Nostalgia for the black magic Review Essay Example

Nostalgia for the black magic Review Paper Essay on Nostalgia for the black magic I do not like the theme of the Apocalypse. In life and so many problems that even on this occasion a lot of thinking. Im not inclined to be subjected to mass psychosis about it and very skeptical of many movies, books, predictions on this subject. What can be Therefore, even myself I can not answer the question that I was interested in this book. When I received it (to order it through the Internet), then again after reading the summary, even he felt sad: this book I hardly read, its not mine. But when I started to read I can not say that I felt delight or horror of reading. Even difficult to formulate the range of feelings that I experienced while reading. First of all, I will say that the book is clever, it is written, of course, very interesting, educated writer. It a huge reservoir of metaphors, allusions, refers us to the culture of our civilization: the myths, the Bible, to contemporary literature. Therefore, the reader is better read, the more interesting will be the book fo r him. In addition, it is written is not boring, boring language, easy to read (especially the first book), if the word easy in general can be applied to the book, which tells about the destruction of the world. So, to represent the end of light on Revaleku , you need to forget what we have shown in the acclaimed film recently about the end of the world. In his version, none of this would be: the world does not break down in a few hours, like a cardboard box (the physical world is much stronger than tipped), and Noahs Ark will be saved is not the best part of it. And his version of me closer. It would be too easy if everything happened as in the film. In Nostalgia for the Black Magic is different. Nothing strikes our fancy. Nothing is at odds with our sophisticated brain that if someone secretly preparing for this event. First, terrible heat. Then go heavy rains. Are you surprised? And I was not surprised. This is talking all the media. I have the first two books have the impression that I watched the news this week. Flooding, fires, riots, sudden cooling, again pogroms. Hysteria sectarians ready for the idea to tear apart the baby. Experiments military against the civilian population, muta nts (or is it a monster, or is it biblical characters we still do not surprise them: why not settle Leviathan under the Eiffel Tower?). Enormous genetic catalogs, which included almost all of inhabiting the planet. Nothing happens beyond that, what we are internally ready. Only the dead are sometimes here and there are seen in the streets torn city. But worse are just living that turn into monsters more terrifying Leviathan. They do not just rob and kill, they refined rape old women, women and children defecating on their fragile body in convulsions. Natural disaster manifests in people basest feelings. It breaks into pieces all the usual ideas about the world, not only blurs the scope of causal, but the space-time relationship. Sami outlines the I becomes blurred, and the hero is constantly talking about the blurring and is not certain of his I, of expanding its own identity. And inadvertently pose the question: what do we die from natural and civilization disasters, or from thems elves, from that abomination that lurks within us (sometimes unconsciously)? Or we have no choice, and mankind is really cornered? We will write a custom essay sample on Nostalgia for the black magic Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nostalgia for the black magic Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nostalgia for the black magic Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In the novel, the enemy is always present in various guises (since the elixir of Satan Hoffmann I had not read anything like it!). And through all of the story is the idea that death comes from the depths of the I , the enemy is not on the outside, but inside, in a secret I am. The third book I am personally and leads to this, alas, joyless conclusion. The world is not sunk into oblivion, something that was left of him. For example, in the castle of Chambord created the New Kingdom, which is headed by the king Obsul addict holding a terrified everyone. That, and his court, the multitude of monsters both literally and figuratively. . A new world is so terrible that even the gods came to die among people The novel ends with optimistic (?): The hero, the artist, escaping from Chambord, observes that the weather is getting better, and he was in the end still alive. But personally I have optimistic feelings towards the end of the novel does not remain at all. There was only about physical fatigue from the fact that the hero is experiencing. P.S I think that the book later re-read, it is very much important, that does not appear at the first reading.

Senate Seats up for Election in 2016

Senate Seats up for Election in 2016 Republicans had a huge year in the 2010 elections following the rebellion by conservatives over President Obamas big government push. As a result, Republicans have a big task ahead of them in defending many competitive seats. The Democrats faced a similar situation in 2014 after having more than 20 seats to defend thanks to the success of the party in 2008. In that cycle, many toss-up and red-state Democrats faced re-election for the first time since casting a ballots for Obamacare, and lost. Will Republicans avoid the same fate? (Senate seats are up for election every six years, with approximately 1/3 of the seats up every two years.) Safe Republican Seats Up for Re-election The GOP should have 24 seats to defend out of the overall 34 seats up for election. Luckily, 18 of those seats will start in the likely Republican column. While many of these seats were held by Democrats before 2010, they were still red seats at heart and Obamacare helped end the myth of the blue dog Democrats. The likely safe seats include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah. While Iowa is the one state on this list twice won by President Obama, popular US Senator Chuck Grassley should have little trouble winning re-election. With the right recruit, Democrats can be competitive in any number of these seats, but they start off in the safe zone for the GOP. (See a complete breakdown of all 24 Republican seats up for re-election.) Big Races for Republican Incumbents These are the six seats that Democrats will likely target in 2016 as many of them featured some surprising and unexpected results in 2010. Democrats will be hoping to ride the coat-tails of a possible Hillary Clinton Presidential run to propel big victories in the states. Florida - Marco Rubio is running for President. He has opted not to try to simultaneously run for the Presidency and the US Senate, and current state laws would have prevented him from doing so. The field is wide open on the both the Republican and Democratic sides.Illinois - Moderate Mark Kirk won a close election (2 points) over close Obama friend Alexi Giannoulias in 2010. Illinois is a fairly blue state, but Kirk has had plenty of success there. Democrats have rallied around congresswoman Tammy Duckworth who will provide a very stiff challenge.New Hampshire - Kelly Ayotte had a blowout, 24-point victory in 2010. She will probably be a strong bet for re-election and at least one early poll showed her in a strong position even against one of the states top Democrats. The Democrats have recruited Governor Maggie Hassan to challenge Ayotte.Ohio - The good news for Republicans is they had huge victories in three of the five most competitive seats for 2016. Ohio follows Florida and New Hampshire as a state where the incumbent will be coming off big double-digit victories. Here, Rob Portman cruised to a 57-39% victory over his Democratic opponent in 2010. The Democrats have rallied around former Governor Ted Strickland and polls have showed a tight race. Pennsylvania - Like Illinois, Pennsylvania will be a big question mark. Pat Toomey had a 2-point victory in 2010 and will need to rely on his work over the previous six years to improve that. A strong Presidential run by a Democrat could give the potential challenger significant coat-tails in this race.Wisconsin - The big surprise of 2010 was Ron Johnsons 52-47 victory over progressive US Senator Russ Feingold. Johnson has proven an odd state to handicap given its support for both President Obama and constitutional conservative Scott Walker as Governor. Russ Feingold has decided to try and win his seat back, and early polls show he might be able to do it. Safe Democratic Seats Up for Re-election The Democrats should only have 10 seats up for election in 2016. Luckily for them, most of these will be safe. After all, these Democrats are the lucky few who survived the tea party sweeps in 2010. The early safe bets are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Most of these seats should survive incumbent retirements as well. (See all 10 Democratic Senate seats up or re-election in 2016) Big Races for Democratic Incumbents Colorado - This is one of the seats that got away from Republicans in 2010 and it will be one of two real shots at a pick-up in 2016. A large field has yet to be whittled down.Nevada - Democrats went all in to save US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada. Reid will be nearing 80 years old in 2016 and has opted to retire. Republican Congressman Joe Heck will make the open seat immediately competitive.

Epidemiology Hepatitis B in Philadelphia, PA Essay

Epidemiology Hepatitis B in Philadelphia, PA - Essay Example Still there are chances that she had ovarian cancer. This implies that acolposcopy tests needs to be administered. According to Omansky (2010), this test is preferred for in abdominal Pap smear. Notwithstanding the cancer history and that of other family, the two tests administered, BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, are sufficient since she comes from a family where there are high chances of contracting breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Neil (2011) is of the opinion that a large number of women-more than 1%-are at a higher risk of developing either breast cancer or ovarian cancer. These statistics further shows that 39% of those who inherit the harmful BRCA 1 gene and 17% who inherit the BRCA 2 mutation will develop ovarian cancer at some point. This means that if Shelby takes the, BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, her vulnerability of developing either breast or ovarian cancer will be mitigated. It is also notable that Shelby’s uncle died of a proven case of pancreatic cancer. As such, Shelby could also be at risk of developing similar complications. For this case, I would recommend the normal screening to be conducted on the patient. Darity (2008) recommends that when analyzing cases of patients with predispositions of a particular cancer, the case should be taken as a matter of a confirmed case so as to take serious preventive measures. KANDIKO, and BLACKMORE (2012) supports this sentiment by declaring that diabetic patients and healthy individuals with first-degree pancreas cancer relatives are at a higher risk of developing pancreatic

Internship paper in Tadwul stcks exchamge market Research

Internship in Tadwul stcks exchamge market - Research Paper Example hat life is really like within the stock exchange, and the possible career options that are available should one choose to continue on their current path. Typically, students are paired with other working professionals within the organisation that help mentor and guide, as well as teach some of the inner-workings of the exchange itself. It is certainly designed to be an enriching part of the student career, and one which serves to further encapsulate the theoretical knowledge that has already been covered in a classroom setting. Currently, the Tadawul Stock Exchange is the only stock exchange operating in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Capital Market Authority of the country is responsibility for supervising all trading and investment activities associated with the Stock Exchange itself. The highest points achieved by the Tadawul All-Share Index was 20,634.86 reached back in February in 2006. As of the current moment, the Tadawul exchange publicly trades 156 companies from 11am to 3:30pm according the Islamic work week of Sunday to Thursday. The public trading of companies on the Saudi Stock Exchange actually began in the early 1980s, but Tadawul officially began trading on January 26, 1994 and has grown at a fairly steady rate during that entire time. The exchange itself was previously regulated by a Committee of Ministers within the country that was made up of the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). The Saudi Arab ian Monetary Agency was actually the group within the government that was tasked with the responsibility of regulating and monitoring various market activities associated with the public trading of companies until the actual CMA was formally created and implemented back in July 2003 (Almahmoud 2014). This was made possible under the prevailing Capital Market Law at that time, and it was also during this period that the CMA officially became the

How strategic business management can attain its objectives without Research Proposal

How strategic business management can attain its objectives without affecting employees and customers - Research Proposal Example The researcher states that in strategic business management, there are various guiding theories, principles and practices. These are intended to steer the fundamental goals and objectives of the company in the context of increasing sales and covering wider areas of the market. Additionally, the writer continues to state that, with well-stipulated management principles and theories, there are bound to be challenges. Alternatively, Drucker compliment what Cousins talks of the clear stipulation of corporate objectives. On that aspect, the two authors want managers and workers to understand the various concepts and principles of management and how to, effectively, utilize resources of the company. Furthermore, by understanding management, managers and employees are able to work in smooth coordination, which is beneficial for the business and company in terms of increased clients. Similarly, the authors call for constant evaluation of management goals through retrainings and adoption of m odern technology. On the other hand, Davenport mentions and explains the various approaches that are critical for both managers and workers in the strategic innovation of the economy on the basis of dynamic innovations. For example, the author explains the need to employ tools such as suitable technology, qualified workers and offering motivational incentives to workers. In addition, he explains about visionary leadership on the side of managers and response to complaints from the customers among others as the most paramount tools of effecting strategic change in business. (Davenport 2007, p.67). However, Steve, J (2009) have come up with five imperative disciplines when it comes to exemplary performance for any company. These disciplines include respect for clients, timely provisions of products and services, clear study of the market demands, motivation of the workforce through better wages and encouragement and effective leadership (Steve 2009, p.56). Furthermore, the writers obs erve that companies should accept modern challenges that afflict businesses hence affecting strategic management as ways of improving on their strong areas. On that perspective, Brutus (2006) discusses in depth the challenges that afflict organizational management in terms of the dynamics employed to increase sales and improve on profits. Similarly, the author delves into the setbacks that affect companies when they face challenges such as poor leadership from top management, unmotivated employees and slow response from customers, which in turn affects the market demand, and hence company sales (Brutus 2006, p.110). Additionally, this interferes with strategic management set by company executives and the obligation of meeting them on time. 2. The Conceptual Framework Therefore, in terms of a conceptual framework, several factors involved will be drawn from the literature studied previously. However, the research proposal must mention that effective strategic business management is p aramount for the success of any company that aspires to succeed (Carl, 2003, p.87). Similarly, utilization of resources, quick response to client complaints and adoption of initiatives targeted at advancement of the company has several benefits for long and short terms. Alternatively, business managers and other corporate executives should aim at incorporating the various stakeholders such as clients and competitors in the picture of drafting workable strategic business management. On that aspect, this research proposal cannot forget to mention the predicaments associated with strategic business management. For instance, undefined goals and objectives set by company executives and lack of through of the market pattern among other limitations. On that prospect, factors such as timely adoption of technology,

The Constituent Assembly in Russia of 1917 Why did it fail?

The Constituent Assembly in Russia of 1917 Why did it fail? The Constituent Assembly in Russia of 1917: Why did it fail? The history of Rus, or Russia, as it known nowadays, is completely different from the Western one. The end of tsarism in Russia was characterized by vast reforms that were followed by instability. ‘People’s Will’ was replacing old meaning of power. One of the important features that was very important and took place in Russia was a constituent assembly of 1917. This assembly had only 1 day of existing, but left a lot of unresolved questions about its nature. Elected in November of 1917 and convened only once in January of 1918 it supposed to change the whole structure of Russia. However, it was dispersed by All – Russian Congress of Soviets, it failed to deliver the aims of provisional government. Still, many people were pinned their hopes on constituent assembly, and the fact that it lasted such a short period of time and ultimately failed, raises a lot of questions. The governmental body that is described here has its roots laid down in Middle Ages, and later, in times of enlightenment. At these stages of history, society developed to an extent, when intellectual elite wanted to choose political system by themselves. Such legal bodies, which were deciding on different legislative questions, were known to Russia even before, for example during the elections of tsars Boris Godunov or Michael Romanov. However these were different entities, and the term, which is more modern and suits the definition of constituent assembly of 1917, was coined during French Revolution. At that time, constituent assembly was as a sign of law, symbol of people’s rights and freedoms. Transferred to east, the idea of such body should have been modernized, or mixed, gathering both European political culture and Russian historical thought. Autocracy in Russia in the latest years of tsarism had a tendency to give promises, but to never realize them. Constituent assembly was associated with constitutional reforms first, as it was made to establish constitution. Such assembly was a hope in the eyes of people – e.g. it would be the representative of society, thus leading to freedom, at least partial. This idea was widely supported by all revolutionists – starting from Octobrists and ending up with Mensheviks. However, as constitutional assembly is rather an emergency – based entity, and not permanent, like parliament, it was granted a huge amount of power, though on a very short period of time. As was mentioned before, idea of constituent power dates back to French Revolution, when social contract became an essential part of people – government chain, and legislative, constituent and extraordinary functions were put in constituent assembly. In Russia, establishment of democratic institutions have always been a problem. This fact is a no wonder, as it is unimaginable – to build democratic mechanisms in autocratic engine. As a result, there was lack of such institutions. Only in 16th – 17th c. the so – called ‘Assemblies of the Land’ or ‘Zemskie Sobory’ were established. Notwithstanding, their rule was often misleading, as they did not have real power, and were only an illusion of real assemblies. In addition to that, Russia was weak in economic and social terms, joined industrialization very late. Overall, European ideas that were constantly removed after Peter the Great, did not find response in Russia, and the lowest layer of society, that should have been the main democratic estate, was unable to fit that role. In such atmosphere of constant tyranny of autocracy, inability to change anything, the ground for radicalism and revolutionary thoughts was created. Moreover, the outcomes of French Revolution have changed minds of Russian intelligentsia, and they became the main force of upcoming changes. The first people who were eager to change something were Decembrists, as they were the first to proclaim the idea of constituent assembly. However, their ideas did not found recall, and after this movement was ultimately defeated, hopes for constituent assembly disappeared from the horizon. Intelligentsia stopped to fight for ideals of rights and people’s will, relying only on society, as a main force of revolutionary thought. It must be said, though, that people did not waited long, and in the end of 19th century the so – called ‘Narodnaya Volya’ became the driving factor of revolution. Narodnaya Volya believed that it was ultimately constitutional government, which must be entitled with power. Moreover, masses that must be engaged in revolution, in order to trigger the overthrow, became aware of these ideas by this particular institution. This idea strongly affected people’s thoughts, and this affection was only deepened by the first Russian Revolution. Narodnaya Volya became very popular among nation. Even though among Russian political parties was very different, and some of them very critical about it, the lowest layer of society still hoped to achieve glory through constituent assembly. As a result of new widespread notion of constituent assembly, a lot of new left – wing parties were established. Interestingly, Mensheviks were quite skeptical about the idea of const ituent assembly, claiming that it can be a subject to lobbying, while Bolsheviks were putting their hopes on it, as they saw constituent assembly as a must – have prerequisite of revolution. SRs were also supporting the assembly in the beginning of 20th century. At the edge of revolution in 1905, everything was aimed at constituent assembly, the idea that has slowly grown into a widespread hope for people. As of beginning of revolution it became the top priority for nation. Nevertheless, revolution changed the view of parties onto constituent assembly. Pathways, or rather the ways, which parties were wanted to choose while building such assembly, were completely different. Cadets and liberals wanted to exclude unwanted violence; SRs and Bolsheviks, as revolutionary parties, saw the possibility of establishment of constituent assembly only through armed uprising; while Mensheviks were accepting constituent assembly as a by – product of self – government entities, which were not created, and later on Duma, which was soon dissolved and Mensheviks refused to support the constituent assembly. Even though it was a widespread idea, autocracy did not want to surrender. Moreover, the support of constituent assembly idea among parties’ members was not the same among nation. It was said that people were hoping for establishment of constituent assembly, they did not all realize the very need of it, and, bearing in mind that most of the people were illiterate, did not share the view on it with parties, that mostly consisted of intellectuals. All these factors did not let constituent assembly to be created in 1905 – 1907. Constituent assembly was created right after autocracy was overthrown – in 1917. The period of anarchy, temporary gap between the overthrow of the old regime and adjustment of a new one, was a perfect situation for building the institution that was so long needed. The need for such institution was obvious for everyone. That is why in the legal status of constituent assembly, which was created by the contributions of The Petrograd Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies and Interim Committee of the State Duma. It consisted of three main points – elections of by popular vote, claim that it is constitutional assembly that decides on principal questions of public life and that the form of government, e.g. political system is decided only by the assembly. Finally, everything was prepared, and socialist parties started work on the plan for the first meeting of constituent assembly. According to Cadets and Mensheviks, constituent assembly should have had influence on political system, land reforms, international relations, military reforms and so forth. Bolsheviks were also interested and shown eagerness to of constituent assembly. However, as soon as Lenin has come, Bolsheviks suddenly changed their stance. Lenin was quite skeptical about constituent assembly, but did not refuse it. Rather, from now on Bolsheviks stopped to perceive constituent assembly as a top – priority issue. Here the problems start to appear on the scene. Bolsheviks represented one part of democratic side, which refused democracy of bourgeois; they were rather the co – siders of democracy of proletariat. Their ideal was the pure democracy, the power of people over people. On the other hand, Mensheviks and SRs were in – between, searching for some kind of parliamentary rule connected with the rule of people; division of power. As a result, democratic powers were divided. Moreover, SRs and Mensheviks were having rather a permanent union. In addition to that, it must be mentioned that Russia was having a plentitude of parties, but none of them was connected with electorate sufficiently. As was mentioned before, society was politically weak and was not developed in terms of political life. As time was passing by, provisional government had created a so – called ‘Osoboye Soveshanie’ which stands for ‘special meeting’. This institution had to prepare ground for upcoming constituent assembly and to answer many questions. Among them were number of participants, decide on whether majoritarian or proportional representation principle must be applied during assembly etc. In the beginning of September special meeting has ended up his work. The outcomes were made, and the plan was created, but the exact time of constituent assembly creation was still not verbalized in provisional government. Finally, it was decided that constituent assembly must elected on November 12th, 1917. Suddenly, when the period of tense atmosphere started taking place, the chaotic actions began. Bolsheviks became very tough about constituent assembly at the same time as provisional government was losing its power. It was high time – Russia either would fall into oblivion, or would prosper in the new democratic world. However, as it often happens, in times of serious decisions country becomes very weak. Bolsheviks had taken advantage of that situation. They decided to make an uprising, under the slogan of ‘All Power to the Soviets!’ (Vsya Vlast Sovyetam!). Lenin, the head of Bolsheviks, started to claim that only under the power and direct guidance of Bolsheviks party, constituent assembly will be successful. Moreover, he was proclaiming that Soviets and assembly must merge. The idea of constituent assembly was used by Lenin to attract those Bolsheviks and masses that still had the constitutional illusions. In the upcoming struggle, the position of Bolsheviks and Lenin was quite strong. Armed uprising and seizure of power by Bolsheviks had completely reversed the discrepancy among society. From now on, constituent assembly was not uniting, but dividing parties. The slogan ‘All Power to Soviets’ was obviously non – democratic in its roots, and opposition openly admitted it, fighting with Lenin’s party. SRs and Mensheviks, even having loose connection between them, were standing on one side, being the fiercest opponents of Bolsheviks. Bolsheviks immediately took actions – all liberal newspapers were closed on the eve of 1917’s October, changing them on their own agitation campaigns. This period was anarchic, parties accused each other in inability of one to pass on Russian Idea, in schism of Russian Revolution that must take place and so forth. As a refute, Bolsheviks’ claims were that they are the new driving force and the only government Russia needs, and other parties act as a counterrevolutionaries, which is unacceptable. Parties were basically ruining every single brick they have built so far. People were far away from these concerns – they were more interested in what would happen afterwards, and low political culture combined with small amount of educated people were leaving no room for discussion. In the end of October, all electoral process was under the direct influence of Soviets. Bolsheviks removed every single oppositional material from the public access, and were directly agitating on their own Soviet campaign. Elections in constituent assembly were very complex. Economic weakness after the WWI combined with anarchic situation of the political arena made atmosphere around these elections very complicated. Even though society was politically weak, appearance index was quite high. Interesting fact is that on these elections, the party of SRs won. Bolsheviks were very surprised of such outcomes. They were sure, that their wide campaign combined with prohibition of all other agitating materials was enough to make their party into assembly. The big losers, however, were the Mensheviks, who get the smallest percentage of votes, and the party from now on literally stopped existing. Bolsheviks, of course, explained their failure by the SRs influence of electorates, accusing them of different abuses. The scenario of September was repeating – parties were blaming each other. However, in reality Bolsheviks’ campaign failed due to the inner structure of the regions that had the most impact on elections, such as Orenburg Province. Finally, when so anticipated even happened – e.g. when constituent assembly gathered, despite the whole Bolshevik’s propaganda, it immediately became to talk about election of assembly’s leader, who was the head of SRs – Victor Chernov, a Lenin’s direct opponent. Moreover, SRs were trying to weaken Bolsheviks’ influence, and Lenin could not let that happen, and used the same method of power achieving as before – put armed guards, and closed Tauride Palace one and for all. Later, he said his famous words: ‘There is no middle course anywhere in the world, not can there be. T here is either the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie or the dictatorship of the proletariat.’ (Hanna, 1972) Lenin picked second option. In conclusion it must be said that developments of 1917 in Russia have shown that political struggle is inevitable, when society is to be transformed via different means – e.g. when one side seeks revolution with the help of armed uprising, and the other, which is more democratic and wants to achieve change by the will of society. They cannot exist at one time. In the years 1917 – 1918 armed uprising of radicals has proved to be more effective, as Soviets ultimately won. Moreover, the shooting of peaceful demonstration on 5th of January, 1918 (the day of constituent assembly opening) was putting Russia in the danger of civil war. Liberal – democratic community has completely broken up. Even though in 1917 history of constituent assembly had more than one hundred years, since Great French Revolution passed, Russia could not sustain the same issues as revolution through the prism of European nation. During an attempt to build democracy, Russia has skipped the momen t, when a group of people with the hunger for power started to increase their influence. Proletariat was weakly interested in the politics, and this even worsened the situation. As a result, low political culture of the society combined with the adopted European practice and improper grounds for democracy to be set in, constituent assembly in the critical moment was unable to deal with Bolsheviks. Arms and radicalism took over ambitions and hope for better life, and from that moment Russia probably hast lost this hope forever. EasyJet: SWOT, PEST and Competitive Analysis EasyJet: SWOT, PEST and Competitive Analysis 1. Introduction and History A successful example of a European no frills airline is easyJet. Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Greek) founded the company in 1995. It is based on the low-cost, no-frills model of the US carrier Southwest. The concept of easyJet is based on the belief that demands for short-haul air transport is price elastic. That means, if prices for flights are being reduced, more people will fly. Traditionally airline concepts are based on the assumption that airline traffic grows in line with the economy and that cutting prices will only lead to a decrease in revenues. With the introduction of the no-nonsense concept to the European market, after its deregulation in 1992, easyJet has proven this theory wrong and goes from strength to strength by actually increasing the size of the market and more recently by taking away passengers from the majors (see www.easyjet.com for passenger figures, financial data and employee statistics). Today, it offers 125 routes from 39 European Airports (see www.easyjet.com for route launch dates), with Luton, Liverpool, Geneva, Amsterdam as base airports  [1]  and is operating 72 aircrafts (November 2003). November 1995: easyJet starts flights from Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh with to leased Boeing 737-300 with a capacity of 148 seats at a price of  £29 one way. Seats are being sold over telephone reservation system only. In 1996 easyJet takes delivery of its first wholly owned aircraft and goes international with first services to Amsterdam from Luton. One year later easyJet launches its website, easyjet.com which will from 1998 onwards form an integral part of the business concept (and which provides for some 90% of the bookings today  [2]  ). In August 2002 easyJet expands its fleet and routes by acquiring British Airways low-cost subsidiary Go. In October 2002 the airline signs a deal to purchase 120 Airbus, which will facilitate the airlines ongoing growth strategy. Up until now, one of the cornerstones of the easyJets low-cost model has been to operate a single aircraft type fleet which so far has been the Boeing 737 series because uniformity means efficiencies in train ing, maintenance and operating costs. However, easyJets new deal with Airbus is being viewed by the company as stunning as the additional costs, which incur through the new type of aircraft are far outweighed by the financial benefits of this deal. EasyJet argues that both Boeing and Airbus aircraft have broadly similar characteristics but that a wider aisle on A319 will make it quicker to embark and disembark, that it has an extra seat on board (150 vs. 149) and that overall the A319 will lower costs by about  10% compared to the current mix of aircraft, which will contribute to lower ticket fares. (See appendix 1 for Stelios Haji-Iannous other easyGroup enterprises). 2. The Mission Statement of EasyJet To provide our customers with safe, good value, point-to-point air services. To effect and to offer a consistent and reliable product and fares appealing to leisure and business markets on a range of European routes. To achieve this will develop our people and establish lasting relationship (see www.easyjet.com) The basis of an organisations mission statement should answer the question What business is the company in? easyJet is doing this by stating that it provides point-to-point air services to its customers. That clearly underlines that easyJet is not in the people or food business, neither in the service business as such, but in the mass-transportation business, and as such its model is based on cost efficiency of the mass-transportation business. Moreover, it reflects several decisions about what kind of air service easyJet wants to provide. Evidently, its focus is on European routes, targeting business and leisure travellers alike. Furthermore, it aims to offer safe, good value transportation. easyJets mission statement also gives information on the How to get there? by putting emphasis on its people and suppliers. What is missing from the statement is the importance of the customers point of view, which could be expressed by saying, for instance, we want to be recognised asà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Also, as the mission statement is the bedrock for the marketing plan it should be more quantifiable, as to how much market share easyJet aims to gain in the future, for example. 3. Competitive Analysis In order to analyse the airline industry in detail, it is useful to apply Porters five competitive forces. The threat of substitutes Minimal threat from other modes of transport like train and car on domestic routes. Usually the time and cost advantage of the low-cost carriers far outweigh the increased comfort and flexibility of trains or cars (e.g. on the route Luton/London to Glasgow a train takes around 6 hours and costs around  £80 while a easyJet plane takes just one hour and costs around  £29). On international routes distances are usually too great for car or train to be an alternative to air travel, expect maybe from London to Paris, which can be reached by Euro Star. The threat of new entrants High capital requirements negate threat to some extent. easyJet was started with a loan of  £5 million, with 2 leased aircraft, but required a  £50million investment raised by debt and equity in year two to speed expansion and buy 4 new planes. The UK low-cost market is quite mature in comparison to the rest of Europe and easyJet, as the biggest operator has quite a comfortable position. However, expansion into new European markets might prove more difficult as established; cash strong holiday firms like TUI are setting up their own low-cost operations (see information about Hapag Lloyd Express, www.hlx.com) Lack of take-off and landing slots makes it difficult for new carriers to find suitable airports. Loss leader is required in order to join the low cost market. The power of suppliers The price of aviation fuel is directly related to the cost of oil, as an individual company easyJet does not have the power to alter this. Airplane manufacturers are concentrated in the industry, with Boeing and Airbus providing the majority of commercial planes and with easyJet operating one type of aircraft until recently. easyJets deal with airbus however shows that favourable agreements can still be reached. The dependence on spare parts from one manufacturer could pose a risk. The more easyJet expands the more power it will posses over its suppliers The power of buyers Buyer power within the airline industry and especially the low-cost market is relatively strong, as customers will often shop around for the better price, particularly with the dependence that the low cost airline has on Internet sales. Price discrepancies can be easily found and exploited by the consumer, meaning that the operator must keep a regular check on prices. Need for customer loyalty because of low switching costs Customers have the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on their side which provides: 1. protection against the consequence of travel organiser failure for people who buy package holidays, charter flights and discounted scheduled air tickets; and 2. licenses airlines and ensures compliance with requirements of European and UK legislation relating to financial resources, liability and insurance of airlines.  [3]   Rivalry among existing firms Ryan air, BMIbaby, MyTravelLite and Buzz are major competitors of easyJet in the UK. Virgin Express, Hapag Lloyd Express, Germanwings and Air Berlin already are or might become competitors in the light of future expansion plans. Ryanair is the only one of these so far to have succeeded and shown a continuous yearly profit (see appendix 2 for financial data). A growing number of tour operators (like Thomas Cook and TUI) are selling air only scheduled seats to reduced prices  [4]  . British Airways and other traditional carriers out of the UK are competitors as well but on a lower scale as they target different market segments (see appendix 3 for more detail). 4. Marketing Mix Price Low price is a key element of the brand. Uses differential pricing; off-peak travelling and booking in advance makes a ticket less expensive. Discounts for tickets booked online. Product no-frills, point-to-point air services also car hire on its website (use of the Internet for bundling products) and links to other easyGroup websites (see appendix 1 for other easyGroup enterprises). Place/distribution Internet booking system (over 90% of bookings). Telephone reservation system. Promotion Highlights its number one position among Europes low-cost airlines (advertising strap line: Size matters!, slogan: the webs favourite airline) Advocates internal marketing, creative work done in-house. No Bullshit approach (Stelios), humorous, attention-catching campaigns (e.g. the giving away of free tickets on Gos inaugural flight and Stelios protesting in a orange boiler suit against an increase of airport fees at Luton in a branch of Barclays bank which owns the airport). 5. SWOT Analysis 5.1. Internal Analysis (S)trengths Image, differentiation on price and brand. Is financially successful. Is being seen as an innovative and flexible organisation. Has a strong e-business. Is part of the consortium that has been awarded to run UKs air traffic control system (NATS). (W)eaknesses Has no customer retention policy Has little or no scope outside of Europe. Lack of service, flexibility and business focus (such as frequent flyer programmes e.g.) make the low-cost model unappealing for most business travellers. The two drivers of growth, the focus on price and the focus on convenience (frequent flights, few connections, more nearby airports e.g.) are reaching their natural limits. Differentiation from there remains to be difficult. easyJets own success makes it difficult to recruit and train staff quickly enough. 5.2 External Analysis Opportunities Experts predict great potential for future growth in the next years (see appendix 4). The current recession is favourable as people and businesses are more cost-conscious. More full-service airlines may withdraw from the regional market to focus on more profitable long-haul routes leaving the market to the low-cost operators. The short-breaks market, an important market for easyJet grows more rapidly than the UK travel market as a whole  [5]. Reduced aircraft prices Threats Difficulties to expand as viable new routes from London are scarce. Competition is likely to intensify, given the saturated market and the shortage of other options  [6]. Increased competition is likely to lead to greater difficulties in demanding incentives from communities, like the very low fees easyJet received at Luton  [7]. Companies cut on business travel in times of economic downturn and because of new time-consuming security measures travel substitutes like videoconferencing are introduced  [8]. 6. Situational Analysis easyJet seems to be positioned very well with experts predicting excellent growth opportunities for the low cost-sector. Given the saturated market and the shortage of other options in the UK, competition is likely to intensify inevitably followed by consolidation, an early sign of which is easyJets purchase of GO. The UK market offers little growth opportunity, therefore concentration will be on the continental market, a step forward in this direction is setting up a major new base at Berlin, with flights from 11 European cities  [9]  , and possibly as well on Eastern Europe. Focus remains on pricing Strategy and expansion of its route network. Promotion needs to persuade people that it is safe to fly and establish easyJet as Europes largest low-cost carrier (as easyJet is already doing in its advertisement: Size matters!) 7. PEST Analysis Marketing Plan PEST analysis for easyJet for the next 5 years The following factors are likely to have an influence on the airline industry and should therefore be taken into account when formulating a Marketing Plan for easyJet. (P)olitico-legal factors Threat of war in the Middle East The Air Miles scheme is not considered as a taxable perk by the government in the way that company cars are taxed which may change to allow easyJet to compete on more equal grounds with the likes of BA. A EU east-enlargement may provide access to viable, new markets. (E)conomic factors Likelihood of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risk of terrorism. As the recession is likely to last for some more time, business travellers will keep an eye on their travel expenses. Globalisation should continue to boost traffic in the long-term. The introduction of the single currency in Europe is likely to bring more business to easyJet as Europe becomes more integrated. (S)ocio-cultural factors To win over the French and German publics might cause problems as there appears still to be a general reluctance to use credit cards over the phone and Internet  [10]  . The public are general quite friendly to the prospect of cheap flights. However they may feel begrudged where they see promotions found in newspapers where flight are for  £10 only to find that the actual cost is much higher for the particular time or day they wish to fly on. (T)echnological factors A key issue will be the extent to which technological advancements such as the use of the Internet on distribution and cost synergies from industry consolidation can offset upward pressures on prices and costs. easyJet has to keep track of technological developments in the field of e-commerce and aircraft manufacture in order to gain a competitive advantage. 8. Conclusion 8.1 Strategic issues facing the airline industry The face of aviation is gradually evolving. The long-standing problems of the industry- in the form of large numbers of network carriers and substantial over-capacity in many markets were exacerbated by the events of September 11th (see appendix 5 for a post-Sept. 11th overview). This is likely to pave the way for some acceleration in the process of airline restructuring and consolidation. Experts believe that there is not room for the current multitude of carriers in Europe, and that these will eventually be whittled down to three or four major airlines, with the others absorbed or restructured to focus more on regional traffic. This also represents an opportunity for no-frills carriers to increase their market share. Along with this, some restructuring of the industrys complex and outdated regulatory system will be required. In the longer term, trend growth may itself slow gradually as the big air travel markets mature. In addition, falling yields, which have boosted air travel growth in the past, cannot be relied upon to persist, at least at the rate they have for the past decade or so. If cost trends are less favourable for example because of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risks of terrorism the scope for lower yields would be less, and this might reduce future growth trends. A key issue will be the extent to which favourable cost trends such as the impact of the Internet on distribution costs and cost synergies from industry consolidation can offset these upward pressures on prices and costs. The full-service airlines, saddled with big networks and strongly unionised workforces, cannot easily embrace the management strategies of the no-frills airlines. Moreover, their scope for de fensive mergers is limited by competition policy. The ability of international airlines to expand is limited by ownership restrictions (In the US foreigners cannot own more than 25% of a national airline, in the EU the restriction is 49%  [11]  ). The no-frills market within Europe is immature relative to that of the US. The  sector accounts for only around 5% of all intra European capacity, though the share  is much higher in the UK domestic market and on services between the UK and  Europe, closer to 20%. Further strong growth is expected over the next 2-3 years as  new operations start up, and new destinations are added to the existing carriers  networks. However as the UK market becomes saturated, these carriers are likely to  focus their development at continental European hubs. The experience of the US market suggests that deregulation will be followed by industry consolidation. So far there has been limited progress in this direction but many are viewing the current crisis as the catalyst necessary to completely restructure the European airline industry . In the US the industry has consolidated into seven major carriers, which carry over 80% of passenger traffic of US airlines. Europe is far more fragmented with the equivalent figure for the seven European majors at only 47%  [12]  . 8.2 easyJets Future easyJet has to consider whether it should respond to new entrants by ceding niche-segments or by competing aggressively on price, routes and service in an attempt to drive the entrant out of the market. To make the strategic decision market research on the size of different combinations of pricing and service is needed. easyJet also needs to know how much it costs the competitor to serve, and how much capacity the competitor has for, every route in question. Finally, the new entrants competitive objectives are of relevance to anticipate how it would respond to any strategic moves easyJet might make. By obtaining these information residual uncertainty would be limited, and the incumbent airline would be able to build a confident business case around its strategy  [13]  . It is advisable that easyJet targets mainly leisure travellers as business often demand frequent flights to a wide range of destinations, seek quality service and frequent flyer programmes, and are willing to pay a premium for these benefits. Also, trying to appeal to widely different customer needs runs counter to the overall trend in service industries, in which distinctive approaches, tailored to different customers, have generally come to dominate  [14]  . No real opportunity offers the long-haul business as it is very different, both technically and in customer needs, to short-haul travel. easyJet should continue to focus on price and attempt to connect the dots in its network, which cost less than opening new cities. Thereby, it needs to make sure that a growth in its network and fleet does not lead to higher operating costs. It should also consider putting more emphasis on direct marketing by e.g. introducing a customer retention scheme. To differentiate its brand further on promotional lines, easyJet could introduce a CRM (cause related marketing) scheme, developing a reputation for being a caring airline, e.g. by selling shares in forest help programmes over its website, collect ing foreign currency on flights for charity etc., thereby giving its passengers a sense of psychological comfort and well-being  [15]  when they choose to fly with easyJet. Overall, easyJet has to develop a realistic and accurate assessment of the market-niche to be served. A relentless commitment to quality service and cost control is as important as the discipline to establish a growth plan (see www.easyJet.com for easyJet product life cycle and marketing strategy). (Word count 3,144) Appendices Appendix 1 Under the easy brand Stelios Haji-Iannou has furthermore established and Internet car rental service (easyRentacar), a chain of Internet cafes (easyEverything), a financial services site (easyMoney), a portal site for bargains on the net (easyValue) and a free e-mail service (easy.com). In all his ventures he is using yield management to extract the ideal margin from each customer  [16]  and keep costs down. Furthermore, yield management can help to better use price in the marketing mix to best reach the most customers  [17]  . However, there are no cross-shareholdings between easyJet and these other easyGroup companies. easyJey operates independently from the other companies although some cross-marketing agreements do exist. Also, results of the non-airline businesses have been mixed as they have lost  £75m in three years  [18]  . Appendix 2 Profit for Ryanair April September 2002 Year-on-year increase 151m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ ( £96m) 71% Source: Tran, M. (2002)  [19]   See http://www.ryanair.com/download/morganjune.pdf for actual data. Appendix 3 Compare Airline Traffic Data (Europe) Air Transport World http://www.atwonline.com/Pdf/worldairlinereport_2002.pdf Appendix 4 The airline market is currently being re-shaped by the expansion of existing low-cost airlines. It has been estimated that they will expand their European market share from 5% to 25% by 2010, establishing themselves on a long-term basis. (Source: International Travel News (2003), available on http://www.internettravelnews.com/article/20223 Friday, 28th November 2003) Low-cost airlines are gearing up to take large chunks out of their rivals. In a decade, low-cost airlines may be the dominant form of air travel in Europe. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. In Europe, no-frills travel accounts for only 5% of European air travel, but it is likely to grow to claim a 12-15% share in the next decade. (Source: BBC News (2002), available on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2038192.stm; Friday, 28th November 2003)

Equality of Life Essay -- Argumentative Philosophy Religion Papers

I defend the uniqueness and irreducibility of religious forms of life from rationalistic criticisms. I argue that such a defense of religion affirms the fact of incommensurability between differing forms of life. Put differently, such a defense tacitly affirms ineradicable pluralism as well as cultural diversity. I contend that the defender of religion who argues from the incommensurability of this form of life must also give up all traces of "worldview exclusivism," the dogmatic claim to possess the one truth about the world. Finally, I argue that if we are to move into a future of peace, we must acknowledge that various forms of life are lived on a level playing field. That is, all forms have important contributions to make, and none have revelatory advantages over another. A critical discussion of differing forms of life will be concerned with cultural desirability of these forms. The Role of Philosophy in an Edifying Cultural Discussion of Religion A rationalistic agenda has traditionally dominated discussions in the philosophy of religion. Most of the discussions in this field have focused on an assessment of the rational coherency of religious belief, where "belief" is understood to name the intellectual assent religious believers are alleged to give to the propositional formulations of natural theology and creedal dogma. "Belief" in this sense is no different from the belief the analytic philosopher gives to the conclusion of logical arguments based on empirically verifiable premises. According to this way of understanding belief, both religion and philosophy are seen as competing forms of method with the same goal—uncovering or apprehending the one truth of mind-independent reality. Kai Nielsen is a well-known phi... ...lace. Importantly, by learning the foreign culture, Liberman is in the unique position of intimately understanding that culture, and can therefore highlight salient differences that emerge between the culture he has indwelled and the one he has momentarily left behind. Only by immersing himself in both cultures—that is, only by forsaking the search for a neutral vantage point—is he able to stand in a place from which comparision and criticism can be made of both sets of cultural practices (but, of course, only of these particular cultural practices—Aboriginal and European). Human reason is in operation here all along the line, yet nowhere in the foundational sense insisted upon in Enlightenment metaphysics and epistemology. (14) Beyond Objectivism and Relativism 91-92, my gloss in brackets. (15) Barry Allen, "Atheism, relativism, Enlightenment and truth," 175.