could have also applied in this case study to know why NUMICO only adopted the acquisition route. As the case study explains NUMICO was operating in such an environment where the small players could have changed the entire game. The threat from existing players and new comers was massive moreover small players were taking the competition to all geographies. Hence to enhance the global position in the market NUMICO adopted the acquisition route. Acquiring GMC was a sensible move it was reducing the competition and on the other hand it was enhancing the performance but acquiring Rexall Enrich was not at all a brilliant move. Reason being, it stretches the operational efficiency because NUMICO was not in the same domain with them. *case study (Do the Harvard referencing because I am not aware of the source) 1) Just the last line need referencing from the case study. 2) Press release in the case study Current Strategic Situation: Acquisitions in a field which was not related with their main business interest left them in a position between the pharmaceutical market and the food market. To avoid the stuck in the middle situation usually organisations adopts the Michael Porters (1998), generic strategies which is as follow: Figure: Competitive advantage Source: tutor2u.net (Accessed on: 20/03/2011) Cost Leadership: In this strategy, organisation aims to be the lowest cost producer to gain the maximum share in the market. To achieve this position organisation drive the cost down through sourcing the cheapest raw material labour cost. NUMICO was not trying to achieve the cost leadership because case study shows that they were aiming for high margin business. Hence, cost leadership is not NUMICOs domain. Differentiation: As the name suggests, in this strategy, organisations aim to be different from their competitors. Differentiation provides a competitive advantage to organisations which helped them to charge a premium price for their products services. If we look at NUMICO case study we will find that they started with one product due to patents they held the ground for long time. One product was sufficient with a patent to create the differentiation but later they acquired so many organisations which could provide them distribution network penetration in the foreign market. Acquisition which they made was not only in their own domain and at this point they started losing the gained differentiation. From super stores shelves to general practitioner prescription, move was certainly adopted to make a differentiation but due to diversified businesses it confused the distribution points. Differentiation did not pay off well because by 1998 their major revenue generator was still infant formula. Niche strategies: Here the organisation function in one specific segment and try their best to become the best provider of products services. To work in this kind of strategy organisations need to be either cost efficient or different from other players like Rolls Royce in the car market. NUMICOs acquisition exercise took them into various domains but still they tried to call themselves a Medical Platform Marketing. One platform for medical assistance to those who are vulnerable didnt work well because of plethora of products. However, from NUMICOs perspective they focused on specialisation with profitable growth. STUCK IN THE MIDDLE: NUMICO got involved in series of acquisition related unrelated to their main business interest because of which they are facing the stuck in the middle situation. To simplify the situation they tried to bring all the diversified business interests under one roof. Things are still confusing because they wanted to build on nutritional field but due to acquisitions they are working in nutritional supplements fields as well. Moreover, they acquired two competitors (Enrich Rexall) and left them in the field to compete with each other. It took some time to bring both of them under one brand name and by that time both of them did enough damage to each other. Now, NUMICO is stuck between the pharmaceutical market the food market because of their confused approach. Lot of unwise decision made which resulted in head on collusion with giants of pharmacy food business like Novartis Nestle. NUMICO always wanted to sell clinical diet foods but because of their acquisitions they are not focusing on their main stream business. NUMICO bought the US operations not to sell what they were doing before acquisition e.g. vitamins. Rather than turning them into NUMICOs regular business NUMICO started looking after their operations. First an industry expert noticed that NUMICO is facing challenges because they are not performing only in their traditional markets. Company was stuck in the middle because it was facing challenges from giants minnows at the same time. New markets where they were operative due to acquisitions were full of small players. In addition to that threat from new entrants was massive. NUMICOs strategy needed a review before they lose the global position. Strategy review: In the year 2000, NUMICOs board of directors recognised the risks from existing strategy. NUMICO due to acquisition was not paying enough attention to their cash cow i.e. infant products and now strength of NUMICO is making them vulnerable. NUMICO is a European organisation they maintain balance sheet in euro and any PEST affect in USA operation can cause serious problem to their business figures. Operation overseas involves exchange risk as well. Last but not the least even NUMICOs board realised that they are confused in approach. NUMICO was not all stuck in the middle because organisations who face this kind of situation usually subject to a takeover or merger. Finally when NUMICOs board realised the drawback associated with the strategy they should take this opportunity to reduce or eliminate the risk. Strategy review due to certain events: In the year 2001, after 1 year of realisation, company saw themselves in hot waters due to economic slowdown in the USA. In addition to slowdown, demand for nutrition herbs were plummeting too with an increased competition from low price manufacturers. Its not only NUMICO which was facing the heat but the whole sector was losing the effectiveness. If NUMICO would have done the PESTEL analysis then they could have avoided this slowdown and competition because they never saw this slowdown coming into the picture. It is necessary to explore the competitive environment to develop sustainable competitive advantage. NUMICO response to events: NUMICOs response to the situation was not at all proactive. NUMICO response was reactive that to after negative growth. CEO was asked to mind the traditional new business but not to take any other big projects. US operations gave back to back management problems to CEO which resulted in his resignation in May 2002. New CEO bifurcated the operations in three divisions and for the first time they adopted a specific approach to tackle each brand. In other words, NUMICO changed the corporate strategy to unit level strategy to take care of each business. In the year 2002, NUMICO got bad news from all the quarters of business and to make the situation worse exchange rate of US dollar was changing frequently against euro. Finally, NUMICO announced the sale of Rexall Sundown GNC to focus on high-growth/high-margin businesses of baby food and clinical nutrition. Both the brands increased the performance of its new owner. Strategic Direction for the future: After divestment, NUMICO should think about the future. Company can use BCG Matrix to determine what is to be done to remaining product portfolio. NUMICO already dumped the low-growth/low-margin products, so now; they can concentrate on long term value creations through developing high-growth/high margin products. Stars of NUMICO: NUMICOs star was infant product but due to lot of exposure in low birth rate countries their business was declining at an alarming rate. NUMICO can utilise the some money which they received from divestment to expand in those countries where birth rate is much better than Western countries like India China. For infant products, long ago NUMICO used to command premium price because of RD patents. Cash Cow of NUMICO: NUMICO should turn their infant product into cash cow by offering cost leadership. After gaining the cost leadership NUMICO can go back to their golden days. To achieve the cost leadership NUMICO doesnt have to invest heavily on supply chain because they have everything which it takes to get the advantage. Dogs of NUMICO: NUMICO already sold the Dogs from their product portfolio now they should not repeat this mistake by taking over another non-business interest investment. Question marks of NUMICO: NUMICO should avoid this block by focusing on cash cows star blocks. Imagine a scenario; if they dont pay much attention now on finding new markets for infant products then they might end-up in this block because western market has declined in term of birth rate and they already sold the maximum distribution points of GMC Rexall in USA. Hence, they should take actions on urgent basis to avoid question mark. Figure: BCG Matrix Source: www.tellingthestory.typepad.com Accessed on: 20/03/2011 BCG matrix can help in understanding the mistakes done in past to fit an all approach strategy for future. BCG matrix is not free from flaws but it certainly explains what to do what not to do. To bring back the growth back into the books of NUMICO they should adopt Ansoff Growth Matrix. As per Lynch (2006), the market options matrix examines the options available to the organisation from a broader strategic perspective than the simple market/product matrix (called in some texts the Ansoff Matrix). Figure: Ansoff matrix Source: www.cipher-sys.com Accessed on: 20/03/2011 As per Ansoff matrix, NUMICO can go for market penetration. It will be like without disturbing the companys existing range of products or services and perhaps it can attract current customers as well. Things can backfire if market penetration is planned for new customers only. For example, mobile companies offer brilliant price plans to retain the existing customer. Market penetration is smooth when the market is growing. Existing organisations with low relative market share in a booming market have little to lose but NUMICO has high relative share and if they dont attract their current as well as new customers then they might lose whatever they are holding till now. Market development using existing products could be a strategic route but for this approach they should not disturb the existing customer focus. In NUMICOs case, they should take infant products to those countries where birth rate is better than Western Europe and USA. NUMICO can slightly repackage the product then can promote to a new market segment. Product development for the existing market can be possible for NUMICO because they have their own RD centres where they can develop new concepts. NUMICO should do optimum utilisation of their all resources to counter competitive entry. NUMICOs RD centres can help them to maintain the companys stance as innovator. Diversification is not needed according to case study because they have just finished the sale of GMC Rexall. Other Strategic Options: Organic growth: NUMICO should start the change from with-in and build itself from scratch and this time they should stick to the core business. Acquisitions Mergers: NUMICO can acquire the rival business or merge with one of its rival from core business market to gain the lost momentum. Strategic Alliances: NUMICO can make some strategic alliances with few government bodies in developing countries. Licensing: NUMICO can sell their patent license or lease to its competitors to build a business from their intellectual properties. Recommendations: NUMICO needs to pursue a growth strategy in a structured way the methods by which the market opportunities associated with strategy options might be achieved. NUMICO should treat their RD outputs as their assets which they can sell in market to claim a tag of future business. Investors like to associate themselves with future markets because they know their money can take them to new avenues with high returns. NUMICO was a leader in RD and infant products but all was lost because of acquisitions in foreign un-related markets products. This time they should build themselves related to their core-strength. For RD, they hired PHD passed-outs but they never presented themselves as a smart organisation which they should focus this time. Current generation would like to associate themselves with smart organisations like Google Apple. NUMICO should aim for future parents who will buy their products services. Given the amount of analysis that can potentially be undertaken, merger with other competitors is highly recommended. Mergers are similar to acquisitions like combining two companies. However, merger can happen in one scenario where both the parties cannot take over each other. This can be a friendly hand but still a special care will be always required. Merger should be sone before identifying the strategic issues. Mergers are never meant to lose the total control of the company but to gain new markets new customers. None of the evidence suggests till date that merger is a value addition but neither has it suggested any failure when both partners are same in size. Merger might not a big value to NUMICO but it can enhance the performance. Although NUMICO can still grow as a stand alone business but to take their research in right path they need a right partner. Partner especially with same business interest but with more distribution points in desired locations can do wonders for NUMICO. NUMICO always had RD centres but they never capitalised on that asset perhaps a partner can take that advantage or turn it into their competitive advantage.

The History of Linux Essays -- essays research papers

It all began in 1991, during the time of monumental computing development. DOS had been bought from a Seattle hacker by Bill Gates, for a sum of $50,000 – a small price for an operating system that had managed sneak its way across the globe due to a clever marketing strategy. Apple’s OS and UNIX were both available, though the cost of running either was far greater than that of running DOS. Enter MINIX, an operating system developed from the ground up by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, a college professor. MINIX was part of a lesson plan used to teach students the inner-workings of an operating system. Tanenbaum had written a book on MINIX called â€Å"Operating System† and anyone who had picked up a copy would find the 12,000 lines of code that comprised MINIX itself. This was a big issue; due to the fact that all know (well published) operating systems to that point had been well guarded by software developers, thus making it difficult for people to truly expand on opera ting system mechanics. Then came Linus Benedict Torvalds. At the time he was a sophomore majoring in Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, his hobby also included computer programming. At 21 he found himself spending most of his time toying with computer systems, trying to see what he could do in order to push their limits and increase their functionality. The key missing in his tests was an operating system that had the flexibility craved for by professionals. MINIX was available, though it was still just a stu...