European and Chinese Cross Cultural Encounters 17th Century Essay Example

European and Chinese Cross Cultural Encounters: 17th Century Essay The encounter between Chinese and European cultures in the 17th century highlighted the idea held by many in European culture that they were superior to the Chinese in matters of science, as well as society and religion. I will use two sources to support my argument. One is Louis Le Comte’s letter to Lord Philipeaux of France from 1697. Le Comte was a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to China in order to spread Christianity. His letter entailed observations and memoirs that covered how the Chinese approached scientific subjects, and what their scientific culture was like. The information in the letter gives us a clear look into what the French thought about the Chinese, which was also an idea that was held by many in Europe. The other source that I will use is the Chinese World Map of 1602, which was made by Matteo Ricci, Li Zhizao and Zhang Wentao, along with the translations from Ricci in its captions. These translations further demonstrate the European thought that they were superior to the Chinese in many aspects. In my essay I will analyze the European thought that they were superior to the Chinese, specifically in the sciences of astronomy, astrology, medicine, and geography. We will write a custom essay sample on European and Chinese Cross Cultural Encounters: 17th Century specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on European and Chinese Cross Cultural Encounters: 17th Century specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on European and Chinese Cross Cultural Encounters: 17th Century specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Before we get into the scientific subjects, and the culture which defines them, we need an understanding of how the Europeans perceived the Chinese. To do this we need to examine Le Comte’s letter. This will help us understand the rhetoric and argumentative tools that he uses to make the country of France appear understanding, while making the Chinese look arrogant. The irony of this letter is that, by criticizing the Chinese for being arrogant and rude, Le Comte is actually the one being arrogant and rude. Le Comte is blind to this matter because he does not believe that his country is flawed. An example of this is when Le Comte starts his letter by giving the Chinese credit for instilling â€Å"wit† in the people of Siam. After making an attempt to seem like he respects the Chinese he goes on to insult them by saying that the Chinese believe that the â€Å"People of the East† are â€Å"blind† and that they believe themselves to be â€Å"the most intelligent Nation in the World. 1 What Le Comte meant by this is that the Chinese viewed the Europeans as unknowing and in the dark. This view lacks credibility, for though the Chinese were an advanced culture and some Chinese philosophers or academics might have thought themselves superior to the Europeans, the Europeans definitely thought they were superior to the Chinese. By saying that the Chinese thought themselves superior he attempts to discredit them. This feeling of superiority is a moral superiority which stems from the belief that the French, Italians, and other Europeans held. The idea is that they held themselves to higher moral standards like politeness. The underlying component of the superiority complex that flowed through European nations was religion. Christianity was the major belief system and it shaped the way the natural world was thought of. The way science was conducted and thought of was especially shaped by Christian beliefs. They believed in one God and that this God controlled everything. They also believed that the way the natural world worked was because of God. This was contrary to what the Chinese thought. They believed in multiple beings and that there was energy called Qi that altered events in the natural world. This was looked down upon by European scholars, especially by the Jesuits and they set out to change the Chinese beliefs because they found them inadequate. This idea that the French were more advanced is evident in Le Comte’s reflection on Chinese astronomy. According to Le Comte, â€Å"that never did People in the World addict themselves so constantly to it. † He says that the Chinese used this science to make an abundance of observations but that the Chinese were vague in their notes and observations that they could not possibly maximize the benefits of these observations. This way of thinking about science as a way to benefit a culture is a very European way of thinking, and Le Comte is using it as a way to view his culture as superior because the Chinese do not use astronomy in the same way as Europeans use it. An outright example of the superiority which the Europeans feel is seen when Le Comte calls the Chinese astronomical tables imperfect, and that, although it took a while the Chinese astronomers finally grasped â€Å"some skill in Our Astronomy. †. He is making the assumption that the European approach to astronomy is the better than the Chinese approach. The final comment he makes on this subject is how Chinese successes in making calendars should be attributed to the Europeans. 5 By saying the Europeans should be credited with the Chinese’ calendar production; he makes the Chinese look dependent on them as a source of income. This supposed reliance that Le Comte says the Chinese have on the Europeans makes the Europeans seem much more superior. The same idea of superiority is echoed by Le Comte in his remarks on Chinese astrology, which we will take a look at in this paragraph. Le Comte is very negative in his view on the Chinese astrologers. He looks at them as having a â€Å"knack of Lying† and that they are being deceitful in saying, for example, that good days for building and marriages depend â€Å"upon the Influence of the Heavens†. The European explanation that he offers is that, rather than depending on the heavens, these things depend on the â€Å"Wisdom and Discretion of Men†. 4 This way of thinking is based off of Christianity. Their belief system would not support the idea that planetary motion, or celestial occurrences would influence things on Earth. In their minds God was the source that controlled nature and that the planets that were way out in space could not possibly effect events on earth. This idea that God controls heaven and earth, as Matteo Ricci says in the translations of his World Map, was the thought that the Jesuits were trying to instill in the Chinese. The attempt to Christianize the Chinese would require the Chinese to abandon their current knowledge system. This explains why Le Comte is so harsh towards the Chinese by calling them liars. What Le Comte is trying to do, by being extremely critical of the Chinese’ astrologers, is discredit the Chinese and attack their knowledge system by saying that it is flawed. This example shows how the Europeans thought that they were the more advanced culture, and it is also a good example of what lengths they would go to in order to instill their more perfect religion on the Chinese (My emphasis). Moving on to the science of medicine we see the same European idea that the Chinese were inferior. Le Comte attributes the lack of advancement in Chinese medicine to the desire of the Chinese to be more advanced in physics, natural philosophy and anatomy. We can see here, that even when the Europeans acknowledge the Chinese for being advanced in some areas, they still find a way to put a negative spin on that acknowledgement. Even the Chinese’ most â€Å"famous† science is degraded by Le Comte. â€Å"Pulses†, which made the Chinese famous throughout the World, was thought of by Chinese physicians as the â€Å"Foundation of all Medicine. 6 It is criticized by Le Comte because they did not use â€Å"reasoning and arguing† when practicing or learning this technique. 6 This â€Å"reasoning and arguing† that the Europeans believed was necessary for correct scientific practice came from the scientific method which they believed would allow them to learn subject matter and to conduct experiments. Since the Chinese did not use this method, the Europeans automatically thought that the Chinese method was inadequate and that their way was better. This led to the criticism of Chinese methods, and, just as with astrology, the Europeans accused the Chinese of â€Å"pretending† to know what they were doing because the Chinese relied on tradition and practice rather than methodology and testing. Le Compte goes on about how the Chinese â€Å"play the Prophet† and how people should not trust them because they use trickery in order to get people to pay money for a cure to their ailment. 7 He also highlights a Chinese medical practice which he says is â€Å"unmerciful†. The practice he is referring to is the application of a hot iron to the feet of people that are plagued with Colick which is a disease that causes â€Å"continual vomiting† and â€Å"Gripes†. The word that Le Compte uses to describe the practice is â€Å"unmerciful† and â€Å"violent†. He sees the Chinese as barbaric which would set himself, as a European, apart from the Chinese. Again, the European belief that they were greater than the Chinese is echoed in this description of medical practices. The Europeans believed that the Chinese had a habit of lying and deceiving in order to make a quick profit for any form of medicine. This is especially evident when Le Compte comments on the way which people were allowed practice medicine without being certified. He goes as far as to say that the Chinese who practice medicine without certification care more about the money they receive from their patient, than if their patient dies. The idea that someone needed to be certified to practice medicine is very European. The major problem that Le Comte seems to have with this way of thinking that the Chinese have is not that people are dying, but that the Chinese idea is different from Europe’s. Europeans believed themselves to be honest and caring about using medicine and medical practices to help people, which made them superior to the Chinese. This relates back to the moral superiority that they felt. Moving from medicine let’s take a look at geography and map making. During Matteo Ricci’s time in China he met Mr. Li Wo-ts’un, a studier of geography who made maps of the world. Ricci brought a map, that he made, to him and Wo-ts’un became â€Å"deeply interested† in it. After seeing this map Wo-ts’un convinced himself that â€Å"the correspondence between celestial circles and the terrestrial degrees of latitude and longitude was based on an immutable law. † For an entire year he made â€Å"painstaking calculations† but, according to Ricci, Wo-ts’un neglected the â€Å"narrow scope† of his own map. Now, in order to remedy this Wo-ts’un asked Ricci to make a much larger map, and Ricci agreed. Ricci’s description of why he agreed to make the map is an attempt to belittle Wo-ts’un’s map making skills. At the same time, Ricci attempts to seem fair by saying that he will need help in making this new map from the old maps of his â€Å"humble country†. However, he is the opposite of humble when he finishes making the new map. Ricci starts making a speech about how God was the reason that he made this incredible map and that he looks â€Å"with hope and expectation to those who, like himself (myself), are sojourners on this earth†. This is an attempt to give credit to his Christian God. Ricci’s purpose of being in China was to spread Christianity, so any chance to make his religion appear as if it were the reason for something important is taken. By examining the desire to spread their own religion to the Chinese, we see that the European’s felt like the Chinese belief system was inadequate, and that they needed to believe in something else. This is the concrete example of the importance that the Europeans felt. Religion was the key motivator that made Europeans feel superior to the Chinese. By examining the encounter that the European missionaries and Chinese had in the 17th century we see that the Europeans felt superior to the Chinese. This feeling was evident when Ricci and Le Compte compared the sciences of astronomy, astrology, medicine, and geography. The belief in Christianity that the European missionaries had was the foundation of the cause of this superior feeling. Comments: This cultural encounter was very interesting because it highlighted how the European’s were very intent on pushing their religion on the Chinese. One thing I did not mention was that the Chinese did not give in to the Jesuit missionaries because I do not believe it would add anything to the essay. Bibliography ) Matteo Ricci, Li Zhizao, and Zang Wentao. World Map of 1602. 2) Giles, Lionel. â€Å"Translations from the Chinese World Map of Father Ricci. † In two files corresponding to two dates of publication in, The Geographical Journal, Vol. 52, No. 6 (Dec. , 1918), pp. 367-385, and The Geographical Journal, Vol. 53, No. 1 (Jan. , 1919), pp. 19-30 3) Le Comte, Louis. Memoirs and Observations Typographical, Physical, Mathem atical, Mechanical, Natural, Civil, and Ecclesiastical, Made In a Late Journey Through the Empire of China, and Published In Several Letters†¦ with Many Other Curious and Useful Remarks. London: Printed for Benj. Tooke†¦, and Sam. Buckley †¦, 1697. [ 1 ]. Le Comte, Louis. p. 220 [ 2 ]. Le Comte, Louis p. 222 [ 3 ]. Le Comte, p. 222 [ 4 ]. Le Comte, p. 223 [ 5 ]. Giles, Lionel p. 370 [ 6 ]. Le Comte, Louis p. 224 [ 7 ]. Le Comte, Louis p. 225 [ 8 ]. Le Comte, Louis p. 227 [ 9 ]. Le Comte, Louis p. 231 [ 10 ]. Giles, Lionel p. 368 [ 11 ]. Giles, Lionel p. 369

The Presidents Role in the U.S. Federal Budget Process

The Presidents Role in the U.S. Federal Budget Process The annual federal budget process begins the first Monday in February of each year and should be concluded by October 1, the start of the new Federal Fiscal Year. In some make that most years, the October 1 date is not met. Here is how the process is supposed to work. The President Submits a Budget Proposal to Congress In the first step of the annual U.S. federal budget process, the President of the United States formulates and submits a budget request for the upcoming fiscal year to Congress. Under the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the president is required to submit his or her proposed budget to Congress for each government fiscal year, the 12-month period beginning on October 1 and ending on September 30 of the next calendar year. Current federal budget law requires the president to submit the budget proposal budget between the first Monday in January and the first Monday in February. Typically, the president’s budget is submitted during the first week of February. However, especially in years when the new, incoming president belongs to a different party than the former president, submittal of the budget may be delayed. The president’s budget proposal may also be delayed by pressing government financial difficulties. For example, President Barack Obama did not submit his FY 2014 budget proposal until April 10, 2013, due to ongoing negotiations with Congress over the implementation of the budget sequester and mandatory spending cuts dictated by the Budget Control Act of 2011. In fiscal year 2016, the federal budget called for the expenditure of nearly $4 trillion. So, as you might imagine, deciding exactly how that much taxpayer money is to be spent represents a major part of the president’s job. While the formulation of the president’s annual budget proposal takes several months, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (the Budget Act) requires that it be presented to Congress on or before the first Monday in February. In formulating the budget request, the president is assisted by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a major, independent part of the Executive Office of the President. The president’s budget proposals, as well as the final approved budget, are posted on the OMB website. Based on the input of the federal agencies, the presidents budget proposal projects estimated spending, revenue, and borrowing levels broken down by functional categories for the coming fiscal year to start on October 1.The president’s budget proposal includes volumes of information prepared by the president intended to convince Congress that the president’s spending priorities and amounts are justified. In addition, each federal executive branch agency and independent agency includes its own funding request and supporting information. All of these documents are also posted on the OMB website. The presidents budget proposal includes a suggested level of funding for each Cabinet-level agency and all programs currently administered by them. The presidents budget proposal serves as a starting point for the Congress to consider. Congress is under no obligation to adopt all or any of the Presidents budget and often makes significant changes. However, since the President must ultimately approve all future bills they might pass, Congress is often reluctant to completely ignore the spending priorities of the Presidents budget. House and Senate Budget Committees Report the Budget Resolution The Congressional Budget Act requires passage of an annual Congressional Budget Resolution, a concurrent resolution passed in identical form by both House and Senate, but not requiring the Presidents signature. The Budget Resolution is an important document providing Congress an opportunity to lay out its own spending, revenue, borrowing and economic goals for the coming fiscal year, as well as the next five future fiscal years. In recent years, the Budget Resolution has included suggestions for government program spending reforms leading to the goal of a balanced budget. Both the House and Senate Budget Committees hold hearings on the annual Budget Resolution. The committees seek testimony from presidential administration officials, Members of Congress and expert witnesses. Based on testimony and their deliberations, each committee writes or marks-up its respective version of the Budget Resolution. The Budget Committees are required to present or report their final Budget Resolution for consideration by the full House and Senate by April 1. Next Steps: Congress Prepares its Budget Resolution

Department of Agriculture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Department of Agriculture - Research Paper Example This rule proposes changing the marketing agreements that are established between packers and suppliers through the changing of judicial precedent. Ultimately this would make it easier for suppliers to sue in the Packers & Stockyards Act Lawsuit. Furthermore, this act would make it less likely that a packers union to utilize such an agreement. In the end, it was postulated that most, Cattle, Pig & Poultry producers as well as meat & poultry processors oppose this regulatory change. In the past, these marketing agreements help livestock producers manage volatile changes in prices through the establishment of long term contracts. In many respects it has been argued that these long term agreements only benefit large packing concerns and by banning these agreements it becomes easier for smaller packers to compete and ultimately create more bidding pressure on cattle, pig & poultry producers. Although this sounds great on paper the experience in reality may not be the same. Many producers favor long term agreements owing to a great deal of uncertainty in the price of livestock. The paper demonstrated that the price of livestock is 500% more volatile than the price of meat. ... This (Theoretically) would lead to a decreased demand for meat. The cascading effect may not only lead to overall drop in demand for meat and meat byproducts but could also lead to a decline in the quantity of jobs in the industry. If producers would not be allowed to enter into long term marketing agreements, ultimately there would be a 500% more volatile would translate to higher uncertainty in the market and make it difficult to guarantee long-term stable employment. Currently there are more than 14 million people looking for employment in the United States and this regulatory change would theoretically remove approximately 21,000 stable jobs from the worker pool. The implications from this would be a strongly negative effect on the American economy. Moreover one could postulate that these changes would also have a negative effect on the long term prospects of stable employment for retailers as well. With increased prices of meat products this may reduce the overall profitability of meat products at the retail level. Lastly this uncertainty would lead to a difficulty in the production of quality production products such as raising U.S. Prime or top end U.S. Choice. Without a guarantee that top quality livestock will receive a profitable price, than it may be the case that many ranchers will focus their efforts away from breeding higher quality cattle and move towards more generic cattle. In terms of trickle down effect one can expect some negative consequences for suppliers to the cattle, pork and poultry industries. As there is less incentive to produce high quality livestock one can expect a negative consequence for growers of

Human Resources Management. Basic knowledge Essay

Human Resources Management. Basic knowledge - Essay Example The process of globalization influences both public and private sectors of economy. It does not influence business under the conditions of competition produced by adding new participants to the market; this process promotes benchmarking as the best mean of developing business. For instance, the experts in UK are worried with the fact that specialists from the USA and the rest of Europe occupy leading positions in various companies or institutions of public sector. (Hunter et al.) These changes that affect competitive environment and working background forced human resource management reconsider its significance and roles, and adopt its functions to the demands of the present day. The process of reconsidering and revaluation of the HR role shows that the changes have already started, and this process slowly goes on. There are no investigations, reflecting the stages of the process, but the specialists speak about some significant points that indicate progressive nature of the process. In the middle of 90s HR professionals defined the process of changes that in the sphere of HR. Dave Ulrich is one of them. Some of his writings are devoted to this question and the nature of evolution that occurred in the sphere of HR during last fifteen years. He draws new roles in the sphere of HR. ... This function also includes watching relations among employees and establishing a new role to keep performance on high level - the role of employee champion. One more significant role is given to change agent, who should be occupied with the obstacles that may disturb successful business development and with the ways of keeping the business course on right direction. (Ulrich, 2005) In the article "Role Call" Ulrich provides a comparison of the roles in the process of changes, examining how the nature and purpose of each role changed within recent years. He enumerates the following roles that were relevant to the sphere of HR at the beginning of the 90s: "coach, enabler, advocate, change agent, initiative leader, employee champion, business partner, HR leader, strategist, rapid deployment specialist, internal consultant, operational supporter, knowledge facilitator, thought leader, competency professional, client relationship manager and even human capital steward and manager of firm infrastructure." (Ulrich, 2005) At first, he suggested changing the terms defining the specialists, as the essence of their work and functions changed. Employee champion - employee advocate and human capital developer As it has been said above, he provided a framework showing the changes that occurred within these roles. The first of them is shift from the role of employee champion to employee advocate and human capital developer. To say more precisely, this role divided into two separate roles. Here is the definition of "employee champion" provided by Ulrich in one of his previous works: "Employee champions listen and respond to employees and find the right balance between demands on employees and resources available

Team Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Team - Case Study Example He is always ready to help with the tasks that no one wants to handle. However, he has been on several disciplinary meeting for tardiness. The treasurer is a thirty five year old lady with an MBA. She is warm and motherly. She likes to take long lunch breaks in the nearby park. She is also the spiritual guide for the team. She is however moody at times and as such inapproachable. The Associate is a twenty six year old graduate. He is sharp, innovative and eager to please. He is knowledgeable in matters accounting and he is the go to guy with any difficult task. He is always complaining about everything especially his work load and the over time he has to give. The human resource manager is a forty two year old lady. She is always the first in the office and in meetings. She is ever present in the office and when running errands out of the office, she is always within reach. She is a stickler to company rules and regulation and always ready to solve human resource issues. The Team Manager is a forty year old lady. She is an energetic individual ready to work. She is approachable and easy to please. She enjoys the company of other members and her office is always open to all at all time. She likes to head every project that requires a team leader. She can also be fussy at times and controlling towards the rest of team. She likes things and tasks to be done her way. Company rules dictate that a meeting can’t start before there is a quorum. Conflict also comes as a result of a member thinking that their idea is the better one and should be implemented regardless of what other team members think. Politics is a topic that always stirs the team. Members seem to never agree on an opinion and everyone has got his own. In order to resolve these conflicts, the Manager always seeks to address the issue at hand giving each party time and chance to explain themselves. He frowns at gossip and members know not to cross that line. When making important

Starbucks International Expansion Company

Starbucks International Expansion Company Starbucks Corporation is a Seattle, Washington-based coffee company. It was the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 50 countries. Starbucks sells drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, snacks, and items such as mugs and coffee beans. Starbucks is the world leader in the premium coffee market and has an amazing success story. Starbucks sells not only coffee; it sells the Starbucks experience. The company is successful to convey its vision to the customers. It has successfully convinced customers paying more for high-quality products and a new life style. Starbucks reached its goal to establish and leverage its powerhouse premium brand through rapid expansion of retail operations, introduction of new products and store concepts, as well as development of new distribution channels. Starbucks has revolutionized the coffee business. History The first Starbucks was opened in Seattle, Washington, on March 30, 1971 by three partners: English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl, and writer Gordon Bowker. The three were inspired by entrepreneur Alfred Peet (whom they knew personally) to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment. Entrepreneur Howard Schultz joined the company in 1982 as Director of Retail Operations and Marketing, and after a trip to Milan, Italy, advised that the company should sell coffee and espresso drinks as well as beans. Starbucks began providing coffee to restaurants and espresso bars. In 1987, with the backing of local investors, Giornale acquired Starbucks assets and changed its name to Starbucks Corporation. The company also opened stores in Chicago and Vancouver. A year later Starbucks introduced a mail order catalog with service to all 50 US states. Expansion strategy In year 1992, Starbucks developed an expansion strategy based on targeting areas with favorable demographic profiles together with the companys infrastructure to support and service them. For each region, a large city was selected to serve as a hub where a team would support the goal of opening at least 20 stores in the first two years. One of the key success factors in this operation was to recruit professionals with marketing and operating experience in chain-store retailing as area manager. This strategy built upon the growing reputation of the Starbucks brand, which, in some instances, had reached new markets even before stores opened. The main marketing strategy is to represent Starbucks store as a third place between work and home. The company could increase the market share in existing markets and open stores in new markets rapidly. Additionally, Starbucks always tries to expand its products portfolio. The company cooperates with other companies to develop and distribute new products. In 1991, the company had formed a team to manage store development based on a six-month opening plan. Every store has to be varied in size and shape, but must be able to deliver appropriate vision and value, contributing to strengthen the companys reputation and image throughout the regions being expanded into. Cost reduction was achieved by centralized buying, by standard contracts development and fixed fees for certain items, and by consolidated work under contractors with good cost-control practices. Starbucks product supply was also a key in a successful expansion. As another differentiating factor, the company buys coffee on arrangement basis at a significant premium above normal price; this allowed for Starbucks to build trust with producers and obtain top-notch coffee beans from producing countries. In order to secure an adequate supply, the company entered into fixed-price purchase commitments when available, and preorder coffee to ensure price protection. By this approach, Starbucks able to control costs and avoid price rising in the stores that would have a devastating effect on the companys image. Starbucks expansion strategy also relied on a limited number of licensing agreements for areas where it did not have the ability to open its own outlets. Licensees like Marriot Host International and Aramark allowed Starbucks opening stores respectively in airports and university campuses. Others like Horizon Airlines and United Airlines had Starbucks coffees served on commercial flights, while agreements with Nordstroms, Barnes and Noble and Well Fargo opened even more opportunities. In 1997, the specialty sales division of Starbucks generated sales equal to 12.2% of total revenues. International Expansion The companys international expansion started in 1995, and was based on two strategies: to provide licenses or to create a joint venture with branded local company in the target host country. Starbucks Coffee International (SCI) was created in 1995 to coordinate the international expansion, which started in Japan, Hawaii, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan and Korea. Starbucks expansion strategy was well thought: the offensive was to take place in the Pacific Rim in order to gain momentum and strength, far away from Europe and Latin America where coffee shops competition is very strong. In April 2003, Starbucks completed the purchase of Seattles Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia from AFC Enterprises, make the Starbucks store around the world became more than 6,400. On September 14, 2006, Starbucks rival Diedrich Coffee has announced that it would sell most of its company-owned retail stores to Starbucks. In 2008, Starbucks continued its expansion, settling in Argentina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Portugal. In Buenos Aires, the biggest Starbucks store in Latin America was opened. In April 2009, Starbucks entered Poland. New stores will be opened in Algeria. Building a Unique Culture While Starbucks execute almost enthusiastic standards about coffee quality and service, the personnel policy at Starbucks for employee is free and supportive. Employees are encouraged to put themselves in the position business partners. Management do believes that cheerful employees are the key to remain competitiveness and develop. Multiple Channels of Distribution Besides its stand-alone stores, Starbucks has set up cafes and carts in banks, hospitals, buildings shopping centers, supermarkets and office buildings. Further distribution contract have included hotels, airlines and office coffee supplier. Office coffee is a large segment of the coffee market. Associated Services (an office coffee supplier) provides Starbucks coffee exclusively to thousands of businesses round the United States. Conclusion Despite the fact that Starbucks is the largest and well known coffeehouse chains and its existence is very obvious in civic areas, the firms research stated that only a small percentage (around 7%) of the US population has tried Starbucks product. Through additional distribution contract and new product joint venture, Starbucks hopes to seize more of the US market.

Baby Boomers Essay -- essays papers

Baby Boomers During the Great Depression and World War II many Americans delayed marrying and having children because of the poor economy. The number of marriages and births soared after the war. Many older couples who had delayed having children began having them when the war ended. This increase in births among both younger and older American couples created the Baby Boom Generation. This large group of people born in the U.S. from 1946 to 1964 amounted to 76 million children. Those born during this time make up approximately 36% of today’s population (Deutsch). What impact has this had on the economy? Read on to see how the baby boom generation has affected the economy and what will happen as they retire. This generation has had a huge impact on the economy due to its sheer size. At first there was a crunch at hospital maternity wards. When the boomers reached school age, schools became overcrowded, forcing towns to build additions. By the time they were entering senior high the cities and towns were expanding. New office buildings, hotels, apartment complexes and stores were springing up everywhere. When they reached college age, American Higher Education had to expand. Large enrollments along with inflation pushed college costs higher. When they started families of their own and became homeowners it drove real estate prices up. As they passed through the life cycle, these shortages soon became surpluses. An example being the collapse of the real estate market in the late1980’s (Sullivan). We can expect a large demand for retirement housing, elder care and finally the funeral industry as the Boomers continue their life cycle. Marketers have followed the boom generation for decades, producing items that appealed to them as children, teens and young adults. With more money in their pockets than time on their hands, today’s baby boomers are dining out at an all time high. Now it is people over the age of 40 who have the resources to purchase big-ticket items. Today the engine that is driving our economy and our stock market is due to the lopsided demographics present right now. The coming of age of discretionary spending is allowing people to buy that SUV, boat, computer, etc that would have been put off in the past (Income). The economy is sensitive to the Boomer generation’s desire for a luxury lifestyle. As they look toward retiremen... ...grams for children, while a new state agency was created to represent the needs and concerns of older citizens.† (Sullivan). The baby boom generation has had a profound effect on the American economy at each stage of their life starting with the demand created for goods, then filling the labor market. Now we’ll have to wait and see if their retirement will cause the doom predicted by some or create the marketplace godsend predicted by others. Bibliography: Buchner, Gail. â€Å"Demographics is Not Destiny†. Journal of Financial Planning. Institute of Certified Financial Planners 1999. Deutsche, Alex. Topical Study #51. 10 Oct. 2001 www.yardenicom/topical.asp Generation Gap to Create Jobs Turnaround. Sydney Morning Herald 4. 10 Oct. 2001 http://www.ncpa.org/pd/economy/econ 10.html Jackson, Gerard. â€Å"Will the Baby Boomers Cure Unemployment?† TNA News with Commentary. 9 Apr 2001. Peterson, Peter G. â€Å"Gray Down: How the Coming of Age Wave Will Transform America and the World†. 1999: 189-90. Sullivan, Teresa A. â€Å"Baby Boom Generation†. Discovery Channel School. 2 Oct. 2001. http://www.discoveryschool.com/homework.help/worldbook/atozhistory/b/040930.html

The Computer: Humankind’s Greatest Scientific Discovery

Discoveries throughout time have moved mankind forward in many fields, such as medicine, technology, communications and manufacturing. These findings have also contributed to shifting the way humankind operates on a global basis. Defining the greatest discovery should encompass the revelations which have had the most beneficial impact on our societies. For our generation, it is the founding of the computer. The computer has affected virtually every aspect of our lives, from the way people do business to the way we communicate. Since its humble beginnings with the inventions of the first binary computer in 1936 by Konrad Zuse, and the mechanical calculator, the use of computer has become more than just widespread: it has developed into a phenomenon that has altered the lives of every human living on Earth today in some shape or form. In 1939, Hewlett Packard was founded and by 1945, John von Neumann had discovered electronic storage for data. Subsequently, the year 1967 saw the first metal oxide semiconductor built by Fairchild Camera and Seymour Papert, and it created a language on the computer for children that operated a mechanical turtle. Later in 1967, the first storage system for digital photography was invented by IBM, which had the ability to translate a trillion bits of information. In 1994, Windows first browser Netscape 1.0 was released. Additionally, the Internet search engine, Yahoo, was invented. From this point, computer technologies have constantly been improving and have resulted in modern wonders. Computers have made the technological advances we enjoy today possible. These include online purchasing, business and private communication through social networks, selling to global markets, creating personal websites, or talking to people while seeing them on our computer screens while they are thousands of miles away, and many more advances. All of this is done with little cost, except for a wireless connection fee. People tend to store information not in the public archives, libraries, or in other ways that require using physical media, but in a digital format with the help of cloud technologies. Many significant scientific discoveries are made with the help of computers, and even if the findings are made by hand, computers are still used to process and calculate data gathered during these researches. Computers are indispensable for many business and financial operations, exchange trades, freelance jobs, medicine, production quality control and studying – almost all aspects of life today are tied to the use of the computer. Clement Mok, former creative director of Apple, once said, â€Å"Five years ago, we thought of the Web as a new medium, not a new economy.† As civilization races ahead, technology also speeds up, creating new markets and jobs while helping with advances in medicine and agriculture. Computers have evolved from a simple mechanical calculator, which was still revolutionary for its time, into a sophisticated and complicated helpful tool that has become an essential part of humans’ everyday lives. Nowadays, it is difficult to find a part of modern humanity's existence which has not been reshaped by the invention of the computer, and there is no way of knowing where this great discovery will end up leading civilization in the future. ReferencesMok, Clement.   â€Å"Technology Quotes.† IT History Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. .â€Å"Computer History Museum.† Timeline of Computer History. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2013..

Free Essays on Team Cohesiveness

Team Cohesiveness Groups that are cohesive feel committed and unified: Cohesion has often been cited as a central and crucial element in the development of a team of people working together. The most widely used definition cohesion is â€Å"a dynamic process which is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives and/or for the satisfaction of member affective needs† (Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1997, p. 3). Group cohesiveness varies widely based on numerous factors including the size of the group dependence of members upon the group achievement of goals status of the group management demands and pressures. For example, group cohesiveness increases strongly whenever the membership perceives a threat from the outside. This threat produces the high anxiety that strong group cohesiveness can help reduce. Effective teams have the ability to be more than just a group of individuals. For the team to develop cohesion and co-operation team members must understand and be committed to the vision, process and structure of the team. When working in a group, you are committed to the good of the team in order to succeed on your project. As the old saying goes â€Å" There is no â€Å"I† in â€Å"Team†. You must be willing to put forth effort to work together for the greater good of the team in order to get your project completed. 2) The team and individuals within the team need goals, which are shared by the team members. Meaning you are all on the team for a reason, to succeed or in our case as University of Phoenix students, to graduate. If we all have the same common goal in mind, then working together should not be a problem. 3) The individual team members need to get personal satisfaction from being part of the team and achieving team goals. We all should respect each other as team members while working together. We all should gel together in order to get that p... Free Essays on Team Cohesiveness Free Essays on Team Cohesiveness Team Cohesiveness Groups that are cohesive feel committed and unified: Cohesion has often been cited as a central and crucial element in the development of a team of people working together. The most widely used definition cohesion is â€Å"a dynamic process which is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives and/or for the satisfaction of member affective needs† (Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1997, p. 3). Group cohesiveness varies widely based on numerous factors including the size of the group dependence of members upon the group achievement of goals status of the group management demands and pressures. For example, group cohesiveness increases strongly whenever the membership perceives a threat from the outside. This threat produces the high anxiety that strong group cohesiveness can help reduce. Effective teams have the ability to be more than just a group of individuals. For the team to develop cohesion and co-operation team members must understand and be committed to the vision, process and structure of the team. When working in a group, you are committed to the good of the team in order to succeed on your project. As the old saying goes â€Å" There is no â€Å"I† in â€Å"Team†. You must be willing to put forth effort to work together for the greater good of the team in order to get your project completed. 2) The team and individuals within the team need goals, which are shared by the team members. Meaning you are all on the team for a reason, to succeed or in our case as University of Phoenix students, to graduate. If we all have the same common goal in mind, then working together should not be a problem. 3) The individual team members need to get personal satisfaction from being part of the team and achieving team goals. We all should respect each other as team members while working together. We all should gel together in order to get that p...

Free Essays on History Of Christianity

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

GLOBAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT AND MARKETING Assignment

GLOBAL ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT AND MARKETING - Assignment Example Cross-elasticity and self-elasticity are significant. No single corporation in the market has adequate market share to influence prices, resulting in competitive pricing and strong rivalry. The barriers to entrance are high because of regulation, the existence of patents, brand loyalty, economies of scale and high fixed costs. The individual market partakers engage in efforts to differentiate their product, some doing well than others. Apple Inc stands out in product differentiation. The company has successfully singled out its iPhone and is likely to maintain that distinction because of its all-inclusive and closed development and use. Through reinvention of mobile phones by its magical iPhone and iPad and App store, Apple Inc. has been regarded the most innovative firm that offers top expertise in the electronics market in China. The Apple Inc. Products are manufactured to allow their Chinese consumers to have a simpler life by joining various technologies. Despite the Apple’s popularity in china, it only has a small percentage in the market, accounting for only 8% (King 2012, p. 45). However, this can be ascribed to its little time in the Chinese market. Chinese customers were quickly fascinated by the technical devices like iPad; iPod and iPhone likewise to customers in other countries even though there was improved attention in china in contrast to other countries. Nevertheless, Apple Inc. Analysis of revenues shows that significant Apple Inc. Markets are in Europe and America (Zhang & Prybutok 2005, p.

Is global warming due to human actions and can human race take actions Research Paper

Is global warming due to human actions and can human race take actions to stop global warming - Research Paper Example Facts and discussion presented in this paper are meant to illuminate the reality of the claim that â€Å"agricultural and industrial revolution, land-use change, and an increase in greenhouse gas concentrations are all such human actions which have raised global warming rate and acts like recycling, energy conservation, and tree plantation can help reduce this.† (Drallos, 2009) lays stress on the fact that human activity has played a significant role in exponentially increasing the rate of global warming owing to the increased burning of fossil fuels and industrial emissions which increases the CO2 gas concentration in the atmosphere and this plays a direct role in increasing the Earth’s temperature. Actually, the human population has been increasing so tremendously over the past many years that there seems no apparent end to the ongoing use of land, energy, and fossils, thus environmental scientists tend to be at loss of applying any useful strategy for controlling thi s dramatic and urgent environmental emergency.