Advantages and Disadvantages of Fptp System

First Past The Post, like other plurality/majoriAdvantages and disadvantages of FPTP systemty electoral systems, is defended primarily on the grounds of simplicity and its tendency to produce winners who are representatives beholden to defined geographic areas and governability. The most often cited advantages are that: It provides a clear-cut choice for voters between two main parties. The inbuilt disadvantages faced by third and fragmented minority parties under FPTP in many cases cause the party system to gravitate towards a party of the ‘left’ and a party of the ‘right’, alternating in power.Third parties often wither away and almost never reach a level of popular support above which their national vote yields a comparable percentage of seats in the legislature. It gives rise to single-party governments. The ‘seat bonuses’ for the largest party common under FPTP (e. g. where one party wins 45 per cent of the national vote but 55 per cent of the seats) mean that coalition governments are the exception rather than the rule.This state of affairs is praised for providing cabinets which are not shackled by the restraints of having to bargain with a minority coalition partner. It gives rise to a coherent opposition in the legislature. In theory, the flip side of a strong single-party government is that the opposition is also given enough seats to perform a critical checking role and present itself as a realistic alternative to the government of the day. It advantages broadly-based political parties.In severely ethnically or regionally divided societies, FPTP is commended for encouraging political parties to be ‘broad churches’, encompassing many elements of society, particularly when there are only two major parties and many different societal groups. These parties can then field a diverse array of candidates for election. In Malaysia, for example, the Barisan Nasional government is made up of a broadly-based um brella movement which fields Malay, Chinese, and Indian candidates in areas of various ethnic complexions.It excludes extremist parties from representation in the legislature. Unless an extremist minority party’s electoral support is geographically concentrated, it is unlikely to win any seats under FPTP. (By contrast, under a List PR system with a single national-level district and a large number of seats, a fraction of 1 per cent of the national vote can ensure representation in the legislature. ) It promotes a link between constituents and their representatives, as it produces a legislature made up of representatives of geographical areas.Elected members represent defined areas of cities, towns, or regions rather than just party labels. Some analysts have argued that this ‘geographic accountability’ is particularly important in agrarian societies and in developing countries. It allows voters to choose between people rather than just between parties. Voters can assess the performance of individual candidates rather than just having to accept a list of candidates presented by a party, as can happen under some List PR electoral systems. It gives a chance for popular independent candidates to be elected.This may be particularly important in developing party systems, where politics still revolves more around extended ties of family, clan, or kinship and is not based on strong party political organizations. Finally, FPTP systems are particularly praised for being simple to use and understand. A valid vote requires only one mark beside the name or symbol of one candidate. Even if the number of candidates on the ballot paper is large, the count is easy for electoral officials to conduct. Disadvantages of FPTPHowever, FPTP is frequently criticized for a number of reasons. These include: It excludes smaller parties from ‘fair’ representation, in the sense that a party which wins approximately, say, 10 per cent of the votes should win approximately 10 per cent of the legislative seats. In the 1993 federal election in Canada, the Progressive Conservatives won 16 per cent of the votes but only 0. 7 per cent of the seats, and in the 1998 general election in Lesotho, the Basotho National Party won 24 per cent of the votes but only 1 per cent of the seats.This is a pattern which is repeated time and time again under FPTP. It excludes minorities from fair representation. As a rule, under FPTP, parties put up the most broadly acceptable candidate in a particular district so as to avoid alienating the majority of electors. Thus it is rare, for example, for a black candidate to be given a major party’s nomination in a majority white district in the UK or the USA, and there is strong evidence that ethnic and racial minorities across the world are far less likely to be represented in legislatures elected by FPTP.In consequence, if voting behaviour does dovetail with ethnic divisions, then the exclusion from represent ation of members of ethnic minority groups can be destabilizing for the political system as a whole. It excludes women from the legislature. The ‘most broadly acceptable candidate’ syndrome also affects the ability of women to be elected to legislative office because they are often less likely to be selected as candidates by male-dominated party structures. Evidence across the world suggests that women are less likely to be elected to the legislature under plurality/majority systems than under PR ones.It can encourage the development of political parties based on clan, ethnicity or region, which may base their campaigns and policy platforms on conceptions that are attractive to the majority of people in their district or region but exclude or are hostile to others. This has been an ongoing problem in African countries like Malawi and Kenya, where large communal groups tend to be regionally concentrated. The country is thus divided into geographically separate party stro ngholds, with little incentive for parties to make appeals outside their home region and cultural–political base.It exaggerates the phenomenon of ‘regional fiefdoms’ where one party wins all the seats in a province or area. If a party has strong support in a particular part of a country, winning a plurality of votes, it will win all, or nearly all, of the seats in the legislature for that area. This both excludes minorities in that area from representation and reinforces the perception that politics is a battleground defined by who you are and where you live rather than what you believe in.This has long been put forward as an argument against FPTP in Canada. It leaves a large number of wasted votes which do not go towards the election of any candidate. This can be particularly dangerous if combined with regional fiefdoms, because minority party supporters in the region may begin to feel that they have no realistic hope of ever electing a candidate of their choice . It can also be dangerous where alienation from the political system increases the likelihood that extremists will be able to mobilize anti-system movements.It can cause vote-splitting. Where two similar parties or candidates compete under FPTP, the vote of their potential supporters is often split between them, thus allowing a less popular party or candidate to win the seat. Papua New Guinea provides a particularly clear example. It may be unresponsive to changes in public opinion. A pattern of geographically concentrated electoral support in a country means that one party can maintain exclusive executive control in the face of a substantial drop in overall popular support.In some democracies under FPTP, a fall from 60 per cent to 40 per cent of a party’s share of the popular vote nationally can result in a fall from 80 per cent to 60 per cent in the number of seats held, which does not affect its overall dominant position. Unless sufficient seats are highly competitive, th e system can be insensitive to swings in public opinion. Finally, FPTP systems are dependent on the drawing of electoral boundaries. All electoral boundaries have political consequences: there is no technical process to produce a single ‘correct answer’ independently of political or other considerations.Boundary delimitation may require substantial time and resources if the results are to be accepted as legitimate. There may also be pressure to manipulate boundaries by gerrymandering or malapportionment. This was particularly apparent in the Kenyan elections of 1993 when huge disparities between the sizes of electoral districts—the largest had 23 times the number of voters the smallest had—contributed to the ruling Kenyan African National Union party’s winning a large majority in the legislature with only 30 per cent of the popular vote.

Euthanasia & Mercy Killing and the World Today

Euthanasia can be described as one of society's more widely and hotly debated moral issues of our time. Active euthanasia, by definition, is â€Å"Doing something, such as administering a lethal drug, or using other means that cause a person's death. † Passive euthanasia, which seems to not be debated as heavily, is defined as â€Å"Stopping (or not starting) some treatment, which allows a person to die, the person's condition causes his or her death. † I have chosen to look more closely at the issue of active euthanasia, while applying Kant†s standards to the issue. Those who support the practice of active euthanasia might argue that helping the terminally ill to bring about their own deaths, allowing them to determine the how and when, is not only humane, but also allows the person who is simply living to die to maintain dignity by orchestrating their own end, thus letting them die at peace, rather than suffer to the end, perceiving themselves to be a burden and/or disgrace, to those they love. According to recent polls, many people would agree, but the question is, have they taken a close look at the ethical debate? Those who are against active euthanasia would say not, and would argue that by participating in the practice of active euthanasia, one is â€Å"playing God,† or perhaps, even worse, that they are not acting out of mercy, but rather out of selfishness, attempting to lessen their own burden. If this were the case, the act is nothing less than cold-blooded murder. Murder is defined as; â€Å"The unlawful, premeditated killing of one human being by another. † Euthanasia remains unlawful as of today, and the act of euthanasia is premeditated, thus whether for the purpose of mercy or not, euthanasia is by definition, murder. According to Kantian perspective and the Holy Bible, murder is both a sin and a crime, therefore we should not participate in the practice of euthanasia, because it is murder, and it is the wrong thing to do. The euthanasia debate raises many questions. Questions such as; For whose benefit is the murder actually taking place? Should we allow family members to make a life-or-death decision on behalf of a loved one who may never have expressed a desire to die, simply because they could not vocalize a will to live? If a person should be suffering with an illness of which there seems no hope of recovery, yet they are unable to make a choice for themselves how do we know what that person would voluntarily choose? Is it our right to decide whether or not they have a desire to live? If we ourselves are not in the position of the individual whose life and/or death is being decided, we cant possibly know or understand what their will is, what they would opt for personally, or even whether or not they can comprehend what is happening. Thus, the decisions we are making find us â€Å"playing God,† and assuming that our decisions are always in the best interests of another. Without knowing for sure what the individual would have chosen, we may well have gone against their will, and thus have committed murder. Some would argue that the practice of euthanasia is used as a last resort, when the individual can no longer manage the pain of their illness. However, that argument can be rebutted by an observation made by a proponent of a movement similar to Right to Die. Dr Pieter Admiraal, a leader of a movement to legalize assisted suicide in the Netherlands, stated publicly that pain is never justification for euthanasia considering the advanced medical techniques currently available to manage pain in almost every circumstance. Thus the pain does not justify death, but rather it justifies the need for more money to educate health care professionals on better pain management techniques. Shouldn†t we look into a suicidal persons emotional and psychological background before we conclude that his or her suicide is acceptable because they are going to die anyway? We ought to take into consideration, the statistics which tell us that fewer than one in four people with terminal illness have a desire to die, and that all of those who did wish to die had previously suffered with clinically diagnosable depression. 6 If we choose to overlook these statistics, and others that tell us that psychotherapeutic treatments are not only available, but equally successful among people with terminal illness, as among people without7 then we are indeed cutting that person's life short, and thus one again, committing murder. If a physically healthy person who suffered with depression were to approach us with thoughts of suicide, we would comfort them, seek treatment for them, and provide as much as we were able, to see that they got the reassurance and the psychological or emotional help that they needed. Certainly we would not tell them that the choice was theirs and hand them a gun. Why then do we not do the same for those suffering with a physical illness? Further statistics tell us that the chances for living a happy life are often greater for a person who has attempted suicide, but are stopped, and provided with the help they need, than for individuals suffering with similar problems, who have never attempted suicide. It would serve us well to take notice of these statistics. We ought to be making every effort to find alternatives to euthanasia, and help people with their problems, instead of helping them to end what very well could be a happy life. One must also ask why some doctors would fight so vigorously to legalize the practice of killing the terminally ill, while others maintain that there are many alternatives available that may offer a satisfactory and comfortable quality of life for those suffering from severe illness. Is it possible that some doctors are â€Å"selling death† for reasons other than compassion? If the possibility exists for this to be the case, than we ought to expect some doctors to abuse the system, as well as the rights and best interests of the patient, in order to better themselves financially, or otherwise. I personally believe that it would be extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, to legislate a point of illness or disability where euthanasia would be considered legally or ethically acceptable. To do so would be saying that all disabled or terminally ill patients have no chance for a happy and fulfilling life. I believe that we are taking quite a risk when we bring about another person's death willfully, thus assuming that we have the ability to look into the future and deem their life unlivable.

Basis for Violent Crimes Committed by Teenage Offenders Research Proposal

Basis for Violent Crimes Committed by Teenage Offenders - Research Proposal Example Applicable Sources Peak (2012), in his book, Justice Administration: Police, Courts, and Corrections Management, has shown that when teenagers turn to criminal actions, this suggests a number of issues are at the heart of why this is happening, such as the environment of the child with non-existent adult supervision, friends who are in gangs, and failure within the school system in classwork achievements. There are also not enough regular after-school programs that young people can get involved in and, with a weakened economy, what community programs are in place, are having their public funding reduced or cut altogether. Violent video games are also seen as being part of the creation of violent behaviors in those without the ability to separate fiction from reality. In this respect, and in alignment with friends who aside from playing violent video games and who also engage in gang activities, this type of environment applies to the social learning theory, whereby what others do, is considered cool or normal (Peak 2012). Teenagers, who have not learned yet to analyze new media literacy, meaning the truth of what is seen, rather than what the message implies, learn that what they encounter, is (to them) what life really is as a standard level of living. While other teenagers head home to read their school books and do homework, at-risk teenagers go to hang out with their friends who engage in criminal activities instead. Therefore, reinforcement of negative influences by friends and through media viewpoints (violent video games, violent movies), will condition an at-risk teenager towards a life of crime. Juvenile justice systems encounter many at-risk teenagers,... Basis for Violent Crimes Committed by Teenage Offenders Juvenile offenders, aged 18 and under, are committing more violent crimes such as murders of old people and babies and, in order to find a solution to why this is happening, the background and environments of these offenders must be examined further to determine what is setting off these crimes. There is speculation that a lack of adult parenting or supervision is one cause. Another suspected cause is that teenagers play too many violent video games and perhaps, the theory of social learning should be applied here during research. It would also appear that current judgments and punishments made against young offenders, do not deter them enough so that they would move away from the environment that assists or encourages them to commit these crimes. Communities are also stressed because rehabilitative services operate on limited budgets and, with an overload of cases, care and attention will also be limited. In the community itself, people are more afraid because, with youthful offenders, one cannot always protect oneself against younger criminals because laws also protect the young against abuse. Therefore, it is imperative to find the solutions to both problems in offender social environments and also in the sentencing laws for juvenile offenders. The plan is to submit immediately to the Institutional Review Board for permission to conduct this study. The research requires a great amount of work, first in vetting the studies for inclusion into the database, and second, for reviewing enough research studies, books and case studies for inclusion into the literature review.

Drought vs ALS ice bucket challenge Annotated Bibliography

Drought vs ALS ice bucket challenge - Annotated Bibliography Example Specifically, chapter 27 discusses Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Hence, Bellenir’s writing is peer-reviewed article. Considerably, the book contents comprise creative ideas of Bellenir on mental health conditions. Through the book, Bellenir provides specifics about emotional and mental health disorders. Through the book, he explains aspects of consumer knowledge relating to the intricate issues about brain disorders and mental health challenges. Significantly, in chapter 27 of the book, Bellenir apply the information from unreserved addresses. The book chapter serves to improve understanding of the risk factors, caused and subsequent treatments Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Therefore, Bellenir’s writing provides insights that facilitate identification of symptoms, and detailed diagnostic examinations. Bellenirs writing is relevant to the area of discussion about ALS. Largely, the work is useful in administering different treatment possibilities and identification of coping strategies for the patients across the globe. In addition, Bellenir explains common health care vocabulary. Thus, the book chapter is a handy requirement for people in various fields of study and operation in regards to understanding the complex human disorder challenges. However, a section of medical practitioners and scholars considers the work as invalid and lack authentication of medical standards. The article is BBC news release providing different sector and stakeholder views on the issue and extent of drought experienced in California. Essentially, this article elaborates current news event and topical issues in contemporary California. The BBC publication also provides information about past similar events. In this news item produced in August 2014, Leithead, BBC newscast journalist reports the nature and magnitude of drought in California. He describes the drought as the vilest climatic condition experienced in a century. Furthermore, Leithead expounds that the

Cisplatin-Incorporated Polymeric Micelles (NC-6004) Essay

Cisplatin-Incorporated Polymeric Micelles (NC-6004) - Essay Example The CDDP-incorporated micelle is well suited between its sufficient ability so that it can delay the blood stream circulation. It also boosts enough drug release to remove the pharmacological action. The dissociation of these micelles that form unimers permits the extraction of constituent polymers from the body. It is usually followed by a CDDP release. The low risk of the body possessing the non specific accumulation of polymers is achieved by the molecular weight of the micelle forming blocks being less than the smallest value needed for extraction of glomerular (Mr 42,000-50,000 for synthetic polymers that are soluble in water; Refs. 46, 47). It could be expelled into urine. The study of tumour targeting therapy is recently applying 2 strategies; passive and active targeting. Passive targeting revolves around extended blood circulation with lower accretions in regular organs executed by the design of drug carriers. Tumour tissues that have anatomical characteristics might let the special accretion of the drug carrier in the tumour. The formation of tumour-specific anatomical characteristics is caused by the EPR effect (16-18). This effect is categorized by impaired lymphatic and vascular hypermeability. The excess expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene (48-50) and other factors could arise the permeability of the vessels. The passive targeting is relevant when treating solid tumours because the EPR results are evident in them (49-50). This owes to the fact that angiogenesis supports the abnormal tumour growth. Otherwise, active targeting is highly advised when drug vehicle with tumour-derived specific markers (22, 54) is connected to the tumour cells. It is applied during the wiping out of the tumour cells selectively through an accura te strap of targeting moieties. The prolonged blood circulation and the

Organizational Behaviour - Leadership in Organizations Case Study

Organizational Behaviour - Leadership in Organizations - Case Study Example These theories discussed different styles of leadership also which include leadership styles such as situational, transformational, servant-leadership etc. The topic of this essay is to discuss the contingency model of leadership and the subsequent changes which took place over the period of time in the concept and theoretical foundations of the concept. However, before discussing the concept, it is important that a comprehensive look at what the leadership is and how it emerges must be taken into account. As discussed above that there were different attempts being made in defining the process of leadership and how it emerges. Leadership has typically been defined as the process of influencing others in order to accomplish some objectives through others. Leaders often achieve this through their personal attributes such as values, knowledge, ethical considerations as well as character. However, on an organizational level, leadership is more concerned with organizational functioning as well as the coordination of various activities in order to achieve the intended objectives. Recent advances in the literature, however, clearly indicate that leadership is not just limited to the concept of accomplishing tasks through personal attributes rather it is more of a collaborative effort which does not rely on the leader but on followers also. This leadership is, therefore, a two-way concept involving both the leaders and followers to accomplish any given task. A historical look at the development of leadership theories would suggest that it started with the emergence of Great Man theories which emphasized the in-born capabilities of the leaders. Such theories highlighted that great leaders are born leaders and leadership is something which cannot be acquired or developed over a period of time. (Horner,1997). The next generation of change in leadership theories focused on the contextual relationship of the leadership with the organization. The situational leadership theories, therefore, concentrated on studying the influences of the external environment on the behaviour of the leaders and attempted to define the external environment as an influential factor on the overall shaping of the leader. Situational theories are based on the assumption that leaders emerge either due to the economic condition of the country, group dynamics, threats which are external to the organization as well as the different organizational culture prevailing in organizations. The situational leadership is therefore considered as the result of a leader's reaction towards the different external settings and influences faced by the organization. (Hollander, 1971). Fiedler's contingency model is part of this school of thought about leadership.  

Security Architecture & Design models Assignment

Security Architecture & Design models - Assignment Example Coming up with the best security architecture requires the management of an organization to  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   perform a risk assessment and management process in order to come up with the best security model to secure the system. The risk assessment will identify the extent of the system if the system is large with interrelated components, the data locations and storage of the system. Determining if the system uses the Internet for functions like data transfer and identifying all the resources and hardware components being   utilized by the system. The risk assessment will identify the potential risks that a system can have or might face in the future.  The management the is aiming to ensure information security should consider the following types of security architecture models. The security models are used to create several access control levels. The security models include access matrix, Bell-Lapadula, Lettice, information flow, Clark-Wilson, the state machine   and Biba. The security models contain the following components. Data classification model that facilitates wider sharing of information through ensuring that information have been given additional controls. The model classifies information into several categories like low, medium, high and unclassified. Data security model assist the users in making sure the information is secured in the appropriate manner. The security model creates several security categories for the processes, hardware devices, hard-drives and the various users of the information.

Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Wal-Mart Coursework

Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Wal-Mart - Coursework Example Wal-Mart is known for its price leadership strategy and strives to provide customers with quality products and services at the cheapest possible price which is in tune with its famous strategy of ‘Every Day Low Price’ (Popularly referred as EDLP). The strategy of low price is in turn aligned with Sam Walton’s strategy of helping people save money. Wal-Mart presently provides goods at the cheapest possible price and has positioned itself as a price leader in the mind of the customers.Against the backdrop of this bold positioning strategy lies an efficient and technology-driven logistics management which has provided the firm with advantages like cost reduction to an extent that it is able to provide the best quality products at the cheapest price in the market. Logistics form the USP of Wal-Mart. Its supply chain initiatives involving the latest technology like RFID, cross-docking aided by an efficient integration of all its business processes using Enterprise Reso urce Planning have created benchmarks for the company. The efficiency of logistics management of the firm could be analyzed from the fact that its logistics management model has become the benchmark in the global retail and logistics industry. The distribution centers of Wal-Mart which are the backbone of its supply chain management strategy are considered to be the most advanced technologically. Presently Wal-Mart has more than 40 regional centers for distribution with each center spreading over one million square feet on an average.

A Plague in Labelle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Plague in Labelle - Essay Example Although we study these types of events, from an historical point of view, nothing of this magnitude has ever happened in Labelle. I would be just as shocked. The initial deaths would be treated with suspicion. Many theories would probably be offered to explain the deaths. Some people might believe the deaths to be the result of terrorism. They might speculate that water and food supplies have been poisoned. Others might come up with conspiracy theories. These types of speculation often attend events which we don't fully comprehend; in the beginning, a plague would be incomprehensible. I would also be indecisive at this point. I would be fearful. Gradually, however, the people in the community will come to the realization that a consistent and pervasive problem is occurring. The deaths would not stop. That would be the most dangerous time. Many people would consider fleeing. They would pack up their bags and leave Labelle. Many, however, would stay. Those that stay will have to deal with the dangerous environment. I would probably leave Labelle. Without more knowledge, it would seem the safest course. I wouldn't want to be the next to die. I believe that government officials would panic. As advanced as we profess to be, government officials rarely react well in crises. ... They would probably try to quarantine people affected by the plague. This would divide families and friends. They would divide Labelle. Most likely, people would then resist these efforts. The local government and the local police would be affected personally as well. I don't believe they would be able to govern effectively. More specifically, I believe that the local government and the local police would collapse. They would be required to request state and federal assistance. In addition, there would be divisions along religious lines. An event this horrific would definitely appeal to deeply held religious beliefs. Many people would believe that God is punishing us for some grave offense. Others would ridicule the religious explanations. This would exacerbate the emotions of people in the community. Rather than helping each other, and trying to remain calm, I believe that people would start blaming each other for the pandemic. The religious citizens, of whatever faith, would blame the sinners for incurring the wrath of God. The non-religious citizens would fight back. Common resources, such as food and shelter, would be divided rather than shared. This would lead to more problems. The fighting would be organized into groups. Looting, theft, and murder, for example, would probably be employed as survival techniques. There would be disorder; perhaps, there would be chaos. People are dying and there is hardly a greater fear than death. People would feel justified, to some degree, in behaving more immorally than under normal circumstances. Old feuds might be settled with guns instead of in courtrooms. Businesses would be stripped bare by people in need or food or stockpiling for the future. Women would

Alcohol as an Ergogenic Aid Essay Example for Free

Alcohol as an Ergogenic Aid Essay Alcohol, more specifically ethyl alcohol or ethanol, is a depressant that provides 7 kCal of energy per gram, and is the most abused drug for athletes and non-athletes in the United States. Prior to my research on alcohol, I assumed that alcohol abuse was not prevalent among college athletes, outside of the occasional partying that normal college students partake in as well. But according to Lifestyles and Health Risks of Collegiate Athletes, college athletes generally drink more heavily and are more likely to engage in binge drinking than non-athletes1, and contrary to my belief, in the psychologic realm, some have argued that alcohol before competition reduces tension and anxiety, enhances self-confidence, and promotes aggressiveness. Alcohol use exaggerates the dehydrating effect of exercise and places an athlete at greater risk for heat injury during exercise. Many athletes consume alcohol-containing beverages after exercising or sports competition and the bottom line is that alcohol-containing beverages impede rehydration. 2 Alcohol is a drug that is absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach and small intestine. In the fasting state, the majority of alcohol will be absorbed within 15 minutes and a maximum blood level will occur in approximately 20 minutes, with 80-90% complete absorption achieved within 30-60 minutes. The rate of absorption of alcohol and subsequent appearance of alcohol in the blood is dependent on the rate of consumption, volume consumed, the proof of the alcohol, the presence of carbonation (which speeds up absorption), the presence or absence of food in the stomach, and if the user is taking any medication. It is broken down by the liver and then eliminated from the body, and while some alcohol metabolizes in the cells lining the stomach, most breaks down in the liver. Until the liver can break down all of the alcohol, the drug will circulate in the bloodstream, affecting all of the bodys organs, including the brain. There are limits to how fast the liver can breakdown alcohol and nothing can speed up this process, and when alcohol reaches the brain, the user will begin to feel drunk. Alcohol depresses the brain and reduces the ability to control your body and mind. This is what makes alcohol so dangerous and if you drink too much alcohol, your breathing or heart rate can reach dangerously low levels or even stop. Alcohol has been described as an athletic performance impairing drug. Exercise is a complex activity utilizing many of the bodys organ systems and alcohol exerts an effect on most of these systems, including the central nervous system, muscle energy storages and the cardiovascular system. Heavy alcohol intake over a long period of time can decrease exercise performance by slowing down the hearts response to exercise, muscle damage, weakness, inefficient heart performance, and decreased capacity to gain muscle. 9 Drinking the day or night of a competition hinders athletic performance and exercising with a hangover can decrease aerobic performance by as much as 11 %! 9 Alcohol has even been linked with asthma. Athletes who regularly consume alcohol are more prone to injury. The smartest choice for a collegiate athlete would be to avoid the consumption of alcohol, especially in high volumes. Some of the risks of drinking alcohol are vomiting, blacking out and not remembering what you did while you were drunk, passing out in an unfamiliar place or a place where your safety could be at risk, decreased inhibitions resulting in embarrassing and dangerous behavior, a hangover which includes: nausea, fatigue, upset stomach, headache, sore muscles, cotton mouth, lack of motivation, alcohol-related injuries resulting from loss of inhibitions and coordination and death by nervous system failure, injury and choking on your own vomit. The two most fatal risks of alcohol are drunken driving deaths, and alcoholism related deaths. There are over 100,000 alcohol related deaths a year and alcohol-related traffic collisions kill more young people between the ages of 16 and 24 than any other single cause. Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes strong cravings for alcohol and continuing to drink, despite repeated alcohol-related problems. Although alcoholism can be developed due to excessive consumption, a user is at higher risk when the disease runs in the family. The four main symptoms of alcoholism are craving, impaired control, tolerance, and physical dependence. 3,4 For most adults, moderate alcohol use is up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people. Obivously, the safest way to avoid alcoholism is to not drink at all. But if one must intake alcohol they should try to stay around the moderate alcohol intake. Are there any benefits of alcohol intake? Prior to my research I would have answered no. But moderate daily alcohol intake actually does have some benefits. 2 oz or 30 mL of 90 proof alcohol, or slightly less than three 12 oz beers reduce a healthy person’s risk of heart attack and stroke, independent of physical activity level. 5,6,7 In fact, alcohol affects HDL levels just about as strongly as any other lifestyle factor, and may cause a rise in LDL levels thus stopping a critical step in plaque formation in the arteries. 8 Alcohol is the most abused drug in the United States by athletes and non-athletes. After my research I was shocked to learn the seriousness of its effects in the short and long term. The Health effects of alcohol have been observed in nearly every organ of the body, and its consumption has been linked to more than 60 diseases. The effects of alcohol on health can be disease, accidents, and injuries. The effects can be just as immediate and apparent when they show up in athletes. Alcohol impedes hydration, and being dehydrated can cause many problems for an athlete ranging from injury to poor performance. Although those effects are only immediate and short term, athletes are not immune from contracting long term effects such as asthma, liver disease/failure, and heart disease. After learning about how alcohol is metabolized, I realized how long the process takes and all of the organs of your body it affects. Overall, alcohol does not have any ergogenic aid, and the smartest choice for an athlete would be to avoid the drug as a whole.

Analysis Of Environmental Conditions Marketing Essay

Analysis Of Environmental Conditions Marketing Essay Analysis of environmental conditions is based on the framework put forward by Lynch (2009) that assesses the general degree of turbulence in the environment. This can be done by using the two measures of Changeability and predictability (Lynch, 2009, p80), which can be subdivided into complexity and novelty (changeability), and rate of change and visibility (predictability). Establishing a level of turbulence in the environment allows us to know with how much confidence we can predict the future (Lynch, 2009). In the fourth quarter of 2009 the UK GDP rose by 0.1% (www.statistics.gov.uk, 2010) which means Britain is officially out of recession. While this means recovery is under way, many analysts remain sceptical of the extent of recovery. Andrew Sentance of the Monetary Policy Committee has claimed that pace of recovery would remain uncertain (Sentence in the Telegraph Newspaper, 2010). So, as far as predictability and visibility go, it appears very difficult to predict with confidence the extent to which the UK economy will recover in 2010, with many anticipating a slow process because the economy remains weighed down by a still fragile banking sector and high consumer and government debt levels (Seager, 2010). With regards to Changeability and complexity, there is a general election expected in May this year and there is a strong possibility of a change of Government (www.yougov.co.uk, www.ipsos-mori.com, 2010), which will bring about a change in Government policy towards businesses, for example, the Conservative Party are pledging a cut in corporation tax. (www.conservatives.com, 2010). Adding to the complexity is the recent return to a 17.5% VAT rate that adds more financial pressure to consumers in an already struggling market. The recession may have ended but analysts are not expecting too much change in spending as economic downturn is squeezing spending power and that pressure will continue into 2010 (Mintel, Oct 2009). Given the reasonably turbulent conditions, organisations must change its strategies, and possibly its beliefs if it is to maintain its ability to handle changes in the environment (Thompson, 2005). So strategy cannot be made for years into the future because of the uncertain nature of the environment. Strategy should focus on the upcoming year until the turbulence reduces. 4.2 PEST Analysis PEST Analysis is a focus on the macro environment and which factors will change the external environment in the years to come. Johnson et al (p.54) states The environment is what gives organisations their means of survival. However the environment is also a source of threats. The macro environment is the highest-level layer. This consists of broad environmental factors that impact to a greater or lesser extent on almost all organisations. Therefore a good analysis of the macro environment is critical to success but should also be as general and non-specific as possible, this leads to one of the down falls of PEST that it can be a very useful tool when analysing the macro environment but also its general nature can be its downfall if it becomes little more than a huge list of factors in a shopping list fashion. We have chosen to use a simple PEST analysis but to add Legal to Political and Environmental to Socio-Cultural to make sure we consider all issues of the external environment. Another criticism of PEST is that it is only as good as the group or person conducting it, a criticism that can apply to any model. However when used appropriately this model can give a good indication of the factors that will affect the external environment in the years to come. Its ability to briefly analyse and present the factors that could prove important can be highly significant. The PEST Analysis can be seen in Appendix 1 and summary in Appendix 2 4.3 Porters 5 Forces Analysis of the industry analysis is based on Porters 5 forces model as referenced by many authors. The five elements that can have an impact upon MS are The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of Buyers Threat of potential new entrants Threat of Substitutes Extent of Competitive Rivalry (Lynch, p97, 2009) More detailed information on Porters 5 Forces can be found in Appendix 3 4.4 Strategic Group Analysis Below is the strategic group analysis for Marks and Spencer, detailed information on SGA and how the table was created can be seen in Appendix 4 (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2008:76))SGA1.jpg Strategic Group Analysis for Marks and Spencer plc Scope of Activities (Extent of Product Diversity) Resource Commitment (Advertising Effort) Marks and Spencer Next John Lewis (Waitrose) Arcadia Group British Home Stores Tesco Marks and Spencer Tesco Next John Lewis (Waitrose) ASDA Debenhams 4.5 Market Segmentation Market segmentation differs from SGA in the way that is looks to customers as its focus rather than sector competitors. Lynch (2006, p105) states Market segmentation is fundamental to the development of corporate strategy. Careful analysis of segments and their characteristics is therefore important. For example some segments may have more profit potential, have less competition then others and some may be growing faster. Taking the age demographic for example the 18-30 age group is declining, whereas the 31-60 age group is growing rapidly. (ONS.gov.uk) Marks and Spencer have a great deal of competitors when it comes to market segmentation mainly due to the fact that Marks and Spencer covers so many segments, children through to adults, males and females, for example. The only segment Marks and Spencer does not appear cater for is the low income segment as its pricing policy is slightly more than mid range offered by the competitors such as Tesco in food and Next in clothing and home ware. Market segmentation of course has its advantages as it will help you to understand more competitors but importantly like the SGA will also show strategic opportunities or gaps in the market that after careful consideration could be moved into. Unfortunately, again, it is difficult to place a company easily within a segment and as before will only be based on one persons views and therefore cannot be ideal. 5.0 Internal Analysis 5.1 Resource Audit Johnson et al. state that although many companies in the same sector compete in the same environment, one may be a superior performer. It is not their environment that distinguishes between them but their internal strategic capabilities. (Please refer to Appendix 5 for definitions) We know that Marks and Spencer has the strategic capability to perform at the level required to survive and has the threshold resources needed to carry this out as well as the necessary threshold competences to underpin this, companies that were founded in 1880s would not still be in business today without these in place. More interesting are the unique resources and core competencies specific to Marks and Spencer that help them gain and maintain competitive advantage. We know that MS has a wide range of shops and retail units the length of the country but this is not a unique resource as Tesco has more units and more retail space, however unique to MS its presence on the high street in the volume it appears, with food and clothing, more supermarkets are situated on retail parks and out of town, even when they appear in town they are small and do not carry the same stock levels. MS also have 295 stores in 41 different countries. Logistically MS must have excellent systems in place to allow all these stores to be stocked. MSs biggest unique resource perhaps is the brand. When you say Marks and Spencer to people they almost always think of quality. Marks Spencer have been around for over 125 years and no company can survive this long without delivering good quality own branded products that have stood the test of time. 5.2 Value Chain Analysis The value chain describes the categories of activities within and around an organisation, which together create a product or service (Johnson, 2008, p110). The primary activities for Marks and Spencer concern its inbound logistics, operations outbound logistics, marketing and sales and service. MS places great emphasis on the quality of its products, which they believe justify higher prices. The marketing strategy emphasises this with, for example, the your MS (see case study) attempting to give back to the customer and emphasising the quality of the products. They have also begun to promote a price comparison with Waitrose (Thomas, 2009) while keeping an emphasis on quality, with the strap line Price checked against Waitrose Essentials. Quality checked by MS (Thomas, 2009). This method of emphasising quality has given MS its reputation, but it is important to live for the standards it sets itself. MS also adds value through its customer service, with a Mintel report revealing it has the highest customer service rating of any retailer amongst consumers and is continuing to invest in raising service standards (Mintel, 2007). They have also trained some staff to become healthy eating experts (Mintel, 2007) in a bid to improve customer service. It is this sort of commitment that enables MS to be regarded as a high quality retailer. They would be unable to charge higher prices if customer service was poor. For its outbound logistics MS have launched new ways of packaging. Under a program known as plan A in cooperation with Oxfam they plan to become carbon neutral by 2012. This is being done by promising not to send any packaging to landfill and putting labels on packaging so that consumers know how to recycle their goods. (Mintel, 2010). While many retailers have launched ethical policies with regards to packaging MS appear to have gone further than others with its promise to become carbon neutral. This policy is backed up through one of its support activities, technology development, where they sought to introduce new recyclable content into its packaging. Value has also been created through a commitment to sustainable fishing (The Guardian, 2010) making it the first food retailer to make such a commitment. This shows an ethical standpoint on its inbound logistics and procurement policies. Such policies have helped create value within the brand, giving consumers the image that while they may pay a bit more for their products, they will receive high quality, ethically produced goods, which it is hope will bring customers back. 5.3 Key Stakeholders We will now look at key stakeholders using Mendelows Matrix (Ref: majyds.wordpress.com//power-of-stakeholders/) Mendelows power/ interest matrix High Customers Employees Shareholders Power Low Bank Creditors Low High Level of Interest NB: More detailed analysis on how this conclusions were drawn can be found in Appendix 6 6.0 SWOT Analysis of External and Internal Analysis After analysing the internal and external environments we can generate a series of strategic alternatives or choices of strategies to follow in the future. To do this, we must look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The purpose of this is to build on the strengths of the company, eliminate weaknesses, develop opportunities and counter threats. The SWOT and the reasons why we have chosen the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that we have can be seen in Appendix 7 and 8 7.0 Strategic Options for Marks and Spencer 7.1 Option One After producing the swot analysis and identifying the areas that need attention and further progression, we need to implement some strategic options using the key elements of the organisations purpose. When looking at the SWOT analysis we can see that amongst MSs strengths, they have the biggest market share in clothing and produce quality products. They also have weaknesses of reliance on their own brand and they are in a weak cash position. These lead us to consider MSs environment based options, in particularly, their market options. Ansoff Matrix Diagram(Mindtools.com) Looking at Ansoffs Matrix (above), one of the strategic options we have chosen to implement is that of Product Development. We believe that although MS currently have the biggest market share in clothing, this needs to be protected and pushed forward. Especially as there is such fierce competition in this sector. With the fact that MS already sell clothing, they will not require new competencies to execute this plan. Fashion retailers like Next, MS and Topshop have been through a long period when they have been able to rely solely on declining prices to drive sales upwards. However, with the falling pound and rising overseas sourcing costs, competing on price is going to become increasingly difficult for them. Customers who still have money to spend are going to be ever more demanding. Retailers will have to identify the needs of their core customer even more closely and make sure that they are met. Improving staff training, motivation and product knowledge, as well as recruitment and retention will be crucial in doing so. (Mintel 02/09) As the statement above says, retailers need to identify the needs of their customers more closely. MSs clothing is well know as a mature fashion range, though recently George Davis, the man behind George at Asda is about to launch a new spring collection with a brand new label. This clothing range is called give and is aimed at aged 30+ women. The entrepreneur is bankrolling give, which targets well-off women with fashion pieces that can be customised to fit perfectly. (The Guardian, 02/10) This is product development in itself as they are bringing in new products to existing markets, but we would suggest that they focus on making the new label one that will attract the younger customer at an affordable price. We would also suggest that they use a well know female celebrity to endorse the new clothing range. Neil Mason, a senior retail analyst at Mintel, believes that introducing a limited collection, like Kate Mosss at Topshop, adds to the appeal. The celebritys status in itself is enough to make these lines work, but theres no doubt that when a retailer limits the supply it generates more interest, a real kudos for the people who manage to get their hands on a coveted item. (independent.co.uk:2007) Younger females look up to and want to be like young, successful female celebrities and are very fashion conscious. MS currently have Twiggy as the face of a brand of clothing, but this would not appeal to the younger audience. This strategy should be implemented as soon as possible to coincide with MSs seasonal clothing ranges. 7.2 Option Two Using Ansoffs matrix, it has also been decided to use market penetration as an option, specifically with regards to food sales. As was found in the SWOT analysis food sales remain comparatively low and with its main competitor (Waitrose) having overtaken MS food in terms of market share, (Finch, The Guardian, 2009). As of July 2009 Waitrose had a share of 4.2% to MS 3.7% (Creevy, 2009). Having identified food sales as a weakness (despite slight growth in the last quarter of 2009 (Mintel, Nov 2009)) it is necessary to formulate a strategic plan to improve this situation. Given the immense competition, struggling UK economy, consumers down trading and the price wars between competitors there are major hurdles to cross to penetrate the market further. However, using the strength of the brand and the added value MS has over other food retailers a plan can be developed. While MS will never compete with the likes of ALDI and LIDL on price it can look at overtaking Waitrose. Mintel suggests Waitrose have leapfrogged Marks Spencer in food sales, helped by its Essential value range (Mintel, 23-07-2009) and as consumers are moving to cheaper supermarkets it is suggested that MS launch a lower cost range to compete with Waitrose. By attracting customers with lower cost alternatives it can use its high level of customer satisfaction to try and keep them. It will be important to also keep an emphasis on quality. The advert referenced in the value chain analysis reflects this, but the campaign needs to be bigger to make all consumers aware of it. There is a perception that MS is much higher priced than its competitors (Finch, 2009), that Sir Stuart Rose has acknowledged so it needs to wow customers with good deals. Also, it could be said that MS has an over reliance on its own brand and shoppers cannot get their favourite brands in MS so have to go to another shop to get them. This possibly results in a loss of custom. If MS can roll out popular household favourites, such as Kelloggs, Heinz etc as well as keeping an extensive range of their own products an increase in food sales and market share should happen. 7.3 Option Three Looking at the further options raised by Ansoff, another strategic option for Marks and Spencers to investigate is that of Diversification. Looking at the SWOT we can see that diversification and acquisitions are both on the SWOT as is a strong brand name, this led us to thinking what could MS do? There are two types of diversification one is related, where new products and markets are developed but within current capabilities and constraints or unrelated where it is beyond the current capabilities. We are going to look at adding new luxury products to new markets concerning both vertical and backward integration. This could be through integration or merger/acquisition of say a car manufacturer or a luxury holiday supplier. The supplier getting to use the Marks and Spencer brand name associated with quality and then MS marketing the products and getting a percentage of the profits made on sales. MS already supply travel money so why not holidays as well. Many companies have to adapt to survive, MS are not different in this respect, companies need to look to increase revenue where they can and this is one way it can be achieved. Business synergy is important and this can be one way to achieve, create new and maintain it. 8.0 Evaluation of Strategic Options Strategic Option Suitability Acceptability Feasibility Total 1 8 5 9 22 2 7 6 7 20 3 7 4 4 15 Detailed Analysis of how this was reached can be found in Appendix 9 8.1 Conclusion Overall, we would therefore recommend option one for implementation. 9.0 Evaluation of Models Some analysis is contained within the text and appendix but any additional analysis is detailed in Appendix 10

Reflections of Milton in Paradise Lost and On Having Arrived :: comparison compare contrast essays

Reflections of Milton in Paradise Lost and On Having Arrived At a young age, John Milton was convinced that he was destined for greatness. He thought that he "might perhaps leave something so written to aftertimes as they should not willingly let it die"(Text 414). For this reason he thought that his life was very important to himself and to others. He often wrote directly about himself, and he used his life experiences as roots for his literature. In Paradise Lost and in a sonnet entitled "On His Blindness," Milton speaks indirectly and directly of his loss of vision. Also in Paradise Lost, he uses the political situation of his time as a base for the plot, and he incorporates elements of his own character into the character of Satan. In "On Having Arrived at the Age of Twenty-Three", he speaks plainly about the course of his life. In the latter part of his life, Milton lost his vision. This loss was very traumatic for him because he had not yet completed his mission of writing a memorable work of literature. Soon after, he continued his work with the help of his daughters. He dictated to them a sonnet he called "On His Blindness" in which he asks how God expects him to do his work blind. Milton's ambitious side says that his writing talent is "lodged with [him] useless"(Text 417). His religious side soon realizes that he is "complaining" to God and he takes it back. He discovers that God will not look down on him if he does not write a masterpiece. He granted Milton a great talent, and he expects Milton to be happy. He has to learn to do his work in a dark world. This poem was not the last time Milton referred to his condition in his writing. In book one of Paradise Lost, while invoking the Muse, Milton says "what in me is dark illumine"(Hndout 22). He asks to be granted the power to work through his blindness. He obviously thinks of his blindness as a major weakness. Later in the text, he describes Hell as having "no light, but rather darkness visible"(Hndout 270). It is Milton's way of almost subliminally implying that his condition is comparable to

John Alexander Macdonald: A Good Role Model? :: essays research papers

John Alexander Macdonald: A Good Role Model? A role model can be looked up upon and imitated. Many would argue that Sir John A. Macdonald is not someone of this stature, but I have different opinions about him. By studying some books about him I concluded that this humble man is someone who deserves to be known as a good role model. Here are some reasons to why. It is John A. Macdonald's outstanding qualities that made him a upright leader. He won the hearts of people because he could relate to them and their problems. Showing humility, Mr. Macdonald considered himself as one of them*. And his devotion to helping these people is shown by his life course, to which even his opponents admitted "there does not exist in Canada a man who has given more of his time--more of his heart--more of his wealth or more of his intellect and power, such as they may be, for the good of the Dominion of Canada." Yes, we can say that the first Prime Minister was very devoted to Canada and her people, and helped direct Canada to become what it is now. John A. Macdonald became well known for the way he treated people. He was kind and courteous. And because of his humor and consideration of others, people enjoyed being around the Prime Minister. He left a good impression on the people of Canada because he cared for not only the English, but also the French and Natives. One example is when he visited the Council House of the Six Nation Indians near Brantford. Mr. Macdonald met more than thirty farmers and after only thirty minutes of chatting with them he knew them all by name# . In another instance, a guest of John A. Macdonald was so impressed with the hospitality he received that he described him as "courteous in his social relations--a very prince". In both cases he made those involved feel noticed and cared for. The most prominent attribute that makes John A. Macdonald a good role model is his honesty. In comparison to all of the politicians, he is by far one of the most honest Prime Ministers. Although he was not perfectly honest as shown in the Pacific Scandal, he rarely made promises that weren't fulfilled. The people recognized this and showed their appreciation by continuing to support him till

Julius Caesar :: essays research papers

Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 BC. Although patrician descent, Caesar's family had not achieved real prominence. His father, also named Gaius Julius Caesar, was the brother-in-law of Gaius Marius and married Aurelia, who was connected with the prominent Aurelii family; he died about 85 BC, however, before reaching the consulship. In 84, Caesar married Cornelia, daughter of Marius's old partner Lucius Cornelius Cinna. When Lucius Cornelius Sulla ordered him to divorce her, he refused and escaped harm through the intervention of such people as his mother's relative, Gaius Aurelius Cotta. Caesar was then sent to collect a fleet from the Roman ally Nicomedes IV of Bithynia and was honored for conspicuous bravery at the siege of Mytilene. Returning home after Sulla's death , he unsuccessfully prosecuted two Sullans, Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella and Gaius Antonius Hibrida. He then left Rome for studies in Rhodes but was captured by pirates. After obtaining ransom, he recruited private troops, captured the pirates, and had them executed in. His studies on Rhodes were interrupted by the outbreak of war with Mithradates VI of Pontus, against who he gathered a force in 74. During a legateship to help Marcus Antonius Creticus fight piracy, Caesar was made a pontiff at Rome in 73 BC. After his military tribunate and possible service against Spartacus, he sided with those seeking power from outside the circle of nobles who dominated the Senate. He supported restoration of tribunician powers and the recall from exile of those who had supported Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in his revolt of 77. Caesar also advertised his Marian connections: by displaying Marius's effigies at his aunt Julia's funeral; through funeral orations for both Julia and his wife; and by the restoration of Marius' battle trophies on the Capitoline Hill. After a quaestorship in Spain, Caesar earned popularity among the Transpadane Gauls by supporting their agitation for Roman citizenship. He next married Pompeia, granddaughter of Sulla and relative of Pompey the Great, and evidence indicates that he supported important military assignments for Pompey in 67 and 66. As aedile in 65 BC, he achieved great popularity--and went into debt--by financing splendid games. He also probably cooperated with Marcus Licinius Crassus in an attempt to annex Egypt, in supporting Catiline for the consulship, and in promoting the land-distribution bill of Publius Servilius Rullus. In 64 BC, Caesar presided over trials of those who had committed murder during Sulla's proscriptions.

Paradise Lost

Strictly following the tradition of classical epic, Milton made his Paradise Lost, a work that roused the interest of all men in all ages. We can even claim that by his creative genius, he has modified and ennobled that tradition. Though its form is classical, its content tends to be on the scriptural side. The very opening lines exhort its central theme –â€Å"Of man’s disobedience†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The bone of contention between the critics of all ages is about whom the hero of this epic is –God, Satan or Adam. Undoubtedly we are forced to say that a good number of passages, especially in the first two books of Paradise Lost, give a heroic stature to Satan, the major among the fallen angels. Gradual diminution of Satan’s glory and grandeur is an integral part of Milton’s epic-design. The Satan of Books I and II is a creature of such dynamic energy and colorful splendor that many of the epic’s readers are tempted to consider him as the hero of the poem. That Milton did not so regard him and that, in rejecting the Satan of the earlier part of the epic, Milton was not being false to his poetic self, is clear from Satan’s opening soliloquy in Book IV, at least the first ten lines of which were written before Books I and II. In this and subsequent soliloquies Milton is able to present the character of Satan more fully and in a partly dramatic form, by placing him in a situation which denies him an outlet for his rhetoric and invites introspective self-examination. Milton, no doubt, intended Satan – at least in the early books – to be representative of the old heroic values which were to be superseded by ‘the better fortitude of patience and heroic martyrdom’. Unfortunately for Milton, readers of Paradise Lost have not been able to shake off the heroic qualities of Satan in the first two books. Along with that, three other factors contributed to the result. In English, the word ‘hero’ has the meaning of a ‘central figure’, and this Satan is definitely in these early books. Milton was strong and fresh creatively when he characterized Satan in these early books; and he never succeeded in producing a rival hero of similar stature but opposed ideals. Milton lavished all his power, all his skill, and the greater part of his sympathy on the splendid figure of Satan. Many critics have agreed to the fact that the epic value of the whole epic is centered in the achievements and characterization of Satan. His unyielding agony represents the insightful antinomy of the modern consciousness. Satan expresses, as no other character in the epic does, something in which Milton believed strongly, that is, heroic energy. It is through Satan that Milton’s own heroic energy has been so powerfully shown forth. This is expressed through conflict and endurance. The odds are against him, he has to wage war against the Omnipotent, but still he persists and struggles, and wins our profoundest admiration and sympathy. No doubt, his energy is unreasoning, no doubt it is devoted to his wicked passion for revenge, and certainly he is carried away by hate and envy, but still we cannot help admiring him for the heroic energy with which he persistently struggles against heavy odds to achieve his aims. Milton’s Satan is not a comic or grotesque figure like the Devil or Vice of medieval writers or the demons of other epic poets. Being a principal figure of an epic, if a certain amount of grotesqueness was drawn in the character of Satan, it would have definitely impaired the dignity of the poem. Many predecessors of Milton have done the same but in this respect too Milton was daringly original. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that by attempting at proving himself ‘self-begotten’, Satan‘s behavior tends to the comic and contradictory. Moreover, only a fool would pit himself against omnipotence and thus invite certain disaster. But Milton’s Satan is neither a fool nor a clown. He definitely has the beauty of sublimity and the grandeur and majesty and dignity of bearing. The poet drives home this nobility and greatness of his bearing in wonderfully mentored fine passages which can be hailed as the best among those that have been ever written. The following passage confirms the point: â€Å"†¦Black it stood as Night, Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell, And shook a dreadful dart, what seemed his head The likeness of a kingly crown had on. Satan was now at hand, and from his seat The monster moving onward came as fast With horrid strides: Hell trembled as he strode. †(II 495-501) Courteously and fearlessly Satan addresses himself to the monarch of the nethermost abyss. His speech contains no threats; he asks for guidance in his quest; and, with politic fore-thought, promises that quest, if successful, shall restore an outlying lost province to Chaos. In the war on the plains of Heaven, Satan ranges up and down the fighting line, like Cromwell; he fortifies his comrades to endurance, and encourages them to attack. In Hell he stands like a tower: â€Å"His form had yet not lost All its original brightness, nor appeared Less than Archangel ruined, and the excess Of glory obscured†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I (591-4) In his contests with Michael in heaven and with Gabriel on earth, he never falls below himself: â€Å"If I must contend†, said he, â€Å"Best with the best – the sender, not the sent; Or all at once. † IV (851-3) His followers are devotedly attached to him; they admire him ‘that for the general safety he despised his own’; and the only scene of rejoicing recorded in the annals of Hell, before the Fall of Man, is at the dissolution of Stygian Council, when the devils come forth â€Å"rejoicing in their matchless chief†. The allure of free will is where the attractiveness and power of Satan's character lies. Satan may be quite useless when it comes to fighting the ten thousand thunders of Christ's fury, but in his will he is free and in his mind he is supreme: ‘What though the field be lost? | All is not lost; the unconquerable will' (I. 105). † (Zen g, Nicholas http://www. christs. cam. ac. uk/darknessvisible/about_us/nicholas_zeng. html) As if to set purpose to raise Satan high above the heads of other archangels, Milton devises a pair of similar scenes in Heaven and in Hell. In the one Satan takes upon himself the unknown dangers of the enterprise that has been approved by the assembly. In the other, which occurs in the very next book, the Heavenly powers are addressed from the Throne, and asked – â€Å"Which of ye will be mortal, to redeem Man’s mortal crime, and just, the unjust to save? III (214-5) None in heaven is ready to take the risk; but Satan takes upon himself the dangerous task of traveling through Chaos and seducing Man. There is no doubt in the fact that Satan’s over-mastering passions are hate, ambition and desire for revenge, but he is not presented as a monster of wickedness or an unredeemed villain. Milton has skillfully humanized his character. Hence, though Satan in the enemy of God and Man alike, he is not entirely devoid of gentler characteristics. He is deeply remorseful at the thought of the ruin in which he has involved his followers and this remorse actually brings tears to his eyes. In the second book, we see him showing forth a noble sense of the duty of self-sacrifice incumbent on him owing to his position as king of hell, by sacrificing his own safety for the general cause and as a result, undertaking alone the difficult enterprise which daunted the courage of the mightiest of his followers. This trait of Satan’s character is maintained in the later books. We see him twice melted with compassion seeing the harmless innocence of Adam and Eve whose ruin he is plotting in book IV (389. 462-66). These softer feelings are to be seen as only occasional touches introduced to relieve the grandeur of a character essentially terrible, a character who is, though not totally devoid of gentle traits, on the whole most like a mighty tempest, or an avalanche, or any other force of nature that is a harmonious blending of beauty of sublimity and immense destructive power. With due sympathy and dramatic power, Satan’s character has been drawn which further revealed Milton’s proud spirit of independence and superiority to the utmost. Satan is certainly a self-portrait, a rebel against tyranny and injustice like Milton himself. The sentiment which he expresses – ‘courage never to submit or yield’; â€Å"better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven’, raises his stature to that of an epic hero. Satan is such a magnificently drawn character and such is the fascination he has exercised on the readers of the great epic of all times, paradise lost, that ever since Dryden has christened Satan as ‘Milton’s hero’, critic after critic has taken him to be the hero of the epic. There is no doubt that he dominates Books I and II of the epic in which he towers head and shoulders above his followers, but after that there is a progressive degradation and shrinkage in his character. His gradual loss of physical brightness is accompanied by a corresponding deterioration of character. The audience, however, does find someplace to invest its sympathy, and that place is in the character of Satan. The audience first sees Satan waking in Hell where he and the other fallen angels despair. Through his despair, however, Satan claims, â€Å"All is not lost — the unconquerable will,// And study of revenge, immortal hate,// And courage never to submit or yield — . . . That glory never shall his wrath or might// Extort from me† (I. 104- 111). † (http://www. essortment. com/all/satanparadisel_rsng. htm) It is by his own will that he becomes a serpent in Book IX. In Book X, he is a serpent whenever he wants to wear its garb. This degradation that is progressive is drawn home most effectively. His beginning is shown as fighting for liberty, however it is misconceived. But very soon his stature goes down as he starts fighting for â€Å"Honour, Dominion, glorie, and renounce’. But it is seen that he is defeated in this in no time. Then he resorts to the great plotting that forms the essence of the epic – the ruining of two creatures that are in no way harmful to him, but this is not at all keeping in front a serious expectation of triumph, but only to annoy the enemy who is beyond his reach for a direct encounter. This makes him stoop to the level of a spy coming into the universe, that too as a low level spy who peeps into the privacy of a man and wife, and it is there that he is described for the first time as ‘Devil’, not the fallen Archangel nor the dreaded emperor of Hell. If we take into account not merely Books I and II, but the epic as a whole, Satan cannot be regarded as the hero. As he is carried away by his passion for revenge, envy and hatred, to use ‘guile’ and cunning to achieve his end, Satan is the villain of the piece and not the hero. Closely woven with the story of the fall of man is the story of the fall of Satan and his followers. Their fall also bears out that the theme of the epic is the victory of passion over reason and its terrible consequence. Satan falls not because he is a lesser being, but due to his giving priority to passion over reason. He is proud and is carried away by inordinate ambition and lust for power. He claims absolute equality, foolishly imagines that he is self-created, regards god’s rule as tyrannous, rebels against him and is consequently overthrown and hurled into hell. He is the very embodiment of unrestrained passions which ultimately bring no satisfaction. Debates are still going on about the fact that Satan is such a driving force within the great epic. It ranges from William Blake’s comment that Milton â€Å"wrote in fetters when wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devil’s party without knowing it† (Black 2007, p. 996) to the plea that this poem is nothing more than a christian tale in which milton is unsuccessful in portraying what he intended to do. (Marshal 1961, p. 19) Paradise Lost Strictly following the tradition of classical epic, Milton made his Paradise Lost, a work that roused the interest of all men in all ages. We can even claim that by his creative genius, he has modified and ennobled that tradition. Though its form is classical, its content tends to be on the scriptural side. The very opening lines exhort its central theme –â€Å"Of man’s disobedience†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The bone of contention between the critics of all ages is about whom the hero of this epic is –God, Satan or Adam. Undoubtedly we are forced to say that a good number of passages, especially in the first two books of Paradise Lost, give a heroic stature to Satan, the major among the fallen angels. Gradual diminution of Satan’s glory and grandeur is an integral part of Milton’s epic-design. The Satan of Books I and II is a creature of such dynamic energy and colorful splendor that many of the epic’s readers are tempted to consider him as the hero of the poem. That Milton did not so regard him and that, in rejecting the Satan of the earlier part of the epic, Milton was not being false to his poetic self, is clear from Satan’s opening soliloquy in Book IV, at least the first ten lines of which were written before Books I and II. In this and subsequent soliloquies Milton is able to present the character of Satan more fully and in a partly dramatic form, by placing him in a situation which denies him an outlet for his rhetoric and invites introspective self-examination. Milton, no doubt, intended Satan – at least in the early books – to be representative of the old heroic values which were to be superseded by ‘the better fortitude of patience and heroic martyrdom’. Unfortunately for Milton, readers of Paradise Lost have not been able to shake off the heroic qualities of Satan in the first two books. Along with that, three other factors contributed to the result. In English, the word ‘hero’ has the meaning of a ‘central figure’, and this Satan is definitely in these early books. Milton was strong and fresh creatively when he characterized Satan in these early books; and he never succeeded in producing a rival hero of similar stature but opposed ideals. Milton lavished all his power, all his skill, and the greater part of his sympathy on the splendid figure of Satan. Many critics have agreed to the fact that the epic value of the whole epic is centered in the achievements and characterization of Satan. His unyielding agony represents the insightful antinomy of the modern consciousness. Satan expresses, as no other character in the epic does, something in which Milton believed strongly, that is, heroic energy. It is through Satan that Milton’s own heroic energy has been so powerfully shown forth. This is expressed through conflict and endurance. The odds are against him, he has to wage war against the Omnipotent, but still he persists and struggles, and wins our profoundest admiration and sympathy. No doubt, his energy is unreasoning, no doubt it is devoted to his wicked passion for revenge, and certainly he is carried away by hate and envy, but still we cannot help admiring him for the heroic energy with which he persistently struggles against heavy odds to achieve his aims. Milton’s Satan is not a comic or grotesque figure like the Devil or Vice of medieval writers or the demons of other epic poets. Being a principal figure of an epic, if a certain amount of grotesqueness was drawn in the character of Satan, it would have definitely impaired the dignity of the poem. Many predecessors of Milton have done the same but in this respect too Milton was daringly original. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that by attempting at proving himself ‘self-begotten’, Satan‘s behavior tends to the comic and contradictory. Moreover, only a fool would pit himself against omnipotence and thus invite certain disaster. But Milton’s Satan is neither a fool nor a clown. He definitely has the beauty of sublimity and the grandeur and majesty and dignity of bearing. The poet drives home this nobility and greatness of his bearing in wonderfully mentored fine passages which can be hailed as the best among those that have been ever written. The following passage confirms the point: â€Å"†¦Black it stood as Night, Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell, And shook a dreadful dart, what seemed his head The likeness of a kingly crown had on. Satan was now at hand, and from his seat The monster moving onward came as fast With horrid strides: Hell trembled as he strode. †(II 495-501) Courteously and fearlessly Satan addresses himself to the monarch of the nethermost abyss. His speech contains no threats; he asks for guidance in his quest; and, with politic fore-thought, promises that quest, if successful, shall restore an outlying lost province to Chaos. In the war on the plains of Heaven, Satan ranges up and down the fighting line, like Cromwell; he fortifies his comrades to endurance, and encourages them to attack. In Hell he stands like a tower: â€Å"His form had yet not lost All its original brightness, nor appeared Less than Archangel ruined, and the excess Of glory obscured†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I (591-4) In his contests with Michael in heaven and with Gabriel on earth, he never falls below himself: â€Å"If I must contend†, said he, â€Å"Best with the best – the sender, not the sent; Or all at once. † IV (851-3) His followers are devotedly attached to him; they admire him ‘that for the general safety he despised his own’; and the only scene of rejoicing recorded in the annals of Hell, before the Fall of Man, is at the dissolution of Stygian Council, when the devils come forth â€Å"rejoicing in their matchless chief†. The allure of free will is where the attractiveness and power of Satan's character lies. Satan may be quite useless when it comes to fighting the ten thousand thunders of Christ's fury, but in his will he is free and in his mind he is supreme: ‘What though the field be lost? | All is not lost; the unconquerable will' (I. 105). † (Zen g, Nicholas http://www. christs. cam. ac. uk/darknessvisible/about_us/nicholas_zeng. html) As if to set purpose to raise Satan high above the heads of other archangels, Milton devises a pair of similar scenes in Heaven and in Hell. In the one Satan takes upon himself the unknown dangers of the enterprise that has been approved by the assembly. In the other, which occurs in the very next book, the Heavenly powers are addressed from the Throne, and asked – â€Å"Which of ye will be mortal, to redeem Man’s mortal crime, and just, the unjust to save? III (214-5) None in heaven is ready to take the risk; but Satan takes upon himself the dangerous task of traveling through Chaos and seducing Man. There is no doubt in the fact that Satan’s over-mastering passions are hate, ambition and desire for revenge, but he is not presented as a monster of wickedness or an unredeemed villain. Milton has skillfully humanized his character. Hence, though Satan in the enemy of God and Man alike, he is not entirely devoid of gentler characteristics. He is deeply remorseful at the thought of the ruin in which he has involved his followers and this remorse actually brings tears to his eyes. In the second book, we see him showing forth a noble sense of the duty of self-sacrifice incumbent on him owing to his position as king of hell, by sacrificing his own safety for the general cause and as a result, undertaking alone the difficult enterprise which daunted the courage of the mightiest of his followers. This trait of Satan’s character is maintained in the later books. We see him twice melted with compassion seeing the harmless innocence of Adam and Eve whose ruin he is plotting in book IV (389. 462-66). These softer feelings are to be seen as only occasional touches introduced to relieve the grandeur of a character essentially terrible, a character who is, though not totally devoid of gentle traits, on the whole most like a mighty tempest, or an avalanche, or any other force of nature that is a harmonious blending of beauty of sublimity and immense destructive power. With due sympathy and dramatic power, Satan’s character has been drawn which further revealed Milton’s proud spirit of independence and superiority to the utmost. Satan is certainly a self-portrait, a rebel against tyranny and injustice like Milton himself. The sentiment which he expresses – ‘courage never to submit or yield’; â€Å"better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven’, raises his stature to that of an epic hero. Satan is such a magnificently drawn character and such is the fascination he has exercised on the readers of the great epic of all times, paradise lost, that ever since Dryden has christened Satan as ‘Milton’s hero’, critic after critic has taken him to be the hero of the epic. There is no doubt that he dominates Books I and II of the epic in which he towers head and shoulders above his followers, but after that there is a progressive degradation and shrinkage in his character. His gradual loss of physical brightness is accompanied by a corresponding deterioration of character. The audience, however, does find someplace to invest its sympathy, and that place is in the character of Satan. The audience first sees Satan waking in Hell where he and the other fallen angels despair. Through his despair, however, Satan claims, â€Å"All is not lost — the unconquerable will,// And study of revenge, immortal hate,// And courage never to submit or yield — . . . That glory never shall his wrath or might// Extort from me† (I. 104- 111). † (http://www. essortment. com/all/satanparadisel_rsng. htm) It is by his own will that he becomes a serpent in Book IX. In Book X, he is a serpent whenever he wants to wear its garb. This degradation that is progressive is drawn home most effectively. His beginning is shown as fighting for liberty, however it is misconceived. But very soon his stature goes down as he starts fighting for â€Å"Honour, Dominion, glorie, and renounce’. But it is seen that he is defeated in this in no time. Then he resorts to the great plotting that forms the essence of the epic – the ruining of two creatures that are in no way harmful to him, but this is not at all keeping in front a serious expectation of triumph, but only to annoy the enemy who is beyond his reach for a direct encounter. This makes him stoop to the level of a spy coming into the universe, that too as a low level spy who peeps into the privacy of a man and wife, and it is there that he is described for the first time as ‘Devil’, not the fallen Archangel nor the dreaded emperor of Hell. If we take into account not merely Books I and II, but the epic as a whole, Satan cannot be regarded as the hero. As he is carried away by his passion for revenge, envy and hatred, to use ‘guile’ and cunning to achieve his end, Satan is the villain of the piece and not the hero. Closely woven with the story of the fall of man is the story of the fall of Satan and his followers. Their fall also bears out that the theme of the epic is the victory of passion over reason and its terrible consequence. Satan falls not because he is a lesser being, but due to his giving priority to passion over reason. He is proud and is carried away by inordinate ambition and lust for power. He claims absolute equality, foolishly imagines that he is self-created, regards god’s rule as tyrannous, rebels against him and is consequently overthrown and hurled into hell. He is the very embodiment of unrestrained passions which ultimately bring no satisfaction. Debates are still going on about the fact that Satan is such a driving force within the great epic. It ranges from William Blake’s comment that Milton â€Å"wrote in fetters when wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devil’s party without knowing it† (Black 2007, p. 996) to the plea that this poem is nothing more than a christian tale in which milton is unsuccessful in portraying what he intended to do. (Marshal 1961, p. 19)

Akij Group

Akij Biri Factory Ltd. Akij Biri Factory Limited Akij Biri factory is one of the leading biri manufacturing companies in Bangladesh. It was established by late Sheikh Akij Uddin. Behind the Akij group establishment Akij Biri played a very important role. Sheikh Akij Uddin (owner of Akij Group) started the handmade biri business since 1948. Now Akij Biri has eight biri making factories in all over the country. The product is distributed under strong distribution system with a reasonable price. For that reason, the company has large number of satisfied loyal customers with strong brand image.This sector gave a real boost to the revenue of the conglomerate as well as making a substantial contribution to country’s economy. History of the company After 1947 After 1947 the founder, Akij uddin got married and started a business of small grocery shop. In that shop one of the daily products was the â€Å"Leaf Biri†. This product changed his life dramatically. The leaf biri was m ade by â€Å"Tendu Leaf† which was imported from India. During that time it had a huge demand in the countryside. In 1950 Then he thought that if he made this biri by himself then it would be more profitable for him.Then in 1950 Akij and one of his friend’s father Nitai bidhuvushon started to produce handmade biri. In a few days it became so popular. After a while there was an accident happened in his shop. But after the accident he again started to produce the biri. Within in a few days the demand of biri reached from his village to Doulatpur industrial area. In 1955 In 1955 he went to Navaran and started to live there. Beside his house he and his cousin established a factory. That time this biri became a brand name, which is Akij Biri. During the time the two major competitors were Ohab biri and Jalil biri.Akij Uddin sold his biri in low price than his competitors to increase the demand in the market. The daily demand stands to 25/30 thousands. The fame extended out to Jessore, Khulna, Khushtia, Faridpur and in other districts also. In the meantime he became involved with jute business. After 1972 Aftar the liberation war of Bangladesh again he started his biri business and with his vast struggle he was able to create the same demand of Akij biri. In 1977 the daily demand of akij biri stands to on an average 14 lakhs. In 1979 this demand became 1 crore in a day. From that time to till the akij biri is serving the maximum demand of the country.Company Profile Name of the Group| Akij Group| Company Name| Akij tobacco Company| Tobacco Experience| Since 1950| Yearly Turnover| US$ 700 Million| Chairman| Sheikh Mohiuddin| Managing Director| SK. Aziz Uddin| Directors| SK. Momin Uddin And SK. Amin Uddin| Nature of Business| Tobacco and Allied Products| Human Resources| Officers and Workers Total 25,000 plus Person| Products/Allied| Processed/Packed Tobacco, Cigerettes, Cut Rags, Expanded Cut Stem. | Brands| Akij Biri, Akij King (Hand Made Cigarettes)| Monthly Production| Akij Biri- 2000 Million sticks| Fixed Asset| US$ 85 Million|Export Market| Singapore, Middle East, Malaysia etc. | Name of the Banker| Standard Chartered, HSBC & Shonali Bank Bangladesh Ltd. | Corporate Office| Akij Chamber, 73 Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka- 1000, Bangladesh| Telephone| +8802-9560177| Email| [email  protected] org,| Web| www. akijtobacco. com| Strategy of the company Akij Biri Company’s main strategy is to keep low the price and make it available for all lower income people. The raw material of this product is very much available in Bangladesh that’s why it is easy and cost effective to produce and keep the product price low than other company in the market.Organogram of the company Chairman Managing Directors Directors Directors Audit Department Marketing Department Account Department Transport Department Finance Department Purchase Department Products & Tobaccos Tobaccos| Growing Areas| Akij Biri| Akij King| Flue Cured Virginia| K ushtia/ Jessore Belt, Chittagong Hill Areas| | | Burley Tobacco| Rangpur/ Dinajpur Belt, Manikgonj Leaf area| | | DV (Dark Varginia)Jati (cross Varginia)Motihara (Rustica)Talim ( Rustica)| Rangpur/ Dinajpur Belt| | | Competitors : Biri is a large industry in Bangladesh. There are many brands who are manufacturing biris like * Aziz Biri, Abul Biri, * Bengal Biri, * Momtaz Biri, * Raja Biri etc. At present, Akij biri is the largest biri company in Bangladesh and strong competitors to others. As Akij biri is the market leader and they have the 45% share of the market on the basis of market survey, revenue board, and internal report etc. So it means that the other biri brands are not in that position to compete with them. They are mainly considering cigarette brands as their substitutes. Their dominant regions are Tangail, Mymensingh, Kushtia including other districts of the southern part of Bangladesh. Management of Akij biriThe whole function of Akij Biri is relying on supply chain ma nagement. Akij biri first collect raw materials from their different suppliers. The main market is Rangpur. After collecting the tobacco they usually preserve it for 6 months to 1 year for better taste and quality. Akij biri always try to produce better quality product and also ensure the standard of the product. The objective behind the management efforts are: * ensure the product accessibility * continue the quality of the product * maintain low price for the customers. The management main focus is to remain the market leader for the long run.That is why it makes its products so much available and low priced. The company has also extensively marketing set up, unique and exclusive products that makes the company more strong and market leader. It has also own tobacco fields and available raw materials that make the company able to sell the product at comparative reasonable price. Production The production process of Akij biri is purely labor based. Almost every process is done by la bor. They use three different machines for dying, cutting, crashing, and mixing. The basic steps in manufacturing of Akij biri are generally as follows- * Sun cure * Washing Crashing * Mixing of different ingredients * Making paper tube * Packaging Distribution Akij biri has its own strong distribution channel. The product is available throughout the country with the help of an organized distribution channel. The finished product is delivered to the sales centers of Akij Biri. Akij Biri has in total of 12 sales centers in Bangladesh. These are Dhaka, Mymensingh, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Comilla, Chittagong, Faridpur, Rajshahi, Bogra, Khulna and Jessore. The company has divided the whole area of the country into 200 territories and each of them having a single distribution point.Then it is distributed to 700,000 retail outlets throughout Bangladesh from these points. To deliver the goods to the outlets the company planned 7,000 different routes so that each route is planned to deliver a t 100 retail outlets. Sales and Marketing As Akij Biri is only for a certain group of customers, right marketing efforts are needed to capture profit. The target customer of Akij biri is low socioeconomic group of people from both urban and rural areas. The price of the biri is low for the target customers and for grab the large demand of the customers. In our country it is banned to advertise any kind of tobacco product.There are some strict rules and law to show the advertisement in TV channel, printing media etc. But the availability, brand image and low price is working as marketing of the products. So the marketing strategy mainly depends on the distribution and sales strategy. The reason behind continuing biri business of Akij group Akij biri is one of the big company and many people are working in this company and in our country it has a great demand within lower income people. At earlier period it was a small business. But now it is expanded a lot and fulfills the maximum de mand of the customers in this segment.It is their turning business to establish themselves as a group of a big company. The profit that comes from Akij biri is 10%. The Akij group mainly get the brand value for this business, then it expanded its business in different sectors but this Akij biri business changes the way of doing business in the time of late Sheikh Akij Uddin. The low income people greatly depend in this biri. It was the first initiative of doing business in Bangladesh by Akij uddin. And now many people are working there and their family members also depend on this company.And they doing business as market leader after 1950, so now it serves a large amount of customers in the market as a giant company. So they are continuing the business still now because it earns a huge profit and it has huge demand in market and the main reason is Akij group gain its huge brand name because of Akij biri.. Dhaka Tobacco Industries A Dhaka Tobacco industry is included in the Akij Grou p in late seventies when government has decided to handover the factory to private sector from the nationalized sector. Now the company is working on eight different product brands.It also makes franchise license with the Philips Morris International Company and introduce Marlboro cigarettes in Bangladesh. History of the company The founder of Akij uddin came to Dhaka with his family after the liberation war. In 1978-1979 he bought the Dhaka tobacco Industry (DTI) from the government sector in an auction. In this time his coworker Din Islam helped a lot. For the office he bought a land in industrial area, Dilkusha. After that he again bought Asian tobacco Limited. When the demand was increasing a lot, he rented Khulna Tobacco Industry and started other 10 units in the various part of the country.The Dhaka Tobacco factory is located at Morkun near Tongi and lot of investment into men and machineries has turned the factory into a modern cigarettes production unit. It employs about 120 0 people who work in a congenial atmosphere to deliver right quality to satisfy the million of smokers’ taste and needs. At present company has invested 15 million taka in this industry. Dhaka Tobacco Industry controls the 15% of the share of Bangladesh’s cigarettes with its production of quality cigarettes. Now after fulfilling the country’s demand Navy and Sheikh are exported to Middle East and Malaysia.In 2008, it introduces Marlboro cigarettes with the help of world famous Philip Morris International franchising license. Its production capacity is 150 million daily. Every day on an average it produces 120 million. Now approximately one billion cigarettes are produced per month by the company’s factory in Tongi, Gazipur. One hundred million of the Navy brand are exported quality and are sold in Dubai. Company Strategy The company produces its goods by considering the quality of the cigarettes to compete with the competitors. It also considers the price factor. Akij roup has huge raw materials suppliers on this field, so it becoms easy for the company to produce quality product with low price and grab the huge customers than the competitors. So the company strategies comply with the corporate strategy. The company always tries to compete with the multinational company also by producing quality products and also maintaining the price. The company strictly follows the ZERO DEFECTS strategy in producing the products. Products of Dhaka Tobacco Industries Product Range| Competitors| High Segment| * Castle Full Flavor * Castle Lights| 1. Benson & hedges 2. Gold leaf 3.Gudam gharam 4. Pine 5. Black 6. Pall-mall 7. Hollywood 8. Ni 9. Lincoln 10. Dunhill 11. Sunmoon 12. Star etc. | Medium segment| * Navy| | Lower Medium Segment| * Sheikh * Real| | Low Segment| * Five star * K-2 * Surma & Diamond * Red & white| | * Presently DTI enjoys more than 10%market share in the high segment * Presently DTI enjoys more than 48%market share in the medium segment * Presently DTI enjoys more than 80%market in the lower medium segment * Presently DTI enjoys more than 50%market in the low segment The competitors of Dhaka Tobacco Industry are the main problem.There are strong competitors in the market and who serve a large number of people. British American Tobacco is one of the strong competitors of it. BATB is providing verity of products in the market. Dhaka Tobacco also has various cigarettes for different segments. By various segments quality products it is serving huge customers and make its brand name. It is also ensure the Zero Defects product strategy to stay in the market and to compete with the rivalry. By franchising Marlboro it also create a different zone for customer to meet their need for competing with the multinational companies.By this way it compete in the market along with different rivalry and also able to get profit. The business unit also has its own raw materials. That makes the company more benefi ciary in producing the products and can able to serve different segment with different ranges products. The transportation cost also low for having own production farms. Management of the company is also very conscious about their product growth. The product is maintained the required quality and price range to compete with the competitors. These also give the company a extra benefit. That makes the company strong against its competitors.Akij Zarda Factory Limited The factory was established in 2000. It produces various flavored chewing tobacco. It basically fulfill the demand of various types of customer who use Jarda in betel leaf, cigarettes etc. The Talim and Rustica Tobacco (motihar) is mainly used in producing the Zarda. Akij Company has its own farming area where it produces Tobacco. That makes the Zarda Company more beneficiaries behind establishment of it. Products Akij zarda Factory Ltd. is producing four kinds of Zarda to fulfill the different customers in diversified tas te. Product Range| Competitors|Special Patti| * 50 gm * 25 gm * 12. 5 gm| * Hakim puri * Mokim puri * Shova * Baba * Roton| Golden Patti(surovi)| * 50 gm * 25 gm * 12. 5 gm| | Akij Zarda (Beli)| * 50 gm * 25 gm * 12. 5 gm| | Vhiza Patti| * 25 gm * 10 gm| | The Zarda Factory Limited is a small sister concern of Akij Group. It has an available raw material that helps a lot in producing Zarda. The processing system of leaf also good and the products meet a wide range of customer demand. Akij Company has its own strong brand name, which also makes the products become more popular in the market.The company’s strong rivalry is Hakimpuri zard, but Akij Zarda become able to compete with it by its quality product and price range. The main corporation philosophy is by maintaining the quality of the product also make the product available for the general people. The Zarda Company’s philosophy is also complying with the corporate philosophy. So the factory is not so much big siste r concern of the Akij Group but it makes a different place in the market by providing various types of Zarda. The Tobacco industry of this company also gives it the extra benefit in producing Zarda. Akij Match Factory Ltd.Akij Match Factory Limited Akij Match Factory Ltd. Is one of the most successful companies in Bangladesh which serves a huge number of customers in this market. It is situated at a beautiful site near Muktapur Ghat on the bank of the river Sitalakshaya. It is purely automatic match factory which produces 100% carbonized high quality safety matches. Most of the raw materials come from various parts of Bangladesh by river. The river Sitalakshaya facilitates a lot in transportation that flows near the river. History of the Company It was established in 1992 but started its operation from 1997.The main objective of this company is to produce great quality product by using the latest modern technology. It has two brands which are very much popular in the market. Dolphin is the first product of the company. Immediately after the introduction of the brand it became very popular among the customer because of high quality and intensive distribution channel in the country. After that it produces the Firebox match, which is also become very popular in the market. Now this factory has capacity to produce 30 thousands and on an average 27 thousands piece they produced daily.In the market the company provides approximately 4 lakhs 50 thousands piece matches and 3 lakhs 50 thousands Firebox in a month. Products * Dolphin * Firebox Quality of the product is very strictly controlled. Non standard products (wood layers or sticks) are discarded at every stage. But these things are not washed out. The sticks, wood layers and any other scrap wood will be used in AKIJ Particle and Hardboard Mills. The faults in the discarded matches are dealt with and these are packed manually. Rotary packers packed the mass of match and these go straightforwardly to the market.De velop up of business In that time, when Akij Company introduced Dolphin matches then in the market there was some renowned brand like projapati. So as an infant company it faced some initial problem like to grab the customer of that market and make it available to the remote area of the country etc. The company is fulfilling its own objective by producing modern quality matches. Dramatically Dolphin brand becomes so popular to the customer for its availability and quality. Now fire fox is doing the same job. It is now grab the maximum market share and customer.It is now a leading brand in the market for its quality and popularity. The matches provide great services to the customer and availability of the product make it so strong in the market. So here also company complies the strategy with the prorate strategy. Akij corporations limited It is a sister concern of Akij Group. Akij Corporation Limited is the one of the most structured distribution company in the Bangladesh. Akij Grou p is country’s one of the leading business conglomerates. In 1992 Initially Akij Corporation Limited was known as Amin Enterprise and started its operation in 1992.In 1997 In June 1997 Amin Enterprise was renamed as Aminuddin Enterprise Limited In 2001 In 2001 Aminuddin Enterprise Limited was again renamed as Akij Corporation Limited. Akij Corporation Limited is accountable for the marketing and distribution of three industries of Akij Group that is Dhaka Tobacco Industries, Akij Match Factory Limited and Akij Zarda (chewing tobacco) Factory. * Akij matches’ unused wood stick are used in paticle boar * Akij automotive by akij motor ltd * Akij tobacco to akij leaf processing unit * Akij power plant is used in akij particle board industry