Essay about Profile of Adolf Hitler (1889 -1945) - 774 Words

Profile of Adolf Hitler (1889 -1945) Family Background Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th 1889 in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria. The town is near to the Austro-German border, and his father, Alois, worked as a customs officer on the border crossing. His mother, Klara, had previously given birth to two other children by Alois, (Gustav and Ida) but they both died in their infancy. Adolf attended school from the age of six and the family lived in various villages around the town of Linz, east of Braunau. By this time Adolf had a younger brother, Edmund, but he only lived until the age of six. In 1896, Klara gave birth to Adolf s sister, Paula, who survived to outlive him. When his father†¦show more content†¦Army Career ----------- A penniless Hitler decided in 1913 to join the Austro-Hungarian army. However he failed the medical, and was promptly turned away. So he decided to move to Munich in the same year. At the outbreak of the First World War, in 1914, he volunteered for service in the German army and was accepted into the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment . Hitler loved the military life style, and the camaraderie between his fellow soldiers. He fought bravely through the war, and received the Iron Cross 2nd class and the Iron Cross 1st class for acts of true bravery. He wore the 1st class Iron Cross till his dying day. Ironically hiss officer who recommended Hitler for his Iron Cross was Jewish. Hitler was very lucky during the war and was never wounded seriously. However when the armistice was announced on November 11th 1918, Hitler was recovering from temporary blindness in hospital after a British gas attack. In December he returned to Munich, feeling betrayed by the government. Early Political Career ---------------------- Between December 1918 and March 1919 Hitler worked at a prisoner-of-war camp at Traunstein before returning again to Munich. Shortly after his return he witnessed a takeover bid by local Communists who seized power before being ousted by the army. After he gave evidenceShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesmen, women, and children in a decade that marked the nadir of recorded human history provided much of the impetus for a worldwide resurgence of human rights activism, agitation, and legislation that came to be centered in the United Nations after 1945. The two global wars that generated the myriad abuses of human rights, while also unleashing potent forces for the liberation of women and colonized peoples more generally, are analyzed in considerable detail in John Morrow’s wide-ranging essay

History And Advances Of The Christian Church Essay

During the course of Foundations of Reflection: God, my mission is to appreciate and learn the history and advances of the Christian Church. As students, we analyze cultural texts and describe meaningful events to develop an answer to â€Å"who,† â€Å"what,† and â€Å"why† there is a transcendent God. This composition will focus the historical-social context, ecclesial context, and modifications to the Church that occurred from three critical events; Fall of the Roman Empire, World War II, and the Celebration of the Holy Year by Pope John Paul II. The selected episodes are key in the history of the development of the church and provide insights of the church- politically, socially, and more importantly, religiously. The founding of Rome, today known as the â€Å"Eternal City,† was in 753 BC. The governmental hierarchy of early Rome was simple; governed by seven kings. Soon came transition because of heavy disputes in turn, the people of Rome gained power and ruled the city themselves. This government was short-lived and a threat to society because of its poor structure and poor authority. Therefore, the people of Rome agreed to develop a new structure, labeled the â€Å"Roman Republic.† The Roman Republic was in other words, the â€Å"Senate,† which advised the kings in official affairs and important decisions. The Roman Empire is known for having a great government, which lasted from a great number of years. However, this sweet government structure, high social status, and religious practices quicklyShow MoreRelatedThe Legacy Of Constantine The Great1471 Words   |  6 PagesDiocletian. As the first Roman emperor to call himself a Christian, his actions greatly affected both the history of the Christian Church and the history of the world. However, the question is, were his efforts about benefitting the church or about benefitting himself? It is said that because of his edicts and leadership, he was able to move the church as well as himself into positions of power. 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Investment Report of Gulf Cement Company †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Investment Report of Gulf Cement Company. Answer: Introduction Gulf Cement Company is a company which is engaged in the manufacturing business of cement. The company operates in United Arab Emirates and also has major portion of the business there. The company is claimed to be the largest producer of cement in UAE and is estimated to have a production capacity of 2.5 million tons of cement which shows that the business is engaged in large scale production of cement. As per the requirement of the assignment, an analysis of ratio is to be done for the company on order to judge the financial performance of the company in comparison with the industry average (Delen, Kuzey Uyar, 2013). The different ratios are analysed on the basis of long-term debt paying ability ratio, profitability ratio, investor analysis. Long Term Debt Paying Ability Ratio Long-Term Debt Paying Ability ratio refers to the companys ability to meet the debts of the company. In other words, such types of ratios are associated with the debt servicing and paying capability of the company. The different ratios which are included in such category along with their respective industry average is given below: GCEM Average Ratios (4) ? Industrial Average ((1)+(2)+(3)+(5))/4 Status (Risky or Health?) 1- Times Interest Earned 13.439 64.294 Risky 2- Fixed Charge Coverage 13.439 64.294 Risky 3- Debit Ratio 0.145 0.382 Health 4- Debt/Equity Ratio 0.172 29.874 Health 5- Debt to Tangible Net Worth Ratio 0.172 29.884 Health 6- Operating Cash Flow/Total Debt 0.320 0.165 Risky Figure 1: (Table Showing Long-term Debt Paying Ability ratio and their Industry Averages) Source: (Created by the Author) Time Interest Earned: It is a ratio which measures the ability of the company to meet the interest requirements of the debt which is taken by the business (Fracassi, 2016). Another name for Times interest earned is interest coverage ratio. In the case of GCEM, the time interest earned is very low as compared to the companys average. The situation as shown in the table is risky for the company and hence the company needs to improve the ratio and avoid risks. Fixed Charge Coverage: This ratio is the measure of the ability of the firm to meet the fixed expenses of the business in an effective manner before incurring any interest expense and tax expenses. In general, it is more or less an extension of the Times Interest earned. As shown in the table above fixed charge coverage should be a bit higher and also close to the industry averages. The company however has a low fixed charge coverage which indicates that the company is unable to effectively meet the fixed expenses of the company. Debt Ratio: Debt ratio is the measure of the amount of debt capital which is used by the business in the capital structure of the company. In the case of the company the debt ratio is 0.145 which is much less than industry average. This is a favorable status as most business likes to keep their debt ratio to a minimum so as there is lower amount of risk in the business. Debt to Equity Ratio: The debt equity ratio of any company analyzes the capital structure of the company on the basis of which the company is operating. Debt equity ratio is an important indicator as to how the business is performing (Heikal, Khaddafi Ummah, 2014). In the case of the company, the debt equity ratio is much lower than the result which is depicted in the industry averages. It is considered from the perspective of the risks which are associated with debts the lower are the ratios the more favorable is the business. As per the table which is shown above the debt equity ratio is much less than the industry average and therefore it is considered to be favorable. Debt to Tangible net worth ratio: It is a measure of the level of creditors protection in case of insolvency of the business. In the above table it is shown that the debt to tangible net worth of the company is 0.172 which is lower than the industry average and it is showing a favorable result as per the concerns of the company. Operating Cash Flow/ total debt: This ratio depicts the relationship between the operating cash flow of the company and total debt of the company which is shown in the balance sheet of the company (Higgins, 2012). In the case of GCEM, the operating cash flow by total debt of the company is showing unfavorable results and the company needs to improve this ratio and make it favorable again. Profitability Ratio The profitability ratios of the company are the measure of the profitability of the company which can be related to gross profit, operating profit and net profit. The profitability ratio of the company also includes ratio like return on equity, return on assets and other significant ratios (Komala Nugroho, 2013). The profitability ratio of any company is considered to be important as they are most looked out for in the financial reports of the company. The table which depicts the profitability ratio along with the industry averages of the same for GCEM is given below: GCEM Average Ratios (4) ? Industrial Average ((1)+(2)+(3)+(5))/4 Status (Risky or Health?) 1-Net Profit Margin 0.050 4.236 Risky 2-Total Asset Turnover 0.435 0.326 Health 3-Return on Assets 0.021 0.069 Risky 4-Operating Income Margin 0.017 4.582 Risky 5-Operating Asset Turnover 0.966 1.495 Risky 6-Return on Operating Assets 0.004 2.248 Risky 7-DuPont Return on Operating Assets 0.004 2.248 Risky 8-Sales to Fixed Assets 0.800 0.661 Health 9-Return on Investment 0.038 0.114 Risky 10-Return on Total Equity 0.026 5.528 Risky 11-Return on Common Equity 0.038 0.436 Risky 12-Gross Profit Margin 0.077 0.296 Risky Figure 2: (Table showing Profitability ratio and their industry averages) Source: (Created by the Author) Net profit Margin: The net profit margin of the company measures the net profit which is earned by the company in relation to sales of the company (Agha, 2014). The net profit margin of the company as shown in the table above is very low as compared to the industry average of the company. This is not a good indicator for the company as the company needs to have a better net profit margin as it is one of the crucial financial and performance indicator of the company. Thus, as shown by the table above the results of the company is risky. Total Asset turnover ratio: The ratio measures the ability of the business to generate sales with the use of assets which the company has. The ratio basically establishes a relation between the sales and the total assets of the company (Delen, Kuzey Uyar, 2013). The asset turnover ratio of the company as shown in the table is more than the industry average and thus the results are favorable in nature. Return on assets: This refers to the profits which can be earned by the business by utilizing the assets of the company. The figure which is shown as the return of asset for the company is 0.21 which is much less than the industry results. The company needs to improve this ratio as it is one of the financial indicators which show whether the company is performing or not. Moreover, as shown in the table above it is unfavorable for the business to have such low return on assets. Operating Income Margin: The operating income margin of the company shows the relationship between the operating profits of the business and overall sales of the business. The operating profit is an extension of the net profit margin of the business. Similar to the results of net profit margin the operating profit margin is also lower than the industry average and is highly unfavorable for the business as indicated in the table above. Operating Asset turnover: The operating asset turnover ratio is an extension of total asset turnover ratio and as per the table the ratio is 0.966 which is much lower than the industry average and hence it is unfavorable. Return on operating assets: This ratio is also an extension of return on assets and measures the profit which can be earned by operating assets of the business. As per the table, the return on operating asset is very low as compared to industry average. Du-Pont Return on Operating assets: The ratio is similar to normal return from operating activities but the formula of Du-Pont is applied on the same. The table show that the result is lower than the industry average of the company and the results are same as the results of return on operating assets of the company. Sales to Fixed Assets: This ratio measures the relation between the sales of a company to the fixed assets of the company. The table shows that the result which is 0.800 which is more than industry average which shows a result of 0.661. Thus, the result of this ratio is favorable. Return on Investment: This is one of the most important indicators for performance measurement of the company. Return on investment measure the amount of profit which is generated from investment (Rehman Takumi, 2012). The return of investment of the company is low in comparison to industry average. The return on investment results of the company is showing unfavorable results (Area, 2014). Return on total equity: it represents the return on the total equity of the business which includes equity as well as preference form of capital (Kabajeh, Al Nuaimat Dahmash, 2012). The result which is depicted in the table show that the results are unfavorable in comparison to industry averages. Return on Common equity: In this case the return from equity shares are only considered and the results show that the company is having unfavorable return on common equity. Gross Margin: The gross margin of the company also depicts similar results as the net profit margin of the company which is unfavorable (Verma et al., 2016). Investor Analysis This measures the ratios which are useful for investors of the company and they are portrayed in a table below: GCEM Average Ratios (4) ? Industrial Average ((1)+(2)+(3)+(5))/4 Status (Risky or Health?) 1-Degree of Financial Leverage 0.948 0.966 Health 2- All-Inclusive Degree of Financial Leverage 0.460 0.723 Health 3- Earnings per Share 0.038 0.379 Risky 4- Price/Earnings Ratio 0.000 0.000 5- Percentage of Earnings Retained 1.314 0.469 Risky 6- Dividend Payout -0.314 0.531 Health 7- Dividend Yield 0.000 0.000 8- Book Value per Share 1.000 0.827 Risky 9- Materiality of Options 0.000 0.000 Figure 3: (Table Showing Investor analysis ratio and their industry average) Source: (Created by the Author) Degree of Financial leverage: The financial leverage is the measure of the firms debt in the capital structure (Ozdagli, 2012). As shown in the table above the financial the results of the ratio is lower than the industry average which is favorable in nature. All inclusive degree of Financial leverage: This ratio is also an extension of the financial leverage of the business and the results which are depicted in the table after comparison is made with the industry average is favorable. EPS: The earning per share of the business is lower than the industry average as shown in the table which is a matter of concern for the company as it is one of the most important indicators of the performance of the company. Percentage of earning retained: This ratio depicts the percentage of retained earnings which the company has been able to save. The table depicts that the retained earnings of the company is more than the industry averages. Dividend Payout ratio: The dividend payout ratio of the company as shown in the table is unfavorable in comparison to the industry averages (Ouma, 2012). Book value per Share: The book value of shares as shown in the table above is more than the industry average and as depicted it is risky for the business. Bankruptcy Prediction (Z score) Altmans Z Score which is used in business can be used by companies in order to predict bankruptcy in the next tow years or not. The formula which is used for the purpose of calculations can be derived from the income statement and balance sheet of the company (Altman et al., 2014). The results of the Z score is obtained with the help of five major ratio of the business which are liquidity, solvency, profitability, leverage and also the probability that he company might be headed towards insolvency (Altman et al., 2017). In the case of GCEM, the Z score of the company is 4.11 which shows that the company is not headed towards insolvency. A score which is below 1.8 suggest that the company is definitely headed towards bankruptcy and a score of above 3 is favorable which the company has obtained. D: Bankruptcy Prediction (Z-score) X1= Working Capital/Total Assets 0.298877776 X2= Retained Earnings/Total Assets 0.389692176 X3= EBIT/Total Assets 0.042016549 X4 = Market Value of Equity/Total Liabilities 4.437301145 X5 = Sales / Total Assets 0.40639165 Z=1.2X1 + 1.4X2 + 3.3X3 + 0.6X4 + 1.0X5 4.111649327 References Agha, H. (2014). Impact of working capital management on profitability.European Scientific Journal, ESJ,10(1). Altman, E. I., Iwanicz?Drozdowska, M., Laitinen, E. K., Suvas, A. (2017). Financial Distress Prediction in an International Context: A Review and Empirical Analysis of Altman's Z?Score Model.Journal of International Financial Management Accounting,28(2), 131-171. Altman, E., Iwanicz-Drozdowska, M., Laitinen, E., Suvas, A. (2014). Distressed Firm and Bankruptcy Prediction in an International Context: A Review and Empirical Analysis of Altman's Z-Score Model. Area, M. C. (2014). Return on Investment. Delen, D., Kuzey, C., Uyar, A. (2013). Measuring firm performance using financial ratios: A decision tree approach.Expert Systems with Applications,40(10), 3970-3983. Delen, D., Kuzey, C., Uyar, A. (2013). Measuring firm performance using financial ratios: A decision tree approach.Expert Systems with Applications,40(10), 3970-3983. Fracassi, C. (2016). Corporate finance policies and social networks.Management Science,63(8), 2420-2438. Heikal, M., Khaddafi, M., Ummah, A. (2014). Influence analysis of return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), net profit margin (NPM), debt to equity ratio (DER), and current ratio (CR), against corporate profit growth in automotive in Indonesia Stock Exchange.International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences,4(12), 101. Higgins, R. C. (2012).Analysis for financial management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Kabajeh, M. A. M., Al Nuaimat, S. M. A., Dahmash, F. N. (2012). The relationship between the ROA, ROE and ROI ratios with Jordanian insurance public companies market share prices.International Journal of Humanities and Social Science,2(11), 115-120. Komala, L. A. P., Nugroho, P. I. (2013). The Effects of Profitability Ratio, Liquidity, and Debt towards Investment Return.Journal of Business and Economics,4(11), 1176-1186. Ouma, O. P. (2012). The relationship between dividend payout and firm performance: a study of listed companies in Kenya.European Scientific Journal, ESJ,8(9). Ozdagli, A. K. (2012). Financial leverage, corporate investment, and stock returns.The Review of Financial Studies,25(4), 1033-1069. Rehman, A., Takumi, H. (2012). Determinants of dividend payout ratio: Evidence from Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE).Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business Research,1(1), 20-27. Verma, S., Kim, B., Jhong, H. R., Ma, S., Kenis, P. J. (2016). A Gross?Margin Model for Defining Technoeconomic Benchmarks in the Electroreduction of CO2.ChemSusChem,9(15), 1972-1979.

Researchers Ethical Failures

Reflection The importance of ethics in research has caused many professional associations, government agencies, and research dependent institutions to come up with strict standards in fostering an ethical practice among members and affiliates. These are extensions to legal rules governing behavior and ethical norms.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Researchers’ Ethical Failures specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ethical actions can be legal or they can be illegal. When looking at an ethics problem, it is often necessary to pick a perspective that will help in the comprehension of the problem. Perspectives can be ecological, political, economic, or ethical. In research, norms play a crucial role in defining and safeguarding ethical practices. They endorse the objectives of research, which can include verity and avoidance of error. Research should stay clear of fabricated processes and results. It must be pro ne to moral conflicting circumstances because it is a process of cooperation and coordination with various people. Consequently, proper research that adheres to ethical standards must be fair, mutually respect researchers and participants, as well as practitioners, and show accountability (Hartman DesJardins, 2014). Three ethical failures Soutphommasane (2014) gives an example of a research that aimed to evaluate the teachings of empathy in a medical school. The research was replicating conditions observed in America, in a group of participants in Britain. Conducted in 2009, the study wanted to see how students react when they are subject to discrimination. However, for it to work, it demanded that participants assume certain stereotypical, racial norms, such as viewing all white people as racist. There was uproar among participants. Many objected to the identification of people against their identities or their personal preferences. Many of the participants expressed concern that the researchers were exceeding the limits of moral inquiry. The value of the experiment was dismissed on ethical grounds. It was not appropriate for the researchers to subject participants to actual feelings of racism, as either victims or perpetrators.Advertising Looking for article on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It caused the research subjects to do something against their will, thus the research failed to move past the data collection exercise.  A second example of ethical failure by researchers comes from a report by Tabor (2014) about a nurse who coached people to die. First, researchers must understand that life is sacred and there is an ongoing debate on the morality of assisted death. In this case, Judith Schwarz, who was a veteran nurse, researched on what patients had done to end their lives and then made unsolicited experiments on the method of providing alternative ways to die. Her patients trusted he r by the virtue of being a veteran nurse. However, the patients did not know that they were subjects of an ongoing research that the nurse was doing on voluntary death by starvation. Here, the nurse provided an essential service of assisted death to needy patients, but she crossed the line held by many practitioners on the morality of assisted death. Interestingly, the practice was a product of a dissertation on self-dehydration that she had conducted. The problem is that some patients are diagnosed with terminal illness, but they have years to live and there is no apparent body governing the procedures of the research. A third example is by Cressey (2013), who reports about the exposure of hundreds of patients to potential harm as they take part in clinical trials. Researchers working on treatment trials release the findings, but only those that support a given treatment are supported and published. Consequently, many research papers can demonstrate the failures of trial medication s, but they do not feature anywhere for future researchers to consult. The report by Cressey (2013) refers to the problem as a failure to honor the ethical contract. Patients have a right to know that there are potential dangers in their use of unconfirmed medications. One ethical obligation of researchers is to publish their findings so that participants are aware of what took place during the study and why it took place. Failure to release findings is akin to robbing the study’s utility that those who joined were hoping to gain.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Researchers’ Ethical Failures specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Cressey, D. (2013). ‘Ethical failure’ leaves one-quarter of all clinical trials unpublished. Web. Hartman, L. P., DesJardins, J. (2014). Business ethics, decision-making for personal integrity and social responsibility (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw H ill. Soutphommasane, T. (2014). Walk in another’s shoes? Reflections on empathy power and priviledge. ABC. Web. Tabor, N. (2014). The nurse coaching people through death by starvation. The Daily Beast. Web. This article on Researchers’ Ethical Failures was written and submitted by user Allison H. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Nietzsches The Use And Abuse Of History

Nietzsches The Use And Abuse Of History Between 1873 and 1876 Nietzsche published four â€Å"Untimely Meditations.†Ã‚   The second of these is the essay often referred to as â€Å"The Use and Abuse of History for Life.† (1874)   A more accurate translation of the title, though, is â€Å"On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life.† The Meaning of History and Life The two key terms in the title, â€Å"history† and â€Å"life† are used in a very broad way.   By â€Å"history,† Nietzsche mainly means historical knowledge of previous cultures (e.g. Greece, Rome, the Renaissance), which includes knowledge of past philosophy, literature, art, music, and so on.   But he also has in mind scholarship in general, including a commitment to strict principles of scholarly or scientific methods, and also a general historical self-awareness which continually places one’s own time and culture in relation to others that have come before. The term â€Å"life† is not clearly defined anywhere in the essay.   In one place Nietzsche describes it as â€Å"a dark driving insatiably self-desiring power,† but that doesn’t tell us much.   What he seems to have in mind most of the time, when he speaks of â€Å"life,† is something like a deep, rich, creative engagement with the world one is living in.   Here, as in all his writings, the creation of an impressive culture is of prime importance to Nietzsche.   What Nietzsche Is Opposing In the early 19th century, Hegel (1770-1831) had constructed a philosophy of history which saw the history of civilization as both the expansion of human freedom and the development of greater self-consciousness regarding the nature and meaning of history.   Hegel’s own philosophy represents the highest stage yet achieved in humanity’s self-understanding.   After Hegel, it was generally accepted that a knowledge of the past is a good thing.   In fact, the nineteenth century prided itself on being more historically informed than any previous age.   Nietzsche, however, as he loves to do, calls this widespread belief into question.   He identifies 3 approaches to history: the monumental, the antiquarian, and the critical.   Each can be used in a good way, but each has its dangers. Monumental History Monumental history focuses on examples of human greatness, individuals who â€Å"magnify the concept of man†¦.giving it a more beautiful content.†Ã‚   Nietzsche doesn’t name names, but he presumably means people like Moses, Jesus, Pericles, Socrates, Caesar, Leonardo, Goethe, Beethoven, and Napoleon.   One thing that all great individuals have in common is a cavalier willingness to risk their life and material well-being.     Such individuals can inspire us to reach for greatness ourselves.   They are an antidote to world-weariness.   But monumental history carries certain dangers.   When we view these past figures as inspirational, we may distort history by overlooking the unique circumstances that gave rise to them.   It is quite likely that no such figure could arise again since those circumstances will never occur again.   Another danger lies in the way some people treat the great achievements of the past (e.g. Greek tragedy, Renaissance painting) as canonical.   They are viewed as providing a paradigm that contemporary art should not challenge or deviate from.   When used in this way, monumental history can block the path to new and original cultural achievements. Antiquarian History Antiquarian history refers to the scholarly immersion in some past period or past culture.   This is the approach to history especially typical of academics.   It can be valuable when it helps to enhance our sense of cultural identity.   E.g. When contemporary poets acquire a deep understanding of the poetic tradition to which they belong, this enriches their own work.   They experience â€Å"the contentment of a tree with its roots.† But this approach also has potential drawbacks.   Too much immersion in the past easily leads to an undiscriminating fascination with and reverence for anything that is old, regardless of whether it is genuinely admirable or interesting.   Antiquarian history easily degenerates into mere scholarliness, where the purpose of doing history has long been forgotten.   And the reverence for the past it encourages can inhibit originality.   The cultural products of the past are seen as so wonderful that we can simply rest content with them and not try to create anything new. Critical History Critical history is almost the opposite of antiquarian history.   Instead of revering the past, one rejects it as part of the process of creating something new.   E.g. Original artistic movements are often very critical of the styles they replace (the way Romantic poets rejected the artificial diction of 18th-century poets).   The danger here, though, is that we will be unfair to the past.   In particular, we will fail to see how those very elements in past cultures that we despise were necessary; that they were among the elements that gave birth to us.   The Problems Caused by Too Much Historical Knowledge In Nietzsche’s view, his culture (and he would probably say ours too) has become bloated with too much knowledge.   And this explosion of knowledge is not serving â€Å"life†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat is, it is not leading to a richer, more vibrant, contemporary culture.   On the contrary. Scholars obsess over methodology and sophisticated analysis.   In doing so, they lose sight of the real purpose of their work.   Always, what matters most isn’t whether their methodology is sound, but whether what they are doing serves to enrich contemporary life and culture. Very often, instead of trying to be creative and original, educated people simply immerse themselves in relatively dry scholarly activity.   The result is that instead of having a living culture, we have merely a knowledge of culture.   Instead of really experiencing things, we take up a detached, scholarly attitude to them.   One might think here, for instance, of the difference between being transported by a painting or a musical composition, and noticing how it reflects certain influences from previous artists or composers. Halfway through the essay, Nietzsche identifies five specific disadvantages of having too much historical knowledge.   The rest of the essay is mainly an elaboration on these points.   The five drawbacks are: It creates too much of a contrast between what’s going on people’s minds and the way they live.   E.g. philosophers who immerse themselves in Stoicism no longer live like Stoics; they just live like everyone else.   The philosophy is purely theoretical. Not something to be lived.It makes us think we are more just than previous ages.   We tend to look back on previous periods as inferior to us in various ways, especially, perhaps, in the area of morality.   Modern historians pride themselves on their objectivity.   But the best kind of history isn’t the kind that is scrupulously objective in a dry scholarly sense.   The best historians work like artists to bring a previous age to life.It disrupts the instincts and hinders mature development.   In supporting this idea, Nietzsche especially complains at the way modern scholars cram themselves too quickly with too much knowledge.   The result is that they lose profundity.   Extreme specialization, a nother feature of modern scholarship, leads them away from wisdom, which requires a broader view of things. It makes us think of ourselves as inferior imitators of our predecessorsIt leads to irony and to cynicism. In explaining points 4 and 5, Nietzsche embarks on a sustained critique of Hegelianism.   The essay concludes with him expressing a hope in â€Å"youth†, by which he seems to mean those who have not yet been deformed by too much education. In the Background – Richard Wagner Nietzsche does not mention in this essay his friend at the time, the composer Richard Wagner.   But in drawing the contrast between those who merely know about culture and those who are creatively engaged with culture, he almost certainly had Wagner in mind as an exemplar of the latter type.   Nietzsche was working as a professor at the time at the University of Basle in Switzerland.  Ã‚   Basle represented historical scholarship.   Whenever he could, he would take the train to Lucerne to visit Wagner, who at the time was composing his four-opera Ring Cycle.   Wagner’s house at Tribschen represented life.   For Wagner, the creative genius who was also a man of action, fully engaged in the world, and working hard to regenerate German culture through his operas, exemplified how one could use the past (Greek tragedy, Nordic legends, Romantic classical music) in a healthy way to create something new.

Proctor and Gamble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proctor and Gamble - Essay Example The products of choice in this paper are Ariel and pampers. Ariel is a cleaning agent while pampers is a personal care product which is applicable mostly to babies to protect them of baby rashes as a result of wetting themselves. The products have been launched in various countries with the aim of diversifying the marketability and scope. Ariel soaps and detergents target all households including offices (WHITE, 2009)). Both high end and low end customers are targeted. The new products for Ariel and Pampers will be launched into the maturing market considering the fact they have been in existence for some time. P & G faces several threats from other companies such as Unilever and Henkel which are firms that are growing very fast. However, there are various opportunities which prevail such as the strong marketing mechanisms that the firm uses and its reputation which makes its product very firm and stable (HOLLIS, 2010).). Price sensitivity of pampers and Ariel detergents Ariel and Pa mpers products are all less sensitive to price. This is because each company has the liberty to sell its product at the price it desires given the different materials required to make the product. The other competitors such as Johnson and Johnson, Unilever have their own products which do compete with the case products hence it can price them according to their own estimation. Product Cost Estimate The product is estimated to be priced according to the size or quantity offered to the customers. It should be noted that Ariel and pampers comes in various sizes and quantities to be able to distribute to various market niches according to the demand in place. It is therefore, important to note that Pampers falls in various sizes and quality similar to Ariel which also falls in different quantities (AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO, 2011). Variable Costs The variable cost in the manufacturing of Ariel is the cost of raw materials which vary due to the economic conditions prevailing in the Un ited Kingdom. Other variable costs include the costs of transportation, the costs incurred on payroll of senior management, costs of floating shares on the stock exchange (HOLLIS, 2010; 33.). Fixed Costs Some of the main fixed costs include; the costs of insurance, costs of advertisement and the costs related to distribution of the products within the country. Other fixed costs include; the cost of utilities such as electricity, water and communications. These costs can be predetermined in advance before costing the products ((KAPFERER, 2008; p. 79). Cost leadership aspects of the products In an attempt to beat rivalry in the market and the increasing level of threats in the market, the company puts more emphasis utilization of the economies of scale. This is because of the high fixed costs incurred in the manufacturing sector which is required to be spread throughout the numerous units (CHERUNILAM, 2010; p. 57). By pulling down the costs incurred per unit cost of the product the ul timate product is then sold at a lower price which fosters the company’s competitiveness in the market (KAPFERER, 2008; p. 79). Market Price The market price is determined by the law of demand and the competitors’ quality of products. The market price of pampers and Ariel depends highly on the consumer preferences and tastes and according to the level of income. The products might have a higher price due to quality but the population does not have the cash to buy the products (DYER, DALZELL & OLEGARIO, 2004; p. 227). Break Even Analysis The breakeven analysis of Ariel and pampers arises when costs of production is exactly equal to the revenue acquired from the sales of the products (Drury, 2008; 2006). At this point the sales revenue equals the

Estoria de Espana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Estoria de Espana - Essay Example Hayden White said the ‘the facts might be truthfully set forth, and the interpretation of them misguided. Or conversely, a given interpretation of events might be suggestive, brilliant, perspicuous, and so on, and still not justified by the facts or square with the story related in the narrative aspect of the discourse.’(White 1987 p.28) When looked at in this light, Rolland Barthes’ statement that historical discourse is essentially a product of ideology. Estoria de Espana, a Spanish historical discourse, reflects the veracity of Barthes’ statement. Alfonso X, also known as El Sabio for the wise, became king of Leon and Castile in the year 1252 until his death in 1284. During his reign he commissioned scholars at the School of Translators to write many works of interest particularly translations of historical works, scientific data and legal cannons. He also commissioned original literary works including the Estoria de Espana which is believed to have commenced in 1260 and was not completed until after Alfonso’s death in 1289. (Weller) The first version of Estora de Espana which was completed in 1270 contained approximately four hundred chapters. The final version approved by Alfonso X contained 612 chapters. (Deyermond, 2001 pp 157-158) The work purports to represent a chronicle of Spanish history from the far reaches of Biblical times to the reign of Alfonso. (Deyermond, 2001) Interspersed in the historical chronology of events are myths as well as legends and historical sources origination from the Greeks. Be that as it may, Estoria de Espana was accepted as the history of Spain until the Modern Age.(Deyermond 2001) Despite the fact that Estoria de Espana purports to be a historical discourse, the sources used in its compilation is evidence easily supportive of Barthes’ contention that a historical discourse is a product of ideology. Even the manner and style of delivery suggest that Barthes is correct. Nancy Joe Dyer