How to Write an Opinion Essay

How to Write an Opinion Essay How to Write an Opinion Essay How to write an opinion essay? In simple terms, an opinion essay is a text, which reflects your personal opinion on any topic: interests, books, authors, places, etc. The essay should argue our personal opinion about something, through which others have already said, for example. Know your subject In the beginning is the issue, because every opinion is always an opinion on something. The world is full of issues because it is full of questions, but not all issues are equal. Sometimes we are interested in the world as it is, sometimes we are interested in the world values and debate issues, and finally, sometimes we want to influence the world and issues debated decision. So, yes, opinions differ: in front of a fact, opinion is to explain, face a problem valuing the view, and at a crossroads the review is to select the best course of action. So, first of all we must know the nature of the subject. Writing an opinion essay – 6 important tips It is very common in schools that teachers assign an essay on a specific topic; the following steps will help you write a good opinion essay: 1. Choice of topic for an opinion essay You must begin with something that you really like; for example, your favorite music. 2. What is the opinion that you give about your topic? At this point one must wonder, for example, whether your favorite music is pop; what uses these genre elements to be characterized as such? 3. Read other sources that talk about your topic For this you collect other opinions and compare your view with them, always arguing with our knowledge and experience. 4. Start writing your opinion essay This point is very important because sometimes we are afraid to face the blank page. You write what you think, all about your feelings, experiences, examples to argue and specialized information that we have already read in some sources. 5. It is important that you quote your sources when writing If someone said, for example, the definition of pop, from it you can state who said it. Since there you can continue doing the trial. 6. You should note that an opinion essay is a type of free text Once you’ve rehearsed the themes and forms, to begin with, you can be guided by the simple formula: introduction, development and conclusion. In the introduction you put the leaders of your subject, in developing your views on the subject and, in the end, the final details after you have carefully analyzed the theme. When writing an opinion essay, it is important to first think about something you really like, from what you know. But if it is a school assignment and you do not know much about the subject, it is important to read. One important type is the literary essay, where you can mix all possible ways. Try it out, a specific theme never runs out completely. You can finish one, but then you can change your opinion. So, you can write another essay on the same but different. The important thing is to try, defend and argue that you feel and think.

Free Essays on Mexican Culture

Country name: United estados mexican states Capital: Mexico CityMexico city Country à ±ame in Sans: estados unidos mexicanos Country’s capital in spanish motto None, thoughsufragio efectivoo efectivo – no reeleccià ³n (Spanish: effective suffrage - no re-election) is widely in use on government documents___ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico http://appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/mexico_country_people.shtml____ Population 104,959,594 July 2004 EST. Ethnicities: Ethnic groups Mestizo Amerindian Spanish 60% Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30% white 9% other 1% http://appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/mexico_country_people.shtml____ Mexico is a federal republic with executive legislative and judicial branches the president of Mexico is both chief of state and head of government election results elections are held of every six years. a citizen must be18 years old to vote the current president is Vicente FOX Quesada the next election will held in July 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico Mexican Pesos MXN are the Mexican form of currency. 28 Mexican Pesos is equal to one US dollar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico http://appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/mexico_country_people.shtml____ Major Religions of Mexico: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% The Roman Catholic Church is a Christian group of believers who are in communion with the papacy. The protestant church is the church which separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the 16 th. Benadicto XVI buscara reunificar a todos los cristianos milenio. http://appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/mexico_country_government.shtml TIME LINE 3500 B.C- 900 A.d . Olmeca CultureThe Maya Culture 900-1521 The Quetzalcoatl Trinity Tarasco Culture & Empire (1100 - 1522) The Aztecs and the Founding of Tenochtitlan (1325 - 1521) 1521 – 1810 The Spanish Conquest,The Colonial P... Free Essays on Mexican Culture Free Essays on Mexican Culture Country name: United estados mexican states Capital: Mexico CityMexico city Country à ±ame in Sans: estados unidos mexicanos Country’s capital in spanish motto None, thoughsufragio efectivoo efectivo – no reeleccià ³n (Spanish: effective suffrage - no re-election) is widely in use on government documents___ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico http://appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/mexico_country_people.shtml____ Population 104,959,594 July 2004 EST. Ethnicities: Ethnic groups Mestizo Amerindian Spanish 60% Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30% white 9% other 1% http://appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/mexico_country_people.shtml____ Mexico is a federal republic with executive legislative and judicial branches the president of Mexico is both chief of state and head of government election results elections are held of every six years. a citizen must be18 years old to vote the current president is Vicente FOX Quesada the next election will held in July 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico Mexican Pesos MXN are the Mexican form of currency. 28 Mexican Pesos is equal to one US dollar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico http://appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/mexico_country_people.shtml____ Major Religions of Mexico: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% The Roman Catholic Church is a Christian group of believers who are in communion with the papacy. The protestant church is the church which separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the 16 th. Benadicto XVI buscara reunificar a todos los cristianos milenio. http://appliedlanguage.com/country_guides/mexico_country_government.shtml TIME LINE 3500 B.C- 900 A.d . Olmeca CultureThe Maya Culture 900-1521 The Quetzalcoatl Trinity Tarasco Culture & Empire (1100 - 1522) The Aztecs and the Founding of Tenochtitlan (1325 - 1521) 1521 – 1810 The Spanish Conquest,The Colonial P...

Venture capital investment decisions and frameworks Dissertation

Venture capital investment decisions and frameworks - Dissertation Example This dissertation has developed a real options framework on the propensity to make CVC investments. CVC investments are viewed as containing a series of real options. The initial investment opportunity is analogous to a call option to invest. Upon exercising the call option, the investing firm acquires at least two additional real options: the abandonment option in adverse market conditions and growth options in favorable market conditions. The dissertation proposes that established firms' propensity to make CVC investments are influenced by the factors that determine the economic value of the real options embedded in CVC projects. These options value drivers include uncertainty, irreversibility, growth potential and competition. This dissertation finds strong empirical support for the real options view of CVC investment decisions. In addition, since real options are created and exercised through managerial discretion that is enabled and constrained by firm-level resources and capabi lities, this dissertation also examines how firm-level heterogeneity in resources and capabilities influence the economic value of real options and CVC investment propensity. In particular, this dissertation focuses on how resource base diversity may enhance the value of growth options and help with timely abandonment and efficient switching. The empirical analysis provides evidence for the positive effects of R&D and related knowledge base on CVC investment propensity, but does not find any statistically significant positive effect of resource base diversity on CVC investment propensity.

Assignment 4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

4 - Assignment Example During the flood, one is unable to face the harsh behavior of water and thus people are advised to move to the higher regions before the flood. 1. List and describe the most common causes of floods. Causes of Floods Three major causes are found to cause the floods. Theses causes include Tropical storms, Seasonal flooding, Coastal Flooding (Library.thinkquest.org, 2013). Tropical Storms Tropical storms and hurricanes remain to have high impact on our lives due to the devastating impact of the heavy winds carrying immense amount of water with them. The resulting rains in response to the hurricanes and tropical storms become a cause of flood. Tropical Depression produces a wind of speeds less than 38 miles per hour. In the tropical depression situation winds have relative less speed as compared to that in the hurricane (Erh.noaa.gov, 2013). However, the tropical depressions are found to produce immense rains. Such a type of phenomenon produces some major damages in Georgia with a tremen dous rainfall of about 28 inches that caused flooding. During a tropical Storm the speed of the wind can reach as high as 73 miles per hour and tropical storms are categorized due to having more wind speed (39-73 miles per hour) as compared to the tropical depression. Tropical storms produce immense rain falls that are followed by flooding but some damages are due to the heavy winds. The rainfalls during the tropical storms produce more water than the capacity of the rivers, streams and lakes and thus heavy flooding occurs. Seasonal Flooding In rainy season, (a prolonged raining period mostly in spring or peak summer) the rains may fall more than the capacity of the rivers, streams and lakes and thus the flooding occurs. The flooding is not the sudden rush of water into the streams, lakes and rivers but due to the prolonged period of rains. The water on the rivers, streams and lakes rushes out. The major reason of less absorption of water into the ground is that due to the rains, th e soil becomes saturated and the absorption rate due the unsaturated behavior of the ground lowers and thus the flooding occurs. The melting of the snow during the start of the summer is another reason of the seasonal. It is due to the heavy snow falls in the winter season and during the start of the summer, snow melts and is being converted to huge amount of water that rusher into the streams and at some instance it may become more than the capacity of the streams and rivers that thus the flooding occurs. Both melting of the snow and the rainy seasonal rainfalls may contribute in occurring flooding in combination. Coastal Flooding Due to the severe tropical storms and heavy winds, the winds tend to carry away the ocean water in hevy amounts and thus occur of the coastal areas. In this situation, the sea level rises to the ground level and winds tend to produce waves more than the ground level and flooding occurs. Higher velocity winds create surface turbulence and thus the ocean wa ves present flooding of the coastal areas. The phenomenon is often recognized as storm surge. Coastal flooding is also due to the impact of Tsunamis, volcanic eruption and landslides in the oceans. Tsunamis are caused due to the earthquake which occurs in the ocean not very far from the coastal region. An under oceanic earthquake

Exploring Cultural anthropology Essay Example for Free

Exploring Cultural anthropology Essay Cultural difference(s) is one of the research topics that best suits for a cultural anthropologist to study. In my own perspective as a cultural anthropologist, cultural difference in the United States of America is one of the topics I might propose to research. In the United States where the issue of racism is of most major concern among other races, the history of racial discrimination has passed down until today. Many races including Asians are discriminated with regards to services, priorities, socialization, and its laws. Although there are sufficient laws that suspend racial discrimination among other races, this issue will still be in existence because of each cultural differences. This study may help in understanding better cultural differences/racism where it is in existence in the whole and is at most importance to international relations. Why would you choose this culture and topic for research? I chose the culture of United States since it has been the model of every other culture in the world. Many countries are instigated to pattern their country to the United States political system, diversity in religion, economy, and culture and traditions. As a world’s sole superpower, its culture plays an important role in maintaining its political and economic power to the world. American sports in example, military tradition, and advancement in science, arts and in entertainment (Hollywood); these are the things that draws political and economic power to the United States. Its culture is of most interest by other countries in the world. With regards to racism, I chose this topic for the reason that, until today, the United States struggles in eliminating or otherwise minimized racial discrimination domestically. It is a human nature to treat other races superior or inferior among them. It is of our interest the better ways if eliminate, prevent racial discrimination among others. The study of United States culture will give better understanding what it takes to be a charismatic country and a representation to the world. The study of racism will give better understanding how will we become accustomed to other races (The Journal of American Culture, 2009). What do you hope to discover, accomplish, or address by studying this culture? How could you prepare for culture shock? The culture of the United States through careful study would lay the foundation how a developing will and/or a poor country rise to power, elevate their political and economic influence to developed countries, and improved their standard of living via instigating American culture. I’m hoping to give details on different cultures, and address the needs of other people towards information dissemination. With regards to culture shock, studying culture may help in adjusting and/or adapt to culture differences. References â€Å"The Journal of American Culture. † American Family Traditions, (2009). American Family Traditions. Retrieved June 11, 2009 from americanfamilytraditions database.

Henry VIII Essay -- History, House of Tudor

During the Wars of Roses, a European royal house of Welsh origins rose to power, a dynasty, which rules England for the next one-hundred and eighteen years. The powerful and most well known dynasty is the House of Tudor. Henry VII became king in 1485 and took Elizabeth of York as his wife. T They had four children: Prince Arthur of Wales, Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII, and Mary Tudor (2). Henry VIII was born June 28, 1491 at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich (2). Being the second born son Henry was raised and educated to take a secular role in life, most likely as the Archbishop of Canterbury(2). His grandmother Margaret Beaufort supervised his early childhood education (2). Henry was reported to excel at book learning as well as athletics required by those apart of the aristocratic society (1). But even as well educated, handsome, and athletic as Henry was his father continued to favor the elder Prince Arthur(2). When Henry had reach the age of 10 he took part in his brothers arranged wedding to the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain(3). His job was to escort the bride; the bride was Catherine of Aragon who was later to be Henry VIII first wife. Shortly after the marriage, Arthur died on April 2, 1502 from night-sweats (2). This left Henry the rightful heir to the English throne right before his 11th birthday. Fourteen months after Arthur’s death, Catherine of Aragon was betrothal to Henry VIII, and then he was too young to marry (5). As Henry VIII grew up his father became less willing to have an alliance with the Spanish and he repudiated the betrothal of Henry and Catherine (5). After seven years his father dies and Henry VIII successes to the throne. He becomes the second monarch of the House ... ... death (5). She was granted the care of Princess Elizabeth but when the marriage to Thomas Seymour gets out the Princess was taken out of her care (5). Catherine moved households with Thomas Seymour. Then at age, 37 Catherine gives birth to her first daughter named Mary. Catherine soon fell ill with puerperal fever, which caused her death on September 5 (5). Catherine was buried, in the chapel at Sudeley Castle. Henry VIII life was marked with tragedy and achievements. The overall reign of the Tudor Dynasty is the same. The next two rulers Edward VI and Mary brought England down slowly. However, Princess Elizabeth saved the country and brought it to the best state the country had been in for years. Henry would have been proud of Elizabeth the Virgin Queen. Too bad the fate of not having an heir to the throne repeated and the dynasty was given over to the Spanish. Henry VIII Essay -- History, House of Tudor During the Wars of Roses, a European royal house of Welsh origins rose to power, a dynasty, which rules England for the next one-hundred and eighteen years. The powerful and most well known dynasty is the House of Tudor. Henry VII became king in 1485 and took Elizabeth of York as his wife. T They had four children: Prince Arthur of Wales, Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII, and Mary Tudor (2). Henry VIII was born June 28, 1491 at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich (2). Being the second born son Henry was raised and educated to take a secular role in life, most likely as the Archbishop of Canterbury(2). His grandmother Margaret Beaufort supervised his early childhood education (2). Henry was reported to excel at book learning as well as athletics required by those apart of the aristocratic society (1). But even as well educated, handsome, and athletic as Henry was his father continued to favor the elder Prince Arthur(2). When Henry had reach the age of 10 he took part in his brothers arranged wedding to the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain(3). His job was to escort the bride; the bride was Catherine of Aragon who was later to be Henry VIII first wife. Shortly after the marriage, Arthur died on April 2, 1502 from night-sweats (2). This left Henry the rightful heir to the English throne right before his 11th birthday. Fourteen months after Arthur’s death, Catherine of Aragon was betrothal to Henry VIII, and then he was too young to marry (5). As Henry VIII grew up his father became less willing to have an alliance with the Spanish and he repudiated the betrothal of Henry and Catherine (5). After seven years his father dies and Henry VIII successes to the throne. He becomes the second monarch of the House ... ... death (5). She was granted the care of Princess Elizabeth but when the marriage to Thomas Seymour gets out the Princess was taken out of her care (5). Catherine moved households with Thomas Seymour. Then at age, 37 Catherine gives birth to her first daughter named Mary. Catherine soon fell ill with puerperal fever, which caused her death on September 5 (5). Catherine was buried, in the chapel at Sudeley Castle. Henry VIII life was marked with tragedy and achievements. The overall reign of the Tudor Dynasty is the same. The next two rulers Edward VI and Mary brought England down slowly. However, Princess Elizabeth saved the country and brought it to the best state the country had been in for years. Henry would have been proud of Elizabeth the Virgin Queen. Too bad the fate of not having an heir to the throne repeated and the dynasty was given over to the Spanish.

Innocent Company Analysis

Innocent Company Analysis Table of Content Front sheet1 Table of Content2 Executive summary3 Introduction Internal analysis 1. 1 Mission, core values, and vision 1. 2Value Chain Analysis 1. 3Positioning Map 1. 4Success & Survival factors 1. 5Miles & Snow Adaptive Strategy External analysis 2. 1Segmentation Analysis 2. 2Porter’s five forces 2. 2Industry Life Cycle 2. 3PEST Analysis 2. 4Benchmarking analysis SWOT Analysis 3. 1Recommendations Executive summary: Introduction This report is an analysis about the company: Innocent Ltd.This company started its way in 1998 by three friends Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright and produces healthy drinks and food. Their current market share in the UK is now 78%. Internal Analysis The analysis of the company is started by the internal analysis that broadly examines the marketing practices, the values of the company, the value chain of the company, the positioning in the market, the vital success and survival factors and lastly the Mi les & Snow adaptive strategy. The company’s mission is to create a healthier lifestyle of the population by their products in order to ‘live well and die old’.This is supported by their vision that states that they want to become the earth’s favourite little food company and according to one of their values; creating a business they can be proud of. Moreover, as part of  the  internal analysis, a Value chain analysis has been carried out for Innocent Ltd. The value chain analysis identifies primary and support activities critical for the company’s success. Factors of the companies value chain within their primary and support activities seem very promising and are significant in the success of Innocent Ltd; their current market share of 77. 5% can support this.Nevertheless it is crucial that the company preserves consistency throughout their activities in order for them to sustain profitability, thus maintaining competitive advantage. Based on th e positioning map, Innocent found and filled a gap in the market and is free from its competitors based on quality and price. It is a premium product, however customers are willing to pay for this premium price due to its quality. In order to survive in the industry, it is vital for the company to maintain their innovative and creative marketing campaigns by taking customer preferences into account.In order to succeed, international markets for a huge opportunity for the organization. Due to this international expansion, the company could start to make more use of economies of scale, which increases the margins. The analysis have shown that organization can be seen as a prospector, due to the fact that they have changed the industry or actually started an industry, of healthy smoothies. They are continuously pro-active rather than re-active. External Analysis To move on with the External Analysis of the company, starting with the segmentation analysis.This shows that Innocents custo mers are mainly located in North-Western Europe and countries such as Austria and Switzerland. Based on the demographics, people that buy innocent are between 18 and 40 years old that are business people, mothers, on-the-go people and sports people that mostly come from the AB socio-economic group. The customers identify themselves with the brand and are as well believers and strivers. Their behaviour shows that they are enthusiastic and image seekers (because they find it cool to drink innocent).The porters five forces analysis shows that the competitive rivalry, buyer power and threat of substitutes form the biggest threat for the company. Potential entrants and supplier power are identified as a lower threat due to the fact that it costs a lot of money in order to compete with companies such as Innocent and enough suppliers are present that offer natural fruit products. Luckily enough for Innocent Ltd, the industry is still growing and therefore it can be argued that the industry is in its growth phase, even though they had some struggles with the recession.The PEST-Analysis is used to describe the macro environment of innocent on the subject of political/ legal, economic, social and technological aspects. The government cuts, 5 a day campaign and tax increase play an important role regarding the political issues in the macro environment. It is expected, that the economic climate as well as the smoothie market will improve in the future. The trend for healthy eating and the ethical behavioural consciousness plays a main role in this. It is also expected to have lots of innovation and communication developments regarding he technological macro environment. The benchmarking analysis in this report is applied as well in order to identify the main competitors of Innocent Ltd and to compare those companies with the organization. This analysis shows that Introduction: Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright founded innocent in 1998. (Below) They bought ? 500 wort h of fruit and set up a stall at a music festival in Parsons Green, London, selling smoothies. At the stall, the guys put up a sign asking ‘’should we give up our day jobs to make smoothies? ’ They had two bins; one labelled ‘’YES’’ and the other ‘’NO’’ and they asked people to vote using their empty bottles. By the end of the day the ‘’YES’’ bin was completely filled up. This made them decide to start Innocent as a new business. Reed stated ‘’Innocent was born from a bin test’’. (EN, the magazine for entrepreneurs, 2011) (CarMicheal, A, Photography, 2009) They worked hard to gain their capital to realize Innocent as a business; unfortunately they were refused finance from various mainstream banks.With perseverance they managed to source their capital from Maurice Pinto, an American, London based businessman who provided them with the ? 250,000 needed capit al. Pinto has since admitted to having made this decision more out of a sense of obligation than in the expectation of the kind of return he’s made on it – one of the best of his life, it turns out. (EN, the magazine for entrepreneurs, 2011) ‘’The idea was a simple one, like most good business strategies† Reed says. (EN, the magazine for entrepreneurs, 2011) Just over a decade later, Innocent now has an annual turnover of around ? 10m, has been growing by 20% year on year and currently has a around 75% share of the UK smoothies market. (BBC New- Business, 2010). The company now produces more than 30 different recipes and sells more than two million smoothies each week through 10,000 retailers in the UK and overseas. (Young, 2009) Internal Analysis 1. 1. 1Mission statement â€Å"To make natural, delicious food and drink that helps people live well and die old. † (Innocent Ltd, 2011) With this mission statement Innocent emphasises that they prod uce products that are natural and good for you.They explain that the products deliver a boost to vitality and because the products are 100% natural and healthy people will live longer by making their immune system stronger after consuming the vitamins. Ultimately their mission is that they want people to consume as much fruit and vegetable as possible in order to make society healthier. (Innocent Ltd. , 2011) 1. 1. 2Vision statement â€Å"Becoming ‘the earth’s favourite little food company. † (Innocent Ltd. , 2011) A vision statement is something a company aspires to become it should be a projection for the future of the company and where they want to grow. Ward, S 2011) Innocent wants to become the earth’s favourite little food company. Currently they have managed to attain 78% of the smoothie market (source %) in the UK and in the past 2 years Innocent has introduced new products to their brand, which means they are working towards their vision statement . 1. 1. 3Core values Core values hold the foundation to how a company performs. The core values of a company are constant and mark the way a company interacts, produces and presents itself. (NPS, 2010) Innocent has set 5 core values to their company; each value has an individual meaning explained below:Be natural Innocent produces products that are 100% natural, taste good and are healthy to consume. Being natural goes hand in hand with their mission statement where they aim to make society healthier. Be entrepreneurial Innocent started their company by seeing an opportunity; they first sold their smoothies at a music festival in London where they initiated their entrepreneurial approach. Innocent strives to be the best they can be and continuously incorporates creativity into their company to become better than the rest.Be responsible Innocent finds it important to stick to their core values and principles thus they want to be responsible for what they produce and how they educate the consumer. Be commercial Innocent is a commercial business and operates that way. Ultimately the profit they generate is a profit for both them and the customer. Innocent incorporates commercial behaviour in order to be tough and fair to the competition. Be generous Lastly Innocent finds it important to be generous and give back what they can to society.They are involved in various organizations for a good cause and have even set up their own Innocent foundation that provides sustainable farming for a secure future for farmers that produce Innocent fruit. (Innocent Foundation Ltd. 2011) Other organization they are involved are: The big knit (Age UK), innocent scholarship foundation, childcare vouchers, drinks for the homeless, buy one get one bee, taste not waste. (Innocent Ltd. 2011) 1. 2Value Chain Analysis Value Chain Analysis: ‘’The term value chain describes a way of looking at a business as a chain of activities that transform inputs into outputs that customers value.Customer value derives from three basic sources: activities that differentiate the product, activities that lower its cost, and activities that meet the customers’ needs quickly. ’’(Mulleady, F, 2011) Businesses often used the Value Chain Analysis to understand and examine different activities within the business, which contribute to customer value, which they aim to generate to help them gain competitive advantage. Michael Porter suggested that the activities which take place within a business can be grouped under two headings, primary activities and support activities.Primary Activities: Inbound logistics: Innocent produce their products from 100% natural goods, which adds to their overall image as a healthy food and drink label. Due to their values, Innocent do not use concentrates of any kind as they feel that they are very bad for you and hardly contain any original goodness which comes from a fruit. The majority of their products are smoothies, whic h are made from 100% real crushed fruit with no added ingredients or materials. Their other products such as the veg pots contain fresh vegetables, whole grains with herbs and spices.The soundness and efficiency of raw materials is high at Innocent as they link extremely well with the overall image of the company and what they aim to deliver to their customers. Operations (Manufacturing): The company headquarters, also known as the ‘Fruit Towers’ is located in Shepherds Bush, London. This is where the company is based and where the main operations and manufacturing of the products takes place. They have 150 people working for them at the ‘Fruit Towers’ and 250 acorss 9 other offices around Europe. In these offices, the recipies are made, the products are produced and packaging is carried out.A lot of effort is put into their packaging, here are a few examples: Excellent level of efficiency regarding productivity, quality and the layout and work flow design at operations at Innocent. Friendly working environment with an overall low staff turnover. Outbound logistics: Innocent products are sold over 10, 000 retailers, compared to 1 in 1999. Their retailers include supermarkets such as Asda, Tesco’s, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. (Innocent Website, 2011) Due to the accuracy and effective production line, the outbound logistics, which include the delivery of the inished goods and services, are all very efficient. Marketing and sales: * Identified customer needs: Innocent identified that there in today’s society, with worth ethics increasing rapidly and people always on-the-go, that people don’t have enough time to be healthy. So they decided to offer customers healthy products to help them towards consuming their 5 a day fruit and veg. * Innovation in sales promotion and advertising: excellent level of advertising with the main ones including Posters on public transport, television adverts which are very fun and or iginal, press adverts and billboards.Expanding by the year. Service: * ‘Banana phone’-deals with all consumer queries, good and bad comments, which are then passed on to the ‘Peoples champion’ * Email-Website has a list of name and image of all employees and a link to email them directly! * Post * Blog/Facebook/Twitter They fulfil the significant role of giving customers full attention when it comes to after care, complains, customer inputs for product improvement, their promptness in dealing with customer complaints and quality of customer education. Support activities: General administration: They now have 36 different products compared to 3 which they has in 1999. Innocent have the ability to identify new product and market opportunities. * Seem to work well in achieving their objectives which are mainly to provide fresh and healthy products * Their co-ordination and integration amongst all of the value chain factors is good-This is evident with their cu rrent market share of 77. 5% which has come from a result of their increasing number of employees, increasing their productivity and therefore increasing their retailers from 1 to 10,000 in just over a decade.All of this success has meant that 2 million smoothies are now sold a week which compares enormously to 20 per day sold in 1999. (Innocent Website, 2011) * Excellent Public image Human Resource management: * Generally the staff turnover seems to be low which is excellent for the company as the staff have a great level of knowledge about the company as a whole. * The working environment is very enjoyable and fulfilling for the employees. This effectively minimises absenteeism and keeps the staff turnover as a desirable level through motivation and job satisfaction.Technology development: * Staff carry outstanding ability of creativity and innovation * Experience of technicians such as the recipe maker is very good 1. 3Positioning map The perceptual map is a geometric comparison of how competing products are perceived; the dimensions used on the two axes represent the key attributes as seen by the consumer. It is used to generate knowledge about the parity and difference between competing products. (Fill, 2009) Innocent is placed at the high quality/slightly expensive point compared to its competitors.It could be said that Innocent has the perfect position as its closes competitor, Grove, is of lesser quality and is more expensive and not a lot of other competitors are nearby. The fact that there are not a lot of competitors in the area of Innocent shows that the company saw a clear opportunity in the market. As can be seen in the map, the position low quality/expensive is completely empty; this is probably because of the fact that low quality/expensive products in general are not that successful. (Fill, 2009) Looking at the perceptual map, it can be assumed that one of the factors that makes Innocent Ltd. arket leader is that they fill a gap in the market and had the first-mover advantage. 1. 4Survival & Survival factors Survival factors: In accordance to the report of Global Industry Analysts Inc, the global smoothies market will increase to 9. 0 billion in 2015. In order to survive in this market, it is vital for the company to keep the innovative and creative marketing campaigns alive. Although it seems to be that there is enough space for all competitors to expand, Innocent should be careful in their approach.Taking the customers preferences into account plays a main role in this process without ignoring the financial stability of the company. Success factors: Regarding the report discussed in the previous paragraph, exploiting international markets seems to be an attractive opportunity for Innocent Ltd. This will also increase the applicability of economies of scale for the company, which could have positive effects on costs as well as revenue. Strong relationships with suppliers and distributors will be needed, even strategic a lliances and collaboration forms a success factor of the company.Well-structured and carefully composed contracts should ensure the positive effects these attributes will have on the organization, such as; higher revenues, higher margins and therefore higher profits. Maximization of revenue and minimization of costs will enhance the financial capabilities of the companies, which can be used for marketing campaigns and investments in further developed technology in order to create even more sophisticated smoothies. Another essential success factor for Innocent ltd. is to stay ahead of competition, being pro-active instead of re-active.This should be accomplished by creative marketing campaigns and brand loyalty of the consumer. 1. 5Miles & Snow Strategy Analysis External Analysis 2. 1Market Segmentation Analysis A segmentation analysis is needed in order to identify the characteristics of the market population. The analysis is split up into four segmentation areas; geographic, demogr aphic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation respectively. According to the geographic segmentation, Innocent is distributed in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Finland, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland.However, future expansion could lead to a wider geographic area covered by the organization. In respect to the demographic segmentation, the company is aiming for hard working professionals that are interested in a healthier lifestyle, mainly between 18 and 40 years old. The income of the market is therewith above average (ABC1), due to the fact that the drinks are relatively expensive and mainly used by business people with a modern and trendy lifestyle. The people that buy innocent drinks psychographic identify themselves with the brand and feel therewith connected by the innovative and achievement focused approach of the organization.According to Innocent drinks, one of their key approaches is â€Å"to leave things a little bit better than we find them†. Therefore users of the products are also believers and strivers by supporting this organization. The psychographic part of the market segmentation might also be that the people feel good by drinking or eating the products, due to the fact that the products are healthy and the fact that the organization has its own foundation (Innocent Ltd, 2007) Customers of Innocent definitely can be segmented by behaviour.The marketing of innocent is making them enthusiastic about the brand and it becomes ‘cool’ as well to consume the products of Innocent. The market can therefore partly be seen as image seekers. The people that actually buy the products are young business people, mothers that buy these products as an alternative for the unhealthy sodas and fast food and people that often work out. Even though the company has the largest market share, still a lot of people don’t know the brand due to its short existing period. The group of first-time and po tential users is therefore attractive for the business.The marketing campaigns of Innocent should ensure that the brand awareness of the company increases. 2. 2. 1Market Segmentation summary: Geographic segmentation: | North-Western Europe| Demographic segmentation: | Business people + Mothers + On-the-go people + Sports people + People under 35 + AB socio-economic group| Psychographic segmentation:| Innovators, achievers, believers & strivers| Behavioural segmentation:| Enthusiastic, image seekers, first-time and large amount of potential users. | 2. 2Porters Five Forces Force| Ranking1 = no threat4 = big threat| Industry Analysis| Potential Entrants| 1| High start-up costs|Competitive Rivalry| 4| The juice market is very big with a lot of competitors| Buyer Power| 4| A consumer can easily switch brands| Supplier Power| 2| Many suppliers available| Threat of Substitutes| 4| A lot of substitute drinks for smoothies| The Porter’s five forces model is a holistic way of looking at the industry of interest and it shows whether it is interesting or not to enter a certain industry. The model does not only look at competition in the industry, but also at the threat of substitute products and services and new entrants, and the power of suppliers and consumers. Porter, 2008) Looking at the smoothie industry, the first force â€Å"potential entrants† is ranked with a one, which means that is this force is not a big threat. Although a lot of new smoothies enter the market every year, in general these come from established producers, for example Starbucks. (Innofood, 2011) A barrier for new entrance could be the high start-up costs. The second force â€Å"competitive rivalry† is ranked with a four and therefore a threat in the industry, this means that there are a lot of companies competing in this industry.Examples of main competitors of Innocent Ltd. are Tropicana, Grove, Ella’s Kitchen. â€Å"Buyer power†, the third force is ranked wi th a four, this is often the case in a highly competitive industry with a lot of different brands. Consumers can choose out of many different products, which makes it harder for companies to make them loyal to their brand. In the smoothie industry the fourth force â€Å"supplier power† is ranked with a 2 because their are many suppliers available in this industry and this makes it easy for companies to switch suppliers.The fifth and final force â€Å"threat of substitutes† is of course a four as there are a lot of substitute drinks for smoothies, water, soft drinks etc. The smoothie industry does not look too â€Å"sexy† considering the model. High competitive rivalry, buyer power and threat of substitution make it a difficult industry to be successful and thus profitable in. Low threat of new entrants and supplier power are interesting but do not weight off the other forces. (Porter, 2008) 2. 3Industry Life Cycle An Industry life cycle shows in what stage an or ganization is in the cycle of their life.An industry life cycle consists of four stages, introduction which is a stage for start-ups with a new product or within a new industry. The growth stage follows after, this is when a company expands, introduces new products and grows within the industry. The maturity phase is where a company is in consolidation it also shows a slowing in growth. Lastly the decline stage means sales are decreasing, company reached its peaks and during this stage a company could ultimately die. (Inc. 2011) Innocent ltd is currently positioned in the growth stage of their life cycle.They started with a healthy company and within the last 13 years (since 1998) the company grew towards a market share of 78%. In the past 2 years Innocent has been exploring new grounds and introducing new products to their company such as fruit tubes for kids and microwaveable food pots for those who need a quick meal. Innocent has yet to introduce more products and thus has not re ached the maturity stage yet. In recent years the smoothie industry has become more popular because people become more health aware and smoothies manage to tap into the health and convenience trend of today.The smoothie industry has exceeded into a growth stage and according to research is growing towards a continuously expanding market size which indicated the industry will remain in the growth stage for a long period. (Lloyd, A. 2011) 2. 4PEST Analysis Political: 5 A Day Campaign: Innocent profits from the ‘5 a day’ campaign the government and the NHS support. It states that: The Government recommends an intake of at least five portions of fruit or vegetables per person per day to help reduce the risk of some cancers, heart disease and many other chronic conditions (NHS, 2011).One Innocent Smoothie provides 2 of the daily-recommended intake of 5 portions (Innocent, 2011). Government Cuts: Due to the current recession and a deficit of 156 billion pound, the government decided to save 6. 2 billion in the financial year 2010-11. This includes for example less spending on Civil service pay and the Home Office and therefore less purchasing power for these occupational groups (BBC, 2010). This might affect Innocent sales, because consumer might switch to cheaper brands or stop purchasing Smoothies at all, as Smoothies are relatively pricey and considered to be a tread or a luxury product, not an essential (Mintel, 2011).Corporate Tax decrease: The UK government has decided to reduce the corporate tax to 26% in 2011 and again in 2012 to 25%, compared to 28% what it used to be before (Directgov, 2010). This leads to an increase of revenue for Innocent. VAT increase: On the 4th of January the value added tax where increased to 20 per cent, former it was 17. 5% for standard-rated goods, which includes Smoothies, because they are rated as beverages(Directgov, 2011). In November 2010 Innocent unsuccessfully filed a suit against the 17. % of VAT that was cha rged on their products. They argued, that Smoothies are like â€Å"liquefied fruit salads†, because the raw materials for their drinks are Value added tax free (Helen and Hawkes 2011). But it was declared that a Smoothie is not an essential drink or aliment, but of luxuries, therefore a VAT of 17. 5% was applied (now 20%). This implicates a disadvantage for Innocent, because without the 20% VAT Innocent, could lower prices and increase sales or just have a 20% higher profit margin. Economical: Forecasted future growth in the Smoothie market:The overall trend in the Smoothie market in the UK regarding to sales is ascending. It is expected that sales will increase again from a total of 143 million pound in 2011 to 179 million pound in 2016. After sales have been declining from 2007 till 2009. The expected market growth is an opportunity for Innocent to increase their sales and therefore revenue. (Mintel, 2011) Expected bettering of the economic climate: As one can see in the gr aph, GDP in the UK has started to increase again since the 2nd quarter of 2009.Till the 3rd quarter of 2011 there has been a gain in GDP of about 3. 1% (Office for National Statistics, 2011). The treasury expects further growth in GDP over the next years as well as a decline in the unemployment rate. This will have positive effects on the future spending power of consumer, influence purchasing decisions and strengthens consumer confidence (HM Treasury, 2011). Premium brands such as Innocent will profit from an overall economic growth, because during recessions consumers will at first cut their spending on luxury, not essential good.Source: HM Treasury, (2011). Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts Source: HM Treasury, (2011). Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts Social: Trend for healthy eating and convenience: In the UK society there has been a long-term trend for healthy eating and convenience food. Innocent benefits fro m this trend because Smoothies and Innocent have the reputation to be healthy as well as their products are an easy way to eat five portions of fruit/vegetables on a daily basis in an increasingly fast moving society (Mintel, 2011).Awareness of ethical behaviour: Corporate Social Responsibility tends to be important to consumer, where more than three fifths of consumers believed it important that a company act ethically. Although during the recession this attitude change during the recession, where people were more concerned about their personal wealth and spending. Innocent with its core value being sustainability, profits from the consumer awareness on ethical behaviour of firms and therefore might experience an increase in its brand reputation and brand awareness (Mintel, 2011). Demographics:Most consumer who buy Smoothies are under 35 years old and those in the AB socio-economic group. Because they are more concerned about health and diet. The Graph shows that overall the UK pop ulation is aging this will lead to an increase of the population of consumers between 25-34, which are most likely to by Innocent products. Therefore Sales are expected to increase. But on the other hand, the over 55s are a large segment and are unlikely to purchase Smoothies (Mintel, 2011). Technological: Innovation: Ethical packaging and healthy products are the two main attributes the firms in the market concentrate on.Hence the firms focus on developing new ways of ethical and sustainable packaging, like Innocent, who introduced a bottle made of 100% recycled plastic(Mintel, 2011). Moreover the companies are trying to producer their products with as little additives as possible to bring forward the naturalness of the product. Another important factor for the firms in the market is the innovation of new recipes in order to attract new costumers, for example children or older people. Communication: â€Å"Above-the-line investment in the smoothies market rose by almost 50% in 2010 , to ? 6. 1 million. Due to the fact that all the products in the smoothies market are substitutes and switching costs are low, the companies have to build a relationship with the costumer in order to keep them buying their product. Political * Government cuts * 5 a day campaign * Tax increase (VAT) * Decrease of Corporation Tax| Economic: * Expected bettering of the economic climate * Forecasted future growth in the Smoothie market| Social * Trend for healthy eating and convenience * Awareness of ethical behaviour (CSR) * Demographic| Technological * Innovation * Communication| . 4Competitive Benchmarking Analysis | Innocent(Innocent ltd, 2011)| Tropicana(Tropicana, 2011)| Ella’s Kitchen(Ella's Kitchen ltd, 2011)| Market Share(Lloyd, A. 2011)| 78%| 3%| 2%| Target Market| Business people, mothers, sports people, on-the-go people| Only available for supermarket shoppers. Mothers (children, babies)| Competitive Advantages| 100% natural, strategic alliance with coca cola, | Inte rnationally established| Specially for babies and small children (stages), added value less costs | Core competencies| Brand advertising and communication| World leader in fruit juice manufacturing| Wide product range (drink, food and snack)| Competitive Strategies| Differentiation| Cost leadership| Differentiation Focus| CSR activities| Big knit (Age UK), innocent scholarship foundation, the innocent foundation, childcare vouchers, drinks for the homeless, buy one get one bee, taste not waste. |Expending carton recycling, waste reduction efforts, bottle recycling, rainforest rescue, PepsiCo sustainability. | Eco offices, terra cycle, recyclable packaging, super schools| Competitor ranking| X| 1| 2| Competitive benchmarking is a continuous process of comparing the output, performance and practice of an organization to its direct competition. The matrix gives an overview of the different aspects of Innocent and its closest competitors; Tropicana and Ella’s Kitchen. The matrix above shows that Innocent is a well established and growing company with an incredible market share of 78% in the UK smoothie market.The close competitors only share a 5% market share, the remaining market share is either by very small brands or own brands such as Tesco and Waitrose. Looking at the target market there are some variations, Ella’s Kitchen has a narrow focus on mothers who feed their babies and small children. Tropicana is generally only available to people shopping at supermarkets and Innocent is available in numerous locations from supermarkets, vending machines to supermarkets which means its accessible to the mass public and thus has the largest target market. (Mintel, 2011)Moreover, Innocent prides itself on it products being 100% natural and this is therefore a competitive advantage because very few competitors can state that they only use pure fruit without any processing such as pasteurization. Tropicana uses a pasteurization process in their juice, whic h makes it less healthy than innocent. (Tropicana, 2011) The strategic alliance with Coca-Cola can on one hand be a competitive advantage because Innocent can you the power Coca-cola has but on the other hand Coca-cola could be a bad influence and bad for their eco reputation.Tropicana has a competitive advantage over Innocent and that is that they already are international established and far greater than innocent has. Ella’s kitchen has a competitive advantage oriented towards their target group. They are considered a solid competitor in the smoothie industry and their major customer is the mother, which means that a majority of the target group ‘mothers’ favours ella’s kitchen over the others. Now about the core competencies, innocent has a very popular and a unique brand dvertising and communication that makes them differ from the others and stand out. Tropicana is the world leader in fruit juice manufacturing which is what makes them stand out and las tly Ella’s kitchen has a very wide product range but does compete high up in the smoothie market. When we look at competitive strategies we know that Innocent has a differentiation strategy because they have a broad target and their products are differentiated from the competition. Tropicana on the other hand has a cost leadership approach because they also have a broad target but low costs.Lastly, Ella’s Kitchen uses the strategy differentiation focus because they have a narrow target and a differentiation approach. (Institute for manufacturing, 2011) Finally when looking at the CSR activities all three companies are involved with corporate social responsibility but Innocent is definitely the leader and even has their own foundation. Overall we ranked Tropicana as a stronger competitor. SWOT Analysis All information gained from the tools is used to compose the SWOT analysis. The strengths and weaknesses of Innocent ltd. re derived from the internal analysis of this re port. To start with the main strengths of the organization, the market share of 78% in the UK smoothie market is definitely a strong point of the company. Moreover, the closest competitors (Tropicana ; Ella’s Kitchen) only have three and two percent respectively. This shows the power of Innocent ltd. in the smoothie market. In addition to their power, the brand awareness and the brand image of Innocent is therefore very high. The organization focuses on charity work and wants to ‘leave things a little bit better than we found it’. Innocent ltd, 2011) They have won several business awards such as the Barclays Green Leaders Business Award and the Business Commitment in 2008. Furthermore, their premium quality of their products differentiates themselves from their competitors and forms the basis of the brand loyalty and the cause of their high market share. The Banana phone and the AGM days support the customer loyalty due to the fact that it increases the involveme nt of customers in the organization. Their market share, brand loyalty and close retailer relationship support another strength of the company, which is that the roducts are placed at eye-height in the supermarkets and in clear sight at other retailers such as Starbucks. Despite of the many strengths of the company, our internal analysis of the organization also showed some weaknesses. The first weakness of the company is the price inflexibility, which means that the prices of smoothies are dependant on the prices of food. Furthermore, the competition remains a weakness of the company, due to the fact that established companies such as Starbucks are now starting fruit bars as well, which could negatively affect the sales of the Innocent products.Furthermore, the internal analysis showed that the organization is highly dependant on their smoothies sales. This is a weakness because when the sales or trend of smoothies declines, the whole revenue and profit of the company will decline as well. This is also mainly due to their narrow target market, which is the AB socio-economic group, that intensively reacts on the state of the economy. In times of recession, the smoothies are seen as luxury products, which cause a decline in sales during this time.To go on with the opportunities and threats gained from the external analysis. According to reports used in the analysis, the international smoothie market will be worth 15 billion in 2015, which causes a major opportunity for the company to go global. In addition, the government is supporting healthier lifestyles with the 5 a day campaign and the trend is to buy and eat organic healthy food, which could benefits Innocent as a healthy business in the future. In addition to this trend, an opportunity for Innocent is to differentiate more on healthy products.They already did with their veggie pots, however there are lot more opportunities for more healthy foods and drinks. Lastly, the strategic alliance with Coca-Cola mi ght negatively as well as positively influence Innocent Ltd. An opportunity for the company is to make more use of strategic alliances or partnerships in the future, which for example, could benefits and support the international expansion. And lastly, the external analysis showed some threats that could affect the business negatively. Firstly, it is necessary to monitor the competition in hat they are doing and anticipate on them in order to maintain their ‘prospector’ status according to their Miles ; Snow adaptive strategy. In addition, the prospector strategy could also lead to losses due to the risk that is associated with this strategy. Another threat is the fact that Innocent’s products are highly linked to the economic climate, with fewer sales in times of recession. Furthermore, substitute products form a threat for the company, for example when other soft drinks become healthier; the consumers could decide to buy those instead of the healthy innocent dr inks.And lastly, as discussed in the opportunities paragraph, the controversial alliance with Coca-Cola could negatively influence the brand image of Innocent Ltd. Appendix †¦ shows the overview of the SWOT analysis. Recommendations The strategic alliance with coca-cola can have a negative impact on the company, thus Innocent needs to be solid in not adapting the culture of coca-cola and stick to their own eco approach. If coca-cola influences them they might lose their CSR aspects.Another point is that Innocent has a very narrow target market and only AB socio economic people can afford to buy the products regularly. Innocent is also highly dependant on food prices, which are linked to the economic climate. If there is a change in the economic climate prices might increase which will affect their narrow target group even more. In order to avoid such a problem Innocent needs to stick to their prices or even try to lower them and possible increase sales because the demand will b ecome higher from a larger target group.Lastly, many companies such as Starbucks are also starting fruit bars and or juices which can ultimately become a threat to Innocent but in order to remain market leader in the smoothie industry Innocent should stick to their 100% natural policy and due to the current health trend the healthy consumer will prefer Innocent over the others. There are very few competitors that can also incorporate the 100% natural policy, they will also add sugars, additives or pasteurization processes which makes the product become less healthy hence if Innocent remains a healthy product they will always have a competitive advantage.ReferencesBBC Business news. (2011). Richard Reed, Innocent Drinks. Available from: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news /business- 11551271. [Accessed 01. 11. 2011]BBC, (2010). Spending Review: Cuts watch, department-by-department. [online]BBC News. Available from: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news /uk-politics-10924719 [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].Bu siness Dictionary 2011, Competitive Benchmarking [online], Available from: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition /competitive- benchmarking. html [Accessed: 11. 11. 2011]CarMicheal, A. (2009). Innocent. Available from: http://www. allycarmichael. om/photo_ 6035145. html. [Accessed] 29. 10. 2011]Directgov, (2010). Corporation Tax rates. [online] HM Reveue ; Customs. Available from: http://www. hmrc. gov. uk/rates /corp. htm [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].HM Treasury, (2011). Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts. online] Available from: http://www. hm-treasury. gov. uk /d/ 201111forcomp. pdf [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].Innocent Ltd. (2011), Innocent & Business Purpose, Vision and values [online], Available from: http://www. innocentdrinks. co. uk/careers/business/purpose/ [Accessed: 11. 11. 2011]Innocent Foundation Ltd. (2011), about the foundation [online], Available from: http://www. innocentfoundation. org/ [Accessed: 11. 11. 2011] Innocent Ltd. (2011). G allery. Available: http://www. innocentdrinks. co. uk/ bored/ gallery/. [Accessed: 04. 11. 2011]Mintel Group Ltd, (2011). Smoothies-UK-October 2011 Strength and Weaknesses. [online] Available from: http://academic. mintel. com/ sinatra/ oxygen_academic/ display/ i [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].Mulleady, F (2011). Strategic Perspectives. London: McGraw-Hill Education. p. 147-151. NHS, (2011). Why 5 a day?. [online] NHS. Available from: http://www. nhs. uk/ Livewell/ 5ADAY/ Pages/ Why5ADAY. aspx [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].NPS (2010), What are Core Values? [online], Available from: http://www. nps. gov/ training/ uc/ whcv. htm [Accessed: 11. 11. 2011]Office for National Statistics, (2011). GDP and the Labour Market. online] Available from: http://www. ons. gov. uk/ons/ dcp171780_242980. pdf

Was the English Civil War a War of Religion?

Was the English Civil War a war of Religion? The English Civil Wars of 1642 to 1651 had religious connections indefinitely, yet to say that they were wars of religion is slightly blindsided. Economics, national and foreign policy and the rule of King Charles I all played pivotal roles in the wars, in particular, the role of the King and his failings to rule. Such failings lost support for the King on a large scale and led to the argument that this was the beginnings of democracy where the people wanted to look elsewhere from the monarchy for a better governed country.The wars were not fought intently for religion but instead against the monarchy and the dreadful rule of King Charles I for a better led democracy. Such democracy was largely connected and associated with the Parliamentarians who offered opposition to the failing Royalists and hope for change. With the Royalists and the Parliamentarians fighting for power and for leadership of their country, two parties with no major rel igious qualms were set to go to war.For the Roundheads, the ultimate desire was not religious but was to â€Å"safeguard parliaments place in the constitution from the creeping threat of royal absolutism’ that had seemed to be prevalent since at the least 1626. † The parliamentarians offering opposition to the Royalists were in a political sense, seen as the answer in the search of democracy through which they gained mass support. However in answering the question, religious connections must be analysed with a mind on the importance to the civil wars.Importantly, England was a strictly protestant nation after the Reformations of the 16th century and King Charles struggled with Parliament in connection to religion and caused much tension and ill feeling within England. In keeping with his high Anglican faith, the King appointed his main political advisor, William Laud as the new archbishop in 1633. The Protestant people of England accused Laud of Catholicising the Churc h of England and in turn Laud imposed fines for not attending Anglican Church services.He aroused further public anger in 1637 by cutting off the ears of three gentlemen who had written pamphlets attacking Laud’s own views. Such strict and brutal behaviour caused fear in the people and alienate Laud’s church. Further still, the marriage of King Charles to the Roman Catholic French princess Henrietta Maria 1625 had previously caused a general fear of Catholicism to emerge in England but this was only built upon by the measures Laud had instigated. Clearly religion did have an impact yet it is the subsequent effects that matter.These religious matters crucially caused a lack of support for the monarchy and the realisation that the monarchy needed Parliament to govern effectively. The King was blind to this and this forced the people to look elsewhere for democracy. This was the true nature of the war to fight for control and a new democracy. To continue, King Charles the First showed incompetence throughout his rule losing the support of his people gradually but surely. A series of failings displayed his inability to rule yet first and foremost was the manner of King Charles.Michael Young describes Charles as ‘a stubborn, combative and high-handed king, who generated conflict† whilst Richard Cust continues that â€Å"he was not stupid, but he did suffer from what Russell calls ‘a tunnel vision’, which made it very difficult for him to understand anyone’s perspective other than his own. † Shy and obnoxious, Charles was unwilling to conform to parliament insisting that he was chosen by God to rule in accordance with the doctrine of the â€Å"Divine Right of Kings†.Many parliamentarians feared that setting up a new kingdom as Charles I intended might destroy the old English traditions that had been integral to the English monarchy and its country and this belief from King Charles I of the divine right of k ings only exacerbated this. Importantly at this point, parliament was subject to dissolution by the monarchy at any time and they had to weary of this. In all, King Charles was unsuitable to rule England and his character flaws along with his beliefs and reluctance to compromise left him on a one way path to disaster and crucially, unpopularity.He needed parliament yet he himself did not know it, instead his own policies and decisions would alienate him from the people and would be his very downfall. More so disastrous for his reign than his â€Å"indecisive, inadequate and ineffective† personality were the policies of King Charles I. The King wanted to take part in the Thirty Years’ War of Europe at huge costs and with heavy expenditure. Parliament foresaw these impossible costs of the war and refused to support King Charles yet this did not stop the King in pressing ahead with his European Wars.His conquests continued past the dissolution of parliament into his †˜personal rule’ until he was forced to withdraw from the war making peace with Spain and France; the monarchy’s finances were shattered and the King had dissolved Parliament ending any hopes of financial support from taxes. Here the King demonstrates his naivety with the country sustaining incredible financial troubles with little reward to show for it but most importantly he lost further support of the people. People began to question his ability to rule and began to look elsewhere towards parliament.Perhaps the clearest indication though that he was unable to rule without parliament came with his 11 year Personal Rule. For 11 years, King Charles avoided calling a parliament during which time he made several crucial mistakes. Most importantly, without Parliament, Charles was left with little revenue and so he looked to other means of income. Controversially, the King tried to implement Ship taxes, exploiting a naval war-scare and demanding tax from inland counties to pay for the Royal Navy.The tax was questionable at best, supported by law but regarded as an illegal tax; men refused to pay the ship tax and argued that the tax was illegal in court, but most lost and were fined. Further resentment to the King was growing among the English people and again they blamed the Kings lack of parliament and his inability to rule without it. King Charles I foolishly looked to enforce policies in Scotland also. The King had hoped to unite England with Scotland and Ireland to create a single kingdom with a uniform High Anglican church.This idea scared Parliament with fears of losing traditional English ways evident. Despite this, summer of 1637 saw Charles I interfere with Scottish religion introducing a new high Anglican English book of prayer to the Scottish despite the Church of Scotland having strict traditions. This was duly followed by resistance and riots in Edinburgh followed by a rebellion. Naturally the King responded by leading an army to the Sco ttish border and challenging the rebellion.A second war followed in 1640 where embarrassingly King Charles’ forces were defeated by a Scottish army who continued to capture Newcastle; Charles now had a rebellion on his hand but with insufficient finances he could not defend anything of the like, he was forced to form a new parliament and seek the taxes that they brought. The Scottish were demanding ? 850 a day to keep them from advancing and this was all Charles’ own doing in trying to change religion in Scotland. It can be argued as indeed C. Russel does that, â€Å"Religion undoubtedly contributed heavily to the outbreak of the Bishops wars.It contributed to the English defeat in the wars, by building up a party in England whose sympathies were on the Scottish side. † However these religious disputes were not a direct cause of the civil war rather that once again King Charles had made a mistake and proven his inability to rule without the credible parliament. The people were becoming all too aware of these failings and his delusions. The dislike for King Charles I continued to climb with his ordered execution of Thomas Wentworth May 1641.The King had sacrificed one of his chief advisors in the hope of preventing war yet it was all in vain. Here his incapability’s had resulted in an execution and the backlash in Ireland was total chaos with the faithful Catholics fearing a protestant resurgence. Further tension between the monarchy and parliament was seen and the King looked very weak at this point. Finally, the end of King Charles of England rule came in 1642, early in which he had attempted to capture five members of the House of Commons.The King had gone accompanied by 400 soldiers to arrest the five members on charge of treason yet upon arrival at parliament the Speaker refused to reveal the whereabouts of the suspects. Crucially, Lenthall replied â€Å"May it please your majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as this house is pleased to direct me whose servant I am here; and humbly beg your majesty's pardon that I cannot give any other answer than this is to what your majesty is pleased to demand of me† voicing his determined allegiance not the King but to Parliament.This portrayed the feeling between Parliament and the King and it was only then that the King saw that he had real opposition. Following his latest failing Charles had fled from London in fear of his own safety but continued to negotiate with Parliament through until the summer to no avail. With the summer passing towns and cities began to voice their allegiance for either the Royalists or the Parliamentarians and the war was beginning to emerge. Quite literally King Charles had got it all wrong and had even sparked off a civil war with his attempts to arrest parliament members.Importantly it was the King’s attempts to arrest members of parliament that sparked the war as opposed to any religio us factors or disputes and the Kings incompetent ruling of the country that continued to fuel the civil wars for years to come. In conclusion, the English civil wars on 1642 to 1651 were not wars of religion. Without doubt religion played a role in the distancing between the King to his people and Parliament and also with the Bishops wars, yet it was not integral to the emergence of the war or indeed throughout the war.Rather the war was a war of power and control with Parliament attempting to provide democracy to the unsatisfied people in contrast to the diabolical failings with the rule of King Charles I. King Charles was incapable of ruling the country, demonstrating his incompetence with endless examples to make the people want for a new democracy and better leadership for their country; and that they did with support for Parliamentarians seen in huge numbers. The Kings failure to rule and govern the country had directly led to intervention from the Parliamentarians and the star t of the English civil wars. Word Count – 1920Bibliography 1. Coward, B. (1980) The Stuart Age; England 1603 – 1714. Pearson Education Limited 2. Cust, R. (2002) ‘Politics, Religion and Popularity’, Charles I and popularity. (ed. ,Cogswell, T. Cust, R. Lake, P. ) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 235 3. De Groot, J. (2004). Royalist identities. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. 4. Hill, C. (1958). Puritanism and revolution: Studies in interpretation of the English revolution of the 17th century. London: Secker ; Warburg. 5. Kishlansky, M. (1999) ‘Tyranny Denied: Charles I, Attorney General Heath, and the Five Knights’ Case. 42: 53 6. Morrill, J. S. (1993). The nature of the English Revolution: Essays. London: Longman. 7. Parliament. uk; Speaker Lenthall defends Parliament against the King. Accessed 27th March 2012. Available from http://www. parliament. uk/business/publications/parliamentary-archives/archives-highlig hts/archives-speakerlenthall/ 8. Russell, C. (1990) The Causes of the English civil War. Oxford: Clarendon Press 9. Sproxton, J. (1995). Violence and religion: Attitudes towards militancy in the French civil wars and the English Revolution. London ; New York: Routledge. ——————————————- [ 1 ]. Coward, B. (1980) The Stuart Age; England 1603 – 1714. Pearson Education Limited [ 2 ]. Cust, R. (2002) ‘Politics, Religion and Popularity’, Charles I and popularity. (ed. ,Cogswell, T. Cust, R. Lake, P. ) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 235 [ 3 ]. Cust, R. (2002) ‘Politics, Religion and Popularity’, Charles I and popularity. (ed. ,Cogswell, T. Cust, R. Lake, P. ) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 235 [ 4 ]. Kishlansky, M. (1999) ‘Tyranny Denied: Charles I, Attorney General Heath, and the Five

What You Should Know About Kants Ethics in a Nutshell

What You Should Know About Kants Ethics in a Nutshell Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is, by common consent, one of the most profound and original philosophers who ever lived. He is equally well known for his metaphysics–the subject of his Critique of Pure Reason-and for his moral philosophy which is set out in his Groundwork to the Metaphysics of Morals and the Critique of Practical Reason. Of these last two works, the Groundwork is by far the easier to understand. A Problem for the Enlightenment To understand Kant’s moral philosophy it is crucial first of all to understand the problem that he, like other thinkers of the time, was trying to deal with. From time immemorial, people’s moral beliefs and practices had been based on religion. Scriptures like the bible or the Koran laid out moral rules that were thought to be handed down from God: Don’t kill. Don’t steal. Don’t commit adultery, and so on. The fact that the rules came from God gave them their authority. They were not just somebody’s arbitrary opinion: they gave humanity an objectively valid code of conduct. Moreover, everyone had an incentive to obey them.  If you â€Å"walked in the ways of the Lord,† you would be rewarded, either in this life or the next. If you violated His commandments, you would be punished. So any sensible person would abide by the moral rules that religion taught. With the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the great cultural movement known as the Enlightenment which followed, a problem arose for this way of thinking. Simply put, faith in God, scripture, and organized religion began to decline among the intelligentsia–that is, the educated elite. This is the development that Nietzsche famously described as â€Å"the death of God.† And it created a problem for moral philosophy. For if religion wasn’t the foundation that gave our moral beliefs their validity, what other foundation could there be? And if there is no God, and therefore no guarantee of cosmic justice ensuring that the good guys are rewarded and the bad guys are punished, why should anyone bother trying to be good? The Scottish moral philosopher Alisdair MacIntrye called this â€Å"the Enlightenment problem.† The problem is to come up with a secular–that is, a non-religious–account of what morality is and why we should be moral. Three Responses to the Enlightenment Problem 1.  Social Contract Theory One response was pioneered by the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679). He argued that morality was essentially a set of rules that human beings agreed upon among themselves in order to make living together possible. If we didn’t have these rules, many of which are laws enforced by the government, life would be absolutely horrible for everyone. 2.  Utilitarianism Another attempt give morality a non-religious foundation was pioneered by thinkers like David Hume (1711-1776) and Jeremy Bentham (1748-1742). This theory holds that pleasure and happiness have intrinsic value. They are what we all want and are the ultimate goals that all our actions aim at.  Something is good if it promotes happiness, and it is bad if it produces suffering. Our basic duty is to try to do things that add to the amount of happiness or reduce the amount of misery in the world.   3.  Kantian Ethics Kant had no time for utilitarianism.  He thought that in placing the emphasis on happiness it completely misunderstood the nature of morality.  In his view, the basis for our sense of what is good or bad, right or wrong, is our awareness that human beings are free, rational agents who should be given the respect appropriate to such beings.  Let’s see in closer detail what this means and what it entails. The Problem With Utilitarianism The basic problem with utilitarianism, in Kant’s view, is that it judges actions by their consequences.  If your action makes people happy, it’s good; if it does the reverse, it’s bad.  But this is actually contrary to what we might call moral common sense.  Consider this question.  Who do you think is the better person, the millionaire who gives $1,000 to charity in order to look good in front of his girlfriend, or the minimum wage worker who donates a day’s pay to charity because he thinks it is is duty to help the needy? If consequences are all that matter, then the millionaire’s action is better.  But that’s not what most people think.  Most of us judge actions more by their motives than by their consequences.  The reason is obvious: the consequences of our actions are often out of our control, just as the ball is out of the pitcher’s control once it has left his hand.  I could save a life at the risk of my own, and the person I save could turn out to be serial killer.  Or I could kill someone in the course of stealing from them, and in doing so might accidentally save the world from a terrible tyrant. The Good Will The first sentence of Kant’s Groundwork states: â€Å"the only thing that is unconditionally good is a good will.† Kant’s argument for this is quite plausible. Consider anything you think of as good: health, wealth, beauty, intelligence, etc. In every case, you can imagine a situation in which this good thing is not good after all. A person can be corrupted by their wealth. The robust health of a bully makes it easier for him to abuse his victims. A person’s beauty may lead them to become vain and fail to develop their talents. Even happiness is not good if it is the happiness of a sadist torturing his victims. A good will, by contrast, says Kant, is always good in all circumstances. But what, exactly, does he mean by a good will? The answer is fairly simple. A person acts from a good will when they do what they do because they think it is their duty: when they act from a sense of moral obligation. Duty v. Inclination Obviously, we don’t perform every little act we do out of a sense of obligation. Much of the time we are simply following our inclinations, acting out of self-interest. There is nothing wrong with this. But no-one deserves any credit for pursuing their own interests. That comes naturally to us, just as it comes naturally to every animal. What is remarkable about human beings, though, is that we can, and sometimes do, perform an action from purely moral motives. E.g. a soldier throws himself on a grenade, sacrificing his life to save the lives of others. Or less dramatically, I pay back a debt as I promised to do even though this will leave me short of money. In Kant’s eyes, when a person freely chooses to do the right thing just because it is the right thing to do, their action adds value to the world; it lights it up, so to speak, with a brief glow of moral goodness. Knowing What Your Duty Is Saying that people should do their duty from a sense of duty is easy. But how are we supposed to know what our duty is? Sometimes we may find ourselves facing moral dilemmas where it isn’t obvious which course of action is right. According to Kant, however, in most situations are duty is obvious. And if we are uncertain we can work it out by reflecting on a general principle that he calls the â€Å"Categorical Imperative.† This, he claims, is the fundamental principle of morality. All other rules and precepts can be deduced from it. He offers several different versions of this categorical imperative. One runs as follows: â€Å"Act only on that maxim that you can will as a universal law.† What this means, basically, is that we should only ask ourselves: how would it be if everyone acted the way I’m acting? Could I sincerely and consistently wish for a world in which everyone behaved this way? According to Kant, if our action is morally wrong we would not b able to do this. For instance, suppose I’m thinking of breaking a promise. Could I wish for a world in which everyone broke their promises when keeping them was inconvenient? Kant argues that I could not want this, not least because in such a world no-one would make promises since everyone would know that a promise meant nothing. The Ends Principle Another version of the Categorical Imperative that Kant offers states that one should â€Å"always treat people as ends in themselves, never merely as a means to one’s own ends. This is commonly referred to as the â€Å"ends principle.† But what does it mean, exactly?   The key to it is Kant’s belief that what makes us moral beings is the fact that we are free and rational. To treat someone as a means to your own ends or purposes is to not respect this fact about them. For instance, if I get you to agree to do something by making a false promise, I am manipulating you. Your decision to help me is based on false information (the idea that I’m going to keep my promise). In this way, I have undermined your rationality. This is even more obvious if I steal from you or kidnap you in order to claim a ransom. Treating someone as an end, by contrast, involves always respecting the fact that they are capable of free rational choices which may be  different from the choices you wish them to make. So if I want you to do something, the only moral course of action is to explain the situation, explain what I want, and let you make your own decision. Kant’s Concept of Enlightenment In a famous essay entitled â€Å"What is Enlightenment?† Kant defined enlightenment as â€Å"man’s emancipation from his self-imposed immaturity.† What does this mean? And what does it have to do with his ethics? The answer goes back to the issue of religion no longer providing a satisfactory foundation for morality. What Kant calls humanity’s â€Å"immaturity† is the period when people did not truly think for themselves.  They typically accepted moral rules handed down to them by religion, by tradition, or by authorities like the Bible, the church, or the king. Many people have lamented the fact that many have lost their faith in these authorities. The result is viewed as a spiritual crisis for Western civilization. If â€Å"God is dead,† how do we know what is true and what is right? Kant’s answer is that we have to work these things out for ourselves. But this is not something to lament.  Ultimately it is something to celebrate. Morality is not a matter of subjective whim. What he calls â€Å"the moral law† –the categorical imperative and everything it implies–can be discovered by reason. But it is a law that we, as rational beings, impose on ourselves. It is not imposed on us from without. This is why one of our deepest feelings is reverence for the moral law. And when we act as we do out of respect for it–in other words, from a sense of duty–we fulfill ourselves as rational beings.

The Modern Chinese Wedding Ceremony and Banquet

The Modern Chinese Wedding Ceremony and Banquet In modern China, the official marriage ceremony is  now substantially different than it was in traditional Chinese custom, where most marriages were arranged according to a social arrangement and were heavily influenced by the philosophy and practices of Confucianism- at least for the majority of Han Chinese. Other ethnic groups traditionally had different customs. These traditional customs were a carry-over from feudal times in China but were changed by two different reforms after the Communist revolution.  Thus, the official act of marriage in modern China is a secular ceremony, not a religious one. However, there remain strong traditional customs in place in many parts of China.   The first reform came with the 1950 marriage law, the first official marriage document for the Peoples Republic of China, in which the feudal nature of traditional marriage was officially eliminated. Another reform came in 1980, at which time individuals were allowed to select their own marriage partners. In an effort to control population numbers, Chinese law today requires men to be at least 22 years of age and women 20 years of age before they can legally marry. It should be noted that while official policy outlaws all the feudal customs, in practice of arranging marriage does persist in many families. Chinese law does not recognize yet recognize same-sex marriage rights. Since 1984 homosexuality is no longer considered a crime, but there is still substantial social disapproval of same-sex relationships. Modern Chinese Wedding Ceremonies Although the official modern Chinese wedding ceremony usually takes place in a city hall office presided over by a government official, the genuine celebration generally occurs later at a private wedding banquet reception that is usually hosted and paid for by the grooms family.  Religious Chinese may also opt to exchange vows at a religious ceremony, but either way, it is at the later banquet reception that the larger celebration occurs, attended by friends and extended family.   The Chinese Wedding Banquet The wedding banquet is a lavish affair lasting two or more hours. Invited guests sign their names in a wedding book or on a large scroll and present their red envelopes to attendants at the entrance of the wedding hall. The envelope is opened and the money is counted while the guest looks on. The guests’ names and amounts of money given are recorded so that the bride and groom know how much each guest gave toward the wedding. This record is helpful for when the couple later attends this guests own wedding- they are expected to offer a gift of more money than they themselves received.   After presenting the red envelope, guests are ushered into a large banquet hall. Guests are sometimes assigned seats but are sometimes welcome to sit where they choose.  Once all the guests have arrived, the wedding party begins. Nearly all Chinese banquets feature an emcee or master of ceremonies who announces the arrival of the bride and groom. The couple’s entrance marks the beginning of the wedding celebration. After one member of the  couple, usually the groom gives a short welcome speech, guests are served the first of nine meal courses. Throughout the meal, the bride and groom enter and re-enter the banquet hall, each time wearing different clothing outfits. While the guests eat, the bride and groom are typically busy changing their clothes and attending to their guests’ needs. The couple typically re-enters the dining hall after the third and sixth courses. Toward the end of the meal but before dessert is served, the bride and groom toast the guests. The groom’s best friend may also offer up a toast. The bride and groom make their way to each table where the guests stand and simultaneously toast the happy couple. Once the bride and groom have visited each table, they exit the hall while dessert is served. Once dessert is served, the wedding celebration  promptly ends. Before leaving, guests line up to greet the bride and groom and their families standing outside the hall in a receiving line. Each guest has a photo taken with the couple and may be offered sweets by the bride. Post-Wedding Rituals After the wedding banquet, close friends and relatives go to the bridal chamber and play tricks on the newlyweds as a way to extend good wishes. The couple then shares a glass of wine and teach traditionally cuts off a lock of hair to symbolize that they are now of one heart. Three, seven or nine days after the wedding, the bride returns to her maiden home to visit her family. Some couples opt to go on a honeymoon vacation as well. There are also customs regarding the birth of the first child.

American firm opening branch in Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American firm opening branch in Japan - Essay Example During the Nara and Heian periods (710-1185) the emperors began to practice Buddhism, believing its teachings would protect the state. The Muromachi era (1333 to 1568) brought disintegration of the central government, firearms were introduced by the shipwrecked Portuguese soldiers, and Christianity was introduced by Francis Xavier. (Background, 2005, p. 3). Finally in the Edo period (1600-1868) Japan enters into an age of â€Å"peace and national isolation.† (Background, 2005, p.4). The United States wants to use the Japanese ports as supply bases for its commercial fleet, and, in a surprise move, Japan accepts the US demands and opens its doors for the first time in two centuries. In the Meiji period (1868-1912), the emperor was restored, and Japan made its transition to nation-state. The Showa period (1926-1989) brought many more changes for Japan, including World War II and its aftermath, including the necessary economic recovery. In 1941 Pearl Harbor brought the US into war in the Pacific and in August of 1945 â€Å"the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the second on Nagasaki; the emperor airs by radio a statement of unconditional surrender.† (Background, 2005, p. 5). The years of 1945-1952 brought allied occupation of Japan, with women gaining legal equality as well as the right to vote. Japan’s poli tical life was changed to a parliamentary state, and with the peace treaty signed in 1951, Japan regained independence. The â€Å"High Growth Age† in Japan occurred from the late 1950’s to the early 1970’s and Japan was rewarded with a booming economy. (Background, 2005, p. 5). Japan is made up of five islands; however there are some thirty-six hundred islands in the entire group, and dozens that are actually inhabited. Japan has twenty-nine thousand kilometers of coastline, and the total land area is 142,000 square miles which makes Japan one-twenty-fifth the size of the United States, or roughly the size of

Why Would You Decide to Use an Online Dating Site Factors That Lead to Article

Why Would You Decide to Use an Online Dating Site Factors That Lead to Online Dating - Article Example Online dating is a Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). This paper seeks to conduct a study that would unearth factors contributing to online dating. Several significant studies have been conducted to determine factors leading to online dating. Kang and Hoffman based their analysis on a study conducted by Pew Internet and American Life Project. The model used by Pew Internet and American Life Project studied individuals from age bracket 18-95 years old, their level of education ranged from 1-7 years after high school. Additionally, 54.3 of the respondents were women. On the other hand, the study by Kang and Hoffman which sought to find out factors that predict usage of online dating and based hyperpersonal CMC as its theoritical framework, tested six variables; age, sex, education, trust, total number of tasks that a person does on the internet and perceived reliability of the internet. Results showed that several significant factors played fundamental roles in predicting the likelihood of an individual to use online dating module; Several literatures demonstrates trust as a significant factor in determining online dating. Honesty poses a major problem in the online dating realm since many individuals assume that others are giving inaccurate information about themselves. Kang and Hoffman argue that individuals who generally trust others may also trust those they meet through the internet. Sex factor is a determinant of online dating; results showed that women use online dating than men. Exposure to the internet also predicts internet usage, since determines the number of tasks an individual performs on the internet. For instance, graduate students respond with tremendous positive attitudes in creating online relationships than undergraduate students who comfortably use internet for other purposes.