Confucianism Verses Taoism Concept Essay Example for Free

Confucianism Verses Taoism Concept Essay Confucianism focuses on virtue ethics as a means to an ordered and thriving, society. On the contrary, Taoism centers on the individual life in relation to the Tao, or â€Å"way to heaven†. Both views acknowledge a Tao; however, they take different views on religion, politics, and on individual responsibilities. With this in mind, we will discuss both religions and trace their similarities to a common culture perspective, particularly the Superior Man. The ideal Confucian is a â€Å"jun-zi† or â€Å"superior man†. In order to become a â€Å"jun-zi†, one must follow Li or engage in proper moral conduct to in conformity to the example of the perfect the Tao in â€Å"his† person (Dagnabitt). Li is outlined in the book of Ru thought to be written by Confucius and is used as a reference for the cultural roles an individual should take. The Confucian Superior Man is virtuous in action as well as attitude. In addition, society becomes aligned with the Tao when they become an institution of â€Å"fathers acting like fathers and emperors acting like emperors† (Dagnabitt). Consequently, tradition dictates when institutions come to be valued and the good of such institutions are considered the greatest extent of one’s human ability. We could say that Confucian attempts to view their world under a microscope, by trying to understand their past problems and follow up by worshipping their past. It is almost as if the duty of man is to discover laws and then hold them constant. The end of such a process would be considered a grasp of the Tao and its expressions. The Confucian political view is that the ruler should lead by example and according to the same virtues and rules. The Confucian attitude toward politics is that it is the foundation to a good system of family and helps cultivate the virtues of ones-self. Confucian theory believes that people will see the good and follow. In addition, they seek instruction from a master and treat each other with respect, and reverence while serving their duty faithfully.

Republic of Chad Essay -- Population Growth, Chads Cultural Structure

Chad is an ethnically diverse African country that also happens to be one of the poorest countries in Africa. Chad gained its independence from France in 1960 after a sixty year rule. There are several national cultures in Chad that are based on ethnoregional and religious affiliations. There are more than 200 ethnic groups in Chad, and those in the north and east are typically Muslim; most southerners are animists and Christians. Through their long religious and commercial relationships with Sudan and Egypt, many of the peoples in Chad's eastern and central regions have become more or less Arabized, speaking Arabic and engaging in many other Arab cultural practices as well (Azevedo, Graham, and Nnadozie). The people who reside in southern Chad's took more readily to European culture during the French colonial period. The county of Chad is 495,752 square miles and is three times larger than California, according to the CIA World Fact Book. Chad has a population of 10,543,464 as of July 2010, which is a population density of 14.2 people per square mile and a population growth rate of 2.038 percent, according to the CIA World Fact Book. Chad also has an urban population of twenty-seven percent, according to the CIA World Fact Book. Chad is one of the poorest countries on the African continent. Chad's economy is mostly agricultural and eighty percent of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and livestock rising as their livelihood, cotton farming, growing sorghum, millet, groundnuts, vegetables, and fruits (Azevedo, Graham, and Nnadozie). The other twenty percent of Chad's population works in the industry services such as manufacturing, services, and the military. According to the CIA World Fact Book, eigh... ...employees who sign up for it. The McDonalds could bring endless possibilities to Chad. The people who be learn new skill, some could get the opportunity to could to college, receive health care, be able to take care of their families, and maybe open up their own business one day. My McDonalds on Chad could possibly help to strengthen Chad's economy, but I honestly don't think a McDonalds would do well in Chad. Chad is basically a large plain, with some mountain ranges, and desert. To put a McDonalds in the middle of the desert would be ludicrous. The majority of the people are still living in an agrarian culture and I don't think they would be very willing to spend what little money they do have on McDonalds. I think if this were a real business venture it would be a major failure. Chad just doesn't have the economy to support a McDonalds.

Pest Analysis of Primark Stores Ltd

Organisations And Environment PEST Analysis On Primark Stores Ltd Contents Introduction 1 Economic Factors 1-2 Technological Factors 2-3 Social Factors 3-4 Political Factors 4 Conclusion 5 Bibliography 5-6 Introduction This report will look at the macro environmental factors affecting Primark which operates in the high-street retail clothing sector. Primark offers chic clothing on the cheap through a number of department stores throughout the UK & Ireland, Holland and Spain. With its main target market being fashion-conscious under-35-year-olds, it is the second largest clothing retailer in the UK. The business environment is ever-changing, and it is crucial that all organisations analyse the environmental factors accurately to allow them to adapt to changes that may arise. If the environment is not analysed correctly, or if not enough attention is paid to observing environmental changes then the organisation could miss vital opportunities and fall under massive threat. This report will focus on a PEST analysis; a PEST analysis is a detailed environmental analysis that allows organisations to implement strategies that will respond to all environmental factors that they are faced with. A PEST analysis consists of four factors; Political, Economic, Social, and Technological. Primark, like all organisations will have to deal with all these environmental factors in some way. This report will now go into detail considering how each of these factors affect the high-street retail clothing sector, in particular Primark, and how they have or could respond to such issues. Economic Factors The biggest economic factor that has affected Primark in recent times, as with most businesses is the recession. This will definitely hinder Primark’s performance, as the recession means that their potential consumers will have less disposable income, and therefore will be less likely to spend vast amounts of money on clothes. However as Primark is certainly at the cheaper end of the high-street retail clothing sector it has a much more inelastic income elasticity of demand than some of its clothing competitors; meaning that it could have a huge advantage over some of its higher priced competition. This is because consumers will have less money to spend. But fashion-conscious women will still want to look good; and with Primark offering chic clothing for cheaper prices, many of these women may see Primark as an attractive option for their clothing purchases. The second economic factor to be talked about is the price of fuel. In the summer of 2008, the price of oil reached $147 a barrel (the highest it has ever been). Primark will have noticed huge increases in their transportation costs when the price of oil was this high. Primark relies very heavily on transportation as it has only two distribution centres, one being located in Leicestershire, UK and the other being located in Naas, Holland. As it distributes to all over the UK & Ireland, Holland, and Spain it will experience heavy fuel costs, and heavy shipping costs. Therefore, the high price of oil will increase costs and cut into Primark’s profit margins. Unless it decides to pass the cost onto the consumer, in which case it would experience a decrease in sales. Another important economic factor to look at is the lowering of interest rates by the Bank of England. ‘The interest rates have been cut five times since October at which point they were 5%, and now they stand at just 0. 5%. ’ (Monk, 2009) The extremely low interest rates will mean that most mortgage owners will be paying a lot less money back on their mortgage. This will result in them having a lot more disposable income, and could mean that they will have a lot more money to spend on clothes, and Primark could see sales increase. On the other hand; some of these mortgage owners may already have been Primark customers as they previously had a lower disposable income. Now they have more money to spend, they may take their custom to higher priced, higher quality clothing retailers. Technological Factors The first technological factor to be considered is the Penneys gift card. Penneys is the trading name of Primark in the Republic of Ireland. The gift card is only available in Ireland at this current time, but Primark may wish to introduce it into its Primark stores at a later date. The gift card was made available from 3rd November 2008, and gives the user the chance to put a minimum of â‚ ¬5 and a maximum of â‚ ¬200 onto the card. To add to this each card has a unique 19 digit number; with this number the gift card holder can check their current balance on the Primark website, without even needing to go to the store. With the knowledge that a gift card holder can check their balance online, one would assume that they must have an integrated computer system with these gift cards. This will give Primark the necessary information to see: which products are bought most frequently, when they are bought, a gift card holder’s average spend, amongst other things. Meaning that the gift card could be used as a useful tool for marketing purposes. This report has already mentioned the fact that Primark uses a website, which is also a technological factor. Primark’s website gives information on the company profile; including background, its ethical policy, and its upcoming stores. The fact that it shows upcoming stores could be seen as a good promotional tool. For example, currently on the website it shows that Primark plans to open a store in Bremen, Germany. This is promoting to German customers who have visited Primark stores before and have been waiting for one to open in Germany. Furthermore the website includes a store locator, giving potential customers the chance to locate the nearest store to them. This means that consumers can know the places they need to go if they want to find Primark stores. A major factor that could cause Primark to lose a lot of potential customers is the lack of online shopping available on their website. One of its biggest competitors, the Arcadia group which encompasses such stores as Topshop, Topman, Burton etc does have online shopping available on its website. In 2006 it was suspected that UK online shoppers were expected to reach 24. 9m in 2010. This is a huge amount of potential customers that Primark could be missing out on. Primark’s target market is under-35-year-olds; these are the people who use the internet most regularly. This could lead to Primark losing market share to the Arcadia group, and Tesco who also provide cheap clothing online. Social Factors The biggest social factor that affects Primark is the current fashion trends that potential customers are looking for. ‘Value clothing is now at the heart of British shopping. Two in five adults are now admitting that they buy their basics at â€Å"value† shops. (Smithers, 2008). This is saying that clothing consumers are now looking to buy cheaper alternative outfits. With this now being the social fashion trend of the UK market, Primark has a big advantage over other high-street clothing retailers. ‘In 2007 Primark was nicknamed Pri-Marni in the style pr ess for emulating fashion spin-offs, and overtook Asda as the UK’s most popular value clothing retailer. ’ (Smithers, 2008). Primark has responded to young women wanting highly fashionable clothing for cheaper prices by producing designer copies made with cheaper fabric. This is has led to massive sales, and shows an intelligent response to this social factor. Primark has recognised that to be viewed highly in society in modern times, means that the organisation must act ethically. This is shown by their ethical strategy on their website. ‘The challenges in the global garments supply chain require the collaboration of many different types of organisations to ensure that the gains from trade are spread. ’ (Primark, 2008). This quote taken directly from their ethical strategy tries to show that they are looking for all the workers that produce their products to be paid and treated properly. However, in January 2009 the BBC found that some of Primark’s manufacturers were acting in an extremely unethical manner. ‘TNS Knitwear Ltd is one of Primark’s biggest UK suppliers of knitwear. The minimum-wage is ? 5. 3 an hour, however an undercover BBC reporter applying for a job at TNS Knitwear was told she would be working for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for ? 3. 50 an hour. What is more, there was no heating and a broken toilet meant that both sexes had to use the same bathroom. ’ (Dhariwal, 2009). Stories such as these showing Primark’s manufacturers acting in hugely unethical ways could dramatically lower society’s opinion of Primark; leading to a large cut in Primark sales. Another social factor that Primark looks to implement on is the growing trend of organisations needing to be more environmentally friendly in order to succeed in current business climates. For the majority of purchases at Primark, the customer is given a brown paper bag instead of a plastic bag. Primark plastic bags are used only for heavy items with which the paper bag handles would rip. As paper bags are more bio-degradable, they are much more environmentally friendly. This gives Primark an image that shows they care about the environment, and improves their overall image socially. Political Factors This report has already covered the fact that TNS Knitwear Ltd (one of Primark’s suppliers) did not pay the minimum wage of ? 5. 73 per hour. Due to the minimum wage act, this is breaking the law. Failure to abide by the law could result in a ? 5,000 fine. Furthermore it was found that TNS Knitwear Ltd was also employing asylum seekers who were working illegally in the country. ‘Employers who take on illegal workers can face fines up to ? 10,000 per person under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act. ’ (Dhariwal, 2009). Even if it is not Primark itself that is committing such acts, it should always research its potential suppliers’ records to ensure that they are not involved in criminal activities either. This is not just unlawful, meaning it is a political factor, but is also unethical and so a social factor. In December 2008, the Government reduced the Value added tax on products from 17. 5% to 15%. This meant that Primark’s products looked 2. 5% cheaper, and could easily have led to higher sales as a result. To add to this, if it had made it known to customers that it was passing the V. A. T. reductions onto the consumer, it could be seen as a clever promotion tool, to encourage more potential customers to purchase its products. Conclusion The fact that Primark has become the UK’s most popular value clothing retailer would indicate that Primark is very aware of its trading environment. A sound knowledge of its trading environment can lead to such success. However there are a few factors which this report uncovers, in which Primark is perhaps failing to respond to correctly. To summarise the environmental analysis, this conclusion will discuss the factors which Primark responds well to and the factors it responds to less well. Primark’s most probable biggest concern will be the social factors affecting it. This is down to the fact that fashion relies almost entirely on social opinion. If customers do not like the products Primark offers, they will not buy them, and Primark will fail as a business. Primark’s sales in 2008 prove them to be the UK’s most popular value clothing retailer. In today’s society women want designer-like clothing for next-to-nothing prices. Primark has responded to this, and delivered with great success. On the other hand Primark has failed to respond to its suppliers’ criminal activities; giving the company an unethical view in society. If Primark can act quickly and find suppliers who act ethically, then it may not experience a big decrease in social opinion and continue with high sales. Unfortunately for Primark, ethical suppliers may not be able to produce the clothing for such low cost; and this could cut into Primark’s profits. Today’s current economic climate is not ideal for any organisation; recession meaning that consumers have far less disposable income. However, clothing is a necessity and Primark offers the cheaper end of high-street clothing. This might mean that Primark will not suffer a great deal compared to competing high-street clothing retailers. Furthermore if it can keep providing demand to its suppliers then they should survive the recession too. The company’s website is a great information tool; giving customers insight about the organisation, and giving them the chance to locate current and future stores. This can be seen as a good response to technological factors. However, with the growing trend in online shopping, and the company’s current choice not to sell its products online, could mean it loses large amounts of market share to competitors who currently provide such services. The poorest response to an environmental factor is Primark’s response to political factors. Its failure to discover that its suppliers were involved in criminal activities is very poor indeed. This is something the company will need to take into greater consideration in the future. Bibliography Dhariwal, N. 2009) Primark Linked to UK Sweatshops [Internet], BBC News. Available from: [Accessed 7 April 2009] M2 Presswire. (2006) TelecityRedbus: Online retailing is only half the story when it comes to UK internet activity; 35% i ncrease in UK internet shopping sales since July 2005; Online shoppers are expected to reach 24. 9m in 2010[1]; Figures from TelecityRedbus demonstrate the UK's growing dependence on a wide variety of online services, including government services, banking, travel and bill paying as well as a range of entertainment services [Internet], M2 Presswire. Available from ;www. lexisnexis. om; [Accessed on 7 April 2009] Monk, D. (2009) Low interest rates cost Notts councils ? 7. 6m; While mortgage payers are celebrating the lowest interest rates in the history of the Bank of England, Notts councils will lose ? 7. 6m on their savings next year. Nottingham Evening Post, 17 February, p. 10. Primark Stores Ltd. (2009) Primark [Internet]. Available from: ;http://www. primark. co. uk; [Accessed 7 April 2009]. Smithers, R. (2008) National: Fashion: Ethical concerns left at home as demand for cheap clothes surges: Primark and Asda lead way in reaching out to masses keen to wear latest designs. The Guardian (London), 30 January, p. 9.

8 Good Presents for College Students to Give to Mom

Gift-giving occasions like Christmas, Hanukkah and Mothers Day often come at a rough time for college students. They tend to fall at the end of the semester, a time when finals are quickly approaching and funds may be running low. Still, you want to show your mom youre thinking of her and appreciate everything shes done for you. Given those limitations, college students sometimes need to be a little creative when it comes to giving gifts. Gifts to Give If You Have a Little Cash 1. Share your school pride. Swing by the campus bookstore for some mom-themed school paraphernalia. See if you can snag one of those [your university name here] Mom T-shirts or sweatshirts so she can show off how proud she is to have a kid in college. 2. Go with a classic. Send her a bouquet of her favorite flowers, or incorporate that flower into a more affordable arrangement. You can find an online seller or contact a local florist in your hometown, and be sure to ask if they offer a student discount or have a promo code for first-time buyers. Keep at mind prices might spike during times of high demand (like Mothers Day), so consider sending hers a few days early. Youll save some money while still letting her know you care. 3. Show her how generous she taught you to be. If your mom has a favorite charity, make a donation in her name. Not only is it thoughtful, its budget friendly because you can choose to donate however much you can afford (and you dont need to tell her how much you spent). Gifts Even Broke College Students Can Afford 1. Say thanks. Take a picture of yourself holding a big piece of paper or poster saying THANKS! in front of your school. You can put it on the front of a homemade card or put it in a frame. 2. Give her your time. Make a coupon redeemable for some quality time together when youre not in school. It can be good for a cup of coffee, lunch, dinner or dessert — your treat, of course. 3. Give her something shes given you. Offer to make her a homemade dinner when you get home. Even if youre just learning to cook or are limited in the kitchen, there are plenty of easy recipes for college students you can try. At the very least, shell appreciate the effort. 4. Take some time to write down your thoughts. It can be really hard to find the perfect card in a store, so make one yourself. Most moms would rather have an original, sincere, handwritten card than another generic gift anyway. 5. Pick up the phone. Dont forget to call! If you have room to improve in the call Mom department, consider giving a gift of setting a weekly phone date for you two to check in with each other.