Amnesty International Against the Death Penalty Essay

Amnesty International Against the Death Penalty The death penalty is enforced in more than 100 countries around the globe. Statistically, there have been 1,708 known executions in 35 of these 100 countries. I=m sure that the true figures are certainly higher. The most common methods of this controversial act include shooting, electrocution, lethal injection, hanging, stoning, and decapitation. Around the world, there are presently almost 3,000 people on death row (What is Amnesty International, 1997, Oct. 29, p. 13). Rushing to stand on behalf of these prisoners is the powerful social activist group Amnesty International. Amnesty International Aopposes the death penalty in all cases on the grounds that it is a violation of the†¦show more content†¦In 1977, their achievements landed them a recipient award of the Nobel Prize for Peace (AAmnesty International of the U.S.A.,@ 1996, p. 2162). Today, Amnesty International has more then 1,000,000 members, subscribers, and regular donors in more than 100 countries and territories throughout the world. Without including the thousands of schools, universities, and professional groups that do not register internationally, Amnesty International holds 4,287 local groups within the International Secretariat. The heart of the organization lies in London, with over 300 permanent staff members and 95 volunteers from around the world (AAmnesty International=s facts and figures,@ 1997, Nov. 15, p. 1). For every organization to work there must be some type of administration, and indeed, Amnesty International has one. Today, the Secretary General in charge of Amnesty International is Pierre Sane. In whole, it is governed by a nine-member International Executive Committee. Eight of the nine members are volunteers, elected every two years by an International Council, and one elected member of the International Secretariat (AFacts and figures about Amnesty International,@ 1997, Nov. 1, p. 1). Finally, the last bit of information about Amnesty International is its main focuses. Standing by its detailed international statute, Amnesty International=sShow MoreRelated The Effectiveness of Amnesty International1143 Words   |  5 Pages The Effectiveness of Amnesty International In 1961, two Portuguese students raising a toast to freedom were imprisoned for 7 years. Upon learning about the controversy, Peter Benenson, a British lawyer published The Forgotten Prisoners in the Observer newspaper. This became the article that launched Amnesty International and the worldwide campaign to take action and fight for human rights. Amnesty International or commonly called AI is a worldwide, non for profit organization that advocates andRead MoreEssay on The Pros and Cons of Capital Punishment1208 Words   |  5 Pagesright to life, while degrading the individual, and serving no true justification of the action at all. The death penalty has not always been popular in the United States. It arose in the early years of the United States, and stems from a heavy influence from the British. Colonial times yielded very few cases of the death penalty. It was not until the 19th century when the death penalty became very popular and rose to its highest points. By the 1930s, around 150 people were executed yearly, whichRead More Against the Death Penalty Essay1533 Words   |  7 Pages The Death Penalty Human rights are fundamental rights which every human being is entitled to just because they are human. The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. It is the cold blooded killing of a human being in the name of ‘justice’. In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; in Articles 3 and 5 it states that â€Å"no one shall be subjected to cruel or degrading punishment and everyone has the rightRead MoreCapital Punishment1137 Words   |  5 Pagesof a crime will have to face corresponding punishments. Among all penalties, capital punishment is considered to be the most severe and cruelest one which takes away criminal’s most valuable right in the world, that is, right to live. It is a heated debate for centuries whether capital punishment should be completely abolished world widely. The world seems to have mixed opinion regarding this issue. According to Amnesty International (2010), currently, 97 countries in the world have already abolishedRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Death Penalty833 Words   |  4 PagesOne of the controversial issue during our nationwide is death penalty, because it is punishment that carried out against a person condemned of capital crime. Research have shown that â€Å"At least 1,634 people were executed in 25 countries in 2015, also in 2014 Amnesty International recorded 1,061 executions in 22 counties worldwide† (Am nesty International). Also, there are many different philosophical view on death penalty. One of the them is utilitarian philosopher Jermyn Bentham, where he argues thatRead MoreThe Illegalization Of Capital Punishment1441 Words   |  6 PagesThe Death Penalty, also termed capital punishment, is the legal process in which a person is put to death by the federal or state government based on having committed one of 43 capital crimes, such as first-degree murder, espionage or treason. The death penalty is enforced based upon the idea that law abiding members of society will no longer have to worry about convicted criminals being able to carry out even more heinous crimes within their lifetimes. However enforcing the death penalty has alsoRead MoreCapital Panishment1230 Words   |  5 Pagespunishment and the people who argue against capital punishment. The most compelling arguments against capital punishment can be made on the basis of it doesn’t reduce crime, risks executi ons of innocent people, inflicted disproportionately on the poor and targeting people of colour (racist), persons who commit vicious crimes have often suffered from neglect, violence, cruelty, lack of love, and a host of destructive social conditions. Proponents of the death penalty say it is an important tool forRead MoreUnited Nations Economic And Social Council1334 Words   |  6 PagesResearch an International Non -Governmental Organization that works on behalf of human rights issues. The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) defines an INGO as any organization which is not established by inter-governmental agreement (Resolution 288 (X) 27 February 1950), including organizations which accept members designated by government authorities, provided that such membership does not interfere with the free expression of views of the organizations (Resolution 1296Read MoreEssay on Death Penalty - Herrera vs Collins1337 Words   |  6 PagesDeath Penalty - Herrera vs Collins The Supreme Court addressed the constitutionality of executing someone who claimed actual innocence in Herrera v. Collins (506 U.S. 390 (1993)). Although the Court left open the possibility that the Constitution bars the execution of someone who conclusively demonstrates that he or she is actually innocent, the Court noted that such cases would be very rare. The Court held that, in the absence of other constitutional violations, new evidence of innocence is noRead More Capital Punishment: Just or Unjust? Essay1927 Words   |  8 PagesJust or Unjust?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Can you imagine knowing the exact day, time, and place you were going to die, not to mention how your death was to come about? Day after day of mental pain just knowing that days, hours, minutes and even seconds from now you are going to be killed. The night before, tossing and turning, playing through your head just the way you imagine your death is going to be, asking yourself heaven or hell, suffering or short? If only you can take that one moment of sin back or maybe there

J.L. Mackies Evil and Omnipotence Essay - 1652 Words

J.L. Mackies Evil and Omnipotence The philosopher J.L. Mackie wrote a very convincing piece on the problem of evil called â€Å"Evil and Omnipotence,† in which he attempts to show that one of the following premises must be false in order for them to be consistent with each other. #1. God is omnipotent. #2. God is morally perfect. #3. Evil exists. The problem of evil is a deductive a priori argument who’s goal is to prove the non-existence of God. In addition to Mackie’s three main premises he also introduces some â€Å"quasi-logical† rules that give further evidence to his argument. First he presumes that a good thing will eliminate evil to the extent that it can and second, that omnipotence has no limits. From these two â€Å"additional†¦show more content†¦Mackie saves the strongest and probably the most popular theistic response to this argument for last. The free will solution claims that the existence of 2nd order evils is not a product of God but of mankind’s own freewill. The supporters of this claim hold that freedom is a good even greater than 2nd order goods and believe that God is justified for letting 2nd order evils exist in exchange for the ultimate good of freedom. This is to say that even though God is omnipotent he chooses not to use his power to control the will of men. In comparison to the first two theistic responses this one seems to be the best. So it is surprising how easily Mackie disproves it. He asks, if God is all good and all powerful, and if free will is good enough to justify 2nd order evils, why didn’t he create men so that they would freely choose to do good? The only possible objection to this is to say that God’s power is limited and that he is not omnipotent. Also if God is omniscient doesn’t he already know the outcomes of the men which he has created? To truly allow man to have free will God would have to restrict his own power in order to be unable to control men and this leads us to the Paradox of omnipotence. Another attempt to prove the problem of evil is the evidential version of the argument. This argument attempts to show inductively that the existence of God is not likely. This form is muchShow MoreRelatedProblem Of Evil And The Free Will Defense1038 Words   |  5 PagesGall Harari PHI2010 Kearns 19 October 2017 Problem of Evil and the Free Will Defense Evil is something that exists in many forms. From big evils like Hitler’s Holocaust and slavery, to small evils like getting a papercut and getting stuck in the rain (perhaps to some this might be a big evil), evil is basically anything that is not good. For theologians, evil poses several problems, most notably when it comes to the existence of God. To most theologists, God has a set definition. God is definedRead More The God and Evil Problem Essay2279 Words   |  10 PagesThe God and Evil Problem A strong argument against the existence of a Christian God is contained in the theodicy problem. The existence of suffering is not compatible with an omniscient, omnipotent, omni benevolent superior being. An all-knowing being would be aware that suffering is and always will be in existence; an all-powerful being would be able to prevent suffering; and a perfectly good being would desire to end suffering. Many Christian thinkers have sought to justify this contradictionRead MoreThe Age Old Question That Is Still Being Debated Essay1888 Words   |  8 Pagesof the big questions such as: How can a good God allow suffering? Why does evil exist? Is God like many have attributed to Him, a watchmaker, who winds us up and lets it go until it runs out? How could God allow the Holocaust? The theological field of inquiry called â€Å"theodicy†, which investigates the basic question: If God is all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscient), and all-good, (omni-benevolent) how c an evil and injustice exist? Since reading Elie Wiesel’s soul shattering Night, thisRead MoreThe Problem Of Evil And The Field Of Social Work1905 Words   |  8 PagesThe problem of evil can be one of the hardest obstacles to overcome when it comes to believing in God. The fact that evil does not disprove God’s existence but, rather the existence of evil can be argued for the existence of God. The following will analyze the coexistence of God and evil through a series of steps in order to better defend the Christian faith through the intellectual defense, emotional arguments and connections to the field of social work. My professional future will be comprisedRead MoreFor God So Loved the World Essays923 Words   |  4 Pagesand God needed them in Heaven. Not satisfied with his answer, this experience haunted me for much of my childhood. Would God allow this to happen to me? I spent many years searching for answers. I recently read Richard Swinburne’s The Problem of Evil and realized that he confirmed the answers that I had found throughout the years. He argues that God created us as free agents in an imperfect world where we can learn right from wrong and build moral character from our experiences. Swinburne says

Girl Essay Example For Students

Girl Essay GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUEOverviewIn eight quasi-connected stories, Susan Vreeland delivers a fictional lesson on aesthetics. Set amidst human sorrow and historic chaos, the narrative follows an imagined Vermeer painting from the present day through 330 years of its provenancebeginning with its willful destruction in the 1990s and concluding with its inspired creation in the 1660s:Chapter 1. 1995(?): in Pennsylvania, math teacher Cornelius Englebrecht burns the painting in his fireplace; 1942: in Amsterdam, from the Vredenburg home, German soldier Otto Engelbrecht loots the painting, hides it, and absconds with it to America. Chapter 2. 1940: in Amsterdam, diamond merchant Sol Vredenburg buys the painting for his daughter Hannah as a gift for her 11th birthday. Chapter 3. 1899: in Vreeland, engineer Laurens van Luyken, having originally purchased the picture as an anniversary gift for his wife, decides to give it to his daughter Johanna, engaged to the Amsterdamer Fritz. Chapter 4. 1803: in The Hague, French aristocrat Gerard buys the painting from a Dutch noble; wife Claudine absconds with and sells it, without the documents attesting to its authenticity. Chapter 5. 1717-18: from the floodwaters of Delfzijl, scholar Adriaan Kuypers flees with the painting to Oling where he relinquishes it to the farmers wife, Saskia, who sells it to a dealer in Amsterdam. Chapter 6. 1717: in Delfzijl, Aunt Rika, wife of a slave trader, offers the painting as a bribe to her nephew Adriaan to hide the evidence of his bastard child and keep her name respectable. Chapter 7. 1665-8: in Delft, Vermeer begins and completes the painting of his daughter Magdelena. Chapter 8. 1675: in Delft, Vermeer dies, and after his death his daughter Magdelena sells the painting to the local baker; later, in Amsterdam in 1696, Magdelena observes a nice family buying the painting at auction. Topics For Discussion1. The plot summary reveals that much of the pictures provenance remains unknown. Why do you think Vreeland leaves blank so much of the pictures history? Where do you imagine the painting was, say, between 1803 and 1890? Why do you think Vreeland places the painting in periods of history reflecting so many atrocities? What would have been gainedor lostfrom this novel had the author placed the picture in more heroic moments of human history?2. For many readers the chapters seem uneven in quality. Which chapters seem to you more/less successful than the others? Can you say why some fail to work as well as others?3. The original title for the opening chapter was Love Burning. What additional textual evidence exists to affirm the paintings destruction by Cornelius? Do you think that Cornelius makes a morally correct decision when he burns the picture? Do you think that Richard ought to have stepped in to save it?4. In A Night Different From All Other Nights, Hannah s laughters the familys pet pigeons. Why and for whom does Hannah destroy these pets? How is the death of the pigeons related to the Amsterdam setting? In what way is the familys celebration of Passover relevant to this story? Would a different Jewish holiday, say Chanukah, have had the same symbolic value?5. Why do you think that Digna sews samplers, in Adagia, embedded with quotations by Erasmus? You might want to discuss Erasmus, and the part this Dutch Renaissance humanist plays in the drama going on between this 19th century husband and wife?6. The Hyacinth Blue chapter is written in the first person and in a vastly different style from that of the other chapters. Authors often use the first person point of view to expose an unreliable narrator. In what way is Claudines account of these events unreliable? In other words, what part or parts of the story does she fail to understand? Why do you think that Vreeland chose to tell Claudines story from that characters limited point of v iew?7. In the Morningshine chapter, Saskia and Stign have an unsatisfying marriage. Indeed, unhappy marriages and unpromising couples seem to be the norm in this book. What, according to Vreeland, constitutes an unhappy union?8. Why is scholarly Adriaan Kuypers, in the Personal Papers chapter, attracted to superstitious Aletta Pieters? Does Alettas family history help to explain her irrational behavior?9. The concluding Magdelena Looking chapter traces the paintings subject from her wistful 14th year (when she wishes her father would paint her) to her melancholic middle age. In it, we learn that following her fathers death, Magdelena marries an unimaginative saddler, moves to Amsterdam, and ends up childless. What does this sad story contribute to the viewers understanding of the painting?10. Magdelena sells the painting for over 300 gilders. Saskia sells it for 75 gilders. Claudine sells it for 24 gilders. Today, the picture would be sold for several hundred million gilders. Given these discrepancies, what do you think Vreeland is suggesting about the monetary value of art?The novel opens in the present day when Cornelius Engelbrecht, a lonely math teacher, invites one of his colleagues from the art department to see a painting he has kept secret for decades. The Phone Call EssayThough he insists its an authentic Vermeer, a painting ready to rock the art world, he explains vaguely, I prefer it not be known. Security risks. I just wanted you to see it, because you can appreciate it.The art teacher leaves unconvinced, and Corneliuss dreadful paradox is unresolved. Hes spent decades worshipping the painting and enduring the guilt that stains it since he first learned his father stole it from Jews he helped deport from the Netherlands. As he stares at the girl in blue, the narrator explains, The one thing he craved, to be believed, struck at odds with the thing he most feared, to be linked by blood with his centurys supreme cruelty. Hed have to risk exposure for the pure pleasure of delighting with another in the luminescence of her eye.From this haunting first chapter, the book moves backward in time to the previous owners of the painting. In each new house, all the way back to Vermeers, it assumes a new meaning. For little Hannah in Amsterdam, the girl in the blue dress is a model of pensive contemplation amid the rising tide of anti-Semitism. Hannah is burdened with a profound sense that she and her family are living, as Emily Dickinson put it, between the heaves of storm. In this stunning chapter, nothing more violent than the death of a pigeon takes place, but the horizon glows with horror. Further back, the painting belonged to a man who loved it as a memory of the love he foolishly lost. For an earlier owner, its an emblem of the daughter she cannot bear. Caught in what Vreeland calls the excruciating complexities of life, each owner relinquishes the Vermeer only as a last resort. One desperate young man wraps his newborn son with the painting and leaves it on a boat near a flooded house. The note reads, Sell the painting. Feed the baby.Vreelands study of Girl in Hyacinth Blue illuminates the hopes and fears we invest in beautiful objects. In the end, the narrator notes, its only the moments that we have. But what exquisite moments they are in this thoughtful book. Girl In Hyacinth Blue How different owners express feelings toward artEssay written by: bigshaggyArt renders the extraordinary brilliance of peoples lives. Susan Vreelands lovely Girl in Hyacinth Blue brings together an artfully constructed reversed chronological novel. A kind of contemporary hiding-place of a painting credited to Vermeer all the way back to the moment the work was fathered. The purpose of art is to provide a sense of grace and fulfillment to the heart and soul. Vermeers paintings speak so powerfully, nearly four centuries after their creation, of the mysteries of character and time and of the unimportant details that make up a life. Delicate affections toward sentimental values may be arduous to allow betrayal; not only women enjoy the soft spots of art. Haughty feelings toward sentimental values may be difficult to allow confer. A math teacher, Cornelius Engelbrecht supposedly burns the painting in his fire place. Embarrassed by his fathers hovering nervousness wh enever he brought home a school friend. (pg. 13) Despite his embarrasment, had he have the will to burn the painting or relinquish it? Perhaps, he could have burned it for the reason that the painting brought about painful memories. 1942, in Amsterdam German soldier Otto Engelbrecht loots the painting, hides it, and then escapes with it to America; bringing his son painful memories in the future. Although this could be the case, he could have relinquished it or destroyed it; this could be debated further because Cornelius knew that destroying the painting, would be burning a hole in his heart and soul; on the other hand relinquishing it, would bring the forever lasting disdain. In Vreeland, Laurens van Luyken, originally purchased the painting as an anniversary gift for his wife, but is hesitant, No. Why not the painting? Because I gave it to you. But it would be a touch of our home in theirs. I wouldnt want to be without it.' (pg. 65) to give it to his daughter Johanna, who is enga ged to the Amsterdamer Fritz. The value doesnt necessarily have to be something that is rich, it can also be sentimentally valued to the heart and soul. Humanity does not want to confer such beauty unless they are monetarily deficient, even then trying their hardest to take hold of their sentiment. As people become more monetarily deficient, it gives them more of a sense of want for priceless possessions. A student named Adriaan Kuypers disappears with the painting to Oling where he gives it up to the farmers wife, Saskia, who sells it to a dealer in Amsterdam. As for the painting, she had hung it on a clothes peg to get it out of the way. In the evenings she hung clothes in front of it, so Stijin might not be reminded, but in the day she uncovered it Morningshine she called it only if she could keep the painting. (pg. 121) Saskia, wanting the painting, had no choice but to sell it because of her husband and her monetary problems. So the next time I saw Aletta crying in front of the painting, I sat beside her and studied it, trying to understand how something so beautiful could grieve her. The tenderness of the girls face showed it was painted with intimacy and love- qualities missing. Obviously, Adriaan is feeling not loved enough, the painting which gives him few. I asked her what had made her cry. Papa said she had eyes like that, like pale blue moons, and hair like hers, that golden brown color, only in braids. She died when I was born. (pg. 161) Aletta is missing a whole lot in her life, caused by the death of her birth giver. Was it possible to paint with good conscience what he didnt understand? What he didnt even know? The face, not beautiful; the expression charged yet under containment for him, he believed. To render it with honesty rather than pride or even mere love, to go beyond the painting of known sentiment into mystery that was her challenge to him. In Delft, Vermeer begins and completes the painting of his daughter Magdelena, the face, not beautiful for him Vermeer, he believed. (pg. 221) which he apparently paints beautifully. In Delft, Vermeer dies, and after his death, his daughter Magdelena sells the painting to the local baker to cover debts; later, in Amsterdam in 1696, Magdelena sees a nice family buying the painting at an auction. She is very saddened to see someone take her childhood, also feeling sorry for the baker, whom lost most of his money at the auction. The painting reflected most upon the women; although if the ratio of men to women was greater, there would be a greater probability of the same affections toward the piece of art. Hannah for example was very enthusiastic about the painting, perhaps because it was just so subtle and innocent. Men such as Saskias husband didnt care much for the painting, he just wanted to sell it to get money; Itll fetch five guilders surely. (pg. 127) it didnt have any sentimental value to him. On the other hand I am being hippocratic by saying that the men didnt value the art. Laurens van Luyken for example loved the painting so much; his wife liked it, but apparently not enough to keep her from wanting to give it to her daughter who is engaged to the Amsterdamer Fritz. They all needed the painting very much because it was something they didnt have like the witch that Adrian was married to. The painting reminded her of her mother and how she always wanted to see and know her. Both men and women had feelings about the painting, to get it out of their lives, or to forever keep it to touch their soul. Women like Saskia and men like Cornelius didnt want to let go of the painting within their souls. Everyone had a reason, to do whatever was needed. The value of art is to render the extraordinary brilliance of peoples lives; to relate to the lives of others in the society. The unique purpose of art is to provide an exhilarating touch of love, sorrow, warmth, depth, and happiness to the soul and heart. The value of art, both personal and monetary; the h ard work of great art is very self- rewarding and gives a great sense of accomplishment. Monetarily speaking, an artist such as Vermeer must paint in order to make a living and support his family of 11 children, And there were other debts. (pg. 209) Overall, the book describes the soul purpose of art to provide love, sorrow, warmth, depth and happiness to the soul and heart. The monetary wing is also very important because many of the owners had to sell the painting; no matter how much they treasured the painting, they still had to sell it because of monetary problems to keep them on their feet. Elevated feelings toward emotional values may be difficult to let go of. Susan Vreelands ravishing novel reveals the true owner, tracing proprietors from the present to the past. The painting symbolizes something that each owner is missing in his or her life, whether it was personally or monetarily. Vermeers painting had a great affect on all the owners because something was missing in his o r her life and the painting filled that hole. The last thing humanity would want to do, is let away fragments of their life for monetary reasons. Personal emotions are stronger than monetary rationalizations.

The Soldier free essay sample

The Soldier by Rupert Brooke is an Italian sonnet that plays with the idea of war being romantic. The whole poem is a metaphor for what he believed the war meant to him. In the first verse, he is saying that if he died in battle, even in some corner of a foreign field, he will forever belong to England. He then uses a series of metaphors to state that England is what raised him, gave him an identity and that his soul will be immortal because he died fighting for his country. In the second verse, he elaborates on how dying for England was a noble thing, and how his passing will bring good to England and her next generation of soldiers. The last two lines express his happiness that England has given him and how he will forever be at peace because he fought for England. The most important metaphor however, is England, which he uses to refer to his mother as well. We will write a custom essay sample on The Soldier or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page he has given England a double meaning. The poem does not contain any similes or has not used onomatopoeia.

Hp External Analysis free essay sample

Hewlett Packard External Environment Analysis Hewlett Packard External Environment Analysis In today’s constantly evolving business world, it is essential for organizations to fully master and incorporate strategic management theory into decision making processes. As the world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services, and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems (Hewlett Packard, 2010). HP is well positioned to outperform the market. The strength of HP’s portfolio is leaner cost structure and accelerating market momentum that gives the confidence to raise the full year outlook (Hurd, 2010)†. One of the most important aspects of Hewlett Packard’s strategy building is an analysis of the external business environment that they operate in. As pointed out in the text Strategic Management. Concepts and Cases Competitiveness and Globalization, â€Å"The firm’s understanding of the external environment is matched with knowledge about its internal environment to form its vision, to develop its mission, and to identify and implement actions that result in strategic competitiveness and above-average returns. We will write a custom essay sample on Hp External Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, 2009) In this paper, there will be an analysis of Hewlett Packard’s external business environment and its impact on the firm’s strategic business continuity plan, including examination of the three components of the external environment, the general environment, the industry environment, and the competitor environment. External Environmental Analysis Before analyzing Hewlett Packard’s external influences, it is important to highlight the specific processes in an external environmental analysis. This analysis is performed so that firms can correctly identify potential opportunities and threats in their external environment, and involves continually scanning, monitoring, forecasting, and assessing segments of the general environment. Scanning is the process of studying each segment of the general environment to identify upcoming or ongoing changes that can impact the firm. Monitoring refers to observing the changes identified in the scanning process to determine if a particular trend can be singled out which would have significant consequences for the firm. Trend identification is an important aspect of monitoring, as well as recognizing the trend’s effect on the firm’s stakeholders. Forecasting takes the changes and trends that scanning and monitoring produced, and attempts to formulate useful predictions based on those changes and trends. One important factor in forecasting is identifying the time frame and rate of change for trends, so that the firm does not miss an opportunity or get caught off guard by a threat. The final step in external environmental analysis is assessing. The objective of assessing is to determine the timing and significance of the effects of environmental changes and trends on the strategic management of the firm. † (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, 2009) The prime focus of assessing is determining the impact of forecasted trends on strategic direction of the firm. Assessing decides if an opportunity or threat requires a change in plans, or the firm to take a new direction. General Environment The first component of the external environment is the general environment. â€Å"The general environment is composed of dimensions in the broader society that influence an industry and the firms within it. (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson, 2009) These dimensions of broader society are further classified into six categories. The six categories of the general environment are demographic, economic, political and legal, socio-cultural, technological, and global. A large, global firm like Hewlett-Packard will find opportunities and threats in each aspect of the general environment. The demographic category of the general environment includes factors such as population size, age structure, ethnic mix, income distribution, and geographic distribution. Hewlett-Packard’s market position as the world’s largest technology company requires careful consideration of demographic factors. Hewlett-Packard’s strategic continuity is impacted by this factor because it must identify markets with the correct demographic to provide an opportunity to sell its computer products. Markets with an unfavorable income distribution or an older age structure may need to be avoided until more favorable conditions arise. The economic category of the general environment includes factors such as interest rates, gross domestic product, and business savings rates. Hewlett-Packard’s continuity strategy is impacted by economic factors in a similar fashion as it is impacted by demographics. Markets located in a strong economy represent opportunities for the firm. Additionally, developing economies may provide lower interest rates, or favorable business savings rates. Economies in decline can represent a threat to Hewlett-Packard, as expensive computer purchases may not be a consumer’s focus. The political and legal category of the general environment includes factors such as antitrust laws, taxation laws, and labor laws. Hewlett-Packard can face huge opportunities and threats with changes and trends in legislation. Hewlett-Packard produces a wide range of computer products, and if it is challenged by an antitrust law, it could face a very large threat. However, favorable changes in tax law can represent just as large an opportunity for the firm to save money. The socio-cultural category of the general environment includes factors such as workforce diversity, shifts in work and career preferences, and shifts in product and service preferences. Hewlett-Packard’s business continuity is very concerned with monitoring and planning for preference trends in the computer technology industry. Proper assessment and integration of a new product preference can represent an important opportunity, while missing this preference could end up a threat. The technological category of the general environment includes factors such as product innovations, new communications technologies, and government supported research and development expenditures. Obviously this category caries great significance for a computer based firm like Hewlett-Packard. Product innovations can represent an opportunity for strategic continuity if Hewlett-Packard can incorporate them, a threat to strategic continuity if they cannot. New communications technologies can be utilized to assist in streamlining operations, and represent an opportunity to lower long term costs. The final category of the general environment is global. The global category includes factors such as critical global markets, new industrialized countries, and cultural and institutional attributes. Hewlett-Packard is a global firm, and changes or trends in the global markets must be planned for to ensure strategic continuity.

Free Essays on History Of Christianity

Christianity is very practical. It is not a dead, dry, formal, human religion of rituals, outward form, and show, but a divine, living, vital, dynamic, liberating religion. The word Christian means, "Christ like", or "One follows Christ". Jesus Christ, who laid the foundation of Christian Church, was born in BC 4 in Judea. He is the foundation of the Church (1 Cori. 3:10,11). He started preaching about the Kingdom of God when he was thirty. His activities roused the opposition of the Jewish high priests who accused him of blasphemy. He was crucified under the orders of Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor. After three days, Christ was resurrected from the dead. With the Resurrection of Christ, his disciples took heart and went about preaching the Kingdom of God to all the people of the world. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire where it was made the state religion in the 4th century AD. Later, the Church split into two broad groups - the Western Church under the Pope in Rome and the Eastern Churches under the Patriarchies of Antioch, Alexandria and Constantinople. Still later, further disruptions took place. The Roman Catholic Church was broken up by Protestantism, while in the Eastern Churches, many communities like the Armenians, Ethiopians, Russians and Italians set up their own Patriarchies. The New Testament of the Bible originally was written in Greek language. The English word Church is translated from the original Greek word 'EKKLESIA', which means 'CALLED OUT ONES' - from EK (out), and KLESIA (called). Churches referred to the household (or family) of God (Eph. 2:19-21), and spiritual building that grows into the holy temple, to which Church shall come at his return to this earth as King of kings, ruling all nations of the earth. The Church was founded, not as an institution of Authority to force the name and teaching of Christ upon the world, but only as a witness-bearing institution to Christ, to hold Him befor... Free Essays on History Of Christianity Free Essays on History Of Christianity Christianity is very practical. It is not a dead, dry, formal, human religion of rituals, outward form, and show, but a divine, living, vital, dynamic, liberating religion. The word Christian means, "Christ like", or "One follows Christ". Jesus Christ, who laid the foundation of Christian Church, was born in BC 4 in Judea. He is the foundation of the Church (1 Cori. 3:10,11). He started preaching about the Kingdom of God when he was thirty. His activities roused the opposition of the Jewish high priests who accused him of blasphemy. He was crucified under the orders of Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor. After three days, Christ was resurrected from the dead. With the Resurrection of Christ, his disciples took heart and went about preaching the Kingdom of God to all the people of the world. Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire where it was made the state religion in the 4th century AD. Later, the Church split into two broad groups - the Western Church under the Pope in Rome and the Eastern Churches under the Patriarchies of Antioch, Alexandria and Constantinople. Still later, further disruptions took place. The Roman Catholic Church was broken up by Protestantism, while in the Eastern Churches, many communities like the Armenians, Ethiopians, Russians and Italians set up their own Patriarchies. The New Testament of the Bible originally was written in Greek language. The English word Church is translated from the original Greek word 'EKKLESIA', which means 'CALLED OUT ONES' - from EK (out), and KLESIA (called). Churches referred to the household (or family) of God (Eph. 2:19-21), and spiritual building that grows into the holy temple, to which Church shall come at his return to this earth as King of kings, ruling all nations of the earth. The Church was founded, not as an institution of Authority to force the name and teaching of Christ upon the world, but only as a witness-bearing institution to Christ, to hold Him befor...

Did state expansion incur diminishing returns (Lane) or exploit Essay

Did state expansion incur diminishing returns (Lane) or exploit economies of scale - Essay Example It has been argued that the emergence of nation state was basically an attempt to achieve the required level of economic growth. It is therefore generally believed that the consistent increase in the growth of economies of Europe was mostly a direct result of the emergence of nation state due to which different institutional changes took place. It is therefore generally believed that the economic growth of the Europe is mainly due to this notion of Nation State. What is also however, significant to note that economic theory often ignored the use of violence and organized crime and war to achieve the objectives of economic growth? According to Lane (1954) the use of violence created economies of scale against those enterprises which were using the same violent techniques or were engaged in achieving so called territorial monopoly. It is therefore important to discuss as to whether the expansion of State in new territories is essential for the exploitation of economies of scales or it actually result into diminishing returns. This paper will therefore discuss this notion and will present a well balanced argument as to whether the State expansion actually results into achieving the economies of scale or not. It has been argued that the closer connection between the war and the development of nation state started to emerge during the 15th century. This was the period in European history when most of the countries witnessed centralization of the political structures within their countries. Different countries have started to develop centralized governments and the overall concept of nation building started to emerge. What is also important to note that with the development of the centralized power structures within the societies, the overall political power of the central authorities increased too and with that power came the more power to control the economic lives of the citizens of the state also? Much of this