Leo Tolstoy :: Essays Papers

Leo Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy was a Russian author, one of the greatest authors of all time. Leo Tolstoy was born at Yasnya Polyana, in Tula Province, the fourth of five children. His parents died when he was young, and he was brought up by relatives. In 1844 Tolstoy started to study law and oriental languages at Kazan University, but he never earned a degree. Dissatisfied with the standard of education, he returned in the middle of his studies back to Yasnaya Polyana, and then spent much of his time in Moscow and St. Petersburg. After contracting heavy gambling debts, Tolstoy accompanied his older brother to the Caucasus in 1851, and joined an artillery regiment. In the 1850s Tolstoy also began his literary career, publishing the autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth. During the Crimean War, Tolstoy commanded a battery, and was at the siege of Sebastopol . In 1857 he visited France, Switzerland, and Germany to learn more about society and how to improve it. After traveling for a time, Tolstoy settled in Yasnaja Polyana, where he started a school for poor children. He saw that the secret of changing the world was in education. He investigated during his travels to Europe educational theory and practice, and published magazines and textbooks on the subject. In 1862 he married Sonya Andreyevna Behrs, and they had 13 children. Sonya also acted as Tolstoy’s secretary. Tolstoy's fiction originally came out of his diaries, in which he tried to understand his own feelings and actions so as to control them. He read avidly, both in literature and philosophy. In the Caucasus he read Plato and Rousseau, Dickens and Sterne; through the 1850s he also read and admired Goethe, Stendhal, Thackeray, and George Eliot. Tolstoy was convinced that philosophical principles can only be understood in their concrete expression in history. Tolstoy's major work, War and Peace, appeared between the years 1865 and 1869. The epic tale depicted the story of five families against the background of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Its vast canvas includes 580 characters, many historical, others fictional. The story moves from family life to the headquarters of Napoleon, from the court of Alexander to the battlefields of Austerlitz and Borodino. War and Peace reflected Tolstoy's view that destiny controls everything, but we cannot live unless we imagine that we have free will.

Living Under The Threat Of Nuclear War Essay

For me living under the danger of atomic war would have been terrible for me and my loved ones. Living in trepidation ordinary realizing that at any minute a nation could drop an atomic bomb on me and my family and obliterate us is an extremely terrifying thought. To live under risk of an atomic war is to have the acknowledgment that your fate and your family predetermination is in the hands of a nation that your nation may be conflicting with. It is the acknowledgment that you might not have control over what is going to happen tomorrow. The danger of atomic war and the risk of terrorism have a few likenesses and contrasts. The similitudes would be that somebody could end your life or your family existence without you knowing when and where. Both atomic war and terrorism has the danger of hurting blameless regular citizens who in all likelihood don’t have anything to do with the clash that is going on. The distinctions would be the danger of an atomic war could just originate from an alternate nation. Nowadays the danger of terrorism to me is a significantly all the more true and present threat. Today anybody can be a terrorist. Today anybody can assemble a bomb in their storm cellar with the assistance of the web. This man made bomb that can without much of a stretch be amassed is then taken into your nearby shopping center or at an exceptionally open spot like we saw in the Boston Marathon Bombings. There is no face to terrorism nowadays and he or she needs to take safety measures and be mindful of their surroundings. All in all both atomic war and terrorism strikes fear in the hearts of everybody. Both are intended to wreak devastation and will execute numerous blameless individuals who have nothing to do with the clash. I feel both are unsuitable approaches to settle an issue on the grounds that by what means can the issue be altered  with more gore. We need to discover an alternate approach to determination issues as a nation and as individuals.

Importance of Flowers in Our Lives

Flowers are wonderful creations of nature and are one of the most beautiful gifts of nature. Flowers are of utmost importance in every sphere of human life. Flowers arrangement of various designs and types are available for making various occasions of our life more cherished. Several occasions in our society such as birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, weddings, etc. need flowers to celebrate. Colourful and fragrant flowers make every occasion bright and happy. People of all ages from child to old people love flowers.Gifting flowers is the most affectionate expression of love to the dear ones. Hence, flower is a must in each and every occasions of our life. Flowers play an important role in making the life of a human being more cheerful and happy. People use flowers in several forms and on several occasions.Flowers are used as beautiful flower arrangements for decorating homes. They are also help people in proposing their partner for life, as well as flowers are used as a symbol of mourn and tribute on loved ones funeral. Apart from above said uses, there are several other uses of flowers in various activities of our daily life.Varieties of flowers RoseA rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosacea. There are over 100 species. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. SunflowerThe sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. Its name is derived from the flower's shape and image, which is often used to capture the sun. The plant has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves, and circular flower heads.JasmineJasmine is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and Africa.LotusThe Lotus, the national flower of India, is a symbol of supreme reality. Hindu religion and mythology portray goddess Saraswathi, the muse of l earning, as being seated on a lotus flower.TulipThe tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, of which around 75 wild species are currently accepted and which belongs to the family Liliaceae.LilyLily is a feminine given name directly derived from lily, the flower. In the United States, â€Å"Lily† became one of the top-100 names for newborn girls in 2002 and reached a rank of 18 by 2009. hibiscusHibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world.

Urbanization As A Social Problem Essays - Human Geography

Urbanization As A Social Problem Essays - Human Geography Urbanization As A Social Problem Urbanization as a Social Problem How is urbanization negatively effecting our society? The answer to this question is not a simple one. This essay will not only break down the problems of urbanization in the United States, but it will also tell you some of the attempts made to fix the problem and give some solutions as to how it could possibly be solved in the future. Also when answering this question one must understand that urbanization, can not be stopped, but only contained in a manner that will help the United States to function better as a country. The more densely populated and more heterogeneous a community is, the more accentuated characteristics can be associated with urbanism. Urbanism causes decrease in per capita, and promotes urban violence, political instability, crime and aggressive behavior. Rapid population growth in urban areas also perpetuates poverty. Another major issue being created by this social problem is the breaking of the traditional family structure. Our cities are not working well! Sanitation, safety, transportation, housing, education and even electricity are failing. These are all responsibilities of the government or it is at least their job to regulate these services deemed to be monopolies. And it is a known fact that monopolies deem toward inefficiency. Functionalist look at our cities as a means to profit. Cities are a place where everybody visits, and therefor vendors can raise their prices and profit more on their products. For example, from my own personal experience, I bought a pack of cigarettes for $3.00 at my local gas station, and when I visited inner city Orlando, I bought the same brand of cigarettes for $4.00. This is just a minor example, and most of the residents in an urban area are in poverty and have trouble affording the $3.00 pack if they smoke much less adding a dollar to the already ridiculous cost. In the United States, the breaking of the traditional family structure is an issue that has become increasingly noticeable in recent years, particularly in urbanized areas. The traditional, mom and dad, and children are rarely seen in the inner cities any more. There is a weakened bond of kinship, and declining social family significance as America has transferred industrial, educational and recreational activities to specialized institutions outside of the home. It is depriving families of their most characteristic, historical functions. While individuals pursue their own diverging interests in their educational, vocational, religious and recreational life. With divorce rates rising, delinquency is also becoming more of a problem than before. With single parent families, children lack in the authority department due to the lack of the amount of time their parents have free to raise them. These specialized institutions often help, but can not replace the role of a childs guardian. As long as the divorce rate continues to increase, delinquency will continue to increase in these areas as well. The density of people reinforces effect of numbers in diversifying people and their activities and increasing the complexity of the social structure. The variations of people give rise to segregation of people by race, religious practices, ethnic heritage, as well as economic and social status. Segregation often creates much tension and prejudice between social groups. This can cause physical or mental damage to individuals or society, which means that sometimes people may permanently suffer before any action is taken to solve the problem because the delay in action is most often the result of people underestimating the problems. As for racism and segregation, there is not much that can be done to fix these problems. Individuals will always have their own opinions no matter how ignorant, and the only thing we can do is to hope that these problems die out as we desegregate our communities. People will choose their destination or place of residence according to many different ideals and needs, for example what fits their budget. Political pathology and population growth is closely related because of the population change and this change carries with it a high likelihood of social disruption. Government assumes major responsibility for development attempting to meet rapidly increasing demands for education, housing, agriculture and industrial development, transportation and employment. The governments budget is not distributed equally mainly due

A combination of resources Essay Example

A combination of resources Essay Example A combination of resources Essay A combination of resources Essay Apart from legal political risks, Fly-Nice is also likely to face industry specific risks falling into four categories; hazard, financial, operational and strategic. 3 Many of these risks may be mitigated through creating a culture focused on the customer, developing a rigorous strategic planning process. Ways to solve the financial risks can be easy, mostly because of the third party involvements in this sector. The right design of financial transactions (for eg. Structured finance, insurance, debt/equity offerings) can be helpful in avoiding future problems. Operational risks can be lessened through organizational solutions, for example, process redesign, organization structural changes, seamless communication, contingency planning, performance measurement and resource allocation and pricing. A number of these challenges can be lessened in the first place through the selection of the business design itself. For example, Southwest Airlines is attractive to its customers because it is simple operationally and, therefore, cost effective. Other Southwest business design choices further lower risk exposure. For example, use of secondary airports insulates Southwest from direct competitive strain while improving turnaround speed. Low debt levels make the company less vulnerable to interest rate fluctuation. Also, along the dimensions of Porters Five Forces Theory, Fly-Nice would invariably meet the traditional challenges in entering a competitive market full of established players. Rivalry is also aggravated by the growth rates of the industry. While industry growth rates in European and North American countries are almost stagnant, there are emerging markets in Asia and South America where competition is intense. Also, airlines being a capital intensive industry, exit barriers are high resulting into excess capacity and consequently increased competitiveness. The power of buyers in a consumer oriented service industry is extraordinary. Customer expectations are high and if not satisfied results into loyalty switching. Innovation and customer satisfaction therefore is of utmost importance as products are almost non-differential making it easy for the customers to switch between competitors. In view of the risks involved, expansion of business is profitable only when the cost efficiency of operating the company is maintained. Maintaining and even improving cost efficiency requires an appropriate resource base and high cost management competency. Fly-Nice, in order to be consistently cost effective, must pay particular attention to the drivers of cost effectiveness or the cost drivers. Economies of scale: Since Fly-Nice is a service sector company, economies of scale are specially important in distribution and marketing. Also, use of the new Airbus with largest ever passenger carrying capacity will enable Fly-Nice to speed up turnaround rate. However, usage of a very high capacity aircraft also might push the company in the face of risks generating from empty seats. Supply costs: Expansion on a global level will require Fly-Nice to develop its supply chain network enormously. Purchase of aircrafts in bulk may be necessary, which may also give the company an option of negotiating for a bulk price. In-flight food and customer service equipments like pillows and crockery must be purchased in a way that retains the companys price advantage. Process design: Cost cutting in many cases comes through efficiency. Efficiency gains in production process can be gained through improvements in capacity-fill, labor productivity, yield from materials and working resources utilizations. In a service providing company like Fly-Nice, efficient management of capacity-fill is a key issue. So, marketing strategies like special offers, seasonal benefits and frequent flier programs and the possession of IT capability to optimize such efforts is a imperative. Experience: Although Fly-Nice is a successful domestic carrier, an international launching will invariable present it with a number of initial crises resulting from inexperience. Fly-Nices competitive advantage lies in its price competitiveness. To pursue its low price strategy, it must be ready to accept lower margins. Sustainable cost advantage can only be achieved through driving down cost throughout the value chain. Market segmentation and keeping the focus on the segment where price is valued over luxury is essential. Fly-Nice can also reduce their activity cost be outsourcing in areas where it is not very experienced. It must not fail to recognize the importance of consistently declining unit cost. In order to smoothen international entry and continual cost reduction, Fly-Nice may particularly consider strategic alliances with other international airlines. Alliances with either competitor airlines ( like using hub airports belonging to other airlines similar to Fly-Nice) or complementary service providers will lead to cost reduction and improved infrastructure. To enter global market, Fly-Nice will need local knowledge and expertise in order to satisfy the local customers. Alliances will assist the company in local marketing or distribution. Fly-Nice has an option of entering foreign markets by either joint ventures with other similar airlines or by direct foreign investment. Both options have their own advantage s and disadvantages. Joint ventures will allow Fly-Nice to lower their investment risk while increasing their know-how by a combination of resources. However choice of the right partners will prove to be of utmost importance should such strategy be followed. Joint ventures also often create problems in coordinating and integrating flight schedules across borders. On the other hand, if Fly-Nice decides to invest directly and create their own establishment overseas, it will incur enormous initial Investment cost. However full control of resources and capabilities will assist Fly-Nice in rapid market entry and in establishing their own brand image.

George Washingtons First Cabinet

George Washington's First Cabinet The President’s cabinet consists of the heads of each of the Executive Departments along with the Vice President. Its role is to advise the president on the issues related to each of the departments. While Article II, Section 2 of the US Constitution sets up the ability of the president to select the heads of the executive departments, President George Washington established the â€Å"Cabinet† as his group of advisors who reported in private and solely to the U.S. chief executive officer.  Washington also set the standards for each Cabinet member’s roles and how each would interact with the President. George Washington’s First Cabinet In the first year of George Washington’s presidency, only three executive departments were established. These were the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of War. Washington selected secretaries for each of these positions. His choices were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and Secretary of War Henry Knox. While the Department of Justice would not be created until 1870, Washington appointed and included the Attorney General Edmund Randolph in his first cabinet. Although the United States Constitution does not expressly provide for a Cabinet, Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 states that the President â€Å"may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices.†Ã‚  Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 states that the President â€Å"with the advice and consent of the Senate . . . shall appoint . . . all other officers of the United States.† Judiciary Act of 1789 On April 30, 1789, Washington took the oath of office as America’s first President.  It was not until almost five months later, on September 24, 1789, that Washington signed into law the Judiciary Act of 1789 which not only established the office of the U.S. Attorney General but also established a three-part judicial system consisting of: 1. the Supreme Court (which at the time consisted of only a Chief Justice and five Associate Justices); 2. United States District Courts, which heard mainly admiralty and maritime cases; and 3. United States Circuit Courts which were the primary federal trial courts but also exercised very limited appellate jurisdiction. This Act granted the Supreme Court the jurisdiction to hear appeals of decisions which were rendered by the highest court from each of the individual states when the decision addressed constitutional issues which interpreted both federal and state laws.  This provision of the act proved to be extremely controversial, especially among those who favored States rights. Cabinet Nominations Washington waited until September to form his first cabinet. The four positions were quickly filled in only fifteen days. He hoped to balance out the nominations by choosing members from different regions of the newly formed United States. Alexander Hamilton was appointed and quickly approved by the Senate as the first Secretary of the Treasury on September 11, 1789. Hamilton would continue to serve in that position until January 1795. He would have a profound impact on the early economic development of the United States. On September 12, 1789, Washington appointed Knox to oversee the U.S. Department of War.  He was a Revolutionary War hero who had served side-by-side with Washington. Knox would also continue in his role until January 1795. He was instrumental in the creation of the United States Navy. On September 26, 1789, Washington made the last two appointments to his Cabinet, Edmund Randolph as Attorney General and Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State. Randolph had been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and had introduced the Virginia Plan for the creation of a bicameral legislature. Jefferson was a key founding father who had been the central author of the Declaration of Independence. He had also been a member of the first Congress under the Articles of Confederation and had served as a minister to France for the new nation. In contrast to having only four ministers, in 2016 the President’s Cabinet consists of sixteen members which include the Vice President. However, Vice President John Adams never attended a single one of President Washington’s Cabinet meetings. Although Washington and Adams were both federalists and each played very vital roles in the success of the colonists during the Revolutionary War, they hardly ever interacted in their positions as President and Vice President.  Although President Washington is known as being a great administrator, he seldom ever consulted Adams on any issues which caused Adams to write that the office of Vice President was the â€Å"most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.† Issues Facing Washington’s Cabinet President Washington held his first cabinet meeting on February 25, 1793. James Madison coined the term ‘cabinet’ for this meeting of the Executive department heads. Washington’s cabinet meetings soon became quite acrimonious with Jefferson and Hamilton taking opposite positions over the issue of a national bank that was part of Hamilton’s financial plan. Hamilton had created a financial plan to deal with the major economic issues that had arisen since the end of the Revolutionary War. At that time, the federal government was in debt in the amount of $54 million (which included interest), and the states collectively owed an additional $25 million. Hamilton felt that the federal government should take over the states’ debts. To pay for these combined debts, he proposed the issuance of bonds that people could buy which would pay interest over time. In addition, he called for the creation of a central bank to create a more stable currency. While northern merchants and traders mostly approved of Hamilton’s plan, southern farmers, including Jefferson and Madison, vehemently opposed it. Washington privately supported Hamiltons plan believing that it would give much needed financial support to the new nation. Jefferson, however, was instrumental in creating a compromise whereby he would convince the Southern-based Congressmen to support Hamilton’s financial plan in exchange for moving the US Capital city from Philadelphia to a Southern location. President Washington would help choose its location on the Potomac River due to its proximity to Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. This would later be known as Washington, D.C. which has been the nation’s capital ever since. As a side note, Thomas Jefferson was the very first President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. in March 1801 which at the time was a swampy location near the Potomac with a population that numbered around 5000 people.

Business Information and the Management of Organisation Essay

Business Information and the Management of Organisation - Essay Example (Nutt) Strategic decision making is one of the most critical tasks in organizations as it has became increasingly important to consider strategic decision making more from a transaction costs as well as behavioral point of view. (Papadakis, Lioukas and Chambers). One of the strategic decisions which company might make is market development i.e. to enter into new markets such as Asia or South American market. Enter into a new market is a strategic decision because top management of the firm, considering the overall mission of the firm, may decide to exapnd into new markets in a bid to reduce costs and achieve differentiation in terms of cost. It is also critical to know that in order to make strategic decisions, it is not necessary that the information required to make such decisions shall be coherent and complete in all respects as strategic decisions are often based on fuzzy information. Tactical decisions involve the "How "of strategic decision making because by making tactical decisions, organizations basically decide how to materialize strategy. Tactical decisions need to support the strategy and are of medium term in nature with moderate level of consequences. A tactical decision for AstraZeneca might include deciding on how to enter into new market The question therefore would be directed in terms of whether a Greenfield project shall be started, whether the firm should enter through exporting, franchising etc. In terms making a strategic decision of entering into new market, taking tactical decisions would involve how to enter into those markets. The information at this stage is more formalized however, information requirements are still not formalized in nature. Operational Decisions Operational decisions are the common and routine decisions which managers take in their day to day affairs. These decisions often require access to technical information and tend to support tactical decision making. For example, if AstraZeneca make a tactical decision of entering through a Greenfield project in one of the Asian Markets than operational decisions might involve the decision making process of how to acquire land, plant, machinery and hire labor to start production. Further, operational decisions are critical in the sense that they are the basic decisions which are taken to materialize or give shape to the overall strategic management decision making of the organization. Overall, the specific dynamics of each category of decision making may vary as each level of decision making require different set of information and information needs vary. Information required As discussed above that the information requirements vary with each decision making category therefore the information needs as well as its form varies differ in each case. Strategic Decisions Strategic decision making process is dependent on behavioral decision theory as well as transaction cost economics (Papadakis, Lioukas and Chambers) therefore in order to clearly outline the information required to make strategic decisions would require consideration of above set of factors. Considering the dynamics of the behavioral decision making, it is critical to mention that research studies have particularly concentrated on individual as well as group decision making processes. (Dean and Sharfman) therefore on individual level, strategic decisio