Candide by Voltaire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Candide by Voltaire - Essay Example Candide and his valet Cacambo’s visit at El Dorado underscored the problem of being intolerant about the social identity of God. This was highlighted in the interesting conversation between Candide and the old man at El Dorado where the sage stressed that the monotheistic interpretation of the social identity of God can cause problems. When the old man was asked by Cacambo â€Å"Do you worship but one God?† the old man explained â€Å"Certainly . . .there are not two, nor three, nor four Gods†¦ people of your world ask very extraordinary questions† (Voltaire 49). Already, the sage knew that interpreting the social identity of God to be one that exclude the others could cause problem such as discrimination and terrorism that is why he told the doubtful Cacambo â€Å"people of your world ask very extraordinary questions† (Voltaire 49) hinting that this kind of mindset is problematic. The other event in the novel where the problem of social identity is very pronounced is when Candide found two slaves in the crew of the galley during his voyage to Constantinople to get Miss Cunegund. The two slaves turned out to be Pangloss and the Baron. This is very significant because Candide saw that Pangloss already died in Lisbon as a heretic. The baron on the other hand was Miss Cunegund’s brother whom Candide had killed when he opposed Candide’s marriage to his sister. Candide was in disbelief when he found them saying â€Å"Do I dream . . . or am I awake? . . . Is this My Lord the Baron, whom I killed? And that my master Pangloss, whom I saw hanged before my face?† (Voltaire 89). Apparently, their social identity was changed to that of a slave that Candide have to buy their freedom. Also, Miss Cunegund features has also turned ugly during when she became a slave in Constantinople. The degrading of Miss Cunegund’s social identity as a

Hayao Miyazaki Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hayao Miyazaki - Essay Example It left an impeccable impression on him especially the movie’s heroine. It is here that Miyazaki realized the folly of him trying to pursue manga writing by simply aping what was the trend at the time. So he decided to chase his true feelings even if it was deemed foolish (McCarthy). Thus to manage as an animator, he first had to understand the art of human anatomy. He finally graduated from Gakushuin in 19963 with two degrees: political science and economics but also having been a member of the university’s ‘’Children’s Literature Research Club’’ roughly a comic club those days. With a career spanning well over six decades, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as an anime expert and also co-founded studio Ghibli, a film animation studio with Isao Takahata. His success in animation videos is only comparable to American animator Walt Disney, British animator Nick Park and American director Steven Spielberg. Having been raised in T okyo, Miyazaki ventured into his animation career in 1961 with Toei Animation. While working as an in between artist for Gulliver’s travels Beyond the Moon, he pitched his own ideas that eventually became the movie’s ending. ... He left Toei in 1971 and joined Mushi Production, A Pro, Nippon Animation and TMS Entertainment where he co-directed 14 episodes of the first Lupin III series with Isao Takahata. This was when he was able to direct his first ever feature film Lupin; The Castle of Cagliostro, 1979. The two then began a pre-production a Pippi Longstocking series and after investing in writing extensive storyboards for it he travelled to Sweden to acquire permission from the concept owner Astrid Lindgren. Permission was denied and hence the project was not able to be completed. They decided to abandon it altogether. He decided to conceive his own and write it, Panda! Go, Panda! was the result. These were two shorts directed by Takahata. Future Boy Conan (1978) was an adaptation of the children’s novel ‘The Incredible Tide’ By Alexander Key. The series’ success was attributed to the fact the it elaborates on the characters and events of the book, Miyazaki’s later works a lso provide a recurrence of these characters for example a girl who is In touch with nature, a warrior woman who appears menacing but is actually far from an antagonist and finally a boy who is very determined to get the girl. There was also a feature on imaginative croft designs in the series. ‘Future Boy Conan’ therefore immensely served as a base on which Miyazaki would later refer to in his later works and therefore provide a continuity. In 1984, Nausicaa of the valley of the wind was an adventure film that successfully introduced major recurrent themes like the human impact on the environment and a concern with ecology; a fascination with aircraft and flight; feminism and other morally

Liabilities of a Director Essay Example for Free

Liabilities of a Director Essay A company is usually established by individuals or Directors (officers included) in this case so as to run it in appropriate manner in order to make maximum profits. For this to happen, it is for the company (Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd in our case) to enter or make contracts with outsiders like Kaplan Bank Ltd and Space Solutions Pty Ltd as far as our case is concerned. The contracts made by the company with other outsiders are usually done by Directors who are, most often than not, act as representatives of that mentioned company and be able to be liable by the acts of its Directors as stated in s126. Directors acting on behalf of the company during any contracts are usually in a crucial position of trust within that company, and therefore, the vast array of legal duties will stretch out on their shoulders for holding that position. Due to this hot position, it is easier than not, for their powers to be abused in different ways. Directors have been known to abuse their powers in office for their personal gain. For example, Directors have been held liable for inappropriately using company’s funds in making their personal secret profits. In such cases, the corporate law comes into play (the Common Law and the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)) and Directors or any other officer who recklessly breach specific duties and obligations should be prosecuted in the court of law. So for the purpose of liability, the common law and the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) have been laid down so as to minimize the risk of wrongful behaviors by company’s Directors. In this paper, I will discuss the responsibilities, liabilities and duties of a director(s) in a company and give examples how Directors of various companies have been accounted or held responsible for infringing Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) laws. Directors’ Duties Since companies are usually established and managed by directors and a number of officers, these directors have that ostensible authority, collectively, to represent that mentioned company and not as an individual Director. As I am going to talk about it below, some individual directors (Andrew and Brian in this case) have been known to enter in to some kind of contract with outsiders (other companies) and not collectively as board of directors, as allowed under s201J and s198D of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Directors, in most cases, have contravened these sections of the Act because they have their own material personal interests outside the company and have disowned their â€Å"duty to act honestly and in good faith to the best interest of the company† as per Part 2D.1 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Directors can only avoid the civil or criminal penalties for breaching the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) only if they fully understand their liabilities and duties (Sieve rs, 1997 and Cassidy, 2006). Some of Corporations Acts laws, which directors need to be watchful for, in order to avoid contravening Corporations Act laws, are and not limited to: 1. Act in good faith and honest for the best interest of the company. 2. By considering company’s interests ahead of their own. 3. Avoiding conflicts of duty and interest. 4. Duty to avoid insolvent trading by the company 1. Duty to act honestly and in good faith to the best interest of the company As far as s181 of Corporations Acts 2001 (Cth) is concerned, any director including Andrew and Brian in our case, have to act â€Å"in good faith and in the best interest of the company (Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd)† (see Darval v North Sydney Brick and Tile Co (1988) 6 ACLC 154) and not for their personal intentional purposes. In our case, before resigning, Brian set up his own jewellery business so that he can engage in a lucrative business of supplying jewellery to his new friend Victor after resigning from Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd. Brian, under Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) s.184, may have infringed the statutory duties that are found in ss.181-183, and therefore liable for civil or criminal penalties as per Corporations Act laws (Sievers, 1997 and Cassidy, 2006). 2. Duty not to improperly use the position of a director to gain any personal benefits As contained in s182 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), directors must demonstrate their powers for the required purposes so that companies like Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd for example can benefit and those directors who violate s180 of the Corporations Act law Sbe penalized or disqualified in the court of law as was illustrated in the case of Mills v. Mills (1938) 60 CLR 150 (Cassidy, 2006). In our case, the exercise of power by Brian to secure some personal advantage by starting his own jewellery business, is considered as an ‘improper purpose’ because it is not within the purpose of benefiting Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd, but to himself (see Mills v. Mills (1938) 60 CLR 150, Biala Pty Ltd v. Uallina Holdings (No 2) (1993) and ASIC v. Adler (2002)). Eventually, Brian will be responsible for any financial benefit he might have received as the head of Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd (see Queensland mine Ltd v Hudson (1978) 18 ALR 1) (Cassidy, 2006, p. 251). 3. Avoiding conflicts of duty and interest. The conflict of interest is a matter for all board of directors that does not only affect specific directors in the company. According to section 182 and 183 of the Corporations Act, any misuse of director’s position just for the disadvantage of the company and for the benefit of the director is generally forbidden by the law (see Aberdeen Railway Co. v. Blaikie Bros (1854). If some sections like s191 to s195 of the Corporation Act is analyzed further, it details some important rules on how Directors (Brian included) are supposed to disclose or declare to the board of directors, if there is any personal interest that is related to the affairs of the company. This is required so as to ensure that the honesty and integrity of directors are thoroughly observed (Cassidy, 2006). As far as our case is concerned, Brian may have violated s181 of the Corporations Act, for he did not declare or disclose to the board of directors that he has some interest of starting is own business as required under s191 (3) and he may be prosecuted in the court of law for not declaring his interest. 4. Duty to prevent insolvent trading by the company Corporate regulators have tried many means to make sure that there are no companies that can trade while insolvent by imposing higher level of liability on directors. As per s588G of the Corporations Act, civil penalties and personal liability on directors have been imposed on them if in case a company incur a debt and is declared insolvent. An example of a case where directors were liable for the company’s insolvency was that of Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Friedrich. Here, Maxwell Eise who was a director was fined millions of dollars for causing the company to undergo insolvency. The court argued that Maxwell Eise (Brian and Andrew in our case) had breached s588G of the Corporations Act and was liable for debts incurred by the company because his failure to prevent it. If in case directors of companies like Pandora Diamonds and Gems Pty Ltd have acted criminally and believed to be dishonest, in which may harm the company because of their self personal advantage, ASIC with the assistance of Australian Federal Police, criminal investigation can be conducted and tough procedures has to be followed when collecting evidence that will be use to determined as to whether a prosecution should go a head. And if the case is found to be more serious, it will be handled with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution; otherwise the lower courts will deal with these kinds of cases. All in all, directors should carefully study, understand and appreciate their duties and responsibilities that they are subject to as company bosses. Being a director of a company is not an easy task because there are several fiduciary duties that need to be adhered to.

The operations and competitive advantage of Tesco

The operations and competitive advantage of Tesco Brand marketing Nowadays, companies are most likely selling their brands before their product. Tesco which has a strong brand image with good quality, faith worthy goods that represent excellent value, the product and service development have also been significantly rebuild and providing better management of product lifecycles and more efficient delivery of wide ranges of products to customers. Tesco continuous innovation, efficient operations and strategic expansion has effectively become the largest and most successful retailers. In order to continue increase customers shopping experience, Tesco further improve their operational efficiency through adding new products,  new services and other capabilities. As Tesco is working on expanding to new areas, and store format, product mix and service characteristics and other factors will begin on the IT system architecture, legacy systems and business partners to assess the implementation of these plans in order to determine what the core and which mee t all the requirements of the system most.   Therefore, Tesco distinctly gained the core strategic advantage. Tesco is also very successful according to customer loyalty due to its loyalty cards system and its general approach to customizing services to the needs of every customer. Customer loyalty is the commitment to customers  loyal  to brands, stores, manufacturers, suppliers,  retailers and consumers. One of  the key factors  that Tesco  is so  favored by the market  which  the service  in its  series of loyal customers  and  to consolidate  as the  full  implementation of  consumer-oriented, comprehensive  care  services to  a single point of  access  mechanisms.This is truly evident in terms of incredible growth of on-line sales where the company has a strong platform to further develop this revenue stream. After considering the fact nowadays majority of people have less time for shopping, Tesco employed this on-line systems and now became the biggest online supermarket. Price and promotions The key to Tescos achieved competitive advantage is the development of retail low prices, high quality and experienced customer service has led to profit growth. With their years of experience and dominance in the market in providing retail products and service, this promotes the corporate image of Tesco to potential customers as one of trustworthiness and quality. They also gained competitive advantage of the organization is their ability to maintain market leadership in the UK even after the entrance of multinational companies in the same line of business with better technologies and more market scope. Value Chain Analysis The value chain approach introduced by Porter (1985) is for managers thinking about resources and systems which identify the key activities to provide competitive advantage for a company to maximize the value while minimizing costs. It is the contribution of each part in the overall added value of the business is made (Lynch, 2003).  In order to conduct the value chain analysis, it includes primary activities and support activities. The value chain of Tesco has been demonstrated in the following diagram: Inbound logistics These are placed at the first stage of the value chain and provide the earliest opportunity to create value. Hence, the elements of this stage include incoming materials, storage of goods, distributing the inputs to the product and service ensure that has been delivered on time and undamaged. Tesco tries to achieve and maintain the level of consumer choice in store as gained a benefit of low costs from its suppliers due to it has a leading market position, in the meantime, constantly upgrading the ordering system and in-store processes improves the efficiency of its distribution system as well as provides a great opportunity to minimize costs unfairly incurred by the company, therefore the cost of losses are not passed on to the consumer. Operations The core operations of Tesco is concerned with creating products or services which activities are service orientated. This involves machining, packing, maintaining the shelves and also replenishing the stock. Aiming of creating more appropriate and accurate ordering systems, thus diminish waste and improve availability of products with put into the right store. (Tesco.com) According to Tesco (2010), in order to gain future competitive advantage, the company has invested over  £76 million for their digital program which is the third generation ERP solution. Due to the introduction of this system, Tesco has gained an increased in profitability  £550 million during 2009 alone. Outbound logistics The third stage in the chain is concerned with location, opening hours, and queuing systems and also delivering of the product or service to the customer. According to the implementation of the trolley service that enable convenience for customers quicker to access therefore become more efficiently than other competitors. Home delivery service also could be achieved adding value in Tesco by saving customer time. Marketing and Sales At this stage which is about the promotion and advertising applies to products and services which inform and attract costumers. The Tesco Clubcard gives the offer of extra bonus points on certain products providing loyalty to customers. Promoting further discounts dissuade the customers from switching over to their competitors. Moreover, Tesco has introduced Greener Living Scheme therefore environmentally friendly products may also bring advantage of adding value for customers that buying those products could really help the environment. Services This is concerned with additional service improving or maintaining the product such as installation, repair and after-sales service. http://www.formjetinnovations.com/clients_Tesco_project.php Technology development This area of value chain considers technology with research and development relates to raw materials or components inputs and then goes pass the operational processes using IT forecasting and ordering the right amount of stock at the right time into each store to improve delivery and at last outputs to the customer. According to Tesco (2010), improving on-shelf availability, predicting how weather affect sales and reducing depot stockholding anticipate customer needs.

Odyssey, Learning About Himself :: essays research papers

In the Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus learned a lot about himself and what he had to do to become a better overall human. The adventures he goes on, I think, opens his eyes to a world in which he thought he was invincible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the Odyssey, Odysseus learned a big lesson in humility. The greatest example of this is in the last five books or so within the story. He has to dress, act, and live like a beggar in order to regain everything he had lost. While he was a beggar, the suitors treated him horribly. Antinous, leader of the suitors, was the worst of them all. He was the first to mistreat Odysseus and planned to kill Telemachus. He was also the one that would abuse him physically and verbally for some time to come. Also, if that weren’t enough, he planned a boxing match for Odysseus to be in to watch him get beat up. All this was happening and the other suitors were most likely following their leader in whatever he was doing. Odysseus had to control himself the whole time this was happening. If he had lost his temper, the suitors would have killed him, his son, and most likely taken over the kingdom. That didn’t happen though. Odysseus learned self -control and humility. He may not be perfect at it, but going through all the humility made him a better man. Along the same topic, he was a king going through this humility. It would be one thing for a peasant to go through it, but a king? This made it even harder for Odysseus. He had rank above all the suitors and could rightly kick them out of his kingdom. Instead he waits for the right time and kills them all. The â€Å"pre-journey† Odysseus would of thought of himself invincible and probably would have died trying to get his kingdom back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Along the same line as humility comes pride. Odysseus had more pride and cockiness than any of the characters I have read about this semester. He didn’t seem as bad in the Iliad, but the Odyssey really showed him in a different light. He had to swallow his pride when he had to come back to his home and get it back. Just in the fact that he came back at all was pride swallowing. He lost all of his men.

Schindlers List Essay -- Film Movie Nazi Germany Jews Schindler Essay

Schindler's List Schindler's List is one of the most powerful movies of all time. It presents the indelible true story of enigmatic German businessman Oskar Schindler who becomes an unlikely saviour of more than 1100 Jews amid the barbaric Nazi reign. A German Catholic war profiteer, Schindler moved to Krakow in 1939 when Germany overran Poland. There he opens an enamelware factory that, on the advice of his Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern, was staffed by Jews from the nearby forced labour camp at Plaszow. Schindler's factory prospered though his contacts with the Nazi war machine and its local representatives, as well as his deft skill on the black market. Then, somewhere along the way, Schindler's devotion to self-interest was supplanted by a desire to protect as many Jews as possible. This desire ultimately grew into 'Schindler's List,' which was directly responsible for sparing the lives of 1100 Jews - a charming and sly entrepreneur, Schindler bribed and befriended the Nazi authorities and manage d to get them released from the labour camp and brought to the safety of his munitions factory in Czechoslovakia. Aspects of good and evil are portrayed in a number of different ways throughout the film, ?Schindler?s List?. The story of Schindler's List reminds us that there is hope; that sometimes the actions of one person - one ordinary person even, for Oskar Schindler is not the stereotypical altruistic hero - can make a difference, even in the face of mass apathy and e...

Iron deficiency Essay

Iron deficiency is a decrease in the number of red blood cells in the blood due to a lack of iron. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of anemia in children. You get iron through certain foods, and your body reuses iron from old red blood cells. Iron deficiency (too little iron) may be caused by; an iron poor diet (this is the most common cause) the body not being able to absorb iron very well. Lilly is a 4-year old Caucasian female she suffers from a disorder called Iron Deficiency anemia disorder. This occurs when there is not enough iron in the body. The reason Lily has Iron Deficiency disorder is because of her diet. Iron is the major component of hemoglobin and is essential for its proper function. Hemoglobin is a part of the red blood cells; it carries oxygen throughout the body without enough iron the body produces less and not as many red blood cells form. Lily is a picky eater and only drinking fruit punch and eating starchy foods is a contributing factor to her condition. Some of the symptoms to Iron Deficiency Anemia are blue-tinged or very pale whites of the eyes, blood in stool, pale skin color, and weakness. Lily shows signs of some of these. Even though Lily’s mother is single and on a low budget, there are things, she can do to prevent this. There are iron supplements that can be taken by mouth or given by injection into a muscle or vein. The most important thing in preventing this disorder or or correcting it is to eat iron rich foods such as raisins, meats, (especially liver), fish, poultry, eggs, soup beans, and whole grain bread. Prognosis with change in supplements or iron rich diet most cases the blood counts will return to normal within a couple of months. Davon is a 5-year-old African American whose mother carries the sickle cell trait. Sickle Cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. The sickle cell gene causes the body to produce abnormal hemoglobin. In sickle cell disease, the hemoglobin clumps together, causing red blood cells to become stiff and develop C-shaped (sickle) form. These sickled red blood cells can block blood vessels, reducing blood flow to many parts of the body. This process can result in tissue and organ damage.. Hemoglobin and Iron; each red blood cell contains about 280 million hemoglobin molecules. Hemoglobin is the most important component of red blood cells. It is composed of protein (globulin) and a molecule (heme) which binds to iron. You can understand Darvon’s mothers concern since about 70,000-100,000 Americans- mostly African Americans have Sickle cell disease. About 2 million Americans have sickle cell trait. Sickle cell is inherited and people at risk for inheriting the gene for sickle cell descend from people who are or were originally from Africa or parts of India and the Mediterranean. Blood test can determine whether an individual has sickle cell trait or sickle cell disease. Prevention and lifestyle changes general precautions to prevent and reduce the severity of long-term complications of sickle cell disease, several precautions may be helpful. Have regular physical examinations every 3-6 months. Have periotic and careful eye examinations. Have sufficient rest, warmth, and increase fluid intake. These are critical precautions for reducing oxygen loss and the risk of dehydration. Avoid crowds that increase the risk for infection. Spencer suffers from a condition called Thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia is a condition in which there is a deficient number of circulating platelets. Platelets are parts of the blood that help blood to clot. Thrombocytopenia often divided into three major causes of low platelets: Low production of platelets in the marrow increased breakdown of platelets in the bloodstream and an increased breakdown of platelets in the spleen or liver. Spencer has noticed over the last several weeks an increase in ecchymosis, which is the passage of blood from ruptured blood vessels into subcutaneous tissue marked by a purple discoloration of the skin or bruising. Some of the causes of Thrombocytopenia are accidental eye injury, anorexia nervosa, cirrhosis and liver disease. Treatment depends on the cause of the condition. In some cases, a transfusion of platelets may be required to stop or prevent bleeding Prevention would depend on the specific cause.