Historical background of the company Milkpak

Historical background of the company Milkpak Milkpak was part of a family group of businesses, known as the Ali Group, which also operated businesses in textile industry, had major holdings in the vegetable and soap industries among others. One of the Ali Groups leading companies was called Packages Limited, established in Lahore in 1956. This company supplied packaging materials to a variety of industries and also provided technical assistance to packaging plants overseas. In 1976 a review of Packages Ltd showed that one of its machines, the Tetra Laminator, was very under utilized. This machine was designed for making packaging material for long-life milk or UHT milk. Milk packaged in this way had a shelf life of up to three months without refrigeration. Thus, following this review, Milkpak was established to create a market for the packaging materials produced by Packages Ltd. The company then found one milk plant in Pakistan which was suited to produce sterilized milk. It leased the plant and launched a pilot project, which turned out to be a success. Milkpak was therefore incorporated in January 1979 and began commercial production in November 1981. In 1984 Milkpak started marketing the Frost line of fruit juices which had been introduced a few years earlier by Packages Ltd. Soon after, Milkpak bought the Frost brand name from Packages and in 1986 it accounted for 9% of Milkpaks total sales. In 1985 the company launched its own butter, and in 1986 it launched a sterilized cream product called balai and also a cooking oil called Desi Ghee. These products were sold under the brand name of Milkpak. Situation Analysis The environment in which businesses operate is dynamic, never static, that is it keeps changing. It is increasingly turbulent due to the era of change and uncertainty in which we live and is never stable. The pace of these changes is accelerating, which requires continual response from the business organization. In this section we will discuss some of the external factors and internal factors that influenced Milk Pak operations: Vision Statement of Milkpak The strategic priorities of Nestle Milkpak are focused on delivering shareholder value through the achievement of sustainable, capital efficient and profitable long term growth. Improvements in profitability will be achieved while respecting quality and safety standards. In line with this objective, Nestle Milkpak envisions to grow in the shortest possible time into the number one food company in Pakistan with the unique ability to meet the needs of consumers of every age group from infancy to old age, for nutrition and pleasure, through development of a large variety of food categories of the highest quality. Nestle Milkpak envisions the company to develop an extremely motivated and professionally trained work force, which would drive growth through innovation and renovation. It aspires, as a respected corporate citizen, to continue playing a significant role in the social and environmental sectors of the country. SWOT Analysis When making decisions it is very important for the business to consider the external environment as well as the firms existing resources. The SWOT analysis helps the management to set objectives and make plans to build up on the strengths, rectify the weaknesses, avail the opportunities and counter the threats. Strengths Milkpak had a high market share. Milkpak Ltd product line included diversified products. The strength of Milkpak is its identity. Extensive and continuous supply of milk from different sources. Milkpak distribution network grew rapidly between 1981- 1986. Within few years of its establishment it had sales offices in major cities of Pakistan. Milkpak had a reputation for consistent high quality for both consumers and the trade. Milkpak limited was owned by one of the leading industrialist of Pakistan i.e. Ali Group. Milkpak had a shell life of up to 3 months and did not require refrigeration. Milkpak also catered to low income consumers. Milkpak taught it suppliers scientific methods of livestock care and breeding. This made it milk supplies more reliable and of high quality. Weaknesses The total processing cost was around 25% of the total product cost. Packaging material which were heavily taxed by the government lead for another 26%of Milkpak production cost. Milkpak limited lacked required technical knowledge and expertise to expand the business. New brick pak was introduced in 1986, this required extra packaging material and therefore lead to an increase in Milkpak cost. Opportunities Government fostered the UHT milk industry by removing duties on import of machinery for dairy products. An opportunity of a joint venture with a foreign company. Training of Milkpak employees if Milkpak had a joint venture with Nestle or Friesland. Threats Government sanctioned a number of additional plants which lead to the possibility of substantial overcapacity in the market. Chaudhri Industries entered the market in 1986 with a competitive advantage i.e. brick packaging. Because the industry risked facing overcapacity, it was important for Milkpak to increase its market share. If it did not, its competitors could have dominated the market. Many companies were planning to enter the dairy industry. Between 1960- 1970, 23 dairy processing plants were establish out of which at least 15 plants closed due to lack of poor management and infrastructure, lack of milk supply and extensive refrigeration requirement. A joint venture with a large multinational might dominate Strategy of Milkpack In Pakistan, one of the major problems facing all milk producers and distributors was the discrepancy between the demand and supply of milk. There was a marked seasonal demand for milk, which peaked during the summer and slowed during the winter months. In contrast, the production of milk was highest during the winter months i.e. December to May, also known as the flush season and was lowest during the lean season, i.e. from May to August. To alleviate the problems brought about by the seasonal mismatch between supply and demand for milk during summer, the Pakistani government adopted liberal policies toward the import of milk products. This meant that Milkpak now had to compete with foreign markets alongside local milkmen who supplied raw milk. Milk powder became a popular import and by 1986 was making up 30% of all milk supplies in Karachi. The problem of seasonality meant that during the lean season Milkpak faced a shortage in demand, and during the flush season the company had to refuse milk supplies. The company needed to gain some knowledge and insight regarding how to operate in an environment where demand and supply were so seasonal. Furthermore, Milkpak marketing managers were reluctant to promote Milkpak heavily during the flush season for fear of creating demand in the lean season which they would not be able to satisfy. Although they were committed to increasing UHT milk sales, the UHT business was a very high volume and low margin business, where the technology for manufacturing UHT milk was considered very expensive. To counter the problem of milk shortages during the lean season it was possible to add milk powder to increase overall output volume. However, since the milk powder itself would be imported, this was an expensive option which also resulted in providing competitors with business. Milkpak also encountered some difficulties in marketing its product. A major challenge which the company faced was in positioning the milk. It was difficult to introduce the idea of long-life milk to their target market, especially since this milk did not require any refrigeration. At that time the market was mainly accustomed to buying small amounts of raw milk on a frequent basis, which needed to be stored in cool conditions. Another concern which consumers had was that the Milkpak brand contained preservatives, or were perhaps not genuine because it contained no cream. Milkpaks success with UHT milk encouraged a number of other competitors to enter the market. Some of these competitors were short lived and left the market soon after facing financial difficulties. Others were more sustained, such as Milko, Pakistan Dairies and Chaudhuri Dairies. All these competitors had some advantages over Milkpak, either in terms of more experience, better distribution networks, or more convenient packaging. Furthermore, the government was now encouraging companies to enter the market by making exemptions on the import of machinery for dairy plants and by providing low cost financing by several government agencies. The government had also sanctioned a number of additional plants which would be in working condition soon. The concern now was that the UHT milk industry would be facing a substantial overcapacity. It was thus decided that finding an appropriate joint venture partner would be a viable solution to the problem of growth for Milkpak. As it would provide Milkpak with the opportunity to obtain new capacity, expertise and technological knowledge which was very much required. And also that Joint venture with any of the competing firms would possibly wipe off the competition from the market. In assessing Nestle as a joint venture partner, there were many advantages to both Milkpak and to the Pakistani industry as a whole. However, the company still faced certain drawbacks. Both companies were likely to be concerned about management control of the operation. Another point which needed to be settled was what products were to be manufactured and where they would be produced. Mission statement Nestlà ©s mission is to provide the best food to people throughout the world. Objectives and core values Lead a dynamic motivated and professional workforce proud of its heritage and bullish about the future.  · Meet the nutritional needs of consumers of all age groups from infancy to old age, from nutrition to pleasure, through an innovative portfolio of branded food and beverage products of the highest quality.  · Deliver shareholder value through profitable long-term growth, while continuing to play a significant and responsible role in the social, economic and environmental sectors of the country. Development of strategy There are many models for the development of strategy i.e. Potters generic strategies. There are 3 generic strategies of potter Cost leadership Differentiation Focus Anssoff Matrix Provides the basis for an organizations objective setting and sets the foundation of directional policy for its future (Bennett, 1994). The best selection for Milk pack is cost leadership. For this purpose Milk pack needs to outsource it non core activities. The major risk of outsourcing is that you may not be building the value of your company in terms of personnel, in-house knowledge, and infrastructure. In this case, the value of an outsourcing agreement with a provider will be less effective than an internal department. Implementation plan for strategy Strategy making needs person with vision whereas strategy implementation needs a person with administrative ability The implementation plan can be divided into many parts Project Implementation requires the management to have a firm grasp of the strategy to be implemented. Project management involves recognition of critical success path. With all the activities lying in the critical success path will then be given significant importance. If a project needs to be implemented in time, then all the activities lying on the critical success of must be performed on time. Procedural Implementation means that milk pack has to bring change in its value chain. The value chain describes all the core activities of the business. After all the core activities of the business have been recognized, support activities can be removed or restructured. Resource Allocation is the most important part of the strategy. If proper allocation of the resources is not made the strategy might not be implemented. Before choosing a strategy for implementation the company carefully analyses all its resources and then allocates some resources for implementation of the strategy. For the strategy of outsourcing to work it is necessary that Milkpak is able to find a suitable company to outsource. This requires a lot of time and effort, appropriate resources and time allocation needs to be made. Structural Implementation is necessary if the company requires a change in structure to support the strategy. Without the proper structure for the strategy, the strategy is bound to fail. Functional Implementation means the division of objectives of strategy into functional achievable and goals i.e. budgets. This is the implementation of the strategy at grass root level. Behavioral Implementation suggests a change in the culture of the organization. The people of the organization need to accept the change in strategy. If the people are working hard to implement the strategy then there is a good chance that the strategy will be successfull Conclusion This case study shows how a relatively small company in a developing country made an error by choosing a wrong strategy and powerful and aggressive joint venture partner. Milkpak wanted to retain control and majority ownership of the joint venture but Nestle, although having an initial stake of only 49%, managed to increase it by forcing new technologies and acquisitions into the partnership. The Ali Group could not keep up with these expenses and Nestle thus raised its participation to 67%, relegating the Ali family to the role of spectators. Friesland would have been a much better partner due to its smaller size. They efficiently co-operate with local companies in many countries, letting them to conduct the operations without trying to take over their partner. Unfortunately, they committed some important mistakes during the negotiations, like not allowing the Milkpak management to see their milk powder factory, thus leading Milkpak to believe that they were trying to hide technolog y from them. On the other hand, Nestle swiftly sent one of its vice presidents to Pakistan, showing respect for Milkpak. This senior executive proved to be very familiar with this kind of operations and he flattered Milkpak, admiring the quality of their products. Thanks to this smart negotiation, both emphasizing their experience in operating milk powder factories in Asia and showing deference to Milkpak, Nestle won the deal. This shows how much it is important to know the culture of the persons you are negotiating with, in order to be able to adapt. Failure to do so may lead to an unfortunate outcome.

Borrelia Burgdorferi Essay -- Medical Health Biology Essays

Borrelia Burgdorferi Life History: Lyme disease is an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a spirochete that is found in deer ticks of genus Ixodes. Lyme disease was named in 1977 after arthritis was observed in clusters in children in Lyme, Connecticut. An infected tick can transmit B. burgdorferi to the humans and animals that it bites. If left untreated, the B. burgdorferi can cause a systemic infection by traveling through the bloodstream and establishing itself in various body tissues. Lyme disease is most prevalently found in north-eastern United States. Microbial Characteristics and Virulence: Borrelia burgdorferi is not classified as either Gram-positive or Gram-negative. When B. burgdorferi is Gram-stained, the cells stain a weak Gram-negative by default, as safrin is the last dye used. B. burgdorferi has an outer membrane that contains an LPS-like substance, an inner membrane, and a periplasmic space which contains a layer of peptidoglycan. They have endoflagella which are contained within the periplasmic space. It can be cultivated on a modified Kelly medium called BSK (Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly). BSK solidified with 1.3% agarose allows the production of colonies from single organisms. The spirochete grows more slowly than most other bacteria dividing once after 12-24 hours. B. burgdorferi resembles other spirochetes in that it is a highly specialized, motile, two-membrane, spiral-shaped bacteria which lives primarily as an extracellular pathogen. One of the most striking features of B. burgdorferi as compared with other eubacteria is its unusual genome, which includes a linear chromosome approximately one megabase in size and numerous linear and circular plasmids. Long-term culture of B. burgdorferi re... ..., Pennsylvania, Delaware Maryland, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin. Lyme disease accounts for approximately 16,000 infections in the United States per year. Since 1982 there have been over 145,000 cases reported to health authorities in the US. Lyme disease accounts for 95% of vector borne illness and the incidence rate is 5 per 100,000 although this number may be less than true cases due to underreporting. People of all ages and both genders are equally susceptible, although highest attack rates are in children ages 0-14 years and in persons 30 years of age or older. Sources Cited: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm http://www.aldf.com/Lyme.asp#PARA1 http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/bburgdorferi.htm http://www.aldf.com/Lyme_TreatmentTable.html http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/epi.htm http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic588.htm

Assignment Classical Conditioning Paper

My Tutorials are ONLY for your aid —Â   to help you! All tutorials have been turned in once by me and is my original work. I have excellent grades! You must do your own work with paraphrasing and summarizing. Thank you! Classical Conditioning Student’s Name PSY 390 Date __, 20__ Kay Rubin Classical Conditioning Classical conditioning is an intrinsic style of learning, which occurs by generating a response made by unconditioned stimuli’s, and was produced in 1903 by Ivan Pavlov (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009).The theory behind classical conditioning is often known as one the most acceptable and oldest forms to model when learning about various human behaviors. This paper will focus on theoretical conditions and apply classical conditioning through a various examples as a means to give a better understanding. First off, it is important to understand that a scientist by the name of Pavlov discovered classical conditioning and was by sheer happenstance when examining the digestive system of canines (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009).Another man, by the name of Watson, expanded the understanding of classical conditioning, which is in direct association to the way we learn. Nonetheless, both Watson and Pavlov pioneered classical conditioning as being the main source for remedial affects with creating sound behaviors and phobias. Teachers, parents, businesses, etc. will often use classical conditioning to influence behavior in daily circumstances. For instance, a wife can influence her husband by putting the toilet seat down more consistently by knowing how to utilize classical conditioning with her spouse.One of the first principles’s discovered was a stimulus, which causes instinctive responses (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) For instances, the smell of a cooking food, can cause one to be hungry. One of the stimuli’s, which can cause an instinctive reaction, is referred to as the unconditioned stimulus (US): the food. The unconscious response to the US is referred to as the unconditioned response (UR): the hunger. The neutral stimulus is the second principle, which is not the cause of the UR, rather it is a noise related to it: such as a dinner bell (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. The dinner bell is presented just before the US is stimulated, which is referred to as the conditioned stimulus (CS). The third theory takes place after the US and CS are coupled many times with that of the CS and is usually moments sooner than the US (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) In short, the CS (dinner bell) unaccompanied will originate the hunger. The hunger response, which is similar to the response of the US (food) will cause the proper response need for the CS (dinner bell). In retrospect, the conditioned reaction (CR) has now been assimilated.The US is the reinforcer because the whole conditioning process pivots on whatever reinforcements are being utilized (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) Although in classical conditioning, the animal or person wil l not always have control over reinforcements, since it happens when the person who is using classical conditioning wishes for it to transpire (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) Conversely, reinforcements are not dependent on any palpable responses: therefore, the behaviors are discovered in their unique ways.Rather classical conditioning that takes place in an animal or person will learn quickly which ecological influences are supportive to its existence (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) When viewing the success of classical conditioning, it typically obtains several pairings, which encompass a US and a CS, and are measured as an association to learning. One of the key elements to associative learning is in classical conditioning, and requires a natural instinct to strengthen (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. Conditioned Fears John B. Watson, in 1921, was an extremist in environmental determinist, who furthered Pavlov’s philosophies within the human race. Watson strongly felt that every perso n born had a small amount of essential emotions and reflexes (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) Additionally, his belief was that feeling and emotions were from experiences and genetics. He established that classical conditioning could originate phobias or fears when particular reflexes become coupled with several stimuli’s.Watson disputed with three fundamental emotions (rage, fear, and love) were hereditary, and that these three crucial emotions convert into distinct belongings amongst each person (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) To demonstrate this, Watson experiment on a youngster named Albert. Albert was conditioned using a steel bar, a hammer, and a white rat (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) At the beginning of the experimentation, Albert was familiarized with a white rat.He had shown no indication of anxiousness or fear when touching it or interacting with it. Following the initial interaction, Albert would reach for the white rat and then right following, a person would pound the h ammer alongside a steel bar triggering Albert to violently jump back; scaring him. Over a period, Albert became accustomed to a phobia of white rats. By no means did Watson ever fully accept Pavlov’s theories of classical conditioning since he did not feel that it solely relied on reinforcement in its entirety.Rather, he thought classical conditioning emerges due to the fact that the US and CS are harmonizing repetitively and in close proximity of each other (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009. ) The frequency of being coupled together would become more durable with its association. Therefore, classical conditioning can also be utilized when removing fears. Classical Scenario Given that classical conditioning has been influenced and utilized by parents, teachers, businesses, etc. , many ordinary individuals will use classical conditioning to manipulate others into doing what they want for them.For instance, a recently married couple is sharing the only bathroom they have together. The wife is sick and tired of putting down the toilet seat every time she wants to use the bathroom. At this point, she chooses to utilize classical conditioning to influence her spouse to lowering the lid. The wife strikes up a deal: if she cooks his favorite food, he will agree by keeping the lid down. In return, the husband is obligated to make super if he leaves the lid up. The husband begins to realize this is not a fair deal and is becoming quite weary of making the dinners.On into the second week, the husband then becomes habitual about putting the lid down and thus avoids the nagging wife: leaving the wife making his favorite meal for a period of time. The US is the harassing, the UR is experiencing annoyance and making dinner for himself, and the CS is the lid to the toilet. The husband is the CR needing to put down the the lid to the toilet instinctively. When CS and US are coupled together several times, in addition to the UR of annoyance of making his own dinners, the CR is instituted when the husband becomes habitual with her initial requests. Classical Conditioning Time Chart | |CR+UR+CR |US+CS | | | |Leaving Lid Up |Putting Lid Down | | | |( |( | | | |Husband is badgered and is |Wife agrees to cook one of his | | | |obligated to cook meals. |favorite dinners and withdraws | | | | |badgering. |Week One |Monday |( | | | |Tuesday | |( | | |Wednesday |( | | | |Thursday | |( | | |Friday |( | | | |Saturday | |( | | |Sunday |( | | |Week Two |Monday |( | | | |Tuesday |( | | | |Wednesday |( | | | |Thursday | |( | | Friday | |( | | |Saturday | |( | | |Sunday | |( | This chart displays the affects when the wife found the lid up and if she badgered her husband, she would make him fix his own meals. On the other hand, if the wife had stopped reinforcing her husband’s actions by making him fix his own meals or withdraw the badgering, the husband would fail to remember this associated pattern about putting the toilet lid down. Conclusion In summary, classic al conditioning was founded by Ivan Pavlov and expounded upon by Jon B.Watson. Coincidently, Pavlov stumbled upon classical conditioning by chance, whereas Watson utilized classical conditioning to shape associative learning. Both Watson and Pavlov pioneered classical conditioning as an accomplished aid for creating different behaviors and curing phobias. Parents, teachers, businesses, etc. will often utilize classical conditioning when manipulating certain behaviors. As displayed in the chart, a wife can influence and manipulate her spouse into classical conditioning.References Olson, M. H. & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An introduction to theories of learning (8th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

The Quest For Moral Perfection (Analysis Of The Au Essays - Virtue

The Quest For Moral Perfection (Analysis Of The Au Essays - Virtue The Quest For Moral Perfection (Analysis Of The Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin) The Quest for Moral Perfection Benjamin Franklin is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in American history. The numerous advancements contributed by Franklin were made possible by a lot of work on his part. His outlook is best represented by his famous quote, Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. Franklin did not sway from that philosophy, and spent little time at leisure, as it was not productive. Franklins work ethic, moral outlook, and constant interest in self-improvement throughout his life are his biggest claims to fame. Franklins strict adherence to his thirteen virtues-which he created in his pursuit of moral perfection-is responsible for many of his countless contributions to the colonies. Very important to Franklins life, was the little book he carried on his person at all times. In this book, he charted on a day to day basis, which virtues he had not obeyed, and marked a check for each mistake. Franklin set aside one week per virtue, and ordered his virtues such that whenever perfection in a virtue was attained, it would make achieving the following virtue easier. Franklin found that he had much to improve upon. Another ingredient to Franklins recipe for greatness was his daily schedule. Franklin divided his day up by the hour and knew what he was to be doing at all times. This he found difficult at times, and involving the virtue Order, at one time he almost gave up. In one of Franklin's few pessimistic moments, he is quoted as saying, This article (order) therefore cost me so much painful attention, and my faults in it vexed me so muchthat I was almost ready to give up the attempt and content myself with a faulty character in that respect. An amusing anecdote about a man who concludes that a speckled axe is best follows, and in looking back on his life, Franklin demonstrates his mastery of the thirteenth virtue, Humility. Even before he set his thirteen virtues to writing, Franklin could be seen demonstrating many of them. In one instance involving his friend Collins, Franklin demonstrates Resolution, Justice, and Sincerity. During a voyage, Collins refuses to row, and Franklin resolves to perform what he must. An argument ensued, and Franklin, knowing that Collins was a good swimmer, decided the only course of action would be to throw him overboard. He was in a clear state of mind the whole time, and did absolutely nothing that he would regret later on. Temperance was also a virtue that Franklin had practiced his entire life. He was never a heavy drinker, and always ate in moderation. Franklin prided himself on being an excellent debater, and while creating his virtues, he added Silence as a guide to others explaining one reason he was such an excellent crafter of argument. 2. Silence- Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation. Franklin means for others not to get caught up in petty squabbles, but rather to speak only to that which is important, and when doing so, only to benefit the other party. When you mix the Silence virtue with the Sincerity virtue, which Franklin is quoted as meaning Use no harmful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly. you will become well respected, and a very powerful arguer. Franklin himself was both, and through trials, tribulations, and experience, sets forth these very useful tools of debate. The two virtues that Franklin was exceptionally good at were Industry and Frugality. 6. Industry- Lose not time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions. There was not one time after his childhood during which Franklin was not employed, or at the very least, seeking work. The little leisure time Franklin allowed himself was spent in the pursuit of self-education, by reading books or engaging in conversation or argument with a friend. During most of his life he held down many jobs throughout the city, and had other money coming in from the numerous print shops he had gone into partnership and paid the overhead costs for. 5.

Free Essays on Grapes of Wrath and Anthem

A person’s life may be influenced by the time in which he lives in. Two primary examples of this theme are the literary works by John Steinbeck and Ayn Rand, The Grapes of Wrath and Anthem, respectively. During the periods of time where both novels took place in there were societies that have enormous gaps in social influence. They each portray characters of superiority and inferiority over and in comparison to others. Through the analysis of each book, it’s evident that the period in which they lived in had great affects on the characters. The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's lived. It serves as an excellent example of the deterioration of social unity because one of its main topics of controversy is the class struggle between the rich and the poor. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck consistently focuses on the treatment of the migrant farmers. During many occasions, the Joad Family is put to the test, and it’s apparent that them, along with the other poor people, fail to come close in social power to any character that isn’t poor. The novel tells of ones family’s migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. They had to uproot and set adrift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California. How they survive the cruelty of the landowners that take advantage of them, their poverty and willingness to work. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described a covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of ... Free Essays on Grapes of Wrath and Anthem Free Essays on Grapes of Wrath and Anthem A person’s life may be influenced by the time in which he lives in. Two primary examples of this theme are the literary works by John Steinbeck and Ayn Rand, The Grapes of Wrath and Anthem, respectively. During the periods of time where both novels took place in there were societies that have enormous gaps in social influence. They each portray characters of superiority and inferiority over and in comparison to others. Through the analysis of each book, it’s evident that the period in which they lived in had great affects on the characters. The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's lived. It serves as an excellent example of the deterioration of social unity because one of its main topics of controversy is the class struggle between the rich and the poor. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck consistently focuses on the treatment of the migrant farmers. During many occasions, the Joad Family is put to the test, and it’s apparent that them, along with the other poor people, fail to come close in social power to any character that isn’t poor. The novel tells of ones family’s migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. They had to uproot and set adrift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California. How they survive the cruelty of the landowners that take advantage of them, their poverty and willingness to work. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described a covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of ...

The dilemma of Jehovah's witness children who need blood to survive Essay

The dilemma of Jehovah's witness children who need blood to survive - Essay Example According to the doctor in charge, the only way the child’s life would have been saved was through blood transfusion (Catlin, 1996). While physicians are mandated to uphold high level of professional ethics in their work which includes the virtue of helping others regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds, in this case, the dilemma was on how to apply principles of medicine in order to save the child’s life and how to respect the religious belief of the parent. The goal of medicine includes, among others, curing disease and preventing untimely deaths (Catlin, 196). Therefore, the physician was to apply his professional ethics in order to save the life of the child which actually was the desire of the child’s parent. The only contradiction was on how to do it. Since there was no other available means of saving the life of the child, the parent ought not to have protested blood transfusion because their refusal for blood transfusion would have lead to the death of the child. In fact, this would amount to committing another sin which would be interpreted to mean murder. Although freedom of religion is highly valued by and protected by the US constitution, parents are granted with discretion about the values they believe their childrens lives should embody, but this discretion is limited in medical care when certain beliefs would disadvantage the childs health (Catlin,

International Urben Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Urben Policy - Essay Example The paper tries to analyse the problems facing the growth of this unplanned city and tries to formulate measures whereby these can be tackled so as to make it more progressive and habitable. Nairobi is a city that faces a major influx of refugees moving into its urban areas. Interestingly, this migration pattern into Nairobi is not only for economic opportunities. Apart from economic migrants, the country also has hordes of people who move out of camps providing assistance to them, as the quality of aid is very low. Regarding this, it would be worth observing that whereas the period 1997 - 2001 was characterised by a 24 percent decline in the global refugee population compared to the pervious five years, the share of refugee from Africa rose from 20 to 45 percent during the same period. Also, as the demographic status of refugees varies across regions, and even within countries, it is dependent on the normative value of the refugees themselves. By end of 2001, Kenya was home to over a quarter of a million refugees. And out of this, almost about 50% of the refugees were aged above 18 years while about 45% of the total population were female. These refugees including thos e in urban areas posed a challenge not only to the government, but also to the indigenous populations. The host country saw them as an imposing and alarming threat to their own sovereignty, security and global stability. The governmental failure to unify the various clans and tribes of the city along with the influx of the refugees is inter-related to the demographics of the inter ethnic relations of the city. Research involving the various tribes such as the Luyia, Kuria, Suba, Luo, Maasai, or the Kalenjin and their inter racial interactions has shown that the relation of these refugees with the people, as well as the relation within the tribes themselves is pretty complicated. What makes it more dangerous is the existence of separate political affiliations of ethnically defined groups to political parties in the multi-party system of Kenya. Even with the coming of self governance, the colonial power is still considered to be an important influence on ethnic identification. Among the Luo, Maasai and their Bantu neighbours, there is a cultural gradient or a culture prestige gradient with the Nilotes at the upper end, and this status differentiation in several cases is stabilised by the appointment of chiefs from high status groups by the colonial power. This intra racial differentiation leads to a process of social exclusion. This, on the other hand, is also propagated by what has been termed as the 'filtering down process' of educational facilities being provided to the people of the different groups: broadly speaking the 'haves and the have nots'. Put in a nut shell, the educational policy in Kenya is such that it is generally the children from educated and well to do parents who can pursue higher education. The process of filtering down ensures that even when the government adopts a policy of educational expansion, it fails to lead to intergenerational job mobility. As Hazlewood puts it, the much greater expansion of secondary education, drawing in many more, and a much higher proportion, of the children of the uneducated in Kenya than in Tanzania, has made access to secondary educatio