Robinson Jeffers Essay -- essays research papers

The Nature of Man by Robinson Jeffers Robinson Jeffers is one of the twentieth centuries most important and controversial poets. He, like others in history, has tried to give his opinion about life. Many poets in the twentieth century focused on issues affecting mankind, Jeffers is no exception. Most of his work was inspired by his surroundings. One’s environment is great source for poetic inspiration. Poets come and go, but their ideas are kept alive through their poems. Whether they are a hundred or ten years old, these poems hold ideas in them which are still interesting now as they were back then. It seems that poets are always passionate about their work. They should be, since it expresses who they are and what they believe in through writing. One tends to write about what one knows or feels one might know. Feelings control our mind and our mind controls our actions. How we feel can be determined by external forces. Sometimes, one lets emotions run wild which can cause our work to be accepted or rejected by o thers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One must not worry about writing something which might cause a brush off by society. However, writings such as these can create a cold shoulder for one’s future work. Then again, poetry is used to express oneself. Society will only encourage radical behavior to continue and who knows, one’s ideas might generate a fan base. A poet cannot please everyone. There are some emotions which will be seen as pleasant ideas and some which will seem disrespectful. Poetry, that is controversial, seems to captivate an audience and it accomplishes one’s lofty goals. One’s courageous work commands respect, whether the reader agrees with the ideas or not. Poems are intended to force the audience to see one’s views. Though the reader’s views often contradict your own, the most important part is to make them consider new ideas and better understand the issues. Although, many of issues will never be understood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poets often tend to write openly about this. Man is involved with everything in this world. Mankind as a whole has progressed in knowledge and technology. In other areas, on the other hand, it has stayed the same or has gotten worst. Poets for centuries have written about man. Few, have written using facts. Yet more have written using their opinions. Thousands of books have been written about... ...rica’s intervention. â€Å"The squid, frightened and angry, shoots darkness out of her ink sac; the fighting destroyer throws out a smoke screen, and fighting governments produce lies.† Jeffers kept pushing his views of man stating that our race began to think as an adult does, rather than an egocentric baby. He also believed that man controlled the keys of unearthly violence. Claiming that Earth is too small to feed us and we must have room. Also, Jeffers was once quoted saying, â€Å"We use to be individuals, not populations. Breeding like rabbits, we hasten to meet the day.†(Birth and Death) In later poems, he began to wonder what was the best life for a man. Jeffers came to the conclusion that man should have never been born and the next best was to die young. (The Silent Shepherd) As his reputation fell, Jeffers began less on man. Jeffers expressed his contempt for human society, which he regarded as doomed by its own violence and depravity. With his unc ompromising reverence for nonhuman values and his World War II isolationism, Jeffers fell out of favor with the public. Even though still outspoken after the war, newly created patriotism in America did nothing but anger many Americans.

Wuthering Heights :: essays research papers

Explore the role and function of the narrators in Wuthering Heights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ellis Bell was criticised not only for the novel’s blasphemous nature and violent plot but a lack of conclusive moral. It seems freedom of expression was tolerated as long as the reader was left in no doubt of the righteous path. Bronte liberates the reader from this sense of duty and distinguishes her novel from its Victorian contemporaries. Helping to accomplish this task is her style of narration, being unusually structured in the concentric circles of Lockwood and Nelly Dean.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lockwood descends on the Yorkshire moors, like the reader unaware of the turbulence that the ‘beautiful country’ conceals. I have read that Bronte’s original purpose of the book was to show Lockwood the meaning of love and her choice of name, ‘Lockwood’, implies a depth that is not on display nor easy to withdraw. (From this respect it is an ambitious novel for Emily Bronte to attempt as her life is from all accounts barren of much romantic attachment. Perhaps her impression of love mimics Isabella Linton’s adoration for a Byronic Heathcliff, an ideal never quite within reach.) Lockwood strikes me as a character who is much astonished by his own intelligence, he dilutes his account of the Heights with Latinate words and pompous expressions, ‘relaxed a little in the laconic style of chipping off his pronouns and auxiliary verbs’. Either this is an early indication of his arrogance, later confirmed by his unlikely fear that Catherine would regret a union with Hareton on observing how ‘tolerably attractive’ he was or possibly the ‘primitive’ nature of the Heights provokes him to use language that he associates with civilised society in order to feel comfortable in an evidently uneasy situation. If this be the case Bronte mocks the established politeness of introduction showing his language to be simply a faà §ade disguising his unsettled emotions. This language helps him to preserve his detached demeanour as only once is the reader given an insight to his insecure character. He relates an amusing incident in which a ‘goddess’ he professed to be in love with hinted at a reciprocation of feeling that unfortunately caused him to flee rabbit-like, rapidly lessening the warmth of his ‘glances’. This minor incident demonstrates his inability to handle complex emotions and in comparison to the forthcoming passion of Cathy and Heathcliff, Lockwood appears all the more sheltered. It is as though a distant relative of the Lintons has come to call.

Health Risk Assessment Bnt’s Story Essay

To die with dignity should be a given. Death will present itself to everyone eventually and presumably no one in their right mind would choose not to die with dignity. That being said why is it that so many people who would choose to die a good death are no allowed to. For some people no death is a good death, but that is silly because as everyone knows death is inevitable. No one can escape this fact. The controversy herein lies within the circumstances people who are suffering or lingering with a terminal illness that debilitates them such that they have no quality of life are not afforded the comfort of dying with dignity. It seems that this high merit is available to our beloved pets, but not our beloved family members. Aunt Bessie is forced to endure unrelenting pain from here incurable pancreatic cancer. No amount of pain medication is available to treat her pain and allow her to maintain consciousness. She knows her time is limited and she does not feel she should have to wait out the inevitable in such a terrible state. At the same time the family pet Bassett hound is found to have a mass in her intestines. She cannot eat and barely moves as she is in so much pain. The veterinarian has given the option of putting her to sleep or euthanizing her to put her out of her misery as she is suffering so. This sits well with most people. Aunt Bessie requesting euthanization though is out of the question. Why is the question that this paper will attempt to answer and why this is wrong will also be addressed? Euthanasia Defined Euthanasia can bring about different feelings to people depending on the context in which it is used. Mention that good old dog and it is good as they no longer suffering. Change the identity to a person and it is not so easily swallowed. No matter how it is interpreted the true meaning of the act is the same in either circumstance. â€Å"Originating from the Greek terms â€Å"eu† (happy or good) and â€Å"thanatos† (death), euthanasia means literally â€Å"happy death† or â€Å"good death. † (Le Baron Jr. , 1999). Breaking that definition down even further is subdivisions in the definition are voluntary/involuntary and active/passive: â€Å"Voluntary euthanasia is a death performed by another with the consent of the person being killed. Non-voluntary euthanasia is the provision of euthanasia to an incompetent person according to a surrogate’s decision. Involuntary euthanasia is euthanasia performed without a competent person’s consent. Passive euthanasia involves allowing a patient to die by removing her from artificial life support systems such as respirators and feeding tubes or simply discontinuing medical treatments necessary to sustain life. Active euthanasia, by contrast, involves positive steps to end the life of a patient, typically by lethal injection† [ (Le Baron Jr. 1999) ] Euthanasia brings tranquility to death. In euthanasia the suffering prior to death is limited and death is entered more peacefully as opposed to lingering with pain and suffering. Presumably most people would want to end their journey in life without pain and suffering. A more compassionate death is a more desirable death. However to know what euthanasia actually means requires more exploration into the depth of this term. Practical Problems Euthanasia can bring about bad feeling to some people. After all when the term is used it is in relationship to death. In our culture and to numerous people death or speaking about death is taboo. This is an unfortunate fact. What is most unfortunate is that death is inevitable and therefore discussion regarding it should be more open. Essentially the problem with euthanasia is this taboo associated with it. Ethically euthanasia is an appropriate and well warranted act of kindness and consideration. Support of euthanasia will be provided within the context of this paper, and the potential negative issues will also be brought up. Ethics Argument For The ethical principles that can justify euthanasia are many. This is because the premise of euthanasia is based upon the idea of caring. This idea of caring is inherent to most care givers and is the key principle in euthanasia. Such acts of caring resonates through theses ethical principles and frameworks: Respect of persons, Virtue ethics, Utilitarian, Rights based ethics and ethics of caring. These frameworks or principles although many will all show supportive qualities for euthanasia. Respect of Persons In respect of persons the support of euthanasia is found in that the principle here is that individuals are afforded autonomy and able to make their own decisions. When a person chooses not to suffer at the end of their life this is an autonomous decision. â€Å"Respect for persons generally means respecting a client’s autonomy† (Ethical Principles, 2011). That person in the eyes of this principle is just in making that call. The respect of person principle sustains this in its foundation. â€Å"The principle of respect for persons affirms the primary importance of allowing individuals to exercise their moral right of self determination. To violate their ability to be self-determining is to treat them as less than persons. (Bennette-Woods, 2001). Therefore, this principle is then supportive of euthanasia when decided upon by an individual. Virtue Ethics With the act of euthanasia people are seeking the good by allowing a good death. Suffering is not permitted to go on until death. Rather death is allowed to happen prior to a lengthy battle with pain and suffering. Virtue ethics is doing good and for the right reason. Forcing peop le to live with pain and suffering would not be characterized as good. So presumably then allowing for euthanization is good. Because it is done in response to alleviate further pain or suffering it satisfies the right reason aspect. In another view the dying patient is taking a virtuous stance. â€Å"Some dying patients consider it virtuous to spare friends and family the ordeal of witnessing a slow process of degeneration† (van Zyl, 2002, p. 19). This again satisfies the criteria for virtue ethics. Utilitarian In encompassing the utilitarian ethical frame work consideration must be made for the balance of the greatest good. Allowing a person to die a â€Å"good death† will promote the greatest happiness for both the person and for those remaining behind. Sure there will be unhappiness in that there is a loss with the person dying, but the greatest happiness will be in knowing that the person is no longer suffering and that the pain of their disease is not torturing them any longer. This satisfies part of the balance. The other part is on behalf of the individual who is suffering. There is much good in ending a life from pain and suffering. A â€Å"good death† is much more desirable then a death of unrelenting pain and suffering. Therefore the balance of the greater good is established here and the utilitarian frame work is established. Right Based Ethics The right to die is an inevitable right. â€Å"Advocates of euthanasia argue that people have a right to make their own decisions regarding death, and that euthanasia is intended to alleviate pain and suffering†. (Nargus, 2012) It is of the belief of many that all people hold this one true right. Dying is ultimate natural right. â€Å"The patient has the right to make the decision about when and how they should die, based on the principles of autonomy and self-determination† (Nargus, 2012). This alone substantiates the use of rights based ethics and upholds this as an ethical point for euthanasia. Ethics of Caring This is the final ethical stance that will be used to persuade the positive perspective of euthanasia. To care is the essence of this ethical principle. To care would be to not allow suffering with pain at the end of life. Compassion is a must in the ethics of caring and allowing pain and suffering to continue cannot be construed as compassionate. â€Å"The ethic of care demands that we maintain conditions under which caring can flourish†. (Bennette-Woods, 2001) How better to show a sense of caring then by stopping suffering, stopping pain and allowing for a good death. Ethics of caring is the basis for most nursing philosophies and can be equated to most nursing principles. Care is not just in the physical sense, but the emotional sense as well. Care is delivered when euthanasia is allowed. Ethics Argument Against The arguments proposing that euthanasia be allowed were provided and supported. Now a few counterarguments will be analyzed and provided. Kant’s original ethical framework intent was clearly against the use of euthanasia, but a newer vision of Kantian ethics could also be supportive of the act. However, the argument against it in this framework will be what is focused on. Nonmaleficence framework can also be argued against euthanasia. This theory bases itself on doing no harm and depending what is perceived as harm is how this argument can be made. Kantian Ethics â€Å"A moral action is one that is performed solely for the purpose of meeting a moral obligation, and the action itself can only be judged moral in light of the intention behind it†. If the intention produces death it cannot be a good intention. Death although now relieved of suffering is the outcome. With Kantian ethics the end result is not at question. The person no longer suffering perspective is not of any value. The point is euthanizing a person is morally wrong and the outcome (alleviating pain and suffering) has no bearing in the matter. This is why this argument was not used in the pros. The outcome has to matter. Nonmaleficence Ethics â€Å"The principle of Nonmaleficence states that we should act in ways that do not inflict evil or cause harm to others. In particular, we should not cause avoidable or intentional harm. (Bennette-Woods, 2001) While some people feel that causing an earlier death as with euthanasia is harmful not everyone shares this view. â€Å"Professional organizations have invoked professional obligations as an argument against support and participation in assisted suicide and euthanasia†. [ (Ersek, 2004) ]. For those that do this could certainly be understood as argument against euthanasia. However, for others the harm is noted in the continuance of a life of suffering. Catholic Moral Tradition Each human life is considered sacred and deserving of a right to life. This is the position that the Catholic moral tradition stands behind. According to the Roman Catholic perspective, we are not obliged to ward off death at all costs, but we should not deliberately intervene to bring death about (Euthanasia a Catholic Perspective, 1987)†. The church goes on to say that† the end of human life is not subject to a person’s free judgment† (Euthanasia a Catholic Perspective, 1987). This theory protests that as in birth; death can only be implemented by God. However, even the church has come to make exceptions or loop holes that allows for euthanasia to happen. In the double effect principle medication can be given in large doses to relieve pain. The patient will succumb to death as a result of this medication, and that is ok. As long as the intention is to relieve pain, not cause death the Catholic moral traditions is receptive to this. It seems as if the church has struggle d with this issue in the past and the best that they can deliver is this double effect doctrine. (This was actually developed in the 15th century). . Final Justification â€Å"A slow, painful, undignified death is a fate that most of us would not wish on our worst enemies† (Dyer, 1999) yet this fate are often offered to people, loved ones and family members. This categorically should not be. Euthanasia theories have been presented and supported both for and against the act. What it comes down to is how individuals understand things. Some religious factions are adamant that this act is strictly forbidden. This author does not share these views. There is no argument that it is wrong to kill someone. However, there has to be availabilities for exceptions. When an act is done for all the right reason it then becomes a just act. When a person is deemed terminal and is some way suffering then this would create such an â€Å"except†. This is only one of an infinite number of â€Å"except† possibilities. Each case presenting itself must be evaluated for its ethical morality. Evaluation can be accomplished by using the previous theories presented in favor of euthanasia. Should the case lend itself to these proposed theories then it is indeed a just act. Pets are not made to suffer a miserable final existence (associated with the love of them) neither should people. Loved ones, family, friend or foe no one deserves to die suffering when a good death is an option.

Pros and Cons Essay

Globalization can be defined as the increasing flow of products, people, money, and ideas across the globe. National economies are being swept into the global economy. One can thus think of globalization as rushing through four channels: †¢ Freer trade goods; †¢ Freer mobility of labor; †¢ Freer investment; and †¢ Freer communication, thanks to telecommunications and the Internet. Pros and Cons 1. Capitalism Free enterprise is now the dominant economic system in the world. China is very much capitalist and her late Communist Party leader Deng Xiaoping coined the slogan, â€Å"To get rich is glorious. † Only Cuba and North Korea are holding on to the central planning system of running the economy. Capitalism brings along free trade and the free flow of money across the earth. Countries belonging to the World Trade Organization are trying to bring down tariff barriers. Today, immense portfolio investments zip in and out of countries at the click of a mouse (Baylis & Smith, 2001). With free trade comes economic integration. It is possible to download an album of songs in the United States of America, turn it into CDs in Europe, print the cover and lyric sheet in France, and sell it in Asia. The greatest story of economic integration is the European Union, with its common currency, the euro (Brecher & Costello, 2004). 2. Information economy Another driving force is the knowledge economy. Land, labor and capital are bowing in importance to brain creativity. In the United Kingdom, over a three-year span, manual jobs dropped by 750,000, while professional jobs shot up by 1. 5 million (Brecher & Costello, 2004). 3. Mass Media The invention of the printing press helped scattered people become a national community. In the same way, the evening news is nurturing world’s community. The suffering in India and Indonesia are brought home through CNN. 4. Telecoms There is a global boom in telecommunications. A fourth of all Europeans, have mobile phones. The people in Finland gave the greatest access to cell phones at 417 for every 1,000 people (Brecher & Costello, 2004). Reference: 1. Baylis, John, and Smith, Steve, eds. The Globalization of World Politics. 2nd ed. , 2001. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2. Brecher, Jeremy, and Costello, Tim. Global Village or Global Pillage: Economic Reconstruction from the Bottom Up. Boston, MA: South End Press, 2004. Radical critique of recent patterns of economic globalization.

Employment Law Compliance Plan Essay

I have researched several employment laws for Mr. Stonefield’s Landslide Limousine Company and there are four laws that I will outline for Mr. Stonefield to consider complying with in his new business venture. I will discuss in this memo the Civil Rights Act of 1964 regarding employment discrimination, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 regarding people with disabilities, Equal Pay Act of 1963 regarding wage discrimination between men and women, and lastly the Texas Minimum Wage Act regarding the least amount of an hourly wage payable in the state of Texas. I will give a brief summary of each of the four Acts and consequences for noncompliance. Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is regulated and enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). As a new business, if you receive any federally funded monies such as grants, assistance, or subsidies The  Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to you. The EEOC â€Å"enforces laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age in hiring, promoting, firing, setting wages, testing, training, apprenticeship, and all other terms and conditions of employment† (The United States National Archives and Records Administration, n.d., para. 3). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful for employers to â€Å"fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions or privileges or employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin† (The United States National Archives an d Records Administration, n.d., para. 2). The Civil Rights Act has been expanded to include subsequent legislation. According to the United States Government Manual of 1998-99, â€Å"the EEOC enforces laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age in hiring, promoting, firing, setting wages, testing, training, apprenticeship, and all other terms and conditions of employment† (The United States National Archives and Records Administration, n.d., para. 3). Protected classes now include race, color, creed, sex, and age. As you can see, the spectrum of inclusion has been increased to protect the employee. Consequences for noncompliance Once a business has been found to be in violation of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 the penalties are substantial. Consequences for violating The Civil Rights Act can result in federal funding can be withdrawn for a specific time or terminated and monetary fines. Marion Shaub, a former Federal Express (FedEx) truck driver, sued her employer after she reported anti-female comments, hostility, and retaliation when she reported the incidents. The EEOC reports â€Å"The jury found Federal Express liable for a sex-based hostile work environment and retaliation and awarded Ms. Shaub $391,400 in back pay and front pay, $350,000 in compensatory damages for emotional pain and distress, and $2.5 million dollars in punitive damages† (United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC], 2004, para. 2). Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 â€Å"prohibits discrimination  against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and governmental activities† (United States Department of Labor [DOL], n.d., para. 1). The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees that have disabilities or may have accessibility requirements to be able to use public accommodations. Under the ADA, disabilities include physical and mental conditions with varying degrees of severity. A few examples are deafness, blindness, missing limbs, epilepsy, cancer, and mental retardation. The Department of Labor provides assistance with the ADA but four federal agencies are responsible for enforcing the ADA. Those four agencies are the EEOC, The Department of Transportation (DOT), The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and The Department of Justice (DOJ). Consequences for noncompliance As with The Civil Rights Act of 1964, withdrawal and termination of federal funds is possible of companies that violate The ADA. One example is Bates v. United Parcel Service (UPS). This particular case brought against UPS brought to issue â€Å"the hearing standard that is part of the DOT physical† (Case Law Find Law, 2015, para. 9). The plaintiffs contended that even with a hearing disability and not passing the DOT hearing test they were still able to operate vehicles that were below the required gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10, 001 pounds. UPS agreed to pay $5.8 million and to create a program that was implemented nationally throughout UPS. Equal Pay Act of 1963 The Equal Pay Act of 1963 states, â€Å"Employers may not pay unequal wages to men and women who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility, and that are performed under similar working conditions within the same establishment† (Society for Human Resource Management [SHRM], 2015, para. 2). What this means is that men and women are to be given equal pay for doing the same types of work however, the work does not have to be exactly the same but equal, within the same employer. Skill, effort, responsibility, working conditions, and establishment are factors that employers must keep in mind when paying wages to men and women doing similar jobs in similar work environments. Wage differences can exists when merit, seniority, or any other factor exists as long as it is not a person’s  gender. When there are wage differences the burden of proof falls on the employer to prove why the difference exists. Consequences of noncompliance Corning Glass Works violated the Equal Pay Act by paying male employees who work a night inspection shift a higher wage than females doing the same inspections during the day inspection shift. Corning Glass also tried to correct this by opening up the night inspection shift to women and implemented a unionized shift differential to equalize pay however, employee employed prior to the changes continued to receive higher wages continuing to create a difference in pay. The Secretary of Labor brought the charges against Corning to collect back wages for the women who had been violated. Texas Minimum Wage Act The Texas Minimum Wage Act (TMWA) provides information about rights and duties for both employees and employers. The TMWA establishes the minimum wage at $7.25, requires employers to provide a written statement of an employee’s earnings, outlines provisions for agricultural workers, provides exemptions for different types of employers, and civil penalties for violations. All employers must display the current Texas minimum wage poster in an obstruction free area so that all employees can see what the minimum wage is and their rights as workers in Texas. Recommendations for Compliance In closing, compliance with Federal, State, County, and City laws is strongly recommended. Landslide Limousine Company can be shut down and fined heavily for violations brought by employees. The burden of proof is on you as the employer and understanding all of the laws applicable to your business is necessary. Investigations by any of the federal departments who are responsible for investigating and enforcing the employment laws can tie up your resources for months, possibly years. However, not all judgments go against the employer. My recommendation is to understand the laws, document well, keep pristine records, and do your best to remind within the guidelines for employers. References Case Law Find Law. (2015). BATES v. UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC UPS. Retrieved from http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-9th-circuit/1242057.html Society for Human Resource Management. (2015). Equal Pay Act of 1963. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/legalissues/federalresources/federalstatutesregulationsandguidanc/pages/equalpayactof1963.aspx The United States National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.). Teaching With Documents: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/ United States Department of Labor. (n.d.). Disability Resources Americans with Disabilities Act. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/ada.htm United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2004). Federal Express to Pay over $3.2 Million to Female Truck Driver for Sex Discrimination, Retaliation. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/2-25-04.cfm

European Commission´s actions against The Coca Cola Company Essay

* 1 Introduction The Coca Cola Company (TCCC) is an American corporation and manufacturer especially known for its soft drinks like Coca Cola or Fanta. It sells over 3500 products, is available in over 200 countries and has revenues of nearly 50 billion us-dollars (Coca Cola Company, 2011). After Coca Cola was accused by the European commission (EC) to have abused its market power, Coca Cola gave in and set up commitments to prove that it does not abuse its power. They promised no exclusivity arrangements, no target or growth rebates, no  use of its stronger brands to sell other less strong brands and finally a 20 percent free space in their coolers for other products and brands. These commitments were accepted by the EC. This essay explains why the EC is concerned about the abuse of market power and analyzes the commitments stated by the coca cola company in its economic terms and how they affect the market competition. Finally it will evaluate if the EC was correct in accepting these commitments. Background to the Case The EC tries to establish a free competitive market and a fair competition between businesses in setting up competition policies like state aid, merger control rules and antitrust also known as the European competition law (Report European Comission, 2010). It does so to ensure the maximization of social welfare which will be further explained in section 2. In September 2004, the EC started to proceed against the Coca Cola Company relying on their antitrust regulation. In October, 2004 Coca Cola was sent a â€Å"preliminary assessment† which stated the EC ´s concerns about their abuse of market power. One month later Coca Cola submitted commitments in response to these Claims (European Comission, 2006). The four commitments are as followed: 1. Coca cola promised that at all time their customers are free to buy or sell carbonated soft drinks from any supplier of their choice and therefore no more exclusivity arrangements; 2. No target or growth rates are allowed. Coca Cola no longer offers rebates that reward in purely purchasing the same amount or more of Coca Cola products than in the past. Hence it is easier for customers to purchase from other suppliers; 3. Coca Cola is not allowed to use its strong brand to push other products which are not that popular goods; 4. If Coca Cola provides free coolers to retailers, the retailers are allowed to use 20 per cent of its space for other brands and goods. If Coca Cola should break these commitments the EC could demand a fine of ten per cent of Coca Cola ´s total worldwide turnover (European Comission, 2006). Loss of Welfare due to Market Power But why is the EC actually concerned about the abuse of market power, the ability of a firm to charge a price above marginal cost and earn a positive profit (Perloff, 2012), of big firms like TCCC? The main answer to this question is that the EC tries to ensure social welfare and to maximize it. But before answering this question social welfare needs to be elucidated. Social welfare itself is difficult to measure. One way to measure it is to define it as the sum of the consumer and producer surplus. Perloff describes the consumer surplus as: â€Å"The monetary difference between what a consumer is willing to pay for the quantity of the good purchased and what the good actually costs† (Perloff, 2012). In other words the consumer surplus is used to measure and compare consumer welfare, the benefit of a certain product a person gets consuming that product less the money he or she paid for the good. In contrast the producer surplus is described by Perloff as followed: â€Å"The d ifference between the amount for which a good sells and the minimum amount necessary for the seller to be willing to produce the good† (Perloff, 2012). It is the gain of trade and thus equal to the profit from trade minus the profit from not trading. The EC tries to maximize the social welfare. This is only possible in a competitive market because in such a market environment the price equals the marginal costs (Perloff, 2012) which results in an equilibrium price, an economic term for a balance between the wants of producers and consumers and no loss of welfare. However, the converse argument is that in a non-competitive market social welfare is not maximized. The biggest counterpart to a free competitive market is a monopolistic market. Although TCCC is not a real monopoly it has big market power and can therefore be compared to a monopoly. The loss of social welfare, the deadweight loss, which occurs if a monopoly (or a company with a big market power) arises, is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 Deadweight Loss of Monopoly 1 (Barnett, 2007) Figure 1 shows that at the competitive equilibrium the price (Pc) is lower than the monopoly price (Pm) and the quantity (Qc) is bigger than the quantity (Qm) which the monopoly supplies. Hence a deadweight loss arises. This deadweight loss develops only due to missing competition. This scenario could appear due to an abuse of market power. By definition, market power is  the ability to charge a price above marginal cost and therefore earn a positive profit (Perloff, 2012). Compared to a competitive market the demand curve is not horizontal but downwards sloping. This means that although the quantity decreases if a monopoly raises its price there are still buyers for the product. In a competitive market this is not true because the demand curve is horizontal and only the slightest increase in price will result in zero demand. As we can see in Figure 1: The monopoly is able to set its price not at the equilibrium (the intersection of marginal cost and the market price) but at a poin t at which it maximizes its own profit (a point where the price is higher than marginal costs). This results in a welfare loss for the consumers which the EC tries to prevent. Furthermore the market power is related to the shape of the demand curve and tells a monopoly how much it can raise its price above the competitive equilibrium (the interception with the marginal cost) at the profit maximizing quantity. The more elastic the demand curve becomes, graphically this would means a nearly flat curve, the more sales are lost even if the price is only slightly increased. Conversely, if the demand curve is a steep curve (not very elastic) it would lose fewer sales by the same increase of price (Perloff, 2012). However a firm with a big market power or a monopoly benefit from large economies of scale. They can produce their products cheaper than any number of other firms together and for this reason not challengeable (Perloff, 2012). Economic Effect of the Commitments on Market Competition Concerned of the big market power TCCC had, the EC decided to intervene and requested Coca Cola to come up with solutions to allow the free competition to grow. Coca Cola then set up four commitments which were accepted by the EC. Although all four head to the same economic effect of lowering entry barriers for competitors and accordingly make consumers more aware of substitutes for Coca Cola products, all four are described separately. The first commitment assured that TCCC would not accept any exclusivity arrangements. It allows customers of Coca Cola to sell any soft drinks from any supplier next to Coca Cola. This means more suppliers which results in more products similar to Coca Cola ´s products, substitutes. Although these  substitutes existed also before the commitment it is now much easier for consumers to be aware of these and accordingly buy these. The economic effect of more substitutes was already explained in section 2: The market power is related to the demand curv e. The flatter the demand curve is the more elastic it is and therefore a small increase in price leads to a big loss in sales. If we now take the substitutes into account the demand curve of TCCC becomes more elastic because consumers can choose between products of different suppliers. Hence Coca Cola cannot set its price per unit as high as before. In other words the demand curve gets closer to a competitive demand curve and if TCCC sets its prices too high consumers will buy a substitute. In addition as prices of Coca Cola ´s products gets lower it becomes easier for other firms to enter the market. The second commitment prevented Coca Cola to set up target or growth rates. Hence Coca Cola was not able to reward customers for purchasing the same amount or more of Coca Cola products than in the past. Again this makes it easier for customers to buy from other soft drink suppliers or a less amount of Coca Cola products plus different products. Economically this has the same effect as the first commitment and concentrates the overall effect: The demand curve becomes even more elastic and the market becomes more competitive. The third commitment states that TCCC is not allowed to use the strongest brands to sell less popular brands. Again consumer can choose more easily between different suppliers and the competition in the market is further increased. Next to this economic effect it is now harder for Coca Cola to sell its less popular products and weakens its market power and brings TCCC even closer to sell at the competitive equilibrium. Secondary to the economic effect of the more elastic demand curve the decrease of entry barriers and the gain of substitutes increase the supply of the market. As more suppliers enter the market, supply increases which lowers the price of products in the market. The last commitment allows retailers to use 20 percent of the space in the Coca Cola coolers although they were provided by TCCC for free. Therefore Retailers who want to benefit of a free cooler are not forced to use it only for Coca Cola products anymore. This makes it easy for consumers to be aware of substitutes of Coca Cola ´s products as well as comparing prices. All in all the four commitments are heading to decrease TCCC ´s market power and to increase the competition in the market. They do so allowing substitutes gain  more attention by customers which results in a more elastic demand curve for Coca Cola. The more elastic it becomes the more competition increases in the market. Moreover the market ´s supply increases and prices decrease. Conclusion Finally it can be said that firms with too much market power can reduce the social welfare. In order to protect this social welfare the EC accepted the four commitments. The closer analysis of the four commitments and their economic effect on the market shows that due to lower entry barriers the market ´s supply is increased and more substitutes are easier available for consumers. In addition, Coca Cola ´s demand decreases and it cannot benefit from its economies of scales as it could before. Furthermore, it cannot set its price as high as it could before. Although Coca Cola does not lose all of its market power and is still one of the biggest companies and soft drink suppliers worldwide its market power is reduced by the EC ´s actions and this results in an increase of market competition and a reduction of Coca Cola ´s market power. If it was actually maximized to its fullest cannot be said because the information of actual demand or marginal cost curves is always limited, nor are the theoretical assumptions of a market environment given in real life. Nevertheless, the social welfare was definitely increased by the EC and therefore it was right to accept the four commitments. References Barnett, T. (31. October 2007). Maximizing Welfare through technological Innovation. From www.justice.gov: http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/speeches/227291.htm Coca Cola Company, C. C. (31. December 2011). Anuual Report of Exchange. Von www.sec.gov: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/21344/000002134412000007/a2011123110-k.htm Comission, E. (2006). Competition in Practice – Coca Cola. European Comission, E. (2006). Coca Cola. Perloff. (2012). Microeconomics. England: Pearson. Report European Comission, C. (2010). Report on competition policy . Brussels.

Brutus’s Speech vs. Antony’s

The Speech That Changed Everything In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus and Mark Antony must win the support of the Romans by making a speech to them. The two former friends become enemies. They share different beliefs in what is right in their eyes. Brutus wants to take the place of Caesar and become powerful. Antony wants justice for his best friend, Caesar. However, Shakespeare pits Mark Antony’s speech against Brutus’ speech. Antony’s speech is persuasive, and heartfelt. He understands the Romans unlike Brutus. Brutus’ speech is brief and not heartfelt.Mark Antony becomes victorious in winning the hearts of the Romans by having his speech be more rhetoric and effective than Brutus’ speech. Brutus’ â€Å"Romans, Countrymen, and Lovers† speech is brief, precise, and gets to the point. He tells the people of Rome that Caesar is ambitious even though he does not prove that he was ambitious. Brutus also tells the Romans that Caesar w ill mostly likely be corrupt because all the other rulers before him were corrupt. For example, Brutus says, â€Å"Had you rather Caesar were living, and die all slaves, than that Caesar were dead, to live all free men? (3. 2. 3-24)† He tells the people of Rome that if Caesar was ruler, everyone would be slaves. Brutus tells them that he actually did them a favor. Brutus convinced the Romans, but he didn’t convince them for long. If he understood how they felt he would have fully convinced them. Mark Antony’s â€Å"Friends, Romans, Countrymen† speech is more rhetoric, persuasive and he put a lot of thought into it. After Brutus called Caesar ambitious, Antony gave excellent reasons on why he actually wasn’t ambitious. For example, Mark Antony says, â€Å"When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff.Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable man (3. 2. 94-97). † Mark Antony was ab le to turn the word honorable around to mean dishonorable. He put it in a respectful, but sarcastic way. Antony understands how the Romans feel about the death of Julius Caesar. They are angry, confused, and sad just like Antony. Antony relates to the Romans by saying, â€Å"My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me (3. 2. 108-109). † By saying these powerful words the Romans and Antony share the same amount of suffering towards Caesar’s death.Mark Antony was able to convince an audience, who at first were against him, to be on his side. Mark Antony and Brutus both tried to make their speeches convincing and persuading. Mark Antony’s speech was very successful unlike Brutus’. His speech is also better than Brutus’. The people of Rome rooted for Brutus until Antony made his speech. If Brutus went after Antony, he might have been the more successful one. The people of Rome will follow anyone which is why th ey rooted for Antony because he spoke last. As Cassius puts it, â€Å"the Romans are but sheep (1. 3. 106). Mark Antony used more rhetorical questions in his speech to help persuade the Romans and Brutus did not. Brutus was less persuasive than Antony. He also treats the Romans like they are nothing but peasants. Antony calls the Romans his friends. Shakespeare does pit Mark Antony’s speech against Brutus’ speech. Even though Brutus gained the support of the Romans, it was not for long. Brutus just wanted power so he didn’t really have a passion in his speech. Mark Antony wanted justice for Caesar who made him passionate and sincere in his speech. Overall, Mark Antony’s speech won the hearts of the Romans.