Modern Jewish History Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Modern Jewish History - Case Study Example This led to changing attitudes among Rabbis, as the faith began to become less strict. While it could be argued that this modernization became necessary in order for the faith to survive, it can also be argued that it takes away from the Jewish experience as a whole. The modernization of Jews in the Ottoman and Northern Africa differed greatly from the modernization of Jews in Europe because they were surrounded by different cultural elements in each place. The leaders of the European Jews viewed modernization as a destructive force that had the potential to ruin Judaism as a whole. Modernism was compared to a whirlwind by these leaders, which would become a destructive force against tradition and, therefore, the religion as a whole. What occurred because of these new modern ideas was a split between Jews in Europe. Traditionalists believed that everything new was forbidden by the Torah and this caused for those who wished to change the structure of Judaism to leave the religion and form their new branches. All of this was based on fear for the Rabbis of Europe and this fear overtook the religion and caused it to split. By not allowing for changes to be made in order to accommodate the new modern world, Rabbis created even more problems for European Jews. One such change that occurred involved how Jews were to dress. The modern world was creating new fashions and many Jewish people wished to change how they dress. The Rabbis believed, however, that this would make them indistinguishable from the Gentiles, which is going against the Torah because it is a form of shame. Many of these Jews also wished to take part in activities outside of their religious circles, such as become involved in politics or discussion groups. All in all, the leadership of the European Jews was responsible for the opposition to modernization and, therefore, responsible for dissecting the religion because of this. In Arab countries, Rabbis took a slightly different approach to modernization. While they did believe that modernization could cause some major problems for the faith, they also believed that many of the forces of modernization could be used to their advantage. They did not come out against modernization, but rather worked with in it order to ensure that Judaism would survive in the region, which included a rejection of many European ideologies, as they asked the question: " what in the culture of European peoples is superior to Arab culture, by which Iraqi Jews have been influences, that would make it appear preferable to them'".1 This led to a much less chaotic atmosphere in religious circles, as the people did not feel like they had to go against their religion in order to fit in with the rest of the modern world. The religious aspects of Judaism became less strict over this time as well. While the religious leaders were not happy with this fact, they also realized that they had to adapt to the times in order to help people to keep the faith. This is why they did not overreact when young Jewish men began trimming and later shaving their beards. While this was not allowed by Jewish tradition, the Rabbis realized that they could not stop modernization and, therefore, they moved away from some of the traditions, while keeping others alive. Because the modernization in the Arab world took place much later than in Europe, the Rabbis were able to learn from the mistakes of Europe, in order to ensure t

Company risk management analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Company risk management analysis - Assignment Example A year later in 1988 Vodafone was listed on the stock exchange. After three years in 1991, Vodafone separated from Racal Electronics and since that time, it was quoted as Vodafone in the stock exchange. In 1999, Vodafone merged with AirTouch Communication producing one company known as Vodafone Airtouch plc. The dawn of the twenty-first century saw greater developments for Vodafone Plc as it introduced Vodafone Live! in 2002 and went on to commercially launch its 3G services in Europe. A year later in 2005 the company launched a fixed mobile convergence product in Germany called Zuhause and acquired controlling interests on Hutchison Essar Limited in India. Since 2007, the company has been involved in a number of acquisitions and partnerships in Europe, Asia and Africa. Currently, Vodafone holds a market leadership position as the largest mobile carrier in terms of subscriber base. Vodafone’s Business Model Business models are very important for the existence of every business enterprise (Casadesus-Masanell, Ramon, and Ricart 2011). Models give a business a sense of direction and purpose (Chesbrough 2010) and basically define what the business is all about, what it seeks to achieve and the steps it will take to achieve the outcomes (Osterwalder and Pigneur 2010). The business model of Vodafone Plc is quite simple; it consists of five steps with the shareholder in between. The first element in the model consists of Assets; these include networks, supplier relationships, distribution, people, and brand (Vodafone 2013). Vodafone aims to have a great mobile network in all of the markets in which it operates. This mainly involves providing their customers with far-reaching coverage, reliable mobile connections, and increasing speeds and data capacity. Figure 1: Vodafone’s Business Model (Source: Vodafone 2013) Vodafone plc indicates in its annual report (2013) that it combines ongoing high level of network investment with a commitment to securing the b est possible portfolio of the spectrum. The next asset for Vodafone is people; the company has a highly skilled, motivated and diverse workforce. Vodafone expects its employees to be key in advocating for its products and services. Distribution is the other asset owned by Vodafone; the company reaches its customers through the over 15 thousand stores it owns as well as through a broad network of exclusive distribution partners and third-party retailers. According to Vodafone (2013), the Internet is becoming an increasingly important channel for distribution. The fourth item is the brand; Vodafone is ranked as one of the first most valuable telecoms brands in the world being worth over US$27 billion. This brand strength is one of the major drivers of purchasing decisions for consumers and enterprise customers. The final asset listed by Vodafone is its supplier relationships, the company has a large-scale global reach and is a key strategic partner with a large number of suppliers wit h whom it works together to develop innovative services and offer many new innovations. The next element in Vodafone’s business model is it its customers. According to Vodafone (2013), the company boasts over 404 million customers globally making it one of the biggest mobile operators in the world. The ranges of its customer

Analysis of Market Structures and Relating Pricing Strategies Research Paper

Analysis of Market Structures and Relating Pricing Strategies - Research Paper Example The decision of what the price for any given product or commodity should be made often has little to do with what it actually costs to produce and distribute a particular product. Fixed costs such as these are invariably influenced by the surrounding market structure in which the enterprise must operate. An evaluation must be made concerning what effect competitors will exert upon the market in which the firm operates. This becomes at least as important as any material production costs. Different strategies must be depending upon how other sellers are likely to react and what effect these sellers are able to exert upon the particular firm in question. The ability to shape the marketplace is an essential characteristic underscoring any market strategy, even as the rival firms try to do the same. It is necessary to cultivate an understanding of what effect the target firm's choices will have on the market place and how this interplay controls the behavior of other sellers, if any influ ence is meaningful (Samuelson & Marks, 2012) Depending on the political and economic environments in which the target firm finds itself, there is the possibility that other firms are effectively invisible, or remain so powerful that no plausible action can change the market. Relative to the status and assets of the target firm, other competitors may prove to be so small that their behavior has no discernible impact on the larger marketplace in which the target firm operates. In this case, it is possible to adjust prices in order to capitalize on opportunities to deliver the product or service in question – with concern only for what the law and buyer can pay. The other possibility is a setting, in which competing firms exist, that are so large and powerful relative to the target company that virtually no pricing decision will change the fundamental forces of supply and demand within the economic theater. This constitutes the reverse of the previous situation, and short-term o pportunities should be considered in this case, resulting in a different strategic environment with respect to pricing decisions. The interplay can become especially complicated in the third environment, in which the other sellers delivering the commodity in question are of approximately equal size to the target firm and are, therefore, influential and influenced by one another. Each company must be concerned only partially with real costs in terms of the physical delivery of goods and services, but must instead constrain oneself based on the behavior of competitors of equal size. In this case, physical production costs may have renewed importance because the firm capable of reducing them can command an obvious advantage over its rivals. Yet such gains may be temporary as this will prompt competing operations into a drive of innovative cost-cutting, which in a competitive marketplace is likely to be ongoing. The interaction of supply and demand colors each of these scenarios. A riva l firm exponentially larger than a given target firm has the potential to be much more competitive. If the disparity is too great, even if the target firm is able to deliver a commodity at a lower price, it would not be able to meet the demand already supplied by the much larger firm. Here is a problem of "getting a foot in the door," and regardless of

Business communication writing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business communication writing - Assignment Example Therefore, issues affecting customer loyalty must be handled with all the sobriety and attention that it deserves. Having deliberated through all your views, I think that we should sell through the remaining conventional wipes and not order new ones. This is because clearing our shelves completely as we wait for the newly formulated baby wipes will not only cause of loss of revenue. Where will we take all the conventional baby wipes that we have? We cannot just remove them and stash them away somewhere. The damage is already done with our customers’ loyalty, so the best thing is to make things right by not losing more customers as well as revenue. Secondly, clearing our shelf space all at once may make us lose our shelf space. Our competitors are looking for any slight opportunity to take advantage of any slip-up that might befall us. Therefore, if they notice our shelves are clear, they may find a way of taking our shelf space and even some of our loyal customers. The stock of conventional wipes that we have currently can last for a short period of time leading to sixty to ninety days loss of shelf space. In order to prevent this long period of shelf loss, we will pump more funds to into the research to ensure that the formula is arrived at within the shortest time possible. I have already talked with Martin Wolf and he reassured me that he will work extra hard with his team to ensure that we have the formula within fifty days. We will hire additional staff on contract basis to help him work day and night to ensure that the formula is a success. I am optimistic that by the time our customers will start experiencing the pinch of our dry shelves, we will have natural baby wipes back on our shelves. The buck now lies with the marketing team since they have a hard task of reassuring our customers that we have not changed on the promise we made to them. The marketing team will roll out a campaign to market the new natural baby wipes

Directional style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Directional style - Essay Example This turned away, for example, neorealism of the 40, where the world was shown as it was, without manipulation. In many films of Alfred Hitchcock we may notice something in common, which makes these movies together, making them look alike, to distinguish from the films of other directors and, thus, allow us to speak about the auteurs style of Hitchcock. Hitchcock Style manifested in the fact that in his motion pictures are often repeated certain plot motifs, method of presentation the audience, the technique of shooting, type of actors and so on. Some films of Hitchcock (especially early ones) are out of the general track - so they can be called unusual, in style, in contrast to the typical, "real" films of Hitchcock. From his first film Hitchcock had already demonstrated the ability to transfer all the details of the plot with the help of purely cinematic techniques. For example, in the film "The Tenant" is a scene in which the hostess points out that her new lodger nervously walks to his room on the second floor and it is suspicious. Hitchcock shoots the landlady, gazing somewhere upstairs. Then he shows us hanging on the ceiling chandelier, swinging from side to side. Then he inserts a frame in which the ceiling is made of glass and through it can be seen the pacing from one side to the tenant. With this ingenious receiving the viewer sees that is a heroine of the

The Role of Business in Addressing the Challenge of Unemployment Essay

The Role of Business in Addressing the Challenge of Unemployment - Essay Example Technological Advancements Progress in technology is one major cause of unemployment that the world faces in this century. Most of the things done today are simply done at the click of a button. The emergence of technology has rendered many people unemployable due to the fact that what they used to do manually can now be done faster and more accurately using computer programs developed for the purpose. No single economy would want to remain behind in terms of technology and thus this poses a big challenge to many people today. Computers have literally replaced men thereby rendering man unnecessary in the workplace. This challenge is addressed when businesses diversify into other areas or fields that do not entirely require the use of technology or computer programs. This has given some employees a lifeline to continue in employment. Lack of the Required Skills or Experience Many people especially the young people have been rendered jobless due to the fact that they do not have the skills or experience that is required for their roles. As technology grows, people also need to upgrade themselves to match the technological trends and the competition that has seen many CEOs spend sleepless nights trying to think on how to be better that their competitor. Without proper skills, one ceases to be an asset to a company as one ought to be but a liability. To address this challenge and to bridge the knowledge gap, many companies spend millions of money to train and expose their staff members on the emerging trends.

The Perfect Copy (Unraveling the Cloning Debate) by Nicholas Agar Essay Example for Free

The Perfect Copy (Unraveling the Cloning Debate) by Nicholas Agar Essay Nicholas Agar is a professor of ethics and a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). Agar has an MA from VUW and a PhD from the Australian National University. He has been teaching at VUW since 1996. He has been known as an expert writer particularly in the field of genetics and ethics. In his book The Perfect Copy: Unraveling The Cloning Debate, he attempts to unravels the science and the ethics of cloning and proposes ideas on how we should face this highly controversial topic.   To clone or not to clone, that is the question that is in the center of one of the most controversial debates within the scientific community today. The present technology today has given our imagination an opportunity to deal with the perils and possibilities of cloning. Even Hollywood has ridden the cloning bandwagon and has turned out many films which exploit the topic.   Although these films are a departure to what is possible, they still manage to pique our imagination and implant in us false notions and promises. These past few years, with the advances made in regards to cloning, the ethics of this act has become a great issue. Both sides present valid reasons to defend their claim. The debate over the morality of cloning human beings becomes a debate over contrasting images of cloning. The method of moral consistency may not give us a simple permitted or not permitted answer. The reason is that no single familiar practice will resemble cloning in every morally interesting respect. In all likelihood, we will end up constructing a moral image of cloning out of a variety of familiar activities and practices. It is often pointed out that cloning differs from the natural sexual way of having children. Some say that this unnaturalness alone suffices to make cloning wrong. A solid rebuttal to this is that things deemed unnatural but have received no objection like insulin shots, airplanes, and life saving medicine are a integral part of mainstream society. If you would follow the unnatural proposal, these things must also be unallowed. The main concern in ethics is the unease which people have regarding cloning. This instinctive revulsion is said to be due to ingrained wisdom or to an upset stomache. Agar argues that if this was the basis to oppose cloning, then it is very unscientific and flimsy. Moral progress is all about subjecting sub-rational moral urges and aversions to rational scrutiny. The word clone obtains it etymological origin from the greek word klon meaning branch. Clones are copies of organisms currently or previously existing with the exact same nuclear DNA. They do not result from a sexually beginning and thus are not genetically different from their parent organism. In our world, clones are the rule rather than the exception. Most low level organisms like algae, bacteria, lower vertebrates, and plants use cloning as a means to ensure their reproductive survival. The case of twins is a clear example of cloning which occurs in nature, even among human beings. Twins come from one egg that divides into two. There is cloning from the moment when multiplication begins to produce two genetically identical children. Cloning ensures that the exact genetic code of the parent is passed on as opposed to sex where only half of each parent is transmitted. This makes cloning more efficient in ensuring the survival of a genetically fit species. One technology that has been used to create clones is reproductive cloning. An example of this is Dolly, the first ever cloned sheep. Dolly was cloned using the process called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).   A reconstructed egg which derives its genetic material from an adult donor is electrified or treated chemically. The resulting cloned embryo is then implanted unto the uterus of a female host. It is relevant to point out that clones produced by using nuclear transfer technology are not a truly identical clone of the parent animal. This is because nuclear DNA composes only 99.7% of the actual heritable data. The rest are found in genes located in the mitochondria. There are numerous barriers in cloning humans. Aside from the legal and social issues still currently being debated, cloning with today’s technology is also very inefficient and dangerous. Cloning technology today is highly expensive. Also the success rate is dismal with only less than 10% of cloning attempts achieving success. Also, clones have relatively poor health, and are susceptible to diseases, tumors and other illnesses. And clones like the first cloned sheep of Australia have been known to die without known cause. Scientist theorize that these defects are due to errors in the reprogramming process. However there has been several claims by Clonaid and Italian scientists led by Antinori that they are either capable or on the verge of creating human clones. A problem arises in a cloned embryo due to imprinting. It is the marking of the genetic material for the mother and the father so that only one can be utilized. An error in the genetic imprint from a single donor cell may cause some of the developmental abnormalities of cloned embryos. Also it is postulated that clones are unhealthy due to the fact that they have short telomeres. Telomeres act as clocks, directly affecting the cell structure of an organism before they pass away. Due to the process clones have short telomeres, making them sickly and frail. Cloning is deemed wrong for many reasons. First the process results in the death of many embryos, which may constitute murder.   Also cloning is seen as unnatural when they are view in concepts that are taboo to society, like having clones of the dead, the unborn and the dying. This problem comes from an individual’s sense of uniqueness. This can be repudiated by the cases of identical twins. Twins may have identical genetic components but they turn out to be different individuals. Moralists have also a problem that cloning gives us a concept of playing God. Bringing back a dead person or ensuring that a baby will be born as well as extending the life of a dying person is seen to be in the realm of the Almighty. The promise of being able to create an exact replica of a given genetic code has given many opportunities for those incapable of having children. Of primary concern are those who are infertile. Cloning as with artificial insemination and other in vitro techniques provide a way for their aim of having children to come true. Another is the families of those with deceased or dying children. They view cloning as a means to once more experience the love of their child. Also, lesbian couples who wish to have a child look on cloning to fulfill their dream. But it must be noted that were the technology realizable and actual human clones producible, cloning can only go so far. The debate of whether a cloned person still has the same trait and behavior as the original leans in favor of no.   It is vital to note that it is not only the genetic code that forms the person’s identity but that person’s experiences, teachers and influences. The issue regarding human clones is that they are born with a genetic bias of who they are, denying them the open future that is a right to every human being. They may be treated as objects rather than as persons. This underlies the discussion o whether the act is that of making rather that begetting. The problem is will being cloned from the somatic cell of an existing person result in the child being regarded as less of a person whose humanity and dignity would not be fully respected. This points us to the dilemma as to the humanity of clones. And the question is clones less human than we? Are clones of us us in every way, or are they new individuals? One reason to clone humans is for research. The process of therapeutic cloning uses cloned human embryos for research. cloned human beings are not the target of this process but the production of stem cells for research. Any specialized cell in the human body can be derived from stem cells. Stem cells come from five day old eggs..   This act destroys the embryo, raising ethical concerns. Therapeutic cloning has been touted as being able to produce human organs for transplants. Scientists say that for this to be possible, DNA would be obtained from the transplant recipient and injected into a enucleated egg. Stem cells can then be gathered from the egg. These can then be used as a template to produce the specific tissue or organ needed which would be an exact genetic match to the transplant recipient. Because of this fact, it is postulated that the organ will not be rejected by the body during transplant. Another use of therapeutic cloning is the creation of genetically modified pigs which can also be utilized as a source of human organs. The process of xenotranspalntation or the transplanting of animal organs into humans is seen as a medically viable way to accommodate the increasing demand for organs. Pigs are used due to their high rate of reproduction and their being able to be cloned with relative ease. Primates, who are of a much closer genetic match to humans, are more complex and thus much harder to clone. In comparison to other animals, the tissues and organs of pigs are the ones more similar to humans. To be able to achieve this, scientists deactivate the gene in individual pig cells that when detected by the human body, leads to organ rejection. Harvesting of the organs of the resulting clones is then done. Cloning has been seen as an advance in eugenics. Eugenics is the act of manipulating a population to promote one race or type as superior to others with the end goal of ultimately taking over the population. The idea is that people who are exceptional, who are deemed superior to others in one or many fields, must be cloned since they represent the best of the human race. This idea has many ambiguities particularly on the concept of superior and inferior. Although there were some unlikely ideas in the book, like trading gene samples as a commodity, Agar fails to fully express the debate in this topic. What he does show is that eugenics, by using positive methods would be beneficial to the race. And he also shows the impact of being a clone born under a eugenic driven ideal. There are different cases and different problems with cloning as a reproductive tool. Striking the right balance between procreative freedom and childrens welfare in the age of reproductive cloning is likely to require a case-by-case approach. Nevertheless, the transcendental advantage of cloning will be brought about not for simple transplants in mans body to replace his sick organs, but for the complete cloning of the human being to eventually achieve the immortality of the individual. Man will no longer change the parts of a body damaged to a greater or less degree, but he will leave the old body and change to a new one, which will be also improved by genetic engineering. Thus, the long-sought-after immortality, which man has always desired with all his being, will be achieved. It has been repeated insistently that the human being has a right to life. To ban cloning, then, would be to deny him the right to continue living. If clones were to be feasible, they would probably suffer. This can be brought upon by errors in their production leading to medical illnesses or to the preconceived notions that surround them. It is stipulated by Agar that the human race may not be ready to incorporate the idea of clones living among us. We simply have too many fears and false notions that inevitably we would end up stigmatizing them. Agar proposes that we get rid of these notions and keep an open and intelligent mind as to what cloning can offer us. We must learn as a society to separate fact from fiction and to rationalize our views about cloning.    References: Alan Man Humanity and the Cloning Question: Comparing and Contrasting Arguments http://www.amsa.org/bio/clone.cfm searched October 21 at using google.com What Are Some Issues In Cloning? http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/cloning/clissues/ searched at Yahoo.com CloningFactSheethttp://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml searched October 22 using google.com