Impact

From its beginnings in the late 19th century when Atlanta was building its commercial and economic base, The Coca-Cola Company has served as a catalyst for progress. Over the years the company has made significant civic and financial contributions that have, in turn, supported and strengthened the city that Atlanta has become. The company’s presence can be felt all across the city – through its universities, civic and nonprofit institutions, and its public spaces. Giving back locally has long been a company priority, and that tradition of community support continues today at Pemberton Place.Named for Dr. John S. Pemberton, the pharmacist who invented Coca-Cola ® in Atlanta in 1886, the 20-acre complex is currently home to the Georgia Aquarium and the NEW World of Coca-Cola ® (opening May 2007). †¢ Land Grants: The Coca-Cola Company donated nine acres to the Georgia Aquarium and 2. 5 acres to the City of Atlanta for construction of a human rights center. †¢ Green Space for Atlanta: The land between the New World of Coca-Cola and Georgia Aquarium adds five acres of green space to downtown Atlanta. The Impact:* The combined estimated economic impact of the Georgia Aquarium and the New World of Coca-Cola is more than $105 million per year for Atlanta. †¢ Jobs: The two attractions will create more than 2,700 direct and induced permanent jobs. †¢ Visitation: One million people are expected to visit the New World of Coca-Cola annually. †¢ 19 percent of the attraction’s visitors are expected to come from overseas. †¢ Estimates indicate that 44 percent of out-of-town visitors to Pemberton Place will stay over night in local hotels resulting in more than $1 million in tax revenue per year.Key Milestones: Coca-Cola and Atlanta Impact The company’s long history of community support includes: †¢ Asa Candler, a company founder, donated $1 million to help defray the costs of establishing Emory University. â₠¬ ¢ Robert Woodruff, president of The Coca-Cola Company for 60 years, led the effort to secure the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters. The CDC’s annual economic impact in Georgia is $2. 5 million. †¢ Brothers Robert and George Woodruff donated approximately $105 million to Emory University in 1979, which at that time was the largest single gift to an educational institution in the ation’s history. †¢ Centennial Olympic Park received a gift of $33 million from The Coca-Cola Company (nearly half of the park’s total cost). †¢ The Coca-Cola Company contributed $10 million to support the construction of a new Symphony Hall. †¢ The company contributed $1 million (including in-kind support) to the Brand Atlanta Campaign. †¢ The company sold the building for the current World of Coca-Cola to the State of Georgia for a fraction of its appraised value. Along with many of its local bottlers, The Coca-Cola Company makes a significant impact on communities in each country where it operates.Estimates indicate that for every job within The Coca-Cola Company system, 10 additional jobs are created locally. In addition, the company devotes resources to a number of community-based initiatives around the world, including: Did you Know? Around the World: The Coca-Cola Company Citizenship Highlights †¢ Vietnam: Launched the Coca-Cola Pushcart Project, which has provided pushcarts, initial product and sales training for more than 4,000 disadvantaged Vietnamese women since 2002. Kenya: Partnered with CARE to bring wells and water storage facilities to 45 schools in western Kenya.†¢ Land Grants: The Coca-Cola Company donated nine acres to the Georgia Aquarium and 2. 5 acres to the City of Atlanta for construction of a human rights center. †¢ Green Space for Atlanta: The land between the New World of Coca-Cola and Georgia Aquarium adds five acres of green space to downtown Atlanta. †¢ The Impac t:* The combined estimated economic impact of the Georgia Aquarium and the New World of Coca-Cola is more than $105 million per year for Atlanta. Jobs: The two attractions will create more than 2,700 direct and induced permanent jobs. †¢ Visitation: One million people are expected to visit the New World of Coca-Cola annually. †¢ 19 percent of the attraction’s visitors are expected to come from overseas. †¢ Estimates indicate that 44 percent of out-of-town visitors to Pemberton Place will stay over night in local hotels resulting in more than $1 million in tax revenue per year.Key Milestones: Coca-Cola and Atlanta Impact The company’s long history of community support includes: Asa Candler, a company founder, donated $1 million to help defray the costs of establishing Emory University. †¢ Robert Woodruff, president of The Coca-Cola Company for 60 years, led the effort to secure the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters. The CD C’s annual economic impact in Georgia is $2. 5 million. †¢ Brothers Robert and George Woodruff donated approximately $105 million to Emory University in 1979, which at that time was the largest single gift to an educational institution in the nation’s history. Centennial Olympic Park received a gift of $33 million from The Coca-Cola Company (nearly half of the park’s total cost). †¢ The Coca-Cola Company contributed $10 million to support the construction of a new Symphony Hall. †¢ The company contributed $1 million (including in-kind support) to the Brand Atlanta Campaign. †¢ The company sold the building for the current World of Coca-Cola to the State of Georgia for a fraction of its appraised value. Along with many of its local bottlers, The Coca-Cola Company makes a significant impact on communities in each country where it operates.Estimates indicate that for every job within The Coca-Cola Company system, 10 additional jobs are created l ocally. In addition, the company devotes resources to a number of community-based initiatives around the world, including: Did you Know? Around the World: The Coca-Cola Company Citizenship Highlights †¢ Vietnam: Launched the Coca-Cola Pushcart Project, which has provided pushcarts, initial product and sales training for more than 4,000 disadvantaged Vietnamese women since 2002. †¢ Kenya: Partnered with CARE to bring wells and water storage facilities to 45 schools in western Kenya.

Benefits and Risks of Using the Internet Essay

What are the benefits and risks of using the Internet as a source of informationwhen writing assignments for Master’s programmes? Searching for information on the Internet is a methodology when writing essays for Master’s programmes. Obviously, both the advantages and disadvantages of this methodology can be found. The merits of using the Internet are obvious. It is very likely that MSc students are able to find more materials on the Internet quickly and conveniently. The huge amount of information is just a click away from the assignment writers. As for MSc students, they can search the e-library of their university and other data base from around the world. Furthermore, all of this work can be done at home within few minutes. Besides, the information on the Internet is always more vivid than that in books, because the forms of information are various. There are video materials, audio materials, image materials and so on. In these forms, it is more easily for students to understand the theoretical content of their programmes, because Master’s programmes are hard to understand. On the other hand, I would agree that there are drawbacks to using the Internet. Admittedly, because of convenience, the writers tend to rely on souce materials instead of creating by themselves. What’s worse, some writers even plagiarize other people achievements. In addition, some materials from the Internet may be inaccurate or even wrong, which might mislead MSc students. In sum, students are the beneficiaries of the Internet, although misusing the Internet as a source of information is harmful. Therefore, MSc students should use the Internet carefully in terms of finding source materials for assignment.

Local Area Networking Technology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Local Area Networking Technology - Assignment Example From the discussion it is clear that  in the primary school being analysed in this case, there is the need to keep the communications of pupils distinct from that of the staff members. To do this, it is important to analyse the traffic flow of the LAN in the primary school. The general definition of network analysis is the calculation of the amount of data sent or received over a network within a given period of time. The significance of analysing the traffic flow is to determine the bandwidth usage on the LAN network while conducting objective data analysis with the aim of performance tuning, volumetric planning and updating the hardware in use. The traffic flow analysis is performed using analysis software. All the data sent over a given network forms a fraction of data traffic regardless of the source and the purpose it performsThis paper stresses that  traffic analysis tools will be highly essential in projecting the trend of data flow over LAN network in order to determine t he content accessible to the school pupils and what should not be accessed. The best way of initiating this distinction is to employ an IP address that is fully visible to the primary school management. In this regard, each student or teacher accessing the website for the first time will collect the IP address of the server as well as the service port number.  The Solar winds Orion 8.2 can be effective and suitable in this project since it monitors the rate of traffic flow, recording and presenting the results through charts.  

The Brand Promotion of Tesco in Beijing City, Based on the Program of Essay - 1

The Brand Promotion of Tesco in Beijing City, Based on the Program of Sales Promotion of Tescos Products to housewives in Beijing - Essay Example Tesco is involved in below the line activities to keep the housewives attracted but it needs to focus more on such activities. The main problem that the firm is facing is that it cannot establish itself as a low priced retailer. This is because the housewives are knowledgeable about the market and know where to get the best price from. Thus Tesco needs to improve upon its promotional tools to face local competition and to alter the image the consumers have of the brand. The Chinese market is very different and has a lot of cultures. Thus Tesco has to adapt to the preferences of the different types of people. The firm uses all types of brand and sales promotion mediums, the rational modes of advertisements are still dominating the market. Television is overpowering other communication mediums like print medium and the internet. However, the firm should not only focus on the traditional mode of communication. Rather they should expand their horizon and try to use other mediums the internet and technology based marketing tools. Zhen (2007) explains that this is because it is a futuristic view and at some point such technological advances will become an eminent part of the market. At the same time, to reach the consumers currently Tesco has to focus more on television as it is a more reliable mode of communication with the consumers. The consumers truest the television and thus it will help Tesco get the message across. Print media is another option like magazines to reach particular target markets, especially house wives. Moreover, fliers, word of mouth and below the line activities can also be looked into. Below the line activities may have a greater impact on women and help promote the brand. To encourage sales promotion, in store promotions may also work well with women and help influence their decision m aking. As per Zhen (2007) Tesco is facing a challenging market in China as it is finding it difficult to

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Interview - Essay Example of the patients sat at the waiting room while some who seemed weaker than the rest preferred to sit or lie on the grass outside, while waiting for their turn to see the doctor. I had just got to an area marked ‘Emergency Parking’ when a  guard  instructed me that it was a restricted area. With that, I decided it was time for my interview. I did not have trouble finding Dr. Johns  office  as he had  well  directed me where to find it. I looked at my watch once again and realized that I was two minutes late for the interview. I was just about to knock at the door when suddenly someone behind me startled me. â€Å"Good morning, how can I help you?† I quickly turned to  meet  a tall black man and  quickly  offered out my hand. â€Å"You must be Dr. John?†Ã‚  I asked him with a big grin on my face and felt  ashamed  when I saw his name tag hung from the left pocket of his shirt.  He was just over my height, probably about 5’8† and casually dressed. After introducing myself, he welcomed me into his office. The office looked spacious and well organized. His desk was parallel with the West wall of the building, and there was a vase on top, but the flowers residing there appeared to have started dying days beforehand.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Have a seat please, and what can I  order  for  you?† he asked me as he motioned me to a cozy seat next to his desk. â€Å"Thank you, I will be  fine† I answered as I took the  seat  and got out my pen ready to start my  interview.  I explained to him why I needed the  interview  and he seemed all hears as he nodded while staring at my notebook as if he could  read  whatever I was jotting down already.  I decided to  start  the  interview  immediately  since I knew how busy his  schedule  was. Dr John started by telling me that he believed he was the busiest  employee  at St. Mary hospital. â€Å"There are two types of administrators† he began while rotating his  executive  looking pen between his two hands.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We have generalists and

Business and Professional Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business and Professional Ethics - Essay Example a company should be to maximise its profits and consequently return a part of these profits to the shareholder group as the reward and return for the risks that they have borne by investing their money in the company. Milton Friedman’s view advocates that the shareholders of a company can decide what social responsibilities they want to take part in. This report is prepared with the aim of evaluating the pros and cons of these arguments by referring to the theoretical works presented by different scholars and practitioners in this domain. The report is concluded by presenting a view as to whether the arguments presented by Friedman still hold ground in the current corporate world. The arguments proposed by Milton Friedman suggest that a company does not have to have any kind of social responsibility towards the community and society because the only concern of the company should be to increase its financial gains and returns for the shareholders who have invested in the company (Friedman, 1970). Nevertheless, as per the contemporary theories of business ethics and corporate social responsibility, focusing on giving back to the societies and communities in which the companies operate is a necessity for achieving sustainable competitive advantage. Also, the use of suitable corporate social responsibility initiatives is mandatory for ensuring that the company remains ethically, morally as well as socially compliant (Kerr, Janda and Pitts, 2009, pp. 22-25). As per the theory proposed by Friedman, the focus of the profit oriented businesses on adding value to the society may lead to totalitarianism which is a particular type of political system in which the  federal or state authorities have total control over the community and society and thus, seeks to control all the relevant aspects of both private and public lives whenever and wherever possible. But, it can be seen in the global corporate environment that totalitarianism as a political system does not prevail

J curve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

J curve - Essay Example When the short duration is considered, the J-curve theory comes into play (Schaefer, 1995). In the short-term, the export and import demand becomes rigid. Thus, the current account worsens before it improves. Nevertheless, after some time, the demand becomes less and less rigid. Hence, the price can be manipulated. The effect of this is an enhancement in the current account The current account is the variation in the net foreign position of a country. The current account can also be termed as the summation of the returns of all foreign financial assets of a country and trade balance (Pitchford, 2002). A country’s foreign assets comprises of the capital gains, the interest payments, and the dividends. By using its money, a country is able to buy from foreign countries whenever it deems appropriate. Addition of the liabilities and the foreign assets defines the financial position of a country. Is it in debt or is it in surplus. A current account keeps record of receipts received from and the payments that have been made to the foreign countries it buys from (Pitchford, 2002). A capital account is a major constituent of the balance of payments of a country. It avails the net capital income and expenditure of a country. The capital account records the financial transactions of a country by way of titles to assets. It lists the foreign transactions to those of the market (Pitchford, 2002). A capital account is made up of purchase and disposal of non-produced, assets that are non-financial, and capital transfers (OECD, 2001). The financial account is the ultimate account in the full order of accounts that lists the financial transactions between the units of the institutions within a country (IMF, 1996). The financial account list is composed of the transactions that include liabilities and financial assets occurring between foreigners and the country’s institutional units. Its primary constituents include

Building evaluation for property Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Building evaluation for property - Assignment Example After the establishment and development of the housing schemes, then comes a major process of its sustainability and maintenance works. To understand and improve the lifespan of these houses we must look into the defects and their causes which affect the quality of these structures. Consequently we have to resolve these faults using alternative construction methods or usage of substitute materials. The majority of the problems occur in two phases of the constructions of the facilities which are the planning or design phase and the other is faulty construction. 1.2 Common residential building faults and causes According to the research made by Building Research Establishment(BRE) and in its report suggested the major faults which occur in the key building elements. The top five places of faults in the structure are external walls with a fault attribution percentage of 20%, second comes the Roofs with 19%, then windows and doors contributes 13% of the faults, then floors 11% and servic es 9%. Where as Sub-structure, Planning and layout and Internal partitions come down the list. Later according to same BRE Advisory Service (Trotman P) and based on its database of building defects its came to a conclusion that the five major building faults are Rain penetration with a magnitude of 22%, then comes Condensation with 17%, Cracking 16%, Detachment 13% and lastly Entrapped water with 6%. Whereas Flooring, Appearance/discolouration/surface defects and Rising damp are also included in the list. All the above data is being collected and analyzed by the building research establishment and the ministry of housing of Australian government. 1.3 Solutions to the major issues As mentioned earlier that the issues arise by certain processes and at particular points in the structure, mentioned as the â€Å"key building elements†. Now any approach to remedy these issues would be directly in accordance with the working and durability of these key building elements. As mentione d before the worst process that damages the building is the water or rain penetration, now the source can be any place where water gathers these areas mainly includes Roof, buried/concealed pipes, external walls, windows, bathrooms, kitchens and many other places( common drains, underground drains, etc). This discussion will also cover the entrapment of water as well, which is also considered to be a defect of large impact. The next target is the solution of the problem, which can be done by mainly two activities prevention from water leakage and effective drainage system. The first element we will cover is the roof, where firstly drainage is of vital importance which must be acquired by good workman ship in which a suitable gradient must be provided, appropriate type and adequate thickness of waterproofing material, overlapping of material at joints, upturn from boundary walls and downturn towards the drains. Then comes the next key element the external wall where the source of def ect are at sleeves, deep cracks, honey comb, holes due to sub standard concrete and faulty construction. Where as the solutions are filling the cracks with chemical injections and replacing with new water proofing mortar where unavoidable. Whereas the special paints and weather proofing

Analysis of Talent Seek Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Analysis of Talent Seek - Essay Example Notably, it has an elaborate review process that ensures that candidates reaching the final stage and those that are ultimately employed are competent. According to Alex (2005), this is elemental in ensuring that client needs are addressed accordingly. However, the lengthy process is bureaucratic and to a great extent, it prevents the organization from keeping up with the marketplace. For instance, the number of times that screening of final candidates is done is unnecessarily high. The company needs to provide a single comprehensive guide that can enable it to undertake two screening tests at most. This will help it save time and resources without compromising the quality of its services. After the first interview, the company needs to prioritize quick feedback to its clients. Information provided in a timely manner would enable the clients to make timely decisions regarding the next course of action. Talent Seek also needs to explore electronic approaches while seeking for eligible applicants before the first interview. Compared to paper forms, this is more efficient. Customized programs can ease relative operations and attract competent applicants. Then, the recruitment manager needs to establish definite ways of seeking for vacancies. He can attain this by establishing and nurturing viable relationships with potential clients. Through these relations, he can be able to get relevant information regarding available vacancies in a timely manner. Any follow up for clarification should then be done through phones. Compared to emails, this is more reliable and provides sufficient information, thus saving time and resources. Talent Seek also needs to develop a comprehensive applicant’s database and store relevant information therein.

I.S.U journal Kite runner Essay Example for Free

I.S.U journal Kite runner Essay Plot (important action only): The kite runner is about the life of a young boy named Amir. Amir lives in a lavish house in the richest district of Kabul, in Afghanistan. Amir has everything he could ever want except the loving attention and acceptance of his father, Baba. In their house, they have two Hazara servants. Ali and his son Hassan who are part of the minority ethnicity at the time. Hassan grew up with Amir in the same house and he was much more than just a best friend. Baba treated Hassan equally to Amir, as if they were brothers. Each year it was a tradition for the Afghan community to have a festival of kites where there would be a single victor to arise amongst hundreds. Amir was a great kite flyer and Hassan was the best kite runner there was. This year, Amir won the tournament and his dad was really proud of him. Amir was really happy to finally have some loving attention from his father. Hassan promised to run the last kite defeated for Amir. He did not return immediately so Amir went looking for him. Amir saw Hassan cornered by Assef, a bully, and two of his friends. Amir then watched Hassan take a brutal beating just to keep the blue kite for him. Amir watched him get beaten and did nothing. The relationship between Amir and Hassan has never been the same after that day. Amir felt that either he or Hassan must leave and so he puts his birthday gift under Hassan’s pillow. Later, Hassan admits that he stole them and Ali says they must leave. Baba pleads with him to stay, but Ali refuses. Years after Hassan and Ali left, the Roussi army attacked, forcing Baba and 18 year old Amir to flee the country to California. The states provided a whole new life for Baba and especially Amir. Amir attends high school and college to pursue his dream; to become a famous writer. Amir is haunted every day by the thought of Hassan getting beaten and him not reacting, pretending as if he were never there. In California, Baba finds an Afghan community in which he is quite popular already. He spends a lot of time at a flea market where there are many other Afghans too. Amir spots a young afghan lady, Soraya, at the flea market which he cannot keep his eyes off. When Amir’s father becomes ill with cancer, Amir asks Soraya to marry him. Very shortly after they get married, Baba dies. Soraya and Amir then try to have kids but fail to and it is then when Amir receives a call from a man he has not heard of in a very long time. Rahim Khan tells Amir of the death of Hassan and his wife. Amir is devastated by the news. Rahim also tells Amir that their son is now in an orphanage. Rahim tells Amir that finding Hassan’s son is his chance to redeem his sin. Amir then goes to Afghanistan to find Hassan’s son. With many obstacles, including a one on one fight to the death with Assef, the bully who bullied him and Hassan at a young age, Amir comes out of Afghanistan with Hassan’s son. He comes back to California with many injuries. Sohrab, Hassan’s son, goes to school and lives a new life in America. Hassan and his wife officially adopt him and provide him a life full of potential. The novel ends with Amir teaching Sohrab how to fly a kite, as he battles a kite and defeats it. Characters: Amir: Amir is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. He is a Pashtun boy, who evolves throughout the book to become an adult. He is also a great writer and storyteller. As readers we feel much compassion for him. His father is a wealthy man by Afghan standards, and so Amir grows up always having what he wants. He has everything he could wish for except the loving attention of his father. He does not feel a deep emotional connection with Baba and this causes Amir to feel a strong jealousy towards anyone receiving his father’s affection. Amir thinks Baba wishes he was more like him. Amir is often jealous of the way Baba treats Hassan. He notices that Hassan is much more like his father than he is. Amir is a conflicted character who struggles between the logical and emotional sides of his being. Throughout the novel, he struggles to make connections with his father. His obsession and guilty conscience, along with his adult perspective looking back at childhood events make him a good storyteller. Amir seems to be a mix of Hassan’s personality and Assef’s personality making him in the middle of good and bad. He then gets the chance to fight Assef one on one to the death which was like facing the bad side of himself. Baba: Baba is Amir’s father. Later in the novel we find out that he is also Hassan’s father. He is considered a hero and a leader in Kabul and he is always doing things for others. He always seems to expect more from Amir. Baba has excellent morals and philosophies on life that he tries to teach Amir over time. He was even willing to sacrifice himself to keep the Russian guard from raping the women travelling with them. By doing so, Amir later understands that doing what is right is better than saving yourself. Baba felt guilty through his whole life for not being able to acknowledge Hassan as his son. For this reason, he tries to redeem his guilt by providing good actions to everyone around him. He even built an orphanage. His emotions are very well hidden by his outer appearance. In the end, he is very proud of Amir. He dies happily because he was able to build the relationship he had always wanted with at least one of his sons. We also find out that Amir and Baba both shared a never-ending feeling of guilt inside of them for different reasons. Hassan: Hassan is Amir’s playmate and servant. He is a Hazara and we find out late in the novel that he is Amir’s half-brother. Hassan epitomizes the perfect servant who is not only loyal to his master, but also forgiving and good-natured. Even after he’s been betrayed, Hassan lies for Amir and he still considers him as a friend. Hassan grows up in the same place as Amir but has a different purpose. He is a servant and so he prepares Amir for school every morning by preparing his breakfast and books. He also does all the chores during the day while Amir is at school getting an education. Hassan later gets married and has a son. He dies late in the novel. Hassan represents all that is good and kind. Assef: Assef is the antagonist of the novel. Assef does not see Hazaras as equal to Pashtuns. Near the beginning of the novel, he beats Hassan violently. At the end of the novel, he fights Amir one on one to the death until Sohrab shot him in the eye. He is a villain who ends up joining the Taliban. Assef represents all that is evil and cruel. Personal reaction to the novel: The kite runner was an amazing novel. I personally loved it. I finished the book in less than a week because I simply could not stop reading it after I first opened the book. I felt a lot of strong emotions when reading this book. When Hassan was beaten violently and Amir just stood there and watched, I was really scared for Hassan. The picture was very vivid in my mind and I felt terrible for Hassan. I also felt sad for Amir because he only finds out in the end that he and his dad were much more alike than they both thought. When Baba is already dead, Amir finds out the truth about him and how they both share an endless guilt. I also really liked this novel because I got to learn a bit about Afghanistan since it was the main setting of the novel. Out of all the books that students have to read in English class throughout the years, this is one of the few that are really good. I actually really enjoyed reading this book, unlike many books read in the past years. I would strongly suggest to keep teaching this book to future students. Author’s style and voice: The kite runner written by Khaled Hosseini uses the narrative writing style. The author places himself as Amir and narrates you the story. The author also uses a lot of accurate descriptions to give the readers a vivid image of a setting, character or object. Since it is Amir narrating the story, he tells it from the viewpoint of an adult looking back across his life. It is a personal narration in an informal, conversational style, similar to dialogue rather than a self-consciously literary style of writing. Amir’s voice is pretty consistent throughout most of the novel. However, the vocabulary and diction develop as he moves from talking about his childhood years to talking about his adult years. At the beginning of the book, when he narrates his childhood life, he tends to use childlike language such as he never told on me1. When he gets older, the vocabulary and diction used to narrate are more advanced since Amir has evolved not only physically, but intellectually as well. The author’s voice or Amir’s voice also changes at times of stress or anxiety. After his fight with Assef, the sentence structure becomes very hesitant and broken to reflect the severe temporary damage of Amir’s mind. Themes: Redemption: Redemption is searched by two important characters through the novel. Baba and Amir are both seeking redemption for two different reasons. Baba had sex with his servant and this resulted in having a Hazara boy. Because Hassan was a Hazara, he could not publically announce that he was his son and so he kept it a secret during his whole life. The fact that he could not acknowledge Hassan as his son made him feel very guilty and he never stopped striving to redeem himself. Baba even built an orphanage to help redeem himself according to Rahim Khan. Amir is also searching for redemption ever since he saw Hassan take a beating without reacting at all. Redemption is what brings Amir to Afghanistan which is a big event in this story. Forgiveness: Hassan’s actions demonstrate that he did forgive Amir’s betrayal. Amir pretty much spends the entire novel to learn about the nature of forgiveness. Baba’s actions of redemption are an attempt to gain public forgiveness for what he has not even publically admitted to have done. When Amir finally discovers Baba’s big secret from Rahim’s letter, he ends up forgiving his father. Forgiveness plays an important role in the story. Immigrant experience: In this book, we get to know how hard it can be for immigrants to leave their homeland and to successfully arrive to their destination. Baba and Amir are among many Afghans who struggle to leave. There are plenty of calculated risks and uncertainties in the next passages for immigrants. Many immigrants die before they even reach their new homes. In addition to the difficulties of their lives in a new country, the immigrants also have to accept what or who they have left behind. When arriving to a new country, immigrants also try to maintain their traditions and some semblance of their own culture, which can be hard. Baba loses his status once they arrive in America and still has his old prejudices. Soraya and her mother also demonstrate the difficult role women have balancing the expectations of an old world culture with the new world in which they are living. Sohrab quickly adapts to his new country and has a life full of potential waiting for him. Symbols: The pomegranate tree: While Amir and Hassan are both young and carefree, they carve their names in the tree and it bears fruit. Therefore, the tree symbolizes their relationship. Much later when Hassan is dead and Amir is filled with guilt, the tree just like Amir’s memories still exists but no longer bears fruit. The tree not only symbolizes a unifying force between Amir and Hassan but also serves as a source of division. When Amir wanted Hassan to hit him with the pomegranate fruit in order to inflict physical pain as a punishment to lessen his guilt instead, Hassan breaks the fruit over his own head to prove his loyalty. The tree brings back vivid memories when Amir returns to Afghanistan. Kites and the blue kite: Kites and everything associated with them are undoubtedly the most important symbols in this novel. This blue kite is even more important because it symbolizes a chance for Amir to obtain Baba’s attention. Amir thought that the only way he’d earn his father’s attention would be to win the kite flying tournament. This blue kite is the last kite competing against Amir’s during the tournament. As he cuts the last kite’s string, Hassan runs off to fetch the kite for Amir. The blue kite also symbolizes Hassan’s loyalty. Amir wanted to show all the kids at school that he won the tournament and got to keep the last remaining kite that he faced one on one. He mostly wanted to show this kite to his father. As the novel continues, the kite becomes a symbol of betrayal which leads Amir to the will of finding redemption. Hassan sacrificed him just to bring kite back to Amir as he said he would. Hassan took a beating to keep the kite and Amir watched it happen without reacting. Amir feels guilt ever since this moment until the very end of the novel, where Amir is running a kite for Hassan’s son. At the end, the kites symbolizes happiness, freedom and peace at last. Scars: Hassan has a split lip since he was a child, and it is one of the features Amir refers to the most when describing him. The split in his lip symbolizes Hassan’s status in the society. It signifies poverty and minority as an ethnicity which is one major thing that differentiates him from Amir, because it indicates that his family do not have the money to fix his lip. Baba eventually pays a surgeon to repair Hassan’s lip as a birthday gift, signifying his secret fatherly love for Hassan. Later in the novel, Assef splits Amir’s lip in his one on one duel with Amir. Amir is left with a permanent scar very similar to Hassan’s. This scar on Amir symbolizes the fact that Amir has become like Hassan not only physically, but mentally too in the sense that he has learnt to stand up for what is right. Bibliographical information: Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, (2003) I got a 4+ on this journal , so it should do you some good 🙂

Battle Royal Ralph Ellison Analysis Essay

Battle Royal Ralph Ellison Analysis Essay Rope-a-dope is a precarious boxing strategy first introduced by Muhammad Ali against George Foreman in the Heavyweight Championship match held on October 30, 1974, in Kinsasha, Zaire. The match is best known as the Rumble in the Jungle because of the fiery action among the two great heavyweight fighters of that era. As told on his official website www.ali.com, Ali was the better technical fighter while Foreman the bruiser packed an unyielding harder punch. During the first round of the bout, Ali scored several technical hits but Foreman remained unfazed. Throughout the next three rounds, Ali changed his strategy, frequently lying against the ropes, allowing a determined Foreman to exhaust himself by throwing repeated ineffective punches to Alis protective arms. Confusing the commentators and the judges, Ali laid on Foreman repeatedly forcing him to hold up his weight while continuing to thrust pin-point blows. By round five, Foreman was exhausted while Ali had taken every opportunity to land several choice blows to Foremans face and head when the big fighter let his guard down. Finally, in the eighth round, Foremans punches were too futile and Ali knocked him out. Twenty-two years prior to the use of this strategy by Ali, Ralph Ellison mastered a similar literary version. Ellisons royal fight is evident when in The Battle Royal the narrator says, It took me a long time and much boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: That I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man (1)! Here, he shares his belief that African Americans have to battle for an equal playing field when Caucasians are born in an equal arena. If we clear away the conceptions of his essay Battle Royal and begin to examine the references with an eye to the subtext, a largely unrecognized place for the essay emerges within a more sociological and materialist reading of the African American plight in the post Emancipation Proclamation era. Christopher Butler (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994) states that 1914 was the beginning of The Modernist Period in literature where the majority of widely published works came from a select group of predominantly white male writers. Furthermore, Allain Lockes The New Negro chronicled the how and why a renaissance of black art was establishing itself in Harlem. In short, the 1920s and 1930s were extraordinary years in American culture. Two men key in paving the way for the breakthrough for black writers during the Harlem Renaissance were Langston Hughes and Richard Wright. The book Ralph Ellison: A Biography by Arnold Rampersad describes how Ellison wanted to be Renaissance Man at an early age which explains his move to Harlem upon leaving Tuskegee Institute without a degree. His goal was to become a great musician. After several odd jobs, he met Richard Wright who noticed Ellisons writing talent. Robert G. OMeally states that the two authors (Hughes and Wright) encouraged Ellison to pursue a career in fiction, and it would be in this medium that Ellisons talents would reach fruition. In Battle Royal, Ellison shows us how important his personal life and the context of the era had been in creating a work of fiction that speaks not only to African Americans sense of dignity but to the human circumstance and desired equality of all men. Ralph Ellison wrote Battle Royal during a time of concentrated American social unrest. The main character in essay Battle Royal is an educated student who has recently graduated and is to deliver a speech in front of a crowd of prominent white men They were all there-bankers, lawyers, judges, doctors, fire chiefs, teachers, merchants. Even one of the more fashionable pastors (6). The spectrum represented by the white men is a symbol that every vocation of protecting and serving our society presents a battle for African Americans. Ellison also reveals to the reader how the white men portray the black males as a means of brutal entertainment. This is a free-for-all battle that involves ten combatants sealed in morale conflict for the pu rpose of financial gain. Therefore, the blacks are competing for the money of the whites who wont offer any of the civil liberties that an equal race deserves. Placing the narrator in the fight allows him to be objectified and disrespected which adds a first person account of this story. The narrators unyielding fortitude to deliver his speech is the central theme of the essay. The sub-textual emphasis of the black mans humility explains why Ellison closely followed the footsteps of Washington for a time. Ellison even makes a direct reference to Booker T. Washington and the title of his novel Invisible Man in the story when, after he stresses the importance of the narrators speech, he writes In those pre-invisible days I visualized myself as a potential Booker T Washington (5). Humility and the importance of social responsibility are both objectives contrary to the dual nature of the grandfathers curse. However, the narrators dream involving his grandfather proves that the actual wo rth of the curse has nothing to do with its words. In fact, in reference to the value of keep up the good fight (3) as said by the dying grandfather, the narrator in the last line of the essay First I had to finish college.) (107) Social conflict and upheaval because of the disenfranchisement of the African American had become commonplace especially, during the late 19th and early 20th century. Degrading titles gained universal acceptance such as boy, nigger, coon, and Negro before the civil rights movement. The Black community basically had two major activists held sway over them during this period, and both had articulated contrasting dogmas for the success and social progress of the black race in America when whites continued to dominate and segregate the African Americans through outdated grandfather clauses and legal barriers as stated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The two notions were that blacks could either succeed by acceptance of their social station and be viewed as cooperative with the white society, or fight their oppression through activism. Dudley Randalls poem: Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois It seems to me, said Booker T., It shows a mighty lot of cheek To study chemistry and Greek When Mister Charlie needs a hand To hoe the cotton on his land, And when Miss Ann looks for a cook, Why stick your nose inside a book? I dont agree, said W.E.B. If I should have the drive to seek Knowledge of chemistry or Greek, Ill do it. Charles and Miss can look Another place for hand or cook, Some men rejoice in skill of hand, And some in cultivating land, But there are others who maintain The right to cultivate the brain. It seems to me, said Booker T., That all you folks have missed the boat Who shout about the right to vote, And spend vain days and sleepless nights In uproar over civil rights. Just keep your mouths shut, do not grouse, But work, and save, and buy a house. I dont agree, said W.E.B. For what can property avail If dignity and justice fail? Unless you help to make the laws, Theyll steal your house with trumped-up clause. A ropes as tight, a fire as hot, No matter how much cash youve got. Speak soft, and try your little plan, But as for me, Ill be a man. It seems to me, said Booker T. I dont agree, Said W.E.B. This poem accurately describes the contrast in approaches of the two men to the advancement of black people after reconstruction. Fast-forwarding to 2011, if we clear away the conceptions of this essay that I am writing and begin to examine the references with an eye to the subtext, a largely unrecognized place emerges within a more sociological and materialist reading of the current African American plight. For the first time in the storied and hypocritical history of The United States of America, we have an African American President. The grass-roots monetary record shattering campaign of Barack Obama in 2007 set a new bar for allowing anyone and everyone interested to get involved in having a voice in making American cultural history. As Lee Corso says, not so fast my friend. The exact humiliating fight portrayed in Battle Royal is being engaged today by President Obama. Certain fascist people (many being white) are questioning the very legitimacy of the leader of the free world. Disguising racism by challenging your birth certificate, religion, friends, family, and education doesnt make the actions (that no other American President has ever faced) any less than what they areà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦degrading. There is no joy in accepting partial equality. If Dr. Martin Luther King was witnessing the visible character punches being thrown at Barack Obama today, he would tell him to persevere so that one day he will be judged by the content of his character and not by the color of his skin. Now, I see why Ralph Ellison was not sold on the fundamental new awareness of the so called modernism authors opening the door of tolerance in America as wide as they regarded. Undoubtedly, Ellisons no-nonsense serious fiction about blacks added a new dimension, a new voice, if you will, to modern American writing.

Employing Typical Features of the Gothic Tradition in Frankenstein :: Gothic Mary Shelley Frankenstein Essays

Employing Typical Features of the Gothic Tradition in Frankenstein One question, which occurs to most whom have read the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is, which path does the novel follow? Is it that of the Classic Gothic, or of the Modern Gothic genre? Some consider Frankenstein, the first true Modern Gothic novel. Others may disagree; many people consider it a pure combination of Modern and Classic Gothic elements. You may also point out that Frankenstein does not depend entirely on the Gothic genre. Mary Shelly’s upbringing was a struggle. Her mother (Mary Wollstonecraft) died only eight days after her birth. Her father ignored her after traveling Europe with Percy Shelly. In 1815 Mary gave birth prematurely to a daughter who died soon after. In 1816 she gave birth to a young boy, William. This was the same year, which the book Frankenstein was born, and in it’s early stages. Later that year one of Mary’ half sister committed suicide. Two month’s later Percy Shelly’s wife (Harriet) drowned herself in the serpentine, Hyde Park. Both Mary’s children died soon after the publication of Frankenstein. This may have influenced Mary Shelly’s plot in Frankenstein. She is so traumatized by all the death around her, that she tries to imagine what life would be like if resurrection was possible. If the dead could be brought back to life then surly everything would life would be perfect and there would be no fear of death. Then again without a fear of death, life is meaningless. Everything you do in your life is to satisfy or fulfill yourself in the next. â€Å" In a well organized mind, death is but the next adventure.† from Harry Potter & the Philosophers Stone, describing the need for death in society. This is reflected in the novel. Classic Gothic is a straightforward method of frightening the reader. Unlike modern, it's direct. The reader knows that there is a monster, or ghost there. The character may not always be aware of this. Classic Gothic usually contains the fright of monsters or things that shouldn't be. Frankenstein is not set in an old, dull spooky castle, like most Classic Gothic novels, although you could say that it has something quite close to this. Frankenstein's laboratory is a dark, gloomy, damp old room. Most Gothic novels are likely to be set around or in a castle. Nature is used a lot to create atmosphere. The dreary, icy fields of the Alps indicate the isolation of the two main characters. There is also a struggle between good and evil throughout the story: While my right hand grasped a pistol which was hidden in my bosom; Employing Typical Features of the Gothic Tradition in Frankenstein :: Gothic Mary Shelley Frankenstein Essays Employing Typical Features of the Gothic Tradition in Frankenstein One question, which occurs to most whom have read the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is, which path does the novel follow? Is it that of the Classic Gothic, or of the Modern Gothic genre? Some consider Frankenstein, the first true Modern Gothic novel. Others may disagree; many people consider it a pure combination of Modern and Classic Gothic elements. You may also point out that Frankenstein does not depend entirely on the Gothic genre. Mary Shelly’s upbringing was a struggle. Her mother (Mary Wollstonecraft) died only eight days after her birth. Her father ignored her after traveling Europe with Percy Shelly. In 1815 Mary gave birth prematurely to a daughter who died soon after. In 1816 she gave birth to a young boy, William. This was the same year, which the book Frankenstein was born, and in it’s early stages. Later that year one of Mary’ half sister committed suicide. Two month’s later Percy Shelly’s wife (Harriet) drowned herself in the serpentine, Hyde Park. Both Mary’s children died soon after the publication of Frankenstein. This may have influenced Mary Shelly’s plot in Frankenstein. She is so traumatized by all the death around her, that she tries to imagine what life would be like if resurrection was possible. If the dead could be brought back to life then surly everything would life would be perfect and there would be no fear of death. Then again without a fear of death, life is meaningless. Everything you do in your life is to satisfy or fulfill yourself in the next. â€Å" In a well organized mind, death is but the next adventure.† from Harry Potter & the Philosophers Stone, describing the need for death in society. This is reflected in the novel. Classic Gothic is a straightforward method of frightening the reader. Unlike modern, it's direct. The reader knows that there is a monster, or ghost there. The character may not always be aware of this. Classic Gothic usually contains the fright of monsters or things that shouldn't be. Frankenstein is not set in an old, dull spooky castle, like most Classic Gothic novels, although you could say that it has something quite close to this. Frankenstein's laboratory is a dark, gloomy, damp old room. Most Gothic novels are likely to be set around or in a castle. Nature is used a lot to create atmosphere. The dreary, icy fields of the Alps indicate the isolation of the two main characters. There is also a struggle between good and evil throughout the story: While my right hand grasped a pistol which was hidden in my bosom;

Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - Same-Sex Marriages :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Same-Sex Marriages Currently in the United States there has been much debate over the controversy surrounding the legalization of same-sex marriages. There are many people who are opposed and feel it is morally and ethically wrong and others who feel that same-sex marriages are acceptable. Prior to writing about this topic I had no strong feelings toward or against the issue on same-sex marriages. After researching and finding out more information on the topic, I became in favor of allowing those of the same-sex to have there marriages legalized. Many people ask themselves why gays and lesbians even want to attempt to get laws past to be allowed to get married. Why would they want to be married? Are they not happy with the relationship in which they have? Gays and lesbians are just like heterosexuals, they want there marriages to be recognized by the law. They are like any normal couple and want a marriage to prove and show their love for each other. They want that simple document that the government gives to heterosexuals which binds two people into a marriage. What exactly is marriage then? Marriage is a legal relationship between spouses; it is established by a civil or religious ceremony, and takes place between two people who intend to live together as sexual and domestic partners. The AIDS epidemic stirred up many questions and brought public attention on a range of issues surrounding gay and lesbian rights. Legalizing same-sex marriages may help prevent aids. If two people are in a marriage then they are less apt to have many sexual partners and will help stop the spread of AIDS. Other people feel that same-sex marriages are not a proper place to raise children. This is a truly false statement because there are many people who have children and procreate that should not have that right. For instance, murderers, child molesters, drug and alcohol addicts are all free to procreate and raise children and homosexuals are not. This does not make sense. If a person can raise a child and give them love, shelter, food and other necessary resources to raise a child, then they should be given the right to raise a child. Just because a child has more than one mother or father does not mean that they are going to grow up gay or have emotional problems.

A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Collaborative Learning and Individ

Introduction Group work is a way to organize classroom activity where students are given a group assignment from the teacher and where the students’ level of participation depends on how they engage in the group task (Chiriac & Frykedal, 2011). For example, if students work cooperatively or collaboratively, then students within the group will have an increased learning retention and increased critical thinking (Chiriac & Frykedal, 2011). Bennett and Dunne (1992), and Galton and Williamson explain that cooperative group work occurs when students divide the work load in a group and each individual completes a different part of the assignment. Consequently, cooperative learning may result with no interaction between students in the group. On the other hand, collaborative learning occurs when each individual member of a group works on the same task that is presented (as cited in Chiriac & Frykedal, 2011). The evidence on the effectiveness of collaborative group work is convincing, and is shown to positively affect the way students learn (Frey, Fisher, & Allen, 2009). Students using collaborative learning learn to develop social skills and have opportunities to contribute to the group (â€Å"What are the benefits†, n.d.). Students enjoy working together and interaction between students may promote higher critical thinking and an increased learning retention (Chiriac & Frykedal, 2011). I will investigate the efficiency of using collaborative grouping compared to individual work with 6th and 8th grade students at Pine Mountain Middle School. The benchmark that will be used to measure efficiency will be how well the middle school students perform with Solidworks, a 3D engineering program. . Statement of the Problem Teachers debat... ...ement in Sweden. In C. M. Evertson, & C. S. Weinstein (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues. (pp. 1141–1160) Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publisher. Individual learning. (20, December 2005). Retrieved from http://www.ica-sae.org/trainer/english/p14.htm Johnson, D., Johnson, R.: Cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning. Journal of Research and Development in Education, Vol. 12,p.p. 8 –15, 1978. Slavin, R. (1995). Research on cooperative learning and achievement: What we know, what we need to know. Retrieved from http://www.konferenslund.se/pp/TAPPS_Slavin.pdf Solidworks. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.solidworks.com/ What are the benefits of cooperative and collaborative learning?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/index_sub3.html

Company law ans

Bristol is a substantial shareholder in Chester-Perry Industries Ltd. A business competitor, Gun and Fames Pity Ltd, is selling in great volume a cookbook similar to one in respect of which Chester-Perry Industries holds the copyright. Bristol believes his company has incurred a substantial loss and his own shares have been reduced In value by $150,000. HIS solicitors believe an Infringement of copyright has occurred. Cycles and Pollock are the directors of Chester-Perry Industries Ltd. They state that they have decided not to litigate because they believe hat to take legal action for infringement of copyright is too expensive and risky.Bristol is unsure whether the directors of Chester-Perry Industries have any interest in Gun and Fames Pity Ltd. On the general principles laid down Salmon's case, can Bristol sue Gun & Fames? Issue: Can Bristol sue Gun & Fames on behalf of Chester-Perry as a shareholder in Chester-Perry? Relevant law: Salomon. Application: The House of Lords in Salom on held that upon incorporation, a company beneficially becomes a separate legal entity even though its issued shares are owned by the same person Like In Salomon.Similarly In this question, Chester-Perry Is a company that has been incorporated and therefore, is a separate legal entity from all its shareholders. In this case, according to Salomon, Bristol who is a shareholder of Chester- Perry cannot sue Gun & Fames on behalf of Chester-Perry as a company is separate from its shareholders. Conclusion: Bristol cannot sue Gun & Fames on behalf of Chester Perry due to the principle laid down in Salomon where upon incorporation Chester Perry is considered as a separate legal entity from all its shareholders, including Tutorial 2 Bristol.Q(a). The Constitution of Big Hopes Pity. Ltd. Includes the following provisions: Rule XSL: On any Increase In capital the new shares must be offered to members In proportion to their excellent shares. John (an existing shareholder) is distressed when an allotment of a new issue is Issue: of What action can John take against Big Hopes for failing to allot new issue shares to him according to Rule xi of the Constitution? Relevant law: CA 2001. Application: s. 140(1)(a) states that a constitution of a company is a contract between the company and its company and its shareholders.In this essence, both the shareholders are bind by the constitution. Must Big In this instance, Rule xi of Big Hopes' constitution states that new shares be offered to existing shareholders as per their existing shares. However, Hopes failed to allot new shares to John as according to his existing shares and have therefore breached its contractual obligation in the constitution under Conclusion: John can take an action against Big Hope under s. 140(1)(a) for breaching its to contractual obligation in its constitution for failing to allot the new shares John as per his existing shares.Tutorial 3 Q. John, Ring, George and Paul incorporate Big Hopes Pity Ltd for their property development business. Big Hopes Pity Ltd was empowered under a provision in its constitution to appoint a managing director. However, the company did not appoint managing director, executed a contract with Vincent for the purchase of a certain property. The market price for the property subsequently collapsed. The board of Big Hopes Pity Ltd, learning of the contract, expressed their disapproval to Paul and claimed that the company was not bound by the contract.Vincent seeks your advice as to his legal position. Issue: Is the company bound by the contract with Vincent? Relevant law: Constructive notice, Turned, and s. 129(2)(a) and (b), s. 29(5) (6) CA 2001 , Actual authority and Apparent authority. Application: Under the old principle of constructive notice, the constitution of public companies are made available for public inspection and therefore, the public are deemed well aware of the limitations on the authority of the companies' principle will not apply here a s Big Hopes is a private officers. This old company.Furthermore, under the common law Turnaround's case, any outsiders with companies can assume that the persons with whom they are with have the authority to contract on behalf of the companies and all proceedings have been complied with. Dealing internal In this case, the constitution of Big Hopes states that a MD should be appointed but did not state that Paul has been properly appointed as the MD. Vincent can argue that he assume that Paul has been appointed as the as per the Turnaround's case and therefore, has the authority to contract on behalf of the company.He also has no actual knowledge or suspicion that Vincent has not been properly appointed (Note: In test/exam, if there are any circumstances that arouse suspicion, argue using the case of Nonresident Developments). The principle of constructive notice has also been abolished by s. 130(1) of CA 2001. In dealing with companies, outsiders are entitled to make certain assumpt ions contained in s. 129 of ACACIA as per s. 128(1) of ACACIA. In this instance, Vincent can argue that he has been empowered by s. 128(1) to make certain s. 129 assumptions when contracting with Paul from Big Hopes. Reticular, he can assume under and (b) that Paul has been properly appointed as the MD of Big Hopes and can therefore exercise all the customary duties of a MD which include entering into contracts on behalf of Hopes. In this essence, Vincent can assume that Paul has actual implied authority to enter into contracts on behalf of Big Hopes. Note: In test/exam, if question requires arguing on apparent/ostensible authority, use the case of Freeman Locker to support your argument). Vincent can also argue either s. 129(5) or (6) depending on whether Big Hopes execute contracts by way of seal or without seal.Either way, Vincent can argue that Paul has complied with all the internal proceedings when executing the contract with/without seal (e. G. Proper meeting, quorum, fixatio n of seal, witnessing of fixation et cetera) under either of these two sections. The exceptions under s. 128(4) CA 2001 will not apply to Vincent as he has ever known or suspected that Paul has not been properly appointed and the contract has not been properly executed. Conclusion:Big Hopes is bound by the contract with Vincent under both common law (as per Turnaround's case whereby entitled to make certain s. 29 assumptions again, there is no evidence suggesting any when dealing with Big Hopes and exceptions under s. 128(4) that will rebut the s. 129 assumptions made by Vincent. Tutorial 4 Q. Maria is keen to purchase shares in Action Ltd. , but is unable to raise sufficient funds to do so. It is suggested that the company lend Maria the sum of $50,000 to enable her to complete the purchase. The directors of Action Ltd. Seek your advice as to this proposal. Issue: Can Action Ltd lend Maria the sum of $50,000? Is this considered as financial assistance?Relevant law: s. AAA(1) CA 200 1, ASIA v Adler. Application: Under s. AAA(1), a company may only financially assist a person if it (a) does not materially prejudice the interests of its shareholders and affect its ability to pay its creditors, (b) must be approved by all shareholders, and (c) exempted by s. CHIC. Therefore, before Action Ltd lends the $50,000 to Maria, it must ensure that it has comply with all the requirements in s. AAA(1). Otherwise, Action Ltd will be breaching s. AAA(1) as per the case of ASIA v Adler. In ASIA v Adler, Mr..Adler the director in HI has utilized the money of HI to financially assist his personal company PEE to purchase the shares in HI when HI was already in financial difficulty and without the approval of the shareholders. The court deemed this to be a contravention of s. AAA(1). Requirements in s. AAA(1). Conclusion:Action Ltd can only financially assist Maria to purchase the shares of Action Ltd if it satisfied all the requirements in s. AAA(1). Otherwise, Action Ltd will be deemed to have contravened s. AAA(1) as per the case of ASIA v Adler.Tutorial 5 Q. An opportunity has arisen to purchase land for development at Christmas Hills. The shareholders of Central Developments Ltd. Passed a resolution that the company purchases the land. However, the directors have ignored the resolution and refuse to act on it. Are the directors bound to implement the shareholders' resolution? Issue: Are the directors of Central Developments bound by the shareholders' resolution to purchase the land at Christmas Hills? Relevant law: Separation of ownership and management powers, Automatic Self- Cleansing, John Shaw.Application: Under the principle of separation of ownership and management powers, the management of the company is vested fully in the board of directors despite the shareholders owning the company. Therefore, the shareholders cannot pass resolutions instructing the directors on how to manage the company. According to the cases of Automatic Self-cleansing and John Shaw, the directors as long as acting within the management powers bequeathed on them by the company's constitution have absolute power in managing the company and the shareholders have no rights to interfere in this as per the company's constitution.In this event, the directors of Central Developments can ignore the resolution of the shareholders to purchase the land at Christmas Hills because purchasing of land can be considered as a type of management power and only the Conclusion: The directors of Central Developments can ignore the resolution of the shareholders to purchase the land at Christmas Hills because the directors have absolute power to manage the company including whether to purchase the land as per the principle of separation of ownership and management powers and the cases of Automatic Self-cleansing and John Shaw.Tutorial 6 IQ. Seven Dwarves Ltd operates nursing homes. Its directors are Sleepy, Grumpy and Dopey. They hold 30% of the shares in the company. The directors allocate 1 million new shares to certain business associates. This has upset certain shareholders who claim that the placement was made with a view to preventing a future takeover offer being made. The directors claim that the allotment was made to raise cash required for the company's future needs. Advise the shareholders.Issue: Advise the shareholders whether the directors have breached any of their director's duties by allocating 1 million new shares to certain business associates? Relevant law: s. 181 CA 2001 â€Å"proper purpose† (but for test), Whitehorse v Carlton, Howard Smith. Application: Under s. 181 CA 2001, directors must act in good faith, in the best interest of the shareholders and for a proper purpose. The shareholders in claimed that the directors have issued 1 million new shares to Seven Dwarves certain business associates to defeat a takeover and therefore, the issuing of these new shares is for an improper purpose.To determine whether the issui ng of new shares is for an improper purpose (I. E. To defeat a takeover), the but for test will be applied. But for to defeat a future takeover, will the directors issue the 1 million new shares? † (Note: Students must reason and argue on this question to reach an answer, either Yes/No). If the but for test reveals that no, if not to defeat a takeover, the directors will not issue the new shares, then obviously the reason for issuing shares is to defeat a takeover. He to prevent the wife from having majority control over the business and in the case of Howard Smith, whereby new shares were issued to prevent future takeover, the court ruled that the issuing of new shares in these cases was for improper purpose. Therefore, the directors have breached s. 181 because their purpose in issuing the 1 million new shares to certain business associates is to defeat a future takeover which is considered as improper as per the two cases discussed above. Conclusion: The directors of Seven Dwarves have breached s. 81 because they have issued cases new shares for an improper purpose (I. E. To defeat a takeover) as per the of Whitehorse v Carlton and Howard Smith. Tutorial 7 (This question is not taken out from the tutorial questions but you can still use it as a reference for answering questions from this tutorial) Sam and Pete are the erectors in BBC Pity Ltd. They have decided to use the 1 million dollars in the company's bank account to invest in the shares of DEAF Ltd after doing all the necessary research and making all the necessary inquiries by themselves from the Internet and financial Journals and magazines.Six months after the investment, the World Financial Crisis occurs and DEAF Ltd goes into liquidation causing BBC Pity Ltd to lose its 1 million dollars investment. Do the shareholders of BBC Pity Ltd have a course of action against Sam and Pete? Issue: Do the shareholders of BBC have a course of action against Sam and Pete for asking an investment that cau sed the company to lose 1 million dollars? Relevant law: Old subjective common law standard, Re Cardiff Bank, Re City Equitable Fire Insurance, Daniels v Anderson (objective standard), s. 80(1) and s. 180(2) CA 2001. Application: Under the old common law, a subjective standard is applied to directors when exercising their duty of care towards their companies. In both the case of Re Cardiff Bank and Re City Equitable Fire Insurance, the subjective standard is applied whereby directors were only required to exercise duty of care as per their personal level f skill and experience. However, this approach has been overruled by the modern objective standard landmarks in the case of Daniels v Anderson.In this case, all directors are expected to exercise a duty of care that any other reasonable directors will apply in the same position and circumstance and not according to their personal level of skill and experience. This standard is further illustrated in 180(1) CA 2001 which states that directors must exercise their power with degree of care that any reasonable directors would exercise in the same circumstances, position and responsibilities. In this event, if the shareholders of BBC are able to establish that any other Sam and Pete would be breaching their duty of care towards BBC under 180(1).However, Sam and Pete will be able to raise the Business Judgment Rule Defense (BBC) in s. 180(2) CA 2001. In order for them to raise the BBC, they must satisfy four elements; (1) They have made the business Judgment in good faith and for a proper purpose – there is no evidence that Sam and Pete have ill intentions when making the investment, (2) They have no material personal interest in the business Judgment – again, there is no evidence that Sam andPete have gained any benefits financial or non-financial wise from the investment, (3) They have informed themselves of the subject matter of the business Judgment – there is evidence that Sam and Pete have done all the necessary research including online and from Journals and magazines, and (4) Any other reasonable person in the same position and circumstances would have made the same investment as they did after doing all the research – Sam and Pete must be able to prove so. If Sam and Pete are able to establish all the elements in s. 180(2), then they will be able to use the BBC to defend themselves from breaching s. 0(1). Conclusion: The shareholders of BBC will have a course of action against Sam and Pete if they can prove that no reasonable director will invest the 1 million dollars in DEAF and therefore, in doing so, Sam and Pete have breached their duty of care to the company under s. 180(1). However, if Sam and Pete can establish all the elements under s. 180(2), then they will be able to use the BBC to defend themselves from breaching s. 180(1). Tutorial 8 (These questions are not taken out from the tutorial questions but you can a shareholder in EX. Pity Ltd.

Ramadan

In the article â€Å"Young Saudis Reinvent Ramadan,† the author highlights some issues involved in the celebration of Ramadan, or the month meant for fasting. In most places, particularly in the rich country of Saudi, young and old turn night into day to be able to eat, watch and do other things, while spending the day sleeping. Even some services are available until dawn. These practices are highly contradictory to the real essence of Ramadan, which is to sacrifice by fasting during the day in order to atone for past sins and be reborn after the month is over. Sleeping during the day undermines the value of sacrifice since those who do this are free to indulge during the night. The government and its people have practiced Ramadan for a long time but the practice had been superficial, as pointed out by the author. Another issue that the author highlights is how many Saudis have taken a new look at the puritanical approach to Islam after the fateful 911 attack. Many Saudis have now realized that extremism does not necessarily mean you are doing things for God. The students and young people described in the article are modernist because they chose to return to the real essence of Islam, which is making God the center of everything. Modernism makes God the center of the universe and the ultimate authority. Modernism is also about making the religious practice adapt to the times. They used their belief to apply to the modern world by helping to alleviate even for a while the needs of the people around them. They did not eliminate God from the center, instead, they refocused and found new meaning. The article as a whole speaks of hope and better understanding spreading among the youths of Saudi. They saw the excesses of the population during Ramadan and want to take a lead in reviving the real spirit of fasting. By giving to the poor, the young Saudi persons hope that the rest of the population would follow and remain true to the spirit of Ramadan.

Relationship Between the Criminal Justice System and Mental Illness

With nearly 300,000 mentally ill individuals housed within local, state, and federal prison systems, issues of mental health care within the criminal justice system are at the forefront of debate. While steps such as increasing medications and providing at least marginal support for the mentally ill within state institutions are improving the situation, recidivism rates, homelessness, and violence against ill prison inmates is still a major problem in today's society. The product of deinstitutionalization, this problem of warehousing the ill within the criminal justice system must be attended to in order to create an atmosphere of care for the mentally ill. By altering legislation against involuntary assistance, increasing knowledge and awareness through the criminal justice system, and an increase in community care following release, the criminal justice system can create a cost effective solution to the problem of untreated mental illness within the system. The Relationship between the Criminal Justice System The relationship between mental illness and the criminal justice system has been one of intense scrutiny over the past several decades. Issues such as treatment options within state and federal prison systems, behavioral consequences of mental illness, and length of stay issues have all been deliberated intently by the psychiatric and legal community. These studies have indicated that severe problems exist within the system in terms of the care mentally ill individuals receive while incarcerated. This paper will focus on the issues of the mentally ill prison inmate, and will review current literature which suggests that although steps are being taken to solve some of these issues, more work must be undertaken to solve the problem of mental illness within the criminal justice system. In the correctional system today, there are nearly 300,000 mentally ill individuals, as compared to only 60,000 currently residing in state psychiatric hospitals (Faust, 2003). While only five percent of the population within the United States suffers from some form of mental illness, sixteen percent of individuals within the U.S. prison system suffer mental illness, clearly showing an over representation of these individuals within the system (Ditton, 1999). Some studies even suggest that the rate of incarceration of the mentally ill is four times that of the general population for males, and nearly six times that of the general population for females (Cox, 2001). The question, then, may be asked if the criminal justice system is ignoring the issues of mental illness, but studies suggest this is not the case. In the Los Angeles county jail system alone, over $10 million a year is spent on psychiatric medications for inmates (Faust, 2003). Another study showed that nearly half of all U.S. states have, in the last four years, established commissions or task forces specifically designed to look into the connection between the mental health system and the criminal system. Further legislation has been introduced in five states calling for such commissions (Souweine, 2004). In some states, such as Ohio, serious efforts have been put into place to assist the mentally ill. Ohio state prisons have quintupled the number of mental health professionals on staff, developed better mental health screening, provided more beds for the criminally insane, improved guard training, and improved funding for inmate mental health care (Kaufman, 1999). With all of these efforts in place, it is difficult to see why the problem of untreated mental illness exists. In order to understand the problem, it is essential to first understand the origins of the situation. In the mid-1950's through the 1970's, attempts were in force to dismantle the warehouses of the mentally ill through a process known as â€Å"deinstitutionalization†. At the time, mental institutions were simply holding areas for the insane, with sparse living conditions, harsh â€Å"treatment† procedures including electroshock therapy in unsafe conditions, and brutalization of patients (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999). Following concerns about civil rights issues, cost issues, and a desire to move to a more â€Å"outpatient† approach, numerous legislations were enacted to â€Å"deinstitutionalize† the population of mental health hospitals. First in 1965, the federal government passed legislation that specifically excluded Medicaid payments for inmates housed in state psychiatric hospitals. As a result, the states were now required to provide care, and, looking to lower costs, many discharged hundreds or thousands of patients into society (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999). In addition, legal reforms in the 1970's were passed that required an individual to be a danger to himself or to others in order for him or her to be treated involuntarily for their illness (Faust, 2003). The result was another mass release of patients into society. The results of deinstitutionalization are clear. Since 1960, nearly 90 percent of psychiatric beds in state hospitals have been removed. In 1955, nearly 600,000 individuals resided in state psychiatric hospitals; the number today is less than 70,000 individuals (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999). Unfortunately, however, these numbers are misleading, in that they suggest a reduction in the number of mentally ill individuals, which is not the case. For many deinstitutionalized patients, the end result was simply a transinstitutionalization, or change of residence. While the Medicaid funds had been withdrawn for state psychiatric hospitals, those funds were still available for individuals with mental illness residing in nursing homes and general hospitals. As a result, many patients were simply transferred to these types of settings, where treatment options and care for the mentally insane were not nearly as advanced. By the mid 1980's, nearly 23 percent of nursing home residents had some form of mental illness (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999). For other deinstitutionalized patients, the results were far more disastrous. According to recent studies, nearly 200,000 individuals with schizophrenia or manic-depression are homeless (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999). Another 200,000 of the homeless population suffer from other forms of mental illness. As homeless individuals, many of these patients are unable to maintain any form of treatment or medications, and thus are unable to receive the care they desperately need in order to function in society (Faust, 2003). Unfortunately, for many of these individuals, criminal incarceration in the final result. In some cases, family members who are unable to force their relatives into treatment facilities due to the involuntary treatment laws have no choice but to wait until the illness causes harmful behaviors. At that junction, the police are contacted, and the individual is removed to a correctional facility (Faust, 2003). Since it is now common practice to give priority to mentally ill individuals awaiting court proceedings, many family members find this method the only option for obtaining assistance (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). The result, according to a 1992 study, is that over 29 percent of jails in the U.S. criminal justice system report holding mentally ill individuals with no charges against them. Certain states, such as Montana, Wyoming, and New Mexico, allow such situations if the individual is being held awaiting psychiatric evaluation, a psychiatric bed in a state hospital, or transportation to that hospital (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). Many of these individuals are held after arrest for misdemeanors, such as trespassing, disorderly conduct, or vagrancy (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). In fact, nearly half of the mentally ill inmates housed within the criminal justice system at any given time have been arrested for a non-violent crime (Ditton, 1999). Additionally, studies have shown that substance abuse is often involved with many mentally ill individuals (Teplin and Abram, 2000). As a result, these individuals are often arrested for alcohol and drug related offenses (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). In many of these arrests, police are attempting to protect these individuals from harm, such as robbery, beatings, and rape, and therefore perform â€Å"mercy bookings† or unnecessary arrests in order to house the mentally ill (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). While these methods certainly provide some form of housing for the mentally ill, the consequences of that housing are astronomical. First, the costs of mentally ill housing within the criminal justice system are staggering. According to the Department of Justice in 2000, American taxpayers pay $15 billion annually for individuals incarcerated in jails and prisons with mental illnesses (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). Additionally, while these inmates do receive some form of psychiatric care, the costs of such care are much higher than that of community care centers, while the outcomes of such treatment is often much lower. According to the Department of Justice in 2000, one in every eight state prisoners were receiving some form of mental health therapy, and of the 1,558 state correctional facilities in the nation, 1,394 provided some form of mental health care. Nearly 70 percent screen inmates at admission for mental health issues, 65 percent conduct regular psychological assessment, half provide 24-hour psychological services, nearly 75 percent distribute psychotropic medications, and 66 percent assist released individuals with obtaining community mental health services (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). However, even with the steps in place, the programs tend to not be as intensive nor as successful as those in a more clinical or community setting. Drug therapy, used in nearly 60 percent of the mentally ill housed within the correctional system, has been shown to be less effective than drug therapy combined with other forms of therapy (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). Since nearly two-thirds of the mentally ill inmates are housed within units not specializing in mental health services, many are not receiving forms of treatment shown to be effective (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999). In addition to the problems with mental health care in state institutions, local institutions fare even worse. A 1992 study of American jails functioning outside of the state or federal level showed that one in five systems had no access to mental health services whatsoever. Furthermore, 84 percent of these systems reported their staff to have received either no training or less than three hours of training in dealing with mentally ill inmates (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). Clearly, simply housing the mentally ill within the state and local criminal justice system institutions is not cost effective, nor effective in terms of treatment given. However, there are even more drastic consequences of using the criminal justice system as a holding area for the mentally ill. First and foremost, mentally ill patients have special needs outside of simple medicinal requirements. Patterns of illogical thinking, delusions, hallucinations, severe mood swings, and other symptoms of mental illness tend to occur even in medicated mentally ill individuals. In the prison system, these symptoms which lead to bizarre and unpredictable behavior are often misunderstood by personnel that have not been trained in these types of illnesses. As a result, non-ill inmates and the personnel themselves may react with violence and punishment that is detrimental to the already fragile mental health of the individual (Treatment Advocacy Center, 2000). Still further, rape, a commonly known occurrence in prison systems, is more likely to occur in individuals who are unable to defend themselves due to confusion and disorientation as a result of their mental illness (Hiday, et al, 1998). These patterns of behaviors also lead to longer prison sentences for mentally ill inmates. In one study, done in Riker's Island Prison, the average length of stay for an inmate was 42 days. In comparison, the average rate for a mentally ill inmate was 215 days, a length five times that of a non-ill inmate. In a similar study in Pennsylvania, only 16 percent of released prisoners had served their complete sentence. Of those, the mentally ill were three times as likely to serve their complete sentence as those who were not ill (Ditton, 1999). Perhaps one of the largest problems facing the mentally ill who are incarcerated is finding community resources for equal or greater care following their release. A study completed it 1992 showed that nearly 30 percent of mentally ill inmates released commit another act within four months of release (Treatment Advocacy Center, 1999). For many, this recidivism rate is due to a lack of medications necessary to maintain a stable mental health condition. In addition, many of these individuals find themselves homeless following release, which further limits their ability to receive further treatment (Ditton, 1999). It is clear that, although the current criminal justice system certainly attempts to care for the mentally ill, more needs to be done to ensure these individuals are continuously cared for. One such step, supported by the National Sheriff's Association, is to consider new laws altering the requirements for mental ill treatment. The NSA suggests laws which would allow treatment based on a â€Å"need for treatment†, rather than simply a show of â€Å"dangerousness†. The NSA also supports measures to allow a court order to assist in outpatient treatment of individuals in the community who need such treatment, but refuse it (Faust, 2003). Many studies have shown that mentally ill individuals often are not aware of their illness and thus, refuse treatment despite their clear need for such measures (Teplin and Abram, 2000). According to a long term study supported by the NSA, long term treatment combined with routine outpatient services reduced rearrest by nearly 74 percent ( Faust, 2003). Further, increasing the availability of community services following release has shown to be an effective measure in controlling the issue of mentally ill inmates upon their release. In Cook County, Illinois, case management for released inmates is provided by the Thresholds Jail Program. The individuals of Thresholds provide 7 day a week case management for as long as the member needs assistance, and even searches the streets for those individuals who are homeless at the time of release. This commitment has resulted in an 80 percent reduction in the need for hospitalization or incarceration of released inmates. Funded through the Illinois Office of Mental Health, the program costs $25 a day, in comparison to $70 a day for incarceration, or $500 a day for hospitalization (Thresholds, 2006). Additionally, ensuring mental health screening measures, improving personnel training, and providing qualified mental health staff in all criminal justice systems, including local jails, would also help to decrease the issues related to the mentally ill within the system. In Ohio, where such measures have been implemented, there has been a dramatic increase in the care of the mentally ill. Reports show less mentally ill prisoner abuse, smaller punishments for rule infractions, and an overall increase in inmate mental health. Even further, recidivism rates of the mentally ill in Ohio have fallen nearly 80 percent (Kaufman, 1999). Deinstitutionalization had drastic effects on the future of the mentally ill in America. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system has become a replacement warehouse for the mentally ill, providing basic housing and medication for these individuals only for the duration of confinement. Once released, and even in some smaller prison systems, the inmate is left without adequate mental health treatment or medication, resulting in an endless spiral of illness and incarceration that is costing billions of dollars a year, and the lives of many mentally ill individuals. By creating new laws which allow treatment based on need, utilizing existing community resources on release, and increasing the knowledge and awareness of such issues within the personnel of the criminal justice system, these individuals can become productive members of society at a far lower cost, creating a better situation for all involved.

Coca Cola Pr Crisis in Belgium

COCA-COLA CRISIS IN BELGIUM, 1999. Introduction The assignment given was to choose a case with an organization or person that suffered a PR crisis, and didn’t manage it correctly from a PR perspective, such as miss-communications with stakeholders, media etc. I chose to write about the crisis that happened in Belgium in 1999. I will analyze the steps the company took towards to solve the issue, explain what they did wrong, and give my own opinion on how they could’ve handled it better. I will end my case with a final conclusion, and what the situation is today. But firstly I will start by talking a little bit about the Coca-Cola Company.Company Profile The Coca-Cola Company is the global leader in the soft-drink industry, with world headquarters located in Atlanta, Georgia. Coca-Cola and its subsidiaries employ nearly 30,000 people worldwide. Syrups, concentrates and beverage bases for Coca-Cola, the company's flagship brand, and more than 160 other soft-drink brands ar e manufactured and sold by Coca- Cola and its subsidiaries in nearly 200 countries around the world. Approximately 70 percent of volume sales and 80 percent of profit come from outside the United States. The European market provides 26% of the company’s US$18B in revenues.Coca-Cola owns a 49% share of the European soft drink market, compared to Pepsi-Co’s 5%. Coca-Cola’s Corporate Mission Statement We exist to create value for our share owners on a long-term basis by building a business that enhances The Coca-Cola Company’s trademarks. This also is our ultimate commitment. As the world’s largest beverage company, we refresh that world. We do this by developing superior soft drinks, both carbonated and non-carbonated, and profitable nonalcoholic beverage systems that create value for our Company, our bottling partners, our customers, our share owners and the communities in which we do business.In creating value, we succeed or fail based on our abili ty to perform as worthy stewards of several key assets: 1. Coca-Cola, the world’s most recognized trademark, and other highly valuable trademarks. 2. The world’s most effective and pervasive distribution system. 3. Satisfied customers, to whom we earn a good profit selling our products. 4. Our people, who are ultimately responsible for building this enterprise. 5. Our abundant resources, which must be intelligently allocated. 6. Our strong global leadership in the beverage industry in particular and in the business world in general.Additionally, Coca-Cola has a stated commitment to social responsibility through philanthropy and good citizenship. The company's reputation for good corporate citizenship results from charitable donations, employee volunteerism, technical assistance and other demonstrations of support in thousands of communities worldwide. Coca-Cola Management From 1984 to 1997, Robert Goizueta ran Coca-Cola like; â€Å"a ship in calm waters† as we m ay say, it was going smoothly. In his 13 years at the helm of Coke as CEO, Goizueta transformed Coke from an Atlanta cola company to an international brand phenomenon.Analysts and employees alike viewed Goizueta like a â€Å"God. † In 1997, Doug Ivester succeeded Roberto Goizueta as CEO of Coke following Goizueta’s death from lung cancer. Ivester, an employee of the company since 1979, had previously been Goizueta’s right hand financial engineer and later his chief operating officer. On the face of it, the transition would appear seamless. Doug Ivester has often been described as a very â€Å"rational† man with a â€Å"bulldog† leadership style. James Chestnut, Coca-Cola’s chief financial officer, says Ivester is a â€Å"terribly rational† manager.He states, â€Å"Doug believes everything should go through a logical sequence. He’s fixed on where he wants the company to be. † Ivester’s recent focus had been on two potential acquisitions to increase Coca-Cola’s presence in Europe: Orangina in France and Cadbury Schweppes. The tactics Ivestor pursued to acquire Orangina and Schweppes, however, has been met with much criticism, especially by Europeans. A July article appearing in Fortune magazine summarized the conventional wisdom this way: â€Å"the way Coke went about the acquisitions – arrogantly, urgently, intensely – absolutely reflects Ivester’s personality.And it’s not working. † Other analysts who have followed Coca- Cola for years believe that if Goizueta were still running the company, controversy surrounding the recall in Europe would not be festering as it was under Ivester. The Source of the Problem The outbreaks appeared to be caused by two sources, contaminated carbon dioxide and fungicide sprayed on wooden pallets used to transport the product. The contaminated carbon dioxide found its way into the product at a bottler in Belgium.The comp any was unable to determine whether the carbon dioxide was already contaminated when the bottler received it or whether contamination occurred later, at the bottling facility. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Anton Amon, Coca-Cola’s chief scientist, said that, â€Å"contrary to Coke procedure, the plant wasn’t receiving certificates of analysis from the supplier of the gas, Aga Gas AB of Sweden. This certificate vouches for the purity of the CO2. † A CCE spokesman confirmed this statement and acknowledged that the company did not test the CO2 batch at the Antwerp plant.In either case, key quality control procedures were not followed. At the Coca-Cola bottling facility in Dunkirk, France, the plant received wooden pallets that had been sprayed with a fungicide that left a medicinal odor on a number of cans. Jennifer McCollum, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola, described the substance as p-chloro-m-cresol or PCMC, â€Å"a chemical commonly found in wood pr eservatives and cleaning fluids. † The Environmental Chemicals Data and Information Network (ECDIN) states that PCMC can be absorbed through the skin and cause redness, burning sensation, pain and skin burns.If inhaled, the chemical can cause symptoms such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness, and may cause effects on the central nervous system, liver and kidneys. These more severe conditions are said to require large doses or chronic exposure to the chemical. Coca-Cola said that the substance was sprayed on approximately 800 pallets used to transport cans produced in Dunkirk to Belgium. The supplier of the pallets was said to be Dutch. The company, however, declined to name the company, stating only that it was not one of their regular suppliers.The foul odor is believed to have caused numerous symptoms, including upset stomachs, headaches and nausea after drinking the product. Dr. Hugo Botinck, medical director at St. Joseph’s Clinic in Belgium and one of the first physicians to see these patients, stated in an interview that affected persons were treated for, â€Å"headaches, dizziness, nausea and muscular vibration. † He added that, â€Å"some of them were vomiting, but there was no fever. † Bottling and International Distribution One of Coke’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to conduct business on a global scale while maintaining a â€Å"multilocal† approach.At the heart of this approach is the bottler system. Bottling companies are, with only a few exceptions, locally owned and operated by independent business people, native to the nations in which they are located, who are contractually authorized to sell products of The Coca-Cola Company. These facilities package and sell the company’s soft drinks within certain territorial boundaries and under conditions that ensure the highest standards of product quality and uniformity. Coca-Cola Ente rprises (CCE) manages most of the European bottlers. The Coca-Cola Company controls a 40% interest in CCE. Coca-Cola Belgium.Belgium was introduced to Coca-Cola in 1927. Today Belgium is among the world’s top 20 countries in terms of per capita consumption of Coca-Cola products. The Coca-Cola Company currently employs close to 2,000 people and serves up to 30,000 restaurants, supermarkets and other customers in that country. Coca-Cola France. Coca-Cola was introduced in France in 1933. Coke has been the number- one soft drink in France since 1966 with total sales doubling over the past eight years. Coca- Cola France employs more than 1,000 French citizens and has invested more than 3 billion francs in local economy since 1989.Today, French consumers drink an average of 88 servings of Coca- Cola products each year. External Factors Involved In May and June of 1999, it is fair to say that Coca-Cola executives vastly underestimated the sensitivity of European consumers to food c ontamination issues in light of the existing social and political environment. Contributing to the anxiety was the â€Å"mad-cow† crisis that had taken place three years earlier. Additionally, the Coke incident coincided with a recent governmental ban on the slaughter of pork and poultry in Belgium.Earlier in June, cancer-causing dioxin was found in a large shipment of meat, which was believed to have originated through contaminated animal feed. In the end, this scandal forced the resignation of Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dahaene as well as the country’s health minister. With the Belgian government facing elections on June 13, all political platforms were under scrutiny. In the wake of the Coke crisis, European government agencies were scrambling to protect their reputations as watchdogs, taking a high-profile role in contamination issues.Consumers had previously considered Coke invulnerable to contamination concerns due to the artificial, manufactured nature of t he product. In addition to its proximity to other food scares in Europe, the crisis also occurred at a time when Coke was looked upon unfavorably by the European Commission. Earlier in 1999, Coke had made plans to acquire Cadbury Schweppes brands around the world. The European Commission was opposed to this acquisition, viewing Coca-Cola as excessively dominant. The company was forced to scale back its acquisition plans. Coca-Cola’s ResponseBy the time the recall was completed, 249 cases of Coke-related sicknesses were reported throughout Europe, concentrated primarily in Belgium. A total of 15 million cases of product were recalled costing the bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), an estimated $103 million dollars. When the outbreak began, Coca-Cola executives waited several days to take action. Viewing the issue as low-priority, an apology to consumers was not issued until more than a week after the first public reports of illness. Top company officials did not arrive in Be lgium until June 18, ten days after the first incident was reported.The company’s casual and muted approach to the crisis was first made evident in its neglect to mention the May 12 incident – in which affected consumers suffered similar symptoms – once the other cases were reported, beginning in June. Ivester remained largely silent, at least publicly, throughout the crisis. He admitted that he happened to be in Coke’s Paris office on June 11, shortly after the first wave of illness reports surfaced, and was briefed in person on the Belgian situation. Ivester and Belgian Coke executives attributed the problem to a bad batch of carbon dioxide and â€Å"hardly a health hazard. The next day Ivester boarded a plane back to Atlanta, as planned. On June 14, the Belgium government ordered all Coca-Cola products off the market and halted production at bottling plants in Antwerp and Ghent. The government took the lead to protect consumers from the health scare, rather than Coca-Cola management. Coca-Cola issued a statement on June 15 from Atlanta (see Exhibit 1) refuting the contamination claims. On June 16, Ivester released a statement under his name (see Exhibit 2) expressing regret for the problems, but he mostly left the public side of the damage-control campaign to company spokesmen and CCE.On June 18, Ivester realized the magnitude and impact of the crisis and arrived in Belgium for the first time to manage the crisis. Ivester’s mission to Europe was his most visible step during the crisis and came only after the number of reported cases had ballooned to more than 200. Coca-Cola officials avoided the media, however, stating afterward that this decision was in response to a request from the Belgian Minister of Health, Luc van den Brossche, asking that the crisis be handled out of the public eye. ConclusionIn conclusion Coca Cola didn’t handle the situation properly by not communicating in a timely manner with the stakeho lders. The crisis represented vast damages to Coca Cola’s reputation and total cost of 66 million pounds. The main reason for the mistakes it was the lack of authority of local executives (Ivester). Coca Cola identified the reason for the fails in communications and consequently empowered the local teams to deal with this sort of situation. The lessons from this case study show how important it is to communicate with stakeholders.