If you were a legislator in the New York State Legislature, would you Essay - 1

If you were a legislator in the New York State Legislature, would you vote to uphold or repeal this latest tax increase Why - Essay Example The NY excise tax increase is now considered the highest excise tax imposed by a state on cigarettes and tobaccos (NCSL 2010 p. 2). Opponents of the tax increase argue that it is inherently regressive because it affects the ‘have-nots’ more than it does the ‘haves.’ Furthermore, these increases are said to be defeating their purpose, which is to raise revenues, because they can drive away potential customers who may altogether quit smoking or who may use backdoor sources to obtain their fix. On the other hand, proponents of the tax measure, specifically the legislators, contend that it will help keep New York sustain and maintain its health care programs (Confessore 2010). The biggest argument, however, for the measure comes from health advocates and researchers who are extolling the tax increase as a vehicle for compelling smokers to quit the habit and ultimately saving more lives. If I were a member of the New York Legislature, I too, would have supported and voted for the passage of the latest round of excise tax increases on cigarettes and tobacco because it will ultimately redound to the good and welfare of the public. First, it is good for the public health because of the possibility of reducing smoking prevalence especially of the young, who are unwilling or unable to shoulder the rising cost of the habit, and; second, if it could not compel a significant number of smokers to quit, then the government will get to achieve its purpose of raising revenues to fund its health-related programs. That smoking is deadly not only to the person smoking but also to the people around him is already an established fact. This is evinced by the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MAS) where top tobacco and cigarette producers agreed to compensate, in perpetuity, billions of dollars to a considerable number of states for the costs expended by the latter in the care of individuals suffering from smoking-related illnesses (A Broken Promise to our

Plato - Socrates Essay Example for Free

Plato Socrates Essay Apology, in greek, means ‘to give defense’ (###). In Plato’s Apology, Socrates is blamed for numerous acts and elegantly defends himself in front of the court. To start off, he was first accused of studying astrology and demonology and passing his knowledge and beliefs to other people. His first response to this was blatantly asking who has heard him speaking of such acts: â€Å"†¦should tell each other if anyone of you has ever heard me discussing such subjects to any extent at all† (19d). He also claims that if anyone has heard of him charging fees for his teachings, that that is a lie as well. Socrates continues by saying that god at Delphi claims that he is the wisest man in Athens, and he challenges anyone who believes they are wiser. Even though Meletus refuses to believe the words that Socrates speaks, he continues to listen as Socrates further explains his viewpoint. Socrates continues by saying that the reason behind his unpopularity lies behind his ability to analyze others. He criticizes the politicians, the poets, and the craftsmen for their apparent wisdom. Socrates first examines the Politicians, saying that â€Å"†¦I found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (22a) meaning that they possessed little to no wisdom. Next, Socrates examined the Poets. He simply stated that the poets had no clue what they were writing about. He believes that their poems come from sheer inspiration and natural talents, and their wisdom has nothing to do with it. Finally, Socrates speaks about the craftsmen. He shares his belief that the craftsmen are very wise, but they only possess knowledge of their crafts. Secondly, Socrates was accused of corrupting the minds of the young. Meletus originally claimed that only Socrates is guilty of corrupting the minds of the youth. Socrates asks Meletus a few questions such as: Who improves the young? In which Meletus responds by telling Socrates that the law is held responsible for improving the law. Socrates then follows up by asking who contains the knowledge of the law? : Where Meletus answers with the jurymen, audience, members of council, etc. Socrates then summarizes all of the premises for Meletus by concluded that everyone in Athens besides Socrates improves the young. Socrates continues his argument with an analogy. He uses an anaglogy involving a horse trainer. He states that there are very few horse trainers who are experts in their field, and their job is to improve them to the best of their abilities. If an ordinary person, one whom isn’t trained on horses, were attempt to train a horse, they would simply only make matters worse. What Socrates is trying to say here is that ther are very few ‘trainers’ that train people, and contrary to Meletus’s beleifs, Socrates is one of those trainers. Socrates quickly turns the boat around towards Meletus and claims that he has never given any thought towards the youth. He then continues to upgrade his argument by saying that most people, if not all, would rather live in a town full of good people rather than bad: â€Å"Do not the wicked do some harm to those who are ever closest to them, whereas good people benefit them? † (25c). This quote shows how he agrees with the previous statement that most people would rather live with good people. He states here that bad people will harm the ones that are closest to them, whereas good people will only bring them goodness. Socrates then follows up on his argument by repeating Meletus’s thoughts that he, Socrates, intentionally corrupted the minds of the young. He concludes by saying that, usually, when people harm another person, a harmful return should be expected. Therefore, if he intentionally harmed the youth, then he would be expected to be harmed as a result. He asks Meletus â€Å"†¦namely that if I make one of my associates wicked I run the risk of being harmed by him so that I do such a great evil deliberately, as you say? † (25e). Here, Socrates explains that if he were to harm another person, then he would be subjected to harm himself, and what person would subject themselves to harm in the first place? Socrates finalizes his attack on the second charge by saying that he’s either innocent of corrupting the youth, or he did so unintentionally. If he was found guilty, however, then he should rather be taught than to be subjected to the court. `In my eyes, Socrates argument was relatively strong here. During his speech, Socrates quickly turns to focus of his argument to the inconsistency of the charge and his belief in new spiritual things. He addresses Meletus’s belief in spiritual things by saying that it is a contradiction to atheism. Socrates justifies his beliefs by saying that you can’t believe in human activities but not believe in humans, or believe in flute-playing but not believe in the existence of flutes. Therefore, Socrates concludes by saying that you can’t believe in spiritual activity but not believe in spirits. He also makes his argument stronger by mocking the court in a sense with strong irony. In the beginning of The Apology, Socrates was being charged of impiety, using rhetoric to potentially acknowledge the truth behind the lies of the law. Reading about Socrates, it is clearly shown that he is quite fond of exposing the truth, making him a prime example of a rhetorician. In order to turn his case around in the court, Socrates uses rhetoric to defend himself. Since he saw no way out of the situation, he decided to complement his character and keep to his traditional ways. However, towards the end of the argument, Socrates seems to lose focus and his argument becomes less and less stable. In Crito, Socrates was given the death sentenced, and when the opportunity arised for an escape, he refused. Crito gave him numerous reasons as to why Socrates should escape. First, Socrates would be abandoning his wife and children. Secondly, people are willing to pay his way out of jail, that way he wouldn’t be in debt. Also, if he didn’t escape, Crito worries what people would think of Socrates’ companions. He is worried that the situation would reflect badly on them, that they did nothing to help Socrates escape. As well as deserting his wife and children, Crito believes that Socrates will also be deserting himself. After all he has believed in and persevered through, Crito doesn’t want Socrates to give up now. Finally, People are willing to risk themselves to help him escape from prison. Crito thinks that since Socrates has so many reasons to escape, that he should quickly act upon the situation. After Crito delivers his five reasons as to why Socrates should escape, Socrates states two different premises as to why he should stay in jail and accept his punishment. First, he defends himself against Crito’s speech. He first questions whether or not he should remain in prison and accept all punishments against him, or agree with Crito and escape. He states that if he were to escape from prison, then he would be saying that it is acceptable to perform injustice acts. He then corrects the statement by saying that no matter what the issue is, it’s unacceptable to wrong against any man. Following up, Socrates states that if one were to agree over something, then under no circumstances should that agreement be broken or cheated on. While Socrates is living in Athens, he is agreeing to all of the rules and regulations that the law presents. If he doesn’t agree with the laws, then he has the choice of leaving in pursuit of a new city or challenge the law itself. If he doesn’t perform either of these acts, then he is subjective to the laws of the city. Socrates then combines all of these premises to come to the conclusion that he should accept his punishments and refrain from escaping. Socrates then lays out his second premise by first stating that if he were to escape, he will then destroy the Law of Athens and the City, something that he promised not to break upon living in the City. At the age of consent, Socrates turned into a man, thus agreeing to the rues and regulations of the city. The law originally allowed his parents to wed and deliver Socrates, and then in turn allowed Socrates to wed and have children. So far, the Law of Athens have done nothing but help the upbringing of Socrates and his children. However, he then states that if the Law and the City’s ruling was unjust, then if Socrates were to escape, he wouldn’t be breaking the Law of Athens. The problem here is that the only way Socrates would be able to prove his ruling unjust is if he was on an equal footing with the Law of Athens or if he did not promise to abide by the Law of Athens and all of its rulings. If he was on an equal footing with the City, then whatever the city would do to Socrates, Socrates could do the city, which is inaccurate. After all, the city is responsible for the upbringing of Socrates and his family. Since he isn’t on an equal footing, and he did promise to follow all of the rules and regulations of the City, Socrates concludes by saying that the ruling of the jury was accurate. Socrates addresses the first three arguments of Crito by saying that they are irrelevant to whether or not his escaping is right or wrong. Secondly, Socrates says that although that remaining arguments are valid, the do not give good enough reasons. In Crito, the city is wronging Socrates by order of execution. Therefore, by complying to the wrong accusation, is Socrates committing an unjust act as well? With all of the arguments Socrates has made so far (one has to keep his promise, one should follow the rules of the Law, one should never commit wrongdoing), he cannot admit it. Another validation issue in Socrates’ argument is the potential contradiction with The Apology. In The Apology, Socrates states that under no circumstances will he obey any order to stop philosophizing: â€Å"Gentlemen of the jury, I am grateful and I am your friend, but I will obey the god rather than you, and as long as I draw breath and am able, I shall not cease to practice philosophy.. † (29d). Another example that seems to be contradictory in his beleifs in Crito is the story of Leon form Salamis. Socrates was ordered to bring in Leon for a possible execution, but instead headed home. â€Å"Then I showed again, not in words bu in action, that, it if were not rather vulgar to say so, death is something I couldn’t care less about, but that my whole concern is not to do anything unjust or impious† (32c-e). Here, Socrates shows how he refused to do something that he believes to be unjust. Relating this back to his situation in Crito, Socrates was being punished for being unjust, thus putting him in the same position as Leon. In Crito, he shows his obligation to obey the Law of Athens, even if that meant he was going to stop philosophizing as well as being wrongfully executed. In Phaedo, Cebes and Socrates have a long a thorough conversation of the existence of the soul. Cebes’s argument is that the soul is recycled through different bodies. However, the more times the soul is reused, then more it is damaged. Cebes believes that when the soul eventually runs out, it will result in the death of a birth. He finishes his argument by telling Socrates that unless you can prove that the soul is immortal, every man must be fearful of his soul and what will happen to it if it is reensouled. Thus, if anyone was to face death with confidence would be considered unwise. Socrates follows up with his New Method of Hypothesis. Here, he states that everyone is participating in a certain form, whether it’s the form of tallness, the form of beautiful, etc. : â€Å"I assume the existence of a Beautiful, itself, of a good and a Great and all the rest† (100b). He believes that the form of Beautiful is made up of participates, and that they all come together to create the form. Socrates also comes up with the Exclusion of Opposites. Here, he states that everything that is condisered a ‘universal fact’, will never have both itself and it’s opposite simultaneously. Socrates uses the example of the Form of Tallness, saying that one can’t possess both the Form of Tallness and the Form of Shortness. What he means here is that you can’t be both tall and short at the same time. He continues on by saying that certain states of affairs have opposites, but their character is made up of the opposite that they possess. As his argument goes on, Socrates states that the soul brings to body life as well as anything that it possesses. If this is true, then that would mean that the soul is immortal, always reensouling another body. This is unlike what Cebes said, since he was convinced that the more times the soul possessed a new body, then the sould would become weaker and eventually cease to exist. Following up on Socrates’s argument, if the soul never dies, then that you mean that it is imperishable. In conclusion, Socrates can say that the soul is abiding.

Conventional Plastic Films vs Sustainable Films Essay -- Environment,

Sustainability has become and important issue in the world as the Green Movement continues to gain popularity. One area where research is being conducted to find a more sustainable production process is plastic films. Plastic films are defined as a packaging material, usually less than ten mils (a mil is 0.001 inch) in thickness, with an average of 0.7–1.5 mils, that can be used as a bag or wrapper. They are composed of a broad range of materials, which can be simple or complex depending on what a particular product or package demands (Osborn & Jenkins, 1992). There are two main categories of films used in packaging, conventional films and sustainable films. Conventional plastic films are much more widely used and have a larger market than sustainable films. The film can be made with different resins, each of which have unique structures and are ideal for specific applications. The films can be clear or colored, printed or plain, single- or multilayered and are often combined with other materials such as aluminum and paper. Examples of plastic films usages include Ziploc bags, trash bags, grocery sacks, drycleaner bags, and plastic wrap. The only common characteristic of all plastic conventional film is that it is flexible in nature. The most common resin used to create these plastic film packages is low-density polyethylene (LDPE). As a film LDPE has decent clarity, is a good moisture and gas barrier, and it can be heat sealed while retaining its strength and flexibility. Polypropylene (PP) is also a common resin used to create plastic film. It has an excellent moisture barrier, good transparency, gloss, and tensile strength. The PP resin also has a high melting point, which makes it appropriate for packages that need to be st... ...petroleum, which has been around for significantly longer and has a strong hold on the market. As sustainability continues to become an emerging concern for consumers bio-plastics will grow in importance in the packaging industry. Similar to auto companies who are searching for alternative sources of energy for automobiles, chemical companies are searching for alternatives to manufacture of plastic materials (Perkins & Lindsay, 2011). We have a limited supply of fossil fuels and ate the rate plastic products such as film are being produced and consumed each year, it is hard to say how long they will last. Bio-plastics currently represent only a small fraction of the emerging area of sustainable development, but their usage is growing. There is great potential for bio-plastics as replacements for the less-sustainable fossil fuel based plastics used in plastic film.

Guide to Web Research and MLA Essay

The World Wide Web is the broadest source of information today. Other than this fact, it is also accessible through the computer, given that it has Internet access. Since it has a broad source of information, people use it for academic research, besides its use for entertainment. However, one major problem with Web searches is the published material’s credibility since it is often open to a wide variety of audiences and contributors. Since the students’ reliability on Web research is increasing, then there is a need to address the issue about the web sources’ credibility. One way to ensure the sources’ credibility is to evaluate the details on the website itself—like the author, date published, and web site title. These details can help one to understand the worth and uniqueness of the information on the website since some information tend to be rehashes of the original one. To make things simpler, it is quite advisable to look at academic websites—like university databases—and online scholarly journal sites. Most of the time, the information here is quite credible since the authors from such websites have the credentials to prove their words’ worth. I believe everyone already had their fair share of frustration from web research. More often than not, the information that appears on the first page tend to come from websites ranging from slightly reliable to non-reliable. Other than that, I have also encountered links to websites wherein payment is required in order to gain access to the information—like many online libraries. These problems can discourage students and force them into accepting the information regardless of its credibility. Furthermore, it can also exhaust the energy of students, making them more timid. The Modern Language Association or MLA is a language and writing institution developed in order to create a common guide of academic writing that the students, scholars, and members of the academe could follow. It basically provides a network upon which members from different places could share information and academic trends with others (MLA, 2008). Since the organization has a myriad of members wherein most are experts in the academe, their guide becomes a requirement in order to help the students and other members of the academe to organize their academic papers properly. Fighting Until the Very End of Life The poem Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas shares the struggle of a dying person or a person’s grief on the gradual loss of a dying loved one. Basically, the poem centers on the theme of not giving up and fighting until death. Once a person succumbs to the thought of death, then he or she may already be considered dead. In a nutshell, the first stanza entails a persona telling the reader (or to whom the poem is dedicated) to not give up easily and go fight against death and weakness—basically, to become fierce. In stanzas two to five, the persona gives out specific examples of fierce men never giving up, which in turn supports the first stanza. In stanza six, the persona addresses the reader (or to whom the poem is dedicated) to show him or her the fierceness that he or she once had, or the fierceness of his or her soul, which would make the persona happy (Thomas, 1971). The persona of the poem may be Dylan Thomas himself, as he wrote this poem for his dying father—growing weaker from old age and blindness. Throughout the poem, he sought to encourage his father to fight on for his life, no matter how inevitable death was (citation). Besides him being the persona, it could also assume the role of a dying person who encourages others to fight on and to never give up until the very end. The persona assumes a sad yet encouraging tone throughout the poem. The phrases Do not go gentle into that good night and Rage, rage against the dying light are also reiterated throughout the poem in order to give emphasis to the theme of the poem. The persona also constantly reminds the reader and the target person to never go down without a fight since giving up life early would mean that the person is just as good as dead already. The two connotative words that have been heavily used throughout the poem is night and (dying) light. Basically, night here could be referring to the dying person (not the persona) accepting his or her fate peacefully, although there may as well be other connotations for this word. On the other hand, light or the phrase dying of the light could be pertaining to death, or at least weakness. The poem follows an alternating rhyme scheme, wherein the key words to follow are night and day. There is also a repetition of the two phrases Do not go gentle into that good night and Rage, rage against the dying light which gives more emphasis to the theme of the poem. The poem’s form and tone seem too soft and gentle for the poem’s subject which is death. This creates an irony that the persona is asking the dying person to become enraged against death. Metaphors and personifications are used throughout the poem, in order to give a hopeful tone for the persona’s beseeching of the dying person, instead of a tone associated with grief and loss. An example would be the stanza: â€Å"Though wise men at their end know dark is right, / Because their words had forked no lightning they / Do not go gentle into that good night† (4-6). References Thomas, D. (1971). Do not go gentle into that good night. Poets. org. Retrieved July 4, 2009 from http://www. poets. org/viewmedia. php/prmMID/15377. MLA. (2008). About the MLA. Retrieved July 4, 2009 from http://www. mla. org/about.

Country Labor Laws Essay

Labor laws or employment laws are a collection of laws, organizational rulings, and precedents which address the lawful rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees (Chilumpha 2004). However, there are two broad categories of labor law the first being the collective labor laws relating to the three way relationship between the employee, the employer and the labor union. Secondly are the individual labor laws concerning the employees’ rights at work and through the contract for work. These are therefore the various and distinct levels of labor laws that should exist in every economy or state; laws that govern the conduct of an individual and laws that govern the conduct of many at one go (Chilumpha 2004). But both the individual and the group are one and the same thing, therefore both laws govern the conduct of an employee and an employee falls into both categories, he is an individual within a group of workers. This paper will establish the difference in the labor laws between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Federal Republic of Germany. To begin with the two states are located in different regions; Germany is among the founding members of the European Union its laws are therefore govern by a strict code of regulation, it should suite the region and not only the state (Eurofound 2009). UAE on the other hand is regulated in the Middle East; it is a huge financial centre in the Middle East and therefore has a lot of instances where foreigners come within its economy, same with Germany. Religion is the other factor that has to be considered. The UAE is an Islamic state; Muslim way of life is therefore engrained in all aspects of the society including its system of Law; labor laws are no exception (Cotran 2006). Germany on the other hand is guided by social laws constructed to fit the needs of the society. Religious biases are therefore not considered within the Germany labor laws. On one hand we have the Federal Republic of Germany, with its Agenda 2010. Germany has for sometime aimed at an inclusive reform of the German labor market with regard to labor laws, changes are being made notably concerning the protection against dismissal and limited-term employment contracts (see Part 1, II, 3 and 7c). For the first time, there is a standard legal claim to a severance payment but only under certain circumstances in the case of dismissals for redundancies. The new law entered into force as of 1 January 2004 onwards (Lorenz & Partners 2005). The labor laws within Germany are therefore notably updated to suite the times and the market also because it is within the EU means that the labor laws are to be of a certain standard as required by the EU codes of governance (Jung 2001). The United Arab Emirates also has labor laws; Labor matters in the UAE are governed by Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 regulating labor relations as amended by federal laws No. 24 of 1981, No. 15 of 1985 and No. 12 of 1986. There are particular labor related regulations applicable in some of the free zones in the UAE, such as the Jewel Ali Free Zone. Therefore it is notable that though the UAE is a regional financial center, its labor laws are not entirely updated as seen above; there is bound to a lot of labor changes within the system that should have required an update on the labor laws between the 1980’s and 2010. But both the German and UAE regulations have been established to protect the workers rights (Al Tamil & Advocates). According to Article 3 of the Law, the Law is applicable to all staff and employees working in the United Arab Emirates, whether they are nationals or expatriates. However, there are certain categories of individuals who are exempt from the laws as listed below: 1. Staff and workers employed by the national government, government departments of the member emirates, the municipalities, public bodies, federal and local public institutions and those staff and workers employed in federal and local governmental projects. 2. Members of the armed forces, police and security units. 3. Domestic servants/workers. 4. Agricultural workers and persons engaged in grazing of animals (this exemption does not include persons who are employed in corporations which process agricultural products and/or those who are permanently engaged in the operation or repair of machines required for agriculture). (Al Tamil & Advocates) The first clear distinction between the two labor laws is the omission of some of the UAE workers from the protection of the law; it will be assumed that they are covered using a different law and system. Different because may be it provides them with better terms than the rest of the citizenry may be but this distinction shows a clear disharmony within the system. The labor laws should be able to apply to all employees regardless of the profession or gender. The German laws have no such distinction showing a clear harmony in all workers of the state including those in the army (Lorenz & Partners 2005. In UAE it shows that there are some workers who receive preferential preferences; such inequalities are therefore harmful to the system. There are other distinctions that have been identified such as gender differences. While there are some distinctions according to gender and the amount of work one can do in general; such should not influence the type of career one is to pursue. In the UAE women can’t partake in certain careers; this is because of the religious aspect that is seen in most Islamic states (Labor Law UAE & Khasawneh and Associates 2008). There is therefore a clear distinction between the genders; while the German labor laws stipulate that the principle of equal treatment is laid down as a basic right of the German Constitution. Any discrimination on grounds of sex, race, nationality, handicap, religion, and political opinion and trade union activities is outlawed. In order to fulfill the obligations arising from EU directives, sections 611 A and 611 B of the German Civil Code were enacted in 1980 (Miller and Zumbans 2006). But there is a general agreement on the kinds of labor one can undertake; though not stipulated in the German codes, some careers are labor intensive and therefore many women are told not to engage in them for obvious reason. There are several similarities with the two codes; to begin with as stipulated above both have been constructed with the worker in mind. There are several degrees of effectiveness due to the various issues within the two states but both do protect the workers. The first similarity is on issues of employment of minors, on both codes the minimum age of employment is 15 years. No minor under the age of 15 years is supposed to work. The German code goes further to clarify that even those who are older but attend school should not be allowed to work until they are of age to start working (FedEE 2010). The UAE code stipulates the working conditions and working times to protect the minors from exploitation (Working in Germany 2010 & Khasawneh and Associates 2008). Secondly both codes have agreed on issues of work hours; the UAE codes states that the normal work hours per day is 8 with enough breaks in between to allow for recuperation, same with the German code. In both labor laws all the workers are subject to deductions such as tax to the state or as agreed within the organization. Such deductions are necessary to enable the state functions to continue for example the state protection of workers. As stated above, the United Arabs Emirates is considered a religious state; within the state everything is governed through Islamic principles. The labor laws also fall within the principles of Islam; a practicing Muslim is supposed to pray several times a day, the labor laws therefore have catered for that by ensuring the one gets enough breaks to fulfill this obligations. In the context of the UAE labor laws and all the other laws, the basic and fundamental structure is religion. The laws have been modified around the basis of Islam. There are some tendencies of negotiation through the established social system but all in all there is a lot of religious influence. On the other hand the German codes basic structure is the society through various processes such as collective agreement. The German republic is governed through social principles; social rules and procedures that protect all within the constitution equally. Such is the power of collective agreement. Some of the sources of German labor laws also include the European laws and collective agreements. In conclusion, the two states do have labor laws that protect the workers both at the individual level and the collective level. Though both have distinct similarities and differences on several levels, both codes have the interest of the worker at heart though with varying intensity and effectiveness. References: Al Tamimi & Company. (Nd). Labor Laws in the UAE. Retrieved on 11th May 2010. http://www. zu. ac. ae/library/html/UAEInfo/documents/UAELabourLaw. pdf. Chilumpha Cassim. (2004). Labor law. Blantyre, Malawi: Commercial Law Centre Cotran et al. (2006). Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern law. Vol. 10, 2003/2004. Boston: Brill Academic Publishers. Eurofound. (2009). Labor Law Germany. Retrieved on 11th May 2010. http://www. eurofound. europa. eu/emire/GERMANY/LABOURLAW-DE. htm. Federation of European Employers (FedEE). (2010). National Labor Laws. Germany. Retrieved on 11th May 2010. http://www. fedee. com/natlaw. html#germany Jung Liliane. (2001). National Labor Law Profile: Federal Republic of Germany. ILO. Retrieved on 11th May 2010. http://www. ilo. org/public/english/dialogue/ifpdial/info/national/ger. htm. Khasawneh K & Associates. (2008). UAE: Employment Law. GMB Research. Retrieved on 11th May 2010. http://www. kslg. net/doc/UAE_Employment_Law_Khasawneh_Assoc_26Aug08. pdf. Labor Laws in the UAE. Company/Commercial Laws. Retrieved on 11th May 2010. http://www. angelfire. com/nv/sabu/UAE%20Labour%20Law. html. Lorenz & Partners. (2005). German Labor Law. News Letter No 24 (EN). Retrieved on 11th May 2010. http://www. lorenz. co. th/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid, 181/Itemid,6/lang,de/ Miller R. A. & Zumbansen P. (2006). Annual of German & European law. Volume II/III (2004/2005). New York; Oxford: Berghahn.

Inditex Report Essay Essays

Inditex Report Essay Essays Inditex Report Essay Essay Inditex Report Essay Essay IntroductionThe purpose and aims of composing this study is to analyze the concern schemes or theoretical accounts adopted by the Inditex Group and to reexamine whether this schemes will back up its operation in carry throughing their future duty. Furthermore. it aims to measure the strategic option of the organisation in either from a corporate scheme position or strategic concern unit ( SBU ) perspective that could be adopted by the Inditex Group. This study will besides foreground the vision. mission and aims of the Inditex Group Company. In add-on. the study will travel farther by accessing the group human resources and direction in order to clearly nail any direction alterations in the organisation. if there is any. and to cognize who the direction are and their place in the determination doing procedure of the company. In order to accomplish the rule aims of this study. the study will be categorised into Internal and External analysis. This is done in order to to the full analy ze the current place of Inditex Group in the market from all positions. besides to entree if Inditex is a healthy company to put in. and besides accessing the current strategic adopted by the company. The company Internal analysis will be based on the followers ; Fiscal Analysis: This will concentrate on all the fiscal facet of the company. Human resources and Management Analysis: focal point on the direction system of the company. Market Analysis: This will concentrate on the company’s current market place. Operations Analysis: This will concentrate on how and where the company execute it daily activities. Prioritized Strength: This will analyze the strengths of the company internally. Prioritized Failing: This will analyze the internal failing of the company that can impede them from accomplishing their ends. The company External analysis will be based on the followers ; Pestel Analysis: this will analyze the possible influence of the failure or success of the company strategies. Porter 5 forces: this will assist in analyzing the manner of attraction of the Clothing Industry. Critical Success Factors ( CSF’s ) : This will concentrate on some alone resources that make the company successful. Prioritized Opportunity: Prioritized Menace: Company: Inditex Group.The Inditex Group Company. a fabric design Industries is a Spanish Multinational vesture company. Inditex have its headquartered based in Arteixo. Galicia in Spain. The Inditex Group was founded and created by Amancio Ortega Gaona the wealthiest adult male in Spain and 3rd richest adult male in the universe in 1985 and by 2001 they went public and listed on the Bolsa de Madrid stock exchange market1. The Inditex Group which is now considered as the world’s largest vesture dress company in footings of gross revenues is made up of over 100 companies runing in fabric designs. fabrication. and distributions. Inditex presently have 8 strategic concern units runing in four geographical market segments2 which includes Spain. These strategic concern units includes ; Bershka. Massimo Dutti. Oysho. Pull A ; Bear. Stradivarius. Uterque. Zara. and Zara Home. Inditex strategic concern units jointly occupied about 6249 shops in 86 markets. Company Vision: Good Faith. Dialogue. and Transparency. Company Mission: Is to react with legerity to the demands of the market. This means that Inditex concentrate extremely on the customers’ demands and combines these demands with high grade of perpendicular integrating across all their concern country. Internal AnalysisFiscal Analysis:The cardinal net income driver for Inditex Group Company is Zara. lending 66. 11 % of the entire net gross revenues and 68. 5 % per square meter in 2012. while Bershka comes 2nd with 9. 31 % of entire net gross revenues in 2012. In footings of geographical part. the Europe ( excepting Spain ) . and Spain accounted for 45 % and 21 % of the entire net gross revenues severally. While the Americas and Asia ( Including remainder of the universe ) represents a important lower sum of 14 % and 20 % severally. In 2012 saw Inditex Group shops increases massively from 4264 shops in 2008 to 6009 shops in 2012. This shows an addition of 40. 92 % in shops from 2008 to 2012. Inditex Group Profitability. Liquidity and EfficiencyNet gross revenues additions twelvemonth over twelvemonth from 2008 to 2012. This shows an addition of 10. 3 % from 2007-2008. 6. 2 % addition from 2008-2009. 13. 40 % from 2009-2010. 10. 2 % from 2010-2011. and 15. 61 % from 2011-2012. This is boosted by the addition of gross revenues. higher net incomes margin and Numberss of new shops opened3. Overall. net gross revenues show an addition of 53. 22 % . While the Net net income soared by a monolithic 87. 26 % between 2008-2012. Prior to this. Inditex growing rate has maintained an norm of 16 % gross revenues growing and net income of 12 % for the past 10 old ages. The diminishing form of ROCE from 2008-2009. and besides in 2011 is due to a proportionate addition of operating disbursals. The Gross Profit Margin ( GP % ) has seen a slow addition from 2008-2012. This is due to the slower addition of cost of gross revenues ( COS ) . EBITDA additions by 20 % when compared to the old ol d ages and EBIT besides increased by 24 % when compared to the old old ages. DebtsA really low geared company. as Inditex Group Company managed to pay back some significant sum of debts through hard currency militias. The Group has 0. 08 % of debt to capital ratio which means that the company pay small attending when it comes to utilizing debts to finance undertakings. Investors Related Market Capitalization of 66. 883 bn euro.Share monetary value 106 euro as at 06/03/14Net incomes per portion has been increasing important from 2008-2012. Dividend per portion increased by 12. 5 % from 2011 to 2012.Inditex Group Company has a slow addition of gross revenues volumes over the old ages ; while some of the cardinal ratios reported a diminution form during some period. Inditex largely depends on the Europe excepting Spain and Spain market. nevertheless. with an optimistic hereafter growing in the Asia market. The company besides has a low geartrain ratio which gives them more fiscal border in footings of future enlargement. Support Inditex Group Company financess for its company through the issue of ordinary portion equity. debt funding. recognition installations and self-financing. The company have been profitable over the twelvemonth which makes them assumed sensible duty of non procuring adequate debt to finance its operations. So hence. in footings of liquidness. the company is non exposed to any important liquidness hazard as it maintains sufficient hard currency and hard currency equivalent which meet the escapes of its day-to-day operations. More so. the group are non as concerned about recognition hazard as they have a policy in topographic point that cover any gross revenues franchises and as their bulk of gross is made from retail gross revenues. so they make usage of hard currency aggregations or recognition payment. Inditex Group Company besides financess its concern by puting in marketable securities which includes short and long term debts with a adulthood of 90 yearss and 12 months severally. Thi s helps the Group in run intoing its short term duties. The group besides have near to 50 % bets in each of the five Economic Interest Groups they invest in. these groups are involves in leasing of assets. Human Resources and ManagementInditex is a multi-cultural and multi-racial company with 120. 314 employees and besides created about 10. 802 occupations in 2012. 82 % of Inditex staffs works under an indefinite contract. In footings of its multi-cultural lineage. Inditex employees are of over 130 nationalities and 45 working linguistic communications. Inditex has a immature work force with an mean age of 31 old ages old and 78. 7 % of its employees are females. Pablo Isla Alvarez de Tejera is the Chairman and Chief Executive Chairman of Inditex Group Company along with his Deputy Jose Amau Sierra has transformed the manner industry and created the world’s largest vesture and dress company in footings of gross. and the besides developed a strong distribution theoretical account which helped the group to understate their design to distribution procedure within a hebdomad. Overall. the Inditex board consist of 9 managers which include 4 executives’ managers and 5 non-executives managers. Inditex Group Company operates a multidivisional construction which helps them in back uping their planetary operations. At Inditex. the board of managers are the highest determination shaper ; they supervise and control the organic structure of the company apart from the affairs that were reserved to the general meeting of the stockholders. Inditex board of managers are besides intrusting with way. disposal. direction and representative of the company and direction of the daily activities of the company to the executives. They besides manage the squad and concentrating its attempts on general supervision map which include directing Inditex policy. doing relevant determinations and moving as a nexus with the stockholders of the company. Market AnalysisMarkets and sectionMost attractive market section is Asia marketMarket section by age. Young and in-between age group.MerchandisesInditex have changeless alterations to its merchandises lines.They have indistinguishable merchandises in all market sections.Inditex maintain wellness and safety merchandises standard4.Customers’ orientation: they analyse customers’ feedbacks in order to be able to place client tendencies. Monetary valueInditex has a standard monetary value in all markets sections.The pricing could be different in footings of exchange rate factors due to globalisation. It besides gives seasonal discount5 like December gross revenues.Inditex monetary value is considered to be medium with an exclusion of Massimo Dutti. Inditex Amongst Competition. PromotionInditex has a rigorous policy and zero advertizement.Online web site for each concern unit which consistently updates It has an Affinity card for clients: this influences customers’ loyalty6. It communicates with its clients through societal webs. Topographic pointLocation: All of Inditex shops all located at the chief shopping streets. A alone design which is influence by the civilization of the markets. A show tailored of the merchandiseThey have first-class clients serviceOnline shops for all its 8 concern units available in some major country7 The cardinal scheme of the Inditex selling sections are performed through customers’ orientation and satisfaction. Inditex chief sale-point is where directors received feedbacks from clients. the directors so report to the design sections in order to place and carried out what the customers’ value. Another factor that did the fast one for Inditex is their glamourous shops. where customers’ entree its latest merchandises which are ever updated four times in a month. The merchandise lifecycle and BCG matrix as you can see on the charts indicates an accurate reconciliation place within the Inditex portfolio. However. since merely one concern unit is placed on as a Cash Cow. so hence. legion investings might be needed so as to transform the Question Marks into Stars. Inditex Product Lifecycle. Inditex BCG MATRIX. Operation Analysis:Value Chain- Primary ActivitiesApproximately 1000 interior decorators are responsible for recognizing any alterations in manner and they are in charge of developing new theoretical accounts to fulfill customers’ desires. Most of the production takes topographic point in the Group’s ain mill. The group take full duty control of cloths supply. marker and film editing of the cloths till the finish goods. Over 50 per centum of Inditex fabrication is carried out by local providers. By the terminal of 2012. Inditex already had a sum of 1434 providers and all providers must hold to adhere to Inditex Code of Conduct. The cost of ware includes the cost of natural stuffs and consumables8. The Inditex Group has its ain logistic Centre. where all production is received and carried out. and so distributed to assorted shops worldwide9. Inditex operates 8 logistic Centres. at least one for each trade names and all of which are in Spain. Stores play important functio ns in Inditex concern model10. Value Chain- Secondary ActivitiesResearch and Development utilizing advanced technology11.Operates fabrication and procurement12.Research and Development of eco-efficiency13.Human Resources and Management14.Firm Infrastructure15.Corporate Social Responsibility16.Joint ventures and Strategic Alliances17. Inditex alone direction concern theoretical account is based on flexibleness and invention. and its vision of manner along with quality design and creativeness. together with a rapid response to clients demand has resulted in Inditex fast international enlargement and an first-class public presentation of its commercial formats. Inditex concern theoretical account is centred to its clients. shops. design/production. squads. and logistics. However Inditex group adopted a high grade of perpendicular integrating concern theoretical account when compared to its rivals. This allows Inditex to cover all stages of its manner procedure which includes design. industry. logistics and distribution. The group besides incorporated a grade of flexibleness construction with a strong focal point on customers’ demands in all its concern countries. Inditex views societal and environmental variables as a strategic factor for growing and sustenance for clients demand. The key to Inditex theoretic al account is its ability of go toing to clients desires in a shortest sum of clip possible. This is a cardinal value added activities of the Inditex group Company. Inditex Business Model Structure. Inditex Logistics Centres Prioritized StrengthsInditex is the universe largest vesture and dress company in footings of gross. Inditex has a great organisation cognition and expertness. This stands for alone resources and nucleus competencies of the company. It besides has a strong concern theoretical account ( core competency ) It has strong trade name ( alone resource )Inditex has a diversifying selling scheme ( core competency ) Prioritized WeaknessInditex depend on one planetary trade name ( Zara which generate 66. 11 % of its entire gross ) . It besides depends on two geographical parts ( Europe excepting Spain and Spain ) . Inditex is exposed to trade good rising prices. It has a centralized logistic Centre which may do some jobs in future enlargement. High preparation cost. External AnalysisP. E. S. T. E. L AnalysisPoliticalGlobal trade agreement18National trade relationship19Value added revenue enhancement ( VAT ) and foreign revenue enhancement policies.Change in authorities.Pressure group20.EconomicExchange rate: related to GBP. Us dollars. Nipponese Hankering: As the crisis in Europe country might do the Euro to be weaker than the Yen. so the company is likely to hold exchange loss. Year on twelvemonth alteration in GDP21. Fiscal market uncertainness.UnemploymentCommodity monetary value rising pricess: for case. the fuel monetary value addition in the Middle East due to the civil agitation may impact the company borders and besides increase the cost of transit. Inflation22 and Interest rate23. Socio-CulturalSocial dimension. corporate societal responsibility24 and reputes. Consumers’ ailments.Changes in consumers penchants.Changes in life styles and tendencies. New tendencies among the younger coevals in Europe and America. TechnologySpending on research and developmentInformation systemEco-efficiency25Tocopherol commerce26EnvironmentalKyoto protocolWaste and Recycling: more focal point on the attending of countries such as sustainable development. The consequence of planetary clime to the production of organic cotton. Toxic chemicals: this includes C footmark. LegalEmployment jurisprudence: this has something to make with Child labor and regulations and ordinances that relate to labor. Consumer jurisprudence: this respects jurisprudence and ordinance which relates to manners and vesture Patents and hallmarks Supplier rightsHealth and safety jurisprudence European companies will be assisted by the abolishment of fabric and vesture import quotas ( ATC ) in order to come in into the emerging market of Asia which doubtless counted for a immense important sum of the population of the universe. However. due to the uncertainnesss associated with political and economic state of affairss. this could increase the hazard of farther enlargement schemes. Although the monetary value of cotton has increases by more than $ 5 over the old ages while unemployment has risen high particularly in Greece and Spain with 28 % and 26 % severally which force fabric companies to potentially increase their market monetary values. while disposable income on vesture has lessening because the on-going job in the Eurozone consumer gives negatives signal to consumers which affect their assurance. but the confident degree in the emerging market ( Asia ) is optimistic. However. the monetary value deflation of fabrics which has been dated back to the 1990s boulder clay the start of the fiscal crisis. the change by reversaling tendencies now after the fiscal crisis have an consequence on the overall productiveness of the dress industry positively. Porters 5 ForcesMenaces of New EntrantsThere is economic of graduated tablesIt involves big capital investingThere is a trade name trueness in the industryThere is a merchandise distinctionPatent and protection dutiesModerate force which can be overcomeMenace of SubstitutePrice/performance ratioInditex other trade namesThere is zero exchanging costWeak forceThe Bargaining Power of BuyerDecentralized and Centralized BuyerThere is a low shift costThere is zero purchaser competition menaceModerate forceThe Bargaining Power of BuyerThere is fewer provider in the industryThere is a low provider competition menaceSuppliers of fabric and natural stuffsWeak forceCompetitive CompetitionThere is bing retail merchants every bit sizedSlow growing in the dress industryGreat distinctionModerate forceThree moderate forces and two weak forces make the vesture and dress industry unattractive for new rivals to interrupt into the industry. However. alterations to replace depends on the consumersâ€℠¢ penchants harmonizing to their perceptual experience of gustatory sensation. manner and budget. therefore it is high to exchange to other suppliers. Competitive competition is the strongest force assisted by the slow growing of the market. Prioritized OpportunityThere is still room to turn in the emerging market in this industry. Theabolishment of quotasOrganic market developmentTechnological InventionNew strategic AlliancePrioritized MenacesThere is high competitory competition in the industryThere is slow market growing in the industryAddition in trade good rising pricesChanges in consumers’ gustatory sensation or tendenciesExchange rates. Corporate SchemeStrategic PositionZara which is Inditex chief beginning of gross because of the sum it generated in footings of gross revenues is ranked on the 4th option of the Bowman strategic clock. it implement a wide distinction scheme. It offers merchandises to clients at an low-cost and sensible monetary value or a small higher because of its good perceptual experience of quality. enriches customers’ satisfaction and trueness. However. the first-class deployment of its alone resources and its nucleus competencies assist Zara to considered as the first mover in the industry27. One of its cardinal value added activities is its focal point on customers’ demands and a changeless alteration in its merchandise lines whilst keeping the same degree of monetary value allows Zara to accomplish a competitory advantage. Inditex has expanded and grown. harmonizing to the Ansoff matrix. By merchandise development: ( EcoFootDesign ) Systematic alterations in merchandises line a nd invention. Market incursion: it has increase portions of its cardinal bing markets. Market development: in 2010 saw Uterque one of Inditex concern unit opens its first shop in Russia which besides pave manner for Zara place and Zara to follow through. By related and unrelated Diversification: Zara and Massimo Dutti entered into the Indian market in 201028 and 201329 severally and Inditex enters the furniture retail industry30 through unrelated variegation. Inditex method of prosecuting its schemes. Organic development: Inditex uninterrupted public presentation and invention is acquired through their cognition and experience harmonizing to their bing resource and capablenesss. Through Acquisition and Takeover: in 1995-1996. Inditex acquired the whole of Massimo Dutti in a 100 % acquisition. Form a Strategic Alliance: A Joint Venture with the Tata Group to open the first Massimo Dutti shops in New Delhi. India. Inditex licence to other companies: production of finished goods through external providers. The Inditex Group Company adopted a parenting function by supplying a clear vision of its company objectives. it besides assists employees by supplying uninterrupted preparation and facilitating. and heightening through synergisms. Improvement in all Inditex sections is as a consequence of a great focal point in public presentation rating and monitoring. Inditex adopted different portfolio direction for each of its concern units. Harmonizing to the consequences of the strategic analysis. fiscal analysis. and SWOT analysis above. it has been good documented that the Inditex Group Company has a strong portfolio which make the company probably to get the better of any future uncertainnesss. as it was grounds in its fiscal public presentation that they keep turning even during the fiscal crisis of 2008-2009. they still achieve a important addition in gross. However. the job which the Inditex Group could be confronting sing their adopted schemes will be the complete dependance of its other seven ( 7 ) concern units which includes Bershka. Massimo Dutti. Oysho. Pull and Bear. Stradivarius. Uterque. and Zara Home over Zara which is the unit that generates over half of its entire gross revenues ( 66. 11 % ) . The Group should besides happen a manner to increase the per centums of gross revenues to geographical part like America which is has the lowest gross revenues geographically and besides in Asia which is an emerging market other than Europe. FUTURE STRATEGIESProposed scheme for the strongest SBU ( Zara )Merchandise development: the company should bring forth better quality of future merchandise lines. Market development: the company should travel on with farther enlargement in Europe market and the US market. Diversification: the company should come in into the dress athletics wear industry. Market incursion: the company should come in into the Australian market. Corporate Market incursion: farther enlargement in the Asia market.Backward integrating: to get a cloth providerConsolidation: weaken concern units should be strengthenForward integrating: fabrication and logistic procedure should be decentralised. Make Nothing: continue with the current operations. MentionsInditex SA. Bloomberg Market. [ Online ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. bloomberg. com/quote/ITX: SM Accessed on 20th of February. 2014. H A ; M ( 2014 ) . â€Å" H A ; M Opens foremost shop in East Asia† [ Online ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //about. hectometer. com/en/About/facts-about-hm/people-and-history/history. hypertext markup language Accessed on 23rd of February. 2014. Inditex. ( 2008 ) Inditex one-year study 2008. one-year study 2008. A Coruna: Inditex. Inditex. ( 2009 ) Inditex one-year study 2008. one-year study 2008. A Coruna: Inditex. Inditex. ( 2010 ) Inditex one-year study 2008. one-year study 2010. A Coruna: Inditex. Inditex. ( 2011 ) Inditex one-year study 2008. one-year study 2011. A Coruna: Inditex. Inditex. ( 2012 ) Inditex one-year study 2008. one-year study 2012. A Coruna: Inditex. Index Mundi. [ Online ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. indexmundi. com/commodities/ ? commodity=cotton Accesse d on 20th of February 2014. Unemployment Statistics. [ Online ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //epp. eurostat. European Union. Europa. eu/statistics_explained/index. php/Unemployment_statistics Accessed on 20th February. 2014.Fabric and Clothing. [ Online ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. companiesandmarkets. com/MarketInsight/Textiles-and-Clothing/Global-Apparel-Industry/NI7468 Accessed on 22nd of February. 2014.The Economics Times. [ Online ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //articles. economictimes. indiatimes. com/2013-04-29/news/38904773_1_brand-massimo-dutti-foreign-investment-promotion-board Accessed on 24th of February. 2014.

Scaffold in Scarlet Letter Symbolism essays

Scaffold in Scarlet Letter Symbolism essays The framework of that instrument of discipline, so fashioned as to confine the human head in its tight grasp, and thus hold it up to the public gaze (9). These words help describe the ominous place known as the scaffold. Throughout the Scarlet Letter, the scaffold is a reoccurring symbol that symbolizes human nature throughout the course of the book. In addition to being a symbol of shame and guilt, the scaffold is a form of public punishment and humiliation. Furthermore, the scaffold reveals the development of the story and character involvement with the sin of adultery. The scaffold symbolizes many aspects of human nature throughout the course of the book. The scaffold symbolizes the shame and guilt of sin along with love and punishment. For example, when Hester committed adultery with Dimmesdale, the sin was committed out of love. Hester followed her human nature and heart when she committed the sin. After Hester is convicted of adultery, she is portrayed as an outcast of society. When Hester is seen on the scaffold, she hides her scarlet letter because the letter is viewed as a symbol of sin, shame, guilt, and punishment. Hesters guilt and shame are shown by the way that she stands on the scaffold. She doesnt hold herself in a high manner; however, she slouches and tries to hide from the crowd. While standing on the scaffold, Hester feels alone, isolated, and as if the world is out to get her. Thousands of emotions and thoughts run through Hesters head while she is on the scaffold. In addition to being a symbol of shame and guilt, the scaffold is a form of public punishment and humiliation. Hester is forced to stand in front of her peers and be harassed for the sin she has committed out of love. Hawthorne described how Hester felt as she headed towards the scaffold: She perchance underwent an agony from every footstep of those that thronged to see her, as if her heart had been flung into t...