Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Strategy Implementation Procter Gamble Company
Strategy Implementation Procter Gamble Company Procter and Gamble Company (PG) is USs leading maker of household consumer products. With its headquarters in Downtown Cincinnati Ohio, PG is also a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation highly recognized for a chain of business innovations (Katrina, 1999.p.146). PG for instance has been admired for effective brand management and the soap operas. The company has operations representation in at least 80 countries internationally providing a range of products in diverse categories including; beauty care, health care, baby care, beverages, home care, and snacks among others (Griffin, 2006.p.138). Corporate strategy is every companys tool for competitive advantage attainment. This paper undertakes to evaluate how corporate strategy and other structural changes impacted on PGs competitive advantage since the 1990s. Specific focus is directed toward the key changes that occurred in the company in the 1990s and the contribution made by Al Lafley in his nine year tenure at PG. PG company was formed with intention of providing quality branded products and services for the consumers in the international market. As a profit company, it aimed at winning consumers in the competitive market environment through exploiting excellent leadership, quality and value service provision. PG started in 1837 as a partnership between William Procter and James Gamble to manufacture and sell candles and soap. Today, PG has over 300 brands marketed and sold in over 160counties across the globe. PG has 16 of her key products producing revenue in excess of $1 billion per year. These products include; Ariel, Downy, and Tide (laundry products); Actonel (for osteoporosis treatment); Always (feminine protection); Bounty (paper towels); Charmin (bathroom tissue); Crest (toothpaste); Folgers (coffee); Iams (pet food); Olay (skin care product); Pampers (diapers); Pringles (snacks); and Head Shoulders, Pantene, and Wella (hair care products) (Katrina, 1999.p.146). Reading PGs company history, the company had performed quite well over the ears since its inception, overcoming market challenges (social, economic and political) through tactful brand management and innovative strategies until brand equity challenges emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some of the earlier successes of PG Company included; rapid growth and expansion during the 1850s amid strong competition, prosperity during the civil war period during which her competitors outputs plummeted, the introduction of innovative employee benefits in 1903 hence becoming a renowned employee-benefit programs leader, and the one man one brand brand management debut of 1931 which made brand management at PG become a fixture to be replicated by other companies (Boyer, 2009.p.494). PG Company was also able to successfully circumvent around the Great depression to emerge virtually unscathed. With radio playing a key role to deliver PG information into homes at the time, PG began sponsorship of radios serials in 1933 which were later referred to as soap operas Her fame for packaging expertise earned PG a military application by government to oversee Ordinance plants construction and operations. Talking of the successes at PG can not be complete without mentioning the Companys post World War II growth miracle that was fueled by the introduction of a synthetic detergent (Tide) in 1946 which brought a complete shift in the cloth washing trends at the time. Investing in further research and the tapping into acquisition strategy made PG to remain on profit making axis over years since the 1950s (Redmond, 2010.p.162). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the weakening of economy coupled with the resulting consumer value bias started to weaken the brand equity for PG. These occurrences favored performance of private labels in both health and beauty lines. PG responded to this threat by launching Every Day Low Pricing (EDLP) strategy to induce consumers while implementing promotional kickbacks for wholesalers. The EDLP covered 50-60%of the companys product range which included; pampers and Luvs diapers, Cascade dish soap, and Jif peanut butter. Although the Company strategy was met by mixed reactions with some retailers rejecting it, many others supported the Companies value-conscious positioning efforts. With this support, PG actually made good savings from trade promotions which were then ploughed back into direct marketing activities meant to reach out to some target groups for narrow market base brands through the coupon and sample programs. The target products for the program included Pampers, Cl earasil, and Oil of Olay (Harmon, 2003.p.352). PG also joined the green bandwagon of environmental marketing by adoption of reduced packaging strategy which saw the company provide concentrated product formulations in relatively smaller packages, as well as refill packs applied for 38 of the companys brands across 17 countries in the 1990s. In July 1991, PG acquired the international Max Factor and Betrix lines from Revlon, Inc., thus expanding PGs presence in cosmetics and fragrances. As part of her strategy to attain meaningful growth, PG also divested her holdings in those areas the company considered to have outgrown. For instance, in 1992, PG sold almost 50% of her cellulose and specialties pulp trade to Weyerhaeuser Company (Katrina, 1999.p.147). Vertical integration had been observed to have helped PG develop her paper products in the past. However, with time, things had change and he 1990s saw unprofitable and distracting forest trade. Therefore in 1992, PG decided to sell off the Italian coffee business to allow more focus on the core European brands. The Companys strategy was to tap into the well established regional markets through introduction of pan-European packaged, branded and advertised products. In the next section, this paper explores PGs major restructurings and Acquisitions pursued in mid to late 1990s period (Griffin, 2006.p.138). The main objectives of PG at this time were to enhance its competitive advantage in the market through various designed strategies and policy options. Specific goals for the company included; ensuring that her brand-name products became more price-competitive so that they could effectively compete the private label and generic brands in the market; enhancing efficiency so that products reach the market aster, and increasing the companys profit margins. To achieve, these, PG pursued a number of cost cutting policy measures including winding up of 30 of her international plants and laying off 12% of her total workforce (13000 jobs). The estimated cost of the restructuring program was $2.4 billion and the estimated accrued savings for the company were to a tune of over $600 million. Together with these, the program raised the companys net income margins from 7.3% to 10.2% in 1994 and 1998 respectively (Dana, 1997.p.D1). The restructuring period was to reach its culmination in 1997. But in the course of the restructuring process, PG increased its pace for acquisitions, making a considerable number of acquisitions in the period, some of which were quite successful, while some became a big failure. These acquisitions included: the 1994 purchase of Vereinigte Papierwerke Schickedanz AGs European tissue unit with aim to venture into European tissue and towel trade. PG also acquired Giorgio Beverly Hills, Incs prestige fragrance business. During the same year 1994, when the US lifted the existing sanctions, PG ventured back into the South African market and subsequently changed its geographic management framework in 1995; apportioning its operations into two (namely- US and International) with four regions in total (i.e. Asia, North America, Latin America, and Europe/Middle East/Africa). At the same time, IN July 1995, the company leadership (CEO) changed hands from Artzt to Pepper. Durk I. Jager (Harmon, 2003.p.352). It was during 1996 that PG bought the Eagle Snacks brand that that was before then a property of Anheuser-Busch. Other brands purchased the same year included; the Latin American brands Lavan San household cleaner and Magia Blanca bleach and Baby Fresh of US. Perhaps the most memorable event of 1996 for this company was the receiving of approval from the U.S Food Drug Administration (FDA) to use the controversial olestra (Boyer, 2009.p.494). Olestra was a fat substitute to be applied in snacks and crackers. PG had spent about $250 million to conduct research about olestra and by the time FDA was approving the product, a stipulation had already been circulated by FDA that a label must be attached to any food with these substance in it to warn the public of possible gastrointestinal side effects. This impacted heavily on the products ability to gain market, and even with concerted test marketing efforts, products with olestra never ever caught on in the market. In the long run, Olestra was declared one of PGs biggest product failures in the companys history (Boyer, 2009.p.494). After acquisition of Tambrands, Inc. and the Tampax tampons line in 1997, PG launched a new restructuring plan in 1998 and named it Organization 2005. This was after PG had failed to realize the 1996 set goals of doubling profits to $70 billion by 2005 from the then $35 billion. The calculated growth rate had to be 7 annually, but the actual realized growth rate was only 4% hence profits had stagnated around $37.5 billion figure. PG therefore aimed to make a structural shift from the 1995 Organization centered model (of four regions) to a one centered model with seven business units defined on product line basis. The product lines were as follows; Tissues Towels, Baby Care, Fabric Home Care, Beauty Care, Feminine Protection, , Health Care Corporate New Ventures, and Food Beverage (Katrina, 1999.p.146). These changes were important to PG since they aimed at attaining higher innovation and speed through the deliberate strategy and profit responsibility positioning of brands internationally as opposed to centering on geographic locations. These events coincided with the scheduled take over of Jager as the companys president and he subsequently was given the mantle to lead the strategy implementation. Aiming at enhanced innovation and high revenue and profit levels, Jager introduced new initiatives in 1999 to extend those introduced in 1995. These included resolve to continue with more acquisitions, cut down the number of workers by 15000 by year 2005, close down at least 10 factories, and spent an estimated $1.9 billion on restructuring by the year 2005. It is during this period that PG acquired the Iams Company, marking PGs biggest deal that cost $2.22 billion in cash. Iams Company was among the leading manufactures of premium pet food in the US with established global yearly sales estimated at $800 million. Next to acquire was the Recovery Engineering, Inc. at an estimated cost of $265 million. This newly acquired company was based in Minneapolis and produced the water-filter brand PUR that had been on a fast growth path. Attempts by Jager to join the company with the Warner-Lambert company into a risky drug business in 2000 flopped Jagers intention to take over Gillette (razor making) company was rebuffed very quickly in the same year (Dana, 1997.p.D1) While this was happening, PG had by June 2000 issued a 3rd profit warning in a year. These developments forced Jager to resign and subsequently A.G. Lafley assumed the company leadership in capacity of the President and CEO of PG in June 2000 (Dyer, 2004.P.496). The new CEO, A.G. Lafley had joined PG in June 1977, starting as a brand assistant for Joy product. Before his promotion to CEO position, he had been heading the global beauty care unit. What a time t be promoted to the top seat! In the next section, this paper considers Lafleys contribution to the company during his entire 9 year tenure. Having made his first impression at PG simplifying life in the laundry room as he led colleagues in launching liquid Tide, Lafleys strategy applied Druckers back-to-basics formula to overhaul and clean up the entire PG House (Redmond, 2010.p.162). Right from the beginning of his tenure of the top job A.G. Lafley became famous for his four word business winning principle The consumer is boss. In what would perhaps appear like a fools errand to attempt at narrowing down the matching orders that govern an estimated 138000 employees in over80 nations to simple chestnut, Lafleys keep it simple strategy would emerge to speak a lot for itself through the four word phrase The consumer is boss, as the business mantra which he kept on singing to his team (Redmond, 2010.p.163). Lafley started off by slowing down the existing rush to send products into markets. He did this purposely to ensure that the products would be given adequate marketing support before getting into the competitive arena. Lafley then re-focused the companys resources towards shoring up PGs top brands that could earn the company global revenue of at least $1 billion annually. These were just about a dozen products. He immediately re-branded the Oil of Olay to be simply called Olay. This was aimed at allay the notion that Oil of Olay was greasy. Focused on a small number of key brands, the company sold of Clearasil (the acne-treatment brand) for an estimated $340 million to Boots PLC. In the same period FDA gave approval to PG for Actonel brand (prescription treatment for osteoporosis), which was later marketed and attained a remarkable $1billion yearly sales for the trade year 2004 (Boyer, 2009.p.494). Lafley changed the traditional Company approach which tended to favor externally sourced product ideas. He significantly reduced development projects, promoted culture of collaboration with external world as opposed to self centered tradition initially pursued, and went ahead to outsource PGs including manufacturing of oldest brands in the company such as Ivory bar soap. Lafley also significantly restructured the companys workforce through focusing on top-priority countries, advocating for enhanced collaboration within the company divisions, and considerable reduction in number of the total company workforce (by an estimated 20,000 jobs) which included significant number of top level management staff (about 50%) (Harmon, 2003.p.352) A.G. Lafley entrenched some goal winning principles in the remaining team, which he referred to as two consumer moments of truth- first, buying PG products and then, liking them so much that its memorable-at least satisfying and ideally delighting. Lafley argued that since more than 50% of PGs workforce did not have English as their native language, he need to make use of simple slogans which when repeated again and again would keep everyone at pace with current state of affairs in the company. Therefore he maintained Human beings dont want to stay focused, so my job is to get them to focus their creativity around the focus; focus their productivity around the focus; focus their efficiency or effectiveness around the focus (Griffin, 2006.p.138). In summary, aside from the simple effective strategies he pursued to turn around PG, Lafleys 9 year tenure left took the company to the top, more than doubling the sales and significantly expanding the companys range of top brands (those with sales between $500million to $1billion annually) fivefold. Lafley is recognized for shaping PG into a more externally focused and consumer-driven alongside developing a more advanced innovations and employee relations culture at Procter and Gamble (Redmond, 2010.p.163).
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Relevance of Edith Whartonââ¬â¢s Roman Fever to the Modern World Essay
The Relevance of Edith Whartonââ¬â¢s Roman Fever to the Modern World According to the World Health Organization, ââ¬Å"of the 75 million children under five in Africa a million and a half die each year of pneumonia.â⬠As distressing and sad as this statistic is, it points out the great danger pneumococcus still is to young people in the developing world. Itââ¬â¢s in the developed world, but at a time before antibiotics, at a time when acute respiratory ailments posed an even greater but still preventable threat to the younger set that concerns us here and that inspires a deeper look at the full implications of respiratory disease. The WHO goes on to say that acute respiratory infection (ARI) ââ¬Å"is one of five conditions which account for more than 70% of child mortality in Africa.â⬠So not only is pneumonia prevalent, it is still deadly. The danger it poses to young people has life-influencing ramifications, ones with an incredible emotional content. Though more treatable now, as weââ¬â¢ll see later, the persistence of pneumonia f its in with the puzzle as it presents itself, since it is linkable to a much more fundamental human ailment. In Edith Whartonââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Roman Feverâ⬠we also see ailments of a pulmonary and life-changing import. Indeed, the entire story seems shot-through with infection. Wharton writes of Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley, both widowed, both taking their daughters to Rome on holiday as they had been. Their own intertwined histories Wharton describes at the storyââ¬â¢s onset as ââ¬Å"all of the movings, buyings, travels, anniversaries, illnessesâ⬠(emphasis mine) (751). Wharton then begins the tale with illness. It is only as the narrative progresses that we get a sense of how important illness is to become: Yes; being the Sladeââ¬â¢s widow wa... ...an be treated with antibiotics, it can be treated with aversion therapy or the simple addition of marriage. Other love preventatives such as war and country music are both quite feasible and can actually be very profitable for Western nations, though they seem a little cruel, especially the latter. Whartonââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Roman Feverâ⬠at the very least points the way; it is a warning that love and pneumonia are inextricably linked, an idea that weââ¬â¢d do well to pay more attention to today when the ease of a high technology lifestyle fosters an arrogance that all the worldââ¬â¢s problems have been solved. Works Cited Wharton, Edith. ââ¬Å"Roman Fever.â⬠Edith Wharton: Collected Stories 1911-1937. New York: Literary Classics 2001. 749-62. World Health Organization. ââ¬Å"Childhood Diseases in Africaâ⬠Fact Sheet N 109. March 1996. 14.3.2003 http://www.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact109.html
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Jay Gatsby is a Sympathetic Character in Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby Essa
In F. Scott Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby provides the reader with a unique outlook on the life of the newly rich. Gatsby is an enigma and a subject of great curiosity, furthermore, he is content with a lot in life until he strives too hard. His obsession with wealth, his lonely life and his delusion allow the reader to sympathize with him. Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth. Ever since meeting Dan Cody, his fascination for wealth has increased dramatically. He even uses illegal unmoral methods to obtain hefty amounts of wealth to spend on buying a house with ââ¬Å" Marie Antoinette music-rooms, Restoration Salons, dressing rooms and poolrooms, and bath rooms with sunken baths.â⬠(88) His wardrobe is just as sensational with ââ¬Å" shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine fennel.â⬠(89) Gatsby buys such posh items to impress Daisy but to him, Daisy herself is a symbol of wealth. Jay remarks, ââ¬Å"[Daisyââ¬â¢s] voice is full of money.â⬠(115). For him, Daisy is the one who is ââ¬Å" High in a white palace the kingââ¬â¢s daughter, the golden gir...
Saturday, August 17, 2019
How Does Steinbeck Present Curly’s Wife
Of mice and menââ¬â¢ is one of Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbecks most poignant. ââ¬Ë Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression it features two farm workers called George ad Lenny. The travel around together in search of work sharing a dream of a place of their own- a small ranch where they can live and work for themselves. It tells the story of how violence may erupt to destroy those dreams. Curleyââ¬â¢s wife- as she is known to the audience- is the only women on the ranch. Without the identity of a name she is known only by association of the man she doesnââ¬â¢t even like. Despite her marriage to Curley she flaunts herself around the ranch in inappropriate clothing ââ¬Ëshe had full rouged lipsâ⬠¦She wore a cotton housedress and red mules,ââ¬â¢ flirting with ranch hands and is conscious of the effect she has on men. These clothes and her behaviour I think are designed to provoke interest and attention rather than to invite intimacy. She seems preoccupied with strategies to avoid detection from her husband and manages this by continuously asking of his whereabouts. ââ¬ËHave any of you boys seen Curley? ââ¬â¢ Like George, Lenny and later on Candy, Curleyââ¬â¢s wife has a dream despite it being one of great contrast to theirs. She has an ambition to work in films ââ¬Ëcoulda been in the movies and worn nice clothesââ¬â¢ and this is no doubt stemmed from her desire for attention and is linked to her loneliness and insecurities on the ranch as she bitterly resents not being treated as an individual. Men make promises to her ââ¬Ëhe says he was gonna out me in the moviesââ¬â¢ but she appears to lack the intelligence to realise the emptiness of their promises. The perceptions we make of Curleyââ¬â¢s wife are corrupted from the views of the ranch hands. Because sexuality is her only weapon she is referred to as ââ¬Ëjailbaitââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ë a tartââ¬â¢ ââ¬ËJesus what a tramp. George has reason to be weary of her presence especially with Lenny around and the incident in Weed. ââ¬ËListen to me you crazy bastardâ⬠¦ Donââ¬â¢t you even look at that bitch Curleyââ¬â¢s wife is first presented to us on page 32 ââ¬Ë the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut offââ¬â¢ a girl was standing there looking inââ¬â¢ Curleyââ¬â¢s wife has brought darkness supposedly symbolising the potential danger of her character. During the last chapter Steinbeck cleverly attempts to alter our perception of Curleyââ¬â¢s wife by portraying her in a different light. During chapter five, Lenny has just killed one of Slimââ¬â¢s puppies by clumsily petting it. His tendency to inflict damage through trying to show affection is become more prominent. Steinbeck creates an atmosphere of tragedy and doom in which the reader is aware of Lennyââ¬â¢s anxiety ââ¬Ëand rattled the halter chains. ââ¬â¢ Curleyââ¬â¢s wife enters wearing ââ¬Ëa bright cotton dressââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëred ostrich feathersââ¬â¢ and the reader already knows of Lennies attraction the colour red which creates a sense of painful inevitability. Her face is ââ¬Ëmade upââ¬â¢ and her ââ¬Ëcurlsââ¬â¢ are in placeâ⬠¦ This suggested to me that she has obviously made herself as seductive as possible. Curleyââ¬â¢s wife is attracted to Lenny because he has got the better of her husband. I think she has worked out an arrangement to ensure that Lenny and her will be alone without interruption but Lenny is acutely aware of Georgeââ¬â¢s instructions to avoid conversation with her aswell as the consequences of not being able to ââ¬Ëtend he rabbits. ââ¬â¢ She is desperate to talk to him ââ¬Ëyouââ¬â¢re a nice guy, why canââ¬â¢t I talk to you? ââ¬â¢ and when getting the chance to do so the words pour out of her in her passion for communication although Lenny barely listens. Here she describes her desire to be an actress, her naivete in thinking her ââ¬Ëold ladyââ¬â¢ had stolen the letter and why she married Curley and not liking him. Yet it is as this point that despite her provocative dress sense and her sensuality we realise that she wants only to talk to Lenny ââ¬Ëwhy canââ¬â¢t I talk to you? I never talk to nobody. I get awful lonelyââ¬â¢ and comfort him when he tells her how he has killed the puppy, ââ¬Ëdonââ¬â¢t you worry none. ââ¬â¢ Steinbeck has cleverly created a more passionate portrayal, someone we can feel sympathy for. At the point where Curleyââ¬â¢s wife offers for Lenny to stroke her hair ââ¬Ëfeel right round there, feel how soft it isââ¬â¢ the audience are uncertain as to whether this is an innocent, childish act referring to its texture or that she is knowingly leading Lenny towards a sexual encounter. It is also apparent at this period, of how young she actually is, the act of stroking hair is very harmless and childlike, not what we would expect of her character earlier in the novel. She is likened to a little girl who wants to feel physical contact without sexual trace. When Lenny is petting Curleyââ¬â¢s wifeââ¬â¢s hair he proceeds in ââ¬Ëmussing it upââ¬â¢ I noticed how she only struggled when she came to this realisation again pointing to her self-image and vanity. Lenny mistakenly breaks Curleyââ¬â¢s wifeââ¬â¢s neck and is fatally killed. Lenny escapes and we are left with a desciption of the setting of the barn and of her, ââ¬Ëand the meanness and the planningââ¬â¢s and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her faceââ¬â¢ here Steinbeck sums up everything we already know about her but in a way that transforms the way we think about her. Still with flawless skin she appears ââ¬Ëpretty and simpleâ⬠¦sweet and youngââ¬â¢ a complete contrast to what is perceived of her in earlier chapters. I think her death could have just as well of been caused by Lennyââ¬â¢s unthinking roughness as by any decisions of hers that things had gone to far. A ââ¬Ëshepherd bitchââ¬â¢ symbolises an entity that Curleyââ¬â¢s wife will never possess, this being children ââ¬Ëjumped in among the puppies. ââ¬â¢ Curleyââ¬â¢s wife is undoubtedly one of the most poignant characters in the novel and one that Steinbeck portrays his feeling for than any other character.
Bhagat Singh, Indian Freedom Fighter Essay
Bhagat Singh, the epitome of heroism, was a revolutionist during the Colonial Period in India. Bhagat Singh was well known for his admiration of martyrdom. Bhagat Singh was one of the most well known Indian freedom fighters and Indian revolutionaries and who contributed significantly in the Indian Freedom Struggle against the British. Singh was born in a family that was actively involved in revolutionary activities against the British rule in the country. He is also addressed as Shaheed Bhagat Singh, meaning martyr. Singh was born in a Sikh family which was involved in revolutionary endeavors against the British. He was a prominent member of various revolutionary associations and was also one of the major leaders of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), which was later known as the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in the year 1928. Early Life of Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh was born on 28th September, 1907 to Sardar Kishan Singh Sandhu and Sardarni Vidyavati Kaur, in Khatkar Kalan village in Lyallpur district of Punjab. Arya Samaj had a strong on the life of Sardar Kishan Singh. His uncles as well as his father were all part of the Ghadar Party that was led by Kartar Singh Sarabha. The Jalianwalabagh Massacre, which took place in Punjab in 1919, had a deep impact on the mind of young Bhagat Singh. In the year 1920, Mahatma Gandhi started the Non Cooperation Movement. Bhagat Singh actively participated with a great hope that this movement would bring freedom to the country. Bhagat Singh challenged the British rule and followed the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi by burning his government-school books and imported clothes. During his early age, Bhagat Singh used to read a lot of literature and poetries especially written by Punjabi writers. Allama Iqbal from Sialkot, who was also a freedom fighter, was Bhagat Singh`s favourite poet. By winning an essay competition that was organised by Punjab Hindi Sahitya Sammelan in 1923, young Bhagat Singh attracted the attention of the Punjab Hindi Sahitya Sammelan. Initially, he studied at the National College in Lahore. But after some time, he ran away from his home in order to escapeà early marriage. Contributions of Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh became an active member of Naujawan Bharat Sabha and also joined Hindustan Republican Association, which was headed by Ashfaqulla Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil. Later on, he became the leader of the association. On 30th of October, 1928, a protest was led by Lala Lajpat Rai against Simon Commission but that too in a non violent way. During this protest, the police resorted to Lathi charge and Lala Lajpat Rai was severely beaten. After this incident, Bhagat Singh with other revolutionaries, planed to kill the police chief. But because of a mistaken identity, J. P. Saunders, a Deputy Superintendent of Police was shot instead of Scott. Immediately after that, Bhagat Singh left Lahore and he also shaved his beard and cut his hair to avoid recognition. After this incident, the Defence of India Act was enacted by the British government in order to give more power to the police. On the other hand, in response to this act, Hindustan Socialist Republican Association planned to blast a bomb particularly in the assembly, where the act was supposed to be passed. According to their plan, it was decided that Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt would throw the bombs. On April 8, 1929, they threw the bombs; however it neither killed nor injured anyone. Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt surrendered themselves for arrest. They were sentenced to Transportation for Life for the incident. It was after their arrest that the British rulers came to know that Singh was involved in the murder case of J.P. Saunders. He admitted his crime and made statements in the court against the British as a tool to publicize their cause of freedom struggle. However, the court ordered the case to be carried out without members of the association who were present at the hearing. This order produced a chaos amongst the supporters of Bhagat Singh. Bhagat Singh along with other prisoners launched hunger strike in the jail. The main reason behind this was that the British thieves and murderers were given better treatment than the Indian prisoners. According to law the Indian political prisoners were supposed to be given better rights. He also demanded that the Indian political prisoners should not be forced to do any sort of undignified work. This hunger strike lasted for 63 days and ended with the submission of British power. With this, he gained tremendous popularity. Ideology of Bhagat Singh Bhagat Singh used to maintain diary while in jail. The diary was a precious one as he made numerous notes relating to the quotations and popular sayings of various people whose vies he supported, prominent were of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Political thought of Bhagat Singh`s evolved gradually from Gandhian nationalism to revolutionary Marxism. By the end of 1928, Singh and his comrades renamed their organisation the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. After going through the teachings of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin, he came to believe that, India with such a large and diverse population could only survive properly under a socialist regime. Bhagat Singh became the first socialist leader of the country. Bhagat Singh was hanged on 23rd March, 1931 at 7:30 pm, in Lahore Jail, along with fellow revolutionaries Sukhdev and Jai Rajguru. After his execution, youths in the country rioted in protest. Thus the desire of Bhagat Singh to inspire thousands of youths to assist the Indian independence movement took a serious turn.
Friday, August 16, 2019
The Filipino youth exemplary leaders Essay
Is the Filipino youth empowered? First let me ask you this question: Is youth, in general, empowering? Does being young bring about a sense of knowing what you can and need to do? Does it give us the divine power known as empathy? Well, no, not all youth are given that chance. Not all people are given the loving embrace of a parent or the right societal values- that is what separates the Filipino youth from any other youth.We may say that the Filipino people have their mistakes. Of course, theyââ¬â¢re not perfect. However, what is fascinating in the country is the zest and the rejuvinating enthusiasm that the youth have. The youth of today, eqipped with the technology and resources, have been ever vigilant in their opinions in the different issues in the country. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even 9gag, we all see a little preview into the young Filipino mind. Viral videos pertaining to public issues and blogs which call for change in the country are found here and there. The Filipino youth is empowered because of the fact that theyââ¬â¢re Filipinos. Theyââ¬â¢re Filipinos immersed in a world of corruption, hate, and indifference. In the same light, theyââ¬â¢re exposed to hope. Theyââ¬â¢re exposed to a tiny sliver of hope, passed on from the line on great heroes, illiterate or no. The collective hope, the hope that the country can still be changed, that is what empowers the Filipino youth. Their hands, however calloused or bruised, have time to type speeches about empowered Filipino youths. They have time to joke about current issues and write blogs about it because they hope. The Filipino youth is empowered. The Filipino youth is hoping.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Peter Singerââ¬â¢s Solution to World Poverty Essay
How can we help people in need, and become better human beings? How can it be that we have money for new cars, houses and vacations, but when UNICEF or some other kind of healthcare organization ask us for just 2 dollars, we turn them down right away? In the article ââ¬Å"Solution to world povertyâ⬠Peter Singer gives some of his suggestions on how to help others, and become better persons. Singer tells a story about a man named Bob. Bob just bought himself a new car. The car he bought is one of the most expensive cars you can get. A classic Volkswagen Bugatti. He then has to make a choice. He either has to let his car get destroyed and save the life of a child or save the car and let the child get killed. He chose to save the car. The other story comes from a Brazilian film, a woman called Dora, all she has to leave a homeless nine years old boy to a family that will adopt him in order to make a thousand dollars. Dora delivers the boy into his new family, but she is told that the boy was too old for adoption and he would be killed for organs used in transplantation. To save the boy, Dora decides to take the boy back. In fact Dora would like to save the boy because she has the direct contact with him, but for Bob, he never ever see this kid before, they have no relationship or any contact at all. But what is luxury? Money can be divided into two categories. ââ¬Å"Need to haveâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Nice to haveâ⬠. Food is something you need to have, clothes is something you need to have, but a vacation is just nice to have. ââ¬Å"Nice to have ââ¬Å" is just a luxury. I have just used 300 dollars on a new Xbox, but instead of using 300 dollars on this machine, I could have donated the money to the research of cancer. I would not mind giving the 300 dollars to some kind of healthcare organization, but now when I have the Xbox at my home, I say to myself that ââ¬Å"itââ¬â¢s too lateâ⬠, but in reality itââ¬â¢s not. All I have to do is return the Xbox, and give the money to the organization, but I know I wonââ¬â¢t. Singer uses the stories to let himself into the conscience of his readers. Singer says: ââ¬Å"If you think that is was very wrong of Bob not to throw the switch that would have diverted the train and saved the childââ¬â¢s life, then it is hard to see how you could deny that it is also very wrong not to send money to one of the organizations listed above.â⬠Singer ââ¬Å"blames meâ⬠for delaying the cure of cancer, when I bought that Xbox, instead of donating the money. Iââ¬â¢m sure that the most of people, who have read this article, would think about the subject ââ¬Å"donatingâ⬠without doing anything more than think about it. Singers article is provoking, and you feel bad after you have read it, and maybe thatââ¬â¢s the thing we need. What about people, how would it affect them? Most people might become more humane. The concept of donating would be difficult for the first couple of years, but slowly the public would start to get use to donating. After a few generations, it would be a part of the everyday life, around the world. Singer writes: ââ¬Å"But he was not unlucky at all. We are all in that situation.â⬠Singer is referring to the choice Bob had to make. Singer means that we all have to choose between life or death. Luxury or healthcare. If Peter Singerââ¬â¢s plan were to actually work, the amount of lives saved would be enormous. By donating the money that would otherwise would go to luxuries, organizations such as UNICEF would send the money overseas to the people who need it. With that money, they could buy food, water, and get roofs above their heads and many other products that are considered to be necessary . There is one problem, however: how much of the money donated would actually reach the people it was intended for? Some organizations take a percentage of the donated money to cover administrative costs. I have talked to a member of Green Peace, and he could not tell me how much of the money that was donated, actually goes to the area that needs it. If only one third of the donated money goes to the troubled area, itââ¬â¢s no wonder why the results is in so slow progress.
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