BMW Essay -- essays research papers

BMW and Audi, two German automobile manufacturers, have a reputation for making some of the best cars in the industry. Not only are both companies superior in their production, but their financial statements also indicate stability and efficiency. Looking at financial ratios, we will compare both companies on a basis of management efficiency and debt status. As a bank analyst, we will make a recommendation as to which company would be better to approve a loan for. A recommendation will also be made regarding management effectiveness and which company would make a better investment. BMW has captured the attention of automobile drivers from all around the world with their â€Å"Ultimate Driving Machine.† The BMW Company was originally established in Germany and has extended nationally reaching over 12 countries. With Germany and the United States being the top two target countries, BMW has established their products as a combination of luxury, safety, and comfort with product lines to suit all styles of living. Revenues have been increasing each year since before 1996 with profits coming from product line of automobiles and motorcycles. In 2001, BMW came out with a new product group, the Mini. The Mini also contributed to the revenue increase in 2001. BMW has current developments in their sports cars, the Z8. BMW has created a trustworthy name for the automobiles they produce and has all the potential to continue their success in the future. Audi, one of Germany’s first automobile producers, has been designing and building cars since August Horch, its founder, completed his first car in 1901. Over the years following, a series of innovations and mergers have led Audi to the position it is in today. Audi’s subsidiaries include companies to facilitate international operations, part manufacturers, a vehicle customization company, a technology research company, and Lamborghini Corp, a successful sports car manufacturer. Audi’s current developments include its holding the EU Seal of Environmental Protection, and a number of technological advancements, including new car designs and a â€Å"seeing car† technology that has been nominated for the German Future award for Technology and Innovation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BMW  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Audi Profitability Ratios  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Return on Equity  ... ...reflects this. This again shows BMW’s less efficient cost management than Audi. Through Dupont analysis, we have been able to see the specific strengths and weaknesses of BMW and Audi’s management. BMW’s lower profit margin and asset turnover indicate less efficient cost management and asset management. Their debt multiplier indicates that they’re taking advantage of debt, but the benefit of this isn’t realized because of their problems with cost and asset management. Due to Audi’s more efficient use of their assets, and better cost efficiency, it can be said that their management has performed better than BMW’s over the past year. BMW and Audi both build cars that have a reputation for security, reliability and quality. These traits transcend into their financial statements, making both of them a good investment due to their debt status, and management effectiveness. Our recommendation as a bank loan analyst would be for BMW due to its superior liquidity and low risk. When evaluating management performance for equity investment, Audi is clearly a better investment. This is primarily due to its superior asset management, debt allocation, and inventory management.

Kant vs. Kierkegaard Essay

I also believe that the issue that I am discussing is deep, and therefore interesting. Its weaknesses would be its lack of quotes. The difficulty with this paper was trying to find the idea in the first place. It took me a lot of time to find deep similarities and differences between the two. It also took me some time to figure out how I would lay the essay out and how I would flesh the essay out. As this paper is not superficial, I found myself finding new ideas and problem as time passed. This gave me another problem as I always had to rethink and re-edit. The goals for my next paper are to include more quotes, as my papers lack evidence. My other goals are to carry on writing interesting and thought provoking papers. I aim to try to make my essays as clear as possible, as tackling deep issues can sometimes make the writing quite convoluted. Love of Duty vs. Love of Choice In their essays ‘Lectures on Ethics – Friendship’ and ‘Works of Love – Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor’, respectively, Kant and Kierkegaard both appear as idealists: They each portray a utopia in which friendship is universal. Kant believes that perfection can be achieved if people put love of mankind before love of oneself, and Kierkegaard believes that perfection can be achieved if you love everyone as if they were your neighbor. Ironically, both also contradict themselves: Kant contradicts his other idea that one will never be able to achieve the ideal of friendship, where partners share everything with each other. While Kierkegaard contradicts himself by saying a true Christian is completely selfless. This is a contradiction, as someone who is selfless cannot have a choice (free will), but as rational humans we do have a choice. Given these parallels, are these two thinkers ultimately offering us the same sense of utopia? No – in fact, Kant is a realist who uses a scientific approach to figure out what it means to be a friend, whereas Kierkegaard is a religious thinker who applies his religious morality on people. Their utopias look very similar on the surface, but their underlying methods to reach them are vastly different. Both Kant and Kierkegaard come from two very different backgrounds. Kant was born in Prussia, and was interested in physics and mathematics. He didn’t have a positive view of religion was also asked to stop teaching Theology at the University of Konigsberg by the government as he allegedly ‘misrepresented’ the principles of Christianity. This shows that Kant was a thinker independent of religion. Kant believed that â€Å"mankind’s final coming of age,† was â€Å"the emancipation of the human consciousness from an immature state of ignorance and error. † This is the opposite of Kierkegaard, as he was a devout Christian. Kierkegaard tried to incorporate religion (Christian morality) with reason. This is where he comes up with his idea of ‘loving thy neighbor’. Whereas Kierkegaard comes from a position that his way is the ‘right’ way, as it was mandated from God, Kant comes from a position which is influenced by Rousseau and Aristotle, in fact Kant’s idea of man having self-love and love for humanity comes straight from Rousseau’s book ‘The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality’. There is also a deeper difference: Kierkegaard’s religious morality implies duty, whereas Kant’s view on friendship implies choice. Choice lies at the heart of Kant’s philosophy. He says that man has two basic instincts: self-love and love for humanity (pity). These two instincts conflict with each other and only one can win. Kant believes that in an ideal world, all people would put love for humanity before self-love. This would create a world where love is reciprocated, and therefore man does not have to worry about losing his happiness. In essence, Kant’s version of a utopia is where man chooses to love humanity. This is vastly different to Kierkegaard’s version, where man has no choice, as it is his moral duty to love everyone as if they were his neighbor. Kierkegaard does acknowledge Kant in a way, by distinguishing between earthly love and spiritual love. He says earthly love (Kant’s type of love) is the exact opposite of spiritual love. He argues that a ‘poet’ (Kant) is absolutely right in saying that earthly love cannot be commanded. Kierkegaard believes that Christian love is better as it is ‘completely selfless’. For Kierkegaard, â€Å"Christian love teaches love to all men, unconditionally all. Just as unconditionally and strongly as earthly love tends towards the idea of there being but one single object of love, equally unconditionally and strongly Christian love tends in the opposite direction. If a man with respect to Christian love wishes to make an exception in the case of one man whom he does not wish to love, then such love is not ‘also Christian love,’ but it is unconditionally not Christian love. † (41) Kierkegaard also believes that it is quite liberating to be forced to love. As if the absence of choice creates peace. He believes that â€Å"it is encouraging in your relation to a distinguished man, that in him you must love your neighbor; it is humbling in relation to the inferior, that you do not have to love the inferior on him, but must love your neighbor; it is a saving grace if you do it, for you must do it† (50). Thus the difference between earthly and spiritual love is that earthly love is a choice and spiritual love is a command from God. Both Kierkegaard and Kant come to different conclusions because in their writing, their focus is on separate ideas. Kant, being a man of reason primarily, approaches his philosophy in a scientific manner. To explain, he breaks one thing into smaller things. Kant makes observations based on what he sees, hears, tastes, smells, and feels (like his three types of friendships). However, he does also make some conceptual assumptions (discussed earlier) such as his idea of putting love of humanity before self-love will cause reciprocation of friendship. Unlike Kierkegaard, Kant does not focus on religion as it is unnecessary for someone who is only interested in empirical observations. Kierkegaard however is not concerned with empirical observation, as he believes that there is something higher and more important i. e. Christianity. Kierkegaard concentrates more on morality and what he believes is right, instead of focusing on what is actually there. Kierkegaard doesn’t even talk about friendship in his writing. This shows that he places much more importance on what his religion says is right instead of trying to observe and deconstruct what friendship is. Although both philosophers have radically different ideas on how to achieve a utopian world, their ideas as an end result are very similar. They both want a world in which everyone loves everyone. The difference is that Kant’s love comes from reason, whereas Kierkegaard’s is spiritual. For this reason Kant’s idea seems more logical to the rational human being. Kant doesn’t believe in forced love, he believes in a choice to put either love of humanity or love of oneself at the fore. Kierkegaard’s idea of loving as a moral duty is contradictory at its heart, because how can you love if you don’t have a choice who to love? If you ‘love’ everyone it stops being love because love is defined by its opposite. How can there be love without hate? If it can’t exist, then how feasible is Kierkegaard’s idea? This is the main problem with Kierkegaard, because his observations come from his faith. In the real world, love should come from understanding, not dogma. If there is no understanding, it’s like a slavery of the mind. Works Cited Immanuel Kant, â€Å"Lectures on Ethics†, Ethics. Trans. Louis Infield, Harper Torchbooks, The Cloister Library, Harper & Row Publishers, New York and Evanston. Soren Kierkegaard, â€Å"Works of Love†, Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor. Trans. David F. Swenson & Lillian Marvin Swenson, Princeton – New Jersey, Princeton University Press.

Ladies & Gentleman Essay

The point was about the term â€Å"ladies and gentlemen. † It would be easy to think of upper class women in flashy dresses and extravagant hats and men in tailcoats and top hats when talking about ladies and gentlemen. However, one of my goals when using the terms is to make their definitions much more than mere appearance, if appearance at all. This modernization of the terms helps bring the definition into the current century and throw away the traditional and very close-minded definition. It is for this reason that I believe being a lady or gentleman is based on personality, how a person treats others, I speak for most people who use the term â€Å"ladies and gentlemen† in reference to a person’s conduct, not a person’s class, social standing, race, sexuality. Some, when faced with the terms â€Å"ladies and gentlemen,† will immediately assume the worst by using the outdated definitions. Some will also dig for reasons to label those who use â€Å"ladies and gentlemen†. In labeling us this way, these people do not facilitate any sort of progress for the terms or for any sort of unity for women, or men, ladies or gentleman. We live where we ought to not judge people by the color of their skin, their class, gender, or sexuality, with all of this, there are still groups who refuse to take off their blinders. Ladies and Gentleman, now there is a saying that has been with us for a long time, but what does it really mean and where did it come from? Let’s start with the ladies as we all have been known to do in the century we live in today to always allow ladies to be first. The term ladies could mean many different things to many different cultures so let’s get the one that is primarily recognized by all. There are numerous definitions of a lady and I am sure that we all have varied opinions of what a lady is, but here is a few from the dictionary. â€Å"Chiefly British A general feminine title of nobility and other rank, specifically, Used as the title for the wife or widow of a knight or baronet. Used as a form of address for a marchioness, countess, viscounts, baroness, or baronets’. Used as a form of address for the wife or widow of a baron. Used as a courtesy title for the daughter of a duke, a marquis, or an Earl. Used as a courtesy title for the wife of a younger son of a duke or marquis† (Ladies, n. . ). To discuss gentleman, as in reference to ladies is an entirely different topic but closely related . However to separate them is almost UN heard of in this society we live in today. The writer here feels it of necessity to come up with a definition of what is a gentleman where did this term come from. The definition of what the dictionary states is :, A man of gentle or noble birth or superior social position: â€Å"He’s too much a gentleman to be a scholar†, Used as a form of address for a group of men (gentleman, n. . ). Now we have a general idea of what a Ladies and a gentleman Are, let’s put them together to get a better understanding of â€Å"Ladies and Gentleman†. To take a look at them individually is one aspect to consider but let’s look at what a well rounded person is first and foremost prior to becoming a Lady or a gentleman. I’Uomo Universal Literally, â€Å"universal Man† a self reliant, multitalented, freethinking individual â€Å"(Sayre H 2008-2012). From the art work to the poetry of art and even the given philosophy that was all just a cultural part of growing with the ages was known to make Ladies and gentleman and primarily a humanist in all forms of the century. It was certain beliefs and attitudes to help make people what is universally known as well rounded . However the importance from education to cultural practices from philosophy made them who they were and their practice of becoming ladies and gentleman. In a survey conducted I was able to poll ten people and from vary ages and backgrounds. Although they all had varies opinions on what a lady and what a gentleman is. It was a little redundant on what the ladies had to say concerning their definitions, and what the men had in their responses. The simple fact from the ladies side was mostly about the dress of a lady and how they carried themselves in public. However on the men’s side of the scenario it was mostly about them being of a maternal instinct, and mannerisms of a lady one being polite, sincere and genially whole. However when it came to the Gentleman part of this survey it was all about having decent employment and being a good provider, and once again a good father figure. Funny as it seems this was from both the male and the female’s opinion. My age bracket was from one, my son who is twenty one, to my neighbor who is in their sixties. The ladies were a woman in their mid twenties to my mother in her late seventies. Their vocations were that of manufacturing to one of a professional woman a teacher. However it was an interesting fact when I asked these questions to my girl who was brought up well as she calls it blue blood, or if you will high society and her idea’s and experiences being brought up to be a lady. The fact that she was taught to courtesy in her early years and to have proper mannerisms of that type of upbringing to be able to be presented to other able blue blooded men at eighteen for a possible mate to ensure of proper breeding from their bloodline was somewhat a crazy response to my questions on being a lady or a gentleman. Therefore to some things up and to suggest whether or not I agree with Castiglione and his descriptions of a woman and that of a man or should we say a lady and a gentleman? To be or not to be the real question, a woman, lady or man or gentleman. Therefore I will share my opinions on the positives, I see fit and the negatives that I believe could be harmful to ones general character. To be born out of nobility would be an awesome deal but when and where we were born and the freedom of choice in our upbringing is one I am a little half and half on if that makes sense, in other words I do believe it is wonderful to be born with your parents and having them part of your life to help guide you, and to prevent errors in their culture to help make you a well rounded person. However to feel that a judgment is made upon you from whose family you were born into and how you were to dress and what reactions one would have towards you because of your nobility at birth and being told you believe this way or that way I feel is wrong. Therefore to be judgmental of the skin the dress and down to the language and how it is spoken to others and to deem their worthiness by a person’s size is a little farfetched but perhaps in that century the judgment rang true of a person’s actions be it male or female. To be a lady who plucks eyebrows or powders their face, or to be a wanton women to honest men or I believe the proper term here is harlot. Men of good posture and build for fighting wars or one whom is of a cowardice nature, but what of those men who flatly just did not measure up to the standards of a fighter for wars. In our society today we are somewhat powerless of what our physical stature is to become and therefore almost impossible to say what we will become and surely plays an important role in the attitude towards that.

Bis Case Study

com) was taking another crack at replacing its legacy business systems. The Oakland, New Jersey–based distributor of toys and gifts ? nalized plans to roll out J. D. Edwards Co. ’s OneWorld Xe suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management, and ? nancial applications. The multimillion-dollar project was scheduled to be done in phases over the next 18 months. Russ Berrie CIO Michael Saunders said that the company, which had sales of $225 million during the ? rst nine months of 2001, hoped the OneWorld System would help it reach $1 billion in annual revenue in the coming years. Within the next 12 months, he said, Russ Berrie planned to begin installing the applications one department at a time, starting with a stand-alone implementation in purchasing. â€Å"We’re not going big bang,† Saunders said. â€Å"We’re mitigating implementation risks by taking a phased-in approach. The company had reason to be cautious. Three years before, a Y2K-related migration from its homegrown distribution, ? nancial, and customer service systems to packaged ERP applications experienced major system failures. Saunders said the problems were severe enough for Russ Berrie to take many of the new applications off-line and return to their old systems. Saunders wouldn’t identify the software vendors that were involved in the failed impl ementation, but sources said that SAP AG’s applications were part of the 1999 project. A spokesman at SAP con? rmed that Russ Berrie was one of its customers, but he declined to offer further details because of pending litigation between the two companies. Joshua Greenbaum of Enterprise Applications Consulting said it appeared that Russ Berrie â€Å"bit off more than they could chew† on the 1999 project. Companywide rollouts are especially risky for midsize businesses like Russ Berrie, Greenbaum said. T he good news is that Agilent Technologies Inc. (www. agilent. com) says its enterprise resource planning applications are stable. The bad news is they got that way only after a rocky ERP migration project that cost the company $105 million in revenue and $70 million in pro? ts. In mid-August 2002, the multinational communications and life sciences company, formerly a part of HewlettPackard Co. , said problems with the ERP components in Oracle’s e-Business Suite 11e software froze production for the equivalent of a week, leading to the massive losses. The Oracle system handles about half of the company’s worldwide production of test, measurement, and monitoring products and almost all of its ? ancial operations, as well as functions such as order handling and shipping. Agilent was in the process of migrating as many as 2,200 legacy applications that it inherited from HP to Oracle. As part of the switchover, approximately 6,000 orders in the internally developed legacy systems had to be converted to an Oracle-friendly format, an Agilent spokeswoman said from company headquarters in Palo Alto, Califo rnia. She said the con? guration process had problems requiring correction. In a statement last week, Agilent President and CEO Ned Barnholt said the disruptions to the business after implementing the ERP system were â€Å"more extensive than we expected. † An Agilent spokeswoman said the issue wasn’t the quality of the Oracle application, but rather the â€Å"very complex nature of the enterprise resource planning implementation. † For its part, Oracle Corp. said it’s working closely with Agilent. â€Å"At Oracle, we are fully committed to all of our customers for the long haul and support them in any way necessary,† the company said in a statement. We have a strong relationship with Agilent, and both companies believe the implementation is stable. † Agilent also had a takeaway lesson: â€Å"Enterprise resource planning implementations are a lot more than software packages,† the company said in a statement. â€Å"They are a fundamental transformation of a company’s business processes. People, processes , policies, the company’s culture are all factors that should be taken into consideration when implementing a major enterprise system. † According to one analyst, ERP disasters are often caused by the user company itself. Joshua Greenbaum, an analyst at Enterprise Applications Consulting, said 99 percent of such rollout ? ascoes are caused by â€Å"management’s inability to spec out their own requirements and the implementer’s inability to implement those specs. † Russ Berrie and Co. After a three-year saga that included a $10. 3 million ? nancial hit from the failed installation of packaged applications, teddy bear maker Russ Berrie and Case Study Questions 1. What are the main reasons companies experience failures in implementing ERP systems? 2. What are several key things companies should do to avoid ERP systems failures? Explain the reasons for your proposals. 3. Why do you think ERP systems in particular are often cited as examples of failures in IT systems development, implementation, or management? Source: Adapted from Marc Songini, â€Å"ERP Effort Sinks Agilent Revenue,† Computerworld, August 26, 2002, pp. 1, 12; and Marc Songini, â€Å"Teddy Bear Maker Prepares for Second Attempt at ERP Rollout,† Computerworld, February 4, 2002, p. 16. Reprinted with permission from Computerworld. Bis Case Study com) was taking another crack at replacing its legacy business systems. The Oakland, New Jersey–based distributor of toys and gifts ? nalized plans to roll out J. D. Edwards Co. ’s OneWorld Xe suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management, and ? nancial applications. The multimillion-dollar project was scheduled to be done in phases over the next 18 months. Russ Berrie CIO Michael Saunders said that the company, which had sales of $225 million during the ? rst nine months of 2001, hoped the OneWorld System would help it reach $1 billion in annual revenue in the coming years. Within the next 12 months, he said, Russ Berrie planned to begin installing the applications one department at a time, starting with a stand-alone implementation in purchasing. â€Å"We’re not going big bang,† Saunders said. â€Å"We’re mitigating implementation risks by taking a phased-in approach. The company had reason to be cautious. Three years before, a Y2K-related migration from its homegrown distribution, ? nancial, and customer service systems to packaged ERP applications experienced major system failures. Saunders said the problems were severe enough for Russ Berrie to take many of the new applications off-line and return to their old systems. Saunders wouldn’t identify the software vendors that were involved in the failed impl ementation, but sources said that SAP AG’s applications were part of the 1999 project. A spokesman at SAP con? rmed that Russ Berrie was one of its customers, but he declined to offer further details because of pending litigation between the two companies. Joshua Greenbaum of Enterprise Applications Consulting said it appeared that Russ Berrie â€Å"bit off more than they could chew† on the 1999 project. Companywide rollouts are especially risky for midsize businesses like Russ Berrie, Greenbaum said. T he good news is that Agilent Technologies Inc. (www. agilent. com) says its enterprise resource planning applications are stable. The bad news is they got that way only after a rocky ERP migration project that cost the company $105 million in revenue and $70 million in pro? ts. In mid-August 2002, the multinational communications and life sciences company, formerly a part of HewlettPackard Co. , said problems with the ERP components in Oracle’s e-Business Suite 11e software froze production for the equivalent of a week, leading to the massive losses. The Oracle system handles about half of the company’s worldwide production of test, measurement, and monitoring products and almost all of its ? ancial operations, as well as functions such as order handling and shipping. Agilent was in the process of migrating as many as 2,200 legacy applications that it inherited from HP to Oracle. As part of the switchover, approximately 6,000 orders in the internally developed legacy systems had to be converted to an Oracle-friendly format, an Agilent spokeswoman said from company headquarters in Palo Alto, Califo rnia. She said the con? guration process had problems requiring correction. In a statement last week, Agilent President and CEO Ned Barnholt said the disruptions to the business after implementing the ERP system were â€Å"more extensive than we expected. † An Agilent spokeswoman said the issue wasn’t the quality of the Oracle application, but rather the â€Å"very complex nature of the enterprise resource planning implementation. † For its part, Oracle Corp. said it’s working closely with Agilent. â€Å"At Oracle, we are fully committed to all of our customers for the long haul and support them in any way necessary,† the company said in a statement. We have a strong relationship with Agilent, and both companies believe the implementation is stable. † Agilent also had a takeaway lesson: â€Å"Enterprise resource planning implementations are a lot more than software packages,† the company said in a statement. â€Å"They are a fundamental transformation of a company’s business processes. People, processes , policies, the company’s culture are all factors that should be taken into consideration when implementing a major enterprise system. † According to one analyst, ERP disasters are often caused by the user company itself. Joshua Greenbaum, an analyst at Enterprise Applications Consulting, said 99 percent of such rollout ? ascoes are caused by â€Å"management’s inability to spec out their own requirements and the implementer’s inability to implement those specs. † Russ Berrie and Co. After a three-year saga that included a $10. 3 million ? nancial hit from the failed installation of packaged applications, teddy bear maker Russ Berrie and Case Study Questions 1. What are the main reasons companies experience failures in implementing ERP systems? 2. What are several key things companies should do to avoid ERP systems failures? Explain the reasons for your proposals. 3. Why do you think ERP systems in particular are often cited as examples of failures in IT systems development, implementation, or management? Source: Adapted from Marc Songini, â€Å"ERP Effort Sinks Agilent Revenue,† Computerworld, August 26, 2002, pp. 1, 12; and Marc Songini, â€Å"Teddy Bear Maker Prepares for Second Attempt at ERP Rollout,† Computerworld, February 4, 2002, p. 16. Reprinted with permission from Computerworld.

The Tobacco Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Tobacco Industry - Essay Example This paper will examine the historical mechanisms through which the tobacco companies exercised their political influence, assess whether they influenced the public policy process legitimately, and discuss how this particular case study affects people generally. As a preliminary matter, from an historical point of view, the tobacco industry has most certainly influenced the public policy process. Their general approach has been essentially twofold. First, the tobacco industry has relied for many decades on financial contributions made to political parties and to individual candidates and incumbents. These financial contributions were not made on the basis of any particular ideological affinity; indeed, until the election of the Clinton administration in the mid-1990s, the tobacco industry contributed roughly the same amount to both political parties. This changed, however when the Clinton administration began to highlight the public health issues involving tobacco. In short, financial contributions were used for many years to influence both parties; after Clinton took a harder stand against tobacco, the contributions continued but predominantly in favor of the Republican Party. These contributions were supplemented by financial contribution s, made through political action committees,, to individual candidates and incumbents. In addition to these "soft money contributions", a second mechanism was the creation, funding, and support of lobbying groups with interests in line with those of the tobacco industry. As the case study notes, the tobacco industry, either of its own initiative or through its proxy, the Tobacco Institute, funded or supported advocacy groups, think tanks, and other research projects consistent with their economic and public policy aims. There was no particular concern for scientific integrity; quite the contrary, as the case study explains, the tobacco industry was most interested in partisan research that could be used to influence public policy in it is favor. In sum, these financial contributions and lobbying efforts formed the primary mechanisms by which the tobacco industry influenced public policy. This influence was profound and remarkably successful; to be sure, the tobacco industry had never lost a product liability lawsuit until 1996, and governmental efforts to regulate tobacco had been fundamentally feeble. The question, in hindsight, is whether the tobacco industry influenced the public policy process in a legitimate manner. The answer must be, despite technical niceties, a resounding no. This is because the tobacco industry effectively corrupted the public policy process for its own ends rather than contributing to an honest public discussion. Politicians were afraid to lose their financial

The 'New Look' in Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The 'New Look' in Foreign Policy - Essay Example or action against the Soviets, and Eisenhower's inability to confront them militarily in Europe or elsewhere that instigated the rationale behind the 'New Look' foreign policy that began in 1954. The concept was to create a large-scale nuclear force capable of massive retaliation. The plan was highly controversial when Eisenhower introduced it and it was considered impractical by both the Navy and the Army (The Army and the New Look, 2001). They viewed the plan as being carried out at the expense of a reduction in forces that would be required to fight a more convention style war. The critics "[...] denounced the 'New Look' as a dangerous gamble likely to force the US in the event of a crisis to choose between a humiliating climb down or the unleashing of a mutually devastating nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union" (Dockrill & Hopkins, 2006, p. 59). The Army insisted that the budget adequately fund a conventional force. The Secretary of Defense would often find himself negotiating among the services for scarce funding. According to the US Army Office of History, "As the Air Force's share of the budget increased in the mid-fifties to procure expensive bombers and missiles an d as the United States' capability to wage less than general nuclear war decreased, opposition to the massive retaliation policy mounted" (The Army and the New Look, 2001). Because the 'New Look' was aimed at massive retaliatory capability, it was primarily aimed at the Air Force. This meant reduction in Army forces and would cause Army Chief of Staff General Ridgeway to remark, "The present United States preoccupation with preparations for general war has limited the military means available for cold war to those which are essentially by-products or leftovers from the means available for general... Th paper outlines the necessity of 'New Look'. In retrospect, faced with a nuclear threat from the Soviets and their aggressive nature after World War II, the United States did not have a lot of options to attempt to roll back Soviet domination in Eastern Europe. The 'New Look' policies were a reasonable approach in line with the policies of containment practised at the time. Early on into the massive build-up program, it was recognised that nuclear weapons were of no value to discourage an enemy or wage a regional war. When called on to use them in Dien Bien Phu in 1954, Eisenhower was faced with the reality that the eventual outcome was simply too horrendous to ever be of use. Yet, in the long run, the potential of mutually assured destruction may have prevented a major nuclear detonation by either side. The build-up and arms race that resulted from Eisenhower's 'New Look' foreign policy left a deep and lasting impression on the American psyche. It created the biggest arms race in the history of the world and as for preventing a nuclear attack, whether it did or not, we are certain that it did not happen.

Linking Sexual Satisfaction and Exercise Research Paper - 1

Linking Sexual Satisfaction and Exercise - Research Paper Example   The participants consisted of undergraduate students enrolled in health science courses and were 408 in number. It was conducted on a voluntary basis, and anonymity of the participants was ensured. They were to fill a cross-sectional questionnaire of 130-items. The questionnaire was able to collect information concerning demographic variables, perceived fitness, exercise frequency, the perception of sexual desirability, and sexual performance. Data analysis involve the use of SAS programs and chi-square and mainly based on gender. Females were more than the males while ethnically, the Caucasian was the majority. Ninety percent of males who reported their fitness level being above average rated their sexual desirability and sexual performance as above average or more above average. In the case of females, it was indicated that there was no association between exercise frequency, sexual performance, and sexual desirability. Seventy-one percent of females who rated their fitness lev el being much above average had their sexual desirability above average or more above average. Significant gender differences were noted for sexual performance and sexual desirability by exercise frequency and by fitness. From the data that was gathered and analyzed it was found that higher levels of fitness and longer exercise frequency improved the perception of sexual desirability and sexual performance.   The research also demonstrated that constant physical activity provides benefits to one's psychological well-being.