Post-Civil War Urbanization Pros and Cons Essay Example for Free

Post-Civil War Urbanization Pros and Cons Essay The Post-Civil War era of urbanization in the United States created a number of improvements and positive results that outweighed the negative aspects of the time. The country witnessed an increase in population, a better public school system, and increased social reform movements. During urbanization, the population of the United States rose. In 1860, none of America’s cities had a million citizens but by 1890, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia all had more than one million inhabitants. With a population of approximately 3. 5 million people, New York became the second largest city in the world. A wave of immigration from Europe contributed to the increase in population. These â€Å"New Immigrants† came from eastern European nations such as Italy, Greece, and Poland. The increase in population allowed for the increase in other sections of society. As the population increased, the need for education also rose. The number of public high schools in America grew between the 1880s and the 1890s. The idea that a free government could not function successfully with uneducated and ignorant people became more widely accepted. Colleges became increasingly necessary and schools designed for training teachers expanded. Education was greatly helped by the Morrill Act of 1862 which granted public lands to the states for support of education, many of which became state universities. Urbanization and the population boom allowed for education to greatly increase. The problems surrounding the immigrant and working class helped awaken a new social reform movement. Jane Adams was a college-educated reformer against war and poverty. In 1889, she established the Hull House as a settlement house to help immigrants. More settlement houses were established and used as centers for activism and social reform. In 1893, the Hull House successfully lobbied for an Illinois anti-sweatshop law to protect women workers and prohibit child labor. Urbanization after the Civil War helped to reawaken the Social Reform movements in America. Urbanization helped the United States of America rebound after the Civil War. The Population boom, growing education, and social reforms were all beneficial results that changed the nation. Though there were some negative aspects of urbanization, the good results outweighed the bad. Kaitlyn Lucas Ms. Rizzo AP United States History B February 10, 2014 Urbanization Cons The post-Civil War age of urbanization had terrible effects on the nation as a whole. The good aspects of urbanization were not worth the bad aspects that accompanied them. The United States of America faced new problems. Urbanization led to pollution and waste production, and a disturbance in rural America. People who lived in the country produced very little waste. They used and renewed the resources at their disposal. Once urbanization began to pick up and new businesses such as Sears began to package things in throwaway bottles, boxes, bags, and cans, getting rid of waste became a problem. Pollution became a real problem in cities and sanitary facilities could not keep up with the waste produced by the booming population. The cities were filled with a permanent stench due to impure water, uncollected garbage, unwashed bodies, and animal droppings. Urbanization removed and replaced many jobs, particularly those in agriculture. Farmers were drawn from their fields and moved to cities to work in factories. Rural America was declining and giving way to the rise of urban America. Local general stores were replaced by large chain department stores such as Macy’s. The era of urbanization increased the division between classes. The Wealthy lived in suburban mansions and the poor lived in dirty slums, many struggling to survive. Urbanization created mass waste production, and the decline in rural America. Any good that came out of post-Civil War urbanization, was overshadowed by the negative aspects of the time period.

The Positive Impact Of Olympic Economics Essay

The Positive Impact Of Olympic Economics Essay The birthplace of Ancient Olympic Games is Ancient Greece which is called as the Olympic Festival and it was held every four years. Due to the sacrifices of animals were made, a number of the sport competitions occurred which include stadium race, boxing, wrestling, horse riding events and pentathlon such as running, jumping, discus, javelin and wrestling. The winners of the competition were crowned wreath of wild olive and also get great honor. All the Greeks were being allowed to enter into the competition except for the slaves and barbarians. The ancient Olympic Festival was continued until the end of Greek Empire over two thousand years ago. (Technology Student, 2004) Baron Pierre de Coubertin which is the founder of the modern Olympic Games, said that the most important of Olympic Games is to take part in but not to win, as the most important things in life is struggle but not victory. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896 which has been chosen as recognition of Greek Festival. Its purpose is to create games in order to ensure that people around the world would compete and meet in friendly atmosphere. The meaning of the modern Olympic is the athlete from each country takes an oath In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams at the opening of the ceremony. The aim of Olympic movement is the goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The head office of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is located in Lausanne and Switzerland in order to manage and control the Olympic Movement and the members are from all around the world. The motto of Olympic is called Citius, Altius and Fortius in Latin which means faster, higher and stronger or braver. (Technology Student, 2004) The Objective of Olympic: The objective of Olympic is strived to promote Olympic Games which meets the standards of sustainable development and also respect the environment. The Olympic Games are to promote sustainable development in sports and needs. Besides that, the Olympic Games also promotes positive legacy to the host cities to the Host countries. (Wiki Answers, 2013) Positive Impact of Olympic: Besides being a sport, Olympics also affect business and hosting countries which are businesses can gain from Olympic such as increasing sales, advertisements and reputation through sponsorships. All the companies, sponsorships and investors of the world are focused on Olympics Games in order to help all the business to increase sales. Hosting the Olympic Games can bring many benefits for the host country which can be divided into either short term or long term. The short term of economic benefits including of the fresh cash flow from the visitors who visit the host country, athletes, officials, training activities, cultural events and media activities linked to the Olympics and the formation of Olympic committee. There have three major categories of long term economic benefits for hosting Olympic Games which are including the creation of infrastructure is reaching the global standards, the concern of the international community through media and related to the community. (Globalrp E conomy Issue, 2013) Short term economic benefits are likely as the total changes that occur in terms of revenue, employment and total national output through foreign investments. The first national economic impact will lead to the fact that the host country will be required to produce more services and goods. Therefore, the goods will be consumed to the athletes and the official themselves. The international visitors will need to consume the industrial products. Besides that, that Olympic also include of media personalities of nationally and internationally and these groups will also need to consume goods and services by the host country. There will be also many sponsors participate in Olympic Games and they will also required to consume the commodities. Therefore, the total amount of additional revenue will come from the sales of production of goods by the host country and the above mentioned groups will form a huge of direct economic benefits from the hosting Olympic country. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) Another short term of positive impact of Olympic is some tourists may be interested when seeing the host countys website during the Olympic Games and after. Therefore, there will be large amounts of revenues from those visitors. Research indicated that hosting Olympic country can earn 823 dollars from visitors who visit or access the host country within the first twenty days prior of Olympics and twenty days after the Olympic. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) In addition, the positive impact of Olympic is providing job opportunities or employment. We should not be underestimates the level of creating the employment opportunities from the host country. In fact, an economic estimate in Atlanta, Georgia which is a state that organized the Olympic), the result shows that about seventy seven thousands of employment opportunities were been created. The hotel industry and lodging take up the largest part of creating the job opportunities. Besides that, the food industry such as bars also provides job opportunities. Additionally, the construction sector also will be provided jobs since there will be additional infrastructure such as new buildings. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) The long term economic benefits from hosting the Olympic Games can be as legacy of host country. The first legacy will be considered of facilities built specifically for Olympics. After the Olympic Games, the facilities can be continuing operation for many years. The host country needs to build a top level of Stadium in order to meet the international standards. In fact, Georgia was hosting the Olympic Games in year 1996 and the stadium was costing them approximately 189 million US dollars which is consider as quite good investment since the rate of return greater than investments. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) Another important positive impact is the fact of hosting the Olympics will be exposure for the host country through excessive media and the hosting country will be able to seen by the World. Therefore, their strengths will be reflected in their marketing efforts and this will greatly increase their tourism industry the next few years. Additionally, there will be also exposure in business aspects in order to attract investors come and invest in host country. (Globalrp Economy Issue, 2013) As a host country, London Olympic Games was the worlds hottest spot in 2012. Olympic is an important and massive event that a collection of athletes, media, visitors and politicians from all around the world which is definitely a prestigious role city. According to London, the Olympic Games provided positive impact to the larger businesses in London although there is not reach the extent that had anticipated. But according to the survey of 100 large companies by Deloitte which is the official professional services provider to London 2012. Since the beginning of the Olympic Games, 42% of companies reported that an increase in demand and 77% of retailers increase in demand from the new customers. This result preparation and planning was paid off. Naturally, the greatest advantage is the increasing in Tourism industry. According to London, it was been attracted approximately 300,000 of foreigners and also about 5.5 million day trippers during Olympic Games. (The Consultant Eu, 2013) Another fact was according to Beijing China in 2008, the number of visitors or tourists were rising rapidly. This result shows that Olympic brings the host country to increase the visibility. According to Chen Jian who is the president of Beijing Olympic Economic Research Association was estimated that Beijing was received about 600000 foreign visitors and 2.5 million from Chinas domestic tourists during the Olympic Games along with the number of foreign visitors in Beijing will grow 8% to 9% annually. Besides that, a foreign country student who studying in Beijing was experienced the craze of Olympic Summer by the improvements in infrastructures and commercial services during the Olympic Opening Ceremony. In addition, the number of hotels in Beijing has also increasing in the recent years. That is because since China was entered the WTO and won the Olympic bid, therefore the country was reduced the hotel ownership restrictions. Furthermore, the recruitment in Beijing Olympic sponsor s, partners, suppliers and others companies also wants to take the benefits of the Olympic buzz in Beijing in order to contribute in increasing of advertisement. (Business Today, 2013) The third fact was according to Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 were praised as the best Olympic Games because Sydney not only did achievements on improving the environment, improve urban construction, promote the development of transportation, real estate and tourism, but it also promote the host citys international reputation. Sydney brought a considerable sum of profits and motivated promote the follow-up industrial development of tourism, transportation and real estate. Especially, it brought the huge number of direct revenues about 2,605 million US dollars which is the most profitable in Olympic Games. Additionally, it stimulated about 500 thousands tourists. (Bitstream, 2013) Negative Impact of Olympic: The Olympics prestige not only goes along with economic benefits, it also does in downfalls and significant risks which should not be ignored. Therefore, hosting the Olympic Games is very important to the hosting country. To host the Olympic Games is a huge responsible for the country or city due to having a huge risk because the hosting country invested a large amount of money in the games but they do not know about how many visitors coming for the Games. Therefore, they are risking funds without having a backup plan if there is less visitors in the Games. The Olympic Games also will influence the population of the city about one or two months. The city will be crowded of traffic and interrupt the daily of the citizens due to many visitors. Besides that, when the country hosting the Olympic Games, everything must be near perfect such as the street must be clean and in good condition, the stadium must be neat, the hotels must have sufficient reservations for the visitors. This is all about money. However, the money from the visitors or tourists is not enough to support the wastage. Therefore, the country invests a large sum of money in order to keep the city or country clean and well present during the Olympic Games. If any problem occurs during the Olympic Games, the country has to waste money to fix it. Hosting Olympic Games brings disadvantages to the hosting country especially for poor countries because waste of resources with could for used for the welfare of citizens, corruptions, benefits to go to people in power and business but the poor suffer. Therefore, hosting Olympic Games are waste of resource and money. The money should used for more important things such as improving infrastructure, curing malaria and providing proper education for children and adults from poorer countries. A lots of money are spend on Olympic Games just to watch athletes participate in the Games, but the money can actually donate to the charities in order to helping people in the world. (Debate, 2013) Besides that, another negative impact is social impacts which are cumulative and a wide range of over space and time. Olympic Games may change the significant and the impact assessment become complicating due to the long lead times, dimension and natural of the event. The changes will affect the increasing in congestion, evictions, increasing in prices such as increasing in land rental value. The negative effect of Olympic Games comes from expenditures on transports infrastructure, facilities, housing, safety measures and maintenance in order to meet the requirements or demands of the International Olympic Committee and also to impress to the public. According in London, the total budget comes up to  £9.325 billion. This result estimates that the costs of Olympic Games are difficult tasks. This was result in the final budget was exceeded by  £5.906 billion of the projected budget from the bid in November 2004. Besides that, the expenditure of security had to double. At the same time, there has been twelve fold rises in the management fees by UK Parliament. Therefore, it has been claimed that spending is higher than expected which has been exceeded the positive impacts on economy of United Kingdom. (Merar, 2010-2013) Evidence was in Athens Olympic Games in 2004 was failed to motivate the economic growths due to lack of publicity or promotion and a large number of expenditures. According to Wang and Chen who said about the large amount of expenditure was about 12 million US dollars which is a big debt will be paid for about 10 years. The amount of expenditure was more than double of the budget. Besides that, the Olympic gymnasiums and facilities were not invested until 2000. Therefore the postponed construction led to large amount of costs and inefficiency. This result shows that Olympic Games indeed have a significant impact on the economic development of the host cities. (Bitstream, 2013) Besides that, evidence was showed that the United State government was investigated the BHP Billiton Ltd which is the world top mining company possible of corrupt practices and it was being one of the sponsorship of Beijing Olympics Games 2008. According to Fairfax reported that between 2000 until 2008, BHP Billiton Ltd spent millions of dollars on sponsorship deal of Olympic Games. Conclusion: As a conclusion, I would like to conclude that Olympic Games bring positive impacts and negative impacts to the hosting country that result show the Olympic Games are more than a sport because there are included in cultural, political and economic phenomena. Particularly interest to see Olympic as a tourism attraction, marketing opportunity, media event, the catalyst for urban renewal and development and also was the inspiration for youth and generating a force for peace and understanding of international as well. In fact, it can be said that there value-added, non mainly on sporting, roles which makes Olympic Games becomes unique at the international level and in order to continued survive probably depends on their continuing to play these roles. For example, according to Sir Roger Bannister (1988) who is the Olympic athlete first man to run a mile within four minutes and later became British Sport Minister was discussing about Olympic Games will moves towards the changes but still remain the greatest hopes of the world. Besides that, Olympic is in the deepest interests of the world of the future for them to be continuing. (Google Books) Furthermore, Olympic Games are much more than a show, the games are open to the world and the entire country has the opportunity to take part in numerous activities such as the marching of the flame throughout the country, cultural activities, educational projects and local volunteer services.

Swot Analysis Of China Telecom Marketing Essay

Swot Analysis Of China Telecom Marketing Essay In this chapter, we will perform SWOT analysis to each company mainly based on their annual reports, as well as forecast their future trends and external environments development in the coming years through their future strategies and news. SWOT summarizes the key issues from the business environment and the strategic capability of an organization that are most likely to impact on strategy development. This can also be useful as a basis against which to generate strategic options and assess future course of action. (Johnson, G.2008) Strengths: characteristics of the business, or project team that give it an advantage over others Weaknesses (or Limitations): are characteristics that place the team at a disadvantage relative to others Opportunities: external chances to improve performance (e.g. make greater profits) in the environment Threats: external elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project 6.1 SWOT analysis of China Telecom Strengths Absolutely leading broadband resources and network infrastructure in China. They have very strong advantages in fixed communication field  [1]  . Strong abilities in the development of new business because their affluent network resources and various business types. The first telecommunications operator in China to publish Cloud computing strategy and solutions  [2]  . To innovated the data traffic marketing model, through strengthening sales and marketing to enhance customers experience and cultivating users habit of usage to increase data revenue  [3]  . They will strive to enhance their strengths in innovation, service, efficient centralisation and operation management, and take more solid steps towards the goal of being a world-class integrated information service provider so as to create more value for shareholders  [4]  . China Telecom owns a great mount of customers in China, and they have good customer relationship. With 77 million wireline broadband subscribers and 126 million mobile subscribers  [5]  , they have a great advantage in the market share. China Telecom has advanced service quality; they build the Group Customer Service Center to supply more perfect services to their customers  [6]  . Weaknesses As a state-run company, it has a heavy social responsibility. There are more than 400 thousands employers working in this company, and the company also have a duty to help some backward areas build communication networks, as well as do investment in the basic network facilities. So the companys operation cost is very high  [7]  . Complex organization structure of the company leading to their market reaction speed is relatively slow, and the cost of innovation is high  [8]  . The starting point of Chinese new network development is lower than the European countries. The channel of distribution is weak because of the limitation of state policies and profession  [9]  . The companys strategy only focus on the current operation, the lack of long-term strategy and strategic planning talents make the company be weak in the overall situation  [10]  . The recently network infrastructure cannot supply specific services to customers because China Telecom has advanced network infrastructure which are mostly used to meet the demand of general service, not based on the actual market demands. Opportunities In 2011, Chinas mobile telecommunications market has gradually migrated from 2G to 3G services. With accelerated growth in 3G services, the market potential was huge  [11]  . China has launched its own domestic 3G mobile technology standard TD-SCDMA, which will challenge CDMA2000 and W-CDMA  [12]  . Government determination to invest in Chinas telecommunications industry ensuring that it becomes innovative  [13]  . With 1.3 billion citizens, the size of the telecom markets is the biggest. China is actively expending its political and economic ties with major emerging markets, which contribute China Telecoms Strategic cooperation all over the world  [14]  . At present, 3G service and wireline broadband service are still in a period of high growth. The commercialization of new services such as mobile Internet, Cloud computing and Internet of Things is further accelerating, which will open up a new area for the Companys development  [15]  . Threats Since 2010, the governments investment in 3G will be reduced gradually, and the development of the telecom industry will be driven mainly by consumption  [16]  . In recent years, a lot of foreign companies solicit telecom talents in China by high-salary or high-welfare policy. As a result, the brain drains of China Telecom become serious  [17]  . In China, there are relatively strict limitation by industry policies in the aspect of business license, Internet services and telecom fees etc. In the present China telecom market, the control of inequality has restricted the development of China telecom  [18]  . The telecom market is becoming saturate and competition between domestic telecom companies become more intense  [19]  . The integration of the information industry and intensifying market competition in China. 6.2 SWOT analysis of Royal KPN Strengths KPN is ranked amongst the most sustainable European telecommunications companies for the second year in a row  [20]  . The number of households that KPN can serve with fiber services has grown sharply  [21]  . Strong Operational Performance in terms of telephony services  [22]  . The strong KPN brand. KPN has a number of other consumer brands in different countries, because they have a varied customer base which calls for a suitable range of products and services. KPN will strengthen their market positions in the Netherlands by an enhanced focus on product and service quality, a more efficient organization and a tighter policy on costs. KPN will create a nimble organization by simplifying the organizational structure and by offering a clearer set of products and services in both the business and consumer markets in the Netherlands. KPN aim to increase the customer base for fixed and mobile telephony and see particularly good opportunities for the fiber network. They will continue their Mobile International Challenger strategy in the coming years. Weaknesses Business market size declining due to price pressure, continued rationalization and macroeconomic impact  [23]  . Concentrated revenues from Netherlands, with other geographies contributing very less in terms of profits  [24]  . Customers lose in traditional mobile service because of new Internet communication services  [25]  . Lost market share to competitors in the mobile sector due to what customers perceive to be high prices and inflexible service packages  [26]  . Market reaction speed is relatively slow, leading to a downtrend in the operation revenue  [27]  . Opportunities Strategic acquisitions- opportunities across the globe, and the company said that KPN will continue to explore all strategic options  [28]  . Increasing demand for the more profitable 3G services, variety of 3G services also supply more broad development space to KPN. 4Gs springing up request the support of a sustained investment  [29]  . The sharp rise in mobile internet usage, as is data usage, the telecom and ICT landscape is continuously developing  [30]  . The growing range of new and profitable services based on internet protocol  [31]  . Technological opportunities from Smartphone, tablets, fiber and cloud services  [32]  . Threats Competitive pressures from its more global competitors. The European local telecom markets tend to saturate. Regulatory issues across Europe. Due to MTA (Matanuska Telephone Association) impact, the regulation about Roaming and Spectrum may lower KPNs growth in ARPU  [33]  . Increasingly substitute text messages or voice calls with instant messaging or voice over internet protocol services such as Skype  [34]  . European debt crisis and looming recession impact the companys business and corporate market, lead to consumer confidence declining. NMA (National Media Association) starts an investigation regarding possible collusion of mobile operators on propositions in the mobile market. Regulator OPTA announces to put KPN on close supervision further to alleged violations of obligations based on the Telecommunication Act  [35]  . http://wenku.baidu.com/view/7cef4a070740be1e650e9af6.html à §Ã‚ ²Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ §Ã‚ ²Ã‚ ¾ 6.3 SWOT analysis of Deutsche Telekom Strengths The widely basic network facilities across all over the Europe and strategic partnerships  [36]  . Bid amount of customers with high loyalty and upscale markets. A leading Internet service provider with more than 25 million broadband subscribers and strong performance of broadband services  [37]  . Absolutely leading technology advantage in telecom industry and comprehensive business services. It is placing a wide range of products and services in the Telekom cloud  [38]  . The global famous brand with broad market distribution and their business services provide all over the world  [39]  . They will continue to invest in key growth areas despite unfavorable regulation. They are building modern broadband networks both wireless and wireline, which makes them a major contributor to the online society. They are focusing on innovation- with some areas, such as mobile internet and cloud computing, already generating substantial revenues  [40]  . They will be investing in modernizing the network and continuing their efforts to establish T-Mobile as the carrier that offers customers the best value for money. Weaknesses High operate pressure from the companys high debt  [41]  . Fast expand lead to the companys scale is too bid, as well as the market reaction speed is relatively slow. Relatively lower service quality than the other leading telecom companies in Europe  [42]  . The cost of management is too high because of the corporate merger and acquisition in recent years  [43]  . Competition from other European and global operators means little market share growth. The falling fix-line business markets make a big loss in companys revenue  [44]  . Limited presence in Asian markets  [45]  . Opportunities Germany is the largest national economy in Europe and the consumption level is high  [46]  . The fact means that Deutsche Telekom has a comfortable development environment and business markets. Germany has Europes largest telecom market, with average penetration in the broadband and mobile sectors  [47]  . High data volumes, a booming smart phone market and customer demand for high-speed networks in local market  [48]  . Corporate merger and acquisitions over the world. Increasing demand for the 3G services and new networks technologies such as 4G and mobile internet usage  [49]  . Positive outlook for cloud computing. According to experts, in 2020 many companies will no longer have their own servers and instead switch to cloud  [50]  . The development of modern wireless technologies highlights their original technical advantages  [51]  . Threats Government intervention. Government intervention could put downside pressure on the stock and increase political risk. Unfavorable regulation and the imposition of special taxes in some countries in Southern and Eastern Europe  [52]  . Difficult economic situation in Europe as well as the huge challenges that Deutsche Telekom are facing in telecom industry- continuing intense competition in their core business with network connections. Depression of European telecom industry and the local market tend to saturate. The shortage of talent in Germanys telecom industry  [53]  . Users demand for the service quality is becoming higher and higher  [54]  . Increasingly substitute network services threatened the traditional business. 6.4 Conclusion In concluding, we can see from the SWOT analysis, China Telecom is one of the worlds largest telecom provider due to the Chinas huge population and potential market, so the companys advanced technology, innovation ability, as well as 3Gs spring up in China will bring a huge business value to China Telecom. This is meaning the same huge potential investment opportunity for the investor. It will be a very good period to invest in China Telecom. Besides, Mobile Internet, Cloud computing and Internet of Things will open up a new area for the Companys development. That is all the good news that brings investors more benefits from their investment. But Chinas telecom business is immature relatively because the late start and China Telecom as a state-run company has a heavy social responsibility and limited develop environment. For investors, invest in state-run company means they will meet more investment restriction. High operating costs, strict limitation policies and increasing competit ion will be huge challenges to China Telecom. That also means more investment risk for investors. According to the chairman of China Telecom, Wang Xiaochus report in 2012, China Telecom is aiming to be the world-class integrated information service provider. To enhance their strengths in innovation, service, efficient centralization and operation management will be China Telecoms core strategy in the future. Royal KPN is a leading telecom provider of Netherlands, with strong operational performance especially in telephony services. It will be a strong advantages at present when the demand for varies of telephony services is growing rapidly. The companys stable development strategies make it be one of the most sustainable European telecommunications companies. So it can be seen that invest in KPN is favorable and safe. Then, increasing usage of new communication technologies such like mobile internet will make a lot of business opportunities to the company. Besides, Companys acquisitions and telecom services across geographies will further promote the companys development. We believe that KPN will attract more investors as the development of new communication technologies and the companys extension strategies. But the competition from other European telecom companies means limited market shares, as well as the saturated market and regulatory issues across EU, giving huge pressures to the company. Besides, global economic slowdown and debt crisis in European also make adverse influence to the companys development. For investors, the saturated telecom markets and floundering economy in Europe means they will get relatively few returns when they invest in KPN at present. And the debt crisis in EU also leads to investment risk. In the coming years, we can see from KPNs new strategy 2011-2015, they will promote the Strengthen, Simplify and Grow strategy and ambitions towards their goals in 2015, aim to give more favorable product and services to customer. Deutsche Telekom is the largest telecommunications company in Europe with widely basic network facilities and strategy partnerships. A lot of investors prefer to choose Deutsche Telekom because its global famous brand with broad market distribution and their business services are provided all over the world. High telecom technology, high loyalty customers and upscale markets make the company have strong competition powers among the increasing competitors in Europe. So invest in Deutsche Telekom is general considered to be reliably. But undue corporate merger and acquisition strategy, as well as the companys high debt make high operating pressures to the company. These adverse factors in companys operation will threat the profit returns in the investors investment. Also as an EU country, regulatory issues, strict competition and debt crisis in Europe will be big challenges to the company. In the future, Deutsche Telekom will continue to invest in key growth areas despite unfavorable r egulation. They are building modern broadband networks both wireless and wireline, which makes them a major contributor to the online society. They will also focusing on innovation with some areas, such as mobile internet and cloud computing. In general, all of the three companies have their respective advantages and disadvantages. Increasing competition, saturated markets and regulatory issues are the situations which the telecom industry must to face with. How to balance the increasing demand for new network services and the loss of traditional business will be the key points to every telecom provider. For investors, despite we can see that invest in China Telecom will have much potential due to the increasing demands for new services, but the immature telecom markets and limited develop environment in China mean higher investment risk than the other two companies. Invest in KPN and Deutsche Telekom are both considered to be safe and reliably, because their strong brands, advanced network facilities and technologies. We can see that, be contract with the adverse economic environment and regulation in Europe, KPN relatively well development strategies help them reduce many losses, and meet more business opportunities in new technical demands. Deutsche Telekoms low market reaction speed and high cost lead a higher loss in their traditional communication services. So we prefer to choose KPN for investors to do investment due to the companys sustainable competition advantages and future development strategies.

Congress Public Image :: essays research papers

No body of government truly has a truly perfect image in the U.S., but in particular is the congress. There are quite a few theories as to why Congress has a bad public image. Congress may have a poor public image but if it weren’t for it’s own members speaking ill of the institution then the image problem could easily be fixed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think one of the main reasons why Congress has a poor public image is because its members often times criticize it. Many congressional candidates run on the idea that they are going to get into congress, fix it, and make it work. How is the public supposed to be satisfied with an institution that isn’t even accepted by its own members? I don’t blame the public for having a bad image of the Congress. Most citizens only pay attention to politics with the minimum effort; what they see on TV or what they read on the front page of the paper. Congressmen don’t usually go around praising Congress and even if they did, the media doesn’t find that interesting and will ignore it. Therefore, the people only believe what they are presented.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another element to this issue would be Congress’ very public decision making process. As Davidson and Oleszek wrote â€Å"if a representative or senator sounds ill-informed or advances an outrageous proposal †¦the representatives of the media are likely to stress the†¦event rather than the substance of the overall debate.† This is very true because when congress discusses issues, it is broadcast on CSPAN and covered by journalists. On the contrary, the inner workings of the executive branch and the judicial branch are kept very private most of the time. Again, all the people are being presented with is biased information so that is all they have of which to form an opinion. This particular example is not Congress’ fault however. They have no control over how the media portrays them. Congressmen are human and if they make a mistake while addressing their peers, it should not become an addition to the list of reasons to hate congress.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Davidson and Oleszek also mentioned the fact that there is no single spokesperson for Congress as a whole. I completely agree with this because it allows the people to have one person to address instead of searching around and hearing from many different people. Davidson and Olseszek write, â€Å"While the President can communicate quickly to the American people concerning his goals and programs Congress lacks such capabilities.

Analysis of Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti Essay -- English Literat

Analysis of Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti describes a cottage maiden who was seduced and used by the lord of the estate for which she worked. She was surprised and taken a back by the fact that someone so great and powerful could be slightly interested in her, and so she automatically fell in love with him. It wasn't until after he had slept with her that he left her for her cousin, Kate. The cottage maiden was devastated that he had done that to her. She felt unclean and unwanted. The lord asked for Kate's hand in marriage and she accepted. The cottage maid thought that he married Kate because she was innocent and pure, 'Because you were so good and pure/He bound you with his ring' - the cottage maiden is in complete contrast to her cousin. The only good thing that came out of this was the cottage maiden had a child, 'Yet I've a gift you have not got...' and 'my fair-haired son'. The lord had seduced the cottage maiden and used her like a 'silken knot'. This basically means that the lord used the cottage maiden as a trophy and used her when he wanted to. This is a poem based and written in the 19th century. There are three main characters in the story. Cousin Kate, the cottage maiden and the Lord. The title of this poem is self-explanatory. The poem is based on a character called Cousin Kate. As she is the main character in the poem, the whole poem revolves around her. The poem basically tells us about 19th century life and people's attitudes towards unlawful relationships. The poem tells us about a cottage maiden who had an affair with a Lord. She loses her virginity to him, and then regrets the whole ordeal. In the 19th century, if you were not known as pure ... ... but further on she's not able to contain this calmness anymore and has an outburst of hatred towards the Lord - something that she's been trying to cover. The last stanza of the poem becomes more of revenge than hatred. She feels she's had revenge over the Lord and Kate by having a child - something that they're not likely to get. She sounds very self-satisfied. Christina Rossetti has written a very good portrayal of life in early times. It shows how society rejected woman who had unlawful sex in earlier times; women were judges and disowned by all people who knew them. Society has now changed. Women are no longer judged or even looked down on by anyone. It has become a way of life that in earlier times may have been considered as dirty and unlawful, people's attitudes have changes and it is no longer as big a deal as it was in the early 19th century.

Vergil as the Greatest of all Latin Poets

Vergil is generally acknowledged as the greatest of all Latin poets. He was famous in his own lifetime and was the first poet in the history of Latin literature to be the subject of lectures given by a contemporary teacher. There seemed to be a great deal of interest in him and on his rare appearances in Rome he was pointed out in the streets as if he were a celebrity. However, in his private life he was know to be very shy and preferred the quiet countryside to the pandemonium of Rome. He was born as Publius Vergilius Maro in Andes, a small village, near Mantua (Mantova), Italy on October 15, 70 BC. He had two brothers; Silo, who died in his childhood, and Flaccus, who lived to be a young man. Vergil's father, a potter and cattle farmer, worked hard to provide his son with an Aristocratic education. After he completed his studies in Cremona and Milan, Vergil went to Rome to study law and rhetoric at Epidius' academy. It was in Rome that he met Gaius Maecenas, a Roman statesman and patron of the arts, who saw Vergil's promise of greatness and sponsored his education. In addition he developed a friendship with Octavian, who later became Emperor Augustus. While in Rome, he studied alongside many prominent poets including Gaius Cornelius Gallus, Horace, and Lucius Varius Rufus. After leaving Rome, Vergil went to Naples to study under Siro. Here, he studied philosophy and also became a member of a group of Epicurean thinkers outside Naples. This group gathered in Campania, at a retreat known as â€Å"the Garden†, under the leadership of Siro, Vergil's teacher and friend. Originally, Vergil wanted to study law but he gave up after pleading only one court case and devoted himself to philosophy and literature. He spent most of his life in the countryside of Campania, but kept a house on the Esquiline Hill in Rome, which was given to him by his friend and patron Maecenas. He wrote three major works in his lifetime. Early in his career he wrote the Ecologues, a book of 10 pastoral poems. This was followed by the Georgics, a didactic poem on farm life. His last and greatest work was the Aeneid, a mythological epic poem describing the seven-year wanderings of the hero Aeneas. Vergil's first major work was composed between 42 and 37 BC. This was a ten book pastoral poem know as the Eclogues or Bucolic. It was modeled on the Idylls of Theocritus, an Alexandrian poet. Vergil's emphasis is on graceful rhymes and the description of a romantic setting in northern Italy, but he also added many realistic details such as, his father's eviction from his farm due to political seizure. The most famous of The Ecolouges, The fourth celebrates the birth of a child who is destined to usher in a new Golden Age of peace and goodwill. Critics have made definite connections between Vergil's fictional characters and real people. Some have suggested that the divine birth refers to Mark Anthony, or possibly Vergil's friend Octavian, who became Augustus, Rome's first emperor. Still others see this divine birth as a reference to the birth of Christ. His next major work was the Georgics, or Art of Husbandry, which was written from 36 to 29 BC. It is a four-book poem that described the life of a farmer. Its inspiration is said to come from the Greek poet Hesiod's Works and Days. Vergil's position as the leading poet of the age was confirmed with the Georgics publication. The poem deals with planting, caring for orchards and vineyards, stock management, and beekeeping. However, the main emphasis is on the values of Roman life, particularly the work ethic. The poem was designed to be universal in scope with the topics of war, peace, death and resurrection concluding each book. Vergil devoted his last ten years to the composition of the Aeneid. This is his last and, by far, best known work. It was written between the years of 30 to 19 BC in twelve books. Modeled after Homer's epics, the Iliad and the Odessey, the Aeneid is a mythological epic describing the seven-year wanderings of the Roman hero Aeneas, from the fall of Troy to his military victory in Italy. Aeneas, while central to the story, is more symbolic than realistic. His character exists to tell the story of the founding of Rome and to personify the Roman values of duty and responsibility. In the story, Aeneas escaped from Troy carrying his father on his shoulders and leading his young son Ascanius by the hand. He brought together a fleet of Trojans and sailed the eastern Mediterranean Sea to Thrace, Crete, Epirus, and Sicily before being shipwrecked on the coast of Africa. Here Dido, the queen of Carthage, fell in love with Aeneas. The two began to live together as husband and wife and Aeneas intended to make Carthage his home. Jupiter, king of the gods, warned Aeneas that he must leave Dido in order to continue on his destined mission to found Rome. In despair, Dido killed herself when Aeneas departed for Italy. After landing at the mouth of the Tiber River in Italy, Aeneas killed Turnus, the king of the Rutulians, in a war for the hand of Lavinia, who was the princess of Latium. According to Vergil, the Romans were direct descendents of Ascanius, the founder of Alba Longa, the mother city of Rome. The Aeneid is usually considered the first great literary epic, unlike the Iliad, which in essence is a work of oral poetry. The Aeneid was written as a deliberate attempt to glorify Rome at the request of Augustus Ceasar. The historical elements are especially prominent in books five through eight, the central portion of the poem. The Aeneid became a classic in its own day. All of Rome, particularly the royal family, followed the progress of the epic. Vergil would read aloud from rough drafts of the Aeneid to Augustus, his sister, Octavia, and Maecenas. As he refined his work during his later years, the poet led a comfortable life, devoting himself to historical research. In 19 BC, Vergil set out on a trip to Greece and Asia with the intention of revising his masterpiece. In Athens, he met Augustus and unfortunately became very ill during his stay in Greece. Augustus escorted his friend back to Brundisium, Italy, where he died before his epic could be revised to his satisfaction. To prevent the Aeneid from being read in rough form, Vergil left instructions that it be destroyed. Augustus, realizing the value of this work, intervened before this request could be carried out and assigned two of Vergil's poet friends, Varius Rufus and Plotius Tucca, to edit the manuscript for publication. The work was completed near the end of 18 BC. It achieved immediate acceptance throughout the Mediterranean as the definitive Roman epic. On his deathbed, Vergil immortalized himself with a short epitaph, which his friends inscribed above his grave. It ends with this line: â€Å"I sang of pastures, farms and rulers†. This became a touching summary of his three great works.

Chapter 32 Flesh, Blood, and Bone

Harry felt his feet slam into the ground; his injured leg gave way, and he fell forward; his hand let go of the Triwizard Cup at last. He raised his head. â€Å"Where are we?† he said. Cedric shook his head. He got up, pulled Harry to his feet, and they looked around. They had left the Hogwarts grounds completely; they had obviously traveled miles – perhaps hundreds of miles – for even the mountains surrounding the castle were gone. They were standing instead in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A hill rose above them to their left. Harry could just make out the outline of a fine old house on the hillside. Cedric looked down at the Triwizard Cup and then up at Harry. â€Å"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?† he asked. â€Å"Nope,† said Harry. He was looking around the graveyard. It was completely silent and slightly eerie. â€Å"Is this supposed to be part of the task?† â€Å"I dunno,† said Cedric. He sounded slightly nervous. â€Å"Wands out, d'you reckon?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, glad that Cedric had made the suggestion rather than him. They pulled out their wands. Harry kept looking around him. He had, yet again, the strange feeling that they were being watched. â€Å"Someone's coming,† he said suddenly. Squinting tensely through the darkness, they watched the figure drawing nearer, walking steadily toward them between the graves. Harry couldn't make out a face, but from the way it was walking and holding its arms, he could tell that it was carrying something. Whoever it was, he was short, and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up over his head to obscure his face. And – several paces nearer, the gap between them closing all the time – Harry saw that the thing in the persons arms looked like a baby†¦or was it merely a bundle of robes? Harry lowered his wand slightly and glanced sideways at Cedric. Cedric shot him a quizzical look. They both turned back to watch the approaching figure. It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For a second. Harry and Cedric and the short figure simply looked at one another. And then, without warning, Harry's scar exploded with pain. It was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put his hands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could see nothing at all; his head was about to split open. From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, â€Å"Kill the spare.† A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: â€Å"Avada Kedavra!† A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to the ground beside him; the pain in his scar reached such a pitch that he retched, and then it diminished; terrified of what he was about to see, he opened his stinging eyes. Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead. For a second that contained an eternity, Harry stared into Cedric's face, at his open gray eyes, blank and expressionless as the windows of a deserted house, at his half-open mouth, which looked slightly surprised. And then, before Harry's mind had accepted what he was seeing, before he could feel anything but numb disbelief, he felt himself being pulled to his feet. The short man in the cloak had put down his bundle, lit his wand, and was dragging Harry toward the marble headstone. Harry saw the name upon it flickering in the wandlight before he was forced around and slammed against it. TOM RIDDLE The cloaked man was now conjuring tight cords around Harry, tying him from neck to ankles to the headstone. Harry could hear shallow, fast breathing from the depths of the hood; he struggled, and the man hit him – hit him with a hand that had a finger missing. And Harry realized who was under the hood. It was Wormtail. â€Å"You!† he gasped. But Wormtail, who had finished conjuring the ropes, did not reply; he was busy checking the tightness of the cords, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, fumbling over the knots. Once sure that Harry was bound so tightly to the headstone that he couldn't move an inch, Wormtail drew a length of some black material from the inside of his cloak and stuffed it roughly into Harry's mouth; then, without a word, he turned from Harry and hurried away. Harry couldn't make a sound, nor could he see where Wormtail had gone; he couldn't turn his head to see beyond the headstone; he could see only what was right in front of him. Cedric's body was lying some twenty feet away. Some way beyond him, glinting in the starlight, lay the Triwizard Cup. Harry's wand was on the ground at Cedric's feet. The bundle of robes that Harry had thought was a baby was close by, at the foot of the grave. It seemed to be stirring fretfully. Harry watched it, and his scar seared with pain again†¦and he suddenly knew that he didn't want to see what was in those robes†¦he didn't want that bundle opened†¦. He could hear noises at his feet. He looked down and saw a gigantic snake slithering through the grass, circling the headstone where he was tied. Wormtail's fast, wheezy breathing was growing louder again. It sounded as though he was forcing something heavy across the ground. Then he came back within Harry's range of vision, and Harry saw him pushing a stone cauldron to the foot of the grave. It was full of what seemed to be water – Harry could hear it slopping around – and it was larger than any cauldron Harry had ever used; a great stone belly large enough for a full-grown man to sit in. The thing inside the bundle of robes on the ground was stirring more persistently, as though it was trying to free itself. Now Wormtail was busying himself at the bottom of the cauldron with a wand. Suddenly there were crackling names beneath it. The large snake slithered away into the darkness. The liquid in the cauldron seemed to heat very fast. The surface began not only to bubble, but to send out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. Steam was thickening, blurring the outline of Wormtail tending the fire. The movements beneath the robes became more agitated. And Harry heard the high, cold voice again. â€Å"Hurry!† The whole surface of the water was alight with sparks now. It might have been encrusted with diamonds. â€Å"It is ready. Master.† â€Å"Now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said the cold voice. Wormtail pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing what was inside them, and Harry let out a yell that was strangled in the wad of material blocking his mouth. It was as though Wormtail had flipped over a stone and revealed something ugly, slimy, and blind – but worse, a hundred times worse. The thing Wormtail had been carrying had the shape of a crouched human child, except that Harry had never seen anything less like a child. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw, reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face – no child alive ever had a face like that – flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes. The thing seemed almost helpless; it raised its thin arms, put them around Wormtail's neck, and Wormtail lifted it. As he did so, his hood fell back, and Harry saw the look of revulsion on Wormtail's weak, pale face in the firelight as he carried the creature to the rim of the cauldron. For one moment, Harry saw the evil, flat face illuminated in the sparks dancing on the surface of the potion. And then Wormtail lowered the creature into the cauldron; there was a hiss, and it vanished below the surface; Harry heard its frail body hit the bottom with a soft thud. Let it drown, Harry thought, his scar burning almost past endurance, please†¦let it drown†¦. Wormtail was speaking. His voice shook; he seemed frightened beyond his wits. He raised his wand, closed his eyes, and spoke to the night. â€Å"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!† The surface of the grave at Harry's feet cracked. Horrified, Harry watched as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command and fell softly into the cauldron. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in all directions and turned a vivid, poisonous-looking blue. And now Wormtail was whimpering. He pulled a long, thin, shining silver dagger from inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs. â€Å"Flesh – of the servant – w-willingly given – you will – revive – your master.† He stretched his right hand out in front of him – the hand with the missing finger. He gripped the dagger very tightly in his left hand and swung it upward. Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened – he closed his eyes as tightly as he could, but he could not block the scream that pierced the night, that went through Harry as though he had been stabbed with the dagger too. He heard something fall to the ground, heard Wormtail's anguished panting, then a sickening splash, as something was dropped into the cauldron. Harry couldn't stand to look†¦but the potion had turned a burning red; the light of it shone through Harry's closed eyelids†¦. Wormtail was gasping and moaning with agony. Not until Harry felt Wormtail's anguished breath on his face did he realize that Wormtail was right in front of him. â€Å"B-blood of the enemy†¦forcibly taken†¦you will†¦resurrect your foe.† Harry could do nothing to prevent it, he was tied too tightly†¦.Squinting down, struggling hopelessly at the ropes binding him, he saw the shining silver dagger shaking in Wormtail's remaining hand. He felt its point penetrate the crook of his right arm and blood seeping down the sleeve of his torn robes. Wormtail, still panting with pain, rumbled in his pocket for a glass vial and held it to Harry's cut, so that a dribble of blood fell into it. He staggered back to the cauldron with Harry's blood. He poured it inside. The liquid within turned, instantly, a blinding white. Wormtail, his job done, dropped to his knees beside the cauldron, then slumped sideways and lay on the ground, cradling the bleeding stump of his arm, gasping and sobbing. The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. Nothing happened†¦. Let it have drowned. Harry thought, let it have gone wrong†¦ And then, suddenly, the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliterating everything in front of Harry, so that he couldn't see Wormtail or Cedric or anything but vapor hanging in the air†¦.It's gone wrong, he thought†¦it's drowned †¦please†¦please let it be dead†¦. But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron. â€Å"Robe me,† said the high, cold voice from behind the steam, and Wormtail, sobbing and moaning, still cradling his mutilated arm, scrambled to pick up the black robes from the ground, got to his feet, reached up, and pulled them one-handed over his master's head. The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry†¦and Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snakes with slits for nostrils†¦ Lord Voldemort had risen again.