“Beowulf”, “The Odyssey” and Other Related Epics Essay

An epic is best described by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a long narrative poem in elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero. Epics like â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odyssey† are perfect examples of this definition; they are each centered on the deeds and triumphs of their heroes, Beowulf and Odysseus. All epics are similar in a way that they are made up of elements. One major element of the epic is its themes. In all epics, the themes are what make and mold these narrative poems, they descriptively outline the story. Most epics, like â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odyssey†, have themes like battles, homecoming, identity, recognition etc. Through themes like these, morals, values and traditions relating to the main characters’ customs and culture can be introduced to the reader. The setup and purpose of the story, through the theme(s), can also be introduced. Not only are the themes identity, battles, recognition and h omecoming related to â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odyssey†, but they are also linked to other epics as well. â€Å"The Odyssey† is best described as â€Å"a guide to the Greeks, a guide to literature and a guide to the complexities of society, identity, and home†. There were many themes, both universal and timeless that thoroughly revealed the main ideas and issues of this legendary epic. The first and more stressed theme in â€Å"The Odyssey† is identity. â€Å"In Grecian times, the identities of human beings were associated with their properties, their name and their heritage or past†. A Greeks’ household was the foundation of his or her identity. Being that Odysseus was lost in search of his seized home, until he found it, he was considered a â€Å"nobody†, or as he called himself, a â€Å"no-man†. Like his home, Odysseus has to reclaim his great name as well. Without a name a man has no meaning or value. Not only does Odysseus search for his identity, but his son, Telemachus searches as well. Without knowing anything about his past (his father, Odysseus) Telemachus feels that he doesn’t know who he is or what he’s truly worth. Odysseus and Telemachus battle with their identities for the majo rity of the epic, which further explains why â€Å"identity† is one of the main themes. Next, the theme that relates to the theme of identity is homecoming. This theme supports Odysseus’s long journey home. â€Å"In Greek, the tales of returning home were called Nostoi†. To the Greeks, homecoming meant â€Å"reclaiming heritage, identity and loved ones† . There were many obstacles (Gods, people etc.) in the epic that tried to deter Odysseus from reaching his home once again. In the epic, Homer shows the reader how Odysseus feels by saying this, â€Å"sitting on the seashore and his eyes were never wiped dry of tears, and the sweet lifetime was draining out of him, as he wept for a way home†. By including the ideas of loneliness and longing to be home, Homer creates the theme of homecoming. Another important theme in â€Å"The Odyssey† is battles. As well as searching for his identity and home all throughout the epic, Odysseus also had to defend himself throughout the epic. The battles in epics help build the character. They almost always result in victories and turn the main character(s) into legendary heroes. In â€Å"The Odyssey† there was not a battle that Odysseus lost, he even defeated the almighty Poseidon, god of the sea, by returning home. He had a lot of help from the goddess of wisdom, Athena. Without the main idea of â€Å"heroes† along with battles and villains, epics would be undefined. Battles, as a major theme in all epics, are needed to keep the story moving. Like all the themes in â€Å"The Odyssey† each is linked to the other. The theme that is linked to the most important one in this epic, identity, is recognition. Recognition in this epic focuses on Odysseus and his disguise (an old man) that is given to him by Athena to help him reclaim his kingdom and his wife. Homer shows how Odysseus plots and schemes to take back everything he once owned. The whole idea of this theme is as he goes about with his disguise, only several of those closest to him recognize something familiar about him and see that he, the old man, is Odysseus. Although, his wife Penelope did not know until he turns back to his original being. Also, recognition is gained when Telemachus doubts that Odysseus is his father. But, Odysseus eventually persuades Telemachus to accept him as his father. As stated before, in Homer’s epic, â€Å"an identity cannot be claimed until recognition of that identity from others is claimed first†. Like â€Å"The Odyssey†, â€Å"Beowulf† is also a legendary epic that includes the themes identity, homecoming, battles and recognition as its primary focus. In â€Å"Beowulf†, the themes homecoming and recognition are very closely related. When Beowulf returns to Geatland, he is greatly rewarded for his works. He reunites with King Hygelac and tells of his great adventures. Recognition is shown by Beowulf giving most of his treasure received to the King, and in return is awarded with treasure of his home from King Hygelac. Beowulf was praised and glorified for his homecoming(s) to Geatland and his return from his victories over Grendel and his mother. He wasrecognized as a â€Å"true hero†, an Anglo-Saxon hero to be exact. In â€Å"Beowulf†, Kingdoms acknowledged Beowulf by showering him with treasures, feasts and celebrations. Like God, to the Geats and Danes, he was worthy of all praises. He earned his recognition. That’s what the homecomi ng of a hero is all about, heroes being rewarded for their works and receiving the uttermost respect. Recognition is the actual reward received from the heroine act, whether its treasures or shouts and chants of the heroes’ name. Just as the themes homecoming and recognition in â€Å"Beowulf† are related, the themes battles and identity relate as well. The battles that Beowulf fight, in a way, reveals the person he really is and what he’s all about. His triumph in each battle shows the reader that he is a true hero and that he’s willing to fight to be recognized and to gain a sense of self and national pride. â€Å"Beowulf† begins with a battle and ends with a final battle against the dragon. Being that he fights for the majority of the epic, and his adventures are molded from his battles, this must be included as one of the main themes. Yes, â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odyssey† do share similar themes but each theme has a different significance for each epic. Each theme stands for something different between the two. The significance of the theme identity in â€Å"Beowulf† is that his battles help to reveal who he is all throughout the epic. Beowulf knows that he’s a hero and that he’s brave. He defeats all of the villains and saves the day, he just wants other to realize this too. But, in â€Å"The Odyssey†, Odysseus and his son Telemachus have to search for their identi ty. The theme recognition in â€Å"Beowulf† has the significance of Beowulf being rewarded and recognized for his great works. On the other hand, the significance of recognition in â€Å"The Odyssey† is for Odysseus to keep himself hidden as a tool to help him reclaim his kingdom. The significance of the theme battles is very similar in each epic except Beowulf fights because he wants to be the hero (and he is), but Odysseus fights because he has to, although he too becomes a hero like Beowulf. Odysseus is trying to return home to his family and regain his identity but Beowulf is trying to gain recognition. As far as the theme homecoming, they each get the same response upon their return. The people that respect and love them are happy to see them once again. Both Beowulf and Odysseus return home with adventures and stories to tell. Likewise they each receive treasures. Beowulf receives gifts and Odysseus receives a gift that’s more precious than gold or treasures to him, his family and his kingdom are once again in his arms. During the course of my research, I realized that the themes of â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odyssey† relates to other epics also. These epics are â€Å"The Iliad† by Homer, â€Å"The Aeneid† by Virgil, â€Å"Gilgamesh† by an anonymous author and â€Å"The Rape of the Lock† by Alexander Pope. These epics are noteworthy as of proving my thesis because first, they are all epics and second, they all share at least one theme with â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The â€Å"Odyssey†. â€Å"The Iliad†, a Homeric epic like â€Å"The Odyssey† is very popular and well known by many. Also it is very similar to â€Å"The Odyssey†. It has most, if not all the same themes and was written by Homer as well so it basically has the same setup as â€Å"The Odyssey† but more so focuses on war. This epic can best be described as a story within a story. Along with â€Å"the Iliad†, â€Å"The Aeneid†, an epic by Virgil, greatly focuses on identity and homecoming. this too is also a popular epic. Next, â€Å"The Rape of the Lock† is a mock epic by Alexander Pope intended to â€Å"lampoon† or make fun of epics. He presents the whole idea of battles, homecoming, recognition and identity like the â€Å"usual† epics but in a comic al way. And last but not least, â€Å"Gilgamesh†, an epic by an anonymous author is one that takes the reader through a world of adventure. Although all four pieces of literature I selected are epics containing more than one theme, my focus is on one specific theme for each that relates to â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odyssey†. The theme that I’ll most focus on for â€Å"The Iliad† is the theme recognition. This theme in â€Å"The Iliad† is closely related to the glory and celebration of war and is † the predominance of military glory over family†. As far as recognition goes, the characters more so recognize the pursuit of glory and honor than anything else. True, like every normal person the characters love their families but â€Å"they honor the pursuit of â€Å"kleos†, â€Å"glory† or â€Å"renown† that one gains in the eyes of others by performing great deeds†. War and recognition are the key factors in this piece of literature. The characters in this story focus so much on war and recognition because Homer wants the reader to see that he sugg ests that the characters (mortals) try to live their lives as horribly as possible so that they can be remembered well. â€Å"For if mortals’ physical bodies and material creations cannot survive them, perhaps their words and deeds can†. Homer is trying to stress the fact that the mortals should make a huge impact on their life, something that no one will forget and what better way to do it than with recognition and glory. In this epic, the characters usually end up in a situation where they have to choose between their family and their glory. And of course by most, glory is chosen. Hector, one of the great warriors in the Trojan army chooses to win the great glory of his father no matter the cost, even though he could orphan his only son. Hector knows that if he fights among the front ranks then he will end his quest for kleos and receive great recognition from all. Hector willingly sacrifices his life. No other theme can best describe the entire epic, â€Å"The Iliad†, like recognition. Homer put so much emphasis on it that it’s very obvious to see that recognition honor and glory (kleos) are â€Å"The Iliad’s† main themes that overshadows all the others. Although it’s not one of the main themes, identity still is considered a theme in â€Å"The Aeneid†. The theme identity in â€Å"The Aeneid† is very similar to the theme identity in â€Å"The Odyssey†. In this epic, the first part discusses the wanderings of the Trojans from Troy to Italy. While traveling, the â€Å"wanders† were considered homeless. Ancient culture suggests that â€Å"a homeland is one’s source of identity†. So being that they did not have a permanent home, like Odysseus, they were † no-men†. Being homeless means that one is not stable with his or her situation as well as identity, in this epic this caused the men to suffer. Like Odysseus, the Trojans were in search of their identity and for them alone, a place where they belonged. But Odysseus knew where he belonged, at home with his family. Each time they landed on a different island they would get frustrated because they were not sure if it was their place (which was Italy) . The only reason why identity is considered a theme in this epic is because the Trojans were unsure of themselves. It took them some time to reach their desired destination. It is also considered a theme because again as a part of ancient culture, to have a home is to have an identity. Another theme that is related to â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odysseyà ¢â‚¬  and other epics is battles. The theme battles agrees with the epic â€Å"The Rape of the Lock†. This narrative piece of literature is not the â€Å"usual epic†; it is considered a mock epic because it lampoons the themes and oral traditions of the usual epics. Being that â€Å"The Rape of the Lock† is a mockery of the usual epics, everything about it is silly and strange, yet still makes sense. For example, Cosmetics, clothing and jewelry substitute for armor and weapons. One of the battles is an intense game of cards, which of course results in the victory of the protagonist, but even still that isn’t the point. The point is to take the usual themes from the usual epics and twist them around to show mockery. â€Å"The majority of the great battles of this epic are related to gambling and flirtatious tiffs†. Although the characters in this epic fight over silly things, Alexander Pope still gets his point across to the reader. Finally, the last epic that has a theme that relates to those of â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odyssey† is â€Å"Gilgamesh†. Homecoming is the theme that best defines this epic more than the others do. Like in most epics, Gilgamesh went on a journey and like Odysseus, on his wa y home a goddess propositions him. When he refuses her proposition, the goddess delays his homecoming by sending enemies out to destroy him. But of course Gilgamesh defeats them and returns to his homeland Uruk. When he gets there he praises the town walls and worships the land as he walks. This epic is a bit different as far as homecoming than â€Å"Beowulf† or â€Å"The Odyssey† because once Gilgamesh finally reaches his home, he doesn’t care about honor, glory or recognition, he’s just glad to be alive, glad to see something as simple as the walls of his town once again. But of course like the other epics he does reunite with his loved ones and friends. The only problem is that this theme (homecoming) for this epic isn’t as solid as it could have been, there was no big feast or treasures waiting for him at home, just his precious town walls and loved ones. In conclusion, not only are the themes identity, battles, recognition and homecoming related to â€Å"Beowulf† and â€Å"The Odyssey†, but they are also linked to other epics as well. â€Å"The Iliad†, â€Å"The Aeneid†, â€Å"The Rape of the Lock† and â€Å"Gilgamesh† each contain one of the themes that their stories concentrate on the most. â€Å"The Iliad† is mostly related to recognition because the characters recognize the pursuit of glory and recognition more than anything else in their lives. â€Å"The Aeneid† mostly relates to identity because the Trojan soldiers are homeless which leaves them searching for an identity due to their culture. â€Å"The Rape of the Lock† concentrates on the mockery of the â€Å"usual battles† of an epic as well as other themes and â€Å"Gilgamesh† somewhat focuses on the theme homecoming because of his eagerness to return home and all of the obstacles and villains he has to face to get there. Although each epic was surely different, they all still had something in common, they all had themes that related to those of â€Å"The Odyssey and â€Å"Beowulf†.

Rosalind Franklin Research on the X-ray Diffraction Techniques

Rosalind Franklin lived during an exciting and turbulent era both socially and scientifically. Upon passing the admission examination for Cambridge University in 1938, at fifteen, Franklin was was informed by her affluent family that she would not recieve financial support. Franklins father disapproved of women receiving college educations, however, both Franklins aunt and mother supported her quest for education. Eventually, her father gave in and agreed to pay her tuition. Franklin would later prove to be worth her education. As Rosalind Franklin was pursuing her degree World War II raged. She focused her research on coal, the most efficient use of energy resources. Five papers on the subject were published before Franklins 26th birthday. Further, Franklin had given up her fellowship to become a physical chemist at the British Coal Utilization Research Association at age 22. She was indeed an efficient and driven researcher. Franklin utilized the X-ray diffraction techniques (that she has become most famous for) while working in a Paris laboratory between 1947 and 1950, with crystallographer Jacques Mering. X-ray crystallography helped determined the three dimensional structure of DNA when Franklin returned to England. She became the first person to find the molecules sugar-phosphate backbone while working with a team of scientists at Kings College in London. Unfortunately, leadership misunderstandings and personality conflicts depreciated Franklins effectivness in the laboratory. Maurice Wilkins, the laboratorys second in command, returned from a vacation expecting Franklin to work under him. Franklin came to the laboratory with the understanding that she would be researching alone. While Franklin was direct and decisive, Wilkins tended to be alluding and passive-aggressive. As Franklin made further advances in DNA research, Wilkins secretly shared her findings with the famous duo of Watson and Crick, who were then working at Cambridge. Franklins discoveries fueled their research machine, allowing them to advance beyond others in the field. They would eventually publish on DNA structure in 1953. Due to discriminatory procedures at Kings College, Franklin eventually left to become the lead researcher at Londons Birbeck College–upon agreeing not to work on DNA. She furthered her studies in coal and made significant advances in virology. Franklin died in 1958 of ovarian cancer. She lived 37 monumentally significant years. After researching Rosalind Franklins scientific career, I truly believe that she was a pioneer rather than a follower. Her early coal work is still referred to today; she helped launch the fields of high-strength carbon fibers; and was an integral part of early structural virology. Had it not been for a cruel twist of fate, I believe that Franklin would have published first on DNA structure. She was the best in her field when it came to DNA analysis through X-ray diffraction. Franklin innovatively found a way to isolate an extremely fine X-ray beam and arrange her superfine DNA fibers into parallel bundles. She took her research to a higher level by analyzing molecular properties in adverse conditions such as humidity. Rosalind Franklins individualistic, self-dependent nature made it impossible for her to find satisfaction in following the scientific accomplishments of others.

Equality of Access to California Public University Education Essay

Equality of Access to California Public University Education - Essay Example From the report it is clear that poverty and disadvantages is affected by the education system, offering rich and poor schools with bleak differences in learning atmospheres and physical surroundings. Deprived environs characteristically house run-down schools with poor conditions and less money whereas rich neighborhoods house newer and safer schools offering best learning atmospheres. In addition, the lower-quality urban schools are likely to be attended by ethnic minority students. Attempts to enhance this inequality are only the first step in attaining equality even with millions of dollars spent in federal programs.This essay stresses that  the inequities of access to quality schools and attainment of children in public universities, in California, have been a source of debate and millions of dollars in programs for many years trying to attain equity for all students.  It is argued by critics of American public education that California in incapable of educating students eff iciently, partially due to the highly bureaucratic nature of its governance structure. Layers of rules burdened by paperwork and regulation are attached to most federal government funding hence; federal programs become hard to change or implement. Funds and responsibility are shuffled around to various bodies by this institutionalized problem of extreme bureaucracy, and shifts the accountability of academic achievement onto guardians, teachers, students, and administrators in the case of education.

Informative diversity presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Informative diversity presentation - Essay Example Instead, King Abdullah has instituted what has become known as a Council of Advisors. This council of advisors helps to provide the monarch with useful information and specific policy ideas with regards to what direction the kingdom should proceed with respect to development of its resources and modernization. Furthermore, each of the council of advisors has a specific area of specialization that allows him to speak to the needs of the nation. For instance, one member of the council of advisors may have a specialization in trade and economics whereas another council advisor might have a specialization in health. In this way, the monarch is able to hear and contemplate each of the ways in which the council can advise him with regards to the best future direction for the country. As one might expect, the vast oil wealth that Saudi Arabia benefits from ha allowed the royal family to invest heavily in the infrastructure that the country relies on. These investments have begun since the early 1960s and have focused on diverse elements of societal renewal to include paving thousands of kilometers of the nation’s roads, improving the secondary educational system, and providing funding to students who would like to study aboard. Furthermore, some of these 5 year plans have focused on building a better healthcare system so that the entire nation can benefit from the wealth that the oil resources have brought. In this way, the kingdom has reinvested much of the oil wealth in visually observable ways so that the betterment of society is directly affected. (In this way, many fundamental differences exist between the two countries. As a result of the difference in culture, the people of this nation also have their own particular view of the society in which they live as compared with the rest of the world. Although this essay has focused on the dissimilarities that exist between Saudi Arabia and the United States, many

Culture shock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Culture shock - Essay Example Three types of cultural adjustments are noted in the world. First, there is the culture surprise. This is experienced by individuals who note the superficial differences between the two cultures. For example, it is easy to notice the dressing style and attires of the two cultures. Similarly, an individual will note the language signs and nonverbal communication. Apparently, an individual moving from Saudi Arabia to America will note such differences. For example, the dressing in Saudi Arabia is different from the dressing in America. Secondly, there is the culture stress. This is where an individual has to adapt to the new culture. This could be a daunting task especially when an individual is immensely connected to their culture. In many cases, a person will learn these activities for acceptable living (McInnes 14). For example, a person will learn to drive a car while using the stated regulations. A perfect example is that, most of the American vehicles are left-hand-drive. This co uld be a daunting task to people who are used to driving Right-hand-drive vehicles. Thirdly, there is the ultimate culture shock. This is a psychological reaction, which is normal. These are the reactions to the stress experienced by a person emanating from the change in values. For example, when in America, shaking hands is a normal occurrence. As such, people will often shake hands as a way of greeting. In addition to this, hugging a person shows affection and connection. Saudi Arabia is a country dominated by the Islamic religion. As a fact, a better percentage of the country’s population practices Islam. Therefore, most of the values and beliefs are inclined to Islam. Secondly, Saudi Arabia is dominated by a single ethnic group, which takes close to 90%, as most of the people communicate through the Arabic dialect. As a fact, there is an immense difference between the mode of communication in the urban places and rural areas. Thirdly, people in Saudi Arabia have a liking for large and extended families. This enhances continuity of the family. Consequentially, the extended and large families have an advantage. For example, when they are involved in family business, most of the family members will be employed. It is noted that people in Saudi Arabia have a soft spot for nepotism (McInnes 34). This implies that it is safe to employ people who are trusted and known rather than employing people from other ethnic and family backgrounds. Fourthly, during entertainment, it is noted that only people of the same sex are allowed in a single room. Similarly, the attendance should dress conservatively and remove their shoes before gaining access to the house. Fifthly, people always eat with their right hand. This is after declaration that the left hand is unclean. Lastly, Arabians are generous when it comes to food. Therefore, people will be served in abundance. Apparently, the guest should try to taste all the servings. On the other hand, the United States has diverse religions. Some of the religious affiliations include Christians. This has influenced the diversity of the cultural values and beliefs in the United States (McInnes 17). Therefore, migrating from Saudi Arabia to United States will be a culture shock to an individual. For example, the Muslims have a preferred mode of dressing for both females and males. However, in the United States, each individual has a discrepancy to the choice of dressing code. This could adversely affect a

Tuition Rates Increasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tuition Rates Increasing - Essay Example For instance, as the demand for college education increases throughout society, college tuition rates have risen exponentially. As a function of seeking to address this particular issue and fine, causes, the following analysis will engage in a brief discussion and consideration of what these factors might indicate. Firstly, it must be understood, as has been represented briefly within the introduction, the increase in demand as cause tuition rates to skyrocket. As tens of thousands of more individuals graduate high school with aspirations and indications to engage with college, it is not only necessary for college to accept these individuals, it is also necessary for them to provide space and accommodations for their education. These states and accommodations conceptions that must be made concern hiring new professors, increasing classroom size, expanding dormitories and providing additional living accommodations, increasing overall number of staff, and upgrading a and all facilities that might be exhibited on the college campus in order to accommodate is lots of new students. Ultimately, the influx of students is beneficial in the long run in terms of business and profitability for the universe. However, a preliminary understanding of business engages the individual with the understanding tha t the upfront costs that these universities and colleges requires them to raise tuition prices exorbitantly as a means of front the bill that this influx of students has created for them. However, it must not only be understood that the to raise tuition is based upon real and measurable factors. Ultimately, study after study has indicated that the rising college tuition is so dramatic that it does not track alongside inflation or changes within the remainder of the economy. Moreover, scholars have also indicated that even if one considers the upgrade

Staffing shortages and medication errors Research Paper

Staffing shortages and medication errors - Research Paper Example This shortage may be attributed to the fact that most nurses shun this job due to unfavorable working conditions in hospitals, nurses moving to outpatient care, managed care service and some into business. In addition, nursing does not attract many young applicants, thus the retiring nurses have no other people to replace them. In another dimension, nursing teachers are not paid well. This leads to less nurses taking up the teaching job, subsequently nursing schools enroll few students who will be well attended to by the few staff (Garrett, 2008). Research has proven that some of the leading causes of severe effects in inpatient care may be directly attributed to the current nursing shortage in hospitals. The result of understaffing of nurses may lead to medication errors that may end up causing deaths among patients. Shortage of nurses in hospitals leads to patient monitoring and pain checking being ignored. This comes about due to the fact that the few available nurses are being ov erwhelmed by their work, and may end up forgetting about other patients, something that may be fatal if the patients are in a critical state or may lack the time to conduct the routine check up on some patients (The point of care 2001). Shortage of nurses may also lead to the available workers being overworked by working overtime, something they cannot refuse due to the fact that according to the American Nursing Association, they are liable to losing their jobs or their working licenses being revoked. Due to overworking the nurses accumulate stress and fatigue may lead to them giving medication to the wrong patient or giving wrong doses or even missing a dose entirely. Fewer nurses may also lead to neglect of patients by the nurses. This may be seen in that, in the process of attending to a patient, a more seriously ill patient may be brought in, and this may lead to the nurse abandoning the patient. Nurse under staffing has also been established to be having an effect on urinary t ract infections and pneumonia. Studies show that nurse staffing and have adverse effects. The class of care rendered to most patients, and their safety is jeopardized by the Shortages of nurses in medical facilities. This problem is brought about by the fact that nurses concentrate on many patients at a time, thus inhibiting patients from acquiring quality attention. Understaffing of nurses leads to them not having a conducive working environment. Most hospitals necessitate them to work overtime leading to burn outs. This is attributed to the fact that nurses are not able to handle the pressure from the working environment. This pressure results in reduced performance. Overworking leads to medication errors that nurses do not provide when prescribing drugs, administering drugs or carrying out medical tests. Also, nurses do not take the right precaution when caring for patients, which ends up affecting patients’ result and may lead to death (Garrett, 2008). Quite a number of p atients suffering from acute diseases die as a result of medication errors. There are legislations passed to help prevent medication error. Medication safety language was added to the tax relief and health care act of 2006. Inclusion of hospital quality requirement in the bill allows patients to get information they need; that is, report from hospital illustrating whether it meets established safety standard; thus people are able to protect themselves

Engineering Managment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Engineering Managment - Coursework Example The company was founded by John Cadbury in the year 1824. It is presently headquartered at Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom and operates in more than 50 countries of the world (Prinz, 2012). Since the time of its inception, the company has been growing at a rapid pace and the reason behind its continued success is its clear strategies, plans, goals and objectives. The company has been operating in the market for almost 200 years. Despite economic crises that have affected the world from time to time, the company is still standing strong in the market. Moreover, the company has always also remained focused on its mission, objectives and strategies. However, the company has faced some kind of issues in the form of PR crisis and financial crisis. To deal with this, it is highly recommended that the company should reduce its operating cost and appoint a dedicated public relations officer to oversee any public relations issue. Question 1 1.1 Cadbury’s current mission, objectives, a nd strategies Mission The core purpose of the company is to work together and create a brand which people love. The core mission of the company is to reach the world and become a leading company in the confectionary industry. Cadbury wants to be a part of people's lives through their products. In addition, the company’s mission is to eradicate poverty in the areas of its operation and create a work environment which promotes work force diversity. Objectives The objectives of a company generally depend upon the business situations. Similarly, the business objectives of Cadbury have changed over the years according to the market situations. Cadbury has always relied on short term goals, rather than the long term objectives. However, their short term goals have changed on an average of 10 years. The objectives of the company are as follows: - To open a Cadbury shop and increase its profitability. To use new technology to increase the production. The company has been able to fulf il most of its objectives till now and the current objective of the company is to maintain the level it has already reached. To provide high return to the shareholders. To achieve revenue and sales growth. Strategies The strategy of the company to achieve its goals is very much straight forward. The business strategy of the company is to tap new markets for its products and increase its profitability. Nevertheless, since most of the products of the company are sold all over the world, it has formulated a two-pronged growth strategy, which is dependent upon the cash flow of the company. In addition, the company is also looking forward to new channels of product distribution in order to increase sales. Since, 70 % of the total sales of the company come from impulse purchase that is why the company is also targeting restaurants, pubs and petrol stations to sell their products. Apart from the mission statements, strategies and objective the organizational culture of

Analyze Financial Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyze Financial Statement - Essay Example We will be interested in a high ratio since we will be assured of a high return on our investments. A higher ratio is recommended since this indicates the solvency of the organization. Since it has the highest current ratio in 2015 hence shows that the company is having ability to meet its obligation if they fall due. This shows that if loan are to be advance to the company it will be able to pay its interest as per the loan in the short-run. Higher ratio is preferred as this will indicate liquidity of the entity. Hence it will be wise to consider this company as qualified for loans since it has the highest quick ratio in the year 2015 but this will only be a wise decision after assessing the Going concern principle of the entity. This shows the ability of the entity to meet its obligation in the long-run. Since the lower ratio is recommended hence this shows that the company will experience the challenges in paying back the loan hence will recommend the loan maturity should be lowered. Finally apart from the quantitative analysis of the financial statement of the company, it can also be advisable to consider carrying out the following qualitative analysis before advancing loans and also after advancing loans Assess whether they have established long-term customer relationships, with the company or its suppliers hence this can proof its viability whether to advance loans or not and if yes how much and at what interest. The company should provide collateral and compensating balance requirements. This will help in loan recovery in case of default. The company advancing the loan can exercise credit rationing by giving a loan but limiting the loan amount to be less than the borrower would