Satan in Paradise Lost and The Myth of Sisyphus Essay example -- Parad

Satan's predicament after he falls in Paradise Lost is utterly hopeless, yet he chooses to persevere. He reasons that he should continue to struggle, even though he is aware that it is entirely in vain. The process he follows to arrive at this choice is similar to the process Albert Camus will use to justify the unrelenting toil of his 'absurd man.' Before this becomes apparent, portions of Satan as a character must be eliminated from consideration, because they present an intractable set of problems. Prior to his rebellion, Satan is a divine being, who "stood'st in Heav'n, upright and pure," (IV, 936-37) like God and the other angels. We do not get a clear portrayal of this character, only Satan's and Raphael's memories and reconstructions of what he must have been like, and God's statement that He "made him just and right, sufficient to have stood" (III, 98-9). Like other angels, he has an "intuitive" (V, 488) way of knowing that Milton defines as far from human apprehensio n, particularly in our fallen state. We can on Earth only see "but the shadow of Heav'n" (575), which in this case is useful, because we are off the hook to even try to explain why Satan chooses to rebel in the first place. Milton too, by placing the godlike mind off limits to human reason as it is commonly understood, is off the hook as well to entirely "justify the ways of God to men" (I, 26). Instead we are presented with the paradoxical claim that God made his creatures "free to fall" (III, 99) "without least impulse or shadow of Fate" (120), and so somehow put bounds on his own omnipotence so that his omniscient "foreknowledge had no influence on their fault" (119). To try to enclose this tortuously defined causality within the mind of a mere huma... ...others is not. Milton's impulse to produce so much of his most beautiful poetry while speaking in the persona of Satan suggests something to the contrary: the need to share one's appreciation for life and the precious beauty of the world that is born of a completely demolished and irreparable condition. Many people, not just the heroic and kind Camus, or the blind and defeated poet Milton, have been inspired towards good from the depths of despair. Like much else that is thrust upon him, Satan is instead forced into what seems an unnatural role to serve the purposes of his Author. In any case, he toils on, unceasing. Works Cited Camus, A. The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. New York, NY: Vintage. (1991). Milton, John. â€Å"Paradise Lost.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. 8. Logan, Greenblatt, Lewalski, Maus. New York, 2006. 1831-2055. Print. Satan in Paradise Lost and The Myth of Sisyphus Essay example -- Parad Satan's predicament after he falls in Paradise Lost is utterly hopeless, yet he chooses to persevere. He reasons that he should continue to struggle, even though he is aware that it is entirely in vain. The process he follows to arrive at this choice is similar to the process Albert Camus will use to justify the unrelenting toil of his 'absurd man.' Before this becomes apparent, portions of Satan as a character must be eliminated from consideration, because they present an intractable set of problems. Prior to his rebellion, Satan is a divine being, who "stood'st in Heav'n, upright and pure," (IV, 936-37) like God and the other angels. We do not get a clear portrayal of this character, only Satan's and Raphael's memories and reconstructions of what he must have been like, and God's statement that He "made him just and right, sufficient to have stood" (III, 98-9). Like other angels, he has an "intuitive" (V, 488) way of knowing that Milton defines as far from human apprehensio n, particularly in our fallen state. We can on Earth only see "but the shadow of Heav'n" (575), which in this case is useful, because we are off the hook to even try to explain why Satan chooses to rebel in the first place. Milton too, by placing the godlike mind off limits to human reason as it is commonly understood, is off the hook as well to entirely "justify the ways of God to men" (I, 26). Instead we are presented with the paradoxical claim that God made his creatures "free to fall" (III, 99) "without least impulse or shadow of Fate" (120), and so somehow put bounds on his own omnipotence so that his omniscient "foreknowledge had no influence on their fault" (119). To try to enclose this tortuously defined causality within the mind of a mere huma... ...others is not. Milton's impulse to produce so much of his most beautiful poetry while speaking in the persona of Satan suggests something to the contrary: the need to share one's appreciation for life and the precious beauty of the world that is born of a completely demolished and irreparable condition. Many people, not just the heroic and kind Camus, or the blind and defeated poet Milton, have been inspired towards good from the depths of despair. Like much else that is thrust upon him, Satan is instead forced into what seems an unnatural role to serve the purposes of his Author. In any case, he toils on, unceasing. Works Cited Camus, A. The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays. New York, NY: Vintage. (1991). Milton, John. â€Å"Paradise Lost.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. 8. Logan, Greenblatt, Lewalski, Maus. New York, 2006. 1831-2055. Print.

Why We Write

Have you ever stopped in the middle of what you were doing and just asked yourself: â€Å"What am I doing?† This isn't a philosophical or existential question. While trying to write this essay, I find myself asking â€Å"What exactly am I doing?† The obvious answer would be writing, or struggling to. But as my mind, like an insatiably curious child, started asking an endless stream of â€Å"Whys† and â€Å"Hows† I became more aware of this act that seems to be taken for granted. Writing is so ingrained in our human society and our lives that we barely even notice it or care to think about its significance. Yet it would be almost impossible for us to live without it. That is because writing is a physical and visual representation of language; it is a form of communication. Writing is a practical necessity that allows us to connect with each other and share our thoughts, and it is also a means for cultural and artistic expression. Through writing we can pass down and communicate knowledge from one generation to the next, which is a fundamental factor in the progress of human society. How did it all start? Oral language developed tens of thousands of years ago when our early ancestors began living in communities and the need for coordination and communication arose. Written language, however, was created much later in the cradle of human civilization known as Mesopotamia. The existence of civilization entails the appearance of cities and long-distance trade, and finding a way to communicate over great distance became necessary for humans. As evidenced by discovered pieces of clay with pictographs on them, the traders and merchants of the city-states of Sumer discovered writing to coordinate their trade. As with oral language, written language may have developed out of a practical necessity, and has since proven to be useful and important in our human society. Even in our contemporary times we still use writing for pragmatic purposes when we want to communicate information to others. We have been doing it for the greater part of our lives, and even something as simple as texting a friend constitutes writing. Texting is an example which shows that through a visual manifestation of language we can communicate with others and overcome the limitations of time and space. But we don't communicate through writing for practical reasons alone. We also communicate to share the unique inner workings of our creativity. Literature is a prime example of that. It can reflect our innermost passions, ideas and values as well as those of a particular culture. Through literature, writing is intricately woven into our lives as a form of personal, artistic and cultural expression which has the capacity to change and influence society. We read and analyze written works created hundreds of years ago to observe the impact that they've had on societies of different times and places. Take for example the writings of the ancient Greek poet Homer, the author of the now classic epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. It does not take an in-depth literary analysis to understand that the cultural values of the ancient Greeks were high reverence to their gods and the divine laws. In both works it is repeatedly shown what befalls those who disrespect and disobey any of the gods. For instance, when King Agamemnon refuses to release the captured Chrysies, the daughter of a priest of Apollo, the sun god descends from Mount Olympus to rain pestilence on the Greek army. It is thanks to writing that these epic poems, formerly passed down through oral tradition, have reached us and allowed us to better understand the society and values of the ancient Greek civilization. However, there is no rule that an author's writing should necessarily reflect their culture. There are works of writing that are the personal expression of the author and can serve as critiques of the current societal values and as innovations in literature. Many writers are actually pioneers in this sense, inventing new genres or challenging the status quo. Mary Shelley, at just 19 years of age, had created one of the world's first science fiction novels, Frankenstein, and pioneered a genre. Emily Brontà «, on the other hand, challenged the social norms of her time with Wuthering Heights. These examples illustrate that writing is not only a means of cultural or self-expression but an act of constant innovation. The authors' works do not only show the beliefs of their society during those times, but also criticize those beliefs and serve as a push during the transition between time periods. And even today these are relevant and popular works of art which allow us to analyze the values and norms of the past and to see how the ideas of these writers have influenced and changed our world. These cultural and personal expressions have withstood the test of time and reached all the way to our present day world. It is thanks to the development of writing that we now have a practical way to communicate our thoughts and our creative ideas to each other. And as we saw with the literary examples, communication through writing transcends the boundaries of space and time. Innovations and discoveries that were made hundreds of years ago and far away from us are now within our reach because writing has been an essential factor in the preservation and communication of human knowledge over the centuries. Writing has been crucial for the accumulation and innovation of human knowledge. By preserving and communicating information over the generations we learn from the discoveries and inventions made in the past and strive to improve upon them to better our world and future. We enjoy the luxuries of today thanks to the pioneering and innovating work of the great minds that came before us. Our world is shaped by the ideas and discoveries of the past which are woven into our society thanks to the development of writing. As I draw to the end of this essay, I find writing even more fascinating than ever before. In essence, writing is like a river that carries human experience, knowledge and wisdom forward in time, but it also allows us to look back to our past. Thanks to it we have experienced and learned about ideas, sciences and arts which have existed hundreds of years ago and far away from us. Writing has allowed us to express ourselves and share our beliefs about the world. It has given us the opportunity to gaze upon the reflection of our world, and to strive to make it better than what it was. Right now we stand in the middle of a vast infinity. What the generations of the future will learn about us and our legacy will greatly depend on our writing now.

The Education System Of Trinidad And Tobago Essay

Abstract This is an oral history assignment based upon an evaluation on the comparison between the education system back then as compared to modern times now. An how this education structure in Trinidad and Tobago have led to the benefit a well-respected officer of the Trinidad and Tobago police service (TTPS) and a member of the Mts Association. The Development of The Education System in Trinidad and Tobago. This Oral interview was conducted on Saturday the 27th and 28th of September respectfully, at my church were both interviewees attended. The first to be done was by Inspector Vernon Barnett acting in the rank of assistant Superintendent in the San-Fernando district. He was questioned on his various knowledge and experiences in the education system of Trinidad and Tobago as relating to a comparison of back then to now. Inspector Barnett is 54 years of age and lives at #60 Monkey Town 3rd branch road, New Grant and is happily married to Erica Barnett for 31 years and has two children one boy and girl each. Officer Barnett attended North trace Government primary school between the periods of 1965-1972, followed by Pleasantville junior secondary school from 1972-1975 before assuming a transfer to the Rio Claro senior comprehensive school from 1975-1977. He then became a member of the Trinidad and Tobago police service which was form in 1592 and controlled by the office of the Cabi ldo or town council. When he had entered in April 1979 the requirement wasShow MoreRelatedDeveloping Policies Of Trinidad And Tobago1674 Words   |  7 Pagespolicies of Trinidad and Tobago which embraces access to quality education. I found these document which supports our vision, the STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, (MOE), (2002-2006). And MINISTRY OF EDU-CATION, EDUCATION POLICY PAPER (1993 - 2003). 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Thus, the education of children with disabilities has been a focal point of much discussion when considering ways of assisting these persons with overcoming a number of obstaclesRead MoreDiscuss the Factors That Contribute to the Unequal Access to Health Care and Escalation of the Health Care Cost, Making Specific Reference to Trinidad and Tobago. Suggest Recommendation That May Assist in Alleviating These Challenges2198 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction This essay focuses on the comparing and contrasting the functionalist, conflict and symbolic interaction perspective on the health care system in Trinidad and Tobago and its problems. Functionalists note that health is essential to the preservation of the human species and organized social life. One way societies contain the negative effects of health problems and disease is through institutionalizing illness in a sick role. 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Maternal Obesity Induce Offspring with Risk of...

Maternal obesity induce offspring with risk of cardiovascular disease Introduction: The rate of obesity for the human population has shown to be increased expeditiously in the past decades. It has continuously raised health concerns among the world, and is likely to remain in times to come. This phenomenon is primarily due to the lifestyle changes resulting in high-energy intake coupling with decreased physical activity (Cameron et al. 2003). Obesity is identified by the high adipose tissue, resulting in the body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30kg/m. The high BMI is responsible for many cardiovascular diseases (CVD), considered as a major contributing risk factor. Figure 1. Prevalence of obesity at first prenatal visit†¦show more content†¦2006), potentially due to an increased maternal nutrient availability of lipid that alters fetal growth. The outcome is mainly subjected to the high percentage of body fat rather than lean body mass. This excess weight gain during birth predicts the potential of overweight during childhood, which increases the risk of adolescent obesity. This finding is consistent with many cohort studies, which also indicate a lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, high serum triglyceride and fatty acid levels in offspring leading to the relative high body mass, resulting in a strong association between maternal BMI and childhood BMI (Gaillard et al. 2014 Cianni et al. 2005). However, the outcome may partly be associated with lifestyle and genetic factors. Diabetes Obesity and type 2 diabetes are both classified as metabolic syndrome resulted from metabolic dysregulation. Both the obese mothers and the fetuses have shown a higher serum insulin and glucose concentration, which contribute to the high insulin resistance (Catalano et al. 2009 Boney et al. 2005). However, the high exposure to insulin during utero development encourages fat deposition in the utero to serve as an the energy substrate for the utero, suggests a positive correlation to adiposity, hence, expressing a close association between diabetes and obesity in contributing to the developmentShow MoreRelatedCauses Of Obesity In Western Countries1251 Words   |  6 Pages Obesity in Western Countries: Causes and Implications Over the past two-decades obesity has risenn at an alarming rate globally and now is reaching epidemic proportions in the western and industrialized countries†¦ USA. Obesity prevalence in the United states is among the highest globaly as its obesity rate is projected to climb from today’s 30-40% today to a shocking 70% in 20301 . In particular, childhood obesity exhibited the highest growth rate today, tripling the percentage of children overRead MoreThe Long Term Health Consequences Of Deprived Prenatal Nutrition3084 Words   |  13 Pagesbetween adult health and early-life maternal nutritional stressors such as under-nutrition, malnutrition and over-nutrition. Gestational maternal nutrition is a critical intrauterine factor which changes offspring epigenome. Numerous animal and human model studies reveal that insufficient and inappropriate maternal diet during critical periods of pregnancy have been associated with many chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes and various cancers in offspring. This literature review aims to highlightRead MoreThe Obesity Means Excess Body Fat Essay5796 Words   |  24 PagesObesity means excess body fat, BMI is reasonably accurate method for predicting adiposity and can be easily used as screening tool (Rome, 2011). The definition of pediatric obesity is not usually easy. Because directly measuring body fat is difficult and time consuming, the measurement of BMI is most commonly used. However, BMI does not always accurately reflect body composition. For example, athletes with high muscle mass and an extremely low body fat may have obese BMIs. The use of

The On The Gender Machinery - 1638 Words

The Gender machinery In response to some of the described situational GBV’s, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, is the countries national body for social welfare, gender and children’s rights for Sierra Leone. In 2007, 30 women’s rights organisations joined a demonstration against GBV. The national committee is made up of government institutions, UN agencies both national and international organisation and are against GBV. There are also established regional GBV committees for national action plans, in its implementation of UN security council resolutions (UNSCR). Which are being made up of civil society organisations and traditional religious leaders globally (kjkljlk). In the wake of the war, Sierra Leone has developed a â€Å"Truth and Reconciliation Commission† in it’s attempt to record impartial accounts of abuses that happened during the war directed towards â€Å"national reconciliation† (kjjkl). In 2003 both UNIFEM and Urgent Action Fund for Women s Human Rights, delivered a presentation on gender- based human rights violations. Its’ focus was towards the effect, armed conflict had on women and children. The program endorsed gender sensitivity in managing girls and women victims’ statements whilst additionally building skill sets for conversing with these women and the distressed witnesses (kjkljklj). In 2006, 34 Family support units provided legal and psychological counselling, emergency health services for the surviving women andShow MoreRelatedThe Machinery in Dracula752 Words   |  3 PagesThe machinery in Dracula becomes important to the plot as a whole, but also important to Victorian society too. For the sake of the Empire, factories were increasing the size of Britain’s economy and cities were growing, the military was gaining strength, Britain was at the forefront of modern technology during the time. 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St Joseph s College is an all-boys college with roughly around 1800 students and a mixed sixth form; it has several workshops such as the engineering workshop and the DT workshop all equipped with various machinery. In the college, to manage risk of injuries the college gives out particular PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). For example in the engineering workshop, it is required to wear overalls and steel toe boots to work on you products. This ensuresRead MoreThe Impact Of Industrial Revolution On Manufacturing Plants871 Words   |  4 PagesWith a long line of people willing to work, manufactures could keep the safe conditions and wages low, and still have enough people to run the factory. Manufactures always tried to get us much machinery as possible on their factories to increase productive capacity. They would be buying unsafe machinery to save money, and would also disregard safety concerns correlated to them. 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Practice in SME and Large Organizations- MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Practice in SME and Large Organizations. Answer: Introduction In current trends, companies are more focused on fulfilling the customers needs and requirements by various types of new products and product development projects. As resulted, there are many new products innovations have been created in the world. In this manner, the concept of product portfolio is very helpful for the companies. Diverse portfolio can be considered as the way to improve the sales of the company and to meet the requirements of the customers in the market. Further, product portfolio can be seen as the leading trend where many products are introduced and then removed by the companies. There is the point to understand that the broad product range can be the cause of mass confusion by the customers so, it can weaken the overall sales of the products. The product portfolio of any company may expand rapidly due to some actions i.e. merger and acquisitions (Majava et al, 2012). The concept of product portfolio management is practiced in many areas of the company i.e. projects, IT, financial assets and product development. Based on the research of many authors, the portfolio management can be considered as the effective platform in strategic product development to focus on the successful and constant innovation within the company. Product portfolio basically deals with the market analysis, product development strategy and product life cycle management for new and existing products (Hnninen et al, 2012). So, product portfolio is the key element of product requirement and management at the enterprise level. It is all about the strategic choices based on the markets, technologies and products. In the portfolio management, product can be classified in many ways i.e., by customer segments, by hardware, by software, documentation products, services, product family, technology generation. This essay describes the concept of the product portfolio by using appropriat e marketing models and the industry examples. The essay demonstrates the application of the concepts of portfolio management by the various companies (Den Hartog, 2012). Product portfolio management The approach of the product portfolio management can be applied in the different areas for managing the set of business activities by the resources. The key objective of the portfolio management can be described as maximizing the values of portfolio, balancing the portfolio and connecting the portfolio to the business strategies (Saaty, 2013). Along with this, portfolio management can be considered as the higher management level in the decision making process to manage dynamic opportunities, uncertainty, strategic goals and interdependencies between the portfolio products to take decisions based on agreed criteria. Product portfolio management is an important task for the multi-product companies as the product portfolio ensures the corporate profitability of the companies in the market (Salvador, Forza Rungtusanatham, 2002). An effective portfolio management is important concept for the successful product innovation. Portfolio management is all about making strategic choices in whic h the business invests in terms of product and technologies. This is about resource allocation i.e. RD, engineering and marketing resources (Wan, Evers Dresner, 2012). Portfolio management basically focuses on the project selection i.e. on which project new product or development projects the companies will choose for the future success. So, in simple words, product portfolio management can be defined as the dynamic process in which the projects related to new products and developments are constantly revised and up-dated. In this process of portfolio management, the new projects are evaluated, selected and resource are allocate or re-allocated for the active projects (Stock, Ruth M. Nicolas, 2011). The portfolio management process is based on the changing information, multiple goals, dynamic opportunities, and various strategic considerations and various decision-makers and locations. New product portfolio management is kind of fairly mechanistic exercise done by the companies for decision making and resource allocation. There are some factors about product portfolio management and those are as follows: New product portfolio management deals with the future projects and opportunities so, there is the need of much information to make decisions in terms of project selection (Kester et al, 2009). Along with this, the decision environment is very dynamic and the status for projects in the portfolio is continuously changing so, new information in this manner is always available. Further, there are different stages of completion of the projects in the portfolio. So there must be comparison between the projects based on various amount and goodness of the information (Reguia, 2014). At last, the resources allocated in the projects are limited and the decision of funding one project may mean that resources must be taken away from another. So, it is important to focus that resources will be allocated equally to each and every project. Thus, every company and business industry needs to be evaluating continuously the performance of its marketing activities. This can be done by monitoring and analyzing how well every individual product is working under the product portfolio. The process of product portfolio is the technique used by various companies to identify the position of every product within the operating market (Brown, 2010). Based on various researches, the catagories in the product portfolio management which are described as follows: Product portfolio is well balanced and structured as it includes the combination of small, medium and large projects at the time of capture. Product portfolio management is the best practices for financial, competitive advantage and efficient resource allocation. New product development practices A study on the new product development by Ledwith (2012) revealed that the best practices in terms of new product development includes promoting greater success in launching and developing new products and services. The new product development practices include process, strategy, research, company culture, project climate, metric and measurements and commercialization. According to Duncan (2012), there are various companies that have implemented innovation governance. The best practices of innovation and product management focus on business processes, implementation plan phase address decision making first, avoid complexity and launching. Product portfolio management is another project management technique as it spans all the way from the vision of organization by project management to gain benefits and advantages in the market. Basically, product portfolio management is not fundamentally management of various projects, but it is about taking right decisions regarding selection of pr ojects to maximize the organizational benefits. Product portfolio management makes sure that right work is being done in the company (David, 2006). Relevant marketing theories in product portfolio Basically, there are various marketing theories and principles which are used by the various companies in the market. In the microeconomic environment, there is the need to link the marketing concepts with the management functions of any company (Pitta Pita, 2012). So, for the product portfolio analysis the theories and models are as follows: The Boston Matrix is the business model by which the company is able to analyze the products or services of the business in terms their share market. The company takes consideration about the rate of growth in the market. By using this method, a company can easily analyze the position of the each and every product in the market. In the figure, the position of the product can be analyzed by this figure. In this figure, the position of the market is divided in the four parts i.e. star, question mark, cash flow and dog. First factor is star which shows high market share with the high market growth. The star product of a company enjoys increased sales revenue. With the increased and growing market, the competitors are attracted. So, result is that company always spends much amount on the promotional activities. The business might be involved in the high capital investments to improve the profitability and capacity of the business. In short term investments, stars may be the cause of cash flow problems in the company because expenditures always exceed income. So, stars products in the company usually generate profit and support to other products in making profits (Schmidt, Sarangee Montoya, 2009). Cash cow is those products who have high market share with low growth market. These types of products often exist in the established markets which have reached on the maturity stage. Having low rate of growth in the market always discourages competition so; it is possible for the companies to spend less on the advertising. The high proportion of cash cows products is perfect for the companies which are seeking for high profit in the market. But the companies having cash cow products always want to develop new and innovated products in order to enter in to high-growth markets (Heising, 2012). Further, the next factor is question mark which can be said problem children for the company. These kinds of products compete in the competitive market having low market share and high market growth. The market is continuously growing and there is the strong competition in the market so, there is the possibility that future sales will increase even if the products does not increase in its share in the market. There are many new products that are problem children at first. So, for such kinds of products, there is the need of large amounts of market research and promotion for the success of the products. If they get success, then they will become stars or cash cows (Eggers, 2012). At last, dog is the last category of the products. These kinds of products have low market share with the low-growth market. So, companies need to think carefully about developing such kinds of products because they provide little scope to the company for profit making. At the time of recession, there are the chances that these products will be dropped (Brettel, Heinemann Engelen, 2011). This model can be easily understood by the example of Cadburys dog product. Cadbury is the famous company having wide range of products for the customers. One of the most favorite products of the company is Dairy Milk, Dairy Milk Whole Nut and Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut. In the range of the products, Whole Nut chocolates are often considered on the least popularity by many customers. So, the chocolate is the dog product for the Cadbury as they have only 1% of market share. Along with this, they have low growth rate also. But, all the dog products cannot be the problem for the company as although this product has only 1% of share in the entire market but the chocolate brings around 40 million every year in terms of revenue for the company. Each and every business, either big or small, should have a balance between these four types of products which are arranged in the Boston Matrix. The generated profit from the cash cow products can be used by the company to help finance stars and investment in the problem children products. By knowing the catagories of the products, the products of the company fall into useful areas i.e. The question mark or problem child products are helpful to make sure that the business of any kind of product is about meeting the needs and requirements of the customers in the operating market. So, it will be the star product in future. A star product of the company can be considered as the real revenue earner as these kinds of products always attract new customers in the business who may well buy other products within the portfolio including cash cows and problem children products. These kinds of products can establish the customers as the brand loyal. Although, it may need lots of cash investment to get success and remain available in the face of competition in the market (Nicholas, 2011). Now, cash cow products in the market are popular as it can be beneficial in providing the finance when there is the need to pay for the marketing of other products. These kinds of products are often the products which launch a company. At last, dog products are predictable. Although these kinds of products should be avoided by the company but the taste and choices of the customers change constantly. So, the companies should be aware about the products that what product will ultimately become a dog product (Ernst, 2002). So, the Boston Matrix is able to provide easy and quick way for the business to take right and correct decisions related to product portfolio and development. Now, there are some more theories regarding product portfolio and development which are described below. Basically, product life cycle provides the estimation of the sales of a product in the market. It provides an outline of the level of the products sales based on its development. This cycle provides the journey of a product from its birth up until its disappearance from the business portfolio. The above diagram shows the first real stage of a product i.e. development. The product is being researched and prepared for the introduction among the customers. Just because, the company has not started its business yet in the market so, there is not any kind of sales in this stage therefore there will be no revenue. The stage of various products life cycle is described below: First is the introduction stage which is also called birth of the product. This is the stage when the product is released in the market. As it is the new product so, everyone is not sure about the success of the product. But, there are many customers who are willing to try the new product so, sales will increase slowly. The pricing strategy is very important at the time of launching stage of the product. The pricing strategy always depends upon the category of product such as skimming of the price, and penetration pricing etc. The next level is the growth stage in which the sales of the product increase rapidly. At this stage, customers respond to the advertisements which have been put in the place. Result is that the brand recognition of the product has been established with the consumers who are satisfied with the customers. In the growth stage, profitability for the company has begun in taking effect (Grnlund, Sjdin Frishammar 2010). Next stage is maturity stage in which sales begin to its level off and very slightly slow down. At this stage, brand loyalty of the product is well-established among the customers. At the maturity level, various promotional offers are provided and they are still strong but the promotional strategies are being relaxed because brand awareness for the product is at the high level. Forth level which shown in the diagram is saturation. It is not so important stage but it is a point in the life cycle of the product. In this point, sales of the product are saturated at the highest level on which the company is ever going to be and after that, it slowly begin to decrease. The fifth and last stage in the product life cycle in which the sales of the product begin to decrease. There are many reasons of fluctuations in the level of sales at the time of maturity level so; it is often difficult to spot the decline in the sales. Decline in the sales can come down for many reasons but main reason can be that the product is viewed as the old fashioned or the improved version of that product is now available in the market for the customers. In such kind of situation, a company has two choices i.e. either discards that product and let it go into decline stage having very little expenditure or develop and implement extension strategies to try and stretch the length of the product life cycle in the market (Cooper, Edgett, Kleinschmidt, 2007). Having various kinds of products, companies want all of their products to be in maturity level as it is the stage at which the company is benefitting with the highest profit. In the market, the taste and preferences of the customers change so, they will buy the different products from the company or they will buy it from the competitors to satisfy their needs. There are many problems in the product portfolio and product life cycle. The main issues is that there is no certainty or accuracy about the products, it is just a prediction of event that at which level the product will get growth in the market. The product life cycle is not based on the change in the taste of the consumers. In present time, the taste and preferences of the customers are changing so, companies are offering more than one products to satisfy their needs and requirements. Companies expect that their products will have the long and happy maturity stage so that they can get higher profits in the market but again, i t is not sure that product will always stay on the maturity stage (Brem Voight, 2009). Enhancing shareholders long term value The role of marketing activities in the functional business process varies greatly. Marketing can be considered as the leading function in managing the relationship with the customers. It basically plays an important role in defining the value position in market, navigation and process management and coordination of the relationship management process. However, the roles of marketing activities process are dominated by technology and engineering-driven culture. To enhance the shareholders value in the market, companies must address the impact of marketing investment of business process. There are marketing theories and practices which improve the shareholders value in the market (Chao Kavadias, 2008). There are many sub-processes within the business process of marketing. Marketing theories are focused in the input of marketing strategies and decisions which impact both market place and financial performance of the company. The marketing theories connect the performance measure of marketplace such as brand loyalty including financial dimensions and reducing volatility of cash flows. Marketing principles and theories have important role in improving the values of shareholders in the business. To develop the winning strategies in the business, companies analyze and identify the contribution of marketing to development, design, integration and execution of the business processes (Coulon, Ernst Lichtentgaler, 2009). Along with this, companies should understand the impact of change on the shareholders while introducing new products in the market. Companies must assess the consequences of the cash flow in the decision, investment and commitment process. To enhance the shareholders value in the business, there are strategies which must be focused by the companies i.e. companies must understand the cash flow analysis methodology and the thought process. There is the process by which a company can improve the values of the shareholders. Company should estimate the minimum return on incremental sales which is needed to create the value for shareholders, Company should compare the return on incremental sales with recently realized rates and initial planning projection. By the estimation of increased sales, company will be able to analyze the total sales of products in the planning period. Next step is to estimate the shareholders value contribution for the various marketing strategies in the business unit and corporate levels. The shareholders value provides important information to the management in terms of greatest value in the market. Further, company should evaluate the financial feasibility of the strategic plan for any product. The evaluation of financial feasibility will be helpful in analyzing that it is fundable or not. To maximize the shareholders value, it includes the evaluation of the planned investment growth strategies of a company. Further, there should be financial self-evaluation done by the company at the business unit and corporate level for the strategic financial planning process. The companies that want to sell and establish the acceptable selling price for the shares and proper price for its product (Rappaport, 2006). So, to maximize the value of shareholders in the business, companies must adopt relevant marketing concepts and strategies. It is important for the companies to evaluate its financial feasibility to gain success in the market. Shareholders values for the long term basis are based on the good returns of the product in the market. So, it is important for the company to adopt the strategy valuator approach in terms of creating value for its shareholders and to contribute in the long term interest of the shareholder and the economy. Conclusion This essay is about the concept product portfolio and its importance in the companies having more than one product in the market. From the above discussion, it is observed that product portfolio is the key element of product requirement and management at the enterprise level. It is all about the strategic choices based on the markets, technologies and products. In the market, the taste and preferences of the customers change constantly so, the products are classified into customer segments, by hardware, by software, documentation products, services, product family, and technology generation. This essay has generated the understanding of product portfolio and its importance in creating shareholders value in the business. Further, there are concepts and theories in the product portfolio which are helpful in analyzing the catagories of products in the market. The Boston Matrix is helpful in dividing the product into various catagories based on their performance in the market. On the bas is of above discussion, it is analyzed that the position of the market is divided in the four parts i.e. star, question mark, cash flow and dog. Further, product life cycle is also important for analyzing the position of products in the market from its birth till death. 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The American Civil War was fought in the United St Essays

The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The result of a long-standing controversy over slavery, war broke out in April 1861, when Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated. The nationalists of the Union proclaimed loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States of America, who advocated for states' rights to expand slavery. Among the 34 U.S. states in February 1861, seven Southern slave states individually declared their secession from the U.S. to form the Confederate States of America, or the South. The Confederacy grew to include eleven slave states. The Confederacy was never diplomatically recognized by the United States government, nor was it recognized by any foreign country . The states that remained loyal, including the border states where slavery was legal, were known as the Union or the North. The North and South quickly raised volunteer and conscription armies that fought mostly in the South over four years. The Union finally won the war when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Appomattox Court House followed by a series of surrenders by Confederate generals throughout the southern states. Four years of intense combat left 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers dead, a higher number than the number of American military deaths in all other wars combined. Much of the South's infrastructure was destroyed, especially the transportation systems, railroads, mills and houses. The Confederacy collapsed, slavery was abolished, and 4 million slaves were freed. The Reconstruction Era overlapped and followed the war, with the process of restoring national unity, strengthening the national government, and granting civil rights to freed slaves throughout the country. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in American history. Prelude to war In the 1860 presidential election, Republicans, led by Abraham Lincoln, supported banning slavery in all the U.S. territories. The Southern states viewed this as a violation of their constitutional rights and as the first step in a grander Republican plan to eventually abolish slavery. The three pro-Union candidates together received an overwhelming 82% majority of the votes cast nationally: Republican Lincoln's votes centered in the north, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas' votes were distributed nationally and Constitutional Unionist John Bell's votes centered in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. The Republican Party, dominant in the North, secured a plurality of the popular votes and a majority of the electoral votes nationally, so Lincoln was constitutionally elected president. He was the first Republican Party candidate to win the presidency. However, before his inauguration, seven slave states with cotton-based economies declared secession and formed the Confederacy. The first six t o declare secession had the highest proportions of slaves in their populations, a total of 49 percent. The first seven with state legislatures to resolve for secession included split majorities for unionists Douglas and Bell in Georgia with 51% and Louisiana with 55%. Alabama had voted 46% for those unionists, Mississippi with 40%, Florida with 38%, Texas with 25%, and South Carolina cast Electoral College votes without a popular vote for president. Of these, only Texas held a referendum on secession. Eight remaining slave states continued to reject calls for secession. Outgoing Democratic President James Buchanan and the incoming Republicans rejected secession as illegal. Lincoln's March 4, 1861, inaugural address declared that his administration would not initiate a civil war. Speaking directly to the "Southern States", he attempted to calm their fears of any threats to slavery, reaffirming, "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the United States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." After Confederate forces seized numerous federal forts within territory claimed by the Confederacy, efforts at compromise failed and both sides prepared for war. The Confederates assumed that European countries were so dependent on "King Cotton" that they would intervene, but none did, and none recognized the new Confederate States of America. Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter. While in the Western Theater the Union made significant permanent gains, in the Eastern Theater, the battle