Tuesday, November 26, 2019
The Influences of Neutral Countries in WW2
The Influences of Neutral Countries in WW2 Nowadays, it became a commonplace assumption that the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 represented one the 20th centuryââ¬â¢s greatest accomplishments. Therefore, it does make a perfectly good sense for those countries that actively participated in WW2 on the side of the Allies, to take a great pride in having contributed towards the victory.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Influences of Neutral Countries in WW2 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What is utterly peculiar, in this respect, is that the strong anti-Nazi sentiment is now also being shared by the countries, which during the course of WW2 (or for the most part of it) remained neutral, such as Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Argentina. After all, this particular stance, on the part of the mentioned countries, appears rather illogical. The reason for this is quite apparent. Despite the formally neutral status of these co untries, they nevertheless used to contribute rather substantially to the Germanyââ¬â¢s war-effort ââ¬â especially through the warââ¬â¢s initial phases. In this paper, I will explore the validity of the above-stated at length, while promoting the idea that there is indeed a good reason to think that in WW2, the mentioned countries acted as nothing short of culprits, which should be held partially responsible for the affiliated atrocities. When it comes to discussing the subject matter in question, it is important to understand that, contrary to what it is being commonly assumed, the neutral position of a number of countries in WW2, had very little to do with these countriesââ¬â¢ intention to remain de facto neutral. Rather, it came because of their realization that it is namely by maintaining neutrality in the war, that they will be able to take practical advantage of the concerned hostilities. In other words, the declaration of neutrality, on the part of these countrie s, was driven by essentially utilitarian considerations. After all, as history indicates, this has always been the case, during the course of just about any war in the 20th century, that the antagonized parties used to experience a need in having a ââ¬Ëneutral groundââ¬â¢, for ensuring the possibility of diplomatic transactions with the enemy, in case the circumstances call for it.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This also explains why, as it was mentioned earlier, the majority of neutral countries (through the initial phase of WW2) used to act in the manner clearly supportive of the Germanyââ¬â¢s cause ââ¬â at that time, Germanyââ¬â¢s eventual victory appeared to be only the matter of time. The validity of this suggestion can be illustrated, in regards to what historians know about the influences of the mentioned countries on WW2: Sweden ââ¬â Up u ntil the year 1944, Sweden used to be in the state of a close economic cooperation with Nazi Germany. For example, it being estimated that by the year 1943, the volume of Swedish iron-ore, exported to Germany, has reached 60%. It is needless to mention, of course, that this came as a great asset, within the context of how Germany was trying to sustain its war-effort. The same can be said about the significance of the Swedish exports of wheel-bearings to Germany during the war, 60% of Swedish-made wheel-bearings (produced by the SKF corporation) used to be shipped directly to Germany.1 The representatives of this corporation in the U.S. are now known to have indulged in the industrial espionage against America, on behalf of Germany. Thus, there is indeed a certain rationale in believing that, despite the Swedenââ¬â¢s formally neutral status in WW2, it acted as if being nothing short of a Germanyââ¬â¢s ally. Switzerland ââ¬â Throughout the entirety of WW2, this particular c ountry played the role of the Germanyââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëvaultââ¬â¢ ââ¬â it is estimated that the amount of gold that the Nazis ended up storing in Swiss banks, was no less than $40 billion (in todayââ¬â¢s equivalent).2 Even though that at the warââ¬â¢s beginning, Switzerland was selling arms to both: the Nazis and Allies, by the year 1941 this countryââ¬â¢s military industry became solely focused on producing weapons for Germany. Swiss firms also used to represent the interests of German corporations around the world ââ¬â even in those countries that were in the formal state of war with Germany. We can also mention the fact that, as it has been revealed, some of the Swiss insurance-companies used to pass sensitive information about the American convoys with weapons (insured in Switzerland) to Germans ââ¬â hence, contributing to the early successes of the German naval warfare.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Influences of N eutral Countries in WW2 specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Turkey ââ¬â Throughout the course of WW2, this country tried to remain thoroughly observant of its obligations, as a neutral state. The validity of this suggestion can be shown, in regards to the fact that, until the warââ¬â¢s very end, Turkey resisted both: The Nazi and Allied pressure to join either of the causes at clash. Nevertheless, as it was the case with Sweden and Switzerland, Turkeyââ¬â¢s sympathies laid with Germany. In its turn, this can be explained by the Turkeyââ¬â¢s century-long fear of Russia.3 For example, until the year of 1944, Turkey remained the Germanyââ¬â¢s largest supplier of chrome. Nowadays, we can be quite sure, as to the fact that, had Hitler succeeded in ceasing the city of Stalingrad in 1942, Turkey would have declared war on the USSR, as well. Spain ââ¬â in WW2, despite being formally neutral, this country nevertheless never ceased pr oviding Hitler with much-need diplomatic and even military support. For example, the Spanish government allowed the formation of the so-called ââ¬ËBlue Division (consisting of volunteers), which fought on the side of the Germans in the East.4 Because of the Spainââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëneutralityââ¬â¢, the Nazis were able to buy oil from the U.S. until quite late in the war ââ¬â American tankers (belonging to the Standard Oil corporation) used to deliver oil to the Canary islands, in order for it to be reloaded into German tankers and transported to Hamburg. Spanish seaports also played an important role, within the context of Germanyââ¬â¢s economy being continually supplied with such strategically valuable materials as cooper and natural rubber. Portugal ââ¬â the most peculiar aspect about the neutrality of this country in WW2 is that, due to having refrained from siding with either the Nazis or Allies, Portugal was able to benefit rather immensely, in the monetary sense of this word. For example, through the years 1939-1946, the countryââ¬â¢s reserves of gold have increased from $43 million to $648 million.5 In its turn, this can be explained by the fact that, due to its strategically important geographical location, in WW2 Portugal was acting as a ââ¬Ëtrade mediatorââ¬â¢ between the Nazis and Allies ââ¬â much like it used to be the case with Spain.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Portugal was interested in having the WW2 sustained for as long, as possible, because it was allowing this country (which happened to possess the Europeââ¬â¢s largest deposit of tungsten/wolfram), to keep on charging the Nazis and Allies ever-higher prices for this natural resource (used by the manufacturers of weapons). Ireland ââ¬â in WW2, this country strived to live up to its self-assumed obligations of neutrality, while resisting the attempts of Germany and Britain to change the status quo, in this respect. For example, in full accordance with these obligations, Ireland made a deliberate point in interning German and British pilots, which had made a forced landing in Ireland, during the Battle of Britain. Nevertheless, it will not be much of an exaggeration to suggest that, during the course of this war, Ireland remained rather sympathetic to the specifically Nazi cause, which can be well explained by the legacy of British colonialism in this country.6 The latter also ex plains why a good half of the Nazi spies, who operated in the UK, were of Irish descent. In this respect, we can also mention the fact that, in the April of 1945, the President of the Executive Council of Ireland Eamon de Valera offered the German ambassador in Ireland official condolences over the death of Adolf Hitler. Argentina ââ¬â despite the fact that on March 25, 1945, this country did declare the state of hostilities with Germany, it nevertheless remained neutral, throughout most of the war. Nevertheless, while maintaining the position of neutrality, Argentina tried to provide a diplomatic assistance to Germany ââ¬â especially early in the war. One of the reasons for this is that, prior to the outbreak of WW2, the community of German immigrants in Argentina used to exercise a strong socio-political influence, which continued to be the case well after the warââ¬â¢s end.7 Partially, this explains why, during the course of WW2, Buenos-Aires was considered the center of German espionage in Latin America. As it was mentioned in the Introduction, there is a certain logic in considering many of the worldââ¬â¢s countries, which during WW2 remain neutral, as such that contributed towards the warââ¬â¢s elongation. After all, the earlier provided accounts of the mentioned countriesââ¬â¢ positioning in the war expose the de facto erroneousness of the very concept of neutrality, in the classical sense of this word. The reason for this is that these accounts point out to the following: In WW2, the neutral stance of the mentioned countries was essentially formal, as they did take advantage of a number of commercial opportunities, which came about due to the warââ¬â¢s outbreak. It is namely the utilitarian considerations, on the part of the countries in question, which were the main motivational factors behind the phenomenon of many world-nations having decided to refrain from becoming involved in the war ââ¬â not these nationsââ¬â¢ stro ng adherence to the very principle of ââ¬Ëneutralityââ¬â¢. Despite the formally neutral status of the discussed countries, they nevertheless used to act in the manner clearly sympathetic to the Germanyââ¬â¢s cause. This raises certain questions about whether some of these countries (especially Switzerland) should be required to pay a contribution to the warââ¬â¢s actual winners (Russia, Britain and the U.S.), on the account of having indirectly helped Hitler. I believe that the conducted study indeed represents a certain value, as a research-piece that implies that the assumption that WW2 was concerned with the struggle between the Nazis (evil), the West (good) and the USSR (lesser evil), does not make much of a sense. After all, in light of what has been said earlier, (within the exception of the U.S. and Britain/its colonies), the rest of the Western ââ¬Ëneutralââ¬â¢ countries appear to have been unofficially allied with the Nazis, throughout most of the war. Th e same can be said about the formally occupied (by Germany) countries, such as the Vichyââ¬â¢s France and Czechoslovakia, which continued to collaborate with the Nazis until the end of the war. What is also valuable about the conducted study, is that shows that it is specifically the paradigm of Political Realism, which defines the dynamics in the arena of international politics. In other words ââ¬â regardless of what happened to be a particular countryââ¬â¢s status, during the time of war, the continuous existence of this country never ceases being solely concerned with: a) political/economic expansion, b) maintenance of a political stability within, c) destabilization of competing states. Therefore, there can be no factually ââ¬Ëneutralââ¬â¢ countries, by definition. I believe that the validity of this suggestion can be further illustrated, in regards to what account for the most unknown aspects of WW2, upon which the historical inquiries (concerned with WW2) shoul d focus in the future. This allows us to formulate suggestions for the further studyââ¬â¢s possible topics: a) What was the significance of Rudolf Hessââ¬â¢s flight to Britain in May of 1941? b) What was the role of Swiss banks in helping the Nazis with the extermination of the Jews? c) What was the role of the Vatican and Sweden, within the context of how the Nazi criminals used to be provided with the Red Cross passports and shipped to Argentina? Bibliography Alvaredo, Facundo. ââ¬Å"Top Incomes and Earnings in Portugal 1936ââ¬â2005,â⬠à Explorations in Economic History 46, no. 4 (October 2009): 404-417. Atkins, George and Larry Thompson. ââ¬Å"German Military Influence in Argentina, 1921-1940,â⬠Journal of Latin American Studies 4, no. 2 (November 1972): 257-274. Bowen, Wayne. ââ¬Å"The Ghost Battalion: Spaniards in the Waffen-SS, 1944-1945,â⬠Historian 63, no. 2 (Winter 2001): 373-385. Cakmak, Cenap. ââ¬Å"Turkey in the Second World War: ââ¬ËEvas iveââ¬â¢ or ââ¬ËActiveââ¬â¢ Neutral?â⬠Journal of Academic Studies 7, no. 26 (August-October 2005): 61-78. Cowell, Alan. ââ¬Å"Switzerlands Wartime Blood Money,â⬠Foreign Policy 107 (Summer 1997): 132-144. Douglas, R. M. ââ¬Å"The Pro-Axis Underground in Ireland, 1939-1942,â⬠Theà Historical Journal 49, no. 4 (December 2006): 1155-1183. Lidgley, Harry. ââ¬Å"How Damaging to the Nazis was the Shetland Bus Between 1940 and 1944?â⬠Historian 116, no. 1 (Winter 2012/2013): 28-30. Footnotes 1 Harry Lidgley, ââ¬Å"How Damaging to the Nazis was the Shetland Bus Between 1940 and 1944?â⬠Historian 116, no. 1 (Winter 2012/2013): 29. 2 Alan Cowell, ââ¬Å"Switzerlands Wartime Blood Money,â⬠Foreign Policy 107 (Summer 1997): 135. 3 Cenap Cakmak,ââ¬Å"Turkey in The Second World War: ââ¬ËEvasiveââ¬â¢ or ââ¬ËActiveââ¬â¢ Neutral?â⬠Journal of Academic Studies 7, no. 26 (August-October 2005): 71. 4 Wayne Bowen,ââ¬Å"The Ghost Battalion: Spaniards in the Waffen-SS, 1944-1945,â⬠Historian 63, no. 2 (Winter 2001): 376. 5 Facundo Alvaredo, ââ¬Å"Top Incomes and Earnings in Portugal 1936ââ¬â2005.â⬠Explorations in Economic History 46, no. 4 (October 2009): 409. 6 R. M. Douglas, ââ¬Å"The Pro-Axis Underground in Ireland, 1939-1942,â⬠The Historical Journal 49, no. 4 (December 2006): 1162. 7 George Atkins and Larry Thompson, ââ¬Å"German Military Influence in Argentina, 1921-1940,â⬠Journal of Latin American Studies 4, no. 2 (November 1972): 261.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Battle of Naseby - English Civil War
Battle of Naseby - English Civil War Battle of Naseby - Conflict Date The Battle of Naseby was a key engagement of the English Civil War (1642-1651) and was fought June 14, 1645. Armies Commanders Parliamentarians Sir Thomas FairfaxOliver Cromwell13,500 men Royalists King Charles IPrince Rupert of the Rhine8,000 men Battle of Naseby: Overview In the spring of 1645, with the English Civil War raging, Sir Thomas Fairfax led the recently formed New Model Army west from Windsor to relieve the besieged garrison of Taunton. As his Parliamentarian forces marched, King Charles I moved from his wartime capital at Oxford to Stow-on-the-Wold to meet with his commanders. While they were initially divided on what course to take, it was ultimately decided for Lord Goring to hold the West Country and maintain the siege of Taunton while the king and Prince Rupert of the Rhine moved north with the main army to recover the northern parts of England. As Charles moved towards Chester, Fairfax received ordered from the Committee of Both Kingdoms to turn and advance on Oxford. Unwilling to abandon the garrison at Taunton, Fairfax dispatched five regiments under Colonel Ralph Welden to the town before marching north. Learning that Fairfax was targeting Oxford, Charles was initially pleased as he believed that if the Parliamentarian troops were busy laying siege to the city they would be unable to interfere with his operations in the north. This pleasure quickly turned to concern when he learned that Oxford was short on provisions. Arriving at Oxford on May 22, Fairfax began operations against the city. With his capital under threat, Charles abandoned his original plans, moved south, and attacked Leicester on May 31 in the hope of luring Fairfax north from Oxford. Breaching the walls, Royalist troops stormed and sacked the city. Concerned by the loss of Leicester, Parliament ordered Fairfax to abandon Oxford and seek battle with Charles army. Advancing through Newport Pagnell, the lead elements of the New Model Army clashed with Royalist outposts near Daventry on June 12, alerting Charles to Fairfaxs approach. Unable to receive reinforcements from Goring, Charles and Prince Rupert decided to fall back towards Newark. As the Royalist army moved towards Market Harborough, Fairfax was reinforced by the arrival of Lieutenant General Oliver Cromwells cavalry brigade. That evening, Colonel Henry Ireton led a successful raid against Royalist troops in nearby Naseby village which resulted in the capture several prisoners. Concerned that they would be unable to retreat, Charles called a council of war and the decision was made to turn and fight. Maneuvering through the early hours of June 14, the two armies formed up on two low ridges near Naseby separated by a low plain known as Broad Moor. Fairfax placed his infantry, led by Sergeant Major General Sir Philip Skippon in the center, with cavalry on each flank. While Cromwell commanded the right wing, Ireton, promoted to Commissary General that morning, led the left. Opposite, the Royalist army lined up in similar fashion. Though Charles was on the field, actual command was exercised by Prince Rupert. The center was comprised of Lord Astleys infantry, while Sir Marmaduke Langdales veteran Northern Horse was placed on the Royalist left. On the right, Prince Rupert and his brother Maurice personally led a body of 2,000-3,000 cavalry. King Charles remained in the rear with a cavalry reserve as well as his and Ruperts infantry regiments. The battlefield was bounded on the west by a thick hedgerow known as the Sulby Hedges. While both armies had their lines anchored on the hedges, the Parliamentarian line extended further east than the Royalist line. Around 10:00 AM, the Royalist center began to advance with Ruperts cavalry following suit. Seeing an opportunity, Cromwell dispatched dragoons under Colonel John Okey into the Sulby Hedges to fire on Ruperts flank. In the center, Skippon moved his men over the crest of the ridge to meet Astleys assault. Following an exchange of musket fire, the two bodies clashed in hand-to-hand fighting. Due to a dip in the ridge, the Royalist attack was funneled into a narrow front and hit Skippons lines hard. In the fighting, Skippon was wounded and his men slowly pushed back. To the left, Rupert was forced to accelerate his advance due to fire from Okeys men. Pausing to dress his lines, Ruperts cavalry surged forward and struck Iretons horsemen. Initially repulsing the Royalist attack, Ireton led part of his command to the aid of Skippons infantry. Beaten back, he was unhorsed, wounded, and captured. As this was occurring, Rupert led forward a second line of cavalry and shattered Iretons lines. Surging forward, the Royalists pressed into Fairfaxs rear and attacked his baggage train rather than rejoining the main battle. On the other side of the field, both Cromwell and Langdale remained in position, neither willing to make the first move. As the battle raged, Langdale finally advanced after about thirty minutes. Already outnumbered and outflanked, Langdales men were forced to attack uphill over rough terrain. Committing around half his men, Cromwell easily defeated Langdales assault. Sending a small force to pursue Langdales retreating men, Cromwell wheeled the remainder of his wing to the left and attacked into the flank of the Royalist infantry. Along the hedges, Okeys men remounted, joined with the remnants of Iretons wing, and attacked Astleys men from the west. Their advance already halted by Fairfaxs superior numbers, the Royalist infantry now found itself under attack on three sides. While some surrendered, the remainder fled back across Broad Moor to Dust Hill. There their retreat was covered by Prince Ruperts personal infantry, the Bluecoats. Repulsing two attacks, the Bluecoats were ultimately overwhelmed by advancing Parliamentarian forces. In the rear, Rupert rallied his horsemen and returned to the field, but was too late to make any impact as Charles army was in retreat with Fairfax in pursuit. Battle of Naseby: the Aftermath The Battle of Naseby cost Fairfax around 400 killed and wounded, while the Royalists suffered approximately 1,000 casualties and 5,000 captured. In the wake of the defeat, Charles correspondence, which showed he was actively soliciting aid from Catholics in Ireland and on the Continent, was captured by Parliamentarian forces. Published by Parliament, it badly damaged his reputation and boosted support for the war. A turning point in the conflict, Charles fortunes suffered after Naseby and he surrendered the following year. Selected Sources British Civil Wars: The Storming of Leicester and the Battle of NasebyHistory of War: Battle of Naseby
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Hyundai Auto Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Hyundai Auto Company - Essay Example With focus on the automobile industry of the US, it can be apparently observed that the market structure prevailing in the economy is a monopolistically competitive market (Nguyen & Kira, 1998). The major features of a monopolistically competitive market include: The inclusion of a large number of market players, availability of substitute (but not identical) products, Higher price-elasticity with minimum influence of producers on commodity price increasing the bargaining power of customers, Fierce competition in terms of promotion, quality as well as other non-price factors, In a MCM structure, a firm also enjoys the liberty of ââ¬Ëfree entry and exitââ¬â¢ which again raises the threat of new entrants (Nguyen & Kira, 1998) Hence, operating in the MCM structure, Hyundai needs to face steep competition along with the barriers of high price and demand elasticity along with greater bargaining power of both suppliers as well as customers owing to the availability of close substitut e products. This can be better illustrated with the assistance of its demand-supply curve. For instance, if the price for Hyundai Sonata increases with a single unit (e.g. from US$ 37.79 as on 2009 to US$ 38.79) it is quite likely that the demand for the brand will reduce proportionately with the availability of close substitute product of Toyota Camry. Therefore, its demand-supply curve can be formulated as below. Figure 1: Demand-Supply Curves of Hyundai As can be witnessed from the above diagram with a shift in the demand curve, the brand also needs to shift its supply curve in order to satisfy the equilibrium condition. Due to the fact that firms have limited influence over price structures, it... It is in this context that both Hyundai Sonata needs to focus on their competitive strategies to preserve their leading positions in the monopolistic ally competitive market of the US. The company is further observed to focus on its profit maximization strategies, placing emphasis on the aspects of marginal costs as well as average total cost. This, in turn, depicts the impact of an MCM structure on the company strategies. Operating within the MCM structure, a company needs to maintain its MC as equal to MR. The competitive position of Hyundai Sonata, in relation to its profit maximization strategies, can be better observed in comparison to the position of Toyota Camry, which is a close substitute of the brand in the MCM structure of US automotive industry. In this context, the total cost of Toyota at the end of the year 2009, 2008 and 2007 stood at à ¥20.99, à ¥24.02 and à ¥21.71 million respectively. Moreover, the quantity of units sold by the organization in the year 2009, 2008 and 2007 was recorded as 7.23, 9.23 and 9.49 million units respectively. Therefore, the MC for the year 2009 is 1.52 and 8.47 for the year 2008 in the case of Toyota. On the basis of the aforementioned figures, the ATC of Toyota for the year 2009 and 2008 is 2.90 and 2.60 million respectively. Similarly, the revenue of Toyota for the year 2009 was à ¥6.22 million and for 2008 was à ¥9.42 million.Thus, the calculated MR for the year 2009, in the case of Toyota, is à ¥ 4.29, whereas, the AR for three consecutive years is à ¥ 8 million.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Music essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Music - Essay Example This album created a better environment for other artists who we cherish today. It is through such albums that the musical history was laid in place. The sonâ⬠Burn Baby Burnâ⬠by Rob Zombie an Alice Cooper , from this album got a nomination to The Grammy Awards. This is an annual event where highly rated songs are awarded. The song got an award for ââ¬Å"Best Metal Performanceâ⬠.(Hogarth .G. 35). This song is also present in Zombieââ¬â¢s album ââ¬Å"Past, Present and Future ââ¬Å". This song was also remixed by Alice Cooper and it can be obtained from ââ¬Å"The Life and Crimesâ⬠box set. The song has a span of about two minutes and forty five seconds and it has been featured in many films, among them â⬠Rosemaryââ¬â¢s Babyâ⬠. Music had widely spread in these days (Tilley .A. 8)) and therefore it was appreciated though not compare ably with todayââ¬â¢s state. It is through the efforts made by early musicians such as Padre Martini who condemned the old hymns in church claiming that they were the same oneââ¬â¢s even in King Davidââ¬â¢s times. (Hogarth .G. 38) Music should be looked up and should not be taken for granted as advocated by many critics. It is through Chapter X that we are able to understand how music was in the past. Songs such as ââ¬Å"Burn Baby Burnâ⬠have moral teachings that guide us in our day to day
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Betrayal and Manipulation in the Accidental Billionaires Essay Example for Free
Betrayal and Manipulation in the Accidental Billionaires Essay In the Accidental Billionaires, the motif of manipulation and betrayal is prevalent. Mark Zuckerburg is the prime embodiment of manipulation and betrayal throughout the course of the work. Another character also attributed with such qualities is Sean Parker. Mark and Sean are similar in this aspect; manipulating their own world to achieve their goals. In the first few chapters of the book, the reader is introduced to the Winklevoss twins. The twins turn to Mark to aid them in their social networking idea, the HarvardConnection. After trusting Mark with their program, Mark begins to manipulate the idea into his own. In a very subtle way, Mark delays the twins in time to sire his own program. This action reveals to the reader that Mark is a lone wolf. Mark, told to us in the book, is not interested in money. For example, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦Microsoft had offered Mark between one and two million dollars to go to work for them-and amazingly, Mark had turned them downâ⬠(Mezrich 15). This action should be noted as the aspect of working alone seems to be, to Mark, the most efficient way to achieve fame. Mark is highly influenced by Bill Gates, a man who rose out of the very same school Mark attends and manipulated his way throughout his pursuits of Microsoft, and in Markââ¬â¢s point of view, individual. With his displeasing physique and social incompetence, it is easy to see why people underestimate Mark and are taken advantage of. Another character to note is Sean Parker. Sean Parker is a foil to the protagonist, Mark. Mark pairs up with Sean after he launches ââ¬Ëthefacebookââ¬â¢. Sean has a history of manipulating his way through major companies with the agenda of getting rich only, quite the opposite of Mark. Sean is extremely energetic, whereas Mark seems to be lazy as represented by his lack variety in his attire- flipflops, jeans, etc. Sean, however, was betrayed by those companies he used to work for, but, ironically, he pursues yet another company that betrays him in the end. Betrayal, through manipulation, is in the subtitle of the book, ââ¬Å"A tale of sex, money, genius, and betrayal. â⬠Betrayal is mentioned last in this climax because that is to show the most important motif and a symbol of the bookââ¬â¢s overall structure- It goes from Eduardo and Mark seeking attention to ââ¬Ëget laidââ¬â¢, then pursue money with genius innovation of modern social networking, and finally, Markââ¬â¢s betrayal is concluded when he removes Eduardo and Sean from his life because they threatened his brainchild, Facebook. The motif of betrayal is very subtle to the reader. Even after reading the subtitle that Mezrich so blatantly states before the beginning chapter, I was manipulated into completely forgetting about betrayal and instead was focused on the pursuit to fame. Even the title fools the reader in stating the plural form of billionaire, but only one billionaire is spawned at the conclusion of the book. Just as the twins, Eduardo, and Sean, Markââ¬â¢s real agenda was cloaked to me, until it finally dawned in the closing chapters.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Medea :: essays research papers
The two Greek plays, Medea and Antigone both exhibit opening scenes that serve numerous purposes. Such as establishing loyalties, undermining assumptions on the part of the audience, foreshadowing the rest of the play, and outlining all of the issues. Medea and Antigone share many similarities in their openings. à à à à à Both plays begin with providing the audience with the history and the consequences of certain situations that the characters were involved in. It also brings the audience to the present time, in which the play occurs. This enables the audience to have a clear and refreshed image of what aspect of the legend the play emphasizes or if any alterations were made. In Medea, the nurse is the first character who enters the play and reminds the audience of the legend of the Golden Fleece, and the love between Jason and Medea, from beginning to the end. She also brings them to the present state Medea is in, which is of complete despair and depression after Jason remarried. ââ¬Å"And she hates her children now, and feels no joy at seeing them.â⬠(Oates, 292). In Antigone, one of the purposes of the chorus is to provide history to the audience. Although, Sophocles did change the structure a little. The first to enter the play are Antigone and Ismene, who are engaging i n conversation over defying the edict forbidding their brothers burial, which brings the audience to the present time. Shortly after, the chorus enters and recounts the reasons for the battle and death of Polyneices and Eteocles, brothers to Antigone and Ismene. The chorus appears every scene to serve as the voice of the culture, and counsels to the characters. ââ¬Å"â⬠¦Save those two of cruel fate, who, born of one sire and one mother, set against each other their twain conquering spears, and sharers in a common death.â⬠(Oates, 192). While the chorus and the nurse recount the background of the story they simultaneously set the mood of the play. Their speeches are expressed with such deep emotion that the audience canââ¬â¢t help but become involved. The nurse in Medea sets a very tense mood that remains throughout the whole play. ââ¬Å"I fear she may contrive some untoward scheme; for her mood is dangerous nor will she brook her cruel treatment.â⬠(Oates, 292). Another similarity these two plays share is the defiance of the traditional role of women. The Greek culture was set in the role that women should take and it was rarely violated. Medea :: essays research papers The two Greek plays, Medea and Antigone both exhibit opening scenes that serve numerous purposes. Such as establishing loyalties, undermining assumptions on the part of the audience, foreshadowing the rest of the play, and outlining all of the issues. Medea and Antigone share many similarities in their openings. à à à à à Both plays begin with providing the audience with the history and the consequences of certain situations that the characters were involved in. It also brings the audience to the present time, in which the play occurs. This enables the audience to have a clear and refreshed image of what aspect of the legend the play emphasizes or if any alterations were made. In Medea, the nurse is the first character who enters the play and reminds the audience of the legend of the Golden Fleece, and the love between Jason and Medea, from beginning to the end. She also brings them to the present state Medea is in, which is of complete despair and depression after Jason remarried. ââ¬Å"And she hates her children now, and feels no joy at seeing them.â⬠(Oates, 292). In Antigone, one of the purposes of the chorus is to provide history to the audience. Although, Sophocles did change the structure a little. The first to enter the play are Antigone and Ismene, who are engaging i n conversation over defying the edict forbidding their brothers burial, which brings the audience to the present time. Shortly after, the chorus enters and recounts the reasons for the battle and death of Polyneices and Eteocles, brothers to Antigone and Ismene. The chorus appears every scene to serve as the voice of the culture, and counsels to the characters. ââ¬Å"â⬠¦Save those two of cruel fate, who, born of one sire and one mother, set against each other their twain conquering spears, and sharers in a common death.â⬠(Oates, 192). While the chorus and the nurse recount the background of the story they simultaneously set the mood of the play. Their speeches are expressed with such deep emotion that the audience canââ¬â¢t help but become involved. The nurse in Medea sets a very tense mood that remains throughout the whole play. ââ¬Å"I fear she may contrive some untoward scheme; for her mood is dangerous nor will she brook her cruel treatment.â⬠(Oates, 292). Another similarity these two plays share is the defiance of the traditional role of women. The Greek culture was set in the role that women should take and it was rarely violated.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Samsung Distribution Channel
Samsung marketing strategy in china Nowadays, Chinaââ¬â¢s communication industry is developing rapidly, and China has become the biggest mobile phone market all over the world. There are many international renowned mobile phone manufactures and local producers in this market and these companies are competing fiercely in Chinaââ¬â¢s mobile phone industry. It is known that, in 1999, when the domestic mobile phone brands entered the mobile phone market, few people had expected that the domestic mobile phone brands would survive in this market. However, with the passage of time, the local brands made great development and their total market share surpassed that of the international mobile phone giants including Nokia and Motorola. In 2001, the market share of domestic mobile phone was 15%; in 2002, the rate was more than 30%; and in 2003, the market share rose to more than 50%, which was a historical breakthrough for the domestic brands. However, since 2004, the condition of China-made mobile phones has become negative. As the competition in this market gets fiercer, foreign mobile phone manufactures are consistently developing new brands and improving their distribution channels, and the domestic brands have lost the once-owned channel advantages. Because of some problems of domestic mobile phone industry, the market share rate has dropped dramatically, and most of the domestic mobile phone companies have suffered great losses. What was worse, some domestic mobile phone enterprises such as PANDA, EASTCOM, and SHOUXIN were so badly defeated that they were out of the Chinese mobile phone market. In this market with fierce competition, Samsungââ¬âa Korean mobile phone brand has developed quickly in recent years and continuously won the first place in market share. As one of the worldââ¬â¢s top three major mobile phone manufacturers and the Korea phone leader, Samsung mobile phoneââ¬â¢s product concept is ââ¬Å"fashion-leading technologyâ⬠. Its brand development strategy is to create the best products in the world. Samsung has created many number ones, such as the worldââ¬â¢s first mobile phone that has a rotating screenââ¬âSGH-V200, the worldââ¬â¢s first MP3 phone, the worldââ¬â¢s first TV phone, watch phone and the worldââ¬â¢s first CDMA/GSM dual-mode mobile phone. Samsung mobile phone is taking the high-end product strategy, which is different from Nokia and Motorola. In the high-end electronics market, Samsung is always the first to launch a variety of superior products and it always makes high profits by virtue of time advantage. In China in the year 2008, Samsung introduced 20 models of mobile phones, of which the appearance, the function and the quality are designed with advanced concepts, innovative technologies and world-class standard. Samsung mobile phones are always popular in China and the other countries all over the world. The success of the Samsung mobile phone enterprise in China lies in its unique industry background and professional strengths, and the company also benefits from research and development and the marketing strategies which are compatible with the environment. Marketing strategy is the marketing logic whereby the company hopes to achieve its marketing objectives, which includes special strategies for target markets, positioning, the marketing mix and marketing expenditure levels. Once the overall competitive marketing strategy is set, the company is ready to begin planning the details of the Marketing Mix, one of the major concepts in modern marketing. The Marketing Mix consists of many variables that the company should do to increase its product demand. These variables are known as the 4Ps: product, price, promotion and place (distribution). The reasonable Marketing Mix could help the company to establish strong positioning in the target markets. Based on the understanding of the importance of 4Ps Marketing Mix and its impact on Chinaââ¬â¢s mobile phone industry, this paper is divided into five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction. It briefly introduces the research background and its academic and practical implications. Chapter two is the thorough analysis of current domestic mobile phone market. After the introduction to Chinaââ¬â¢s mobile phone development history, this chapter mainly analyzes the internal and external environment of Chinaââ¬â¢s mobile phone industry by virtue of the SWOT Analysis Method. Though the analysis, it is known that domestic mobile phones have some advantages, such as the cost advantage, localization advantage and fast market reaction advantage. The weaknesses of the domestic mobile phones are that the core technologies are weak, mobile phone qualities are not guaranteed, there is serious product homogenization and most of the domestic mobile phone enterprises are on a small scale. It is certain that the local mobile phone industry has many opportunities for its development, which include the sound economic conditions, the support from the government, the coming of 3G era and the coming of phone replacement rush. However, domestic mobile phone companies do face some threats, such as the threats from copycat mobile phones and the international mobile phoneââ¬â¢s fierce competition. Chapter three is the introduction to Samsung mobile phone and the analysis of its successful marketing strategies in China. In this chapter, it is known that Samsungââ¬â¢s successful marketing strategies could mainly be expressed by the variables in its Marketing Mix. In product, Samsung is always focusing on producing high quality products to build strong brand image and enhance the brand value, offering perfect after sale services to own good reputation, launching continuous product innovation to maintain brand image and brand vitality and supplying distinctive and fashionable designs to maintain brand differences. In price, Samsung has effectively assessed the value and the quality of its digital electronic products, the importance of the productââ¬â¢s unique, stylish design and knows that the consumers are willing to pay high price for such products, and therefore it adopted the skim pricing strategy. In channel strategies, Samsung has always insisted on national agents, and it has prudently selected the national agents to do its distribution. In terms of the promotion strategies, Samsung always focuses on unifying advertising agencies and launching a series of effective advertising campaigns. Two of its excellent promotion strategies are launching a variety of sports sponsorship, focusing on Olympic TOP Program and making use of entertainment activities to enhance fashion marketing, which proved to be qui te effective. Chapter four concluded some implications to the local mobile phone industry. It is suggested that, in terms of the product, the domestic manufactures should master and develop core technologies, enrich the product line and produce more high-end products. Besides, the mobi
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