Zeus - a Reflection of Ancient Greek Society free essay sample

Olympian gods were deliberate reflections of the notions embodied in early Greek life. However, amongst all, Zeus had the most prepotent ground. Stories featuring him usually involved fruitful sexual unions with mortals or immortals at all times, under any circumstances- as if accentuating the fact that his forcefulness and promiscuity as a god, king and a husband were superior to any possible obstacle. His positions enclosing the entire hierarchical order as well as supporting his promiscuity were justifications for pederasty, male power to procreate and ascendant male wit in particular. These concepts were central in early Greek society and examples revolving around them prove that the aristocratic males used the myths and actions of gods to advocate their own behavior. In early Greek society, young men gathered at symposiums to court teenage cupbearer boys and admire them. The courtship could lead to copulation, and the aim of this was said to be the refinement of moral qualities. We will write a custom essay sample on Zeus a Reflection of Ancient Greek Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Pederasty could continue even after a man’s marriage. Zeus too was engaged in pederasty, and he kidnapped the Trojan prince Ganymede from Mount Ida to make him his cupbearer. So as a god, he had pederastic relations after marriage- as if legitimizing the concept for the society. The idea of procreation implicated begetting as much offspring as possible, and Zeus had more than three hundred children from hundreds of consorts. Being the â€Å"king† of gods, he could have relations with any goddess he wanted to- like his sexual union with his sister Demeter. The right of a man to reproduce with whoever, then, was seen to be coming from the ultimate authority Zeus. The ascendancy of male wit was the principal idea in Greek society and Zeus’s position as a husband reflected it. Throughout his marriage with Hera, his unfaithfulness was well known and his sexual union with mortal Leda in the form of a swan was an example of his creative tricks. He used his wit and changed forms to deceive Hera, supporting a husband’s infidelity under any conditions. Consequently, the myths of Zeus with Ganymede, Demeter and Leda tell us about the ideas and activities adopted in early Greek society. While they act as examples for pederasty, male right to procreate with whoever and the excellence of male intelligence, they also develop strong grounds for justification of these central concepts and promiscuity in general through Zeus- the absolute ruler.

Gatsby essays

Gatsby essays Why did Daisy choose Tom in the end In the novel "The Great Gatsby", Daisy Buchanan was faced with an enormous decision. She had to choose between Tom; her husband and Jay Gatsby; her lover. Gatsby seemed to be the ideal man of his time. Fabulously wealthy, handsome, charismatic and intriguing, he seemed to be able to offer everything a woman could want. All he wanted in return was Daisys complete unconditional love. Tom, on the other hand could offer Daisy money, security and freedom. Ultimately Daisy chose the latter. The roaring 20s was an era of total decadence. The first World War had ended and industry was booming. People were becoming millionaires overnight. There seemed to be no end in sight to the prosperity. Although people were becoming rich quickly, old money provided more privilege than new money. Tom Buchanan came from old money. He was a Westerner who was renowned in college for both his football skills and his supremely decadent lifestyle. The narrator states "His fa mily were enormously wealthy, even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach-but now hed left Chicago and come East in a fashion that rather took your breath away: for instance, he brought down a string of polo ponies from Lake Forest." Daisy chose to marry Tom because of his wealth and power. Fitzgerald writes "There was a wholesome bulkiness about his person and his position and Daisy was flattered." He could offer Daisy prestige in addition to all the old money one could dream of. Gatsby had made his money by illegal means. He was a nobody from nowhere and although he was rich beyond belief, he was one of the hundreds of nouveau riche who lacked the cache of the old money set. Although Gatsby could offer Daisy romance, love, excitement and intrigue, her need for security freedom and money made her eventually choose Tom. In terms of security, Tom could offer much more than Gatsby. Toms old money could offer Dai...

Areva Est Un Groupe French Essay

Areva Est Un Groupe French Essay Areva est un groupe franà §ais qui figure parmi les leaders mondiaux de l’à ©nergie nuclà ©aire. Il rà ©sulte de la fusion, en septembre 2001, de CEA Industrie, Framatome et Cogema. Cotà © sur le marchà © de l’Euronext Paris, Areva est composà © de quatre principaux domaines d’actività ©s qui sont: le pà ´le amont (extraction et enrichissement d’uranium), le pà ´le aval (recyclage des combustibles nuclà ©aires), le pà ´le rà ©acteur et services (construction de rà ©acteur nuclà ©aire et services au combustible) et jusqu’à   rà ©cemment, le pà ´le T&D (transmission et distribution d’à ©lectricità ©) sur lequel porte notre à ©tude. En analysant les relations entre la stratà ©gie globale du groupe et la dà ©cision de cà ©der le pà ´le T&D, puis en à ©tudiant le contexte (performance de l’entreprise†¦) nous aurons alors une meilleure comprà ©hension de la dà ©cision prise. Areva dispose de compà ©tences e t d’un savoir faire de trà ¨s haut niveau dans son secteur, rà ©sultat de plus de 60 ans d’histoire de l’à ©lectronuclà ©aire franà §ais. Le groupe a pour ambition d’à ªtre à   la fois le fournisseur mondial d’infrastructures nuclà ©aires mais à ©galement du combustible nà ©cessaire à   l’exploitation de ces infrastructures, ainsi que des services attachà ©s à   ce combustible. Anne Lauvergeon, Prà ©sidente du groupe, compare d’ailleurs volontiers parfois sa stratà ©gie avec celle de Nespresso, sous-entendant que les bà ©nà ©fices viennent en grande partie de l’actività © combustible. La structure intà ©grà ©e des actività ©s d’Areva, de la mine au retraitement en passant par la construction de rà ©acteurs est un avantage indà ©niable par rapport à   ses concurrents. Implantà © dans plus de cent pays, les actività ©s à   l’international d’Areva ont une place importante dans la str atà ©gie de croissance du groupe, en s’appuyant principalement sur la renaissance du nuclà ©aire qui a lieu actuellement, et, jusqu’à   la cession, sur les actività ©s de T&D. L’analyse du capital d’Areva permet de mieux mesurer les enjeux: L’Etat franà §ais dà ©tient environ 86% des fonds propres. Cette structure de capital peut apparaà ®tre comme contraignante pour le dà ©veloppement du groupe, l’Etat n’à ©tant pas autorisà ©, par exemple, et ce en raison de la là ©gislation europà ©enne, à   financer les investissements et l’accroissement en capital. La sortie â€Å"inattendue† de Siemens du capital, les retards sur le chantier de construction du rà ©acteur Finlandais, la nà ©cessità © de dà ©velopper le groupe et de conquà ©rir de nouveaux marchà ©s, amà ¨nent, d’aprà ¨s les experts, à   des besoins estimà ©s à   environ 12 milliards d’Euros d’ici 2015. Ces besoins sont un e des raisons qui ont incità © l’à ©tat à   cà ©der le pà ´le T&D à   Alstom pour 4 milliards d’Euros et à   rà ©flà ©chir à   une ouverture et augmentation du capital. Certains analystes ont affichà © un doute quant à   la pertinence de cette cession, l’actività © T&D reprà ©sentant environ 45% du rà ©sultat d’Areva et s’appuyant sur un rà ©seau international dense. La Prà ©sidente, elle-mà ªme, ne souhaitait pas cette session. L’Etat, quant à   lui, actionnaire principal, a avancà © la nà ©cessità © de fonds propres et de recentrage des actività ©s autour du nuclà ©aire.

Do Consumers Really Make Rational Decisions Essay

Do Consumers Really Make Rational Decisions - Essay Example To be able to answer the question regarding the rationality of the choices made by the consumers, it is important to explore the issues related to the decision-making process of the consumers. There are different internal and external factors that can affect the choices of the consumers. The internal factors of a consumer include factors in his or her psychological core such as motivation, ability, and opportunity; exposure, attention, and perception; knowledge and understanding; attitude formation and change, memory and retrieval. These factors comprise the core values of a consumer which can affect the decisions that he or she makes. In addition to these factors, the external aspects or the consumer’s culture also contributes to the choices made. The external parameters are composed of the consumer diversity, the social class and household influences, the psychographics or the values, personality, and lifestyles, and the social influences. Through the interaction of the internal and external factors, the decision-making process can be completed.... The problem can be equated to the need of a consumer which can only be answered by a particular product or service. This need also dictates the possible outcome of the decision-making process. The needs of a consumer can be defined by the necessities of the daily existence (Mullen and Johnson, 1990, p. 91). One paradigm that presents the basis of a consumer’s needs is the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which defines the consumer behavior as an effect of the human needs. The said needs then are considered as â€Å"underlying factor of consumption† which are classified into physiological and psychological needs. Physiological needs are for survival thus considered basic and found at the lowest level of hierarchy. This is followed by another physiological need which is the safety needs such as shelter and insurance. The next levels consecutively comprise the psychological needs such as belongingness and love needs; need for esteem; and self-actualization needs (Jansson -Boyd, 2009, p. 119). By tapping any of the said needs different companies and business can generate profits. Although this is one of the basic factors, the consumers’ needs are only considered as one of the many factors that contribute to the complicated web of interaction to come up with the client’s choice. Actual Process of Decision-Making It is important to consider that the said needs are the stimuli that can lead to the decision of the client to buy a particular product or avail a particular service offered. Once the need of the client had been recognized, it leads to the second level of the decision-making process which is deciding whether to buy a product or not. It is important to consider that the act

Buisness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Buisness - Essay Example as a template for a business proposal for a new Blackberry accessory company in the UAE, as a benchmark for how best to gain consumer interest and which specific aspects of design should be left out. This new business is described in this report, along with a discussion of the current business environment in the UAE in order to determine whether the new online company, Mobile by Design, can actually be competitive and turn a profit in a growing business climate. There is evidence that there is a high consumer demand not only for Blackberry and other mobile technology products, but a strong e-procurement system is also being developed which will assist in the supply chain needs of the new start-up internet commerce company. With various partnerships, trade show promotions, and print advertisements (amongst other opportunities for promotion), Mobile by Design intends to corner the UAE market in the sale of these devices. The promotional and consumer segmenting plans for this new busine ss are described in this paper. Two online companies selling different consumer merchandise were compared and contrasted in order to determine whether they were designed and launched according to web site design principles. These two e-commerce websites are Musicroom.com and Amazon.co.uk. Musicroom is an online company selling to specific niche markets in the music industry, with their products ranging from music sheets to musical instruments, as well as various CDs and DVDs associated with the music industry. Amazon.co.uk is a conglomerate online organisation selling everything from bedding sheets to bulk food products and services not only the UK, but the whole of the Amazon.com company services a multi-national consumer audience. Musicroom.com utilises very eye-catching graphics on the company’s home page, using a blend of different, vibrant yellows, reds and blues in order to enhance the users’ visual perception of the company and its website design. Seigel (2005) offers that

Walmart Case Essay Example for Free

Walmart Case Essay Walmart has thrived in a very competitive industry by building on its founding principles and developing arguably the industries best supply chain. It has integrated its sales to its suppliers, streamlined order fulfillment and driven down its costs, which is one of its key founding principles, â€Å"Our purpose is helping our customers save money so they can live better† (Grant text, 5 walmart core 5 values). Walmart has had great success in North America, but its cultural values have not translated well in other parts of the world. Great sales growth has not translated into significant margins. Walmart has incurred losses on its international operations. Carrefour (founded in France) and Walmart both retreated from Germany. Some of the key issues facing Walmart include adapting their founding 5 core principles to vastly different cultures; the drive to cut costs clashes with treating the employees as part of family (which part of the family has more value? Is treated with integrity? ); the drive to cut costs has been driven far down the supply chain to a myriad of suppliers, sub-suppliers and sub-sub-sub suppliers†¦. how can Walmart audit or control these suppliers†¦standards imposed by Walmart? Current Situation Brief History Walmart has grown over the past 50 years from a local ‘general merchandiser’ with 15 stores in Arkansas to become the largest in the world with over 10,000 stores world-wide. Wal-Mart’s six market segments are: groceries; fashion clothes; pharmacy; health clinics; financial services; and music downloads. Its main North American competitors are Target, Dollar General and Costco. Walmart has four formats plus on-line that it has adapted to its international expansion. These formats have not always been successful, especially in their foreign expansion with retreats in Germany, South Korea and losses in Japan. The formats are: The smallest are neighbourhood formats averaging 42,000 square feet Traditional Discount store averaging 102,000 square feet Sam’s Clubs averaging 127,000 square feet Super Centers averaging 187,000 square feet No matter who we are or where we come from, our values pull us together and keep us together. They constantly push us forward to become a better and stronger company. Mike Duke, Walmart President CEO Sam Walton drove this growth founded on five(5) core principles with its roots in small town US family values: Integrity: Be Trustworthy and honest in all your business activities (Sam valued Honor) Opportunity: If, you work hard and do a good job, you will be promoted (approx.. 75% of store managers started as associates) Family and Community: Your customers, suppliers and associates are your neighbours. Work with a purpose: Deliver them the lowest costs (EDLP) and their lives will be improved. Responsibility: Make the world a better place These became Wal-Mart Stores 3 core values: The Value Statement: Service to the customer, Respect for the individual and Striving for excellence. From the website: Delivering a seamless shopping experience; Talent is key to success; Benefiting our communities. The Mission Statement: Save Money/Live Better (from the website). There is consistency in Sam’s values and Walmart’s stated values today. Walmart built its US operations using a hub and spoke system. The hub (distribution center) supports the spokes (stores). Each wheel was the launch board to the next hub and spoke as a hub could support growth of sufficient stores to build a new hub. Today Walmart has expanded overseas primarily through joint ventures or acquisitions and then built wheels to support the new regions. Additional distribution models such as Remix and the integration of IT systems have been built to streamline ordering, deliveries and drive costs further down the supply chain. Expansion overseas and growth have impacted margins, at least in the international operations, and affected the ability to centrally control the operations and keep the personal relationships between head office and the individual store managers. Porters 5 forces the resource based approach (C. K. Prahad Core Competencies) to firm analysis The External Environment Porters 5 forces can be termed the outside-in approach to industry and firm analysis. The general merchandising industry is very competitive with few to no barriers to entry, buyers can easily switch among many substitute products with cost becoming the primary factor of choice for buyers. The only strength for a merchandiser is the choice among many suppliers. Barriers to new entrants (Low) Few to none Location and min financing Power of Suppliers (HIGH) Little power; many substitutes Power of Buyers (HIGH) Many alternatives; can price compare; customer service is of minimal concern Substitutes (Low) Most products have many substitutes Industry Competitors Intense rivalry; no obvious barriers to entry; suppliers have little power; the only avenue for uniqueness is internal competencies Based on the porters 5 forces analysis, we found the general merchandise industry is not attractive. We need to use a different model to assess Wal-Marts’s competitive advantage The real competitive advantage for any firm is how it uses its resources, but more importantly its capabilities to create competitive advantages over its rivals. The resource based view as â€Å"popularized by C. K. Prahad†¦. ’The Core Competence of the Corporation† will be used to evaluate Wal-Marts core competencies and its ability to leverage these competencies to create a sustained competitive advantage. Walmart’s Resources and capabilities (The internal environment) Tangible resources: 22-24% debt to total assets has remained stable; ability to borrow Their working capital has remained steady at 0. 9 to 1; pay bills as they come due Major investment in fixed assets at 56-58%; stores and fixtures to support sales growth US Super centres: 3022; 629 US discount stores (declining numbers); 611 US Sam’sclubs; 196 US Neibourhood Markets; 5651 International units†¦lots of stores 23% ROE will allow Wal-Mart to easily raise funds in the equity markets Walmart’s financial strength allows it to finance growth without increasing its leverage. Its debt to equity and working capital has remained stable over the past 10 years with little impact from the financial crisis. This, in combination with the industry’s highest return on equity, means Wal-Mart can borrow at a very low weighted (WACC) average cost of capital (interest costs have averaged less than 5% of long-term debt) or raise capital in the stock market at favorable prices. Its major investments are in inventory and fixed assets. The fixed assets are supported by 93% long-term debt and equity financing meaning part of working capital is supported by long-term financing. This is a conservative approach and explains why Wal-Mart was not greatly impacted by the credit crunch brought about by the financial crisis. Intangible resources Founding 5 core principles: small town values; EDLP; community; responsibility; opportunity Proprietary distribution sw systems- satellite RDFI for logistics mgmtand inventory control Links all stores, to system all the way to suppliers; tracks items Own their own satellite; use EDI with suppliers; POS to suppliers for inventory reorders Store layout Growth through Hub and spoke (distribution) system Cross-docking system: minimal warehousing; goods go immediately from dist pts to stores; minimizes costs Customer satisfaction guarantee program; use of greeters EDLP Decentralized store management: layout,pricing, sales strat by dept mgrs. , product mix within store Use of IT to integrate entire value chain Communication and supervision structure keeps stores close to HO Reg VP? 10-15 Dist Mgrs ? 8-12 stores; VP visit stores/no offices; data accum M-th; data anal Fri-sat; decision made Sat; Dist mgrs. Contacted sat for following week Wal-Mart’s founding principles as enshrined in its mission and vision give’s every associate right up to the management team a focus and an understanding of where each component of the value chain. fits in this picture and where each of their jobs and duties lie. There is no doubt, nor is there any drift. Each job has a purpose within Sam’s greater vision. Greeting the customer or stocking what is in demand is all part of the â€Å"Customer Satisfaction Guarantee†. The distribution (RDFI), purchasing (EDI) and sales (POS) systems have been integrated in order to control costs at all parts of the value chain. In effect driving costs back to the suppliers. This singular focus on cost has allowed Wal-Mart to pass this savings to its customers. This has been facilitated by minimizing bottle-necks using cross-docking and REMIX and growth with the hub and spoke strategy including regional mega distribution centers such as Shanghai China to support global growth. Decision making at the customer level has been decentralized to the store level allowing store managers and department managers control over layout, input on pricing and products on the shelf. This allows for EDLP (everyday low pricing) to be competitive at the local level in all regions. The weekly meeting is a hallmark of Wal-Mart. It has been changed to monthly, but the weekly gathering of information to facilitate decisions from the corporate to store level remains. The VPs meet with their district managers who visit all their assigned store managers (stores) gathering the intelligence needed to drive the strategy and the tactics. This information is culled to develop ongoing strategies from supplier acquisition or termination to individual store strategies all to facilitate â€Å"Save more, Live better†. Human Resources Empowered sales associates 94% of employees have health benefits With one year or more of service employees are covered by a pension Pay scale is higher than competitors All store managers from around the world participate in a monthly meeting via satellite (formerly the famous Wal-Mart weekly meetings) Wal-Mart’s employees (or associates) are family. They are your neighbours. Associates are empowered and when deserved, promoted . They are given better than average health benefits and wages. All associates are covered by a pension plan. Associates will someday become the VP’s, district managers and managers. They are Sam’s community to be treated with honour and respect, just the same as the clients. Capabilities Corporate Functions Multi-district mgr/VP coordination worldwide to Benton HO Centralized purchasing from Benton HO Management Info Complete integration of sales, inventory and supplier information through sophisticated IT systems to facilitate managerial decision making Eg. The VP/Dist mgr/Store mgr meetings and data gathering Operations Operational efficiency Centralized and proprietary supply chain system allows Walmart to drive down costs at all stages of the supply chain more efficiently than their competitors Walmart is able to use the capabilities of its EDI, POS and other data systems and combine this with the VP’s weekly info gathering exercise to make weekly managerial decisions. This is more sophisticated and faster than the competitions Store design; layout of aisles; and stocking of shelves benefits from the information capabilities REMIX Program: uses 3rd distribution

Comparing Creons Metamorphosis in Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedi

Creon's Metamorphosis in Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus      Ã‚  Ã‚   Temptation is ever present in our society and always has been throughout human history. When a person gives into temptation, this is seen as a sign of weakness. Usually, after a person has given into temptation once, that person will find each successive temptation easier and easier to give in to. Before realizing it, this person has changed into a completely false, morally lacking being. Over the course of Sophocles' three plays Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus, Creon gradually changes from a moral, just king into a morally corrupt and deceptive character.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the opening of the first Theban play, Oedipus the King, Creon is a neutral character. He informs Oedipus that the city of Thebes is suffering from a great sickness, and he even goes to Apollo to acquire information as to how this plague may be stopped. Oedipus proclaims Creon's trustworthy nature when he states "I sent Creon,/ my wife's own brother, to Delphi- / Apollo the Prophet's oracle-to learn / what I might do or say to save our city" (Lines 81-84). Oedipus later relies on Creon to arrange a meeting with Teirisias, the blind prophet who sees all things and is usually found within the city limits of Thebes.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Later on in the play Oedipus accuses Creon of conspiring with Tiresias against Oedipus' kingship. It is at this point in the play where Creon serves as the voice of reason and logic. Dodging Oedipus' insane accusations, Creon derives at many logical, unarguable explanations in his defense. Creon argues,    Who in his right mind would rather rule And live in anxiety than sleep in peace? Particularly ... ... Ode on Man in Sophocles' Antigone." In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Herodotus.   The Histories. Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt. England: Penguin Books, 1972.    Jaeger, Werner. "Sophocles' Mastery of Character Development." In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.    Segal, Charles. Oedipus at Colonus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993.    "Sophocles" In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.    Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Transl. by F. Storr. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedi