Nestle International Business Strategy Essay

Company Introduction: Nestle is one of the world’s largest and most known companies. It is a Swiss company with its headquarters located in Vevey, Switzerland. The company was inaugurated in 1866 (Nestle 2012) and since its inception has grown through leaps and bounds to become the world’s largest food and nutrition company (Cnn money 2011). The company is also a major stakeholder in the cosmetic company, L’Oreal. For a company to start from a small domestic town and then expand internationally, the strategic vision of the company plays a central and key role. The subsequent chapters shall discuss the company’s internal goals and strategy and how that strategy paves way for Nestle to build its competitive advantage in all the markets it operates in. Vision and Values: The vision of Nestle reflects ideas of fairness, honesty and long-term thinking. These ideas are reflected in the company’s corporate business principles that have shaped the company culture and strategy for the past nearly 140 years. The core values that the company has are its people, the quality of its people and brand, the company’s brand portfolio, their consumers, their customers and the company’s sustainable performance.  (Nestle, 2012) Company Objectives: The main objective of Nestle can be appropriately summed up by the phrase ‘Creating Shared Value’ (Nestle, 2012) This principle at Nestle can be described as having a conviction to build long term and beneficial relationships with their stakeholders, comply with all legal requirements and ensure all activities that the business undertakes are sustainable and result in value creation for both the company and the society at large. A strategy that the company has developed to mark their achievements is that they would like to become the benchmark of (Nestle, 2012) 1. Nutrition, Health and Wellness 2. Sustainable Financial Performance 3. Trust by all stakeholders. In order to achieve these benchmarks Nestle underwent heavy expenditure in Research and Development and relies greatly on new research and innovation, both in terms of food production and processes.Strategic Analysis: The Pestel analysis is a tool made for analyzing the Political scenario, the Environmental scenario, Socio political scenario, technological scenario and legal scenario of a the macro environment of a business. This is a management method that examines the effect that events or influences from outside may have on the performance of a company or organization (CambridgeDictionary 2012). Pestel analysis is usually conducted keeping in mind the situation of a particular region. For the sake of this marketing plan, the pestel analysis of Nestle will be conducted keeping in mind the market of Great Britain. PESTEL Analysis Political: England is a member of the European Union as well as being a senior member of the United Nations. Because the country is part of two big political blocks, it allows it the freedom to trade efficiently both domestically and internationally. Despite having both a monarchy and a parliamentary form of government, the governmental system is well balanced and the common law is practiced. Nestle being a Swedish country; also  belonging to the European Union has a great relationship with the government of Great Britain (EuropeanUnion 2012). Economic: UK is the third largest economy in Europe after Germany and France however Economists within the UK market predict a mild slip back into recession for the country in the year 2012 (bbc.co.uk 2012). Due to the economy presently being in a low growth stage it is very essential for Nestle to understand the market and come up with products and processes where it could continue to offer the same high standard of products that it offers a nd yet try and minimalise costs. United Kingdom was also hit by the recession of the year 2007 and there was a fair amount of job loss. Keeping this in mind If Nestle were to set up more production plans and hired local population, it would contribute to value creation. Social: Around 66.2% of the Population of UK lies between the age brackets of 15-64 years. This means that there is a large labor force available however a majority of population is also aging. For Nestle this could be an opportunity if it decides to introduce a line of products that are compatible with its competitor’s products such as high fiber cereal offered by Kellogg’s or protein bars. With a large young population, nestle can introduce new flavors of its chocolate line with added health benefits as well (Hill, T. & R. Westbrook, 1997). Technological: The UK is a technologically advanced country with heavy focus on research and development and computed aided simulations and designs This is a positive point for Nestle as Research a nd Development is a key competitive advantage for the company. Without heavy expense incurred in this department, the company would not have been able to reach the global number one position that it has acquired today. With a technologically friendly environment in UK, Nestle has the options of introducing new technology and conducting better research without the fear or incurring too high costs or the consumers finding it difficult to adapt (bbc.co.uk 2012). Environmental: The government of the United Kingdom pays stress on companies doing their operations on environmental friendly principles. Because Nestle is a company that is within the food and nutrition industry therefore the environmental compliance is extremely essential for it to cater to. These include the correct and green processes through which the company manufactures (Environment protection act, 1990), as well as ensuring that all the edible products meet the health standards as set by the government of the United  Kingdom. Legal: With regards to the legal situation of United Kingdom the company needs to pay attention to various kinds of laws that are prevalent. These include health and safety laws, consumer laws, and employee laws as well discrimination laws. For operations within the united Kingdom it is essential for companies to not only align their processes with the legal standing of the government but also their management style and organizational culture to ensure that all employees are treated equally and fairly, there are no reported cases of harassment of any kind and that the products have a health and safety assurance otherwise the company is liable to be sued. SWOT Analysis: The swot Analysis is part of a strategic planning process for small and medium sized organizations mostly (Houben, 1999). The analysis measures the company on two fronts; internal and external. In the internal area the strengths of the business and the weaknesses it posses in its own operations are analyzed while in the external analysis, the opportunities and threats faced by the business in its macro environment are analyzed. Strengths: One of the biggest strengths of Nestle is the brand image that it has. Its brands such as Kitkat, Nescafe, Nesquick are almost synonymous with the brand name. The company also has the heavy financial muscle to invest in its research and development which can further enhance its product line as well as invest in marketing. It also has a very strong global presence both in terms of production capacities as well as market share. Weaknesses: One weakness of the company is that it has had to recall many of its products due to bad quality and that has greatly hampered its brand image. For a company as big as Nestle the customers do not expect such a dangerous mistake to be made especially since it operates in the food industry. The company also is the target of being boycotted because of media pressures and environmentalists for engaging in non-green practices and usage of child labor (ILRF, 2005). Opportunities: The fact that Nestle has gone from being merely a food brand to being nutrition and well being brand is a good opportunity for the company as it opens many new areas for product line extension. Entering into emerging markets and establishing manufacturing plants also helps the company in reducing its costs. Threats: The food  industry is probably one of the most saturated industries in the world. Keeping this in mind Nestle faces the very strong threat of competition. This competition can emerge both from international brands as well as local brands of the market in which Nestle enters and tries to operate. The rising prices of raw materials, fuel as well as the political instability in many third world countries where nestle has set up their production plants also threatens to cause unreliability in the supply line (Lin, 2007). Porters 5 forces: Michael Porter (1979) gave a framework by virtue of which the competitive advantage of companies can be assessed in the market in which they operate in. The framework includes an analysis of five concurrent forces that affect a business’ ability to compete (Michael Porter 1979). Keeping in mind the global market in which Nestle operates in, the Porters five forces analysis will be carried out keeping a general view of the entire world as the potential market for Nestle. Threat of New Entrants: Nestle despite being in a food and nutrition industry faces the serious threat of new entrants in the market. Weather this threat is domestic or from international firms, it exists because it is an industry where the barriers to entry are very low. If we discuss Nestle in India for example there are low barriers to entry and many small domestic players can enter the market and challenge the market of nestle through their pricing or product offering which is tailored to the local culture and tastes. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers of Nestle is very low especially in regions where the countries are economically backwards such as Pakistan or Bangladesh. That is because Nestle being such a giant in the market has the ability to bring lots of new business to the suppliers and therefore the suppliers have to produce the raw materials according to the outlines set by the company or they can be replaced. Bargaining Power of consumers: The bargaining power of the customers of Nestle is high. That is because it is a brand which greatly relies on consumer appreciation for the product. If a product is launched in any part of the world where the consumers do not like the taste, they will refuse to buy it. Similarly in third world countries the consumer base is very price sensitive. This raises their bargaining power if Nestle wants to penetrate, then it will have to reduce its prices  to their affordability level. Threat of Substitutes: Threat of substitutes for Nestle is also very high. In all areas of its operations there are multiple other firms that are offering either similar products or substitute products. For this purpose Nestle has to ensure that it offers a product experience that cannot be imitated and is demanded by its consumers. Industry Rivalry: Industry rivalry for Nestle is very high in no matter what part of the world it operates in. In United Kingdom it faces threat of competition from brands like Kellogs, in India it faces competition from local brands and brands such as Knorr which are starting to venture into the food industry. Porter’s diamond and competitive advantage: Michael Porter presented his theory about the competitive advantage of Nations through the use of this self designed diamond model. According to his theory, nations can create a sustainable competitive advantage for themselves if they use the following four factors efficiently. It is called a diamond model because the effect of one variable causes a change in the other variable. According to Porter, a country can create competitive advantage for itself rather than merely relying on natural endowments. Keeping Nestle in mind, Switzerland has created a global recognition for itself based on this huge multinational giant’s image (Economics-papers 2012). Factor conditions talk about the country creating its own factors of production. Japan for instance does not have any local metal or steel however it has become synonymous with the manufacturing of metal cars. Similarly, factor conditions include building up on a country’s skilled resources and putting them to best use such as Nestle has done by acquiring raw materials from other parts of the world and treating them through innovative processes to suit its own needs (Nestle, 2012). Demand conditions mean that when the demand of a certain product is high locally, the company can focus on it and build that as its competitive advantage. The demand for healthy food was very high In Switzerland and taking that demand Nestle build its company and has now succeeded in creating such a global  giant. Because Nestles related and supporting industries are also thriving and are competition with each other, this gives Nestle the opportunity to build on its cost advantage and focus on its innovation so that it can continue its differentiation strategy in the market. The local conditions affect the firm strategy and culture. Within Switzerland there was high focus on doing things after thorough research and therefore the same Ideas were inherent since the inception of Nestle. (NestleCompanyStrategy, 2012). Nestle operates in a multitude of different markets. Keeping each market in mind it develops different strategies. The Ansoff matrix shows four different kinds of strategies that companies can follow in order to achieve their goals. The first is the market penetration. In this strategy companies lower their prices so that they can enter into the market more quickly. In the case of Pakistan it was seen that when Nestle entered Pakistan, they introduced their existing product Milo at very affordable rates, even in smaller sub sizes so that the market can readily accept the product. In Market development strategy, the company takes an existing product into a  new market. This can be seen as when Nestle took Kitkat to foreign markets or when it launched Nescafe coffee in China. Product development is when a company remains in the same market it is presently operating but starts to expand its product line. Nestle was seen using product development when it remained in the European market but started venturing into health and nutritional products and expanding its product line. Nestle also has a diversified portfolio as it invested in the cosmetic company L’Oreal and is also the stakeholder in a number of pharmaceutical companies worldwide (Bonn, I. 2001). Boston Matrix: (Mayareynoldswriter 2008). Nestle is a house of brands. It consists of over a hundred different products and each product is at a different stage in the market depending upon the region in which it is being sold. Generally the product lines of nestle can be divided into big sub categories such as baby foods, which includes Cerelac and Nestum. Cereals and Bottled water, chocolate items, Dairy products, drinks, ice cream etc. Each product from each of these different categories is places on a different point in the BCG matrix. For the sake of simplicity of the project we will only discuss a few of the known and flagship products of Nestle (Boston Consulting Group, 2011). The cash cows of Nestle are very easily most of its chocolate brands and baby food items. Cerelac is a universal cash cow as well as Kit Kat that has a very strong brand presence worldwide (Reuters, 2012). Nido is fast growing nutritional milk that is gaining popularly in the Asian region and in the year 2010 (New York Times, 2012), a new Kit Ka t manufacturing plant was set up in United Kingdom that was to produce over 1 billion bars of the chocolate each year. The Stars are those products which have potential in the market and Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s lines of frozen product are quick to capture a declining cooking market within the United States. Nestle with its brand Stouffer, is turning its attention to frozen pizza in an effort to capture more of the market share (Bryson, 2011). Dogs are those product lines which do not bring in too much of revenue and are difficult to turn around. These products are those that should be discarded or sold off so that they do not squeeze the company profits. For Nestle, many attribute its investments in the pharmaceutical  business to be a dog and that the company should pull out and focus more on its nutritional products. Question marks are those products whose future is somewhat uncertain. They can be turned out into positive cash cows or could reduce to the dog stature for the company. With regards to the Indian market, the breakfast cereals of nestle are question marks. Keeping in mind the culture of India, the breakfast is a wholesome meal and the culture of cereals is very low (New York Times, 2012). The particular products in the Indian markets are still struggling to figure out their future. Value Chain Analysis: A value chain analysis is a specific set of activities that are linked together and through their use the firm can produce a competitive advantage for itself. This value chain analysis was also developed by Michael Porter and can be summed up by the following representation (Porter, 1985): If we conduct the value chain analysis for Nestle we can see that it has a very good supply chain and integration of all operational business units otherwise it would be very difficult for the company to achieve global dominance. The inbound logistics include warehousing and inventory control. In Nestle it is a computerized and automated system of inventory control that is different for each country. This is why the supply of Nestle products is hardly ever scarce in the market. The operations of nestle are very successful as they transform a lot of raw material into very nutritional products and create value for their customers. Outbound logistics is the process by which finished goods are transferred to the sellers. For this purpose Nestle has started to set up distribution channels in each country where its production plant is set up so ensure timely delivery. Marketing and Sales of nestle help in creating the brand that Nestle has evolved into today. The service area is that which responds to concerns and after sale service and Nestle tries its best to provide good customer service to any customers that may be dissatisfied by the product (Bonn, I. 2001). Recommendation: Nestle has a very established setup of both its operations and marketing.  What the company should however invest in is building its public image as a corporately responsible company as well. As it has already been pointed out above Nestle is one of the world’s most boycotted companies because of a certain perception that it commits corporate crimes when coming to environmental practices. The company needs to make sure that that particular image is altered. Also, the products of Nestle which are not doing so well in certain markets should be pulled out rather than constantly spending more on them to turn their value around. Some products are difficult to sail because of the culture of the market that Nestle operates in and therefore should be avoided to ensure sunk costs do not occur. Evaluation & Conclusion: In conclusion it is safe to say that Nestle has a lot of positive attributes backing its larger than life product portfolio and therefore the company has managed to sustain its position in the list of the fortune five hundred companies. The company through the use of efficient management procedures, innovation, capital infusion and research and development continues to expand its portfolio and also serves as an example of not just a an exceptional food and nutrition providing company but also a real multinational corporation. There are many lawsuits against the company and it is also generally considered to be one of the world’s most boycotted companies and despite all off that the revenues of the company have hardly slumped since its inception. That is a testament to their value chain creation and streamlined processes that ensure that nestle becomes a part of the livelihood of the people of the 130 countries it serves. List of References: 1. bbc.co.uk (2012) the world of technology. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology/ [Accessed: 5th august 2012]. 2. Belch, G & Belch, M. 2003. Advertising and Promotion; an Integrated Marketing Perspective, 6th edition, Mc-H Companies. 3. Bonn, I. (2001), â€Å"Developing Strategic Thinking as a Core Competency†, Management Decision, 39(1), 63 – 76. 4. Boston Consulting Group. (2011), About BCG. [Online]. Available at < http://www.bcg.com/about_bcg/history/history_1968.aspx>. [Accessed 6th August, 2012]. 5. Bryson York. 2011. Nestle: Aisles to go with products. Available: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-03-10/business/ct-biz-0311-frozen-food-sidebar-20110310_1_pizza-nestle-usa-chairman-cooking. [Accessed 6th Aug 2012]. 6. CnnMoney.2011. Global500. Available:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2011/snapshots/6126.html. [Accessed 6th August 2012]. 7. Dictionary.Cambridge (2012) PESTLE analysis. [online] Available at: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionar0y/business-english/pestle-analysis?q=pestle+analysis [Accessed: 6th august 2012]. 8. Economics-papers (2012) The Study and Review on Michael Porter’s the Competitive Adv. [Online] Available at: http://www.economics-papers.com/the-study-and-review-on-michael-e-porters-the-competitive-advantage-of-nations.html [Accessed: 7th august 2012]. 9. Europa.eu (2012) Policies and activities of the European Union. [online] Available at: http://europa.eu/policies-activities/index_en.htm [Accessed: 6th august 2012]. 10. Hill, T. & R. Westbrook (1997). â€Å"SWOT Analysis: It’s Time for a Product Recall†. Long Range Planning 30 (1). 11. Houben, G, 1999. A knowledge-based SWOT-analysis system as an instrument for strategic planning in small and medium sized enterprises. Journal of Applied Economics, [Online]. 26, 125-135. Available at:http://www.cuaed.unam.mx/puel_cursos/cursos/d_gcfe_m_dos/modulo/modulo_2/m2-10.pdf [Accessed 04 August 2012]. 12. International Labor Rights Forum. 2005. The 14 Worst Corporate Evildoers. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.laborrights.org/creating-a-sweatfree-world/ethical-consumerism/news/11434. [Accessed 04 August 12]. 13. John Katsaros & Peter Christy 2005. Getting It Right the First Time: How Innovative Companies Anticipate Demand. Westport, CT: Praeger 14. Legislation.gov.uk. 2011. Environmental Protection Act 1990. [ONLINE] Available at:< http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/43/contents.> [Accessed 04 August 12]. 15. Lin, J.N, 2007. SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY. Masters. Michigan: University of Michigan. 16. Mayareynoldswriter (2008) Applying the Boston Matrix to Publishing. [online] Available at: http://mayareynoldswriter.blogspot.co.uk/2008/12/applying-boston-matrix-to-publishing.html [Accessed: 6th august 2012]. 17. Michael, Kathleen, Goold, Sommers Luchs, 1996. Managing the Multibusiness Company: Strategic Issues for Diversified Group. 1st ed. London: Routledge. 18. Michael, Porter, 2008. The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, 15 January 2011. 19. Nestle.com.2012. History. [ONLINE]Available at: http://www.nestle.com/AboutUs/History/Pages/History.aspx. [Accessed 03 August 12]. 20. Porter, M.E. 1985. Competitive Advantage, Free Press, New York, 1985. 21. Reuters. 2012. China’s moms key to Nestle baby milk deal. [ONLINE] Available

High School and Selecting Main Ideas Essay

My 3 highest scores are: Information Processing (85), Study Aids (95), and Time Management (60).The 3 areas I scored the lowest on are: Attitude (5), Motivation (5), and Selecting Main Ideas (20). I’m going to work more on my attitude, because it’s important to me that I graduate and get the degree in the career that I want to purse, so that I can prove to all the people who told me that I wouldn’t be nothing, or had doubt in me, because my parents didn’t finish High School, nor graduated. Motivation is probably one of the hardest one for me, because I’m a huge procrastinator, especially when it comes to math, which is the subject I dislike the most. I think if I’m motivated to do the math I will get better grades. I think it’s going to happen because Mr.Norrgran makes it interesting, he tends to joke around to wake us up if we’re not participating, or shows us little tricks so we can get the problem better. On Selecting Main Ideas, the reason why I got a 5 is because when writing notes down, I tend to write everything, even though it’s not needed. The reason why I do that is because to me, if I don’t write everything down, I always have this voice in the back of my head, â€Å"What if that word, sentence, vocabulary is in the test† something like that, so I feel better if I just write it ALL down, just in case it’s use full. I think it’s an OCD habit. At the end of the fall semester, I hope to have my attitude at 100, motivation 100, and main ideas 100, because I know that will make me a better student on achieving my goals, to prove to not only those who would shut me down, but to prove to myself.

Battle Cry of Freedom

United States History i| Battle Cry of Freedom| The Civil War Era by: James M. McPherson| | Sandra Dunlap| 4/16/2010| James M. McPherson was born October 11, 1936. He is considered to be an American Civil War historian and he is a professor at Princeton University. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his book Battle Cry of Freedom and Wikipedia states this was his most famous book. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Ph. D. and teaches United States History at Princeton University. Battle Cry of Freedom; The Civil War Era id a work of such vast scope necessarily emphasizes synthesis at the expense of theme. If there is a unifying idea in the book, it is McPherson's acknowledged emphasis on â€Å"the multiple meanings of slavery and freedom, and how they dissolved and reformed into new patterns in the crucible of war. † In spite of the existence of a growing class of urban workers and a burgeoning immigrant population, McPherson finds that â€Å"the greatest danger to American su rvival midcentury was neither class tension nor ethnic division.I feel it was sectional conflict between North and South over the future of slavery. † He dismisses the idea advanced by some historians that conflicts over tariff policy and states’ rights were more central to the political tensions of the 1850's than the South's â€Å"peculiar institution. † McPherson emphasizes that â€Å"by the 1850s Americans on both sides of the line separating freedom from slavery came to emphasize more their differences than similarities. McPherson is critical of previous literature that he says â€Å"lack the dimension of contingency-the recognition that at numerous critical points during the war things might have gone altogether differently† (857-858). The narrative style allows him to point out such critical moments that others would have missed or looked over. He carefully identifies instances where another outcome was possible, or even probable. His treatment of both sides in the war is evenhanded.The Compromise of 1850 was an attempt to brace a government ready to split apart with a few political two-by-fours: It gave the South a deferred decision on the question of slavery in New Mexico and Utah in return for a stronger fugitive slave law and the admission of California to the union as a free state. Four years later, the Kansas-Nebraska Act shattered this uneasy peace by repealing the Missouri Compromise line of 1820, which had banned slavery in the northern territories, and substituting the deliberately ambiguous doctrine of popular sovereignty, which left room for violent disagreement among the territorial settlers.The Kansas-Nebraska Act completed the destruction of the divided Whig Party and gave rise to the new, entirely Northern, Republican Party, whose stated objective was to prevent the spread of slavery. Although not all Republicans were motivated by sympathy for the Negro—indeed many were deeply antipathetic toward blacks and opposed slavery only in the economic interest of working-class whites—and although the party was pledged not to disturb slavery where it already existed, Southerners regarded it as a threat.The election of Republican Abraham Lincoln in the â€Å"revolution of 1860† precipitated the â€Å"counterrevolution of 1861,† the secession of the lower South and, after the firing of shots at Fort Sumter, of the upper South as well. In stressing the formation of the Confederacy as a â€Å"preemptive counterrevolution,† McPherson follows the model of historian Arno Meyer, who applied it to twentieth century Europe.Such a counterrevolution does not attempt to restore the old orders; it strikes first—preempts revolution—in order to protect the status quo before revolution can erupt. The secessionists magnified the potential threat posed by Lincoln's election, arguing that waiting for an â€Å"overt act† against Southern rights was comparable to waiting for a coiled rattlesnake to strike. The time to act was before the North decided to move against slavery, as the Southern radicals believed the â€Å"Black Republicans† ultimately would.McPherson's other important theme is that the Civil War was a political war, fought by citizens rather than by professional armies; as a consequence, political leadership and public opinion directly affected military strategy, and events on the battlefield reverberated on the home front and especially in Washington, D. C. For this reason he chose a narrative rather than a thematic format, integrating political and military events to emphasize complex patterns of cause and effect. Thus, he emphasizes that the failure of the Army of the Potomac to reach Richmond during the Seven Days’ Battle in the spring of 1862 changed Union policy rom the limited goal of restoring the Union into one of total war to destroy the Old South and consequently gave rise to the Copperhead faction of a ntiwar Democrats in the North. Antietam was a major turning point not only because Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was driven back across the Potomac, but also because it ended Confederate hopes for European recognition and military assistance, and gave Lincoln the military victory he had been waiting for as a backdrop for his Emancipation Proclamation.Especially in the North, where the two-party system still operated and the Republican position on slavery was still evolving and far from unified, Union military success or failure had far-reaching effects. The defeats at Bull Run and Ball's Bluff led Congress to establish the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, and the Union failure at Fredericksburg gave Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, who aspired to replace Lincoln as the Republican nominee in 1864, an opportunity to encourage a senatorial investigation of the cabinet.Public morale in the North rose after the victory at Stones River and temporarily blunted the Cop perhead offensive against Lincoln's war policy; it plummeted again after the Confederate triumph at Chancellorsville on May 2-3, 1863, and Lincoln exclaimed in despair: â€Å"My God! my God! What will the country say? † McPherson gives military outcomes the central place in his explanation of Northern victory and Southern defeat; he is critical of theories that undervalue events on the battlefield.In his concluding chapter he reviews the various explanations that historians have advanced for the South's ultimate defeat, analyzing the weaknesses in each. Although the North was superior in manpower by two to one and had even greater economic resources, revisionist historians have denied that the South fought against odds so great as to make defeat inevitable; they have pointed out the number of small countries that won independence against even greater odds, not the least of which was colonial America against Great Britain.Such historians have argued instead that internal divis ions—the states’ rights governors who refused to cooperate with the central government, the disaffection of non-slaveholders, libertarian resentment of conscription and the restriction of civil liberties—fatally weakened the South's morale and destroyed its will to fight. McPherson discounts this argument, as well as the alternative interpretation that stresses the gradual development of superior Northern ilitary and political leadership that was evident by 1863, because both commit â€Å"the fallacy of reversibility†: If the outcome had been reversed, the same factors could be cited to explain a Southern victory. He particularly faults the loss-of-morale thesis, for â€Å"putting the cart before the horse†; defeat was the cause of Southern demoralization and loss of will, McPherson argues, not the consequence. McPherson faults most explanations of Southern defeat for failing to take into account the factor of contingency, the realization that at v arious turning points the war might have taken an entirely different turn.He identifies four critical turning points that shaped the final outcome. The first was in the summer of 1862, when Stonewall Jackson and Lee in Virginia and Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby-Smith in the West launched counteroffensives that prevented the Union armies from claiming what had appeared to be certain victory. This rally by the South meant that the war would be prolonged and intensified, and Southern success seemed assured before each of three successive turning points toward Northern victory.First, Union triumphs at Antietam and Perryville in the fall of 1862 turned back Confederate invasions and killed the hope of European recognition for the Confederacy; they may also have prevented a Democratic victory in the 1862 elections, which would have hampered the Lincoln government's ability to prosecute the war, and certainly permitted the president to make his Emancipation Proclamation from a position of political and military strength.The next critical time was during the summer of 1863, when success at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga turned the North toward eventual military victory. The last one came in the summer of 1864, when enormous Union casualties of the spring campaign in Virginia—three-fifths as many battle deaths as in the previous three years of fighting—combined with the seeming lack of progress forced the North in the direction of peace negotiations and nearly resulted in the election of a Democratic president.William Tecumseh Sherman's capture of Atlanta and Philip Henry Sheridan's destruction of Jubal Early's army in the Shenandoah Valley made Union victory inevitable; only then, after the military situation became impossible, McPherson contends, did the South lose its will to fight. Several important long-term consequences of the Northern victory emerge in McPherson's analysis. Slavery and secession were killed forever, and the word â€Å"Uni ted States† became a singular instead of a plural oun; the â€Å"union† of states, as in â€Å"the United States are a republic† became a nation and an indivisible entity. Replacing the old federal government with which the average citizen rarely came in contact, except at the post office, was a new â€Å"centralized polity. † This national government levied direct taxes and collected them through an internal revenue service that it created itself, drafted citizens into a national army, imposed a national banking system, and instituted numerous other innovations.Eleven of the first twelve amendments to the Constitution, McPherson points out, had restricted the authority of the national government; beginning in 1865 with the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, six of the next seven amendments greatly increased federal power at state expense. Finally, the balance of political power shifted from the South, which had controlled the presidency for tw o-thirds of the years since the founding of the republic, and had predominated in the selection of the House Speakers, presidents pro tem of the Senate, and Supreme Court justices.For fifty years after the Civil War no Southerner was elected to the presidency, none of the House Speakers or Senate presidents came from the old Confederacy, and only one-fifth of the Supreme Court justices were appointed from the South. McPherson contends that despite the South's appearance of being different from the rest of the United States, the argument can easily be made that until the Civil War it was actually the rapidly changing North that was out of step with the rest of the world. Although slavery had been largely abolished, most societies had an un-free or only semi-free labor force.Most of the world was rural, agricultural, and traditional; only the northern United States and a few countries in northwestern Europe were speeding toward industrial capitalism. Thus, Southerners were both sincer e and correct when they claimed to be fighting to preserve the republic of the founding fathers: limited government that protected property rights and served an independent gentry and white yeomanry in an agrarian society. The South's preemptive counterrevolution attempted to preserve this tradition, but Union victory in the Civil War ensured the dominance of the Northern vision of America.

Why does being Educated Part of Society Matter in Community Essay

Why does being Educated Part of Society Matter in Community - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that in communities where literacy rate is low, people still live below the poverty line. Therefore, education is very vital for financial stability of a society. The rich people can also improve the economic status of their community by helping the needy to continue with their education by paying for their school fees. Apart from catering for school fees, an educated person can serve as a role model to others, thus encouraging them to work hard towards advancing their education. Therefore, being educated is a very vital thing towards the development of the entire community.This paper outlines that  everyone lives in a society that has set unspoken and spoken rules and one of these rules is education. One of the expectations of a society is that everyone should go to school, advance his or her education in college or university, get a well-paying job, and settle down. In fact, one of the things that help an individual to become a prosperous member i n his society in education.  Educated people are believed to certainly have higher chances of contributing to their community. Being educated helps one to become part of the active members who participate in all developments and ongoing changes in the society. Participating in the events that promotes the well-being of a society grants one much respect from the community members.  Everybody likes knowledgeable and wise person. This is why educated people in a society are always considered reputable in their society.

Intercultural Communication optional Paper Essay

Intercultural Communication optional Paper - Essay Example Among theories of self and society is the high context vs. low context societal communication. Characteristics of communicative environment include cultural, socio-relational, physical, and perceptional environments. In this aspect cultural contexts entails features such as individualism and collectivism while physical aspect entails the geographical situation of interactions such s school, staffroom or at a dinner table. The extent to which communications and interaction depends on these features vary according to culture. In this aspect, a high context communication refers to the one that a lot of information either is in the physical or is within a self. Very little message in this perspective is coded. A low context communication on the other hand is the one that is explicitly coded. A cultural continuum helps in conceptualization of low-high context communication in which case there is no culture that appears exclusively to the extreme ends of the continuum. High cultures tends to have restricted communication code system such that users of a restricted code system rely most on the elements that pertains to context of communication setting for information as compared to the actual language code (Richard, 24). In high context cultures, since the parties understand each other, the words mostly do not necessarily convey meaning. People communicating in high context culture recognize that information from various elements of high context culture already exists and must not be codified further. Hence high context communication is fast, efficient, proficient and gratifies. In the low context culture, the verbal code is the primary source (Ian, 2). Thus people rely largely on the verbal code method to create an interpret meaning. The concept of face, the interactional self- image that a person displays which closely relates to the discursive images. Face refers to one’s image in a relational

Welfare Law (See below for details of the question) Essay

Welfare Law (See below for details of the question) - Essay Example al., 2005, pgh. 1). It was determined that, â€Å"In Street v. Mountford [1985] A.C. 809 [the] House decided that where residential accommodation is granted for a term, at a rent with exclusive possession, the landlord providing neither attention nor services, the grant is a tenancy notwithstanding the fact that the agreement professes an intention by both parties to create a mere licence† (â€Å"Bruton v. London & Quadrant Housing Trust 1999, House of Lords,† 2009). Housing in the UK is rather expensive when one compares prices there to the rest of Europe. Speaking frankly, â€Å"†¦in terms of their impact on the disposable incomes of families, housing in the UK is substantially more expensive than in the rest of the European Union. This generates real affordability problems, especially given strong inflationary pressures within the owner-occupied sector. This aspect of home ownership needs to be emphasised, for other housing tenures have lost favour† (Gallent, et. al., 2002, pp. 153). In fact, it is probably not a good idea to buy property in the UK unless one is absolutely certain one wants to. â€Å"Many foreign markets are without a doubt more risky than investing in property in the UK market†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Barrow, 2008, pp. 387). â€Å"Unlike fixed-term tenancies, periodic tenancies have no initial limit on how long they will last, since they automatically continue from one period until the next until brought to an end by the appropriate period of notice. A periodic tenancy can arise expressly, but it may also arise by implication†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Clements, et. al., 1996, pp. 9). In addition, this implication â€Å"†¦may arise when a person has been allowed into occupation of property with the intention of creating a tenancy and rent is thereafter paid on a periodic basis. Payment of a weekly rent in such circumstances may create the inference of

Homosexuality- Same sex child adoption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Homosexuality- Same sex child adoption - Essay Example Homosexuals consider it their right to live with the partner of their choice according to their will. But on the other hand, their choice is met with much criticism by religious and social groups who consider this aspect of human nature to be unethical. Homosexuals consider it their right to lead normal lives like other couples and they wish to opt for the completion of their family by adoption. But this issue is also criticized because it is argued that the homosexual parents will not be able to cater the needs of the children and will lay a negative impact on them. The subject of adoption by homosexual groups has been a challenge but these same sex couples have fought for the legalization of their rights and consider a stop on this adoption as an encroachment on their civil liberties and personal lives. The number of children who are being raised in homosexual families has increased to a great level and it has been reported that approximately 270,000 children are living with homosexual parents. There are many methods that are employed by the homosexuals for the purpose of raising children. They opt for methodologies which include artificial insemination for lesbian mothers, surrogate mothers for gay couples or adoption. It is not an easy option for them as it is for heterosexuals owing to the arrangements that they need to make before the process of adoption. Furthermore, they have to go through legal proceedings which also do not guarantee of the fact that whether they would be allowed to adopt the child or not (National Center for Lesbian Rights (U.S.). 2004; Perrin 2002). The raising of children by homosexuals is an issue of stereotyping. A woman in the United Kingdom who had to lose custody of her children owing to her addiction was shocked when she heard that her children were being adopted by gays. The grandparents of the children as well as other relatives were not very happy with this decision. They