Panera Bread Company free essay sample

Panera is a specialty cafe anchored by an authentic, fresh dough artisan bakery and upscale quick service menu selections that include sandwiches and soups. Panera Bread primarily in suburban, strip malls, and regional malls locations that has a unique dining environment and serves higher quality products. Panera Bread`s broad use of differentiation strategy has assisted in their growth and profitability. When it comes to strengthening Panera’s competitive position their rivals have found it difficult to compete with their reputation as the nationwide leader in specialty bread segment, dough making capability, dining atmosphere that includes free Wi-Fi, competes successfully in six segments, AM, chill, Lunch, PM chill, dinner and take home, the menu was designed to incorporate the different tastes of each of these meal times. A SWOT analysis will tell or reveal the competitive benefit Panera Bread has and why the reason this company is in an eye-catching situation and what Panera Bread must do reinforce its competitive benefit against competitor`s chains. We will write a custom essay sample on Panera Bread Company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method which is used to assess the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats involved identify the aim of the business project or venture and identifying the external and internal factors that are unfavorable and favorable to attaining that objective. STRENGTHS †¢Panera Rewards, building relationships with loyal customers, which improves sales †¢Quality Ingredients, delivering fresh ingredients to all stores is the prime incentive for management. †¢Market Niche, It has pioneer the fast casual dining experience over their competitors speed or drive thru Panera Bread is the nationally leader in the bakery- cafe segment, and has strengths for future expansion and growth without burdening the company`s balance sheet excessively with debt. Attracting customers by using the rewards program which keeps them coming back WEAKNESS †¢A less well-known brand name than some rivals (Starbucks, Applebee`s) †¢They have a very feeble or weak dinner menu. They do not offer any considerable entrees. There are no â€Å"potatoes and meat† dishes on their menu. †¢Sales at franchised stores run a bit higher than those at company-owned stores- why is this occurring? Are franchises better operators? †¢Applebee`s, a direct competitor, has twice or double as many places or locations as Panera. Panera has no presence in several US markets that are fertile ground for many restaurants. Some of these areas include Atlantic City, New York City, Washington DC, and a figure of large markets. Open more outlets, both franchise and company-owned- there is untapped growth potential in a number of suburban markets. †¢Expanding their product line to include current trends such as organic foods, or dietary meals would expand their market as well on where they are focusing at present. †¢Open Panera Bread locations outside the U. S. as market opportunities in the U. S. begin to dry up. THREATS †¢Rivals begin to imitate some of Panera`s menu offerings or dining ambience, thus stymieing to some extent Panera`s ability to clearly differentiate itself from rivals chains. †¢Panera Bread begins to saturate the market with outlets, such that it becomes harder to find attractive locations for new stores and the company`s growth slows. †¢New rivals restaurant chains grab the attention of consumers and draw some patrons away from Panera- in other words, competition from other restaurant chains (either those in the fast-casual segment or other restaurants categories) becomes more intense. The Panera Bread Company possess 4 core competencies. The first is, it has a diverse menu, with lots of variety, constantly experimenting, and high quality food at reasonable prices. Second, it has a strong brand/customer loyalty, best of awards in nearly all markets in 36 states, for example JD Power and Associates satisfaction award for QSR in the Midwest and Northeast. The third is having a strong relationship with existing franchise partners, such as in: ? Employee training and certifications ?Assistance with site selection and marketing ?High satisfaction with concept and support Last core competency is the ability to identify where to locate new stores to serve urban and suburban populations, and by using proprietary software built to analyze data on attractiveness of new locations. An example, the company`s fresh-dough-making capability for fresh baked and quality goods served in a comfortable environment. Panera`s competitors include restaurants in the fast-casual restaurant market such as Applebee`s, Baja fresh and Fuddruckers. Panera Bread also has to compete with common fast food restaurants such as McDonald`s and Wendy. Although, competition is fierce in these markets, Panera has been able to differentiate itself from other competitors. It could be advisable if Panera Bread Company should start to sell fast food and see how it goes. Even to open many branches around the states mostly the busy Cities.

Whether cognitive dissonance plays a role in the elections and the voting process

Whether cognitive dissonance plays a role in the elections and the voting process The question of the article is whether cognitive dissonance plays a role in the elections and the voting process. Cognitive dissonance supposes that people who have chosen a specific behavior will align their attitudes according to such behavior. In case the behavior is realized to be unwanted or negative later, the individual will be even more inclined to repeat the behavior and support it by changing their attitude to fit that behavior.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Whether cognitive dissonance plays a role in the elections and the voting process? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is an important issue because it greatly affects the results of the election and the way people view themselves and the government. If people chose leaders only due to a misplaced feeling of self worth or importance of their own comfort and self respect, than the leaders chosen do not really reflect the qualities of morality and ju stice. This means that people select leaders out of lowered feelings of own opinions and thus, the whole system becomes pointless. The framework that is used to study the problem is the statistical method that will compare people who are eligible to vote, versus those who are not yet of age, thus do not vote. The outcome of the future elections and preferences are predicted to be affected by the previous selection of the candidate. Specific aspects of individuals are examined, more particularly age, previous knowledge of the candidate and general political education, as well as interest in government and economical state of the country. Preferential views of the members of the same party are also taken into account. This sort of research model is advantageous, as it addresses issues that were given little attention in the past. Also, the age of voting has been changed and this added a large amount of population to the voting process. The authors also address the voting by other raci al groups and this issue has become a significant determinant. Placebo technique was used in the study to determine the effecting variables and biases of the study. Data that used was taken from the statistics of previous voting processes. Voting numbers from 1978 until year 2000 are being analyzed, to determine any patterns or irregularities. The National Election Study or NES is being used to determine people’s political attitudes, behaviors and general views towards politicians, governmental institutions and elections in general. There were also interviews conducted that included personal questions. As the opinions of individuals greatly vary, NES allows for a more specific determination of opinions towards certain politicians. The dependent variable was the amount of individual feeling people had towards the president. A number of personal characteristics of the leader that people expect to see were also included, to give a better picture of what the public views as impor tant qualities of a politician.Advertising Looking for report on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The tables used in the study show the relationship between different social classes and races. Marital status, education, place of residence, age, race and preference to a specific political party were considered to show the statistical difference between people’s beliefs and behaviors. Also, variables were compared according to presidential elections and senatorial ones. The results have shown that there is a positive correlation between previous voting and future selection of the candidate. Even though there are limitations and variables that cannot be fully controlled, there is dependency which leads to polarization. Further studies and testing are needed to increase the reliability of such studies.

Definition and Examples of Pet Phrases in English

Definition and Examples of Pet Phrases in English Pet phrase is an informal term for an expression frequently used by an individual in speech and/or writing. A pet phrase may be widely known (a clichà ©, for instance) or peculiar to the individual who employs it. Examples and Observations [In the 1955 movie Kiss Me Deadly] Va-va-voom! Pretty pow! is Nick the Greeks running-gag description of Hammers sports car engines, connoting both their sexual potency and explosive potential (Nick removes two bombs from the Corvette).(Vincent Brook, Land of Smoke and Mirrors: A Cultural History of Los Angeles. Rutgers University Press, 2013)Shed work as an insurance saleswoman, save up a tidy sum of money, enjoy her days off, gazing at herself in the mirror of some brand-name stores. Who I really am . . . Who I really am . . . would become her pet phrase, but after working for three years, shed finally realize that the image shed created of herself wasnt who she really was at all.(Shuichi Yoshida, Villain, trans. by Philip Gabriel. Pantheon, 2010)Whenever his conscience pricked him too keenly he would endeavor to hearten himself with his pet phrase, All in a lifetime. Thinking over things quite alone in his easy-chair, he would sometimes rise up with these words on his lips, and s mile sheepishly as he did so. Conscience was not by any means dead in him.(Theodore Dreiser, Jennie Gerhardt, 1911) Desegregation With All Deliberate SpeedLawyers promptly set to work trying to pin down the origin and significance of with all deliberate speed. And as Supreme Court materials from the Brown [v. Board of Education] years gradually become available, scholars have made a cottage industry of working out how and why the phrase made it into the Brown order. Although the Court in Brown spoke only through its Chief Justice, Earl Warren, this was actually a pet phrase of Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter, who had used the expression deliberate speed in five different opinions since joining the Court in 1939.(James E. Clapp and Elizabeth G. Thornburg, Lawtalk. Yale University Press, 2011)Game Changer and Thinking Outside the BoxWe have to look creatively, said stadium board Chairman Don Snyder, UNLV’s acting president. We can’t get in the way of the (convention center project). . . . There’s a tremendous scramble for limited resources.No longer was Snyder rolling out hi s pet phrase of game changer to describe the stadium wish. Now, he’s using another phrase- thinking outside the box- to describe what it will take to pay for the proposed venue.(Alan Snel, UNLV Stadium Panel Members Begin Puzzling Out Funding Solutions. Las Vegas Review-Journal, February 27, 2014) Frank Sinatras Ring-a-Ding-Ding![Sammy Cahn] and the composer Jimmy Van Heusen were commissioned by [Frank] Sinatra to write a song using Sinatras catchphrase for his first Reprise album, which was called, not surprisingly, Ring-a-Ding-Ding! The phrase- like Shakespeares Hey nonny nonny- thumbed its nose at meanings and sincerity.(John Lahr, Sinatras Song. Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles. University of California Press, 2000)Using Pet Phrases in WritingRepeat a distinctive thought or phrase of dialogue in the story. This connects an earlier part of the story to a later one without having to rely on an overt transitional device. Television shows frequently overuse this technique, giving one character a pet phrase that he repeats ad nauseam. One way to vary the device is to give it a different meaning each time its used. On Seinfeld, all the principal characters would use the same phrase, often with a different meaning, all in the same scene, creating a device all its own.(James V. Smith, Jr., The Writers Little Helper: Everything You Need to Know to Write Better and Get Published. Writers Digest Books, 2012) Pet Expressions in 19th-Century EnglandNobody who has busied himself with watching the peculiarities of contemporary speech can have failed to notice the prevalence of pet expressions. . . . The young man of the day, in particular, has a slow and sluggish mind, and can seldom be troubled to give a careful specification of the particular person or thing which forms the topic of his conversation. He finds it answers better for his purpose to choose some simple generic term which he can use when his thoughts fail him. What the trapeze is to the acrobat, his pet expression is to the modern young man. It serves as a rest to steady himself on and to sustain him until he takes his next awkward flight. Many a fall would that young man have, many an awkward hiatus or wrongly-chosen expression would there be in his discourse was not his pet phrase always near him to be rested on half-way whenever the exigencies of his narrative become too much for his powers of speech.The conversation of the y oung lady of the period is principally remarkable for its adjectives. Unlike the young man, she has rarely any pet substantive whereby to express most things that come under her notice; it may be that she refrains to use her brothers phrases for fear of being considered slangy. But she rejoices in a curious collection of qualifying adjectives, by the aid of which she manages to make her meaning known. Anything that pleases her, from a bracelet to a sunset, is dabbed by the title of quite too lovely, while its antithesis, whether used in reference to a public calamity or a bad floor at a dance, is pronounced to be quite too dreadful. Any act of kindness bestowed upon this young person wins from her the remark that such attention is truly affecting, and with this pet phrase, and a few more lovelys and preciouses, varied and qualified by the word quite and too being prefixed to them either singly or together, she manages to rub along very well. . . .The good talker has gone out of fash ion, and would now be voted a prosy old bore; it is not the fashion to be careful about the way you express a thing, or to appear to be giving yourself much trouble in entertaining your hearers. The words of the modern young man come out in disjointed fragmentsmuch as one might expect a Dutch doll to talk was it blessed with the power of speech; his sentences seem as if they dropped out of his lips without his own volition.He has one favorite word at a time, and he wears it threadbare. If you can understand it, all the better for you; if not, you would not like to show your ignorance by asking; so the young man distinctly scores one there. His pet phrase covers his ignorance or his laziness, and he is borne along with the tide instead of having to row against the stream.(Pet Expressions. Household Words: A Weekly Journal, January 5, 1884)Also  See:   BuzzwordCatchphraseChunkColloquialismPhraseSlangVogue Word

Traditional Budget Is a Rigid Tool and Should Be Discarded In Practice Essay

Traditional Budget Is a Rigid Tool and Should Be Discarded In Practice - Essay Example The paper tells that the extensive use of budget in corporate organizations is rooted in the fact that it is a comprehensive tool for monitoring organizational activities and addressing critical factors in business. The concept of using models of a traditional budget is now under extensive debate owing to the restrictions that they impose on managers. The main proponents who describe the idea of a budget as a highly rigid one complain that discarding the budget for a corporate organization will ultimately change the organization from being a central hierarchy to a well-developed network that can more readily adjust itself to the market forces. In order to explore this argument, factors which cause researchers to challenge the concept of formal budgets in the organization are discussed. The impact of capital markets on organizations and the redundancy of the budgetary controls are to be focused. One of the biggest supports of strict budgetary controls can be found in the works of Otle y who had established that maintaining strict budgetary control is not essentially expensive for an organization. This is because; focusing strongly on the budget ultimately results in obtaining stipulated results. Others who have supported the notion of strict budget control in an organization are of the view that formal budgets are likely to perform in an efficient manner only when the external environment is relatively stable and there are no fluctuations. The business environment is no longer stable and is actually shaped by the interaction of multiple forces which are dynamic and are constantly evolving. The interactions of business organizations have increased with the capital market. Money flows from the capital markets into the projects of any organization and the project, in turn, generates income for the firm. The money that is generated by the organization is used by the firms in order to repay the loans and provide returns to the shareholders. This makes the firm liable to the capital market. The concept of creating capital budgets is related to investing of the firm’s surplus in projects which have a net present value.

Write an interesting topic Thesis Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write an interesting topic - Thesis Proposal Example strialized world that Western society finds itself in today, coupled with its renewed capitalistic tendencies, has actually served to destroy the basis for our rational and peaceful culture that previously existed. This can be seen through an examination of life before the first World War was thrust upon us, and how the rapid industrialization that took place throughout Europe and North America was accompanied by the breakdown of the traditional family structure, resulting in increased greed and corruption throughout much of society. The suppositions proposed herein can be verified with empirical evidence located in historical records and the writings of scholars that lived throughout and studied this particular time period of Western society. This study will focus on a carful analysis of the various cultures of the West and how industrialization has slowly eroded away at its rational, peaceful, and congenial

Death and a King’s Horseman and All My Sons Essay Example for Free

Death and a King’s Horseman and All My Sons Essay Compare the ways in which Soyinka in Death and a King’s Horseman and Miller in All My Sons present Elesin and Keller? How far would you agree that the personal tragedy of each protagonist’s death is less important than the death of their sons? Soyinka and Miller shape the protagonists by their presentations of their voice using different language and use of setting cultural context which presents their different responsibilities and duties exposing their character. The different presentations of the characters determine how the audience connect with the protagonists. Elesin and Keller’s deaths are climatic points in the play, with their son’s deaths also being pivotal; acting as catalysts for the protagonist’s death which cause the protagonist’s to acknowledge their fatal flaws. The different purposes of the protagonist’s suicides, made evident also by the protagonist’s presented characters, determine whether the tragedy of their death is more important than the death of their sons. The setting and cultural context of each of the plays a profound role in shaping the characters as the differing cultural context affects the character’s duties and responsibilities which shape their presentations as characters. Though set in the same time periods, the cultures differ between plays. Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman opens in â€Å"Oyo, an ancient Yoruba city in Nigeria, 1944†, during British colonialism whereas All My Sons by Miller is set in the â€Å"outskirts of an American town† just after the war in the late 1940’s after world war two. Soyinka and Miller’s introductions of the culture and the setting at the beginning of the plays expose the protagonist’s individual characters. The â€Å"secluded atmosphere† on the â€Å"outskirts of an American town† in which All My Sons opens acts as a dramatic device to show Keller’s devotion to his family by presenting him as sectioned off from wider society. Additionally, the â€Å"closely planted poplars† which seclude the area act as a dramatic device to represent Keller’s somewhat narrow minded principles and set values. Soyinka’s portrayal of the culture and setting also presents Elesin’s character and nature. Soyinka invites the audience to the rich Yoruban culture through Elesin’s voice; â€Å"a man of enormous vitality† who exposes the beauty of the setting to the audience, thus revealing his lust for earthly pleasures. â€Å"The smell of indigo on their cloth, this is the air I wish to breath† portrays Elesin’s yearn for life. The use of evocative description of the setting and culture creates a picture of Elesin’s vibrant character. The author’s use of language, which creates the character’s voice, presents the protagonists differently and shapes the audience’s reactions and feelings towards them in each play. Miller’s use of disjointed language such as â€Å"what’s goin†, to create Keller’s voice, presents him as an un-educated simple man. Though his incoherent language means the audience isn†™t enticed or fascinated by him, it presents him as an ordinary character, allowing the audience to connect with him on a personal level. The fact the audience is able to connect with Keller personally, because of his down to earth nature, means the audience are less sympathetic of his fatal flaw as Miller’s presentation of him causes the audience to be un-expectant of his down fall. â€Å"Back in my day you were either a doctor or a lawyer† exposes Keller’s myopic perspective of the world and strong attachment to his set values. Conversely, Soyinka’s use of complex language to create Elesin’s voice fascinates and captivates the audience, giving him high status as a character. Soyinka presents Elesin as an exuberant character fascinated by earthly pleasures. â€Å"I become a monarch whose palace is built with tenderness and beauty†. The flowing rhythm of his voice and the use of positive adjectives expose his passion for life; his fatal flaw as a character. Elesin speaks poetically in riddles such as â€Å"when the horse sniffs the stable does he not strain at the bridle?† presenting him as articulate and expressive. He also uses metaphors to express his ideas such as â€Å"you’re like a jealous wife† when talking to the Praise-Singer. This use of riddles and metaphors makes him sometimes difficult to unders tand presenting the idea he hides his fatal flaw by using his language to distract the praise singer from acknowledging his love for life which distracts him from his cultural duty. For example when the praise singer accuses Elesin of forgetting â€Å"a long faithful mother of his children† referring to his responsibilities to his culture, Elesin replies poetically saying â€Å"when the horse sniffs at the stable does he not strain at the bridle?†. However, his superior position makes it difficult for the audience to connect with him on a personal level. This foreshadows his downfall as a character as he later abandons his responsibilities to his culture by not committing to his duty of suicide. Because his fatal flaws are foreshadowed, when his downfall is eventually exposed it is expected by the audience thus they feel sympathy for him and his death is seen as an act of redemption. Both All My Sons and Death and a King’s horseman are structured with the climatic parts of the play at the end and use foreshadowing techniques throughout the plays to build up the tension and climax. In Death of a King’s Horseman Soyinka portrays Elesin’s fatal flaw; his desire for earthly pleasures which distracts him from the responsibility of death; to foreshadow his downfall as a character. Soyinka’s use of language exposes Soyinka’s desire for mortal pleasures. â€Å"This market is my roost† foreshadows his inability to sacrifice his be devotion for life for the benefit for the people in his culture. Similarly, Miller uses foreshadowing techniques to prognosticate the revelation of Keller’s mistakes. The broken tree which is a memorial for Larry acts as a dramatic device which foreshadows the end of Keller’s family’s ignorance to his mistake. The mother also foreshadows this by The different purposes within the narrative of the protagonist’s death affect their differing importance’s compared to the death of their son’s which acts as a catalyst The point at which the fathers acknowledge their sons death is the pivotal point at which the protagonist’s accept their fatal flaws. In Death and a King’s Horseman, because the death of Elesin is presented as an act of redemption, in my opinion the tragedy of his death is more important than the death of his son When Keller’s mistake of killing Larry is discovered he responds defensively to protect himself. â€Å"The minute there’s trouble you [mother] run out of strength† suggests Keller attempts to direct the blame on to somebody else and deny his mistakes. The fact his death takes place as a result of his family shunning him suggests his intentions for his suicide are selfish, to protect himself from unhappiness as his family is the only thing he values in life. This causes the audience to view his death as a cowardly act rather than an act of redemption from his mistakes. In my opinion this makes his suicide less important than the death of his son within the play which is the pivotal point of exposing Keller’s faults as a character. On the contrary, Elesin’s intentional death is presented as an act of redemption. It is clear Elesin kills himself for the benefit of his culture as â€Å"he has a duty to perform†. The presentation of his cultural duties at the beginning of the play The moment at which he kills himself is more important than the death of his son as it is the pivotal point in the novel where his mistakes and flaws are redeemed by showing his loyalty to his culture. Therefore, although Keller’s suicide seems less important than the death of his son as his suicide is merely a selfish act to protect him, Elesin’s intentional death is an act of redemption, making it equally important as the death of his son.

Downloadable Music Factor Essay -- Downloading Technology Essays

Downloadable Music Factor Throughout the computer industry there has been many advances. It all started out with downloadable computer games, after that there was free game sites, and to complete the advancement of peoples understanding the internet came downloadable music. The millions of dollars in legal fees was a waste of money for the recording industry. Napster’s court trial went on for a long period of time, and lawyers and fines were just ridiculous. Free recording is a great instatement in society; this is the reason why lots of people stay on computers. Within a small period of only 15 months, other networks just stepped into Napster's place. In this paper, there will be several ideas that will discuss that downloading factor of music into today’s society. Overall, the arguments and court upbringings, without hesitation I truly believe that downloading music is the best complex to be brought about. It is free, accessible, and downloadable music. This is simply based off of what the people want to stay and enjoy doing in the safety of there home. There are many pro’s to the getting free downloadable music. Number one reason and issue that deals with downloading music is it is free. There is very easy access; the procedure consists of a computer and online connection. Once you find the downloadable program you can have resources of all sorts of music. Now because the downloading process as been so easy to access, people rely on it whenever they want to get new tunes. It’s almost contradictory to have a program exist for a long time of time and then banish it to no existence, simply impossible in our economy. After having owning a program such as Bluster, Kazaa, people tend to advance to FTP programs and m... .../03/web.music.pirates/ Throughout this paper I ran into several issues that were giving me a hard time. I had some problems finding the information on why should it be legal to have free downloadable music. It seems to me that basically it is all legal to download except you cannot resell or distribute the material. There is so much more information on why it should not be legal, but after finding several sites I got the basis of which direction I had to go in. I wish there was more information out there that I had access to. Also because this is a more recent issue not too much has been put out to support free music. In the end if I had a good place to search or a direct title on this subject I would have been better off. I basically went off everything that I had a good grasp on and from recent experience as a frequent music downloader/uploader.

Toyota’s Sudden Unintended Acceleration

University of Sharjah Electrical ; Computer Engineering Department PRO. SOC. ISSUES IN ENG. Term Paper â€Å"TOYOTA’s sudden unintended acceleration† Submitted to: Dr. Abdul Kadir Mohammed Hamid Done by: Asma Al-Za’abi ID:20721529 Kawther Aljasmi ID:20721556 Introduction about Toyota : Toyota’s company is a product of many years of experience, production and high efficiency. Toyota has been one of the most successful companies all over the world.Toyota’s company success in leading the Japan’s economy to be NO. 1 in Asia, beside that Toyota is a major multinational car manufacturer headquartered in Japan. It was built by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937. Nowadays this factory is the first factory for cars in the world. And what make Toyota’s so special that it manufactured vehicles with high quality and simplicity in use, beside the less costly compared with the other companies, which make the use of Toyota vehicles so extended.Toyota is the sec ond largest producer of vehicles all over the world with a production of 6 million vehicles per year deployed in more than 160 countries, Also achieve an annual income of 108 billion dollars . Toyota produces a full range models of vehicles and employs 246, 700 staff. It is also one of the top ten companies in the list of Fortune Global 500 largest trading company, There is a survey that has been published in cnnMoney. com that Toyota is one of the most impressive and appreciated company. Kiichiro Toyoda,† founded the company in 1933, when he had just returned from a tour in the United States, he choose the spin factory which was owned by his father to set up a workshop for the vehicles industry. Then he produces the first models in 1935. Introduction about the mechanism : The throttle is a metal plate that connected to the end of the gas pedal this part controls the amount of the air that go to the vehicle’s engine. And the throttle body consists of 4 main parts which is: ? the throttle plate or butterfly valve ? electronic throttle control Sensor ?Engine Control Unit (ECU) Talking about the throttle body we have to give you an explanation about it. The main part on the throttle body is the throttle plate, which is a butterfly valve that controls the Intel gases. The throttle plate is communicated by a site of wire. To move the throttle plate there is an electronic throttle control that connects the throttle linkages and the accelerator pedal to a sensor which take the signal to the Engine Control Unit (ECU), which calculate the angel and give the exact position of the plate depending on the inputs.We can say that this part is controlled partially by the driver when he press on it the throttle the plate or the butterfly valves will be opened and the angle is depending on the force you apply it the more force the largest angle and vice versa. The problem : Unintended acceleration is the main problem in Toyota’s case. Where you suddenly feel like your vehicle’s speed is increasing up without any order from you to increase, and according to some cases what was happen that if you press on the pedals to drive by 80 km speed you notice that the vehicle is move according to 120 km speed and that is the basic problem here.Most of t he people thought that this problem is because of two reasons. The first one that when you drive the vehicle and while you applying your force on the gas pedals it stuck and it can’t be return to its normal position so this lead to our big problem the unintended acceleration . The second reason that the gas pedals didn’t stuck, but it take more time to return to its normal position this also cause the unintended acceleration that happen to the vehicle.These two reasons cause a lot of accidents resulting with number of deaths and injuries Toyota documented this problem by recalling 4. 2 million vehicles to replace the floor mats that might impede the pedals and what they did ab out this point is reducing the length of the floor mat from the top of it so the pedal can return easily without any difficulty, beside 2. 4 million to install a shim behind the electrical pedals assembly to make it return to its normal position at the expected time.All the pedals that are used in Toyota’s vehicles were manufactured by Canadian supplier CTS. Toyota’s engineer thought that the problem is solved for these pedals that it take time to return â€Å" slow down â€Å" or maybe it’s sticking in the floor mat . The problem Contd. : By doing the biggest recall ever Toyota’s thought that this is the end of the problem, but unfortunately and according to the complaints of 24,000 customers received by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) from Toyota’s vehicles users about problems in their vehicles.The cases of deaths and injuries is still recording , so Toyota has to do something with the system as a whole not only with the parts, and the NHTSA has eventually concluded that there was no mechanical problem !! It was not easy for Toyota to diagnose the real problem and it took long time to identify the issue they got confused if the issue is not about the two recalling or its about the system as whole or there is a problem about the electrical throttle concept.At the same time Mike Allen-senior automotive editor delves into modern car tech, explaining why widespread theories about electrical throttle problems and electromagnetic interference are misguided and he was making his own research about electromagnetic interference from devices. And he conclude that there is electrical devices in the cars contribute to the acceleration problem like : cell phones , navigators , TVs and cameras. The problem Contd. : According to this simple figure we will explain how Mike Allen proved his results about the electromagnetic inference and how it’s related to our case We will start with process backward. T he electronic throttle represented by the Actuators and it’s any part in the vehicles that take the action and the throttle is controlled by the ECU â€Å" Engine Control Unit â€Å" which can be compared to the CPU function in our PCs , All the process that happen in the vehicles must pass through the ECU . Let’s start with the main point of the case when you press on the pedals. There is a sensor that converts your movement into an electrical signal. And when these signals interface with the external signals which are brought by the electrical devices the vehicles become out of control.It speeds up and this is cause the sudden acceleration even the breaks can’t react in this case. We can simply summarize this case as the heart attack. When you go to the hospital and you checked that everything is doing its work very well. You can’t recognize that there is any problem in your body and you can’t estimate when the heart attack will happen it happe ns suddenly. This is so related to Toyota’s case where the vehicles parts are is our organs and the heart attack is the unintended acceleration. It can be also summarized by the â€Å"Hackers â€Å".When you received a virus from external resource like flash memories and websites you can’t blame the PCs Company because it’s not their fault. Also we can’t blame Toyota because they can’t control this wide problem. Also people notice that this problem become obvious in the snowy weather, because as we know that the vehicle slides if the street is wet , so imagine what would happen if the way is snowy beside that the vehicle is out of control and it’s speeding up , That will lead for disaster for sure !!Why this happen with Toyota only ? 1- Some parts are manufactured by another company, so it differ from one to another like in our case the pedals was manucfaterd by Canadian supplier. 2- The sensitivity of the system â€Å"ECU â€Å"is diffe ring from car to another. 3-This problem happen with more than automotive company , but the media focus on Toyota only because it is one of the successful companies in US and the middle east and the other companies like General motors and Ford motor took it as chance to shine ! What did TOYOTA do? Toyoda apologizes in tears Toyoda said that he wanted more than anyone else for Toyota to be safe. He said in English before they start answering questions through an interpreter: â€Å"My name is on every car. †, The Chairman of Toyota's Akio Toyoda apology to the American Congress and the users of company cars in the United States for a bug in the pedals speed in some categories of Toyota, which have caused traffic accidents, and he conclude this investigation by saying â€Å"we will double the quality â€Å". †¢Recalling processNHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has received complaints from the customers who complain about the unintended acceleration of their TOYOTA’s vehicles, then Toyota asked NHTSA to help them in contacting with their customers. Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide for problem related to sudden acceleration, which have been blamed for several accidents resulting in injuries and death . The automaker has repeatedly apologized for the lapses in quality control and TOYOTA technicians are working extended hours to repair the recalled vehicles, and the actual repair takes like 30 min. orks and TOYOTA will cover all costs associated with work. †¢Educating the public On the other hand Toyota focused on educating the users of Toyota vehicles about the problem itself , what to do if the customer face such a problem , what is the procedure that should be taken if the driver face this while he/she is driving , and a lot of information and details posted on their website. Also the concern about contacting with all the customers who has the vehicles that has this bug. What did TOYOTA do in U. A. E.?The Ministry of Economy appointed an officer to follow up on repairs and maintenance carried out by the company  «Al-Futtaim Motors » – Agents of Toyota company in UAE- to address the problem that might occur in these models of cars â€Å" Avalon â€Å" ; â€Å" Sequoia† which are more than 3200 cars during the period ranging from one month (24 February to 24 March ) The Code of Ethics of Toyota : â€Å"At Toyota, safety is a priority in everything we do – from the vehicles we put on the road to the people who drive them. That’s why we sponsor programs across the U.S . That encourage safety for drivers and passenger alike† Akio Toyoda According to this statement we drive the main ethical rule about our case, and Toyota’s case is the only case that was taken from the positive side †¢Obey the law. †¢ To be honest in word and deed. †¢ Respect the values of society. †¢ Being responsible. †¢ Perform their duties in accordance with the law †¢To have rules of conduct use of good governance and to avoid actions that could lead to conflict between the company and personal interests of society.Conclusion At the end, we can say that this problem is out of Toyota’s hand, although they do all what they can do in this case and they tried to limit this case as much as they can. It’s uncontrolled!! What would Toyota do if the guy next to you at a traffic light answered his cell phone? Or some ghost in the machine or a hacker caused a software glitch that made your car run away and the brakes suddenly fail? Toyota deserves a better deal than the media and Congress are giving it.

Factors of Business Essay

The first implication that will impact The business is the European Union, which has been in a deep recession this is because consumer demand has fallen, whilst unemployment rates are increasing across the European union. This has caused great concern to global markets as the possibility that Greece may not be able to pay of their outstanding debts, this could result into the them defaulting the Eurozone, however there is some stability but this situation is very delicate because the European Central Bank and also the International monetary fund, have supported loans which have come with strict conditions attached. By Greece defaulting this could spell the end of the euro, which can have a great affect on all economies around the world, this could result into an extension to the current recession because countries could be seen as an uncertainty to pay back, this will increase the borrowing cost and they may even increase to unafthe businessable rates beyond 5%, a consequence loan ma y dry up leading to countries not importing goods because they can not afthe business this. This would affect The business because consumers would only look to purchase essentials and buying a car would be seen as a luxury. A major fault in the Eurozone is that all countries will have to have the same interest rates, which is not good because they all have different very different economies. A prime example is that countries like, Germany and France have lot stronger economies than the PIIGS, which stands for Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain. The current EU base rate is 0.250%, which wills suite countries like the PIIGS, but it will also halt the progress of France and Germany. However the UK can change their base rate, which is controlled by the Bank OF England, the current base rate in the U.K is 0.5%, this will encourage more people to take loans because they are relativity cheap and this will allow more money to be spent. Interest rates in the EU and UK will affect The business because if the base rate are low this is good because it will allow consumer to get cheaper loans allowing them to purchase the business luxuries like items, also it allows people to finance cars cheaper because the base interest rate is low. The exchange rate will could work as a benefit to the business this is because if other countries currency is weaker than the US this will mean they will look to sell there for more profit because they will have to pay foreign currency for the product. So if the Euro exchange rate falls this could be seen good because it will mean that countries in the Euro will have to pay more for The business cars, however this can cause more problems for The business because it will mean that some consumers may not be able to afford the companies products. However another advantage is that this would mean that they could have cheaper parts from the suppliers because the exchange rate has fallen. In the European union there are many different rules that you have to comply with to get one of them is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which attempts to rationalise farming and the production of food and other farmed produce, this is done by allowing subsides to be paid to farmers to grow certain crops, however money spent in the EU can not be spent on reliving unemployment, which is a major concern in all EU states. I am going to look at how countries are linked through globalised trade, this is because business are not based in just one country they are in a variety of different countries, an example of this is The business who are an American business however they manufacture there cars across the world, this creates supply for countries to import and export goods. However this can cause problems to whole global economy, a prime example is that this current recession started in the US where the original loans where given to people who weren’t likely to pay and these loans back these then encouraged other banks to the same to allow consumers to purchase goods and property’s, these loans are known as sub prime loans. The globally recession is worst in history and it has lasted longer than the great depression or the Wall Street crash in the 1930’s. This has affected The business this is because they had seen a drop in demand for there product because people did not have the confidence to purchase luxury items, however last year they have seen their profits go up by 26% in 2013, which shows that consumers are having more confidence in spending money, this is due to most countries have decreased their base interest rates. They are global concerns that will cause The business problems, a major concern would be the rising cost of Oil, this would result into the prices rising of all goods including food prices, which will result into consumers changing there buying patterns to ease the cost of goods increasing. This would affect The business because they would have to pay more to suppliers because cost of shipping and delivery are rising, they would also see a reduction in sales across the world because Oil is more expensive, to result this they would have to look to make a reduction in manufacturing meaning jobs will be lost in countries, which will create a problem to country who will see an increase in unemployment rate and this will see consumers spending less money and this could result into countries going back into a recession. There is also issues for The business on environmental issues that is regulated by the world trade organsisation, who will look to make sure that the Carbon output is reduced in the world. However there are suggestions that developing countries like China and India, have less strict environmental which gives them a competitive edge of other countries, by companies like The business manufacturing cars there it will create jobs, and also result into more money being spent, which will boost the economy of these countries. The business are looking at ways of keeping Carbon emission down this is why they have announced they that they will use Aluminum alloys on there wheels instead of steal this is because it will reduce the weight of the car and also by this happening means they can fit smaller engines, which will lead to an improvement in fuel millage. However unlike Europe the global economy is strong in countries like China, where they have been very good, this is shown that they have had a sales increase of 52%, and they are forecasting that the chinese economy is going to expand by 7.5%, and they are going to see an increase of their market in China to 23 million vehicles. The business also have the leading vehicles in the world which is the The business Focus. There is uncertainty suing QE, which stands for quantitative easing, this is a way that centrals banks use to boost the economy they do this by asking permission from the treasury to create a lot of money, this is some by crediting their own accounts, they then spend this money on buying government bonds from financial firms like banks, insurance companies and pension funds, this makes the cost of bonds expensive, which then puts off other investors, which consequently means that the companies selling there bonds may use there money to invest into other companies or lend money to individuals. This would hopefully make banks and insurance companies to lend money to companies or individuals, the interest rates they charge should fall, which will result in more money being spent and this will give the economy a big boost. When the economy has recovered the central banks will sell the bonds it had purchased and then destroy the cash they have received, and this will mean that in the long term extra money has not been created. However this comes with a few risk that the Germans in the 1920s and also Zimbabwe have seen, which was that they saw a huge rise in inflation.

O Pioneers essays

O Pioneers essays Willa Cather in her novel, O Pioneers, written in 1913 tells of the trials, joys and sorrows of a Swedish pioneer, Alexandra, of the 1800s. Ms. Cather writes of Alexandras life as a young girl, trying to get by, and the as a grown woman, caring for her land. The story takes place in the plains of Nebraska where Alexandra and her family struggle to live. Through her writing, the author pulls the readers into the heart breaking story of these pioneers. By the actions of her characters Willa Cather shows determination, friendship, and love. As all great novelists, Willa Cather began somewhere; herself being born on December 7, 1873 in Back Creek Valley, Virginia. Willa spent most of her childhood there with her two younger brothers and younger sister ( Gerber xv). Cather and her family were able to live there with her grandparents raising sheep until the sheep barn burned down in 1883, forcing them to move (3). The pioneer family courag eously moved west to Webster County, Nebraska until 1884 when they were able to move to Red Cloud, Nebraska, where Willa graduated from high school in 1896 (xv). A high school graduate, Cather entered the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, writing for the colleges two magazines, The Lasso and The Heperian (11). First being discovered, Cathers writing for her colleges magazines was soon printed in the Nebraska State Journal, marking the beginning of her famed career (11). Finishing college, Willa went on to be the editor for the Home Monthly in Pittsburgh. In 1901, Cather started her teaching career by teaching Latin and English at Central High School, later teaching only English at Allegheny High School in 1903 (xv). In 1912, her first major novel, Alexanders Brid...

Barbarians and Roman Civilisation

Barbarians and Roman Civilisation The debate surrounding the extent to which the Barbarians facilitated the disappearance of Roman civilisation in the years 376AD to 496AD is one that has been contested throughout history. The arguments can be divided into two major schools of thought. Firstly, Henri Pirenne’s, ‘ Pirenne Thesis’ [1] , which postulates the Barbarians did not facilitate for the disappearance of Roman civilisation and culture, with Roman society continuing after the breakdown of central authority. Pirenne asserts the Barbarian’s sought to benefit from the established Roman civilisation, and thus strove to preserve the Roman way of life. Conversely, the eminent Bryan Ward-Perkins -archaeologist and professor at Oxford University- hypothesises in his magnum opus , ‘ The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization’ the argument: Germanic people instigated the ‘end of civilisation’ for almost one thousand years, characterised by â€Å"social, econom ic and technological regression.† [2] I believe, it’s undeniable to determine that numerous areas of the former Western Empire suffered detrimental changes to their quality of life at the hands of the Barbarian tribes. Nevertheless, evidence shows an abundance of continuity across the former Western Empire following the Germanic incursions, with society progressing in Barbarians cities such as Marseille [3] . Therefore, when assessing the extent to which the Barbarians facilitated for the disappearance of Roman Civilisation; one must determine on a case-by-case basis with no overarching answer conclusively possible. Although, it appears for the majority of the former Western Empire that society progressed, characteristically Roman, but slowly transformed into a Germanic-Romano society, reinforced prominent primary and contemporary sources. One example of the â€Å"supposed regression† that Ward-Perkins uses to develop the idea of the fall of Roman civilisation is the collapse of literary sophistication [4] which characterised the Empire. Ward-Perkins argues the literary record of the ‘Dark Ages’ was not as comprehensive and sophisticated as the period of Roman authority that preceded it. When assessing whether Romanic literary culture survived, or in fact developed, the most utilitarian surviving material is the primary source of eight court charters from Lombardy and Merovingian France. These documents provide an unrivalled primary source for evaluating if Romanic literary culture survived. The Merovingian documents illuminate that of 138 subscribers 73.2% managed to sign the document themselves. [5] With only 37 not being able to sign and therefore assumed ‘illiterate’ we can see an exceptionally high literacy rate. The documents also highlight the demographics of the signatories allowing us to see indisputably, 53 out of the literate 101 were traditional laymen. [6] Of course, this statistic cannot be conc lusive of the entire former Western Empire, but is an indicator that decades after the sacking and formal Germanic occupation a culture of literacy did not irrefutably fall, and in places such as Merovingian France it undeniably developed. Subsequently, this primary source supports Henri Pirenne, who asserted, â€Å"There was an extensive and mostly literate Merovingian lay culture [under Clovis I.]† [7] However, as much as these primary documents aid Pirenne’s argument, in equal regard, they retract, supporting the argument that one cannot provide an overarching answer, assisting Ward-Perkins’ overall regression claims. The first reason why the source is disputable in its substance is those called to sign attendance were innately from the higher echelons of society, even at upper lay level [8] , where literacy was more common than across the general population spectrum. Analysing the equivalent primary documents of Lombard Italy, the number is nowhere near a s impressive, considering that of 988 signatories only 326 [9] could sign their name. Despite representing 633 of the signatures, only 14% of laymen managed to sign with 554 instead having to use the stamp. The value of this Pro-Pirenne source is retracted further when considering that Lombard women were excluded from signing, allowing us to assume immediately that 50% of the population was inherently illiterate. Subsequently, this primary source provides a clear level of understanding into the nature of post-Roman literacy. Nevertheless, it must be ascertained that the documents can’t be treated overly conclusive due to their incomplete nature, and as they only show a localised picture.   Moreover, the documents suggest arguably the most conclusive argument, pockets of Romanic civilisation in the field of literacy continued to excel, whereas others regressed following the fall of Rome. It must be acknowledged since only a modicum of documents survived they cannot be wholly representative of the population, coupled with the fact, not everyone would have been called to sign a during their life. These people were the lowest on the social hierarchy; as a feudal society and due to the nature of the time it’s overwhelmingly likely that the majority of the population would remain illiterate. Overall, this primary source appears to be mostly useful as it mirrors the trends of many other facets of ‘Roman life’ that can be proved more conclusively with France flourishing, culturally and economically whereas other regions, especially in Italy [10] . There is evidence, in line with the ‘Pirenne Thesis’ suggesting society did not back track, seen in Merovingian France, with Gregory of Tours’ ‘ Historia Francorum ,’ [11] allowing us to see literary sophistication surviving 108 years after the fall of Rome. Yet, concurrently supporting Ward-Perkins as there is evident disparity across the Empire, from writ ten sophistication, down to technical regression, with the reduction of documents written on Papyrus paper; seen by the fact that 7 th century Italy only has eight surviving Papyrus documents, only one originating from Rome. [12] Therefore, allowing us to see that even though the upper classes are still literate they’re producing less material of the prowess that characterised the empire. Similarly, for the subordinate classes the lack of evidence makes it impossible to formulate a broad conclusion for large areas of the former Western Empire. On the surviving information, available the evidence would suggest the ‘Pirenne Thesis’ as the most convincing argument when analysing literacy in the former Western Empire, as it appears broadly, a literary culture survived. Many contemporary historians promote the view of the Barbarian as, lacking refinement being â€Å"primitive, ignorant, brutal, rapacious, destructive and cruel.† [13] Emphasising the idea, Roman civilisation was extinguished suddenly and brutally: â€Å"Roman civilization did not pass peacefully. It was assassinated.† [14] Which I do not agree with; rather I align with Pirenne who affirms the Barbarians found it advantageous to embrace the culture. [15] The Primary source, Sidonius Apollinaris promotes in his letters [16] the ‘civilised Barbarian’, the Visigoth King, Theodoric II. Apollinaris presents Theodoric with a lengthy description describing him as a man of prestige and celestial reverence, with the masculine grandeur avowing â€Å"If there is a miss through either’s error, your vision will mostly be at fault, and not the archer’s skill.† Yet still possess a fair complexion â€Å"often flush, but from modesty, and not from anger.† From Apollinaris’ description, we see Theodoric as the ideal ‘Tertullian’ [17] nobleman, an embodiment of Western Culture; which Theodoric II unequivocally strove to fit, a blend between the philosophically methodical and the compassionate. [18] We can see that Apollinaris’ epistle is a valuable source for analysing whether the Barbarians continued Roman ideals, due to contextual factors. Firstly, Theodoric strove to preserve Roman civilization like his father, as they saw Frankish culture as subordinate to Roman due to the ‘admirable’ ideals Roman culture presented. Their determination to preserve roman culture can be seen at the Battle of Chà ¢lonswhere they fought alongside the Romans to force Attila out of North-Eastern France. Despite being the (illegitimate) grandson of Alaric I, under Theodoric I, Frankish-Barbarian culture became interconnected with the Romans. As they were pivotal to Roman victory upon Theodoric’s II succession he was engulfed into the higher strata of Romanic civilisation having gained acclamation defending Romanic culture against rival Barbarian empires. Therefore, when evaluating the source, we can see from Theodoric’s territories, despite the loss of a centralised government in 476AD, the region remained Roman in nearly every sense of the word, only through decades of gradual attrition long after the fall of Rome that the region itself stopped identifying as ‘Roman’, evolving into a Gallo-Romano society. Theodoric produced a myriad of geometric and stonework motifs [19] in Carcassonnea promoting continuity between Rome and the reign of Theodoric II, showing Roman civilisation surviving. Despite Apollinaris’ sheer idealisation of Theodoric, we can see that the description isn’t just propaganda comparable with Tacitus’ ‘ Germania’ [20] , but, rather an astute analysis of Theodoric’s character. We can see this as Apollinaris outlines Theodoric wanting to represent a Roman man but falling short, he embraced Christianity to preserve Roman civilisation; however, it was apparent his prayers were â€Å"mo re in habit than in convicted assiduity†. Subsequently, it’s undeniable to determine that despite the sources amplification, it’s credible in its material; a criticism suggesting Theodoric wasn’t a convicted Christian would send him into a bout of rage. However, the suggestion he was almost so civilised as for him to be ‘Roman’ should be taken lightly as despite his appreciation of culture and art, he obtained the throne by the murdering elder brother Thorismund [21] . Gibbon stated: â€Å"he justified this atrocious deed by the design which the heir-apparent formed of violating his alliance with the empire.† [22] Therefore, regardless of the good nature to Theodoric’s crime, defending the Empire, he violated the principles of being ‘Roman’. In Theodoric’s Visigoth kingdom, it’s clear to see Romano culture surviving, only after gradual attrition, evolving. Therefore, we see both Pirenne and Ward-Perkin s coming through; Pirenne could clearly assert that culture here did survive before transforming into a Gothic kingdom. This source validates the argument of Ward-Perkins, it’s clear despite the attempts made by Theodoric to maintain a level of Roman culture; it was incompatible with the average Barbarian who had little interesting in preserving Romanness dating back to the tribe of Theodoric’s grandfather sacking Rome in 410AD. Theodoric’s Roman ideals were not shared by the upper echelons of the Frank society, seen by the fact he was assassinated only a few years after taking the throne by brother Euric. It’s possible to see the shift (or, perceived shift) in civilisation from Roman control to Barbarian through the primary source, the Bishop of Chaves, Hydatius. Hydatius’ ‘The Chronicle of Hydatius and the Consularia Constantinopolitana ‘ [23] provides the only extensive account of Spanish history through the fifth century. Hydati us states that post-Roman Gallaecia was, â€Å"A wretched place to live, the inhabitants: cold, inhospitable and brutishà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Despite the mineral wealth, the place had a vile reputation for brigandage and ruinous tribal warfare.† [24] Hydatius allows us to see the transition from peaceful times the emergence of a Germanic kingdom, following 411AD and, Vandal and Suevi invasions there’s a drop in the variety of sources used by the Churchman. Hydatius was forced to live within an isolated Roman community constantly threatened by the barbarian presence [25] , subsequently Germanising the region facilitating for a cultural revolution. The complexity of the Chronicle is replaced by uncertainty; Hydatius makes no secret of the fact that the Barbarians that facilitated for the loss of sophistication in his work. Following the death of John of Jerusalem in 417AD, all Hydatius could ascertain was that an â€Å"elderly man† took over the bishopric, despite it b eing well known outside Northern Spain that Praylius had been occupying the role for several years. Due to the Barbarian occupation, we see clear gaps in the information the source presents. Hydatius knows after the expulsion of Nestorius from Constantinople, Flavian became the Patriarch (447-449); but gives no indication that he knew of either man who occupied the role from 431-447AD, Maximian and Proclus [26] . Subsequently, we see an undeniable decline under Germanic occupation regressing from fluid streams of communication with Flavius Aetius to uncertainty; reinforcing the argument that Barbarian’s facilitated the disappearance of Roman civilisation in the years 376AD to 496AD. However, akin to many characteristics of the period, the answer appears to be somewhere in the middle, which becomes apparent due to Hydatius’ source limitations. Hydatius is intrinsically anti-German due to their forceful occupation of his land and therefore he demonises them at every op portunity. It’s perspicuous that the Chronicle was never intended for anyone outside Spaniards, potentially even Galicia. [27] Despite being a one-of-a-kind account of Barbarian’s in Spain, Hydatius is prone to exaggerating the occupations impacts. The barbarian entry in 409AD was undoubtable an event which made an impact, but not a resounding one, with chroniclers such as Count Marcellinus passing over it with silence, but to Hydatius it was an event of equal significance to the Sack of Rome. Delusion expected of a man who â€Å"fully expected the world to end within fifteen years† [28] . One of the reasons why Hydatius’ source is not conclusive of Germanic Spain is due the contrast between Hydatius’ meagre knowledge of the world, compared with the other letters and sources coming out of Spain synchronously. We can see that during the period of 468-483AD, when the times were more tumultuous, encompassing the fall of Rome we can see that communica tion between the Rome and Mà ©rida was frequent and fast. This consequently, suggests the rest of Spain was not so cut off from civilisation and the Romanic world. There are many communiquà ©s addressed to Zeno, the Bishop of Mà ©rida from Pope Simplicius, with one reading â€Å"We have learned from the report of many† [29] , about Zeno’s excellent administration. Therefore, it can be deduced that many travellers reported the ecclesiastical conditions in Southern Spain, Simplicius bears no hint of anticipating any difficulties in sending confidential letters outlining his ambitions to a distant land that Hydatius had marked as ‘Barbaric.’ Correspondingly, the metropolitan bishop, and the Pope years prior to Hydatius, referred to North-Western Spain as the edge of the world and â€Å"an extreme part of the earth† [30] , it is subsequently no surprise that Cape Finisterre was believed to the furthest west point on Earth. Therefore, the hypothesis that the Barbarians alone were responsible for the lack of communication is not a conclusive one, despite it being true that the reach of the sources decreased; there was a reason why for centuries the Greeks referred to the land as â€Å"mountainous, cold and hard to reach.† Subsequently, supporting the argument that despite what Hydatius said appearing mostly true, when considering the entire Western Empire, the account is microcosmic. Reinforcing the idea that in certain areas, life carried on as normal, whereas in other places, such as Galicia, the status-quo Romanic culture was replaced by the new Germanic one. For the majority of people in Spanish lands communication does not seem to be affected, referenced by the dozens of surviving letters between Tarragona and Rome (463-465AD) with, in the many qualms raised, communication never even being implied. When assessing whether Roman Civilisation ‘disappeared’ or not, one of the most compelling arguments fro m both Ward-Perkins and Pirenne is centred on the post-Roman economy. Henri Pirenne’s ‘Thesis’ has spearheaded the argument suggesting continuity with the Roman economic model. The ‘Thesis’ establishes that Mediterranean trade in 600AD was no different to that of 400AD taking the stance that the Germanic invasions did not destroy the unity that the ancient Mediterranean world had enjoyed [31] . This perception of continuity has stemmed debate, especially considering Pirenne’s Thesis is heavily reliant upon written evidence [32] ,   Looking at the archaeology along with the written sources is pivotal to comprehending the post-Roman economy and the role the barbarian invasions played; thus, Ward-Perkins’ provides a convincing argument. Extensive settlements such as Marseille are communities that had significant populations supported by excellent archaeological records, enabling the most rounded view on the extent to which Barbarian s facilitated the disappearance of Roman Civilisation. As preluded, one such case study mentioned by both Ward-Perkins and Pirenne is Marseille, a site which has been extensively excavated enabling for detailed accounts of Late Antique Marseille to be presented. Ward-Perkins incorporates the evidence of professor Simon Loseby, accredited for the most vigorous excavation and analysis of Marseille into his work, Ward-Perkins believes, ‘Marseille may have been particularly well-placed to ride, even to turn back, a tide of events whichà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ was pushing ahead the process of urban and economic decline. [33] ‘ This conclusion is possible due to examination of both written and archaeological evidence; pinpointing the fact that Marseille continued as a trading centre centuries after 476AD through examination of the ceramic material available there. [34]    It appears Marseille was able to continue as a part of the pan-Mediterranean trading network until at leas t the end of the sixth century.   It’s also noted that Marseille had its own mint, capable of producing copper and gold coinage, suggesting that Marseille had an economic hegemony on the surrounding area [35] .   Thus, Marseille’s image is not simply of a city that endured Barbarian rule, but rather one that progressed.   This view is emphasised in written sources too, seen from the Bishop of Tours, presenting a thriving cosmopolitan city, stimulated by the perpetual flow of merchants, diplomats and churchmen [36] . Conclusively, Marseille undoubtedly avoided economic decline under the rule of the barbarians and from the contextual evidence available the Roman way of life appear does not appear to vanish from the city; collateral to, neighbours Arles. However, Marseille is an isolated case study.   In this instance, the barbarians appear to have had a very small role in the end of the Roman world, Marseille is not representative of the sit uation many found themselves in after the barbarian invasions.   What it shows through archaeology was that the invasions were not universally detrimental as in some areas, Barbarians sought to use Roman institutions for profit, promoting continuity between the Romans and Barbarians. This is where the differentiation between Ward-Perkins and Pirenne comes in. Across the former Empire, evidence suggests a general decline in standards of living. Ward-Perkins actively pursues the idea that the period following 476AD was one of a ‘dramatic move away from sophistication toward much greater simplicity’. [37] He reinforces this stance by through an examination of pottery and coinage, seen through the existence of luxury, but a substantial middle and lower goods market. [38]    Ward-Perkins also establishes a pattern of reduced pottery and coinage production, across the former Empire in from 476 until the fourteenth century [39] .   Where the ‘Pirenn e Thesis’ falls short compared to Ward-Perkins is the fact that Ward-Perkins recognises cities such as London and Marseille flourished following the collapse of Imperial power, whilst other economic centres collapsed. Wherever the Barbarians didn’t see profit, they laid siege destroying the societies civilisation, seen from the economic damage left to industries such as farmland, and the loss of citizens either through capture or violence.   Evidence of the Barbarian trail of destruction can be seen from the sack of Mainz all the way to Toulouse and into Spain.   It may be unfair to criticise Pirenne exceedingly, as Ward-Perkins had the best part of seventy years’ extra research available following Pirenne’s posthumously published ‘Thesis’. Considering the information Pirenne had in the 1920s he provides a detailed, accurate analysis of Mediterranean trade and Roman Civilisation. But, when we add the years of development, with w idespread archaeological analysis, predominantly a post-World War II development; in the Mediterranean and Central/Western European we see a new light. Thus, we are able to come to the conclusion that whilst areas of the former Western Empire fell into a state of economic devastation, other areas improved, rising to new heights under Barbarian occupation. In conclusion, whilst the Barbarians catalysed the ending of the most vast and complex institution in the ancient world, the notion they conclusively marked the end of civilisation in the west for a thousand years is a claim that does not stand true conclusively.   There is undoubtable evidence to suggest that after the occupation of the Empire by the barbarian peoples, the systems implemented by the Romans were still in place, and that both the administrative [40] and day to day status quo remained largely unchanged for over two hundred years. Archaeological and literary evidence suggests, after the Barbarian invasions i ndividual provinces and communities continued to carry out daily life in much the same way that they had done in the later days of the Empire the early seventh century. Following the Barbarians penetration of the empire it’s undeniable that certain tribes sought to ruthlessly destroy, as can see be in Pesaro and Fano in Italy which had their walls destroyed and internal structures burnt to the ground. [41] Milan too, where the Milanese women and children were enslaved and the men all killed [42] . But, there were clear examples of the preservation of Roman culture as we can see through case studies such as Marseille, and Barbarian kingdoms originally characterised by their Roman way of life. Leading to the assertion that the extent to which Roman civilisation survived depended on where you happened to live. Predominantly, Romanic culture appears to continue for decades after the first crossing of the Danube by the Barbarians, the period of Germanic rule ushered â€Å"a time of narrowing horizons, strengthening local roots, and consolidating old loyalties.† [43] Bibliography

Cultural self assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cultural self assessment - Assignment Example The behavior increases the family bond as individual are able to appreciate each member of the family regardless of their relation. Personally, I value family than any other social aspect. I value the slightest family bond to any other person. My religious life has also been massively influenced by my cultural traditions. In Ghana, religion makes up a significant part the social structure. Religious practices are considered mandatory. The same impact on religion has been made on my life. I value my religion as I consider taking part in practices even if I am away from my family. Considering the impact of my cultural traditions in my life, I still continue to carry on these practices. The cultural traditions are a significant part on my social life. In addition, they are a source of my social identity regardless of distance from my native country. Carrying on these traditions enables me to appreciate my country and cultural identity (Benhabib, Shapiro & Petranovich,